Wednesday, May 09, 2012
The world of collaborative writing...
I want to thank all of the well wishers who offered congratulations to my writing partner and I, Samantha Sommersby, for the new contract. I've already gotten questions about the process of collaborative writing so I though I'd say a few words about how it worked for us.
Sam lives in San Diego and we've known each other for a long time. She's written over a dozen paranormal romances for a number of publishers. Two years ago, at Dragon Con, the idea of writing a book together, a book that would combine the aspects of Urban Fantasy and paranormal romance, went from idle speculation to real possibility as we started brain storming ideas. A few months later, when I was in San Diego for Comic Con, we actually sat down and started developing characters. We decided who the protagonist would be (a siren cursed with mortality), partnered with a werewolf (battling demons from the past), against the antagonist (a surgeon who harvested vampire organs to transplant in humans). That's a simplification, of course, but once we knew who we wanted in the story, we started world building.
Our story is set in contemporary San Diego. Our protag is in the FBI, working in the Missing Persons Bureau. We pitched the story as Without a Trace meets Angel and by the time we had finished a character list and knew the details of their world, we were ready to write a synopsis. We did it by breaking the story into scenes--first together, then separately. We emailed our versions back and forth until we were satisfied with the story details.
Then we started writing. Since our synopsis was written scene by scene, Sam would write scenes 1 -4, for example, while I worked on 5 -9. Then we'd switch, critique, edit and send back. We did that back and forth until we had a first draft completed. It only took us about three months to do the first draft but the real work, the editing is still going on. Our writing styles are so similar, that when I brought chapters to my critique group, no one could tell which of us wrote what!
About halfway through the first draft, I put together a proposal and sent it to both my agent and editor at Ace. I included a cover letter, our character list, the synopsis, Sam's publishing credits and the first fifty pages. The result was the aforementioned contract. The book will be published by Penguin's NAL. Once we've finished the final edit on book one, we'll start the process again for the sequel.
It's turned out to be a painless and rewarding process and hopefully one that produces stories that you will enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed writing them. We'll keep you up to date on pub details.
Two items from RMFW:
May 19, 2012
8:00 am to 4:00
Table Mountain Inn
1310 Washington Ave, Golden, Colorado
(800) 762 9898
Terri Bischoff of Midnight Ink presents It's All About Character. And Story. Join editor Terri Bischoff for an intensive workshop on developing your overall story and character arcs. The morning session will include developing a character arc for one book or over a series. The afternoon session will be all about developing your story, and just like with characters, we will work on an story arc for one book or several in a series.
Go here to register and for more info.
And time is running out to enter the 29th Annual Colorado Gold Writing Contest 2012 which will CLOSE For Submissions on June 1st at 11:59 pm
For unpublished writers of COMMERCIAL novel-length fiction. Here's your chance to get your novel in the hands of an acquiring agent or editor. Submit the first twenty pages of your manuscript and an eight-page synopsis. There are six categories: Romance, Mystery, Mainstream, Action/Thriller, Speculative Fiction, and Young Adult. Two judges from RMFW will evaluate and score each entry. The FIVE highest-scoring submissions above 130 points in each category will make the finals, and then be judged by an agent or editor who is attending the Colorado Gold Conference. One winner will be picked in each category. Winners receive $100.00 and a certificate. The remaining finalists will receive $30.00 and a certificate. Winners will be announced at the Colorado Gold Writers Conference Awards Banquet, September 8, 2012 at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver.
To enter go here and click on the "Enter the 2012 Contest" link where you'll find rules and entry instructions, the electronic entry form and online payment. It's never been easier to enter the Colorado Gold Writing Contest.
An Oxford undergraduate is following in the footsteps of best-selling author JK Rowling - after landing a six-figure book deal with the Harry Potter writer's publisher.
English undergraduate Samantha Shannon, 20, has signed a contract with publishing powerhouse Bloomsbury for the release of her novel, The Bone Season, and two sequels. But she doesn't plan to stop there.
Just like Rowling did with her Harry Potter series, Miss Shannon has mapped out an entire adventure to be spread over seven books.
Full article on the link above. 20 years old!!!This is either the best or worst thing that could happen to her.
