tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58955466432443641842012-02-25T17:19:19.428-08:00Author of YA fantasy novels. Enjoys frequent use of the exclamation point.Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.comBlogger711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-46516912416767230462012-02-23T09:07:00.000-08:002012-02-23T09:09:15.979-08:00

I've gotten a lot of great submissions for the First Page Critiques! So I made the decision to choose entries at random (instead of in order), so later entrants get a fair shot at being critiqued, too. If you'd like to send in an entry, I'm still taking first page until March 1st. Here are the rules. Today's submission is for a YA Paranormal Romance entitled DARK. The unedited 250 words: Ch

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-22590398365014975942012-02-21T08:20:00.002-08:002012-02-23T09:06:10.414-08:00

I was going to wait a couple of days to post my first critique, but I got such a fantastic response yesterday when I called for first pages to critique.  Wow, guys!  You're so amazing!  Thanks to everyone who sent in their entries. (And if anyone is still interested, I'm accepting until March 1). This first critique is for a YA contemporary fantasy called BLOOD SISTERS. The unedited 250

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-20848589934321486872012-02-20T06:56:00.002-08:002012-02-20T07:25:34.636-08:00

Last week, I did an entry on Self-Editing a Manuscript in Eight Steps.  This week, I thought I would exemplify some of those steps by asking for willing victims volunteers to lend me the first 250 words of their manuscripts to post on this blog for critique. The main purpose of this is to provide a sampling of things to look out for when editing your own work, or if you're beta reading someone

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-40044484031620667962012-02-13T08:03:00.000-08:002012-02-14T11:30:01.504-08:00

A lot of people discuss the importance of having critique partners and beta readers, but I think it's just as essential that writers learn to effectively edit their own manuscripts. Here's the thing: a writer shouldn't become so close to his or her own work that they are unable to snip and cut and recognize the faults in their own writing.  Critique partners are wonderful to have, but I'd argue

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-9426745781087484442012-02-08T05:52:00.000-08:002012-02-08T06:24:08.939-08:00

It's been so long since I've participated in a Road Trip Wednesday post from the YA Highway, but this week's topic is such a good one, I couldn't resist. What SNI were you psyched to work on, but discovered it was too close to something already done? One day, in 2010, I scrolled through the books on Amazon, happily reading the synopses for some in my genre.  "This one sounds good," I said.  I

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-38030263885278420182012-02-01T08:25:00.000-08:002012-02-01T08:25:35.700-08:00

I have a sequel I'm working on. No one will see this book until 2014, and I can't even share anything about it.  But here is what I can say: THE FALCONER's heroine is very difficult for me to write.  If she and I were on a personality spectrum, I'd be on one end, and she'd be on the complete opposite. Which is probably why no one should ever think, "AHH, Elizabeth May's posts are so witty! Her

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-88440690560258784962012-01-28T03:18:00.000-08:002012-01-28T03:18:29.137-08:00

THIS.  THIS THIS THIS.

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-7482493653566708712012-01-27T03:50:00.000-08:002012-01-27T04:06:42.081-08:00

The other day on Twitter, I asked authors, "What is the best advice you received before querying your manuscript?"  Here are some of their responses: So let's make this an open discussion, shall we? If you have queried: What is the best advice you ever received before querying? If you haven't queried:  Is there anything you'd like to know about querying?

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-67055083338222267462012-01-20T07:17:00.000-08:002012-01-20T07:20:11.068-08:00

And I don't even just mean the kind of negativity that comes from reviews, or critiques, or any other aspect of the publishing industry.  I attribute negativity to also mean a really, really crappy day.  The kind that starts with stepping on a Lego before you've even had coffee.  The kind that continues with spilling that coffee on your work clothes before you exit the house.  And the kind that

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-68369638484096106802012-01-12T10:30:00.000-08:002012-01-12T15:22:11.143-08:00

I am not writing this post to discuss how feminism has, somehow, been hijacked and used as a word in place of misandry.  I am not writing this post to discuss how feminism has become used to describe angry ladies who burn their undergarments and scorn men.  I am not writing this post to describe what feminism isn't, or how so many ladies talk about feminism like it's shameful, or how feminism has

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-8869909860311862942012-01-10T08:09:00.000-08:002012-01-10T08:29:32.476-08:00

