Dear Diary (November 2013)

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

I kicked off November in style by attending a Billy Collins poetry reading at the Pantages Theatre. My darling friend Elyse and I went to hear our beloved poet share his dry wit and perfect imagery and fascinating thoughts. I asked the man beside me, “Have you seen Billy Collins before?”

“Oh, no,” he said. “My wife and I are from Oregon, and we timed our visit to our son and daughter-in-law with Billy Collins’s visit here so we could see him. Have you?”

“This will be my third time,” I admitted. I didn’t mention that one of those times I actually met him and had him sign my copy of Questions about Angels. It reminded me once again just how grateful I am to live in the literary community of Minneapolis!

Some of my favorite friends and I went to an improv comedy show for my lovely friend Ashley’s birthday. The show was funny, but the best part was spending the entire evening with such amazing women.

I was invited to be part of a panel about sadness, anxiety, and depression at a local church. It was good to be able to share about OCD, ERP, and the stigma against mental illness that is so prevalent in the church (the church in general, not that church specifically, ha!).

My college writing instructor and author Judith Hougen has partnered with Ann Sorenson, a local filmmaker/instructor, and Luke Aleckson, an artist/instructor to pioneer the Emerging Artists Collective, a group of young Christian artists who will gather for sharing and discussions about issues related to faith and the artistic life. We had our pilot gathering this month, and it. was. wonderful. I really loved it, and I’ll be sharing about this in more depth soon on my blog.

And then, of course, the book deal. I am absolutely thrilled that Harper Collins made me a two-book offer! It’s still a bit surreal; I need to pinch myself. My dreams are coming true. I have been writing since I was in 2nd grade, though I don’t think I put my goal to “publish a book” in writing until high school. Joy. Elation. Disbelief. Wonder. All of these have been taking up residency in my chest.

November 2013 has been delicious.

Bookish Things I’m Thankful For

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Talk about random …

I Got a Book Deal!

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

It’s true!

I have been bursting at the seams to announce this on my blog, but I didn’t think I should say anything until I signed the actual contract. But I emailed my agent and my editor tonight and asked if I should wait, and Jill Davis, my [already beloved] editor responded, “No need.”

First, the short story. Then, the long one.

Short story:

Two-book deal with Harper Collins. Yes, two books. That means they will publish Truest AND the next book I write! Jill Davis is my amazing editor, and she loves my novel, loves my characters. And I love her!

Long story:

Last week, Steven Chudney (my amazing, amazing literary agent) told me that Jill Davis with Harper Collins loved my story and would be presenting it to her boss. My friends and family and I were all praying that her boss (Katherine Tegen) and everyone else involved would also want to jump aboard the Truest ship. My friends who pray prayed, my friends who don’t pray aimed their positive energy toward NYC, and everyone kept their fingers crossed. All weekend, I kept thinking, I hope that they can’t stop thinking about my story.

Monday, no news.

Tuesday, no news.

Tuesday night, I journalled about it a little bit, first that they must have decided against it, since we hadn’t heard anything in the first couple of days. Then I thought, Well, actually, it’s only the middle of the week. Maybe we’ll hear something tomorrow.

Wednesday, Steven emailed me and asked me to call him.

Since I work in a cubicle (goodbye, privacy!), I bundled up in my winter coat and went out on the veranda and made the call.

I was shocked and amazed and thrilled and overjoyed when Steven told me that they made a TWO-book offer! I asked Steven what the next steps were, and he said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m buying myself a good dinner tonight! I suggest you get some champagne and celebrate!” LOL! He’s so great!

Jill and I talked on the phone today. She. is. AWESOME. She loves my story and my characters and told me, “You’re a DREAM.” I love her to pieces after just one 40-minute phone call.

So, when will Truest be published? Probably not until 2015. Sit tight and save your pennies!!!

Writing Resources

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

I’m no expert, but I do get questions of this sort enough to warrant a post. I hope this will be helpful!

How do I become a better writer?
If you want to write well, the very best thing that you can do is read great books. A lot of them. In lots of genres, but especially in your own. I highly, highly recommend also incorporating a strong dose of poetry into your life.

What books should I read about the writing life?
I suggest these.

How can I learn about professional writing?
I love thewritelife.com.

Check out these posts:
25 Editing Tips for Tightening Your Copy
How to Create Your First Invoice as a Freelancer
9 Online Gold Mines for Finding Paid Freelance Writing Jobs

Do I need a degree in English?
Depends on the person. It sure does help!! I learned so much about writing from my undergraduate experience.

How do I find a literary agent?
I recommend tracking down a copy of Writer’s Digest’s Guide to Literary Agents. I scoured this book to find agencies that represented young adult authors. After that, I went to each agency’s website to find which agent seemed like the best fit with me and my book. I made a list of 100 agents to query– thankfully, Steven Chudney was one of my top choices!

I also check the author acknowledgements in the backs of my favorite books. Usually the author will give a shout-out to his or her agent, and then I’d go dig deeper online for more information.

Querytracker.net may also help you, especially the “backward” search that allows to look up an author and find out who reps him or her.

