Love/hate relationship with my Writer Brain... Hi!

[EPHahn]

Today is a good day. Today, I love the characters and I love my decision to make a go of this Life.

My name is Erin and I am new to this site. I am currently 2/3 done with being 2/3 done with my first YA/NA science fiction trilogy and in the midst of seeking representation, which brought me here.

I did not plan to write science fiction. It just happened. The characters, they run the show.

Glad to meet you all. Super thrilled to have found a place to commiserate and cheer with like minded nut-job writers. Already I am inspired and encouraged by you!

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Hi Erin, and welcome. I'm also fairly new, and been writing almost full time for 2 and a half years. My characters and story also run their own show. What also caught my attention was "nut-job writers". I like that, and agree lol

 

[EPHahn]

Is there another way to describe it?

 

[Jennifer Stone]

Welcome Erin, I write whenever the mood takes me, but I'm not a full time author yet. Now that I have a finished book, I'm looking for any help with getting published, which I hope to achieve this year, even if I have to self publish and sell the books on eBay or something. Best luck with your work, I'll be looking for you on Amazon

 

[EPHahn]

Gah! Self publishing! It is SO TEMPTING! Right now I am holding off by asking myself "Which will hurt more? Agent rejections or bad reviews on amazon?"

But the number of friendly requests I get to read my novel for free? Maybe I will risk self publishing JUST to make a few bucks off those curious acquaintances!

 

[Richard Sutton]

WAIT!!!! EP, once your book one has been rewritten from all the good feedback you're getting with your sample distribution, give it a try with finding a publisher, even a smaller one. When you've exhausted yourself pitching, then you may want to consider self-publishing, but you write in a currently very attractive genre, and miracles happen. Oh, and rub a good luck charm constantly until your thumb is too sore to type.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Sci-fi is my favourite, although without meaning to, I got into fantasy, or medieval fiction set in the 16th century. Still, I also have the start of a sci-fi although only 20 years in the future on Mars.

 

[EPHahn]

Oh! I love medieval fiction! And fantasy! Mine is about genetics and mutations- I am lucky to have a genius brother and sister in law to advise because I would have been in way over my head. My comfort zone is more chic lit or historical romance.

 

[EPHahn]

WAIT!!!! EP, once your book one has been rewritten from all the good feedback you're getting with your sample distribution, give it a try with finding a publisher, even a smaller one. When you've exhausted yourself pitching, then you may want to consider self-publishing, but you write in a currently very attractive genre, and miracles happen. Oh, and rub a good luck charm constantly until your thumb is too sore to type.

That is excellent advice! It is a very popular genre, but the agents I have found seem to be looking for something very specific that isn't science fiction. If only they would take more than 5 pages in the query! I never thought about approaching a publisher on my own. Hmmmmm....

For now, I will just keep looking for agents. I've just been googling... any better resources you could recommend?

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Oh, I've approached publishers, provided they accept unsolicited works, and are interested in the genre, why not? Save paying an agent 15% of your earnings, but you need to know what you should expect and are entitled to, so research fees, payments to authors and get advice before signing a contract.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Hello Erin Maybe let a friendly bookworm or three read it for free, if they're asking, on condition of proper feedback?

 

[EPHahn]

Oh, I've approached publishers, provided they accept unsolicited works, and are interested in the genre, why not? Save paying an agent 15% of your earnings, but you need to know what you should expect and are entitled to, so research fees, payments to authors and get advice before signing a contract.

Wow. I just never considered doing that. Another possibility to keep me awake at night! Seriously, though, I will look in to it.

 

[EPHahn]

Hello Erin Maybe let a friendly bookworm or three read it for free, if they're asking, on condition of proper feedback?

I have had friends and family read it... and a couple of acquaintances in the desired age group... all have been so positive, but I would love to find someone not personally connected to me in any way shape or form. Have you done this? Where do you find such people? I am wary of just putting it out there to strangers... not for the critique, but for the safety of my manuscript. I have heard that some bloggers will read and critique?

 

[Richard Sutton]

Can you call it "Space(or a better descriptive) Adventure" SciFi has over time given the impression that it is too dry and adult for YA, but if you tweak your pitch towards adventure, how can they resist?

 

[EPHahn]

Wow. I love that idea!

 

[Steven McC]

Welcome to Litopia Erin. For my first couple of books I paid for editorial reports from a site called Writer Services. It seemed a pretty legitimate operation and some of the feedback was useful but if there's a way of getting similar feedback for free that would certainly be better.

Maybe someone else on here will have an idea...

 

[EPHahn]

Welcome to Litopia Erin. For my first couple of books I paid for editorial reports from a site called Writer Services. It seemed a pretty legitimate operation and some of the feedback was useful but if there's a way of getting similar feedback for free that would certainly be better.

