"You don't work well when you don't have a specific goal or purpose you're working toward," says my boyfriend today. And he's absolutely right! If I don't have a specific goal that I'm trying to achieve, then I feel like I'm floundering. I have felt like I'm floundering for a little while now.
What to do next has been the question rumbling around in my brain for weeks. I've finished my book. I've sent it to almost 275 agents... What the hell do I do with myself now?
Write more. But what? A second book? Wow! What an undertaking!
I got a freelance gig that is frustrating because I'm making very little money writing articles on random stuff like fishing in Alaska or boar hunting in Europe or laser hair removal. None of which I care about. Not to mention the fact that I'm not as good at journalistic writing as I am novel writing. But whatever. All of this is the whining I feel like I've been doing while I'm floundering.
So today I took some steps in a great direction. First, I found an online class about how to write women focused articles for magazines like Glamour and Marie Claire. OMG! How interesting is that?! Plus, this course will help me get better at journalism style writing, which is a HUGE need of mine! And this course says, I'll come out of it with a portfolio of work I can send out to magazines and other potential employers. I surely hope so because I'm ready to make some money writing!
Secondly, I emailed this really cool friend of mine who is also a writer to see if she had any suggestions. She's an ad copywriter, so not exactly the same thing, but it's writing... Whatever it takes, right? Well, this friend of mine gave me a couple of really great suggestions including searching for a creative recruiter. This is something I hadn't thought about before. She also gave me some helpful websites where I can find writing gigs. Many, many thanks for the tips! This is a new direction for me to run in!
Thirdly, I started for real planning for my second book. It's time to get started! Let's just plunge in and do it! It's now or never. I want to be a murder mystery novelist, and there's nothing stopping me from accomplishing this!
"I am back. I am back. I'm getting my writing career back!" Okay, it's a bit of a stretch and exemplifies my extreme enthusiasm for the movie The Hangover. But whatever. I feel better. Less like I'm floudering. So here I go. Running in new, writing-filled directions. Woo hoo!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
New Tactics
So I'm waiting for a yes. But I'm driving myself crazy because I don't know what to do in the mean time. I don't know what I thought would happen when I started querying agents. I mean I knew I wouldn't get a yes right away. I hoped I would get a YES immediately! But I knew I wouldn't.
So I need to rethink my writing career. Which I have no idea how to do. I have a freelance writing gig, but it doesn't pay much at all... I would rather write than do anything else, so I need to figure out how to make more money writing. And more money in general. And I need to get better at journalistic style writing. I don't do enough of it and haven't for a very long time to be as familiar as I need to be.
So how do I make more money writing? Any ideas? Anyone? Is that crickets I hear?
Life is strange sometimes. I feel like I ran as fast as I could and worked as hard as I could to get my book finished, so I could try to sell it. It never occurred to me that I would have to figure out something to do once my book was finished. Maybe it should have, but it didn't.
I'm ready to start my second book. I'm excited!!! My writers group is starting up again, so it's time to do LOTS MORE writing!!!
Loyal friends, if anyone has any writing career ideas or advice, I'm all ears. Or job leads in general right now. Thanks as always. Back to trying to conquer the world as a fabulous, famous writer!
So I need to rethink my writing career. Which I have no idea how to do. I have a freelance writing gig, but it doesn't pay much at all... I would rather write than do anything else, so I need to figure out how to make more money writing. And more money in general. And I need to get better at journalistic style writing. I don't do enough of it and haven't for a very long time to be as familiar as I need to be.
So how do I make more money writing? Any ideas? Anyone? Is that crickets I hear?
Life is strange sometimes. I feel like I ran as fast as I could and worked as hard as I could to get my book finished, so I could try to sell it. It never occurred to me that I would have to figure out something to do once my book was finished. Maybe it should have, but it didn't.
I'm ready to start my second book. I'm excited!!! My writers group is starting up again, so it's time to do LOTS MORE writing!!!
Loyal friends, if anyone has any writing career ideas or advice, I'm all ears. Or job leads in general right now. Thanks as always. Back to trying to conquer the world as a fabulous, famous writer!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
We should play catch up I suppose!
It's been two months and two weeks since I sent out my first query letter. I've sent out almost 250. 250!!! I've done 3 rounds of querying and I just started round 4.
I've gotten more rejections than I can count. Probably 60 or something. But who knows? I read "Unfortunately" or "regret" or whatever other lovely word the agent has chosen to use in my rejection letter and then throw them on the pile with the others.
I've received SIX Not No's!!!! SIX!!!! I have had SIX literary agents ask to see a partial manuscript, whether it be 3 chapters, 20 pages, or a whopping 100 pages. Woo hoo! Fucking ridiculously exciting!!! Each one feels better than the last. Each Not No makes me more and more certain I will succeed. I had 4 Not No's last week alone. I'm starting to feel the momentum shifting.
And now, as of yesterday, I've had 2 of my Not No's say they didn't desire to see my full manuscript. The first one was kind of jarring. But somehow comforting because I know it's all part of the process. And as one of my same-named writer friends has said before, "Well, it's a milestone!" And that it is. Another milestone in the process of publishing my very first book.
It stings, but I can't take it personally. Because it's not personal. This is business no matter how much of my heart and soul I poured into the 200 pages that are waiting for a letter of acceptance from someone... Anyone...
I lust for the life of my dreams every day. Every second of every day. I want to sell this book and achieve my dreams of becoming a published murder mystery novelist. And I want to make some MONEY! I want to have careers as successful as my mentors, Stephen King and James Patterson. I want to be rich and famous and gain success by doing what I love the most in the world. And by doing it my way.
I'm from the South and was raised with one mentality: Go big or go home. Why not shoot for the moon? I believe in a whatever it takes mentality. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make my big dreams come true. I've started round 4 of querying agents. I have prayed more in the last year of my life than in the rest of my life combined. And I constantly try to put good into the world. I believe if I put positive energy into the world, it will come back to me. And at this point, I need all the positive energy heading my way I can get.
I leave you today, with my latest whatever it takes to get published idea. I'm going to write a letter to Oprah's book club people. I mean... It can't hurt... Oprah's book club is the largest in the country, and she has been extremely helpful and even career-making to many authors, including first time authors. So, why not write Oprah's book club people a letter about my book and the process I've been through thus far trying to get it published? Maybe no one ever really reads it. But what if someone does? How cool would it be if Oprah Winfrey helped me get my book published?!
Back to the waiting game, which is always frustrating, because I want to be published, you know, yesterday!!!
I've gotten more rejections than I can count. Probably 60 or something. But who knows? I read "Unfortunately" or "regret" or whatever other lovely word the agent has chosen to use in my rejection letter and then throw them on the pile with the others.
I've received SIX Not No's!!!! SIX!!!! I have had SIX literary agents ask to see a partial manuscript, whether it be 3 chapters, 20 pages, or a whopping 100 pages. Woo hoo! Fucking ridiculously exciting!!! Each one feels better than the last. Each Not No makes me more and more certain I will succeed. I had 4 Not No's last week alone. I'm starting to feel the momentum shifting.
And now, as of yesterday, I've had 2 of my Not No's say they didn't desire to see my full manuscript. The first one was kind of jarring. But somehow comforting because I know it's all part of the process. And as one of my same-named writer friends has said before, "Well, it's a milestone!" And that it is. Another milestone in the process of publishing my very first book.
