"Don't let statistics do a number on you." Interested in finding out how much of writing involves waiting? Look no further. I've been trying to shop around a 2100-word short story for a while. No bites so far. Here's my record of numbers: First date submitted: October 2016 Number of submissions: 5 Number of responses: 4 Quickest response time: 7 days Longest response time: 8 months Extra notes: Two personalized rejections, one form rejection. One of the customized rejections went … [Read more...]
New Blog Topics
February 21, 2017 3 Comments
"Now go to it! It's ready to be pick [sic]." So I've been blogging for about five years now, and there came a time (recently) when I got tired of putting out words and not getting feedback (or worse, spam) in return. However, I'm going to continue at it, thanks to the encouragement of friends. I do like expressing myself, and I think there's a strong need for diverse voices at present. However, I'm going to change up the format. I typically post on Mondays and Fridays. I'll be continuing … [Read more...]
Twitter Timesinks
August 22, 2016 4 Comments
"Genius is eternal patience." Confession: I go on Twitter to check and see how my submissions are going. (As in, maybe that editor will tweet something favorable about a new manuscript that landed in their in-box.) In reality, though, I need to resign myself to the waiting game. Publishing tends to be a crawling business. Another way I find my hours spinning by on Twitter? Hashtags: #mswl Manuscript Wish List; what hot topics agents and editors are looking for #querytip Ways to … [Read more...]
Book Parties!
June 13, 2016 Leave a Comment
"You are a true friend." Book celebrations are fun. There's nothing more exciting than launching your first book. (The parallel in parenting is the extravagant party given for your first-born at one year old.) I was super stoked to go to Sarah M. Chen's book launch yesterday. After years of fantastic short stories, she's penned a novella, Cleaning Up Finn. Knowing her, it'll be a gritty but mesmerizing read. Congrats, Sarah! P.S. Writing conferences are like book parties writ large. … [Read more...]
June 1st Relaunch
May 23, 2016 6 Comments
"Good people are good because they've come to wisdom through failure." After the sudden and shocking news of my publisher closing, I've finally regrouped. I ended up compensating all my team members with flat fees and am moving ahead with self-publishing. Dragonfly Dreams will be relaunching June 1st, so please remember to support me then. Here's to moving forward and onward! … [Read more...]
Tracking Rejection
April 18, 2016 12 Comments
"Failure is not defeat until you stop trying." As any working writer knows, pushing your stories out involves rejection. Even J.K. Rowling displayed a rejection letter on Twitter to encourage other artists to persevere. I've been in submission mode recently. For short stories, I used to plug information into a spreadsheet, but now I send stuff out into the ether and wait for a reply. Often, magazines have their own submission system, but some also use Submittable. If you set up an account … [Read more...]
Tax Time
March 21, 2016 4 Comments
"Get into the spirit of the times." It all used to be so simple. I would pop my W-2 figure onto the tax return. (In high school, I even took classes and volunteered my time to help others fill out their IRS paperwork.) Nowadays, I'm trying to juggle all that math. Last year, I needed to make sure I had everything pertinent categorized: Deductions for home office, research, etc. Travel expenses for speaking engagements Inventory of books on hand and sold 1099 form from … [Read more...]
Neverending Revisions
February 29, 2016 8 Comments
"You will obtain your goal if you maintain your course." Remember when I had my New Year goals? Well, I'm a bit behind schedule. The only thing I've gotten done is getting the research books for my next Taiwanese YA novel (not reading them, mind you, just having them sit prettily on the bookshelf). They say half of writing (if not more!) is revising. It's funny how I've gone through my manuscript so many times, gotten other eyes on it, and I still manage to constantly tweak words and … [Read more...]
Future Writing Plans
January 11, 2016 2 Comments
"Life is a series of choices. Today yours are good ones." Since it's the New Year, I'm re-evaluating goals and plans for 2016. Here are my ideas so far: Continue research for a new Taiwanese YA novel Finish revising YA manuscript Get Winston Wong short story published Review and polish a multicultural novella Work on the next books in the Winston Wong mystery series What are your goals and/or writing resolutions? … [Read more...]
New Office, New Look
December 7, 2015 5 Comments
"Don't let statistics do a number on you." For those of you who don't know, I've been writing for years at my kitchen table. Finally, I've upgraded to my own office (slash guest room)! Knowing that I have an Asian-themed decor, my dad gave me this artwork. Gorgeous, huh? The main character in it is: patience. Patience is key to a writer's life. It always takes longer than you anticipate to produce and write something, or to edit and publish a piece. Fun photo: After two books, I finally … [Read more...]
