Dear O'Abby - Should I critique my bestie's book?

 Dear O'Abby,

I am a published author with several books to my name, both traditionally and self-pubbed.  My husband has just completed his first novel and asked me to beta read for him. Rather foolishly, I agreed, and am now faced with a dilemma.  

The book is nowhere near ready for publication.  It's a fascinating idea, but the execution is such I can't see it being redeemed without basically starting again with the same core idea, but an entirely different approach.

My question is, do I tell my husband this? I don't want to ruin our relationship, but I feel like I'd be doing him a disservice if I didn't tell him the book isn't ready to send out.  The query trenches are tough enough when you do have a sale-able manuscript!

Do you have any advice for me?

Sincerely,

Divorce Pending

Dear Divorce Pending,

This is such a tough situation to be in and I feel your pain. I have been in a similar situation before, and I now refuse to critique manuscripts for anyone I know in real life.  It's just too hard when the book isn't good!  You've already agreed to read it, so it's too late to tell him you can't do it, so the way I see it, you have two choices.

You can tell him you read it and enjoyed it and give him feedback only on the things you liked about it.  It's not going to help him much, but it might keep your marriage intact.  Once he starts sending it out and inevitably gets rejections, he might be more receptive to hearing your thoughts. But then, he might also be angry that you weren't 100% honest with him to start with.

The other option is to be brutally honest and tell him exactly where the flaws are and what he needs to do to fix them.  You know him best, so are in the best position to understand how he might react to this type of critique.

If you do decide to go the second route, it's probably a good idea to start with the positives and to lead with telling him this is just your personal and professional opinion.  Let him know he doesn't have to take any of your advice if it doesn't feel right to him and that he should definitely get critiques from others as well so he can see if the same things come up for other readers.  You will know all this if you're a writer yourself.

At the end of the day, you need to be honest about your relationship and how your husband responds to criticism.  It's not worth destroying an important relationship over this, so make sure you tread carefully.  Your husband might surprise you.  No doubt he has seen and heard enough of the process through your experiences to know at least a little about it, and you might find he's far more open to your critique than you might imagine.

Good luck!  And do let us know how it goes...

X O'Abby

W is for Want to Be a Great Critique Partner? #AtoZChallenge

The #AtoZChallenge 2017 Theme at Operation Awesome is the Publishing Journey.

At Operation Awesome, we strive to provide writers and readers with the resources they need to succeed, at every stage of the journey. With that in mind, let's discuss how to be a great critique partner or beta reader!

Writers know how invaluable critique partners (who review your manuscript, sometimes a few chapters at a time, and provide detailed feedback and/or edits) and beta readers (who read the entire manuscript and provide high-level feedback on plot, characters, etc.) are to the writing process. Here are some tips for becoming the kind of critique partner/beta reader who gets thanked in a published novel's Acknowledgments page:

1) Know your limitations. Everyone is busy. All the time. But if you offer to beta read a manuscript, and commit to finishing and providing feedback in two weeks, you really only have two options: finish and provide feedback in two weeks; or, if you know you won't be able to finish on time, contact the writer to let him/her know so the manuscript can be sent to another beta reader if necessary. There's no harm in saying 'no' or 'maybe next time' if the deadline doesn't work for your schedule, but there is harm in overcommitting and failing to deliver. And if you're not sure when the writer needs feedback by, ask! 

Furthermore, most writers know their own strengths and weaknesses and should apply those to critiquing. For example, I'm good at writing scenes where characters sit around talking about things, and not so good at whiz-bang action sequences. So when I'm critiquing, I make it clear that while I may have high-level impressions about action scenes, those critiques should be taken with a grain of salt. 

2) Listen to the writer's needs. When I send a manuscript to a critique partner or beta reader, I'm explicit about the kind of feedback I want. Sometimes it's high-level thoughts about the book as a whole (Does the mystery's reveal work? Does this character arc make sense?), other times it's scene-by-scene impressions. Other writers may want line-edits, grammar checks, or formatting help. But if you're critiquing a manuscript for a writer who wants high-level thoughts, and you send back a version in tracked-changes with extensive line edits, the writer won't find that particularly useful. If you're not sure what kind of feedback the writer wants, ask!

3) Balance criticism with compliments. Secretly, every writer wants to receive glowing feedback proclaiming your work genius, perfect, Pulitzer-bound. But is that kind of feedback really helpful for getting a draft whipped into shape? If a scene works, and you don't see any room for improvement, say that, but be specific about what works and how the author succeeded. On the flip side, receiving nothing but negative criticism is demoralizing to a writer. Have some positive words for every manuscript you critique, whether it's something as simple as the concept, the main character's personality, or the font choice (kidding about that one. But seriously, use Times New Roman 12-point). My go-to ratio is 75% criticism, 25% compliments, but that changes depending on who I'm reading for. Some writers are more open to blunt critiques than others... again, it comes down to knowing what the writer is looking for.

