Yep, Seven on Sunday… Or maybe just a more organized method of posting all my random thoughts for this last week. 🙂

1) I’m on vacation!!! Well, really, I’m visiting my parents in Phoenix, but it’s in the eighties, sunny and my parents are eager to cook and clean and entertain my daughter. So, yes, it’s just like a vacation. My original goals for this trip were: revising, writing, and reading. I’ve done a fair amount of revising, some great reading and zero writing. Poor WIP. Still, who wants to be cooped up inside with a laptop when this awaits outdoors:

2) While flying from Seattle to Phoenix, I sat next to a wriggly and very cute three-year-old (okay, I’ll claim her) and, awesomely enough, an aspiring screenwriter. When I pulled out the paper copy of my MAX manuscript to start a (hopefully) final edit, he asked if I was an editor. Um, no. Not officially, but I am editing my own book for the billionth time, and better yet, I totally do it for free! That’s when he began to tell me about trying to break into screenwriting, and it turns out we had lots in common. Let it be known: I usually like to be left alone during flights, but it was cool to talk to a “real” (read: not online) person who shared similar goals and motivation.

3) I mentioned editing MAX above. I just finished a fairly extensive revision of it, where I converted the whole 74,000 word manuscript from present tense to past tense, and expanded on many of the supporting characters. Why would you do that? you might be wondering. Well, a lovely agent who I greatly respect recently read MAX and suggested that the supporting characters weren’t as well-developed as the main characters, and that (in her opinion) the book would flow better and be more “reflective” in past tense. While she passed on the manuscript, she invited me to revise it with her feedback in mind and resubmit it to her. So yeah, that’s what I’m doing. It’s hard, but you know what? It’s coming along, I appreciate her feedback more than I can express, and I look forward to sending it back to her! 

4) On a similar note, a week or two after receiving the revise and resubmit email I mentioned above, I got an email from another absolutely awesome agent who had read the first three chapters of MAX. She liked the voice of MAX and, surprisingly enough, thought it flowed really well. She requested that I send her the rest of the manuscript. Honestly, I have to say, I kind of agree with her. I love MAX in present tense (though I certainly like it a lot in past tense too, especially now that that’s done!) and I think voice and flow are two of my strong points as a writer. I can’t wait to hear back from her on what she thinks of the rest of the story. Anyway, my point here is: Writing (and reading) are so subjective. What works for one person sometimes doesn’t work for another. More often than not, you have to trust your gut.

5) Just wanted to link to this awesome post by the lovely Hannah Moskowitz who, I’ve decided, is wise beyond her years. Read it. You’ll feel better.

6) I’ve read two really great books recently (well, three actually, but I already raved about Mindi Scott‘s Freefall here). The first, Dirty Little Secrets by CJ Omololu, and the second, The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney. Both are excellent, and both are must reads for anyone who enjoys contemporary young adult fiction.

7) Daylight Savings: Ugh. Hate it! SO unnecessary! I am such a summer person. Such a lover of warm weather and sunshine and a golden tan. I so hate when it gets dark at four-thirty in the afternoon. I hate the cold, rainy Pacific Northwest winters. I hate soggy grass and umbrellas and rain boots. I hate… okay, let’s just say that I’m already looking forward to April. 🙂

Another vacation pic... me and my Cutie Pie at the Phoenix Zoo (which was fabulous, in case you're wondering!). 🙂