One thing that some Fantasy and Science Fiction writers (and authors) fail to realize is that research should be an important part of your world building process. It is very easy to fall to the temptation of just writing whatever you want when you are working on a F/SF novel.
This should not be the case.
I have been working on a young adult novel project lately. This has some fantastical elements - ghosts, legends, myths and the kin. But, in the end, it really is about a modern girl who gets to experience some pretty fantastic things. Fantasy? In a way.
Factual? As factual as any myth or legend can be.
Researched? You bet.
But, as I have been doing the research for this project, I realized something. No matter how much I would just jump in and write a fantasy novel, I would be doing research. However, not as much research as I should have been doing.
What things should I have researched for my fantasy novel projects? Well, I will provide you a list and my reasoning. Writing this young adult, I feel, has greatly improved my ability to see a plot line and condense it into something manageable. I will go into this a little later, as there is a research element involved here as well.
1: Basic sciences.
Magic, as we all know, is magical! It is not science. However, one thing should remain the same, even if you use magic in your world. This law of science should still apply. You suspend this, and you break your concept. Suspending disbelief -- or the act of convincing your reader that this could actually happen -- is vital if you want your fantasy novel to succeed. You can do this by looking at every action taken with magic and applying a basic physics law to it.
"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction."
If you throw a fireball, there will be the same force of the fireball expanding from the explosive point. In exchange, there should be a similar -- equivalent -- cost to the user. If you have a character that can just throw around massively damaging fireballs with no consequence and no reaction, belief in the sciences of the real world will not be suspended.
If you use fire a lot, research fire. This can include materials that burn best, and materials that do not burn at all. If throwing a fireball means that your character gets hit with the backlash, how can the character best protect themselves?
Exhaustion, both physical and mental, are the standard equal and opposite reaction of magic. Someone casts a fireball, and they become tired. If they become too tired, they risk death.
In the case of a cannon, the cannon recoils. But, hey, it is magic. You can bend the rules a little. But, you should always have this little rule in the back of your mind.
I would also keep the one about "What goes up must come down" firmly in mind. Especially if you have a character prone to tripping up the stairs.
2: Location, Location, Location.
Many people have it set in their minds that a F/SF novel must take place in many different locations. In some cases, this is true. In others, it is not. However, one thing does tend to be clear: The higher the number of locations pursued in a novel, the more convoluted the plot tends to become. Do not add locations just for the sake of adding locations. More locations does not give your novel an epic feel. Your writing, your style, and your story give your novel an epic feel.
When you research locations for a SF/F novel, there will be a lot of creation. The world should be yours. However, in order to suspend disbelief (here we go again...) you need to make your locations at least somewhat realistic. For this reason, I have taken to researching the equivalent on earth. Then, I see what is nearby.
Why do large cities tend to be where they are? Water supplies. Most large cities are near some form of major water supply. My home is actually on an Island. Many people I have spoken with did not realize that Montreal is in fact an island, but sure enough... there is water on all sides. Lots and lots of water. (For those who are not familiar with Montreal, it is in the middle of the St Lawrence river in Quebec... directly north of New York State.)
New York City? It has the Ocean. Baltimore? Chesapeake Bay. Miami? Ocean. Los Angeles, San Fran... Oceans, rivers and Lakes all fairly close. Ottawa? Has a river. Toronto has a lake. Chicago, Milwaukee both have a lake. Detroit likes those lakes, too. London has the ocean...
I'm sure you are getting the idea. Pay attention to the details of your location. This is particularly true of Fantasy novels. Your people will not live in a region where they can not get their basic needs: Food, Water and Shelter. They can make their own shelter, but they are in a lot of trouble if they cannot get food or water. Sure, that barren wasteland may seem like an awesome place to put a city, but large numbers of people will not be able to reside there. Not without a heck of a lot of explanation.
3: Resources
Civilized lands need resources for trade or for crafting. The resources available are determined by your location. When you research location types, do not forget to research valuable resources. You may not mention them in your novel, but these factors need to be kicking around in the back of your mind. This is an important part of what makes your world function.
4: Politics and Religion
Both of these are something that many are advised not to talk about in polite company. They can break friendships (and couples) about as fast as a penny falling to the floor from the counter. That said, these are often driving forces behind many plots. Making up your own politics and religion is great! But, you better do your research and see just how politics and religion can change a nation -- for better or for worse. With so many politicians around the world -- professional and the type who sit on their couches and comment on it -- you need to have a good idea of what actually is going on. Hitting the history books may be wise.
There are so many more things that you can research to make a SF/F novel happen. That said, it is important that you do not lose focus on the most important thing:
Your story needs a plot. It is not a story without a plot.
A plot has a beginning, a middle and an end. It is really just a big problem that needs solved. The resolution of the problem is the climax, and the stuff after that is just wrapping up the details.
You may love to write about a character, but your character needs to serve an important role to your plot.
Often, the most simple of plots are the most enjoyable to read. The more plots, the harder it is to follow.
A few examples of simplistic plots include Twilight and Harry Potter.
I will use Harry Potter in this case, as most people have had long exposure to it.. that, plus I have not read Twilight. I might read it in the future, but we will see.
Harry potter, through all of the books, has one main plot. This is the conflict between Harry + Voldemort. There are many subsequent plot lines, but all of them actually contribute, in one way or another, to the final showdown between Harry + Voldemort.
This is very important, people. Pay attention.
Every subsequent plot, in some way or another, contribute to the final showdown between Harry + Voldemort.
Your novel needs to be the same way. Every scene, every action and every dialog somehow needs to link to your main plot line.
This will really make your life a lot easier. It will also eliminate many plot holes. Easy to fix a problem when it doesn't exist in your book. (They will exist... but they will be much more minor than if you're flying off the cuff without your primary plot.)
I will leave you to chew on that a while on your own.
Good luck!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Pitches and Queries - Part Deux
This is not the first time I will delve into pitches and queries. It will not be the last time. Last time, I posted a few tips and query fails as found on twitter.
Today, I will show you the singes and burn marks from passing a pitch to a willing victim... err... volunteer.
Meet the nice folks over at @Seagman on twitter. You never know if you are talking to Aaron or Scott, but they are both great folks with equally great senses of humor. Aaron was nice enough to be cornered and take some time out of his busy schedule to rip apart a query.
As my experience with queries is limited, I wrote a query specifically for the purpose of education. My education. Now, your education. As I am shameless, I will post the entire thing for you to learn from. There are some purposefully seeded #queryfail moments. (Which Aaron caught and lectured about. I guess it is a good thing that I have thick skin.)
Now, onto the query in question:
The query itself is 166 words long. This is also a #queryfail in a whole, but it was a first attempt at a serious query.
The first noted #queryfail is the fact that Aaron does NOT represent the science fiction and fantasy genres. He represents more along the lines of mysteries, thrillers and suspense. However, this is a common issue. I was astounded to discover just how many people would query out of genre. While this was a controlled experiment, done with Aaron's blessings, I strongly suggest that you do NOT do this. Learn from the ripping of this critique. These are the immediate thoughts of an agent reading the query. Do you REALLY want an agent thinking these things about your writing? I didn't think so.
