Catherine Bakewell: Editor, Writer, Translator

The writing world is full of esoteric terms and weird abbreviations. If you’re a part of writing Twitter, you see a LOT of them.

An event is coming up shortly called #CPMatch, hosted by Megan Lally (link). Maybe you’ve heard of a CP before and are wondering what to expect from a CP before you participate in this event on the 15th!

What’s a CP?

In writing, CP stands for Critique Partner. The key word here is “partner.” Most often, they will critique your work, and you in return will critique theirs.

Finding a good CP can be difficult. Not everyone is great at giving thoughtful, fair feedback on their first try. And, of course, you may find yourself matched with a very nice person who just isn’t a good fit for your project.

To avoid this: if you think you’ve met a good partner, I recommend swapping your first two chapters. The first chapter is often the most polished, and sometimes there will be a drop in quality in chapter two. Maybe that’s exciting for you—you’ll be able to give a lot of notes and may help your new CP completely overhaul their story. However, it’s best to be very open with one another about what sorts of changes you’re comfortable making, and how intense you expect your critiques to be.

Another note: you have to be passionate about the manuscript (MS) you read. If it’s not your cup of tea, you will be spending a lot of time and mental energy thinking about this book that you aren’t crazy about. It’s the same reason an agent will sometimes reject saying “It’s just not for me.”

It’s far better to tell your potential CP “Thank you for thinking of me, but I’m not a good fit for this” instead of reading their whole MS only to give half-hearted comments.

The key to a healthy CP relationship is lots of communication. If you’ve found a potential CP, be clear with them about what sort of feedback you hope to receive. If you’re on a time constraint, give them lots of notice. Don’t be that guy who says “Read this in two days and give me a ten page report.” Remember, you’re reading and critiquing each other’s works FOR FREE. You’re doing one another a service. Be kind, be understanding, and be patient.

Don’t commit yourself to something you don’t have time for. Just because CPmatch is coming up doesn’t mean that your draft OR your calendar is ready to commit to reading for a CP just yet. Don’t rush into this partnership. Make sure that you are able to give back and give good help to your CP, who is helping you in return!

 What’s an alpha?

An alpha is an alpha reader. They’re someone who reads your first draft even while you are still writing it. Usually, this means they are someone you trust, and someone who’s there to cheerlead you or ask prompting questions. Maybe they want to know what happens to side character. Or maybe they’re there just to tell you “I love this idea and you’re executing it so well!”

You don’t always need an alpha in your writing process.

Sometimes you can write better if you know you can write a full draft without anyone seeing it. And sometimes a friend reading and saying “when can I get the next chapter?” helps nudge you along and actually finish your draft!

 What’s a beta?

Betas read your finished draft. Unlike a Critique Partner, you don’t have to critique your beta’s work in return.

You decide what expectations you have of your betas. It’s best to be upfront in general about what you expect of your betas; for example, if you are looking for general thoughts, compliments, critiques AND compliments, or notes on a specific element (like character, narrative voice, tory structure, or a plot element you aren’t sure about).

Some tips:

Be careful about choosing your betas – and how many! Getting a flood of feedback can be overwhelming. I’d recommend maybe 5 beta readers to start out. That way, your feedback will be varied, and if you see consistencies between betas’ comments, you’ll know what you definitely need to fix in your story. If you end up revising from your betas’ feedback, you can ask your original betas if you can send it again, or maybe you can find a new group of five to try your MS out on.

Remember—betas are reading YOUR BOOK! If you are sending your book to new people or acquaintances, make sure you can trust them and that they’ll be kind to you. It’s nice to have a mix of people who’ve read your previous work AND people who have never read this iteration of your MS before.

Give your betas a generous deadline. Just like I said for CPs—your betas are real people with busy lives. A deadline is nice to have (because sometimes you may NEVER get your notes back), but make sure that it is fair and clear from the beginning. I gave my betas around 6 weeks to read and give feedback, but I let them know that if that wasn’t possible or they needed some wiggle room, I was happy to give it.

Be open-minded. You will get some feedback you don’t want to hear. You will get some feedback you totally disagree with. You will get some feedback that may even hurt. You never have to apply any feedback you don’t want to. HOWEVER, it’s best to reflect on feedback before tossing it to the side. Sometimes a suggested change will actually lead to a stronger story, even if it’s a difficult change to make or may go against your original creative vision.

Before I begin, I am not one of those amazing Pinteresty people who is able to make everything look perfect and pretty and organized. 

But I am someone who LOVES making lists, and THRIVES on them. 

