Okay, I hope you've got your swimsuits on, cuz we're going in deep today. I've blogged about self-doubt before. I call it the pool of writing funk. I've been in and out of this scummy pool for a couple of years now. Sometimes while riding the roller coaster. So yeah.
I came to a conclusion a few weeks ago. See if you can follow along.
So we're writers, right? And we write. And we know it's not "good" when we write something. So we rewrite. And it's sort of better. And then we rewrite again. And send it out to betas and then gammas.
And we work work work, and it gets better every time.
But is it ever done?
No.
But does that mean it's sucktacular?
No.
So I came to the conclusion that just because something (my latest WiP) isn't DONE doesn't mean it isn't GOOD.
Does that make sense to anyone but me?
I guess what I'm trying to say is I've decided to stop beating myself up and wallowing in the pool of writing funk because something isn't DONE. Because it's never going to be done. Until it's done. And then it will be awesomesauce.
Right now, it's only...not sucktacular.
What do you think? Can something that's not done be good? Are you wallowing in self-doubt right now? Get out of the pool! Your skin's going to wrinkle.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Dude, I See Jag Barque Every Wednesday
Special Notice. There are six people who have not claimed their prize from Monday, including an agent critique! So, uh, hello? Check this post, alert your friends, whatever. If prizes are not claimed by Sunday night, new winners will be chosen.
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Okay, this might not mean anything to you. But holy brown cows!!
See, Jag Barque is the male MC in my novel, Control Issues. I sort of have a love/hate relationship with the guy. I mean, I love him, but he sometimes makes my life difficult. I interviewed him here once. So if you read that, you'll see why we love/hate each other.
Anyway, Jag looks like this, but moodier and with bluer eyes. But dude, David Henrie has the total Jag vibe.
And every Wednesday, I have a certain third grade class. We have a program in our district called Latinos in Action and high school kids come and spend time with the Hispanic kids in our school. They read with them, help them in math, etc. So this third grade class comes on Wednesdays and one of these LIA's is my Jag Barque!
If Jag were Hispanic and had dark eyes instead of blue. But dude, everything else is exactly the same.
I kid you not.
And I find myself wanting to ask him how the Resistance is going and why he always. has. to. be. right. and where he's been hiding these last few months.
Of course I don't. Instead I stare like a freak until the LIA looks my way and then I pretend like I'm trying to figure out what 12 x 7 is. But I totally already know it's 84 because I have a math minor and am a freak about numbers.
So yeah.
Have you ever seen your characters in the flesh? What did you do? My advice? Pretend to do difficult math problems so you won't stare too long.
----------------------------------
Okay, this might not mean anything to you. But holy brown cows!!
See, Jag Barque is the male MC in my novel, Control Issues. I sort of have a love/hate relationship with the guy. I mean, I love him, but he sometimes makes my life difficult. I interviewed him here once. So if you read that, you'll see why we love/hate each other.
Anyway, Jag looks like this, but moodier and with bluer eyes. But dude, David Henrie has the total Jag vibe.
And every Wednesday, I have a certain third grade class. We have a program in our district called Latinos in Action and high school kids come and spend time with the Hispanic kids in our school. They read with them, help them in math, etc. So this third grade class comes on Wednesdays and one of these LIA's is my Jag Barque!
If Jag were Hispanic and had dark eyes instead of blue. But dude, everything else is exactly the same.
I kid you not.
And I find myself wanting to ask him how the Resistance is going and why he always. has. to. be. right. and where he's been hiding these last few months.
Of course I don't. Instead I stare like a freak until the LIA looks my way and then I pretend like I'm trying to figure out what 12 x 7 is. But I totally already know it's 84 because I have a math minor and am a freak about numbers.
So yeah.
Have you ever seen your characters in the flesh? What did you do? My advice? Pretend to do difficult math problems so you won't stare too long.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Writing A Query Letter With Voice
Voice is one of those ever elusive topics in writing. I did a post about voice on the QT blog a while back. I've read lots of things about it, sat in on voice classes at conferences, etc.
To me, every piece of writing has a voice. My blog. Yours. Whatever. It all has voice. Some are more distinct than others, but all writing has voice.
Like I said in the QT post, you can create voice through some writing exercises. And I find myself blogging in the same voice as the novel I'm currently working on. (Remember that post? Talk about embarrassing!)
So we all have it in our novels. Which means you must maintain the same voice in your query letter. Unfortunately many of us FAIL at this.
Here's my tip for avoiding the FAIL: Write the query letter from the POV of the character.
My books are almost always first person. So guess what I did to maintain that voice?
I wrote my query letter in first person.
*gasp!*
*wheeze*
*whispers* Doesn't she know the rules for writing query letters???
Yes, as a matter of fact I do. They should be done in third person, present tense.
Well, how many of you have written your novel in third person, present tense? (I'm pretty sure Lisa McMann doesn't read this blog, but she could raise her hand here.)
Yeah, no one.
So I submit that this is one reason why 99% of the writing population hates writing query letters. It's not in the character's POV. It's not even in a style of writing the author is used to.
So, dude! Why torture yourself? Change it to what you ARE used to writing in. (And then change it back.)
For me, it was first person. I can do present or past tense, so that wasn't an issue. But I wrote my query in first person, from Vi's point of view. (I did the same thing with my synopsis, BTW. I highly recommend it.)
By using Vi's narrating voice, using first person, I was able to infuse the voice of my novel into my query.
Then, really, it's simply a matter of changing the pronouns to get it back to third person, right? Right. (Okay, you'll have to do a little rearranging, but not much. And you'll maintain the voice of your novel, so it's a worthwhile trade-off.)
Query for Control Issues:
What do you think? Give it a try and let me know if it works for you!
To me, every piece of writing has a voice. My blog. Yours. Whatever. It all has voice. Some are more distinct than others, but all writing has voice.
