In light of all of the books converted to movies I am left pondering which is the best one. It doesn't have to be an "official" book, comic books count too. I thought Hulk movie was okay, not really enought "HULK BASH" for my tastes, but it was a good story line. We can't overlook the old school movies based on books like "Interview with a Vampire", or the cartoon movie "The Last Unicorn". This is a tough question to answer, it's akin to asking me what my favorite color of nail polish is. So you tell me what is your favorite movie that was based on a book of some sort, it can be a fanasty, a comedy, a comic book, anything. I will even accept "Twilight". I just want to hear your picks.
For those out there that are interested in my pick I have to go with "Interview with a Vampire", and in a strong second is "Alice in Wonderland", the made for TV series the live action with Gene Wilder in it.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Queries: The how and what
I started the querying process back in the summer, and to be utterly honest with you the reader and myself I really didn't put my heart into it.The first reason is because it scared the living daylights out of me, and reason number two is because it's very nerve wracking. I wanted to 'test" the waters so to speak before I actually plunged in head first. I have learned a bunch since I sent off that first query, and I am sharing with you!
For those out there that do not know what a query is here is your answer. A query is a inquiry to a literary agent to ask him/her if they would be interested in representing you and your work. Most times the query letter is a single typed page that is most if the time double spaced in font. Once completed the query letter is sent to the agent via the means they prefer.
The first thing you need to do it get this book "Writers Market Guide to Literary Agents", it has all of the literary agents listed, their websites, their preferences, etc. And it is MUCH, MUCH cheaper than the Literary Marketplace which is expensive, the on-line service to subscribe is $19.95 weekly, where the Writer's Market is going to cost around $20 for the entire book (it is available on Amazon.com). There is also this handy dany website that is FREE called QueryTracker.com, there they have Literary agents listed, other writers to connect with, they even have posting boards to let you know what to expect from the person that you queried based on other people's query submissions and their results. That's awesome all together, but what got me hooked on this web page is that there you can actually keep up with who you queried and when, and even rank the agents you most want to query. I'm a bit disorganized so this is a great tool that is free.
In the "Writer's Market" they have a section on how to formulate and write your query. They offer non-fiction proposals and fiction queries, and also examples of poor queries and good ones. The real help is on Nathan Bransford's blog (there's a link to it on the left side of this page). Since he is a literary agent he knows what he likes and dislikes to see in a query, and he has some very helpful information on queries and how to formulate your query. If your in doubt of your query check out his page I'm sure he has some answers for you there, if not e-mail him. Yep, he's awesome like that.
The first thing to do when composing (it's composing because your writing a single page masterpiece!) your query is to write a BRIEF description of your work. Keep it to two paragraphs tops. Just think of it as if your writing a summery for the dust jacket, if your unsure pick up a book and read it's summery. If your summery sounds dry to you re-do it. Think "Does this sound like something I would want to purchase?" when you are reading your summery.
Make sure that you have your grammar and word choice correct, if your not sure what a word means look it up. Don't be google shy. Try to refrain from slang jargon unless your character uses it often in dialogue. Simple and clean always is best, and remember your work will stand for itself, your throwing your work out there not yourself, so when your get to the section about yourself (if you include one in your query, it's optional), keep it short and sweet. Again your promoting your writing not yourself.
It's a MUST to check how the agent receives queries, some only accept queries by e-mail, others only by snail mail. If your unsure how to go about it look the agency up and call them, simply ask how they prefer to receive submissions. Tons of agents have info on the Internet, use that to your advantage. The Writer's Market and other books are wonderful tools, but even their information can be incorrect. Always double check before you send anything off.
Most agents are very specific about the queries the receive. Do not let this scare you. If they want a single page send only a single page, if they require a synopsis send one, if they want you to have a certain font and spacing use it. It wont kill you to change your font in a single query. So the best policy for submitting to ANY agent is to check their submission guidelines.
I have heard of writers hiring people to write their query letters for them. I don't do this or condone it. Every writer as a voice that is their own. If you pay someone to write your query for you then it gets declined you will always wonder if you could have gotten a better response if you had just bucked up and wrote it yourself. I think it's borderline fibbing too. You wrote an entire book, you can write a single page query no problem.
The most important thing to remember about the querying process is that yes it is agonizing and painfully tedious but that is the way to go unless you know someone who is a agent or a friend who has a agent. But this process is wonderful, it gives you the writer time to edit your manuscript if you need to, polish it a bit more, and get your feet wet. Go to conferences, workshops and join a chat group online or writers circle. Savor the process and use it to your advantage instead of it using you. You have all the time in the world to get your query right and to get the agent that is right for you. Why rush the process and get an agent you don't mesh well with?
I hope this was helpful, and if you have any tips and tricks for queries leave a comment, they are most welcome.
For those out there that do not know what a query is here is your answer. A query is a inquiry to a literary agent to ask him/her if they would be interested in representing you and your work. Most times the query letter is a single typed page that is most if the time double spaced in font. Once completed the query letter is sent to the agent via the means they prefer.
The first thing you need to do it get this book "Writers Market Guide to Literary Agents", it has all of the literary agents listed, their websites, their preferences, etc. And it is MUCH, MUCH cheaper than the Literary Marketplace which is expensive, the on-line service to subscribe is $19.95 weekly, where the Writer's Market is going to cost around $20 for the entire book (it is available on Amazon.com). There is also this handy dany website that is FREE called QueryTracker.com, there they have Literary agents listed, other writers to connect with, they even have posting boards to let you know what to expect from the person that you queried based on other people's query submissions and their results. That's awesome all together, but what got me hooked on this web page is that there you can actually keep up with who you queried and when, and even rank the agents you most want to query. I'm a bit disorganized so this is a great tool that is free.
