EotF update

About four months ago, I gave up on EotF. I didn’t know how to improve it, or even if I wanted to. And my queries weren’t doing well at all. 50 queries, and only 2 requests (which both ended in form rejects)? Not so good. But now the Muse Online Writers Conference is approaching again. There are a lot more publishers available for pitch sessions. I’ve grown as a writer, and I have some readers willing to help point out where it needs work, so I’m giving the story another go. I haven’t tried pitching or submitting to a publisher yet, so maybe I’ll have more luck than agent hunting.

This next month will be entirely focused on giving EotF a make-over. I’ve got some ideas to make the culture deeper, focus the conflict, and add in some more unisus scenes. I plan to have a new title when I’m ready to pitch as well. Make everything fresh, new, exciting. That’s the plan. I’m so grateful to have a husband fully supportive of me, and willing to talk about a project he is surely sick of by now.

Goal: Have a revised, polished draft of EotF (with new title) by Oct 11.

Have you signed up for the Muse Conference?

The Muse Online Writers Conference is an amazing, fun, free, online conference. But it’s only free if you register now! Starting August 16th, there will be a five dollar late charge. Late registration is open until September 10th. The 2010 conference will be October 11-17.

Even if your time zone isn’t convenient for the chats, most of the workshops are through forums which are open that entire week. This will be my third year attending, and I am already super excited. I learn something new every year, and am able to find courses for whatever I am writing. There’s something for everyone: screenwriters, poets, novelists, any genre, any story length. I hope to see some of you there!

List of some of the workshops.

Register here.

Fairy Good Bargain

Yesterday we went to the mall to get B some new shoes for school. He’s already grown half a size since we bought him new ones early this year, and the soles are worn. Since PayLess had a buy one get one free sale, we got a pair for now and another a half size bigger for when he grows out of and/or wears through those.

 

One of the stores always has these gorgeous fairy figurines. Over the last year we’ve seen the price slowly getting marked down. The owner was there and saw us looking. He offered us an even bigger discount if we bought a big one that day. My husband, awesome haggler that he is, bargained further. End result, we got a combined total of $10 off the marked-down price. We got two for the price that one would have cost us a year ago. We are extremely happy with our purchase.