Like I said in the QT post, you can create voice through some writing exercises. And I find myself blogging in the same voice as the novel I'm currently working on. (Remember that post? Talk about embarrassing!)
So we all have it in our novels. Which means you must maintain the same voice in your query letter. Unfortunately many of us FAIL at this.
Here's my tip for avoiding the FAIL: Write the query letter from the POV of the character.
My books are almost always first person. So guess what I did to maintain that voice?
I wrote my query letter in first person.
*gasp!*
*wheeze*
*whispers* Doesn't she know the rules for writing query letters???
Yes, as a matter of fact I do. They should be done in third person, present tense.
Well, how many of you have written your novel in third person, present tense? (I'm pretty sure Lisa McMann doesn't read this blog, but she could raise her hand here.)
Yeah, no one.
So I submit that this is one reason why 99% of the writing population hates writing query letters. It's not in the character's POV. It's not even in a style of writing the author is used to.
So, dude! Why torture yourself? Change it to what you ARE used to writing in. (And then change it back.)
For me, it was first person. I can do present or past tense, so that wasn't an issue. But I wrote my query in first person, from Vi's point of view. (I did the same thing with my synopsis, BTW. I highly recommend it.)
By using Vi's narrating voice, using first person, I was able to infuse the voice of my novel into my query.
Then, really, it's simply a matter of changing the pronouns to get it back to third person, right? Right. (Okay, you'll have to do a little rearranging, but not much. And you'll maintain the voice of your novel, so it's a worthwhile trade-off.)
Query for Control Issues:
In a world where Thinkers brainwash the population and Rules are not meant to be broken, fifteen-year-old Violet Schoenfeld does a hell of a job shattering them to pieces.
After committing her eighth crime (walking in the park after dark with a boy, gasp!), Vi is taken to the Green, a group of Thinkers who control the Goodgrounds. She’s found unrehabilitatable (yeah, she doesn’t think it’s a word either) and exiled to the Badlands—until she demonstrates her brainwashing abilities. That earns her a one-way trip to appear before the Association of Directors.
Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna happen. She busts out of prison with sexy Bad boy Jag Barque, who also has no intention of fulfilling his lame sentence.
Dodging Greenies and hovercopters, dealing with absent-father issues, and coming to terms with feelings for an ex-boyfriend—and Jag as a possible new one—leave Vi little time for much else. Which is too damn bad, because she’s more important than she realizes. When secrets about her “dead” sister and not-so-missing father hit the fan, Vi must make a choice: control or be controlled.
And this is what one literary agent (who requested the full) said: "I found ... your writing/voice refreshing (it’s nice to see someone have fun with their text)."
What do you think? Give it a try and let me know if it works for you!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Hit Me With Your Worst Shot
So I went to work the other week. Yeah, it's not that fun. But I was looking at this barrage of forms in front of the teacher mailboxes and one of them caught my eye.
And bam! Instant idea. And this was a form that teachers could pass out to their students to fill out. It just gave me an idea for a setting, nothing big.
The day before that, I was loading the dishwasher, something I do about fifty billion times a week. And I had this thought go through my head, and words almost came out of my mouth. I sucked them back in, because I could hear this other mom in my head saying them to her teenage son.
An idea was born.
Then I went to a writing conference. There was a panel on ideas, and how usually the best ideas are those that combine several ideas into one.
So then I felt less stellar about my singular ideas. One thing someone said though, caught in my ears. I think it was Brandon Sanderson, because let's face it, every word the man says is like IDK, gospel law or something. Srsly. The man is a genius and I could listen to him talk for hours.
Anyway, I digress. He said that a common misconception is that the people on the panel (published authors) have these earth-shattering ideas. He said that's not true (which made hope flare in my chest), but that they're taking the really bad ideas and combining them and spinning them and working with them until they're something amazing.
He said he works with the mundane ideas that the rest of us discard.
Can you believe that???
Yeah, I'm not sure I do either.
But it inspired this blog post. And now you've got an assignment. Tell me your absolute worst ideas. The ones you scoff at and wish you'd never had. I want to see if they're as bad as mine.
**They did this during the panel and someone's bad idea was "long hair that's been cut off."
So dude, I think I've got that one beat. Maybe.
Anything is acceptable today! What's your WORST idea??
And bam! Instant idea. And this was a form that teachers could pass out to their students to fill out. It just gave me an idea for a setting, nothing big.
The day before that, I was loading the dishwasher, something I do about fifty billion times a week. And I had this thought go through my head, and words almost came out of my mouth. I sucked them back in, because I could hear this other mom in my head saying them to her teenage son.
An idea was born.
Then I went to a writing conference. There was a panel on ideas, and how usually the best ideas are those that combine several ideas into one.
So then I felt less stellar about my singular ideas. One thing someone said though, caught in my ears. I think it was Brandon Sanderson, because let's face it, every word the man says is like IDK, gospel law or something. Srsly. The man is a genius and I could listen to him talk for hours.
Anyway, I digress. He said that a common misconception is that the people on the panel (published authors) have these earth-shattering ideas. He said that's not true (which made hope flare in my chest), but that they're taking the really bad ideas and combining them and spinning them and working with them until they're something amazing.
He said he works with the mundane ideas that the rest of us discard.
Can you believe that???
Yeah, I'm not sure I do either.
But it inspired this blog post. And now you've got an assignment. Tell me your absolute worst ideas. The ones you scoff at and wish you'd never had. I want to see if they're as bad as mine.
**They did this during the panel and someone's bad idea was "long hair that's been cut off."
So dude, I think I've got that one beat. Maybe.
Anything is acceptable today! What's your WORST idea??
Monday, February 22, 2010
Winner, Winner!
Dude, you guys. Last week was quite the ride, right? I had a great time answering questions and seeing all the enthusiasm for the contest. I could blather on and on just to make your life painful, sort of like Bob Barker on The Price is Right, but I won't.
