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Sunday, July 25, 2010
At Which Point I Shameless Use The Rest Of You
Most of you know I’m heading off to the RWA National Conference this week (tomorrow to be exact) and while there, I have appointments to pitch my work. For this reason, I’ve spent the majority of this month attempting to write a pitch for my full-length MS. The only thing I’ve managed to produce are tears of frustration and lots of gray hair.
I was determined to finish these bad boys off this weekend. However, there was this little thing called “packing” that had to take place. Which required “planning” out a wardrobe, which led to that horrifying thing called “shopping”. Oh, and laundry. I can iron there, right?
Anyway, I kept opening the file, staring off into space, watching some television (Ocean’s 12 AND The Holiday were on - what’s a girl to do?!), and then closing the file. *sigh* I dug in again last night, television off, and got these. All input (provided it’s gentle) is welcome.
One story, My Anna is an 18,000 word Contemporary Erotic Romance I wrote a couple years ago. Time to dust it off and get her out there. Here’s what I have.
There’s nothing like raging hormones, a heat wave and a sexy, younger man to throw a woman off kilter. Throw in sensual dreams and the subject of those dreams showing up at her front door, and Anna Robinson is definitely off kilter. A repressed librarian resigned to her fate of spinsterhood, thirty-five year old Anna is pleasantly surprised when the much younger Max Collier suggests they share a private dinner. She’s repressed but not dead, so of course, she says yes.
When Anna slips and tells her man-eating sibling Max is coming for dinner, little sister insinuates he's only coming for the food. Fed up and afraid her sister might be right, Anna decides to put herself on the menu. Lucky for her, Max is only too happy to feast on what Anna has to offer. One night of heat turns into one incredible week of passion, and a new Anna springs to life. But when Max confesses it’s time for him to leave, will the new Anna be able to stand on her own, or will she become the spinster forever longing for the one that got away?
Chance doesn’t like the fishing metaphor in the last line, which is so cliché that I didn’t even make the fishing connection. Sad, I know. I’m working on it. (For the record, there is a HFN at the end of this one.)
The other, Playing For Keeps, is my Contemporary Single-Title, which is proving beyond impossible to sum up. My sad offering so far.
High school teacher Emma Dawson has a real problem on her hands, and Major League hunk turned high school coach, Nate Campbell, isn’t helping.
All she had to do was lock in the new text books already promised, but when she refuses to meet her boss’ terms, it’s bye-bye books and hello baseballs. Now she has to convince Nate to turn down his new equipment in order to get the money back.
Problem is, Nate’s not turning down anything. His boys need that new equipment, and he’s not about to give it up, even for the enticing Emma Dawson. Then again, he’s not immune to her plight either. Or those honey brown eyes.
Joining forces to raise new funds for the books, it’s not long before Emma and Nate cross the line from coworkers to something more. A something more that sparks a burning jealously that could cost Emma much more than her job.
As you can see, I SUCK at last lines. The problem with this one is that I have to go from fun and light to DUN DUN DUUUUUUUNNNNN. Not so easy.
Now, give me what you’ve got. Feel free to ask questions about these stories as I’m guessing that might jog something loose in my brain. Oh, and one more thing. Any suggestions on how to pack five pairs of shoes in this suitcase?
I was determined to finish these bad boys off this weekend. However, there was this little thing called “packing” that had to take place. Which required “planning” out a wardrobe, which led to that horrifying thing called “shopping”. Oh, and laundry. I can iron there, right?
Anyway, I kept opening the file, staring off into space, watching some television (Ocean’s 12 AND The Holiday were on - what’s a girl to do?!), and then closing the file. *sigh* I dug in again last night, television off, and got these. All input (provided it’s gentle) is welcome.
One story, My Anna is an 18,000 word Contemporary Erotic Romance I wrote a couple years ago. Time to dust it off and get her out there. Here’s what I have.
There’s nothing like raging hormones, a heat wave and a sexy, younger man to throw a woman off kilter. Throw in sensual dreams and the subject of those dreams showing up at her front door, and Anna Robinson is definitely off kilter. A repressed librarian resigned to her fate of spinsterhood, thirty-five year old Anna is pleasantly surprised when the much younger Max Collier suggests they share a private dinner. She’s repressed but not dead, so of course, she says yes.
