Writing events that I attended.
Comicpalooza is upon us and I’ll be attending this weekend. I’ll make sure to bring back lots of new knowledge from the literature panels.
I’ve been looking forward to this all year. It will be my 2nd year attending and so far, I like it. I’ve got to meet a lot of authors with valuable information.
I feel like it’s going to be a fun weekend.
It’s been a week or so that I sent out my query letters. I’ve gotten two rejects so that leaves four. I am hopeful of getting a response from the other agents but I’m also being realistic about it. In the meantime, I am also creating another list of agents to query in the Spring in case this time around I don’t get any response. I’m not exactly patient but I do have ways to keep myself busy.
Early this week, A Writer’s Path hosted a contest and yours truly won one of the prizes; it’s an 8k word editing services courtesy of Lopt & Cropt Editing. This is probably one of the few times I have ever won anything. I’m super excited to have a professional take a look at my manuscript. Sure, I’ve had beta readers read through it and all but I think a professional touch is needed. Saying this, I’ll probably go over my own work again before sending anything out just to make sure that I am sending out my best work. This will be an interesting process and I’ll make sure to give updates.
On another note, It Is October!
In my humble opinion, it is the best month of the year. No, not because my birthday falls in October. It is because of Halloween. Let’s face it, who doesn’t like free candy? But I rest my case. Not only is this a special month because of everything I mentioned above, but also because November is just around the corner. You know what that means? Yes, NaNoWriMo. 50, 000 words in 30 days. Am I ready for it? No. No, I am not.
However, I do have a novel in mind. I will be writing the second installment of the (currently named) Half-Blood series. *cough* I’m writing to publish the first novel in the queries I sent out *cough* So, the next comes the second book. I already have the plot of the story in my head. I have a few notes but nothing has been finalized yet. I’m going to take this month to prepare for November. Plus, I just might include some methods on how I plan out a book and other tips and advice that have helped me out.
As of now, I’m not sure if I’ll have a separate blog for NaNoWriMo. I didn’t have one for early this year, but that is also up in the air.
Until next time,
Kassandra C.
“Write what you know.”
Many of us find this advice in articles on the web or in magazines. It isn’t a bad piece of advice but it can act as a double edged sword. What if you don’t have a lot of experience in traveling or gardening or martial arts but you’re writing about these topics?Do I have to sign up for a martial arts class? Do I have the finances to take that gardening class or to travel? For the majority of people, the answer will be “no” most of the time and that’s okay.
We can ask an expert or look online for information. We can go on forums and read what people say about vacation spots. Thanks to the Internet, there are way for us to explore the world without breaking the bank. Who knows, maybe on day you’ll be the one writing about martial arts and gardening tips. In this way, we won’t be restricted or bored of writing what you know. It’s not always boring because life experiences can be very valuable in adding texture and depth in a story but at times, this isn’t always the case, and so it is a good thing to have some variation.
This past week I attended a Disturbed concert and yes, it was amazing. This was also my first concert and it was totally worth it. Now, you’re probably wondering by I bragged a bit but I’m getting there. On Wattpad, I read a lot of books aimed at young adults and most often than not, there is a chapter or a scene where a characters goes to a house party and they talk about all the sweat and the lack of space. A concert is not different – not really. The raging music and the crowd of people are on the mark. I can use my experience of going to a concert in my writing because I have lived through it and maybe I don’t write about a character attending a concert but the experience can be tweaked to fit another scenario.
Whether good or bad experience, it doesn’t really matter. There is nothing easy about life and if it was, I don’t think it would be very interesting and exciting. So, you can write what you know and you can look up things you don’t. I’ll leave you with one piece of advice. Next time you go to a concert, bring ear plugs. They won’t cancel out the noise (not that you would want to) but your ears will be grateful.
Dabbling in the Art of Writing 