Middle Grade Minded 300!

We have something a little special to present today — our 300th post here at Middle Grade Minded! (Cue the applause, balloons, confetti, and high fives.) To celebrate this momentous occasion, some of our contributors are offering quick reflections on what being a part this blog, and this team, has meant to us. Be sure to read to the end, since we’ve got a pile of giveaways to share!

Jamie:
I’ve had the privilege of being a blogger for Middle Grade Minded since its inception. When the group of us started the blog, we were not just a bunch of MG writers trying to enter a contest, but we were all looking for a MG community. There were tons of YA groups but not many MG ones. And let's face it MG writers are a rare breed in the best possible way. They face a unique set of challenges with respect to market and voice. It was a pressure we all felt but didn't know how to tackle. What I didn't anticipate though, was how much of a network I would gain. I've connected with so many amazing MG writers, and MG Minded has become a support system. I've learned so much from my fellow bloggers and the MG community that has formed around the blog. And if gaining this community wasn't awesome enough, I've also learned discipline. I've always been goal oriented, so actually having the pressure of a blog full of readers waiting on my post has kept me writing something even when I felt like I couldn't write anymore. For all of those reasons I'm so thankful for this blog. When we started this journey we couldn't imagine what this blog would become. But it's so much better than I ever could have imagined. So here's to 300 posts down and hopefully many many more to come. Thanks to the loyal readers of the blog, we wouldn't still be here without you!

Wendy:
When I was getting started on my publishing journey, I scoured the net looking for MG blogs, because there are so many YA and I really needed a community. I think I found MG Minded thanks to Brooks Benjamin, and kept revisiting because there was great information and lots of folks sharing their journey and that really appealed to me. I still blog on my own website, but I like being here because it's nice to feel like you're part of something bigger, which is wonderful, especially if you spend most of your time writing alone at home like I do! I'm looking forward to sharing more and learning more and expanding our number of visitors! And inspiring people to write and read more middle grade books!

Stefanie:
MG Minded has strengthened my own writing. I have had the opportunity to review wonderful books, and in reading them and interviewing authors, I have learned a great deal about craft. Plus, it's been fun to give away ARCs and swag and make connections with other writers. This is a wonderful community. I am lucky to be a part of this group.

Tom M.:
I came up as a writer in a very solitary way; no real network to speak of, little support or acknowledgement of my efforts beyond my family and a few trusted friends. When I took my first baby steps onto Twitter and discovered a wide, diverse, and vibrant writing community already thriving, I looked for ways to participate. I followed the early Middle Grade Minded since I knew a few of the people involved from contests we’d all been in. When the opportunity came up to be a part of the team, I jumped at it. Being a part of this group has brought me friendships I otherwise wouldn’t have had, as well as the chance to challenge myself to share ideas and thoughts that hopefully contribute to this wider writing community I’ve been so fortunate to find.

Kim:
I'm excited to introduce more adults to middle grade literature. It's so easy to get bogged down in the mundane realities of everyday life, that we forget to look for the extraordinary. Middle grade lit is a great reminder that wonder and whimsy are hiding behind every corner, if we'll only slow down long enough to notice it.

Stacey:
I was one of the original members of Middle Grade Minded and boy is it incredible how far we've all come! We started Middle Grade Minded there were a bunch of amazing YA blogs but not many MG ones and we had a strong desire to fill that hole. We started as kind of a ragtag group of aspiring authors who met during blog contests but it couldn't have been more perfect. Middle Grade Minded has been exactly what we all wanted and needed it to be. A community! Friendships with others who love, read and write Middle Grade. It allowed us to reach more MG lovers! Each of our publishing journeys have been so very different but we've all grown SO much! It's been hard for me, at times, to focus on the blog when so many other things are happening but it was an important lesson in discipline (one I'm still learning) and that when you dedicate yourself to something you will find a way. I'm still here! Still learning and still growing! Boy has it been fun!

Shari:
I joined the Middle Grade Minded bloggers last spring, and it's been wonderful getting to know everyone. Middle grade fiction is such a treasure--full of wonder and magic, and rich with emotion--and I love how both kids and adults can connect so deeply with MG stories. It's a joy and privilege to share book-love with all of you, and I look forward to offering more book recs for readers and more encouragement for writers. Yay books!


To celebrate our 300th post, we’re offering these prizes to help give back to the community that’s been so supportive:
*2 query letter critiques, anything MG
*2 ten-page critiques, anything MG
*1 first chapter critique, MG contemporary
*1 first chapter critique, anything MG

If you’d like to enter, leave a comment below. Tell us your name, some contact info, such as your Twitter address, and which prize you're hoping for. We’ll leave the thread open through the end of February to give people time to find the page and enter. We’d also love to hear any thoughts you’d be willing to share about the site, whether you’re entering or not.

Thanks for sticking with us! We hope you’ll be around to see what happens during our next 300 posts!

Social Media - the gateway to the soul of a 24th century author!

Okay, just give me one second.....and done.

We're starting up with a new topic of discussion this month, folks. And that's social media. Now if you don't know much about social media, well then I'm not exactly sure how you got to this blog. But if you are involved in social media, then you may be asking yourself, "what the heck does social media have to do with me getting a book deal / agent / editor / etc."