WINNERS:
Literary agent query critiques:
Kate Schafer (will be posted on her blog, Ask Daphne): EMILY ANN BENEDICT!!
Michelle Andelman: JAMIE HOPKINS!!
Mary Kole: TERRI TIFFANY!!
Michelle Wolfson: VR BARKOWSKI!!
Joanna Volpe: MERISSA MURRAY!!
Woot! Congrats guys! Please email me at elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com for instructions. DO NOT email the agents!
WINNERS:
Ebook From the Query to the Call:
GUINEVERE ROWELL
JOY WIEDER
LIVIA BLACKBURN
TAMIKA EASON
TIFFANY NEAL
Please email me using an email address you use all the time, as I'll be sending you a code to download the Ebook for free. elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com. And hey, if you didn't win, you can purchase your copy of From the Query to the Call for 25% off ($7.50) for the rest of this month. Every buyer gets a free query crititque from me. Discount code: 25percentoff
WINNERS:
Ginormous post-it notes:
CHRISTINA LEE
JENNY TONKS
JOHN SANKOVICH
SUSAN JAMES
KRISTEN YARD
Email me with your mailing address so I can get these out to you. elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com.
A big congrats to everyone! Thanks to the literary agents for their participation and for all of you for making this so much fun to do! Be sure to come back next month as I have something epic planned. EP. IC.
Happy Monday!
WINNERS:
Literary agent query critiques:
Kate Schafer (will be posted on her blog, Ask Daphne): EMILY ANN BENEDICT!!
Michelle Andelman: JAMIE HOPKINS!!
Mary Kole: TERRI TIFFANY!!
Michelle Wolfson: VR BARKOWSKI!!
Joanna Volpe: MERISSA MURRAY!!
Woot! Congrats guys! Please email me at elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com for instructions. DO NOT email the agents!
WINNERS:
Ebook From the Query to the Call:
GUINEVERE ROWELL
JOY WIEDER
LIVIA BLACKBURN
TAMIKA EASON
TIFFANY NEAL
Please email me using an email address you use all the time, as I'll be sending you a code to download the Ebook for free. elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com. And hey, if you didn't win, you can purchase your copy of From the Query to the Call for 25% off ($7.50) for the rest of this month. Every buyer gets a free query crititque from me. Discount code: 25percentoff
WINNERS:
Ginormous post-it notes:
CHRISTINA LEE
JENNY TONKS
JOHN SANKOVICH
SUSAN JAMES
KRISTEN YARD
Email me with your mailing address so I can get these out to you. elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com.
A big congrats to everyone! Thanks to the literary agents for their participation and for all of you for making this so much fun to do! Be sure to come back next month as I have something epic planned. EP. IC.
Happy Monday!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Pay It Forward Query Critique Contest
The day has arrived! Today could change your life. Okay, not really. But maybe next Monday.
Because I'm having a contest that starts today and ends on Sunday at 10 PM(MST). Winners will then be chosen and announced next Monday, February 22.
Here's what you can win: A query letter critique.
By whom?
By one of these top five literary agents!
1. Kate Testerman-Shafer of KT Literary (critique will be posted on her blog, Ask Daphne)
2. Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates (my fabulous agent!)
3. Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary Agency
4. Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency
5. Joanna Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation
Worth entering? You decide. But if you win, one of those agents will be helping you out with your query letter. And who better to do that than the people who read hundreds of them?
I mean, seriously.
In addition to that, FIVE more winners will win a free copy of my eBook, From the Query to the Call, which outlines in great detail how to write a query letter (and other things). All winners--as with all buyers--get a free query critique by me with this eBook.
As if that weren't enough, FIVE more winners will win a package of my all-time favorite writing tools: the super-sticky, super-size Post-it note. I love those things. They're 4x6-inches, so you can really take notes in the middle of the night and stick your scribbles to your laptop. (See photo below -- I missed the "post your workspace" day, so I just decided to include it here. Those Post-it's could be yours! And yes, I constantly work on two computers.)
HOW TO ENTER:
1. You must follow my blog.
2. You must follow Shelli Johannes-Wells' blog.
3. You must fill out the form below. (Lots of ways to earn extra entries--but none of them are required to enter, just follow both blogs, which will earn you 3 entries.)
***NOTE: Shelli is also running a big contest this week, because we're party animals! We're offering extra entries for following each other, but if you're interested in winning the prizes in her contest, you MUST ENTER HER CONTEST. She's having prizes every day with some grand prizes at the end of the week. Mine isn't like that. It's open from now until Sunday night, and then drawings will be held. (This will be my only post this week.)
In other words, if you enter here, you are NOT entered there. They are two separate contests that we're promoting together. Does that make sense? If not, shoot me an email: elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com.
My twitter. My facebook.
Good luck! And have a great week -- I'll be around, but not blogging.
Oh! And if you've made it this far, Shannon O'Donnell is having a contest on her blog. You can win my eBook and a query critique from me--or a $20 gift card! So go enter over there too, okay? Okay.
Because I'm having a contest that starts today and ends on Sunday at 10 PM(MST). Winners will then be chosen and announced next Monday, February 22.
Here's what you can win: A query letter critique.
By whom?
By one of these top five literary agents!
1. Kate Testerman-Shafer of KT Literary (critique will be posted on her blog, Ask Daphne)
2. Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates (my fabulous agent!)
3. Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary Agency
4. Michelle Wolfson of Wolfson Literary Agency
5. Joanna Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation
Worth entering? You decide. But if you win, one of those agents will be helping you out with your query letter. And who better to do that than the people who read hundreds of them?
I mean, seriously.
In addition to that, FIVE more winners will win a free copy of my eBook, From the Query to the Call, which outlines in great detail how to write a query letter (and other things). All winners--as with all buyers--get a free query critique by me with this eBook.
