Self publish vs. agent

Back in 2014, I sent out...mmmm (too lazy to check my sent box) about 100 queries. I got a few bites. Two partials. One full. All rejections. 

Since then, I've gone back to school and have had co-workers, friends, colleagues, and even professors edit/help me revise my book. I know now, it's as strong as it's going to be. Sure, I've written other things, but I can't move on. I love this book and these characters SO much that I can't leave it alone. I won't. So, here it is 2018, and I sent out queries again. 

A whole whopping 18 queries. 

Something has changed.

Before, I was practically desperate. I queried EVERYONE. Literally. But now, I'm more choosy. I judge the tone of the agent's bios. I don't think I'd like to work with them. Eventually, my list dwindled and dwindled. Granted, I haven't gone through the whole list. (Only querying 18 out of 100 would be too extreme. Too picky, right?) 

But I'm having a hard time. Rejections are hard. Reading about an agent--liking them as much as you can like another person through the internet--and having them reject you is hard. What's even harder? Receiving a personal rejection. Yep, just got one of those the other day. It was so nice. SO nice and genuine. But it hurt. 

I used to think self publishing was giving up. (I know, I was kind of an asshole.) But the more and more I think about it, the more I want it. Is that bad? Is it bad to quit querying and decide to self publish? 

The book market is tough, and I never see agents or publishers actively looking for my genre. (YA urban fantasy) Oh--and it has vampires and werewolves--which agents HATE right now. But, I love them, and there's people out there that still love them and you know where they are finding those books? Amazon.

I'm not going to put my book on amazon tomorrow, but I am going to start doing research and I think eventually, I will go that route. 

I'm excited. 

My blog is lost in the sea of unrecognized blogs, but if you're here, leave me a comment. When did you decide to self publish? 

Poem Analysis: Because I Could Not Stop For Death

Because I Could Not Stop For Death is a lyrical poem because it tells a story using rhythm and delves into the author’s emotions. Upon reading the poem for the first time, I assumed--from the title--that is was going to be about someone dying, and perhaps contemplating their life while on their deathbed. While the poem is about death, it personifies death and makes death a peaceful journey rather than suffering until the end. The reason I chose the poem is because I had read it around the same time I got a scary diagnosis, and it helped me not be so scared of the worse case scenario--death.

The poem is about a woman who gets picked up by a gentleman in a carriage. The gentleman is Death. They travel peacefully and slowly taking their time. They pass children playing, fields, and even the sun until it stops at her grave. Her trip seems like it went by fast, but actually it lasted an eternity.

Not only does the poem tell a visualizing story, it captures feelings. It’s visual in the way that it shows the children playing, grain fields, and the setting sun.There’s more to these things being visuals though. On one hand, it shows how life is still going on without her. Children are still going to play, grains are still going to grow, and the sun is still going to set. It shows how insignificant she is in the world, and yet, in another way, it can be seen of her life passing before her. The playground is when she was a child, the grains is when she  was grown and strong, and the setting sun when she was at the end of her life. The speaker is a woman explaining her journey with Death. We know she’s a woman because he’s wearing a dress. The poem starts with “because” and due to this it gives a feeling that she is explaining something to other people.

“For only Gossamer, my Gown –  / My Tippet – only Tulle” (15-16)

She talks in past tense as if her journey had already happened and she is telling someone about it.

“Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet / Feels shorter than the Day” (21-22)

The speaker does appear to be addressing other people, like she is telling a story perhaps to the living, by way that the poem has a narrative feeling to it.

The voice of the poem holds a very patient and calming tone. Her attitude is neutral toward Death--maybe a little respectful. Death isn’t something to feared, but rather like a companion. The tone stays consistent in its serene nature until the very end. I don’t believe the poet was being ironic, I think she was fascinated and scared of death and this was a way to cope with it. In her time, death was something often contemplated because religion focused heavily on death and back then people died more easily than today. She often wrote about death, but in this unique poem, death is something entirely different.

The poem speaks to everyone because as humans, we are often contemplating death and are scared of it. Death is often seen as a scary figure, painful, or the end of everything, but this poem shows it in a different light. Rather than the grim reaper with a skull face and sythe, a companion comes for us, and rather than it being the end, we go on a journey--one that lasts longer than our life. The poem states, “The Carriage held but just Ourselves –  / And Immortality.” (3-4) By saying immortality rather than mortality, it shows that the speaker doesn’t think death is the end. Death will always be something we fear because it’s the unknown, which makes the poem even more relatable because we want death to be something like this. It’s hopeful. This poem resonates with all because everyone is scared to die.

