Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent, blogs All About Backstory. Learn the right way to bring the backstory into the book.
Chuck at the Guide to Literary Agents blog presents "20 Tips on Query Letters," as told by Janet Reid (aka the Query Shark herself) of FinePrint Literary Management.
Also on the Guide to Literary Agents blog, guest blogger Lisa Katzenberger writes about How to Get an Agent's Attention. These nuggets come from the South Carolina Writers Workshop (SCWW) agent panel discussion "What Gets Our Attention."
Janet Reid was one of the agents in attendance at SCWW, and shares her Notes From the Effective Query Class at SCWW. She also reminds us all that no matter what anyone says, we ARE writers. The opinion of those who disagree is worth Less Than Zero.
Jennifer Lawler at Finding Your Voice explains why shoving your first novel in a trunk—even when you love it—is the smartest thing you can do. Find out why in Moving on to the Next Thing.
If your "Next Thing" is freelance writing, Freelance Writing Jobs will help you get started. Read about Step 1: What Will You Write. Also helpful in getting those all-important first clips is How to Make Free Writing Pay.
Diane Bator shares her computer woes and positive attitude over at her Pens, Paints and Paper blog, and at The Three-Ring Circus, I offer some Editing Tips and Editing Helpers, plus a quick Word tip to help you edit out some common word-choice foibles.
And finally, a fun quiz from The Rejectionist: Are You Batshit Crazy? ... just in case you aren't sure.
Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label advice. Show all posts
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Video Conference with Saralee Rosenberg, July 10, 2009
Below are my notes from video conference with author Saralee Rosenberg. The first story she wrote was "All In the Cards" which was sold to Bette Midler, but nothing came of it. That story was rewritten to Rosenberg's newest release "Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead".
She strongly suggests having an agent but she does not have one at this time.
She recommends subscribing to "Publisher's Weekly".
Today, publishers are changing genres. YA is a hot category today thanks to the "Harry Potter" series of books.
Write in your own voice. DO NOT try and copy someone else.
Before committing a single word to paper you must know everything about your character. Who is your story about? Do a natal chart using astrology/birthday to get characteristics. If you know their past, you know their future. Do not judge your character.
How would your character react to certain situations? Let the ideas come up. Just spit it out. The character unfolds throughout the story. All characters need to have an arc - develop and change. They should be a very different character in the end.
You are not allowed to say, "This sucks". No negativity. We are our own worst critic. Those ideas come from a higher place; don't ignore them.
Don't forget you are writing for an audience - KNOW your audience.
If you are writing about something personal, have a trusted friend interview YOU.
You may get friends to read your work and critique it. With constructive criticism you must decide whether it is important or not. If you hear the same critique over and over again from different people then it is something you should take a look at.
First Chapter - Make something happen. All of Rosenberg's stories start with dialogue. Quick action grabs the reader.
A novel should be 80,000-100,000 words. Be sure to have sub-plots, especially if you are writing in third person. Step away from the main character and see what others are doing.
In writing you can't confuse the reader with strong language. Let rhythm and thoughts flow.
Incorporate humor and heart in every chapter.
End every chapter with a cliffhanger.
With regards to writer's block - do chores to distract. Go for a walk, wash the dishes, have a shower. It seems the most brilliant ideas come in the bathroom.
Those are my notes.... whose next?
She strongly suggests having an agent but she does not have one at this time.
She recommends subscribing to "Publisher's Weekly".
Today, publishers are changing genres. YA is a hot category today thanks to the "Harry Potter" series of books.
Write in your own voice. DO NOT try and copy someone else.
Before committing a single word to paper you must know everything about your character. Who is your story about? Do a natal chart using astrology/birthday to get characteristics. If you know their past, you know their future. Do not judge your character.
How would your character react to certain situations? Let the ideas come up. Just spit it out. The character unfolds throughout the story. All characters need to have an arc - develop and change. They should be a very different character in the end.
You are not allowed to say, "This sucks". No negativity. We are our own worst critic. Those ideas come from a higher place; don't ignore them.
Don't forget you are writing for an audience - KNOW your audience.
If you are writing about something personal, have a trusted friend interview YOU.
You may get friends to read your work and critique it. With constructive criticism you must decide whether it is important or not. If you hear the same critique over and over again from different people then it is something you should take a look at.
First Chapter - Make something happen. All of Rosenberg's stories start with dialogue. Quick action grabs the reader.
A novel should be 80,000-100,000 words. Be sure to have sub-plots, especially if you are writing in third person. Step away from the main character and see what others are doing.
In writing you can't confuse the reader with strong language. Let rhythm and thoughts flow.
Incorporate humor and heart in every chapter.
End every chapter with a cliffhanger.
With regards to writer's block - do chores to distract. Go for a walk, wash the dishes, have a shower. It seems the most brilliant ideas come in the bathroom.
Those are my notes.... whose next?
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