As if that weren't enough, FIVE more winners will win a package of my all-time favorite writing tools: the super-sticky, super-size Post-it note. I love those things. They're 4x6-inches, so you can really take notes in the middle of the night and stick your scribbles to your laptop. (See photo below -- I missed the "post your workspace" day, so I just decided to include it here. Those Post-it's could be yours! And yes, I constantly work on two computers.)
HOW TO ENTER:
1. You must follow my blog.
2. You must follow Shelli Johannes-Wells' blog.
3. You must fill out the form below. (Lots of ways to earn extra entries--but none of them are required to enter, just follow both blogs, which will earn you 3 entries.)
***NOTE: Shelli is also running a big contest this week, because we're party animals! We're offering extra entries for following each other, but if you're interested in winning the prizes in her contest, you MUST ENTER HER CONTEST. She's having prizes every day with some grand prizes at the end of the week. Mine isn't like that. It's open from now until Sunday night, and then drawings will be held. (This will be my only post this week.)
In other words, if you enter here, you are NOT entered there. They are two separate contests that we're promoting together. Does that make sense? If not, shoot me an email: elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com.
My twitter. My facebook.
Good luck! And have a great week -- I'll be around, but not blogging.
Oh! And if you've made it this far, Shannon O'Donnell is having a contest on her blog. You can win my eBook and a query critique from me--or a $20 gift card! So go enter over there too, okay? Okay.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Before You Unplug
Okay, guys, if you're going to be unplugged next week, listen up! Come by the blog on Monday before you go all hermit-like, okay?
Why?
The contest! The contest! I mean, no one's gonna be Mardi Gras-ing it up like me and Shelli. I mean, NO ONE.
I think Shelli's announcing her festivities today, and I'm having a pretty major contest right here on Monday. I will say that the contest involves literary agents. Five literary agents. So don't unplug till you stop by on Monday.
And that's not all I have planned. You may have noticed that I hit 500 followers this month. So I'm in the middle of organizing another giveaway for next month.
Which brings me to my questions for today. Do you like blog contests? What do you like to win? Explainage would be good, but simply a yes/no and a list of prizes you'd like would suffice.
Man, I sound so professional today. I mean, "suffice"? *snarf*
Oh, and I'm at this amazing writerly thing today with a bunch of kewl writerly peeps. I went yesterday too, so I'll try to catch up on all the bloggy stuff over the weekend, okay?
Okay.
Why?
The contest! The contest! I mean, no one's gonna be Mardi Gras-ing it up like me and Shelli. I mean, NO ONE.
I think Shelli's announcing her festivities today, and I'm having a pretty major contest right here on Monday. I will say that the contest involves literary agents. Five literary agents. So don't unplug till you stop by on Monday.
And that's not all I have planned. You may have noticed that I hit 500 followers this month. So I'm in the middle of organizing another giveaway for next month.
Which brings me to my questions for today. Do you like blog contests? What do you like to win? Explainage would be good, but simply a yes/no and a list of prizes you'd like would suffice.
Man, I sound so professional today. I mean, "suffice"? *snarf*
Oh, and I'm at this amazing writerly thing today with a bunch of kewl writerly peeps. I went yesterday too, so I'll try to catch up on all the bloggy stuff over the weekend, okay?
Okay.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Spend Your Social Time Wisely
Okay, so if you haven't been over to Shelli Johannes-Wells' blog, you haven't lived. Srsly. Go. Follow. She's got some advice about querying today, and I've got some marketing advice from her.
Without further ado...
Spend your Social Time Wisely
Before you jump into a social media channel, ask yourself:
1. What do you want to get out of it?
2. What are the best 1 or 2 ways you can do this? What channel?
3. Will you participate and how often?
4. How much time do you want to spend?
Twitter
Facebook
Blog
Other tips
Excellent advice, Shelli! These sound like simple things that anyone can do at any stage of their career. Thanks for stopping by!
So what do you guys think? Do you use all these social mediums? Which ones do you like best? Why?
And here's just me being nosy. Or inquiring. Or whatever. How much time do you think you spend in social networking each week? Just wondering...
Without further ado...
Spend your Social Time Wisely
Before you jump into a social media channel, ask yourself:
1. What do you want to get out of it?
2. What are the best 1 or 2 ways you can do this? What channel?
3. Will you participate and how often?
4. How much time do you want to spend?
- Use tweetdeck to organize tweets – You can also add in a column from Facebook News Feed!
- Set up groups
- Keep it open
- Retweet posts
- Respond to DMs
- Auto feed to FB and Blog
- Glance through Newsfeed periodically
- Check wall for comments
- Respond to direct messages
Blog
- Prepare posts in advance
- Create short posts
- Choose which days you will post – 3 days is good (Mon / Wed / Fri)
- Respond to commenters
- Schedule guests posts or a day for questions
- Plan an allotted time to visit other blogs. Or you can set # of blogs I will visit and comment on 10 blogs a day)
Other tips
- Set an alarm and do it all in an allotted time before you stop. Do this a few times a day.
- Focus on one application a day – twitter Tuesdays, Facebook Fridays, etc
- Tackle one at a time. Get established on one before you start another
- Be creative
- Establish a routine
- Use your mobile devices to check in - while in line or waiting in carpool
Excellent advice, Shelli! These sound like simple things that anyone can do at any stage of their career. Thanks for stopping by!
So what do you guys think? Do you use all these social mediums? Which ones do you like best? Why?
And here's just me being nosy. Or inquiring. Or whatever. How much time do you think you spend in social networking each week? Just wondering...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Query Letter Writing - The Dreaded Middle
First we interrupt this blog to say "Holy brown cows, Batman!! Over 100 comments yesterday?"
There will be prizes for that. Like 100 prizes, don't you think? There's a couple problems with this idea. 1. I'm not what you would call a millionaire. 2. What could I give away to say I love you with all my heart without landing me in the poor house? Thoughts? Cuz you guys so deserve something.