Or, How Not to Write a Love Triangle. I know that there are a lot of readers out there who will argue that any love triangle is a Bad Love Triangle and just Do Not Write Them.  Mostly because triangles have a habit of making people feel like this: I'd argue that well written love triangles exist, but they're less frequent.* Why is that? Because if you're not careful, characters can draw you

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-74522758227097474492012-01-06T11:07:00.000-08:002012-01-06T12:21:10.688-08:00

Before I start working on my manuscript for the day, I like to begin a short writing exercise with a prompt that I find somewhere on the internet.  The words don't have to be perfect, or even make sense.  I'm one of those people who has difficulty starting my daily word count, so this helps with that. I thought I would share today's very short Flash Fiction writing (which, to clarify, was

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-80626814758279748412012-01-02T09:16:00.000-08:002012-01-02T09:27:53.146-08:00

On the internet, it becomes very easy to start comparing the stuff one has (or doesn't have) with the stuff other people have.  And they have so much stuff! This guy has a unicorn and dolphin companions?  What?  Where's MY unicorn?  How come I don't have a unicorn?  When do I get a unicorn?  Where are MY dolphin companions? Simple comparisons might turn into anger, or jealousy, or pettiness.  

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-70160567897480331462011-12-29T08:01:00.000-08:002011-12-29T08:01:06.616-08:00

I've seen some bloggers do this, and I realized I haven't done a Q&A here.  So, ask your questions in the comment thread, and I'll answer them.  You can ask anything about publishing, writing, querying, whatever you'd like. And to encourage you, here is a gif of a kitty.  The kitty says it's okay to ask your things.

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-31866874315666965322011-12-27T10:26:00.000-08:002011-12-27T11:41:58.399-08:00

Some people have New Year's Resolutions.  I have a Dear Universe letter.  It involves a recap of the year, plus a request to the universe for things.  Also, I get to use the word "universe," which automatically makes it more epic.  See? "Grand Universe" by Gary Tonge EPIC. So without further ado: DEAR UNIVERSE, I noticed that this year was quite emotional for me.  In short, 2011 mostly looked

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-49995738681340251432011-12-21T06:50:00.000-08:002011-12-21T07:09:27.414-08:00

This article in the Guardian was brought to my attention yesterday.  On the surface, it's actually praising the addictive qualities of George RR Martin's GAME OF THRONES. And as I was reading, I noticed the rather dismissive tone, and the entire thing felt sort of backhandedly complementary.  So I was all: I see what you did there, Mr. Michael Hann. And then he goes ahead and insults the

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-74072355771217785272011-12-16T11:11:00.000-08:002011-12-16T11:11:01.638-08:00

I don't know if you noticed from my side column, but a few countries have been added to THE FALCONER's publishers list . . . OMG OMG OMG! Turkey, Russia, Korea, and Spain!  Hallo!  I think we will be great friends.

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-18803781387393428262011-12-14T07:09:00.000-08:002011-12-14T07:15:37.487-08:00

When I was writing my manuscript and reading industry blogs, sometimes I wanted to huddle on the couch and clutch a chocolate bar.  Basically, I'd look like this: Don't listen to them, PRECIOUSSSSSS. Because there is so much of this: my manuscript sucks, my manuscript isn't marketable, rejection, query stats, rejection, PUBLISHING IS DYING BLARGH, sales, I don't have an online platform,

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-77117465793760934242011-12-12T11:39:00.000-08:002011-12-12T11:39:08.238-08:00

Over on the Lucky 13s blog, it's Character Interviews Week, and today is Aileana's turn.  So if you're interested in knowing a little more about my protagonist, check out the interview:

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-69478189394571149682011-12-07T08:17:00.000-08:002011-12-07T14:00:19.420-08:00

Just an excuse to use a shot from BBC's North and South. When someone mentions writing a historical novel, my natural reaction is to cringe.  Not that I hate historical novels.  I love them!  There was a certain length of time when the only books I would read were historicals.  I actually cringe in sympathy.  Because, see, here's the thing: they are so damn hard to write. With THE FALCONER, I

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-25763722445743064422011-12-05T12:26:00.000-08:002011-12-05T12:27:13.703-08:00

I was so delighted to recently be asked, "But why write YA and not adult?"  Delighted!  Because then I can answer with all of those responses I've been saving up. So I then decided to compose a more articulate (:snicker:) blog on the reasons I write YA.  I came up with these things (some book spoilers ahead so please don't yell at me I'm delicate): 1.  Writing about teenagers doesn't make a

