Casey Lyall On Taking The Time To Revise

I'm lucky (or cunning) enough to have lured yet another successful writer over to my blog for an SAT- Successful Author Talk. SAT authors have conquered the query, slain the synopsis and attained the pinnacle of published. How'd they do it? Let's ask 'em!

Today's guest for the SAT (Successful Author Talk) is Casey Lyall, debut author of the MG novel HOWARD WALLACE, P.I., coming September 6 from Sterling Children's Books. Casey (5’4”, brown hair, blue eyes, no known aliases) is a middle grade writer from Southwestern Ontario. She works at her local library where she runs a number of teen groups and waits for management to discover they’re actually paying her to have fun. When she’s not writing, Casey loves to bake, watch an “unhealthy” amount of movies and television, and of course, read.

Are you a Planner or Pantster?

I’m definitely a planner. The plan is fluid and ends up changing as I go along, but I like to have a frame to work with. It’s like building a house: I like to know how many rooms there’ll be before I start playing with colour swatches.

How long does it typically take you to write a novel, start to finish?

The first one took a few months. The second one…longer. Like,‘trying to murderize me’ longer.

Do you work on one project at a time, or are you a multi tasker?

Generally one project at a time, but I keep notes for other projects as I go along. Sometimes an idea hits me when my brain is busy with the current project and I have to write it down so I don’t lose it.

Did you have to overcome any fears that first time you sat down to write?

Not really because I’ve always loved writing. That part felt natural. The fear came more with the after-writing stuff: querying, revising for an agent, submission, revising for an editor, etc. As the stakes got bigger, my fear of messing things up increased. But so far it’s working out okay!

How many trunked books did you have before you were agented?

One delightful (to me) picture book that maybe I’ll revisit someday. I’ve learned a lot since then so it might be fun to go back and noodle with it.

Have you ever quit on an ms, and how did you know it was time?

I haven’t quit on a book yet. My second book has been an interesting process because I had a whole different plot line originally. I spun my wheels for a while before realizing it wasn’t working. I couldn’t progress beyond the first few chapters. Once I figured out what was wrong, I scrapped a bunch of it, melded the rest with another plot idea I had, and things improved from there.

Who is your agent and how did you get that "Yes!" out of them?  

My agent is the lovely Molly Ker Hawn of the Bent Agency and we found each other through the traditional querying process. I read a few interviews with her and felt like she’d be a great match for me so I sent a query. She requested a full requested a full which was mondo exciting. I ended up with a few offers, but I ultimately signed with Molly because we clicked so well.

How long did you query before landing your agent? 

I did two rounds of querying over a period of about a year. After the first round, I did some serious revision based on feedback from agents and then queried again about six months later. Taking that time to revise made all the difference.

Any advice to aspiring writers out there on conquering query hell?

Build your support group. No one is going to understand what you’re going through like another writer will. And giving support to others is just as important as receiving it. There’s nothing like talking an author friend out of a stress spiral to realize that you’re not alone in this sea of feels. Keep learning, keep improving, keep making friends. That’s what will keep you sane.

How much input do you have on cover art?

My publisher was very open to my input. We talked a lot about the cover and I love what we ended up with.

What's something you learned from the process that surprised you?

Oh, man, just how intricate the whole process of making a book is. Getting to see all the behind the scenes work that goes on has totally blown my mind. It’s such a group effort and it’s made the whole process, if possible, even more fun.

How much of your own marketing do you?  

I’ve received a ton of support from my publisher, but I try to make sure I’m putting in my own effort as well. I blog with a group of awesome authors on Tumblr. We’re called Kick-Butt Kidlit. I love working on a group blog because it takes a lot of the pressure off. Instead of coming up with new content every week, I only have to post once a month. It makes my life easier. I also have a Facebook page and a Twitter account along with a website. I’ve got some really exciting promotional plans for when my book releases so more on that to come!

When do you build your platform? After an agent? Or should you be working before?

I don’t think anyone should ever feel pressure to build a platform. If you’re not comfortable with social media, don’t engage in it. Your energy is going to be put to better use when you channel it into something you enjoy and gives you energy in return.

That being said, I think you can dive in at any time. There are so many different outlets available. Take your time and figure out which medium works best for you. I personally love Twitter. It’s fun and it’s quick. Other people love Instagram and SnapChat. If you’re happy and comfortable with the site you’re using, that will come through in the content you produce.

Do you think social media helps build your readership?