When I wrote the query, I had not intended on including any manuscript with it. Why? This was an experimental query. That said, as I was about to hit send, I decided on sending a blurb along with it. Aaron seemed to enjoy ripping through it, so I'll share with you the importance of sending only POLISHED works to an agent. By polished, I mean, spit-shined polished. That manuscript better have more luster than a pearl. I am not including the entire section that I included with the query email. I don't think I could survive the embarrassment. Yes, it is a rough draft. No, I'm not happy with said rough draft. No, it was never meant to be sent to an agent. Ever. Ah, well. The things I do for the craft.
Dear Secret Agent Man Aaron,
In a single night, three hundred years of history burned to the ground.
Propelled by hatred and racism, Danar sought the annihilation of Kelsh and her people. Unprepared and undefended, the city of Heliash toppled, her inhabitants slaughtered, captive or on the run.
Mari had returned home expecting a warm reunion with her mother, father and siblings. Instead, she found plumes of dark smoke coiling towards the uncaring sky and the stench of death. Her decision to fight her way into the city to find her family's fate hurls her into a living nightmare.
Lost, alone and despairing, Mari discovers the Tower of the Rising Sun. Never found by those seeking it and never granting its power to those who desired it, the Tower was both legend and myth.
What Mari did not expect was the high price the Tower would demand.
Burdened with a pledge unbreakable even by death, Mari must stop the demons of Danar, even if it means the destruction of her soul.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Rebecca J. Blain
Faint screams drifted on the gusting winds of the Sariano plains. The acrid stench of burning flesh assaulted Kari, the force of it so great she yanked her horse to a halt. The dark mare tossed her head and snorted, ears laid back. Falling over the saddle’s horn, she clutched at her mouth with a hand, fighting the waves of nausea that sought to overwhelm her.
Kari blessed the stars and the sky that Luna was so well trained. Legs braced in place, the horse patiently stood as she struggled to sit upright. Kari’s lungs burned as she choked and coughed. While the smoke was not thick, the putrid odor was so vile that her stomach churned despite her best efforts.
Her throat swallowed and convulsed as she sat up. Days of sweat and dirt had a unique and disgusting scent of its own, but it bought her the precious moments to steel her nerve and her guts.
After all, days on the road without a bath gave her plenty of time to adjust to that smell.
With the dark tendrils of night falling over the plains, she did not dare kick her horse into a gallop to climb the hill and discover the source of the sounds and scent. Turning Luna into the wind, she settled on a sedate walk.
_Goddess above, what is happening here?_
Kari knew the stench of decay or of burning bodies but that did not make it any easier to endure. She had survived two wars that bore more death and hardship than she wished to remember. The smell was reminiscent of the aftermath, the sacrificial pyres of the dead so that the survivors might not die of disease even as they recovered.
--
Now, onto the critique.
Dear Secret Agent Man Aaron,
This should be just Aaron, or Mr. Montaine to impress my mom.
In a single night, three hundred years of history burned to the ground.
Nice opening line. No, really. I like it.
Propelled by hatred and racism, Danar sought the annihilation of Kelsh and her people. Unprepared and undefended, the city of Heliash toppled, her inhabitants slaughtered, captive or on the run.
This is kind of interesting, except . . . why? Besides the whole hatred/racism thing, why does Danar want to annihilate Kelsh? That's not something you hear every day. Also, is Danar male, female, a unicorn? Is Kelsh a city or a queen? And I'm not sure what Heliash has to do with Kelsh, Danar or the unicorn.
Mari had returned home expecting a warm reunion with her mother, father and siblings. Instead, she found plumes of dark smoke coiling towards the uncaring sky and the stench of death. Her decision to fight her way into the city to find her family's fate hurls her into a living nightmare.
Danar, Kelsh, Heliash and now Mari . . . I'm already getting dizzy. I suspect Danar took care of Heliash, and is now going after Kelsh, and Mari is, I assume, going to be the savior. I'm pretty sure most skies don't care, so to specify that this particular sky is "uncaring" is a bit of over-writing. Also, hurling into a living nightmare is not very specific or descriptive. Is she tortured? Raped? Forced to watch Dancing With The Stars? Those are living nightmares.
Lost, alone and despairing, Mari discovers the Tower of the Rising Sun. Never found by those seeking it and never granting its power to those who desired it, the Tower was both legend and myth.
This is a bit confusing since she's lost, yet finds a tower no one else has found. She should buy a lottery ticket. And if she finds it, it is technically no longer a myth. The language is nice, but it doesn't tell me anything. What is its power? Why does everyone want to find it? And since the House of the Rising Sun was a brothel, I can only assume the Tower of the Rising Sun is going to get busted by the cops any day now.
What Mari did not expect was the high price the Tower would demand.
Yeah, this is vague too. I get that Mari might have lost her family -- that's a big deal. Everything else is a nicely painted mish mash of nothing. I don't know what it means, and you really haven't given me a reason to care. I should care, I want to care, but I don't. Why should I give a hoot about Mari and her missing family if there are thousands of other people burning, dying, watching Dancing With The Stars? I want to give a hoot. I have too many and I'd hate to throw them out. But Mari? She doesn't deserve any of my hoots.
Burdened with a pledge unbreakable even by death, Mari must stop the demons of Danar, even if it means the destruction of her soul.
The most concrete part of your plot yet: Mari must stop the demons of Danar. But why? Okay, I understand they're demons, and stopping them is a good thing, but she must stop them? Who said? And what would happen if she didn't? Would that high price the Tower demanded get a 25.7% APR added to it? And if it destroys her soul, wouldn't that put a damper on family reunions? I mean, a soulless Mari would just sit there and eat all the Pringles.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Word count? (I know you don't have one yet, but it's nice to pretend.)
Rebecca J. Blain
Okay, gotta go. Dancing With The Stars is on.
But wait! There's more!
Faint screams drifted on the gusting winds of the Sariano plains. The acrid stench of burning flesh assaulted Kari, the force of it so great she yanked her horse to a halt. The dark mare tossed her head and snorted, ears laid back. Falling over the saddle’s horn, she clutched at her mouth with a hand, fighting the waves of nausea that sought to overwhelm her.
Is this part of the other thing? Because it's not helping. A "gusting wind" is kind of like a "smelly fart" -- redundant and highly reminiscent of my Uncle Olaf, who was gusty in many different ways.
I don't know how a stench can assault someone, since it can't hold a club. Unless you were referring to Uncle Olaf.
The last two lines are kind of confusing since the dark mare snorted, then apparently clutched at her mouth with a hand, which means this is one special horsie. I believe you meant Kari was about to barf, but that's not what it says.
Kari blessed the stars and the sky that Luna was so well trained. Legs braced in place, the horse patiently stood as she struggled to sit upright. Kari’s lungs burned as she choked and coughed. While the smoke was not thick, the putrid odor was so vile that her stomach churned despite her best efforts.
