tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post4069596827689863181..comments2023-10-30T09:45:16.159-06:00Comments on Writing on the Wall: Darkest Before the Dawn?Precision Editing Grouphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17054725687044240043noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-85151578833604575072010-02-28T08:05:51.628-07:002010-02-28T08:05:51.628-07:00Thanks for the award, Krista!Thanks for the award, Krista!Precision Editing Grouphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17054725687044240043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-21813111188044044182010-02-24T10:19:48.111-07:002010-02-24T10:19:48.111-07:00I love this blog! I learn so much and gain a littl...I love this blog! I learn so much and gain a little more confidence every time I visit. Thank you!<br />My story is a little different, but still fits. I wrote a personal story that so many people have told me needs to be published. I tried and tried and though the rejections were mostly positive, I finally put it away and thought, "Okay, this is for my posterity." And that was fine. But I still went to writing group and they challenged me to try fiction. I did. I submitted. It was accepted (!), and my first thought was of my own little story, and maybe this will be the way to get it out there. I'm learning so much in this process... Especially that there is a timeline and a reason. Don't give up!<br />By the way, I gave your blog an award: http://kristalynnejensen.blogspot.com/2010/02/tuesday-edit-crunch-scene-it.html<br /><br />Thank you for all you do!Kristahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03734014895825429358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-78042388451516345472010-02-24T09:50:33.306-07:002010-02-24T09:50:33.306-07:00Thanks, Annette, and congratulations!Thanks, Annette, and congratulations!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-17644913295273265092010-02-24T09:36:58.899-07:002010-02-24T09:36:58.899-07:00Anon, I've been exactly where you are, and I k...Anon, I've been exactly where you are, and I know the frustration. Part of mine was that I did seek out plenty of feedback--including from writer friends who'd had GREAT success with their queries--and even they couldn't give me suggestions for improvement. But I still wasn't getting requests (but I did get lots of "You're obviously a strong writer, but this idea isn't right for my line" kind of rejections). <br /><br />A lot of the time it's finding the right person at the right time--the perfect fit. <br /><br />Another possibility is that since a lot of agents have writers submit a few pages with the query, that your opening page or two might have issues. I finally clued in that my opening was my problem, not my query: the first page all by itself wasn't hooking agents. I fixed that, and now I *am* getting requests on that piece. Finally. <br /><br />Good luck!Annette Lyonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12493583432919249814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-43606026575121097932010-02-24T09:30:59.209-07:002010-02-24T09:30:59.209-07:00Hey, Julie,
Thanks for the nice comment back.
I...Hey, Julie,<br />Thanks for the nice comment back.<br />I'm way too timid to stand before an open public dismantling. Snarkers (not you) can really hurt, especially in front of the www.<br />I read those and learn from them, but also wonder if by going public, the query then becomes "out there" to the point that it is not usable.<br />As a compromise to going public with my blundering attempts, I have been seeking out fellow writers with successful query letters and actively asking for private feedback and help. I am also considering hiring an editor, like my newly successful critique group member.<br />Reducing a whole novel into a few paragraphs that shows the writing, the protagonist(s), and the story hook is painfully hard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-9141853849268097382010-02-23T22:36:23.199-07:002010-02-23T22:36:23.199-07:00anon, my first query letter sucked muddy rocks. I ...anon, my first query letter sucked muddy rocks. I read over it this last year and laughed, thinking, "Yeah, I wouldn't have requested anything off of that thing either." I think it's easily as important to work shop your query letter through people you trust as it is to work shop the manuscript.<br /><br />query writing is a tough business. Have you sent your query letter through the monday mania for query letters here at writing on the wall? I try really hard to get to these to be helpful, but sometimes, life gets insane busy. If you haven't tried that, you definitely should. Janet Reid also has a query letter critique that she does at her blog. <br /><br />I know your frustration with the process. That first query letter got me the majority of the rejection letters in my file. I would have been better off letting a few other sets of eyes have a look.Julie Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15311231654035295596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-9680192465629627172010-02-23T22:01:28.771-07:002010-02-23T22:01:28.771-07:00I'm feeling especially down right now.
