The Gift That Keeps On Giving

In the last few weeks, I’ve been going over ways of ‘Killing Time Between Revisions…Productively.’

So far I’ve used this time to :

Construct my query letter.  &  Compose my Agent List.

And today I wanted to talk about an absolutely fabulous way of helping time go by:

Critiquing.

First of all, I’m always honored whenever someone asks me to take a look at their work.  It means they trust me and value my opinion, and in some way- think I know what the hell I’m doing.  Which is a plus.

Also- Critiquing other people’s writing is the gift that keeps on giving because it’s a great way to hone your own critical eye and make it easier to see common mistakes in your work.

A few tips I try to use-

 I make sure I know exactly what kind of feeback the writer is looking for.  

By the time I’m getting a draft of someone’s work, they probably are more worried about the big picture- plot, characterization, and pacing issues.  If I see something that worded awkwardly or a misused or mis-spelled word, I will point it out, of course- but I never pick apart a piece in a line-editing sort of way unless the person is concerned about a certain passage and asks me to do just that.  Nothing is more discouraging than having every sentence questioned and picked apart all while the big issues are mearly skimmed over-   (its like, when I tried to wash my dad’s guitar with toilet paper.  The good intentions were there, but in the end, the guitar definitely didn’t shine. )

I set aside time where I can truly focus on the piece. 

I don’t like trying to critique while working on my own stuff or reading a different book.  I treat each project like I’m a consumer- sitting down to read a new book all the while keeping in mind everything I’ve learned about how agents work, and the craft of writing to help make the project better.

 I record any thoughts or comments in the side bar but also give an ‘overall’ review of the project.  

The overall focuses on the biggest things mentioned above while the notes are a great way to relate back to the writer what bits we enjoyed, what parts were confusing or awkwardly worded, where the voice was off, or where the pacing lagged.  Personally, I devour the comments in the side bar as soon as someone sends me my work back and they really help me get a feel for how they liked (or didn’t like) the book.

There are tons of great sites with advice on how to be a better beta.  Agent Mary Kole wrote a great article on what a great critique group or parner means.  And writer’s social networks are a great way to meet other writers and find beta readers.

Your Agent List

From now until the end of October, I’d like to to dedicate Wednesday posts to different ways of ‘Killing Time Between Revisions…Productively’.

Last week’s focus was perfecting the query letter. 

This week I’m going to tackle another daunting piece of the querying process:  Composing my agent list.

When I first started querying, I had no idea what I was doing.  I ordered ‘The Writer’s and Artist’s Yearbook 2009’ and figured I’d have to query in the UK because...it’s closer to France.  Unfortunately most agents in the UK don’t accept email queries and prefer posted packages that contain a query letter, synopsis, and first three chapters along with a self addressed envelope for those nifty little rejection cards they like to mail back.   Although, in many cases they EMAILED me their rejection, after all that.  Lazy bums.

Anyway, I spent about six months querying that way - waiting weeks and weeks for a response (not to mention the euros spent in postage)…before I realized that there was no reason not to query the American market.  At the time, I was using ‘Litmatch.com’ which has now become ‘AuthorAdvance.com’.  Their search engines were alright.  I made up a list of ten American agents, sent off the email on a Friday morning.  By Friday afternoon I had my first full request!  It ended in rejection, but from that moment on, I never sent out another hard copy query.

QueryTracker.net is probably the best resource I’ve ever seen for finding agents that represent the genre and age group you write in.   However, I’ve heard that the Guide to Literary Agents is a great resource and they’re editor’s blog is awesome for new agent updates and success stories.  But even with this resource, it’s best to take the time to check out the agency’s website, read the bios of all the agents on their team and really think about who sounds like the best fit for your work.  It’s time-consuming and let’s face it-  boring.  But if you can only submit to one agent at a certain agency, you better make sure it’s the right one.

With experience, I’ve learned to compile a list in fits and starts between revisions or while waiting for feedback.  

Picture this- you’re finally ready to query.  You’ve got your letter and a pretty polished manuscript.  So you pick a day, spend the morning researching agents, finally narrow it down to five or six after HOURS of scroll and click.  When it comes time to preparing the submission email- you’re tired, and cranky, and impatient and…MUCH MORE LIKELY TO MAKE A MISTAKE!!!  Trust me.

This time around, I’m playing it smart.  It took me two weeks to make up a list of ten agents- each of them from prominent agencies and agents who:

1.        1. Represent work that I enjoy and admire.  (I always flip to the acknowledgment pages to see if the author sited their agents, which in most cases, they have)

2.        2.  Represent my genre

I’m keeping the list on my computer and will probably draft all of my letters a week in advance- making sure they all respect the submission guidelines for each agency.  And while waiting for those rejections to come in, I’ll repeat the process.

What are some of your tips for composing an agent list?  Do you query hunt when the mood strikes?  Prepare in advance?  Send several out at once?  Or send one out every time a rejection rolls in?

