Wednesday, June 26, 2013

All Day Q&A!

The questions! Today I will answer them! As my one regular feature on this blog, the monthly Q&A day has become one of my favorites. You lovely people always ask such interesting questions. I'm so happy to be able to share a day talking together. 

As always: You may ask whatever questions you'd like and however many you'd like about anything you want. I will do my utmost to answer them as quickly as possible, with only slight delays to feed my kids or change diapers. 

ALSO, you may ask here on my blog OR on Twitter, though I never seem to get many on Twitter. Maybe I should add a hashtag to make it cooler...like #NatQADay? Wait, that looks like National Q&A Day. No. Bad. Um...#whippleQA! Yes, #whippleQA, no mistaking that.

23 comments:

  1. Was writing House of Ivy and Sorrow any easier or faster than writing Transparent? Did having a deal under your belt pump you up or freeze your bones?

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    1. Actually, Christine, I wrote IVY before TRANSPARENT sold! That was my "distraction" project while I was on submission, and I finished just a week or so after the offer from Harper. So I didn't really have any guarantees or "pumping up" at that point still. I was on sub, and I was miserable on sub—IVY was kind of a little ray of sunshine in the darkness.

      Overall, HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW was much easier to write that TRANSPARENT. But that said, pretty much ALL of my books have been easier to write than TRANSPARENT save perhaps the one I am currently slogging through (which is a secret). Fiona's story was entirely rewritten, and I did that full rewrite during a major struggle with anxiety and two toddlers in the house. I was a totally mess because of all that.

      But as far as writing post-deal, it's really about the same, if not a little harder. There's a definite pressure to KEEP selling that makes you worry if you're working on the "right" project or if that first sale was a fluke. But there's also a confidence in knowing what standard you need to reach and that you've reached it before...who knows if you can again though, because writing is hard.

      Ultimately you still have to remind yourself that you should love what you're writing and that you need to have fun. Though I admit the fun parts have been fewer and farther between since selling, with more just plain grunt work to replace it. Writing becomes a job quite literally, and even when you love your job it's still hard, you know? Somedays it's just about showing up.

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  2. Ooh, curious about your secret project. It sounds like post-debut raises the stakes! Thanks for the thoughtful answer!

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    1. Definitely, there are raised stakes, and at the same time it's all kind of...the same? I think a lot of writers have this idea that once you're in, you're in and you just keep selling. Well, I've already had projects passed on by my editor. I don't have a deal for anything past IVY. In a lot of ways, I feel like I'm right back to where I was when I went on sub with TRANSPARENT.

      I guess it never stops being scary, putting your work out there. If only.

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  3. Hiii!!! You’re a published Author now girl :) sooooo happy for ya ;)so nice to read 'Author of Transparent' on the cover of HOUSE..so cool, and Ah! I have to say it again, the cover is simply BEAUTIFUL!

    Okay enough with the goofing time for my questions:

    Have you seen the BBC Sherlock series? And if you did what you think about it?

    I knew House of Ivy & Sorrow will be a winner the first time you spoke about it, I just can’t wait for this book, can you please tell me more about how it got picked as your second book by HarperTeen? It didn’t go on sub right?

    Do you think that your same audience/readers of Transparent will be those of HOIAS? Because you seem to be very diverse in your writing, I believe you will have readers of all kinds :)

    Do you find writing about characters of other ethnic races difficult or more complicated? how much research you do in such cases?

    Woh! I'm on FIRE today :D

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    1. Hi, Haneen! Thank you for taking the multiple questions very seriously—I appreciate that:)

      BBC Sherlock: I have seen the first season but not the second! I don't know why, because I loved the first very much. Cumberbatch and Freeman are just phenomenal actors, and together they make an incredible team.

      HOI&S A Option Book: Yes, IVY didn't go on traditional sub. I pitched it and one other book to my editor at Harper to consider for my option book—she decided IVY was the one and the other book has yet to be sold still. I believe the pitches were like 50 pages plus a small summary, though both manuscripts were fully written. At that point I hadn't fully edited IVY and wanted to do more before I gave it to my editor. She let me do that first edit, but asked specifically for me not to beta it because she wanted it asap.

      Audience: I think there will be overlap between TRANSPARENT and HOUSE OF IVY & SORROW, but I think there will also be people who vastly prefer one to the other. There is much more romance in IVY than in TRANSPARENT, for example, and maybe a bit of a love triangle—things some readers don't like and didn't really take center stage in Fiona's story. IVY is also a bit darker, with a lot of morbid touches that might surprise people, even though I would say the same flashes of humor are present in both.

