Back to the Drawing Board

Why is writing such a struggle? I was into a pretty good routine, then took a week off to sail the high seas, and now I'm having a hard time getting back into the groove. It's the same with diets, exercise, volunteer work, everything disrupted because of a week-long break!

And what a break: we had choppy seas, a very sick passenger so we had to turn the ship around and return to home port, we couldn't stop at one port because the sea was too rough, and our cabin had to be changed because of an odd odor that couldn't be removed. Holland-America staff were terrific about getting us moved into a great suite which we loved. All in all, we had a great time!

So now it's back to writing. I'm still going thru all the writing newsletters in my email that arrived while I was away. Am I using that as an excuse for not writing? Any port in a storm? I think not. If I can compare writing to getting on a ship--it takes a day or so to get your sea legs, to get used to the rhythm of the sea. I think getting back into the swing of writing is the same. It will take me a few days to get back into my routine. Of course it didn't help this time that Thanksgiving fell right after I came back and I was the hostess this year for the family gathering. I hadn't cooked a turkey in a few years, but all turned out well.

I'm going to try to blog more often because I find that blogging helps me with my other writing. If you don't blog and you feel any kind of writing block, try it. Free writing always seems to loosen up all the words that are waiting to be written, hiding in the back of your mind.

query letters

I mentioned on my last blog that Moira Allen had a book about queries; well, she also has a free email newsletter that is very helpful, full of good info in many articles. One of the articles is about query letters--my "beast" of the moment. Anyway her advice was to include 1) the hook, to grab attention; 2) the pitch-what you are offering like a 2000 page article on how to raise kids; 3) the body, details about the piece of work; 4) the credentials--why you are good person to write this piece; and 5) the close.

So, back to the drawing board for me. I actually (surprise!!) had most of the elements although in a different order, and I find her order makes more sense to me as I rewrite my query according to her advice.

If you're interested in her email newsletter the address is: http://www.writing-world.com

I'd like to get my query out this week as I am going away next week and so won't worry about some agent reading it and maybe I will have a response by the time I get back. It's more realistic to expect a response in 6 to 8 weeks, but maybe I'll get lucky and get one sooner. Whatever, at least I will feel that I have something in the works even though I'm vacationing.

Election over, Thank Goodness

Well, the election is over and I just might be able to get my mind back on my work. I will take time each day to say a prayer for this very young and inexperienced president that he surround himself with knowledgeable and experienced people and keep us as safe as we have been for the last eight years. ( And I hope people will remember that about President Bush; he did keep this country safe from attack.) That said, Obama's on his own. He wanted the job, now let's see what he will do with it.

And I want my job too--that of writing and having other people get enjoyment from my work. So I have to write. NO more excuses. I used to keep a candy jar on my computer desk and, after I wrote so many words, I would reward myself with one piece of candy. I think I'll start that again. It worked very well.

I read my query letter at critique group the other night and received many suggestions. It's hard to capture the flavor of a book in a one page letter. I know you need to describe your book in two or three sentences; if you can't then maybe you don't know what your story is about. Telling the premise and theme of the book is not enough--I did that in my letter. The group suggested that I missed out on telling about the main character's personality in that she always ends up in some kind of scrape even when she's trying to do the right thing. That's what I mean about flavor. If the book is amusing, what makes it amusing? If the book is heartrending, what makes it heartrending? So it's back to the drawing board. Yes, I will include the premise and theme (young girl thinks she can solve all problems by herself:premise and girl finds out that sharing problems makes life easier:theme) but, somehow, I have to capture the flavor of Sarah in a few lines. Query letters are harder to write than the entire book!!!!

I believe Moira Allen has a book that describes how to write a good query letter. I'll look up some others at the library and list them. All the help we can get, right?