Thursday, June 28, 2012
Query Critique Winner
The Random Number Generator has spoken and the winner is #1..Laura Hughes!
Congrats--I guess 5th time is the charm! I'll email instructions regarding your query critique. Thanks to
everyone
who entered, and check back soon for another chance to win!
Also, please keep noting how many times you've entered because I've been
doing extra critiques for persistent folks who have entered 5 or
more times in a row. Good luck! :)
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wednesday Query Critique Giveaway
It's
Wednesday Query Critique time! Remember to enter by midnight EST in order for your chance to win the weekly query critique.
REMINDERS: These critiques are for those who prefer a private critique versus a public one. Please read my prior post on Query Tips before entering. Also, as mentioned in my big giveaway, I tend to be very direct and picky, but my goal is to get your query in the best shape possible. Finally, the query is only the first step--make sure the entire book is as good as the query before you hit "Send" to an agent or editor. To enter the weekly query critique giveaway, simply follow the directions below. Good luck!
RULES:
REMINDERS: These critiques are for those who prefer a private critique versus a public one. Please read my prior post on Query Tips before entering. Also, as mentioned in my big giveaway, I tend to be very direct and picky, but my goal is to get your query in the best shape possible. Finally, the query is only the first step--make sure the entire book is as good as the query before you hit "Send" to an agent or editor. To enter the weekly query critique giveaway, simply follow the directions below. Good luck!
RULES:
Just
leave a comment telling me you'd like to be entered in the giveaway and
give your email address, using (at) and (com) as follows so the spam
bots don't find you.
I
will use a random number generator to pick the winner who will receive a
query critique through email.
NOTE: If your query involves space monkeys, I might make an exception and do an extra critique!
NOTE: If your query involves space monkeys, I might make an exception and do an extra critique!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Do You Have What It Takes?
Writing is fun, but it's not easy. It takes long hours, dedication, and the willingness to revise something for the umpteenth time until you (or your agent/editor) are happy with it.
"I'd like to write a book someday too, when I have the time to fritter away." I got that comment from a well-meaning friend of mine who knows I'm a writer: I think it was the "fritter away" part that actually made my teeth grind together. Writers know that there is no magic time fairy who waves her wand over us and gives us blocks of time that other mere mortals don't have (that would be SO cool though). The difference between people who write books and the people who just talk about writing books is simple. People who write books commit to the writing.
We write when other people are watching reality shows. We write until the wee hours of the night when everyone else is asleep (long after the caffeine has worn off). We rise at ungodly hours to squeeze in several pages before work or before the kids wake up (long before the caffeine has kicked in.) Even when not writing, we are thinking about writing. Plot issues and characterization get worked out in the shower or while folding laundry. Whether we eek out a paragraph at a time, or multiple pages in a sitting, we keep writing...and writing...until we have a finished book.
We have families, jobs, volunteer commitments, and chores (did I mention laundry?), just like everyone else. Unlike everyone else, we commit to telling stories, one sentence at a time. I'm a writer. What about you?
Do you have what it takes?
"I'd like to write a book someday too, when I have the time to fritter away." I got that comment from a well-meaning friend of mine who knows I'm a writer: I think it was the "fritter away" part that actually made my teeth grind together. Writers know that there is no magic time fairy who waves her wand over us and gives us blocks of time that other mere mortals don't have (that would be SO cool though). The difference between people who write books and the people who just talk about writing books is simple. People who write books commit to the writing.
We write when other people are watching reality shows. We write until the wee hours of the night when everyone else is asleep (long after the caffeine has worn off). We rise at ungodly hours to squeeze in several pages before work or before the kids wake up (long before the caffeine has kicked in.) Even when not writing, we are thinking about writing. Plot issues and characterization get worked out in the shower or while folding laundry. Whether we eek out a paragraph at a time, or multiple pages in a sitting, we keep writing...and writing...until we have a finished book.
We have families, jobs, volunteer commitments, and chores (did I mention laundry?), just like everyone else. Unlike everyone else, we commit to telling stories, one sentence at a time. I'm a writer. What about you?
Do you have what it takes?
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Query Critique Winner
The Random Number Generator has spoken and the winner is #1..Randall Sexton!
Congrats! I'll email instructions regarding your query critique. Thanks to
everyone
who entered, and check back soon for another chance to win!
Also, please keep noting how many times you've entered because I've been
doing extra critiques for persistent folks who have entered 5 or
more times in a row. Good luck! :)
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Wednesday Query Critique Giveaway
It's
Wednesday Query Critique time! (See, I promised it would be back this week.) Remember to enter by midnight EST in order for your chance to win the weekly query critique.
REMINDERS: These critiques are for those who prefer a private critique versus a public one. Please read my prior post on Query Tips before entering. Also, as mentioned in my big giveaway, I tend to be very direct and picky, but my goal is to get your query in the best shape possible. Finally, the query is only the first step--make sure the entire book is as good as the query before you hit "Send" to an agent or editor. To enter the weekly query critique giveaway, simply follow the directions below. Good luck!
RULES:
REMINDERS: These critiques are for those who prefer a private critique versus a public one. Please read my prior post on Query Tips before entering. Also, as mentioned in my big giveaway, I tend to be very direct and picky, but my goal is to get your query in the best shape possible. Finally, the query is only the first step--make sure the entire book is as good as the query before you hit "Send" to an agent or editor. To enter the weekly query critique giveaway, simply follow the directions below. Good luck!