The second line is also confusing because it's not clear who is struggling, Kari or Luna. It gets cleared up in the next line, but the confusion is still there.
Her throat swallowed and convulsed as she sat up. Days of sweat and dirt had a unique and disgusting scent of its own, but it bought her the precious moments to steel her nerve and her guts.
Okay, we get it -- three paragraphs about stinky. And it's not quite clear how her own stink gave her nerve.
After all, days on the road without a bath gave her plenty of time to adjust to that smell.
Is this really how you want to start your novel and introduce your character? Kari The Smelly?
With the dark tendrils of night falling over the plains, she did not dare kick her horse into a gallop to climb the hill and discover the source of the sounds and scent. Turning Luna into the wind, she settled on a sedate walk.
If it's all so putrid, wouldn't she go downwind and around the hill so she wouldn't have to revisit her lunch?
_Goddess above, what is happening here?_
I don't know what those little underline thingies are doing there. Just italicize it.
Kari knew the stench of decay or of burning bodies but that did not make it any easier to endure. She had survived two wars that bore more death and hardship than she wished to remember. The smell was reminiscent of the aftermath, the sacrificial pyres of the dead so that the survivors might not die of disease even as they recovered.
Back to the stink? I know the creative writing teachers emphasize using the senses, but some of the others would be nice.
--
Can you smell burned feathers? Those are mine. Once again, let me comment on the importance of never, ever sending a draft to an agent. Many of the problems that Aaron points out here I correct in edits and revisions. The draft is just that: draft. It isn't meant to see the light of day.
There was a line I bolded and italicized. Why? It is my favorite.
You will get burned as you write your queries. Take a moment and learn from mine. You can also learn from @Janet_Reid and her awesome @queryshark. I strongly recommend following Janet, her shark, Aaron and Scott. You won't regret it.
You will see a mention of using _ rather than italics. I had been fussing with an easy way to find out where I was using italics in a file and they were throwbacks. I typically use italics! That said, look at your agent's submission guidelines. Some agents absolutely do NOT want to see italics. Others want to read it as they would read the novel. Watch your submission guidelines very closely. Remember, if you do not prove you are capable of reading their guidelines, the agent will not believe you are capable of writing.
As a fare-thee-well, I leave you with a gem from twitter:
@Seagman Will the owner of a query missing a name, address, etc, but sent from the email "ILoveMyShnookies" please claim it in dumpster. Thanks.
Today, I will show you the singes and burn marks from passing a pitch to a willing victim... err... volunteer.
Meet the nice folks over at @Seagman on twitter. You never know if you are talking to Aaron or Scott, but they are both great folks with equally great senses of humor. Aaron was nice enough to be cornered and take some time out of his busy schedule to rip apart a query.
As my experience with queries is limited, I wrote a query specifically for the purpose of education. My education. Now, your education. As I am shameless, I will post the entire thing for you to learn from. There are some purposefully seeded #queryfail moments. (Which Aaron caught and lectured about. I guess it is a good thing that I have thick skin.)
Now, onto the query in question:
The query itself is 166 words long. This is also a #queryfail in a whole, but it was a first attempt at a serious query.
The first noted #queryfail is the fact that Aaron does NOT represent the science fiction and fantasy genres. He represents more along the lines of mysteries, thrillers and suspense. However, this is a common issue. I was astounded to discover just how many people would query out of genre. While this was a controlled experiment, done with Aaron's blessings, I strongly suggest that you do NOT do this. Learn from the ripping of this critique. These are the immediate thoughts of an agent reading the query. Do you REALLY want an agent thinking these things about your writing? I didn't think so.
When I wrote the query, I had not intended on including any manuscript with it. Why? This was an experimental query. That said, as I was about to hit send, I decided on sending a blurb along with it. Aaron seemed to enjoy ripping through it, so I'll share with you the importance of sending only POLISHED works to an agent. By polished, I mean, spit-shined polished. That manuscript better have more luster than a pearl. I am not including the entire section that I included with the query email. I don't think I could survive the embarrassment. Yes, it is a rough draft. No, I'm not happy with said rough draft. No, it was never meant to be sent to an agent. Ever. Ah, well. The things I do for the craft.
Dear Secret Agent Man Aaron,
In a single night, three hundred years of history burned to the ground.
Propelled by hatred and racism, Danar sought the annihilation of Kelsh and her people. Unprepared and undefended, the city of Heliash toppled, her inhabitants slaughtered, captive or on the run.
Mari had returned home expecting a warm reunion with her mother, father and siblings. Instead, she found plumes of dark smoke coiling towards the uncaring sky and the stench of death. Her decision to fight her way into the city to find her family's fate hurls her into a living nightmare.
Lost, alone and despairing, Mari discovers the Tower of the Rising Sun. Never found by those seeking it and never granting its power to those who desired it, the Tower was both legend and myth.
What Mari did not expect was the high price the Tower would demand.
Burdened with a pledge unbreakable even by death, Mari must stop the demons of Danar, even if it means the destruction of her soul.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Rebecca J. Blain
Faint screams drifted on the gusting winds of the Sariano plains. The acrid stench of burning flesh assaulted Kari, the force of it so great she yanked her horse to a halt. The dark mare tossed her head and snorted, ears laid back. Falling over the saddle’s horn, she clutched at her mouth with a hand, fighting the waves of nausea that sought to overwhelm her.
Kari blessed the stars and the sky that Luna was so well trained. Legs braced in place, the horse patiently stood as she struggled to sit upright. Kari’s lungs burned as she choked and coughed. While the smoke was not thick, the putrid odor was so vile that her stomach churned despite her best efforts.
Her throat swallowed and convulsed as she sat up. Days of sweat and dirt had a unique and disgusting scent of its own, but it bought her the precious moments to steel her nerve and her guts.
After all, days on the road without a bath gave her plenty of time to adjust to that smell.
With the dark tendrils of night falling over the plains, she did not dare kick her horse into a gallop to climb the hill and discover the source of the sounds and scent. Turning Luna into the wind, she settled on a sedate walk.
_Goddess above, what is happening here?_
Kari knew the stench of decay or of burning bodies but that did not make it any easier to endure. She had survived two wars that bore more death and hardship than she wished to remember. The smell was reminiscent of the aftermath, the sacrificial pyres of the dead so that the survivors might not die of disease even as they recovered.
--
Now, onto the critique.
Dear Secret Agent Man Aaron,
This should be just Aaron, or Mr. Montaine to impress my mom.
In a single night, three hundred years of history burned to the ground.
Nice opening line. No, really. I like it.
Propelled by hatred and racism, Danar sought the annihilation of Kelsh and her people. Unprepared and undefended, the city of Heliash toppled, her inhabitants slaughtered, captive or on the run.
