Keeping Sane

How does an author, locked up in her tiny apartment by herself for days on end, stay sane?

Everything's fine. No, haven't seen a thing.

Doctor Who Girls' Night. (Extra credit if you understand the photo reference!)

Yes, there's the regular job. And for some people, that may be social time enough. But the interactions between coworkers are often more formal, which means less relaxing. And if you work in a cubicle forest like I do, it's really not all that social.

It's important to keep up a social connection in what can arguably be called one of the most introverted professions around. We're humans - we need social company, even those of us with introvert qualities. It's kind of important to the continued functioning of our sanity (or, in some cases, functional insanity.)

Scheduling your life should include at least one, if not more, arranged social periods. Yes, that's right, playdates for grown-ups.

In my case, I host a weekly girls' night. This consists of several of us getting together, cooking dinner, and watching an episode or two of Doctor Who. Or sometimes we just end up talking so much that we don't get around to watching, but that's okay, too. It's about the company, not about the activity.

I could use this time to write. I could use this time to clean. I'm particularly fond of dishes, and there's always the hassle of more-or-less cleaning the apartment* before everyone gets here. But I never regret the company, and it's always fun.

(*Disclaimer: Cleanliness is relative. Dishes are clean; bathroom's Lysoled. That's what counts, right?)

Maybe you won't crack open a bottle of mead and have 6 cooks trying to work in a tiny apartment kitchen. But that's no excuse to neglect your mental health. Whether it's friend time, family time, or spouse time, make time in the week to be with other people. Even if this means heading over the local game shop for board-game night, or doing a hang-out on Google+ with old college friends. Our minds work best with at least a little human interaction. So make time.

Do you have a regularly scheduled social time? If so, what do you do? If not, what could you do?

Inside My Mind (Plots vs Pants)

Today, I'm going to give you a terrifying glimpse of my logic, as related to writing. How do I write? How do I decide what will happen next?


I am, on any given writing day, halfway between a plotter and pantser. Let's start by dissecting these terms:

Plotter: A writer who outlines the entire story before writing, who knows what will happen before she writes it and follows a carefully constructed plan, often down to knowing what each scene is and what will happen within it. (vb: to plot)

Panster: Short for "by the seat of my pants," an idiomatic expression meaning "making it up as I go." This writer has no plan. She may have carefully constructed characters, and a basic idea of where they're going, but what happens depends on the characters and will develop as she writes. She is, in essence, as surprised by the outcome of the story as the characters are. (vb: to pants [it])

Most of the things I've written so far have been carefully constructed through the first half of the book, but then I'll run out of plan and pants it from there. I'll usually have some idea of where I'm going, but not how I'm going to get there. In cases where I do have an idea of what I want my plot to be, it often changes because of who the characters are. Simply put, "he wouldn't actually do that, come to think of it," can completely rewrite the entirety of a story.

In recent times, I've begun filling the intercession not by the most logical move, but by the most dramatic one that can be backed by some form of logic. I won't make my characters do something suicidally stupid, but if I can come up with a conceivable reason for them to think that the most dramatic action is the most reasonable one, then I'll have them do it. If the most dramatic is just plain silly, I go with the second most dramatic instead, or on down the line until dramatic borders on reasonable. This is working better than my first plan: that I should go with the most sensible choice. Because, at the end of the day, I want to be excited by my own story. And when I choose sensible, I find myself getting bored.

Sometimes this means breaking my characters away from reality. But that usually turns out better, anyway, because after what I put them through, they should be falling apart around the edges. I would be. So I sketch out a basic outline of what I think will happen based on most recent circumstances, follow these to the logical conclusion to get the next proposed scene, and make a more-or-less outline.

(This outline usually has to be rewritten every fifty pages or so. I try to keep the outlines short.)

So far, this system is working out well. But I have to admit, I'd like try plotting. There's a notecard method I think I'll pick up at some point, just to give it a spin and see if it works better.

Every day I write, every story I start, I learn something new about writing, about myself, about what makes me better. So if I find something that works, I'll keep using it - but I'll still try something new, too. I don't ever want to stop getting better. Not even if - especially not if - I ever become a bestseller.

(Although, if I switch entirely over to plotting, I don't think I'll be able to resist making the joke, "Has anyone seen my pants?")

How do you write? Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you ever tried switching?

Elements of a Good Query

I've had a few people ask me about queries lately, so I thought I'd give a summary of things I've learned about crafting a query.

First, what is a query for? A query letter is a short, one-page (250 word) reason for an agent (or a publisher) to look at your manuscript and consider it for publication. The agent reads the letter, decides if he or she is interested enough to ask for more, and sends back either a request for a partial manuscript (the first few chapters,) a request for a full manuscript (the whole thing), or, most commonly, a rejection letter regrettably informing you that the agent will pass.

It is better to have an agent pass a work in which she is only mildly interested, than to have her accept a work in which she is not interested. If she isn't excited about it, she won't be able to sell it. So there is a good reason to get rejection letters, and although they may sting, better a little pain now than an unsold manuscript later. Remember, only about 60% of agented words actually make it all the way to being published. And many publishers will only accept agented works.

Okay, now you know what a query letter is, let's cover the parts of a good query letter (tips and tricks I've picked up from published authors, classes, and feedback on my own query):

1. Write it in a standard font (New Times Roman or Courier New), size 12.

2. You need to include your title (in ALL CAPS is standard), wordcount, and genre in your opening statement. Include any important 'elements': romantic elements, time-travel elements, etc., because agents frequently have specific tastes, and they should know up front if they don't like your specific genre. This will save both of you time.

