Friday, November 30, 2012

Fortune Cookie Friday: Yoda on Revisions

 Fridays always feel like Chinese food sort of days, and what's takeout without a fortune cookie? Thus, Fridays will bring you tips, tricks, advice, and some riddles that might apply to everything but will turn a light bulb on in your head (or maybe I just like talking like Yoda).


On many long journeys have I gone. And waited, too, for others to return from journeys of their own. Some return; some are broken; some come back so different only their names remain.

Revisions anyone?

Happy writing! 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Agent Answers: Rewrites

 You have questions? Do you constantly miss #askagent sessions on Twitter? Is it impossible, despite a hundred Google searches, to find an answer to your question? Then you've come to the right place. Ask a question either on any "Agent Answers" post or on Twitter, and I'll answer as many as I can. My answers will be subjective and should not be considered applicable to every agent (though I do like to assume my opinions are the majority).

Question: If we receive a "NO" and make a significant rewrite, is it worthwhile resubmitting?

Answer: That depends. If the agent rejected you based on the query, they're probably not interested in your concept. If you had 10 or so pages attached and you think your beginning is way better (and way different), you'll only be wasting thirty seconds of your time to send it and a few minutes of theirs (or their interns) to read it (two seconds to reject it). If the agent read a partial or full from you, it's probably really worth your time, at least, to try. I personally try to be very straightforward about requesting a revised ms. If I'm no longer interested in the concept, I'll just say no. If it still has promise, I'll go ahead and take a look.

All that said, I don't like to see five resubmissions for one project. Don't do that. One resubmission should be your max. I'd rather see you branch out and attempt new projects. I'm not saying "Give up, you suck!" I'm saying, "Know when your horse needs to take a break--he might not be dead, but he might be wheezing pretty heavily."

Happy revising!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Fortune Cookie Friday: Confucius Say

Fridays always feel like Chinese food sort of days, and what's takeout without a fortune cookie? Thus, Fridays will bring you tips, tricks, advice, and some riddles that might apply to everything but will turn a light bulb on in your head (or maybe I just like talking like Yoda).


Confucius Say
Some Sex Is Good...More Is Better...Too Much Is Just About Right 



Yeah, okay Confucius, maybe if you're a fifteen year old boy or writing erotica.


Just because your sex scene is oh so delicious, doesn't mean it belongs where your put it. Or at all. Mind your genre and your audience. Always ask yourself, what is the purpose of this scene? If the answer is, "to make a shit-load of money like Fifty Shades," either you're on the right path, or waaay turned around.


Happy writing! 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Wednesday Reads: The One that I Want

The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

Synopsis:
Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken. 

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?
First Line: "As I opened my locker, an envelope fell toward me with Gemma written in Robert's tight scrawl. My majorette tryout was in ten minutes. He must have known I'd stop here to dump my books and grab my batons before I ran down to the gym. For two years we'd been sending each other Grandparent's Day cards on our birthdays and Halloween cards on Christmas. Now he had sent me this St. Patrick's Day or Father's Day card to wish me good luck."

I had to give you the first paragraph. The first line itself isn't telling by itself, but what comes after is. We immediately know Gemma has someone close to her and they both have a quirky sense of humor. This quickly, with five sentences, we've established the status quo. And just as quickly, it's uprooted. We very quickly (key word here--quickly--sorry for the repetition) learn a little back story about how Gemma used to be overweight and she'd always been held back by a lack of self-confidence, but also that she was so motivated by her love of twirling (the "it" thing for girls in the school instead of cheering) that she lost a lot of weight and came out of her shell enough to tryout. Also established in the first few pages is that her friends are kind of asses but she doesn't realize this. Gemma is a real and tangible character, one any girl can relate to, she's flawed and fallible. I'd describe her as a Lola meets The Duff type character, with a character arch and personality everyone can root for.

Brownie Points: I have to give it to Jennifer Echols, no matter how many books of hers I read, I'm always so impressed with how fast she wins me over. Honestly, the synopsis didn't appeal to me. Yay, a love triangle and teenage emotions (insert sarcastic finger twirl here). But there is so much substance here, characters that defy the premise and make it so interesting. I might have called Addison an ass earlier, but she isn't a one dimensional character you come to hate. No, you come to understand her and sympathize with her, even root for her too.

Recommendation: If you love YA contemporary, or just novels with complex characters that find full redemption, or a summer type read, or something that makes you smile, definitely this is for you.

Would I represent it? For sure!

Happy reading!
 

Monday, November 12, 2012

Monday Madness: Objects vs Humans

Since we all love Mondays and we all love Grammar and the minutes of writing, Mondays are hereafter dedicated to things we'd rather leave in the dark. Might as well start the week with a kick in the pants. I'll bring to you the mistakes I see all the time as an agent (or just a concerned English Major) and things I think writers should just know. Tips will range from first-grade knowledge of the English language, to Master's Degree.

Quick shout out to Gina who mentioned this in the comments last week. It was on my list of things to discuss, so I moved it up because it is a very important thing for writers to be aware of. :)

WHO vs THAT

Which of the following sentences are correct?
  1. Roger is a serial killer that kills only bad people.
  2. Rapists, murderers, and drugs dealers are all people who deserve to die.
  3. The justice system is an outdated system who doesn't always work.
  4. Sometimes we need to resort to new measures that keep our streets safe.
 Two and four are both correct; one and three are incorrect.

When referring to a person, you have to use "who". The subject of sentence 1 is "Roger", and Roger is a person--not a "that", so the correct sentence would read, "Roger is a serial killer who kills only bad people". Likewise, in sentence 2, "rapists, murderers, and drug dealers" are people, so they also get the human treatment of "who".