In the "Writer's Market" they have a section on how to formulate and write your query. They offer non-fiction proposals and fiction queries, and also examples of poor queries and good ones. The real help is on Nathan Bransford's blog (there's a link to it on the left side of this page). Since he is a literary agent he knows what he likes and dislikes to see in a query, and he has some very helpful information on queries and how to formulate your query. If your in doubt of your query check out his page I'm sure he has some answers for you there, if not e-mail him. Yep, he's awesome like that.
The first thing to do when composing (it's composing because your writing a single page masterpiece!) your query is to write a BRIEF description of your work. Keep it to two paragraphs tops. Just think of it as if your writing a summery for the dust jacket, if your unsure pick up a book and read it's summery. If your summery sounds dry to you re-do it. Think "Does this sound like something I would want to purchase?" when you are reading your summery.
Make sure that you have your grammar and word choice correct, if your not sure what a word means look it up. Don't be google shy. Try to refrain from slang jargon unless your character uses it often in dialogue. Simple and clean always is best, and remember your work will stand for itself, your throwing your work out there not yourself, so when your get to the section about yourself (if you include one in your query, it's optional), keep it short and sweet. Again your promoting your writing not yourself.
It's a MUST to check how the agent receives queries, some only accept queries by e-mail, others only by snail mail. If your unsure how to go about it look the agency up and call them, simply ask how they prefer to receive submissions. Tons of agents have info on the Internet, use that to your advantage. The Writer's Market and other books are wonderful tools, but even their information can be incorrect. Always double check before you send anything off.
Most agents are very specific about the queries the receive. Do not let this scare you. If they want a single page send only a single page, if they require a synopsis send one, if they want you to have a certain font and spacing use it. It wont kill you to change your font in a single query. So the best policy for submitting to ANY agent is to check their submission guidelines.
I have heard of writers hiring people to write their query letters for them. I don't do this or condone it. Every writer as a voice that is their own. If you pay someone to write your query for you then it gets declined you will always wonder if you could have gotten a better response if you had just bucked up and wrote it yourself. I think it's borderline fibbing too. You wrote an entire book, you can write a single page query no problem.
The most important thing to remember about the querying process is that yes it is agonizing and painfully tedious but that is the way to go unless you know someone who is a agent or a friend who has a agent. But this process is wonderful, it gives you the writer time to edit your manuscript if you need to, polish it a bit more, and get your feet wet. Go to conferences, workshops and join a chat group online or writers circle. Savor the process and use it to your advantage instead of it using you. You have all the time in the world to get your query right and to get the agent that is right for you. Why rush the process and get an agent you don't mesh well with?
I hope this was helpful, and if you have any tips and tricks for queries leave a comment, they are most welcome.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Starting out
A ton of writers,myself included, have trouble starting a new project. I try to remember that the best stories are the ones with simple clean story lines. They are the easiest to begin, then once your comfortable with the characters you can begin to make them more complex and build upon them. An example of a basic story line is Judy loved Frank, but doesn't anymore; She wants out of the marriage but refuses to divorce Frank. Simple, a story about love that has died. From there we can easily build it up. This story could go different ways, a murder story where Judy tries to off Frank but fails every time or maybe a romance where Frank knows what is happening to Judy and resolves to win back her love. The key to it all is keeping things simple and being able to get into your character's mind, can you understand Judy's point of view? Why is she so dead set against divorce? Is it because of her religion, money maybe, or does she have another reason? To tell your character's story properly from their voice, not yours, you need to be able to understand them from top to bottom. Have a discussion with them, start out by asking them questions about their life (Kind of like a Q&A) and really pay attention to their responses. Their responses will tell you about them, their personality gems will sparkle thorough the dust. It may seem like a silly exercise but it works. Some questions you could ask them, Do they smoke? If yes or no ,why. Do they carry weapons on them at all times? If so why. What is their favorite type of shoe? A shoe can tell you volumes about a person. If they prefer to be barefoot perhaps they are a carefree person who could care less about social expectations, or if they wear combat boots and they only own combat boots they could be a person who is prepared for the worst, who knows when they will need sturdy foot gear to kick in a door. The most basic of questions will enable you to see who your story is really about and their main goals. Getting to know your characters is the easiest way to begin. Who knows you might actually like who they are.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I am
This is a brand new blog. This is the first post as you can clearly see. Let me tell you a bit about myself. I am a mother of 2 boys under the age of 7 years. I actually began writing for them. I got tired of reading them stories that someone else wrote and I began to tell them stories that I made up myself. I wanted to have something to pass on to the future generations.
I have always loved books, I read Anne of Green Gables when I was in the third grade, I have a very worn copy of Alice in Wonderland that I got for my birthday when I was 8. Love for books was bred into me. My mother and father both are readers. I can remember being snuggled up on the couch in between my mom and dad while they read Lonesome Dove aloud to each other, then of course later on they would watch the TV mini-series. (overkill huh?)
Your most likely now asking yourself, well what has she wrote? Nothing that has been published, yet. I have a manuscript in the editing stage, but it is done. I'm actually working on it's sequel in the series. I am a youth fantansy fiction writer. I am all for meeting other writers, even ones of different genres. The purpose of this blog is to hopefully reach out to other writers and shine a bit of sunshine on their day. Hey, writing can be a lonely occupation. I am looking forward to getting started in ernest on my next post. Do you have an issue, a question about writing? Leave me a comment and I'll do my best to help.
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