I stood in front of the romance shelf at my local bookstore. Oh how I love the bookstore. While I embrace e-publishing, I will mourn the day when I cannot walk into an actual store and kill an hour putzing through the latest titles. But, that's an entirely different blog entry.
What I noticed as I stood there were the changing trends. A couple of years ago, tomes about vampires, vampires and more vampires lined the shelves (don't get me wrong-I loved it and read them all!). Stephenie Meyer did something amazing. She created more than a trend. She created a phenomenon. JK Rowling had done it to by getting adults to read books directed primarily for children and making them equally appealing to both age groups. These two authors are the primary reason YA is what it is today.
The vampires and wizards are still on the shelves along with other fantastical creatures or people with amazing abilities. Now, however, they've been joined by some new friends. Remember when erotica was taboo. Even the word shocked people or turned heads. If the books made it into an everyday bookstore, they were relegated to their own small section in the back of the store. Hell, you probably even had to show your ID to get into the roped off zone <grin>. Like Stephenie Meyer, but so-o-o different, E. L. James changed everything. Suddenly, erotica is everywhere. Suddenly, women of all shapes and kinds are holding Fifty Shades or others like it at the pool when I take my kids to swim. They're not hiding it behind a magazine or on their Kindle. They're flaunting it proudly.
Again, back to the bookstore, I picked up a Fifty Shades like title on the romance shelf, opened it to a page in the center of the book and turned crimson from my head to my toes. I looked around to make sure no one had seen me and quickly put the book back. This book made E. L. James look tame by comparison. I'm not judging, people. Just making an observation.
As I left my beloved bookstore, I wonder: What does this all mean for me as a writer? At once, it means nothing and everything. Nothing in the sense I don't need to worry about or copy trends and everything because anything goes these days. As budding authors, we shouldn't be afraid our story is too out there or too taboo.
In summary, we should write our story even if it involves a vampire making mad, crazy whoopee with a wizard on the mean urban streets of a dystopian world;-) Somebody will read it, eventually!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
The Dreaded Rejection in Writing, Revisited
So, I tackled rejection a couple of entries ago, but after reading one of the blogs I follow, decided it was worth revisiting. Suzie Townsend, an agent I've had my eye on for a while, just offered a wonderful opportunity on her blog. Check it out here. She will read your query and a few sample pages next week and respond with an answer of why she is passing or with a request for more. You'll notice her entry is titled, Can You Handle the Truth? It made me wonder. Can I handle it? Lord, I hope so. What better way to learn from someone who knows exactly what I may be doing wrong. I don't think I can pass up this opportunity and encourage you not to either.
A couple of years ago, I queried an agent at a prestigious literary agency. This particular agency has you send only the query letter first. I was so excited when she requested a partial and sent it immediately. After what felt like an interminable 2 or 3 weeks, she responded saying she would have to pass. Bummer but what she wrote next totally changed my writing. She wrote (and I'm paraphrasing), While I liked your idea, you need to work on showing versus telling. It was a key piece of advice for me and something I continue to struggle with everyday, but I'm working on it. Who knows how long I would have gone on not knowing my writing was lacking in this way without her kind words? I had queried her before without any such imparted wisdom, just a polite no thank you. So, to me, this felt like she thought I had potential with key changes put in place.
This agent is definitely on my short list as is Suzie Townsend. My advice to you (that is if you want my advice;-D) is to take such an opportunity. Be sure to read what Suzie is seeking first. If she doesn't rep your genre, look around. There are other agents out there who offer this on occasion. The response may just change your writing life. Consider this possible kind of rejection a Godsend. Good luck!
A couple of years ago, I queried an agent at a prestigious literary agency. This particular agency has you send only the query letter first. I was so excited when she requested a partial and sent it immediately. After what felt like an interminable 2 or 3 weeks, she responded saying she would have to pass. Bummer but what she wrote next totally changed my writing. She wrote (and I'm paraphrasing), While I liked your idea, you need to work on showing versus telling. It was a key piece of advice for me and something I continue to struggle with everyday, but I'm working on it. Who knows how long I would have gone on not knowing my writing was lacking in this way without her kind words? I had queried her before without any such imparted wisdom, just a polite no thank you. So, to me, this felt like she thought I had potential with key changes put in place.
This agent is definitely on my short list as is Suzie Townsend. My advice to you (that is if you want my advice;-D) is to take such an opportunity. Be sure to read what Suzie is seeking first. If she doesn't rep your genre, look around. There are other agents out there who offer this on occasion. The response may just change your writing life. Consider this possible kind of rejection a Godsend. Good luck!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
The Query Letter
I don't know much (which I'm sure you've figured out by now;-D), but I've learned a little about the query letter. In doing my research on literary agent blogs, I've come across a few important things I want to pass along.
