Taking a Break

I think I have missed two posts at this point and I apologize for not having made this announcement sooner, but I don't think I wanted to admit that I was going to have to stop this for a while. But here it is: I won't be making anymore posts here, at least consistently, until May.

I just started university so there has been no time to write. Every time I do have free time I use it to relax and have fun, because while I love to write, it does take quite a bit of concentration and energy. The only reason I managed the posts every week is because I wrote quite a few of the topics ahead of time and then published them when I needed them. At this point I believe that I only have one draft left.

But as soon as school is over in April I will get back into writing. This blog will continue as usual. If I feel inspired I might have another post up before then but don't count on much. What I will say is that expect my next post May 1st at 7AM as usual. Until then I hope that you are all reading amazing books and enjoying your lives.

A Short Insight Into a Literary Internship

Back when I was still trying to figure out how I could express my love for stories, I was an intern for a literary agency for three months. It was my job to the read the one hundred pages of manuscripts and provide detailed summary of what I'd read as well as its marketability overseas (which I assume was the focus of this particular agency).

The review would have a limit similar to this: 

TITLE: 

AUTHOR: 

SUB TO:

SUB BY:

FORM: 

LENGTH:

BUDGET:

GENRE: 

LOCATION: 

PERIOD: 

READER: 

DATE: 

LOGLINE: A short hook that describes the main character, location and major conflict of the story.

COMMENT SUMMARY:

A shortened version of what I thought of the book which will be expanded later on in the review.

PROJECT RECOMMENDATION:

WRITER RECOMMENDATION:

SYNOPSIS:

A thorough analysis that took up most of the review so that the person after me wouldn't need to read the whole manuscript to understand most of the events.

COMMENTS:

I could make comments on the story and the parts that I thought were strong/weak.




The manuscripts I was given would range from nonfiction to children's literature. I wouldn't know what to expect when I opened a new document.  Some left me awed because I would already imagine them on a shelf at a bookstore and some left me uncomfortable due to the strange ways some of the characters viewed the world.

First and foremost this experience taught me I wasn't mean to work in the publishing industry because reading other people's work only makes my desire to write stronger. But I have now gained a deeper sympathy for the poor interns who have to wade through the countless manuscripts. Essentially, when new authors are warned against starting their novel slowly, it is great advice. There was nothing worse than reading the first ten pages and realizing the next ninety would contain the same mindless chatter between characters and the same description repeated in ten different ways.

Of course the window I was shown into the publishing world was very small. I still don't know how the manuscripts given to me were chosen or how much weight they put into my reviews. But when they did contact me they were always pleased with my work.

Due to my undying curiosity I did do some research on the novels I was reading to find out more. A few were set to be published in the coming months after I'd been sent them while others had no trace on the internet at all. My assumption is that the literary agency was in charge of selling books that were already supposed to be published in North America overseas. Oftentimes publishers will sell the rights of books to other publishers in different countries so they don't have to worry about all the added details of the vastly different markets around the world.

The coolest thing I was sent to read was a condensed version of the sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, Go Set a Watchman which just came out in 2015. I will forever be puzzled as to why I was sent something of that popularity and why it wasn't the full story, instead some strange shortened summary of it. But I did was I was told and read it.

I enjoyed reading the nonfiction proposals the most. Authors who want to write in that genre often have to sell their idea to a publisher, as well as their image to a certain extent to prove why they are more qualified about the subject than anyone else, before even beginning to write it. I will have an entire post in the future dedicated to how this process works as it is completely different than fiction novels.

But at the end of the day this experience taught me that I would rather work on my own stories than someone else's. Hopefully my next interaction with the publishing industry is when I have my own manuscript ready.

Publishing (Part 1) - Traditional Publishing

Unfortunately I have no new news to share with my writing process. I am still looking forward to getting a lot of my editing done over winter break.

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When a book is finally done, there are two major options that you can choose. There is the traditional publishing, which is what I am talking about today, or self-publishing which I will cover in a later post. Both are viable options but I will be going through the pros and cons for both options.

Traditional publishing takes time. Instead of being able to publish your book in a couple of hours on Amazon, it can take years to get your book on the shelves. What is boils down to, is that this way of publishing can be difficult at first but is easier in the long run, whereas self-publishing is easy to accomplish but hard to get successful with.

To go this route you first have to get a literary agent. You have to send query letters with samples of your writing and they have to choose to represent you. Different agents will have different expectations and requirements. Some will want to work close with you to perfection your book while another might just be interested in the business side of it. But before they decide to represent your book, they have to find it in the “slush pile” which is a term for the thousands of submissions they probably receive weekly. After you send your submission it could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to six months to hear back from them. Then they might request a full manuscript and decide whether they like it. It then becomes their job to sell your novel to a publishing house. Even after you sign a deal with a publishing house you might have to wait another six months to a year before it actually hits shelves. Therefore you could look at a couple years after you’ve finished your book to finally get it published.

