Hello, readers! Thanks for returning for my encore (or if you're a new visitor, then Hey!), and wherever you are on this mid-August day, I hope it's going wonderful.
For those of you who read my quasi-inagural post (see below post if you haven't), this is the post where the real fun begins. I promised I'd talk about all things books and writing, and for the sake of you all getting to know me even more, I thought it would be appropriate to start with my own journey with The Written Word.
*Cue dramatic music of choice here.*
But seriously, I want you guys to not only get a feel of who I am, but why I would want to start a blog like this in the first place. Hopefully by the end of this story you'll have a better understand of that. My story's a little long, but I'll do my best to make as entertaining as possible. And here. We. Go...
Like most people, my journey as a reader happened before my journey as a writer. From as early as 2nd grade I loved to read, but it wasn't until 4th grade that I realized the true power of a good novel. I was a grade ahead in my reading class, meaning that at the time I was reading at a 5th grade level. So every morning for an hour or so I'd be a student of Mrs. Janna Newman's, a wonderful teacher who got us 4th and 5th graders hooked on books like A Wrinkle in Time, City of Ember, and Gregor the Overlander, which was the first book series I fell head-over-heels in love with. There were countless others she read to us in that short year, and I can't thank her enough for it. The passion she showed every time she read us one of these books was tangible in that classroom; I don't remember a single kid who didn't look forward to going to Mrs. Newman's class every day, and we all talked about those books with the same enthusiasm with which she shared them with us.
When I became a 5th grader and Mrs. Newman became my actual teacher, my love for books only continued to grow. Then, in the midst of that year and all the great stories we read, Mrs. Newman encouraged me to start writing my own stories. And even after I left Mrs. Newman's class and made the reluctant leap to middle school, her suggestion would stick with me for the rest of my life.
Toward the beginning of my 6th grade year I came up with an idea for what I thought would be my mea culpa, an epic fantasy series about a set of twins (one boy, one girl) born with magic power. The experience of creating that world and drafting what I planned to be a five book series--a process I spent a year and a half on--was truly magical. Once I began actual work on the manuscript in 7th grade, I knew that writing novels was my calling. It was a life-changing experience, though I had yet to learn just how life-changing it would be.
After finishing the first novel in my fantasy series during my 8th grade year, I began to teach myself more about the publishing process. Until that point I always thought that manuscripts, once finished, could be sent out to publishing houses and it would become a book mere months later.
Yeah, it doesn't work that way.
During my research I learned all about the beloved Query Letter, and thus began my love-hate relationship with that 250 word summary of my work (we're still going strong, in case you're wondering). I immediately began work on my letter, which you can imagine wasn't that great but 14-year-old-me thought was perfect. Like all my favorite authors I sent letters to a select few agents--this was 2008, back when mailing query letters was still the norm--and patiently waited for responses.
Soon I received my first rejection, a nice form letter saying that though they appreciated the opportunity to consider my work, they were going to pass. No big deal; at least I was trying and I was getting some responses, right? Needless to say, the first round of rejections didn't bother me so much. But when the next batch came back negative, I started to grow frantic. At this point I'd spent years working on this one manuscript, and that automatically gave me a right to be published, right?
I began working on the second book in my five book series soon after, all while continuing to query for the first one. Then, in April of 2008, I received a letter from an associate agent at a big New York agent. She wrote me wanting me to send her my entire manuscript! I still remember jumping up and down in excitement, yelling in glee to my mom and sister, "An agent wants to read my manuscript!!" The next day I was certain to send out the full manuscript, completely convinced of what would happen next: My manuscript would be read, I would be offered representation, and in no time I would be a published author. I was sure to tell all my friends as if it were a sure thing.
In late May I received another letter from the same associate agent, who told me she loved what I'd written and asked if she could help me to edit and revise. She also sent me the first chapter of my manuscript, printed out with editorial comments that I still have (same with the letter, of course). Okay, so she hadn't said anything about representation, but I was still thrilled and agreed to let her help me.
