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Venessa Bellido Schwarz

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Venessa Bellido Schwarz

Monthly Archives: April 2012

RESEARCH … RESEARCH … RESEARCH

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by Nessa B. Schwarz in REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH

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snot

My character’s little brother sneezed and I used the word “snot.”

Oh my goodness! One agent I subbed to was so offended by this. It’s a middle-grade novel. Children love snot. They love the word, they think it’s funny. I do too actually. He was actually offended by the word SNOT?

This is what he said, “When I got to the snot I stopped. I will not read stuff like this.”

At first I was really taken back by his comments. But he did me a favor. Because anybody who can’t appreciate the humor of “snot” really doesn’t get it.

Really!

 

 

FALL IN LOVE WITH CASABLANCA …

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by Nessa B. Schwarz in REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH

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casablanca, humphrey bogart

This year is the 70th anniversary of the old black and white movie, CASABLANCA. Some friends and I went to a special screening and when I walked into the theater I expected to see a packed audience. A sweet elderly couple, the matronly wife wearing a white garden hat and he a plaid shirt with overalls, sat right in the middle. Below them by three of four rows was a little grandma type. And that was it.

We were happy to have pick of whatever seat we pretty much wanted and even had a difficult time trying to find that “perfect” spot. After we settled in, my friend Janet brought her own bag of grapes and was passing them around, I observed more people begin to slowly trickle in. Most were gray-haired and I thought perhaps many of them were hoping to reminice of days long past.

The movie began and it was a thrill to see Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman larger than life. All I could think was … they just don’t make movie’s like this anymore. And they never will because PEOPLE are not what they used to be. It is truly a bygone era.

So all I can say is, “Here’s looking at you kid!”

TAP, TAP, TAP …

25 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by Nessa B. Schwarz in REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH

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That’s the sound of me drumming my fingers on this keyboard. Yes. I need serious psychological help. Not really, but maybe. Yesterday I thought of giving up writing. I wanted to be free … my mind that is. Its’ just too much, all this THINKING. Ahhhhhhhhh! Can’t take it anymore.

Okay. I’m better now. No, not really.

THIS STINKS!

NOTES FROM S UTAH/IDAHO WRITERS’ CONFERENCE …

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

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I walked into the room with my notebook, fresh copies of revised manuscripts and the book, Anne of Green Gables…just in case I had nobody to talk to, there’d be something to read. Round tables of eight dotted the room, with writers and illustrators and even some students trying to get their one extra BSU credit; sitting here and there at different tables.

They looked as scared as I probably looked because afterall we are all strangers, passionately attempting to live out the same dream … to be published book writers or illustrators. But there was a slight air of competition as well … not pungent, just kind of lingering and it was a good, healthy thing. I thought anyway.

I sat at the front and realized after a few minutes that I was sitting at the “speaker’s table.” Embarrassing. I made an attempt to move but was assured that it was perfectly fine.

Here are some notes:

-Dont’ be afriad to revise. Once you get past the pain, it’ll be worth it.
-Write the same kind of book.
-Read your work outloud. You will pick up echoes and will hear it better inside your head.
-Got to have a hook! We only have the first two paragraphs to keep children’s…or even editors, interest.
-Weave the backstory in the beginning.
-No repetitive patterns in dialouge. For example, stacking of “I’s” all on the same side of the page.

Finally, the speaker Matthew Kirby quoted, and I paraphrase, “Make life as hard as possible for your characters”…and that will get the pages turning. He said to write our stories to satisfy questions that will make our readers want to make meaning out of them. Something our brains do automatically.

Through out the day I solicited advise from Sarah Tregay and Kate Kae Myers, debut authors who had their books just come out this past February. I told them my story about Grosset and Dunlap etc. and they all encouraged me to get an agent. They were very sweet.

So I tried to email a few agents to see what would happen.

