It's been a while.  A long while.  I'm still writing.  I have a nasty habit of getting about 40, 000 words down before I decide I don't like the direction.  I select all, then delete.  That's when I start over.  I'm loving the process of it all.  Even though I'm not getting to the end, it's therapy.  It's cathartic. 

The main point of this community seems to be about getting published.  I know I've blogged about Twitter before, and how I so love it.  I thought about this blog that I've neglected for over a month, and thought I'd add something relevent. 

I follow several agents, editors, authors, and maybe a few publishers on Twitter.  That means they have a witty-ism they choose to share, and I nab that knowledge and mark it with a star, saying it's my favorite.  I did some condensing to save space.  It's a lot of info.  But I wanted to share my favorites.  Most are by Rachelle Gardner, and Colleen Lindsay.  If you want the full list and their credits, check out my Twitter page, under my name, Yessica Maher.  Then click on my favorites, and you can see exactly who says what.  But here it is.  Some of their agent-isms on how to get your query through the slush pile. Forgive the messy typos and what nots.  I mainly copied, and pasted, editing out some bits like who said what, and when, and through what twitter app. 

 

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Word to the wise? Your first paragraph should never open with descriptions of the weather.

 “Is your antagonist active enough in the story?"

 “is your antag evil for the sake of being evil? Is so, he is an ineffective villain."         

"what is the one point in the story where the protag realizes that the antag's worldview might be right?"

how does your antag find support for what he believes in?"

what does your antagonist deeply believe in? What drives forward? Why might hiw worldview be correct?"

how can your protag catch your antag off guard?"

What is the one thing your antagonist thinks your protagonist needs to learn about life?"

what would antagonist say is protag's biggest weakness, blind spot, vulnerability? What best represents this weakness?"

  "is your antagonist as three-dimensional as your protagonist?"

"how does your antagonist feel about protag? What does he think is admirable about protag? What can he learn from protag?"

"who is the character that most impedes your characterls forward motion in story? How does he feel about the protag?"

"in so many manuscripts, the antagonist or villain is least compelling charater in the story."

"the world of the story includes your character's relationship to that world."         

"make your descriptions of place & setting specific, using concrete details of sight, sound, smell."

can you take any of what you've just learned about your novel's setting and put it in 1st scene of novel?"

what are things your protag sees about his/her world that are unique, that nobody else sees."

."every place has a 3-dimensional reality. It smells like something, it tastes like something, sounds like something."

."what experience binds your character to this world in a real and emotional way?"

"what is the greatest way your protag has been shaped by his/her world?"         

. "how does your protag's world skew his/her worldview, in negative or positive way?"         

."If you asked your protagonist how he/she feels about his/her world, what would the be?"

."For your story to come alive for the reader, it first must come alive for your protagonist

. "In a great novel, the world of the story comes alive immediately."         

. "What is the driving force that propels your character through the story?"         

. Don't compare your writing to another author. Do say that your book is like another TITLE. And yes, tell us genre.

Voice, great writing, compelling story, a narrative that drives the story forward effortlessly.

Yes, you can have more than one full out, but it is courteous to let other agents with fulls know.           

You do not need to get a copyright on your manuscript.         

You are not obligated to notify anyone unless you have sent them a full. Don't worry about the queries at all.

No. That's then agent's job. And again, query ONE PROJECT AT A TIME! (Tattoo this on forehead, folks!)

Underline the words to be italicized.

Three important things to remember about writing YA from today's agent panel: Voice, authenticity and economy of language.

Professional does not mean boring. In a query letter, boring = pass.

You can write all the amazing queries you want, but if you don't have a great book, you'll never get a book deal.

Tip: If you want to draw me into your novel, don't write your query in a dry, boring, uber-business-like and/or academic style

If U have Earthlink Spamblock, be sure to pre-approve email addresses of agents you’re querying, or U may not get a response.

Everyone who doesn't know how to schedule auto-tweets... you need to get an account at TweetLater.com.         

Tip: Don’t misspell “query” in the subject line. Everybody makes mistakes and it isn’t an auto reject… but it looks bad.

Tip: Don’t send us something outside of our guidelines and try to impress us with how “out of the box” you are. It’s been tried!

Biggest mistake? It's all about the book. The writing is usually not developed enough. Story not unique, compelling.

We're spending the day talking about queries, but remember they have limited importance. The BOOK’s the thing!

Never, never, never phone an editor or agent unless they're YOUR editor or agent.         

I realize some people write great books but not killer queries; I give the sample pages much more weight than the ltr.

No need to reveal entire plot in query; give the set-up and premise; make me want to read it.

Don't query via Twitter; follow guidelines. You can DM w/a question that can be answered in 140 or less

Writing credentials don't sell your book, your WRITING does. Can't stress strongly enough. Take time to develop craft

Build platform in other ways, not self-publishing a book. Write articles, columns, a high-traffic blog, speaking, etc.

Tip: A query that talks only about the THEME of your novel is rarely effective. You need to tell about the STORY.

We may not update AgentQueryor anything else, but we try to keep our websites/blogs updated.

Actually it's not that difficult to create Excel spreadsheet with 50+ agent sub requirement. Takes an afternoon.

Always go to the agents' websites.

I've posted this before, but it really bears a reposting today

Yeah, I know my own name and I know it isn't "Sir" or "Agent."

I understand it’s difficult to visit so many agent websites and read all their guidelines, but it’s worth the effort.

You have to go by the agent's guidelines.

  57. If unsure, use Ms. or Mr. to be safe, professional. I've said on my blog I don't mind you using my first name.

  58. If fulls/partials aren't getting you a yes, then go back and work on craft & story. Don't rush. Take your time & get help.         

