Agent Query Tips

I am 67 pages away from my latest round of revisions on Dark Waters, and so obviously I'm thinking queries. Well, lets be honest. I've been thinking queries since I finished my first rough draft on my very first manuscript a couple years ago. And I've written some queries too. I don't even know how many. But this time I'm REALLY thinking queries. After this round of revisions (I think it's my 4th or 5th round), I have to go back and do a search for "was" and "ly" words to kill them. And then one more read through to make sure the story sparkles. That means I'm really close to ready.

With that in mind, I saw this and wanted to share it with you...my blog-world friends. Why? Because she says something about query writing that I've never heard or read before. I'll give you a hint. It has to do with your first 30 pages. Okay, see for yourself.

 

Ice Storm

I just got home from busyness and I need to throw myself back into revisions, but seeing as I just came back from filing my taxes and checked that box off, I am now staring at the next line down on my list of "Things To Do In Order". Yes, they have to be done in order. What's next on my list you ask? 


Buying a home. 


I know, I know. Pretty big box to check. That would be why I stared and then ran to my laptop to show you pictures of our recent ice storm. :)


Look. They're so pretty...

I have many more pictures (much more beautiful than these) on my camera and as soon as I can find the thingy to download them, I'll post those too. As you can assume, we were without power for four days and the roads were hideous. But man was it gorgeous! The days and nights were blanketed by a pristine silence and as the branches broke from the forest of trees behind my house, cracking noises echoed through the woods. Definitely an experience to remember. 

Okay, time to go tackle that box. I'm off to find a Realtor! 

Waiting On Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. It's our chance to scream to the world how excited we are to get our hands on an upcoming book.

Now, this book I'm about to show you is one that I am literally jumping up and down for. I have had to stop myself on numerous occasions from emailing the author and gushing over how much I love her for writing this book. And I haven't even read it yet! It just sounds SO GOOD! Check it out:

It's expected to hit the shelves June 12, 2012

Good Reads Summery:

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistable good looks and charm on ususpecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

Non-Crappy Writing Groups

No, I'm not blogging about writing groups, but I'm telling you about a guy who did. In fact, he created a funny video blog about writers groups using stuffed animals. Yup. You'll have to see it to believe it. Just a forewarning though, there are two "cuss words" toward the end. So if that sort of thing offends you, then...

Go here to see animals reenact different types of writers groups. :)

Secrets of Getting Published by Bestselling Author Jayne Ann Krentz

As I write this, my mind is floating in my head, not exactly sure where or why or...

Basically, I've been editing.

And because I like doing things the hard way, I decided to pick Dark Waters up again and re-edit it after my critique partner gave me a copy of her full manuscript for me to critique. So I'm rearranging the chapters of my WIP, which seems the hardest phase of editing, while critiquing my friend's manuscript and thanking the snowflakes for school closures so that I can put my homework off just a little bit longer.

Yah, my brain's feeling a little mushy lately.

Okay, but that's not my point. (Here I go getting off track. See what I mean?)

On Saturday I got to attend a writing workshop taught by Jayne Ann Krentz, author of many New York Times bestsellers. The topic? Five Secrets to Selling Your Story.

Wanna know what they are?

#1) VOICE: Like every person has an accent, every writer has a voice. You don't hear it, but everyone else does. Discover your voice and hone it.

#2) CORE STORY: What sociological, theoretical themes do you find yourself using in each story you craft? That's your core story. Realize what it is and you can take it almost anywhere in the genres.

#3) KNOW THE MARKET: Read widely in the genres that compel you and find the sub-genre that fits your core story best.

#4) PROPOSAL: Keep the query short and to the point, making sure it's as tight and neat as possible. When writing the synopsis, it should only be one page and read like the back cover (or the flap) of a book, but with the ending.

#5) ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA: She highly recommends joining this group, saying that we will learn more in six months with them than six years on our own. They offer a newsletter, monthly chapter meetings, and annual conferences. I actually did look them up and my local chapter is meeting in February for an all day editing workshop, so yah, I think I'd learn a ton.

And while I enjoyed receiving this advice, Jayne's words weren't what I walked away remembering about her, but rather her confidence. When I asked her about critique groups, she said she's not a supporter of them because what one person may love, someone else will hate and you shouldn't change your story according to their preferences. When I asked her at what point in my editing will I know my manuscript is polished enough to submit, she answered when my gut tells me so. When I have polished enough to know that I like it, and I think it's ready. She also warned me not to over polish it and remove my voice from the pages.

See what I'm saying? Awesome.

Am I completely gung-ho again and absolutely hopeful that I'll one day be a published author? Nope. Did I leave the workshop on a writing high? Nah. But I did walk out with a signed copy of Jayne's newest book and a reverberating reality that's still unwinding in my mind: In the end, my story is about what I want it to be, what I like to write about, and no amount of advice and critiquing should take that away from me.

   

BUT WILL IT EVER PAY OFF?

At this very moment (well obviously I'm on the computer right now, but you get the point) I'm revising my second manuscript, waiting on rejections from my first manuscript, editing my best friends manuscript and wondering WILL IT EVER PAY OFF?

I began writing my first ms in 2009 and it's 2012. I've pretty much given up on that first one (for now) and decided to go full steam ahead, concentrating on number two with my hubby sweetly (gung-ho fashion) backing me. And I look around at all my writer friends who are in the same boat. Who are working tirelessly to achieve the dream of not simply finishing a story, but signing that coveted publishing contract. And I wonder, will it ever pay off? For them? For me?

Then today someone on Facebook mentioned a YA book tour and I jumped over the internet superhighway to check it out. That's when I clicked on the authors' websites and read their bios. When I went way back on their blog history to the days when they were just like me, just like us. To the days when they ran to blog world to tell their friends that an agent requested a partial, a full, was planning to call and sent the contract next day air. I also read the posts when they too wondered if it would ever pay off.

But you know what was really cool? The way they supported each other in the aspiring phase and then celebrated together in the accomplished phase. That's why I want to make more blog world friends. That's why I want to know where you're at in your manuscripts and how those submissions are going. Because when our time comes (and it will), I want to support and celebrate you too.    

Submitting and Publishing Tips

I was doing some research today and stumbled across this list of the steps that you can take to publication. Of course the exact route can be unique to each person, but the gist of it can be similar.

Check it out and tell me what number you're currently on. I'm on 12, although I skipped 2, 6, and 9. So, as I comb the internet today for upcoming conferences (I was already doing that when I found this list), I plan on fulfilling those steps as well.

Submitting and Publishing Tips List