When Anna slips and tells her man-eating sibling Max is coming for dinner, little sister insinuates he's only coming for the food. Fed up and afraid her sister might be right, Anna decides to put herself on the menu. Lucky for her, Max is only too happy to feast on what Anna has to offer. One night of heat turns into one incredible week of passion, and a new Anna springs to life. But when Max confesses it’s time for him to leave, will the new Anna be able to stand on her own, or will she become the spinster forever longing for the one that got away?
Chance doesn’t like the fishing metaphor in the last line, which is so cliché that I didn’t even make the fishing connection. Sad, I know. I’m working on it. (For the record, there is a HFN at the end of this one.)
The other, Playing For Keeps, is my Contemporary Single-Title, which is proving beyond impossible to sum up. My sad offering so far.
High school teacher Emma Dawson has a real problem on her hands, and Major League hunk turned high school coach, Nate Campbell, isn’t helping.
All she had to do was lock in the new text books already promised, but when she refuses to meet her boss’ terms, it’s bye-bye books and hello baseballs. Now she has to convince Nate to turn down his new equipment in order to get the money back.
Problem is, Nate’s not turning down anything. His boys need that new equipment, and he’s not about to give it up, even for the enticing Emma Dawson. Then again, he’s not immune to her plight either. Or those honey brown eyes.
Joining forces to raise new funds for the books, it’s not long before Emma and Nate cross the line from coworkers to something more. A something more that sparks a burning jealously that could cost Emma much more than her job.
As you can see, I SUCK at last lines. The problem with this one is that I have to go from fun and light to DUN DUN DUUUUUUUNNNNN. Not so easy.
Now, give me what you’ve got. Feel free to ask questions about these stories as I’m guessing that might jog something loose in my brain. Oh, and one more thing. Any suggestions on how to pack five pairs of shoes in this suitcase?
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Bo'sun's Babblings (Terri)
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68 comments:
Well, wear the heaviest pair of shoes, pack the rest...
And OMG they better have an iron! I'm using space bags...which packs tight and wrinkles massively!
IMO - dump the whole duh duh duh dum with Playing for Keeps and just go with fun love story. I know you have a villain and tension, but since you don't mention 'him' earlier, don't dump him in the last line...
The erotic? Man, I'm gonna think about this one.
Terri, no-one needs 5 pairs of shoes. You just need a comfortable pair for travel and general conf activity, and a 'smart' pair for presentations, banquets etc. You once said that you traveled light. Its something I like about you. Don't ruin my image now!
And any decent hotel will have overnight laundry and shoe cleaning facilities.
I suspect that when not loose on the Internet, you may be a rather shy person. That can assist the overall good impression if you write the pitch to complement and enhance it. Your audience will then feel that you know what you're talking about. Remember that in a presentation, you are selling yourself as well as your book, otherwise a written submission would be enough. So be 'natural' as though you were talking to your writing mates from a public stage.
If I'm right about shyness, then I would use words like 'sensual' rather than 'erotic' in the pitch. I like the fishing metaphor. There is after-all a good biblical precedent when Jesus tells the disciples that he will make them 'fishers of men' 8)
I wouldn't dare comment on details, but these 'pitches' are very short, so presumably most of the time (20 mins?) will be spent on discussion and answering questions. In that case it is always good to write the 'precis' to suggest points that you particularly want to discuss further.
General questions that I might ask after hearing this are:
What is your motivation for writing this novel?
How does it differ from others out there?
What do you consider to be your strongest points as a writer?
Which authors do you read and admire?
Good luck Terri.
If you can stay relaxed and natural, you will charm them out of their trees .... should be chairs! :D
Terri, sorry to hear you're so frazzled! You're almost there, and then you can start having some fun. :)
I'm the worst for giving packing advice, or shoe advice. . .BUT (you knew it was coming!) can you get it down to 3 pairs? One dressy pair and two comfy/everyday/practical ones. I know the hard part is you're there for so long and you'll be out-and-about for so long each day. If you can't, don't stress about it. (I like Maureen's suggestion.)
I really like the erotic one. I think it explains the heroine, and the setup, really well. I got a little bit confused about the sister part -- thought it might be a menage book! So I wonder if you could take out the sentences that start with "She's repressed. . ." and then jump right into "Anna decides to put herself on the menu, and, lucky for her, Max is only too happy to feast on what Anna has to offer".
I think the last line is good -- the "one that got away" is used a lot in romances, so I didn't see it as a fishing metaphor.
