So, you’ve written a novel. Let’s admit it. Writing a book is hard. How many people have told you they’ve been thinking of writing a book too? And they say it like they mean it. But they don’t. And writing may be hard, but editing is downright painful; and knowing when you’re “finished” is nearly …
Avoiding Rejections by Making Sure Your MSS is Agent Worthy Read More »
Learning how to write a great query letter is almost as important as writing a must-read manuscript. If you don’t have a fabulous query letter the chances of ever hearing those wonderful words: “Send me your full manuscript!” are just about nil. When I finished my first novel, I searched the Internet for a query …
The Question is? The Elements of a Great Query Letter Read More »
Sometimes I think I’ve hurled more pitches than a major leaguer. And I’ve struck out nearly as much. Only that’s a good thing for a pitcher, not so good when you’re trying to sell a manuscript. There are two ways to pitch: in a query letter or in person. Of course, a query letter is …
Strike Three! You’re Out! Throwing the Perfect Pitch Read More »
I’m suffering from a serious case of ennui, which is the French word for boredom and the result of having retired from my “real job” a number of years ago. It should make me feel better knowing the French have given it such an elegant name, but it doesn’t. Honestly, I awoke the other morning …
*Non-Movie Star Ennui: The Lonely Life of the Writer Read More »
Some say there is only one story ever written. It’s rearranged, maybe some parts are omitted, some may dominate, but in the end it’s always the same. You can throw in a few best friends, a love interest, a unique setting, but it’s still the same story. According to American scholar Joseph Campbell, this pattern …
Too bad it’s not October, Halloween would be the perfect time to write about the antagonist: the bad guy, the killer, the malevolent force who’ll make your protagonist’s life pure hell. The trick here is to write an antagonist who is strong enough to make you root for the protagonist. When I wrote my first …
2013 turned out to be a really bad year for me, physically that is. First, I broke my left ankle and then a few months later broke the right. Perhaps a little investigation into bone density was in order? The first one wasn’t so bad because after six weeks of no-weight bearing I could at …
The Stink of Blue Jasmine: Writing the Protagonist Read More »
After completing my first manuscript, an editor friend of mine took a crack at a few of my chapters and leveled the comment: “Too many passive verbs, kill as many forms of the verb to be as you can.” I’d never heard this before and pleaded my case to my crit partners. I was like, “Have you …
When I set out to pitch my first manuscript, I was exhilarated when I received several requests for full reads on the manuscript. I saw myself on the fast track to getting published. Most of my writer buds had sent out tons of queries and received “thanks, but no thanks” that’s if they received any …
Self-Editing: How to Pull the Weeds From Your Novel Read More »
