She's Crafty: When to Query

Querying is a necessary but, at times, excruciating part of the writing (for publication) process. Gives me hives in my mind. I want to scratch but I can't. 

For me, the fun part is getting the story out of my head. Editing can even be fun because it gives the story depth and color. But querying is the beast. It's super subjective. I respect that but it also makes me paranoid, anxious, exhilarated, and mad. Straight mad. But all the best people are, right?

I'm currently querying a MG contempory adventure. Happy dance. And I'm getting requests. More dancing. I'd post a video but it isn't pretty. I've polished until my eyes wanted to bleed and I've sent what I hope is a great book that kids would love to read. 

But after I click send, the self-doubt editor inside me wants to rip each chapter apart because I believe you don't stop editing until the cover is bound around it. Then I found this fab checklist by ABLA agent Lara Perkins:

Knowing When Your MS is Ready to Query

This calmed some of my self doubt and I would have loved this checklist before I queried my first manuscript. Rookie bucks spent in large rhetorical amounts. Brutal, brutal amounts. I'm grateful though, thickened my skin.

To manage the query madness that strips away the fun of writing, I'm writing another story. Too many characters fighting to get out and it helps a ton. The story consumes my thoughts and I prefer it that way. 

How do you soothe query madness?

She's Crafty: Refining Middle Grade Voice into smooth Delicious Butter

I recently got a rejection from an agent because my writing voice sounded too much like an adult writing for children. It needed to be less obvious. This was incredible feedback and I soaked it in. (I'm glad to be past the form rejection stage.)

I relate everything in life to good butter. (I judge restaurants by their butter too. Good butter: good restaurant. Except for Mexican restaurants. I judge them by the quality of their tamales.) So if a good middle grade voice is sweet creamy butter, my writing must have tasted like margarin to this agent---tastes like butter, but there's definitely something oily and not right about it. Really people, no one should be eating margarin in polite society these days. So of course I don't want my story to taste like it.

How do I refine my style so that it tastes like good butter?

I've been asking myself over and over: how do I tone down my voice so that it isn't "trying too hard?" I want it to sound more like a middle grader and not an adult writing middle grade.

My solution:  Read more middle grade novels. Duh. But this time, I'm going read and study the styles of the books that are similar to my own. See what they do better and see if I can improve. I may start a new adventure wip just to get words on the page too. Read, write, refine. Best way to sharpen your voice, right? This way my finished adventure can grow cold too. Then hopefully, the oil will be more noticeable to me and I can scrape it off.

Do you have any great tips for refining a middle grade voice? I need them, please, share what you do.

Butter sidebar: I found this pix by googling fancy butter. It made me giggle. Sometimes the Internet is really amazing to me.

She's Crafty: Jeopardizing Children in Middle Grade Novels---HUGE No-no

At the Big Sur in the Rockies Workshop, I was in a critique group with Andrea Brown from Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Amazing.) When I finished reading my first chapter of my contemporary adventure, Andrea said, "Love it but you can't do it."

Say what? My chapter ends with two of my characters on the roof of the elementary school. Fun, exciting, who doesn't want to be on a roof? I do. I did it all the time as a child. The roof is a magical place. 

This is what Andrea explained: You can't jeopardize children in a story because if a child reads your story, climbs onto a roof and has an accident, parents will sue. And no publisher will want the liability. So your story will be rejected, no question. 

I completely understand the logic but for some reason this was an eye-opener for me. It is the reality in which we live and a bit of a downer, but I get it. Andrea and my group then helped me brainstorm where the children could go that wouldn't risk child safety. Now my kids sneak into the school through a storm cellar---exciting but also safe. 

So as a general rule when writing for middle grade, ask yourself: Could a child do this now and get hurt? If the answer is yes, revise. 

After I told my husband I needed to rework this, we had a sad chuckle about all the classic books that wouldn't be published in today's market if it met this criteria. So long Huck Finn. 

Have you ever had this problem in your own writing? Have you ever walked head first into a platform wall or hid in a wardrobe?

She's Crafty: Adding Spit Shine

So my query is out there and while I wait, it is time to spit shine. I've been mad revising my current MG adventure for the past two months. So much so, I could no longer process. I rewrote one sentence 3 times before I just gave up and went to bed. I've let the manuscript go cold for two weeks so that I might spit shine this story one last time...is there ever a last time, really? No. It won't be done until it has a cover wrapped around it and you can find it in a bookstore. But for now, I'm giving it one last shine until I hear from the agents.

