#1—Querying too soon. Okay, I hate to say it, but it’s true. Most writers query too soon. In the past, books could be less ready to go and still get picked up by agents or editors, and there are plenty of agents who still do editorial before they send an author’s work out on submission. Continue reading “Top Ten Mistakes when Querying, continued”
Tag Archives: revision
Top Ten Mistakes Authors make when Querying, continued…
ICYMI, #10 through #6 are available here and here. As promised, the last five are all content related and so a little more difficult to address than the technical errors. #5—Not connecting the reader to your main character It is vital that the opening connect the reader to the main character. This does not meanContinue reading “Top Ten Mistakes Authors make when Querying, continued…”
Top 10 Mistakes Authors Make in Submissions, continued…
See #10 and #9 here. #8—Spending time on the set up in the query. Think of the Query as a sales document for your novel. If you spend any of your precious (really) plot paragraph on set up, then you are not selling the actual novel. If you’ve done your job as a writer well,Continue reading “Top 10 Mistakes Authors Make in Submissions, continued…”
Don’t Cheap Out on Your Renovation or Your Novel Revision
Home Improvement is on my mind lately. I have an old house and it needs some work—I can do some of it myself, but I will have to pay professionals to do the things I cannot do. Looking at what the previous owners did, I have these words of advice: don’t cheap out when youContinue reading “Don’t Cheap Out on Your Renovation or Your Novel Revision”
Join me to find out how to Wallop Your What If
A lot of writers say, “I’m a pantser. I don’t plan, I just write.” I get it. Really. It’s such a minefield out there. Maybe you spent a ton of time outlining your first novel and ended up throwing most of it out. Maybe you wrote it by sticking to the outline, but then theContinue reading “Join me to find out how to Wallop Your What If”
New Podcast Episode: Wallop Your What If
This is a summer binus episode, part of a webinar recording from earlier this year. Terry and I will be back discussing more books and first pages in September.
The Power of Subtraction
Why is it that when we brainstorm about solutions, we mostly think about ways to add? Why when I read the comments on the recipes in the Cooking section of the NY TImes, do they always tell about all the stuff they added to make it better? Why do writers sometimes think that more surprises,Continue reading “The Power of Subtraction”
Do these jeans make my butt look big, or who to ask for feedback on your writing…
Do you remember that commercial a few years ago where the woman asked her significant other, “Do these jeans make my butt look big?” What was he supposed to say? I mean if he thinks they do, and he says so, his life will be miserable for the foreseeable future. If he thinks they lookContinue reading “Do these jeans make my butt look big, or who to ask for feedback on your writing…”
Rejection isn’t personal, really..
In my work as a Short Story Acquisitions Editor at History Through Fiction, I frequently have to deliver bad news. Your story was not selected. Most authors are great about it. They understand that I don’t like telling them we can’t publish their story, but it is my job to choose which stories History ThroughContinue reading “Rejection isn’t personal, really..”
Is Your Draft a Little Jaga Jaga?
In a previous blog post, I wondered whether your draft might be like a hoarder’s house. In this post, we will look at a different issue, the scattered draft. One of my volunteer gigs is to teach a children’s Bible class in Tallinn at our church. My class is very small, and the students areContinue reading “Is Your Draft a Little Jaga Jaga?”