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-14288323942130582572011-11-30T10:17:00.000-08:002011-11-30T10:17:32.359-08:00

So remember when I said that I almost never finish NaNoWriMo?  Apparently 2011 is no exception.  I officially suck at writing a novel in a month. Yes, you cry it out for me, Dean.  You cry so beautifully! I'm just kidding with the GIF.  I really don't feel too poorly.  My NaNoWriMo pretty much went like this: Oh?  Why is the page still blank, you ask?  That is because I am seriously

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-29909049399723269632011-11-22T06:52:00.000-08:002011-11-22T06:58:29.516-08:00

Not a day in the life of a writer. But I would eat those crisps. Basically, I've come to understand that aside from the other things I have to do (that dissertation to finish, that photography business to run, that teaching anthropology thing I do), I have to write sometime.   Have to.  Because, while it might have been a hobby before, writing is now one of my jobs.  I have a trilogy to plan.  

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-25164158397860895672011-11-18T12:05:00.000-08:002011-11-18T12:05:58.083-08:00

Sorry to update twice in one day, but here is some loveliness from Publishers Marketplace: Yay yay yay!

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-72691368739789193772011-11-18T05:11:00.000-08:002011-11-18T05:11:42.146-08:00

So Mr. May and I took the train to London on Monday and just got back yesterday.  Usually, when I go to the city, I meander about the museums and chase pigeons.  This time, I meandered to my publisher's offices and got to meet everyone at Gollancz!  They're amazing!  I then proceeded to annoy the hell out of them engage them in delightful conversation and monopolize their time for two days. I

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-39432996489533854642011-11-11T08:49:00.000-08:002011-11-11T09:02:48.559-08:00

I love fairytales and I love movies.  So I'm going to talk about both because I don't want to talk about writing. Anyway, I'm glad fairytales are catching on.  But now we have two Snow White movies coming out very soon and -- oh god, who thought this was a good idea? One of them looks like a live action version of the Disney film (in a roundabout, weird way), and the other looks better, except

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-71804595751470063422011-11-08T05:56:00.000-08:002011-11-08T06:05:04.212-08:00

This was totally the first romance novel I read. When I was in fifth grade, I made a very large leap one year in reading material.  My older sister came back for the summer from her first year of university. I had been reading whatever teen novels I had available to me (not many, at the time), which primarily included Tamora Pierce and Christopher Pike and RL Stine and LJ Smith.  But, see, I

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-14993137575960807112011-11-05T07:29:00.000-07:002011-11-05T07:38:33.564-07:00

Yeah, I've participated in National Novel Writing Month for the last five years or so.  I hardly ever "finish," but it's a nice exercise in not sleeping, drinking tons of coffee, and typing out a crappy first draft. My Month of Nano usually goes like this: I have an idea it is a great idea I am so excited to write it and I am ready to spend this entire month writing iiiit! And then those

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-64336471225084822522011-11-02T09:37:00.001-07:002011-11-02T11:09:47.028-07:00

My US deal is in Publishers Marketplace! Elizabeth May's THE FALCONER, set in a steampunk version of 19th-century Scotland, where a teen girl is the only human being alive who can stop the dark faeries threatening her life, her family, and her city, to Ginee Seo at Chronicle Children's, in a three-book deal, for publication starting in 2013, by Russell Galen at Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-49235849853538065802011-10-28T09:33:00.000-07:002011-11-02T10:45:10.238-07:00

Yes, that happened while I've been silent. I was afraid if I posted anything it'd end like this: OMGOMGOMG THAT THING I WISHED FOR TOTALLY HAPPENED YOU KNOW WHAT THING. The press release: Humans will be the hunted. Love will be tested. Vengeance will be had. An unmissable Gollancz debut for 2013!UK and Commonwealth rights to The Falconer trilogy by debut author Elizabeth May were snapped up

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-9850617013327565952011-10-04T04:04:00.000-07:002011-10-04T04:04:17.079-07:00

There have been a number of requests to see THE FALCONER's query letter, so I thought I'd put it here today for you to read.  I also wanted to share a few things about the query and my process (though you can read this entry that I wrote after I signed with Russell Galen). So here is the query I sent him: Dear Mr. Galen,        Falconers are an ancient line of female warriors, born with the

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-79941620533733276282011-09-21T06:37:00.000-07:002011-10-02T03:35:26.399-07:00

