Sunday, October 31, 2010

Query day and Madness

Now that the manuscript for Moon Tree Brothers is complete, revised, edited and it's logline is done, it is time to work on my Query letter.

First, never think your logline is done. None of these submission documents are ever "done". They are just complete until you look up the next agent and see what they like and then you can emphasis the things in your novel that "the current submitting to agent" likes.

I think that makes it a bit easier to write them. It's like having an assignment in school and knowing that the teacher is really fond of (gosh, all I can think of here is chocolate), well that would work if chocolate is in your book, so okay, you emphasis the chocolate instead of the spaghetti this time around. But, you still need an original really good synopsis, query, etc to work from.

Late last night I came up with a good way to do it. Well, I didn't http://marcussakey.com/articles_querygoround.php did. Sorry it's not linking right, just Google Marcus Sakey. One of my book loves is mystery and I have turned to Marcus Sakey to figure out this Query in simple terms. "Just the facts, Ma'am."

Summing up your newly finished beloved baby in 3-5 lines is not easy. He says to "focus on the drama and the stakes and leave out the minor characters"...themes/complications. Check out his article if this is not clear enough for you. It seemed clear at 2am. But, I am tired now, from being up that late so nothing is seemingly clear.

The point of the Query, he says, "Just show them you know how to tell a story." Now, that is simple. I have also seen it described as sitting down to tell your manuscript as a short bedtime story. After all, that is what we are selling: We are great storytellers!

That said, I love Madness. Book two , Moon Tree Madness, is going well. I may have mentioned it already but I had this great idea for a character based on Dawn French. She just seems to flow from my fingers. I usually "cast" my characters early on. Even if it is a photo from a magazine of someone I have no idea who they are, I seem to see something in their face that makes them come alive for me.

So, I'm off to finish my basic query, so that I can get back to Madness. Have a great day.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

It's one of those Senior moment days

Since I cannot seem to remember how to answer a comment, I'll do it here. I am troubleshooting my website with my site owner. The site refuses my updates. So, I probably would not have gotten around to posting anyway.

But, YES, I am doing PiBoldMo. Check my links for this great Picture book idea think tank. While I have to admit I got involved and did not finish it last year, I have about half a month of great ideas for Picture and other books from last years contest.

I heartily recommend it.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

QueryTracker's logline help

One last mention about your, or my, logline.

QueryTracker,net is having a contest and, while I thought my logline was "all that it could be," (unlike my punctuation) I checked out querytracker'nets article on loglines and improved it further. It's a great article and I suggest you check it out.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Great Link for creating your LogLine

I found the perfect help for me on creating a logline (one line synopsis) and I have read everything I could find. But, today, this one just hit my brain when it was ready to receive it.

This is by Christopher Lockhart and you gotta love his title "I wrote a 120 page script but can't write a logline."

I really was not quite getting what is wanted in the logline, but he explained it in great detail.

First, he says not to muddy the waters with the characters name. But, you use those precious words to describe your character. Such as saying, "An angry woman..." DUH! That means so much more than Alice Smith shot her husband. Although, once you knew she shot him, you probably figured she was angry.

Then, your logline must present:

"WHO the story is about (that's the angry woman)
WHAT she/he strives for (Their goal- having dead husband)
WHAT stands in her/his way (not much apparently)."

But, keep reading because he does a great job of explaining and there's a hysterical example of a logline for the Wizard of Oz there.

He also explains a bit how writing has changed in the last twenty years. How many times have you watched an old movie and thought, "Gosh, that is slow. I used to like it."? Is that punctuation even close to right?

Anyway, very interesting article.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

I have joined the age of technology

I AM ON HIGH SPEED!!!!

Excuse me for yelling, but it's so exciting. We tried it out for a month, with Verizon's USB port WiFi and it works.

That little USB port thing-a-ma-bob has become the most sought after item in our house. My custody is days, JCountry gets it earlier evening, like 3pm, and JediKnight gets it after work, which can be as late as midnight. So, it gets hung on doorknobs around the house (Not meaning, do not enter) meaning, "I'm done. Your turn."

I can see a movie clip and even look at all the forwarded junk certain relatives send out. If I want.

So, hopefully, I will become a regular blogger here again. Although, I picked up another watcher in my absence so I really think there may be a thing to this being paid not to blog.

My current status is a headache from rewarding my logline/one-line pitch. I have decided that I will never get it right and maybe, just maybe there is really NOT one perfect logline for your work.

I'm thinking that perhaps, as you would do with the Query, you need to slant it a bit to take advantage of the things you want to emphasis for each agent you query. What do you think?

While these submitting things are endlessly worked on, I have started on book 2 of the Moon Tree series and I am so excited. I don't try for a lot of humor, but this book seems to be bringing it out. I am introducing a new teacher and I just keep seeing Dawn French. Now, how can you not laugh when Dawn French is around? The first chapters have written themselves and are now making me work on chapter 3.

But, I have high speed, so ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!

Except getting the darn woodpeckers to stop chipping away at the house.