Maybe someone else on here will have an idea...

Hm. Interesting! Do they offer by genre?

 

[Carol Rose]

Welcome!

 

[1408]

I read your title as writer Brian and for a second wondered if I should be concerned! I've already seen a few posts from you around the site and look forward to reading more! A young adult space adventure sounds pretty freakin' cool!

 

[EPHahn]

I read your title as writer Brian and for a second wondered if I should be concerned! I've already seen a few posts from you around the site and look forward to reading more! A young adult space adventure sounds pretty freakin' cool!

Bahahaha! Thanks! I should probably clear something up though, before I get credit for being cooler than I deserve! My book is a young adult science fiction, but not about space. It's about genetic purification and mutations. Kinda X-Men-meets Gattaca meets snarky teenaged girl. I have yet to figure out a good classification for it...

PS I LOVE MRS DOUBTFIRE

 

[Katie-Ellen]

'All so positive' is nice, but not necessarily helpful. You need one at least, to poke at it hard with a sharp stick. Because a book is never perfect, even when it's published. Yes, I'm extremely lucky, I come from a book worm family, who know the classics but keep up with what's new. One absolutely savaged the first draft. Rightly so I realized later - I couldn't quite see it at the time. At that point I wanted to know did I have a story? Second draft was a total rewrite. Fifth was another. Trying my luck with the sixth, more than 250 000 words down the plughole before I feel brave enough. I have friends who write, none full time, so much the better. They are business owners, teachers, sailors, museum folk, carers, artisans, shepherds. They have day jobs and they include some truly first rate writers, especially poets. The NW has a very lively writing scene and I lurk on the edges. I've had feedback there and valuable feedback here, on the old Litopia. I got lucky too. Parents met crime novelist Sophie Hannah at some event; I'd read a few of her novels. They got chatting, she v generously offered to give my first draft a once over. I see @AgentPete offers a tutorial, more affordable than many literary manuscript review services from people less in the know; there's a button for it on here somewhere.

 

[EPHahn]

Thanks! Great advice! I reached out to an old acquaintance this morning who offered a while back to read for me. I think that should cover my bases- I've had book worms read, scientists read (to check my facts), science fiction lovers read (because I needed the "geek" feedback- maybe the most helpful of all!), an
age-group specific read, the non-readers read and now an almost-stranger read.

How fortunate that your parents hooked you up with Sophie Hannah!

 

[Lex Black]

Welcome to the Colony!

 

[Katie-Ellen]

It was. Love her early novels. I'm lucky as well that my brother is a police officer, and could fact check for me. We don't do it all on our own, do we. But the book won't happen at all if we don't make it happen. You've been very thorough in which case you'll have been given some nasty medicine. Mine after first draft, gaaah, was like brimstone and treacle And even at last draft someone remarked that my character seemed to have gone limp-wristed because he noticed that a loo roll holder was chrome, lol.

 

[EPHahn]

It was. Love her early novels. I'm lucky as well that my brother is a police officer, and could fact check for me. We don't do it all on our own, do we. But the book won't happen at all if we don't make it happen. You've been very thorough in which case you'll have been given some nasty medicine. Mine after first draft, gaaah, was like brimstone and treacle And even at last draft someone remarked that my character seemed to have gone limp-wristed because he noticed that a loo roll holder was chrome, lol.

Bahahaha!
I have edited several thousand times, sent it to a dozen readers, and still, my last reader (a friend with a fantastic eye for grammar and such) goes "Page one: Blind sighted should be blindsided".
*face palm*
I nearly deleted the entire thing right then and there.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Oh, it's enraging when that happens. I keep a square of loo roll handy. I can unecologically rip it to shreds when it gets too much. But it is recycled loo paper.

 

[EPHahn]

Oh, it's enraging when that happens. I keep a square of loo roll handy. I can unecologically rip it to shreds when it gets too much. But it is recycled loo paper.

How environmentally conscientious of you!

 

[Katie-Ellen]

Oh, I know. I know....plus pink loo roll, well, any dyed loo paper dyes your...or so someone told me, once, long ago, or maybe it was a bed time story...

 

[Steven McC]

Hm. Interesting! Do they offer by genre?

I'm not sure to be honest as the work I submitted was just classed as literary fiction rather than what we would think of as 'genre' work. If you check out their website you could probably find out.

I imagine there are lots of sites that offer a similar service, though. It now seems pretty routine when you enter a fiction competition or submit a short story that you can pay a fee to get feedback on your work, so if Writer Services didn't specialise in your genre I'm sure you could find another site that would. Obviously, be wary of companies looking to take advantage... (us authors with our hopes and dreams bring pound signs to the eyes of ne'er-do-wells...)

 

[Karen Gray]

A late greeting from me, have been crazy busy recently. Nice to meet you and welcome to the colony