In the beginning lines, “Because I could not stop for Death – / He kindly stopped for me” (1-2) by her using the word “kindly” it already starts Death off as a gentle figure and eases the mind. By saying, “I could not stop for Death,”(1) it relates to people because not only are we so busy living our lives--almost too busy to stop for anything--we especially don’t want to stop for death because we don’t want to die. And by her saying Death stopped for her shows us a kind gesture even without her using the word “kind” because she herself was too busy to stop for anyone, but Death stopped for her.

The poem is organized in very short sentences with dashes. When one reads it, it makes the reader pause and read slowly and gives the feeling of the poem where everything is moving patiently and relaxed. The line breaks often reveal more to the story, almost like a tiny plot twist. For instance, “We passed the Setting Sun – / Or rather – He passed us – “ (16-17), at first when she states they passed the setting sun, you get an image that the sun is setting, it’s getting darker, but then when she springs the second part it shows you how slowly they are travelling and they perhaps it’s not them passing life by, but by life passing them by. Nothing changes when you die.

She uses dashes to explain more detail and make the poem more visual. As an example, “At Recess – in the Ring –” (10) and “My Tippet – only Tulle –” (16) by using the dashes, she creates the picture and explains what the children are playing, and what her dress is made of, rather than making the poem wordy. Technically, the poem isn’t shaped a  certain way, and it’s not concrete, but there is something about how narrow the poem is--how she uses clipped words--that makes the poem pause a lot and read slowly, so as the reader reads it cascading downwards, it comes off as the same pace as perhaps the carriage. This would be lost if the poem got changed to a prose.

Although there is a rhyme scheme, the poet likes to break it a bit in this poem. She rhymes “Me” with “Immortality”, she also uses slant rhymes such as, “Day” and “Eternity”, but she even go as far as no rhyme at all, like with, “Ring” and “Sun”. It works though because throughout the poem she uses, “Immortality”, “Civility”, and “Eternity” to all come together in a rhyme scheme. Another way she ties the poem together is by saying “We passed” over and over, and then at the end, when they get to her grave, she says, “We paused.”

Dickenson likes to capitalize nouns to make them sound important and stand out. For instance, in the lines, “The Carriage held but just Ourselves – / And Immortality.” (3-4) Immortality is capitalized almost as if it’s a person, like Death is. Some people believe that Immortality is also a person, a chaperone in fact, because during Dickinson’s life, couples needed to have a chaperone. Although, Ourselves--among other words--is also capitalized  emphasizing that perhaps they are by themselves.

The Carriage is a striking image in the poem because it’s where all the action takes place. Here, she also capitalizes it, showing its importance. It’s a metaphor for the journey to death--and with death. The sun setting, and the speaker getting chilly is also a metaphor for the coldness we associate with death. When she says, “Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet / Feels shorter than the Day / I first surmised the Horses’ Heads / Were toward Eternity (21-24), by using “surmise” we see that all of this is based on feelings or instincts.

Death says nothing to her, and yet she still feels at peace even without knowing for sure what’s going on.

I chose this poem because I find it both enchanting and peaceful. It’s like listening to a lullaby, and it has a calming affect. Death is something everyone contemplates, and the idea of it can be so cruel and frightening, but this poem makes me brave. The poet could anticipate a reader like me because every single human contemplates death numerous of times. It’s the unknown, and it’s everyone's’ most primal fear.

I liked the poem the first time I read it because I really loved how Death wasn’t a scary skull in a black cloak. It was the first time Death was depicted as gentle and kind. I also love the era, so the carriage, the gown, and the gothic atmosphere just comes together so perfectly in my mind. I think anyone can appreciate this poem. I think at the end when they get to the “house”, it can be a little confusing because people are expecting either a tombstone or golden gates, so when she’s taken to a house in the ground, I could see it not being so clear at first.

Work Of The Day: Chbosky

So, this is a little change of pace. Normally, I bore you all with Old English works. Yet, today I'm posting something a little more contemporary: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. Have you read it? Perhaps you've seen the movie? Yes, the one with Harmione. Btw, her name is Emma Watson, and you should look into her some more because she's a phenomenal person. But anyways, if you haven't read it, then as my favorite Lit Professor says, "There's still time." It's not long, and it's a very easy read. It'll change you, in a good way, of course. 

