Litsoup gives the lowdown on query letters

If you haven't been over to Litsoup in the last few days, Jenny has a great post that shares her advice on query letters. She's got all the detail over there, put here are the topics she touches on (with my comments under the topic):

1. Be professional
In every query advice article I read; in each book on writing; everywhere it seems - this topic is always touched upon. It has to be an issue if it's mentioned so many times - right? Is being professional in a query letter really that difficult for people to manage? Nut jobs and drama fiends aside, hmmm maybe there are just too many nut jobs and drama fiends. Maybe that's our problem. Perhaps we need a plan to weed them out somehow....

2. Space is at a premium
Again, to me this is a no-brainer. I think of this the same way I think about cover letters and resumes: keep it short and to the point. If I was applying for a job I'd make sure my creds match the job requirements and then tailor my cover letter accordingly. Most people know that a cover letter should only be one page (on occassion two - but never more) - same with the actual resume. Don't they teach some resume basics in high school these days?

3. Have a hook
This is where it starts getting difficult. Anyone who participated in Miss Snark's CoM knows how difficult it is to write a hook to grab an agent's eye (at least to her taste, anyway). But then again, the blurb on the back of a book is also a hook - one to grab a reader and it's completely subjective. To me, this is where it is critical to know your agent. No, I don't mean stalk him or her until you know what kind of toilet paper he buys and whether she eats twinkies or ding dongs. I mean to find out who they represent and what kind of books within the genre. The genres are still pretty darn big and ambiguous - not all romance are alike, not all horror are alike, etc. etc. The agent may say "I represent horror" - but what kind of horror? Stephen King kind? Does the agent have a strong anti-zombie streak? (Course, everyone knows zombies rock and we all love them! Go Max Brand!) There is nothing wrong with having a couple versions of a hook, just like you'd have several versions of a resume. Once you have the basis of a good hook - tailor the hook to the person reading it. You want them to like it enough to go to the next step and that's all that matters in the query.

4. Themes are extraneous information too
Less is more and all that. I guess I combined my thoughts and stuck them all under 3. :)

5. Writing credits can be both good and bad.
Until the day that agents say, "YES, this writer is a blogger. Wow. That rocks. I've got to sign her up" - I'll be keeping my writing credits to a minimum. :)

6. Leave out the bacon.
Another reminder to keep the query on target and focused. No need to share your recent experience with athlete's foot or the time you went to New York and drove through Central Park. Unless, of course, either item is a pivotal plot piece or a focal point of your novel. Agents don't read your letter to get a new friend. They don't really want to know your personality type or what you like to do in your pajamas. All they care about is if you have something that interests them and they think they can sell. Perhaps the motive behind adding in personal tidbits and "blah blah" is because we think it makes us stand out, it makes us seem more like a person, and it lets the agent know who we are... but the sad fact is, they don't care who we are. At least not yet. If the writing is good and marketable to them, then they care.

I thought Jenny's points were good. I've certainly heard all the points before, but apparently writers seem to forget them enough that we need the constant reminders.

Literary Escort: Interesting or Frustrating?

I was reading the February issue of Writers Digest and read the article in the back cover, Confessions of a Literary Escort. As much thinking as I do, I had never thought about someone being a professional escort for authors. Apparently, they are hired by the publisher to pick up and escort clients.

The article is written by Wendy Werris and she says:

"The givens of being an author escort include a fueled-up, immaculate car and ample provisions including bottled water, Lifesavers, trail mix, a lint brush and Advil. The rest of the job is based on instinct, flexibility, wardrobe and a sense of humor."

She describes how when she picks up an author she dresses to match the nature of the book. Apparently this type of career requires a strong ability for multitasking. Including on the spot therapy for panic attacks and anger (She's not inferring something is she?) and then she compares herself to a concierge, "Like a concierge, I employ my inner Zagat to divine clients' gastronomical whims and am prepared for side trips to cosmetics counter, bank or doctor. When the British novelist Tony Parsons came down with a bad case of hives, I whisked him to my internist's office."

One point she makes very clear is that she is not a chauffeur. Having never thought about a literary escort before I turned to the oracle of bloggers... Google.

I found an article in Publishers Weekly about literary escorts. Then I found some rather naughty interviews* that tend to be more on the "escort" side of the fence - iffn ya know what I mean.

So, would a literary escort be a career that you would find interesting or would you find it frustrating?

Personally, this sounds way too much like a temporary personal assistant. I've tried doing that before and I don't like it. It might be interesting for a day or two, but I think it would NOT be a good career choice for me!

I vote frustrating!

*The link goes to a site with mature language. You've been warned.

De-Lurk Week!

I jumped from A Spot of T over to Paper Napkin.... this week is De-Lurk week. If you comment, the comment fairy will sprinkle you with magic blog dust... or something :) So, if you hit a blog today. Leave a comment, even if it's just "Hi"



Also, some sites of interest for the writerly types. A new agent has a blog.

Agent in the Middle

And, Miss Snark mentioned this contest at Gather on her blog today. I think I'll join the group just so I can read the entries and be entertained.