The summer flew by, and as I waited in anticipation for the edited manuscript, I was still convinced this novel would be my debut, that I was good enough to be published. When my first day of high school rolled around, I was hopeful but concerned that perhaps I'd been forgotten when I finally did receive an email from Associate Agent. She had the manuscript edited, and while she said I had talent, the agency she worked for could not offer me representation at the time. Obviously, I was crushed at the time. I'd set such a high bar for myself, and was so naive to how publishing worked; I'd assumed that just because an agent was reading my manuscript and dedicating their time to helping me nuture it, that they would become my agent.
Nonetheless, I took the editorial notes I received and applied them to my manuscript. And you know what? I may have been disappointed that I was still unagented, but I soon realized the extraordinary opportunity I'd been given. This associate agent--who now runs her own agency in NYC--had believed in me enough to offer up her precious time with the intent of helping me improve as a writer. Once I delved into the notes and reworked my manuscript, I slowly began to see that, and soon my discouragement turned into a genuine appreciation for what I'd been given.
And this is where we end--for now. I told you this was kind of a long story, so instead of packing it all into one long, meandering post, I'll break it up. The latter half of my writing journey will be up soon, and I hope you'll be back for it! In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment about your own writing journey if you have one. Or if you have your own blog, post the link! I love a good story, and I'm sure some of you have a yarn I would be moved to read!
Until next time,
Dustin
Friday, August 16, 2013
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Reintroduction of Me
Hey there, readers! Welcome to my newly revamped blog. As of this post, you are now reading my New and Improved Blog, so feel free to ignore all previous posts. Or binge-read them all for your pleasure. Whichever floats your fancy.
I wanted to make my unofficial first post an introduction post, not only introducing readers old and (hopefully) new to me, but to what this blog will be about. As you can see from what I've chosen to title this blog, I will be discussing plenty about writing on here. Whether it be my own writing, your own writing, or tips about writing, I want this blog to be not only where I share the writerly side of my life, but also serve as a public forum for others interested in the same thing.
Now, to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Dustin Vann, and I'm currently living in Manhattan, Kansas, where I am preparing for my sophomore year at K-State University. I'm a Creative Writing major (who woulda thunk?) and of course live for anything related to writing and reading. I've been writing for years and am currently working on publishing (I'll fill you in on all that in good time, my friends).
That's really my generic biography, but to help you all get a better sense of who I am, here are some "Fast Facts" about me to keep your reading experience refreshing:
1. Yes, I really am 19. I'll be 20 next month, but contrary to the belief of some, I actually still am a teenager. As far back as my junior year people thought I was 21, and recently, a high school kid in the class I tutor for said she thought I was 25. I blame it on the facial hair.
2. My favorite TV show of all time is Charmed. I love those fictional Halliwell sisters, and to this day I still haven't gotten over SPOILER Prue's death.
3. I'm also obsessed with American Horror Story, Grey's Anatomy, and Castle. If you love any of these shows, too, feel free to say so in the comments and we can freak out about them together!
4. My taste in music is wide-ranging. I love anything from Owl City to Nicki Minaj.
5. There will never be enough pizza to satisfy my love for pizza. I blame this unhealthy obsession on working at a take-and-bake pizza place for over 2 years.
6. The first book I remember falling in love with was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I was in 2nd grade, and besides satisfying my mental sweet tooth, I remember the story being just as sweet.
7. I'm afraid of both whales and bats. More on this in a later post.
8. I actually liked The Casual Vacancy.
9. My first crush was the animated Daphne from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
10. I tend to really like celebrities most others find annoying, such as Shannen Doherty, Katherine Heigl, Nicki Minaj, and Anne Hathaway.
11. My middle name is Lamar.
12. Despite being my Birthday Twin, I have never read a Stephen King novel all the way through. I read some of Misery my freshman year of high school, but for whatever reason never finished it. My apologies to the King.
13. If I weren't so passionate about writing, I would probably pursue a career as a professional dodgeball player.
14. I'm a slight hypochondriac. Throughout much of 8th grade, whenever I had a headache I feared it was a brain tumor, and when I pulled a muscle near my neck the other day, for a short time I thought I'd done something horrible to my spine. Too much Grey's Anatomy, I guess.