Now, I could put literally a hundred things I love in this book down, but I'll do my favorite. When I read this part, goose-bumps rose on my arms. It's like the author knows what's in your heart, your feelings. There's things you experience, and yet, you can't put them into words, because it's more of a feeling. Yet, Stephen Chbosky, slams it right into your gut, and aha! there it is! Yes, you know exactly what the character is feeling because you've been there. 

Okay, I can ramble on forever about this. So here it is:

“Because I know there are people who say all these things don’t happen. And there are people who forget what it’s like to be sixteen when they turn seventeen. I know these will all be stories some day, and our pictures will become old photographs. We all become somebody’s mom or dad. But right now, these moments are not stories. This is happening. I am here, and I am looking at her. And she is so beautiful. I can see it. This one moment when you know you’re not a sad story. You are alive. And you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you’re listening to that song, and that drive with the people who you love most in this world. And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite.”
                                       

Work Of The Day: Milton

I chose this sonnet because Milton was blind, and here he states how he dreamed of his late wife, and although he couldn't see her face in his dream--which he had never seen her face--she was the sight of love, sweetness, and goodness. Now, that's true love right there. And then the last line will just strike you right in the heart, especially if you're a literature lover like myself, which I assume you are since you're here reading this. He says "day brought back my night" which may seem confusing, but remember he was blind, and so the only time he could see was when he dreamed. When the day came, he went back to darkness--night. Ah! Beautiful.

Sonnet 23: Methought I saw my late espoused saint

BY JOHN MILTON

Methought I saw my late espoused saint

       Brought to me, like Alcestis, from the grave,

       Whom Jove's great son to her glad husband gave,

       Rescu'd from death by force, though pale and faint.

Mine, as whom wash'd from spot of child-bed taint

       Purification in the old Law did save,

       And such as yet once more I trust to have

       Full sight of her in Heaven without restraint,

Came vested all in white, pure as her mind;

       Her face was veil'd, yet to my fancied sight

       Love, sweetness, goodness, in her person shin'd

So clear as in no face with more delight.

       But Oh! as to embrace me she inclin'd,

       I wak'd, she fled, and day brought back my night.

Work Of The Day: Marlowe

Ready for chills?

This is From Christopher Marlowe's play The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus

You should read it.

But if you haven't here's a little recap: Dr. Faustus wants to sell his soul to the devil, and here he is having a conversation with one of the devil's demons.

“FAUSTUS: Where are you damn’d?
MEPHISTOPHILIS: In hell.
FAUSTUS: How comes it, then, that thou art out of hell?
MEPHISTOPHILIS: Why, this is hell, nor am I out of it:” 
― Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus

Work Of The Day: Poe

Happy Halloween!

Because it's Halloween, I chose a perfect poem for the day. Of course it's going to be one of Poe's. 

Please enjoy. Also, have a fun, but safe Halloween!

Annabel Lee

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

It was many and many a year ago,

   In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

   By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

   Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

   In this kingdom by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than love—

   I and my Annabel Lee—

With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven

   Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

   In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

   My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsmen came

   And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

   In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,

   Went envying her and me—

Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,

   In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

   Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

   Of those who were older than we—

   Of many far wiser than we—

And neither the angels in Heaven above

   Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes

   Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

   Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,

   In her sepulchre there by the sea—

   In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Work Of The Day: Donne

Hello.
Bren here.
I realize I have been neglectful of my blog/twitter/facebook page. And recently, in my English Lit class, I've been exposed to all these great poets and writers. Chaucer, Mawlowe, Dunne. These are just a few. And I've been enlightened and inspired, and because of that I've been annoying everyone around me because it's all I'm talking about. So, I realized, why am I bombarding the people around me who don't appreciate the work as much as I do? Hello! I need to reach out to my fellow writers and literature lovers who are online!

So, I'd like to say I want to do a "Work of the day" (First off, I say "work" because it may be a poem, sonnet, play, or just a sentence) that inspires me and I want to share it. Also, I'm gonna try to do it everyday but between school, work, and everyday life, it might be once a week, maybe twice. We'll see.

And if the poem is hard to understand, please look it up and read more into it, because I promise you, it's worth it. Don't let the old language be a barrier to far greater things!

