Monday, 20 July 2015

Write, submit, walk the dog, repeat

My favourite bridge, from the opposite direction
I'm sure I only closed my eyes for a moment, and now it's July! I went away for the weekend last week, and it seems to have thrown me completely out of sync. It was a very warm weekend, and I didn't sleep well, and I was on the go the whole time.

While I was away, I decided to write some short stories. So I hunted out a new notebook and wrote. But they're all really daft and will need a lot of work to get them up to standard.

I've been submitting my first almost-novel (it's only a little bit short) to agents. Nothing's happening there yet, but it's early days. Although I woke up in a hot sweat last night when I realised I hadn't added contact details to the latest attachment I submitted, so all they have is my email - no address or phone number or anything - assuming my email and the attachments don't get separated. I did it wrong! So very wrong!

And finally, I'm rewriting one of my oldest stories, changing it from 3rd person/past tense to 1st person/present tense. I've had to cut 1000 words off the first draft because some of it was from another POV. But I hope this will make the story tighter. I've missed the deadline of the market I was aiming for though, sadly.

I'm now going to visit all the blogs I've been neglecting (ie. all of them)




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51 comments:

  1. Alex J. Cavanaugh20 July 2015 at 16:54

    Sorry! You'll remember the contact information in the next one. Keep submitting.

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  2. L. Diane Wolfe20 July 2015 at 19:49

    Continue polishing that old story, as new markets will keep opening up.

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  3. Murees Dupè20 July 2015 at 21:12

    It's okay Annalisa. I have made a few submission oopsies in the past too. Don't let it get you down. They usually respond by email anyway. I think we get so nervous and worked up, we make mistakes we normally wouldn't. All the best with your submissions and rewriting your story.

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 13:16

      Thanks Murees. I wasn't so much nervous as careless, but I'll double check next time!

      Delete
  4. Blogoratti20 July 2015 at 21:21

    Time flies indeed. All the best with the writing. Greetings!

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  5. Cindy20 July 2015 at 21:22

    I was wondering what happened to you. Welcome back. I think in general, the whole agent thing, is very difficult. Good luck!

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 13:23

      Thanks Cindy. Nothing ever actually 'happens' to me, I just put things off until tomorrow - it's a very bad habit!

      Delete
  6. Madeline Mora-Summonte20 July 2015 at 21:34

    Keep at it, Annalisa! Good luck with everything!

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  7. Joanne20 July 2015 at 22:38

    welcome back, get some sleep, stay cool and keep walking the poor dog. It might lead you to a story.

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 13:46

      Thanks Joanne. The weather changed, I'm in a thick cardigan today :-)

      Delete
  8. Rena21 July 2015 at 03:24

    Submissions are just the worst. And yes, you are in early days and it's only up from here. Do you ever enter writing contests? I find that those really destroy my confidence and keep me up at night--good times.

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 13:54

      I love contests, Rena. I've entered a few this year already - a couple of long- and short-list places, but no prizes yet :-)

      Delete
  9. Keith's Ramblings21 July 2015 at 12:22

    I too went away over the weekend! Just me, my little tent and my tiny camera! I change passions when away - at home writing, away from home photography. I should have pictures of the ancient city of Salisbury and the Stonehenge stones on-blog tomorrow assuming that is I've sorted through all 300 images!

    Visit Keith's Ramblings!

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 13:59

      I've never been to Salisbury or Stonehenge - I really must, one day!

      Delete
  10. Tyrean Martinson21 July 2015 at 14:21

    Way to go with all your hard work! Submissions can be tough, but it sounds like you're doing a good job. Happy writing! (and happy subbing!)

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  11. Suzanne Furness21 July 2015 at 17:17

    I know what you mean about being July already! Submitting is hard work, so many things to think about, I get a bit paranoid about doing it all wrong sometimes.Sounds like you have been productive with your writing while you wait to hear back though.

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 14:23

      I hate the waiting, so it's nice to have other stuff to work on.

      Delete
  12. Unknown22 July 2015 at 00:37

    Best of luck with the querying! I know we've all heard stories of writers who landed agents on the first few tries, and that used to make me cringe every time I got a rejection. Now I get excited when I get rejections and think, "Hey! They read it and replied! At least it was legible."

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 14:33

      Lol, that's a much more positive slant on the process! Those writers who find agents straight away are few and far between.

      Delete
  13. Linda King22 July 2015 at 08:04

    You are being productive - that's the main thing! Life does tend to get in the way... Good luck with the querying! :-)

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 14:33

      Thanks Linda. It hasn't felt like a very productive year so far, so it's good to get started!

