Procrastination and Disillusionment: the fatal circle - aka my undoing of SCBWI Undiscovered Voices 2012

So..., procrastinating..., instead of writing.
Why do we do it? Is it something that occurs after a knock-back, or something that causes one? Well, both. So, how do we stop the fatal circle from spinning? I don't think there is a correct answer to this, as, if you are anything like me, you will find new ways to procrastinate when all previous attempts fail. The best advice I can give is to set some goals. These should be anchored with dates that you can't change. I find the best way to do this is to set my sights on finishing something for a conference or a contest.

When I was working on Cara (The Life and Times of Cara Grimes), I had to set myself a target to get the book finished. When I read about the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators BI (British Isles) Undiscovered Voices 2012 submission deadline, I knew that it would spur me on to finish my novel. I wrote like an idiot (figuratively and literally) until I got it done and turned in. Wow, you may think, a role model for us all. Not so. Though I managed to get it in on time, it was not my best work. For months after the submission deadline, I re-re-rewrote. In that time I discovered a few things:

1. It was not good enough
2. There's no way I will get on the long list, let alone the short list
3. Miracles happen, beware!

I had all but written off UV 2012, feeling really embarrassed that people I knew were wasting their time reading Cara, albeit the author of Cara (me) was kept anonymous until the winners were chosen. That's why it was a shock when I received the email that I would be long listed! Oh, good, you might think, a happy ending. Again, I say, not so. I had gotten long listed, which was terribly exciting, but I had quite literally wrote myself out of the short list by not putting my best foot forward. Worse yet, I had gotten some attention from publishers and agents who thought this was my best work (*grimace*), the best I had to offer them. Now you can see my dilemma, right? If I'd just taken more time to prepare, I might have made the short list, I might have captured the attention of that fab agent who I'm girl crushing on, I might have a three book deal waiting. But no. The authors who were short listed put their best foot forward from the beginning. They were proud of their work and worked hard to get to that point. They are the winners and they totally deserve all that comes along with it.

And why do I tell you this? Well, firstly, because I'm procrastinating, as I should be working on Cara right now. Secondly, because, although using competitions and conferences is a great way to motivate yourself to finish a novel, not putting forth your best work every time is a chancy game- you may just win.

In conclusion, I'll say that I'm still motivating and pushing forward with my goals and writing deadlines (right now I'm working hard to get Cara polished and perfect before the SCBWI 2012 International Conference in New York), the difference is that now when I turn something in I know without a doubt that it is my best effort and there will be no regrets. As my lovely conference roommate, Jasmine Richards - editor at Oxford University Press, said to me (paraphrasing, as I didn't think to write down the exact words of wisdom): You will likely only get an editor to read your work once, so make it count. Words to live by, thanks Jasmine.

Your book and promotion in schools: PR Tips

Well, surprise, surprise, Blues Day Tuesday has turned into Blue Thursday this week as a one off. I suppose I can be forgiven as the delay was because I was out getting your Christmas present on Tuesday. Yes that's right, just for you! Pearls of wisdom from my Cultural Enterprise session. So the phrase of the day is:

BE PREPARED (Boy scouts need not apply)

You want your book to attract sales/attention, right? With the recession, we've all heard over and over again how publishers just don't have the money to promote us like they used to. So where does that leave us? It leaves us pounding the pavement, looking for interest in our books. Here are some tips to think about: 

How to get into schools (and be invited back to speak again):

A good first start is to look into what the kids in your book's age group are learning. This can be found on various sites depending on where you live. For me it's

·     http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/understandingthecurriculum/whatiscurriculumforexcellence/index.asp

You can also cheat by talking to teachers about what exactly the national curriculum is for that age group and what they are focusing on for the year in their classroom. The tricky thing about this is that Scotland and England have different standards (as well as Ireland, the USA, etc), so make sure you know which is which and adapt your material to fit it.

The second step is to outline what you want to speak about (competely or indirectly related to your book) and come up with some usable resources to take with you, or send to the teacher ahead of time. Coming up with ideas that are flexible is the key.

A friend of mine, Victoria Campbell, author of 'Viking Gold', told me that one school she was to visit said that they were studying medieval times. Obviously vikings are of a different era, but she adapted her session to the curriculum, by starting with vikings and working her way up to the middle ages and then comparing and contrasting how things were different. I thought this was a brilliant idea, and apparently it went over really well with the students and teachers.

Find parallels in your subject with the curriculum, no matter how abstract, and then move forward from there, ie: vikings made swords, in medieval times they made swords - whatever, just find some similarities and have them ready, bring in props, and come at it from a different angle than may have already been discussed in the classroom. Most importantly though, make it fun!

Please comment below with other suggestions or questions.

Stephanie McGregor's first public blog: Could make history, though not likely

This is my first blog post *cheering from the waiters in the wings*, and I am devoting it entirely to all of you who are writing daily, attending conferences, following every agent/publisher on twitter, revising like a revising thing, and watching with held breath as, one by one, all your friends get amazing book deals and your turn never seems to come.

Wait... surely, I'm not the only one? Am I?

I will be posting here with loads of encouraging, cool tips, writers market info, the low down on conferences and events I attend, humorous antidotes... maybe, links you must click on, a book review here and there, and the occasional tidbit of gossip on said friends and how life after publication is harder than it looks (Yeah, right, they all say it don't they? It's like when skinny people tell you how hard it is for them to gain weight - you just want to toss the back of your hand to your forehead, wither, and say 'Oh, my poor dear, how ever do you manage with this vulgar curse you are afflicted by?').

See you soon, slushers.