I post pictures of my bullet journal adventures a lot over on my twitter @/catbakewell, and below I’m sharing some of the methods I use to organize my life and especially my writing progress.

The Journal

I got my first baby bullet journal at a stationary store in France, so I can’t do much in the way of recommending a favorite bullet journal brand. I don’t even think you NEED a super fancy notebook.

Most bullet journals are dotted instead of lined (thus “bullet” journal), but those aren’t necessary, either. They keep the page clear and make it easy to draw shapes and space things out on the page, but you can use some of the organizational techniques below in any old notebook, I think.

My bullet journal has the following features that I love: numbered pages,  a blank index for you to fill out, bullets instead of lines, a hard cover, a portable size, and two bookmark ribbons. This journal on Amazon seems to have similar features: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Impressions-Collection-Hardcover-Notebook/dp/B01MTBBYXG/ref=sr_1_38?ie=UTF8&qid=1541106368&sr=8-38&keywords=dot+grid+notebook+numbered+pages 

The Tools

All the tools I use for my BuJo are things I found around the house! 

--Highlighters : I recommend getting them in rainbow colors. Your BuJo will instantly feel more organized with all the colors (I like the mix of pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple)

--Washi tape: I got that poppy-patterened Washi Tape at an office supply store for 99 cents. Not necessary for bullet journaling, but it can be good for marking a page or for sticking something into your BuJo.

--Protractor: I suck at straight lines. I use a protractor because it helps when I want to make arcs or circles, too, but if I’m ever in need of a straight line, I sometimes grab a random piece of card as a straightedge.

--Fineliner: I like to use some sort of thin sharpie or marker for thicker lines. This Sharpie doesn’t bleed through the pages, either.

--Pen: The pen above includes green, red, blue, and black pens, which is great for color-coding things.

Daily Planning

Bullet Journals are great because you can put your schedule on paper any way you want. I like fairly large spaces to plan out my day. For my writing schedule, I mark a little check box for my chapter goals. If I write the chapter, I make a checkmark. If not, I put a > symbol to the left of the box, indicating that I’ve moved the due date later. So far, I’ve made all my own deadlines!

Each day is marked on the left and right with bright colors. I write in tasks and appointments along the way and cross them off when they’re done. I also cross out the days after they’re done.

Monthly Planning

Here, you can see a zoomed-out version of my calendar and my chapter goals. I can check off the chapter goals when I’ve met them. I’ve also written them in pencil here (where I first planned out my goals) just in case.

Each week is listed Saturday-Friday because that’s how they’re laid out in my weekly pages in my Bullet Journal.

Habit Tracking

Here, I mark a square every day I have practiced Spanish (left column), French (middle column), and Italian (right column). Use this to track the days you’ve written for 30 minutes, written 500 words, worked out, or spent some time reading! It’s a very satisfying feeling getting to color in the squares when I’ve accomplished something.

Word Count Charts

I love word count charts in bullet journals because YOU decide what your goal is! Bar graphs are fun because you get to color in the bars, bigger and bigger, if you’ve written more! You can see my rainbow colors coming out to play here. 

At the top, I mark the increments of words in the 100s. A hatched pencil mark indicates my goal per day: 500 words. Looks like I didn’t make that mark on June 4, but on June 5, my word count goes off the chart! At the bottom, I counted up all the words I’d written for the week.

Chapter Revision Chart

This chart is pretty easy to figure out! Once I’ve finished rewriting or revising a chapter, I add a square, color it in, and write the chapter number on top. I’ve also edged the page (poorly) in Washi Tape so it’s easier for me to flip through. It’s nothing much, but it makes me happy to flip here and see how far I’ve come!

Charting Editing Goals

Above are two patterns that convey the same idea. First, I have a sort of banner/marquee theme for my first few chapters, and then on the second page, realizing I wanted to fit more on the page, I settled with little rectangles. You can also see that I sketched out and measured the boxes before I went in with my fineliner, just in case.

The process: I made a box or flag for each chapter. Within that flag, I made a checkbox for each task I needed to do for that chapter. I needed to delete filter words for each chapter, re-read and edit the chapter, and address the comments my friends had left in the margins for me. After I checked each task in the chapter, I colored in the chapter. When I finished editing all the chapters, BOOM, I had a beautiful rainbow of accomplishment!

If you have any tips or any cool templates from your Bullet Journal, or if you want to share how you’ve edited or prepared for NaNo with some of the methods above, come share with me over at catbakewell on Twitter!

<3

Ideally, your novel should be led by your character.

The plot should be pushed forward by their choices, their mistakes, their desires, their fears.