But once you get a deal with a publishing house there will be a great team of professionals to help you edit your book, design the cover, and all the other details associated with getting a book ready. Even if you go the self-publishing route these are still necessary to do before you publish your book. The only difference here is that you now have to pay all the costs of getting a professional editor to take a look at your book, and maybe buy a piece of art online as your cover.

On the other hand, when the deal is made with a publishing house, you have lost some control of your book. The editors might have creative licence to make changes to your book whether it is to remove a character or theme, or add something else in. Depending who you are working with this might depend, but for the most part they own your book. It belongs to them for the full life of copyright which is the lifetime of the author plus seventy years. You might be able to work out a deal later to get it back but it will essentially no longer be yours.

The publishing house will aid you in marketing to some respect but the vast majority of it will still be up to you. They will give you benefits that you couldn’t get on your own such as print distribution to bookstores, and national coverage. I have heard that most libraries will not carry self-published books either, and schools won’t encourage students to read them. There is a sense of validation that comes with being traditionally published.

Finally, the most important aspect of all of this is the money you will earn. An author will usually get an advance once the book has been sold. For new authors this will be around ten thousand dollars. Then they will earn royalties on the books sold. This can range from seven to twenty five percent of cover price. But you won’t start getting money for royalties until you have made more than your advance. So if you were paid ten thousand dollars, you won’t begin to earn royalties until the royalties you have already made has reached ten thousand dollars. Royalties are only paid two times a year so you will have to wait six months between paychecks.

I have heard that sometimes deals will be made so an author will receive a lower advance in return for higher royalties. None of these numbers are set in stone as publishing deals will always vary depending on your book and your agent.

But one thing I want to stress is that self-publishing is a valid option and you don’t need the validation of a literary agent or a publishing house to prove that you have written a real book. There are many people who have been successful going the self-publishing route though it is rarer. But if your book is fantastic it won’t matter how you publish it because people will love it in whatever form it is. There are instances where people have self-published only to traditionally publish that book after they have received a lot of success.

Tropes

I have some great news! Over the past couple of weeks I have edited two chapters of my story and it has felt fantastic. Unfortunately I am doing it as an excuse to procrastinate studying for my final exams. But this is a step in the right direction, especially since I've made time to read as well. I don't have high expectations for the coming weeks as I do have multiple finals. I want to get a lot more done over the winter break.

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The word trope evokes disgust in even the best of us. They are the cliches that pop up in every story and sometimes make us roll our eyes. Some of the most popular ones in fantasy are the chosen one, the poor farmer who rises to glory, and the evil Dark Lord who wants to take over the world. We tell ourselves that we hate these and yet we keep reading them.

Most books, fantasy and science fiction especially, are a mix of familiar and strange. We take concepts that we are used to and mix them with strange ones to create something new. As you venture away from contemporary books to fantasy and science fiction there will be more new than familiar. But there will always be ties to "our world" like riding horses and medieval elements.

The reason why we keep reading these tropes is because they are repackaged in different ways each time we see them so that they no longer feel exactly the same. It is like eating bread. It's the same ingredients but when you use the loaf to make a sandwich or use the dough to make a pizza it feels distinctly different. It isn't that the essence has changed, merely how it is dressed up. There are no original ideas anymore but the variations that old ideas can be combined are endless.

I stumbled across a specific word a while ago that I thought was accurate. A buzzword is a description word about a story that will attract people to reading it. This could be if there are vampires or a love triangle. Maybe it's the setting of the story that intrigues you. Either way, we all know what type of books we like to read and by having an eye out for specific buzzwords we are able to better narrow down what we want to read.

Basically tropes are still around because people will continue to enjoy them. While they might appear annoying in some books, if the author uses them properly they can really shine. One of my most hated tropes is the love triangle because it always feels so angsty. But there have been a few times when they are done properly. I don't remember where I first heard it said this way, but there was an author that argued that they were important. She said that the two people that the main character is vying for represents two different life paths. While I'm not convinced that this trope is necessary, when put this way I can understand some of their appeal.

Here is a link to a list of fantasy tropes.

An Interview with Lainey Kress

As I mentioned in my first blog post, the reason I was inspired to start documenting my journey to becoming a published author was watching videos on youtube by Lainey Kress (aka gingerreadslainey). She uploads videos every month of her writing life and the progress she has made. What I enjoy the most about them is how honest they are. She is confident enough to tell the world of her struggles and risks, which can be scary. But since she was able to do it, then I decided that I could as well.

This made me even more happy when I reached out to her and she agreed to be interviewed. I hope you enjoy:

Lainey Kress is a graduate from the University of Iowa BA in English Literature. She started her Youtube channel in August of 2013 where she discusses young adult, new adult, and mainstream fiction genres. 


What made you decide to write a book? Have you ever considered pursuing short stories or articles?

I've always been interested in writing since I was a teenager. I realized this was something I wanted to pursue while I was reading books and sometimes came up with different endings for the books I was reading. When it comes to short stories and articles, I'm not as interested in those forms of writing. I spent most of my college career writing short fiction for my creative writing classes, but since graduating my focus is entirely on writing novels.

