Ah. Rejection.
It’s a sensation we’re probably all familiar with though it never becomes easier to face.
No writer likes to hear, “Nope, sorry, your manuscript/project/idea/fill-in-the-blank just isn’t good enough.”
I recently entered one of my stories in a contest and found myself on the receiving end of some less than complimentary criticism.
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I’m self-publishing my debut novel, THE WATER CHILD, in March 2021! And has it ever been a journey! I started this book almost 10 years ago. I queried, won contests, found an amazing agent in Kaitlyn Johnson, had positive feedback from publishers, and now I’m self-publishing it as my debut.
WHY?
Well to answer that I’d have to go into why I wrote THE WATER CHILD which you can read about here. Or the mini version: This story started on a horrific day, March 3, 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami struck the coast of Japan near where my in-laws were living. I didn’t start out trying to write a book about the tsunami, but I’d learned how to deal with PTSD from other events in my life like 9/11 by writing. The writings from that year turned into a book after critique partners read a short story I wrote and encouraged me to turn it into a novel. Now that novel, after 10 YEARS, is finally going to be in my hands and hopefully in yours as well!
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Wondering how to write evocative descriptions that don’t drag on and weigh down your prose? Remember to use the five senses and choose one or two memorable details, rather than a laundry list of general information.
For example, when describing a person, instead of saying your male hero is “average height, with a slim build and brown hair,” (forgettable) say, “my head barely reached his shoulder, he smelled strongly of cinnamon, and his hair looked as if he’d run his hands through it many times already.” (Memorable).
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Didn’t get a chance to attend Yall Write? Still hoping to go back and watch the replays? I don’t know about you, but the holidays are already hitting hard and I’m barely finding time to check all the boxes on my mile-long to-do lists. In case you don’t have time to go back and listen to the full replays, I’ve taken notes for you. Skim the day one notes here. For the day two cheat sheet, just keep reading!
Here’s the lineup of what you can expect:
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This past weekend was the virtual version of Yall Write conference. I’ve never been before so I don’t have a baseline to compare with, but the virtual version was great! I could meal prep, deep clean, even do a little yoga, while listening to some of my favorite authors. Who knew 2020 would provide such flexibility!
I know several of you were working or had other obligations and couldn’t make it but have no fear! I have taken copious notes for you. Well, mostly copious notes. There may have been a few sessions where my meal prep was burning or I was distracted…so those sessions are a little sparse and/or nonexistent.
Continue readingPen Friends ~ So happy to introduce you to a good friend and YA author, Chelsea Bobulski, author of The Wood and Remember Me, (out with Macmillan) who recently announced her new 4-book deal, with Wise Wolf Books!
SP: Hi Chelsea! Thanks for joining us! Before we get into book stuff, we’d LOVE to know a bit about you and your writing journey!
CB: Thank you so much for having me! My journey has been ten years in the making if you can believe it (although, really, it has been the trajectory of my entire life). I’ve always loved storytelling in all of its various forms. Whether it’s a good book, TV show, movie, play, or even video game, I’ve always loved exploring human nature, both through reading and through writing, although it wasn’t until I took a class at the Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio my senior year at The Ohio State University that I ever thought I could really make a career of writing. Before that class, I’d put my favorite authors on a pedestal, thinking they must have been born published authors, because there was just no way the average person could write a 300+ page book, let alone dozens of them. But taking that class with YA author Lisa Klein opened my eyes to the fact that every author, whether on their first book or their one hundredth, starts the same way: with an idea and a blank page. To make a very long story short, I began pursuing traditional publication right after that, although it took me five books and five years to get my very first book deal, and now, in my tenth year of pursuing this career, I have two books published and countless others that may never see the light of day, some due to the fact that I wrote them early in my career when I was still learning and growing as an author, and some due to the market just not being right at the time for that type of book (although I’m hopeful that I may get the opportunity to pursue them someday).
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I am so incredibly excited to share with you all the cover for my debut young adult novel, CALCULATED!!! Isn’t she stunning?
Three important things!
Pen Friends ~ Please welcome YA Author JUNE HUR talking about her upcoming novel, THE FOREST OF STOLEN GIRLS, publishing journey, writing the second book, and so much more! I’m beyond excited to have June here with us today. Her books are gorgeous and the kindness and knowledge she shares with the writing community is priceless! 
SP: Hi June! Thanks for joining us! Before we get into book stuff, we’d LOVE to know a bit about you and your writing journey?
8 years and two failed rounds of querying later, I put aside my first book and decided to work on a new project. A Korean historical mystery. I didn’t think anyone would be interested in a police drama set in 1800s Korea, but I didn’t care at this point and just wrote the book for myself. Fortunately, as I was browsing through Manuscript Wish List, I found an agent who was passionate about diverse literature, and so I decided to send a query her way. I didn’t think Amy Bishop would actually offer. But then on September 20, Amy emailed me with an offer and shared that my debut was a book she wished had existed when she was a teen.
SP: The Stolen Girls will come out April 2021 by Feiwel & Friends, Macmillan. Please add on Goodreads and check out her amazing debut, The Silence of Bones, while waiting!
Here’s the blurb for The Stolen Girls:
1426, Joseon (Korea). Hwani’s family has never been the same since she and her younger sister went missing and were later found unconscious in the forest near a gruesome crime scene.
Years later, Detective Min—Hwani’s father—learns that thirteen girls have recently disappeared from the same forest that nearly stole his daughters. He travels to their hometown on the island of Jeju to investigate… only to vanish as well.