And onto the real post for today.
Okay, so we've gone over the first and last sentence. The first and last paragraphs. Now all you need to do is flesh out the middle.
This is where some of you wedge yourself in a swamp, so take heed. I mean, nobody wants more fat in their middle, right? Right.
Some tips to keep your query lean and mean.
1. Limit the number of characters you name. I think a good number is 1-2 more, if necessary. You've got your MC, and probably a secondary MC. I name both of those in mine. I might or might not name the villain and that's it. We don't need the full cast, it simply takes up too much room and weighs us down with unneeded proper nouns.
2. Get to the conflict and the consequence. Don't bog us down in the unnecessary. We don't need to know everything in the query. Just the bare bones, the main plot to the major consequence (which is why I recommend writing the query before the book). So stick with that.
Use a sentence or two for the setup. Then lay out the major conflict. Note how I said major. What does your MC have to lose? Give me that, and really give it to me.
Then answer: What happens if your MC doesn't overcome the conflict? That's called a consequence. Leave me hanging off a cliff, salivating to read more. Oh yeah. Like that. (Some of you don't ever get to the consequence. It's omitted for some reason. What that reason is, I have no idea. You've got to lay out the consequence, okay? Okay.)
3. I swear I had three bullet points when I was in the shower, but now I can't think of it. Like, at all. Dangitall.
Here's my full query blurb (181 words - Janet Reid would be proud). I made the middle bold.
Next week: Capturing the voice in your query. Seriously, if you can craft a good first and last sentence, nail your opening and closing paragraphs, and keep the middle slim, all you need is the voice and your query will be a winner!
There will be prizes for that. Like 100 prizes, don't you think? There's a couple problems with this idea. 1. I'm not what you would call a millionaire. 2. What could I give away to say I love you with all my heart without landing me in the poor house? Thoughts? Cuz you guys so deserve something.
And onto the real post for today.
Okay, so we've gone over the first and last sentence. The first and last paragraphs. Now all you need to do is flesh out the middle.
This is where some of you wedge yourself in a swamp, so take heed. I mean, nobody wants more fat in their middle, right? Right.
Some tips to keep your query lean and mean.
1. Limit the number of characters you name. I think a good number is 1-2 more, if necessary. You've got your MC, and probably a secondary MC. I name both of those in mine. I might or might not name the villain and that's it. We don't need the full cast, it simply takes up too much room and weighs us down with unneeded proper nouns.
2. Get to the conflict and the consequence. Don't bog us down in the unnecessary. We don't need to know everything in the query. Just the bare bones, the main plot to the major consequence (which is why I recommend writing the query before the book). So stick with that.
Use a sentence or two for the setup. Then lay out the major conflict. Note how I said major. What does your MC have to lose? Give me that, and really give it to me.
Then answer: What happens if your MC doesn't overcome the conflict? That's called a consequence. Leave me hanging off a cliff, salivating to read more. Oh yeah. Like that. (Some of you don't ever get to the consequence. It's omitted for some reason. What that reason is, I have no idea. You've got to lay out the consequence, okay? Okay.)
3. I swear I had three bullet points when I was in the shower, but now I can't think of it. Like, at all. Dangitall.
Here's my full query blurb (181 words - Janet Reid would be proud). I made the middle bold.
In a world where Thinkers brainwash the population and Rules are not meant to be broken, fifteen-year-old Violet Schoenfeld does a hell of a job shattering them to pieces.
After committing her eighth crime (walking in the park after dark with a boy, gasp!), Vi is taken to the Green, a group of Thinkers who control the Goodgrounds. She’s found unrehabilitatable (yeah, she doesn’t think it’s a word either) and exiled to the Badlands—until she demonstrates her brainwashing abilities. That earns her a one-way trip to appear before the Association of Directors.
Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna happen. She busts out of prison with sexy Bad boy Jag Barque, who also has no intention of fulfilling his lame sentence.
Dodging Greenies and hovercopters, dealing with absent-father issues, and coming to terms with feelings for an ex-boyfriend—and Jag as a possible new one—leave Vi little time for much else. Which is too damn bad, because she’s more important than she realizes. When secrets about her “dead” sister and not-so-missing father hit the fan, Vi must make a choice: control or be controlled.
Next week: Capturing the voice in your query. Seriously, if you can craft a good first and last sentence, nail your opening and closing paragraphs, and keep the middle slim, all you need is the voice and your query will be a winner!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Confessions
First off, I should stop writing my blog posts when I'm angry/depressed/revising/hungry/working/up too late. Wait. That's all the time. So yeah. I apologize to you, my dearest readers, for taking out my...whatevers here on the blog.
Anyway, today is confession day here at the Elana Johnson blog.
Mine?
I hate (hate hate) how Twitter makes me feel like an utter and complete loser/outsider.
There, I said it.
Twitter is by far my least-favorite social medium. Because there's all these people that you "know" and they're all having these exclusive conversations with each other. Not you. Oh, no. You're not funny/smart/famous enough. You haven't been to NYC. You haven't been to SCBWI-LA. You don't vlog. You're a loser!
So there. There's my confession. I don't like Twitter. And as irrational as my feelings may be, I hate how I feel like a freaky sixteen-year-old who doesn't fit in with the cool crowd on Twitter.
I adore the #kidlitchat and the #YAlitchat on Twitter. And last week, we dished about social media. One of the big things that I swear I knew, but don't do, is that you should do what you love. Love blogging? (Yes.) Do that. Twitter? (No.) Don't do that.
So I'm going to be taking that advice. I might still lurk on Twitter, but as soon as I feel the I'm-a-loser vibe coming on, I'm closing it down. Sound good?
What about you? Do you like Twitter? Hate it? In between? What else do you feel like you need to get off your chest today?
