Monday, January 25, 2010
I think I owe the job market an apology
So maybe I was a little premature in this morning's post. Or maybe it was a good thing. I have a job interview next week and I'm really excited about it. I will keep you updated!
What's wrong with this picture?
As I was thinking about what to blog about this week I realized I didn't know what to write about. So I pondered it for a few hours and realized how depressing the job market is right now. So, this is going to be a (mercifully short) rant post.
So, being a first year law student has enough stress attached to it with the constant studying and piles of reading. You add the search for a decent summer job and you have one neurotic me. Which I have to say is not fun for anyone.
I have submitted to probably twenty places (a little less than the number of agents I submitted to before I found Roger), and I'e had one positive response. Yep, you heard me right. One. Uno. Everything else, dead silence. I realize it's only January and that summer is like 5 or 6 months away but I need something solid in the next month or so. I'm hoping to haear back from some other places and not just have to rely on the one place that showed interest.
There is someting seriously wrong with this picture. It shouldn't be easier to land a literary agent than a summer job. It just shouldn't. Agent searching is a long, arduous process and yet It took me a little under two months to get that squared away. But with jobs, it's like I'm spinning my wheels even when I'm not. I know the leal job market is a festering pool of dispair right now but it makes me all sad inside. In my special angry place.
Check back next week for your regularly scheduled writer-y topics.
So, being a first year law student has enough stress attached to it with the constant studying and piles of reading. You add the search for a decent summer job and you have one neurotic me. Which I have to say is not fun for anyone.
I have submitted to probably twenty places (a little less than the number of agents I submitted to before I found Roger), and I'e had one positive response. Yep, you heard me right. One. Uno. Everything else, dead silence. I realize it's only January and that summer is like 5 or 6 months away but I need something solid in the next month or so. I'm hoping to haear back from some other places and not just have to rely on the one place that showed interest.
There is someting seriously wrong with this picture. It shouldn't be easier to land a literary agent than a summer job. It just shouldn't. Agent searching is a long, arduous process and yet It took me a little under two months to get that squared away. But with jobs, it's like I'm spinning my wheels even when I'm not. I know the leal job market is a festering pool of dispair right now but it makes me all sad inside. In my special angry place.
Check back next week for your regularly scheduled writer-y topics.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Script and Novel: Half Siblings or Distant Cousins?
So I thought I was depart a little from advice giving on getting that dream agent and share a sort of odd experience in which I currently find myself. The idea that a storyline written in one medium can be put into another.
Roughtly 2 1/2 years ago, I wrote a full length movie script. While the experience of writing in a new medium was certainly fun and interesting, I realized scripts aren't my cup of tea. Not enough room for prose and the dialogue really has to carry the story. So I let it sit on my hard drive for a long while.
Now, I find myself revisiting the story I managed to tell in that sript. It was a fun story and the characters are snarky and really go on quite the wild journey. So what have I decided to do? That's right. I'm taking that script and turning it into a novel. I'm not sure what will become of the finished product. Only time can tell that. However, it is a new experience taking from one medium and turning it into something so utterly different. Or is it?
I've found that the script format lends itself well to a rather detailed outline. Scenes simply need some fleshing out and the dilaogue is all there and ready to be put into the moment. As I go through this process of transfer, I'm reconnecting with these characters all over again. I'm reliving their journey and it reminds me why I loved the story in the first place.
So the question becomes, are scripts and novels more half siblings or distant cousins? My vote: half siblings. They come from the same place of creativity even if they are different in execution. But, despite their differences, they can still play well together.
Roughtly 2 1/2 years ago, I wrote a full length movie script. While the experience of writing in a new medium was certainly fun and interesting, I realized scripts aren't my cup of tea. Not enough room for prose and the dialogue really has to carry the story. So I let it sit on my hard drive for a long while.
