Vote for me?

Hey there Adventurers! It's me and guess what I did? I finally submitted my entry for the Midsummer Night's Dream contest!!!!

Check it ooout: http://inkpop.strutta.com/entry/156540

I'm really hoping you guys and my lovely writing friends on Facebook and Inkpop like it enough to vote it to the top five. I've probably said this before, but my dream is to be published by Harper Collins. If this works out, I can have my name in one of their books! It's so exciting!!! Also, this coming from a admin of Inkpop, having the fact that I'm published with Harper Collins on my query is a huuuuge flashing sign to literary agents. How's that for credentials?

Sorry for all the uber happiness and hope. (A slight change from yesterday's post, eh?) I'd fill this post with smileys but I feel like that would be a bit much. Anyway, I also have a new program to show you called Scrivener. It's a program made by an English man for writers. And let me tell you, it's pure genius. Everything is so easy to organize and edit with this program. At forty-five bucks, it's well worth it. I'm not going to go all infomercial on you but seriously, if you're a writer, check it out.

That's all for now. (I was tempted to say folks hehe)

Peace&<3,
Angela

Contests are my new drug

Thankfully most of them aren't a contest of luck (considering I have none even though I'm Irish) Here is a lovely one that you should try: http://yatopia.blogspot.com/2011/03/agent-pitch-contest.html
Yatopia is holding this super awesome contest with a literary agent but guess what? You don't have to write a query letter! Just fill out the form and hope and pray that the agent is interested.
Just thought I'd let you know!

Peace&<3,
Angela

March Madness!!!

No, I'm not that big of a basketball fan. (Personally, I don't get the obsession with sports) I'm talking about my March Madness. All of my weekends in March are filled up! Prom was awesome :D Next weekend I'm throwing a party and the weekend after that is Spring Break! And now it's getting warm, so I want to go outside. I'm worried I'll never get my story edited!!!!
Oh hi, Adventurers. Sorry for my rant. I really am a bit surprised by all of this. I'm never this busy! I'm thinking I'll have to move my writing schedule back a month. I am entering a pretty big contest though. I've got my awesome Creative Writing teacher looking over my work and giving me some advice. After that I'll post it here and hope and pray you'll like it and vote for it.
In other news, I didn't get accepted into Newspaper. (sadness) I'm good now though. At first I was moping around and grumbling about my Senior plans being ruined but I'm at the acceptance stage now. I'm realizing that rejection is inevitable. (not to be pessimistic) Not everyone is going to like my writing and probably more than seventy-five percent of my queries will be rejected this summer. But as the quirky movie "Meet the Robinsons" says, I have to keep moving forward! Well that's it for now. Question of the Day: What are your plans for the next six months for your writing?

Peace&<3,
Angela

I'm still here!

Hi adventurers! Sorry about disappearing! March has been waaaay busier for me then a planned. I'd love to say I got tons of editing done while I was gone but... I didn't. I did write though! So it's probably safe to say I WILL NOT be getting the editing done for I Know How You Feel before April 1st. My weekends are jam-packed. I'm pretty excited about this too. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only writer who thinks they'll be stuck behind typed words for the rest of their life. Even one of my best guy friends says whenever I tell him I want to be published, "But writers are lonely!" So tell me, what do you do to break the Writer's Curse? (hehe I just made a reference to my poem) Bye for now! I'll try to updated at least once a week. After March is over it will probably be daily again.

Peace&<3,
Angela

Wow, it's late!

Not as late as my other posts but still... So no editing today! Maybe tomorrow. (Is that procrastination I hear?) I've been working on another contest. (This one's pretty legit) If I when I'll have more things to put on my query and I'll have my writing published with Harper Collins. (cue girly screams) So I have been productive... just not in the way of editing. I'm hoping to get back on the editing bandwagon as soon as I finish this piece. Or during... it depends on how ADD I am tomorrow. So another short and sweet post by me! And my question of the day is: What helps you stay focused? Good night followers... I need a another name for you guys... Adventurists? Readers? Knights who say Ni? I'll work on it.

Peace&<3,
Angela

¡NO MAS COMPRANDO!

Yeah that's probably not correct Spanish but oh well...