So what is a revision spit shine? This is when you tighten prose and rework tells. My other writerly friend, Rondi, is querying and revising as well and she had some great advice on how to spit-shine: Every scene needs to be riveting, moving the story forward, every word a gem. And Janice Hardy really explains this best. I seriously have her blog open and go through searching for each word in my WIP. Tedious? Yes, but worth it. I find I'm catching a lot. I have pet words too that I need to delete or change. All my characters still love to slide. They slide through doors, across the floor, out of their seats...you get the point.

Do you have a pet word?

What do you do to spit shine a manuscript?

She's Crafty: Titles are Very Important

Oh yeah, I posted twice in a week people. It's on. I've officially climbed out of my writing cave. In May, I had the opportunity to go to The Big Sur in the Rockies Workshop put on by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency in Boulder, Co. Amazing. I'll be gushing over this workshop in several posts to come. Seriously, if you have the opportunity to go to a Big Sur, it's worth every penny if you are a children's or YA writer.

During the workshop, I got to be in a critique group with "the" Andrea Brown. I've met a couple agents from her agency, all extremely nice, which I can't say for other agents I've met at conferences, but I was ridiculously nervous to be in her group---she's a publishing legend to me...a rockstar of children's agents. So when she sat down with our group, I was even more blown away by how approachable, kind, and knowledgeable she was. She knows the biz and she's a champion for aspiring writers (unlike others, the-agent-who-must-not-be-named at Pike's Peak Conference this year, ahem). Can you hear the gushing, I know, I don't care. I admire this woman.

Each of the writers in our group got to read the first chapter of their manuscript and then got a critique from everyone. So when it came to my turn, I had crazy nerves, but I made it through. Thankfully, Andrea liked my story but she HATED my title. You know, I don't think hated bold cap really conveys how much she hated my title but let's not waste more words. It was a stinker and we spent a chunk of time brainstorming a new title for my contemporary MG adventure. So I thought it would be a good post for today.

A GREAT TITLE WILL:

• Attract an agent to open your query. If it's bad, they will auto-reject. No joke.
• Attract a middle grader to buy it/ check it out. Duh, it's all about sale... and bringing smiles to the children's faces.

HOW TO WRITE A GREAT MIDDLE GRADE TITLE:

1. Appeal to the audience. Are you upper middle grade, lower middle grade, children's or YA? You need to make sure your title will appeal to that age group. In my case, 8 - 11 yr old boys (and girls). My original title wasn't necessarily a bad title but what Andrea pointed out: an 8 yr old boy is not going to look at it with that title. It sounded too boring. 
2. Keep it short. Some books break this rule. So if you do, you better be extremely clever and it needs to roll off the tongue with intrigue. Although be careful because even the most clever titles, if too wordy, get lost. For example, I love the book The Girl Who Circumnavigated ... ah, see I can't remember the rest of the title because I always shorten it to that phrase. Mostly because it becomes too long for my friends to remember when they go to the store to buy it for their kids.
3. Hint at the plot, genre, or character. What's the strongest element of your story? Do you have great characters or an exciting plot? Highlight what would appeal most to your target audience. 
4. Be clever, funny, or memorable. Hopefully all three.

What tips do you have for writing a great title?

Now that you understand how to write a great title, let's flip this upside down. At the Big Sur Workshop, I also got to be in a group with Sarah Shumway, a children's editor at Harper Collins. (Squeal, I know, she was also super nice and helpful.) She told us that only 1 of 4 titles are the original title of the book. The publishing house likes to pick it. AND if you're with a big house, they'll take your ARC to Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and if they don't like it (or your cover), the publisher will change it again. Bit of a debbie-downer but it's how the industry works. 

What middle grade titles do you love? Have you ever bought a book just on the title?

She's Crafty: The Five Senses

So I started teaching creative writing to my oldest daughter and her friend back in August and we've met almost every Monday. It was to disguise how to learn where a period should go but we also focus on a different aspect of creative writing too. And I've discovered my own writing has improved because we discuss the different crafting techniques. So I thought I would share every Wednesday what comes out of our creative writing group.