3. Your manuscript should be complete (only exception: nonfiction).

4. The purpose of a letter is only to get an agent to request more. It is not to tell your entire story. Therefore, include your hook, the name of one or two of your main characters, and a short glimpse of the plot.

5. Don't use questions. Most agents I've seen have reported hating questions in a query as a rhetorical device. "Can she save him?" Sure, it looks suspenseful. But of course the heroine is going to save the hero, duh. So don't end the plot summary with a question mark.

6. Use short sentences. They keep the query flowing, and a query needs to have a quick pace. Yep, that's right - just like in your novel, pace is important in your query.

7. Make sure the hook is included in your query. It might be awesome that bats swoop down and steal the hero's sword, but the hook is that the heroine, in refusing to be rescued, ends up having to rescue the hero instead. So make the hook the central plot point of the query, and not the sidequests.

8. Make sure your query is clearly in the genre you stated. Is it science-fiction? Then make sure to mention the science fiction element. Is it romance? Then make sure to mention the romantic element, and not just the adventure that goes on in the background.

9. Include your credentials (e.g., other published works). If you don't have any writing credentials, then don't pad your query letter with "how long you've been writing" or "I work in such-and-such unrelated field and am raising two kids as a widower while juggling bowling balls for cash on the side." (Unless your main character is a widower with two kids and juggles bowling balls for cash on the side.) If it's not related, cut it out.

10. Don't go into details on the subchapters of your writers' organization you're in. "Two subchapters" is sufficient detail.

11. Don't mention that you've paid an editor to edit your work. It should be edited and polished already, so mentioning that it's been professionally edited is redundant (doesn't matter who has edited it.)

12. Do not ask the agent to edit for you, or imply that your work needs more editing. If it does, start editing, and don't query until it's ready to go.

13. Query one manuscript at a time. Just one. Write a different query letter for each manuscript.

14. Do not reply to rejection letters. The agent doesn't want to try to sell your work. That's okay. Everyone has different tastes, and if the agent only likes your query, it's better that she doesn't agent it, because someone else can do a better job. Most agents easily acknowledge that they've passed on brilliant books, just because the plot didn't resonate right with them, so they didn't feel like they could do it justice. And who knows - one day, you might want to query them with something else. Don't burn bridges. After all, agents do talk to each other.

I highly recommend searching the Internet for query formats, and also checking the agency's website for information on their specific preferences. Also look through QueryShark and other query websites to get ideas on how to improve your own query, and if you can, take a query-writing class. You'll probably go through multitudes of query drafts - one good reason to send your queries out in batches of five or less, because that gives you a chance to fix your errors based on feedback.

What tips have you learned about query letters?

NaNoWriMo or Not?

I'm doing NaNoWriMo, but I'm not officially on NaNoWriMo. Why? Because NaNoWriMo is all about writing - but writing isn't.

Besides which, I've got a full-time job that I love and want to keep, and I can't just drop my other manuscripts.

What do I do? I assign 'word count' values to related tasks such as editing, querying, and critiquing my critique partners' works, based on time spent compared to the time it takes me to write.

Example: it takes me about 2 continuous hours, on average, to write 1.667K (the average word count if you divide 50K words by 30 days). So if I spend 1 hour on revisions, I've 'written' about 800 words. This way, I'm never overwhelmed with an insurmountable amount of work for a single day, and thus I don't face getting burnt out in the career I'd like to one day retire from.

I do not count social-media activities such as blogging or posting as writing word counts, because that is what I consider publicity-related business. I need to know what portion of my time those will take on their own, because that's a time investment of its own and I would like to see what the return is per time invested. Nor do I count extra-curricular writing on projects I have no intention of publishing.

The downside is that I always feel like I'd be cheating to add that to an official NaNoWriMo wordcount, so I don't sign up. Yet to me, NaNoWriMo is about encouraging productivity, creating good writing habits, and cheering other writers on. That's why I still say I'm doing NaNoWriMo, just not officially - because I really support the NaNoWriMo spirit.

What about you? How do you deal with revisions and editing during your NaNoWriMo?

5 Steps to Using an Agent Catalogue

Wouldn't it be great if there were some catalogue of literary agents, which you could pick up and browse at will?

Oh, wait.  There is!

Check out your local bookseller (I went to Barnes & Nobles, because there's one just down the street.)  A lot of large stores will carry books like The 2011 Guide to Literary Agents or a similar title.  If you're not in the RWA, or if you're looking for a different genre and haven't joined the association yet to get access to the association's list of agents, the book's a pretty good resource.  Heck, it's good even if you are a member.

But not every agency listed will sell your book.  And, as every writer should know, it's just plain silly to query an agent who doesn't sell your sort of book!  They don't have the connections, haven't studied your market, and may not even enjoy reading your genre at all.  So do your research before writing your letter.

Step one is to flip to the index.  That's right, the big books I've seen have a lovely little "by genre" index in the back, which will allow you to make a list of all agencies which might actually be willing to accept your novel (or your instruction book for decoding the mathematics behind taxes, as related to the housing market in China.  A lot of the agencies do take nonfiction.)  As for me, I only noted down the agencies I hadn't seen on the RWA website, or which I'd seen but not yet applied to.  No point researching someone to whom I've already sent a query!

Step two is to actually read the blurb provided.  Just because an agent sells romance, doesn't mean they sell paranormal/fantasy romance.  I marked everyone off my list who didn't sell my specific genre.  I also marked off a few who did, but who only take new clients by referrals, or who work with only established authors. 

