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Melanie Conklin's Discussions

Seeking YA Novelists

Started this discussion. Last reply by Amrita Raman Feb 19. 7 Replies

Hello Everyone!I'm looking for fellow YA writers to form either a virtual or in-person writer's circle.  I've recently completed my first novel, and am patiently revising and seeking input from every…Continue

Tags: feedback, group, writers, adult, young

 

Melanie Conklin's Page

Latest Activity

Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"Hey ladies! First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who has shared so freely of your thoughts and rambles on our fears as writers. It is a fascinating read, and a topic that binds us all. I've written the summary post for the poll on my…"
51 minutes ago
Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'Do I need to start a blog or a website?' in the group Your First Novel
"I also think it's good to identify exactly what you need to do--do you need to write a blog regularly? or do you just need a website? in which case, a blog can be set up with "pages" and kept minimal to serve as a website.…"
yesterday
Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'Do I need to start a blog or a website?' in the group Your First Novel
"Thanks, Alison :) It's funny that you say that--I'm in the midst of agent talks right now, but not for the book that's previewed on my website! It turns out that book may have been a bit of a "warm-up." I do believe that…"
Wednesday
Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"ack! good CP's are a must--a bad one can really be a drain of energy."
May 29
Geraldine Nesbitt replied to the discussion 'What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"I fear that all the books I have written will not be published (eventually) and that I will not be alive when my kids manage to do so posthumously. "
May 29
Lisa Willinger replied to the discussion 'What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"When I used to write poetry my fear was "Are the topics of my poems poem worthy?"  I had a hard time believing that I had anything valuable to say and often when I sat down to write would sabotage myself by getting drowsy and having a…"
May 28
Katie Checkley replied to the discussion 'What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"Hi Melanie and others, This is such a good question. I just responded on your blog, Melanie, and I said one of my biggest fears is life obstacles getting in the way of my writing. Almost like 'time will run out.' My husband says…"
May 28
Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'How Many Queries did you send?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"Agent Query is just a database of Agent information. There isn't the interactive component like Query tracker. AQ is a searchable database with verified information."
May 28
Hyacinth Kinley replied to the discussion 'What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"Melanie, great post.  My fear is wondering I am really a writer (new to this), who in the world is going to read my work?  Then I share some of my work with another author and she said, "Flower - this is good".  Keep…"
May 27
Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"The poll is going great! Thanks to all of you who have followed this over to my website. I've really enjoyed reading what everyone has shared--so many great stories! SheWrites is a wonderful community. I'll be sure to post back when the…"
May 26
Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'Do I need to start a blog or a website?' in the group Your First Novel
"Hi Alison-- I was right where you are about 6 months ago, and I did start a blog. I also joined twitter and started following lots of people in publishing--writers, editors, agents, etc. I started the blog because I wanted somewhere to write about…"
May 26
Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'How Many Queries did you send?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"Wow! Good for you, Judith :) That's a wonderful story. I think there are many, many more great stories out there than there are agents and publishers willing to publish them. Just because you don't find an agent doesn't necessarily…"
May 26
Theresa Ingrid Stolk liked Melanie Conklin's discussion What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?
May 24
Allyson Whipple liked Melanie Conklin's discussion What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?
May 23
Melanie Conklin replied to the discussion 'How Many Queries did you send?' in the group Novelists (Struggling or Not)
"Wow, 27 books! You're my idol :)"
May 23
Michele Tracy Berger liked Melanie Conklin's discussion What's your Greatest Fear as a Writer?
May 22

Profile Information

Who I am:
I am a designer and mother who has just written her first novel. I'm eager to join a community of writers to work cooperatively and provide guidance and feedback to each other.
Connect with me online! My site, blog, or Twitter handle are:
http://consumerisms.blogspot.com/
Books I've written, anthologies I've contributed to, and any scripts or plays I've authored:
I have just written my first novel, and wrote a blog on product design and development for several years.
My writing is:
Fiction
I found out about She Writes from:
another writer

Melanie Conklin's Blog

A Feedback Form for Beta Readers

Posted on February 12, 2012 at 3:18pm 0 Comments

I've just sent my MS to a dozen eager teenage readers.  I'm crossing my fingers, excited, barfy, and strangely suspended.  It's still hard to believe it's happening at all.