This week we went over possessive nouns (seriously, you would think 5th graders would know when to put in an apostrophe, but they struggle) and the five senses.

You hear it all the time: Show, don't tell.

What does that mean? It means you show details versus telling the reader what happened.

Example Tell:  The kids came home from school.

Show It: The door swung open testing the strength of its hinges. Sneakers squeaked against the tile. "Mom, we're home," called Lore pushing in front of Bryn to claim the first brownie off the kitchen counter.

To help the girls understand when they were telling, I had them look over a page of their writing and underline every sentence that was a Tell. Then I told them to replace each of those sentences with a Show.  Easier said than done. "How do I show this?" they kept asking.

My trick to show details: the five senses. I would ask them:
How did it smell?
What did it sound like?
How did it feel?
What did it look like?
What did it taste like?

For the exercise, I required them to use at least 2 senses other than sight to replace each Tell. When you incorporate the five senses, you create more than just a visual to the reader. It was fun to see them as they thought about details like smell and taste.

When I'm editing my own manuscript, if a paragraph falls flat or I find a bad tell, I replace it with a few of the five senses and it creates more depth.

What's your trick for eliminating the dreaded Tell?

She's Crafty: Pacing

Yeah, it's almost 2 in the morning, I've been writing my brains out. Then I powered up with a burrito and thought I would break for second to talk about pacing.

What is pacing? It's the flow of your story (that's my late night opinion). What does it mean for my writing? Specifically, it means my story starts too slow. My story definitely picks up in the middle but I need to drive the first fifty pages with higher stakes and more action to keep my reader invested.

In order to up the stakes, I've slashed chapters, cut character backstory and woven character decisions into the action (that hopefully develop my characters more than the slashed backstory). I'm not going to lie, it was messy. I didn't like myself in the morning sometimes, but it had to be done.

So how do I decide if my pacing is okay? It's all about the stakes and whether I feel genuine concern for my characters. My story is an adventure, so I want to feel peril, anxiety, stress, or adrenaline on every page. It should read like a roller coaster, saving the biggest drop/loop till the end. If I don't feel it on the page, I evaluate what is lacking.

Why is pacing so important? Because kids will stop reading.

I was talking to my sister today and we were talking about what page number we stop at if the story doesn't hold our interest. I used to give a book 100 pages before I put it down, now it's twenty. Yup, Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is a drink coaster at my house. Seriously, what is up with its crazy boring beginning? Props to those of you who hung on for the whole thing. My sister stops reading at 80 pages, she's kinder than me.

My daughters: Lore (9) stops at page 30 but she drags her feet if it doesn't pick up. She put down Mockingbird at page 10. Who wants to read about a dead brother, Mom?

Bryn (almost 8) stops at page 5 if it doesn't amuse her or make her laugh. And she's still in the reluctant stage where she won't finish the book if a chapter gets mildly boring. It's frightening how quickly she can become uninvested.

When do you stop reading?

And how do you keep your pace strong and stakes high in the beginning and/or middle of your story?

She's Crafty: First Lines

I do not hinge my interest in a story based on the first line, but I do notice when it is done well. A great book should hook the reader from the first line, first paragraph, and first page (and really till the end of chapter one) pulling the reader deeper into the characters and the plot.

I've even read somewhere that a debut author should treat each chapter like a chapter one.

This makes sense for middle grade, when readers can be reluctant and will easily put the book down if it doesn't hold their interest.

So I decided to do an experiment. I took the top five middle grade books in my To-Read pile and picked my next book based only on the first line.

Here are the first lines, which would you pick?

• "Take good care of this girl," Miss Beatty told the coachman. --The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall
• Ms. McMartin was definitely dead. --The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows
• The house was a mansion, the lake was a pool, Kitty was a dog, and Juniper Berry was an eleven-year-old girl. --Juniper Berry.
• I was fairly sure I would not leave the meeting alive. --The 39 Clues: The Black Book of Buried Secrets #1
• The hat in question was owned by Mrs. Constance Lovestock. --The Emerald Atlas

It actually took me awhile to decide. The Ghost of C Hall didn't cut it, neither did The Emerald Atlas which is funny because I've heard amazing things about both books and The Emerald Atlas was at the top of my pile. (The only reason I haven't read it is because Lauren and her friends have been passing it around--swearing that it is their new favorite book.)