Especially if you're an unpublished author.  Other writers, or people knowledgeable about publishing, are great to share the frustrations and woes of writing with. But people who don't understand that this process can be very stressful, difficult, time-consuming and slightly soul-killing?  Perhaps consider keeping that book you're working on a secret. It may seem all right to tell someone in

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-62785616995287412442011-09-07T07:18:00.000-07:002011-09-07T07:19:14.840-07:00

Today's Road Trip Wednesday topic over on YA Highway is: What non-YA character would you love to see star in a YA book as themselves? Oh my god, this is so exciting.  Because I've always, always wanted to know what Gandalf was like as a teenager. Yes, Gandalf. Obviously this will never happen for me since Tolkien is deceased, but a girl can dream.  It's just that Gandalf has always been one

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-44934050699673926792011-09-02T09:53:00.000-07:002011-10-18T02:26:54.123-07:00

But I do LOVE KITTEHS. I've written 10 manuscripts.  That's between 600,000 to 1,000,000 words, not counting edits or rewrites. The first four became like my children.  I was the teenage Mother Bear who would would bite someone's head off if I didn't like what they said about my work.  "What do you mean my heroine is too perfect? You just don't understand her!" I've written my share of Mary

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-73737177628642633252011-08-26T09:37:00.000-07:002011-08-26T09:38:53.651-07:00

I've used Query Tracker for two different manuscripts now. What is Query Tracker?  It's a website that helps you search for literary agents and organize them according to your preferences, you can use it to track requests and rejections as you query, and generally keep everything a lot more organized without having to put together a spreadsheet. It also lists agent response times on queries

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-33604852340349780222011-08-22T06:01:00.000-07:002011-08-22T06:01:27.254-07:00

Sometimes I do this too. Hallo, friends!  I am in Revision Land. Mostly, it's the couch in my new living room ("sitting room," if I'm feeling particularly posh), where I'm lounging in Mr. May's my long wool socks and staring at my manuscript with the blurry eye of a sleepy writer trained eye of a hawk. Notes from Agent Russell included a few larger changes, but I'm also making sentence

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-2903399225752209392011-08-16T11:21:00.000-07:002011-08-16T11:21:33.614-07:00

I think everyone has felt some shame when things don't work out the way we want them to, or as quickly as we want them to, or if our goals haven't been met. For writers, shame can be amplified, or ever present.  It's there when we compare our abilities to writers we admire.  It's there whenever a person asks, "So what happened to that book you were writing?"  For an unpublished writer, it stings

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-47689522664346355372011-08-11T11:19:00.000-07:002011-08-30T05:17:49.263-07:00

A while ago I talked about my Shiny New Flat.  The other tenants have finally moved out, so Mr. May and I have begun to migrate our possessions from our teeny tiny one bedroom studio. I can't say I'm fond of moving, but this is exciting!  Especially since I'm working on revisions for THE FALCONER, and the noise level in Crappy Old Flat can be very distracting. How on earth did I manage to write

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-35612460913517274482011-08-08T11:10:00.000-07:002011-08-16T06:35:10.322-07:00

This week has been both difficult and exciting for me. As I announced in this entry, I had multiple offers for THE FALCONER.  The agents who offered were wonderful, incredibly professional people.  When they told me they loved my manuscript and wanted to represent it, it was the best feeling in the world.  It's elating -- especially since they are people I respect.  That made it even more

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-69793985654394052502011-08-04T10:29:00.000-07:002011-08-04T11:36:29.852-07:00

Happy book birthday to my friend Jana Oliver!  The second book in her Demon Trappers series, FORBIDDEN (SOUL THIEF in the United States), is now available in UK stores. If you'll recall, the cover has one of my self portraits on it. Riley's beginning to think being a demon trapper isn't all it's cracked up to be. Her dad's been stolen by a necromancer, her boyfriend's gone all weird and

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-45356522635761267232011-08-02T07:35:00.000-07:002011-08-03T09:38:49.882-07:00

I know some readers are anxious to hear more about this announcement.  But I can't talk about that yet, so I'm going to talk about something you know is near and dear to my heart. Editing! Yes, editing.  I'm one of those freaks who enjoys it.  Don't judge me! I'm going to digress for a second.  As some of you know, my Other Other Other Job (I have many of them; everyone's days are 24 hours,

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-19210205888280650492011-07-30T04:28:00.000-07:002011-07-30T10:02:08.129-07:00

