Writability

1 Million Pageview Giveaway Winners!

Photo credit: W Mustafeez on Flickr

First and foremost! Thank you to everyone for entering—this was a really exciting giveaway and I had so much fun watching everyone else get excited about it.

There are a lot of winners, so I’m just going to get to it!

Writer critiques!

Query critique from Jennifer Blackwood: Kailey
Query critique from Vicki Leigh (five winners!): Tiffany Dailey, Erin Beaty, Kimberly VanderHost, Sam Taylor, and Chris Owens
First page critique from Riki Cleveland: Chris Owens
Query and first chapter critique from Rae Chang: MVB
Query and first ten pages critique from KT Hanna: Julia Essenburg
First three chapters critique from Cait Spivey: Kelsey Simon
Query and first three chapters critique from Kate Brauning: Ruth Mitchell
Query and first fifty pages critique from me: JC
Full MS critique (edit letter only) from Naomi Hughes: Annie Nilson
Reader report from Kisa Whipkey: Fiona
Full MS critique from Nicole Tone: Mel Stephenson

Reader prizes!

UNETHICAL by Jennifer Blackwood (e-book): Heather DiAngelis
THE SIGHT SEER by Melissa Giorgio (e-book): Anne Rose Becker
UNLEASHED by Rachel Lacey (signed paperback or e-book): Jean Marie Brennan
BEHIND THE SCENES by Dahlia Adler (signed paperback): Jamie
KINDAR’S CURE by Michelle Hauck (paperback or e-book): Gwen Burke
DARKNESS WATCHING by Emma Adams (e-book): Renée Price
EVERLY AFTER by Becka Paul (e-book): Brenda Keller
A IS FOR ANGELICA by Iain Broome (signed paperback): Carly Bates
HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS by Ann M. Noser (e-books): Kat Helgeson & Lihn Guyenng
COME BACK TO TEXAS by KK Hendin (print or e-book): Gabryelle Konn
THE PAPER MAGICIAN (signed paperback + bookmarks): Paige
I SEE THE WEB & A SINGLE THREAD by Cait Spivey: Aimee Hyndman
THE WICKED WE HAVE DONE by Sarah Harian (e-book): Michelle Domenici
THE SOUND OF US by Ashley Poston (e-book): Jessica Harvey
MAKE IT COUNT by Megan Erickson (e-book): Heather DiAngelis
CATCH ME WHEN I FALL (signed paperback or e-book): Nicole Zoltack

So that’s it! Thanks again to everyone who entered—and to those who see their names here, you should be receiving an e-mail very shortly (if it’s not already in your inboxes!). Keep an eye out today. :)

For Writers, Some Things Don’t Get Easier

Photo credit: sunside on Flickr

So after wrestling my WIP through another round of revisions, I’ve been thinking about how this latest WIP has been one of the toughest books for me to write yet.

I think there are probably a lot of reasons for that, but I found it interesting, because this is far from my first book. This WIP is, in fact, the twelfth MS I’ve written, and so you’d think that I’d have the whole book-writing thing down pat by down.

Except, you know, I don’t.

I mean, sure, I know my process now. I know I do my best first drafts when I fast draft and I need some air between first drafting and editing. I know my general cycle is first drafting, revising, CPing, revising, CPing, revising, maybe more CP/betaing, and maybe more revising before sending it off.

But the actual writing part? And the actual revising part? It is so tough sometimes, you guys, and I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I sat back and wondered if I was wasting my time with this MS.

Because the truth is, writing doesn’t get easier. And neither does having confidence in your work, at least, not all the time. And even after you’ve written WIP after WIP, you’ll still have some days (or even some entire MSs!) that spew out words ridiculously easy, then you’ll still have some days (or, again, even entire WIPs) where you have to fight for every single word. And it’s not because you’re a bad writer, or haven’t learned anything, or you’re doomed to never getting published—it’s just the way it is. And it’s something I’m about 99% sure every writer deals with, regardless of how many books they’ve written or published or not.

Pressing send doesn’t get easier, either. Whether that send is to your CP, or your agent, or the thirtieth query or whatever, sending your work out is scary every single time. And I mean, it helps that I’ve learned that the best thing for me to do is immediately distract myself after pressing send, and absolutely not looking at the manuscript or the e-mail (because, invariably, I will find a typo, or misplaced comma, or something equally horrifying). But it’s still nerve-wracking and I still glance at my e-mail more than I should wondering if today will be the day my CPs nicely tell me this WIP sucks.

