For a teacher, snow days are perks of the job. During some winters, snow days are rare. Not like this winter. I've lost track of how many we've had so far. It is a double-edged sword, though. Making sure all the material is covered for each class in fewer days is challenging. Getting the students re-focused can be the most difficult. But the unplanned time off is also a blessing.
This winter, I have put the extra time to good use. I'm in the final stages of the first edit of The Road to Nowhere. I have the time to research and query more literary agents. That is time consuming. It is a full-time job in and of itself. Each literary agent looks for specific items in the submission, and they aren't always the same things as other agents. It's not like writing a resume for job interviews and using the same resume for each one. Although my query letter is similar for each agent, I have to tweak details depending on what they are seeking. Some want a three page single-spaced synopsis; others want it in 500 words or less. Some want to know your marketing plan, while others don't care about that. I spent three hours yesterday morning researching and preparing to submit to one literary agent. It's all part of the job.
Another accomplishment is that I joined FaithWriters.com. It is a large group for Christian writers to gain exposure to critique groups and posting articles publicly. They host a weekly challenge, so I'm working on a short story to submit this week. They also have a writing contest which I will enter. The winner will not be announced until December, so there is a long wait on that one.
I have also started working more with Susan May Warren on My Book Therapy. She has a Monday night chat which is like taking a 2-hour college course on writing. She has been such a wonderful help to my writing! She has a writing contest called The Fraiser. I will enter that and finalists will be announced by June 1. Not a winner, mind you, just the finalists.
One more thing I have been able to do during these snow days is work on the sequel to The Road to Nowhere. It continues the story of Detectives Curtis Ralston and Maddox Ainsworth. I have a short piece about it under Nowhere to Run on my Books page. Since I have another snow day today, I should get back to work.
Are you taking "snow days"? What are you up to? Leave me a note in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!
This winter, I have put the extra time to good use. I'm in the final stages of the first edit of The Road to Nowhere. I have the time to research and query more literary agents. That is time consuming. It is a full-time job in and of itself. Each literary agent looks for specific items in the submission, and they aren't always the same things as other agents. It's not like writing a resume for job interviews and using the same resume for each one. Although my query letter is similar for each agent, I have to tweak details depending on what they are seeking. Some want a three page single-spaced synopsis; others want it in 500 words or less. Some want to know your marketing plan, while others don't care about that. I spent three hours yesterday morning researching and preparing to submit to one literary agent. It's all part of the job.
Another accomplishment is that I joined FaithWriters.com. It is a large group for Christian writers to gain exposure to critique groups and posting articles publicly. They host a weekly challenge, so I'm working on a short story to submit this week. They also have a writing contest which I will enter. The winner will not be announced until December, so there is a long wait on that one.
I have also started working more with Susan May Warren on My Book Therapy. She has a Monday night chat which is like taking a 2-hour college course on writing. She has been such a wonderful help to my writing! She has a writing contest called The Fraiser. I will enter that and finalists will be announced by June 1. Not a winner, mind you, just the finalists.
One more thing I have been able to do during these snow days is work on the sequel to The Road to Nowhere. It continues the story of Detectives Curtis Ralston and Maddox Ainsworth. I have a short piece about it under Nowhere to Run on my Books page. Since I have another snow day today, I should get back to work.
Are you taking "snow days"? What are you up to? Leave me a note in the comments. Thanks for stopping by!