After discussing the impending beta read on shewrites, I decided to create a feedback form for my readers.  They're teens, so I tried to keep it simple.  It's attached here for those of you who need a starting block to collecting your own feedback!  Happy beta reading everyone :)…

Continue

Who's to say my Heroine's not Real?

Posted on February 10, 2012 at 10:58am 0 Comments

Most evenings these days my creative director husband and I have book-related conversations.  Topics like, Why do I feel Like a Loser?  What Should I Do Next? and the like are common.  But last night we took a step away from all of that and just had some fun with it - and now, my heroine Katie Cranford has her very own twitter (@katiecranford) and email!

Is it a jinx to believe that one day gaggles of girls will follow Katie?  Is it egotistical to contemplate what she'd have…

Continue

What to do while you're WAITING?

Posted on February 9, 2012 at 8:07am 0 Comments

Now that I've embarked on the presumably lengthy journey to publication, I'm doing a lot of waiting.  I loan out the MS to a beta reader and then I wait for feedback.  I send the query to my editor cousin and wait for a thumbs up.  I email tentative query notes to a few select agents and wait for the no's to roll in.

I know that the process is going to be long.  But the waiting has go to go.  After pouring myself into my novel for months straight, I can't just sit back and…

Continue

KATIE CRANFORD, FRESHMAN

Posted on February 9, 2012 at 7:30am 0 Comments

Last September I had an idea for a character cross my mind - a girl dealing with all the crap that happens in high school who's also discovering that she's a psychic.  I thought about how freaking difficult high school was to begin with, especially freshman year, and then I thought, it would have really put things into perspective if I'd had bigger problems than just boys.  But then I wondered if that would be true.  Regardless, I felt pretty sure that I knew how I'd start that book if I…

Continue

Comment Wall (5 comments)

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Join She Writes

At 6:17pm on February 18, 2012, Meg Waite Clayton said…

We're delighted to have you in the novelist group! You might introduce yourself by telling us what you’re working on in the “Show Me Your Novel and I’ll Show You Mine” discussion if you're not too uncomfortable talking about what you're working on. We save the wall for discussion, so please refrain from linking to blog posts there, but do add them in the “Links to Helpful Blog Posts for Writers” discussion thread.

And we do a live chat every Wednesday at 1EST; instructions on how to participate are in the "Our Water Cooler Wednesdays" box near the top of the group page.

At 9:44am on February 18, 2012, Meg Waite Clayton said…

>I've been reading your blog quite extensively the past few weeks, and I think the wealth of information you've put on there is incredible. 

Thank you! It's a labor of love, but I think I get as much out of it as anyone does.

>Now I just need to grab a copy of the 4 Ms. Bradwells and get caught up on that other bit of work you do :)

Double thank you! Hope you enjoy it!

At 8:44pm on February 6, 2012, Ann Elise Monte said…

Welcome to She Writes! Have you seen the Writers for Young Adults group yet? If you're looking to connect with other bloggers on the site you might want to look at Bloggers: Let's Make It Work! If you want to improve your YA writing, I'd suggest reading a lot of YA to get a feel for different styles authors have succeeded with. I'm personally a fan of Maggie Stiefvater for her lyrical style and Tahereh Mafi for her unconventional one. I can try to help you from time to time, but I'm not very good at being helpful :)

I hope you enjoy your time here.

At 8:33pm on February 5, 2012, Meg Waite Clayton said…

Melanie, Welcome to SheWrites! If you’re looking for more places to connect here, we’d love to have you join us in the Publishing Industry News group and/or in Novelists (Struggling or Not). You can find all the groups through the Community button at the top of your page.

Hope you enjoy it here!

Meg Waite Clayton
Moderator, Publishing Industry News, and Novelist Group
Bestselling Author of The Four Ms. Bradwells, The Wednesday Sisters (a writing group novel), and The Language of Light (all Random House/Ballantine)

At 11:52am on February 4, 2012, Jill Starishevsky said…

Welcome to SheWrites.  Feel free to reach out if you need anything.

 

Jill Starishevsky

Prosecutor, Child Abuse/Sex Crimes

Author, My Body Belongs to Me - A Child Sexual Abuse Prevention book

The Poem Lady

New York Family Magazine February 2012

 
 
 

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