Monday Music: You know what kicks ass? Being gentle.

Hey. It's Joe. Nope, not dead. Just been dropping the gloves and throwing down with real life for a while. Life's got me staggering, but I'll pull through. I'm too nasty not to.

Anyway, I thought I'd hijack Music Monday this week. A while back, Lydia and I were working on a military sci-fi together (we will return to it--hell of a story). We posted parts of it for critique, and someone said that a character's actions were inconsistent and not realistic. That comment was dumb.

In successive scenes, there is a tender moment of mutual attraction between the two MCs, and then later one MC is in a different situation, one that has him breaking arms and slitting throats.

In order for characters to be realistic and multi-layered, they have to react differently to different environmental stimuli. I have a much different frame of mind staring down into my wife's eyes than I do when I'm burning a glare through some creep I caught ogling her.

Do you act the same tucking your children in at night as you do when some tool in a Mercedes cuts you off in traffic, nearly causing an accident?

Our characters should have the same depth.

And to kind of solidify the point, we get to the music. I couldn't decide between Staind and Flaw, so I used them both.

In the first set of songs, both written to their children, there is a much gentler tone. In the second set, there is a much more aggressive tone. Both songs by the same bands, but they vary greatly because of the moods conveyed.

GENTLE:


Staind ZOE JANE



FLAW BEST I AM




AND THE ANGRY:


STAIND MUDSHOVEL



FLAW PAYBACK (language warning)

Your Questions Answered - What Makes a Good Critique Partner?

Anonymous said:

I'd love to know about your critique partner, how you met her, why you chose each other.

Do you send chapters as they progress or a big bunch of pages?

Every beta reader/critique partner hook-up is unique. So, even though I have no problem telling you my story, this is certainly not the only way it can happen.

First, I have several beta readers, not the least of which is my own husband, who is also a writer and an occasional contributor to this blog. But. I have different CPs for different things. Some for my sci-fi and fantasy, some for my YA contemp, and (when I was writing it) some for my women's fiction. And I love ALL of them. But...

Not every beta reader is going to like reading everything I write. Even in the same genre, different readers have different tastes - specific likes and dislike regarding content, style, etc.

Fortunately, I do have someone available who is willing to read just about everything, whether it be sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary romance, novels, short fiction... you name it, she'll read it. And not only that, but she gives spot-on feedback for everything.

That's why she is my main CP (like I said, I have others for specific things, but she sees everything of mine). We just... clicked. From the beginning. And the only way you're going to find someone like that is through trial and error. We didn't know when we started reading each other's stories that we would still be doing so years later, and not have killed each other in the process...

Her name is Laurel. (she blogs here, and tweets here) And you're probably going to hate me for saying this, but we kind of first hooked up by accident. Neither of us were actively looking for a CP at the time we started swapping stories. It just sort of... happened.

I don't even know the exact date we first got together. Sometime in the fall of 2009, right after I'd finished novel number 2, which was one of the first things she beta read for me.

And she read it in one night. The whole novel, in one night. She's a fast reader. That's a really REALLY good quality in a beta reader. Not just that, but she reads fast and can still make accurate assessments of the story-- feedback that makes sense and is helpful.

Other good qualities she has:

--she doesn't bullshit me. If something needs work, she tells me. If something is hitting the mark as is, she tells me that, too. You can't have a beta reader who only tells you positive things, or who only tells you negative things. You need a beta reader who knows how to balance, and who is, above everything else, HONEST.

--she's really good at giving encouragement when I need it the most, and again, she does so without patronizing, lying to make me feel better, etc. She's very factual and straightforward, but also knows when to throw the confetti.

--she's a good writer herself. She reads way more of my stuff than I do hers, but that's just because I am constantly throwing new stories at her... and she never once complains, btw. The stuff I have read of hers? Is better than most of what I see on crit forums, not gonna lie. She's a damn good writer, so I trust her feedback.

So how did we meet? That answer is simple. Le R.

We both read and commented regularly on The Rejectionist's blog. One day I made a comment about my first novel (which was under revision at the time, but has since been trunked), and she emailed me later saying she was interested in reading it. This also happened to be the same time I'd just finished my second novel. She wanted to read that one, too. I offered to read something of hers in return... and it went on from there.

We have never met in person or even talked on the phone. But I wouldn't trade her for anything.

Our process is a bit more complex. It's very "go with the flow." And that's mainly my fault, because I never seem to write the same way from project to project, and I tend to jump around between things until I figure out what to focus on fully.

The first couple things I sent her were complete, finished drafts. After that, I would send her whatever I had going that I was excited about.

