Tag: querying
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If this is YA, Society is Coming to an End
I have mentioned previously that despite the popularity of YA, I have little interest in trying to cash in on the genre. I like writing adult work. I like deep moral and ethical exploration that comes from an environment of violence, sex, and all the topics that a YA book can ricochet off of but…
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Holy Balls!
I have been pondering it for months and I finally made a decision. An agent gave me feedback on WANTED: CHOSEN ONE, NOW HIRING. He wanted Bastin to be the main character rather than Nashau. I’ve discussed that here before. Bastin is clearly the most likable, charismatic of the group, but the story was Nashau’s…
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The Waiting Game
So you’ve written your novel, you’ve revised it, you’ve received feedback, you’ve revised it again, you’ve written a query, you’ve revised it, you’ve received feedback, you’ve revised it again, you’ve queried, you’ve paced madly worrying about rejection, you’ve been asked for a partial manuscript, you’ve revised the partial in fear of it not being good…
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Living the Dark Crystal
First, yesterday was awesome. My niece began her freshman year at Boston University, and the person with whom she was going to have Thanksgiving dinner bailed. Which meant she ended up at my place. I’ve never had the opportunity to hang with her without one of her parents around and this is the first time…
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It’s good for a laugh, at least.
This is a query I submitted1 to one (and only one) agency for my first novel, BLACK MAGIC AND BARBECUE SAUCE. I repost it here as a lesson for you all. How not to get an agent: Attention humans I am Cyrus the Conqueror. I am not Mr. Whiskers. I am not Kitty the Conqueror.…
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Redux: What Rejection Means to My Work Week
It’s a Friday, I have a full manuscript with an agent, and I’m querying others. This reminds me of a meme the Rejectionist had on her blog. It feels poignant today: The Rejectionist asked another question, one I felt worhty of a response. The question returns us to a topic I have written on frequently…
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The Tlot Thickens
As I mentioned on Friday, my productivity fell to shit when I joked about being the anonymous subject of an agent’s impending rejection. I checked my email over and over and over again until the day came to a close, and it was time to go home. Of course, there was no rush to go…
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How to Kill Productivity
How to Kill Productivity in Five Easy Steps Review your Twitter as you do often during the day. Reply to an agent who you follow when she asks for feedback on whether saying “it was a close call but no thank you” was cruel or encouraging. Suggest that it would be crushing at first, but…
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Reject’d
I was kind of down on the way home today. Thinking about my (very few) experiences with my father. Specifically, when they took me to the hospital to see him right before he died. I was three years old and he was in the ICU. Children aren’t allowed there because they’re petri dishes of germs.…
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Trading at $1,365.00 an ounce
A good beta reader is worth his or her weight in gold. As of closing October 13, 2010, gold traded at $1,365 an ounce. An ounce is equal to 1/16 of a pound. (2.2 pounds equals 1 kilogram for you metric folks.) Assuming Elizabeth Poole weighs about 110 pounds (when she’s soaking wet maybe), that…