What's your current WIP?

One of my favorite things to talk about! What are you currently writing? What kind of novel is it? What's it about? If you bumped into someone important in an elevator, introduced yourself as a writer, and they asked "Oh! What's your book about?" - what would you say?

I am working on a fantasy/sci-fi novel right now. I just finished a fantasy novel and while it's on the shelf I'm all pumped to work on this new one.

Wow! You certainly are motivated. I admire that.

My current WIP is a YA love story entitled "Fractured." At the moment, I have it out to a focus group, and of course, I'm on pins and needles to know what they're thinking as I wonder what part they're up to.

Hugs,
Lee Mandel
Author of "Frog Burgers"
available on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com
available for Kindle
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Lizzy wrote:One of my favorite things to talk about! What are you currently writing? What kind of novel is it? What's it about? If you bumped into someone important in an elevator, introduced yourself as a writer, and they asked "Oh! What's your book about?" - what would you say?

I am working on a fantasy/sci-fi novel right now. I just finished a fantasy novel and while it's on the shelf I'm all pumped to work on this new one.

That's awesome! Keep moving forward with that and you'll make it!
I'm currently editing my YA novel, "Zirconya: The Sage of Aluh'Nehn," with my editor until March when it has to be on the publisher's desk, so, my writing has stepped down on the priority list for the moment. When that's done, I'll start submitting my second YA novel, "The Dragon Cager," to agents. Then, I don't really know which story to pick back up on. I have two that my readers are asking me for so I have to decide between a YA fantasy shapeshifter story called Wolf Kind -- which is a little hard for me to pick up because I know people take it as a werewolf story right away and I don't want that sort of attention -- or an edgy YA contemporary sci-fi called "Raised by the Dark."

Wow, Diana, those all sound amazing. I can't wait to read them all...

Hugs,
Lee Mandel
Author of "Frog Burgers"
available on Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com
also available on Kindle
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That's awesome! Keep moving forward with that and you'll make it!
I'm currently editing my YA novel, "Zirconya: The Sage of Aluh'Nehn," with my editor until March when it has to be on the publisher's desk, so, my writing has stepped down on the priority list for the moment. When that's done, I'll start submitting my second YA novel, "The Dragon Cager," to agents. Then, I don't really know which story to pick back up on. I have two that my readers are asking me for so I have to decide between a YA fantasy shapeshifter story called Wolf Kind -- which is a little hard for me to pick up because I know people take it as a werewolf story right away and I don't want that sort of attention -- or an edgy YA contemporary sci-fi called "Raised by the Dark."

Thank you! and that's amazing. Let me know when you're in print and I'll go buy your book. I love th title "The Dragon Cager" - I'm kinda a dragon-lover.

My current WIP is a YA love story entitled "Fractured." At the moment, I have it out to a focus group, and of course, I'm on pins and needles to know what they're thinking as I wonder what part they're up to.

Ahh! I totally know that feeling. Don't you just want to ask "Where are you? What just happened?" Sounds cool!

Dear Lizzy,

Yes! I'm totally bursting to find out what they all think. Additionally, my MG novel (which is already published) is in the hands of a fourth grade class as we speak. I'm dying to find out the reviews on that as well. Needless-to-say, I'm not getting too much sleep these days.

Hugs,
Lee

Ooooh! A whole classroom. I'm nervous for you!

I know. It's scary and exciting all at once. And, I'm dying to know what they're thinking... I. Must. Be. Patient. Perhaps I'll work on my next WIP to keep my mind off of it.

Hugs,
Lee

Totally! Is your picture the cover of your book?

Yes. A friend of mine is the illustrator. The sequel is just about finished (editing-wise). Throw that in with searching for an image for my YA novel (I have a few ideas, now I have to get my act together and start seriously looking) and a possible short story collection, and you have my chaotic writing life.

How about you? What are you working on/involved in?

Hugs,
Lee

Wow! I like it! How neat to have a friend do that for you.

I'm just in the ongoing process of writing novels and first chapters and ideas and wondering when The One will come along. I talked about my current work above. The main goal for me is just to KEEP WRITING, know what I mean?

Dear Lizzy,

I hear ya. Just make sure you have a good critique group; they are worth their collective weight in gold. I run two through my local library. So many fantastic opinions and knowledge. It's so important.

Hugs,
Lee

I think it's amazing that y'all are so far ahead in the process. Talking to editors and all that.
This past November I took part in NaNoWriMo &wrote a YA Paranormal novel. I love the whole vampire/werewolf thing. I'm in the process of editing which is pretty much the hardest thing ever. :/ Plus, I'm constantly doubting the story itself &my writing. If anyone's got tips for editing or just getting more confident, I'd love to hear them.