Have you developed any strange habits that you do while writing?

I've recently started using a post-it note to cover the word count on my computer screen. This way, I'm not tempted to constantly look down at the word count and have where I'm at influence my writing in a discouraging way. It actually helps me out a lot not knowing how much I'm writing in a single session.

Do you get discouraged in the writing process?

I don't get discouraged from the writing process. Sometimes if I am feeling a block in the creativity part of my brain, I will go watch one of my favorite movies or go on Pinterest to recharge myself and get inspired again.

Why did you choose traditional publishing over self-publishing? 

Before I started querying with my first book, I've always known I wanted to go the traditional publishing route. I have nothing against self-published book as I have read many and have enjoyed quite a bit, but for my own aspirations, it's being able to work with a publishing team that can make my stories better and being excited about my work as much as I do and wanting their authors to succeed that allures me. Fingers crossed.

If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice before you began your current novel what would it be?

Definitely to not spend so long finishing my first draft and revising my second draft. I feel like I lost a lot of valuable time from when I finished my first draft in April of 2015 and finished second edits on the manuscript in February of 2016. I wasn't working on it everyday and I think that delayed me quite a bit. This time around, I want a much faster turnaround time in the editing process.

Now that you have completed one novel, do you think the second one will be easier to write?

I am currently working on one right now! Since it is the middle of NaNoWriMo, I have started a new project. It's another YA Fantasy, but I can already tell having that first experience of writing my first book, writing this one is pushing me farther with my creative bonds and I'm really enjoying these new cast of characters I have created, the world they live in, and the journey they are embarking on.

Coconut Cream Cupcakes Recipe

To celebrate getting five hundred views on this blog, I wanted to do something special today. Instead of talking about writing or books, I wanted to share with you a recipe that I have created. I've always enjoyed reading baking blogs, my favourites being Sally's Baking Addiction, Joy of Baking, and Buns In My Oven. Just looking at their recipes make me yearn to do more baking myself which is impossible to do at university because the first year residences don't have kitchens. (Though we did manage to bake store bought cookie dough in the toaster oven.)

Now that Christmas is fast approaching, or whichever holiday you celebrate in December, the baking season is about to start. Here is another option to add to your list, though it is more of a spring or summer recipe.

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These coconut cream cupcakes come from the kingdom of Asuro, the land where flamboyancy was created. Their outfits and architecture are constantly evolving to be the most extravagant and intricate creations they can possibly imagine. Nothing is ever too excessive for them.

The foods found in Asuro, especially the desserts, are always elegant and time consuming compared to other kingdoms. They enjoy sweet, clean flavours. These cupcakes are nice, but to them it wouldn’t be what you would present a guest you were trying to impress. During those special occasion they would have their cooks create a masterpiece with flames or a water display. Instead this is a quiet dessert shared among a close family.

Ingredients:

Cream Filling:

§  6 tbsp granulated white sugar

§  3 tbsp cornstarch

§  1/8 tsp salt

§  1 ¾ cups milk

§  1 egg yolk

§  ¾ tsp vanilla extract

Cupcakes:

§  ¼ cup butter, softened

§  1 cup granulated white sugar

§  1 egg

§  1 tsp vanilla extract

§  ¼ tsp almond extract

§  1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

§  ½ tsp baking soda

§  ½ tsp baking powder

§  ¼ tsp salt

§  1 cup milk

§  ½ cup shredded coconut

Meringue Frosting:

§  ½ cup granulated white sugar

§  ¼ cup water

§  1/8 tsp cream of tartar

§  1 egg white

§  ½ tsp vanilla extract

§  Shredded coconut for garnish

Start by making the cream filling. In a small saucepan mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk and egg yolk on medium heat.

It will start to thicken after five minutes, at which point you can remove it from the heat. Pour it into a bowl and place plastic wrap over top. Refrigerate it for two hours or until it is cool.

While you are waiting, prepare the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF or 180ºC so that it will be ready once you have finished the batter. Start by creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then beat in the egg, vanilla extract and almost extract.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Then add the dry ingredients and milk into the butter/sugar mixture in alteration. First put a little bit of the dry and mix thoroughly, followed by the wet.

When thoroughly combined, gently fold in the shredded coconut.

I chose to make ten cupcakes instead of a dozen because I wanted them to be bigger but it is entirely up to you.

If you make a dozen, expect the cupcakes to be about 25 minutes. If you make ten like me, add 5 more minutes of baking time. They are ready when they are golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

To make the frosting, combine the sugar, water and cream of tartar in a small saucepan on medium-high heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. At which point remove it from the element and allow it to cool. 

Whip the egg white and vanilla extract together until stiff peaks form. Then add the sugar/water mixture in small amounts, beating it until it forms stiff peaks each time.

Cut out a hole in the top of each cupcake with a serrated knife and scoop the filling inside. Put the top back on. 

 

Use a piping bag to swirl the icing on top. If you don’t own one you can take a Ziploc bag and cut out a small hole in the corner instead. Then garnish the top with some dried coconut.