So, have do you know that you’ve done this well?

If you’re a plotter:

Look at your outline, synopsis, or chapter summaries. Look at the events that happen in the story. How many events happen to your character rather than being caused by your character?

Of course, you’re allowed to have moments where something happens completely outside of your character’s control. Dorothy didn’t cause the tornado that picks up her house in The Wizard of Oz. But that event does have consequences for her and her story. That tornado brings her to a new land with new rules that she has to navigate.

One of Pixar’s rules of storytelling goes a little something like this: Coincidences that get your character out of trouble are cheating. Coincidences that get your character into trouble are great.

Hopefully, the beats of your story should be like dominoes falling. Your character causes something or reacts to something happening to them – the choice they then make will affect ABC, which causes a disaster with XYZ, and so on and so on.

A good way to see if your character is being too passive is to check your synopsis for passive voice. Compare: Catherine is visited by a monster at her house vs. Catherine ventures into the monster’s lair.

If a monster came to my house, it would be a great opportunity to see how I would react as a character. BUT it would say a LOT more about me as a character if I was the one seeking out the monster, taking the first steps, moving the story forward.

Problem: Looking at your outline, it’s clear to you now that your main character is too passive.

Solution: Starting from the beginning of your outline, from the first instances of passive voice, try making the sentence active. Maybe in a separate document, plot out what consequences may occur when your character drives the story forward themselves. You may have a whole new outline on your hands! But it’ll be more character-driven.

If you’re a pantser (like me):

Write your whole first draft. Just let it happen. Accept that it’s not perfect yet and that it’s just a foundation for the beautiful house you’re going to build someday. Also accept that you’re probably going to have to tear up your foundation significantly. Rewriting is part of writing.

After taking a break and being proud of yourself and your story, you can now proceed!

Having written your first draft, you should have an idea about who your main character is. You’ve been inside their head for a while now, you know how they respond to the events of your story, or even how they’d respond if they were dropped into a modern-day road-trip or a Harry Potter fanfic. You and your main characters are BFFs. (Side note: when I am first developing a character, I often draw them. Their personality will jump onto the page and that’s how I get to know them!)

You know what kind of people they are—now here is how you can figure out if there’s a stronger way to write their emotional journey.

Who is your character at the start of their journey? What do they want? What do they need? What do they fear?

 What is some personal roadblock your character needs to overcome? What is in the way of their happiness?

 What event could happen/does happen that makes your character have to overcome this roadblock?

 What does it look like when your character finally decides to overcome their obstacle?

 What does the process towards overcoming the obstacle look like?

 What does hopelessness look like for your character?

 Is there a moment where your character turns back to their old ways, chooses an easy way out, or disappoints someone—or themselves?

 What happens that urges your character to re-commit to their struggle to achieve their dream?

 Does your character get what they fought for? Is it what they’d hope it’d be? Is it good that they got what they wanted?

 Who is your character at the end of the story? How have they changed since their journey first started?

 Why does “the camera” of the narrative follow this particular character? Why was this their story?

 Once you’ve answered these questions, you should have some ideas about the strongest ways to demonstrate your character’s growth.

As an example:

In Beauty and the Beast, the Prince needs to change his heart in order to lift his curse. His starting point: selfish, vain, uncaring. His ending point: Selfless, free, loving. What are some ways to get him from point A to point B?

Well, he needs a moment where he realizes he needs to change his ways. Having a curse with a ticking clock forcing him to change is a great start!

Then, we need to see some sort of proof that he is changing. A sort of middle-ground between old selfless Prince and new, loving prince. He gives Belle a library. He saves her life in the woods.

And then, boom, his big character moment: Even though he could keep Belle at the castle and lift his curse, he decides to let her return to her father. This action is a clear demonstration of his selfless love. It’s proof that he’s changed as a character, and it has real consequences for him – because of his choice, he’ll be stuck as a beast forever.

So, to recap:

Problem: You wrote a book but aren’t sure if your characters are active enough.

Solution: Get to know your characters, answer questions like those above to figure out the vague shape of the journey they go on, and then consider the best ways to bring out your character’s development.

After you’ve done this, it also may be helpful for you to plan out (gasp) the synopsis/outline/chapter summaries of your new draft. Follow the steps I suggested above for plotters—make sure you’re using active, character-first language to make certain that your characters are the ones pushing the story forward.

Good luck with your revisions! You got this. Let your characters take you on a ride. And have fun!!

Who are you?

I’m Catherine, 22 years old, madly in love with languages (Spanish and French) and music and art. Visit me on Twitter @catbakewell

What genre do you write?