4) Make suggestions, but don't be offended if the writer doesn't follow them. Neil Gaiman said, "When people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong." At the end of the day, your job is to tell the author when something isn't working, and maybe brainstorm some possible ways to fix it. The author's job is to find and implement a fix. If the author doesn't take your advice, that's okay, and doesn't say anything about the value of your feedback. Ultimately, it's the author's book, not yours.

5) Make yourself available for follow-up questions. As I'm working through revisions based on critique partner feedback, I'll often send quick emails to my critique partners if I need clarification on their notes or if I've edited a scene and want to see if it works. I've sometimes looked at revised manuscripts for critique partners after I've critiqued an initial draft. A lot of this will depend on your availability, but at least make clear when you send your notes that you're happy to answer any questions the author might have about those notes.

How do you provide helpful and timely feedback as a critique partner or beta reader?

Bid on an Awesome Package from our Operatives!

For this year's Pens for Paws Auction, our members are offering an entire package that includes:

From Karen McCoy:
Signed ARCs of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, The Marvels by Brian Selznick, and Winter Falls by Nicole Maggi

From Katrina Lantz:
 $15 gift card for Amazon.com

From S. L. Saboviec:
E-books of Guarding Angel and Reaping Angel (books one and two in the Fallen Redemption series)

PLUS A Critique of your first chapter 

From Kara Reynolds:
Critique of Twitter pitch, query, and synopsis (between Kara's crits and Samantha's, you could have an entire submission package ready to go!)

From Angelica R. Jackson: Signed paperback of Crow's Rest plus swag

This item will close on May 8, 2016, at 9:00 PM EST, so hurry over and get your bids in!

Spencer Hill Press's Holiday Cheer Giveaway

I love being part of the Spencer Hill Press family of authors and staff, along with a few of our other Operation Awesome operatives, and I wanted to share the fabulous giveaway that J.L. Spelbring has put together! She says:

"Three lucky winners will win one of the three baskets filled with books and candy and books and even more candy, along with gift cards, swag, critiques, and just awesome stuff...You can enter everyday! The giveaway runs from Dec. 5th to Dec. 19th, 2014, central time."

(And psst....there will be a Crow's Rest ARC in there, to be shipped once it comes out!!!)

Find the Rafflecopter below, or go to J.L. Spelbring's official post for the giveaway, and fulfill as many of the fields as you like. And that's it--no purchase is necessary to be in the running for books, gift cards, critiques, swag, and yummy treats. Heck, you don't even have to keep all the goodies for yourself--you could cover half your holiday shopping list in one fell swoop!

Good luck, everybody! And happy holidays from Spencer Hill Press authors and staff!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

A New Feature on Operation Awesome: Query Critiques!

In the comments on my query posts, Dierdre Riordan Hall asked for a query critique feature to be added to the Operation Awesome lineup. I've been getting more requests for me to crit queries, so I thought, "Why not?" Or, possibly, my thought was closer to "Hey, that's the perfect solution for when I don't have a blog post ready to go!"

But in any case, I will periodically put up a Rafflecopter asking for brave souls who would like to get their query critiqued on Operation Awesome. I will be critiquing each query, and other OAers will chime in as their schedule allows. Plus, the public can add their thoughts and encouragement in the comments. Sound good?

Great! Because the first Rafflecopter goes up today! Now! In this post!

It will be open through the 17th, and the critiqued query will go up on May 27. We're not requiring you to tweet, share on Facebook, or follow our blog(s) or Twitter accounts, but any of those are always appreciated! And we need a contact in your entry, but it's okay to disguise your email from bots by formatting it like youremail (at) gmail (dotcom).

So if you're up for joining us in this experiment, you must sign up below and then leave a comment. The Rafflecopter is helping us choose, but we need your email to contact you, so you need to be in both places. And this is my very first time creating a Rafflecopter, so fingers crossed that it works.




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Agent Critique Opportunities and More in the Pens for Paws Auction!

Last year, I was looking for a way to help the no-kill sanctuary I volunteer at, Fat Kitty City, and hit upon the idea of using my writing contacts to run a fundraising auction. The Pens for Paws Auction launched and raised over $2,600 for rescued cats and dogs, and this year it's on again!

Here is a sneak peek at the items that will go up for auction March 12-16, but you'll have to tune in to the Auction for when they actually post. The best way to keep up with the auction items is to follow @pensforpaws on Twitter or subscribe to the blog posts in the sidebar of the Pens for Paws site.