      Writing Diversity: I don't find it difficult or complicated at all. At times there is extra research to be done, and I'm certainly more comfortable tackling races I have personal connections to than those I've known more on a surface level—but for the most part I try to put as much diversity as possible into a book. That was the world I grew up in (spent my childhood in Northern California), and that is the world I want to portray. (Note: In fact I struggled a lot with IVY because there is much less diversity in that book than in any of my others, simply because it takes place in rural Iowa and I felt I couldn't ignore that. I still tried to imply a different kind of diversity by revealing some of the MC's European heritage. And it's actually my first time including characters of varying sexual preference.)

      When writing diverse characters I think the most important thing to remember is that we're not that different from each other. All humans want the same things: to be loved, to feel safe, to have what they need to survive, to be recognized as having value. I always approach my characters from these core things first, and then work outward. I think this builds authentic characters in general, regardless of race, gender, religion, etc.

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  4. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

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    1. Heroine, I've wanted to be a writer since I was a kid, but didn't seriously pursue it until my early 20s. I wrote all through my teens without the intent to publish. I think I was 21 when I decided to at least try publishing though it seemed intimidating and scary.

      I am 29 now, so it was a bit of a long road, but I eventually got there:)

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  5. If one of your books was to land on the NY Times bestselling list(here's to believing!), what would you do to celebrate?

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    1. Hahahahaha, bestseller list, funny! I actually used to dream about that all the time before I learned the particulars. I think I would go out to eat everyday for a week, because food is pretty much my favorite thing.

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    2. Me too! In my case, especially desert...

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  6. Hi Natalie! I loved Transparent and can't wait for HOIAS. :) What is your opinion on querying more than one novel at a time? Should the query process involve only one book at a time even if you have multiple projects ready? And if you decide to just query the one, what do you do with the other?

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    1. Kelsy, I would definitely stick to one project at a time. This is the accepted method, and agents will notice the same person offering two projects at once. They even notice when you submit a different project just months after another.

      What you do with the other one is simple: put it aside or continue to revise it. I constantly have multiple projects going, and some of those make it to the agent and some go right into the vault. And that's okay—all writing is practice and therefore worth it.

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  7. YAY, it's Natalie's Q& A day! This is one of my favorite features on your blog. Question #1: Something I struggle with is I'd read a very well-written book, and while I'm basking in the afterglow of having read that great book, a part of me would feel a little down thinking...Oh, I don't think I could ever write like that. Before you were published, did you ever go through this?

    Question #2: Do you purposely read in the genre that you write in? I'm not asking if you read other YA books, but I'm asking if you read books in the specific fantasy genre where a protagonist with a special power is featured. The reason I ask is because sometimes I actually feel strangely, a little anxious when I read books that might touch on subjects I am planning to write about because I don't want to be influenced by what's already out there, and I also don't want to subconsciously and accidentally use another author's idea. But at the same time, being the book worm that I am, I don't want to miss out on reading a good book because of these concerns. What are your thoughts, and what do you do?

    You know what, I just added you on Twitter recently! (Same profile pic.) Let me head over there later and send you a third question to get some use out of that hashtag.

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    1. Cynthia, I'm glad it's a favorite! I enjoy it at least:)

      1. Actually, I feel that way MORE now that I'm published than I did before! It's rather annoying, because I know that I can only write how I write. And yet I do struggle with wishing I could write like someone else. I think it's simple "grass is greener" syndrome, and try to remember that I need to be grateful for what I have and what I do well. Comparison is dangerous and, ultimately, pointless.

      2. I do read similar books to mine when I do read. I used to be afraid of this until I read so much and created so many stories on my own that I realized all ideas are "stolen." There's really very little in fiction that is original. Tropes are used over and over for good reason—they are effective in eliciting something from a reader. Why be afraid to bank on that?

      And there is a difference between being "influenced" and out right "copying." Was I influenced by The X-Men when I wrote TRANSPARENT? Darn right I was and I will say that all day long. Did I copy X-Men? No. I put my own spin on it, brought my own voice and story.

      If you notice, many novels do this—that is why there are genres to begin with. Because people like to read similar things. Variations on a theme, you could say. It's not bad to be similar to someone in this business. It can actually be a big help in selling your novel. And something being too unique can hurt you because publishers don't know how to sell your work and therefore don't buy it.

      In the end, write what you want to write, what makes you happy, and the rest will work itself out. Happiness is the most precious thing in this wearing business.

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    2. Thanks for your response. Your insights help me see this from a fresh perspective.

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  8. First off, congrats on TRANSPARENT. I. Loved. It. (Plus, superpowers are my favourite.)

