Tag Archives: TNWSY

TNWSY

Hey, remember that time I got a book deal? Yeah I’m still riding on that excitement.

!!!!!

So! I’ve gotten a few questions about the book, and since the deal is finally announced, I figured I’d share. (I’m a bit private when it comes to writing, as it happens.)

1. What’s the book about?

SPARKLY VAMPIRES! No, not really. Above is the Publisher’s Marketplace announcement for TNWSY. I think Michelle summed up my book extremely well in one-sentence. I tried, and ended up with a paragraph. That’s what happens when you’re a wordy writer I suppose. (Also, HOW EXCITED was I to see the official announcement? EXTREMELY.)

2. How did you come up with the title?

It’s one of the lines from the book, and it kind of kicks off the plot. I had a few ideas prior to it, but when that came to mind, I was like YES. THAT. DONE.

3. Is it based on real life?

No, not at all. The high school is loosely based on the high school I went to, and some of the places they visit mirror places here in Orlando, but the experiences and characters are completely made up. Though, they are definitely the kind of people I would have been friends with in high school (and through today).

4. Are you living a glamorous writer’s lifestyle now?

Let me tell you – after getting the news…I went right back to work. I mean, I was ridiculously teary-eyed for the rest of my shift, but I still worked. And the next day? I painted the cabinets in my house. I know. Rockstar life right here. (And as a follow up to that, no, I don’t plan on becoming a full-time writer. I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a librarian, just as much as I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a writer, and I don’t think my life would feel full with one part missing.)

5. What happens now?

Now I get to start editing! I’m really excited to see where Karen will help me take the book. I know it can only get better from here. And, in the midst, I’m writing, writing, writing and loving it.

6. Any advice?

WRITE! Don’t look back. Don’t doubt yourself. Even if what you come up with is gibberish (I can’t even explain how bad my first drafts are), it’s something. And something can always turn into amazing with a little bit of work.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your kind words. Thank you for going on this strange, new journey with me. I can’t wait to see where it leads. xxx

MOST EXCITING NEWS EVER

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I have some Important News…

MY BOOK IS BEING PUBLISHED!!!!!!!!!

THE NIGHT WE SAID YES is going to be a book! A real book!

My amazing agent Michelle has sold it to the fabulous Karen Chaplin at HarperCollins. It is going to be published. It will be in libraries. And stores. You guys will all be able to read it. And I can’t stop smiling, because how often do dreams like this come true?

I got The Call when I was at work. I stepped outside and promptly started crying in front of the library. Because that’s what I do when amazing things happen. I cry. I’m pretty sure I professed my undying love to my agent. I’m not sure. I don’t really remember those moments too well.

What’s better – Harper preempted for TWO books. I will have TWO BOOKS PUBLISHED. TNWSY is tentatively scheduled for Summer 2015, and my second book for Summer 2016.

Ahhh!

So that’s my amazing news. I will be an author. My little book is going to be read by people. Everything I hoped for is actually happening. It’s weird and crazy and exciting and I still can’t believe it. Because it started as words, a fleeting idea. And now it’s this.

And, you guys, I couldn’t be happier.

Plotting vs. Pantsing

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Remember that quick 3,000 word short story I wrote in a weekend just for fun? Somehow it’s turned into 22,000 words and I’m still going. I’m not sure how that happened, but it’s exciting and I don’t want to stop. I missed that feeling – that feeling where I’m discontent when I’m not writing. Where I want to jot down every thought I have about the book. Where I don’t want to stop thinking about the book. I’m a bit obsessed.

The thing is, I’m going along without any plan, any bigger picture. And it’s scary in that oh wow I just graduated from college and have no clue what to do next way, but also in that the possibilities are ENDLESS way. And I love it! And while, of course, I’m worried I’ll end up with 50,000 words of slush, I also don’t care. Because I’m having fun, and that, obviously, is worth it.