• Signed copy of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, with a doodle especially for Pens for Paws
• Signed copy of Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger, with bonus Steampunk Swag
• Picture book and query critique by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
• Query, synopsis, and first chapter (up to 15 pages) critique from Pam van Hylckema Vlieg of Foreword Literary
• Query and first 10 pages critique from Sara D'Emic of Talcott Notch Literary 
• Critique of 50 pages by Natalie Lakosil of Bradford Literary Agency 
• 5 chances at a query critique by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary
• Signed copies of the 1st three books in the Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer (yes, that includes an ARC of Spirit!) 
• Signed copy of Interred by Marilyn Almodovar
• Signed copy of The Fire Horse Girl by Kay Honeyman
• Books by Kelley York, plus a 20-page critique 
• Query plus first chapter critique by Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown Ltd 
• 2 (!) signed copies each of Jeff Somers's Trickster and Sean Ferrell's Man in the Empty Suit 
• A fabulous package with critiques and items donated by the Operation Awesome crew
• Critique and swag from author Rachele Alpine 

Did you catch that there will be a fabulous package from Operation Awesome???

Critiques:

• Query and first 5 pages from Angelica R. Jackson (me!)
• First 5 pages from Becky Mahoney
• First 5 pages from Angela Townsend 
• 10 pages from Kell Andrews
• 20 pages from Abby Annis
• 20 pages from Katrina Lantz
• 30 pages from Toni Kerr

Books:

• E-book of  Venture Untamed by R. R. Russell(donated by the author)
• Freedom Pen by Dionna L. Mann (donated by Kell Andrews)
• Signed copy of When Blue Met Egg by  Lindsay M. Ward (donated by Kellie DuBay Gillis)
• Signed copy of I Haiku You by Betsy E. Snyder (donated by Kellie DuBay Gillis)
• E-books of To Trust a Thief and A Bandit's Stolen Heart** by Michelle McLean (donated by the author, along with bookmarks for To Trust a Thief)

**A Bandit's Stolen Heart releases March 18, so we weren't able to link.
Don't forget to tune in tomorrow to Pens for Paws, and new items will be posted everyday through the 16th. See you in the comments for bidding!

Mystery Blogger Contest #5-8: Critique Winners!

Join us in welcoming the last four new Operation Awesome bloggers!


Yesterday the final four of our 8 new bloggers were introduced mysteriously. They gave us three truths and a lie, and you took your best guesses on which fun facts were LIES. 

Now meet our Mystery Bloggers, discover who won each critique prize, and find out who lied about what!

The first four Mystery Bloggers were revealed on January 29th:

Mystery Blogger #1: Angelica R. Jackson

Mystery Blogger #2: Becky Mahoney

Mystery Blogger #3: Max Gladstone

Mystery Blogger #4: Abby Annis


Here are the final four: 

Mystery Blogger #5: 

KELLIE DuBAY GILLIS

Writing reminds me of riding my favorite purple tandem bike. You can do it alone, but it’s more fun with someone along for the ride. That’s why sharing the ups and downs of my writing journey with on-line communities like Operation Awesome have been so important. My first love is the picture book and, because I’ll forever be 11, middle grade novels are near and dear to my heart. I’m pedaling along in my ride to becoming a better writer in each genre. When I’m not blogging here, you can catch me over at Verla Kay’s Blueboards or on Twitter as part of the weekly #mglitchat hostess team. My lucky number is 13 and I feel very lucky to start 2013 as a part of team Operation Awesome.
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Website
Kellie will be blogging at Operation Awesome on every other MONDAY.

Here are Kellie's three truths and a lie:

• Author Verna Aardema blurbed my first award-winning book.

• To date, three people have had to save my life by performing the Heimlich Manuever. Each incident involved me talking too much at the table and an oversized piece of steak.

• I single-handedly delivered a baby in less than 50 minutes in a bathroom.

• I've been in a commercial and a movie, seen only from behind a ketchup bottle in each one.

THE WINNER of Kellie's prize of 2 PB manuscript critiques {700 words or less} OR 5 pages of a middle grade novel is Haley!


Mystery Blogger #6: 

WESLEY CHU

Hello, I write, and on the side I work for the Death Star. I didn't originally want to be an author, nor a Death Star Laser Technician. If it was up to me, I'd be a NFL punter, a heir to a family fortune, or maybe just professionally beautiful.

But I'm a writer, or at least I try to be. I can't help but write for some strange reason (anyone else feel that way?). I'm currently represented by Russell Galen of Scovil Galen Ghosh with two books coming out this year: my debut, The Lives of Tao (April 30th 2013, Angry Robot Books) and its sequel (Title TBD, Late 2013 - I will totally have a contest for the title)

So, um...let's do it. I'll bring the scotch.