It stings, but I can't take it personally. Because it's not personal. This is business no matter how much of my heart and soul I poured into the 200 pages that are waiting for a letter of acceptance from someone... Anyone...
I lust for the life of my dreams every day. Every second of every day. I want to sell this book and achieve my dreams of becoming a published murder mystery novelist. And I want to make some MONEY! I want to have careers as successful as my mentors, Stephen King and James Patterson. I want to be rich and famous and gain success by doing what I love the most in the world. And by doing it my way.
I'm from the South and was raised with one mentality: Go big or go home. Why not shoot for the moon? I believe in a whatever it takes mentality. I am willing to do whatever it takes to make my big dreams come true. I've started round 4 of querying agents. I have prayed more in the last year of my life than in the rest of my life combined. And I constantly try to put good into the world. I believe if I put positive energy into the world, it will come back to me. And at this point, I need all the positive energy heading my way I can get.
I leave you today, with my latest whatever it takes to get published idea. I'm going to write a letter to Oprah's book club people. I mean... It can't hurt... Oprah's book club is the largest in the country, and she has been extremely helpful and even career-making to many authors, including first time authors. So, why not write Oprah's book club people a letter about my book and the process I've been through thus far trying to get it published? Maybe no one ever really reads it. But what if someone does? How cool would it be if Oprah Winfrey helped me get my book published?!
Back to the waiting game, which is always frustrating, because I want to be published, you know, yesterday!!!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Procrastination...
I'm blogging in an attempt to procrastinate.
These days, I'm playing the waiting game. Wait and wait and wait some more for some literary agent to contact me saying, "I want to read and/or rep your book!" I'm also playing the: What the fuck am I doing with my life game? And the how the hell can I make some more money writing game? And the I need a freaking job badly game. And the applying for job game, which is less fun than the I need a job game.
I've sent out 27 query letters so far. Some were just query letters; some were query letters, a synopsis, and sample chapters. I've received 9 rejections so far. They sting. They just do. This book is an extension of my being. Of course, it's going to hurt when someone says she's not well-written enough or good enough or interesting enough! However, I try to move forward every single day. Even if it's just one small step forward, I MUST take a step forward EVERY DAY. Otherwise, I end up in crazy, lost, depressed writer land. Which, at this point, I've accepted as just part of being a writer, but it still sucks. It's not a happy place. I feel lost there and question myself. Which I can't be doing. Especially not now.
So, I send out more query letters. I tell all of my friends when I receive a new rejection letter, so they can say things like, "Bollocks!" and "Fuckers!" and "Don't listen to them! Just send out another query letter!" I generally listen to my friends instead of the rejection letters. And I'm constantly reminded that "it only takes one YES." Love all of you who have said this to me recently!
I'm also applying for jobs these days. I just want to write. And I'm a decent writer. I just haven't figured out how to make enough money off my writing. Every day I send out another resume and writing samples to magazines and websites just trying to land a gig writing anything. Because it's been almost a month since I sent out my first query letter, and I am now entertaining the idea that I need to get a job before my savings really does run dry. So, of course I want a writing job, but I can't figure out how to market myself. If anyone has any ideas on this front...you know...pass them along! Please!
I'm also applying for bar wench jobs. Because I need a job. And money. Plus, I need something to occupy my time. Because OMG am I a crazy writer if you let me spend too much time in my own head, especially while playing the waiting game!!! Again, if anyone has a lead on a job, please pass the info along to your friendly neighborhood unemployed writer.
I'm getting together my list of literary agents to query for round 2. There will probably be about 30 in this bunch as well. So, here we go! Let's do this! Let's all pray a little more, plan a little more, and write a little more. Maybe these are the keys to success. Who knows? But I am determined and willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve my dreams. No matter what. I have said this before, and I stand by it: No IS NO T an option!
These days, I'm playing the waiting game. Wait and wait and wait some more for some literary agent to contact me saying, "I want to read and/or rep your book!" I'm also playing the: What the fuck am I doing with my life game? And the how the hell can I make some more money writing game? And the I need a freaking job badly game. And the applying for job game, which is less fun than the I need a job game.
I've sent out 27 query letters so far. Some were just query letters; some were query letters, a synopsis, and sample chapters. I've received 9 rejections so far. They sting. They just do. This book is an extension of my being. Of course, it's going to hurt when someone says she's not well-written enough or good enough or interesting enough! However, I try to move forward every single day. Even if it's just one small step forward, I MUST take a step forward EVERY DAY. Otherwise, I end up in crazy, lost, depressed writer land. Which, at this point, I've accepted as just part of being a writer, but it still sucks. It's not a happy place. I feel lost there and question myself. Which I can't be doing. Especially not now.
So, I send out more query letters. I tell all of my friends when I receive a new rejection letter, so they can say things like, "Bollocks!" and "Fuckers!" and "Don't listen to them! Just send out another query letter!" I generally listen to my friends instead of the rejection letters. And I'm constantly reminded that "it only takes one YES." Love all of you who have said this to me recently!
I'm also applying for jobs these days. I just want to write. And I'm a decent writer. I just haven't figured out how to make enough money off my writing. Every day I send out another resume and writing samples to magazines and websites just trying to land a gig writing anything. Because it's been almost a month since I sent out my first query letter, and I am now entertaining the idea that I need to get a job before my savings really does run dry. So, of course I want a writing job, but I can't figure out how to market myself. If anyone has any ideas on this front...you know...pass them along! Please!
I'm also applying for bar wench jobs. Because I need a job. And money. Plus, I need something to occupy my time. Because OMG am I a crazy writer if you let me spend too much time in my own head, especially while playing the waiting game!!! Again, if anyone has a lead on a job, please pass the info along to your friendly neighborhood unemployed writer.
I'm getting together my list of literary agents to query for round 2. There will probably be about 30 in this bunch as well. So, here we go! Let's do this! Let's all pray a little more, plan a little more, and write a little more. Maybe these are the keys to success. Who knows? But I am determined and willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve my dreams. No matter what. I have said this before, and I stand by it: No IS NO T an option!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Status Updates
Business: Okay. So I'm up to 7 rejections. I realize this isn't very many, and I'll probably get a lot more before I get a, "Yes." But rejections don't feel like a step forward, and it is SO IMPORTANT for me to take a positive step forward EVERY DAY! I've sent out a bunch of query letters, and I've still got many more to send out.
State of Mind: I'm not going to lie. Doubt is starting to creep in. Not overtake. But definitely creep in. (Yes, I realize I've only gotten seven rejections. And I have to be tougher, and I am tougher. But I'm also an emo writer, so...) I'm also going through that whole crazy writer's black hole that I always go through after I finish one big writing objective and search for the next. Also, I am not a patient person. AND I need to find something productive, like a job, to fill my time now that I've officially entered this dark, quiet period called: The Waiting Game.
Financial State: I feel like it's the same. But I'm definitely counting the days now as I know my savings won't last much longer, and I need more work to fill my time. Thus, I'm searching for a job: a part-time, low stress, decent-paying job. (The whole job hunt thing makes the emo writer even crazier!)