    Did you get a lot of rejections before you were published? Did you worry you'd never BE published? (I'm a teen writer and, eep, finding my querying journey very hard. :/)

    Do you write in big heaps or slow-and-steady?

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    1. Hi Cait! I'm glad you enjoyed TRANSPARENT. That's always great to hear:)

      As far as rejections, why yes, I've had quite a bit of experience with them. I actually queried 4 separate novels and amassed 200+ query rejections over about 2 years. My first novel to go on sub was my 8th written. About 20 editors rejected over 15 months before I moved on to TRANSPARENT, which was my 10th novel. And even now having been published, I've had my editor pass on two projects I was hoping to sell to her.

      So. Rejections. I know a little bit about them.

      And you better believe I had many moments where I thought it would never happen! In fact, TRANSPARENT was my very last attempt to get published. I told myself it was the last time because I just couldn't handle it anymore. I was so tired of no. And I started to really believe I just wasn't good enough.

      Then it happened, and it was awesome. But you know what? Sometimes I *still* feel like I'm not very good. And sometimes (okay, a lot of the times) I'm still scared I won't even publish another book. I think being a writer never gets easier—it takes an incredible amount of courage to do. So be proud that you're putting yourself out there and TRYING, because most people never get that far. I certainly was too scared to try as a teen, though I dreamt about it a lot.

      As far as writing quantity, I tend to go at an even pace. I usually shoot for somewhere between 1-2k words. If I push too hard I burn out and then I might not write for a week, so I'm careful to tackle a book in small chunks because of that.

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    2. Aw, thank you SO much. This was really encouraging and...wow, it just meant a lot to me. Thankyouthankyouthankyou.

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  9. You are an awesome writer! And you must publish more books because I want to read more. :)

    Okay, question! Where did you get the shoes in your profile pic because they are awesome? And an actual writing question! How do you motivate yourself to write that many words a day? I tend to get all, I should write now, OH LOOK THE INTERNET. (I may even be procrastinating right now. Okay, I'm definitely procrastinating right now.)

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    1. Jennifer, you'd be surprised how *often* I get that shoes question! Haha. I actually got them at DSW, and they are Jessica Simpson brand. I never thought I'd wear any of her shoes, but when I saw these I fell in love because back in 2010 when I bought them is was so hard to find red patent that *weren't* pointy toe. I hate pointy toe. So these rounded ones were a match made in heaven and they are surprisingly comfortable!

      Bet you didn't expect such a long answer to that, haha.

      As far as motivation for writing goes, sometimes it can be really hard! I'm currently having to resort to drastic measures, which includes having my friends threaten me with horrible punishments if I don't meet my word minimums. I have also started going to the library to work. It's a very focused and quiet place, where you can't eat or drink. I turn off my net connection on the laptop to save battery and try to write because I'm there and what else am I gonna do?

      Some people do well with rewards. I usually do until I just get so lazy I need the threats instead. I will usually reward myself with TV—mostly like an episode of a Korean drama. Sometimes if I'm meeting a BIG goal, like finish a draft or a revision, I'll take myself out to eat or buy myself a new outfit. Those are luxuries I usually don't get so it's a nice treat.

      I've heard some author who use Write Or Die and some have a program that blocks their internet for a set amount of time. So there are tools out there to help combat the ease of internet checking.

      Good luck not procrastinating! Hope this helps:)

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  10. Hi! I've been a longtime follower, though I don't pop out of the shadows too often. Congratulations on Transparent! And I'm excited that you're coming up to IF for book signing!

    One of the above questions made me wonder. How did you tackle querying? Did you send out several at once? Did you send out one or two to test the waters? I'm just about to start that process, and I'm not even sure where to start.

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    1. Yay! I'm glad there will be someone in IF to sign for! I know that's silly, but I still get nervous no one will want me to sign anything and I'll have to watch the cooler authors all night:P

      I did my querying in "batches." It was usually somewhere between 5-10 agents at a time, and though it was hard to wait I would at least wait until a couple replied. This is a good way to see how agents are responding, and helps you gauge whether your query is the issue or not. Sometimes I'd rewrite my query and get a better request rate.

      If this is your first time, I would start with five. I would also recommend you don't pick your top five very favorites first because if it still needs work there goes your chances with them. I would pick a couple faves and a couple you also like and see how it goes.

      And so you know, I queried 5 agents for my first book, got all rejections, promptly freaked out and abandoned the book entirely to write something better. So it's okay if you get a little emotional—it's a crazy hard thing to put yourself out there like. Just know that it's normal and okay, the fact that it's hard. And well, if you get lucky, go you:)

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