Quite often this is just the first few chapters of something, just to see if she thinks I'm on the right track with a new idea. Sometimes it's just one scene, a few pages. Sometimes it's just a one-paragraph pitch. Then, once I've committed to writing a complete work, I'll wait until I have a good chunk finished and send it to her.

I'll send her chunks until I get to a certain point, and then I'll say, "I'm really close to the end now so I'm not going to send anymore until it's done being written and then has been through at least one rough edit." That email is always exciting to send.

But then the revision periods are the hardest. They can test your CPs more so than at any other time. For example, I've sent her (literally) three "updated" versions of SOCIAL GRACES just in the past week. It's not always like that, but yeah... it can be. And when you go through periods like this you need an extremely dedicated and patient beta reader to partner with you.

Especially since this also happened to be right after she sent her kids off to start school and then moved into a new house that same week.

Yeah.

Did I mention how much I love her?

I got lucky.

Here's hoping your perfect CP just falls into your lap someday, too.

~Lydia

Writing & Publishing Tips & Tricks from Editor Anica Rissi

One of the biggest highlights of WriteOnCon 2011, for me, was the live chat with Anica Rissi, Kathleen Ortiz, and Natalie Fischer. The entire chat was EPIC (as was all of WriteOnCon, really), so please click here to read the full transcript.

But today, I just want to give a big shout out to Anica for her awesome comments and advice that night. At the risk of sounding horribly cliche', they really struck a chord with me. Here's hoping they do the same for you.
---

Anica Rissi is an Executive Editor at Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. She specializes in developing, editing, and acquiring fiction for teens, and especially loves discovering and building new talent and new voices. She is interested in commercial, high-concept, and literary projects; unexpected or dark humor; edgy topics; smart writing; compelling storytelling; and characters that she can’t get out of her head.
---

I want to read the story that only you can tell, written

the way that you need to tell it.

I do not want to read a manuscript that you've written to fit a trend.

*** 

I want writers to ask their agents/editors LOTS of questions.

Open communication is key to the process.

***

It's an important part of the acquisition process--

talking with the agent/author to make sure the author agrees

with the editorial vision for the book.

If my ideas don't feel like a good fit for that writer, I want the author to say thanks but no thanks--it's not meant to be (and neither of us would be happy forcing it to be so).

***

Are you telling a great story? Are you telling it well? Then it can work in YA.

If it's true to the characters and true to the story, there are no limits (at least at Simon Pulse).

***

Q: Are books with sequels easier to sell? Should we mention a planned sequel when querying?

Anica: No. I need to fall in love with the first book before I care whether there's a second.

*** 

I am looking to fall head-over-heels in love. I need to love the manuscript so hard that I want to spend my nights and weekends with it, and read it over and over and over again. So it's like with people. Sometimes you know right away you will/won't be friends/lovers. Sometimes you need to spend lots of time together and see what does/doesn't develop.

***

Q: What are the main weaknesses you find in manuscripts?

Anica: Too much backstory, especially in the first 50 pages.

***

It's a good thing when people are talking about a book, whether they're saying great things or complaining about it.

*** 

Use the social media that makes sense to you.

Play to your strengths.

   

***

It's not my book, it's the author's book.

I'm not going to strong-arm her into any changes she doesn't believe in.

But together we can brainstorm alternate solutions if she doesn't

like my first suggestion.

***

I acquire 18-20 books per year, edit 12-15.

I receive hundreds and hundreds of agented submissions per year.

Usually a few new ones every day.

You can't be an editor if you aren't living it, breathing it.

***

Q: If you rejected a story, and then it went on to become very successful, do you regret your decision?

Anica: No. If I rejected it, I wasn't the right editor for it. 

I do, however, feel super glad for the author. It's good for everyone when YA books are selling!

***

  It doesn't matter if the themes are familiar

if the execution is unique.

***

When you're done with your manuscript, put it away and don't look at it for A COUPLE OF MONTHS, then go back and revise, revise, revise.

You need that distance from it to really see it.

***

Novels edited by Anica Rissi that were mentioned in this chat:

INVINCIBLE SUMMER by Hannah Moskowitz (2011)

GONE, GONE, GONE by Hannah Moskowitz (upcoming 2012)

AFTER THE KISS by Terra Elan McVoy (2010)

BEING FRIENDS WITH BOYS by Terra Elan McVoy (upcoming 2012)

NOTHING LIKE YOU by Lauren Strasnick (2009)

VIRTUOSITY by Jessica Martinez (upcoming 2011)

POSSESSION by Elana Johnson (2011)

WHEN YOU WERE MINE by Rebecca Serle (upcoming 2012)

CLEAN by Amy Reed (2011)

CRASH INTO ME by Albert Borris (2009)

TAKE ME THERE by Carolee Dean (2010)

PAST PERFECT by Leila Sales (upcoming 2011)

SWOON by Nina Malkin (2009)

SWEAR by Nina Malkin (upcoming 2011)

PATHFINDER by Orson Scott Card (2010)

THE EDUCATION OF HAILEY KENDRICK by Eileen Cook (2011)

UNRAVELING ISOBEL by Eileen Cook (upcoming 2012)

***

*blows kisses*

***

Monday Music - "Almost Lover" by A Fine Frenzy

"Almost" is worse than a "yes" or "no."

