June 2007 – submissions

Hi y’all,

I am not doing what needs to be done. If I want to be a published picture book writer, I need to submit my pb manuscripts to editors. I haven’t been doing so. I sent out a bunch in late January or so, but since then, nothing. I cured that June 29th with sending off mss to 19 publishers. Again, I stress these are well targeted submissions. I think there was a total of 8 mss which I send off simultaneously. A few were queries and others were unsolicited subs. I also sent a requested ms to Dutton and a revision request of Buck-a-Bye Baby to Putnam. It was requested back in March and has gone through three re-writes.

I currently have 39 subs out to 34 publishers and 1 agent. I have been very lax in writing and subbing the past few months because I’ve been working on Purple Ducks, a memoirish type book which explains some Chrisitan concepts, especially our need to belong. I have about 210 pages finished in it. I’m really frustrated with it because I have so many doubts about this foray into adult writing. I know I can write picture books. I write some outstanding ones, but as for my adult type writing, I’m not clueless, but I just don’t know how to make it all work together. I sometimes think I just have 30 or so essays that are not so brilliantly connected to one another. If something good doesn’t happen with Purple Ducks,  I’ll feel I’ve wasted some good picture book writing time. Oh well. May God bless my Purple Ducks. Please.

Brian

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SCBWI Meeting

I attended a SCBWI meeting in June. I seem to only attend the critique meetings. I love them so much. I was inspired to do more with my writing. Praise God for SCBWI and other writers. Without others, I’d probably never write or submit. I’ve been getting on the Verla Kay site more now and have begun to get some mss ready for submission. It’s only a matter of days till they’re in the mail box.

Brian

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March ‘07 (good month)

Pretty cool month. I had a revision request for Buck-a-Bye Baby from an editor at Putnam. She wrote a very nice letter detailing what may need revised. It may take a while, but I need to get this finished.

I also had a personal reject from Standard Publishing that said my story The Treasure on Mulberry Creek had been sitting on their “We Like This” stack for way too long. Apologies were given and an invite to send another ms when their company gets some new guidelines published. I think their company is changing ownership and they can’t take on this pb right now. Nice compliment and I welcomed that letter with wide open eyes.

Brian

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Feb ‘07 – My website/SCBWI

It’s Feb 27th. Very late. To be honest, it’s the 28th. I’m putting some finishing touches on my website. I’ve contacted some authors and editors about interviews. I hope to conduct some email interviews and have them published here soon. Making a site isn’t so easy.

I went to my local SCBWI meeting last Saturday. It was great. Was told the pb I read should be a chapter in an easy reader. I’ve never done an easy reader, but I’ll do some research. Was encouraged by the critique group to also consider sending it to a magazine. That piqued my interest in writing for mags. I’ve never really tried before. I’m way behind on my critiques for this week. I need to do them tonight. I guess I’ll do them tomorrow before our men’s breakfast at church. My eyes are closing so it’s off to bed.

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Beginning of 2007

The year is starting out slow. My stories to Steven Malk were rejected. I received a personal reject which stated I should join SCBWI. I was a little upset because the editor didn’t read below my signature. Underneath my signature on every query or cover letter it plainly states, “SCBWI Member.” Just before sending that editor another query, I looked back on my previous query to her. The notation about SCBWI was missing. Oh my! I renewed my SCBWI membership a bit late this year, end of January.

As for my writing. I am still a little burned out from December. Not really burned out, but focusing on another form of writing. I began writing a book titled Purple Ducks: Reflections on our Eternal Need to Belong. The book includes stories on my need to belong and how it relates to the spiritual journey many of us travel. I’m including lots of personal anecdotes and mixing it with thoughts on Christian spirituality. A friend in my critique group is looking at it one chapter at a time and helping me tremendously. Any of y’all got some good stories on belonging or not belonging, espeically if it is in a church context? No picture book writing this month. I don’t think I subbed anything during January.  

Lesson Learned: I can write something other than picture books. If I can finish something larger than a picture book is an entirely different story.

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