So that leaves the other three, and all three first-lines are good for different reasons. The Shadows tells me it is a spooky mystery (plot reveal), Juniper Berry is a rich and quirky girl (character reveal), and The 39 Clues is a dangerous adventure (plot reveal).

In the end, I chose The Shadows because it's October and I wanted a spooky mystery but normally I would lean adventure. Juniper Berry (which is actually a spooky story) got cut.

Which leads to my next question: in middle grade, should your first line be a character reveal or plot reveal?

I know, it depends on the story.

My current MG story that I'm querying is a fantasy adventure which means I should lead with a plot reveal because the first 18 pages are character building till I get to the inciting incident. I realize now, my readers need to know where the story is going before they invest the time in my characters.

Of course I queried with a character reveal, only to wait months to hear it wasn't a strong enough hook. In my revision, I've decided to change my first page and lead with a plot reveal. I hope it's stronger. (We'll find out next week when I send out more queries.)

Need help crafting your first line?

It's a Start: The First Line @ The Other Side of the Story.

First Lines, Part 1 @ Kidlit.

She's Crafty: Creating Tension

Yeah, I'm a little tense. My query is out there, waiting in an inbox. Has it been noticed? It is a brutal question I cannot answer. So to distract my mind and let my manuscript grow cold, I thought of a new idea for a book. I confess I don't have a plot. For a plot girl, that's saying a lot.

I just have an idea and a scene full of tension, now I need to find the before and after.

So what are the 5 T's of Tension: The Stakes, The Pace, The Dialogue, The Setting, The Stakes.

My Top 10 Fave Blog Posts on Creating Tension

1. Supertaunt Tension and Sizzling Stakes @ Kidlit.
2. Setting Up the Tension @ The Other Side of the Story.
3. The Scene Conflict Worksheet: Developing Tension in Your Novel @ Adventures in Children's Publishing.
4. Whoa, That's Tense. Raising the Tension in Your Scenes @ The Other Side of the Story.
5. On Conflict @ Nathan Bransford.
6. GMCT: Goal, Motivation, Conflict, Tension @ Adventures in Children's Publishing.
7. It's Not the Cougar @ Writer Unboxed.
8. Tips for Writing Effective Dialogue @ The Blood Red Pencil.
9. Telegraphing (and Other Pace Killers) @ Writer Unboxed.
10. Setting the Pace @ Nathan Bransford.
11. Bonus: Writing for Effect @ Flogging the Quill.
12. Bonus: 7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Stephen Jones @ Guide to Literary Agents.
13. Bonus: Writing a Hot Plot @ Kidlit.

Do you have any tips for creating tension in a story?

She's Crafty: Querying

That's right, I'm finally ready with my manuscript. Cheers to heaven. I have a few beta readers ripping my partials one last time, but it is time. So this week I'm revamping my query.

Thankfully the blogosphere is there for me. There is a ton of info out there on querying, and Nathan Bransford helps you sift through contradictory advice. So keep in mind this is not gospel, just guidelines.

My Top 10 Fave Blog Posts on Querying

1. Avoid the Obvious in a Query @ Kidlit.
2. The Submission Process @ The Other Side of the Story.
3. Query Don'ts @ BookEnds.
4. Two Quick Tips on Writing a Query @ Pub Rants.
5. The Difference Between Pitch and Query @ Janet Reid.
6. Hints for a Great Cover Letter @ The Steve Laube Agency.
7. Ultimate Blog Series on Novel Queries @ There Are No Rules.
8. 7 Things Agents Want to See in a Query, & 9 Things They Don't @ Guide to Literary Agents.
9. Loglines @ Random Notes from Holly Bodger.
10. How to Write a Query Letter in Five Easy Steps @ Writer Unboxed.
11. Plus: BookEnds does a Query Workshop every Wednesday.
12. Plus: Query Shark...must follow.
13. Plus: SlushPile Hell is a great resource for a laugh and what not to do.

When I finished my first draft of my first MG novel, I queried it to about 25 agents. Burned loads of rookie bucks. Hey, I thought I knew. I had read a few blogs, researched queries, found my agents on querytracker. So innocent then, so naive. I actually started my query with a rhetorical question. Oh yeah, I read on some blog it was a great thing to do. Suckers.