From the editor:

I almost acquired your story, but...

From the agent:

I almost took you on, but...

From the critique partner:

I almost believed this was plausible, but then...

From yourself:

I was almost good enough...

"Almost" is a difficult place to be. For anyone.

Say goodbye to your "almost" and try again.




~Lydia

WriteOnCon 2011, Day Three

Another year at WriteOnCon has come to an end.

*cries*

*falls over from exhaustion*

*cries some more*

Click here for the full list of yesterday's events (and giveaways!).

Also, there are some REALLY AMAZING comments and advice given by the Ninja Agents in the critique forums, which are still open if you want to take advantage. One comment that really stood out to me was from Ninja Agent Apple. (This also happens to be the agent who requested my pages, but I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say who it is yet, sorry.)

Each scene needs an inner and outer turning point -- something needs to change for the character inside and something need to shift outside the character.

I wrote this down as soon as I saw it and put it in a highly visible place next to my laptop. This basic-yet-vital tip came just at the right time for me. I'm checking to make sure I've done this in every scene as I go through my revisions now.

BIG THANKS TO ALL THE NINJA AGENTS!!!!!


Below are my personal favorites from yesterday's events.


SO YOU WANNA BE A WRITER? by Amy Fellner Dominy

MOMENTS THAT MATTER by Matt Myklusch

WRITING A GREAT QUERY LETTER by Jim McCarthy

REVISIONS: THE WHY AND THE HOW by Carrie Ryan

ONLINE ETIQUETTE by Liesa Abrams

PROFESSIONAL PANEL with literary agents Natalie Fischer and Kathleen Ortiz, and editor Anica Rissi - transcript of live discussion (quite honestly, this chat was the highlight of my entire day)

CLASS OF 2K12!

WriteOnCon 2011, Day Two

Before I get into my favorites, there is one thing in particular that happened on day two that made it especially EPIC...

I received an ms request from a Ninja Agent based on sample pages of my YA novel, SOCIAL GRACES!!!

There are several Ninja Agents lurking the WriteOnCon crit forums, and yes, they are requesting manuscripts. Many writers have received requests based on their query letters, and others, like me, from their sample pages. And even if you don't get a request, the Ninja Agents have been commenting and leaving feedback on posted material so really, YOU CAN'T LOSE. If you haven't taken advantage of posting your work in the critique forums, today is your last chance! Register here.

My personal favorites from Day Two:

BUILDING BELIEVABLE ROMANCE by Martha Mihalick

ON COMPACTNESS by Weronika Janczuk

BALANCING WRITING AND LIFE by Kendra Levin

SUBMISSION BASICS by Ginger Clark

Q & A WITH HOLLY ROOT AND BARBARA POELLE - transcript of live discussion

MARKETING 101 by Emma Walton Hamilton


NOVEL BEGINNINGS: HOW TO KNOW WHERE TO START ~ Lisa Schroeder




THE DEBUT YEAR ~ Lindsay Leavitt




ARE YOU READY TO QUERY ~ Kate Testerman

WriteOnCon 2011, Day One

I'll be getting back to the "your questions answered" posts next week. Because this week? Is all about WriteOnCon. If you write YA, MG, PBs, or any other kind of kid lit, this is the place for you. Click here to register.

Every day of WriteOnCon is packed with awesome articles and vlogs and live chats. You can also hang out in the crit forums (which is where I've been, mostly). I can't possibly list everything here, so I'm just going to highlight my personal favorites from yesterday. But really, everything is worth checking out. For serious. See the full list of yesterday's events here.

ON PLATFORM - transcript of live discussion with literary agent Sara Megibow

HOW TO WRITE A KILLER FIRST SENTENCE

YOUR NOVEL ISN'T READY FOR SUBMISSION BECAUSE...