I'm not going to discuss the details yet, but I received multiple offers of representation for THE FALCONER.  Which, considering I only started tentatively querying my top agent choices 13 days ago, is exciting and insane and . . . just . . . amazing at the same time. I prepared for the long haul.  The months of waiting, waiting, waiting for agents to read my query and my manuscript.  I

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-52135027167432585972011-07-21T05:52:00.000-07:002011-07-21T05:52:51.655-07:00

Friends, did you know?  I'm moving!  Again! Not far -- it's only about 2 miles from where I currently live in the city.  And I already tend to move each year, and I'll be honest and say that I am tired of boxing my things up and moving them to new locations. Since I was eighteen, I have lived in 6 different locations (this will be my 7th).  I'm not fond of moves or anything, but I have to move

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-85972155179176404432011-06-27T07:18:00.000-07:002011-08-12T04:50:00.519-07:00

As you know, I've been working on The Damn Rewrite 2.0, which is a more sentence level edit.  I'm trying a new editing method called the Split Screen method, and I'm seriously in love. This is a screen cap: Basically, what I'm doing for The Damn Rewrite 2.0 is using the split screen to completely retype the manuscript.  I have the old draft on one side, while I copy it onto the new document.

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-81180143813626576542011-06-22T05:30:00.000-07:002011-06-22T05:30:31.627-07:00

Today's topic on YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday is: The house is on fire and you've only got time to grab five things. What are they? My god, what a dire situation!  Unfortunately in my scramble to save five things, I can tell you with some semi-positive certainty that I would probably stumble and hit my head, and Mr. May would have to carry me out like a sack of potatoes. But assuming I

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-74265991538518003222011-06-13T12:34:00.000-07:002011-08-04T06:07:51.291-07:00

Laaa!  The Damn Rewrite is finished!  :throws confetti:  :fireworks EXPLODE:  :everyone cheers: I finished last night at around midnight.  The manuscript is now complete (again) at 83,000 words.  Oh, 83,000 words, you say?  Jesus, wasn't Version 1.0 70,000 words?  Yes, well. My main character spoke to me. She.  SPOKE. To me.  She doesn't like doing this; apparently she wants to remain some big

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-20899284407611495762011-06-08T04:27:00.000-07:002011-06-08T04:27:17.219-07:00

This week's Road Trip Wednesday topic (which I have been severely neglecting, along with everything else -- except my manuscript, my photography, and several local pubs) is this: Do you like to make a detailed plan before you start a project? Or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants and make it up as you go along? What an excellent topic! I've had a lot of discussions with friends

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-56303370611333191992011-06-01T07:28:00.000-07:002011-06-01T07:28:03.282-07:00

I know, but I was on vacation and while that is not a good reason for neglecting to update my blog, I was doing things.  Important things!  Things that will forever change me as a person, and affect how I see the world, and the world's creatures, and the world's plants, and the world's people who are not me!  All right, I won't descend into the Lifetime melodrama.  I already saw the William and

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-60965697597614210842011-04-05T09:21:00.000-07:002011-10-18T02:40:12.781-07:00

I'm sure everyone's seen it at least once -- maybe a couple of times.  The creator of something gets a review (whether harsh or mild in critique) of their work . . . and then goes batshit with the swearwords, the insults, and the defending of their work, and the claims that there is something wrong with the reviewer. I've seen it a couple of times with photographers, and more than a couple with

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-15028439000659376492011-03-21T12:52:00.000-07:002011-08-04T06:02:17.782-07:00

1.  Thou shalt not compare thy unedited manuscript to edited novels. It's an easy mistake to make.  You're writing, you stop to read something by an author you love, then suddenly that novel makes your manuscript feel like an inadequate mess in comparison.  Well, it probably is.  Because that published novel has been edited, re-edited, probably several times.  After a few edits, your budding

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-62615268236317160922011-03-07T09:05:00.000-08:002011-08-04T05:58:33.442-07:00

Writer's block is nasty business.  It's like how I'd imagine it feels to have one's soul sucked out by a Dementor. Basically, I've been writing since Kindergarten.  If you don't believe me, I have proof in a story about a pig with wings that my teacher put a smiley face on and said, "Good job!"  Okay, so my writing began there.  In second and third grade, it progressed to even more wacky animal

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-47477648277315125092011-02-21T10:33:00.000-08:002011-02-21T10:33:43.645-08:00