Confess.
Anyway, today is confession day here at the Elana Johnson blog.
Mine?
I hate (hate hate) how Twitter makes me feel like an utter and complete loser/outsider.
There, I said it.
Twitter is by far my least-favorite social medium. Because there's all these people that you "know" and they're all having these exclusive conversations with each other. Not you. Oh, no. You're not funny/smart/famous enough. You haven't been to NYC. You haven't been to SCBWI-LA. You don't vlog. You're a loser!
So there. There's my confession. I don't like Twitter. And as irrational as my feelings may be, I hate how I feel like a freaky sixteen-year-old who doesn't fit in with the cool crowd on Twitter.
I adore the #kidlitchat and the #YAlitchat on Twitter. And last week, we dished about social media. One of the big things that I swear I knew, but don't do, is that you should do what you love. Love blogging? (Yes.) Do that. Twitter? (No.) Don't do that.
So I'm going to be taking that advice. I might still lurk on Twitter, but as soon as I feel the I'm-a-loser vibe coming on, I'm closing it down. Sound good?
What about you? Do you like Twitter? Hate it? In between? What else do you feel like you need to get off your chest today?
Confess.
Monday, February 8, 2010
They're Just Words
Full credit for this topic goes to my crit buddy and personal oxygen tank, Christine Fonseca.
We were chatting last week. Basically, I was freaking out, as per my usual, and...well, I'll just copy and paste the transcript of the chat. I'd just gotten a critique and my wall had gone up. Remember that wall? Yeah, I'm breaking that down brick by painful, heavy brick.
me: Things I can probably do in a few hours.
Christine: way to move past the "funk"....
:D
me: And she wants part two, which I guess is good, right?
Christine: Very good!!
No major suckage!
me: Part three is a train wreck, so...
Christine: I love your confidence....
all fixable...
they are just words!
right?
me: They are just words!!
Holy crap!
I never realized that!
Christine: LOL!
me: Ah, my chest is expanding the right way now.
Toldja you're like oxygen.
Christine: very very good......
me: <3
Christine: and you are very sweet to say so....
okay -
so 20/5?
me: Yes. 20/5
go!
And then we work for 20 minutes on our MSs and then chat for 5. Okay, maybe like 15, but whatev. I could breathe again.
So srsly, they're just words. You can move them around. Change them. Delete them. Manipulate them until you have them in just the right order and saying exactly what you want.
So don't be afraid of those words! After all, they're just inanimate objects. Don't get attached to them. And don't worry if they suck! You can change them.
And that's how I broke down my wall. What has powered you through your writing? How are those words flowing for you?
We were chatting last week. Basically, I was freaking out, as per my usual, and...well, I'll just copy and paste the transcript of the chat. I'd just gotten a critique and my wall had gone up. Remember that wall? Yeah, I'm breaking that down brick by painful, heavy brick.
me: Things I can probably do in a few hours.
Christine: way to move past the "funk"....
:D
me: And she wants part two, which I guess is good, right?
Christine: Very good!!
No major suckage!
me: Part three is a train wreck, so...
Christine: I love your confidence....
all fixable...
they are just words!
right?
me: They are just words!!
Holy crap!
I never realized that!
Christine: LOL!
me: Ah, my chest is expanding the right way now.
Toldja you're like oxygen.
Christine: very very good......
me: <3
Christine: and you are very sweet to say so....
okay -
so 20/5?
me: Yes. 20/5
go!
And then we work for 20 minutes on our MSs and then chat for 5. Okay, maybe like 15, but whatev. I could breathe again.
So srsly, they're just words. You can move them around. Change them. Delete them. Manipulate them until you have them in just the right order and saying exactly what you want.
So don't be afraid of those words! After all, they're just inanimate objects. Don't get attached to them. And don't worry if they suck! You can change them.
And that's how I broke down my wall. What has powered you through your writing? How are those words flowing for you?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
You Know You Need A Break When...
You get mad for no discernable reason, other than Blockbuster called with a "friendly reminder" that your movie rental is now three days late.
One second everything's fine, and the next you're about to cry.
You eat out 3 nights in a row.
You have so many emails, the new ones go onto the next page.
You can't watch American Idol because you can't stand to watch the heartbreak of rejection.
You've been wearing the headphones for three hours and haven't heard a single song--because you forgot to turn on iTunes.
Your MS is in pieces and you're about to throw the laptop through the sliding glass door. Oh, and you're over your word count. Again.
The sun hasn't been shining in a week. Srsly, winter. END.
Your daughter has inherited your unibrow. Dang genetics dooming her to a life of Bert-dom and/or painful hot wax treatments.
You actually care that your daughter has inherited your unibrow. In fact, this is cry-worthy.
You lay in bed reading at all hours of the day. In your pajamas.
You buy a can of those "garnish" French-fried onion things and eat them for a meal.
How do you unwind/find yourself/achieve balance/etc. when you have days/weeks/months like this? And this totally wasn't my week, in case any of you were wondering. I know this other girl who has a unibrow. It's sexy. *wink*
But I will betaking a break gone until Monday. Have a loverly weekend!
One second everything's fine, and the next you're about to cry.
You eat out 3 nights in a row.
You have so many emails, the new ones go onto the next page.
You can't watch American Idol because you can't stand to watch the heartbreak of rejection.
You've been wearing the headphones for three hours and haven't heard a single song--because you forgot to turn on iTunes.
Your MS is in pieces and you're about to throw the laptop through the sliding glass door. Oh, and you're over your word count. Again.
The sun hasn't been shining in a week. Srsly, winter. END.
Your daughter has inherited your unibrow. Dang genetics dooming her to a life of Bert-dom and/or painful hot wax treatments.
You actually care that your daughter has inherited your unibrow. In fact, this is cry-worthy.
You lay in bed reading at all hours of the day. In your pajamas.
