Marie Alice Writes & Reads

Fall is coming.

Colors changing, hot chocolate back on the weekend menu, cozy pj’s and tons of new books. It’s the best, I love it.

There’s also the pre-fall back to school craze, which always energizes me. Suddenly, I want to do so many things at the same time.
More importantly, I want to write; write something new even more so.

And this idea for YA writing project who has been waiting all winter-spring-summer long is just what a writer on a quest needs!

Starting a new writing project is always so exciting. Committing to it to get to the finish line on time, well, ish…

I need a challenge. I need to try something.

Ends the writing diary blog. Almost daily writing and writing only good old fashion blog posts.
If I share something about the 5am tantrum my kid had that morning, it’s because it has had an impact on the writing project or the writing diary project. (Oh yeah, 5 am
tantrum. It’s new. It won’t last. Don’t worry. Have kids. They’re awesome.)

During the next months, I will go down the journaling lane, writing about my progress/non-progress, struggles and fails, small victories, so on and so forth.

And we care becaaauuuse?

Well… I’m… nice?

Seriously, I like spying on other authors technique, tricks and tips and I thought I would do something similar while making myself accountable for something.

So, yeah, just a working-from-home and aspiring author on a quest, sharing her journey. I hope you’ll enjoy!

The Idea

I am so so excited about this idea.

It started with a dream I had, two years. A vivid dream/nightmares involving a peculiar party of ghost.

Now, ghost stories, horror stories, I cannot read, nor watch. I get so scared, it’s ridiculous. It took me years to get over the american version of « The Ring » movie. Real. Long. Years.

But the dream was so incredible, the idea was so much fun. Plus, horror, fantasy, mystery are evergreen genre.

I had to try.

So I did.

The failure was complete. Main character was not working, the love interest was as cliché as cliché can be, the contemporary world setting was boring me to tears. And, yes, I got scared while doing the research.

I moved on, wrote a other novel, worked on ideas. But this idea kept nagging me.

It while doing research about publishers (we’ll get there in a moment) that I had one of those lightbulb moment. I found a way to twist the idea, which was all of the sudden creating a solid base for the main characters to grow from.

Since I was working on two projects already, I put that one on the back burner. Until now. Hooray, as my kid favorite little piggy would cheer.

The Market

I’ve got a lot to say about the book market.

I’m talking about my little francophone book market. Here, no literary agent could earn a living, so there’s no literary agent. Plus, here in Quebec, publishers, big and small, are less and less inclined to accept unsolicited work.

In a small market, it’s understandable. Still, for aspiring to be traditionally published authors, it gets a little… discouraging.

Therefore, it is oh so important to do thorough research, so you can write a book that fits the (agent if you are in a big book market) publisher’s editorial line, kinda.

A deadly good query letter will certainly help too. Then, well, there’s the matter of when to send the manuscript. Here in Quebec, it will be October-November, then February-March, then May. Ish.

I’ve done the research last January, and again in September. The new writing project I have in mind would be a good fit for several publishers.

Green light on, people. Let’s get started.

Until next time!