Conquering the Query Letter Beast

So, I introduced the concept of the Query Letter in my last post, and since then I have been attempting to research and create my own. Let me tell you though, writing this one-page letter was harder than writing the entire book.

The purpose of the Query Letter is to persuade an agent that taking you (and your book) on as a client is a FANTASTIC decision, and I'm not sure why, but this just seemed to put a lot of pressure on what amounted to four 4-5 sentence paragraphs. So, was it intimidating? Absolutely. Is it impossible? Absolutely NOT.

Everything seemed to come together after I told myself I could do it. A few positive affirmations and a little bit of visualizing myself as a published author was all I really needed--because: I'm good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, people like me :).

Ok, maybe that's not all you need. It definitely helped me to have a little more confidence, but here are a few other things you need to know:

1. Start off by writing the kicker paragraph. Sit down, and in 4-5 sentences, write the core of your book. Convince me that I want to read it. Make the last sentence your hook. Something that makes them want to know more. It definitely helps if you think of this paragraph as your "movie trailor" and the words are the script for that amazing voice-over guy that makes audiences want to see every single movie.

2. Now, write the paragraph that gives us the essence of your novel. What is your novel about? And I don't mean generic summaries. What questions does it pose? What questions does it answer? What about your novel will make readers think? Hooks like this make your work stand out will make agents want to know more.

3. Here's an easy one: The product tag. Let the agent know what you need and what you have to offer. Are you seeking representation? How long is your book? What is its title? What genre do you think it fits? What audience do you think it speaks to?

4. The Credentials. This can either be really tricky, or ridiculously simple. If you've got them, flaunt them. BUT only if they're pertinent! Mention degrees if relevant, previous published pieces if existant, and industry experience, if any. If you don't have them, keep it short. Let the focus be on your book and the effort you've put into it. You don't need to state this, because it should be evident by the obvious care and effort you've put into writing your query letter.

Now get out there and find those agents! Good Luck!

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The Query Letter

Image via Wikipedia I'm happy to announce that as of July 29th, 2010 I have officially completed my first novel! Utilizing the research and guidelines I outlined on this blog, I was actually able to plan and complete writing a book that I am really proud of.Now, a new phase of this journey has begun, and I am learning the next steps right along with you.

After completing a manuscript, there are two key goals a writer should set. The first of these involves creating a Query Letter. The query letter is a key tool in the new writer's toolbox and is VERY important. Query letters are crafted and sent to potential agencies or publishers with the goal of garnering interest in your manuscript. A successful query letter will result in a positive response from either an agent or a publisher.

The route that most often leads to success for new writers is contacting an agency,or a several,finding representation in that way,and allowing them to navigate the industry on the writer's behalf. This isn't always the case, and in some instances, personal connections are more beneficial. Assuming that, like me, your literary connections are few and far between, the next series of posts will outline some of the best methods for creating query letters and submitting them to agencies.

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Why Use Literary Agencies

A few days ago I posted some information about a few notable literary agencies  in New York, but looking back, I feel like I failed to mention the importance of utilizing them. Until now, I have been focusing on the mechanics and processes of writing a manuscript, but once it is complete, the literary venture has really only just begun. Depending on where you look, different advice is offered about the "correct" next step to take. Some sources believe direct contact with publishing companies is the way to proceed, but far more agree that finding an agent is the way to go.

While both of these suggestions are out there on the web-o-sphere, neither really gives you the concrete reasons for why you should or shouldn't seek out literary agent representation. So, to remedy this, I have compiled a few common reasons detailing how an agent can help. This list isn't designed to make you chose something either way, but it should give you an idea for what they have to offer:

1. Literary agents have normailly worked in the field for some time, and their experience can go a long way towards giving authors helpful and accurate advice.

2. If agents aren't able to provide specific advice, they will, no doubt, be able to introduce you to an indivual who can.

3. Because their job is to know about the literary field, they often are able to inform their clients of the important innovations and developments within the industry.

4. Primarily, agents act as the professional advocates for their client's work. Once accepted, they do their best to introduce the product to the publishers  and editors that will be most interested.

5. Within the same vein as number four, agents will also know with publishers and editors who are most diffiult to work with or have the least experience.

6. Monetarily, agents will compile offers from publishers and editors and bring them to their clients. This eliminates the added worry of publishing fee negotiations, allowing writers to focus on their job without the added stress of financial maneuvers.

7. Overall, the agent will be your advocate, connecting your work with the most relevant industry individuals while ensuring a timely response.