I've got news for you. A LOT. Welcome to the 24th century....(i jumped ahead a few centuries).

We live in a world where anything and everything could be found out with a click of a button. Don't lie. You know you've sat on wikipedia for roughly four hours looking up pointless information on the Kardashians. ADMIT IT!!! Ahem...but here's the thing. It's a good thing, and a bad thing when you're talking about endless access to information, especially in the veins of social media. I figured I'd sit down and talk about some the PROS and CONS I've experienced with my dabbling in social media, and how it could benefit you as an upcoming author.

PROS

The absolute best thing about social media is that fellow writers are EVERYWHERE. I'm not even kidding when I say most if not all of my writer buddies have come out of twitter / blogs. Seriously, I wouldn't know anybody in the writing world if it wasn't for these methods of communications. I lack the time to attend conventions, so most of my exposure is through the interwebs massive tunnels of information.

But that's the great part about it. You are able to talk to writers from ALL OVER THE WORLD with different genre specialties, interests, knowledge, skills, and more. And above all, you can use this to your advantage. What better way to find a wide variety of critique partners than by utilizing social media. Post on twitter LOOKING FOR A CRIT PARTNER - LETS TRADE MS. I guarantee you'll get a thousand responses. Most people on social media are looking to help one another.

And who couldn't use a few writer pals? *waves at all his friends!*

CONTESTS

If you haven't seen them already, now is the time to go looking. There are dozens of writer contests out there year round that can help even the newest offer make his or her mark in this cutthroat industry. I'm talking about such events like PITCH MADNESS, PITCH WARS, SUN VS SNOW, etc. Google them. Look them up. Check out their blogs. And be amazed.

I've been lucky enough to be a mentor in some of these events, and the exposure to talent you are going to receive is awesome. So many writers are involved in these contests with one goal in mind. To help new writers.

The amount of success stories out there coming from these contests is mind blowing, and we a owe a lot of it to the people who take their time to organize these events.

AGENTS AND EDITORS ARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!!!!!

Trust me when I say that most of the agents and editors live and breath social media. It's a superb way to pimp their clients novels, or seek new talent. Heck, there's an event on twitter called #MSWL (manuscript wish list) where agents call out what they're looking for. I kid you not, I FOUND MY AGENT THIS WAY. SEE!? SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS!

Not to mention, its a great way to put your foot in the door and actually have some open conversations with agents and editors. They're people too. Don't be afraid to message them or tweet them. They'll talk to you!

PLATFORM BUILDING

You may not think about this much now, especially if you're trying to perfect your novel, but platform building is a huge...HUUUUGE part of the industry. Editors and agents like to see you establishing yourself outside your novel, and working on establishing some sort of platform before you even have a book published. Whether that's taking part in conversations online on twitter, or creating a blog / podcast, or just being vocal, building that platform helps jump start the sales of your book. After all, it's a bit easier to sell your book when thousands of people know about you already, right?

I started building my platform for my first novel COPERNICUS NERDICUS ( a middle grade novel based around video games) a long time ago. I created a youtube channel, and a blog based around video games to help promote my interests and gain some fans. Although CN is shelved for the moment, and I'm working on other novels, I do have a growing group of followers that would help me in the future. I HOPE :)

Then again.....maybe I still just do it for fun because I love video games so much...but that's another story lol.

Now these are just a small portion of things that are positive about social media..I just wanted to dabble in it. But it's not always bunnies and cupcakes.

Social Media can backfire.

CONS

CRUELTY

Once you're on social media, you're always on social media. And I'm not talking about being addicted to it lol. I'm talking about be careful about what you say. Because things spread like wild fire. If you turn into some sort of bad egg, or if you insult someone, or you start spouting nonsense. It is going to bite you in the arse, real hard and real fast. Which brings me to rule #1 of social media.

Don't be an a**

Not everyone is friendly on social media. In fact, most people are downright cruel. Don't turn into one of them. Be positive and make it a positive experience for everyone around you. Trust me, its a small industry despite how big it is. Don't dig yourself a hole you can't get out of.

JEALOUSY

I'll be the first to admit it. But I do get jealous. Everyone does, and if you say you don't you're lying to yourself. When you find yourself on social media, get ready to be exposed to a lot of people sharing their success stories.

Now let me explain. When someone I know announces signing with an agent, or signing with a publisher or getting a book deal, or whatever...I am ecstatic for that person. I love seeing my friends succeed. But then I get hit with it. That little twang....that evil jealousy bug that hits me for 2 seconds. And it's not even that I'm jealous, it's more like I'm asking myself "WHEN IS IT MY TURN?" - It's going to happen, and there's no escaping it, especially if you're on social media.

The important thing is to step away. Don't start doubting yourself. I've done it before, but luckily enough I have some awesome friends that I can talk to about it. Accept it. Talk to someone. And know that your time will come.

I don't know you, but I have faith in you.

Well, that's about it....

I only just scratched the surface folks, but let me know. How has social media benefited you? Do you use it, and if so how often? What do you like about social media in terms of being an author?

KEEP ON WRITING PEOPLE!