Hello darlings! I'm back from a very busy day! My prom is coming up soon and I successfully found the perfect dress and jewelry after shopping for three weekends in a row. I'm not too fond of serious shopping so you can guess how I'm feeling right now. (Especially with another weekend of shopping needed to find shoes *twitchtwitch*) Though I did get to spend time with my mom and my best friend so that was nice. (Look at me, being all positive :D) I didn't get any writing down today but I'm certain I can get the ball rolling again tomorrow. Maybe I should only work on editing on weekdays... there's an idea. Anyway I'm going to keep this post short and sweet because my energy is at about ten percent right now. So here's my question to you: What is the most inspirational time of day for you to write? Mine is usually late afternoon to three A.M. ^^" Bye for now!

Peace&<3,
Angela

I'm entering contests now

Hello! So I saw this contest on Inkpop that I figured I should join because I needed to get some credentials and a contest sound fun. Sadly, at that time, I had zero inspiration. Then a peculiar thing happened. I opened up my blinds and saw a lamppost. Then suddenly, BAM I had a story. So here it is!

Shattered

By Angela T. Marie

I opened my blinds to see he was standing at the lamppost. Just like I asked him. The orange light revealed his silhouette looking towards my house. It was nearing midnight so I knew everyone was asleep. I slipped on some shoes and tiptoed down the steps and out the door. As I walked across the street to him, I thought of the first words that he would say when I got there. He'd probably comment sarcastically on my robe or make a joke about my choice of a meeting place.  He really wasn’t much of a romantic.

When I meet his gaze, I wasn't expecting him to look lovingly at me the way he did. I also wasn't ready for the amorous embrace he immediately pulled me into. No words just actions. His smell enveloped me and I relaxed in his warm arms. He slowly pulled me away and stroked my cheek. The whole world around me seemed to blur as we made our way back to my house. I entered a new realm of being when I pulled him into my room. I closed the door and he pulled me closer, kissing me in a way that showed love, not lust.

This much emotion from him was almost impossible for me to perceive. When he asked me to get together I thought I knew exactly what he meant. I thought it would be for one night only and then done. I hadn’t planned it to affect me in the least bit. I wanted him and he wanted me. That much was true. There didn’t look to be anymore until tonight. The way he touched me tonight, I felt like we could stay in this delusion of love forever. I felt we might never leave the realm of being we had entered. That was until a simple call broke the illusion.

"That's her," he said speaking for the first time tonight. I nodded and he answered the call. The illusion was shattered. The realm was broken. In the real world, he had a girlfriend. In the real world, I wasn't "her". In the real world, that girlfriend was my best friend.

So what do you think? I really need a critique before I submit it. The characters are meant to be faceless by the by. I like to make my short stories open to the imagination. Plus if I go into detail it usually turns into a novel heh. Bye for now!

Peace&<3,
Angela

EEK! Editing burnout!

Hello again everyone! I'd just like to celebrate because... this blog now has ten followers!!! YAY! -pops confetti cannons- Anyway I'm starting to become burned out by this whole editing thing! I don't know what to doooo! It's only March 4th! (the only day in the year that tells you to do something I might add) I don't think I can edit for an entire month! What was I thinking???
So here's what I decided: I have a nice little huge checklist of things to fix in this edit and I'm going to do that instead of going chapter by chapter. I'll go through and add little details every now and then but trying to detail my entire story might drive me insaaaaane. So far I've described the physical characteristics of my characters better and separated the big hug mess of Chapter Twelve. Now I have twenty-seven chapters. I'll post the list here(be warned it might all just be Gibberish)

List of Fixes needed for Draft Two

• Describe the characters more in the beginning: What does Sam look like? Who is Tyler and why does Olivia love him so much (THE CHARACTERS AREN’T SUPPOSED TO BE MYSTERIOUS) 
• TONS of detail in the first few chapters after the seizure: She’s seeing the world with super human senses. HELLO DETAILS???
• What wasn’t Olivia supposed to hate David but in the end grow to like him?: His dark eyes are actually navy… Probably should add that.
• Who are the Knoes? Describe Olivia’s family: Maybe write a few scenes where they have dinner together and watch T.V. And Liz…. Who is she to Olivia? Are they close?
• Plot Hints needed: Adding a chapter of the PAV on T.V. Maybe after Olivia throws her pyscho fit they make her watch T.V. to calm down.
• Talk about visiting the F.B.I building in Choir Class.
• Talk more about Richard and his new found love: He originally was going to fall for Olivia but that was a bit cliché. Fix the confusing parts where it looks like he likes Olivia.
• Perhaps include all the needed family, Richard and Wyatt details after Chapter Twelve: There’s a huuuuge gap b/w chapter 12 and 13. Fix it!
• Chapter Twelve is too long: 23 pages? Really? Separate the random parts. Maybe make the guy visiting after Chapter 12.
• Rethink the FBI Building scene: Is it really realistic? Maybe have them sneak in instead?
• Have Wyatt give Olivia the pep talk before the White House concert: Sam’s not supposed be good at those types of things.
• Sam doesn’t say “Right.” that’s Olivia: Sam says stuff like “Ummm,” “Wait,” and “Huh?”
• Make sure to fix the time setting inconsistancies: Maybe make a timeline to make sure it works…
• Have Tyler and Olivia work things out…sorta: Olivia doesn’t want friends but she still doesn’t want Tyler to not like her.
• When Olivia has the nightmare right before she goes home make it a new chapter: don’t have anything leading up to it so it will have more of the surprise effect. When she wakes up have it be slower.