I mainly write YA, fantasy and historical fantasy.

What is your book about?

In favor of staying with her father in her comfy little town, Clara never trained her magic, which now runs wild. Her anger breaks glass, her joy turns her hair pink, and her fears cause a storm that knocks her father off a ladder. To protect him and herself, Clara decides to finally train her magic under the young wizard, Xavier. As he teaches her how to express her emotions and her magic, she’ll learn that even he has had a dark past of his own involving his magic.

Would I like your book?

If you like flowers, magic, banter, happy endings, cinnamon roll characters, and a sweetness overload.

What’s your writing goal?

I really want to be published some day!

What’s on your bucket list?

Publish a book. Visit every continent. Wear a dress in the style of the 18th or 17th centuries.

What are your top 3 books?

Till We Have Faces, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Cruel Prince

What are your top 3 movies?

Amadeus, Le Roi Danse, Coco

What are your favorite things?

My dogs, Belle and Mr. Bingley, top the list, though Chai lattes, macarons, and chocolate religieuse is up there.

Belle:

Mr. Bingley:

Do you have any writing advice?

Above all, WRITE CHAPTER SUMMARIES.

Write 3-5 sentences to sum up each chapter in your book. It will help you see if your book is well-paced. If you find the need to write 25 sentences to describe your chapter, that’s an indicator that it’s a little complicated or crowded. Also, your 3-5 sentences should be very character-focused. “Dorothy decides to kill the witch” is stronger than “A tornado picks up Dorothy’s house.”

I’d love to hear from you and know more about YOUR book! Drop me a message over on Twitter!

From 2014 to 2016, I queried a novel for the first time.

I was a freshman in college. I extensively researched agents. I got a couple of requests. I changed my manuscript drastically. I queried again. I got some great leads. I got a lot of dead ends.

I started playing a game with my best friend; we guessed in a Final Four-style bracket who would reject me next. I got used to the epic silence of querying, and the fact that, after waiting six weeks and looking to my inbox like it was the bottom of the Christmas tree, “no answer” would have to be a sufficient answer for me.

My book was good. I still think so. I still have dreams about that story and I still get excited about how I could make it even better now.

Fortunately, I didn’t stop my writing career while I was querying. I wrote four more books while I waited. I became more integrated into the writing community on Twitter, and for the first time, I found writing friends.

I have seen a lot of people grow tired. Grow jaded with writing in general, and especially with the industry. That’s fine. Some people follow this path only to learn traditional publishing isn’t for them. Querying is such a good time for reflection. You’re suffering in the weirdest, easiest, most quiet way possible, and it’s a perfect moment to consider—or reconsider—why you want to write, why you want to share this story, and why your anxious stomach aches are worth it all.

There isn’t a simple fix on how to query fearlessly. Fear is part of the game. Losing hope is natural—if you hear no (or no response) at every turn, of course you’re going to feel like this whole writing thing isn’t for you.

Here are some things that helped me.

1.       Make writing friends

Through #CPMatch and through Pitch Wars, I was able to meet people who critiqued my MS, shared their wisdom with me, encouraged me, and taught me so much. I read incredible manuscripts and learned how to write stronger. There were techniques I’d never tried before. Plot holes and weaknesses in my stories that I hadn’t really seen before. Above all, the empathy from my writing people is the best part. Querying, writing, revising; it’s all a battle, and to have someone check in on you, talk about their own struggles, and identify with the rough parts of the writing journey? It makes you feel like you aren’t alone and you aren’t stupid for attempting to share your story with the world.

2.       Keep writing

Many writers find themselves tempted to go back and touch up their manuscript even while it’s sitting in an agent’s inbox. RESIST! This will end up being a hassle in the long run and you may never find yourself satisfied with the condition of your book. At some point, you have to take your hands away from your manuscript FOREVER, when it goes off to be printed… practice that self-control now!

Instead, edit an old story or start a new one! Becoming invested in new stories and new characters is a great distraction and reminds you why you thought writing was so great in the first place. It’s also great in case you want to try querying a different project someday—or if you land an agent, you might get to show off that new manuscript in your back pocket!

3.       Reflect, don’t wallow

Taking time away from writing can also be a good thing. You should give yourself the chance to pause and think about why you want to query, why you love writing, why this story should be shared.

