I got my manuscript back from my friend’s writer friend. She had nothing but kind and encouraging word for me, and I can’t even begin to describe how much I appreciate her taking the time to read and comment.
So now that I’ve read her notes, I guess the next step is completing and sending out the query letters! Does anyone else find writing a short synapsis of their manuscript really difficult? Because this is harder than writing my entire novel.
Anyone have any words of wisdom?
So, in the past few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of research on literary agents. I have a list going of whom I want to query, but to be honest, the whole process is intimidating and a little confusing. Not the writing a letter part, but trying to decide whom to query. The problem isn’t the agencies. They are all very helpful and resourceful and specific about what kind of literature they want to represent.
My problem is I’m not sure what my genre my book is.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of Meg Cabot and Nicholas Sparks. I like to think my book and my writing style are a bit of a combination of the two. I’m not as quirky or girly as Meg Cabot and I’m not as steamy or mushy as Nicholas Sparks, but my story has several similar elements to both authors.
Off the bat, I’m tempted to say the closest fit I can figure for my manuscript would be Paranormal/Romance, because there are ghosts and there is a little romance. The problem is that whenever I hear the words “Paranormal/Romance,” I think of Twilight and all the other supernatural love stories it’s spawned inspired over the years. You know, the ones with really dramatic titles, pink and purple and dark blue covers mixed with black and silver, and a ridiculously attractive person staring down at the ground and looking pensive. That is not my story at all. Yeah, my story has paranormal elements (ghosts), but there are no fallen angels, vampires, witchcraft schools, half-humans, or anything of the sort and the romance is light, fluffy, and clean (I try to keep my work PG-13). There are also elements of suspense (because hello, we need a plot), character development, revelations along the way, and, if you want to read it in such a way, a touch of Christianity and spirituality mixed in. All in all, however, it is a general work of fiction with a few ghosts thrown in.
For the record, this is the most I’ve ever written about my book online. It has been copyrighted, but I’m still not ready to post too much more information, such as title, characters, etc… Don’t want to give it all away! I’m just hoping that I might figure out what to do as far as pitching/query goes. Or maybe, if I’m lucky, someone might see this post and offer me some guidance!
A girl can hope!
Anyway, thanks for reading and if you have any advice or input, I’d be glad to receive it.
Growing up, I was always an artsy kid. I loved writing, reading, and all kinds of artwork. I took every after-school sculpting, drawing, and painting class my school had to offer. I guess you could say that creativity has always been my calling.
However, as much as I love to write and make art, my true passion has always been wildlife and nature. Maybe I write and make art because of my love for the natural world. Along with being an author, I also dream of being a wildlife photographer.
This afternoon, I got a rare treat. My mother texted me that there was a baby owl up near the store where she works. I’ve seen owls before at festivals and in zoos, but you rarely see them out and about in their natural habitat (well, as natural as you can get in the suburbs).
This particular owl was a screech owl, and obviously very young. He was still in the process of losing his baby feathers and growing into his adult plumage. I went a little crazy taking pictures, but he didn’t seem to mind. He was probably hoping I would go away and let him sleep.
He really was beautiful, and seeing him totally made my day, even if he didn’t bring me my Hogwarts acceptance letter.
Oh well. Maybe next time.
It’s the end of another week. Not all that much to report. I went back to the library for more books for my new manuscript. I’ve been talking a little to the woman who is helping me with editing, but her friend is still reading.
My mom and I ended up having to take Midnight to the vet today. There was nothing seriously wrong with her, but the procedure to take care of the problem was, to put it lightly, unpleasant. She is home now and is still trying to decide if she’s going to forgive us or not. As far as she is concerned, we’re just lucky that we’re still allowed to live in her house.
I texted the saga to my sister, who found the whole situation hilarious, and as a result, ended up creating this little masterpiece.
That’s my mom, my sister, and me. I’m the one with the cat on top of my head.
So yeah. That was my day.
A Platform of Sorts 