Creative: Taking a back seat lately. I need to amp it up. I need to really focus my creative energies in productive directions like for real finishing these few stories I've been working on for months but still aren't perfect yet or good enough to send out to magazines. And I need to OH MY GOD AMP UP my freelance business. So... all of you loyal followers of my blog who have websites and party invitations and holiday bashes you're preparing for, make sure you hire your favorite friendly neighborhood writer to take care of all of these needs and write something beautiful to send to your friends and families. Yes, I'm shamelessly plugging myself on my own blog. But if not here, then where? And I really do need to hugely beef up my freelance business. So spread the good word about my fabulous writing skills; your efforts are much appreciated.
Spiritual: I think I'm ignoring God, which is SO NOT what I should be doing right now as I pray and pray and pray some more that my book will sell and make some money. I should stop doing this.
State of Mind: I'm not going to lie. Doubt is starting to creep in. Not overtake. But definitely creep in. (Yes, I realize I've only gotten seven rejections. And I have to be tougher, and I am tougher. But I'm also an emo writer, so...) I'm also going through that whole crazy writer's black hole that I always go through after I finish one big writing objective and search for the next. Also, I am not a patient person. AND I need to find something productive, like a job, to fill my time now that I've officially entered this dark, quiet period called: The Waiting Game.
Financial State: I feel like it's the same. But I'm definitely counting the days now as I know my savings won't last much longer, and I need more work to fill my time. Thus, I'm searching for a job: a part-time, low stress, decent-paying job. (The whole job hunt thing makes the emo writer even crazier!)
Creative: Taking a back seat lately. I need to amp it up. I need to really focus my creative energies in productive directions like for real finishing these few stories I've been working on for months but still aren't perfect yet or good enough to send out to magazines. And I need to OH MY GOD AMP UP my freelance business. So... all of you loyal followers of my blog who have websites and party invitations and holiday bashes you're preparing for, make sure you hire your favorite friendly neighborhood writer to take care of all of these needs and write something beautiful to send to your friends and families. Yes, I'm shamelessly plugging myself on my own blog. But if not here, then where? And I really do need to hugely beef up my freelance business. So spread the good word about my fabulous writing skills; your efforts are much appreciated.
Spiritual: I think I'm ignoring God, which is SO NOT what I should be doing right now as I pray and pray and pray some more that my book will sell and make some money. I should stop doing this.
Monday, May 17, 2010
My Latest Rejection:
"Dear Meghann Carey, Thanks for your query. Due to a family health crisis, I must declare a moratorium on new submissions for the coming year. I appreciate your thinking of us and I wish you every success with your work.
Cordially,"
While my initial response should have been something like: "Oh that sucks! I really feel bad. Hope she's okay." My actual response was something more along the lines of this: "F@*king s@*t lady! We all have to work regardless of extenuating circumstances! Don't you know how desperate new novelists are to publish their first book? I mean, geez!"
After processing for a moment, I went back and thought something along the lines of what would have been an appropriate, reasonable person response. No need to invite bad karma into my life after all.
So, this is rejection number 4!
Keep your fingers crossed! Many many thanks for all of the positive energy being sent my way!
Cordially,"
While my initial response should have been something like: "Oh that sucks! I really feel bad. Hope she's okay." My actual response was something more along the lines of this: "F@*king s@*t lady! We all have to work regardless of extenuating circumstances! Don't you know how desperate new novelists are to publish their first book? I mean, geez!"
After processing for a moment, I went back and thought something along the lines of what would have been an appropriate, reasonable person response. No need to invite bad karma into my life after all.
So, this is rejection number 4!
Keep your fingers crossed! Many many thanks for all of the positive energy being sent my way!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Milestones! Yay!
Sent out my first query letters!
Got my very first rejection letter!
Loved the first milestone! Could have skipped over the second! I'm not going to lie; rejection letters sting. But we press on. "No," is not an option. Not an option for so many different reasons at this point.
So, if you must... bring it on Rejection Letter God. I'm not afraid. And I will do whatever it takes to find someone who says, "Yes."
Got my very first rejection letter!
Loved the first milestone! Could have skipped over the second! I'm not going to lie; rejection letters sting. But we press on. "No," is not an option. Not an option for so many different reasons at this point.
So, if you must... bring it on Rejection Letter God. I'm not afraid. And I will do whatever it takes to find someone who says, "Yes."
My book is finished!
MY BOOK IS FINISHED!!! OH MY GOD!!! WOO HOO!!! I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT!!!
It took a full year of my life, but it is completely finished and ready to sell!!! I'm sending out query letters today! And then I start the waiting game. Which I'm strangely excited about. I'm sure I won't be excited, you know, a week from now when I am STILL waiting. But today I'm excited!
Time to get to it!
It took a full year of my life, but it is completely finished and ready to sell!!! I'm sending out query letters today! And then I start the waiting game. Which I'm strangely excited about. I'm sure I won't be excited, you know, a week from now when I am STILL waiting. But today I'm excited!
Time to get to it!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I live in a place called Grammar Land!
It's a fun place filled with lots of periods, commas, and semicolons, all of which I have misplaced. Over and over and over again. 200 pages worth of misuse! I really shouldn't be trusted to finish this sentence correctly. Thank God I have amazing editors! I've already recommended both of you for Sainthood.
I have a very, very, very short To Do List left. Thank God! It's time to sell this book! I've said this sentence a trillion times over the last year of my life, but it really is time to sell this book. NOW! Yes, I realize I have no real control over when this book sells. But that does not change the fact that I'm ready to sell this damn book! So I can make some money and stress a little less. And so I can write a second one! Because that's what this is all about. It's not about writing just one book. Anyone can do that. Maybe anyone can't, but a lot of people can write one book. But I want to write A LOT of books. Over the course of the rest of my life. I finally figured out what I love to do and coincidentally I'm pretty good at it. And I'm only going to get better.
I'm also very eager to publish my book because I have been trying to figure out who I am my entire life, and I've finally figured it out a little bit. Leia really is me. I realize it more and more as I distance myself from the novel in order to see it more clearly. It took twenty-eight years of life to get a pretty good picture of who I am. I am the person I want to be, and I want the world to see that. Maybe I can make up in my fictional character my shortcomings as a real person. Or learn something from her. Which I have on several occasions over the last year.
An update for all of those who are praying for my success and sending me lots of good vibes and positive energy. Back to Grammar Land now. Luckily, there's Pandora in Grammar Land to keep me sane amidst the flurry of punctuation marks.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Slight Moment of Panic and A Long Night of Insomnia
I had a slight girlie moment of panic last night that led to a night of insomnia in which I was composing haikus instead of sleeping. Totally normal, right?
My moment of panic stemmed from the ten day trip I'm going to be embarking upon on Thursday. Yes, this Thursday. This trip includes four cities, two weddings (one of which I am in), and me in a bathing suit in a week from now, oh my god. Yes, this is one intense trip! It's going to be ridiculously awesome, and I'm going to see most of my very best friends, including my middle sister, over the course of the next ten days. However, I've been avoiding planning for it, meaning making lists of things to make sure I take and leave. Like take my gps for driving around L.A. but leave my Swiss army knife here instead of getting to the airport, failing security checks, and having to mail it home to myself and go through security again. So today I make lists and plans as I embark upon another work day with less sleep than normal.
Because I'm going to be out of town for ten whole days meaning I'll get little to no work done, I'm trying to get my book finished before I leave...in FIVE days! This may seem like unnecessary pressure, but you know when you're running a marathon and you only have a mile left...you're not going to stop for anything. Nothing. At all. No matter what. Because you're almost finished. And you really want to just be finished. I really want to just be finished with my book. And I'm so freaking close; I can literally taste it at this point!