New York Literary Agencies

After finishing a manuscript, you might be wondering what your next step should be. Well, if this is your first book, your best bet is to find a Literary Agency to represent your work. Most agencies represent several authors and their work, so they are always looking for new clients. Geographically, there are several areas in the world where these agencies can be found, including: Canada, United Kingdom, and in the U.S. (nearly every state). To help you get started I have located ten potential agencies within the city of New York. By clicking on the map's markers you will open an information box that gives the agency's name, address, a link to their home page, and a few key bits of information (what they accept, methods of querying, fees, etc...). If you're not exactly sure how to go about querying, just search their websites, but for a more detailed list of do's and don't's check back here in a couple of weeks where I'll be posting a blog on Query Questions.


View New York Literary Agencies in a larger map

Character Development Exercise

So it's time for another activity suggestion courtesy of me! I am constantly on the look out for projects or activities that might help me improve or encourage my writing, and I thought of one a while ago, but just got a chance to try it out this week.

The concept is pretty simple and involves taking pictures  throughout your day while jotting down a few quick notes at each location. For me, it involved taking my camera on campus  and taking pictures while I traveled to and from classes. At the end of the day I uploaded my pictures and used my notes for each one to create a mini storyline. I used the character analysis I had already done  to basically re-write my day in terms of a main character. Essentially, describe your day as though a character of yours lived it instead of you.

To Recap:
1. Take pictures throughout the day.
2. Jot down notes  of what you were doing, thinking, etc. at that point.
3. Upload pictures and review your notes
4. Last, and probably most fun, re-write your day as though one of your characters lived it instead.

Good luck, and I really hope you give it a try because it was actually fun!

(I took all of these photos today, and the captions included are the portions of text from my re-write. Because I couldn't fit much else into the captions, here are a couple things you should know:
-The only building photographed is University Hall on BGSU's campus.
-The rest of the images were taken in my apartment building and the local cemetary, which happens to be right in the middle of campus.)

That being said, here's my day as if it were lived by Brina Claramund, my main character:



Having trouble seeing the full captions? The click HERE .

Disambiguation: A novel-writing roadmap

Image by Esther17 via Flickr

You've probably already guessed this based on the topic of my blog, but I thought you all should know that I am unquestionably and irreversably addicted to words. I love to find new and interesting words in the books or websites I read, I own more than one word-a-day calendar, and once I discover them, I use new words. A lot.

Now, you might be asking yourselves, what does your word-addiction have to do with anything novel-writing-related, Jacey? The answer is simple: Disambiguation.

It's day four of my Spring Break, also known as the "You're not in a tropical vacation destination, there's snow outside, you're home alone, you might as well be productive" Day. So here I sit at the kitchen counter wondering where to start, and because staring at my computer screen and rocking out to Kevin Hammond aren't getting me anywhere, I decide to take a look at the deadlines I drew up at the start of my project.  Now after a somewhat discombobulated introduction we are finally arriving at the point of this post: The deadlines I set for myself so many months ago are looking...well, let's just say I must have had myself confused with Wonder Woman when I wrote them. According to my little timeline I am two weeks and four chapters behind schedule, not to mention the ten other tasks I am supposed to have done before break is over. A little discouraging, no?

Well after the initial mental headslap, I decided my situation isn't all that bad. Even though I'm not exactly on schedule, I have continuously made progress, no matter how little, since the day I started the project. I still have a functional list of what needs to be done (even though the dates are now a little off). This little timeline descrepency has given me a reason to sit back, re-evaluate my progress, and create a new (and hopefully more accurate) time-table.

Ultimately, that last one turned out to be really helpful. This morning I was at a loss for what to do, where to go, how to move forward, etc... Now, just three short hours later I have a new calendar and a renewed excitement. These new goals I have set are actually realistic, which is definitely an upper, and even with adding a little more time for each task I am still pretty good as far as total time goes.

Anyway, the lesson I learned today and wanted to share isn't really complex, but I think it could be helpful:

1.  Deadlines are sneaky little devils. I set goals for myself several months ago before I had even started writing, and more importantly, even before I had considered that my life would involve other objectives besides writing. I didn't think to consider that I might get smacked in the face with the flu the week before midterms, let-alone acknowledge that I might need to study for those pesky exams. So somewhere between preparing for advising meetings and getting the oil changed in my car those sneaky little deadlines slipped away.

2. Because of my tendency to overestimate my own capabilities I learned a little something about the nature of deadlines. If there aren't consequences for not meeting them, they lose a little of their luster. To combat this, I have decided to look at my "deadlines" as more of a "disambiguation chart," hence the little intro to word-addiction at the beginning of the post. Disambiguation basically means to remove ambiguities, and my calendar of tasks will help me to navigate the rest of my project in the same way that a road-map would help to disambiguate a tricky roadtrip.