It boggles my mind how many queries don't address me by name, when my name is right there in my email address!

Word count is necessary information, period. Whether it's positive or negative, we still need it upfront.

We need word count, not page count, to determine if it's something we represent.

Most agents only want to know if you WON a contest. The finals, MAYBE. Other than that, it's not helpful info IMHO.

Worrying about someone else getting there first is unproductive. Have confidence in your work and its OWN perfect timing.

You don't need comparative titles in the query, but in the PROPOSAL, you do.         

I generally don't represent books unless I really love & believe in them, even if there's a contract on table.

Tip: DON’T say “the book gets exciting in chapter 5” or “the pace really picks up toward the end.” Make it shine from page 1.

Listing comparable books is important, it puts yours in context, shows u know your market, helps agent "get" your bk.

Never say "there's never been any book like this before." There totally has! Find them!

It's a total package. For me the voice is strongest, then overall writing quality & compelling story.

When people send queries on Christmas, New Year's, Easter... I WANT to auto-reject on principle! But I don't.

You must include the genre. Publisher, bookstore, consumer all need 2 know! Find books/websites that discuss genre.

Tip: Queries are first step in the door, but they’re not nearly as important as your book! Put 99% of your effort into your BOOK.

Depends on whether I feel assaulted. But cursing's often used as shortcut; u should be able to express self w/o it.

What kills the YES? That's where it gets difficult and subjective. Does the story grab me and not let go, or not

 Re: curse words. Depends. Are u trying to weed out anyone who doesn't like curse words? Do EVERYTHING intentionally.

TOP reason I say “no” to queries is the story doesn’t sound unique, fresh, exciting. The problem isn’t the query, it’s the book.

Straightforward doesn't have to equal dry, uninteresting, or lacking voice.

Referrals definitely help. That's why you go to conferences and network like crazy.

Tip: You’ll ONLY get accurate info about an agent from their website. All other sites (AgentQuery, etc) are out of our control.

I highly recommend a book called GET KNOWN BEFORE THE BOOK DEAL as an instruction manual on building your platform.

Chapter length: It's about pacing, not pages per chapter. Is the pacing right? Breaks in effective places?

There's no potential until we know you can write a book. Ideas are a dime a dozen.

If an editor is interested in your work, mention in query, but it may not hold that much weight.

I don't know of any agents who expect or even want exclusivity on queries. On requested partials, yes.

It's all about the writing. The story. Yeah, a title can help or hurt your chances, but not make or break.

You've got to sell that first book. The agent wants to represent YOU, not one book, but it's based on that 1st one.

The first book MUST be able to stand on it's own, mention you have series in mind if 1st book hits. Give synopses.

For me, the title can either completely grab my attention, or do nothing for you. Which is better?

It's a big risk to say you're "sick of vampires" (or anything else). What if its the agent's favorite genre?

The key to a query letter is the same as in good fiction: show, don’t tell. SHOW me that your work is amazing, don’t tell me.

I love queries that are straight-to-the point and don’t “try too hard.” The matter of fact approach is refreshing.

Writers are always asking for feedback; but often when we give it as concisely as possible, it's interpreted as cruelty.

A query that makes me laugh out loud is a great thing! Whether or not the book is for me, it definitely gets my attention.

I'd reject if I didn't like the book idea and/or the writing was not good, not just b/c it was in POV of the character.

Humility is much better than arrogance in a query letter. Try not to oversell yourself, but present your work with confidence.

(1) Make sure your MS is polished and awesome before u send it; (2) U may want to try to get an agent if u get an offer.

Fiction writers… it’s ALL about the writing. Nothing’s as important as what’s on the page. If it rocks, nothing else matters.

We auto-respond so u know we got the query. No further response in 60 days=no. But I still send pass ltrs as I can.

I don't get excited when a writer ignores ALL my submission guidelines PLUS refers to their "soon-to-be bestselling book." Just sayin.

Yes, everyone has a different take. I like prologues if they truly make the book better, heighten interest.

 worth a read: Five Reasons Good Writers Fail:http://www.topicturtle.com/five-reasons-good-writers-fail

 

 

Work on my new manuscript has been a slow crawl.  The outline is there, so I know where I plan to go, and I wonder if that is part of the problem. 

Writing with no direction, just the choices I watched my characters make was so liberating.  I was writing, and twists and turns just happened.  No planning or forethought went into it.  It was just free flowing magic.

Now I have an outline, and I'm having the hardest time writing.  I have plenty of excuses though.  First it was that I had a hard time sitting still when I have the cooking, cleaning, childcare, and animal care to occupy the best of my time and energy.  I got the kids on a schedule, and I'm now trying to live on little sleep.

Then I started reading all of the blogs I could where I could find an agent, editor, or published author was spewing knowledge.  I'd devour everything, including every possible tweet on twitter.  Actually, I had also just added everyone I could on twitter as someone to follow, hoping to create a cache of people willing to read what I'd write.  I decided to weed through the extras.  I went through all of those I follow on Twitter first.  I stopped following anyone who wasn't an editor, or agent, or a writer that I have either talked to (online) or whose books I've purchased and read (usually repeatedly). 

Next I plan to go through all of the blogs I follow and weed out the extra readings from there.

Eventually I plan to look into all of the actual agents and editors I follow, and stop following any agent that wouldn't represent my work.  The problem is there are so many people giving out wonderful advise in a world that is so new to me.  At the same time, I'm knowingly following advise of those who would never represent my work, with the full knowledge that it is a highly subjective business. 

 

So the kids are asleep.  The husband is at a concert (not a fan of live music myself).  I've blogged the weight off of my heart.  The dog and cat are sleeping at my feet, and I'm ready to work on my manuscript.