Gearing up to get an agent!

So!  I’ve been a bit absent (as well as a bit absent-minded) lately, but here’s hoping that September will be an all-around better month, both for my blogging habits and my sanity.  My stress levels have dropped considerably since getting my revised version of The Lokana Chronicles sent off to its requester, and I’ve even had some time to read a few books.  Talk about relaxing!  It was really nice to read books not intended for children ages 5 and under for a change, though I must admit that the ending to one of them is still pestering me.  If it continues to do so, I may have to write up a separate post.  I may do so regardless. 😉

Anyway, you may or may not have noticed the Gearing Up to Get an Agent Blogfest button that appeared in my sidebar a few days ago.  Someone on Facebook was kind enough to point me in the direction of Ms. Deana Barnhart’s lovely blog and this blogfest in particular and once I’d had a look to see what it was all about, how could I say no?  Even if it’s a longshot at getting an agent, I’m sure to meet lots of lovely new people and have some fun doing so.

So!  The rules!  Of course, all good things must come with rules.  (Wow, can you tell the books I’ve been reading were set in the nineteenth century or what?)  The rules are simple.  Answer the following questions, include a brief bio, visit other blogs over the course of the week.  Simple enough, right?  Right.  And now, the questions…

1. Where do you write?
I write anywhere.  I prefer to write in a recliner, with the footstool out and a notebook in my lap.  Of course, this requires that my children cooperate with me.  Toddlers are not known for cooperating.

2. Quick!  Go to your writing space, sit down, and look to your left.  What is the first thing you see?
The first thing I happen to see is the TV remote.  It’s sitting on our stone and metal-frame end table.  Next to it, of course, lie a box of Kleenex and the remote control caddy, which naturally, is crammed full of other remote controls.

3. Favorite time to write?
Any time my kids are asleep and I’m awake.  Since that never happens, evenings after work are probably my favorite time to write.  Or on weekends.  I would love to have the freedom to just sit down and write whenever the mood moved me, but I’m not that rich.

4. Drink of choice while writing?
Surge.  Since they don’t make that anymore, Dr. Pepper.  If it’s cold outside, I also like tea or hot chocolate or the occasional cappuccino.

5. When writing, do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
It depends.  Sometimes I need silence, but other times the slight distraction that music provides helps the words to flow more quickly and easily.  I’ve found that, more often than not, if I’m writing, I need music, especially if I’m working on a first draft, whereas if I’m editing, I need silence because the harder I’m thinking about something, the more easily I get distracted.

6. What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
The inspiration for my current manuscript was actually an old one.  I stumbled across it somehow some years ago and must have decided that it had some potential.  I don’t remember for sure, but one portion of it spoke to me, so I took that one bit and created an entire novel around it.  The original story, the one I had found, was something I had begun writing with a friend back when we were in high school.  It was complete garbage, but it gave me the inspiration I needed to write something that wasn’t.  Well, it and Disney did, anyway. 🙂

7. What’s your most valuable writing tip?
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.  Nothing in this life comes easily, least of all a career in writing, so if you want it, you’ll have to get your hands dirty.  For a clearer and more concise explanation of what I mean by that, check out these two posts (here and here).

And for my bio, something brief that took a very long time to write up:

Kay has been writing for many years and holds an Associate’s Degree in English.  Her short fiction has been featured in the anthology 416, and she previously worked as a reporter for The Reinbeck Courier.

Kay currently resides in the midst of an Iowa cornfield with her husband and four children, where she can be found penning the blog Suddenly they all died. The end. and procrastinating on Facebook and Twitter.

(c) 2012.  All rights reserved.

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Published by Kay Kauffman

A geek to the core, I reside in the midst of an Iowa cornfield with my husband and four children. When I'm not chasing the kids every which way but loose, you can find me penning fantastical tales of great heroism and twue wuv...and possibly procrastinating online.

27 thoughts on “Gearing up to get an agent!”

  1. michelle4laughs says:
    Reply

    I had to stop by. We are blog hop neighbors as I’m number 85.

    Small world. My father came from Iowa (a tiny place called Smithland) and settled in Indiana. I have aunts, uncles and cousins there.

    Like

    • Kay Lynn says:
      Reply

      Wow, it is a small world! I’m always tickled to meet new people with an Iowa connection because it seems people are always confusing Iowa with Idaho. I had to Google Smithland, though, because it’s nowhere close to where I live, but once I found out where it’s at, it turns out that it’s in my aunt and uncle’s backyard – they live in Sioux City. Now there’s a coincidence for you! 🙂

      Like

  2. Felicia Wetzig says:
    Reply

    Oh Surge, it has been a long time since last we met, although I was more partial to Kick. I guess that’s all irrelevant now.
    It’s nice to learn more about you. I’m sure our paths will cross again. 🙂

    Like

    • Kay Lynn says:
      Reply

      Oh, if only it were the real thing! My drink of choice is the real thing. I’m stuck with the diet version in my quest to drop pounds after having two babies in two years. They – you know, the people responsible for so much of the world’s wisdom – don’t know what they’re talking about. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay there – I returned from my honeymoon with an unreturnable souvenir. I have to say, though, he is pretty darn cute. 🙂

      Like

  5. mezzsays says:
    Reply

    I love that blog subtitle too. 🙂

    Mmmm, now I want something warm and yummy like hot chocolate and maybe a nice soft snowfall outside my window and to just sit down and write… that sounds lovely.

    Like

    • Kay Lynn says:
      Reply

      Writing, allusions to Yoda – what’s not to like? 🙂

      Mmm, hot chocolate…yummy! You know, the scene you painted sounds terribly romantic. I could go for that right now. Even the snow part. Please try not to faint. 🙂

      Like

    • Kay Lynn says:
      Reply

      Time to write? Or time to see what exactly is going on in there? Quiet kids can mean only one of two things: either they’re asleep or they’re doing something very, very bad…in which case, Daddy can deal with it. 😀

      Like

    • Kay Lynn says:
      Reply

      You’re welcome! We have a Carnegie library in my hometown, but it’s been remodeled extensively inside so that it’s lost its original feel. The one I work in, though, has maintained much of its original look from what I understand, which is something that my boss is quite proud of. Also, it’s cool as heck – it’s got a very Tudor-style feel to it.

      Oh, Surge, how I miss thee! Or rather, how I miss all the caffeine it contained – I could use it right about now! 😀 Have fun with GUTGAA!

      Like

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