There is a dangerous and false assumption that being critical of yourself is the same as being humble. This isn’t the case. If you get a scathing rejection—which I’ve found to be rare, from my experience and others’—mourn, but don’t let those words define you. The writer you are today is not the writer you’ll be forever. One person’s critique of you doesn’t put you or the quality of your writing into a box. Even if one agent or critique partner—or two or three—points out a flaw you’re hyperaware of, turn that negative thought “I suck at this” into the more positive “I can get better at this.” Ask for help. Do writing exercises. Write fanfiction. The best way to grow in your writing is to exercise your writing muscle, and in my opinion, the best way to do this is to have fun while you do it.

You’re allowed to be sad or scared while you’re querying. You’re even allowed to feel hopeless. But the attitude you choose is also going to color how the next weeks and months of waiting will be. Don’t let your moment of sitting in your sadness turn into you rolling around in a puddle of tears.

4.       Distract yourself

If you don’t want to distract yourself with writing, but still want to feel productive, read more books in your genre and/or age category. Consult with your Critique Partners or #amwriting; you may find a new and even better comp title for the novel you’re querying or your work in progress. Reading can also help you identify how other authors have addressed similar problems you find in your own writing (how to write strong dialogue, how to weave complicated plots together, how to juggle multiple POVs, et cetera).

Lastly, here are some things I learned while querying:

1.       Query thoughtfully

As the process dragged on, I started to feel like my queries didn’t really matter, and I might as well send as many as I wanted on the off chance I got an agent’s attention. The thrill of clicking send and marking a new name on my query chart made me feel productive, even if I knew deep down that the agent wouldn’t be interested in my book.

If you find yourself sending a query to someone who didn’t say they didn’t want your genre… maybe reconsider.

The person you query is going to be your partner in your art. Make sure, even if they’re the eightieth person you query, that you know something about them, that you like them, and that you feel like they could actually be a good fit for your project.

2.       Personalize your queries

This step is a given for most people, but it bears repeating and also connects to my previous point. Research your agents. Use MSWL (Manuscript Wish List). Check their Twitter. See what they like to read. Find blog posts or interviews. Find some sort of touchstone between your book and their interests and mention this in a line or two in your query. It shows that you’re not just spamming agents with queries and that you are invested in your project and willing to put in the work.

3.       Make a chart

I made a document listing every agent I queried, their agency, and their email. I color-coded it according to what materials they requested or if they rejected. I also included the date I sent the query or the requested material, as well as an “expiration date”, the date when I would consider the query to be a “no reply means no.” Many agencies will list this expiration date on their website (it’s usually about six weeks), and QueryTracker is another place where you can see how long it takes for an agent to get back to you, typically.

4.       Go slow and be willing to change your query or materials

When you first start out, send five to seven queries. Then wait. If you get no response at all, consider tweaking your query or looking back at the first ten pages you’ve sent. This is where your critique partners and other outside voices will help. Two agents told me they felt my story opened in the wrong place, and I paused, made my story stronger, and then sent more queries, to better results. Some other people suggested I change my age category. This also helped me get more positive feedback.

5.       Make sure your story is “as advertised”

This is the biggest problem I see in queries I read over. If your selling point in your query is that your story heavily features robot unicorns and your first chapter takes place in ancient Babylon, I’m going to be a little confused and disappointed on the lack of robot unicorns. Your opening may be too slow, or your query may be making promises that are a little misleading in the grand scheme of your novel. Remember that an agent may only see the first five to ten pages of your book. You don’t necessarily need to name-drop the robot unicorns in chapter one, but give us enough of a teaser to make us believe that there will in fact be robot unicorns in your story.

If you’re querying now or if you’re thinking about it, I urge you to continue in your brave but worthwhile journey. I don’t regret the years I tried to get my book published. I’m not embarrassed with my attempts. Instead, I can already see how much I’ve grown, as a person, as a writer, as a critique partner. I’m going to query again someday soon. Maybe I’m met with dead ends like before. Maybe things will be different. Win or lose, I know that I will leave the battle proud of myself and ready to try again stronger.

We can discuss specifics like price at my email [email protected] or DM me on Twitter at @catbakewell. I do have the right to turn down a commission, but that probably will only be for animal portraits or anything NSFW. I “””specialize””” in drawing people but I can make exceptions <3

Full body, colored: $10 + $5 for a simple background

Color portrait (head/bust): $8

Black and white bust: $5 + $2 for simple colored detail/halo

Full body sketch: $5 + $2 for inking +$3 per extra character

Hi everyone!

After a very brief time teaching, it’s time for Fall Break, AKA All Saints’ Day break. We get two weeks off school, during which time I journeyed to Vienna, Austria for about a week.

I once had a French teacher who suggested I travel in Europe alone. I said no way, I’m a girl, we can’t do that. My time alone in Vienna definitely taught me a lot about myself, about bravery, and about being a woman.

