When Musings Become A Manuscript

In a little more than two hours, the clock will pass midnight, and it will be the first day of Summer. Summer is the time when the sun is out from 5am to 9pm, I can surf before work, I can run at the beach after and I can commit to writing 50,000+ words. That last bit is part of July Novel Writing Month.  The goal, should I choose to accept it, is to write 50,000+ words during the month of July.

So with the onset of summer I decided to start planning my novel, get those keys warmed up, and get the gears rolling for July 1^st kick off JulNoWriMo.  In preparation, I started brain storming an idea I had rolling around in my head for years.  Then I wrote a debut author and asked her advice on how to get started. 

Her advice was to check out the local SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) events.  So I did.  Wow…they had a ton of activities going on and some right in my area.  I signed up for a Critiquenic being held in Los Angeles.  For the event we needed to bring 8 copies of our manuscript (up to 10 pages).  This was my motivation to actually start writing down some of the ideas I had been brainstorming. And tada, I came out with my first chapter. 

So I drove to Roxbury Park with my 10 pages and mentally prepared for the critique…well as much as I could…this was my first writing event and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Once I got to the park, I found out I had been switched to a new critique group. To my surprise my new group was now being led by a very well known YA author.  My knees started to shake. 

My critique group picked out a spot under a tree and formed a circle.  We spread the blankets, broke out our lunches and then introduced ourselves.  The rest of my critique group had been writing for years and many were published. Now my hands were trembling too.

Then our leader said, “who wants to read first?”  There goes my lunch…okay, not really…but the nerves really kicked in after that. I hadn’t been prepared to read my own story. 

When it was finally my turn to read my voice was quivery, my hands were trembling and If I wasn’t sitting cross legged my knees would have been knocking.  As I spoke, some of the group wrote feverishly on their copy of my manuscript while others looked at me intently.  When I was done blurting out my ten pages, I took a big sigh of relief and sat back and listened.

It was so great!  Everyone was so warm and supportive. They took into consideration were I was in the writing process and really tailored their comments accordingly.  Each group member wrote very thoughtful and helpful comments on how I can make my manuscript stronger.  I’ve got a lot of work to do yet, but it was all very encouraging.  Now I am so excited about July Novel Writing Month and moving forward with my idea and building on my 10 pages.

So, what's my novel about? Hmm...rather than give you a whole synopsis, I'll leave you with this, leaving you in AWESOME SUSPENSE of course. It’s an urban fantasy novel for young adults centered on a world where if you do not create your destiny, you will have your fate inflicted upon you. The working title is Golden Dawn.

In honor of Heidi Kling, the author who gave me my first bit of advice. I will be giving away a signed copy of her debut novel Sea.

DEADLINE:  Wednesday, June 30th, noon, Pacific Time. Winner will be posted on the blog. 

Open to US Residents only.

Thanks to all who signed up to follow the blog, follow me on Twitter, and friend me on Facebook.   

The entries have been tallied...and the winner is...

Astrid...Congratulations!

Keep checking back and following because another great giveaway will be coming soon!

Welcome to Musing to Manuscript Blog!

After much contemplation, I have finally started writing. Ever since I went to school abroad, I've had an idea for a book. But when I returned from Italy I was so busy finishing my undergraduate degree and then immediately entered into graduate school. So I didn’t pursue it any further. After I graduated, I had a 3 month break and the thought reoccurred to me but I didn’t act on it because I was too busy enjoying my break from all the technical reading. I’m embarrassed to say I wasn’t even reading magazines (brain fried) just looking at the pictures (I have slight shopping & fashion obsession).

A little over a year ago, I was on a two week break and visiting a small Midwestern town. I visited the town’s biggest attraction – WalMart…which also sufficed my constant need to shop. While I was there I picked up the latest best seller. I definitely needed something to pass the time and I had already read all the popular mags (okay okay looked at all the pics). Well, the best seller I picked up happened to be a paranormal Young Adult book. It brought back old memories and dreams of my days abroad.

Once again I mused about writing a book. I started remembering my own experience and the unique (that’s being nice) people I crossed paths with. I kept thinking…what if this person was supernatural…what would they be like? During the last year, the characters kept developing in my head and lately they have been more like nagging me, to the point of becoming overwhelmed by the thought of it all. I think about the characters and their situations all the time. It is utterly distracting…I can hardly work…and seriously, probably should not be driving.

So to resolve my attention deficit disorder, I have decided to get the idea out of my head and write it down. Ultimately, I would love to publish but I would be happy with finally capturing this long cultivated musing (with a serious supernatural twist) into a manuscript.

I plan to blog about my journey from musing to manuscript, post YA book reviews and also have some fantastic book giveaways. Hope you enjoy the blog!

The First Muse to Manuscript Giveaway!

To kickoff the new blog, I am having a giveaway! I will give away a Twilight package that includes The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella AND the Eclipse Movie Soundtrack Deluxe Edition.

CONGRATULATIONS to Kimberly M!

Thanks to all who signed up to follow the blog, follow me on twitter, and friend me on facebook. Entries are being tallied and the winner of the giveaway will be posted shortly.

Keep checking back and following because another great giveaway will be announced soon!