You can find me here:
Publisher press release
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Website

THE LIVES OF TAO
Wes will be blogging at Operation Awesome on every other TUESDAY.

Here are Wesley's three truths and a lie:

• I almost cut Rachel Weisz with a tappanyaki knife as she was being stood up for a date.

• I once hunted boar with the natives of Kauai, with nothing more than a knife and a pack of hounds.

• I broke through the 18th mile wall of a marathon without ever running a mile.

• Michael Jordan and I used to sell underwear together.

THE WINNER of Wesley's first 5 pages critique is Chelsey!

Mystery Blogger #7:

TONI KERR

Hello Operation Awesome Readers!

First, I'd like to thank the writers at OA for all the time and commitment they've put into making this place such an incredible resource for writers. I've learned many great tips for editing, revising, and writing tighter, and I've been inspired by personal experiences that cheer me up, or remind me to keep going. We all know this isn't an easy field to thrive in, but it's a heck of a lot more enjoyable (and downright hilarious at times) with a crew like this! So, while I don't consider myself an expert, I'm happy to poke fun at myself and share the things that took me years to figure out.
Facebook
Blog
Toni will be blogging at Operation Awesome on every other TUESDAY.

Here are Toni's three truths and a lie:

• I have eight years of Martial Arts training, and secretly look forward to the day my skills can be used for more than just writing. 

• I did the unthinkable by sending a nude picture in reply to an editor's form rejection.

• I love cooking, especially when the wonders of spice and flare are appreciated by my characters. 

• I built a writer's cave disguised as a treehouse, and am patiently waiting for the kids to lose interest so I can reclaim it as my own.

THE WINNER of Toni's first chapter critique is nobody! This is unprecedented, but nobody guessed that Toni really doesn't like to cook. She does like to eat (and the nude picture was not of herself, thank goodness).



Mystery Blogger #8: 

ROBYN RUSSELL writes as R.R. Russell

I’m a mom, a judo coach, and a writer for kids and teens. After thirteen years battling with the publishing industry, I think I’ve finally found a crack in its armor. My middle grade debut, Wonder Light: Unicorns of the Mist, will be out May 1 from Sourcebooks. I also write a YA crossover series, the Venture Books, as R.H. Russell.
I look forward to sharing the perks and perils of debut-ishness, as well as musings about writing and books, with the most awesome readers and bloggers here at Operation Awesome!
Website/blog
Facebook
Twitter
Robyn will be blogging at Operation Awesome on every other WEDNESDAY.

Here are Robyn's three truths and a lie:

• When Mystery blogger’s first novel was 80% finished, her hard drive, along with her zip drive backup, were deleted by a helpful twelve-year-old. There were many bitter tears, but she pieced it back together from old pages she’d given her preschoolers to scribble on.

• Mystery blogger wrote a middle grade novel while driving with a van full of judo kids into the mountains of Idaho for a tournament. One of them asked her when she was going to write “a real book.” Surprisingly, he is still alive.

• Mystery Blogger’s favorite rejection is her query letter with “No!” written on the top in red ink.

• Mystery Blogger gathered all her old-school paper rejections and papier-mâchéed them into a piñata. She filled it with chocolate and took a bat to it when she signed her first book deal.

THE WINNER of Robyn's first 5 pages critique is letmebeyoursong!

Congrats to the winners and the right-guessers! Thank you to all of you who played along with us. Thank you to our readers for making the online writing community the coziest place on the interweb. 

We're very excited going forward with fourteen Operation Awesome bloggers, all at different stages of publishing, including authors in every genre, from picture books to adult fiction. We know our readers will enjoy the new content and fresh voices these eight fabulous people bring to OA. And you'll still get posts from the familiar voices of Angela Townsend, Kell Andrews, Kristal Shaff, Lindsay Scott, Michelle McLean, and Katrina Lantz.

2013 will be phenomenal. I can't wait. And I hope you'll let us be part of your journey, too. Come share your successes and struggles, and especially book news. We all love book news!


If you won a critique, please send the material you'd like critiqued to operationawesome6 (at) gmail (dot) com with subject line: MYSTERY BLOGGER WINNER

Mystery Blogger Contest #5-8: Guess the Lie and Win

Source

In case you missed our BIG news at Operation Awesome, we are welcoming eight new bloggers to the owlery. 

We could just announce their names, but what fun would that be? 