Now, I find myself revisiting the story I managed to tell in that sript. It was a fun story and the characters are snarky and really go on quite the wild journey. So what have I decided to do? That's right. I'm taking that script and turning it into a novel. I'm not sure what will become of the finished product. Only time can tell that. However, it is a new experience taking from one medium and turning it into something so utterly different. Or is it?
I've found that the script format lends itself well to a rather detailed outline. Scenes simply need some fleshing out and the dilaogue is all there and ready to be put into the moment. As I go through this process of transfer, I'm reconnecting with these characters all over again. I'm reliving their journey and it reminds me why I loved the story in the first place.
So the question becomes, are scripts and novels more half siblings or distant cousins? My vote: half siblings. They come from the same place of creativity even if they are different in execution. But, despite their differences, they can still play well together.
Monday, January 11, 2010
How to Snag an Agent Part 2: Synopsis
Hey all!
Here is the second part of How to Snag an Agent. Today we'll be talking about the synopsis. Some think that writing the synopsis is just as hard as the query letter and they may be right. It takes the bare bones of the query letter and fleshes it out.
In a synopsis, unlike in a query letter, you want to introduce all the characters, their problems and most importantly how everything is resolved. The agent wants to know the ending in a synopsis. Perhaps one of the reasons synopses are tricky is because they differ in length from agent to agent. A general rule though is if you can get your query down to 2-3 pages, you're golden.
Some tips for how to write the synopsis. Think of it sort of as an outline of what happens at each stage of the story and follow the main character on their journey. Keep the writing in third person present tense. When you introduce a character for the first time, put their name in all capital letters. You should also make sure you double space your synopsis, using standard 1 inch margins and Times New Roman 12 pt font.
One thing many writers struggle with both in the query and the synopsis is getting their voice to shine through. One way to handle that is to write the synopsis first in first person present tense from the perspective of the main character, changing all of the necessary nouns and verbs afterward to transition into third.
Since I shared with you all my query for EUTERPE, I thought I would also share with you my synopsis. Keep in mind that this was before I did my first round of edits with my editor so some aspects of the storyline have changed.
Ten-year-old ABIGAIL “ABBIE” ROLLANDS knows she is in trouble again when she’s sent to the Principal’s office. On top of being suspended for a week, her Mom grounds her for something she didn't do. She tells her mom that it wasn't her fault that her classmate PETER tried to work out a math problem on the board; it came out as a sappy love poem instead, even though everybody thinks it was. Abbie’s mother makes her go to see psychologist, DR. PRISCILLA PHILLIPS. Abbie tries to forget the meeting as she spends a fun-filled weekend with her dad but finds it difficult.
Reluctantly, Abbie returns to see the psychologist. The session goes quickly and Abbie is grateful to race out the door with her dad. The next time, after a drink of water offered by Dr. Phillips, Abbie blacks out. When she wakes up she’s in a room with no door. And she’s not alone. ROSALIA “ROSA” BIANCHI shares her prison. And they have more in common than just being cellmates. Both girls can make people around them do strange things.
The next morning, Dr. Phillips returns with another girl, the unconscious body of ERIN KEMP. Immediately upon waking, Erin takes charge, trying to find a way out. Abbie comments that there is a window in the bathroom. It might be a way out.
While in the bathroom, Abbie balances Erin on her shoulders so she can reach the window high above them. To their dismay the window is sealed shut and all the girls succeed in doing is hurting themselves. Dr. Phillips gives them a knowing smile as she drags them back to their prison.
As if the entire experience isn’t freaky enough, a telepathic owl, GLAUKOS, visits in the middle of the night. After an initial bout of thinking they’re crazy, the girls listen as Glaukos tells them that they are really three of the Greek Muses; EUTERPE, CALLIOPE and POLYHYMNIA. And that’s not all. Dr. Phillips is the Greek goddess PERSEPHONE. Before disappearing in a puff of feathers, it tells them that knowledge is their greatest ally. Abbie and her new friends are left to find a way out on their own.
