Editing Is Fun. What?!

I bet you never thought those words would escape my lips.

After years of saying I hated editing, I'm actually enjoying the process. Previously, I've always preferred the creation process--the actual writing--by a long shot and would find any reason to avoid editing. Cleaning toilets. Check. Laundry. Check. Exercise. Check. Painting my toenails. Check. You get the picture.

My newfound enjoyment of editing has me scratching my head. I dug into my 300+ page novel a few weeks ago with dread but discovered I looked forward to going into my writing cave daily. Who am I? I've been pondering this significant change.

It could be due to the fact that I now have several requests for my women's fiction, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS. Yay! It's also possibly because I set my novel aside for three years due to a family tragedy and am rereading it with surprise and delight, almost like a new reader. Maybe it's because I had already edited it several times (more than I remembered) and my novel is in much better shape than I recalled. Maybe just maybe I'm finally embracing this crucial part of the writing process.

I've always had a few friends who loved the editing process. Some even liked it better than writing the first draft. That's crazy talk. Those people are a bit off kilter if you ask me, but I digress. Whatever the reason, I'm down to my final pages. I keep hitting "control end" to count how many pages remain. My heart pounds, my face flushes and my hands get sweaty as I near the end.

This go around, I actually had fun finding and removing repetitive words and phrases, beefing up dialogue, describing the settings and layering in back stories. I enjoyed making the characters suffer. You know you like reading that stuff.

My three female protagonists (women's fiction, remember?) laugh, gigle and groan. They get tense, cry and grieve. They dance, drink, have interesting careers and crazy personal lives. The antagonists give them grief. A lot of grief. Just when each one overcomes an obstacle, I throw another one in their path. The possibilities are endless. Are they going to end up with the guy or not? And, if so, is he a good guy? Hmm. When my characters whisper in my ear that they'd like a better life--even a fairytale life--I'll consider their plight and desires. But I'm in charge of their destination. We'll see. I may change my mind tomorrow and they know it.

See why editing is fun? Embrace it. I finally did.

My Three-Line Pitch

I told you I'd share my three-line pitch from the recent pitch opportunities via Savvy Authors. Without further ado, here it is (and it showed up as four lines on their site! However, many were three paragraphs!)

Author: Beth Carter
Title: Thursdays At Coconuts
Genre: Women's Fiction (with elements of contemporary romance, humor and suspense)
Word count: 86,000

As the go-to wedding planner, Suzy puts on a brave face with neurotic brides and a racist, pretentious mother of the bride, yet cannot find her own wedded bliss. Alex, a banker, falls for a bad-boy cop who's married and possibly stalking her, but he sure is sexy. Hope, a frumpy, self-deprecating high school counselor, enables her hippie parents and discovers a secret that almost went to the grave. These thirty-something Midwestern women meet every Thursday at Coconuts where they humorously cope with meaty issues--OCD, tragedy, homosexuality and a stroke.

Care to share yours? It's a good exercise to condense 300 pages down to a few powerful lines. Side note: I'm still waiting to hear from a couple of agents and an editor. I also pitched two picture books while I was at it. Fingers and toes crossed.

Pitch Sessions Scored Two Requests

As I mentioned earlier, I sent three-line pitches for my novel, Thursdays At Coconuts, to a couple of agents and editors via the Savvy Authors site last week.

First, do you know how many times you can change a three-line pitch? Let me tell you--a LOT. I guess I finally got it right because I scored two requests in one week--one from a literary agent, Jill Marsal, and the other from the editor of Soul Mate Publishing. I also have three literary agents waiting (maybe not so patiently) for my work. I think it's only fair that I send it to them at the same time. Hopefully, today!

After three long years of setting my novel aside due to a family tragedy, maybe my women's fiction will finally see the light of day. Fingers crossed. As you know, during those years, I switched genres and now have two children's picture books published. I love writing both genres.