You buy a can of those "garnish" French-fried onion things and eat them for a meal.
How do you unwind/find yourself/achieve balance/etc. when you have days/weeks/months like this? And this totally wasn't my week, in case any of you were wondering. I know this other girl who has a unibrow. It's sexy. *wink*
But I will be
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Query Letter Writing - First and Last
Last week, I went over how to write your first and last sentences in your query blurb. In a bare bones query, with the first and last paragraph, you could send your query out later this afternoon. So the next step in the query letter writing process is crafting the first and last paragraph.
Let's examine.
First paragraph: Opinions vary on this, but I opened with a sentence about why I was writing the agent. Anything from basic: "I think you'd be interested in my young adult dystopian novel."
to more personalized:
"I read on your website that you're looking for "young adult fiction with strong female leads." Because of this, I believe you'd be interested in my young adult novel."
That's all you need for the opener.**
Closing paragraph: After the blurb, I give the title, the genre, and the word count. (I also compare my novel to similar titles. I've heard some say NOT to do this, but I went George and did it.) Include a brief bio. And an invitation to request more.
Like this:
"A dystopian novel for young adults [genre], CONTROL ISSUES [title] is complete at 75,000 words [word count]. Fans of Lois Lowry’s THE GIVER and Suzanne Collins’ THE HUNGER GAMES will enjoy similar dystopian elements, and a strong teen voice. [comparison]
I am an elementary school teacher by day and a contributing author of the QueryTracker blog by night [brief bio]. If you would like to consider CONTROL ISSUES, I’d be happy to forward the complete manuscript to you. [invitation for more]
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Elana Johnson
[all contact info, including address and telephone number]"
They'll have your email address. And I use a signature on my email that has my personal blog address, my website address, and the QT blog address. (****I totally recommend the whole signature thing over pasting your blog stuff in the email.)
So with my two sentences [that sum up my book from beginning to end] this is what my potential query looks like:
I seriously sent this query letter out to literary agents. I had multiple fulls requested from just those two sentences, an opening graf and a closing graf.
So no matter where you are in the novel-writing process add these pieces to your query! (Cuz you're crafting the query as you write the book, right? Right?? Right.) Next week I'll go over the dreaded middle. But by then, you'll have everything in place, and it'll be a piece of cake. Cake, baby!
What do you think? For a more in-depth look at "Everything Else" that should be in a query, I wrote a post for the QT blog way last year, and just recently The Author Bio.
**Special note: Some agents say to open with the title and word count. I cannot emphasize enough to do your research and arrange your paragraphs accordingly.
Let's examine.
First paragraph: Opinions vary on this, but I opened with a sentence about why I was writing the agent. Anything from basic: "I think you'd be interested in my young adult dystopian novel."
to more personalized:
"I read on your website that you're looking for "young adult fiction with strong female leads." Because of this, I believe you'd be interested in my young adult novel."
That's all you need for the opener.**
Closing paragraph: After the blurb, I give the title, the genre, and the word count. (I also compare my novel to similar titles. I've heard some say NOT to do this, but I went George and did it.) Include a brief bio. And an invitation to request more.
Like this:
"A dystopian novel for young adults [genre], CONTROL ISSUES [title] is complete at 75,000 words [word count]. Fans of Lois Lowry’s THE GIVER and Suzanne Collins’ THE HUNGER GAMES will enjoy similar dystopian elements, and a strong teen voice. [comparison]
I am an elementary school teacher by day and a contributing author of the QueryTracker blog by night [brief bio]. If you would like to consider CONTROL ISSUES, I’d be happy to forward the complete manuscript to you. [invitation for more]
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Elana Johnson
[all contact info, including address and telephone number]"
They'll have your email address. And I use a signature on my email that has my personal blog address, my website address, and the QT blog address. (****I totally recommend the whole signature thing over pasting your blog stuff in the email.)
So with my two sentences [that sum up my book from beginning to end] this is what my potential query looks like:
Dear Personalized-to-Agent,
I recently read on the Markson Thoma website where you say you’re looking for “beautiful writing that immediately draws you in, and stories that stick with you long after you’re finished reading.” Because of this, I believe you would be interested in my young adult novel, CONTROL ISSUES.
In a world where Thinkers brainwash the population and Rules are not meant to be broken, fifteen-year-old Violet Schoenfeld does a hell of a job shattering them to pieces. When secrets about her “dead” sister and not-so-missing father hit the fan, Vi must make a choice: control or be controlled.
A dystopian novel for young adults, CONTROL ISSUES is complete at 75,000 words. Fans of Lois Lowry’s THE GIVER and Suzanne Collins’ THE HUNGER GAMES will enjoy similar dystopian elements, and a strong teen voice.
I am an elementary school teacher by day and a contributing author of the QueryTracker blog by night. If you would like to consider CONTROL ISSUES, I’d be happy to forward the complete manuscript to you.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
I seriously sent this query letter out to literary agents. I had multiple fulls requested from just those two sentences, an opening graf and a closing graf.
So no matter where you are in the novel-writing process add these pieces to your query! (Cuz you're crafting the query as you write the book, right? Right?? Right.) Next week I'll go over the dreaded middle. But by then, you'll have everything in place, and it'll be a piece of cake. Cake, baby!
What do you think? For a more in-depth look at "Everything Else" that should be in a query, I wrote a post for the QT blog way last year, and just recently The Author Bio.
**Special note: Some agents say to open with the title and word count. I cannot emphasize enough to do your research and arrange your paragraphs accordingly.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Motivation
Yeah, okay, I don't have any. Basically here's the low-down.