Plus, I've written a rockin' query letter that I want to start sending out to literary agents to get this process moving along, so I can sell my book, you know, yesterday! So, I push myself to pack for a ten day trip, to not forget anything, and finish my book. All in the next five days.
So here we are. Yesterday, I put every event, major and minor, and time reference on a piece of posterboard. I had divided the posterboard up by months because in my head, I thought I knew when everything happened. Well, now I have all these events on my time line. (Yes, the dreaded time line I've been avoiding for a year is complete.) Putting all of these events on my time line made me realize two things: 1)I actually didn't have any idea when anything happened. I won't give away specific details of events, but there's one major event in the story that happened in the Fall in my imagination, but according to my book, it happened in early Spring. 2)The event that happens on the first freaking page of the whole damn novel is the one that's going to fuck up the ENTIRE time line of my story! Every other event can be moved or shifted pretty easily, but this one event was causing some MAJOR problems!
So last night, while my roommates and I were making dinner and playing Wii, I start discussing this one MAJOR problem and trying to come up with a solution. But not just any solution. At this stage in the game, the solution needs to be like one or two sentences and thus, really easy to fix! Well, after explaining my situation, my roommates gave me a couple of potential solutions, but they were BIG fixes! I can't use a big fix at this point. I can't go back and rewrite lots of various parts of the story for one scene. It's just not realistic. So we kept chatting. It took a minute, but we finally came up with a really easy, one or two sentence fix that makes the first scene completely plausible. Hallelujah!!! Like I said, the first scene was the only really big problem with my time line. The rest of the stuff is little and just needs to be nailed down.
This morning I got lucky and found a blank piece of posterboard. So, I'm going transfer every event from one posterboard to another, making them all fit together in a precise puzzle as I go. And then, I have to go back in and make changes in the novel of all of these event time changes. Hopefully this process will be completed today because I have several other things to work on in the next four.
For now, I leave you with a haiku composed in a state of insomnia.
The NFL draft
Is like the smell of rain. You
Lust for the real thing.
My moment of panic stemmed from the ten day trip I'm going to be embarking upon on Thursday. Yes, this Thursday. This trip includes four cities, two weddings (one of which I am in), and me in a bathing suit in a week from now, oh my god. Yes, this is one intense trip! It's going to be ridiculously awesome, and I'm going to see most of my very best friends, including my middle sister, over the course of the next ten days. However, I've been avoiding planning for it, meaning making lists of things to make sure I take and leave. Like take my gps for driving around L.A. but leave my Swiss army knife here instead of getting to the airport, failing security checks, and having to mail it home to myself and go through security again. So today I make lists and plans as I embark upon another work day with less sleep than normal.
Because I'm going to be out of town for ten whole days meaning I'll get little to no work done, I'm trying to get my book finished before I leave...in FIVE days! This may seem like unnecessary pressure, but you know when you're running a marathon and you only have a mile left...you're not going to stop for anything. Nothing. At all. No matter what. Because you're almost finished. And you really want to just be finished. I really want to just be finished with my book. And I'm so freaking close; I can literally taste it at this point!
Plus, I've written a rockin' query letter that I want to start sending out to literary agents to get this process moving along, so I can sell my book, you know, yesterday! So, I push myself to pack for a ten day trip, to not forget anything, and finish my book. All in the next five days.
So here we are. Yesterday, I put every event, major and minor, and time reference on a piece of posterboard. I had divided the posterboard up by months because in my head, I thought I knew when everything happened. Well, now I have all these events on my time line. (Yes, the dreaded time line I've been avoiding for a year is complete.) Putting all of these events on my time line made me realize two things: 1)I actually didn't have any idea when anything happened. I won't give away specific details of events, but there's one major event in the story that happened in the Fall in my imagination, but according to my book, it happened in early Spring. 2)The event that happens on the first freaking page of the whole damn novel is the one that's going to fuck up the ENTIRE time line of my story! Every other event can be moved or shifted pretty easily, but this one event was causing some MAJOR problems!
So last night, while my roommates and I were making dinner and playing Wii, I start discussing this one MAJOR problem and trying to come up with a solution. But not just any solution. At this stage in the game, the solution needs to be like one or two sentences and thus, really easy to fix! Well, after explaining my situation, my roommates gave me a couple of potential solutions, but they were BIG fixes! I can't use a big fix at this point. I can't go back and rewrite lots of various parts of the story for one scene. It's just not realistic. So we kept chatting. It took a minute, but we finally came up with a really easy, one or two sentence fix that makes the first scene completely plausible. Hallelujah!!! Like I said, the first scene was the only really big problem with my time line. The rest of the stuff is little and just needs to be nailed down.
This morning I got lucky and found a blank piece of posterboard. So, I'm going transfer every event from one posterboard to another, making them all fit together in a precise puzzle as I go. And then, I have to go back in and make changes in the novel of all of these event time changes. Hopefully this process will be completed today because I have several other things to work on in the next four.
For now, I leave you with a haiku composed in a state of insomnia.
The NFL draft
Is like the smell of rain. You
Lust for the real thing.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Can I get a "Fuck Yeah!" and a High Five of Stoketude please?
It's been a freaking phenomenal day! I bought a case of paper this morning for $20. Woo hoo for cheap white paper on which I printed my novel! Also yay for new red pens! It's the simple things in life really.
When I edit/rewrite/revise/write, I print my novel out and write all over it in bright red pen! I know it's a waste of 100 sheets of paper every time I do this, but this is the only way editing works for me. I can't do nearly as good of a job on the computer screen as I can writing it in by hand. However, this makes double the work as I then have to go through the file and make all of the hand-written corrections. But it works, and that's all that matters. Oh, and I recycle!
Before I started my editing today, I read through my editors' comments and notes. I like to get a sense of the issues my editors are having, so I can easily and hopefully organically slip in solutions. I'm also flipping through a marked up copy while I edit my clean copy. There shouldn't be many more edits at all after this round, so I have to make sure I don't miss anything!
One of the comments one of my editors made was that readers needed to really get into the protagonist's head more. And I should describe her actions less. Particularly toward the end. So today I really tried to get into my protagonist's head. Which was difficult! Especially in the end of the book where the protagonist and the serial killer come face to face to duke it out. Having never been in this situation, it's hard to get into the mindset of thinking you're about to die at the hands of a serial killer who has brutally murdered a decent number of people over the last few months. Really getting into Leia's mind is crucial to my story's success.
So, I got fucked up, closed my eyes, and just wrote, trying to really concentrate and put myself in those feelings, her feelings. This might sound weird, and I'm certain I looked weird typing really fast with my eyes closed, but I think it helped. I hope her thoughts and emotions are coming to the surface more, so you can feel this intense level of fear and terror WITH her! So you will be afraid FOR her! So you will give a damn! So you will care about Leia Marie Sutherland, and you will cheer her on as she fights this psycho for her life. Cuz if you don't give a damn, I have failed in my mission as a writer. And if you don't care, you might not have even made it to the end chapters I worked on today. And you won't tell your friends to buy my book. Yes, you caring about Leia is this important and a crucial element to my success. So, I hone her voice and make her a stronger character.