In the writing world, there’s the common debate of what’s better – plotting a book before writing, or going along by the seat of your pants (what I like to call “pantsing”). When I wrote TNWSY, I plotted a lot. That’s mostly because the idea had been in my mind for years, so I already had a pretty good idea of where it would start and end. The book takes place in a limited time span, so everything had to be very exact. I knew where my characters would be at all times, I knew what would happen, I knew where they would end up. Sure, I made up the dialogue and many diversions along the way, and of course I had to change the written outline at times, but overall it was very charted. And it worked really well.

For this book I’m doing the complete opposite. I know what’s going to happen to the characters, of course, but I have no clue what’s going to happen along the way. Sure, I have some scenes I just can’t wait to write because I imagine them before falling asleep, but on the whole I’m making it up as I go along. And it’s kind of exciting.

In the area of plotting vs. pantsing, I think it depends on the writer, and it depends on the book. You can’t just go pants The Hunger Games or Harry Potter. There was a definite layout, a definite guide. But in my YA contemporary romances? Sure, I can have a bit of fun. See where the characters want to go without forcing them.

As of right now, I’m not sure which I like best, but I’m having fun experimenting with both.

What about you? Which do you prefer?

Editing Agents

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I did a ton of research before querying agents and learned something interesting. There are, apparently, two types of agents: ones who offer editorial suggestions/revisions and ones who don’t. What I wanted most was for my MS to be good, so I decided to only query agents who mentioned that they would work with me to perfect my MS, and offer editorial suggestions prior to submission.

Let’s just say that it was the best decision I could ever make.

My agent is amazing. After agreeing to work with her, within a week she sent me a document that basically outlined a few areas I could beef up and/or improve. I loved reading her advice, and loved applying it to TNWSY. Because everything she suggested was spot on. They made my book so much better, deeper, more complex. It’s like she opened up my idea and fluffed it up a bit.

Now i’m onto line edits and while opening my track changed document was a bit jarring at first (what? so much is bad?) I saw quickly that her changes were all for the better, and, honestly, there weren’t that many big ones. (It’s like seeing the red pen on an essay. You just assume everything written is bad, and don’t look for the compliments buried within.) She had grammatical suggestions, places to emphasize, places to stretch out. And as I accepted the changes, I saw how it all worked really well. And how she’s totally right about nearly everything. And I know it’s not required to accept every suggestion, every edit an agent offers, but I actually love everything she’s done. Truly.

So! My advice is this – when looking for agents, decide which kind you want to work with. If you’d rather just go straight to submissions, that’s fine! But if you’d rather get down to the nitty gritty and uncover diamonds in the rough, perhaps go with an editing agent. I adore mine, and I hope you’ll like yours, too.

All Together Now

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After I started sending TNWSY out to agents, I immediately started Book 2. I was told it was the smart thing to do – concentrate on on my second attempt to distract me from rejections. And it worked! Here’s the thing, though – aside from writing and editing my query letter, I didn’t do any additional work on TNWSY. It’s been a while since I’ve been in that story.

So I was a bit worried when I had to jump into TNWSY edits for my agent. What if I couldn’t find the voice again? What if I didn’t like something? What if she didn’t like something?

But a funny thing happened when I opened the Word file – I felt at home. I felt like I was revisiting old friends, ones who never really left me. While I was still worried that my edits weren’t perfect enough, I gave myself into them and had fun. It was really quite cool. The edits let me explore my characters more, and discover new aspects of them. And I loved that. Each edit in the past added in that way, too, but for some reason this one felt different. Perhaps absence does make the heart grow fonder.

It’s really weird now going back and forth between stories, between characters and voices, but I like it. Because I love TNWSY, and I don’t mind saying hi to it again every once in a while. See how its been doing. Ask if it has any advice for Book 2. You know, I think they’d get along quite well.

Have you ever worked on two stories at once? How did you deal with it?

Lauren Writes