A Writer's Notebook, Day One-Hundred-Twenty-Three
I spent a long period today working on my query letters. I feel that I have a good basic letter at the moment, though it probably requires a few changes and may need a bit of added content that I didn't consider initially. The general version, that I have drafted at the moment, is a basic frame and I am intending to include within it some personalized content for each agent. Towards that end, I have begun the research on them, though it is not yet complete. Some I have a stronger sense of than others, and there is at least one whom I am a bit skeptical of as a choice, at the moment, due to a particular comment I read in which she spoke about her need for a strong plot, which is not the focus of W/R as a whole. Of course, that is only one snapshot, and I need to explore more deeply to really know who they are.
I have a bit of a head start in terms of some. One is an individual whom I had researched already, as she is well known in the industry and was involved with certain books that I have loved. There are also certain qualities in my work that feel resonant with some of what she has done and which I see as important influences. In another case, I think that I was able to recognize certain qualities in the authors within that agents client pool that I can relate with, as well as noting the style of agency that this individual is part of, which is more intimate and personal than many.
I've begun some small amount of research into a third that has been fruitful thus far, but I intend to go further and to see if I can deduce more from what I find that might allow me to make that connection as well. I think that one or two of them may be a bit more difficult to research, as they don't seem to have the same presence, but that will merely require a bit more sleuthing. I am sure that I can find more out about these agents and their client lists, in order to discern what it is that I find uniquely appealing about them as options. I think that being able to express that particular reason for sending this particular query is important.
I think that many agents see a lot of very bad queries. They see ones which don't show any real sense of professionalism, and which are baldly egotistical. I've come to think this because I have heard a few small comments on occasion where agents allude to those things. As well, I think that among those which don't make the most obvious mistakes, many of those that remain are likely being sent, identically, to many different agents. I doubt that many are written with the care to consider this individual, attempting to make a direct and individual connection.
Of course, being able to create that content relies upon something more important: my being able to genuinely find what I connect with about that agent, and why I would want to ally myself to them. Since agents are in a public facing business and are most always seeking new clients, it shouldn't be all that difficult to learn more about them, and I can certainly put knowledge of the authors they represent to use in that capacity as well.
At this point, to summarize, I have the basic email and some work for two personalized versions, but am still researching for the rest. The basic version of the query letter is, I think, quite good, moving from the pitch to a discussion of the current trend of successful innovative novels, within which W/R can fall. It is a bit of a dangerous comparison, honestly, as the books mentioned are very well received, but I think that it works in terms of contextualizing my manuscript, without seeming too egotistical, and I do believe it to be true as well that my novel has the chance of fitting within that overall trend.
Tomorrow, Melissa, and I along with my mom and brother along with Ulysses and Cisco(my brother's cat, though she lives largely with our mother) are all going to Miami for a few days in order to celebrate my fortieth birthday, which is on Thursday. I won't have as much time for writing but I do plan to get some work done and am going to bring along a computer so I can attempt to keep up with the blog. I need to get back to work on my play and I think that will be doable on the trip. I am going to print out a copy, possibly with more spacing so I have room for notes, and that way I can attempt to make my edits on the page first. I think that works well for cutting. I still have the notes to work from, but they are not all that extensive and only get me a bit of a way into what I need to do. It is going to take my sitting there with it and striking through the parts that can go, even some that I may wish I could keep. I am hoping I can get that done in the next few days, even while away from home and enjoying the trip.
It should also be noted that I am keeping thought active on the story idea that I mentioned previously. I think I have a pretty good sense of it in general, but I am missing a certain hook that I am not sure of, which is connected to finding the narrative perspective. For me, that is often a place for play and innovation, and I think that the exploration of those aspects is central to my writing. I think that is a product of my own fascination, and not some form of statement, but I also find it rather frustrating that when I speak with other writers they often have very limited ideas of what can be done. I tend to find projects don't really stick for me unless they are somehow pushing me to invent, and that is not always direct or easy. At present, I have a strong sense of the plot and some of the characters, but I don't know entirely how to tell the story in a way that feels truly my own.
I have a bit of a head start in terms of some. One is an individual whom I had researched already, as she is well known in the industry and was involved with certain books that I have loved. There are also certain qualities in my work that feel resonant with some of what she has done and which I see as important influences. In another case, I think that I was able to recognize certain qualities in the authors within that agents client pool that I can relate with, as well as noting the style of agency that this individual is part of, which is more intimate and personal than many.
I've begun some small amount of research into a third that has been fruitful thus far, but I intend to go further and to see if I can deduce more from what I find that might allow me to make that connection as well. I think that one or two of them may be a bit more difficult to research, as they don't seem to have the same presence, but that will merely require a bit more sleuthing. I am sure that I can find more out about these agents and their client lists, in order to discern what it is that I find uniquely appealing about them as options. I think that being able to express that particular reason for sending this particular query is important.
I think that many agents see a lot of very bad queries. They see ones which don't show any real sense of professionalism, and which are baldly egotistical. I've come to think this because I have heard a few small comments on occasion where agents allude to those things. As well, I think that among those which don't make the most obvious mistakes, many of those that remain are likely being sent, identically, to many different agents. I doubt that many are written with the care to consider this individual, attempting to make a direct and individual connection.
Of course, being able to create that content relies upon something more important: my being able to genuinely find what I connect with about that agent, and why I would want to ally myself to them. Since agents are in a public facing business and are most always seeking new clients, it shouldn't be all that difficult to learn more about them, and I can certainly put knowledge of the authors they represent to use in that capacity as well.
At this point, to summarize, I have the basic email and some work for two personalized versions, but am still researching for the rest. The basic version of the query letter is, I think, quite good, moving from the pitch to a discussion of the current trend of successful innovative novels, within which W/R can fall. It is a bit of a dangerous comparison, honestly, as the books mentioned are very well received, but I think that it works in terms of contextualizing my manuscript, without seeming too egotistical, and I do believe it to be true as well that my novel has the chance of fitting within that overall trend.
Tomorrow, Melissa, and I along with my mom and brother along with Ulysses and Cisco(my brother's cat, though she lives largely with our mother) are all going to Miami for a few days in order to celebrate my fortieth birthday, which is on Thursday. I won't have as much time for writing but I do plan to get some work done and am going to bring along a computer so I can attempt to keep up with the blog. I need to get back to work on my play and I think that will be doable on the trip. I am going to print out a copy, possibly with more spacing so I have room for notes, and that way I can attempt to make my edits on the page first. I think that works well for cutting. I still have the notes to work from, but they are not all that extensive and only get me a bit of a way into what I need to do. It is going to take my sitting there with it and striking through the parts that can go, even some that I may wish I could keep. I am hoping I can get that done in the next few days, even while away from home and enjoying the trip.
It should also be noted that I am keeping thought active on the story idea that I mentioned previously. I think I have a pretty good sense of it in general, but I am missing a certain hook that I am not sure of, which is connected to finding the narrative perspective. For me, that is often a place for play and innovation, and I think that the exploration of those aspects is central to my writing. I think that is a product of my own fascination, and not some form of statement, but I also find it rather frustrating that when I speak with other writers they often have very limited ideas of what can be done. I tend to find projects don't really stick for me unless they are somehow pushing me to invent, and that is not always direct or easy. At present, I have a strong sense of the plot and some of the characters, but I don't know entirely how to tell the story in a way that feels truly my own.
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