So instead, we're holding a Mystery Blogger contest, and you have 4 more chances to win a critique by one of the newbies. The first four Mystery Bloggers were revealed yesterday:

Mystery Blogger #1: Angelica R. Jackson

Mystery Blogger #2: Becky Mahoney

Mystery Blogger #3: Max Gladstone

Mystery Blogger #4: Abby Annis


Today we'll meet four more Mystery Bloggers! They've each given us three truths and a lie about themselves in random order. To win a Mystery Blogger's critique, guess which fun fact is really the lie. Out of those who guess correctly, a random name will be drawn for the prize critique and announced tomorrow -- along with secret identities and the real truth about their fun facts.

Four people are offering critiques today if you guess their lies correctly.

*rubs hands together*

Here are the final four: 


Mystery Blogger #5: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a choice of 2 PB manuscript critiques {700 words or less} OR 5 pages critique of a middle grade novel)

• Author Verna Aardema blurbed my first award-winning book.

• To date, three people have had to save my life by performing the Heimlich Maneuver. Each incident involved me talking too much at the table and an oversized piece of steak.

• I single-handedly delivered a baby in less than 50 minutes in a bathroom.

• I've been in a commercial and a movie, seen only from behind a ketchup bottle in each one.

Mystery Blogger #6: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• I almost cut Rachel Weisz with a tappanyaki knife as she was being stood up for a date.

• I once hunted boar with the natives of Kauai, with nothing more than a knife and a pack of hounds.

• I broke through the 18th mile wall of a marathon without ever running a mile.

• Michael Jordan and I used to sell underwear together.

Mystery Blogger #7: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first chapter critique)

• I have eight years of Martial Arts training, and secretly look forward to the day my skills can be used for more than just writing. 

• I did the unthinkable by sending a nude picture in reply to an editor's form rejection.

• I love cooking, especially when the wonders of spice and flare are appreciated by my characters. 

• I built a writer's cave disguised as a treehouse, and am patiently waiting for the kids to lose interest so I can reclaim it as my own.

Mystery Blogger #8: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• When Mystery blogger’s first novel was 80% finished, her hard drive, along with her zip drive backup, were deleted by a helpful twelve-year-old. There were many bitter tears, but she pieced it back together from old pages she’d given her preschoolers to scribble on.

• Mystery blogger wrote a middle grade novel while driving with a van full of judo kids into the mountains of Idaho for a tournament. One of them asked her when she was going to write “a real book.” Surprisingly, he is still alive.

• Mystery Blogger’s favorite rejection is her query letter with “No!” written on the top in red ink.

• Mystery Blogger gathered all her old-school paper rejections and papier-mâchéed them into a piñata. She filled it with chocolate and took a bat to it when she signed her first book deal.

Which one is the lie?
Guess only one lie for each Mystery Blogger, and list your guesses in a comment below.

Good luck!

(Remember, winners will be announced tomorrow along with the big reveal of who these people are and what lies they told you.) *cue ominous, mysterious music*

Mystery Blogger Contest #1-4: Critique Winners!

Yesterday we announced that 8 new bloggers were joining Operation Awesome! The first four were introduced mysteriously. They gave us three truths and a lie, and you took your best guesses on which fun facts were LIES. 

Now meet our Mystery Bloggers, discover who won each critique prize, and find out who lied about what!


Mystery Blogger #1: 

ANGELICA R. JACKSON

Hi, I'm so excited to join the illustrious Operation Awesome group and lend some credibility to my writing career! I'm looking forward to seeing the "behind-the-scenes" drama of the contests, as well as continuing to learn from the collective wisdom of my fellow bloggers and the commenters.
Where you can find me on the web:
My Facebook
My blog
My Twitter
My photo website (oh yeah, I'm also a photographer/artist)
Angelica will be blogging at Operation Awesome every other MONDAY.

Truths and a lie about Angelica:

• On her very first time volunteering at a regional SCBWI conference, Mystery Blogger introduced Well-Respected Editor without any verbal stumbles. And then as MB exited the stage, she promptly tripped over Well-Respected Editor’s purse and nearly faceplanted.

• The most cats that Mystery Blogger has ever had piled on her at one time is seven, distributed equally between her lap, feet, head, face, and shoulders. There were another five in the queue waiting for an opportunity. Or a fight to break out, which also clears the decks.

• Mystery Blogger once scared an agent on Twitter by trying to make a joke. Agent had tweeted something along the lines of “you don’t ever want to send me a query so bad it ends up on my Special List” and Mystery Blogger responded with “Challenge Accepted!” Agent tweeted back that the Special List was not meant to be aspired to and Mystery Blogger apologized profusely. They shared a laugh and became the best of friends.

• While recording a video pitch for a PitchFest, Mystery Blogger misspoke “sets a ship afire” with a bad word that rhymes with ship. And then couldn’t stop laughing for the next twenty takes. Now whenever she talks about that book, most of her brain cells are devoted to screaming, “make sure you say ship!”