So here’s the hard truth: some parts of the writing process really don’t get easier or less terrifying. But being a writer means buckling up and riding the emotional rollercoaster that is known as our careers. And it’s true that some things don’t get easier, but to me? Creating new worlds and characters and stories and sharing them with readers makes it all so very very worth it.

What parts of the writing/revision process do you find difficult?

Twitter-sized bites:

.@Ava_Jae says, "some parts of the writing process really don’t get easier or less terrifying." What do you think? (Click to tweet)

What parts of the writing/revision process do you find difficult? Join the discussion on @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)

Vlog: How to Survive NaNoWriMo Week 4

It's the FINAL WEEK of NaNoWriMo! And I've got some encouragement and tips to help you make it to your NaNo goal. Enjoy!

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Twitter-sized bite:

It's NaNoWriMo week 4 & @Ava_Jae has vlogged some tips to help you reach your goal! (Click to tweet)

From Probably Not to Potentially Yes

Photo credit: Antti Kyllönen on Flickr

It’s November 24, 2014, and a year ago today I did not have an agent or a book deal.

A year ago today I was a writer with a bunch of queries out, and one agent with my full manuscript, and I was jumping at every e-mail, and resting after finishing NaNoWriMo early, and I had absolutely no idea that I was weeks away from getting The Call.

So much has changed in a year.

After writing (and trunking) manuscript after manuscript, I’ve kind of had to adjust to a new method of thinking. It used to be, when I wrote, that most of the time I assumed chances were likely no one would ever see it (while not the case for everyone, this kind of thinking is somewhat inevitable when you trunk as many manuscripts as I did). And in a way, that was safe. It meant it didn’t matter how good or bad the manuscript was, how much work it would potentially need, whether the idea was overdone or the characters were weak or what-have-you, none of that mattered. It was freeing, in a way, to write thinking that nothing mattered because chances were likely no one would see it.

Things are different now. And I love that they’re different—really, honestly and truly, I do—but it’s been a weird shift.

Now I’ve gone from probably no one will see this to any one of these could potentially be published. And I mean, that’s not to say I can’t trunk a manuscript if I don’t like it or don’t think it’ll work (I definitely can), but going from probably not to potentially yes has been so so strange.

After trunking nine manuscripts in a row, I’ve got one on its way to you guys (yay!) and three more in my revising queue. And I obviously don’t know for sure that any of the ones I’m working on are going to get published (or even go on submission, for that matter), but each one of them is a potentially yes and that just totally blows my mind.

And you know? Weird as it is, I'm so thankful for the shift. While it’s sometimes terrifying, it’s also ridiculously exciting, and I’m so psyched to share my stories with my CPs and incredible agent and hopefully, eventually, you.

Probably not was a safe place to grow and learn and develop my writing, and I’m absolutely thankful for that stage in my writing journey.

But now that potentially yes is here? I couldn’t be more grateful.

What are you grateful for this year?

Twitter-sized bites:

Post agent and book deal, @Ava_Jae shares a shift in the way she sees her WIPs. (Click to tweet)

Writer @Ava_Jae shares one big thing she's grateful for this year. What are you grateful for this year? (Click to tweet)

Book Review: HUSHED by Kelley York

Photo credit: Goodreads

Yes, I know I just recently reviewed a book, but I’ve read another great one, and I want to review it before I forget. So.

Before I begin! Here’s the Goodreads summary:

“He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.”

First and foremost! Hushed by Kelley York is a New Adult Thriller/MM Romance! I’ve seen a lot of people call it YA, but Archer and Evan are in college (as are all the major characters) and it’s published by Entangled’s Embrace line (which is a New Adult line). So just clearing that up. (Also, full disclosure: I'm an Assistant Editor for Entangled, but they did not ask me to review this book. I'm reviewing it because I enjoyed it and that's it).

Related to the NA note: for those of you nervous about reading NA because of the potentially graphic content, this book is pretty tame. There’s one (literally) steamy scene, but there isn’t graphic content, and more than anything there’s just a lot of adorable cuddles and kisses. (Though, trigger warning, there’s some sexual assault mentioned throughout the book).

