We are having a party to celebrate the second anniversary of QueryTracker.net, a writer’s searchable database of literary agents.
For three weeks, we’re having games and contests over on the QT blog. By entering the contests, your name will be entered in a drawing for a free web design by Purple Squirrel Design, the company that designed my website. Join the fun by visiting the blog.
Click here to view the schedule of events.
I signed my contract with Joan Paquette from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency today. I’m thrilled to be working with Joan, who is a writer herself and had great suggestions for a round of revisions before submission.
Thanks to all my friends who have been so supportive through this process. Especially Suzette and Carolyn, who have dropped everything to read through the manuscript multiple times recently on short notice.
Marla, you’re a rock. I can’t wait to start filming! You gave me hope for what I thought was a box-under-the-bed project.
Lauren, you made me realize it was time to query and move forward again. Your “pay it forward” attitude is awe-inspiring.
Special shout out to my online friends Lisa, Michelle, Terri, Elana and Heather for tolerating my angst, and kudos to Jess for helping me over the rough spot when things hit a wall, and Leah who spent time on the phone helping me figure stuff out when I received the first offer.
I also need to thank Pat for enduring endless prattle and Dotti for not rolling her eyes when I thought out loud for hours at Jason’s Deli.
People say writing is a solo endeavor. I disagree. This particular writer has had the benefit of a support team. I owe all of you. Call in those chips anytime.
Archetype (Carolyn Kaufman) started the QueryTracker.net blog chain round with these questions:
How do you keep from telling the same story over and over? What are your tips and tricks for finding fresh ideas and adding new twists to your work?
I majored in English Literature in college. Most of my assignments involved analysis of great works–often, a comparison/contrast of great works. What I walked away with, other than a degree, was the knowledge that there are no new ideas, only new ways of expressing them.
That revelation in mind, every time I write something, I try to realize that it has been done before. I have to find something different in the way I approach the subject.
I almost always come up with a premise from a life experience or personal question.
Over and over, I’ve wished I could trade places with someone. What would it feel like to live in another person’s body, even for a moment? How many times has this story been written and filmed? Lots. Why? Because it resonates with people. For me, that’s a great reason for a re-telling. Now, how to keep it fresh. How can I add a twist? Perhaps add another old standard theme: ghosts stuck on earth because of unfinished business. Cool. So the ghosts share the person’s body for a while.
Still, not enough. Been done…lots.
Okay. Add another popular theme: Reincarnation. So, now we’ve got a reincarnated person who can share her body with ghosts to help them solve problems that keep them earth-bound. Yawn. Been done. How about she is reincarnated but doesn’t remember her past lives so this unusual ability to help dead people is an unpleasant surprise. Okay, now we’re warmer. But why reincarnated? Because it adds unique history for this character. A vengeful demon that’s killed her before and a guy who has been her companion in past lives makes the reincarnation relevant and freshens these tired themes. Love across lifetimes is a tried and true theme. Fresh because she doesn’t remember it. Fresher because she’s jealous of herself from her past lives. Ooo. Now we’re on to something. Result:
SOUL PURPOSE is a 68,000-word young adult paranormal romance about a sixteen-year-old reincarnated ghost mediator with past life amnesia who is being pursued by a pissed off demon that wants her dead and a hot guy from her past lives who… well, just wants her.
I’ve tried to create something fresh and different by relying on the old standards of reincarnation with love across lifetimes, communication with the dead, and a form of trading places.
Everything has been done before. As a writer, I just want to retell it in a fresh way.
Kate posted before me and Kat’s post on this topic will follow. Other members of the blog chain are listed in the links on the right.
I’m one of the luckiest people I know. I’ve had a charmed life in many ways. I’m married to the perfect man for me, have fantastic kids and I work hard to make my life happy and fulfilling. That’s why when bad things happen, I can trudge on knowing great things wait just beyond the little black rain cloud.
Writing (or rather the quest for publication) can cause a person to feel like that little black cloud never seems to move along or rain itself out. So many writers give up because they are sick of getting rained on. Early on, I realized I’m made of waterproof material and I can weather the storm. And it appears I have.
The sun has come out from behind that cloud at last. Things are looking good. I’m grateful.
I’ve been working on my butterfly garden and goldfish pond:
More photos of my butterfly garden and goldfish pond:
The last round in the QueryTracker Blog Chain was begun by Jessica Verday. Jess gave us a writing assignment that resulted in short stories containing a heart as a component. It was a blast.
This round, I’m going to turn us back to a technical topic regarding the writing process. So, here we go.
I’m going to post my answer in the wrap-up at the end of the chain. We have some new members, so I’m going to post the chain members in order of this chain below.
1. I start the chain 2. Carolyn Kaufman 3. Michelle McLean 4. Sandra Almazan 5. Kat Harris 6. Christine Fonseca 7. Annie Louden 8. Abi 9. Elana Johnson 10. Terri Rainer 11. H.L. Dyer
So, head on over to Carolyn’s blog to read about her critique process.