Determined to find her father and solve the case that tore their family apart, Hwani returns home to pick up the trail. As she digs into the secrets of the small village—and collides with her now estranged sister, Maewol—Hwani comes to realize that the answer could lie within her own buried memories of what happened in the forest all those years ago.
SP: The book cover is outstanding! I’ve never seen anything quite like it! What were your thoughts when you first saw it?
When I first saw the cover, I was absolutely blown away! I thought it was so intriguing that the cover wasn’t saturated in green, as I assumed it would be, since my book’s title has the word ‘forest’ in it. Instead, in choosing white as the main color, I feel like it creates a sense of mystery and makes the word ‘forest’ pop out more due to the contrast. I also love the two girls hidden in the cover, as it really reflects the heart of the story—the search for thirteen missing girls.
SP: How long did it take you to write The Stolen Girls and how did this story come about? Was the second book harder to write than the first?
I began brainstorming this novel around two years ago, but never got around to doing anything much with it until I realized I needed to get started on my second book in the contract ASAP! I began writing it in earnest during the last half of 2019 and sent the polished draft to my editor by the spring of 2020. Writing the second book was so hard, and it was probably one of the most stressful experiences I’ve ever had to go through, mainly because I lacked the luxury of time and the freedom to fail. I spent years writing then ditching one version of THE SILENCE OF BONES for another, playing around with plot and character until I finally felt confident enough to commit to the story. But with my second book, as I was under contract as well as a deadline, I had less time to play around with ideas, and definitely not enough time to ditch one idea for another. When I wrote the first draft, I was devastated, because I wasn’t sure I liked the characters, or the plot, or the historical aspect I was focusing on. But I had to commit and it was terrifying—investing that much time into a work you know will end up getting published, but a work you’re not certain you’ll love and be proud of. In the end, THE FOREST OF STOLEN GIRLS turned out to be one of my greatest achievements. Mainly because I watched this manuscript go from being a hated second book to being a book I’m immensely proud of.
SP: Are there any characters that surprised you along the way?
Maewol, the youngest sister, surprised me. She infused the book with touches of humor, and humor is something I thought I’d never include in my books, as I tend to be very dark and melancholic when storytelling. My favorite part about writing this book was writing the last chapter, mainly because there’s a particular scene in it that I was writing toward for months.
SP: What part of the writing process do you most enjoy? The first draft? The development in revision? The final touches?
Development in revision!
SP: Any writing tip you’d like to share?
Write what scares you. The only way to grow as a writer is to constantly challenge ourselves.
A few fun questions. Is June a…
Plotter/pantster?
Plotter.
Last book you read?
If I had your face by Frances Cha
Current dream vacation spot?
Scotland
Current favorite K-Drama?
Kingdom
Would you rather be a professional: Marine Biologist? Spy? Opera Singer? Brain Surgeon? OR?
Spy.
Favorite childhood book?
Anne of Green Gables
Ellen McGinty, signing off.
SP: First of all, congratulations on your 3 book deal with Disney to write a series of villains and their first love!
LL: Thanks so much! I’m thrilled to finally share the news!!
SP: In your social media reveal post you asked the question, do you think villains can be redeemed by love? So what do you say?
LL: As to villains being redeemed by love, I have to say that entirely depends on how far they’ve gone the dark side (so to speak). But more often than not, a true villainous character cares about something more than love. Which means they will always put that passion or obsession above other’s needs, keeping them from experiencing the redemptive power of true love.
Continue readingWhy Science Fiction?
“Fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science fiction is the improbable made possible.” Rod Sterling
I love to read—and watch—both science fiction and fantasy, but when it comes to writing, I find myself consistently drawn to science fiction. Even ideas that start as fantasy often get taken over by technology or space travel or aliens.
What makes science fiction so fun? The improbable made possible. The things that sound exciting or intriguing or frightening or far-out-there, told in a way that makes us believe it could one day happen, maybe even to us. As enjoyable as fantasy is, this is one element it lacks. (Although I’m still holding out hope for my Hogwarts letter…)
Science fiction is a broad and complex genre that can include many elements, but here are some that I find most intriguing that you might consider when writing.
Technology
I love to think about how advanced technology might go wrong. Stories are about problems, so if an invention works perfectly, it’s far less interesting than if characters have to deal with unintended side effects. The more advanced the technology, the greater the possibility for terrible consequences.
It’s also fun to consider how an invention would affect every area of life. A transporter would make traveling the world much easier, but what would it do to warfare? How would criminals use it? How would change an average person’s life?
Society
The fun thing about science fiction is, you can imagine a future going whichever direction you want it to as long as there’s a reason. Think about common elements of daily living—school, transportation, entertainment, fashion. How they might change in the future or with new technologies?
For a while, people thought virtual school was the way of the future. And even though that’s what many are experiencing now, it’s hard to tell if the method will stick or people will celebrate a return to in-person school. Fashion comes and goes in cycles. What if your futuristic society decides Victorian dress or Roman togas make sense?
Themes/Humanity
People remain the same regardless of technology or location. With science fiction, especially when the world seems improbable or humans dwell among the stars, it’s extra important to ground the reader with characters who want relatable goals and feel the same emotions we all experience.
Outer Space
Science fiction doesn’t have to be set on a space ship or another planet—Earth-based settings can be just as interesting, whether they’re set in the present or the future. But I’ve always been fascinated by the wonders of the galaxy, by how much is out there that we’ve barely begin to see. And since we know so little, it’s a fertile ground for your imagination to run wild. Unique planets, strange aliens, unknown phenomena…make the improbable seem possible, and take readers to a new world!
What do you love about science fiction?
Becky Dean, signing off.
The Spinning Pen 