The temperature outside today is 62 degrees, which is highly unusual for a December day in my small neck of the woods in Illinois. I'm beginning to wonder if mother nature will ever stop teasing us. And as I sit here typing, I'm tempted to take my laptop outside because it is actually warmer out there than inside.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I made my first turkey. Thankfully, I have no horror stories to share. I remembered to remove all the junk and the neck made for a nice treat for Chip, after it was boiled of course.
This time last year I was in full query mode. Now I'm back in beta mode, which I don't mind. I have received some great initial feedback and look forward to getting the rest. While I'm waiting, I'm cleaning out my email. I have several rejections that I have left sitting, and I have been meaning to file them away for quite some time. I think today is the day to accomplish that goal.
One final update, I will be starting a new job in the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to it, too, because the schedule will allow me more time to write. I'm already dreaming of everything I can accomplish...
Hope everyone else is well. Several of you just finished NaNo. Congrats to you for tackling that challenge! I've never participated, but maybe I will some time.
Cheers!
Showing posts with label Querying. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Querying. Show all posts
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Ready To Query!
I am ready to start the query process...finally! So I thought I'd share with you the query I will be using. Here it is:
Dear Agent,
Emily has seen her dad knock her mom around enough to know she’s better off away from her parents, especially when they’re drunk. She seeks comfort by confiding in Nicky, the boy next door, who often speaks of finding a girl who shares his faith in God. Since she doubts the God he believes in, she lets him leave for college without revealing her love for him.
With Nicky gone, each day for Emily is another day of picking up broken beer bottles. But Emily wonders if the faith that comes so easily to Nicky can fill the void caused by his absence. She’s willing to try the faith thing, but crying out to God doesn’t save her when she’s forced to the floor by a family friend and her clothes are ripped off. So much for trusting in Him. When the blood and bruises aren’t enough to convince her parents she was raped, Emily aches for the comfort and love only Nicky can provide. Telling him she was raped won’t be easy. But telling him how she feels -- about him and about God -- will be harder.
SHARDS OF GLASS is a 90,000 word YA novel. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Name & Contact info listed here
There it is! I'll probably start sending out small batches at a time. If I don't get any requests, I'll revise the query and send out some more. Feel free to leave a comment with what you think.
Dear Agent,
Emily has seen her dad knock her mom around enough to know she’s better off away from her parents, especially when they’re drunk. She seeks comfort by confiding in Nicky, the boy next door, who often speaks of finding a girl who shares his faith in God. Since she doubts the God he believes in, she lets him leave for college without revealing her love for him.
With Nicky gone, each day for Emily is another day of picking up broken beer bottles. But Emily wonders if the faith that comes so easily to Nicky can fill the void caused by his absence. She’s willing to try the faith thing, but crying out to God doesn’t save her when she’s forced to the floor by a family friend and her clothes are ripped off. So much for trusting in Him. When the blood and bruises aren’t enough to convince her parents she was raped, Emily aches for the comfort and love only Nicky can provide. Telling him she was raped won’t be easy. But telling him how she feels -- about him and about God -- will be harder.
SHARDS OF GLASS is a 90,000 word YA novel. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Name & Contact info listed here
There it is! I'll probably start sending out small batches at a time. If I don't get any requests, I'll revise the query and send out some more. Feel free to leave a comment with what you think.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Writing Queries
Here it is the middle of January, and I am bummed by the fact that I have yet to start subbing my novel. My original plan was to start querying agents last fall, but you all know that hasn't happened. I'm still trying to polish my query. And now I am forced to set a new goal, which is to start subbing by February. *Crossing fingers*
Anyway, I admit I am no expert on writing queries, but I thought I'd share some helpful information that I've learned by writing my query and by critiquing others.
1. When writing your query, be sure to answer three questions: What does the protagonist want, what does he/she have to do to get it, and what happens if he/she fails?
2. Don't waste words with descriptions that don't add anything. Example: life-threatening rattlesnake, poisonous brown recluse spider, expensive Tiffany's diamond, furry kitten, etc. These things are understood and not necessary to be stated.
3. Queries are not summaries, so don't cram every event into the query.
4. The average query should be no longer than 250 words.
5. Ending the query with seemingly random information never works. If the query revolves around John catching his father's killer, don't end with "John must catch the murderer. If he doesn't, he'll never forgive his mother" unless you've established that, for example, John thinks his mother is responsible.
6. Your protagonist should be active, not passive. What does he/she actually do?
7. Don't let the query process defeat you. (Okay, that has nothing to do with putting your query together, but it's important too!) Writing queries is rarely easy, but keep trying until you have the perfect one.
Hmmm. It's a short list. I'm sure I have much more to learn!
Happy querying!
Anyway, I admit I am no expert on writing queries, but I thought I'd share some helpful information that I've learned by writing my query and by critiquing others.
1. When writing your query, be sure to answer three questions: What does the protagonist want, what does he/she have to do to get it, and what happens if he/she fails?
2. Don't waste words with descriptions that don't add anything. Example: life-threatening rattlesnake, poisonous brown recluse spider, expensive Tiffany's diamond, furry kitten, etc. These things are understood and not necessary to be stated.
3. Queries are not summaries, so don't cram every event into the query.
4. The average query should be no longer than 250 words.
5. Ending the query with seemingly random information never works. If the query revolves around John catching his father's killer, don't end with "John must catch the murderer. If he doesn't, he'll never forgive his mother" unless you've established that, for example, John thinks his mother is responsible.
6. Your protagonist should be active, not passive. What does he/she actually do?
7. Don't let the query process defeat you. (Okay, that has nothing to do with putting your query together, but it's important too!) Writing queries is rarely easy, but keep trying until you have the perfect one.
Hmmm. It's a short list. I'm sure I have much more to learn!
Happy querying!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Resolutions
I've never been a fan of making New Year's resolutions. Perhaps I'm in the minority by saying this, but I think they're a waste of time. It seems like January isn't even over yet when people start talking about giving up on their resolutions. So what's the point? There are always things we can improve, but if something is important enough, why wait until the new year begins?
Now I am a believer in goals. I think we all need something to strive for, and perhaps that's the point of making resolutions. That being said, my goals are things I'm always striving for, regardless of the year. And what are those goals?
1. Live my life in a way pleasing to God.
2. Become a published writer.
You might think that's a short list. It sure looks that way. But in my opinion, they're rather broad. #1 includes appreciating my friends and family, my health, and all the blessings I've been given. Also included is setting a good example so others will see Christ through me. And that can be broad too; every little action I complete is an example. #2 isn't simple either. There's a lot of work involved in getting something published. Writing, editing, polishing, querying, submitting... you get the idea.
So there you go. If I've stepped on any toes, that wasn't my intention. And if you've made any New Year's resolutions, I sincerely wish you the best. As I said, it doesn't hurt to have something to work for.
Happy New Year's!
Now I am a believer in goals. I think we all need something to strive for, and perhaps that's the point of making resolutions. That being said, my goals are things I'm always striving for, regardless of the year. And what are those goals?
1. Live my life in a way pleasing to God.
2. Become a published writer.
You might think that's a short list. It sure looks that way. But in my opinion, they're rather broad. #1 includes appreciating my friends and family, my health, and all the blessings I've been given. Also included is setting a good example so others will see Christ through me. And that can be broad too; every little action I complete is an example. #2 isn't simple either. There's a lot of work involved in getting something published. Writing, editing, polishing, querying, submitting... you get the idea.
So there you go. If I've stepped on any toes, that wasn't my intention. And if you've made any New Year's resolutions, I sincerely wish you the best. As I said, it doesn't hurt to have something to work for.
Happy New Year's!
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