THE WINNER of Angelica's query critique is Steph Scott!




Mystery Blogger #2: 

BECKY MAHONEY

I am a longtime Operation Awesome fangirl, and I am super excited to join the big leagues and become part of this amazing blog. I am an unassuming admin by day and a young adult writer by night, represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger Inc. My preferred genre trifecta is fantasy, mystery, and horror. I am a lover of good food, awesome fashion, and any and all things creepy. You can find me here:
Blog: Rebecca Mahoney - Writer
Twitter
Becky will be blogging at Operation Awesome every other FRIDAY.

Truths and a lie about Becky:

• Mystery Blogger's favorite non-writing hobbies are handicrafts, especially origami. Mystery Blogger once signed up to help out at an origami instructional workshop, and ended up teaching the class entirely by accident.

• Mystery Blogger has a serious scarf problem. She was pretty sure she had one in every possible color, until she obtained three more over the holidays. Now she has every color. Maybe.

• Despite (or due to) the many gallons of coffee Mystery Blogger serves her bosses during her day job, Mystery Blogger is forever loyal to tea. No writing session is complete without a mug of red milk tea by her side.

• This Mystery Blogger began the first book she ever queried during a 13-hour car ride across Japan with her host parents and their two very restless young children. Mystery Blogger would like to thank that manuscript for saving her life that night.

THE WINNER of Becky's first 5 pages critique is Manju Howard!



Mystery Blogger #3: 

MAX GLADSTONE

I met my agent at an Operation Awesome contest, sold my debut novel soon after, and feel that Operation Awesome does exactly what it says on the tin. In various lives I've been an EFL teacher, researcher, tour guide, translator, smart grid analyst / cube operator, and an editor. These days, when I'm not making up stories about necromancers, I'm hunting my manuscripts for errant semicolons. I just deleted one from this paragraph!

My blog: Max Gladstone - Myths for Hire
My twitter: @maxgladstone
THREE PARTS DEAD
Max will be blogging at Operation Awesome every other SUNDAY.

Truths and a lie about Max:

• Mystery Blogger has been an illegal alien in the People's Republic of China.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of the Dalai Lama.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of a Vice President.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of Stephen King.

THE WINNER of Max's 5 page critique is Eliza Tilton!



Mystery Blogger #4: 

ABBY ANNIS

I am mom to three brilliant and talented kids. No bias there. ;) I write YA sci-fi and speculative fiction. My day job is in numbers (yes, I’m one of those weirdos who enjoys math), but I love words and writing. Taking beautiful writing and making visual art is one of my favorite things to do. Photoshop is a great procrastination tool. :) And I have a tendency to overuse smilies and the word awesome.

I’ve been a longtime lurker on the blog, and I’ve learned so much from the fabulous folks here. I’m excited to be a part of the awesomeness.

Blog
Twitter

Abby will be blogging at Operation Awesome every other SATURDAY.

• My AP English teacher from my junior year in high school made me HATE writing. And though I’ve journaled my whole life, I didn’t discover that I actually enjoy writing fiction until four years ago.

• I love anything peanut butter—PB&J, cookies, smothered in chocolate, plain—but I especially love to put it on waffles with maple syrup. Yum!

• The first piece of writing I got published was a poem I wrote in tenth grade titled “Down Yonder”. It was written as a joke and it was so very, very awful, but my English teacher loved it and put it in the annual school anthology.

• I really enjoy taking things apart to see how they work. So much so, that I get a little thrill of excitement when something breaks because that means I don’t have to feel bad about dissecting it.

THE WINNER of Abby's first 5 pages critique is Tiffany!

If you won a critique, please send the material you'd like critiqued to operationawesome6 (at) gmail (dot) com with subject line: MYSTERY BLOGGER WINNER

If you didn't win, come back tomorrow to meet our other Mystery Bloggers. There will be four more winners on the 31st, when our last four Mystery Bloggers' true identities are revealed!

Mystery Blogger Contest #1-4: Guess the Lie and Win

Source

BIG news at Operation Awesome as we welcome eight new bloggers to the owlery. We could just announce their names, but what fun would that be? 

So instead, we're holding a Mystery Blogger contest, and you will have 8 chances to win a critique by one of the newbies. The first four are posted below. The last four will be posted January 30th, 2013. 

They've each given us three truths and a lie about themselves in random order. To win a Mystery Blogger's critique, guess which fun fact is really the lie. Out of those who guess correctly, a random name will be drawn for the prize critique and announced tomorrow -- along with secret identities and the real truth about their fun facts.

Four people are offering critiques today if you guess their lies correctly.