This is kind of interesting, except . . . why? Besides the whole hatred/racism thing, why does Danar want to annihilate Kelsh? That's not something you hear every day. Also, is Danar male, female, a unicorn? Is Kelsh a city or a queen? And I'm not sure what Heliash has to do with Kelsh, Danar or the unicorn.
Mari had returned home expecting a warm reunion with her mother, father and siblings. Instead, she found plumes of dark smoke coiling towards the uncaring sky and the stench of death. Her decision to fight her way into the city to find her family's fate hurls her into a living nightmare.
Danar, Kelsh, Heliash and now Mari . . . I'm already getting dizzy. I suspect Danar took care of Heliash, and is now going after Kelsh, and Mari is, I assume, going to be the savior. I'm pretty sure most skies don't care, so to specify that this particular sky is "uncaring" is a bit of over-writing. Also, hurling into a living nightmare is not very specific or descriptive. Is she tortured? Raped? Forced to watch Dancing With The Stars? Those are living nightmares.
Lost, alone and despairing, Mari discovers the Tower of the Rising Sun. Never found by those seeking it and never granting its power to those who desired it, the Tower was both legend and myth.
This is a bit confusing since she's lost, yet finds a tower no one else has found. She should buy a lottery ticket. And if she finds it, it is technically no longer a myth. The language is nice, but it doesn't tell me anything. What is its power? Why does everyone want to find it? And since the House of the Rising Sun was a brothel, I can only assume the Tower of the Rising Sun is going to get busted by the cops any day now.
What Mari did not expect was the high price the Tower would demand.
Yeah, this is vague too. I get that Mari might have lost her family -- that's a big deal. Everything else is a nicely painted mish mash of nothing. I don't know what it means, and you really haven't given me a reason to care. I should care, I want to care, but I don't. Why should I give a hoot about Mari and her missing family if there are thousands of other people burning, dying, watching Dancing With The Stars? I want to give a hoot. I have too many and I'd hate to throw them out. But Mari? She doesn't deserve any of my hoots.
Burdened with a pledge unbreakable even by death, Mari must stop the demons of Danar, even if it means the destruction of her soul.
The most concrete part of your plot yet: Mari must stop the demons of Danar. But why? Okay, I understand they're demons, and stopping them is a good thing, but she must stop them? Who said? And what would happen if she didn't? Would that high price the Tower demanded get a 25.7% APR added to it? And if it destroys her soul, wouldn't that put a damper on family reunions? I mean, a soulless Mari would just sit there and eat all the Pringles.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Word count? (I know you don't have one yet, but it's nice to pretend.)
Rebecca J. Blain
Okay, gotta go. Dancing With The Stars is on.
But wait! There's more!
Faint screams drifted on the gusting winds of the Sariano plains. The acrid stench of burning flesh assaulted Kari, the force of it so great she yanked her horse to a halt. The dark mare tossed her head and snorted, ears laid back. Falling over the saddle’s horn, she clutched at her mouth with a hand, fighting the waves of nausea that sought to overwhelm her.
Is this part of the other thing? Because it's not helping. A "gusting wind" is kind of like a "smelly fart" -- redundant and highly reminiscent of my Uncle Olaf, who was gusty in many different ways.
I don't know how a stench can assault someone, since it can't hold a club. Unless you were referring to Uncle Olaf.
The last two lines are kind of confusing since the dark mare snorted, then apparently clutched at her mouth with a hand, which means this is one special horsie. I believe you meant Kari was about to barf, but that's not what it says.
Kari blessed the stars and the sky that Luna was so well trained. Legs braced in place, the horse patiently stood as she struggled to sit upright. Kari’s lungs burned as she choked and coughed. While the smoke was not thick, the putrid odor was so vile that her stomach churned despite her best efforts.
The second line is also confusing because it's not clear who is struggling, Kari or Luna. It gets cleared up in the next line, but the confusion is still there.
Her throat swallowed and convulsed as she sat up. Days of sweat and dirt had a unique and disgusting scent of its own, but it bought her the precious moments to steel her nerve and her guts.
Okay, we get it -- three paragraphs about stinky. And it's not quite clear how her own stink gave her nerve.
After all, days on the road without a bath gave her plenty of time to adjust to that smell.
Is this really how you want to start your novel and introduce your character? Kari The Smelly?
With the dark tendrils of night falling over the plains, she did not dare kick her horse into a gallop to climb the hill and discover the source of the sounds and scent. Turning Luna into the wind, she settled on a sedate walk.
If it's all so putrid, wouldn't she go downwind and around the hill so she wouldn't have to revisit her lunch?
_Goddess above, what is happening here?_
I don't know what those little underline thingies are doing there. Just italicize it.
Kari knew the stench of decay or of burning bodies but that did not make it any easier to endure. She had survived two wars that bore more death and hardship than she wished to remember. The smell was reminiscent of the aftermath, the sacrificial pyres of the dead so that the survivors might not die of disease even as they recovered.
Back to the stink? I know the creative writing teachers emphasize using the senses, but some of the others would be nice.
--
Can you smell burned feathers? Those are mine. Once again, let me comment on the importance of never, ever sending a draft to an agent. Many of the problems that Aaron points out here I correct in edits and revisions. The draft is just that: draft. It isn't meant to see the light of day.
There was a line I bolded and italicized. Why? It is my favorite.
You will get burned as you write your queries. Take a moment and learn from mine. You can also learn from @Janet_Reid and her awesome @queryshark. I strongly recommend following Janet, her shark, Aaron and Scott. You won't regret it.
You will see a mention of using _ rather than italics. I had been fussing with an easy way to find out where I was using italics in a file and they were throwbacks. I typically use italics! That said, look at your agent's submission guidelines. Some agents absolutely do NOT want to see italics. Others want to read it as they would read the novel. Watch your submission guidelines very closely. Remember, if you do not prove you are capable of reading their guidelines, the agent will not believe you are capable of writing.
As a fare-thee-well, I leave you with a gem from twitter:
@Seagman Will the owner of a query missing a name, address, etc, but sent from the email "ILoveMyShnookies" please claim it in dumpster. Thanks.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Pub Tips and Query Fails!
I love Twitter. It is a wonderful source of information, tips and people.
Today's blog post serves two purposes. First, it allows me to procrastinate starting the massive spring cleaning efforts I must begin as soon as I am done writing this. Second, it allows me to share with you one of the resources I truly love.
I will make comments as needed. However, most of these are rather self-explanatory.
Enjoy! The format is as follows: The name of the person who made the post, then their post.
LindaEpstein
#pubtip Can you at least try to hide that your query has been forwarded to 10 other agents? Those blue forward lines are distracting me.
emilyreads
Dear random author: For the last time, I WILL NOT EAT YOUR COOKIES. #pubtip
agentgame
Reading a query that was interesting up until the part where it said the wordcount was over 390k. Don't do this. #pubtip
(Why: Most epic fantasies, even the 'long ones', tend to cap at 250 words. There are exceptions, but not often. If you're writing epic fantasy... do yourself a favor and save the 500,000 word monstrosities for book #2.)