Here is a love poem that is way more than a love poem, and quite possibly, the best love poem.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

BY JOHN DONNE

As virtuous men pass mildly away,

   And whisper to their souls to go,

Whilst some of their sad friends do say

   The breath goes now, and some say, No:

So let us melt, and make no noise,

   No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;

'Twere profanation of our joys

   To tell the laity our love.

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears,

   Men reckon what it did, and meant;

But trepidation of the spheres,

   Though greater far, is innocent.

Dull sublunary lovers' love

   (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit

Absence, because it doth remove

   Those things which elemented it.

But we by a love so much refined,

   That our selves know not what it is,

Inter-assured of the mind,

   Care less, eyes, lips, and hands to miss.

Our two souls therefore, which are one,

   Though I must go, endure not yet

A breach, but an expansion,

   Like gold to airy thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so

   As stiff twin compasses are two;

Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show

   To move, but doth, if the other do.

And though it in the center sit,

   Yet when the other far doth roam,

It leans and hearkens after it,

   And grows erect, as that comes home.

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,

   Like th' other foot, obliquely run;

Thy firmness makes my circle just,

   And makes me end where I begun.

How to write a book

So, this is for sure the first thing you google when you decide you're going to try and write and book. And hopefully, google brings up this post. And hopefully, this post helps you. 

Here's the secret to writing a book:

There is no write way. ( haha! get it? Write way...right way...never mind)

Also, there is no wrong way.

So, really, you can't mess it up.

In all seriousness though, (yes, I used that word) everyone, as in authors, write their books in different ways, and you just have to find which is the best way for you. Okay, that's kind of crappy advice. You're still at square one. So, here's some tips and different ways you can start.

First, how do you get an idea? This, no one can really tell you. Ideas aren't something you can force. They're more of a creative flow that forces its way into your mind. Ideas can come from day dreaming, literally just dreaming, being aspired by music, movies, tv, stories, really anything. But I'm assuming if you're online looking at how to write a book, chances are you already have an idea, you just don't know how to execute it. 

Alright, so let's explore some ways to write your ideas down in a coherent way.

First, brainstorm. Brainstorm the crap out of your mind. Picture the setting, the characters, the scenes, the smells. Brainstorm until you're literally shaking with excitement to bring your story alive. Then... it's time to write.

Outlining- This way is recommended a lot, and it's organized and simple. If you ever took an English class in your life, then you have the gist down. Basically, you take all the elements of your story and categorizes them until you have a pretty and neat outline from beginning to end of your book. You will need to research anything you're unsure of, organize your plot, finalize your conflict...all that good stuff.

Scene by scene- This is where you have a scene in your head, so you write it down. Another scene comes to you, so you also write it down. Then when you feel like it's time, you connect the scenes, and distribute them in order, from beginning to end. The organization can all be done at the end, or throughout. 

Just write- Start at the beginning and write to the finish. Do research when it's needed, and organize throughout.

Now, there are so many way to write a book. So many! But these are kind of the basics, and they're also the ones I use. Depending on the book, each one may work better. Or, to be realistic, using all three works the best. But this is just a wallflower's opinion.

Good luck!

Inspirational Writing Quotes

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” 
― Toni Morrison

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding it.” 
― Lloyd Alexander

“You can make anything by writing.” 
― C.S. Lewis

“Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” 
― Franz Kafka

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” 
― Jack Kerouac

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” 
― Ernest Hemingway

“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” 
― James A. Michener

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” 
― Jack London

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” 
― Sylvia Plath

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” 
― Anaïs Nin

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of. ” 
― Joss Whedon

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” 
― Ray Bradbury

“Fiction is the truth inside the lie.” 
― Stephen King

“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.” 
― Aldous Huxley

“We live and breathe words. .... It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them. Reading your words, what you wrote, how you were lonely sometimes and afraid, but always brave; the way you saw the world, its colors and textures and sounds, I felt--I felt the way you thought, hoped, felt, dreamt. I felt I was dreaming and thinking and feeling with you. I dreamed what you dreamed, wanted what you wanted--and then I realized that truly I just wanted you.” 
― Cassandra Clare

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” 
― Anne Frank

“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them -- words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a tellar but for want of an understanding ear.” 
― Stephen King

“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” 
― Anton Chekhov

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” 
― Philip Pullman

Music That Inspires Writing

Writers often have a playlist of songs that inspire their writing. I've tried writing while listening to music, but sadly I can't concentrate and I have a hard time letting myself dissolve into the scene when music is playing. It distracts me and I even end up typing the lyrics accidentally.

