International Steampunk City Photos

The International Steampunk City took place in Waltham, MA, not only at the Charles River Museum of Industry, but spilling out into the town.  The event was fantastic, and there was a great turn out-- 2500 people on each of the two days of the event.

Here are some pictures from the event (some mine, some borrowed from other attendees).

The International Steampunk City

Last year, I attended the first annual steampunk event at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham, MA and had a fantastic time.  Well, this year is promising to be an even bigger extravaganza with the event spilling out into the streets and taking over a section of the city.

The International Steampunk City will take place this weekend, May 7th and 8th on Moody Street, Waltham, MA and once again at the Charles River Museum.  There's a full schedule of events, and it looks like it'll be great time.

Of course, I'll do a follow up post with pictures, and if anyone is going and would like to meet up, just let me know! 

Shiny and New!

I'm so excited!!  Just a few weeks ago, I got together with a group of amazing writers I met through Agent Query, and the idea to start a collective blog was born. 

From querying and publishing, to specifics about genre and the craft of writing, From the Write Angle will tackle it all.  Best of all, because each one of us brings something different to the table, there should be an endless supply of variety and useful information.

It is officially launch day, and new posts will go up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  We've already stocked it with a few goodies, so be sure to check it out!  I do hope you'll enjoy it!

It's Been too Long!

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post, but things have been crazy busy, and for the most part in a good way. 

A few months ago, I signed a contract for a steampunk clothing craft book, which should be out next spring.  It got off to a bit of a slow start, since I needed to get set up for taking professional looking photos, but I've finally got an area setup (right in the middle of my living room).  I'll be taking pics of everything I do, as I do it, so there's a step by step guide for each project included in the book. The first project is underway, and looking great.

In addition, I'm in the process of wrapping up the manuscript I've been working on, and though it's not steampunk, it is a paranormal and does take place during the Victorian time period. I'm hoping to have that wrapped up and edited in the next month so.  Very excited about that manuscript.  I think it could do quite well since it puts a new twist on a story many know.

There's also a bit more exciting news, but I'll need to keep that under wraps for now, though I promise you won't have to wait too long.

Hope all is well with you!

Best,
Cali

Going With Your Gut

When writing, I'll often hear a tiny voice whispering to me.  It may tell me that there's something not quite right with a scene or character, or perhaps it would be best if I changed a certain aspect of what's happening.  It's just a little niggling feeling, that is actually quite easy to ignore, but the problem is it never goes away.  And the even bigger problem?  That voice is usually right.

After having the wonderful opportunity of editing my manuscript with my agent, I realized that those little whispers were there for a reason, since too often, the changes made to the manuscript coincided with one another.   All I had done was delay the inevitable changes-- changes that would have been easier to take care of early on, and most importantly strengthened my manuscript.

So now I know.  I listen to my gut.  And if my gut's telling me a scene should be cut or changed-- whatever it happens to be whispering in my ear-- I take care of the matter, then and there.  Might as well, right?  The issues sure aren't going to go away just because I ignore them.

So, how about you?  Or am I the only one hearing voices?

On Writing Accents

"Ye hae a guid Scots tung in yir heid,"  is a Scottish saying which means, "You have a good Scots tongue in your head." In other words, "You can speak up for yourself." 

Could you imagine an entire book where one or several characters speak in such a heavy accent?  It would break the flow of your story each time one of those characters spoke, since the reader would have to stop and try to figure out what's just been said.  No doubt, a trying and tiring excercise for the reader.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I love writing accents, whether they're due to a location, a time period or schooling.  I think they can add character and voice, however, there's a balance that you as the writer need to find, if you choose to actually write out the accent.  There's always the option to mention the character has an accent, and leave it at that, but if you choose to show it on the page, then here are a few things I've found helpful.

• Pick just a few words that you'll change, or pick a "rule", such as dropping the "g" off -ing words.  You'll get the voice and impact you're looking for, but without sacrificing readability.
• Try and use phrases or particular words specific to an area.  Every country or locale has it's own way of saying things, and this can be an easy way to get across the person's place of language, without spelling out an accent.
• Try and find the rhythm of the language.  Each language has it's own rhythm and if you can, through your word placement, capture that, you'll immediately get a feel of that place.  Unfortunately, this might be the hardest thing to nail if you haven't lived in the area (or been in regular contact with someone from there).  One option is to try and find books, articles, movies or shows from the area, and pay close attention to the rythm of the language and placement of words.  Another option is to find a writer who has managed to write the accent, and has done an excellent job of it.

For me, the last two are particularly key if writing a different time period.  Writing steampunk, my story is usually set in the late 1800's, and the language would not only be more formal with a different rhythm, but would also use different words. But again, it's important to find a balance so that a modern reader, used to twitter and text messages, isn't having to wade through wordy, flowery prose.

Have any of you attempted to write accents?  How do you approach it?

When the Pieces Fall into Place

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, but it seems like things tend to get away from me during the hot summer months.  Luckily, I've still managed to get a fair amount done.  I'm happy to say I've wrapped up edits on my manuscript, Devil on a Sparrow's Wing, and have now moved on to a new story-- a story I'm crazy excited about. 

I had this idea for a story a few years back, but every attempt to write it immediately fizzled out on the page.  I didn't quite know why.  It was a great story idea (No. Really!!), but once I sat down to write it, time and again the words would slow and stop. 

