self-doubt

Two posts in one day! I know, right?

Anyway, I'm writing this post for one of my writer friends who's going through a tough time. She's not sure she can produce the kind of writing that her agent wants. What a tough situation. You sign with an agent and there's this high, on top of the world, nothing can ever hurt me feeling. To find out your agent won't automatically love everything you write can be crushing.

And I so, so get this. (Ha, don't get freaked out if you're reading this, Sarah! I know you love SLIDE and Vee.) The reason I decided to write this is because I think so many writers go through periods of self-doubt--really, ALL writers, whether they're repped or not or have a deal or don't. We look around and think everyone else has it so EASY and is so NATURALLY TALENTED.

But it's not true.

I've told the story of the monster edit letter Sarah sent me when we started working together. But I don't think I conveyed how deeply it made me question myself as a writer. It was clear she wasn't going to send my manuscript out the way it was, and looking back, I DON'T BLAME HER. Because IT WASN'T READY. She even gave me the choice to go back with the agent who originally offered rep if I didn't want to put in the work to get to the next level.

Yeah, it was a big blow to my ego. I went from getting multiple offers of representation to being told that my book needed some insanely hard work. I cried. A lot.

But you know what? If I had walked away from that conversation with Sarah and thought to myself, "That's it. I suck. I'm never going to be published," I would have stagnated. I might have gone back to the other agent, and we might have gone on sub, and my book probably never would have sold.

And I did have "I suck" thoughts. But I also had "I must show promise if Sarah picked my manuscript out of the pile" thoughts. And I had "I must be crazy for even thinking about letting this opportunity go to waste" thoughts. So I emailed Sarah and said, "Let's do this!" And we did. She tore my work to shreds, and I built it back up again, over the course of several months. Best. Decision. Ever.

You know, we experience rejection every day as writers. It might be something little, like your crit partner telling you that she doesn't buy a certain character's actions. It might be a harsh Goodreads review. Or ten. It might be your agent or editor telling you that you need to step it up.

But all of these can be turned into positives. Your crit partner is trying to help you make your book stronger. Less than stellar Goodreads reviews are still reviews. Someone cared enough about your book to read it and comment on it. (Yeah, I know, remind me of this a year from now.) An agent or editor telling you to step it up only wants the best for you and your career. They believe in you, and that's why they signed up to work with you in the first place. Just remember that. They want you to be your best. Isn't that what you want, too?

IMAGINARY GIRLS by Nova Ren Suma

OMG OMG OMG.

So I just finished IMAGINARY GIRLS. Here's what I posted on Goodreads:


I'm filled with writing envy right now! Nova has such a beautifully literary style, and she wove a creepy plot that kept me turning the pages. I got the book in the mail yesterday and was up last night until I finished it. Nova kept me on my toes until the very end.

The story is about Chloe, who moves away from her hometown when she witnesses something terrible when she's fourteen years old, and her older sister, Ruby, who plots to bring her back to the mysterious scene of the crime two years later. The relationship between the two girls is right on and gorgeous and scary as hell. I loved the magical elements and enjoyed trying to fit all the little pieces together to figure out what was going on. The ending left me breathless.

