A busy week! I'm a little behind my word count goal--I wrote 4,000 words in Alma the Younger, and my goal was 5,000. One of the reasons is because I had to prepare a presentation for the Book Academy Conference at UVU. I blogged about the keynote speaker, Brandon Sanderson, here. I can't wait to read his newest book, Warbreaker. Any Brandon Sanderson fans out there?
So I took my first Alma the Younger chapter to my critique group. It's a chapter that might be a forward prologue (kind of what I did in Abinadi). They liked it, but they thought the "hook" wasn't powerful enough--you know those pesky first chapters have to draw the reader in immediately. So back to the drawing board. I wrote a completely new chapter last night, and will still retain parts of the former chapter, but I'll be interested in what my critique group will say now.
Back to Brandon Sanderson--he saves drafts of all his books. In other words the chapter I just nixed, he would have kept it and put it up for his readers to review. Hmmm. Something to think about.
On Friday, I signed copies of Alma at the Seagull Book in American Fork. I think I signed every last copy in their store (like 50+). So if you need a signed copy--go there!
Some really great reviews and interviews came in this week for the blog tour:
Kathi Oram Peterson at Kathi's Writing Nook: She is another Book of Mormon fiction writer and has written The Forgotten Warrior--a YA novel that's a time travel story. It's a very entertaining read, for teens and adults alike. Awhile back, I reviewed The Forgotten Warrior here.
Nikki Wilson of Mormon Mommy Writers posted an interview with me. Nikki is also a writer, and her big question for me was how to push past writer's block. You can check out the interview to find out my tips :)
Danyelle Ferguson at Queen of the Clan also reviewed Alma. Danyelle is also a writer, and is in the final stages of her upcoming book: Teaching Special Spirits. Her journey to publication has been really interesting, and I'm looking forward to her new book.
Nichole Giles of Random-Ish reviewed Alma on her blog, along with some funny questions. Nichole is also a writer and her first book will be out this December: Mormon Mishaps and Mischiefs--Hilarious Stories for Saints. If you read Nichole's other blog posts, she is a really funny gal, the perfect person to write this type of book.
Thanks Ladies!
My next book signing is:
October 2, 2009 - Redwood Seagull Book,
Pre-Conference Signing 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (1720 South Redwood Road, SLC, UTAH)
Also to read the first three chapters of either Abinadi or Alma go here.
10 comments:
It was good to see you at UVU!
I'm in the Brandon Sanderson Book Club :)
Heather, you did a good presentation yourself at UVU-I really enjoyed it.
I will be in SL for conference. Maybe I will swing by your signing to meet you in person.
Taffy--Does Brandon Sanderson have a book or fan club? We should look into it.
David, thanks for coming the to the presentation/discussion.
Becky--stop by, that would be great!
Love this! Just read the interview. Wish I could've attended the conference...which leads me to a question for you:
At what point did you start attending writer's conferences? Did you go when you had your first WIP finished? Or before then? Is there ever a perfect/best time to start attending? I haven't been to one yet. I'm biding my time, thinking if I can just get something more substantial written, then I'll feel bolder, more prepared to go. What are your thoughts? Do you have a blog post addressing this? Thank you for your time!
--Terresa
Terresa, my first writers conference was about a year from when I first started seriously writing. I did have a manuscript complete, and I pitched it to an editor there. But there is so much to learn, I'd recommend going to conferences whenever you can! They are very motivating, and it's great to be surrounded by people who share your same passion. You can also learn a lot from the editors/agents/keynotes that might help you as you finish your wip.
Interesting about brandon. Josi does that too sort of. She keeps a file of what she calls "cuts." If it gets cut from the book, it goes in the file.
It looks like things are going great for you. I, too, have wondered if I dared put my work on line as I was writing it, but I haven't yet had the courage. By the way, I just posted my review of ALMA on my blog, thewriteblocks.blogspot.com.
Ronda, thanks for the review!
Post a Comment