There's also a group writing project over at Middle Zone Musings. Be sure to check it out!

The Importance of Rewriting

I recently picked up a book by literary agent Noah Lukeman. It's titled The First Five Pages. It's not a book on how to write, instead it focuses on why manuscripts are rejected and observations from the perspective of an agent. It's an interesting read and I'm taking my time to think about the different points and bits of advice Mr. Lukeman shares.

I thought over the next week or two I'd comment on areas that stick out to me. The first item that caught my attention was this:

"There is no such thing as a great writer; there are only great re-writers. As you've heard before, 90 percent of writing is rewriting. If first drafts existed of some of the classics, you'd find many of them to be dreadful. This process of rewriting draws heavily on editing. And editing can be taught. Thus the craft of writing, inspiration aside, can to a great extent be taught."

I can't speak for all writers, but, I know the first time I sat down to write I had a vision. I could see myself typing furiously; the words would flow and I would create a novel with riveting characters and a fascinating plot.

Ha ha ha ha

You know what I figured out? Putting words on paper is easy. Making those words mean something and capture a reader is much more difficult. I am still a novice, but I've learned much of my craft since that time. The one lesson that was hardest for me to learn was rewriting. I still wrestle with it.

I started as a reader and then turned writer. I had admired the creativity and the skill of authors. I wanted to be one of them. I wanted to be able to create a whole new world that other people might enjoy. I put pen to paper... and met disappointment. My brilliant novel wasn't that brilliant. The idea was there, but the words were not. I've mentioned the inner editor before and it was in that first attempt of a novel that I met him. For a year I lingered on less than 5,000 words. I edited. I rewrote. I changed. I never progressed. And this brings me to two points that I keep in mind while I write.

The first draft is crap.

This is my mantra while I write. I say this not to create a sense of defeat. Instead, it brings awareness. In my mind, I often think about what the final product should be. It should flow well, have a strong voice, be active and progress my story. When you glance over fresh prose, often it is lacking. You see where a transition is missing. You see that what you've written doesn't compare on any level to the published books you've recently read. It won't. The published book sitting next to your bed has been edited at least a dozen times, it's gone through beta readers, and it's gone through an agent's eyes and an editor. Never sit down and expect your first draft to be level with a published work. When you realize it's not "as good" as that, don't let it stop you.

Patience is a virtue.

Rewriting is critical for your novel, especially if you want to be published. You must take the red pen in hand and slash. Your first draft is the ugly lump of stone you found on the river bed. The rewriting carefully cleans it, polishes it and finally sculpts it into the work of art that will be admired by the masses. The masses have not seen the pain and frustration. They only see a final product that is breathtaking in form and beauty. Timing is key. The urge to begin rewriting hits as soon as you complete the sentence or paragraph or page. You must cage that urge until the proper time. For me, this is difficult. Every time I open my document, I want to begin editing. I allow myself little edits here and there and try to make note of things I want to change... but many of the changes and edits are cosmetic. They are the smoothing and the enhancing. First, I must finish. Then I will let myself get down to the nitty gritty of sculpting.

Wrap up to the Crap-o-Meter

For those of you just tuning in, Miss Snark, the literary agent, held a crap-o-meter. She offered a window of time for her snarklings to submit a 250 word hook of their story. She received some 700 entries. It took her quite a bit of time and quite a few blog entries.

What did I learn from the CoM?

1. Subjectivity is no joke. There were some hooks that I thought sounded interesting. Miss Snark said they were old. There were some I thought sounded dreadfully boring... and Miss Snark thought they were intriquing. I thought there were some that sounded, well... stupid and Miss Snark agreed!

2. There are a lot of creative people out there who love writing. As just a snapshot, the CoM shows how many people are thinking of a novel and developing plot and character. Some of them I am envious of their voice and talent... and some of them need to head over to 101 reasons to stop writing.

3. When the time comes to choose your literary agent, it's not just important to make sure the agent represents your genre... but that the agent represents work like yours within that genre. Or that they state they are looking for something that matches what you're offering. It was obvious by some of Miss Snarks comments that some of the hooks simply didn't appeal to her taste. Some genres have a fairly large variety and even though the agent may represent books within that genre, he or she may not like the kind that you are offering.

Miss Snark + Google = Mighty Conspiracy???

Yes, Barbara Bauer of Barbara Bauer Literary Agency is in the news again. If you haven't already seen Miss Snark's post on it, you should. Barbara hosted a podcast with some fellow "experts".

Ms. Bauer apparently doesn't like being on the 20 worst list and is pretty quick to react and react about it. In her podcast they discuss the google conspiracy (didn't know about that did ya?) and they discuss the google bombing of her website (what exactly is a google bomb and where do we get one?). BTW, can someone please tell Barbara how to pronounce Oregon? One of Barbara's visitors came up with a brilliant suggestion... are you ready? Yes, let's have the federal government police the internet and protect commerce, finance, and business!!! Wooo - Won't that solve all our problems?

I'm done laughing now... I'm going to go back to my novel... TTFN!