I can t...I'm feeling especially down right now.<br />I can talk about my novels. <br />People who read them say they love them.<br />But I can't seem to write a query letter, at least not one that gets a response. I'm floundering here badly. It's either is too full of the story or it's too simplified to stand out.<br />A writer in my critique group just got a request for a partial from her first query ever. She's a good writer. So I asked her for help and she told me she hired help to write the query. Now, I'm thinking about doing the same for mine.<br />Not getting any responses from agents hasn't made me quit writing, but it has slowed it down and really given my confidence a perpetual bad hair day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-16972391255791357412010-02-23T16:23:13.697-07:002010-02-23T16:23:13.697-07:00Right now, I'm in that not-giving-up moment. T...Right now, I'm in that not-giving-up moment. Tomorrow, I might really want to though. Even if I do, I know that I can't ever walk away because just like Madeleine L’Engle, the stories won't leave me alone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-27635306388790676542010-02-23T16:02:55.276-07:002010-02-23T16:02:55.276-07:00Wow, Julie. What a powerful post. It moved me. Sad...Wow, Julie. What a powerful post. It moved me. Sad to say, I didn't have that kind of moment. In some ways, I don't feel like I've paid my dues. I've only written for almost 2 years, but I have worked my butt off trying to learn it all fast. I write, write, write, and go to all the conference, sign up for one on ones and I have a nail hanging on my wall with a bunch of rejections, but I never got to the point of saying,"I quit." <br /><br />Man, that was a long sentence. <br /><br />I think the secret here is to keep going. Especially when you know you're good enough. There's always room for improvement with your next project. I feel so grateful that I'm having a book published. It's miraculous to me and I have worked hard for it, but like I said, I wasn't at that point where I felt I could go no further. Great post. LOVED it! Very inspiring.Melissa Cunninghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03067786807136441491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-39656273600153179392010-02-23T16:01:31.175-07:002010-02-23T16:01:31.175-07:00Thanks, Julie. This coincides really well with my ...Thanks, Julie. This coincides really well with my whole day.Sharihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05184772057308479564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-28324457252005079562010-02-23T11:39:24.480-07:002010-02-23T11:39:24.480-07:00I'm still in the finding the courage to try st...I'm still in the finding the courage to try stage. I found it just yesterday. Finally admitted to myself that I'm serious about this. Boy was that terrifying. <br /><br />Thank you for this post. It's good to know this in advance. Remind me when I'm whining about my first rejection letter, okay?Kimberly Vanderhorsthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01653757517652257445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-1635836335069625472010-02-23T10:51:45.572-07:002010-02-23T10:51:45.572-07:00Thanks, Julie. I needed to read this today to be r...Thanks, Julie. I needed to read this today to be reminded. I guess my Darkest before Dawn story is that I'd given up on publishing and was about ready to give up on writing when I was chosen to write When Hearts Conjoin, with a built-in publisher. Then I'd given up on publishing in a big name national market when The Writer accepted my year-old query and I got the lead story and my name on the front cover of the February 2010 issue. The last few weeks I've felt buried again when it comes to writing, but now you've made me realize I have a new book coming out in the spring, and the one I'm working on now is poised to sell more copies than I can imagine. Okay, so the market is exactly where I imagined I'd find my career, but the money spends the same. ;-) And it's a great feeling to at last see my name on the front cover of a book--exactly where I always wanted it to be!Lu Ann Brobst Stahelihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14551298104018237327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9113459088262891680.post-6793544970466965492010-02-23T10:30:03.444-07:002010-02-23T10:30:03.444-07:00I wish I had one of those stories, at least if tha...I wish I had one of those stories, at least if that brink you talked about really can foreshadow success. Bring on the brink!<br />-NateAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com