I think it does if you’re using it properly. Tying back to the previous question – if you’re genuine in your posts and having fun getting to know people online; that will be reflected in your readership. People who use social media to blast spam at their followers will never see a result from that. Think of it as an investment. You have to put in quality in order to see any kind of return. I’ve met some great people online. They provide me with support and encouragement, but I’ve also had the chance to learn about them. For me, it’s all about the community. (So find me on Twitter because I like making new friends!)

The Power of Procrastination

There are two things I'm good at.

1) Writing
2) Not Writing

Seriously. I am so awesome at not writing I could write a book about it. Which would be really freaking ironic, wouldn't it?

Today I said I would start the new manuscript, writing at least 1k words, which is my minimum daily word count goal. There were other things I needed to do today too, but since writing is my actual job I needed to consider doing it.

And I would.

After I changed the bedsheets.
Also I needed to write a blog post.
And defrost a whole ham.
And coffee would be good.

I sat down with the coffee and the laptop, the sound of the washer tossing my bedding around in the background. I answered some emails, did some tweeting, realized I didn't brush my teeth yet, and then my dad called.

A tree fell down and he needed another chainsaw handler to get the job done. The tree in question was in my grandpa's yard, and if I didn't go over there, Grandpa (who is 94) would pick up the extra chainsaw himself. Now, honestly, I think that would've worked out just fine (evidence to come), but I'm the kind of person who really enjoys physical labor so I helped chop up a tree in 90+ degrees.

We worked for a few hours, and finally Grandpa decided he was done watching and picked up a 40 pound maul and started splitting wood. Like, really effectively. We're talking single swings. It was impressive.

I was sweaty and smelly and covered in chips and sawdust, but it was time to go home. And who can sit down and write when they smell bad? (Note: I still had not brushed my teeth). So since I was already a mess I decided to do some touch-up painting on the cupboards that we redid in the kitchen, and once I did that I decided since I had the ladder out I might as well spackle the holes in the ceiling from the old lighting.

And since I had the ladder out and it was obvious we were going to have to repaint the ceiling, I might as well take down all the crown molding and wash the ceiling to prep it for painting.

Also I had to go find the paint floor cloths, which someone had peed on (not me, I suspect a cat) and so those had to be washed and hung out on the line with the bedsheets.

So while I was working in the kitchen I spotted that whole ham I set out in the morning to defrost, which I really should consider putting in the oven if we're going to eat tonight. 

And if you're going to make a ham then you might as well (I'm sorry) go whole hog.

So I studded it with cloves and I made a glaze out of apple cider and I put that in the oven.

And then I took a shower, because that was a thing that needed to happen. Also I did finally brush my teeth. So, it's 7PM now. I'm clean. The ham just came out of the oven. The boyfriend is cutting it up and I'm finally writing that blog post I sat down to create at 10 AM.

I did a lot of things today.

I did not start a novel.

I am so good at not writing.

Wednesday WOLF - Jaywalk

I've got a collection of random information in my brain that makes me an awesome Trivial Pursuit partner, but is completely useless when it comes to real world application. Like say, job applications. I thought I'd share some of this random crap with you in the form of another acronym-ific series. I give you - Word Origins from Left Field - that's right, the WOLF Er... ignore the fact that the "from" doesn't fit.

While jaywalking is a fairly laughable crime, it is in fact not legal to cross the street anywhere other than a crosswalk, or to cross against a traffic signal. Americans might have a laugh at it, but I actually did see a jaywalker get clocked when I was in Paris. Don't eff with the French.

Is it really that dangerous to jaywalk? While our speed limits and congested streets keep things pretty safe for footers, it hasn't always been this way. The first instance of the use of jaywalker was from the Chicago Tribune in 1909 (although it didn't make the dictionary until 1917). Back in 1909, people were adjusting to even having cars in the streets, and speed limits were a thing of the future. Horses and buggies kept a pretty calm pace, except when a horse flipped it's lid - and if it did, a sign saying, "Hey, not so fast, Mr. Horse," wasn't going to stop him.

So city streets in the early 1900's were actually pretty dangerous. Motorists pretty much did as they pleased - which made horses and buggy drivers mad - and pedestrians pretty much kept doing what they'd been doing... crossing the street wherever they felt. And while that might fly with Black Beauty, Mr. Model T didn't necessarily have the stop-on-a-dime that we do today - or a speed limit to tell him not to go so fast in the first place.

City dwellers caught on pretty fast - cross on the crosswalk or at your own peril. But newbies to the city and skyline gazers wandered into the road fairly often, earning the ire of those behind the wheel. At the time, rural folk and country dwellers were often called jays, thus anyone inexperienced in crossing a city street and foolish enough to walk in front of cars were... jaywalkers.