Full-Blown Panic

The year is getting away from me and it's only March.
Early March at that.

Some days I feel there is so much to do I have to lie down for a while, which turns into a nap, which then turns into panic that I've slept so long I've missed the school pickup.

There are forms on the desk that need filling out. Appointments to make. Exercises to do (because the physiotherapy bills are pretty huge so there's no point paying all that money if I don't then do the work).

Oh, and a manuscript to finish. And four book covers to design.

Which will also necessitate the redesign of my website and then the promotions on top of that . . .

Oh, and I'd better format the books into all those different, um, formats, so they can go on sale.

Breathe, Ebs, breathe!

The thing is, everyone I know is insanely busy just about every single day. We get done what we can, and try not to beat ourselves up about it.

One of my new years resolutions this year was to look after my back. I have pathetic posture from slumping over a keyboard all day for the past mumble-twenty-mumble years. I'm getting there, with loads of help from the physiotherapist. That's one thing I'm sorting out.

The other resolution was to launch my Ondine novels into the USA, starting in June. (Only 3 months away. Breathe, Ebs, breathe!)

But the big resolution this year was to say 'No' more often.
I've stepped down from fundraising at my son's school. I still help out with some things, but I'm not on the committee. I'm not carrying that load around with me.

I said no to my writers' group committee - I could not see that I'd have the time to be the treasurer. I did say yes to being the Librarian, because I'm a control freak and I've downloaded an app to put the collection on and it's feeding my OCD.

I'm making LISTS.
Lists, people.

Lists are helping me get through the pile of things that need doing. Then, when I've done them, I can draw a line through them.

You may have noticed I like structure in my novels. The same applies to life. I like structure in my life. I like knowing, more of less, what is going to happen each day. I love surprises (like when my husband comes home from work with chocolate. Not the kind of surprises where I start thinking about what to make for dinner and the refrigerator is empty).

Lists are my structure. Lists are my friend. Lists will get me through this. Lists stop me spinning wildly like the Tasmanian Devil of cartoon fame (not the real ones, which don't spin. Not even if you give them a push).

How about you? Do you make lists or do you find them too restrictive? What are your tips for getting through a pile of "things" that need doing?

~Ebony McKenna

Author of the Ondine series. The Ondine books are a sparkling combination of romance and magic – perfect for teen girls. Written with genuine humour and unique eccentricity, the series is an obvious choice for fans of The Princess Bride and Ella Enchanted.

2013, The Year of Structure

(Plotting the next novel using The Hero's Journey and the 3 act model.
Note the missing scenes so far. I'll fill them in later.)

I'm a big fan of structure and format (as opposed to formulaic, more of that later). We've been telling stories for centuries. These formats have stood the test of time.

I write first to please myself, but nothing pleases me more than knowing what I'm doing and where I'm going. I find The Hero's Journey structure to be really useful in laying the foundations of where a story is going.

BUT - my stories don't always 'conform' to this structure, now there's a 'new' archetype structure that author Kim Hudson has eloquently set out. It's called The Virgin's Promise, (link: http://thevirginspromise.com) and it fits the 'Coming of Age' archetype perfectly.

I'm going to be studying this (and probably nodding my head a great deal) as I recognise this structure in novels I've written and the ones I'm plotting out now.

Subconsciously, many writers use structure all the time. A beginning, a middle, an end. A problem that needs solving. Something in the way (whether it's 'the baddie' or it's a character fault that a heroine hasn't acknowledged and needs to overcome etc). A reward at the end. Or, in the case of a 'downer ending', the character staring into the abyss.

What doesn't always work for me is trying to shoehorn scenes into a structural format.
I look at the structure of The Hero's Journey and wondering where something fits in. Does a scene where characters enter a song contest qualify as "allies and enemies" or is it "begin passing trials?"
Where I have huge gaps (such as "time out, mask is revealed") what do I put there? Do I write a scene with this purposefully in mind?

This is where stories can get formulaic. A writer (i.e., ME) knows something has to go 'in this place marker' and so I force something in there. It doesn't feel organic or intuitive, it feels like the characters are serving the plot instead of driving it.

I'll be blogging about formula, structure and formats as the personal epiphanies keep coming. Luckily for us Aussies, Kim Hudson is bringing her Virgin's Promise to Australia for our RWA conference in Fremantle in August. I can't wait.

Over to you. Do you follow structure or do you write intuitively? Is structure too demanding or overwhelming, or is it your roadmap to stop you getting lost? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

~Ebony McKenna author of the Ondine series. The Ondine books are a sparkling combination of romance and magic – perfect for teen girls. Written with genuine humour and unique eccentricity, the series is an obvious choice for fans of The Princess Bride and Ella Enchanted.

Pitch Perfect

This week I had a moment of extreme bravery (or insanity) and pitched in public. Talk about walk out the house with your skirt tucked into your knickers!

But that’s exactly what I did when I joined YA LitChat’s “An Agent for the Holidays” pitch event.

Luckily for me, I’ve had a few nibbles, so it was definitely worth doing. (It’s running until December 12, by the way, so get on to it!). But wow, was it nerve wracking!

Later, as the pages of pitches mounted up and curiosity got the better of me, I started reading through all the pitches from dozens of writers. Some stories really appealed to me, others weren’t my kind of thing.

Reading the pitches gave me an insight into how an agent might feel when they open their emails. Some stories are going to give them a thrill of delight and they’ll want more, others will have them shaking their heads, trying to make sense of it.