Naturally, step three is to note down the contact information and preferences of the agency. 

Step for is not to query them.  Step four is to research them by going online, checking out their agency and their agents, and figuring out which agent is most likely to be interested in my work.  I also check out any blogs connected to the agency, and read through to get a better feel of what interests the agents, what their pet peeves are, and if they have any particular preferences for what should be included in the submission.

Step five, yes, is to actually send the query, and wait for a reply.  Try not to be like me and fidget too much in the interval, especially since it usually takes a few weeks for agents to get back to you.  Remember that they get hundreds of e-mails a week (sometimes a day.)  Jennifer Laughran suggests that waiting is good for you: if an agent sends something back immediately, usually it's a rejection.  They think about the submissions they like.  And, if you follow ettiquette, you should query no more than five agents at any one time, except in cases where an agent says they prefer an exclusive query (obviously, you'll be sending to just them.) In the latter case, they usually tend to be quicker on the return replies.

And, if you're lucky, step six will be to get a follow-up phone call, wherein you'll ask a lot of questions. 

For those published writers out there, how did you find your agent?  Through a recommendation, a conference, or a cold query?  Through a contest or a class?  How did you choose which agent to query?  And do you have any warnings or suggestions for debut authors?

The Research Continues

A past Facebook status update:  So they don't have books in the Bronze Age.  *Goes back through and replaces all mentions of 'books' with 'scrolls.'*

I recently heard an author of historical romance asked, "Do you do your research before you write your book, or as you write?"  It seems like a perfectly reasonable question, and for the most part, it is - but the answer, at least for me, is "both."

Writing a novel set in a magical Bronze Age was a research challenge, filled with minor epiphanies and moments of "Wait, they don't have that!" (like soap, saddles, and pants.)  It also included editors pointing out things that wouldn't grow on Santorini, or wouldn't yet be cultivated (you know, like carrots.)  And having never been to the Mediterranean, I had the strangest thought of, "Does the Mediterranean Sea have tides?"  Turns out, the tides are so small as to be unnoticable (although the moon does, yes, actually affect the sea enough to technically give it tides.)

Research doesn't always happen at the beginning of a story (and yes, having never written or even significantly studied this era of history, I had to do a lot of initial research.)  Sometimes, it happens in the middle of a paragraph, or even in the middle of a sentence, when I realize that I need more information.  Now I'm onto a new novel, one set in a more modern age, but I still come across the same challenges.  What sorts of trees grow in Southern China?  How long does it take to get to China from Japan by ferry?  

So just because you've completed your initial research, laid out your setting in perfect details, and carefully chosen historically or locationally accurate names, doesn't mean you can put aside your books entirely.  Some days will involve as much research as writing, and usually over the oddest subjects. ("What's a good, very casual Japanese restaurant for a small, semi-private discussion?" and "How long would it take a large wall of glass to cool enough to climb over?" - thanks all my friends for helping with the answers!)  The bright side is that every moment is filled with learning!

If you want to keep your book feasible, be prepared to research continuously, and don't be afraid of the internet - having a second monitor has been invaluable to me, allowing a quick Wiki-check without minimizing my writing.  And, of course, having friends who know about the subject really helps. 

What are some of the oddest things you've found yourself researching for a story?

Avoiding the Computer Desk Pounds

Writing isn't exactly considered aerobic exercise.  So staying in shape when I'm putting a lot of time on the keyboard isn't something that just spontaneously happens - I have to manage my lifestyle to make sure I don't pack on the pounds.

What works for me may or may not work for you, but here's how I maintain a healthy weight:

1.  Walk every day.  The advantage to writing is that I can get out while there's sunshine, so throwing in a short 30-45 minute walk is no big deal.  It's harder when I've got a job that keeps me inside during daylight - I've done gyms in the past, once or twice a week, but that was all I could make myself go.  Personally, I prefer walking outside to a full-body workout in a small, sweaty-smelling room, but that's just me.  Exercise, afer all, is exercise.

2.  Eat whole wheat.  Controlling calories, of course, is part of staying fit (but I never eat less than 900 per day, because that basically kills the metabolism!)  The problem with white bread is that my body digests it more quickly than whole wheat, so I'm hungry again faster.  And this goes for breakfast, too - by trading out rice and sugar cereals for whole wheat ones, I go about five hours before needing lunch, even without stuffing myself.

3.  One of the big keys to not getting hungry, for me, is that I don't have a set eating routine.  I do always eat breakfast, because it jump starts the metabolism, but I don't always eat it at the same time.  And I vary my lunchtime, so my body has adjusted to not getting hungry at any specific time.  If I don't feel hungry, I eat less.  The same goes for lunch and dinner.  Some days I'll wait until 3 or 4 to eat lunch, especially if I'm working late.  Other days, I'll eat earlier, like when I plan on cooking dinner and expect that I'll be eating a larger than usual dinner.

4.  I also often eat my biggest meal at lunchtime.  Pasta, eggs and sausage, potatoes, pretty much anything that's really filling and keeps me full.  Then, at dinner, my appetite is smaller, so I'm less likely to gorge.  And since I work evenings, I'm full before I go to work - since one of my jobs is delivering pizza, being full before work is pretty important.  That's not to say I don't ever nibble a slice or two of pizza; it just means I do so less often than if I relied on pizza as dinner.