I've blogged about this a little already. Work on your query letter, putting as much effort into this concise, one-page pitch as you did your 400-page novel. Make it appealing. Find a way to show your voice. Above all, be sure you use correct grammar. This is your first impression and it's extremely important (I know, enough pressure already, right?).
All of the above is important information but not exactly why I'm writing this entry. There are rules to querying just as there are to anything else.
1. Be respectful!
2. Address the agent by name. In all the blog posts about queries I read, this is a consistent piece of advice.
3. Describe your plot. It would seem this would be the first thing you would have in mind, but apparently it isn't for some people out there. It could be they don't exactly understand the purpose of the query to begin with. It's not to introduce you. It's to introduce your novel.
4. Leave your name and alternate ways to reach you (phone, address, etc.).
5. Don't include sample pages unless directly asked for.
6. Have a finished product. There are exceptions to this in nonfiction but that's an entirely different animal.
I realize I can go on and on and on. I'm sure you don't want me to do that. Especially not when you can read this stuff from people more knowledgeable than I. If you haven't yet checked out Janet Reid's blog as well as that of her alter ego, Query Shark, do so now. Right this minute! Trust me, you'll thank me for it later.
Finally, and I think my most important piece of advice above all else here, read the websites of any agent you're interested in. You will gather invaluable information there. What they are looking for and how to query. Not everyone is the same. Again, trust me on this! Good luck!
I've blogged about this a little already. Work on your query letter, putting as much effort into this concise, one-page pitch as you did your 400-page novel. Make it appealing. Find a way to show your voice. Above all, be sure you use correct grammar. This is your first impression and it's extremely important (I know, enough pressure already, right?).
All of the above is important information but not exactly why I'm writing this entry. There are rules to querying just as there are to anything else.
1. Be respectful!
2. Address the agent by name. In all the blog posts about queries I read, this is a consistent piece of advice.
3. Describe your plot. It would seem this would be the first thing you would have in mind, but apparently it isn't for some people out there. It could be they don't exactly understand the purpose of the query to begin with. It's not to introduce you. It's to introduce your novel.
4. Leave your name and alternate ways to reach you (phone, address, etc.).
5. Don't include sample pages unless directly asked for.
6. Have a finished product. There are exceptions to this in nonfiction but that's an entirely different animal.
I realize I can go on and on and on. I'm sure you don't want me to do that. Especially not when you can read this stuff from people more knowledgeable than I. If you haven't yet checked out Janet Reid's blog as well as that of her alter ego, Query Shark, do so now. Right this minute! Trust me, you'll thank me for it later.
Finally, and I think my most important piece of advice above all else here, read the websites of any agent you're interested in. You will gather invaluable information there. What they are looking for and how to query. Not everyone is the same. Again, trust me on this! Good luck!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Dreaded Rejection
When I first started writing, the idea of someone rejecting my work was always in the back of my mind. For a really long time, I didn't tell anybody I was writing. What if they asked to read it? What if they laughed at me? What if they hated it? What if they loved it? All these thoughts circled through my head for months, but still I continued to write because once I started, there was no way I could stop.
Finally, I got the nerve to tell my husband. He was so supportive, beyond supportive. He was awesome. My husband is not a reader, unless you count Sports Illustrated (yes, I know, I can't imagine either), and he definitely doesn't read what I write. So, even though he was supportive, he wasn't a good person to critique it. I kept writing and now I actually had someone I could talk to about the process. I still hadn't let anyone read it. I told a couple more people. Finally, I told a friend who was immediately like, "You have to let me read it." I was terrified. Terrified! When I got the nerve to print out a couple of copies and took one over to her house, I handed it to her with trembling hands.
All I could do was wait. I waited for a couple of days. Didn't call because I didn't want to pressure her. Two days after handing it to her on her front stoop, she texted and said, "I loved it! Do you have another for me?"
The best compliment anyone could give me. She wanted to read more!
I got similar positive feedback from others so I decided to submit it. Rejection after rejection poured in. The first couple brought me to tears. I obsessed about each one for days until the next came in. After a few months with no success, I tabled that first manuscript and moved on to another and another and then another.
Now, I can look back and realize I faced one of my biggest fears. Rejection had always been difficult for me to the point where sometimes I didn't even try. I think that's why I waited to try my hand at writing my first novel until my mid-thirties. As I prepare to start the submission phase again, I realize there is no fear this time. Rejection is a valuable part of the process. You grow from it and you get better. Most importantly, you get stronger.
So, here I go. Ready to get rejected, many times probably!
Finally, I got the nerve to tell my husband. He was so supportive, beyond supportive. He was awesome. My husband is not a reader, unless you count Sports Illustrated (yes, I know, I can't imagine either), and he definitely doesn't read what I write. So, even though he was supportive, he wasn't a good person to critique it. I kept writing and now I actually had someone I could talk to about the process. I still hadn't let anyone read it. I told a couple more people. Finally, I told a friend who was immediately like, "You have to let me read it." I was terrified. Terrified! When I got the nerve to print out a couple of copies and took one over to her house, I handed it to her with trembling hands.