I've fallen head over heels for this deliciously suspenseful and beautifully crafted book.

~~~

LOVE LOVE LOVED it! And guess what? Nova Ren Suma has agreed to do an interview on my blog soon, and I'll be giving away a copy of this ah-maaaaaazing book! Keep your eyes peeled!

writing inspiration

Right around 2:30 is when it gets AWESOME!

Sigh. I wish all videos told such good stories.

And the winners (of POSSESSION) are...

Ashley Mckinsey and Renee Collins!!!! CONGRATS!

blogger probs

I've just been notified that people are having trouble commenting. If you're having that problem but still want to enter the POSSESSION contest, please make sure you're a follower and either send me your email address at jillehathaway at gmail or you can message me on Twitter with the info. The contest will still close at midnight tonight.

Hope this issue resolves itself soon. Many problems with Blogger lately! Has anyone else been having trouble with their blog?

how to write a sequel

1. At  7 p.m. tell husband you're going to your room/office/whatever to work. Lug your laptop, a bottle of water, and some double chocolate Milanos upstairs with you.

2. Struggle with pregnancy pillow to get into a comfy writing position.

3. Start document. Title it: "[Book 1's Name] 2."

4. Scroll down to the next page. Write "Chapter One."

5. Make a bulleted list of the things you want to happen in Chapter One.

6. Minimize document. Check Twitter. Eat cookie.

7. Check email. Megan emailed you! Yay! Email back and forth with her for the next fifteen minutes and come up with the perfect swag for book launch.

8. Husband comes in with baby for goodnight kiss. Quickly maximize word document and pretend to be working hard. Kiss baby. Kiss husband.

9. After they leave, stare at the screen some more. Write an actual sentence. Wheee! You're on a roll.

10. All this work has tired you out. Figure you'll get more done once summer starts. Close document. Check email again. Ha, that crazy Megan!

In actuality, I HAVE started SLIDE 2. I wrote the first chapter and am VERRRRY excited about it! But I'm definitely going to have to make writing my #1 priority once school lets out (this week... YAY!) in order to reach my goals of writing first drafts for S2 and Sekrit Project and revising S2 this summer. Gah. That's going to be a LOT of work. Who needs a burrito?

Megan is MEAN (or my obsession with IMAGINARY GIRLS)

Megan: omg IMAGINARY GIRLS

Jill: Really? Is it out now, or did you read an arc?

Megan: Halfway through the arc. Can't even explain it cuz I can't figure it out, at the moment....but only meant to read a chapter or 2 before writing. Didn't do any writing.....but it's all kind of OMG unsettling and eerie and AHH I don't know what is happening.

Jill: Just downloaded a sample. Am I going to regret not being able to read it all right now?

Megan: Highly possible. Let me know what you think.

Jill: On the first page and really liking her writing style.

Jill: On page 57 and loving it so far! Ashamed I can relate to Ruby. Sometimes I send my husband to Cheesecake Factory to get me low carb cheesecake.

Megan: Hahahaha!

Jill: I hate you.

Megan: LOL -- what, that I am taunting you with an ARC of Imaginary Girls? Or that you send your husband across state lines for cheesecake? :)

Jill: I finished chapter five and am NOW DYING.

Megan: YAY!!! Wait, what happens in Chapter 5. OMG, I have no words to describe this book....

Jill: *spoiler*

Jill: Uh oh. Did you read that far?

Megan: YES BUT I HAVE SO MUCH TO TELL YOU!! Get the book, dammit?


Haha. So you wanna read the first five chapters of Nova Ren Suma's IMAGINARY GIRLS? Go here and click on the picture of the book. But it's not out until June, so don't get obsessed like me! Megan's so mean.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT and POSSESSION givewaway!!!

Okay, dudes. It's time for my very first vlog post. I realize the picture is kinda grainy, and I clearly have a lot to learn about video editing, but it's a start!

Also, if you don't want to sit through the whole video and just want to enter the contest to win an arc of Elana Johnson's POSSESSION, go ahead and tally your points and leave that and your email address in the comments. You must be a follower to enter. The contest will close on Thursday at midnight.

+1 extra entry for tweeting!
+1 extra entry for linking on Facebook!
+1 extra entry for blogging (or vlogging!) about the contest

ANSWERS to QUESTIONS

A few days ago, I invited my blog readers to ASK ME ANYTHING. And people asked really interesting, challenging questions. And then Blogger promptly exploded, erasing my blog post and all the comments. Some of you came back and reminded me of your questions, so those are the ones I'm going to be addressing today. But if you asked a question before and it disappeared, please ask again in the comments. Or if you have another question, post it in the comments and I'll get to it in my next "ANSWERS" post.