5.  I drink lots of liquids.  No, I don't measure out eight gallons of water a day, or any nonsense like that - but I also don't wait until I'm thirsty to drink.  I just keep a glass within reach of the computer chair and sip every now and then.  Some people snack.  I drink tea or water.  Since thirst can be misinterpreted by the body as hunger, it prevents excess snacking.

6.  Speaking of, I try not to habit-snack.  Sure, I'll grab a handful of crackers when I do get hungry, but I don't keep bowls of junk food by the computer.  Since I have to get up to nibble, I'm less likely to do so unless I'm actually hungry - thus, no habit-eating.

7.  I don't deny myself sweets, I just eat them slowly.  This seems pretty counter-intuitive: after all, aren't sweets one of the reasons people gain weight?  But eating my chocolates one a time, and taking time to savor them, fills the sweets craving and makes me feel like I've had more than I had.  And since I don't deny myself, I also don't feel the need to splurge.  I do, however, take into account the approximate caloric count of the sweet.  If it's particularly high, I eat a lower-calorie dinner, like stew.

8.  Do I actually count calories?  Erm, not exactly.  But I try to have an approximate idea of how many I've had, and when I've had too few.  If I'm below a 1000, I will, in fact, actually force myself to eat more.  If I know I'm going to have a high-calorie item at some point in the day, I stick to lower-calorie options for the other meals.  If I'm losing more weight than I want and feel like I need to start gaining, I eat both a large lunch and a large dinner.  And yes, I do splurge.  If I'm going out to eat (which I do very rarely, about once or twice a month) I don't even count calories.  One meal doesn't ruin a lifestyle.  If, however, I ate out more often, I would take that into account.

9. Anything-goes meals.  Breakfast for dinner? If I feel like it.  Pasta for breakfast?  Sure, I need to eat those leftovers.  Yes, I usually do eat cereal for breakfast, but I'm not exclusive, which means I can switch out my highest calorie foods when I need to.

10.  I don't diet - all these things listed above are my lifestyle, and I'm not going to stop them as soon as I reach the weight I want.  That's the problem inherent with diets - they're temporary, so the results don't last.  And by telling myself that these eating habits will one day end, I adopt habits I don't want to keep in the long term, which means, of course, I won't.  So I eat in a style that I'm comfortable with, and don't deny myself the things I really want - I just make up for them.  Since I know my healthiest weight range (I try to keep between 125-134,) I also know when I need to lose - or gain - weight.  By tweaking my average daily calorie count, I can slowly add or subtract until I'm back in the middle of my zone.

I'll admit that I have a few natural advantages on the weight issue. I never stopped eating breakfast, and I never got in the habit of skipping meals, so I've kept a decent metabolism my whole life.  When I get stressed out, my appetite's the first thing to go, so I have a tendency to lose weight instead of gain it.  I also like vegetables (except bell peppers and okra), so I enjoy eating healthy foods, another bonus. I do, however, have to make sure I don't let my blood sugar drop, because that makes my brain slow down (seriously, if it gets too low, my speech starts to slur and I have trouble finding the words I want to use. I'm 99% sure that this is a bad thing, one of the main reasons I've never gotten in the habit of skipping meals.)

How do you keep in shape while writing?

Budget shopping

$10 worth of groceries: 

Technically, $10.69

Stole a sip of my roommate's milk this morning for tea - time to go grocery shopping again! If you're like me, you've probably got a backstock of food in your pantry of stuff you've bought over the months and just haven't got around to eating.  I decided there was no point in wasting money by buying non-essentials, which would probably just end up cluttering my pantry.  Therefore, I decided I'd limit myself to the $10 cash in my wallet.  (Budgeting tip: if you're trying to save money, pay cash instead of plastic!)

Admittedly, the milk sale ($2.77 for a gallon) improved my budget.  I was low on pasta... there's always a sale on one brand or another, so that was an easy buy.  I was also low on cereal, so I checked for sales - store brands are often on sale.  Whole wheat cereals leave me feeling full for hours and keep my blood sugar stable.  I've learned the hard way that rice cereals suck at both tasks, so breakfast food was an easy choice (store brands not made of rice or pure sugar: fake-raisen bran, fake-cheerios, fake-mini-wheats.  I like neither raisens nor cheerios.) 

With my most important items bought, I went to fill the remaining holes in my pantry. I grabbed a BOGO bread-substitute (weirdly enough, while I love loaf bread, I hate sliced bread.) The apple juice (again, an item that always has one brand or another on sale) was cheap, but they were out of the kind I wanted (of the sale brands, anyway,) so I got a raincheck instead.  That meant I had a couple of dollars left for some fruit.

The apple, btw, will not be surviving the end of this post.  (Munch-munch!)

What are your pantry priorities?

Market Yourself!: Proper Blogging?

I mentioned in my review of the NC Writers' Spring Conference that I'd learned some helpful tidbits.  Angela Harwood, VP of Sales & Marketing at John F. Blair Publishing, gave a persentation on marketing yourself.  One of the things she spoke about was making a successful author blog. 

First of all, you have to blog!  Not just once a week, but at least two to three times.  The more you blog, the higher on the lists your blog is, and the more likely people are to stumble across it.

Secondly, keep it short.  Seriously.  Our pets have longer attention spans than the average American, these days.  Keep your paragraphs short and succinct; people are less likely to read if the post looks long.

Third, guest blog and ask guests to blog.  Social media means "social"!  This one isn't easy for me - I invented the "HUTT (Hide-Under-The-Table) Club" in all my hermit glory.  But you've got friends, and your friends know stuff.  Even stuff that only slightly relates to your blog.