Yesterday I got a return email from Alison Picard Literary Agency. She was willing to review a few chapters of my manuscript and the entire picture book text. I was so nervous that I had to take a walk around my neighborhood. We had record heat at 91 degrees and it was a beautiful day. This morning she REJECTED IT. Sadly.

But a sweet sounding agent, Ashley Grayson, also emailed me and requested to hear the details about which publishers were interested in my manuscripts and to review them. I still haven’t heard anything.

It was a good conference. Happy that I went!

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE SCBWI …

16 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by Nessa B. Schwarz in REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH

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Today I checked my postbox and guess what? Things have been quiet. I haven’t received one rejection letter or response since the last several times I’ve written to all of you.

That’s good. Right?

Last week I decided to find out what some of the responses I have received, mean. Or how to decifer them. So I went on the Discussion Board of the SCBWI site and found some helpful hints on writing and sending manuscripts out to publishers.

Okay. The fact that things are quiet right now is good. They say that means it’s possible that the editors are seriously considering the manuscript. They say that it’s easy to kick out a rejection letter. So the longer we don’t hear back … the better.

What about exclusive submissions? I sent both manuscripts out as rewrites and exclusively. SCBWI says that no editor expects any manuscript to be exclusive unless they request it themselves. Typically, if we do sent an exclusive, it’s usually a 30 day deadline on the exclusive.

That means if we don’t hear back, we can send it to other editors but need to act professionally if that original editor does come back with an offer of some type.

Does this make sense at all?

Anyhow, I learned a bunch of other stuff too. But my hubby walked in for dinner. I’ll share more on the next post.

LOTS OF NOTHING …

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by Nessa B. Schwarz in REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH

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Today the sunshine changes from light to dark every few minutes. Clouds keep getting in the way. Heavy and should I use the word, foreboding? Some of the clouds are thin, wispy strands of nothing. Once again the outside weather reflects my mood.

I have two rewrites out there, to two different publishers. One is for FlowerMiss and the other for a picture book, “Once Upon A Hobo.” The editors gave me small feedback but nonetheless, it WAS feedback so I made thier suggested changes and resubmitted.

One minute my intuition says, “they’re reading and considering the story, perhaps it is in acquisitions and many editors are discussing the possibility.” Then a minute later, just like the changing sunlight … it’s dark, they don’t want it. It’s coming back home, still unwanted. My poor little manuscripts!

But let’s be real. All of this speculation is just lots of nothing. It’s like my dad always says, “It IS, what it IS.”

So this is what I’ll do: throw out into the wind a handful of good vibes, that yes indeed, I WILL SELL MY STORY! IT WILL HAPPEN!

Come on everybody, keep saying it for me, with me. Because we all know that if you believe it, then you can live it.

Go on all you beautiful words, fly through the wind and sky … breeze toward Massachusetts; land on the desks of those editors.

MAKE THEM BELIEVE TOO.

RAINDROPS & TEARDROPS BY MONTE SHOCKMAN …

02 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by Nessa B. Schwarz in REJECTION LETTERS & SUCH

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On Saturday, March 31st my friend Monte passed away. He was an honorary grandfather to my son, and my friend Tammy’s dad, Shirley’s husband; a good man.

He wrote a poem that descibes how Shirley, Tammy, Rick and all of us feel today. The poem is called:

RAINDROPS AND TEARDROPS, by Monte Shockman

Those raindrops and teardrops that fall to the ground
Each tell their story and make different sounds
Rain can fall softly to water the earth
Like tears of joy over a mother’s new birth
But rain can fall heavily in a flood from above
As tears that are shed over the loss of one loved
Raindrops bring flowers of varying hues
A raindrop or teardrop may both look the same
But one is sweet and one is bitter in life’s hard refrian
Together we walked in soft summer raindrops
Never thought we be shedding any sad teardrops
Riding on dreams under a bright shining rainbow
Despite some tears, love never lost its glow
But now my cup’s filled from a barrel of tears
Over the loss of my darling (friend) of so many years.

We will miss you Monte.

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