This is getting long. LOL I'm going to add anothr comment!
And back to general pitching advice here -- LOL. Remember the point is to get them EXCITED about your book so they'll want to ask for more. If you don't describe the book EXACTLY perfectly, that doesn't matter because you want to entice them.
So I agree with Maureen about letting the last line of Playing for Keeps go -- if you get questions, you can explain it then. But you've got a great conflict setup with both characters wanting opposing things, so I would stick with that. :)
Also, something to remember is the agents/editors are going to be dog-ass tired because they hear a lot of pitches AND they do a lot of meetings and other stuff while they're there. So try to focus on what Q said, selling yourself. Show that you are having fun, that your story is fun, and let it go from there. :)
Hope this helps. (I didn't realize I could be so longwinded in the mornings. And I've only had one sip of coffee--so far! LOL)
I really like the first pitch, especially all the play on food in the second paragraph. I like the last line, but if you could come up with a metaphor that extended your food analogy, I think it would be an even more memorable ending.
I also suggest some tightening and clarification. Can you avoid the repetition of “off kilter”? Maybe use a synonym to replace the second use? I’d also cut “her fate of” and just say “resigned to spinsterhood,” unless fate is thematic. In the second paragraph, I think “coming only for the food” gets the modifier where it should be.
One question: how young is “much younger”? In my mind “much younger than 35 would put him in the company of yesterday’s “Jailbait Hotties.” Is he that young?
Now I’ll go back and look at the novel pitch. :)
Chance - I'm wearing the new tennis shoes and I just realized that means packing four pairs and some flip flops. None of them are very big, but all are necessary. I don't typically pack this much, but someone is taking me to a Steampunk ball and that's requiring an extra pair. :)
Q - It's like we don't even know each other. Me, shy? Really? Did you JUST get here? LOL! Eight years on the radio, dude. The delivery is not my worry. The WORDS are my worry. *sigh* Sadly, this is the best I've gotten in nearly a month, and it's still off. The good news is I'm attending a pitching workshop the day before I pitch. That should help!
Donna - I'm debating on whether I need the Keds, but I think I do. I have the new tennis shoes for park visits, casuals for Thursday, black heels for Friday night and brown heels for Saturday night. I think I'm going to need the Keds during the actual workshop treking, but we'll see.
I'd hate the idea of twisting the facts to fit the pitch and then having the person request, read, and realize what I wrote isn't what I sold. Just couldn't do it.
Oh, and Chance, I can't leave out the dun dun duuuunnnn. It's the hook at the end. It's the culmination of the whole story AND I mention the bad guy in the second sentence, so he wouldn't show up out of nowhere at the end.
Janga - Thank you! I'm furiously taking notes. All of that I can do. That was the easier one to write. LOL! Much simpler to sum up 18K words than 85K.
Oh, and Q, Erotic Romance is the official title of the genre, not something I threw in there. :)
Janga, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that when she said, "much younger" man--I was like, he's not that much younger. I think he's five years younger and she's talking about him like he belongs in a completely different generation. Or kindergarten class. (And the kilter repeat stood out to me too.)
I like the second pitch though--with the light and the dundundunnnn. And I don't think you should take it out and play up the light and funny because then I think if someone asks for it, and then you send in a manuscript that isn't light and funny, they'll be going, "This is not what we asked for." I'm all for picking a horse and riding it, but I think there is room enough to have both.
No one needs 5 pairs of shoes. You're not even going to be there 5 days. Tennis shoes, business shoes, and RITA shoes--that's it. Me, I'd have a pair of flipflops stuffed in there, but I'd probably wear those to the pitch. I hate being uncomfortable.
Let's see... tips....
Beyond making sure you give the details at the beginning. (genre, word count, etc.)
I'd suggest focusing on your hook. As Donna says, these folks are tired, they're trying to horn in on what your story is about, what makes your story different from the others. Or at least what you do better than the other stories like yours.
So, I'd say you might want to shorten both of them. Leave lots of time to discuss the plot after the pitch is over.
Lemme see if I can throw something out there...
When high school (English?) teacher Emma Dawson plays hardball with her principal over textbook funding, her fed-up boss decides to teach her a lesson and gives her money to the baseball team instead.
Major League hunk turned high school coach, Nate Campbell, refuses to give the money back. His team needs that new equipment. But he's not immune to Emma's plight or her honey brown eyes.