Fourth, only 50% of your blogging (at most) should be about your book.  The rest should be on a variety of related subjects, including cross-advertising for blogs related to your own.  This draws in new readers and builds a market of interest.

Your author blog shouldn't be a daily journal.  Don't "Dear Diary" your readers!  Instead, keep it quick, useful, and entertaining.  I admit that I truly fail at brevity, so I'll try for useful: shorter paragraphs and less digression, topics-of-interest and reviews of events.

What topics would you find useful to read about? 

Ugly Confessions

Okay, confession time:  I'm getting behind on writing.

Wait, what?  Ms. 3000-word-a-day is behind?  What's going on?

Yes, it's true: lately, the days I've been writing, I've been averaging no more than 1000 words... and most days don't get that!  Since I finished my first novel, I've been in a lag as I picked up two part-time jobs to pay the bills, edited the first, began looking for agents (still no success), and tried to start on my second.  The biggest problem is not time, because my jobs still leave me my mornings free.  The problem is endurance and plot - two things I'm lacking.

At first, I was so unsatisfied with the plot of my second novel that I couldn't bring myself to write. So I rewrote it.  And rewrote it again.  Then, by the time I was happy with my story, my writing muscles had gotten out of shape - I'm getting tired after 1000 words.  I've said before that writing is an endurance sport, and since I've stopped, my mind is getting flabby.

Solution?  Discipline.  No, I'm probably not going to get back to 3,000, at least not right away.  But I have to keep pushing myself, and no more excuses to put off what I should be doing first: writing!  I'll try for a week at 1-1.5k, and then push upward from there.  Wish me luck! 

What do you do, when you find yourself slacking?  How long does it take for you to get yourself back shape?

Suggested Links

Just a compilation of suggested links, which I'll add to as time goes on:

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/  BookEnds Literary Agency Blog - the writer had a lot of very helpful articles on everything from writing queries to what to expect when you're publishing.

http://queryshark.blogspot.com/ QueryShark - if you're working on writing your query, READ THIS.  It made all the difference for me.  While she's harsh, the author is good, and being able to see her feedback on other people's work means you won't have to swallow the same kind of feedback on your own.  Assuming, that is, you follow her advice.

http://www.rwa.org/ Romance Writers of America - Join, and you'll have access to their lists of romance agents, articles, writing contests, local chapters, and much more.  Great networking tool, and if you intend to be a professional writer, you should join a professional writing association.

http://www.heartofcarolina.org/ Heart of Carolina Romance Writers - The local chapter of the RWA for me.  Actually sitting down with published writers and talking to them?  I can't stress enough how much that helped me.  Really.  I learned as much during a tea and dinner as I learned in three weeks of research, and most of it was entirely informal.  Of course, if you're not a romance writer, you oughtn't join, but I'd suggest finding the equivalent of your genre.  Not in North Carolina?  The chapter does make exceptions for writers who live in states without a local chapter.  Of course, I'd probably suggest going for the closest state and asking them if you can join.  That way, you'll have a chance of being able to attend in person a little more often (theoretically, anyway.  I know  - it's hard making the time to go to meetings!  But try.  Trust me on this.)

http://www.ncwriters.org/ NC Writers - Where will you find your genre-equivalent of HCRW?  Check here (or your state's writing network).  What's the benefit of writing conferences?  Getting to meet an agent in person, talking to other writers, general networking, and taking seminars that will prepare you for the next step.

http://virginiakantra.com/Links.html Virginia Kantra's website - she's been highly recommended to me by all of the members of HCRW as having excellent articles about writing, and those that I've read so far have been helpful.

Query: Again?

I've hacked.

I've slashed.

I've trashed and started from scratch.

I've irritated my friends, annoyed my best editors, read QueryShark (http://queryshark.blogspot.com/), read the BookEnds Blog (http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/), looked up author advice, trashed again and then dug through the trash for bits I wanted to save after all, only to throw them right back in there.

And I've come up with Query Version (mumble-point-oh).

This version is much tighter, more gripping, and shorter.  It's still more than 250 words (the query rule of thumb,) but not much more.  Also note that I have my title in all-caps (POSEIDON'S DAUGHTER); that's standard form for queries. 

I also worked on showing, not telling, my characters' personalities.  That's important: telling is passive, and showing is active.  I don't need a lot of background; I just want the agent to read the letter.  So I cut out most of the plot, offered my two main characters, the love connection, and their biggest problems.  Do I say that Lygos hates politics and doesn't want to stop being a general?  No, I say

"he’ll have to join a new Council, taking up the most disgusting profession he can imagine: politics." 

Same idea, but here you get into his head and find yourself saying the word like it's profanity.  And that tells you just how much he hates it, without having to say "Lygos hates politics."


I also don't specifically say that POSEIDON'S DAUGHTER is a time-travel romance.  But do I have to spell it out?  No, you catch on immediately with the questions that also indicate Carol's confusion, and her exasperation/disgust with having to deal with a dead body minus her typical tools.  That's showing. EDIT 10/3/11: I've been advised (by the professionals!) to clearly state the time-travel up front, because many agents who do paranormal have preferences for or against specific subgenres such as time-travel. Since time-travel is not a central theme, I'm call it "a fantasy romance with elements of time-travel."


Will this query work any better than my last versions?  I don't know for certain, but I think it has a much better chance!  If you're working on writing your own query, I highly suggest hitting up queryshark and reading through the advice and feedback they've put together for writers.  It takes a lot of reading, but it's worth it.  As for me... Cross your fingers and wish me luck?


