Cryptic ConFusion Cleared Some of My Confusion
So, Kelley was in the area last weekend for Cryptic ConFusion and we drove over for the weekend mainly to see her. Ended up having a fabulous time and meeting some great people.
PLUS (and this is a big plus), not only did Kelley take time to do lunch and offer me some great advice, I also met another writer, Violette Malan, who talked writing with me for about an hour. I'm one of those people who can hear things over and over again and never get it until someone says it in a certain way, and then suddenly everything clicks into place for me. Violette did that for me with query pitches, they now make sense and I have two versions that are pretty solid (one for agents more interested in voice and another for those that seem to be more concerned with length). She also gave me a lot of advice in other areas.
So here is my advice to all those in boats that are similar in size and sinkability to mine ... go to Conventions, more specifically, go to readings (especially for the "not huge" authors - ie - if Stephenie Meyer/Stephen King/ etc. are there, skip theirs and go to the small ones). When the author is done reading, they might just be willing to talk shop with you and offer you advice and networking opportunities.
In conclusion: Had a great time, and a big thank you shout out to Kelley and Violette :D
PLUS (and this is a big plus), not only did Kelley take time to do lunch and offer me some great advice, I also met another writer, Violette Malan, who talked writing with me for about an hour. I'm one of those people who can hear things over and over again and never get it until someone says it in a certain way, and then suddenly everything clicks into place for me. Violette did that for me with query pitches, they now make sense and I have two versions that are pretty solid (one for agents more interested in voice and another for those that seem to be more concerned with length). She also gave me a lot of advice in other areas.
So here is my advice to all those in boats that are similar in size and sinkability to mine ... go to Conventions, more specifically, go to readings (especially for the "not huge" authors - ie - if Stephenie Meyer/Stephen King/ etc. are there, skip theirs and go to the small ones). When the author is done reading, they might just be willing to talk shop with you and offer you advice and networking opportunities.
In conclusion: Had a great time, and a big thank you shout out to Kelley and Violette :D