See what I mean? Gibberish. (Especially if you haven't read it!) If you do understand it and want to add more just comment on here. I really need the feedback! Thanks. Goodnight(:

-Peace&<3,

Angela

Editing Status

Words:62,832

Things Fixed: 3/15

TGIF!!!

Hey there. I'm making a post just for the heck of it. I'm so glad it's Friday. Today has been a loooong week. Don't get me started about yesterday. Let's just say it was not a day I want to relive. I'm going to call it a sick day and apologize for not blogging or editing like I usually do. I did, however, start polishing my query letter. I think I'm going to send it to Query Shark after my wonderful English teacher edits it again. Even if she's too busy, I'll still send it and cringe whenever I go to check my email. If you're planning write a query, GO READ QUERY SHARK! It's got the best of the best querying advice. I can truly say my query has improved majorly since reading all of Ms. Reid's advice to other writers. Hopefully I'll be able to sound professional enough to attract literary agents! I'm aiming to make them surprised to hear how young I am.
There was a lot of discrepancy on whether an author bio should be included in a query. My opinion is if your a nobody in the writing world(like me :/) then you probably should keep it to telling them it's your first book. If you've won a couple of contests or awards then feel free to brag. Though I'm not a literary agent. This is just my opinion. I'll be back later tonight with editing updates!

Peace&<3,
Angela

There's hope for me yet!

Hello my followers! (Followers... such a weird word for blogger to use... why not stalkers? hehe) How was your hump day? Mine was loooong. I'll spare you the details. Speaking of details, that's my first thing to look at for my story. Everyone is telling me that I don't show enough. I went back through and realized... two of my characters don't have any physical description! (Yes, I had a small freak out attack over this but I'm better) So now I'm putting more show in my work and worrying it's too much. Oh well, it's easier to delete than to add. 
In other news, I've been researching agents! I've found about ten so far that look like they could suit my needs. At first, I was a bit hesitant on my ability to get an agent at my age, but, thanks to a wonderful agent, Tina Wexler, on Inkpop, I'm in the search again. She says:

"I think everyone has asked me about age, and if it matters, so let me answer now.  

I mean it when I say that the age of the author does not matter.  

Agents and editors want great stories. Period.

: ) "

With a nice smiley face too! So now I'm back on the search to find the perfect agent and write the perfect query letter. Right now, I'm at the first step. What's the second step? Sending my first letter. Even if its a rejection, I'm still going to throw a party! Why? Because I made it to the third step: getting a response! Yay for optimism! Bye for now!


Peace&<3,
Angela


Editing Status
Words: 61,904
Chapters Edited: 3/24

Yay for more editing!

Hi guys. So I'm starting to get all ADD again. I'm getting excited about Merkiss and not focusing on "I Know How You Feel" editing. I guuuess I could do both at once... I'm hoping to get a chapter of IKHYF done a day and finish by March 30th but I don't know. I've prom and my musical all this month so... only time will tell! I'll keep you updated though!
So today I was looking through chapter two and realized that since Olivia is looking at the world with much stronger senses that their should be TONS of meticulous detail. So I tried to fix it up a bit. Here's a description of a nurse when Olivia was in the hospital:

I turned my head quickly torwards her. She was small and skinny with blonde hair and blue eyes. I could see about a half a centimeter of her roots to know her hair wasn’t natural. Again I had to focus on the words she said and unglue my eyes from the very light birthmark right underneath her left eye.

How does that sound? Meticulous enough? I'm going to use this so you can see my main characters in your head. I wiiiill describe so much that you'll get sick of all the vivd imagery!!! Well, hopefully not. Bye for now!

Peace&<3,
Angela

Editing Status
Words: 61,053
Chapters Edited: 1/24