The next time Dr. Phillips returns, she brings a keyboard and three chairs. She informs the girls they will be working on a project together, writing a play. Abbie thinks the idea ridiculous but fakes being interested. After the session, Rosa confides in her friends that the experience was less than pleasant. She describes the feeling as being tugged along by a hand.
Abbie uses Glaukos’ advice to sneak past Dr. Phillips and search the outer room for anything that might give them information on their history. Abbie succeeds in retrieving a book without being noticed. After the session, the girls browse the book, learning all they can about Persephone and the muses.
Abbie and her friends manage to prop the secret door open just enough to hear the conversation in the next room. Dr. Phillips admits she plans to keep the girls locked up until she finishes writing the play which, once complete, will break up people in happy, healthy relationships. The feeling will spread until people all over the country are breaking up.
Realizing the danger in letting Dr. Phillips win, the girls use what they have learned about their gifts to inspire Dr. Phillips at the same time. Rosa escapes with the book and Dr. Phillips’ notes before the doctor starts fighting back. Abbie must decide if it’s worth risking her own freedom to save Erin. In the end Abbie risks her own safety to save her new friend.
After Dr. Phillips is in police custody, Abbie and her friends are reunited with their families. Shortly, Abbie finds herself back at school. Her mother informs Principal Tannery that Abbie won’t be returning for the last month of school. Abbie can’t believe her luck. As summer begins, Abbie, Rosa and Erin gather for a sleepover, destroying the notes for Dr. Phillips’ play, solidifying their bond as muses and friends.
Here is the second part of How to Snag an Agent. Today we'll be talking about the synopsis. Some think that writing the synopsis is just as hard as the query letter and they may be right. It takes the bare bones of the query letter and fleshes it out.
In a synopsis, unlike in a query letter, you want to introduce all the characters, their problems and most importantly how everything is resolved. The agent wants to know the ending in a synopsis. Perhaps one of the reasons synopses are tricky is because they differ in length from agent to agent. A general rule though is if you can get your query down to 2-3 pages, you're golden.
Some tips for how to write the synopsis. Think of it sort of as an outline of what happens at each stage of the story and follow the main character on their journey. Keep the writing in third person present tense. When you introduce a character for the first time, put their name in all capital letters. You should also make sure you double space your synopsis, using standard 1 inch margins and Times New Roman 12 pt font.
One thing many writers struggle with both in the query and the synopsis is getting their voice to shine through. One way to handle that is to write the synopsis first in first person present tense from the perspective of the main character, changing all of the necessary nouns and verbs afterward to transition into third.
Since I shared with you all my query for EUTERPE, I thought I would also share with you my synopsis. Keep in mind that this was before I did my first round of edits with my editor so some aspects of the storyline have changed.
Ten-year-old ABIGAIL “ABBIE” ROLLANDS knows she is in trouble again when she’s sent to the Principal’s office. On top of being suspended for a week, her Mom grounds her for something she didn't do. She tells her mom that it wasn't her fault that her classmate PETER tried to work out a math problem on the board; it came out as a sappy love poem instead, even though everybody thinks it was. Abbie’s mother makes her go to see psychologist, DR. PRISCILLA PHILLIPS. Abbie tries to forget the meeting as she spends a fun-filled weekend with her dad but finds it difficult.
Reluctantly, Abbie returns to see the psychologist. The session goes quickly and Abbie is grateful to race out the door with her dad. The next time, after a drink of water offered by Dr. Phillips, Abbie blacks out. When she wakes up she’s in a room with no door. And she’s not alone. ROSALIA “ROSA” BIANCHI shares her prison. And they have more in common than just being cellmates. Both girls can make people around them do strange things.
The next morning, Dr. Phillips returns with another girl, the unconscious body of ERIN KEMP. Immediately upon waking, Erin takes charge, trying to find a way out. Abbie comments that there is a window in the bathroom. It might be a way out.
While in the bathroom, Abbie balances Erin on her shoulders so she can reach the window high above them. To their dismay the window is sealed shut and all the girls succeed in doing is hurting themselves. Dr. Phillips gives them a knowing smile as she drags them back to their prison.