15. If I could meet any author, living or dead, it would have to be F. Scott Fitzgerald.
So, there's a little bit about me and what you're in for if you choose to stick around. I am going to try my best to make a post a week. Like I said earlier, most posts will center around writing, whether it be tips/advice, book reviews/recommendations, or even sharing some of my own work. I may also share some life events here, but for the most part, I look forward to corresponding with as many of you as I can about the power of the written word! So I get it if talking about writing or freaking out about the latest episode of American Horror Story isn't really your thing, but if you do know of someone who enjoys that sort of thing, please share this link them! And for those of you who will be back for subsequent posts, I'm excited to get to know you!
Dustin
I wanted to make my unofficial first post an introduction post, not only introducing readers old and (hopefully) new to me, but to what this blog will be about. As you can see from what I've chosen to title this blog, I will be discussing plenty about writing on here. Whether it be my own writing, your own writing, or tips about writing, I want this blog to be not only where I share the writerly side of my life, but also serve as a public forum for others interested in the same thing.
Now, to tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Dustin Vann, and I'm currently living in Manhattan, Kansas, where I am preparing for my sophomore year at K-State University. I'm a Creative Writing major (who woulda thunk?) and of course live for anything related to writing and reading. I've been writing for years and am currently working on publishing (I'll fill you in on all that in good time, my friends).
That's really my generic biography, but to help you all get a better sense of who I am, here are some "Fast Facts" about me to keep your reading experience refreshing:
1. Yes, I really am 19. I'll be 20 next month, but contrary to the belief of some, I actually still am a teenager. As far back as my junior year people thought I was 21, and recently, a high school kid in the class I tutor for said she thought I was 25. I blame it on the facial hair.
2. My favorite TV show of all time is Charmed. I love those fictional Halliwell sisters, and to this day I still haven't gotten over SPOILER Prue's death.
3. I'm also obsessed with American Horror Story, Grey's Anatomy, and Castle. If you love any of these shows, too, feel free to say so in the comments and we can freak out about them together!
4. My taste in music is wide-ranging. I love anything from Owl City to Nicki Minaj.
5. There will never be enough pizza to satisfy my love for pizza. I blame this unhealthy obsession on working at a take-and-bake pizza place for over 2 years.
6. The first book I remember falling in love with was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I was in 2nd grade, and besides satisfying my mental sweet tooth, I remember the story being just as sweet.
7. I'm afraid of both whales and bats. More on this in a later post.
8. I actually liked The Casual Vacancy.
9. My first crush was the animated Daphne from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
10. I tend to really like celebrities most others find annoying, such as Shannen Doherty, Katherine Heigl, Nicki Minaj, and Anne Hathaway.
11. My middle name is Lamar.
12. Despite being my Birthday Twin, I have never read a Stephen King novel all the way through. I read some of Misery my freshman year of high school, but for whatever reason never finished it. My apologies to the King.
13. If I weren't so passionate about writing, I would probably pursue a career as a professional dodgeball player.
14. I'm a slight hypochondriac. Throughout much of 8th grade, whenever I had a headache I feared it was a brain tumor, and when I pulled a muscle near my neck the other day, for a short time I thought I'd done something horrible to my spine. Too much Grey's Anatomy, I guess.
15. If I could meet any author, living or dead, it would have to be F. Scott Fitzgerald.
So, there's a little bit about me and what you're in for if you choose to stick around. I am going to try my best to make a post a week. Like I said earlier, most posts will center around writing, whether it be tips/advice, book reviews/recommendations, or even sharing some of my own work. I may also share some life events here, but for the most part, I look forward to corresponding with as many of you as I can about the power of the written word! So I get it if talking about writing or freaking out about the latest episode of American Horror Story isn't really your thing, but if you do know of someone who enjoys that sort of thing, please share this link them! And for those of you who will be back for subsequent posts, I'm excited to get to know you!
Dustin
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