Writing, writing, just keep writing... *
I worked on three different writing projects today that are in rather different stages:
1. I looked up ten agents who deal in nonfiction works, and specifically a couple that include "pop culture" in the list of topics they handle because I decided to query agents and publishers simultaneously for Quantum Harry, rather than just publishers. I also added two publishers to my original list of eight who have carried nonfiction books on Harry Potter before. (There were only eight because it's surprising how many nonfiction books about HP are either self-published, from houses that don't take unagented submissions, from houses that don't have any submission information or even contact information online, or come from university presses and textbook publishers.) The two publishers I added to the list have published nonfiction tie-in books for other fandoms, but not HP (mainly Star Trek and Buffy), and their submission guidelines are pretty straightforward, so I thought they'd be a good fit. Now I need to really get my querying material in order (tailored for the guidelines for each publisher and agent).
2. I almost finished creating the employee schedule for my circus/carnival (what I'll be calling the RM project)--but just one version of the schedule. This one is for days when they put on Big Top Show "A" and there is a parade in the town because it is opening night in that location. (It's always show "A" on opening nights.) I still need to put twelve more employees on the schedule (I did 36 today) and then start working on the version of show "A" for other situations (like morning openings). Then shows "B" and "C". Ack. This is why I'm still in the planning stages for this project. So much to consider.
3. On my third day of revisiting an old project that I plan to actually write during July, August and September I finally did some new writing instead of just editing old writing. On Monday and Tuesday I edited Chapters 1 and 2, written a couple of years ago. Yesterday I edited what existed of Chapter 3 and added 1500 words to it. Today I only added 712, but that's okay. I'm giving myself until this coming Monday at midnight to finish Chapter 3. And I've started reading Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death Revisited for background (on my Nook). I'm feeling good about this project. And it's nice to actually be writing again, instead of always PLANNING for writing! (I'd already planned out was going to be in each chapter of this book and so far I'm not deviating from that plan.)
So--a little writing, a little background reading, a little logistical work and a little internet pavement-pounding to find agents and a couple more publishers. That's a full day in the salt mines for me!
* with apologies to Dory
1. I looked up ten agents who deal in nonfiction works, and specifically a couple that include "pop culture" in the list of topics they handle because I decided to query agents and publishers simultaneously for Quantum Harry, rather than just publishers. I also added two publishers to my original list of eight who have carried nonfiction books on Harry Potter before. (There were only eight because it's surprising how many nonfiction books about HP are either self-published, from houses that don't take unagented submissions, from houses that don't have any submission information or even contact information online, or come from university presses and textbook publishers.) The two publishers I added to the list have published nonfiction tie-in books for other fandoms, but not HP (mainly Star Trek and Buffy), and their submission guidelines are pretty straightforward, so I thought they'd be a good fit. Now I need to really get my querying material in order (tailored for the guidelines for each publisher and agent).
2. I almost finished creating the employee schedule for my circus/carnival (what I'll be calling the RM project)--but just one version of the schedule. This one is for days when they put on Big Top Show "A" and there is a parade in the town because it is opening night in that location. (It's always show "A" on opening nights.) I still need to put twelve more employees on the schedule (I did 36 today) and then start working on the version of show "A" for other situations (like morning openings). Then shows "B" and "C". Ack. This is why I'm still in the planning stages for this project. So much to consider.
3. On my third day of revisiting an old project that I plan to actually write during July, August and September I finally did some new writing instead of just editing old writing. On Monday and Tuesday I edited Chapters 1 and 2, written a couple of years ago. Yesterday I edited what existed of Chapter 3 and added 1500 words to it. Today I only added 712, but that's okay. I'm giving myself until this coming Monday at midnight to finish Chapter 3. And I've started reading Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death Revisited for background (on my Nook). I'm feeling good about this project. And it's nice to actually be writing again, instead of always PLANNING for writing! (I'd already planned out was going to be in each chapter of this book and so far I'm not deviating from that plan.)
So--a little writing, a little background reading, a little logistical work and a little internet pavement-pounding to find agents and a couple more publishers. That's a full day in the salt mines for me!
* with apologies to Dory