All week I've been in my pj's or sweats, make-up free with dirty hair, hunched over my keyboard. (A pretty picture, right?) I've tightened sentences, hunted for repetitive words, changed character names (I had four "S" names!) I also removed several chapters containing a secondary character for the already planned sequel where two new main characters will be introduced. And, of course, my characters started talking to me again so I added a few fun scenes. I also took time to research some crazy stuff that I can't wait for you to read.

Right now, I'm one-third finished editing. It's tough to get through 308 pages, word by word, line by line, but Thursdays At Coconuts is better for it. Congrats to several of my writer friends, (Lisa Wells, Wanda Fittro, Shirley McCann, Sharon Kizziah-Holmes and Susan Keene) who also received requests from various agents and publishers.

Let me know how you're progressing and a huge thanks to Savvy Authors for the opportunity. Good luck to everyone!

Pitching Online Vs. In Person

For the first time ever, I pitched my novel online. Why? Because I love adventure, had never done it before, and an author friend of mine recently pitched online and received a contract. So, why not give it a whirl?

Here are some things I noticed:

• It's fast (if you have a better computer than me).
• You have specific instructions (to which no one apparently pays any attention).
• You can pitch wearing jammies.
• Make-up is not necessary--nor is brushing your teeth or washing your hair.
• You get to read what other writers are pitching.
• The response time is quick--just two weeks.
• It's free.

Those are the good things about online pitching, but I still had problems. As you know, I have continual, dreadful computer issues. My upstairs "real" computer is down and my laptop froze, so I was forced to write my pitch using my tiny phone. I had already stared at it for hours and was seeing spots. So, I missed a double "a a."  Ugh. A typo in three lines? Bad. Very bad. Others did as well but still.

I tried it again on a second pitch. My laptop finally awakened and I hit "send" but nothing happened. At least I thought it didn't. So, I retried sending my info three times. Guess what? It went through. All. Three. Times. I'm sure that agent thinks I'm an idiot or was trying too hard to be noticed. Gah.

Previously, I've pitched my novel in person at a far-away (and two nearby) conferences. I paid for airfare, hotel, bought new clothes, had my hair and nails done and broke out in hives. Seriously. That being said, once I was in the room with the agent or editor, I settled down, smiled, joked, and they got to see my sparkling personality (which is lacking in an online pitch). You also get to talk for 5-10 minutes. In addition, at the conferences, you also glance at one another across the room at lunch, during presentations or while having a glass of wine when it's over. Therefore, you get to make an impression several times. For that reason, my guess is it's easier to leave a lasting impression (and a business card) when you pitch in person. However, I will pitch online again because of the reasons I listed above.

I'm just now getting back to my novel after two years of setting it aside due to our family tragedy. It's good to get back to it but I will continue to write children's picture books for the sheer joy they bring and the look on those kids' faces.

Have you pitched? Online or in person? Please do tell.

Face Your Fear of Pitching

Several of us are pitching this Saturday during the annual Ozarks Romance Authors' conference http://ozarks-romance-authors.com/ Writers from the Ozarks will pitch to either literary agent Louise Fury with the L. Perkins Agency or Avalon editor Lia Brown. And we're nervous.

Whether you're a virgin pitcher, a semi-pro or a pro, let's face our pitch fear head on. What exactly are you afraid of? See a list of possibilities below, then add your own.

I might forget my name, or worse, my plot.

It's highly possible that I'll cry, pee my pants or faint.

What if my book isn't good enough?

I can't figure out how to boil 300 pages of perfect prose down to a sentence or two.

I'm afraid I'll stutter throughout the entire conversation. And turn red.

I just don't have that author "look."

I don't know HOW to pitch.

If I get a book deal, I don't know the first thing about marketing.

I just want to sit in my office and write. Leave me alone.

I've written several books. Which one should I pitch?

I don't like the business side of writing.

What if I get a three-book contract (we can dream!) and I can't meet the deadlines?

