Hi, I’m Emily, and I’m a glutton for writing mentorship programs.
I can’t help it. I love writing, I love talking about writing, I love brainstorming with other people, I love developing my craft, I love writing friends and I looooooove revising.
MY WIP
Working Title: PARCHED
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Length: 75k (ish. I had a lightbulb moment today about a few scenes I’d like to add, so it may change a bit by the time I submit.)
Pitch: MAD MAX x ELYSIUM x X-MEN’s STORM
On Delu, where water is the only currency that matters, sixteen year old Darya is clinging to life by her dirty fingernails in the Parch, the desert that covers most of the planet. So when Kade, an apprentice of the planet’s founder, says he can teach her to control water with her mind, it’s an offer she can’t resist.
To master the power she needs to survive, Darya will have to follow him inside one of the verdant domed cities, home to the wealthiest and most powerful citizens on the planet.
But… all that shimmers isn’t water.
And even in paradise, nothing is quite as it seems, including Kade.
Darya and Kade will both stop at nothing to save the lives they value most, and as they begin to fall for each other, their loyalties and lies become increasingly complicated… and dangerous.
ABOUT ME:
I’m a fast writer and reviser (is that a word?) This WIP took 60 days from idea to a complete first draft. I know from experience that each round of revision makes my stories deeper, more nuanced, and better in every way, but I do my best work when I can bounce ideas off other people. I’m really excited to go deeper with this story, to make it as glittery and sinister and captivating to readers as it is to me.
Some of my favorite books/inspiration:
THIS MORTAL COIL, by Emily Suvada
THE SANDCASTLE EMPIRE, by Kayla Olson
THE BELLES, by Dhonielle Clayton
THIS SAVAGE SONG, by Victoria Schwab
SIX OF CROWS, by Leigh Bardugo
THE ROWAN, (and the entire TALENT series) by Anne McCaffrey
My feedback/mentee style:
I’ve been taking workshop-style classes since I first began writing novels so I’m good at handling critique. I usually take a day to cower in a “Oh no, this is all true and those are totally problems but I don’t know how to fix it and what if I never know how to fix it?!?!?” terror, and then my brain blows up with ideas (usually at 1:30 am) and I get to work.
I entered a different manuscript in the first two rounds of AMM early last year. When I wasn’t selected, I went on to study craft, take more classes, find CPs, and otherwise improve both that manuscript and my writing in general, and to my delight and amazement I was chosen for PitchWars 2017 with a YA SciFi called NO MAN’S LAND. Woot!
Now I’m working on this new WIP and I cannot WAIT to dive into deep revisions. I love revising!!! And I know that sounds strange to some writers. After all, drafting is where the creativity happens, yes? Not for me. To me, drafting is creating a skeleton. A skeleton I’m happy to break into pieces and reassemble, but still just the bones of the story. Which… makes me sound like a serial killer. Um, sorry?
I look at this WIP and I see not only what I’ve already written (which I really like, so yay!), but also the layers still waiting beneath the surface. Layers I haven’t dug deep enough to truly find yet. I’d love to have a mentor to guide me as I do so.
Writing my last book was a learning experience from start to finish. Over two years I found my voice, my style, my strengths and weaknesses. It was arduous and slow and inefficient but it all paid off because writing this book has been a completely different experience already, and I know it can only become a better book from here on.
Point is, I looooooooove revising, and I love it most when I have a trusted confidant or mentor to do it with. I love breaking a manuscript into pieces, massaging it, reshaping and molding it into something bigger and better, but tighter and leaner at the same time. It can be painful and daunting but it’s my favorite part of writing. That might even be why I draft so fast. I just want to get it over with so I can revise.
Other random facts about me: I’m talkative, I love GIFs, I used to teach elementary school, I can read while doing just about anything except driving, I have two young kids who also love reading and writing, and my two cats survived a strong F3 tornado. I also don’t use bookmarks because I can always find my page, I have a wierd ability to remember trivial facts (but not birthdays or names or appointments) and I can usually tell you where on the page any particular line of a book is. I know…. it’s strange.
Oh, and my favorite part of entering writing contests is that, selected or not, I get to know awesome people every time. Win win. 🙂