Okay, question number one comes from... someone. I don't remember who asked it, but I remember the question! HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH THE DREADED MIDDLE OF A BOOK?

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah. I think every writer struggles with this one. Once I hit about the 50 page mark, I have to dig deep to keep myself motivated. Honestly, the biggest thing that keeps me going is momentum. I have to write my first drafts FAST. For example, I've stalled on Sekrit Project (to get started on SLIDE 2), and I'm not sure when I'll get back into it. I wrote SLIDE in a month or so, and I only had a vague idea of how it was going to end. It was up to me to get to that destination point. So I just kept trying to throw awesome stuff in. I thought, "Awww, wouldn't it be COOL if the girls got into a PICKLE FIGHT in the middle of the cafeteria??" (Ha, that scene got cut, so don't be looking for it.) The downside about this fly by the seat of your pants technique is that you have to go back and revise A LOT to get everything to make sense.  Which brings me to question two...

Kathryn asked what types of edits/revisions go on from signing with an agent to going on sub.

I guess it depends on the shape the manuscript is in when you sign with your agent and whether your agent is very editorial. When I signed with Sarah Davies, I thought SLIDE was ready to go. I had a lot of agents show interest and got multiple offers of representation. But then Sarah told me I had a LOT of work to do. She sent me a 10 page, single-spaced editorial letter that examined each character in detail and their relationships with each other, as well as problems with the plot. She wanted me to add about 20-30k to the story. She warned me that we'd probably get a lot of rejections if we sent the manuscript out as it was.

The best decision I ever made was signing with Sarah. I spent several months revising according to her suggestions, and then we went back for a few more passes before we went on sub. And it was SO WORTH it. SLIDE was received very well at the publishing houses, but I doubt we would have had as much interest if I hadn't gone back and polished it up so much. That's not to say the manuscript was perfect when it went on sub. Donna, my amazing editor, had me go back and do some deep revisions which made the book even better. So yeah. There was A LOT of revising after I signed with my agent and even after I got my deal.

Question three! Ruth wants to know how my writing process has changed since my book sale.

This is a very difficult question. Because I feel like I write LESS now, but the writing I do is more FOCUSED. I took a long break after I finished SLIDE edits because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do next. I didn't have a clear direction for SLIDE 2. So I took an idea my editor liked and started working on that (Sekrit Project). And now I'm putting that on the backburner (since I got a great idea for SLIDE 2) and am turning my attention back to Vee. Writing is a lot harder now because I feel like there are huge expectations, and all I want is to write another book that my editor loves. I know that I'll get there eventually, but in the meantime it's a huge struggle.

Last question! Kate wanted to know about themes I explore in SLIDE.

One of the biggest themes I explore in SLIDE is choice (or a lack of choice). Vee constantly loses consciousness and slides into other people's heads. People leave imprints of themselves on physical objects, and if Vee is touching something with such an imprint, she is susceptible of being sucked into another person's consciousness, where she sees what they see, smells what they smell, feel what they feel. This is not so great because she'll find herself in situations she doesn't want to be in. She has her first kiss when she slides into her middle school teacher, who's making out with a bus driver. She witnesses people doing bad things (um, like committing murder). And, while she's away from her body, she leaves herself vulnerable to whoever might come across it. So I think Vee feels extremely powerless at times, and it's frightening to her to never know when she might slide. It's a terrible thing to feel out of control, and it's something Vee has to come to terms with.

Hope that answers your questions, y'all! I was up late last night reading Elana Johnson's POSSESSION (soooooo good!), so I hope there aren't too many typos in this post. (By the way, I'm going to host a POSSESSION arc giveaway next week, so stop by if you want a chance to win one of my TWO copies!)

i should blog

Naggy Little Voice: You should do a blog post. You have all those topics that people suggested. Just PICK ONE and BLOG ABOUT IT.

Me: Wahhhhh. But I'm soooo tired.