Lots more editing to go for this round, but I'm off to a good start! I have to keep plowing through at a quick pace, so I can start querying agents ASAP now that I have my query letter finished.
When I edit/rewrite/revise/write, I print my novel out and write all over it in bright red pen! I know it's a waste of 100 sheets of paper every time I do this, but this is the only way editing works for me. I can't do nearly as good of a job on the computer screen as I can writing it in by hand. However, this makes double the work as I then have to go through the file and make all of the hand-written corrections. But it works, and that's all that matters. Oh, and I recycle!
Before I started my editing today, I read through my editors' comments and notes. I like to get a sense of the issues my editors are having, so I can easily and hopefully organically slip in solutions. I'm also flipping through a marked up copy while I edit my clean copy. There shouldn't be many more edits at all after this round, so I have to make sure I don't miss anything!
One of the comments one of my editors made was that readers needed to really get into the protagonist's head more. And I should describe her actions less. Particularly toward the end. So today I really tried to get into my protagonist's head. Which was difficult! Especially in the end of the book where the protagonist and the serial killer come face to face to duke it out. Having never been in this situation, it's hard to get into the mindset of thinking you're about to die at the hands of a serial killer who has brutally murdered a decent number of people over the last few months. Really getting into Leia's mind is crucial to my story's success.
So, I got fucked up, closed my eyes, and just wrote, trying to really concentrate and put myself in those feelings, her feelings. This might sound weird, and I'm certain I looked weird typing really fast with my eyes closed, but I think it helped. I hope her thoughts and emotions are coming to the surface more, so you can feel this intense level of fear and terror WITH her! So you will be afraid FOR her! So you will give a damn! So you will care about Leia Marie Sutherland, and you will cheer her on as she fights this psycho for her life. Cuz if you don't give a damn, I have failed in my mission as a writer. And if you don't care, you might not have even made it to the end chapters I worked on today. And you won't tell your friends to buy my book. Yes, you caring about Leia is this important and a crucial element to my success. So, I hone her voice and make her a stronger character.
Lots more editing to go for this round, but I'm off to a good start! I have to keep plowing through at a quick pace, so I can start querying agents ASAP now that I have my query letter finished.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
We have a pretty rockin' query letter!
Oh My God! Did I actually accomplish something I can OFFICIALLY check off the Grand Master To Do List? The answer: yes! As of some time mid-afternoon today, we officially have a pretty rockin' query letter! Thank God!
I'm not even going to lie; I do feel better. And we can now move on to bigger and better things...my novel! She needs one last big-ish round of edits. I have a plan of attack, though. And it involves starting from the end and working my way backward. This plan also involves me actually writing a time line of events. I've been avoiding it...for...almost a full year now... Yes, I am dedicated and stubborn; two of my more charming qualities. Now I, for real, have to go through and put every single freaking event in the 200 pages of my novel on one large piece of paper, so I can make sure it makes sense. Because right now it doesn't. As a testament to how out of whack my timing is throughout the novel, when I started writing the end, I wrote very ambiguous time references in an attempt to avoid writing a time line. Yes, this is a lazy writer maneuver, and obviously it didn't work. But remember, I am running a marathon here, and some days I'm just plain tired.
However, this first novel is my baby, and I want her to be a well-written, grammatically correct, page-turning, thrilling, suspenseful, blood, guts, and gore filled, emotional rollercoaster! I can't freaking wait for all of you who read my novel to ride this rollercoaster with me!
So, I do what it takes. No matter what. To make my first, real contribution to the literary world as good as it can be. For my own bragging rights and for my readers' enjoyment.
I'm not even going to lie; I do feel better. And we can now move on to bigger and better things...my novel! She needs one last big-ish round of edits. I have a plan of attack, though. And it involves starting from the end and working my way backward. This plan also involves me actually writing a time line of events. I've been avoiding it...for...almost a full year now... Yes, I am dedicated and stubborn; two of my more charming qualities. Now I, for real, have to go through and put every single freaking event in the 200 pages of my novel on one large piece of paper, so I can make sure it makes sense. Because right now it doesn't. As a testament to how out of whack my timing is throughout the novel, when I started writing the end, I wrote very ambiguous time references in an attempt to avoid writing a time line. Yes, this is a lazy writer maneuver, and obviously it didn't work. But remember, I am running a marathon here, and some days I'm just plain tired.
However, this first novel is my baby, and I want her to be a well-written, grammatically correct, page-turning, thrilling, suspenseful, blood, guts, and gore filled, emotional rollercoaster! I can't freaking wait for all of you who read my novel to ride this rollercoaster with me!
So, I do what it takes. No matter what. To make my first, real contribution to the literary world as good as it can be. For my own bragging rights and for my readers' enjoyment.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Had a Meeting With My Editor Today.
She is a saint! We meet for writing tips, for marketing tips, and for the all important, meaning I really can't live without it, pep talk. I just need one of these every now and again as I journey down this uncharted road alone. Okay, a lot of other people have been down this publishing road before, but I've never done this, and the only way to really understand the writing and selling of a book is to write and sell a book yourself.
My mentor's pep talks are incredible. She makes me feel sane and like I semi-know what I'm doing; I'm headed in the right direction at a realistic pace. I cannot express to you how invaluable it is to hear such encouraging words from someone who's been here and done this.
These pep talks really restore my sanity. As I told her today, if I can just keep myself sane under the pressure of all of this, of editing my book, finding a literary agent, making some money off this book, all in some semblance of soon, you know, before my savings runs out...if I can stay sane through all of this, then I have no doubt I will succeed. And the second book will be..SO. MUCH. EASIER.
Notice how I didn't say I needed help with editing or marketing. No, no. Staying sane is the hard part, especially at this point in the marathon.
So I trudge forward. With renewed hope and vigor. And a new, prioritized plan of attack.
P.S. To the rest of the amazing people in my life who attempt to keep me sane every day, despite what a huge challenge it actually is, your efforts are sincerely appreciated. And keep up the good work. We're not published yet.
My mentor's pep talks are incredible. She makes me feel sane and like I semi-know what I'm doing; I'm headed in the right direction at a realistic pace. I cannot express to you how invaluable it is to hear such encouraging words from someone who's been here and done this.
These pep talks really restore my sanity. As I told her today, if I can just keep myself sane under the pressure of all of this, of editing my book, finding a literary agent, making some money off this book, all in some semblance of soon, you know, before my savings runs out...if I can stay sane through all of this, then I have no doubt I will succeed. And the second book will be..SO. MUCH. EASIER.
Notice how I didn't say I needed help with editing or marketing. No, no. Staying sane is the hard part, especially at this point in the marathon.
So I trudge forward. With renewed hope and vigor. And a new, prioritized plan of attack.
P.S. To the rest of the amazing people in my life who attempt to keep me sane every day, despite what a huge challenge it actually is, your efforts are sincerely appreciated. And keep up the good work. We're not published yet.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
My Query Letters Have Sucked!!!
I'm meeting with my editor tomorrow to get some help with query letters and other things. So, I decided I needed to make my query letters better or at least create a few different versions to choose from, one of which would hopefully be good. Thus, I got really fucked up, put on some Top Chef tv and just fucking wrote and referred to a sample query letter. And wrote some more. And referred to a sample query letter. And I came up with two new versions, one of which I think is pretty freaking good. Definitely less boring! I thought writing my novel would be hard. It was a cake walk compared to this. This shit is fucking hard!
