Emotional Turmoil and Hamburger
Is there a similarity? Hmmm. It sounds catchy doesn't it? Recently I had an email interchange that I tried to analyze to determine what the other person thought and give an appropriate response. Having worked for ten years as a technology professional in a large mental health agency, I had been exposed to a great deal of such analysis and learned from the "experts" how important it was to have a voice consistent with your thoughts. I witnessed that accuracy first-hand and knew it to be only partially successful. So, in regard to the email, it just wasn't possible for me to understand what was behind words that were from a complete stranger and personalize a response. I realized that when we read, we inject our own spice into the words we see based on our own self-dilemma. I say dilemma because no one really every knows if a person has [...]
A Short List of Advice from Agents at the San Francisco Writer's Conference
At the San Francisco Writer's Conference this weekend, I attended a session called "Meet the Fiction Agents". It had a panel that included Kimberley Cameron, Liz Kracht, Jill Marsal, Taylor Martindale, Laurie McLean, Michael Neff, Rayhane Sanders, Ken Sherman, Nephele Tempest, Becky Vinter, and Gordon Warnock. These Agent gave information on what they were looking for and the types of clients they represent. In addition, there was a short talk regarding the "do's and dont's" of pitching to an editor. Since it all starts with either a pitch or the query letter, I'll share their advice on submitting queries: 1. Do your research and know the Agency. Don't waste time sending a query that doesn't represent your type of work. Check authors who write similar work and see who represents them if you're uncertain. 2. Address the individual, generic queries go to the bottom of the slush pile and may [...]
How you say it is as important as what you say, scratch that–more important
Today I'm back to Texas after a fast paced few days at the San Francisco Writer's Conference. It was a wonderful experience and very informative. One of the sessions I attended was presented by Constance Hall (I will link to her information in a moment). The session was titled "Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch: How to Let Verbs Power Your Writing". Here are a few quick notes that I took, plus information on how to learn more from Constance, herself. BTW, that title is the name of her book on the subject too. She's a fabulous and energetic presenter. If you get an opportunity to see her speak, I would highly encourage it. *** A sentence is basically two parts, right? A subject and a predicate. Think of the subject as the "what" or "protagonist" of the sentence. The predicate becomes the "so what?" or "predicament" of the sentence. The verb [...]
Killing for Cash: Writing Thrillers and Crime Fiction on Valentine's Day
This weekend I'm attending the San Francisco Writer's Conference. Why? Well, it's SAN FRANCISCO, one of the most romantic cities in the country and it started on VALENTINE"S DAY. My brain said take the hubby, go to the conference and have a romantic weekend for two. Unfortunately, the daughter ended up with a sporting event that nipped that plan in the bud...so here I am at the conference. Alone. And having a great time anyway. BUT Look what came by FedEx from the man himself! If you can't see it, they're white chocolate covered strawberries with sprinkles...and they are massive. Yes, one is missing and it was delicious. I'm saving the rest for later. What a great guy, right? Friday, one of the conference session topics was Killing for Cash. It was moderated by Kimberley Cameron, literary agent and hosts were Robert Dugoni, Sheldon Siegel, and Penny Warner (all very [...]
What does a bestseller look like?
A while back I attended the Lone Star RWA meeting in Houston, where Liz Pelletier from Entangled spelled out what her company looks for in a potential novel. I tend to be brief so I'll give you the gist of it here. The publishing industry is competitive and difficult. A publisher has to evaluate each manuscript on it's potential to sell. This is done usually by committee, providing that the manuscript makes it past one or two reviewers. My best advice to authors based on her words: Be productive. Write well and write in abundance. They hope to sell at least 12,000 copies of each manuscript that they put under contract. That's the sales number they aim for. If sales stall on a book they feel real good about, they will often change things up a bit to garner additional coverage. Perhaps they'll change the cover to make it more [...]
How to run a blog tour…by Lynn Cahoon
Please take a look at the following posts from Lynn Cahoon, Crimson Romance author. She provides excellent advice on setting up a blog tour, step-by-step. First Post: How to set up your own blog tour: http://newkidonthewritersblock.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-to-set-up-your-own-blog-tour.html Second Post: Setting up your blog tour part 2: http://newkidonthewritersblock.blogspot.com/2012/08/setting-up-your-blog-tour-part-2.html And while you're there, take a look at some of her other great information and resources for writers!
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