Elana Johnson's Blog, page 74

Holy Mother of Pearl

WriteOnCon 2010 is over, which means I can now die. Or at least sleep for a really long time. So that's what I'm going to do. Hope you had a great week, found something to inspire you, or a technique to try in your writing.



Oh, and it's Friday the Thirteenth. All the more reason to crawl into bed and sleep the day away.



But before I do that, I want to scream a HUGE THANKS to Lisa and Laura Roecker, Casey McCormick, Jamie Harrington, Jen Stayrook, and Shannon Messenger for their amazing...

WriteOnCon Day Three

All right. Day Three. Have you enjoyed the conference so far? Wait, I've turned off comments so you can't answer that. Hopefully you've found something to help propel you forward in your writing journey!



Thursday, August 12, 2010



6:00 AM: Writing With a Real Life by author Lindsey Leavitt



7:00 AM: Writing Advice from PJ Hoover and the Texas Sweethearts



8:00 AM: Writing Realistic, Captivating Dialog by author Tom Leveen



8:30 AM: Author Branding by author Shelli Johannes-Wells



9:00 AM:

WriteOnCon Day Two

Here's the amazingness of Day Two of WriteOnCon. Don't miss our many live events today!!



Wednesday, August 11, 2010



6:00 AM: Romance in YA by author Lisa Schroeder



7:00 AM: Plot and Pacing by author/literary agent Weronika Janczuk (series of 3, posted every 20 minutes, part 2, part 3)



8:00 AM: Using an Independent Publicist by author Lauren Becker



9:00 AM: The Revision Process by author Cynthea Liu (series of 3, posted every 20 minutes, part 2, part 3)



10:00 AM: Transition From...

Pie in the Face (how characters react) by author Rosemary Clement-Moore

Please welcome author Rosemary Clement-Moore, the award winning author of supernatural mystery novels for young (and not so young) adults. Her books range from scary and funny (the Maggie Quinn: Girl versus Evil series) to spooky and romantic (The Splendor Falls). Today Rosemary will be discussing character reactions. Enjoy!

WriteOnCon Prize Drawing!

(Yes, another one!!!)



Dude, you guys!! So you know how you go to a live conference and there are door prizes? Well, guess what??



We have prizes too!



To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post. We'll draw winners tonight and announce the winners at the tail end of the live panel (10 PM EDT). You have until 9:45 PM EDT to enter.



What can you win?



How about a query critique from a fabulous literary agent?



Your wish, granted.







Mandy Hubbard, literary agent at D4EO Literary...

Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start a Revision by editor Kendra Levin

We all know that revising is really the hardest part of writing a book. And who better to help us than an editor at Viking? I mean, seriously. So that's exactly who we got. Welcome Kendra Levin, an associate editor at Viking, which is an imprint of Penguin, to the conference!

Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start RevisingToday is the day.  You're sitting at your desk, armed with a fresh cup of coffee, a brave face, and an open mind.  On the desk are your marching orders:  longhand s...

In Defense of a Less Than Huge Advance by literary agent Michelle Wolfson

Okay, I'm more than thrilled to announce that literary agent Michelle Wolfson is here to tell us all about how we can make the most of any advance that we get. *giddy* Welcome her to WriteOnCon!

In Defense of a Less Than Huge AdvanceSo there's an expression I've become familiar with since I've rejoined the nursery school set (this time as a mom although I have to say the kid part looks like more fun), and it goes like this: You get what you get and you don't get upset . When I was asked to do ...

Writing a Query Letter by author Jodi Meadows

WriteOnCon welcomes author Jodi Meadows to the blog! Jodi has read many, many queries in her life. She really knows her stuff. She's going to give us some awesome advice for the single most important letter you might write in your publishing career.

YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE:I like queries. No, I love them. They're such short, humble things, but their importance is undeniable. Queries are the initial step to nabbing an agent. They're your first impression, and your best chance at getting an agent...

Voice by literary agent Elana Roth

Who needs helps with the ever-elusive voice in their novel? Go on, raise your hands. I know I do. It's something that everyone talks about, but that no one can seem to pin down. Well, look no further. We've got literary agent Elana Roth her to spill the secrets on voice.

On VoiceLet's be honest. Trying to write a blog post about voice is a really ridiculous undertaking. It's like asking someone what good chemistry is. You know it when you see it, and you know it when you don't feel it, but if...

Writing Middle Grade by author J.S. Lewis

We welcome J.S. Lewis to WriteOnCon! It's always great to have fabulous middle grade authors, and he's one of the best! Today he's divulging some tips for writing middle grade.

WRITING FOR MIDDLE GRADE . . . OR, WELCOME TO NEVERLANDWarning! If your childhood is nothing but a distant memory, stop reading!



Seriously. You see, if you really want to write for the middle grade market, the passions of your childhood must be a vibrant part of your world today!



If you're poisoned by the realities o...