Another issue I'm dealing with: who does my novel sound like? It's got to sound like someone else out there. I just don't know who. I've asked my editors and have stacks of mysteries I'm plowing through in an attempt to figure this out. My protagonist is different, but I'm not naive enough to think she's completely original.
The whole thought process contained here is why attempting to get published is MADDENING! You do one thing Monday only to have ten things to do Tuesday. So you do ten things Tuesday only to have 40 things to do Wednesday! If I didn't drink, I wouldn't make it. If I didn't have the support system I have, I wouldn't make it. If I wasn't as determined and unwilling to accept, "No" for an answer, I wouldn't fucking make it!
Have I mentioned how scary editing a novel is? Have I mentioned how scary trying to sell my novel to an agent is? No. Well, I have never been more scared in my life! Because I've upped the ante. It's all fine and well and good when it's just a job or a project or a whatever. But when you risk your livelihood to make your childhood dreams come true, "Yes" is the only acceptable answer, and you don't give up until you hear the one word that matters. No matter what.
So, it's Thursday, and I'm kicking my own butt into gear, so I'm going to go back to writing awesome query letters!
Another issue I'm dealing with: who does my novel sound like? It's got to sound like someone else out there. I just don't know who. I've asked my editors and have stacks of mysteries I'm plowing through in an attempt to figure this out. My protagonist is different, but I'm not naive enough to think she's completely original.
The whole thought process contained here is why attempting to get published is MADDENING! You do one thing Monday only to have ten things to do Tuesday. So you do ten things Tuesday only to have 40 things to do Wednesday! If I didn't drink, I wouldn't make it. If I didn't have the support system I have, I wouldn't make it. If I wasn't as determined and unwilling to accept, "No" for an answer, I wouldn't fucking make it!
Have I mentioned how scary editing a novel is? Have I mentioned how scary trying to sell my novel to an agent is? No. Well, I have never been more scared in my life! Because I've upped the ante. It's all fine and well and good when it's just a job or a project or a whatever. But when you risk your livelihood to make your childhood dreams come true, "Yes" is the only acceptable answer, and you don't give up until you hear the one word that matters. No matter what.
So, it's Thursday, and I'm kicking my own butt into gear, so I'm going to go back to writing awesome query letters!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Still Creatively Writing...I Mean Querying Agents...
More research today. Going through agent website after agent website. Some of them have really interesting things to say indicating they really do get it. They get the blood, sweat, tears, long hours, days, weeks, months, and sometimes years, the passion, the love, the words, words, and more words, the ideas, the thought, the planning, research, attention, editing, writing, rewriting, dedication, heartfelt, soul-wrenching, deeply-embedded, emotion that goes into writing a novel.
Creating a completely new world filled with previously unimagined people you will come to love as much as you love your own family because these characters are the people you really live with. You might say you live with your roommates, husband, wife, children, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, father, aunt...but you don't! As a writer, I live with Leia Marie Sutherland and the serial killer stalking her, and all of the other people that make up Leia's intricate world.
Sandra Dijkstra wrote an essay on her website to authors, agents, editors, publishers, and everyone else in the publishing world that is inspirational. She has this to say, "we do see the big sky, which is often bluer out here and can inspire acts of great courage (or foolishness).” Dijkstra is a West Coaster, rebelling against the traditional NYC location for the publishing industry. She truly gets what it takes to put your mind, body, soul, heart, and life into a book. Dijkstra understands it's the small things in life that inspire writers. Some days all it takes is the blue, blue sky to inspire you to get up the courage to quit your job or not look for a new one when you get laid off from yours and look seemingly foolish in front of everyone you know all to achieve a dream and write a novel. But not just any novel. Your first novel.
One agent said he is passionate about his favorite books! He understands why writers write: because they love that euphoric feeling of finding yourself in one of your favorite books. There's nothing better than finding yourself in the middle of your favorite book, turning page after page after page, unable to put it down, all to find out what happens next. What happens to these people in this fictional world. This particular agent shows a high respect you, as a reader and a writer, have for someone who can create such a believable world, you can just fall into. I have spent much of my life existing in these worlds others have created for me to fall in to.
Not every agent says things like these, but these are the kinds of people to which I want to give my novel. These are the types of people who will really appreciate all of the little details that went into creating a fictional city called Edenville and a cast of characters fit for any episode of Law and Order. These are the people I want to talk to for hours about books. And these are the people I will query first.
Creating a completely new world filled with previously unimagined people you will come to love as much as you love your own family because these characters are the people you really live with. You might say you live with your roommates, husband, wife, children, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, father, aunt...but you don't! As a writer, I live with Leia Marie Sutherland and the serial killer stalking her, and all of the other people that make up Leia's intricate world.
Sandra Dijkstra wrote an essay on her website to authors, agents, editors, publishers, and everyone else in the publishing world that is inspirational. She has this to say, "we do see the big sky, which is often bluer out here and can inspire acts of great courage (or foolishness).” Dijkstra is a West Coaster, rebelling against the traditional NYC location for the publishing industry. She truly gets what it takes to put your mind, body, soul, heart, and life into a book. Dijkstra understands it's the small things in life that inspire writers. Some days all it takes is the blue, blue sky to inspire you to get up the courage to quit your job or not look for a new one when you get laid off from yours and look seemingly foolish in front of everyone you know all to achieve a dream and write a novel. But not just any novel. Your first novel.
One agent said he is passionate about his favorite books! He understands why writers write: because they love that euphoric feeling of finding yourself in one of your favorite books. There's nothing better than finding yourself in the middle of your favorite book, turning page after page after page, unable to put it down, all to find out what happens next. What happens to these people in this fictional world. This particular agent shows a high respect you, as a reader and a writer, have for someone who can create such a believable world, you can just fall into. I have spent much of my life existing in these worlds others have created for me to fall in to.
Not every agent says things like these, but these are the kinds of people to which I want to give my novel. These are the types of people who will really appreciate all of the little details that went into creating a fictional city called Edenville and a cast of characters fit for any episode of Law and Order. These are the people I want to talk to for hours about books. And these are the people I will query first.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Querying Agents
So...with every query letter I write, I have to say why I chose that particular agent. As I'm researching agents, they all agree they don't want you to query them just because they're next on the list of agents in the Writer's Market book that accepts murder mystery/thriller/women's/Southern novels. Well, this is easier said than done.
Yes, some of the agents on my list say something that stands out. Like we're actively seeking new, unpublished writers in this genre. Or, we're looking for mysteries from a woman's perspective. Or we're looking for thriller novels that have a different "subject" than what's already out there. My female protagonist is a food critic. See: different.
However, sometimes there isn't another reason to query them other than they're next on the list. What do you do then? Make shit up!!! I graduated with a B.A. in English Literature and Journalism and with an M.A. in English Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing. All of that is to say, I'm very good at bullshitting. In fact, I've spent the last ten years of my life practicing my professional bullshit skills. This is not to say I should make up crap because crap is simply that: crap. And we can all discern the crap from the professionally crafted slightly bullshit inspired explanation.
So, that's where I'm at with my query letters. I've researched and researched in the Writer's Market books, and I'm going over and over every word on every agent's website (assuming they have one, which all don't). Now it's time to get creative! And possibly pull some stuff out of my butt, as we creatives say.