Have you committed a query crime? Don't know them? See Tahereh's fab list of 50 query tricks. [wink. don't do them.]

She's Crafty: The Dreaded Synopsis

One of the agents who requested a partial, also wants to see a synopsis--one for my story and one for the series. I knew this day would eventually come. So why do I hate the idea of writing it. I think it's because it's like writing a query but with a lot more detail. How much do you say? What do you include? How long should it really be? Inquiring minds like me want to know.

Do you have any great tips for writing a synopsis?

My Top 10 Fave Blog Posts on Writing a Synopsis

1. How to Write a Synopsis by Nathan Bransford @ STET!
2. The Sum of the Parts: Writing a Synopsis @ The Other Side of the Story.
3. The Synopsis @ BookEnds.
4. How to Write a Synopsis When You Have Lots of Characters @ Guide to Literary Agents.
5. Synopsis Example: House of Games @ Guide to Literary Agents.
6. Synopsis Hell @ Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.
7. Writing the Synopsis @ Writer Unboxed.
8. Synopsis Writing @ Babbles from Scott Eagan.
9. Writing a Synopsis Doesn't Have to Kill You @ The Blood-Red Pencil.
10. The Art of The Synop? @ Pub Rants.

She's Crafty: Show, Don't Tell.

Must write. Eyes burning, must blink. Getting closer, feel'n it. feel'n it. All good things.

My Top 10 Fave "Show, Don't Tell" Blog Posts

1. Seven "Show Don't Tell" Tips @ Kathy Temean.
2. What "Show, Don't Tell" Really Means @ Kidlit.
3. Did You Hear That? Showing Sound @ The Other Side of the Story.
4. Showing vs. Telling @ Nathan Bransford.
5. Don't Tell Me -- Show Me @ The Blood Red Pencil.
6. Tell, Don't Show @ Incidents and Accidents.
7. Free FtQ Chapter: Showing and Telling @ Flogging the Quill.
8. Telegraphing (and other pace killers) @ Writer Unboxed.
9. The Ten Mistakes (Show Don't Tell is #8) @ Holt Uncensored.
10. Show Don't Tell (in a query letter) @ Miss Snark.

What are your best tips for avoiding the tell OR recognizing it in your writing?

She's Crafty: Plot

One thing I rarely lack is plot. Even though my three manuscripts are completely different adventures (contemporary, fantasy/magical realism, and historical fiction), they all have plenty of action. But is action enough for creating a fabulous plot? What are my character arcs? Are my characters changed by the end? What action changes them?

So while I flip my soon-to-be queried WIP from 3rd to 1st, I day dream about my historical fiction character and her plot. Because I'm a plotter, I like to have the whole story ironed out sooner than later.

My Top 10 Fave Blog Posts on Plot:

1. Plotting and Structure @ The Other Side of the Story.
2. Writing a Hot Plot @ Kidlit.
3. Do You Have a Plot? @ Nathan Bransford.
4. Free FtQ Chapter: Story as Garden @ Flogging the Quill.
5. The Writer's Toolkit: Breaking the Rules of the Narrative Arc @ Alan Rinzler.
6. How to Learn Story Structure in Two Minutes or Less @ Storyfix
7. The Meandering Plot or How to Figure Out What's Next @ STET!
8. Elizabeth Loupas on Spiking Your Novel with Conflict @ Writer Unboxed.
9. The Art of Chaptering @ The Blood-Red Pencil.
10. Free FtQ Chapter: Problems with Staging Action @ Flogging the Quill.
11. Bonus: How to Write Satisfying Endings @ Kidlit.

Do you have any great tips for plotting?

She's Crafty: First Person Narration

I had a break through at group people. I got a request for my manuscript. Winning, duh. But at the conference, during the first-page critique, they wanted to see my story written in first person narration instead of third. I don't like writing in 1st but I see their point and I'm willing to put in the work.

A tiny problem, I'm not comfortable writing in 1st. Awkward, cuz I'm doing it right now but this is blog blah not a complex adventure. So I'm currently surrounded by my favorite books written in 1st for help. The Hunger Games is on top. Help me Katniss, you're my only hope.

