Query News, Part III

Since last fall, I have concentrated on writing a novel for National Novel Writing Month (then changing my mind), doing a final re-write and edit of The Last Tontine Survivor for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, starting a short story for an anthology, re-writing another short story for a Writer's Digest contest and, finally, doing a final read-through and edit of An Untidy Affair for a contest with a publisher. Sounds like I have been busy, and I have been.


But as I sit and think about it, all that work had another purpose -- distracting me from doing something I need to focus on but generally don't enjoy doing -- sending out query letters for my novel.


I now have two really good works I feel comfortable with querying in their current forms. And I have queried Affair before. Since it is under consideration with a publisher, I will hold off on querying it for now.


Which brings me to Tontine. It's Tontine's time.


A month ago, back on Feb. 22, my blog posting titled "Nervous Nellie" included the pitch I used for Tontine for ABNA. Though I was eliminated from the contest based on that pitch, I still will use it as the basis for my query letter for the novel. I think it conveys the story well. But in case I'm wrong, I will only send out a limited number of queries with that letter. If I don't get any bites after sending five to seven letters, I will strap it and start with an entirely different letter for Tontine.

I truly don't know what it's going to take to pique an agent's interest but I know it won't happen as long as I stall trying. I can keep busy with contests but unless I win, it won't get me closer to publication. So it's Query Letter Time.

This evening I will put in some serious effort in compiling an agent list. By the weekend, the letters should start heading out. Rejections, and the accompanying depression, will probably start next week.

Just wanted to prepare you.

Thanks for reading and keep writing (and querying).

2011 goals

I generally don't set New Year's goals or resolutions down on paper, so to speak, opting mostly to keep expectations quietly in my head. Whether I accomplish them or not isn't anyone else's business so I usually don't say what they are. But not this coming year. I'm putting them out there for everyone to see. (Or at least everyone who reads my blog.)

That's not to say that these goals are that ambitious. Frankly, they're not. But I wanted something obtainable to focus on and to shoot for, and I don't care if you know about them.

So, without further delay or possibly increasing your boredom, here they are:

1. I will attend two conferences this year. I already have one planned for early August, and perhaps the other will be in October. The reason for this goal is to expand networking. I don't do that well enough and attending a couple of conferences should help.

2. Write and try to publish four short stories. I tend to write long fiction -- novel-length fiction. It takes longer to do and just as long to make suitable (or what I consider suitable). Writing a few short stories should help focus my storytelling, character development and dialogue. Plus I should be able to start and finish it faster, and feel the gratification of completion quicker.

3. Enter at least one contest, either with a short story or with a novel-length work. First, I will consider ABNA in January if it is happening again. That will be for a novel. Then I will look for suitable short story contests.

So there you have it. I know it looks like I am reaching for the low-hanging fruit. And perhaps I am but I don't care. I am doing it in 2011. Check with me at this time next year to see how I did. I probably won't bring it up again before then.

Thanks for reading and don't give up on writing. I'm not.