Don't agree? Consider the following (I'm borrowing from Gina because it is a very good example): "I like girls who aren't obsessed with themselves." Would you argue that "girls" is actually an object? Well, I sure hope not!

Let's beat a dead horse, shall we? As long as it's one that doesn't stink up the place!

When referring to an object, use "that." In sentence 3, the subject is "justice system," which of course is an object. The correct sentence would read, "The justice system is an outdated system that doesn't always work." And in sentence 4, the subject is question is "measures," also an object.

You might notice I avoided using "pronouns" and "possessive" and all that technical jargon. Bleh. My job isn't to scare you off. In this instance, it's very easy to remember: human or non-human.

It might get fishy if we start talking about zombies though... Human? Non-human?

I cut off the head of the zombie that tried to eat my flesh.
or
I shot a hole in the head of the zombie who was chomping on my best friend.

I think in this case, it depends whether you or your protagonist is sympathetic towards zombies. Likewise, I'd probably refer to my dog as a "who" but refer to a random wildebeest as a "that."

It's all about context. And knowing the rules before you can break them. As Grammar Girl says here, you might talk about your evil step mother, "the woman that married my father" if you really don't like her, whereas you'd talk about your "sweet mother who divorced my father."

Agents won't immediately write you off for mistakes of this caliber, but if we see them constantly, in every paragraph, we start suspecting a lazy writer that didn't bother to learn their grammar manners (see what I did there?!).

Happy writing!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Fortune Cookie Friday: Straight Jackets

Fridays always feel like Chinese food sort of days, and what's takeout without a fortune cookie? Thus, Fridays will bring you tips, tricks, advice, and some riddles that might apply to everything but will turn a light bulb on in your head (or maybe I just like talking like Yoda).



(In honor of NaNo...)

Confucius Say
A Tattoo is permanent proof of temporary insanity.  


And a book, also a fairly permanent thing (a tattoo of the soul?), must be proof long-term insanity.


Take from that what you will.


Happy writing!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Wednesday Reads: My Life Next Door

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick, contemporary YA. A beautiful, stunning debut about love, family, betrayal, and staying true to yourself.

Synopsis:
“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? 
First Line: "The Garretts were forbidden from the start." Gets straight to the point and intrigues the reader. But what I really love is the whole first page. Because the first page is actually a flashback of sorts, some backstory. And what do we tell writers to never do? LOL But this works. And if you're contemplating breaking the rules, know what you're doing, do it well, and don't linger too long on it. The thing that really clinches this scene for me is Samantha's mother. She's kind of a bitch, and very judgmental. Everyone knows someone like that.

Brownie Points: Samantha. I love her. She's an interesting character with a lot of things going on in her life--she has multiple jobs (overachiever much?) and each job has its own hideous uniform. She's able to balance everything though, which we love her for. Until the point she can no longer balance the jobs, the family, the boyfriend, etc. And we love her even more for it!

Recommendation: Obviously, I'm going to recommend that everyone read it. But especially if you love a character-rich contemporary YA ala Sarah Dessen or Stephanie Perkins.

Would I represent it? I'm drooling with the idea of working with something so immensely awesome.

Happy reading!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Monday Madness: Definitely vs Defiantly

Since we all love Mondays and we all love Grammar and the minutes of writing, Mondays are hereafter dedicated to things we'd rather leave in the dark. Might as well start the week with a kick in the pants. I'll bring to you the mistakes I see all the time as an agent (or just a concerned English Major) and things I think writers should just know. Tips will range from first-grade knowledge of the English language, to Master's Degree.

Definitely vs Defiantly

I used to do this all the time. Thanks to Microsoft Word, my "definetly" was auto-corrected to "defiantly." I see the switch on occasion in query letters and manuscripts, but most often on Facebook from my non-English major friends.

Definitions:

def·i·nite·ly/ˈdefənitlē/

Adverb:
  1. Without doubt (used for emphasis): "I will definitely be at the airport to meet you".
  2. In a definite manner; clearly.


Definition for defiantly:

Web definitions:
rebelliously: in a rebellious manner; "he rejected her words rebelliously".
Use it in a sentence:
Due to Sandra's gangreene, her leg would definitely have to be chopped off.
Sandra screamed defiantly as Tom held her down and I approached her with the sterilized saw.


Hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!

Happy writing!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Fortune Cookie Friday: Yoda


Fridays always feel like Chinese food sort of days, and what's takeout without a fortune cookie? Thus, Fridays will bring you tips, tricks, advice, and some riddles that might apply to everything but will turn a light bulb on in your head (or maybe I just like talking like Yoda).


(you NaNo-ers have already taken this to heart)

Do or do not, there is no try.

Because some days, I like to be obvious. Put pen to paper, young padawan!

Happy writing!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

New for November

What's new for November? Besides NaNo?

I'm keeping you crazy NaNo-ers in mind this fall and starting two new blog series.

The first will kick off your week: Monday Madness. It's not quite as fun as it sounds though (except for me). It's quick grammar, vocab, etc, the simple mistakes I see as an agent (and a concerned English Major who is Facebook friends with non-English Majors).

The second will wrap up your week: Fortune Cookie Friday. This is exactly as fun as it sounds! Words of wisdom brought to you by Confucius, Yoda, and internet Memes! Completely unrelated to writing but we'll make them be relevant to us! (look for the first tomorrow-- words for you, Yoda has)

Wednesday Reads will continue (I know you've missed them) because tons of great books have come out this fall and I'm scrambling to read them all!

And, when the muse descends, I'll grace you all with my own advice and theories of this crazy world we exist in. And I'll answer your questions! If you have anything you want to know about, or ask me in general, please ask in the comments section of this post!

I'll leave you on this first day of NaNo with this:

Be safe this November... don't hurt anyone who interrupts the creative process.
Happy NaNo-ing!