What style do you prefer writing in: 1st or 3rd? Do you have any great tips for writing well in 1st person?

My Top Ten Fave Blog Posts on Writing in 1st Person POV

1. Third Person-Style Narration in First Person @ Kidlit.com.
2. Point of View (POV) @ The Other Side of the Story.
3. A Few Thoughts on First Person @ Edittorrent.
4. What does choice of POV mean? How does it challenge a writer? @ TalkToYoUniverse.
5. Hypothetical Dialogue vs. Inner Monologue @ Plot to Punctuation.
6. Deep POV: Three Mistakes and How to Fix Them, Part 1 @ The Blood-Red Pencil.
7. First Person or Third Person? @ Nathan Bransford.
8. Me or You? Choosing Between First and Third POV @ The Other Side of the Story.
9. Changing Your Manuscript's Tense, Point of View @ Kidlit.com
10. Pitfalls of Introspection...How Much is Too Much? @ Dark Angel Fiction Writing.

Pirate sidebar: Ask and you will receive. My daughter went to a pirate party on Saturday. Now I have a patch for my twitchy eye. Do I look ridiculous? Yes, but it helps a ton.

She's Crafty: Developing Characters

I have two manuscripts finished. With both stories, plot came to me first, then I had to develop the characters. I have a 3rd story in progress, but mostly just the characters. This time my MC came to me first. I haven't quite figured out the details of her plot.

When you find a story to write, what comes to you first: plot or character?

Top Ten Blog Posts on Developing Characters

1. Is Your MC Proactive or Reactive? @ Rachelle Gardner.
2. What Makes a Character? @ Kidlit.
3. Writing Advice From Some Old Guys At My Gym @ Nathan Bransford.
4. A Character-Based View of Plot @ Brooklyn Arden.
5. In the Flesh: Fleshing Out Flat Characters @ The Other Side of the Story.
6. Guest Blogger: Matilda McCloud: Avoiding On-the-nose Writing @ Rachelle Gardner.
7. Question about Character Motivation and Action @ Edittorrent.
8. 5 Ways to Write Character Thoughts Worth More Than a Penny @ Wordplay.
9. Depth of Character @ Writer Unboxed.
10. What Motivates Your Character? @ The Blood-Red Pencil.

My favorite character right now is Katniss from The Hunger Games series. I'm so excited for the movie, and they don't even have a cast yet. Who's your favorite character from a book?

She's Crafty: Pitching

With only 9 days till the Northern Colorado Writers Conference, I'm feeling confident about my manuscript and I'm ready to pitch. Last year I pitched a different story to an agent and I felt confident about my pitch--only it was the wrong story for the agent. I thought he was a good fit based on his profile but didn't really understand what he was looking for until I went to his class on Boy Books and The Middle Grade Market. This was after I pitched, of course. Blurg. Knowing whom you're pitching to is just as important as the pitch.

One of the writers I met last year had a similar problem. The night before our pitching session, she had the opportunity to chat with the agent she was planning to pitch to. Based on his profile she felt he was "the one." But after talking with him for just a few minutes, she realized he was wrong for her manuscript and quickly changed her pitch session to a different agent. Smart move and she got a request because of it.

What I learned: network and talk to the agents on a personal non-pitchy level. (Preferably before you meet at the pitching session.) It speaks volumes. I plan to chat with my prospective agent at the cocktail hour before dinner (the night before). Keep in mind, I don't plan to even mention I'm a MG writer unless asked. I just want to learn more about her and what she's really looking for.

My Top 10 Fave Blogs on Pitching at a Writer's Conference

1. Pitchcraft @ Kidlit.
2. Loglines & Loglines, Part Deux @ Random Notes from Holly Bodger.
3. 11 Questions for Crafting a Pitch @ Rachelle Gardner.
4. How to Maximize Pitch Sessions @ Nathan Bransford.
5. Conference Round-up: The Art of Pitching @ Adventures in Children's Publishing.
6. Agent Miriam Kriss On: The Perfect Pitch @ Guide to Literary Agents.
7. Mastering the Elevator Pitch @ BookEnds.
8. The Elevator Pitch: First Floor, Second Floor, Third Floor @ Rachelle Gardner.
9. The One Sentence, One Paragragh, and Two Paragraph Pitch @ Nathan Bransford.
10. The Difference Between Pitch and Query @ Janet Reid.
11. Bonus: Pitch Killers @ Pub Rants.