Ginger_Clark
Authors, the following words have VERY different meanings, so stop mixing them up: important/impotent; prostrate/prostate #pubtip
BostonBookGirl
Finishing your 100,000 word book in 10 days is not a selling point. Might be true, but don't put that in your query. #pubtip
LindaEpstein
#pubtip Novelists: if you're not done writing it, it's not time to query an agent. No matter how "good" it is. Query when it's complete.
tor_intheory
an MFA, while it may improve your writing skills, does not make you more publishable or guarantee you success as an author #pubtip
LindaEpstein
Eight sentences. Only seven paragraphs. #queryfail
... twitter has failed and won't let me access the older posts to get out some of my favorite query fails. That said, please head over here for #queryfail and here for #pubtip. Both of these feeds often have a lot of excellent resources for writers. It is really an eye-opener to see just what gets an agent riled up.
Today's blog post serves two purposes. First, it allows me to procrastinate starting the massive spring cleaning efforts I must begin as soon as I am done writing this. Second, it allows me to share with you one of the resources I truly love.
I will make comments as needed. However, most of these are rather self-explanatory.
Enjoy! The format is as follows: The name of the person who made the post, then their post.
LindaEpstein
#pubtip Can you at least try to hide that your query has been forwarded to 10 other agents? Those blue forward lines are distracting me.
emilyreads
Dear random author: For the last time, I WILL NOT EAT YOUR COOKIES. #pubtip
agentgame
Reading a query that was interesting up until the part where it said the wordcount was over 390k. Don't do this. #pubtip
(Why: Most epic fantasies, even the 'long ones', tend to cap at 250 words. There are exceptions, but not often. If you're writing epic fantasy... do yourself a favor and save the 500,000 word monstrosities for book #2.)
Ginger_Clark
Authors, the following words have VERY different meanings, so stop mixing them up: important/impotent; prostrate/prostate #pubtip
BostonBookGirl
Finishing your 100,000 word book in 10 days is not a selling point. Might be true, but don't put that in your query. #pubtip
LindaEpstein
#pubtip Novelists: if you're not done writing it, it's not time to query an agent. No matter how "good" it is. Query when it's complete.
tor_intheory
an MFA, while it may improve your writing skills, does not make you more publishable or guarantee you success as an author #pubtip
LindaEpstein
Eight sentences. Only seven paragraphs. #queryfail
... twitter has failed and won't let me access the older posts to get out some of my favorite query fails. That said, please head over here for #queryfail and here for #pubtip. Both of these feeds often have a lot of excellent resources for writers. It is really an eye-opener to see just what gets an agent riled up.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Self-Editing
This post is going to go out into far left field. I have no posted in a while, so I figured it was about time I made some progress on blogging. This will cover, once again, personal references so there will not be a lot of outside sourcing. This is what *I* do. Please do not judge what the rest of the writing world does based off of what I do. My methods may not work for you.
First, I will cover self-editing. This is a very personal matter, but a very important one. When you write a book, you need to know how to edit your own writing. A professional publication house is there to make you and them money. It is not there to clean up your poor writing. Do not just submit crap to an agent, editor or publisher. Before you even dream of submitting, it is vital that you do a lot of self-editing.
Self-editing should occur before you send to anyone for critiques. This is important because you need to grow as an author. In order to grow, you need to practice. In order to practice, you need to do.
It is very easy to fall into the trap of editing what people say you should edit. For this reason, you should try to self-edit on your own before you send it to even your first readers. First, you should be able to catch spelling errors by reading through your writing. You would not even begin to believe how many times I have typed 'and' when I meant to type 'had'. Spelling errors like this are often not picked up by spell and grammar checking programs. This is human error that a computer cannot typically correct, so you need to be on your guard.
When I self-edit, this is the process I take:
Step One: Read the piece.
I will read the section of writing anywhere between one to five times. It varies, really. If I wrote slower and had less stupid mistakes, I may not need to re-read it more than once or twice. If I was being sloppy as I was writing, I will need to re-read it several times. Mileage may vary.
Step Two: Correct Obvious errors.
Step Two occurs as I re-read it the first time. As I read, I will correct simple errors as I spot them. This may not work for everyone. It does not distract from my reading as I do this, so I can get away with it. Some people get distracted and cannot handle this. You need to find your own rhythm. Once again, mileage may vary. No matter when you correct the obvious errors, these need to be addressed. I like to get them out of the way first so I can focus on the more challenging things later.
Step Three: Correct the Not So Obvious errors.
I have to revisit step one to do this. Once I have corrected the obvious, easy errors, I read through the piece again. OUT LOUD. I will even record myself reading so I can listen to it. (Voice recorder in windows is a great tool if you have a mic.) There are several reasons for doing this. First, if you read your novel or story out loud, you can hear if your pacing is all right. If you run out of breath before you finish speaking a sentence, your pacing is wrong. Every sentence should be easily spoken. Length of a sentence is vital, as long sentences are often grammatically incorrect and difficult to read. Taking your time with this phase can make a huge difference.
Step Four: Allow your writing to sit for a day.
Taking a day off to work on something else or plot a different story helps me focus come editing time. This may not work for everyone. I will try to plan my drafting so that I finish on a Friday and start edits on a Monday. This gives me the weekend to relax and clear my thoughts, as well as put a little space between me and the writing.
Step Five: See Step One.
Rinse and repeat until you have a polished draft. Then send it off. If you can avoid first readers until you are DONE the first draft and polished, you can spare yourself a lot of anguish. So, you might have to do massive edits or a second draft... so what? You finished your draft. A bad critique can cause a new author to lose hope. Once you become a professional author, your editor or book publisher typically will NOT hold your hand every step of the drafting process. You will have a deadline you will be expected to meet. Accept this reality and work towards streamlining the self-editing process so that it works best for YOU. What works for me may not work for you.
Self-Editing will help you enhance your writing style while also improving the quality of your drafts. You do not have to write a perfect draft the first try if you can focus and put in the work to make it into a perfect manuscript.
First, I will cover self-editing. This is a very personal matter, but a very important one. When you write a book, you need to know how to edit your own writing. A professional publication house is there to make you and them money. It is not there to clean up your poor writing. Do not just submit crap to an agent, editor or publisher. Before you even dream of submitting, it is vital that you do a lot of self-editing.
Self-editing should occur before you send to anyone for critiques. This is important because you need to grow as an author. In order to grow, you need to practice. In order to practice, you need to do.
It is very easy to fall into the trap of editing what people say you should edit. For this reason, you should try to self-edit on your own before you send it to even your first readers. First, you should be able to catch spelling errors by reading through your writing. You would not even begin to believe how many times I have typed 'and' when I meant to type 'had'. Spelling errors like this are often not picked up by spell and grammar checking programs. This is human error that a computer cannot typically correct, so you need to be on your guard.
When I self-edit, this is the process I take:
Step One: Read the piece.