I tell that to my manuscript every time I open it.  It perks me up.  Especially since, as you might remember, my MS and I went through two stages at the end of 2010: 1.  I opened it and mentally cussed it out.  It was not working and I was angry at it for not working, angry at myself for not making it work, and mostly I wanted to stab it with a red pen. 2.  After the anger, I just didn't want

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-76274019600585888252011-02-14T09:46:00.000-08:002011-08-04T05:54:53.955-07:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, a holiday which I pretty much loathe unless I get chocolate, I have decided to dedicate this entry to The Boyfriend.  He who hails from the Land of Igloos and apparently decided I wasn't utterly detestable. We've been on this great, big, relationship adventure for almost a decade, my Eskimo and I.  If you remember my age and have done the mental math, you'll probably

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-24800853357370112412011-02-09T06:43:00.000-08:002011-02-09T06:55:29.666-08:00

Meg Cabot's pen name used to be Jenny Carroll. This week on YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday, the topic is: Who are your favourite literary couples? I'll be entirely honest.  As much as I adore romance, I am picky as HELL about couples.  I can enjoy the book, but that's not necessarily the same as wanting to live the romance, is it?  I've read plenty of good books that appear to be weighed

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-15408391879820171042011-02-03T13:03:00.000-08:002011-08-04T05:50:13.678-07:00

She is FAR CALMER than I am about writing. I have pretty much cut off contact with my friends, my relatives (from an entire ocean away, I can just hear my mother whimpering that I don't call enough), and many e-pals as I rewrite THE FALCONER.  I'm sure that this list of people would include my boyfriend if we didn't, you know, live together.  Though his insistence that we catch up on episodes

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-17189631367336136782011-01-26T09:22:00.000-08:002011-01-26T09:25:03.318-08:00

Today's topic on YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday is: If you could live within the universe of one book, which would you choose? There really was no question which universe I would choose. It's the one created by Neil Gaiman for the book STARDUST. You might have seen that awesome movie with Clare Daines and the absolutely gorgeous Charlie Cox - who, every day of his life, should wear breaches

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-29904356682666981032011-01-06T11:40:00.000-08:002011-08-04T05:47:46.300-07:00

THE FALCONER and I are reluctantly speaking to one another.  The two of us have had a difficult relationship, but I feel we are coming to an agreement. See, it all had to do with my being stuck.  Which, as any writer knows, being stuck creates this sort of glazed panic, where one stares at their manuscript and wishes for the will to write.  I avoided my manuscript because of this.  Because it

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-74624686204825552782011-01-04T14:43:00.000-08:002011-08-04T05:45:58.419-07:00

I have several resolutions I have only just decided to share because I've spent these last few of days coming out of hiding since the holidays.  Winter holiday goes on so long here, it makes the States look like a bunch of workaholics.  I NEVER know when the store is going to be open, or if I can buy my Scotch at the correct time.  (For the record, the Scotch was bought.  Ohhh, was it bought.)

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-87475328624920528812010-12-22T12:18:00.000-08:002011-08-04T05:42:24.475-07:00

That's right.  I gush over Christmas about as much as I get excited about waking up on a Wednesday.  As in: not very. Right now, my Christmas tree looks like this: So my tree is non existent.  I can pretend it's there if I want, but mostly I'm just pretending I don't know what Christmas is, or why people keep mentioning it.  I thought briefly about buying a tree, decorating it, or possibly

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-83982564236195387092010-11-08T07:36:00.000-08:002011-08-04T05:40:15.376-07:00

Unlike what you may think, The Winter Blues is not some awesome band lulling you with soft jazz music.  It's some horrible psychological (well, I guess, partly neurological, but we won't go there) event that I get every year.  It's like PMSing....for the entire autumn season. See, it all goes like this:  Scotland is really high up north.  And it's cold and pretty dark here.  In winter, that is

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-81849296282828068102010-11-02T07:39:00.000-07:002011-08-04T05:36:43.144-07:00

Readers, I AM IN PAIN.  I HAVE HURT MYSELF. It all happened earlier in the week when I recovered from last week's illness.  Last week, I felt kind of like my entire body had just been punched a lot, so when I recovered from it, I was pretty happy. So the first thing I did was to frolic out to Holyrood Park like a madwoman. I was all, OH MY GOD IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND TAKES MY BREATH AWAAYYYYY. And

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-68135631031735104802010-10-22T09:33:00.000-07:002011-08-04T05:34:15.504-07:00

