I went on vacation this past week, and like I always do, I took a few books with me. Except this time, I was taking the iPad along. Which meant I was not only taking pleasure reading, but submissions. And this time, I decided to do something new: read one novel electronically, and one novel the good old analog way, on paper.
I thought I'd start this Monday morning off with a tidbit of both writing whimsy and food for thought.
courtesy of INDEXED (thisisindexed.com)
I think you can read this one of two ways:
One of my English professors in college always said that if you wanted to ever be a writer you had to READ EVERYTHING. Read constantly. Fill your head with words, because the more you read, the more you know how to use them. The more ingrained the ebb and flow and structure and grammar of the English language seeps into your brain.
Even just the repeated viewing of printed words on the page teaches you what your written words should look like. And I think a few glimpses into the query pile would show you some examples where it's clear people aren't quite familiar with the basic LOOK of prose, let alone it's finer nuances.
So what do you think? And what are you reading these days?
Hello one and all. Sorry for lapsing from the blog for a few days. I think the pitchfest burned me out more than I thought. But I am back, and fulfilling a promise for a post about query letters.
Query letters come in all shapes and sizes, most of them ill-fitting, clunky, or unhelpful. But every now and again you get a good one that has both the right shape and the right content. So I asked my client Eli Stutz, author of the forthcoming PICKLE IMPOSSIBLE, if I could use one of his letters. Now Eli actually queried me with another project first, which I read and considered, and while I was reading and considering, Eli finished a second book, which was the stronger project that we decided to move forward with. Even though we were already in touch, he wrote a second letter. And here it is:
Dear Ms. Roth,
A boy with a hidden power and the girl who was sent to stop him have 24 hours to win a pickle contest.
12-year-old Pierre La Bouche is a cornichon. That's French for 'pickle', but it also means 'good-for-nothing'. A middle child who gets straight C's, he's never been No. 1 at anything. When the family farm goes broke, grandfather Henri gives Pierre a mission: to save the farm by winning an international pickle contest.
En route to the contest, Pierre meets Aurore, the charming but less-than-truthful granddaughter of a rival farmer. She's been sent to ensnare Pierre, but after a wake up call from her conscience, she rescues him. Together, they navigate the ghostly Paris catacombs, figure out how to crash land a plane, and duel with a black-hearted villain who will stop at nothing to capture their pickles. In their most desperate hour, it is Pierre's incredible simplicity that saves the day. Always bickering but becoming friends, Pierre and Aurore discover that anything is possible, no matter how hard it may seem.
I KIDNAPPED THE PICKLE BOY is complete at 32,500 words. I'm a technical writer by day, optimistic novelist by night. Recently, I've interviewed a host of pickle makers and French natives. My own pickles are fermenting in the kitchen. I grew up in Toronto and live with my wife and children in Israel.
Thank you for your consideration. I hope to hear from you.
Kind Regards,
Eli Stutz
So let's review. At the core of this letter are 3 main paragraphs. Two of them are about the book. The last and shortest is about the author. Sure, he tosses in a little tagline, which is totally unnecessary, but it worked here, so I'll leave it alone. Let's go through each paragraph:
Here's the kicker. The total word count on this letter is 242 words. 242! Look how much he fits into 242 words. There's plot, character, personality and quirk. From this tightly written letter I know I'm going to get a fun, zany story. Those of you who wanted 250 words just to pitch your book, take heed! Shorter is better.
(You'll notice the book also went through a title change before I sent it out to editors. I KIDNAPPED THE PICKLE BOY was a little lengthy, and without picking it up, you'd never know Aurore is actually the narrator. But Eli came up with the adorable PICKLE IMPOSSIBLE that hit the nail on the head.)
So I hope it's clear why this letter worked. It stood out in a pile with its charm and flavor. The subject of the book matches the language and style of the letter. And Eli showed me he understands the economy of language. His word choices are deliberate, which makes me confident his book will be as tightly written.
Any questions? Leave 'em below.
I have two best friends. One is a boy and one is a girl. This means I have two very different perspectives on life depending on which one I choose to talk to about something. Yesterday, best guy friend and I went to see UP IN THE AIR. And while both of us walked out feeling somewhat depressed, we ended up having an interesting conversation about the impact of the movie, since I think I came out of it much more emotionally affected.
Sure that might have something to do with basic guy/girl differences, but what we talked about was more the way the movie was written. That the brilliance of it was how it tapped into common experiences that most people can relate to. Which I think is what all good fiction and storytelling does. It finds an access point, and reels you in.
For example, I had my strongest emotional reaction when the young Natalie was just dumped by her boyfriend over text message, and the three main characters talk about relationships and goals. Natalie is asked if that guy was the one, and she answers, "I could have made it work," and proceeds to enumerate her checklist of qualities in a mate. I both laughed and cried, having been exactly that girl, and having the same conversation with my friends over the years.
In our conversation about why a movie like that works, my friend somewhat scolded me for getting swept up in it--especially because I am someone who works in fiction. That I should be able to both recognize the good writing, but also see it as just a movie, and not as a commentary on MY life. But I disagreed. It's my job to recognize writing that prompts these reactions. And the fact that I can be swept up emotionally means it's doing something right. If I stop being swayed by these things, then I've become too cynical and I won't be any good at my job.
I have a point about books here, I swear, and here it is.
What I think we're looking for in books is the kind of writing that is universal. You want to create something that makes us all go, "I can relate." I read something and want to see myself, or my friends, or my family reflected in the book. I want lines that tap into something I'm feeling, or have felt. (I think this is all the more important when writing for teens. After all, you're targeting a group that is notoriously self-centered. They pretty much only want to talk about themselves...so you better really get what they're going through.)
But be warned about the dangers of being generic. There's a fine balance of drawing specific characters with their own quirks, but also making them experience things we can ALL see ourselves going through. There has to be a poignancy to the writing. You don't want to be bland.
It's like what I always say about why horoscopes will never go away: they are brilliant. They might seem pithy, but strike exactly the right balance of general and specific that anyone can superimpose themselves onto the situation.
And I think that's what you should go for in your books. (Minus the pithy appearance of course.)
emotion, movies, universality, writing