Naggy Little Voice: You're such a wimp. If you're not going to do a full-out blog post, then at least post a little list of things that are going on with you.

Me: What? Like the munchkin's cold/ear infection that's been keeping us up at nights? Or the mountain of end-of-school-year paperwork I'm battling against (and losing)? Or how about the nachos I had for lunch?

Naggy Little Voice: No. NO more posts about burritos or sour candy or anything carb-y.

Me: I hate you. Why won't you let me sleep?

Naggy Little Voice: Because you have to go work on SLIDE #2! And the sekrit project, which you've left dangling at 20,000 words. You can't just abandon those characters all alone in the woods like that!

Me: *sigh* Okay, okay. Can I at least have some caffeine first?

Naggy Little Voice: No. Maybe some caffeine free Diet Pepsi.

Me: HATE.

i heart the apocalypsies!

Somehow my post from yesterday disappeared, along with the questions people asked me (all two of them). If you have any more questions you'd like me to answer, feel free to post them in the comments section of this post.

More frustratingly (um, not a word?), I lost many of the beautiful responses to my "what to write?" post. A lot of them were from the Apocalypsies, who are going through the same thing as me--trying to write their next book and dealing with frustration. I'm so sad I lost those wonderful, supportive comments. :(

Anyway, thanks for all the kind words. I heart you guys.

ask me anything

Yesterday I admitted I have no idea what to blog about anymore. The good news is a no-brainer, but I don't want you to think I don't still struggle. It's just harder for me to post about the difficult times, like I'm not allowed to complain anymore now that I'm going to be published.

But I want to be completely honest with you guys.

Kate gave me some suggestions for writing topics (which I'll cover in some posts very soon), and it made me think how much EASIER blogging would be if I knew what you wanted to read about. So here's your chance. In the comments, ask me anything about the writing process or SLIDE or myself or... ANYTHING.

Of course, I won't answer if you ask me something that makes me feel squirmy (like my daughter's name or approximately how many burritos I consume in a given week), but I'll do my best to lay your curiosities to rest.

So... ready... set... go!

what to write about?

I know I haven't been blogging much lately, so I feel like I should pop in and say SOMETHING, even if it's not profound or beautiful or even particularly useful.

Writing-wise, I'm kind of stuck right now. I have nearly 20k finished on a sekrit project that I started to make myself feel better for not writing anything at all. But I've lost momentum and have let it sit for a while and I'm afraid to go back to it because maybe it actually sucks and I just don't realize it.

I'm also trying to nail down the premise for SLIDE #2, and although I have a million ideas, I'm not sure which one is the RIGHT one. You see, I wrote SLIDE as a standalone (with series potential) so I didn't really have to think about what the overall arc of the series would be. I envy those writers who have 3, 4, 5 book series all in their head, ready to go. It seems wrong somehow, that I should have to MAKE DECISIONS about what will happen to Vee and the gang next. Rather, I feel like the story should be there already, just waiting for me to uncover it. This is completely silly because SLIDE went through so many revisions that my early beta readers are totally confused when I talk to them about the book now. All I need to do right now is lay down the groundwork and then, once I have the rough draft finished, I can make it MAKE SENSE. Then I can make it NOT SUCK. But first I have to write it.

Another thing I wanted to talk about is how I have no idea what to say on this blog anymore. I feel like now I'm supposed to be superprofessional, not let anyone know how I WORRY ABOUT THINGS (just ask Megan) and am kinda clueless and scared about what's going to happen. So I've only been posting about happy things, about loving my cover (which I totally do) and new rights deals and happy sparkly unicorns. Oh, and burritos. You should know, however, that writing has not magically become effortless for me in the past six months. It's HARDER now. Because I'm writing for someone other than myself. And there are expectations that I'm terrified of not living up to.

Last week, I sent my editor an idea. When she responded a few minutes later with the word "LOVE," I jumped around and pumped my fist in the air. That one email was every bit as sweet as getting a full request when I was searching for an agent.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is... I haven't made it. I'll never REALLY make it because I'll always be struggling with a synopsis or a crappy scene or a bad review on Goodreads. All I can do is put my writing time in each day and do the best I can and NEVER EVER GIVE UP.