Joining forces to raise new funds for the books, it’s not long before Emma and Nate cross the line from coworkers to something more.
I would reserve the last lines to talk about their internal conflicts. I don't know what they are by what you've got here. I thought she'd been a former geek, right? And he'd been popular? So, maybe allude to that?
PS, I think both these stories sound awesome. I'm sure you're going to get requests! :)
Oooh, I like Marn's suggestions too!
But I'm also with her on the "I think you're going to get lots of requests" department.
Re: The length. I will throw in the genre/word count stuff, just didn't put it in here. Also, this appointment is ten minutes. This isn't even 30 seconds worth of information. Seriously, no shortening, sorry. But I appreciate the effort.
Marn - Emma doesn't play hard ball, the boss does. He suggests she trade sex for the books. He's a real slime ball, but the town thinks he's a saint. This is the other problem about asking for help, if no one else has read the story, how can they know what to offer?
She was a bookworm/shy girl in HS and he was a popular jock. I threw in lines about her lusting for him since their teen years and her being the girl he never had the guts to ask out, but both lines stood out like turds in the punchbowl. *sigh*
This is my other problem. My story is character driven, but if I do a character driven pitch, there's no room for the actual plot. The agent/editor what's to know "What happens?!" So I went for the plot driven pitch, which eliminates the juicy character tidbits.
No idea how to mesh the two.
turds in the punchbowl. lol!
Terri, I think that these pitches are good and well-done, but I also think with a few tweaks, etc. that the pitches could be hit out of the park (no pun intended *g*).
I think what both pitches need is to stand out more from everything else the editors will be hearing over the course of two days. You want the editor to perk up and think, holy ****, I want that book NOW.
So . . . please feel free to ignore my suggestions.
With My Anna:
1. I would take out the spinster part since that gave me a bad vibe.
2. Why does Anna decide to go after Max? Is she normally the "good" girl and she wants to break out of her shell? Was she divorced and her sex-life ho-hum? If you somehow conveyed her motivations for going after Max (by the way, Max is one of my favorite names ever), I think it would make your pitch stronger.
3. I would also play up the older woman/younger male thing . . . even if it's only five years difference. Especially since that seems it might be a source of conflict in your ER.
4. I would also hint at the HFN more in the pitch. Because as it is, it sounds like she lets Max go and if I were an editor, I would shy away from that.
Baseball pitch:
1. I wasn't a fan of the honey brown eyes line since that seems so cliched. I would play up the sexiness more and say something about kissing or attraction or passion. Something that clues in the editors that this is also a sexy book.
2. With Nate . . . wasn't he in the major leagues at one point as a player? Or was it minor? Either way, I would definitely say that in the pitch. Because if Nate was sidelined by an injury/whatever it was and has to return home to take this coaching job (is he excited about it? resigned?) and the town has hailed him as a conquering hero, and this drives Emma absolutely up the wall because nothing has changed since high school. And he's going to get everything he wants as usual. That gives it a nice little hook and more oomph to the conflict.
4. I would also hint that Emma and Nate knew each other. Even if they didn't date, which I'm assuming they didn't, it's still a nice angle.
From reading both of your pitches, the stories sound really good. All you need to find is that angle/hook that makes an editor go ohhhhhh. (For example when I was out on submission with my rock star book, my agent told me the rock star hero was going to make me stand out to editors.) So you just need that one thing that makes your books stand out.
Terri, I didn't mean for you to twist the facts. I like how Marn just revised it -- the first paragraph sets up the bad guy element too (I liked the "playing hardball" aspect too).
I think you're gonna do great -- seriously. They are really good stories, and that's what counts. :)
Donna - No harm, no foul. ;)
Ely - I know, right?! LOL! I can see that with the right tweak here and there, these could be killer. But I've been tweaking for WEEKS and am at the end of my rope. Really, no exaggeration that I BAWLED last weekend trying to figure this out. It's SOOO frustrating.
Re: Max's age. He's 24 and Anna is 35. Big age difference, especially in her mind. Yes, it's an issue for her, but she gets over it. Clearly. LOL! Anna has never been married and not had a lot of relationships. She's sort of that woman who disappears in a crowd. Max really brings her to life. I do want to show the HFN at the end, will definitely work on that and play up the motivations and Max's age.