Shahira,

One of the most important things you should have is a group (small, maybe three or four people is all you need to start) as a critique group. This should be a group who feels comfortable telling you their honest opinion about the story, grammar, etc. Have them read it and take notes on what they say. Then put it all away for a week. When you revisit it, with a more objective attitude, you can decide whether or not you agree with what they've said. However, keep in mind that if you conveyed what you wanted to accurately, they wouldn't be drawing attention to it, so it warrants taking a look at that mention more carefully. If they can offer how they would phrase it, or how they would move the story, then consider that. When you've done this (at least) twice, read the story out loud. You'd be surprised at how many errors you catch when you're reading it out loud. Or even better, have someone else read it out loud to you. That way you can catch if you need punctuation changes or different sentences, or whatever you may need.

One major thing also: writers are very hard on themselves. Never give up on anything. I bet what you've written is great. As writers, we're all looking for it to be better. That's what we're constantly striving for. No matter how fantastic it is, we feel there's another revision that's possible. Just keep working at it. You'll know when it's ready for query. Or at least your critique group will tell you...

Hugs,
Lee
Author of "Frog Burgers"
available on Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com
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LeeMandel just about summed it up! Don't give up, Shahira. I know what it's like to be there.

And for the record, I posted this at a good time in my writing "career." I am not always just finishing a novel and bounding in to a new one. I was super excited to finish my latest because I began it in early October and wasn't sure if I'd finish it. It was the first novel I finished in over a year, and prior to that was the Summer 2010 Writers Block. UGH!

So it's not like I'm this mega-inspired writing superhero. Far from. I'm just having a great season and enjoying every moment of it! Gotta grab all the inspiration you can get.

Thank you guys so much for the advice. I'll definitely try to get a small critique group together &I'm definitely not ever giving up. I want to be a published author too bad to give up. Just gotta keep writing, writing &writing!

Totally! And hey, if you ever want feedback I'm your girl. I'd love to read your work!

I'm in too. I am a member of two different critique groups, I run two writer's workshops through the library, I'm an editor for a literary magazine, a freelance editor, and an author. Feel free to share...

Hugs,
Lee

Oh my gosh, I've got a lot that I'm working on right now. O_O

I'm preparing my first book for sub (which is very, very scary), and I'm just starting to work on a stand-alone. (Oh, and by the way, thanks for helping me name the MC on Twitter, guys. You know who you are.)

Right now, I'm almost 3/4 the way through rewriting, and it's coming together really well. Which is so much more than I could say about the first draft. It's an epic fantasy in the vein of Eragon, but more streamlined, and less Tolkien knock-off/cliched*(I apologize to anyone who sincerely enjoyed Eragon--I used to, as well). I'll probably be querying by May or June, after lots of run-throughs with crit partners.

I'm also resisting work on a superhero-type novel that can actually stand-alone(what??), but will have a sequel. The first one has the MC going villain(a la Dr. Horrible), and the second one starts many years later, under a new MC, where the original MC redeems herself and dies. So I'm trying to stay focused on my near-finished project, so I can meet my goals, as well as get all the credits I need for graduation together. =)
*I hope.

It's an epic fantasy in the vein of Eragon, but more streamlined, and less Tolkien knock-off/cliched*(I apologize to anyone who sincerely enjoyed Eragon--I used to, as well).

Don't apologize. I admit I enjoyed Eragon the first time (when I was 12, I think?) but out of respect for Tolkein and all those writers that worked so hard to find agents with no luck, I have to say that book shouldn't have been published like it was.

But I love fantasy. Good luck when you start submitting!

Lizzy wrote:

It's an epic fantasy in the vein of Eragon, but more streamlined, and less Tolkien knock-off/cliched*(I apologize to anyone who sincerely enjoyed Eragon--I used to, as well).

Don't apologize. I admit I enjoyed Eragon the first time (when I was 12, I think?) but out of respect for Tolkein and all those writers that worked so hard to find agents with no luck, I have to say that book shouldn't have been published like it was.

But I love fantasy. Good luck when you start submitting!

Thanks! I was about 12 when I enjoyed it, too. It was before I started writing seriously, and it definitely influenced many thesaurus trips in my early writing. Heh.

It totally influenced my writing too! I can't tell you how badly I wanted to write a dragon book or have a dragon after that. But even more I wanted an elf with long, black hair.