I will read the section of writing anywhere between one to five times. It varies, really. If I wrote slower and had less stupid mistakes, I may not need to re-read it more than once or twice. If I was being sloppy as I was writing, I will need to re-read it several times. Mileage may vary.
Step Two: Correct Obvious errors.
Step Two occurs as I re-read it the first time. As I read, I will correct simple errors as I spot them. This may not work for everyone. It does not distract from my reading as I do this, so I can get away with it. Some people get distracted and cannot handle this. You need to find your own rhythm. Once again, mileage may vary. No matter when you correct the obvious errors, these need to be addressed. I like to get them out of the way first so I can focus on the more challenging things later.
Step Three: Correct the Not So Obvious errors.
I have to revisit step one to do this. Once I have corrected the obvious, easy errors, I read through the piece again. OUT LOUD. I will even record myself reading so I can listen to it. (Voice recorder in windows is a great tool if you have a mic.) There are several reasons for doing this. First, if you read your novel or story out loud, you can hear if your pacing is all right. If you run out of breath before you finish speaking a sentence, your pacing is wrong. Every sentence should be easily spoken. Length of a sentence is vital, as long sentences are often grammatically incorrect and difficult to read. Taking your time with this phase can make a huge difference.
Step Four: Allow your writing to sit for a day.
Taking a day off to work on something else or plot a different story helps me focus come editing time. This may not work for everyone. I will try to plan my drafting so that I finish on a Friday and start edits on a Monday. This gives me the weekend to relax and clear my thoughts, as well as put a little space between me and the writing.
Step Five: See Step One.
Rinse and repeat until you have a polished draft. Then send it off. If you can avoid first readers until you are DONE the first draft and polished, you can spare yourself a lot of anguish. So, you might have to do massive edits or a second draft... so what? You finished your draft. A bad critique can cause a new author to lose hope. Once you become a professional author, your editor or book publisher typically will NOT hold your hand every step of the drafting process. You will have a deadline you will be expected to meet. Accept this reality and work towards streamlining the self-editing process so that it works best for YOU. What works for me may not work for you.
Self-Editing will help you enhance your writing style while also improving the quality of your drafts. You do not have to write a perfect draft the first try if you can focus and put in the work to make it into a perfect manuscript.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Conflict - The Heart of the Plot
As a writer, I find myself working on various plot lines. Often, I have more ideas than I know what to do with. To make matters worse, I sometimes try to use too many ideas in one novel or series.
In order to combat my own ambitions, I decided to try something a little different. Instead of focusing on the random ideas, I decided to pursue more of the conflicts and less of the exact scene concepts and other mechanisms I enjoy working with.
This led to some interesting research. What, exactly, makes a good conflict?
No matter how many ideas that you have, all of them will be made worthless without a good conflict to make your story alive. You may have these excellent ideas on a character design. But, what good is a character without the conflict to make them grow?
In order to know if you have the necessary conflict, you must first know just what a conflict is.
There are several types of conflicts. Let us go into them:
Man versus Man
Man versus Himself
Man versus Environment
These are the basic types of conflicts. I am no expert on conflicts. This is the entire point of delving into this subject. As usual, this is my take on the subject. Do with it as you please. I will list some resources you can reference at the bottom of this post.
Man versus Man
This can be a lot of things. This can be society issues, wars, rivalries... anything where a man is pitted against another man. Political drama, for example, would fall as a man versus man conflict. This can also be physical struggles of a man versus another man.
Man versus Himself
This is the personal drama, the internal conflict. This is the hero who has to struggle with the morals of killing off an innocent in order to save the lives of man. Internal conflict is a very common type of conflict. In my opinion, it is almost necessary for a good story. Every novel that I have truly loved has had some form of man versus himself conflict.
Man versus environment
This can fit almost anything that doesn't fit himself or man. Be it fighting fate, fighting off natural disasters, or any circumstance that is outside of the control of man *or* himself would fit into this category. I tend to view fighting gods and fighting fate all a part of the man versus environment category.
Now that you have an idea of what the types of conflicts are, just what can you do with them?
I have made the error of writing stories without significant conflict. The stories were fun to write, but they really did not have any purpose. Conflict is what hooks a reader. A story with no conflict is a ship without water. It may be beautiful to look at, but it really would work a lot better if the ship had an ocean to sail on. Characters are the same as that ship.
I am going to use Harry Potter (JK Rowling) as an example of a story with conflict. No matter what critics may say about the writing style of these works, Harry Potter is full of conflict. This is a part of what draws so many people into reading these books.
Without spoiling the books for those who have not read the series, the conflict begins as man versus man. A boy with an unpleasant family. In this case, it is the boy versus his family. Then, it becomes a tale of a man versus himself versus man. He has to struggle with his own personal problems while dealing with his family *and* with the big bad guy of doom. This is dumbing it down as much as it can be, of course.
No matter which way Harry turns, Rowling throws problems at him. She throws him directly into problems. Whether he goes looking for conflict or not, it comes to him. Frequently. This keeps the story moving forward.
And, as she resolves one conflict, she naturally brings in another. Each conflict is a stepping stone towards the resolution of the major conflict. Best of all, the hero does not always win the battles.
Conflict should drive your stories. Ideas should not.
Some resources:
Short Story Elements
Literary Elements
Wikipedia on Conflict
In order to combat my own ambitions, I decided to try something a little different. Instead of focusing on the random ideas, I decided to pursue more of the conflicts and less of the exact scene concepts and other mechanisms I enjoy working with.
This led to some interesting research. What, exactly, makes a good conflict?
No matter how many ideas that you have, all of them will be made worthless without a good conflict to make your story alive. You may have these excellent ideas on a character design. But, what good is a character without the conflict to make them grow?
In order to know if you have the necessary conflict, you must first know just what a conflict is.
There are several types of conflicts. Let us go into them:
Man versus Man
Man versus Himself
Man versus Environment
These are the basic types of conflicts. I am no expert on conflicts. This is the entire point of delving into this subject. As usual, this is my take on the subject. Do with it as you please. I will list some resources you can reference at the bottom of this post.
Man versus Man
This can be a lot of things. This can be society issues, wars, rivalries... anything where a man is pitted against another man. Political drama, for example, would fall as a man versus man conflict. This can also be physical struggles of a man versus another man.
Man versus Himself
This is the personal drama, the internal conflict. This is the hero who has to struggle with the morals of killing off an innocent in order to save the lives of man. Internal conflict is a very common type of conflict. In my opinion, it is almost necessary for a good story. Every novel that I have truly loved has had some form of man versus himself conflict.
Man versus environment
This can fit almost anything that doesn't fit himself or man. Be it fighting fate, fighting off natural disasters, or any circumstance that is outside of the control of man *or* himself would fit into this category. I tend to view fighting gods and fighting fate all a part of the man versus environment category.
Now that you have an idea of what the types of conflicts are, just what can you do with them?
I have made the error of writing stories without significant conflict. The stories were fun to write, but they really did not have any purpose. Conflict is what hooks a reader. A story with no conflict is a ship without water. It may be beautiful to look at, but it really would work a lot better if the ship had an ocean to sail on. Characters are the same as that ship.