Re: 2nd pitch - Nate was in the Majors, that's why I call him a "Major League hunk" with caps. :) He is out of the game due to injury and they never dated in HS and he is the returning hero (even though he doesn't see himself that way) and you're basically right on all points. If you could see the eight other pitches I have nearly finished for this thing, you'd see they all have these elements included.
Problem is, I can't figure out how to get ALL these elements into eight sentences. Not that I don't believe there's a way. I just can't figure it out.
I'm pulling my hair out with this shit.
I just read a tweet where somebody said it was the end of the conference, and they were at their pitch appt. and they said to the agent/editor, "It's late, I know you're tired of hearing pitches, and I'm tired of giving it, so can I just send you my manuscript?" And the agent/editor's face lit up and they said "Yes!" LOL
*ROTFLMAO* HILARIOUS!I want to do that!!!
I know! It would be so much easier. :)
This is exciting, Terri! Two books to pitch. Wow. :) Congrats on that accomplishment, which is more than a lot of us can claim.
I mention the bad guy in the second sentence, so he wouldn’t show up out of nowhere at the end.
Sorry, but I guess I didn't get that the principal was the bad guy so much. Now that I tie "burning jealousy" in the last part to the principal and read more background I think his role in the conflict between Emma and Nate makes a lot of sense as a hypocrite out to make waves about a co-worker relationship when he wanted a relationship with her himself. My thought is to put this conflict out there more (if this is accurate).
If I'm not too off on the details of plot, maybe Nate's part could add something like:
The playing field may be different, but Nate Campbell is used to winning. His boys need that new equipment, and he’s not about to give it up, even for the enticing Emma Dawson. But finding out the principal blackmailed Emma with a sleazy 'books for sex' offer meant he hadn't won a fair game.
Will joining forces with Emma for new book funding become a game he wants to play for keeps or set off a burning jealousy that costs Emma her job?
Donna - Don't tempt me! (I may give that serious thought.)
Melissa - You are right on except for one thing. Nate doesn't know why Emma didn't get the books. She doesn't tell anyone about the indescent proposal. But I like the idea of playing that up. And I love "The playing field may be different..." I can definitely try to use that!
Hmm. Yes, that would be off if he didn't know. I'm curious, when does he find out?
See, Terri -- you've piqued everyone's interest in this story already! :)
Wow. I can't believe I'm hearing all this nonsense about not needing 5 pairs of shoes.
Okay, here are my tips for packing light. I stay within the same color palate. That way I don't need both brown and black heels. Black is classic. Black can be paired with pastels, brights and neutrals to make all sorts of looks. And then pair different jewelry to it all. But I know you're not going to do that, so I say take all the shoes. I like shoes. You can't dis a good pair of heels. I will pack my wing-tipped 4" heels with me even if I know I won't wear them. I want to wear them. That's a good enough reason for me to pack them. But I also spend a lot of time walking in them. If you are unused to heels, then you definitely need comfy shoes.
Tell me what you're going to wear. I can't help you with the pitching or the summing up your stories, but I know clothes. I wish I was there. I'd pack your suitcase for you. I can pack for two weeks in a carry on.
I can pack for two weeks in a carry on.
You forgot this part: "And no one will ever find the weapons or any evidence linking me to anything."
:)
He finds out at the end, when the principle snaps and goes after her.
Donna - I should just go in with a laptop and show them this blog. "See, look how many people are already intersted!" LOL!
Sin - Normally, that's what I would do. I fully intended to wear one pair of heels for Saturday night and sensible shoes the rest of the time. Actually, I don't have a choice but to wear the sensible shoes since my knees will put up with nothing else. But these running shoes don't look at that professional.
Current plan is to change shoes before each pitch. Saturday night requires the black heels, but I'll be sitting down at the awards, so that's okay. Saturday night will require the brown heels, but again I'll be sitting down at an awards ceremony. The really good thing is that both pair on ones I used to wear to work every day so they are well broken in.
I have no idea how to explain what I'm wearing. LOL! Cool stuff in all different colors. :)
Oh, I can pack with the best of them. I can practically pack for my weekend roadtrips in my purse. LOL! I've just never packed this many shoes before and I don't want them to mess up the clothes. Which are mostly knits, so I've no idea what I'm worried about. This new suitcase really is huge, so it should all fit with no problem.
I totally forgot to thank Hellie for switching days with me so I wouldn't leave you all bored while travling tomorrow.
Thanks, Hellie!
Wow, everyone has a lot of good suggestions! I'm really impressed... Now, you can go nuts while we wander around Disneyworld figuring out which works!