About six months ago, as I started to give the story some more thought.  I knew the idea was a good one, but it was missing something.  I changed the time period from modern day to Victorian.  That certainly helped things, but it was still the same story and I worried that when I sat to write it once again, I would have the same problem. 

Then it came it to me.  As I discussed the storyline with a few critique partners (can NOT live without them!) the story took on a new life, morphing and evolving as the ideas all fell into place to form a new story.  Something unlike anything else out there, though it was an old story told from a different perspective. It still had the original story idea at the heart of it, but with a new twist--an incredible twist!! 

Perhaps my muse had kept me from writing the story all along, knowing it had not yet evolved into what it needed to be.  And this time, when I sat to write it, the words flowed effortlessly.  All the pieces fall into place.

Now granted, this is still the honeymoon stage for me-- the first 10K words are always the easiest and the sweetest.  Just like that first kiss, when everything is new and shiny and exciting.  I'll eventually come down off the clouds around 20K words, but that's ok.  I'm in it for the long haul.

Do you have a method you use to try and brainstorm your story ideas?  For me, jotting down notes helps, but talking and writing out the story concept is where I'm most successful in working things out.

Ready to Query?

After slaving away for months—years even—you’ve finally completed your first novel. You’ve given it to your friends and family to read, and they all LOVE IT! You do a happy dance with visions of a massive advance on a multiple book deal and a movie—make that movies!—starring your favorite actors. Ready to get that contract, you put together that list of agents and get ready to query.

But are you REALLY ready? Maybe. Maybe not. And I won't even comment on the massive advance or the movies.

There are so many things that need to be done before you query, and it’s very easy to either overlook something or not even be aware that you’ve missed a crucial step. Like anything, it’s all a learning process. When I finished my very first manuscript, I didn’t even know what a query was, and was woefully unprepared for the reality of querying agents.

So before you query, here’s a checklist to help make sure you truly are ready.

• Have you edited your COMPLETED manuscript?—Yes, for fiction you need to have a completed manuscript. And by “edited” I don’t just mean doing a read through. Of course, you need to make sure you’ve checked spelling, grammar and tense. But have you edited for info dumps, unnecessary words, words and thoughts that echo. Does your first page grab the reader and keep them turning the page? Have you made sure your first page doesn’t start with a dream sequence? Does your plot capture the reader’s attention? Does your plot make sense? Are there holes in your plot? Has your point of view remained consistent? Does it have voice? Is there too much description? Not enough? Are you showing versus telling?

• Is your word count appropriate for your genre?—This is very important. You don’t want to stray too far outside the norm. Yes, there are books that break the rules, but I’d argue that for every agent willing to overlook word count, there are another ten that won’t. You don’t want word count to be the reason an agent rejects your query.

• Have you had your manuscript critiqued?—Family members and friends do NOT count. It’s like asking your husband if your arse looks fat in the jeans you’ve been gushing about. In addition, most non-writers won’t have the skills needed to figure out what is wrong (please see points in editing your manuscript). For me, finding good critique partners was crucial to my development as a writer. You’ll likely have to don some thick skin, but honesty is critical, and it’s also why your friends and family do not make good beta readers and critique partners. Need a crit partner? Find one HERE.

• Write a query—There are a ton of great sites that address how to write a good query letter.  The forums on Agent Query Connect  and Query Tracker are great.  You may also want to have your query critiqued. However, you should be careful about editing the voice and character out of your query. Too often, over-revisions can lead to a query that’s technically perfect but bland as baby food. You’ll also need to make sure each query is individualized for the agent it’s going out to. No mass mailings!! When you’re ready to query, it’s wise to query in small batches, in case your query isn’t working and needs to be tweaked. You only get to query the agent once per project.

• Write a synopsis.—Wait! Make that—“Write multiple synopses.” Some agents will request or require a synopsis of a certain length and that can vary from agent to agent. You’ll want to write a short one and a long one, though you may find you need an extra short one in addition to the other two.

• Edit again!—It’s best if you let your manuscript sit for a few weeks (or even months) between edits. This allows you to look at the manuscript with fresh eyes.

• Research agents—There are some great sites for this. I like using Agent Query and Query Tracker. I’d recommend sorting agents into you’re A-list, B-list, etc. and then when you query, select a few from each group so that you don’t burn through you’re A-list only to find you have a query that doesn’t work.

• Prepare your manuscript, query, synopsis—Make sure any tracked changes and comments have been removed and your formatting is correct. It’s also a smart move to send yourself a test query to make sure things aren’t getting jumbled in translation.

NOW you’re ready to query. Or should be. There are a few more things you may want to consider. Do you have a dedicated email for querying? Please make sure the email you’re using sounds professional—your name is fine, but a humorous email that may turn off an agent is not. Also make sure you don't have any weird filters on your email, and that your email does indeed work.  Do you have a website or blog? Not exactly necessary at this stage, but it might be a consideration in the near future since it’s important to start building a platform.

When you do start querying, make sure you track things—Note the agent, the agency and the date you sent it. Note the query version you sent. Did you send a synopsis? Did you send pages? How many? And then when (if)you hear back, make sure you note that also.

It may seem like a lot, but being prepared will help you get through querying, which is never easy. I wish you the best of luck!