I am going to use Harry Potter (JK Rowling) as an example of a story with conflict. No matter what critics may say about the writing style of these works, Harry Potter is full of conflict. This is a part of what draws so many people into reading these books.
Without spoiling the books for those who have not read the series, the conflict begins as man versus man. A boy with an unpleasant family. In this case, it is the boy versus his family. Then, it becomes a tale of a man versus himself versus man. He has to struggle with his own personal problems while dealing with his family *and* with the big bad guy of doom. This is dumbing it down as much as it can be, of course.
No matter which way Harry turns, Rowling throws problems at him. She throws him directly into problems. Whether he goes looking for conflict or not, it comes to him. Frequently. This keeps the story moving forward.
And, as she resolves one conflict, she naturally brings in another. Each conflict is a stepping stone towards the resolution of the major conflict. Best of all, the hero does not always win the battles.
Conflict should drive your stories. Ideas should not.
Some resources:
Short Story Elements
Literary Elements
Wikipedia on Conflict
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A long time coming - Writing from Experiences
First, I must apologize for the very long delay in blogging. Things have been hectic, and I have not had time for everything.
This post will be shorter than my usual, and it will not be full of links or resources. This is a personal journey, and as such, it will be my thoughts. Today, I want to comment -- briefly -- on writing from your experiences.
From the length of time that you have maybe noticed from my previous post to this one, a lot has happened. There has been family drama, the death of my great uncle, and other things which I do not wish to delve into.
A lot of drama and personal problems often results in a writer not writing. It happens to me, and it happens to those I know who also write. However, this is the perfect time to be writing. The experiences are ways to have you as a writer delve into the real pain, tragedies and personalities of characters. If you want your characters to be real, give them real emotions.
To learn those real emotions, examine your own emotions. Examine the emotions of those around you. That is how I try to make my characters real.
Crap happens.
Me, I'll use that crap to my advantage.
Once I get done digging out from a back log of other things I must get done, I will resume posting useful tidbits of information, but it will be at least another week or two until that point.
Cheers!
This post will be shorter than my usual, and it will not be full of links or resources. This is a personal journey, and as such, it will be my thoughts. Today, I want to comment -- briefly -- on writing from your experiences.
From the length of time that you have maybe noticed from my previous post to this one, a lot has happened. There has been family drama, the death of my great uncle, and other things which I do not wish to delve into.
A lot of drama and personal problems often results in a writer not writing. It happens to me, and it happens to those I know who also write. However, this is the perfect time to be writing. The experiences are ways to have you as a writer delve into the real pain, tragedies and personalities of characters. If you want your characters to be real, give them real emotions.
To learn those real emotions, examine your own emotions. Examine the emotions of those around you. That is how I try to make my characters real.
Crap happens.
Me, I'll use that crap to my advantage.
Once I get done digging out from a back log of other things I must get done, I will resume posting useful tidbits of information, but it will be at least another week or two until that point.
Cheers!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Writing a Pitch
I have been hoo'ing and humming over writing this post for several weeks. It is something that is asked for frequently, but also something very difficult to actually write a guide for. There are several reasons for this. The most obvious one is that my experience with pitches is not as much as I could hope for it to be. This is one of my weaknesses.
That said, it doesn't seem productive if I just post to you a series of links that are on the subject of the pitch. That does not seem fair to you, who is struggling to make your way through the writing world just the same as I am.
That said, I have a great deal of experience pitching for freelance writing. Without a good pitch for this, I lose my contract to someone else. Because I charge more than the average person, I have to have a really good pitch to get any contracts at all. (For those of you not aware of the freelance writing market at the moment, it is not a good picture, as the demand for quality is far, far less than it used to be. Passable English suffices, which means many of the people want to hire those from India who charge significantly less than a cent per word for work.)
Now, onto the good stuff.
First, I would like to direct you to view the Post-Mortem of the pitch fest over at Johnson Literary. Unfortunately, the pitches themselves are long since gone, but this is a good overview of what was submitted.
Next, I would like to direct you to Elana Roth's Anatomy of a Query Letter. There are tied together as your pitch is an important element to your Query Letter.
However, as this is about the pitch itself and not about the Query Letter, let us focus on the Post-Mortem.
Let us begin with the initial statistics so kindly provided. Of 164 submissions, two survived the pitch to become full manuscript requests. This is a very low number, and a very good representation of what you need to do as a writer. There are lots of individuals putting out pitches. You need to learn how to present your story as one that stands out.
Four were invited to send in sample chapters. This is promising, but not quite as grabbing as those two who made their one hundred words go the distance.
That is right, ladies and gentleman. One hundred words was the limit for these pitches. And, an agent can tell, just from these one hundred words, whether or not they are interested in your story.
Before I go into my speech regarding the word count, I wish to point out that seventeen people did not follow Elana's directions on what she was looking for. You may think you are God's Gift to Readers, but unless the agent is interested in your style of writing, please don't submit to them. You are wasting your time and theirs.
That said, there is no reason you can't, if the situation provides itself, learn from these agents or even be professional acquaintances. Knowing people is a very good thing. Wasting their time is not. Please do not waste the time of these agents. They are busy enough without having to process a manuscript they cannot properly work with. You may have an interesting pitch, but these individuals represent a certain style of work because that is the type of work they enjoy reading and selling. Sure, a domesticated cat can hunt mice, but a dachshund is much better equipped to deal with a badger. Don't make your cat hunt a badger, it will end poorly for the cat.
Let us return to the Pitch Fest itself. First, the rules were simple. Each agent wrote a list of requirements for their pitches. They all wanted different types of stories, and were clear in what fields they were interested in. Then, there were a series of instructions. For example, no more than one hundred words. The paragraph below is exactly one hundred words so that you can see how much each writer was given to work with.
This is a demonstration of what one hundred words looks like. This is only to show you exactly how much space that these writers were given in order to present their characters and plot to an agent and get them completely interested in it. One hundred words, unfortunately, is not really a lot. However, it is sufficient to prove your writing skills and whether or not your story is interesting. With a required count so low, it is important that you understand that every word must count. Only then can you make your pitch as viable as you possibly can. I had the pleasure of reading the pitches before they were removed from the site. There were some interesting stories present. Some used as few as ten to fifteen words. Others used too many words! There were moments where I was scratching my head and wondering where the pitch was in their pitch. There were others that made me want to grab their book and read it.
Your goal, when you write a pitch, is to make the agent want to grab your book and read it.
This is strictly my opinion. I am no professional pitch mistress, and every agent wants something different in their pitches. However, this is what I picked up from talking to agents and reading pitches from others. I will call these Rebecca's Rules of Pitching.
1: Make every word count.
This should be obvious, but when you pitch, every word must count. If the word does not serve an immediate purpose, it should be removed. If it does not forward your pitch or add to the intensity of the story, it should be removed.