*rubs hands together*

Here are the first four: 

Mystery Blogger #1: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a query critique)

• On her very first time volunteering at a regional SCBWI conference, Mystery Blogger introduced Well-Respected Editor without any verbal stumbles. And then as MB exited the stage, she promptly tripped over Well-Respected Editor’s purse and nearly faceplanted.

• The most cats that Mystery Blogger has ever had piled on her at one time is seven, distributed equally between her lap, feet, head, face, and shoulders. There were another five in the queue waiting for an opportunity. Or a fight to break out, which also clears the decks.

• Mystery Blogger once scared an agent on Twitter by trying to make a joke. Agent had tweeted something along the lines of “you don’t ever want to send me a query so bad it ends up on my Special List” and Mystery Blogger responded with “Challenge Accepted!” Agent tweeted back that the Special List was not meant to be aspired to and Mystery Blogger apologized profusely. They shared a laugh and became the best of friends.

• While recording a video pitch for a PitchFest, Mystery Blogger misspoke “sets a ship afire” with a bad word that rhymes with ship. And then couldn’t stop laughing for the next twenty takes. Now whenever she talks about that book, most of her brain cells are devoted to screaming, “make sure you say ship!”

Mystery Blogger #2: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• Mystery Blogger's favorite non-writing hobbies are handicrafts, especially origami. Mystery Blogger once signed up to help out at an origami instructional workshop, and ended up teaching the class entirely by accident.

• Mystery Blogger has a serious scarf problem. She was pretty sure she had one in every possible color, until she obtained three more over the holidays. Now she has every color. Maybe.

• Despite (or due to) the many gallons of coffee Mystery Blogger serves her bosses during her day job, Mystery Blogger is forever loyal to tea. No writing session is complete without a mug of red milk tea by her side.

• This Mystery Blogger began the first book she ever queried during a 13-hour car ride across Japan with her host parents and their two very restless young children. Mystery Blogger would like to thank that manuscript for saving her life that night.

Mystery Blogger #3: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a 5 page critique)

• Mystery Blogger has been an illegal alien in the People's Republic of China.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of the Dalai Lama.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of a Vice President.

• Mystery Blogger has shaken the hand of Stephen King.

Mystery Blogger #4: (prize for guessing right: random entry for a first 5 pages critique)

• My AP English teacher from my junior year in high school made me HATE writing. And though I’ve journaled my whole life, I didn’t discover that I actually enjoy writing fiction until four years ago.

• I love anything peanut butter—PB&J, cookies, smothered in chocolate, plain—but I especially love to put it on waffles with maple syrup. Yum!

• The first piece of writing I got published was a poem I wrote in tenth grade titled “Down Yonder”. It was written as a joke and it was so very, very awful, but my English teacher loved it and put it in the annual school anthology.

• I really enjoy taking things apart to see how they work. So much so, that I get a little thrill of excitement when something breaks because that means I don’t have to feel bad about dissecting it.

Which one is the lie?
Guess only one lie for each Mystery Blogger, and list your guesses in a comment below.

Good luck!

(Remember, winners will be announced tomorrow along with the big reveal of who these people are and what lies they told you.) *cue ominous, mysterious music*

New Year's Revisions Conference: The Critique Partner Connection!!

So. There are TONS of reasons why y'all should be excited about the New Year's Revisions Conference. TONS, I tell you. Which is why I'm here to share one of them. :) Starting today, I'll reveal one super awesome news about the conference each week. And this week's news is about something that's part of the conference, but not really:

THE CRITIQUE PARTNER CONNECTION!!!

I know some of you have crit partners already, but some of you don't. Some of you who do have crit partners might be looking for another extra set of eyes. Fear not! On January 3rd, the day before the New Year's Revisions Conference, we're giving YOU the floor. I mean, the blog. *cough* Each and every one of you will have the chance to leave their info in the comments (the format will be shared on the 3rd, so no worries!). If something strikes your critiquing fancy, you can contact the person and see if it's a critiquing match! 

Preliminary rules:

1) You don't have to be a blog follower to enter.

2) You don't need a completed manuscript (but having a finished one is the best way to go!)

3) The Critique Partner Connection will run from January 3rd to January 6th, which is the conference's last day.

I hope y'all are as excited as I am!! Stay tuned for more conference news next week!