All I could do was wait. I waited for a couple of days. Didn't call because I didn't want to pressure her. Two days after handing it to her on her front stoop, she texted and said, "I loved it! Do you have another for me?"
The best compliment anyone could give me. She wanted to read more!
I got similar positive feedback from others so I decided to submit it. Rejection after rejection poured in. The first couple brought me to tears. I obsessed about each one for days until the next came in. After a few months with no success, I tabled that first manuscript and moved on to another and another and then another.
Now, I can look back and realize I faced one of my biggest fears. Rejection had always been difficult for me to the point where sometimes I didn't even try. I think that's why I waited to try my hand at writing my first novel until my mid-thirties. As I prepare to start the submission phase again, I realize there is no fear this time. Rejection is a valuable part of the process. You grow from it and you get better. Most importantly, you get stronger.
So, here I go. Ready to get rejected, many times probably!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
What's My Genre?
As I've been searching agent websites for what genres they represent, I've been struck with a dilemma. What exactly is my genre?
Is my work romance? Sort of. There's definitely a lot of romance going on in my story. A strong female and male protagonist, a conflict keeping them apart, a loving reunion and then a happy ending. All hallmarks of a romance novel.
But wait a minute. Is it women's fiction? Sort of. The plot tackles various themes women experience throughout their lives with their lovers, family and friends. I gravitate toward stories about sisters and friends so that's what I write too. This one in particular tackles a family dealing with the aftereffects of domestic violence, infidelity, PTSD and wounded soldiers. Themes and relationships among sisters, all hallmarks of women's fiction.
Still not done. Is it new adult? Again, sort of. A large part of the story revolves around growing love as the characters leave their teenage years and travel into adulthood. The characters range from their early to late twenties. New adult is an emerging genre intended to target the 18-30 year old market. My story would definitely fit.
Now, why is it not romance, women's fiction or new adult? It doesn't exactly fit neatly into the romance category because I write from multiple POVs. There are a couple of main characters but there are also secondary characters pursuing their own happy endings. The heavy themes also speak more to women's fiction. Still, it doesn't neatly fit with that genre either. There is a lot of romance as well as sex. New adult can have elements of both. Themes, romance and sex. Yet, one main character is 32 by the end and I know a lot of women beyond the 18-30 range who enjoy this kind of story. Also, I think of my voice as a little more mature (more like my 38 year old self).
Having said all of the above, am I any closer to solving my dilemma? A little. There are a lot of agents out there specifically looking for works that cross genres with one foot firmly planted in a particular one. Given that, I would say my story is a work of contemporary women's fiction with strong elements of romance. I would let an agent decide whether it's appropriate for new adult. Another reason why I need an agent;-).
So, there you ago. Deciding genre is not as easy as some would have you believe, especially today in the world of romantic vampires dealing with old fashioned themes of purity and marriage with a heavy dose of fantasy and suspense. I could go on but you get my point.
Happy writing!
Is my work romance? Sort of. There's definitely a lot of romance going on in my story. A strong female and male protagonist, a conflict keeping them apart, a loving reunion and then a happy ending. All hallmarks of a romance novel.
But wait a minute. Is it women's fiction? Sort of. The plot tackles various themes women experience throughout their lives with their lovers, family and friends. I gravitate toward stories about sisters and friends so that's what I write too. This one in particular tackles a family dealing with the aftereffects of domestic violence, infidelity, PTSD and wounded soldiers. Themes and relationships among sisters, all hallmarks of women's fiction.
Still not done. Is it new adult? Again, sort of. A large part of the story revolves around growing love as the characters leave their teenage years and travel into adulthood. The characters range from their early to late twenties. New adult is an emerging genre intended to target the 18-30 year old market. My story would definitely fit.
Now, why is it not romance, women's fiction or new adult? It doesn't exactly fit neatly into the romance category because I write from multiple POVs. There are a couple of main characters but there are also secondary characters pursuing their own happy endings. The heavy themes also speak more to women's fiction. Still, it doesn't neatly fit with that genre either. There is a lot of romance as well as sex. New adult can have elements of both. Themes, romance and sex. Yet, one main character is 32 by the end and I know a lot of women beyond the 18-30 range who enjoy this kind of story. Also, I think of my voice as a little more mature (more like my 38 year old self).
Having said all of the above, am I any closer to solving my dilemma? A little. There are a lot of agents out there specifically looking for works that cross genres with one foot firmly planted in a particular one. Given that, I would say my story is a work of contemporary women's fiction with strong elements of romance. I would let an agent decide whether it's appropriate for new adult. Another reason why I need an agent;-).
So, there you ago. Deciding genre is not as easy as some would have you believe, especially today in the world of romantic vampires dealing with old fashioned themes of purity and marriage with a heavy dose of fantasy and suspense. I could go on but you get my point.
Happy writing!
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