I was delighted to receive a phone call informing me that I had finaled in the Washington Romance Writers’ Marlene Manuscript Contest with my young adult paranormal romance, SOUL PURPOSE. The finalists in my category will be judged by Kristen Daly of Balzer & Bray/Harper Collins. The winner will receive a critique by Kelly Parra, a Rita double finalist and author of Invisible Touch and Graffiti Girl.
I’ll find out in mid-April how my manuscript fared in the final.
Jessica Verday started the QueryTracker Blog Chain topic this week. To my delight, it was a creative writing project rather than our usual fare of personal writing process disclosure.
She began the assignment with a poem written by Stephen Crane she discovered quoted on Kate Quinn’s blog.
In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said: “Is it good, friend?”
“It is bitter-bitter,” he answered;
“But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart.”-Stephen Crane
The challenge Jess assigned was to write a short story–in my case, very, very short– 250 words. The only stipulation was that a heart must be a feature somewhere in the story. The post preceding mine is Terri Rainer’s. Thank you, Terri, for suggesting the title for my little story.
The Offering
Crimson drops splatter the stark white surface. He blinks back tears and consciously slows his breathing to keep his hands from shaking. So much at stake. No room for error. No, this won’t do at all.
He realizes he must apply what he knows about her in order to succeed. She loves the sunshine and is afraid of dark places. Her favorite color is green. Yes. That’s it! The answer was here all the time. He washes his hands and the swirling water fades from red to pink to crystal clear. He has removed all evidence. She will never know.
Barely able to contain her excitement, she peeks under the lid of the box. She reaches in and wraps her fingers around his gift. One of many, but it caught her eye. This heart wasn’t like the rest of her offerings. It was misshapen, as if hacked out in haste. Ripped out, perhaps?
She glances across the room at him and he lowers his eyes. She loves his shyness. After turning the heart over in her hands several times, she examines the others in the box. His heart is by far the best. Her favorite. It is crafted from green construction paper with “Be my Valentine” penned in black crayon. Although his name isn’t on it, he’s the only person in second grade who knows her favorite color. Her own heart feels pinched as she holds his and watches him pick red tempra paint from under his nails.
Heather Dyer is next in this chain. Click here to read her story.
It’s conference season again. Whether you are in the middle of your project or have published your fifth book, attending a well-run, reputable writers’ conference can be beneficial. Conferences offer networking opportunities as well as educational workshops. In most cases, the person who stands to benefit the most from a conference is the unpublished author who is in the query stage. Conferences sometimes give writers access to agents who are not accepting queries except by referral or personal contact.
Now, I love conferences. I look forward to networking and am comfortable in group settings both large and small. Having performed on stage and been a teacher to 150 high school students a day, pitching my novel in person or talking to someone I don’t know doesn’t faze me. I get nervous, of course, but it provides a positive energy and I enjoy it. That doesn’t mean I’m always good at it–it just means I’m more at ease than some. The idea of meeting the Great and Terrible Oz that is the literary agent face-to-face is terrifying for some writers. So terrifying, it ruins the whole conference for them and they end up spending hundreds of dollars for nothing more than a bad case of freak out. As with most things, the best way to succeed at a conference is do your research, be prepared, and be professional.
Do Your Research
Find out which agents and editors will be at the conference well in advance. Many conferences allow for a brief one-on-one pitch session with an agent or editor of your choice. Research every agent (or editor) on the list and see if they represent the type of books you write. I know this is obvious, but if an agent only represents children’s books, do not schedule a pitch session with her for your Vietnam vet memoir. You are wasting everyone’s time. I saw this happen at the last conference I attended, and when the agent asked the writer why he was pitching a genre she didn’t represent, he replied that he had registered late and she was the only agent that still had a slot open. If that is the case, let the session go and register earlier next time. All is not lost if you don’t get to pitch to your first choice. In most cases, you will have ample opportunity to talk with the agent you prefer sometime during the conference whether it be at a meal or in the bar.
Research the workshops and the speakers. Pick the ones that are most relevant to your genre and stage in the publishing process. Most conference coordinators post workshop information on the host website well in advance of the conference. If you have questions, email or call the listed contact for the conference ahead of time, rather than try to hunt her down at registration. Registration for larger conferences is like a trip into one of Dante’s inner rings of hell for some of these coordinators; the last thing they need is a question about which workshop would be more beneficial for you while they are trying to track down someone’s awol registration paperwork or placate an irate attendee who wants blood for not getting her first choice of agents to pitch.