Not that I'm thinking about getting married.  Sure, I've been with the Canadian Boyfriend for about nine years, which I like to think has proven our relationship Stands the Test of Time.  I'm sure that makes my parents happy -- especially my dad, who was never put in the position of breaking his fist against some boy's face for hurting my poor little teen heart. I don't have that "itch" to get

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-34644895661357692762010-10-17T12:33:00.000-07:002010-10-17T12:36:10.638-07:00

November is National Novel Writing Month, whereupon writers attempt to write 50,000 words (essentially, a whole novel) in one month.  It begins at MIDNIGHT the morning of November first, and again at MIDNIGHT which is technically December 1st.  It's grueling, there's lots of coffee involved, and you can meet up with the people in your area also participating in NaNo and bond with them.  They will

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-87582674278077558632010-10-07T15:09:00.000-07:002010-10-07T15:09:39.773-07:00

Yes, this is one of mine. Shameless, I know. :D Since my manuscript THE FALCONER is steampunk, I've had to research what steampunk is.  And in my quest, I've seen many instances of what it DEFINITELY isn't. So here's my entry on what steampunk is and isn't.  I'm sure I'll leave something out, because I'm generally about as good at explaining things as I am with running.  As in: not very.

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-66865669575381725202010-10-04T08:57:00.000-07:002010-10-05T05:21:09.798-07:00

I've been thinking about that old adage, "Write what you know."  There are plenty of people who claim its a bollocks statement, but there is some truth to it, especially when it's applied to the setting in a story. Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh. There are plenty of writers who make up their own worlds for their manuscripts, but for those of us writing urban fantasy in existing cities, detailed

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-31335060706323406662010-09-24T12:05:00.000-07:002010-10-05T05:23:07.717-07:00

My first goal while living with my boyfriend has been to introduce him to "Girly Things."  You may ask, "Haven't you been dating since, like, FOREVER?  Why have these 'Girly Things' not been introduced before?"  Because, you see, our time together in our long distance relationship was more limited then.  Now it's not.  So I'm making the introduction. Case and point: I have begun to make my

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-29112029752575171022010-09-10T05:50:00.000-07:002010-09-10T05:50:19.637-07:00

My boyfriend and I have visited the grocery store together plenty of times.  Being in a long distance relationship for 9 years where we occasionally lived together for a few months robbed us of the Couple Shopping novelty.  But now we go to the grocery store with that mentality of, "Oh, my god, we're actually living together permanently." Not that I mind this.  He's seen my Morning Lack of

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-8439787620846050082010-08-15T20:17:00.000-07:002011-07-30T04:55:41.029-07:00

Here is the story: In June, I finished DEMON MADE, a side project turned novel.  People liked it, so I felt motivated to finish it, edited it, and query it. Over the course of the month, I sent the query to about 20 agents.  Several of them bit, I got some full requests, some partials, some interest. And then: rejection.  Rejection.  Rejection. I got all depressed and drank lots of tea. 

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-43343574944885144622010-06-22T21:48:00.000-07:002011-08-04T05:18:42.899-07:00

Yes, yes, I hate my manuscript.  Every time I look at it (minus those moments of sexual tension, which I rather think I write well.  Beta readers, is this confirmed?), I think about how terrible a writer I am.  And then I say, "God, I'm awful.  I'm a bad writer." My text might say this:  "My dress lay in my arms, dried blood staining much of the pink lace.  How would I ever be able to wear the

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-14234837668714005332010-06-19T14:36:00.000-07:002011-08-04T05:16:18.396-07:00

Lament!  I've just read a synopsis for a book with a similar storyline to mine. :sobs quietly into coffee: I'm trying to make myself feel better with the reassurance that hers sounds more chick lit, and involves high school.  And the girl is only "half demon".  Still.  Piffle. You know, I tried to include high school in mine.  I put it in there, only for a chapter, and totally intended on

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5895546643244364184.post-33894276665730537012010-06-18T19:46:00.000-07:002011-08-04T05:15:02.967-07:00

I've been angsting over those first few pages.  As any writer knows: they aren't throwaway pages.  They're a selling point.  A single opportunity to get agents interested and readers compelled enough to buy a book.  I'm not as concerned right now about the latter as the former.  When I began my current project, it was with a single scene in my head, and I went with that as where I wanted to

Elizabeth Mayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08431419120916907517noreply@blogger.com2