Overall, I will really try to stick to the new deadlines I have set for myself but, like before, if I should happen to fail, at least it provides a record of what needs to be done so I am never permanently discouraged.

The Narrative Hook

Image by Honou via Flickr

Lately I have been having trouble finding time and energy to come up with new material for my novel, and the last chapter I wrote took me almost twice as long to finish as all of my other chapters. Finishing this particular chapter was a little bit of a milestone for my project and marked reaching the half-way point. So, to celebrate my hard work I decided to take a little break. Now I didn't want to stop the project completely because it really is something I enjoy, but I did want to take a break so I could come back with fresh ideas for the second half. In order to keep up with my progress and also take a refreshing break I decided to go back to my first chapter and really think about my book's opening.

I haven't really looked back at it since I wrote wrote it  a while back, and re-reading those first few paragraphs over again really made me think about just how important they are. The first chapter, or sentence even, is what draws the reader in. It makes them interested in your book and, essentially, keeps them reading through to the end.

Think back to all of your favorite opening lines. Here are some of mine:

1. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
2. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
3. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
4. If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.
5. It was a pleasure to burn.
6. It was love at first sight.
7. In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.

All of these lines had some sort of narrative hook or method of drawing the reader in. Narrative hooks are the author's pick-up lines, and cheesy cliche's aren't going to get you the phone number. Whether it was Jane Austen's blunt honesty that made you want to read on to find out why she believed as she did or a simple teaser making you wonder just what advice F. Scott Fitzgerald's character got from his father, you wanted to read on, to find the answers you were looking for.

After reading my opener again I realized just how much work it needed. A strong opening can make for a strong novel, and my first sentence just wasn't cutting it. So I looked again at my favorite book openers and went back to the drawing board. I guess the lesson I learned, and want to share, is simple. Don't be afraid to make changes, but most of all, don't forget to objectively examine your work to discover when changes need to be made.

Idea? Check. Characters? Check. World? Check. Story?

After much work, planning, and brainstorming you’re finally ready to write your novel, right? The answer: almost. Some experienced writers say that some of their best work is the result of impulse writing or drafting without plans and allowing the characters to end up where they may. While this is definitely an admirable method of crafting a novel, for us first-timers it might prove to be a little trickier than that. Without a plan, writer’s block can set in pretty thoroughly, and for a first-time author it can be the barrier that keeps you from finishing your manuscript.

To combat what I like to call the “15,000 Word Wall,” or the point at which I had my first writing crisis: Chapter 4, Page 1, word 15,032, I suggest you at least create for yourself a brief outline based on the chapters you want to write, how long they should be, and the major plot-points  you want them to contain. You don’t have to stick to this, but it is definitely helpful to have something to go back to when you just don’t know what to say next.

A few outline basics are:

1. Number of Chapters.
This can really become a useful list of goals as you attempt to finish your novel, and telling yourself that you want to write at least 10 chapters acts as an excellent motivator.

2. Key moments.
Designating a few key moments  to happen in each of you chapters as well as making a list of back-up of events for moments of writer’s block is also a great idea.

3. Character Arcs .
You know where you want your story to end and where you characters will be when that end is reached, but you should be careful that you don’t lose some of your characters along the way just to have them reappear at their designated ending when your novel concludes. To achieve this, jot down individual storylines for each character. You should avoid introducing flat characters just to move your main character along. If they’re present, give them purpose and guidance, let them be a part of the story as it evolves.

With all of this mapped out, you really won’t ever feel lost as to what your next move should be, and avoiding that discouragement can go a long way towards seeing your novel through to the end! You should be excited about unveiling each key moment every time you sit down to write and deciding in advance what these moments will be and when they will occur can only help your progress along.

Dream Big, Little Girl

We all have a list, a list of things we want to accomplish before it becomes too late, and if your list is like mine, it can look a little overwhelming. For the past four years I have slowly been making my way through my life’s list, and I am finally at the task that I am most excited about: writing a novel. So far, this has been one of the most difficult of my undertakings which have run the gamut from conquering my fear of roller-coasters to getting a full-ride to college.

This goal is one that I am most excited to accomplish, and if, like me, you have always wanted to sit down and try your hand at writing a book, I will be sharing with you everything I have learned from my experience thus far. Like most of you, completing a novel is something I have never successfully attempted before, so to get through it in one piece I relied heavily on the support of my friends, family, and professors who helped me to battle one of my arch-enemies, procrastination.

So in the spirit of anti-procrastination, let’s get started! In this blog you can look forward to tales of triumph, tragedy, and a few motivational tidbits here and there to help you along the way as you plan, prepare, and attempt to get your manuscripts published.

“And by the way, everything in life is writable if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Sylvia Plath