Kathy Cyr's Blog: Kathy Cyr- Author, page 111

Computer Problems, etc.

Manuscript progress was stalled  a bit due to computer problems for the past few days, but thankfully, all is good.
Just dealing with a headache that is being quite stubborn and concentrate is null and void at the moment.

I think I'm going to hold off on the query and synopsis for a while. Was reading through my manuscript again and can see where it needs some help and a bit of a lift. Really want it to be done and feel 100% about it, so that I can get into book 2. Hopefully soon.

I think this website needs a going over as well. When I first put it together, I wanted it to be fun and silly, comfortable enough for kids and adults, but not sure I'm feeling alot of the text within the site now.
Have to put it on my to do list.

Hopefully, I'll feel more like myself tomorrow.

Have a good night all. :)

Query, Synopsis, etc

Finished draft #2,  then #3 and have read my manuscript over and over till my eyes went buggy. lol.
Now, I'm moving on to writing the query letter and synopsis. 

I have a list of agents who accept all forms of middle grade books and their submission requirements.
Some of them require a cover letter and I will work on that after the query and synopsis are done.

I, also, wonder if it's necessary to include examples of other books that my manuscript "might" be like.
It's a fantasy and of course, has magic.  I'm not sure, though. I don't think it would be a good idea to say that my mg fantasy book is all about a twelve year old boy, magic, witches, etc......just like a bestseller we all know and love. I doubt agents want to hear that. 

I'll have to research that part of the query letter more.

So tired. Getting up between 3 & 4 and writing til

Have a great night! :)

Draft #2

Started draft 2 on July 2, 2014 and just finished a few minutes ago. 

The nasty callus on my middle finger is bigger and my hand is hurting big time, but that's okay. I'm proud. lol.

Up next is typing my manuscript into my computer in preparation for draft 3. Hopefully, #3 will be the final one before sending it off to an agent. 

Taking it all one step at a time, though. :)

If I can do it, so can you. ;)

#authordreams #childrenswriter

Finished

Hello my friends.

It's been a while since my last post, but I have a very good reason.

After 4 years of collecting snippets, scenes, ideas and more in my giant binder, I sat down and wrote my middle grade fantasy.

I finished it......completely, my friends. I can't believe I'm saying that, but I did!
It has a beginning,middle, end,conflict, resolution, etc. You name it, it's there.

I started on May 21, 2014 and wrote, nonstop, every day, afternoon and some evenings.
I finished on July 1, 2014 and could not have felt better than I did in that moment.

I still have to edit/revise, but I actually finished!!

Along the way, I had other ideas for two more books and a title idea for a third. (different characters)
For those of you that are going through writers block or think you can't do it, believe me when I say,YOU CAN!! If I can do it, so can you.

I was making everything harder in my head than it had to be. I was also comparing my ideas to best selling authors and that was wrong. I had to let all that go, plant my butt in the chair and just do it.

I will confess that I like writing better than revising, though. lol.

Have a great night, my friends. :)

Etsy Shop & Other Art

Hi everyone.

I've been so focused on writing, that I haven't done any promotion for my Etsy shop. I have some graphics listed for business and personal use, if you're interested. They're pretty cheap and come with the colored image and the outline. https://www.etsy.com/shop/KathyCyrArt

I also have more graphics for personal use listed here: http://www.francismary.com/index.html
Great for personal projects, email signatures, site decoration, etc. The listings on this site are for the colored image only at the moment.

:)

Pushing forward

I cannot believe it, but my writing is zipping through chapter 2 and has possibly entered chapter 3, but I haven't really been paying attention. lol.

It feels really good. A bit tired today, so I may end up taking a short break and begin again this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning.

It's truly very exciting. I can see where the story is going, but just a bit. That's okay, though.
I also realized, with the help of DH, that I have had all the ingredients for my book right here in front of me all along. All the notes, ideas and snippets I thought were so terrible and not getting me anywhere, actually were.

Most everything has become clear and I can feel and see where all my notes will be placed.
I have shrugged off 99.9% negativity and in not having access to my FB account, alot of the chaos, drama and time wasting is gone. I miss several people on there, but not having FB has REALLY helped my productivity.

I've been using Twitter a heck of alot more and I find it easier. I tweet or retweet, scan everyone's tweets and move on, quickly, to my writing.

I hope all is well with you and yours. Sending positive vibes to all.
Have a great day! :)