How do I write a query letter?
First, carve out a couple hours to spend on Rachelle Gardner’s blog. Start with her post “How to Write a Query Letter” and then spend the rest of the time in her “Queries, Proposals, and Pitches” category.

Next, read some good query letters in Writer’s Digest’s Guide to Query Letters. There are some great examples in there of successful queries!

Then, head over to Query Shark to read a literary agent’s take on various queries. (It’s quite fascinating, and you might end up spending a lot of time here.)

A few hours of perusing and you’re going to have a good launching pad.

How important is a writing group?
It’s critical to have some form of constructive feedback in your writing life, whether that’s one critique partner or an entire writing group. Be choosy: not all feedback is created equal, and you don’t want to be bombarded with advice from someone who has no talent in writing or criticism.

I wrote about the value of my writing group here and here.

There’s much more to be said– about platforms and proposals and revisions and more. As I said, I’m definitely not an expert, but I often have good resources I can point you to. What else are you wondering about?

5 Books for the Reluctant [YA Fiction] Reader

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

I promise you, young adult fiction is not only vampires and gossip and dystopian landscapes.

For the uninititate, I propose you begin here:

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

In Support of the English Major

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

I was an English major.

The conversation usually went like this:
What are you going to do with that– teach?

No, I’m not an English education major, just English.

So, like, you’re gonna … read and write? Good luck with that.

If I could re-do all those conversations, I’d answer differently now. When asked What are you going to do with that? my answer would be:

Whatever I want.

My English degree is going to teach me to think critically and communicate well, skills that any employer is going to want from his/her workers. I’m going to have my creativity stoked, my writing skills honed, and my worldview shaped and sharpened by reading the works and thoughts of some of the greatest minds in history. I’m going to be able to problem solve, think on my feet, fashion thoughtful responses and do it all with style. I can use my English degree as a stepping stone toward a graduate degree in a wide variety of fields, if I choose. Or I can choose to be gainfully employed by a company that needs a hard-working creative thinker.

And write my stories and poetry at night.

That’s what I’m going to do with my English major.

And now that I’ve stepped off my soapbox, please enjoy this comic, which is even funnier because of its terribly limited view of what an English major can do.

The Faith of a Pantser

Posted on November 9, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Plotter: a writer who plans out his or her novel.
Pantser: one who writes by the seat of his or her pants.

Confession: I am a pantser.

I have tried to be a plotter. Here is the evidence, blurred in case I use it one day:

I sat down and figured out the timelines of events for seven characters and subplots.

And then I proceeded to stare at my blank screen and could. not. make. it. happen.

I returned to my pantser ways.

It occurred to me the other day that pantsers need to have a lot of faith in the writing process: we are stepping into the unknown, armed with no conclusion, shielded by no outline. Instead, we have to simply believe that the writing process will take over: write, feedback, revise, repeat. It’s so, so risky.

What if no conclusion presents itself?
What if I get my characters into trouble I can’t save them from?
What if I’m walking blindly over the edge of a cliff?

Thankfully I’ve learned (and continue to learn) to love risk and uncertainty. (Thanks, ERP!)

And so I’ll walk that tightrope, trusting the creative process is a net beneath me.

On Being a Novelist and Feeling like a Fraud

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

The thoughts currently living in my head:

* Everyone is going to realize what a phony you are.

* You have no more usable ideas.

* Writing a novel is beyond your ability.

* You may have done it twice, but the third time is either a charm or a strike– and you’re proving that you don’t belong in this game.

* Others write first drafts that are at least readable.

* You’ve bitten off more than you can chew.

* You need to go back to step one.

WHY CAN’T I JUST FREAKIN’ LET GO AND WRITE A CRAPPY FIRST DRAFT?

*off to read Bird by Bird to find some good company*

Billy Collins & Validation

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

Last night, my friend Elyse and I ventured downtown to hear Billy Collins, my favorite poet, read at the Pantages Theatre.

He read for about an hour, a lot of new stuff from Aimless Love, his new book (I read all the new poems in one sitting– I can do that for no other poet than Billy Collins) but also some old favorites like “The Revenant” and “The Lanyard.”

If you’re not familiar with Billy Collins, please come out from under the dark rock you’re living beneath (I kid, I kid!). No, but really, in case you didn’t know, Billy Collins is a brilliant and hilarious poet. Hearing him read live is such a treat for his deadpan delivery. Elyse remarked, “It’s like attending a comedy event … but a really highbrow one.”

We laughed and laughed and laughed– and then made those soft sighs and murmurs that follow poignant poems.

Afterward, he had a very short Q&A session (which he called a conversation) wherein he said (and I’m paraphrasing as best I can here), “If you read great work and feel appreciative, you’re not a writer. Writers read and feel a burning jealousy.”

YES! I was so just discussing this on my blog.

It was a delightful evening with delightful company. Elyse and I were some of the youngest people in the audience, and I felt bad for the rest of my generation that was spending their Friday without Billy.

Click this image to link to the book’s Goodreads page.

Shadows

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Jackie Lea Sommers

SHADOWS

The earth, a platform
beneath her sad feet.
The shadows, reminders
that light is nearby.

JACKIE LEA SOMMERS

Author & Advocate

Category Archives: writing