Other thoughts on agents:
Every Writer's Market book and many agent websites tell you to head to your local bookstore and look in the front few pages of popular mystery novels because this is where the author is going to thank their agent. This way, when writing query letters, you can say, "hey, you represent so and so, and my book is like theirs because..." I'm calling bullshit on this one big time!!! I am an avid murder mystery reader. I own a trillion mystery novels, yes a trillion, and I spend countless hours in bookstores, and I rarely, and I mean RARELY, see any author thank their agent in the first few pages. Generally what I see is publisher information, BUT NO FREAKING AGENT NAME! So, thanks Writer's Guide, but this tip is SO NOT HELPFUL!
Also, I'm spending a great deal of time researching writers conferences. This, really, is where you would like to meet agents because the publishing industry, like every other industry in the world, is all about who you know. At this point, my connections in the publishing industry are slim-none. And by that I really mean nill, zero, zip. So, perhaps I shall attend a writers conference or two and meet some people in the biz. I'm definitely going to attend Killer Nashville, which is in Nashville in August and all about murder mystery novels. Hence the title. I'm also looking at several in NYC because that's where the publishing industry is centrally located, and my sister lives there, so I have a place to crash for free. And of course, I'm looking at conferences all over the Southeast.
Back to research for now. As always, please keep me in mind when thinking of all the handy dandy people in your address books. Maybe you know someone who can help me get published and you don't even realize it. So mine your address books friends! Your help is greatly, greatly appreciated!
Yes, some of the agents on my list say something that stands out. Like we're actively seeking new, unpublished writers in this genre. Or, we're looking for mysteries from a woman's perspective. Or we're looking for thriller novels that have a different "subject" than what's already out there. My female protagonist is a food critic. See: different.
However, sometimes there isn't another reason to query them other than they're next on the list. What do you do then? Make shit up!!! I graduated with a B.A. in English Literature and Journalism and with an M.A. in English Literature with a concentration in Creative Writing. All of that is to say, I'm very good at bullshitting. In fact, I've spent the last ten years of my life practicing my professional bullshit skills. This is not to say I should make up crap because crap is simply that: crap. And we can all discern the crap from the professionally crafted slightly bullshit inspired explanation.
So, that's where I'm at with my query letters. I've researched and researched in the Writer's Market books, and I'm going over and over every word on every agent's website (assuming they have one, which all don't). Now it's time to get creative! And possibly pull some stuff out of my butt, as we creatives say.
Other thoughts on agents:
Every Writer's Market book and many agent websites tell you to head to your local bookstore and look in the front few pages of popular mystery novels because this is where the author is going to thank their agent. This way, when writing query letters, you can say, "hey, you represent so and so, and my book is like theirs because..." I'm calling bullshit on this one big time!!! I am an avid murder mystery reader. I own a trillion mystery novels, yes a trillion, and I spend countless hours in bookstores, and I rarely, and I mean RARELY, see any author thank their agent in the first few pages. Generally what I see is publisher information, BUT NO FREAKING AGENT NAME! So, thanks Writer's Guide, but this tip is SO NOT HELPFUL!
Also, I'm spending a great deal of time researching writers conferences. This, really, is where you would like to meet agents because the publishing industry, like every other industry in the world, is all about who you know. At this point, my connections in the publishing industry are slim-none. And by that I really mean nill, zero, zip. So, perhaps I shall attend a writers conference or two and meet some people in the biz. I'm definitely going to attend Killer Nashville, which is in Nashville in August and all about murder mystery novels. Hence the title. I'm also looking at several in NYC because that's where the publishing industry is centrally located, and my sister lives there, so I have a place to crash for free. And of course, I'm looking at conferences all over the Southeast.
Back to research for now. As always, please keep me in mind when thinking of all the handy dandy people in your address books. Maybe you know someone who can help me get published and you don't even realize it. So mine your address books friends! Your help is greatly, greatly appreciated!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Let's Talk Literary Agents Some More
So, I've created a sort of assembly line system that is working better than anything else I've tried thus far. I'm going down my list and Googling every literary agency on it looking for a specific agent within the agency that would be the best fit for my murder mystery/thriller/Southern/women's novel. I'm gathering contact information and specific submission guidelines. Through this process, I have narrowed my list from 37 agencies to 28. My original 37 came from my Writer's Market Guide to Literary Agents
Reasons agencies got cut...horrible feedback from the online community, not accepting submissions at this time, don't represent murder msytery or thriller novels according to their website despite the fact that my Writer's Market Guide to Literary Agents said they did, their website says something like this, "As a rule, I no longer take mysteries, thrillers or historical novels because publishers won't buy them from unknown authors."
Let's all pause for a breath here because this statement stopped me dead in my tracks. Only for a second. But definitely stopped me. However, there are seemingly a million other agencies out there who do not agree with this statement, so the search for the perfect literary agent quickly resumed.
Next in the assembly line process, is to rough draft articulate on my Grand Master List why I've chosen to query each agent. This part of the process is partly done for almost all of the agencies on my list seeing as I've already chosen a particular agent for a particular reason and jotted that down.
Luckily, query letters are like cover letters for the most part, meaning their formulaic. I've written two query letters so far, and really the important part and the only part that really changes is the opening paragraph, which states: I chose you Mr./Mrs./Ms. agent because...
Thus, once I rough draft on my Grand Master List why I chose each agent, I can then go input it into my query letters I've already written and make them concise, intelligent, and VERY well-written.
I have a plan, and I'm moving forward faster now than I have for the entire month of March. My goal is to have all of my query letters written by the end of the week. I also have a novel synopsis that's pretty good but does need a little more work. So, that will go on the mental To Do List as I've abandoned the paper one. (It was stressing me out. So I said, "screw it!" And I'm moving faster without that pesky old official To Do List.)
There are still a million questions left, and I still don't feel like I really know what I'm doing. But the only way to learn, especially in this industry, is to do. So, I'm doing. I'm writing the perfect query letter for at least 28 different literary agents!
The Million Questions List:
Reasons agencies got cut...horrible feedback from the online community, not accepting submissions at this time, don't represent murder msytery or thriller novels according to their website despite the fact that my Writer's Market Guide to Literary Agents said they did, their website says something like this, "As a rule, I no longer take mysteries, thrillers or historical novels because publishers won't buy them from unknown authors."
Let's all pause for a breath here because this statement stopped me dead in my tracks. Only for a second. But definitely stopped me. However, there are seemingly a million other agencies out there who do not agree with this statement, so the search for the perfect literary agent quickly resumed.
Next in the assembly line process, is to rough draft articulate on my Grand Master List why I've chosen to query each agent. This part of the process is partly done for almost all of the agencies on my list seeing as I've already chosen a particular agent for a particular reason and jotted that down.
Luckily, query letters are like cover letters for the most part, meaning their formulaic. I've written two query letters so far, and really the important part and the only part that really changes is the opening paragraph, which states: I chose you Mr./Mrs./Ms. agent because...
Thus, once I rough draft on my Grand Master List why I chose each agent, I can then go input it into my query letters I've already written and make them concise, intelligent, and VERY well-written.
I have a plan, and I'm moving forward faster now than I have for the entire month of March. My goal is to have all of my query letters written by the end of the week. I also have a novel synopsis that's pretty good but does need a little more work. So, that will go on the mental To Do List as I've abandoned the paper one. (It was stressing me out. So I said, "screw it!" And I'm moving faster without that pesky old official To Do List.)