Be Prepared
Approach the writers’ conference as if it were a job interview. If you are looking to catch the eye of an editor or agent at the conference, the number one thing you need to do is prepare a pitch. I addressed the pitch in my post on the QueryTracker Blog, “The Elevator Pitch.” For a conference, I recommend having two versions ready. One would be the 30 second to 1 minute pitch to deliver at your pitch session. The other would be the one sentence pitch. You will use the one sentence pitch a lot. At most conferences, it is easy to engage agents and editors in conversation in social settings. You will be surprised how many times you will be asked, “what is your book about?” Nobody wants to hear a writer launch into a 5 minute oration on her masterwork when this question is asked. If the one sentence pitch is effective, the writer will usually be asked to reveal more about the book. This makes for natural discourse rather than a memorized speech. If you do not have a prepared pitch, click here for more on this topic.
Questions that most first time conferees have are: “What do I wear,” and “What do I take?” What you wear is a matter of personal taste. Most conferences consist of long days. 10 hours in panty hose is not a feasible option for me. Uncomfortable suit is out. As long as you look nice and are not wearing shorts or jeans with holes in them, you will be fine. It is not a Sunday finest affair. Be yourself. Be professional.
Even though you will receive a goodie bag upon signing in at most conferences that includes a pen and paper amidst the plethora of promotional material, you should bring your own pen and paper so that you can take notes during workshops or write down other authors’ email addresses or websites.
If possible, bring business cards. I know this might feel pretentious if you don’t already have them, but a simple card with your name and contact info is enough. You don’t need the byline, “Future NYT Bestselling Author” under your name. You can get cards printed for very little money online. Some companies print them cheaper than you can print them yourself on Avery forms. If you don’t have the time, money or inclination to print business cards, that’s okay. I’ve had writers hand me a pre-printed slip of paper with their contact information on it. I’ve never handed my card to an agent or editor at a conference. I use them to network with other writers.
If for nothing more than your own peace of mind, bring a copy of your synopsis, your first three chapters, and a copy of the complete manuscript. Chances are, you will not need these, but on the remote possibility you wow an agent on the first day of a three or four day conference to the point they want to read your work right away, it is good to be prepared. This happened at the last conference I attended and the writer was offered representation before the conference was over.
Be Professional
I think this one is the most important of all. Conference etiquette is pretty much the application of good manners and common sense. Be polite and aware of what is going on around you. Be courteous during workshops and presentations.
People pay a lot of money to attend these events. Agents, editors and authors take time off to teach the workshops. Turn off your cell phones and do not talk to the people around you during the presentation. Do not take notes during workshops on your laptop–it is noisy and distracting (use paper and pen). Some workshop settings are okay for computers, like ones where writing is part of the curriculum, but there is nothing more annoying than listening to “tap, tappity tap” the entire workshop. Wait, yes there is! More annoying than the laptop tapping and whirring is someone munching chips right next to you. Or how about the person with the iPod? Teeny squeaks barely more audible than a gnat emanating from the earbuds making you fantasize about ripping the device out of the wearer’s ears. Why would a person pay for a conference and then wear an iPod through a workshop? I wish I had asked her. Workshops rarely exceed an hour. Go to the bathroom first. Eat your snack at another time. Talk on the phone and listen to music on your own time. Chat with fellow writers between sessions.
No agent stalking. None.
The agents usually go out of their way to make themselves accessible. Be respectful and pitch to them at appropriate times. If you are in the bathroom together, do not pitch your project. Do not follow them onto the elevator and corner them. It’s called an elevator pitch, but refrain from using it there. You might think I’m going overboard with all this obvious blather, but look around at the next conference you attend. It happens all the time.
If a group of agents and editors are having a conversation, do not go up and interrupt. Sure, agents attend conferences in search of new clients, but honestly, they also do it to network. They get to talk to other people in the industry they don’t see while doing their everyday job as an agent. They are there to make contacts too. Writers are not the only ones with agendas.
Some conferences have dinners or meals. Often, an agent will sit at a table with writers. This is a good time to mention your project if it appears the agent is receptive. They expect to be wooed at these meals. Do not usurp the conversation. Let the other writers talk. You want to be charming, not pushy. “Charming” and “pushy” are mutually exclusive. Ask industry questions. Intelligent questions. As long as you do not get personal, you can ask the agent things about himself/herself. Pets, favorite books. Think of some things you want to know ahead of time so that you come away enlightened even if the agent has no interest in your project.
Do NOT try to hand your manuscript to agents during a conference. Now, I know I said it was prudent to have a copy just in case. If you bring it for a “just in case” situation, leave it in your hotel room or car. An agent does not want to lug a hard copy of your manuscript through the airport. She will ask you to email your submission or snail mail it to her office if she is interested. I have a clever friend who put her manuscript on a usb drive and attached a laminated card with her contact information and title/genre on it with the thought that if an agent wanted to read it on the return plane trip home on a laptop, this would be a good thing.
Conferences are a blast for me, but are not some people’s scene. I certainly understand that. If it is a miserable, stressful experience, it is not worth the money, time or energy. But if you are going to put the time and money into attending a conference, do your research, be prepared and be professional.
All conferences are different. If you have anything to add regarding your own conference experiences or funny stories stemming from conferences, please post it in the comments below.