I was limited to some extent. I didn’t travel at night. I never walked with headphones in. If a person passed by me in an alley, I mentally prepared an escape route or looked for someone to help.

Being in a country where I don’t speak the language was a challenge, too. I ordered peach tea by calling it “Nein Lemon.”

A friend of mine told me how brave I was for traveling alone. It didn’t feel brave; not really. If I wanted to see Vienna, if I wanted an adventure, I couldn’t let fear stand in my way. So I went.

I chose this city because my mom had always described it as one of her favorite places in the world. I wanted to feel like I was in Amadeus, walking the streets and being surrounded by art and history. It truly felt like that.

My first night was spent wandering the natural history museum. It was mostly empty, filled with cool, old taxidermized specimens, and the museum itself was an old, baroque-rococo style building. It was a wonderful, mysterious, moody start to my awesome trip.

I explored castles with my friend from university. I went to Mozart’s house and saw a woman cry as she read about Mozart writing his requiem (he said that he was becoming more and more familiar with death in his final days and was now considering death to be a comfort to him). I listened to glorious music. I ate Kaiserschmarrn and fell in love. I also ran into Tilda Swinton, which was more surreal than anything.

I had a wonderful time, in short. Being able to make my own itinerary was an awesome feeling. I could go back to my hostel and take naps if I needed to. I could linger in a museum or breeze through it if I felt like it.

Please feel free to ask any questions about my trip if you have any! I’m back in Orléans now, in a café writing with a friend. I have a few more days left of vacation and then I go back to teaching. Secretly I’m excited for it—I’ll be so glad to see my students again!

Below I’ve included some photos from my trip.

Also, for those curious, this is how I rate Austrian desserts from most amazing to pretty swell: 

1. Mozarttorte

2. Kaiserschmarrn

3. Sachertorte

4. Apfelstrudel

5. Esterhazy cake

Xoxo

Cat

Dear friends,

Words, writing communication--they’re all such integral parts of me. From stories, to poetry, to communicatively resolving conflict, I thrive on being able to express myself.

I still want to.

Yet the words seem all dried up.

This isn’t the Depression I’ve felt before, where I don’t want to do anything, not even the stuff that makes me me. Now, I want to write so desperately. I can feel the longing, the anxiety, because I know I don’t have this important part of me right now. But I also know forcing it isn’t going to make me feel better.

So I’m not really sure how to proceed beside to coast through and wait. I will keep blogging, I’m sure. It’s just that for about a month, my words have all gone. It doesn’t feel like Writer’s Block. There doesn’t seem to be one mental or life block in my way keeping me from proceeding as a writer. It feels like laryngitis. The words are gone now, and I want to use them, but they’ll come back later.

So I’ll let some of my pictures speak for me instead. I went to the Chateau de Maintenon, which quickly became one of my favorite places in the world. I went to a farm. I went to a concert. I ate yummy food. I made new friends. Life has been busy but full.

Also, the computer ate my first draft of this, so I hope this survives.

 As I walked back from the post office today, feeling like an adult for having successfully accomplished a mundane task, I reflected on what I should recount in this next installation of my France Blog.

In a word: beauty.

As I write this, a church bell clangs four times. Phoenix is playing softly as I am sitting in a café that is really and truly called French Coffee Shop. Down the road and to the right is an old building with a sign reading “Sainte Catherine.” All along the gray-and sometimes stone-pavement are little round, metal markers. They indicate the path Joan of Arc took as she rode through this city. If you follow them, you’ll come across a giant, towering cathedral from the 17th and 18th century. Flags line the avenue, indicating the local festival celebrating the area. And if you swing a right, you can grab a pulled pork sandwich at Subway (Joan of Arc’s favorite sandwich shop perhaps?).

 Welcome to Orléans.

I’m moving to France and would love to earn a little extra cash. Moreover, I’m a huge nerd about inspiring my fellow writer buddies. So PLEASE! If you want me to draw your characters for you, I would be so happy to do so!

I use traditional media (pen and paper, with markers and colored pencils and ink, too) and will photograph your commission and send it to you. I promise you won’t be able to see the shadow of my phone (unlike some of these, cough cough) and if I’m able to access a scanner, I will try to make that happen instead (I’m moving abroad, so I’m at the mercy of whatever is near me).

Please note that my style is very sketchy and freeform, and although I am okay with stray lines and such, you may not be. Worry not! I will clean up the drawing until you are satisfied.