And on a random note - finally got around to fixing the "mysterious sinking island" loophole.  Poor Aegadon.  One day you're a mile-wide island ten miles off shore; the next, you're one fourth the size and 95% closer.  Either way, you get sunk.  Splash!

Reinventing the Query-Wheel

Yesterday, I went to the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers' meeting.  It ran from 1-3, and involved a published novelist and college instructor giving a presentation about editing your own novel.  I learned a couple of things - for me, most notably, 'find your favorite phrase, then SEARCH AND DESTROY!'  In other words, find out the one phrase you like too much and have a tendency to throw in several times, then go through and get rid of all but one occurence in the entire novel.  Ouch!  That's going to be hard.  But I know I play favorites to a couple of phrases, so it's advice I'll heed.

We ended right at three, and then the REAL meeting began: going out to tea with the members of the group, and later dinner with whomever was left.  In this informal setting, I got a chance to talk with several published authors, as well as quite a few unpublished authors in the same writing boat as me (finished manuscript, no publication as of yet.)  I have to say, I learned more from the four hours following the meeting than from the lecture, and it was a very good lecture.

Amongst the conversation, I discovered one invaluable piece of information: I need to rewrite my query letter.  You see, I've made one, small, fundamental mistake: I forgot my audience.  In my original letter, I've sold an interesting world and a pair of interesting characters.  There's nothing wrong with that; if I were publishing a science fiction or a fantasy book, I'd be set.  But I'm writing a romance novel.  I need to sell, first and foremost, the romance.

You know the cliche.  I'm starting over; I'm beginning again; I'm throwing it out and doing a Lady McBeth in my mind: "Out, out, damn letter!"  It's time to rewrite based on what my potential agents are looking for, and never mind how much I love my world.  If an agent doesn't see a worthwhile romance in the query, she'll never get lost in my setting or blown away by my steamy love scenes, because she'll never read the book! 

This may take a while, because the query is, understandably, the hardest part of the novel to write.  But I'll get back to you when I've figured it out.  Meanwhile, if you're a writer trying to find a agent, I suggest you take a good look at your query, too.  What genre is your novel?  Does your letter address, first and foremost, the selling point your genre revolves around? "No agent is going to sign something that won't make them money," a quote from Katharine Ashe, and an agent with a pile of letters is going to skip anything that doesn't address the selling point of the target genre.  Time for me, at least, to rewrite!

Rejection!

Well, it's official.  I must be a real writer now.  Why?

Because I've just received my first two rejection letters!  Wahoo!

Wait, you're surprised I'm excited?  Shouldn't I be upset, or crying, or something?  Pssh.  Every writer starts out being rejected.  It's the first step on the road to success.  Me, I think I'm going to frame my first rejection letter and hang it on my wall somewhere...

Since I've only sent out brief queries, and haven't had full manuscript requests yet in response to my queries, I haven't gotten any kinds of specific feedback.  And, I'll admit it: I've been lazy.  Instead of sending out queries on a weekly basis, I've been editing my first novel, planning and beginning writing on my second, applying for a second part-time job, and working a first part-time job.  See?  Pure laziness: If I don't get my query letters sent out, no one will ever publish my book!  Priorities, girl, priorities!  It takes (on average, based on the majority of agents I've sent letters to) about 4-6 weeks to hear back for an e-mail query.  Having sent my first queries out in mid-February, I'm doing pretty well to have already heard back from two!

What does a query letter look like?

Okay, so, I haven't had a successful query letter result yet.  But here are some important elements:

• Correctly spell the agent's name. Use the agent's name, too, and not "Dear Agent"
• Immediately state your title, genre, word count, and that your novel is complete (don't query an incomplete manuscript if you're a fiction writer)
• Give a short blurb about your story. Include your plot hook (what makes your novel unique) and vivid, fast-paced, intriguing language. Don't leave your agent hanging with a question, even a rhetorical one. Every agent I've found discussing queries hate blurbs that end with a question.
• Include a short section with your creditials (if you have none, don't pad it.) Include ONLY information directly related to your ability to write, your past writing experience, and your experience as it relates to THIS manuscript. You may also mention why you chose this specific agent, and show that you did your research.
• Try to keep it under 250 words.
• Sign with your real name, not your pen name.
• Include your contact information.

 

Important things to note about my query: I've included my word count, my membership to Romance Writers of America, that I have no previously published works, and why I chose this literary agent/ Each letter is a little different, because I personalize to each agent.  I have been very picky in whom I send the queries to, because there's no point in sending it to someone who isn't interested in what I've written.  Yes, that's right: I research each agent before sending the query. Oh, and I have the title of the book, too.  Don't forget that!  I also have a brief plot synopsis designed to catch the reader's interest, and I spelled the agent's name correctly.

What does a rejection letter look like?

All personal information removed to protect the literary agents, here's what I got back:
Thank you so much for querying us with your project. Unfortunately, we did not feel it was the right fit for our agency. Thanks for thinking of (Agency name) and we wish you nothing but the best in your writing career.
Sincerely,
(Agent)

And my second rejection:

Dear Juturna,
Thanks so much for letting me take a look at your material, which I read with great interest. Unfortunately, the project you describe does not suit my list at this time.  I sincerely wish you the best of luck in finding an agent and publisher for your work, and I thank you, once again, for letting me consider your work.
Sincerely,
(Agent)

I have to say, the latter was a very, very nice rejection.  Kudos to this agent for incredible people skills!