I self-published. Will that hurt my chances?

I'm afraid the agent or editor will love my pitch, publish my book (which will sell millions) and I can't handle the success.

Do you relate to any of these? What are your fears? Please chime in. Let's face this pitching thing head on--and good luck!

It's Pitch Season

Batter up! Well, not exactly. While it is baseball season, it's also pitch season for writers. Many of us are getting ready to pitch to agents or editors at upcoming conferences and our nerves are a bit, well, frayed.

Yesterday, I read about a YA author who had a unique take on pitches. He writes a one-sentence pitch before he writes his novel. By doing so he stays true to his premise and he doesn't go through the agony of trying to boil down 300 pages to just one sentence. I think it's a great idea and it has already helped me come up with a pitch/premise for another novel.

Of course, that won't help with my current, finished women's fiction. I have to pare it down for my pitch. Luckily, Literary Agent Rachelle Gardner just blogged about pitching. Below is an excerpt from her post. You can find the rest at http://www.rachellegardner.com I'd encourage you to read the comments section as well. You'll hear some pitch horror stories and won't feel so alone.)

From Rachelle: Too often, people sit down and nervously launch into some kind of story and I find myself dizzy with confusion. I sit there like a deer in the headlights and then I say something like, “Let’s back up. What’s your name? And is this fiction or nonfiction?”

Here are some guidelines:

→ Don’t try to tell the whole story. Start with the plot catalyst, the event that gets the story started.

→ Then give the set-up, i.e. what happens in the first 30 to 50 pages that drives the reader into the rest of the book. Include the pressing story question or the major story conflict.

→ Fill out your pitch with any of the following: plot elements, character information, setting, backstory, or theme. You want to include just enough information to really intrigue your listener.

→ Finish by giving an idea of the climactic scenes and the story resolution.

→ Try not to tell too much of the story in the pitch. The pitch is supposed to get somebody interested, not tell the whole story.

→ Include only a couple of characters.

→ Include one plot thread, or two if they’re closely intertwined. You can hint at the existence of other characters and plot lines.

Be prepared to answer questions that could include things like:
→ How does your story end?
→ What published author’s style would you compare your writing to?
→ Who are your favorite authors in your genre?
→ Is this a series? And if so, what are the subsequent books about?
→ Have you worked with a critique group or a professional editor?
→ Have you pitched this to publishers in the past? If so, what was the response?

Again, this is just an excerpt, and I encourage you to hop over to Rachelle's blog and read her entire post.

Have you ever pitched? Are you going to pitch soon? Tell me about your past pitching experience or how you're preparing for one now.

Five Minutes

Five minutes goes by slowly if you're waiting for your nails to dry. Five minutes feels like a long time if you're standing in line waiting for popcorn after the movie has begun. Five minutes drags on and on when you're at a distant relative's graduation. Five minues seems like an eternity if you're stuck at a stoplight and late for work. Five minutes feels like a lifetime if you're at the dentist's office getting a filling.

But, let me tell you, five minutes goes by at warp speed when you're giving a verbal pitch to an agent or editor. I mean it FLIES by. And you cetainly don't want to waste time talking about the weather, a plane flight, each other's kids, anyone's cute shoes, haircut or a mutual acquaintance. Listen to me. This is very important. Do NOT waste a precious 30 seconds on any of that stuff. You do not have 30 seconds to spare. Trust me on this.

Now, I'm no expert on verbal pitch sessions since I've only had two, but I can tell you that I blathered on too long during the first one. Here's another tip: When you're told you have a five-minute pitch session, you really don't. That's a lie. It's actually about three minutes. Why? Because the person who is interviewing you needs a couple of minutes to ask questions. So, cull down your 300 page-novel into one or two paragraphs. Easy peasy, right? I know. It's nearly impossible but that's how the game is played.

Have you had a pitch session? Do you have one scheduled? Please share.