I can tell you, after reading a few pages of pitches, I started skimming the ones that didn’t grab me right away. Isn’t that horrible of me to admit that? Yep. But, guess what? I’m human. After a while, there’s only so much I can take in. I bet this happens to agents as well. (Plus, I noticed someone else had a similar idea to mine, which is always going to happen because there’s no such thing as a new idea, just a different way of telling an old story.

Six sentences can’t possibly do your novel justice, but it is enough in some cases to give an agent the flavor of your book. Plus, even if you’re not looking for an agent, putting the essence of your novel into six sentences is a terrific way to keep the focus.

BUT - if you’ve never written a pitch, and you’ve never read what other writers do, where the heck do you even start?

Read through the pages on An Agent for the Holidays and take note of the pitches appeal to you. Break down what they've done. Have they explained everything? Most likely not. Instead, they've explained enough to give you the general idea.

Plus, what appeals to you (mysteries, suspense, revenge) will not appeal to everyone. There will be pitches there that make you wonder why an agent hasn't asked for more, while others are getting lots of attention. Ultimately this comes down to personal taste, and as we all know, publishing is so subjective.

Also, find agents who blog, and read their archives. They will often post examples of pitches that have piqued their interest.

Kristin Nelson at http://pubrants.blogspot.com.au/ is a prime example. Scroll down the side bar of her blog and you’ll see a whole swag of queries that worked for her.

The more examples you read of successful pitches, the more tuned in you will become. You’ll start to see a pattern developing. The inciting incident, for example (sometimes called the ‘plot catalyst’ for without that moment, the rest of the story cannot happen). The basic needs and goals of the main character. What’s stopping them or what's in their way?

So, now you know how to get started, what’s stopping you?

~Ebony McKenna author of the Ondine series. The Ondine books are a sparkling combination of romance and magic – perfect for teen girls. Written with genuine humour and unique eccentricity, the series is an obvious choice for fans of The Princess Bride and Ella Enchanted.

Why Writing Conferences Rock

Heart on my sleeve, I declare writing conferences rock! Many of my Australian writing pals are in Anaheim at the RWA conference at the moment. I wish I was with them.

I missed out on America, but I'll be going to the Australian RWA conference on the Gold Coast in a couple of weeks.

This will be my third RWAus conference, and I'm so excited I could burst. I love conferences for so many reasons.

1 - I find my tribe. Writing is a solitary business but at conference I'm with 300 likeminded writers - so we're all in it together.
2 - I get to meet my favourite authors and catch up with fabulous friends. (some are one and the same. That's how lucky I am!)
3 - I virtually kill myself before hand getting the latest manuscript finished ahead of conference.
4 - I learn so much my brain is practically leaking out my ear by the end of it, but every workshop and panel session helps me improve, and that is priceless.
5 - writers of all levels learn about the industry, first hand.
6 - I'm joining 61 other authors in a huge book-signing event.
7 - they are so much fun!

It's point 3 that has me in a tizz this year, and I brought it all on myself. I began my latest manuscript in February and have pushed myself get it done by conference. Six months. I know loads of writers who get a 50,000 word manuscript done in 2 months. I'm not like that. I'm slow. Hideously, horribly slow. The upshot is I *think* I'm getting better so that the first draft is in really good shape.

OK, maybe I'm in denial.

Anyway, I am on target to finish this manuscript and I'm ready to pitch to a visiting agent from the USA. I previously landed an agent in the UK the old fashioned way - contacting them via email through the slush pile. This time, it will be face-to-face. I'm excited and daunted.

I'm also practicing my pitch - every time someone asks me 'what's the book about' I get to tell them in a couple of sentences. The responses have been happy positive, not glazed-eyed neutral. That's got to be a good thing?

So, if you get the chance to attend a writers conference in your home country (or travel overseas, that would be awesome!) then grab that chance with both hands and make the most of it. You'll have fun, you'll learn so much, you'll make wonderful friends and you'll have some exciting opportunities other people won't get.

Writing can be an isolating experience, but when you're at a conference you're not alone.

Am I sounding too preachy? Good. Get thee to a conference!

More information about this year's Australian conference http://romanceaustralia.com/
The 2013 conference will be in Perth :-D

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Ebony McKenna
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Ebony is the author of the fabulously funny, romantic, and exciting Ondine series that is published with Egmont Press. Think Princess Bride meets Ella Enchanted. 

Welcome New Member Ebony McKenna

Published with Egmont Press, Ebony McKenna joins us all the way from Australia where she lives with her husband and son. She has worked as a journalist, market researcher, website editor, and company director. She also waitressed, cleaned and prepared food in her family's restaurant when she was a teenager.

In the 1990s she worked as a journalist on many leading Melbourne newspapers. She won many awards - including scooping first and second place in the one night for best news report. By day she wrote other people's stories, but by night she plotted epic adventures.

Now she writes fun and fantastic young adult novels for a living. A bit about her novels:

"The Ondine books are a sparkling combination of romance and magic – perfect for teen girls. Written with genuine humour and unique eccentricity, the series is an obvious choice for fans of The Princess Bride and Ella Enchanted.

Ebony McKenna is a fantastically imaginative author whose scope and story-telling encompasses the bizarre, the mysterious and the romantic." 

Her novels:

B&N, The Book Depository US, The Book Depository UK, Amazon Australia, Amazon UK