Writing Your Own Query

Pretty much any agency you visit will have somewhere on their website what they want in a query letter, and there's hundreds of different sites online about how to write a query.  Here's two links to get you started:
http://www.traceylyons.com/queryletter.html
http://www.carolynjewel.com/craft/querysamples.php
Rejection isn't something to be feared.  It's as much a part of writing as making an outline, and probably just as essential.  Remember, literary agents get thousands of queries, so every unsolicited query is like buying a lottery ticket - even when you know your book is just what your agent would like.  Here's a glance at the other side of the ticket, through the eyes of a literary agent talking about writing rejection letters:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2008/dec/03/publishers-rejection-letters

Have you ever sought an agent?  How many letters did you get before getting accepted?  I'll make sure to include a final count when I finally do get published.  For me, the biggest challenge is not to get discouraged.  So instead of looking at rejection as a critique of my self-worth, I consider it a necessary part of the writing process, and a chance to improve on my weak points as a writer.  Most of all, I always keep thinking, "When I get published..."  I don't give myself if's, or any kind of subjunctive clauses.  This isn't a wish or a possibility; it is something which will happen, and I just have to keep working at it until it does.  When it comes to rejection, it's all about stubborning yourself through. 

Fortunately, I'm pretty good at stubborn.

The Best-laid Plans...

So I've got a vague plot idea, and now I need to spin the idea into a real plot.I admit it: I'm not sure what's going to happen yet. But I do have a situation, four main characters, a villian (actually, a horde of aliens), and some of the plot set down.  Planning, of course, is my next step!  How am I planning?  Well, for me, I break it into parts.

Characters

I've begun planning detailed 'character sheets.'  If you've roleplayed, you'll know what a character sheet is: it's a summary of a character's strengths, weaknesses, attributes, and assets.  In most formal roleplaying systems, those are charted out in numbers; as a writer, it's a little more qualitative than quantitative.  But the idea is the same.  For example, my female lead: Cineraria 'Blue' Mazarine, present age 20, future age 32.  Where does she live?  Where does she go to school?  What does she like?  What does she not like?  What's her family like?  What are their names?  Does she have any quirky habits?  What are her strengths and weaknesses?  Does she have any enemies?  Who are her best friends?  What are her defining characteristics?  And what does she look like?

Races/Species

Since I'm working with more than humans, I need to figure what non-human species I have running around, and determine the limits of each.  This is sort of like a character sheet for the entire race, separate from the ones I do for my main characters (even if one of the main characters is of the race).

First, we've got aliens: Why are they invading Earth?  What do they look like?  How does their society function?  Their government? Do they have a religion?  How do they communicate?  How do they move?  What are their spaceships like?  What are their physical weaknesses?  Strengths?  How smart are they?  How dangerous?  What's their plan of attack?

And then, I've got the time travelers:  In this case, they're Immortals, but not like the kinds of vampire/highlander immortals you're used to: they're spirits who inhabit 'abandoned' (aka dead) bodies.  What are their weaknesses?  Can they be killed (yes, but it's difficult!)?  Obviously, they've been around a while, so why aren't they tiny and resembling ancient Sumerians?  Can they be physically hurt? (yes)  Do they heal faster than normal? (No)  Do they age? (No.)  Do people object to the fact that their loved one's body just got taken over by an immortal, before it could be buried? (Sometimes... depends on whose body gets taken!)  Do people worship them?  (Used to, but now most people don't, although a few fanatics still volunteer to surrender their bodies postmortem.  Although most volunteer bodies for a generous settlement to their families)  Has age made them mad?  (No)  What happens when their bodies die, if there's none around?  How do they take a new body?  Are they rich?  Are they political?  How is the world different with a set of immortals running around?  Can new ones be made?  How many are there, and what are their names?

Current History
Since I'm working with time, I'm also making myself a thorough timeline, including events that happen between the present and the hypothetical doomsday future we're trying to avoid.  (Hey, sounds cliche!  But then, most over-simplified plot summaries do.)  I also have to deal with difference between my characters as they are now, and who they will be in twelve years.  I've got to choose which major events will be included in the novel, and I need to decide how I'll put them in.  I'm toying with the idea of a flash-forward to start every chapter, but I usually add chapter breaks at the end of a novel, so we'll see. 

World Climate

Although I may not make a separate sheet for this, I might start jotting down notes on the politics of this world setting.  How do the immortals influence politics?  Are there any major deviations from current Earth?  If so, what?  Historical deviations?  How do most people view my non-human races?  What kinds of technology does the world have?  It's important to determine all the settings in your book, so I need to answer these questions for present, future, and even for the aliens.

Outlining

I'm not here yet, but my next major step will be deciding on a beginning and an ending.  How does the story start, and where does it end up?  Everything has to lead from HERE to THERE, and any scenes which aren't necessary to do so, better have a darned good reason for existing.  I might add that stories can have several "here"s and several "there"s, with each "there" being a resolution I want in the story.  For example, in this story, one "there" is that the aliens don't kill off all of humanity; another "there" is that my male and female lead get together.  Once I have a start and a stop, I can add in the major plot points: the big scenes that get you from start to stop.  With those out of the way, we can add in the filler material that holds the story together: plot twists, resolutions, minor events that contribute to the story, necessary background info, etc.  This is usually my last step immediately prior to writing, but many people take it forward past that and work in-depth planning, right on down to the chapter.