RULES:
Just
leave a comment telling me you'd like to be entered in the giveaway and
give your email address, using (at) and (com) as follows so the spam
bots don't find you.
I
will use a random number generator to pick the winner who will receive a
query critique through email. NOTE: If your query involves space
monkeys, I might make an exception and do an extra critique!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Guest post over at Rainy of the Dark blog
If you haven't checked out my guest post over at Rainy of the Dark, head on over: When the Writing Gets Tough, The Tough Get Writing...eventually. Thanks to Rainy for having me! :)
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Query Strategies--The Batch Method
For those who wish to pursue the traditional path to publication, it often involves finding an agent who will, in turn, submit your work to editors at publishing houses. In order to find an agent, one must send out query letters. The purpose of my Wednesday Query Critique Giveaway (which I swear I'm getting back to next week) is to help people polish their queries before they send them out into the world. If you're at the stage where you're ready to query, and have carefully researched agents using sites such as Querytracker and AgentQuery, here's why I'm a proponent of sending queries out in batches of 3-5 (aka The Batch Method):
1) If you don't get any responses other than form rejections or the sound of chirping crickets, your query likely needs work. The good news is that since you only sent out a few queries, you haven't used up all your top picks at once.
2) If you get partial requests off the bat, then you know your query doesn't suck, BUT that's all it means (sorry, harsh but true). Wait and see what happens. If the partial requests are all rejected, then it means the book didn't live up to the query. Take any personalized feedback to heart and work on the book again before sending out more queries. Again, because you're using the batch method, you still have a ton more agents to query.
3) If the partial requests turn into full requests, then you should do a little happy dance because it's definitely a step in the right direction. I'd also recommend sending queries to any remaining top choices if you haven't already because things can move pretty quickly at this point. Some people recommend waiting until you actually have an offer of representation and then dashing off queries to any remaining top picks, but that feels icky to me. If you've done your research, you should only be querying agents that you feel confident about in the first place.
Has anyone used this method? Any other tips people would like to share about querying?
Happy Querying! And I'll be back with Query Critique Wednesday next week.
1) If you don't get any responses other than form rejections or the sound of chirping crickets, your query likely needs work. The good news is that since you only sent out a few queries, you haven't used up all your top picks at once.
2) If you get partial requests off the bat, then you know your query doesn't suck, BUT that's all it means (sorry, harsh but true). Wait and see what happens. If the partial requests are all rejected, then it means the book didn't live up to the query. Take any personalized feedback to heart and work on the book again before sending out more queries. Again, because you're using the batch method, you still have a ton more agents to query.
3) If the partial requests turn into full requests, then you should do a little happy dance because it's definitely a step in the right direction. I'd also recommend sending queries to any remaining top choices if you haven't already because things can move pretty quickly at this point. Some people recommend waiting until you actually have an offer of representation and then dashing off queries to any remaining top picks, but that feels icky to me. If you've done your research, you should only be querying agents that you feel confident about in the first place.
Has anyone used this method? Any other tips people would like to share about querying?
Happy Querying! And I'll be back with Query Critique Wednesday next week.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Creative Curse Word Contest Winner
Wow, there are some creative cursers out there, and I applaud each and every one of you. Seriously, thanks to everyone who entered and shared their words with the world. I had a hard time picking the winner, and even had my husband read the entries. He laughed at the sames ones I did, but this doesn't mean the judging was objective--it just means we have the same weird sense of humor. Anyway, here are the results:
1st Runner Up: Wild Ape for "Petarded." I'm not sure why I loved this word so much. It could have been the Shakespearean influence which reminded me of terms like "thou artless elf-skinned horn-beast," or the close proximity to the politically incorrect term for doing something stupid. Either way, this word is great.
NOTE: In the event that the winner is either unable or unwilling to uphold the expectations of winning (or if nude pictures of the winner are discovered in Playboy), the 1st Runner Up will win the prize.
GRAND-PRIZE WINNER: Feaky Snucker wins for "Cork Sucking Ice Hole." The R-rated version of this entry also had me (and my hubby) laughing, and I'm still trying to find a way to work it into a conversation (e.g. that guy in accounting is a total f*ck-shovel). Congrats, Feaky Snucker, you win the YA book of your choice!
We'll do another contest soon, so let me know if you have any creative contest ideas! I'll be back with the regular Wednesday Query Critique next week. :)
1st Runner Up: Wild Ape for "Petarded." I'm not sure why I loved this word so much. It could have been the Shakespearean influence which reminded me of terms like "thou artless elf-skinned horn-beast," or the close proximity to the politically incorrect term for doing something stupid. Either way, this word is great.
NOTE: In the event that the winner is either unable or unwilling to uphold the expectations of winning (or if nude pictures of the winner are discovered in Playboy), the 1st Runner Up will win the prize.
GRAND-PRIZE WINNER: Feaky Snucker wins for "Cork Sucking Ice Hole." The R-rated version of this entry also had me (and my hubby) laughing, and I'm still trying to find a way to work it into a conversation (e.g. that guy in accounting is a total f*ck-shovel). Congrats, Feaky Snucker, you win the YA book of your choice!
We'll do another contest soon, so let me know if you have any creative contest ideas! I'll be back with the regular Wednesday Query Critique next week. :)
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