There are still a million questions left, and I still don't feel like I really know what I'm doing. But the only way to learn, especially in this industry, is to do. So, I'm doing. I'm writing the perfect query letter for at least 28 different literary agents!
The Million Questions List:
- Who do you trust? Writer's Guide? Agency website? The millions of websites online that critique agencies?
- How do you know who you can trust and who you can't? Do you trust an agent just because their a member of the AAR (Association of Authors' Representatives)?
- How do you define what type of book your novel is? As I've previously described it, mine fits into several categories: mystery, thriller, women's, Southern. But what happens if an agent accepts one genre but is not accepting another?
- Was it a good idea to Facebook friend the agent I friended today? (I went to become a fan of his agency, but the only option was to friend him. His Wall looked like it had LOTS of useful information on it from him, the insider, so I friended him. So people, let's keep my Facebook page semi-clean and professional. :) )
- Who do I know in the publishing industry? Who could I potentially know? Who do my friends know in the publishing industry? Yes, friends, if you know people, now's the time to share those contacts!!!
- How many query letters can I make my editors read? After they've read my novel?
Let's Talk Literary Agents
I've spent the last 48 hours really, really embedded in the online world of literary agents. Oh My God! There's so much out there! Here's a quick overview of questions I've had and things I've learned over the last two days.
Does it diminish an agent's credibility if there's a typo on their website homepage? I'm certainly not allowed to have a typo in ANYTHING I send to them. In fact, I'll probably get an automatic rejection if I do. Does this mean the agency gets an automatic rejection from me if they have a typo?
Does it matter if a literary agency doesn't have a webpage or doesn't have a webpage that comes up automatically at the top of search engine results. If I can create a website, myself, for my dog, shouldn't a literary agent have a website? And if you're serious about business like the rest of us, shouldn't it appear at the top of Google's search results? Just saying.
The website P & E provides incredible amounts of feedback on any and every literary agent out there. Folks posting on this site are brutally honest.
What about if the agent has an AOL e-mail address? I'm a normal person, and I haven't had an AOL email address in ten years. Not that anything's wrong with AOL. It's just that most of us have switched to gmail or if you're a business you have an email address that's yourname@yourbusinessname.com. Is an AOL e-mail address a reason to discount an agent?
I have eliminated several agencies from my Master List through my online searching. My Master List was formed from my Writer's Market Guide to Literary Agents. After doing A LOT of online research, I wonder about what it takes to get into the Writer's Market Guide to Literary Agents. Some of the agencies listed in this book look very sketchy online.
This leaves me with the big question: who do I trust with my manuscript? It's SO DIFFICULT to decide who's reputable and who's not. How do you decide? Based in NYC? Has a website? Lists LOTS of publishing credentials in agent bios? In Writer's Market?
My first novel is my baby! I can't trust her with just anyone. Frankly, I would prefer to not waste a lot of time querying sketchy agencies or agencies who are not going to respond or agencies who don't solely represent literary works.
Here's the list of agencies I've vetoed so far. They've been voted out for various reasons, not all of them negative. Take it for what it's worth. I'm just one novice writer trying to publish her first novel.
Does it diminish an agent's credibility if there's a typo on their website homepage? I'm certainly not allowed to have a typo in ANYTHING I send to them. In fact, I'll probably get an automatic rejection if I do. Does this mean the agency gets an automatic rejection from me if they have a typo?
Does it matter if a literary agency doesn't have a webpage or doesn't have a webpage that comes up automatically at the top of search engine results. If I can create a website, myself, for my dog, shouldn't a literary agent have a website? And if you're serious about business like the rest of us, shouldn't it appear at the top of Google's search results? Just saying.
The website P & E provides incredible amounts of feedback on any and every literary agent out there. Folks posting on this site are brutally honest.
What about if the agent has an AOL e-mail address? I'm a normal person, and I haven't had an AOL email address in ten years. Not that anything's wrong with AOL. It's just that most of us have switched to gmail or if you're a business you have an email address that's yourname@yourbusinessname.com. Is an AOL e-mail address a reason to discount an agent?
I have eliminated several agencies from my Master List through my online searching. My Master List was formed from my Writer's Market Guide to Literary Agents. After doing A LOT of online research, I wonder about what it takes to get into the Writer's Market Guide to Literary Agents. Some of the agencies listed in this book look very sketchy online.
This leaves me with the big question: who do I trust with my manuscript? It's SO DIFFICULT to decide who's reputable and who's not. How do you decide? Based in NYC? Has a website? Lists LOTS of publishing credentials in agent bios? In Writer's Market?
My first novel is my baby! I can't trust her with just anyone. Frankly, I would prefer to not waste a lot of time querying sketchy agencies or agencies who are not going to respond or agencies who don't solely represent literary works.
Here's the list of agencies I've vetoed so far. They've been voted out for various reasons, not all of them negative. Take it for what it's worth. I'm just one novice writer trying to publish her first novel.
- Acacia House Publishing Services
- Farber Literary Agency
- Farris Literary Agency
- Dee Mura Literary
- The Nashville Agency
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Totally Got in the Writer's Groove
Love that! It hasn't happened much lately, so I WILL OH MY GOD FREAKING TAKE IT!
Excited about more writing tomorrow!!! Sometimes the brain just gets cloudy, and sometimes it isn't. I love the clear days that have focus and drive and determination but not crazy... Cuz the crazy days SUCK!
Let the writing flow! Thank you God! Seriously!
Feeling more relaxed, which has played into successful writing. I've gotten back to trusting myself because I am a good writer. And I know this. I will succeed.
Missing my LONG distance writer friend but my emo-ness can't rule my life.
Writing rules my life. I love it. All kinds of it. Even query letters! Kind of in a groove with those as well!
Can I get a Southern cheer? Yee-haw!
Excited about more writing tomorrow!!! Sometimes the brain just gets cloudy, and sometimes it isn't. I love the clear days that have focus and drive and determination but not crazy... Cuz the crazy days SUCK!
Let the writing flow! Thank you God! Seriously!
Feeling more relaxed, which has played into successful writing. I've gotten back to trusting myself because I am a good writer. And I know this. I will succeed.
Missing my LONG distance writer friend but my emo-ness can't rule my life.
Writing rules my life. I love it. All kinds of it. Even query letters! Kind of in a groove with those as well!
Can I get a Southern cheer? Yee-haw!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Simple Things
I got my book back from one of my editors. Lots of work ahead of me, but it's my favorite kind.
Drafted another query letter. To another agent.
Had lunch with a very good friend of mine today who put life back into perspective. Well, at least a little. And it was enough to make a difference.
Bought Bud Light and made campfire potatoes to channel my Dad. He always used to tell us to, "Stay tough. You're tough. You can handle it." He's said that to me more times than I can count. I needed a reminder today, and I got it.
Thank God for the simple things. And days that are simply better than previous days.
Drafted another query letter. To another agent.
Had lunch with a very good friend of mine today who put life back into perspective. Well, at least a little. And it was enough to make a difference.
Bought Bud Light and made campfire potatoes to channel my Dad. He always used to tell us to, "Stay tough. You're tough. You can handle it." He's said that to me more times than I can count. I needed a reminder today, and I got it.
Thank God for the simple things. And days that are simply better than previous days.
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