I finally wrote a query that I don't think totally stinks. We'll see if others agree!
And I'm reading two great books on writing- 'Writing The Breakout Novel' by Donald Maass and 'Don't Murder Your Mystery' by Chris Roerden.
'Writing the BO Novel', as I like to shorten it, is about broadening the scope of your writing. 'Breakout' doesn't mean to become literary, but to help midlisters or even the unpublished to write something that reaches a little deeper, that people will remember for weeks and recommend to their friends. Very good things to think about, and Maass is one of the best agents out there.
I'm plugging away at my hard copy and hope to finish this round of edits tomorrow. Then next week I'll rewrite Chapter 1 based on my latest reviews from OWW, then more edits, another pass on my query, and so on, ad naseum. Happy writing to you!
I really liked WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, too. And his latest book, THE FIRE IN FICTION, is even better, I think.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your revising and query-letter writing. And if you ever need a reader, Kelly, for anything, I'd be happy to.
I'll have to look for the fire in fiction. I almost typed that 'the fiction in fire'. I must be tired.
ReplyDeleteAnd I may take you up on that , Krista. I need fresh eyes for my query. Email on the way!
Kelly, Go, go, go! Rah, rah, rah! These endless revisions will pay off. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy! I see no end to revision, but at least there's some kind of deadline;) You make a good cheerleader.
ReplyDeleteDetails, details. But I suppose as a reader if I notice the effort, that must mean that the author didn't do a very good job of writing the story.
ReplyDeleteSteph- It's those effortless stories that made it seem easy! I realized a while ago that, like ice skating and running, it's not. Yay for hard work.
ReplyDeleteI love a good craft book. It's a source of inspiration .. as I read through it, I like having those 'yes! I can do that' moments. Congrats on the query progress. Those things can be real buggers.
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