Happy Monday :)

 

The Lonely Hero a la Dr. Who

Doctor Who (pic from this site)

Lindsay's Dr. Who pictures in her Stages of Rejection post inspired me to watch the show, if only to find out why there appeared to be two different Doctors, three if you count the one I saw in a random episode I caught last year. So now I'm on Season 3 and one main characterization of the Doctor has my mind ruminating:


The Lonely Hero


We see this everywhere in literature, and I think it's something to which we can all relate because at some point in our lives, we have been or will all be alone. Frodo alone must carry the ring. Though he has helpers, nobody else understands what he's dealing with except Gollum, who's not really reliable since he'd kill his best friend for the ring. Harry Potter is lonely from the very beginning. He has moments of friendship that are crucial to his development, but when it comes down to his hero arc, he is basically alone - the only person who understands what it's like to be connected to the Dark Lord through the painful scar on his head.


Back to Dr. Who. He's the last of the Time Lords. His planet is destroyed. It's hard to say what drives him forward other than a will to survive and his personal code which seems to be protect and defend the helpless at all costs. We come to find out he keeps traveling companions as he ventures through time and space, solving the problems and hiccups in the universe temporal stream. The problem is that his companions are more, well, mortal than he is. They age, they die, they crave their families. And none of them can really understand him. He is alone. Always. And I think both the actors playing Doctor Who, whom I have seen thus far, convey that tragically. 

Pic from this site

These pics from this site

The episode I watched last night (at 1am) really broke my heart. Doctor Who was just hanging out in Depression era New York when he spotted his arch nemeses, the Dalek, who are responsible for his entire species dying, except for him. He stares after the Dalek once it has safely passed (because they're terrifying creatures with no emotion) and with fierce and deep pain, he seethes, "They survived. They survive while I lose everything!" And because we've seen what he's lost, we cry for him. 


The Lonely Hero. 


I want to know, Who's your favorite lonely hero? 


And this one's just for you to think about: In what way can you make your own main character the lonely hero?




Now for three giveaways for books and critiques I don't want you to miss if I can possibly help it!

• Have you entered Afterglow's Beginning of Summer Giveaway yet? It's easy to throw your name in the hat for a chance to win a free book! We're giving TEN books away. Click here!

• Operation Awesome's June Giveaway

The prizes:

Amparo: A query critique.Angie: First five pages.Lindsay: A query critique.Michelle: First chapter or query critique (winner's choice)Katrina: First ten pages or query critique (winner's choice)Kristal: First chapter critique.
Enter here.

•  My own 1,000 twitter followers thank you giveaway. Come enter to win Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Medeiros.

My Critiquing Stages a la Taylor Lautner's Body

So. A couple months back, I shared a post that I originally posted on my blog. That post was titled My Writing Stages a la Robert Pattinson's Hair.

Since my To-Do list is HUGE, I figured I'd share another post with a similar tone.

Folks, I give you...

My Critiquing Stages a la Taylor Lautner's Body

I know what you're thinking: "Amparo, stop looking for excuses to put up half-naked pictures of Taylor Lautner!" Believe me when I say this is not the case. There is a VERY VALID REASON, as you will see in a minute. *blushes*

All right. Let's get to it. Here are my critiquing stages a la Taylor Lautner's body:

Step One: My crit partners are very productive people. I am impressed by them. I am also jealous, but that revelation does little for this post. Anyway, my crit partners write their glorious manuscripts and send their latest babies to me. Once I am able to pry my face from Alexander Skarsgard's abs, I download their babies and read. In this first read, I simply focus on giving my uber-positive comments. Basically, I gush my brains out. Or make jokes. Sometimes both. The point is, I only highlight what makes the manuscript fun to read and easy to understand. My critique starts off a little on the light side, and sort of looks like this:

Step Two: I am a sucker for dialogue. Specifically, how it shows me who the character is. Voice is really important to me, and I'm super lucky to have crit partners with kickass voice. First, I focus on everything dialogue-related: whether what is said by Character A makes sense, does it clash with a previous action and/or interior monologue, is the scene dragging because the convos don't increase tension or give relevant info, etc. Then I dive in to the more style-related stuff, like whether there's too much passive voice, how well the words are flowing, the clarity of the setting/emotions/conflict. Little by little, my critique gets juiced up into something more meaningful. And, you know, a little thicker:

Step Three: After I read their pages, I give my overall impression at the end of the sample. I talk about what I loved best first, then I highlight the parts I think could be improved. By doing this, I feel like I'm giving my crit partners a more detailed version of what I scribbled on the Track Changes along the manuscript. But that's not the most important part, though. I find this Big Picture necessary because it gives me the chance to explain the Why better. Why I think some parts can be improved. Why I think the voice is awesome. Why I think the pacing should be tighter. Believe it or not, critiques are all about the Why. Without it, your partners will simply think you're a snob with no heart. The Why is what makes any manuscript better, folks. Use it. And when you do, you'll see that your critique bulks up to a point where it's fully fleshed out and uber-tight:

See? VERY VALID REASON for writing this post, right? Right???

Now fess up: what's your critiquing style?