Rewriting, Editing, Leaving it new and fresh???

I am still in the first rewrite after independent editor review and corrections/suggestions. It is actually umpteen rewrites, truth be told.

I have read sites that suggest sending your manuscript out after the first write. I know I would scare agents off with my comma fest. It seemed like a dumb idea at the time, but the more I rewrite, the more I feel I should go back to the first draft.

The first draft was full of life and exciting. I have to wonder if I am losing my voice in all these rewrites, or is it just that I am losing my excitement?

Anyone experience anything similar? What are your thoughts on this?

How do you react to Critiques? Do you cringe a little inside your gut? Are you relieved to have someone agree with you?

It has been just south of forever since I have posted here. I won't list my excuses but I now have some thing really exciting going on.

My question for you: (before I tell you my story) is how do you react to critiques? Even if you know it is for the best, is there some little part inside of you that twists and groans as you use that delete key? Before you make a change do you kind of resent it? Is it all okay the next day when you read it back?

Sometime ago, a young editor offered me some advice on MOON TREE BROTHERS. Recently, she contacted me and said she is opening her own Editorial service and would like to offer me a deal. She would do a major edit, then edit after I rewrite and then a final spelling/grammar/correction edit before I begin sending it out again. And, this is all for the price of "FREE." I am so excited. Not unlike half the world, we are very low income and it is wonderful of her to offer to do this. Hopefully, she will not shoot me for telling you that she is editing as

The Blue Pencil Parlor - www.BluePencilParlor.com - Mary@BluePencilParlor.com 

I do not know what her fee schedule is, but I am very impressed with the thoroughness of her critique.

I have received her first edit and am excited about the rewrite. There were things I just knew needed changing. I was not really sure about others, and a few have twisted my gut, even though I think she is right. She has really clarified it for me and I am happily doing a major rewrite.

The second exciting thing is that Manju Howard, in the Indiana Chapter of SCBWI organized a get together of six MG/YA authors. Originally, there were double that number, but the city of Columbus, IN shut down on the day we were to meet, for a run. No cars were allowed to enter or park in the city, so the date of our meet was pushed back. They had a very safe run and the next weekend six of us did get together for a fantastic critiquing session.  I was very proud to be a part of such a wonderful group.

I am working furiously now to 1. stay awake and 2. eat properly and 3. rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.
Medicine I am on, is making me sleepy. I have literally woke up with my head on the keyboard and a series of gggggg's running on my manuscript. I am also learning to eat well on a Vegetarian diet and am very happy with all the hints people are giving me. I also need to thank my husband, who listens every day to the rewrite and gives me his ideas.

And, I want to thank my followers for sticking by my during my long silence. I am back.

I am finally nearing the end of the writing part of my website. What I am dealing with now is social media.

I want to add links to all the standards: Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook,Youtube, and Blogger.

Twitter went off without a hitch, but it is becoming more apparent that I have to have the website up and running to add the rest. Just doesn't seem right to me.

A follow up to Author Bios - using mine

I am not sure that I was clear enough yesterday in the bios. So, today I will use one of my drafts to show you what I did.

#1: Bio for Twitter or Elevator  Pitch. It is a micro bio and in the first person. You start with your name, occupation and accomplishments.

My name is Sheryl A. VanVleck. I graduated from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, IL. I am a portrait artist and sculptor, and member of SCBWI. I live with my husband and two grandsons in Indiana.

I'm not sure this is telling enough really. Where is the I have written and what is it about, so I will have to work on it more.

#2:    Bio for Query letters and Social Media - this is 50 words and first person.

My name is Sheryl A. VanVleck. I am a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and I have completed two years at the University of Illinois - Chicago Circle for pre-law; with honors. I am a portrait artist and sculptor, and member of SCBWI. I live in Indiana with my husband and two grandsons.

#3:  Bio for Bylines and Book Jackets - again 50 words but you change it to third person.

Sheryl A. VanVleck is a graduate of  ...

#4: Short Bio of 100 words that could work for book cover and is in third person.

Sheryl A. VanVleck is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and has completed two years at University of Illinois-Chicago Circle for pre-law; with honors. She was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society for freshmen women and became an Edmund J. James Scholar. Throughout her five years of college, a consistent thread has run through her education as teachers encouraged her to become a writer. She won a Good Housekeeping paid contest and publication; as well as had numerous articles published in art magazines. She is a professional portrait artist and sculptor, and member of SCBWI. She lives in Indiana with her husband and two grandsons.

#5: one page bio in third person: add 'nice to know' and sums you up completely.

I am not typing all of it. I found errors in the ones I had done already, but I have added, a published author recommending my mystery manuscript to her agent, Rendezvous' experience used in my fantasy, and a "Seeds for Seniors" program I have been promoting. 

Hope this helps you get your bios in order. Everything I read, said you need to keep a variety of updated bios on hand.  A writers work is never done.

AUTHOR'S BIOS and WEBSITES and doctors.

Hard to believe it has been so long since I posted. Even the book was put on hiatus January to May and it is all because our doctor disappeared.

Okay, he did not disappear, he simply decided to change his alliances. He left IU for Franciscan and thought he would be done in a matter of, well a lot less time then it took him. During that time we came down with an intestinal flu (two weeks of our life) then a Viral Bronchial infection that took another six weeks of our life, then a Gout attack like I have never experienced before in my life. On top of all that, I had to go to my heart doctor and please prescription renewals for medications I would have been out of.

Next week, we get to see our GP in his new location.

LESSON LEARNED: I can never move again, unless he moves again and then I will become his stalker.

So, even though I started on my new website months ago, I lost January through May to illness. Some of May anyway, some I just lost to stupidity. I would create an outline of the site (as you should), create a page and realize it was all wrong: again, and again, and again.

I am now working on my bio for the website. And I finally looked up a bunch of YA sites and also recommendations for what to include.  A compilation of what I learned is here.

For your author bio, you need several bios:
1 - for Twitter or elevator pitches - a micro bio in first person. Just two sentences approx.
2 - For Query letters and social media - 50 word bio in first person
3 - For Bylines and Book Jackets - 50 word bio in third person
4 - For book cover - 100 word bio in third person
5 - A long bio - 1 page - in third person.

This actually makes it easier to write, when you start with #1 bio's must haves: your name, degrees, how you are earning a living and where, and with who, you live.  (That last only needed for family and pets).

Write #1 in first person, then add a bit of detail that is pertinent ie member of SCBWI, pertinent honors, awards, etc. for #2, which is also in First Person.

Then, change that one to third person and you have #3, the 50 word byline or book jacket bio.

#4 is for the book cover and you get to add 50 more words, in third person. You can add more pertinent, interesting things, a magazine competition, etc.

#5 is the long bio of one full page Make it in third person and you add things that are nice to know and that sum you up completely. You also want to include charities you are involved in and, at the end, where you may be reached.

This really helped me as I usually write way too much. Following this kept me succinct and on track.

Hope it helps you and thanks for following me even when I have been home ill.