I came home from Chautauqua full of inspiration. I finished running Bruce Coville's suggestions through the beginning of my MG, CAMP CAPTIVE. Then I revised the entire manuscript. I'm waiting for feedback now, and hope to be able to submit it by the end of August.

Since I came home, I also:
* Went to an amazing YA retreat, where the beginning of my YA, YOU ARE NOT MY BOYFRIEND, was critiqued. I can't wait until both my MGs are polished, so I can work on my YA again.
* Submitted several manuscripts (but I still need to set a day to get more picture book subs ready).
* Did a round of revisions on about seven picture books.
* Worked on STEP MONSTER some more, and ran several chapters through my group today. They loved the first four chapters, and showed me how to improve the next few. This is going to get most of my attention, until I receive feedback on CAMP CAPTIVE.
* Revised some of my earliest PBs that might be better off as magazine fiction. I'm hoping to submit them to Highlights soon. I also am working on some crafts, games, and puzzles for Highlights.
* I've also been working on critiques I owe my groups.

I'll let you know what happens with CAMP CAPTIVE. I'll probably know how much polishing I'll need to do in about three weeks. By the way, this is part of what Bruce Coville wrote about it:

This is a good set up, fun to read, and smoothly written. I got a kick out of Tara's obsessive attempts to contact Amy, which rang very true to the way of contemporary kids to me.

Right now you have a manuscript that is more than competently written. Your competition at a publishing house will not be the masses - it will be the small number of writers who are nearly ready to break in; not a thousand beginners, but five people vying for a single available spot. (I'm making these number up, of course, but you get the idea...)

I had one day to revise before our next meeting, but couldn't wait to work in all the wonderful ideas I had, thanks to Bruce. I love his suggestion to give my MC some phrases that are uniquely hers, to help her "pop" off the page more.

On the revision, he wrote: This is so much more alive - more fun.

So...yay! Hopefully the rest of the manuscript pops as much as the beginning.