But...just like anyone else, I do get inspired by music. Only I have to listen to it, turn it off, then write. So, if anyone cares, I will add my favorite songs that inspire me to write, and maybe these wonderful bands and songs can help you!

These are not in any kind of order and they don't really represent my favorite songs. These are just the bands and specific songs that inspire my creativity, and I hope they can help you! Don't be alarmed when you see a lot of them have a melancholy feel. That's just what really inspires me. Also, these were kind of on the top of my head. When I have more time, I will delve into my playlist and really go at it.

So here goes...

                                     Anything by:                      Death Cab for Cutie

                The Strokes

                           Mumford and Son

               The Shins

                    Evanescence

But then there's also those random songs that really inspire me like:

Iris by The GooGoo Dolls--I know it's from City of Angels and it probably inspires a lot of people but that's what makes this song truly magical.

Demons by Imagine Dragons

Yellow & The Scientist by Cold Play...really anything by Cold Play

100 years by Five For Fighting

Look What You've Done & Come Around Again by Jet

Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Once Upon A Dream by Lana Del Rey (This is the Sleeping Beauty song, but Lana sings it so hauntingly beautiful)

I'm Lost Without You & All Of This by Blink 182

 I don't love you,  the ghost of you, & Helena by  My Chemical Romance

I caught myself by Paramore

Wake me up when September ends by Green Day

Hey Jude & I want to hold your hand by The Beatles

Goodbye My Lover & You're Beautiful by James Blunt

I Get It by Chevelle

Asleep by The Smiths

Your Song by Elton John

That's All by Nat King Cole

Just a Book

This post is going to be a little different than the others. This post is about one book...just one book: The Fault In Our Stars, you've probably heard of it, I'm guessing since your on a blog that focuses on reading and writing, haha.

First, I love John Green...who doesn't? He has this way of taking thoughts and feelings you had as a teenager--the thoughts and feelings you had going through your mind during those first time experiences--and morphing them into actual words. When you read his work it's almost scary. Like, he somehow saw into your mind.

Right?!

For my birthday in 2012, one of my best friends got me the book. As you know, when you unwrap a book, it's like the best feeling in the world. I saw John Green on the cover, I saw the cute clouds, and the pretty blue and I hugged the book. I loved it. I didn't care what it was about. It was from John Green and it was a book. That's all that mattered.

The next day, I was lounging on the couch, and my husband was mowing the lawn. I carefully opened the book, I smelled it, then I began reading.

And then I slammed the book shut.

Cancer.

My husband's aunt was battling cancer, and she was young, and she was losing. It was the first time I was truly introduced to the disease. Of course, I had heard of it, but never had it happen to me or mine. Not only that but Hazel (the main character of the book) tells her story in first person, which really draws you in, as if you are her going through the things she's going through. And as I said before John Green has a way of making your own thoughts appear in the book, making you feel like you're that person.

Not to mention, I'm also a hypochondriac and suffer from anxiety. From reading the first ten pages, I already felt an attack coming on.

I couldn't read the book.

I let my best friend know and she understood. She said, "It's okay. But you should really read it. It's a great book."

I said, "I know," I knew it was a great book.

I let my other best friend borrow it and she read it and every time all three of us got together, they would talk about it. I told them it was okay if they said spoilers in front of me--I never planned to read the book.

So, I know what happens. I know about the book and author Hazel loves, I know about the Anne Frank house, I know about the fake leg and eye, the infinities in infinities, the death.

I've tried to read the book three more times and still can't, I'm not sure I ever will be able to. The thing is, I hate sadness, and I hate crying and that book is the epitome of those things.

The reason why I wrote this in my blog is because I feel guilty. As an avid reader and an aspiring writer, I feel almost like a traitor--especially to one of my favorite authors. I feel like as his fan, I owe it to him to read his well accomplished book. But, I can't and it's just my own problem.

I'm happy the movie was popular, and like all books-to-movies, I urge you to read the book! For John Green...and for me.

The Importance Of A Manuscript Hook

Another hook!

The first three paragraphs are the most important in your book. More specifically, the first sentence is the most important. You see, if an agent liked you query letter, they will want to see your work. And they will be very critical of the beginning. A query letter may be difficult to write, but with the right tools and critiques, a writer can have a great and flawless query. But that doesn't necessarily mean their book is great and flawless. It's a lot easier to revise a one page query rather than 300 pages of a manuscript.

