September 30, 2008
BIAM
Or better know as Book-In-A-Month.
Have you tried this? There are online ways to participate–one that starts in a few short days. Essentially, you write as much, as fast as you can in one month, pretty simple formula, really. Or actual books to follow (several varieties).
I have participated in the online version 4 years in a row. Once, I wrote a book full-out beginning to end. Once, I picked something up a couple of chapters into it and got huge chunk done. The other two times… it just wasn’t flowing for me. The books, I purchased a couple recently and have been thumbing through them–you know how it is excuses and life getting in the way.
The other day, I saw a workshop (I am in RWA, as I may have mentioned before, and various chapters hold online and in-person workshops to raise money). This workshop was to help refine you BIAM before submitting because (it said) of the influx of slush the editors get in November. Okay sometimes I can pick up on tiny minuscule clues and whatnot, but it never occured to me that folks did the BIAM in October and sent their stuff out IMMEDIATELY in November.
Sure, I have submitted my BIAM books, but um, many MANY months later. After really pouring through it and tweaking, editing and revising. There was no way, even in December of edits was the book ready to go out. I can’t imagine writng non-stop for a month to meet the 50K goal of the online BIAM and it having clear concise flow or focus.
Things like this confound me. And don’t (always) consider myself a simpleton, but just because it’s done doesn’t mean it’s ready.
I am curious as what y’alls thoughts to BIAM… and the subsequent slush pill rising.
tell me, tell me, tell me 
I think it might be a good idea to get queries sent out to everyone you can think of before the NaNo project ends. I have a hunch agents and publishers probably turn off their E-mail box for a couple months past the project end. :) Seriously, anything firing up the creative passion is a good thing; and as you point out, it may end in a solid base for a new WIP.
LOL, no kidding. It’s the same way after RWA Nationals for the romance writers–pretty much August and September they are swamped with the requests.
But yes, it was a great way to get me writing. All four years it was almost a forced butt-in-chair (as I am ever-competetive) and I may not finish in the deadline, I am writing and creating!
Wow, it never occurred to me that peeps sent their BIAM MS out to the next month. That’s a pretty damn rough first-draft at the end of the month. You probably wouldn’t even send that out to your bff crit partner, before layering/deeping emotion, fine tuning setting etc, reviewing the pacing, fleshing out subplots and GMCs in general plus a whole load of other stuff besides general typo/grammar fixes. Like you said, it would be months later before I sent that baby out, if for no other reason than you would need to walk away from that mss for awhile after such an intense bout of writing before you tried an tackled all the stuff I listed.
I like the enthusiasm and energy BIAM events create for the participants. I think the discipline they encourage is also valuable — if you want to be a professional who produces consistent work, you need to develop some sort of writing routine and schedule (I’d like to see more writers who want to turn pro take the time to write every day, but I know that’s not possible or realistic for everyone.) It’s a lot of fun to read what BIAMers say about the experience, too.
I’d like to see more events that give equal emphasis to self-editing and preparation for submission, because those are just as important as the writing. If we could somehow come up with a National Writing, Editing and Proposal Submission month, that would be pretty neat.
I’d also like to see a lot less of the snotty elitist attitude some published authors show for BIAM events. The whole “Oh, God, we’re being polluted by the unwashed masses” thing is getting really old. No one was born with a big fat contract in hand. Everyone starts out as an unpublished writer, but how quickly some seem to forget that.
Think the BIAM thing rocks. If you can turn off the ie and get that baby flowing, more power to ya.
You want it to be good, not just finished.
But submitting it almost immediately after? NOOOO.
No one was born with a big fat contract in hand. Everyone starts out as an unpublished writer, but how quickly some seem to forget that.
This is great to get you jump-started, but God forbid you submit the thing immediately after. I did Sven last year and it helped, but no way was that book even readable. Needed (still needs, matter of fact) lots and lots of work.
Vanessa, you and me both. I had never thought about it being done the same year, but when I saw the workshop stating that Nov. was over-run with submissions. . . now just maybe they are playing it up as a stimulas for the workshop, but there must be soemthing behind it!
Lynn, wow… you told me
But you’re absolutely correct! It’s a shame that it is the way it is, but human nature ALWAYS prevails! (and I learn this anew every time my kiddos statr something new in school–don’t get me started on JR football GAW!)
Raine, I like that when a BIAM (and if you look ahrd enough, there are plenty of them around) comes around, and I might be fighting the creative urgings, I can use that as a way to get my brain into it! And again, it helps to be uber-competetive–I just have learned how to focus that in on myself yet, if I ever do . . . . watch-out
Tanya, yeppers! Like I told Vanessa…maybe that’s an over-statement by the workshop folks (I really hope so!) to get butts in the seats, er ah, at the computer w/ fingers on the keyboard
I have thumbed through both the BIAM books I have. One is really a “planning and staging” book. I also have a book (drawing a blank and far too lazy to go find where I left it) that gives you little mini-assignments to do every day. I did the first one and have mentally worked over the ones since trying to figue out how to tie them all in together–yeah, not what you’re supposed to do, but brevity is not in my nature!
oh and der…
Nano is in November… (Yeah, I’m on the ball) 