Swearing in Your Query

As promised, I’m going to post my new query for FOSSEGRIM, after Matt Rush was kind enough to post it up last week for a three day critiquing session.  I got TONS of fabulous feedback, the key points being:

1.        1.  Your query should encompass the voice of your character and the tone of the story as much as possible.

2.       2.  The ‘hook’ should be within the first paragraph and offered in a way that really grabs the agent’s attention.

3.        3.There’s no need to be too specific.  Make sure you have your main conflict and the consequences if your MC doesn’t reach his/her goal.  (what’s at stake)

4.        4. Finally, the ending paragraph should be short and sweet and give very little information about the writer unless you have credentials.

You can see the original query letter here.  I’ve posted the new and improved version below followed by a question ...

*     *     *

Dear (specified agent)

Teen delinquent Sage Reynolds has been looking forward to his eighteenth birthday ever since he was dropped into ‘the system’.   Now, just six months away from freedom, his foster parents are sending him away to military school after one (okay, maybe two) run-ins with the law.  Sage was pretty sure he’d covered all his bases in the ‘screwed department'…that is, until he woke up on the bottom of the ocean with a freaking fish tail.

In this 70,000 word YA urban fantasy, Sage deals with the realities of turning ‘Fossegrim’- a mermaid race living off an enchanted island in the North Sea.  Truth is, Sage never asked to sprout a man-tail and shoot through the waves like a Disney character on ‘roids.  He’d do anything to get his old imperfect life back.  His one chance at becoming human again lies with the Fossegrim mermaid who threw the changing stone down on human land seventy years ago.  If Sage can find her and convince her to go back to the ocean, he can reclaim his humanity.  If he doesn’t, he’ll have to give up everything he loves and resign himself to life as a sushi-eating Fossefreak.

In addition to novels, I also write articles about publishing, the craft of writing, and the querying process which are featured on my blog- Creepy Query Girl. I am twenty eight years old, a married mother of three, and have been residing in France for the last six years.

I have included the first chapter below and the complete manuscript of FOSSEGRIM is available upon request.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

*     *     *

*CQG*

Now, I’ve tried rewriting the ‘screwed’ line a few times to tone it down.  The reason I put it in to begin with is because it’s very much a tone and language that Sage, the MC, would use.  But I’m wondering if it’s too harsh and might deter some agent’s interest in the story?  I've read about some agents accepting querries with far worse language, so it could be a matter of taste.

What do YOU think?  Keep the ‘screwed’?  Or screw the ‘screwed’?

More Bloffee

I’m late for morning bloffee.   It’s been one of those crazy mornings with sick kids and an impromptu trip to the dentist office!  What fun!

Anyways, I spent yesterday bent over my computer and fiddling with my query letter thanks to all the fabulous feedback I got over at Matt Rush’s place.  You guys totally renewed my enthusiasm for the query and the project as a whole so thank you SO much!  As soon as I get it perfect, I’ll be sure to post it here along with the critical points that make for a strong query.

In the meantime, I’m still over having bloffee at Matt’s.  What can I say?  The bloffee’s good, there’s that relaxing rainforest décor and the company can’t be beat.  He’s posted up a really fun interview with yours truly as a wrap up for this week’s query critique session.  Hope to see you there!

*CQG*

Wednesday Morning Bloffee

Today I’m over at Matt Rush’s for some Wednesday morning bloffee.  He has graciously agreed to critique my query letter and offer it up for feedback from his wonderful followers.  

I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s take - and sprucing up this query until it sparkles so if you all have time to take a look- I’d be forever grateful! Grab your bloffee and come on over!

*CQG*

Killing Time Between Revisions...Productively

Although my normal inclination upon finishing first round edits is to lock my manuscript away and spend two weeks scarfing crunchy cheetos in front of the boob tube, 

I decided to limit the above activity to one day only.  As I log in the initial changes- I’m already looking forward to different ways of killing time that will benefit my manuscript in the long run. 

First, I asked a couple people who I think would give helpful feedback on the plot, pacing and characterization to have a read of my MS when I'm through logging edits.   I know myself pretty well.  And even though it's early in the revision process, I know that no matter how many times I read through my MS and how much time I let accumulate between reads - I always get wrapped up in the story and have trouble seeing it with a critical eye.  Sending it off to readers not only makes me stay away from the damn thing while awaiting feedback- but it will give me critical points to keep in mind when I do go back and read.

In the meantime, there are a few things I can do to keep busy and help out my MS.  Today I’m going to focus on just one.

1-  Constructing a query letter.

 

Working on your query letter is a great productive way to kill time between revisions.  I started a first draft of my query when I began writing my ms and then went back and changed it as the story progressed.  There are some great tips for writing a query letter here, on Elana Johnson’s blog. 

This week Matt from the Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment has agreed to use my query as an example for critique on his blog and hopefully make it sparkle and shine for when querying time comes.  You can check out the query for FOSSEGRIM here and I appreciate any and all feedback! (thanks Matt!) 

What are some of your productive ways to kill time between revisions?