I recently read from an agent's tweet, that having your MC wake up as the start of your manuscript is extremely common. And one may think common is good in novels, but it isn't. In the opening of your book you want to really WOW the reader. You want to entice them and force them to continue reading by using words. It can be a hard thing to do, but it's necessary. Now, agents read and critique on a daily basis. They've practically seen it all, so that's where you must really impress them. Just as your query starts with a hook, so must your book.

Reread, revise, and rewrite your first sentence over and over. Then have as many people as you can read it. And with this, not only have your beta readers and critique partners give you advice, ask you friends and family if the beginning hooks them. They don't have to be writers, or readers to have the first sentence of a book hook them, and if you have your brother who hates reading tell you the first sentence really draws him in...then you know you have truly done it!

What is a Critique Partner and How to Get One

A critique partner is someone you switch manuscripts, or any work with and you each critique and edit each others'. Even published authors have CPs! To keep it less bitter and more sweet,  I suggest being up front about what kind of critique you want. Whether it's a soft or hard critique. If you feel you'd get offended easily, then make sure to ask for a soft critique. I always ask for critical critiques, because an agent is going to be very critical, so it's a good idea to already have had someone who tore your work to pieces. (In a good way!)

NEVER  send your work out before having it critiqued by real CP. By real CP, I mean not your mom, sister, husband, best friend or brother unless they too, have writing experience. The best advice you can get is by another writer, who is writing in somewhat the same genre as you. Such as fiction, YA, maybe even fantasy. If you've never wrote a non-fiction adult book, then you probably wouldn't be much help critiquing it. And usually someone that has written a YA book has read a lot of YA books, so their advice should be pretty sound.

I say critique partners can be bittersweet because sometimes things can go a little bitter. I, thankfully, have not had this happen to me. As of right now, I have three critique partners that I adore. All three of them have been immensely helpful, and I hope I have been just as helpful! With all three of mine, we have critiques each others' queries, synops, and manuscripts. And I would not be where I am today had it not been for them. The great thing about CPs is you also build a relationship with them that makes you feel not so alone in the literary world. Yes, your family and friends may be super supportive, but if they aren't writers, they just don't get it. But with CPs, they are going through everything you are. You can compare your agent lists and switch great articles you've read. 

Best of all is celebrating when each others' manuscripts are fully critiqued and revised!

Before you send any work out to a CP, make sure they are legit. Check out any forums they belong to, check their posts, see if they have a query posted. Start by sending queries, then move on to chapter one. There's nothing worse than sending your whole manuscript to someone and then never hearing back from them. 

If you love reading and writing, you'll love having a CP. Not only do you get great help, you also get to read great books, and help polish them. It's a lot of fun! Just remember to be respectful, genuine, supportive!

Hi Dawn!! 

How to write a synopsis

After you finish your query, you should work on a synopsis. I'll warn you before hand: you'll want to pull your hair out. When you start to get that feeling, just breathe and count to ten. You wrote a book! You can do this! A synopsis is kind of like a query, except it's longer and more detailed. A synop is usually between 1-2 pages. Nothing more. The shorter, the better. You have to remember, agents are very busy people and most of them get around one-hundred queries a day (give or take, I'm not an agent, so don't quote me on this.) So, they want to read something short and sweet.

 You'll remember I told you not to add the ending or spoilers in you query. In fact, in your query, instead of coming out and revealing, you want to hint. Now, with a synop, you just come right on out and reveal everything. See, a synop's job is to provide someone with enough information that it seems they read your book, when they haven't. They should be able to know exactly what happens in your book, such as, the overall plot and the climax.

Now, you can google "How to write a synopsis" and you'll find many people telling you how to write one many different ways. But, here's how I tackle them:

Again. I am far off from being a pro, but I have written a few of them. You want your first paragraph to be strong by telling about the protagonist, setting,  and conflict. Then, the best tactic for me is to go chapter by chapter and write down the key points and major plot turns. You should finish the last of it by revealing how the conflict gets resolved. If characters fall in love, add that. If they die, add that. If it helps, write an outline to organize everything. And just like with queries, Agentqueryconnect also has a synopsis critique forum. I highly suggest it.