2: Pitch only to agents who are interested in your work.
Don't pitch a fantasy or science fiction novel to a romance agent. They won't be interested, no matter how interesting you think your book is. This applies to every genre. Don't send romance to science fiction agents, don't send non-fiction to a mystery agent. Pick your market properly.
3: Pitch to your market.
Every agent likes something different. Many agents have pet peeves. When you are considering pitching to an agent OR a publishing house, see if you can find blog posts or other information that reveals their pet peeves. See if you can find out what interests them. By pitching to a captive audience, you greatly increase your chances of a manuscript request. Remember, a pitch may or may not include chapters. You want your potential new agent to be alive with interest in your story before they pick up the first page to read.
4: Grammar. Use it.
Please try to use good grammar when you pitch. Your pitch is a presentation of your writing style. Don't close the door to an agent or publishing house through being lazy.
5: Love your pitch.
If you are not on fire with enthusiasm with the quality of your pitch, then it is not going to be suitable for an agent or publishing house. Enthusiasm is contagious. Agents can often detect, just from writing style and presentation, how much a writer puts into their story just from their pitch.
6: Grow thick skin. You'll need it.
Many writers will see many rejections before they see an acceptance. The same applies to your pitches.
These are points I've picked up from reading the experiences of other people. I do not know how well they will translate into how well I pitch.
I had been intending to show you some of the pitches for a 140 character or less pitch fest I did with some individuals during NaNoWriMo, but somehow, these pitches have disappeared. Seeing as I have people coming over in an hour or so to fix my cable, I need to get cleaning. This post is not nearly as long as I would like.
Perhaps I will revisit it someday, and that someday, I will even include pitches of my own to share.
That said, it doesn't seem productive if I just post to you a series of links that are on the subject of the pitch. That does not seem fair to you, who is struggling to make your way through the writing world just the same as I am.
That said, I have a great deal of experience pitching for freelance writing. Without a good pitch for this, I lose my contract to someone else. Because I charge more than the average person, I have to have a really good pitch to get any contracts at all. (For those of you not aware of the freelance writing market at the moment, it is not a good picture, as the demand for quality is far, far less than it used to be. Passable English suffices, which means many of the people want to hire those from India who charge significantly less than a cent per word for work.)
Now, onto the good stuff.
First, I would like to direct you to view the Post-Mortem of the pitch fest over at Johnson Literary. Unfortunately, the pitches themselves are long since gone, but this is a good overview of what was submitted.
Next, I would like to direct you to Elana Roth's Anatomy of a Query Letter. There are tied together as your pitch is an important element to your Query Letter.
However, as this is about the pitch itself and not about the Query Letter, let us focus on the Post-Mortem.
Let us begin with the initial statistics so kindly provided. Of 164 submissions, two survived the pitch to become full manuscript requests. This is a very low number, and a very good representation of what you need to do as a writer. There are lots of individuals putting out pitches. You need to learn how to present your story as one that stands out.
Four were invited to send in sample chapters. This is promising, but not quite as grabbing as those two who made their one hundred words go the distance.
That is right, ladies and gentleman. One hundred words was the limit for these pitches. And, an agent can tell, just from these one hundred words, whether or not they are interested in your story.
Before I go into my speech regarding the word count, I wish to point out that seventeen people did not follow Elana's directions on what she was looking for. You may think you are God's Gift to Readers, but unless the agent is interested in your style of writing, please don't submit to them. You are wasting your time and theirs.
That said, there is no reason you can't, if the situation provides itself, learn from these agents or even be professional acquaintances. Knowing people is a very good thing. Wasting their time is not. Please do not waste the time of these agents. They are busy enough without having to process a manuscript they cannot properly work with. You may have an interesting pitch, but these individuals represent a certain style of work because that is the type of work they enjoy reading and selling. Sure, a domesticated cat can hunt mice, but a dachshund is much better equipped to deal with a badger. Don't make your cat hunt a badger, it will end poorly for the cat.
Let us return to the Pitch Fest itself. First, the rules were simple. Each agent wrote a list of requirements for their pitches. They all wanted different types of stories, and were clear in what fields they were interested in. Then, there were a series of instructions. For example, no more than one hundred words. The paragraph below is exactly one hundred words so that you can see how much each writer was given to work with.
This is a demonstration of what one hundred words looks like. This is only to show you exactly how much space that these writers were given in order to present their characters and plot to an agent and get them completely interested in it. One hundred words, unfortunately, is not really a lot. However, it is sufficient to prove your writing skills and whether or not your story is interesting. With a required count so low, it is important that you understand that every word must count. Only then can you make your pitch as viable as you possibly can. I had the pleasure of reading the pitches before they were removed from the site. There were some interesting stories present. Some used as few as ten to fifteen words. Others used too many words! There were moments where I was scratching my head and wondering where the pitch was in their pitch. There were others that made me want to grab their book and read it.
Your goal, when you write a pitch, is to make the agent want to grab your book and read it.
This is strictly my opinion. I am no professional pitch mistress, and every agent wants something different in their pitches. However, this is what I picked up from talking to agents and reading pitches from others. I will call these Rebecca's Rules of Pitching.
1: Make every word count.
This should be obvious, but when you pitch, every word must count. If the word does not serve an immediate purpose, it should be removed. If it does not forward your pitch or add to the intensity of the story, it should be removed.
2: Pitch only to agents who are interested in your work.
Don't pitch a fantasy or science fiction novel to a romance agent. They won't be interested, no matter how interesting you think your book is. This applies to every genre. Don't send romance to science fiction agents, don't send non-fiction to a mystery agent. Pick your market properly.
3: Pitch to your market.
Every agent likes something different. Many agents have pet peeves. When you are considering pitching to an agent OR a publishing house, see if you can find blog posts or other information that reveals their pet peeves. See if you can find out what interests them. By pitching to a captive audience, you greatly increase your chances of a manuscript request. Remember, a pitch may or may not include chapters. You want your potential new agent to be alive with interest in your story before they pick up the first page to read.
4: Grammar. Use it.
Please try to use good grammar when you pitch. Your pitch is a presentation of your writing style. Don't close the door to an agent or publishing house through being lazy.
5: Love your pitch.
If you are not on fire with enthusiasm with the quality of your pitch, then it is not going to be suitable for an agent or publishing house. Enthusiasm is contagious. Agents can often detect, just from writing style and presentation, how much a writer puts into their story just from their pitch.
6: Grow thick skin. You'll need it.
Many writers will see many rejections before they see an acceptance. The same applies to your pitches.
These are points I've picked up from reading the experiences of other people. I do not know how well they will translate into how well I pitch.
I had been intending to show you some of the pitches for a 140 character or less pitch fest I did with some individuals during NaNoWriMo, but somehow, these pitches have disappeared. Seeing as I have people coming over in an hour or so to fix my cable, I need to get cleaning. This post is not nearly as long as I would like.
Perhaps I will revisit it someday, and that someday, I will even include pitches of my own to share.
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