Q & A WITH SUZIE TOWNSEND - transcript of live discussion

PROFESSIONAL PANEL - transcript of live discussion with editors and agents

DON'T GIVE UP ~ Beth Revis




MYTHS & MISCONCEPTIONS ~ Molly O'Neill, Martha Mihalick, Holly Root




ON LGBT LIT ~ Scott Tracey




PACING IN CONTEMPORARY YA ~ Sara Zarr

Monday Music - Genius Next Door by Regina Spektor

Tuesday Tunes is now on Monday. So I had to change the title intro. It's the same thing as Tuesday Tunes, though. Check out the new blog schedule in the sidebar for official description.
-----

Songwriting is a form of fiction writing and poetry, but with an added layer of complexity, mood, tone, and presentation of the story through the music. With any kind of storytelling you have the risk of someone interpreting it differently than you, the author, intended.

A great mantra that some authors stand by is this: "When I'm writing the story, it's MY story. Once the story is published, it's YOUR story." (your meaning the readers)

So the reader has the right to interpret the story however he/she wishes. They may hate it. They may love it. They may be somewhere in between. But the point is, everyone's opinion will be different, whether slightly or dramatically, because every person is a unique individual at a unique point in their life at the time they read it.

In the case of a story or song or poem that isn't easily discernible, or concrete, there is often much debate over the translation of the prose and lyrics. This is not always a bad thing, in my opinion. I always find it thoroughly interesting to see how different readers interpret my stories, even if they have an overall negative response.

Over the weekend a twitter-friend brought my attention to the song below. It's beautiful. But I think there's a lot of room for various interpretations of the story it tells.

So... what do YOU think it means?



~Lydia

We Have Internet Again! And Some Other MAJOR Announcements!

I can't even write a real post because I'm spazzing pretty bad today. In a good way.

So. Obviously. Our Internet issues have been dealt with. HURRAH!

A couple other major things happened this week, too. If you follow me on Twitter you might already know what they are, but hey, there's no harm in repeating.

First, I've been sitting on this for weeks but wasn't allowed to say anything about it until now:

I have been added as a monthly contributor to the YA Contemps blog.

!!!!!!!!!!

I know. I can't believe it either. All I keep thinking is

!!!!!!!!!!

And then, just when I thought things couldn't get any better this week...

I FINISHED MY YA NOVEL. YOU KNOW THE ONE. THE PROBLEM CHILD I'VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH SINCE LAST DECEMBER? YEAH. IT'S DONE. I TYPED END. IT'S DONE, I TELL YOU. DONE!

(except for final edits. heh. there's always that.)

To celebrate (aside from cupcakes, that's a given), here's a look at one of the inspirations for my now-finished novel:



Someday I will explain all the ways that song is perfect. But right now I'm floating too much to think straight.

So, despite the lack of Internet, this week wasn't so bad. In fact it was EPIC. Here's hoping you all have an epic week soon, too.

~Lydia

FYI

So. I've got some bad news here.

We lost our Internet connection, and the service tech can't get here until Friday. For now I'm lucky to find a wireless hot spot somewhere in our apartment that (a) doesn't require me to hold the laptop like a contortionist, and (b) stays connected for longer than 30 seconds.

Which means no blog posts this week and no tweeting and no writers' forums and no whatever else I use the Internet for... until sometime on Friday. I can still check my email at the library but I may not get back to you for a day or two.

My Google Reader is surely out of control by now, and will only get worse as the week goes on. So I apologize for not being able to read and comment on your blogs. I'm just going to have to clear the whole thing and start fresh once we get our connection back. Sorry. I'm sure I'm missing some really great stuff.

Hopefully the tech comes early on Friday and I can get everything back in order before the weekend. Until then, I'll be catching up on my reading and could very possibly finish my WIP by the end of this week instead of by the end of this month, as I'd planned. My apartment is also going to get a nice "back-to-school organization and thorough cleaning." Would you believe it took me an hour yesterday just to go through one stack of paperwork from the last school year? And most of it was garbage!

Anyway...

Happy writing (and whatever else you're doing this week),
~Lydia

Your Questions Answered, Part II: Short Story Submission and Publication

While I was writing this post, I discovered an amazing review of my short story "The Blade of Tears" at HORRORTALK. If you're curious, click HERE and read the third paragraph. I always expect the worst from official reviewers, so this was a pleasant surprise today!
-----

Matthew said:

I would love to hear about short story submission.

I talked about some of the details of this in my guest post at Janice Hardy's blog, HERE. In that article I emphasized the importance of polishing a short story with as much effort as you would a novel, the importance of knowing the markets and how to define a short story in terms of word count, and how to determine what will be the best market option for your finished piece.

So I'm not going to repeat any of that here. I highly encourage you to read that article.