Okay! So as for the actual book, this was such an interesting read. First of all, I can only think of one other book I’ve read from the primary POV of a serial killer (or, I suppose, vigilante, depending on how you look at it) and it made for a totally fascinating read. Mix in the super unhealthy relationship between Archer and Vicki and the ridiculously adorable Evan (who I just want to huggle forever) and I was totally hooked. The plot is interesting, the pacing works well and the relationships are complicated. I was totally emotionally invested and I really really enjoyed it.

Minor gripes: I may have missed it, but I don't think Archer specifically identifies as bisexual, which isn't a deal-breaker, but as he's pretty obviously bisexual, I would have liked to see him identify and help fight against bi erasure. (Though, if I missed it, which is totally possible, then never mind). Also, toward the end, I started getting kind of aggravated with Vivian and Archer's relationship, but I didn't think it was necessarily unrealistic...just frustrating. So.

All in all, I loved reading Hushed and I was so extremely happy to not only see some diversity on the NA shelf, but to see some diversity in a NA book that isn't strictly Contemporary Romance (*double high five!*). If you’re looking for some diversity to add your NA shelf, I absolutely recommend Hushed.

Do you have any diverse NA recommendations for me? I’d love to hear about them!

Twitter-sized bites:

.@Ava_Jae gives 4.5/5 stars to HUSHED by @elixing. Have you read this gripping LGBTQ+ NA Thriller? (Click to tweet)

Looking for an intense NA read with a LGBTQ+ protag? Check out HUSHED by @elixing. (Click to tweet)

Why Publishing Pros Must Love Your Work

Photo credit: savvysmilinginlove on Flickr

Over the years, I’ve seen some statements made online about the necessity (or not) of agents and editors loving your manuscript. These statements, which I’ve seen repeated multiple times in various words go a little something like this:

Agents/editors don’t need to love your work to represent/buy it. They just need to think it can sell.

This confused me when I first saw it years ago, then made me frowny as I got to know the industry better, and now just makes me a teensie bit annoyed, because you guys? It’s not true. It’s not even a little bit true.

The publishing industry, as it turns out, is not comprised of soulless, money-grubbing robots. Agents and editors (and assistants and copy editors and everyone else involved in the business) are people who genuinely love books and genuinely want to see manuscripts (and authors) they love succeed.

That, right there, is the core of it.

Now, that’s not to say that the potential to sell a manuscript isn’t important—it absolutely is, and writers get rejections along the lines of I really loved this, but I don’t think I can sell it all the time.

But the reverse is equally important, because it doesn’t matter how much selling potential your manuscript has, an agent or editor who doesn’t love your manuscript isn’t the right agent or editor for you. (And vice versa—a manuscript an agent or editor isn’t passionate about isn’t the right manuscript for them).

Think about it: publishing a book traditionally is not a one-man project. It involves writers and agents and editors and copyeditors and assistants and publicists and cover designers and layout designers and probably other people I’m not thinking of at the moment and you know what they all have in common? They all want to make your book awesome. And for agents and editors especially, who are most involved in championing you and your book and making your novel as amazing as possible, trying to do all of that work for a manuscript they didn’t love would not only be difficult, but it’d probably be a tad bit painful.

You don’t want an agent or editor who doesn’t love your work, because they won’t be able to do the best job possible for it (and for you). You want industry pros by your side who love your book as much as you do, because they’re the ones who will be able to help you bring your book to its fullest potential.

And when that happens? It’s pretty incredible for everyone involved.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree that it’s important for publishing pros to love your work?

Twitter-sized bites:

"An agent or editor who doesn’t love your manuscript isn’t the right agent or editor for you." (Click to tweet)

Is it necessary for agents and editors to love your work? @Ava_Jae weighs in her thoughts. (Click to tweet)

Vlog: How to Survive NaNoWriMo Week 3

It's week THREE of NaNoWriMo! And this time I've got some tips to help you get through the middle NaNo slog.

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Twitter-sized bite:

It's NaNoWriMo week 3 & @Ava_Jae has some tips to help you get you through the middle NaNo slog. (Click to tweet)