NEVER.

(Even though the synopses are trying to kill me.)

working hard or hardly working?

Super Important Writerly Emails:

Jill Hathaway to Megan Miranda (3:06 p.m.)

I wantsssssssssss a burrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiitoooooooooo!

Megan Miranda to Jill Hathaway (3:07 p.m.)

Ha! I am making mac and cheese before ANOTHER FREAKING GYMNASTICS CLASS. Mostly because I want it. Not my kids. Me.

Jill Hathaway to Megan Miranda (3:08 p.m.)

Oooooh, mac and cheese sounds amazing. *thinks* So do grilled cheese sandwiches. Where can I get those to go? *is lazy*

Megan Miranda to Jill Hathaway (3:11 p.m.)

If I knew, I wouldn't be making it at the moment. Seriously. It has occurred to me that today I have consumed: 1 coffee, 1 breakfast bar, 1 diet coke, 7,000 Tostitos. And I want some more damn Tostitos.

Jill Hathaway to Megan Miranda (3:13 p.m.)


Yum, Tostitos. My husband is the devil and recently introduced me to crazy hot wings Ruffles potato chips. I don't know the real name. Do you know the delishuss food of which I speak?

Megan Miranda to Jill Hathaway (3:15 p.m.)


No. You lost me at "hot." I have severely pathetic tastebuds. I'm embarrassed to go out in public with them.

Jill Hathaway to Megan Miranda (3:18 p.m.)


You make me sad.

[Seriously. This conversation goes on for hours. Nothing about our WIPs, nothing about SNIs. Just carb-speak.]

SWEETLY winner

And the SWEETLY arc goes to...

HAYLEY THE SCRIBBLER!!!!

Congratulations! Happy Friday to all!

Pssssst... I hear I may be possessing a copy or two of POSSESSION soon! Squee! So excited!

foreign rights and virtual hugs

So I've been kind of floored by the fact that people want to read SLIDE--not only people in the U.S. (which still is kind of overwhelming)-- but people in other countries, too. And it's SO EXCITING to think about someone picking up my book in another language. Gah. Craziness.

This week has been insane. Proof:

German rights to Jill Hathaway's SLIDE, to Carla Bussman at Fischer Schatzinsel, at auction, by Alex Webb at Rights People on behalf of Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary.

Bulgarian rights to Jill Hathaway's SLIDE, to Velizara Dobreva at Egmont, by Rachel Richardson at Rights People on behalf of Sarah Davies at Greenhouse Literary Agency.

It feels so strange to have people whom I've never met advocating for SLIDE. I want to give Alex and Rachel giant virtual hugs. Here goes: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

And YAY for Germany and Bulgaria!

P.S. Seems the cat's out of the bag on the Spanish/Catalan rights, as well. Whee! Like I said, INSANE week.

SWEETLY giveaway

So I was lucky enough to score an arc of SWEETLY by Jackson Pearce. I'm so excited for this one, not only because the cover is AMAZING (just like her SISTERS RED cover), but the story is supercreepy:

Sweetly is a modernization of Hansel and Gretel and a companion book to SISTERS RED.

Twelve years ago, Gretchen, her twin sister, and her brother went looking for a witch in the forest. They found something. Maybe it was a witch, maybe a monster, they aren’t sure—they were running too fast to tell. Either way, Gretchen’s twin sister was never seen again.

Years later, after being thrown out of their house, Gretchen and Ansel find themselves in Live Oak, South Carolina, a place on the verge of becoming a ghost town. They move in with Sophia Kelly, a young and beautiful chocolatier owner who opens not only her home, but her heart to Gretchen and Ansel.

Yet the witch isn’t gone—it’s here, lurking in the forests of Live Oak, preying on Live Oak girls every year after Sophia Kelly’s infamous chocolate festival. But Gretchen is determined to stop running from witches in the forest, and start fighting back. Alongside Samuel Reynolds, a boy as quick with a gun as he is a sarcastic remark, Gretchen digs deeper into the mystery of not only what the witch is, but how it chooses its victims. Yet the further she investigates, the more she finds herself wondering who the real monster is, and if love can be as deadly as it is beautiful.

~~~

And guess what? This book is just as amazing as it sounds! I finished it in a couple of days and just LOVED it, from Gretchen's rainbow-colored hair to the crazy chocolaterie at the edge of the woods. I've been into scary, mysterious book lately, and this one definitely fits the bill!

So here are the rules. To win SWEETLY,

1. Be a follower.
2. Leave a comment with your email address.
3. You can earn additional points by...
-Tweeting (1 extra point)
-Facebooking (1 extra point)
-Blogging about the contest or putting it in your sidebar(2 extra points)
(Please add up your extra points in your comment.)
4. The contest ends at midnight on Thursday, 5/5/11.
5. I'll post the winner sometime on Friday.