Below are some examples of my style and price estimates. We can discuss specifics like price at my email [email protected]. I do have the right to turn down a commission, but that probably will only be for animal portraits or anything NSFW. I “””specialize””” in drawing people but I can make exceptions <3

Full body, colored: $6 + $3 additional characters or simple background

Color portrait (head/bust): $5 + $2 for additional character or background

Sketch with simple color: $4

Pencil portrait: $2, + $1 for additional character, + $1 for inking. 

Coloring page/line art: $3, plus $1 for every additional character

It’s a concept that’s repeated pretty often in the writing community: write active characters.

Alright, so does that mean I have to get my characters in their workout gear? 

Forgive me, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for some funny mental imagery. Behold my “I didn’t have Photoshop handy so I slapped on a sweatband png” creation.

So, what is an active character?

In my view, an active character is a character who is constantly seeking something, fighting for something, or fighting against something. That “something” might change over the course of the story, but those verbs, those progressive verbs, are what you should focus on.

Notice that the action is ongoing. He or she is, throughout your story, working for something. They are not only “wanting,” but acting. It’s not just Moana saying she wants to know how far she’ll go, it’s her getting on a boat and setting sail—even if she doesn’t succeed at first.

Do I have an active protagonist?

When you write your query or even a pitch or a blurb, it’s easiest to start with the simplified formula of Character wants MOTIVATION, and in order to achieve MOTIVATION, they must DO SOMETHING or else STAKES.

Not every story fits neatly into this formula, but try it out with your main character. So while it’s all fine and good that your character starts off active in your blurb… but is he or she active throughout the whole book? Are they still fighting or seeking or chasing something on their journey? Even if they reach one of their goals—or even when their goals change—do they get a new one? Are they fighting all the way until their ending, happy or not?

A good way to check on this is to write chapter summaries—I go for one to three sentences per chapter. Chapter summaries are useful in many ways: they are a good way of checking on the pacing of your story, cutting out useless scenes, and, in this case, making sure that your character has agency in their own story.

As you make chapter summaries, keep an eye on if your sentences look like:

Character does this.

OR

This happens to character.

With the latter, notice that the character doesn’t cause the action, but is affected by the story instead. This isn’t always a bad thing, of course.

 Can my character ever be inactive?

Yes, but for a reason.

Being a victim of one’s circumstances in a story can lead to some great reactionary moments. They can be a launching point. After X happens to Character, they choose to do this.

Oh wait. Do you see the second part of that sentence?

The character makes a choice.

I see a verb in there!

Even if you have your character subject to something out of their control, they should become active as a result of what’s happened to them.

“Inactive” moments can be great moments for reflection. Perhaps your character is no longer fighting or seeking what they once were because something got in their way. This could be the “Is all hope lost?” or “the dark night of the soul” moment of your story.

After pages and pages of action and conflict, it’s absolutely possible that your characters need to breathe, catch their bearings, or make a new plan of attack. Hopefully, though, their time being inactive—usually, being at a disadvantage of some sort—is going to push them into being more active.

 It probably isn’t the first time you’ve heard this: if you are a writer, you will have to wait. To hear back from CPs. From an editor. From agents. Sometimes you wait and there is never a reply back. And now, as I report to you live from August 11, you are probably like me, waiting for the results of #PitchWars.

Here is why waiting can be so excruciating, at least for me: it is a period of unknown. Of quiet. We feel secure when we know what someone is thinking or what someone plans to do. And for the PW authors, their book babies are now on someone else’s computers. We are waiting for feedback, for honesty, for hope, and I think, for a lot of us, validation.

Let’s unpack those feelings real quick.

Take a second to evaluate why you started this path to publication. Even if you are in your first steps, even if PW is your first foray into this publishing world, consider for a moment why you are choosing to put yourself out there, to put your story into the world.

A lot of times—and this is the case for me, sometimes—these contests, and the very idea of acquiring an agent, gives us as writers a feeling of validation. “If I get/do/achieve X, I will finally be enough.” I will be a “real author.” A “real writer.” My work will have paid off.

The danger of this thinking is twofold: for one, you are hinging your happiness/contentment on something that is largely out of your control—in this case, being chosen for a contest. Secondly, you assume that you will finally be contented when—if—you get/do/achieve whatever you are longing for.

I argue that before you proceed in Publishing Land, you need to reconcile these feelings.

It’s absolutely alright to want to be wanted. To feel accepted. To want to feel that your work is legitimized. That’s what everybody wants! But, as I said before, with so much of this business being out of your control, it becomes dangerous for you to put so much weight on the opinions of others. It can lead to self-doubt very quickly, and sometimes can lead you to lash out at people who are just doing their jobs.