As if the entire experience isn’t freaky enough, a telepathic owl, GLAUKOS, visits in the middle of the night. After an initial bout of thinking they’re crazy, the girls listen as Glaukos tells them that they are really three of the Greek Muses; EUTERPE, CALLIOPE and POLYHYMNIA. And that’s not all. Dr. Phillips is the Greek goddess PERSEPHONE. Before disappearing in a puff of feathers, it tells them that knowledge is their greatest ally. Abbie and her new friends are left to find a way out on their own.
The next time Dr. Phillips returns, she brings a keyboard and three chairs. She informs the girls they will be working on a project together, writing a play. Abbie thinks the idea ridiculous but fakes being interested. After the session, Rosa confides in her friends that the experience was less than pleasant. She describes the feeling as being tugged along by a hand.
Abbie uses Glaukos’ advice to sneak past Dr. Phillips and search the outer room for anything that might give them information on their history. Abbie succeeds in retrieving a book without being noticed. After the session, the girls browse the book, learning all they can about Persephone and the muses.
Abbie and her friends manage to prop the secret door open just enough to hear the conversation in the next room. Dr. Phillips admits she plans to keep the girls locked up until she finishes writing the play which, once complete, will break up people in happy, healthy relationships. The feeling will spread until people all over the country are breaking up.
Realizing the danger in letting Dr. Phillips win, the girls use what they have learned about their gifts to inspire Dr. Phillips at the same time. Rosa escapes with the book and Dr. Phillips’ notes before the doctor starts fighting back. Abbie must decide if it’s worth risking her own freedom to save Erin. In the end Abbie risks her own safety to save her new friend.
After Dr. Phillips is in police custody, Abbie and her friends are reunited with their families. Shortly, Abbie finds herself back at school. Her mother informs Principal Tannery that Abbie won’t be returning for the last month of school. Abbie can’t believe her luck. As summer begins, Abbie, Rosa and Erin gather for a sleepover, destroying the notes for Dr. Phillips’ play, solidifying their bond as muses and friends.
Friday, January 8, 2010
How to Snag an Agent Part 1: Query Letters
Hey everyone! First blog post of 2010. As promised, we'll be discussing writing query letters. It is the first part to snagging an agent once you've gotten your list of properly vetted agents together.
Query letters are one of the hardest parts about the whole writing process. You have to fit in the important parts of your novel, what makes it unique in about 200 words. Not an easy feat as one might imagine.
So here are a few tips on how to go about it. We'll discuss format and then cover three important questions to answer in a query to provide the agent/reader with an exciting hook that will make them want to read the manuscript.
So, format. That's the easy part. Remember that this is a business letter so you want to come off as professionally as you can. That means, ending the salutation with a colon, and the closing with a comma. See below for general format.
Dear [Agent Name]:
I am seeking representation for [TITLE HERE IN ALL CAPS], a XX,XXX-word (round to the nearest 1,000 words) [genre]. NOTE: This can go at the bottom of the letter, before the closing as well. Also, if you envision your book to be the first in a series, it must be able to stand alone. Generally, using language such as "is a stand alone with series potential" conveys the intended information to the agent.
Paragraphs 1 and 2 (sometimes 3) present the meat of your novel. In these paragraphs you'll want to answer three questions: 1) what does your main character want? 2) How do they plan to get it? and 3) What happens if they fail to get it (the stakes)? Once you've included thsi information, you can add other details to round it out.
The final paragraph is reserved for writing credentials. Don't worry if you don't have any. Many agents know that first time authors don't have any previous publication history. If that's the case, the solution is simple. Just don't include this paragraph.
The manuscript is available upon request. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address
Your Phone Number
Your Email
So, I thought I would share my query letter for EUTERPE'S SONG so you can get a feel for what a decent query letter looks like. Keep in mind, I had a lot of help on this letter. It went through about 9 or 10 revisions before it got to this point. Here we go.
