3 Unrelated Things I'll Try to Relate

It's surely a sign of a disorganized mind - and one that is sorely lacking in sleep - but I've got three disparate things buzzing in my head. I can't fix on one, so even though they don't go together, I'm going to smash them together anyway. I might have to use Gorilla Glue.

Downton Abbey
I'm officially obsessed. I can remember back in September when Tivo took the initiative and recommended an episode of DA. I watched 2 minutes and deleted it. Then, in December I saw

Michelle Dockery in this fabulous dress:


and thought, "Hmm. I can use some Edwardian fashion eye candy, maybe I'll get season one from the library." Two weeks ago husband and I began watching season one, first with relief that we liked it, then with growing interest. I think husband fell to obsession after he found out that Patton Oswalt is a fan and puts out some of the most hilarious tweets about DA. I felt myself fall into obsession this Monday morning. I woke up from a dream where Lady Grantham (Cora) and I opened up a tattoo parlor in a Brooklyn brownstone. Just imagine Elizabeth McGovern in a gorgeous beaded gown, but instead of opera length gloves, she's got an intricate tattoo sleeve gracing each arm. If You Were The Only Girl in the World played on the phonograph in the background. I swoon.



Making Myself Miserable
Littlest broke her finger a few days ago. She was dancing. On the dining room chair. She's fine, in fact, I don't think she remembers her splinted finger until it gets in her way. But at night, she's up two, three or more times. No one has been sleeping. And since I have preternatural hearing, I sleep even less. So this morning, even though husband let me sleep in a little, I was in a miserable mood. After eldest made her way to school and littlest had her breakfast, I opened up email and saw an email from Caryn Wiseman from Andrea Brown Agency. To recap briefly, I posted the first 5 pages of BookEnd during last summers writeoncon. Caryn requested the first three chapters. I sent them in September then heard nothing. In January, I screwed my courage to the sticking point and nudged her. Nothing until today. Now, I've had seven rejections in the last three weeks. I knew without opening it that this was going to be a rejection too. I just felt like someone punched me in the gut, yet still expected me to get out of my PJs and brush my teeth. I cried. Then I figured I might as well open the damn rejection up, stick it in my folder with the others and get on querytracker to collect my latest orange frownie face.

But it wasn't a rejection. Caryn said she hadn't received my email in September, but wanted to read my full now. And that's how you ruin your own morning, all by yourself.

Synopsis
Part of what Caryn Wiseman wants me to send is a synopsis. My existing synopsis is a five page hot mess. Luckily, my awesome beta reader pal, Sharon Bayliss, sent me a link to a great post on how to write a one page synopsis. I'm already half way through rewriting my synopsis. Couldn't have done it without this tip. Thanks Sharon!

So, what's been rattling around your brain this week?

Prep Work: A Conference Newbie Primer Pt 2

My business card holder.

Did I mention I don't know nothing about attending no conference? The advice I'm passing along is gleaned only from my own (current) experience.

Sign up for Everything (Free)

It's your dime, you need to throw yourself into the proceedings like it's the last day of the renaissance faire and you've got one of those cool pointy hats to show off.

That means sign up for the pitch sessions, the genre lunches, the critiques, the networking lunches/breakfasts/dinners. Anything that's free. Then, if there seems to be a paid event that really speaks to you, splurge on it, if you can. 

Look at the Schedule with a Critical Eye

It's a little like perusing a box of chocolates - all the workshops look good. All of them have something you can learn, something you need. But you can't attend all of them. So what do you do? As my yoga teacher says, create an intention for your practice. Meaning, what, if you could only accomplish one thing, do you want to achieve? Do you want to focus on your writing? On getting published? On meeting the most people? On self-promotion? Or is there a specific topic that you really need to master, like self publishing or using social media? You'll have the chance to accomplish more than one thing, but if you focus first on just one are, you'll be able to hone in on most of your workshops. Then, you'll see that you'll have some time for the extras. I'm concentrating on writing (the first page, story arc, voice) but I hope to throw in some pitching/agent info too.

Once you Choose your Workshops, Prep for Them

Some workshops have specific requirements, first two pages, synopsis, query letter, pitch. Most don't. But I'm going to make a radical suggestion. Even if it's not required, draft one up. Even if no one will ask you for it, have all of the above written and with you. Why? Because you'll go into all of your workshops with that experience already under your belt. Even if it's just the experience of trying to do them you'll understand a lot more about what the workshop leaders mean, if you've already 'trod' that road, at least once, before. 

Another way you can prep for your workshops is just thinking about the topic. What do you think about self-publishing? What questions/apprehensions do you have about it? What is the question you hope the leader answers? You'll have a better chance of getting those questions answered if you think of them, and write them down, before hand

Here are some links for reference:

The First Two (or five, or three) Pages

Synopsis

Query Letter

Pitch, Elevator or Otherwise

So what do you think? Anything you want to add? Anything I'm so off base about?

Tomorrow: SNACKS! Not just for hiking or pre-school anymore, and what the hell does business casual mean in the real world?