How To Write A Query Letter

You have just written a book, and feel like you're on top of the world. Here's your thoughts: Not to brag, but all you really need to do is send the first page of your manuscript to an agent and they'll be begging to represent you. You're pretty much the best writer ever...it's whateves.

WRONG. And if you do send your first page to an agent, they will sigh and delete it immediately. It would be like going into a store you wanted to work at and just start working there and then telling the manager, "See, I'm awesome. Hire me." You'll just be kicked out. If you want to work at a store, what do you do? You turn in a resume. Same thing with an agent. You send them a resume, except it's called a query and it's a little different.

First, you want to add something personalized to the specific agent. Tell them why you are querying them. Did you read something on their blog stating they were looking for a superhero baby that has lazer-eyes, which is exactly what your book is about. Or maybe you read an interview where they said they love YA horror, which is your genre.

Next, a query starts with a hook. A hook is a sentence that...well, hooks the reader. It needs to be short, sweet, and clever. For help, look at the back of books and check out the first sentence for an example.

You want approx. two paragraphs telling a bit about your book. TWO PARAGRAPHS. Be specific without revealing the ending. Stick to key points. Don't ramble. Tell about the protagonist, what his/her goal is and what's at stake.

The last paragraph should consist of your achievements with writing or what you are doing in your writing career. People's own opinions vary on what to include, but mine is: if it doesn't have anything to do with your writing, don't add it. Now, if you don't have any degrees, achievements or awards, that is okay! Just tell the agent what you are doing with your writing. If you are working on an English degree, or part of a writing group. An agent is looking for good writing, not someone with a Doctorate.

Last, but not least don't forget to add the title in CAPS, the word count, the genre, and a thank you.

Also, and this is really important. Have fellow writers critique your query. If you have not, join the free site: Agentqueryconnect.com and put your critique up.

I'm no pro at queries. Really, I'm not sure there is such a thing. But, I do have experience--not to brag or anything...I mean, it's whateves.

What To Do After You Write A Book

Now, what the heck do you do?


When I first started writing, I did it for myself. I didn't want people to read it. And then, when I did let someone read it, she told me it was amazing and it could be published. I was speechless.

 But it was my mom.

Try to get someone a little more critical to read your work first. But still, after that, what do you do? How do you even get your book published? I'll tell you what I did. I googled, "book publishers." And then I read that if you want a publisher to look at your book, you have to get an agent. Yes, there are small publishers that will probably publish your book, but you have to be very, very careful and do your research and make sure they are legit. That brings me back to 2010, when I found a publisher online and I sent him some of my work. I think like the first couple chapters. The website made them seem legit, but after a little more research I figured out it was from a guy's house (google is great for researching people, BTW) and it would cost me money for him...yes, just him, to print my book. Way more money than I would even get for a book that was (at the time) riddled with errors.

So, after more research, I found if I wanted a good publishing house to publish my book, I needed an agent. To find agencies, you have to research them. Now, there are lots of websites where you can find agencies or you can use google. And when you find an agent that represents your genre, you need to research them even more and get a feel for them. You can do this by reading their bios on their agency's page, checking out their Twitter, blog, and interviews. Are they someone you would want to work with? Do they love the same books you do? What are they looking for and is it in your book?  After you get a good list of agents, you need to write a query letter to send them.

Before you query an agent makes sure you have all of these:

A COMPLETE manuscript

A query letter

A synopsis

First three chapters revised a million times

A critique partner

Beta reader

Not sure what some of these are? Don't fret. I will have posts on each and every one soon. Check them out.

Now, if an agent is interested, they will write you and ask for a partial request, or if you're lucky,  a full request. A partial depends on exactly what the agent wants, but most of the time it's the first three chapters. A full is--you guess it! They want to see the full manuscript. All of this has sometimes long waiting periods. Most agencies respond to queries 4-8 weeks. Partials are 2-6 months and that's about the same for fulls. But again, it all depends on the agency. And if they don't like your query? They don't respond, or they send an automatic response politely rejecting your work. It's not very pretty. But if you even think you want to be a writer, you have to completely toughen your skin. Criticism is your best friend.  

WallFlower's first post.

This is my very first post on my very first blog. So, if you are reading this, know that this is kinda a special moment. Well, for me, anyways. To be honest, I never even contemplated starting a blog. Why? Why would anyone care what I have to say? I'm pretty boring. But hey, if you're interested in what I have to say then...

hehe, all right.