Dear [Agent Name]:
Ten-year-old Abbie Rollands swears she doesn’t know why other kids around her break into dance or write love poems when they’re supposed to be doing long division. But when her mother sends her to see a psychologist after she is suspended from school, she knows she's in big trouble. But trouble doesn't even begin to cover it when Abbie blacks out during one of her sessions. She wakes up to find herself imprisoned in a room with no door, in the company of two unfamiliar girls.
As if that wasn’t freaky enough, Abbie and her new companions learn they are three of the Greek Muses and they’re not alone -- the entire Greek pantheon still exists all over the world, being reborn each generation. In fact, Abbie’s psychologist, Dr. Phillips, is really the Greek goddess Persephone! She plans to keep the girls locked up, using their gifts to write a play that will sow discord and heartbreak whenever it’s performed.
Abbie and her fellow Muses must learn to control their abilities and rely on their growing friendship if they are to have any chance of stopping Persephone’s plan. If they don’t, never seeing their families or homes again will be the least of their worries.
EUTERPE'S SONG, a middle grade urban fantasy complete at 35,000 words, is a stand alone with series potential. The manuscript is available upon request. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Me
Query letters are one of the hardest parts about the whole writing process. You have to fit in the important parts of your novel, what makes it unique in about 200 words. Not an easy feat as one might imagine.
So here are a few tips on how to go about it. We'll discuss format and then cover three important questions to answer in a query to provide the agent/reader with an exciting hook that will make them want to read the manuscript.
So, format. That's the easy part. Remember that this is a business letter so you want to come off as professionally as you can. That means, ending the salutation with a colon, and the closing with a comma. See below for general format.
Dear [Agent Name]:
I am seeking representation for [TITLE HERE IN ALL CAPS], a XX,XXX-word (round to the nearest 1,000 words) [genre]. NOTE: This can go at the bottom of the letter, before the closing as well. Also, if you envision your book to be the first in a series, it must be able to stand alone. Generally, using language such as "is a stand alone with series potential" conveys the intended information to the agent.
Paragraphs 1 and 2 (sometimes 3) present the meat of your novel. In these paragraphs you'll want to answer three questions: 1) what does your main character want? 2) How do they plan to get it? and 3) What happens if they fail to get it (the stakes)? Once you've included thsi information, you can add other details to round it out.
The final paragraph is reserved for writing credentials. Don't worry if you don't have any. Many agents know that first time authors don't have any previous publication history. If that's the case, the solution is simple. Just don't include this paragraph.
The manuscript is available upon request. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address
Your Phone Number
Your Email
So, I thought I would share my query letter for EUTERPE'S SONG so you can get a feel for what a decent query letter looks like. Keep in mind, I had a lot of help on this letter. It went through about 9 or 10 revisions before it got to this point. Here we go.
Dear [Agent Name]:
Ten-year-old Abbie Rollands swears she doesn’t know why other kids around her break into dance or write love poems when they’re supposed to be doing long division. But when her mother sends her to see a psychologist after she is suspended from school, she knows she's in big trouble. But trouble doesn't even begin to cover it when Abbie blacks out during one of her sessions. She wakes up to find herself imprisoned in a room with no door, in the company of two unfamiliar girls.
As if that wasn’t freaky enough, Abbie and her new companions learn they are three of the Greek Muses and they’re not alone -- the entire Greek pantheon still exists all over the world, being reborn each generation. In fact, Abbie’s psychologist, Dr. Phillips, is really the Greek goddess Persephone! She plans to keep the girls locked up, using their gifts to write a play that will sow discord and heartbreak whenever it’s performed.
Abbie and her fellow Muses must learn to control their abilities and rely on their growing friendship if they are to have any chance of stopping Persephone’s plan. If they don’t, never seeing their families or homes again will be the least of their worries.
EUTERPE'S SONG, a middle grade urban fantasy complete at 35,000 words, is a stand alone with series potential. The manuscript is available upon request. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Me
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