1. I've been rewriting my book.
2. Finished (yay!)
3. Had a weird moment where I thought the first 2/3 were actually good.
4. Maniacal laughing.
5. Sent it off to betas. (just the first 100 pages)
6. Two crits come back.
7. Status: Not bad. Fixable. Embarrassing slips/mistakes. No problemo. Cut, reword, done.
8. Send the first 100 to gammas.
9. Get opinions before they're done reading on the beginning.
10. Get third beta read back.
11. Now have three opinions that basically say the same thing.
*insert WALL here*
*stone*
*mortar*
*twenty feet high*
*with guards*
*guards with guns*
I see what they're saying. My problem? I have absolutely no motivation to do it.
Why? (imagine that in my best whiny voice) Why don't I want to dive right back in and fix this? Do I agree? Does that matter? Do I go with my gut? What is my gut even saying? Maybe I'll just go watch High School Musical 3 again. For the fourth time this week.
What do you do when you don't have the motivation to work on your novel?
1. I've been rewriting my book.
2. Finished (yay!)
3. Had a weird moment where I thought the first 2/3 were actually good.
4. Maniacal laughing.
5. Sent it off to betas. (just the first 100 pages)
6. Two crits come back.
7. Status: Not bad. Fixable. Embarrassing slips/mistakes. No problemo. Cut, reword, done.
8. Send the first 100 to gammas.
9. Get opinions before they're done reading on the beginning.
10. Get third beta read back.
11. Now have three opinions that basically say the same thing.
*insert WALL here*
*stone*
*mortar*
*twenty feet high*
*with guards*
*guards with guns*
I see what they're saying. My problem? I have absolutely no motivation to do it.
Why? (imagine that in my best whiny voice) Why don't I want to dive right back in and fix this? Do I agree? Does that matter? Do I go with my gut? What is my gut even saying? Maybe I'll just go watch High School Musical 3 again. For the fourth time this week.
What do you do when you don't have the motivation to work on your novel?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Book Blog Discussion
This month's book: The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. First, I'm going to open the discussion on the book. Anyone is welcome to comment on what I said or add their feelings about the book, sort of like we're all sitting around my lavish living room with mugs of steaming liquid while a snowstorm rages outside. Okay? Okay.
Also, I don't think there's too many spoilers if you haven't read it, so you can safely scan my review.
I'm all about exuding positivity, so I'm going to name what I liked first and then say a few things I wish were slightly different. Not bad, mind you. Not that I disliked. Just wish were different.
What I liked:
1. The cover. Too bad it has absolutely nothing to do with the words inside. But it intrigued me from the day I saw it, and I would've bought the book based on the cover alone.
2. The MC. She mostly stayed with her character. There was only one time she went gallivanting off doing things I didn't feel like were in her character. Overall, she was well-portrayed.
3. The MC's family. She had a "whole" family, with a mom and a dad and siblings. And that's pretty rare in YA these days. I enjoyed both her mom and dad, and the realism in their relationship. I liked the older brother a lot.
What I wish were slightly different:
1. The romance. Since I'm a character-driven reader, I like my characters to be believable and do realistic things. And the whole time I was being set up for the bad guy to be the male love interest. And he was too bad. He'd done unspeakable things. To her family. To her. To others.
And then...the girl is declaring her undying love for him. It didn't feel real to me. It felt rushed and convenient, with little reasoning.
2. The villain. I wasn't sure who it was -- except for the love interest. And then it turned out to be--get this--this other guy in the book! Um, no. I couldn't go there. The story didn't unfold in a way to lead me to that. And it just made me...unsettled.
3. I'll admit that I almost quit reading this book about 75 pages from the end. Here's why: The MC puts away this book that will tell her all the answers and says she doesn't want to know.
Well, if she doesn't, why should I?? I closed the book, a little peeved, and refused to pick it up again for 24 hours. Then I got over my petty fight with myself and finished it. But seriously? If the MC doesn't care about solving the mystery, why should the reader?
But overall, I would give The Dark Divine 3.5 stars out of 5. I did read it fairly fast, I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding the bad guy, and I loved the background of the MC.
If you've read this book, what did you think? If you haven't, you should, my "dislikes" notwithstanding.
Also, I don't think there's too many spoilers if you haven't read it, so you can safely scan my review.
I'm all about exuding positivity, so I'm going to name what I liked first and then say a few things I wish were slightly different. Not bad, mind you. Not that I disliked. Just wish were different.
What I liked:
1. The cover. Too bad it has absolutely nothing to do with the words inside. But it intrigued me from the day I saw it, and I would've bought the book based on the cover alone.
2. The MC. She mostly stayed with her character. There was only one time she went gallivanting off doing things I didn't feel like were in her character. Overall, she was well-portrayed.
3. The MC's family. She had a "whole" family, with a mom and a dad and siblings. And that's pretty rare in YA these days. I enjoyed both her mom and dad, and the realism in their relationship. I liked the older brother a lot.
What I wish were slightly different:
1. The romance. Since I'm a character-driven reader, I like my characters to be believable and do realistic things. And the whole time I was being set up for the bad guy to be the male love interest. And he was too bad. He'd done unspeakable things. To her family. To her. To others.
And then...the girl is declaring her undying love for him. It didn't feel real to me. It felt rushed and convenient, with little reasoning.
2. The villain. I wasn't sure who it was -- except for the love interest. And then it turned out to be--get this--this other guy in the book! Um, no. I couldn't go there. The story didn't unfold in a way to lead me to that. And it just made me...unsettled.
3. I'll admit that I almost quit reading this book about 75 pages from the end. Here's why: The MC puts away this book that will tell her all the answers and says she doesn't want to know.
Well, if she doesn't, why should I?? I closed the book, a little peeved, and refused to pick it up again for 24 hours. Then I got over my petty fight with myself and finished it. But seriously? If the MC doesn't care about solving the mystery, why should the reader?
But overall, I would give The Dark Divine 3.5 stars out of 5. I did read it fairly fast, I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding the bad guy, and I loved the background of the MC.
If you've read this book, what did you think? If you haven't, you should, my "dislikes" notwithstanding.