Sin - California...suitcase. I'm waiting!
While you've been agonizing over your pitch, I've been agonizing over my post for Wednesday -- not sure WHY since there's only gonna be about 3 people left around here. LOL
LOL! Donna, we'll have internet in the hotel and I plan on relaxing Wednesday after getting there REALLY EARLY tomorrow and hitting the parks. We'll check in, promise.
Terri said: Q – It’s like we don’t even know each other. Me, shy? Really? Did you JUST get here? LOL! Eight years on the radio, dude. The delivery is not my worry. The WORDS are my worry. *sigh* Sadly, this is the best I’ve gotten in nearly a month, and it’s still off. The good news is I’m attending a pitching workshop the day before I pitch. That should help!
Terri, I had momentarily forgotten your radio DJ work ... sorry! Though face to face, eye ball to eye ball interviews by a panel who are sitting in judgment on you and your work, and have the power to make or break, may be a little more intimidating.
Nah, not really! You give em the verbal OTK, same as with me, and you'll be fine. :lol:
On the question of panel tiredness, I doubt that its an issue. I sat on panels at one time, interviewing candidates for research jobs, and found that the interactive element could be quite stimulating. I found passive absorption of info, sitting through continuous lectures at conferences was much more tiring.
Donna, I'm here on Wed. Your efforts will not be wasted .... and will be seriously scrutinized! *grin*
I know, Donna, I think we should just have blogs about hotties all week so the girls know what they're missing back here.
Hey! Don't be thinking of having your own Hottie conference and leaving Chance and I out of it. No way.
Q - It turns out you know me well after all. The one on one is my weakness. Give me a crowd of 10K, I'm fine. One on one, not so much. But it's ten minutes of my life, right? That nothing. I can do this. And it's not like I'm not going to query more agents and editors when I get home. I need to get this crap in perspective.
Of course, this pitch is going to contribute to the query I'll use to submit to the others. *sigh* It's a vicious cycle!
I really do appreciate all the input you guys are offering. I'll be combing through here tonight, tweaking and twisting, and I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of making this work.
THANKS! Y'all are the best!
Eeek, Q! I was just about to go with Hellie's Hottie idea. . .but now that Terri says they'll be checking in. Mmm. I better go figure out what I'm gonna blather on about. LOL
We just want to make sure we get named in the Dedication page! LOL
Sin – California…suitcase. I’m waiting!
I'm TOTALLY on board with that! As long as I don't have to conform to the Cali way of thinking while I'm there packing your suitcase. LOL
DRD don't worry. I'll be around on Wednesday before I leave for my conference. I'll be sure to ET you.
What does "ET" you mean? Or do I want to know?
Donna - Duh! That's a given. LOL!
Donna, Terri is going to be hundreds, thousands of miles away--she can't do anything about our awesome hottie blogs we're having the rest of the week! *does a dance*
How far do you think Florida is? LOL! It's only taking me 2 hrs to fly direct. It's NOT THAT FAR.
Terri, I believe "ET" is Evil Twin. (It took me a minute to figure it. LOL)
Shh, Hellie. You'll give away our plans! LOL
Okay, pirates -- I'm off to enjoy this beautiful fall weather we're having. LOL I need some inspiration, so this might be it! Catchya later!
I figured as hot as Florida is, it must be located on the sun. Is that wrong?
Unfortunately, I'm already living on the sun if the weather this weekend was any indication.
I need to go find food and it feels almost spring-like out there today. I shall return!
(Thanks for clearing up that ET thing. Totally confused me.)
I can't wait to see Terri and 2nd Chance soon!
Terri - these are some great comments on tweaking your pitch. Since I havne't done the pitch thing yet, I can't offer any personal experience or offer any real advice.
In fact, I've been working on my log line type pitch for when I'm meeting people and they ask "what do you write?" I need to be able to give a short 1-2 sentence summary even if I'm only half done.
I've done the exact same thing as you - sat there staring and the screen with no real idea how to sum it up. I did write a 2 paragraph summary just to help me lay out the story and now I'm trying to pare it down. We'll see how it goes!
I will say that I thought Elyssa's comments on the first story were right on. I didn't like the spinster part either and like Donna I did immediately think "menage" when you mentioned the sister at first.
BTW - Chance are you pitching to Heather this time? I'm set to have breakfast with early morning before pitches start on Friday.