Take some time to talk to yourself. Journal, perhaps. I like to write a letter to a “friend” to help me word-vomit my thoughts and figure out how I’m feeling. Here are some prompts to help you approach the waiting period with a healthy mindset:

1.    Why am I on this journey?

2.    What do I love about this project?

3.    Why do I want what I want for this project?

4.    If I try one method/contest/agent, what will I do if that doesn’t work?

5.    What makes the waiting and the stress worth it?

6.    Is it healthy for me to be spending so much time, emotion, and mental energy on this project right now?

7.    Am I giving myself an unrealistic or unnecessary deadline in my publication journey?

8.    Am I being kind/forgiving to myself? To others?

9.    Am I accepting criticism?

Lastly, here are some of my thoughts on the practical front.

WAYS TO PASS THE TIME

Here is a great post I found on some “Pitch Wars homework” for while you wait. Even if you aren’t selected for PW, these are some great preliminary steps to help you should you choose to pursue querying your project. http://mkengland.com/pitch-wars-homework-assignments/ 

Offer to be a CP! I have had friends read my MS and give me feedback, and reading their stories and getting to geek out about them has helped me focus on something else.

Color. Go for a walk. Start a new project! Try a new writing method! The Snowflake Method is pretty cool, as are beat sheets. I’m a pantser, but sometimes trying out these plotting tools can be a good mental/writing exercise.

Find a friend to vent to (in moderation). And don’t forget to listen! If you are lucky enough to have found a writing buddy, remember that you are struggling here together. Find out if you can do anything to encourage or support your friend!

Also, drink lots of water and try to stretch. Relax your shoulders. You’re probably hunching over the computer like I am right now. Pretend there’s a string on the top of your head and straighten your back, kid!!!

My survival guide is veering into Big Sister territory, so I will close this by saying that waiting is still hard, and it still gets me down sometimes. But I also think it’s worth it. I queried a project for two years and still don’t really know where to turn. But with this new project (my PW submission), I’m willing to go through the pain and the maddening unknown all over again.

My reason?

Hi everyone! I’m Catherine. 

I love dogs (cutie in my photo is named Winston), speaking Spanish and French, writing and editing, and listening to opera (if you know Armide, I am digitally blowing you a kiss now). 

I write historical fiction and historical fantasy. My project this year is on my desktop as “Wizard Story”, but will hopefully have a sexier title by August 2 :) My novel aesthetics is below:

As you can see, it features tea, magic in the form of Victorian flower language, a slow-burn romance, and a strong woman in a field dominated by wizards. 

I want to strengthen this MS and make some great writer friends along the way. Please DM me on twitter at @catbakewell if you’d like to introduce yourself or would like some encouragement on your story!

More Info...

AS A MENTEE, I promise you, future mentor, that I desperately want any and all criticism. Though of course I love the sandwich method of critique-compliment-critique, what’s most important to me is that my story is stronger. Please help me get there with pointing out problems in my writing, in my logic, in characters, or what have you! I know you want to help me do my best, and I want to work with you to that end.

Hi everyone, I’m going to try to write a little blurb every day based on a prompt from http://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/

Below is my first blurb!

1. Outside the Window: What’s the weather outside your window doing right now? If that’s not inspiring, what’s the weather like somewhere you wish you could be?

The night is meant to be quiet, but right now is echoing with kids needlessly shouting at one another. Something about night time encourages you to act and be loud. Maybe it's alcohol. Maybe it's the anonymity of darkness, like kids running around on Halloween night. Whatever it is, I hear the rise and fall of conversations, boys shouting at friends across the parking lot, and sometimes the screeching of tires--in this moment, a girl's screech. Screams at night used to frighten me, but I now know it to be the sound of flirting college students.

Earlier today, the air smelled of kerosene and burned as I breathed it in. A haze hovered just over the rooftops, so faint that I wondered if my contacts were dirty. I wondered briefly if I had olfactory schizophrenia too--but no, fire from the mountains had brought us smoke down below. If I squinted, was that pollen or ash I saw floating in the air?

Two nights before was the Supermoon, large and big and golden like I imagined a Harvest moon to be. I took a picture of it on my cell phone.

The next night, the moon was just as big, but red as blood, like I read about in ghost stories. I didn't think it could really do that. It worried me. I stared it down and then went inside, wondering if I'd bore witness to a sign for the End.

I am, in a word, dramatic.

The heater in the walls throbs like a heartbeat, and wrapped up in bed, I sometimes feel like I'm in a great womb. Is that college, getting ready to birth us into the capital r capital w Real World? Kind of an awkward metaphor.