Sam lives in San Diego and we've known each other for a long time. She's written over a dozen paranormal romances for a number of publishers. Two years ago, at Dragon Con, the idea of writing a book together, a book that would combine the aspects of Urban Fantasy and paranormal romance, went from idle speculation to real possibility as we started brain storming ideas. A few months later, when I was in San Diego for Comic Con, we actually sat down and started developing characters. We decided who the protagonist would be (a siren cursed with mortality), partnered with a werewolf (battling demons from the past), against the antagonist (a surgeon who harvested vampire organs to transplant in humans). That's a simplification, of course, but once we knew who we wanted in the story, we started world building.
Our story is set in contemporary San Diego. Our protag is in the FBI, working in the Missing Persons Bureau. We pitched the story as Without a Trace meets Angel and by the time we had finished a character list and knew the details of their world, we were ready to write a synopsis. We did it by breaking the story into scenes--first together, then separately. We emailed our versions back and forth until we were satisfied with the story details.
Then we started writing. Since our synopsis was written scene by scene, Sam would write scenes 1 -4, for example, while I worked on 5 -9. Then we'd switch, critique, edit and send back. We did that back and forth until we had a first draft completed. It only took us about three months to do the first draft but the real work, the editing is still going on. Our writing styles are so similar, that when I brought chapters to my critique group, no one could tell which of us wrote what!
About halfway through the first draft, I put together a proposal and sent it to both my agent and editor at Ace. I included a cover letter, our character list, the synopsis, Sam's publishing credits and the first fifty pages. The result was the aforementioned contract. The book will be published by Penguin's NAL. Once we've finished the final edit on book one, we'll start the process again for the sequel.
It's turned out to be a painless and rewarding process and hopefully one that produces stories that you will enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed writing them. We'll keep you up to date on pub details.
Two items from RMFW:
May 19, 2012
8:00 am to 4:00
Table Mountain Inn
1310 Washington Ave, Golden, Colorado
(800) 762 9898
Terri Bischoff of Midnight Ink presents It's All About Character. And Story. Join editor Terri Bischoff for an intensive workshop on developing your overall story and character arcs. The morning session will include developing a character arc for one book or over a series. The afternoon session will be all about developing your story, and just like with characters, we will work on an story arc for one book or several in a series.
Go here to register and for more info.
And time is running out to enter the 29th Annual Colorado Gold Writing Contest 2012 which will CLOSE For Submissions on June 1st at 11:59 pm
For unpublished writers of COMMERCIAL novel-length fiction. Here's your chance to get your novel in the hands of an acquiring agent or editor. Submit the first twenty pages of your manuscript and an eight-page synopsis. There are six categories: Romance, Mystery, Mainstream, Action/Thriller, Speculative Fiction, and Young Adult. Two judges from RMFW will evaluate and score each entry. The FIVE highest-scoring submissions above 130 points in each category will make the finals, and then be judged by an agent or editor who is attending the Colorado Gold Conference. One winner will be picked in each category. Winners receive $100.00 and a certificate. The remaining finalists will receive $30.00 and a certificate. Winners will be announced at the Colorado Gold Writers Conference Awards Banquet, September 8, 2012 at the Renaissance Hotel in Denver.
To enter go here and click on the "Enter the 2012 Contest" link where you'll find rules and entry instructions, the electronic entry form and online payment. It's never been easier to enter the Colorado Gold Writing Contest.
# # # #
From the Daily Mail:
An Oxford undergraduate is following in the footsteps of best-selling author JK Rowling - after landing a six-figure book deal with the Harry Potter writer's publisher.
English undergraduate Samantha Shannon, 20, has signed a contract with publishing powerhouse Bloomsbury for the release of her novel, The Bone Season, and two sequels. But she doesn't plan to stop there.
Just like Rowling did with her Harry Potter series, Miss Shannon has mapped out an entire adventure to be spread over seven books.
Full article on the link above. 20 years old!!!This is either the best or worst thing that could happen to her.
# # # #
I'll be at the Barnes & Noble Westminster, 9370 Sheridan Blvd from 11 A - 3 PM this Saturday. This time I'll be signing with Lizzie T Leaf, Lynda Hilburn and debut author JL Bowen. Stop by and say hello... or call and I'll be happy to sign a book for you to pick up later. 303-426-7733
Then I'm off to see the Avengers... Has anyone seen it yet? Did you like it? I can't wait!
Labels: RMFW, Samantha Sommersby
¶ posted by Jeanne Stein @ 5:08 PM
