You might not realize this now, but the opening chapter is the most important, most crucial, and most difficult part of writing your book. Beyond the 5-star reviews, NYT Bestseller lists, and the back-of-the-book synopses, readers go straight for the first page to get a taste of this tale and find whether it’s for them or not. People could be raving about a book, it could be #1 for weeks, but if the opener doesn’t click with a reader, it goes straight back to the shelf. Before you think about that published book scenario, where avid readers discover your work, consider what it takes to even get an agent to give you a shot. If you don’t want to take the self-publishing route, you will never see your book on a shelf without the guidance of an excellent agent. When you start querying, you can’t jump in with your favorite scene or chapter; you need to submit the first few pages or your opener (depending on agency guidelines), and make them beg for more. Think of querying as your portal to the literary world. If you don’t get rejected based on your query, you might lose their interest with a wonky first […]
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My first book has gone through 4 rounds of revisions (so far). Round 1, the revision after the shitty first draft. Then Round 2, which features major changes done with my editor Kate Angelella (the biggest change there was shifting the whole story from past to present tense). Then Round 3, the stretch of indecisiveness whilst querying, until my agent Caitie Flum plucked me from the Twitterverse on the night of #DVPit. This is Round 4. I spent a total of twenty-one days (not consecutively, because I have a day job, books to read, ukuleles to play, and video games to finish) wallowing in Round 4, and like every round, this one had its own challenges. The biggest–cutting down on word count. Killing your darlings is hard, especially when you have scenes that you feel need to be in the story to progress. Luckily, this is the part where things get a little less lone wolf-y and a bit more of a party. Earlier on, Caitie told me that after I finish with my revisions (based on notes from her edit letter), I should pass the manuscript along to someone who’s never read it or to my writing critique crew before handing […]
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Hey, friends! Are you looking for awesome gifts to give your friends and loved ones? What about something to hang on your walls or carry with you all around the world? Well, look no further–you’ve come to the right place! As of this day, I’m happy to announce that I’m open to commissions. If you’d be so kind to check out the Illustrations tab above, you’ll see what I offer. Pretty much anything from fan art, you with your favorite food, fire-breathing sharks, and angry lettering. DETAILS 5″x7″ Portrait on 300gsm archival paper (other sizes available) INK/GRAYSCALE MARKER (gold accents upon request) Background upon request Artwork can feature you, loved ones, pets, favorite cartoon hero, etc. but let’s make sure we agree on it 🙂 Just let me know what you want below: Shipping costs for original artwork will vary depending on your location.
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2016 averages as the Year of Suckitude for everyone. There’s so much suck that happened that the good was easily pushed away to the side and was forgotten. But c’mon, it couldn’t have been all bad–sure, the world’s gone insane, but life is really all about the ups and downs we face. Before the year ends, I’d like to remember all the positive things that 2016 (which voice actor Troy Baker dubbed “an epidemic”) has brought onto my life, because who knows, what if this is just a prelude to the greatest year of the decade? Or maybe the century? Whatever 2017 has in store for us, I pray to the multiverse that it’ll top the bad and recover from the crap the Year of Suckitude has dropped upon us. Besides, 2016 might have been our Resurrection (as Christopher Vogler explained in his book The Writer’s Journey), where “death and darkness get in one last, desperate shot before being finally defeated.” It’s the point in any story where the hero is tested one last time, before charging on with the Elixir to heal the wounded land. And guess what? We’re all heroes here. We just need to remember the positive things […]
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As an introvert, becoming a writer completely made sense to me. There’s a certain kind of solitude that comes with the art form, and often times (if not always), us writers would rather pull ourselves away to a corner with a pen and talk by jotting all our thoughts down. Some writers prefer absolute silence, but others (like me) need sound to get things rolling. And I noticed something about my working habits and the genres that go well with whatever activity I’m doing: when I’m writing I listen to a hell lot of metal, but when I’m drawing or designing, my brain tends to lean more on pop and Disney soundtracks. When I try to flip it around, I can’t seem to function properly and simply wind up doing something else (watch old episodes of my favorite shows, play video games, look for food, sleep). It was clinically proven by a brain doctor over a decade ago that I don’t have the greatest attention span in the world , so when I get distracted, it’s difficult to turn back. But when I discovered how all that those darn heavy riffs help me focus on my writing, I really made it a point to blast it whenever I have […]
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My first stint as a music journalist fell on my lap long before I even knew what I wanted to do in life. It was for a publication called MTV Ink and I interviewed Joseph Hahn of Linkin Park. And I was twelve-years-old. See, I was a hardcore Linkin Park fan (I won’t deny that), and I when MTV Ink emailed me about the opportunity, I went a little crazy. I had Hybrid Theory on loop, I watched Frat Party at the Pankake Festival the night before, and I even baked cookies for Mr. Hahn. I was the ultimate fangirl, getting help from my brother for questions to ask, and I was nervous as hell. Come the day of the interview, I headed up to the north to meet with the people behind MTV Ink and thought they were the coolest people in the world. Excitement took over as we waited for Mr. Hahn at a Burgers Burger in Ortigas. I saw him walk past and giggled like a twelve-year-old would, but he didn’t enter the burger joint. Instead, he went to get a footspa next door. So we waited a little more. And a little more. Until Joe finally came in with squeaky clean […]
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IT’S OFFICIAL: I am incredibly excited to announce that I’ve taken a huge leap in my career as a writer! *squeals* Straight out of the query trenches (actually in this scenario, the #DVPit Twitter trenches) after the longest wait any writer must face, I’ve beaten the dragon’s lair and signed with Caitie Flum of Liza Dawson Associates. Ms. Flum will be taking charge as she guides me through the fast (not really) and furious (oh, totally) road of traditional publishing—crossbows, katanas, and all. It’s been a crazy ride so far, and I am thrilled to finally get things rolling to see my first novel on the shelves of our favorite bookstores. Goddamn—it feels so good to finally say it! At last, the saga continues…
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