Planning is one of those things that seems to be unique to each person, and everyone has to find what works for them.  This is my way, but I wonder, what's yours?  Is there something that works really well for you? 

Square One, Book Two: Moving Forward

I've finished a novel.  What next?

Part One: Edit!

After putting the final touches on my rough draft, and editing to my satisfaction, I sent my story off to my beloved beta readers: aka, my friends who also write and/or read romance and who've agreed to give the story a look-over.  I've already taken out as many errors as I could find and rewritten most of the scenes that I didn't like, taken out whatever extras I could excise, and added a Prologue to make the beginning make more sense.  Now what I'm looking for from my friends is for them to catch what I've missed: mostly word choice errors ("He reached into his back and pulled out a packet"... ouch!!!) and plot holes created by my rewrites.  You might think I should already have caught those plot holes (and I do wish I had!), but remember: I already know what I'm thinking, and I've all the background information on my story and my characters floating around in my head.  That means I'm actually less likely to spot little plot errors, or even major ones, because I've still got the original storyline in my head - including the parts I cut out! 

As my lovely, awesome betas read, they point out mistakes, and my job is to go back and fix as much as I can.  Some errors simply can't be fixed without a massive storyline rewrite.   For example, I completely rewrote how magic worked in the world about halfway through, and thus an island that sank into the sea had originally a reason to do so; now it just sort of happens.  It's kind of pivotal to the plot later in the series, so what do I do?  Band-aid: My mages sink it on purpose, casting a spell for that reason, in the middle of a spell-casting bonanza that I already had in the story.  Note that the island also mysteriously shrunk by three-fourths a mile, and moved nine miles inland.  It's not what I first planned, but then, the story isn't, either.

What's important is that it flows, and that it makes sense. 

I'm writing a story to be published.  My story is polished, but like all writers, there will be things that continually bother me, that just aren't good enough.  I'll keep trying to fix them, but I'm too much of a perfectionist to ever be truly satisfied with everything.  Therefore, editing will last only until I succeed in my next step: Sell!  I don't know when I'll have to stop, so fixing goes in stages, with every edit leaving the story saleable without further editing.  Remember that you should never submit an unedited manuscript to an agent.  Therefore, if you don't think your story is polished enough to be a finished product, you're not ready for selling it.  By the time it goes to agents, the only changes you should be making are minor tweaks.

Part Two: Sell!

Hey, that's the point!  I've already sent out five query letters to literary agents, but now I need to keep sending.  The publishers I'm looking at all require submissions to be agented.  Therefore, I'm looking for agents who are reputable and who publish my particular genre.  Paranormal Romance that isn't urban fantasy is a tough niche to find an agent for.  I'm avoiding agents who require a reading fee, because those are often scam artists (read Writer Beware before seeking an agent), and I'm researching each agent I find to discover what they usually publish. Remember: do your homework!  When you're looking for an agent, it's important to spell their name correctly!  And even more important is to choose people who actually represent what you write.  Don't waste their time; they get enough junk mail already.  Also, follow their instructions for submittals precisely.  If they don't want the first five pages, then don't send them: the agent won't read what you've sent, and they'll probably just delete your e-mail (or trash it, if you're going snail mail) for the crime of being unable to follow directions.

I'm also keeping an eye out for local literary agents.  Yesterday, I heard about a website (NCwriters) that I plan on researching over the next couple of days.  I also heard about a writers' support group (Write 2 Publish) that meets about once a month in Raliegh.  I went to talk to the host bookstore personally to find out more, and discovered that they sometimes have literary agents show up, plus they often have authors in all stages of publication.  They next meet April 2, at 6:30, so I'm marking my calendar.  I plan to show up with several copies of my first five pages and a book-back plot synopsis to catch interest, but I know they might not ever get read.  That doesn't mean I'd be disappointed if I got no leads.  Networking is a big part of selling.  Since I don't personally know any published romance authors or agents, I have to do a little legwork before I can hope to be noticed.  "Solicited query" is a much better place to be than "unsolicited query" - the previous has a good chance of getting at least a request for a partial (that is, when the agent asks for the first few chapters to get an idea of your writing style, but not the full manuscript), while the latter is just another e-mail in an inbox.  Here's hoping I find an agent soon, but I'm not about to hold my breath as I wait.  Instead, I'm going to hedge my bets by starting to work on another novel.

Part Three: Start planning another!

Although my first novel sets itself up for a sequel, the next story I plan on writing will be entirely different.  Why?  Because if one storyline doesn't catch an agent's attention, another might.  That's right, I'm hedging my bets, giving myself two 'rummy' cards, increasing my odds... however you want to say it!  Since I write quickly, I can complete a stand-alone novel and still write the second in the series within a reasonable period of time (four-five months for each is my goal).

This is going to be a very complex story.  I'm going to have to work hard to keep it to a reasonable length.  That means I'll need extra planning, but I still want to start writing by the end of the week... hopefully by March 7, no later than March 10.  I know some plot elements will develop as I'm writing, so I'm not too worried if I'm not perfectly ready to begin, as long as I have a starting point... I'll start writing, and let the ideas ruminate in the back of my mind while I work.  And sure, I'll have to go back and edit portions later, but that's okay.  After all, every story starts as a rough draft - it's expected to be less than perfect.  What matters is that's it's written, because you can't fix something that doesn't exist.

So it's off to lunch for me, and then a quick bout of editing before work.  Planning is this evening, and if I'm awake, a little research, too.  Wish me luck, and remember - you're not an author if you don't write!