      Delete
  14. Mark Means22 July 2015 at 12:17

    Best of luck on the book submission and I hope those short stories work out for you. Maybe a compilation in your future? :)

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 14:39

      Thanks Mark. I'm probably due another collection soon - I'll be working towards it :-)

      Delete
  15. kimlajevardi.com22 July 2015 at 20:58

    Time slippage sucks, and it happens most frequently during summer. What's up with that? Good luck with rewriting and submissions.

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 14:47

      Yes, just at the point where you want to appreciate a slow leisurely summer, time speeds up!

      Delete
  16. Shannon Lawrence23 July 2015 at 08:47

    Time may have slipped, but you seem to be getting a lot done. Good luck with editing the short stories and submitting your novel. I'm always terrified I'm going to leave out something important when submitting. Especially when so many short story markets have rules off the standard.

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 14:48

      I read and reread the submission criteria, so I have no idea what went wrong this time... apart from the fact it was a spur-of-the-moment, late Saturday evening submission... That might explain it :-)

      Delete
  17. Anonymous23 July 2015 at 14:43

    Good luck on all the submissions. Your hard work will pay off. I'm a teacher with two months off in the summer and the vacation time slips away real fast when I'm enjoying myself and writing plenty.

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 14:58

      Time always slips when you're out of routine. But at least the writing doesn't get interrupted unless YOU choose it :-)

      Delete
  18. liz young23 July 2015 at 21:46

    Best of luck with the subs. I haven't subbed for ages - I tell myself it's because I'm more likely to get somewhere in England, but it's also sheer funk. What I really want is for someone else to do it for me!

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 15:10

      You've had a lot to think about, what with trying to sell up and everything. Once you're back, settled and happy, I'm sure the submission process will feel much easier.

      Delete
  19. Nick Wilford23 July 2015 at 21:46

    At least you've got plenty of new ideas. I think all my ideas sound daft when it's just a few words on a piece of paper. Interesting to revisit an older story too. I haven't really done that, but I guess if enough time passes you can come to it fresh. Good luck with the submissions!

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 15:19

      About 15 years has passed for this story, so yes, it's very fresh :-)

      Delete
  20. Christine Rains24 July 2015 at 14:32

    You've been busy! I can't believe how fast time is going too. My son starts school in a week and a half. Yikes!

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    1. Annalisa Crawford24 July 2015 at 15:27

      I bet he's looking forward to school. He seems like the kind of chap who'll be sitting by the front door two days early!

      Delete
  21. Mark Koopmans24 July 2015 at 16:00

    Hey! I changed my whole ms from 3rd/past to first/present, so I feel your pain.. but it that's what it takes to make magic happen, well sign me up to pull a rabbit out of your hat :)

    Have a great weekend, and regards to your Rocker :)

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    1. Annalisa Crawford28 July 2015 at 20:45

      A whole ms?? Wow! But you're right, sometimes we need to make those changes for the magic to happen.

      Delete
  22. klahanie25 July 2015 at 02:37

    Hi Annalisa,

    Hey! Yes and finally, I have arrived!

    Keep going with that writing. Penny pawdicts, um, predicts big things for you. Heck, July is almost over.

    Have a lovely weekend, Annalisa.

    Gary :)

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    1. Annalisa Crawford28 July 2015 at 20:53

      Hey Gary, welcome :-) I've decided I'm not going to change my calendar over, and just replay July again!

      Delete
  23. Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com27 July 2015 at 22:42

    Hi, Annalisa. I saw your comment on Joanne's blog. I've been neglecting your blog too. I'm sorry about that. And where did July go? My goodness. Sometimes it feels like we awake running to catch up with time. On a happier note, that's a very pretty bridge scene. Glad you get to enjoy it!

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    1. Annalisa Crawford28 July 2015 at 20:58

      It's so easy to lose touch with blogs, or just let them pass you by, isn't it? July has been ridiculously fast. There were so many things I wanted to do this year, but I'm barely keeping up! Thanks for visiting :-)

      Delete
  24. Chrys Fey27 July 2015 at 22:52

    I'm glad that you've been writing a lot of short stories. Even though they need more work, it's great that you've been writing. Don't let your mishap with forgetting contact info upset out too much. I've made bigger boo-boos when emailing agents. I wish you all the best!

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    1. Annalisa Crawford28 July 2015 at 21:05

      No, the missing contact info was more a case of 'oh, you silly bint'. He replied. He passed. But at least the contact info wasn't of huge importance. I do like to present myself as professional, though.

      I'm enjoying writing 'rubbish' at the moment... just getting stuff down on paper without editing or self-critiquing as I go. It's liberating.

      Delete
  25. Misha Gerrick28 July 2015 at 16:27

    Welcome back. :-)

    Sounds like you have a lot going on. All the best.

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  26. Crystal Collier29 July 2015 at 15:03

    Everyone needs a break from time to time, and if you can get something productive done while away, all the better.

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