Have you ever pitched to an agent? If so, what was your experience? Do you have any tips?

She's Crafty: Pesky Words & Overwriting

As I finish up revision, I am hunting through my manuscript looking for pesky words that weaken it or flowery globbly guck called overwriting. How do I know what to look for? A little help from the blogosphere. So here's my list of links highlighting the worst of the worst offenders in writing.

Top Ten Blog Posts on Pesky Words and Overwriting

1. Breaking the Rules of Writing @ The Other Side of the Story.
2. Free FtQ Chapter: The Trouble with With @ Flogging the Quill.
3. Top 10 Easily Misused Word Cousins @ Grammar Divas.
4. Extraneous Words @ The Blood Red Pencil.
5. Shooting Glances @ Kidlit.
6. Are you Overusing Passive Verbs @ Wordplay.
7. Style Blunders in Fiction @ The Blood Red Pencil.
8. Subjective Point of View: Expressing Judgment with Adverbs and Verbs @ TalkToYoUniverse.
9. Words that Often Spell Trouble @ Janice Hardy
10. A Rose By Any Other Name is Still Too Flowery. And Purple. @ The Other Side of the Story.
11. Bonus: Free FtQ Chapter: Dealing with Overwriting @ Flogging the Quill.
12. Bonus: Phrase Frequency Counter for Writers @ GalleyCat.

What do you do to avoid overwriting and pesky words?

She's Crafty: Dialogue

This week I'm focused on dialogue. Is it smooth or choppy? Is it believable? Watch the tags. Are there enough beats to liven the story? Does it have tension? Does it push the story forward or just fill in space? Blah, blah, blah, blah blah blah.

Blah.

Top Ten Blog Posts on Dialogue:

1. John Green and Dynamic Character Relationships @ Nathan Bransford. (While this isn't specific to dialogue, I apply the theory every time my characters speak to each other.)
2. Dialogue Masterclass @ Kidlit.
3. Dialogue that Matters @ TalkToYoUniverse.
4. Free FtQ chapter: Dialogue Beats @ Flogging the Quill.
5. How Dialog Can Help Re-structure a "Needs Some Work" Draft @ The Other Side of the Story.
6. Seven Keys to Writing Good Dialogue @ Nathan Bransford.
7. Technical Tips for Writing Dialogue @ Iggi & Gabi.
8. Tag, You're It! How to Write Excellent Dialogue Tags @ Kidlit.
9. Speaking of Dialogue @ STET!
10. Don't Overuse Names in Dialogue @ Wordplay.
11. Bonus: Is Your Character Walking & Talking? @ Adventures in Children's Publishing.

I have to watch my tags and make sure I've added enough action and detail. What's the easiest or hardest part of writing dialogue for you?

She's Crafty: Point of View (POV)

Arrrgh. I'm pitching my MG adventure to an agent at the Northern Colorado Writer's Conference next month. So I'm raising my revision alert level from Gotta-Get-It-Done to Do-It-Now. What am I working on tonight? Point of View (POV). I'm searching for any inconsistency. Now, I do not profess to be an expert on POV, but I read a ton of writing blogs. Light bulb, that's something I can blog about. So look for it, every Wednesday I plan on listing a top ten of great links on different writing topics.

Top Ten Blog Links on Point-Of-View (POV)

1. A View to a Skill: Understanding Point of View @ The Other Side of the Story.
2. Subjective Point of View: Expressing Judgment with Adverbs and Verbs @ TalkToYoUniverse.
3. POV: The Cure for the Common Problem by Janice Hardy @ Mystery Writing is Murder.
4. Point of View from My Point of View @ The Blood-Red Pencil.
5. POV = Viewpoint @ Edittorrent.
6. Training Our Inner Editor, Part 3a: Point of View @ The Blood-Red Pencil.
7. How to Layer Points of View @ Kidlit.com
8. Using the Bystander Effect in Your Novels @ Plot to Punctuation.
9. FtQ Chapter: Describing a POV Character @ Flogging the Quill.
10. Which is Best: First or Third Person Point of View? @ Write it Sideways.

I love to write Third Person Limited. What POV do you write in?