Hmmmm, Scape... I may crash your breakfast just to say hello! I'm out of the pitching game now that I have an agent. Sorta makes me sad... I want to talk to Saritza about how much I'm still allowed to do... I'd love to poke at Heather, a little...I did tell her at RT that I'd be stalking her until Tor finally takes me on...
Sin - Where is your conference being held? Since Ter and I will be on the Sun...you going to the Moon?
I'm looking forward to being warm, since we've been fogbound the last week, but not sure about how hot I see temps there...
Go ahead, do hotties all week... See if we care...
I mean, post hotties all week...
Uh...
Can't wait to meet you either, Scape! You gals have no idea how much this feedback is going to help me. My brain is TOTALLY FRIED. I called a coworker back because I knew I'd heard her voice today and thought she left me a voicemail I never returned. What really happened is she called me this morning and I talked to her, I just had no memory of the conversation.
If I make it through today, I'll be totally amazed.
Sin – Where is your conference being held? Since Ter and I will be on the Sun…you going to the Moon?
I'll be on the opposite side of the sun since Missouri has no concept of heat without humidity. I'm off to Branson (Table Rock Lake) to stay at a swank hotel and mingle with other DRs and practice managers.
And DRD I'm so proud of you. I didn't even have to tell you about the ET.
My kiddo will be in Branson next week, try not to leave it in too much of a mess, eh? LOL!
I see lots of time indoors in my immediate future. Our lovely 88 degrees still feels freaking hot. Especially when it was close to 100 in my car.
I'm going to tear that town UP.
I'm so not a fan of Branson, but I will be staying south of there so I don't have to go into Branson if I don't want to.
Is she going to Silver Dollar City?
No idea, I've never actually been there. His entire family is going, though his sister is adopting a baby that ended up being born a preemie, so plans could always change. I know she's gone to Silver Dollar City before, but I'm not sure they go everytime.
She was up there a couple weeks ago and did the Dixie Stampede. She loved it.
I love all the pitch ideas. I say, let all of it percolate for awhile before working on them.
I haven't even begun to pack. I know what I'm taking, and I have a list. I'm taking 3 pair of shoes, meybe 4. I keep changing my mind.
We arrive on Wednesday afternoon. I think we'll make the signing,
Di
Well, I got back just in time to (hopefully) wish all of you Bon Voyage. *waves hanky* I hope you have a lovely time. I know we (us leftovers and the Hotties) are planning on a good time here. :)
No mouse ears for Donna. Let the hottie patrol find you a pair...
;-p
Is it a coincidence that my Captcha code is BUTD?
Can't wait to meet you, Di! I get in early tomorrow and might be exhausted by Wednesday afternoon. LOL!
Bubles is officially checked into the Kitty Island. No lie, that's the name of the place. It's like freaking cat paradise. He's not going to want to come home next week.
Well, Chance, I'm not sure I'd know what to do with mouse ears anyway. LOL I barely remember what to do with the Hotties!
Kitty Island? You're right -- the cat won't want to leave! I'm staying here at Hottie Island. LOL
You guys are gonna have so much fun. I can't wait to hear all the exploits!
I've finally figured out how to put status updates on Facebook using my phone. So keep an eye on my Facebook page for updates.
Wait a minute, are we even friends on Facebook? LOL! Are you too good to be friends with me, Donna?!
LOL, Terri -- I'm not on Facebook. I'm on Twitter though!
I don't know how to tweet from my phone, but I'll try to figure it out.
Get your ass on Facebook!
I will, eventually. I've had issues with Facebook's privacy BEFORE they started having privacy issues. LOL What's your tweet name so I can follow you there? I'm "BookEmDonna". LOL
I'm not very creative, I'm afraid. I'm TerriOsburn on Twitter. :)
I HAD to be creative because my name was already taken. :( Same with a web name -- I had to go with .net because a photographer has .com. LOL Although I also got one with my name and books in it. (GoDaddy was having a sale. LOL)
Donna – I should just go in with a laptop and show them this blog. “See, look how many people are already intersted!” LOL!
DO It!
Good Luck on your pitches everyone! and have a safe trip!
sorry that I wasn't around more. Internet has been up 7down. Blame it on the flooding I guess. That ... or its A Sign from God ... "No more blogging, Julie. the World has had quite Enough!"
:)
Now go Kick some Butt ladies!
Thanks, Julie!
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