Let's say you have a finished short story of about 6,000 words, and you didn't write it for a specific anthology or contest or with a specific magazine/ezine in mind, and you go through the process of researching different markets and select the market you wish to submit to first-- your top choice.

For example,

(1) This market is looking for stories of the same genre and theme, and your final word count falls within their accepted range.
(2) This market pays 5 cents/word and counts toward a SFWA membership.
(3) This market has a 30-day response time.
(4) This market accepts electronic submission through email.

Those are just a handful of the things you should know before submitting. Different editors have different preferences. Always always always comb through the submission guidelines before you send anything anywhere. Even if you've submitted to them in past-- things can change very quickly.

The next thing I would do is check the formatting on my story to make sure it is in line with the editor's preference. Many editors simply say "use standard manuscript format." I love those editors. Because I write my first drafts in standard ms format and keep them that way through the revision process. It's less overwhelming to me that way, one less thing to have to "fix" later.

Sometimes editors-- especially those of ezines-- will have their own specific preferences that deviate from standard ms format. If this is the case, they will detail it in the submission guidelines. If they do not detail any specifics and also do not specify that standard ms format is preferred, then I would use standard ms format. You really can't go wrong with it.

Since I've never actually covered what standard ms format is, on this blog, now is as good a time as any. So here it is.

Standard Manuscript Format (this applies to short fiction and novels):

• one-inch margins all around
• double-spaced
• 12-pt font, either Courier or Times New Roman
• left justified, ragged right margins
• no spaces between paragraphs
• standard indent 1/2" at the beginning of every new paragraph, even if the "paragraph" is only one line

In the upper right corner (this will be in the "header", not in the page text), insert page numbers, the author's last name and the story title. "Author name" is whatever name you want the story to be published under. It looks like this:

Sharp/ CHASING DREAMS/ 1

If your title is longer than three words, shorten it in the header to only the key words, or three words that will make it distinct. For example,

"The Blade of Tears" looked like this:

Sharp/ BLADE OF TEARS/ 1

"Spread Your Wings and Die" looked like this:

Sharp/ SPREAD YOUR WINGS/ 1

To get it all on the right side, simply "right justify" your header. Insert page numbers. Then add the other info to the left of the page number. Title is in ALL CAPS. I put one space after each slash because I think it makes it easier to read. This is not required, though.

On the first page of your story, add your contact info in the upper left corner, single-spaced. The rest of the page will be double-spaced, as is the rest of your manuscript. Again, the single spacing is not truly required. I do this for the sake of appearance. It looks more professional that way, in my opinion. There's no reason to have your contact info all spread out like you do the story.

Contact info looks like this:

Olivia [last name] (real name here!)
[street address]
[city, state, zip]
[phone number]

[author email address]
[author website url]

Then go back to the first line of your contact info, just after your name, and tab over to the other side. This is where you state your word count for the piece, always with "about" in front of it. ESTIMATE your word count. Depending on the total length, you can estimate to the tens or hundreds.

Like this:

About 6,050 words

About 6,000 words

About 5,900 words

[Side point: For novels, I always estimate to the thousands. If the final word count is 75,897 words, I would say, "about 76,000 words."]

Next, go to just below your contact info, make sure the page is double-spaced from that point on, and hit a few "returns" until you get to about the middle of the page. The whole page, not just the distance between the bottom of your contact info and the bottom of the page. It usually takes about three double-spaced returns. If you're not sure if you're in the middle, go to "print preview" or change your "page view" so you can see the whole page on the screen.

This is where you enter your title, in ALL CAPS, and your byline. The byline will include the name you want the story to be published under. All of this is CENTERED, not left justified like the rest of it.

Mine would look like this:

CHASING DREAMS

by Lydia Sharp

If you use a pen name, read this next part carefully.

You really don't have to worry about stating anywhere specifically, in the cover letter (which we'll discuss in a minute or two) or otherwise, that you are writing under a pen name. It is very clear on your first page that whatever name is in the contact info is your real name, and whatever name is in the byline is your pen name. Editors aren't stupid. They don't need you to spell it out for them.

Because, even if they do forget which is which, later down the road, if this is a paying market all of that will be detailed in your contract.

Once you've centered your title and byline, hit the "return" a few more times (eh, like two or three hits, double-spaced should put you where you need to be-- if it's off by a line or two no editor will hold this against you, honest). This is where your story begins. On the title page.

[Side point: For novels, I keep the title page as it's own separate page, hit a "hard return/page break" under the byline, and start the story on the next page. Inserting a page break = ctrl + "enter". Use this in your novel manuscripts at the end of every chapter if you don't want your formatting to go apeshit when an agent or editor downloads your pages.]

Standard scene breaks look like this, centered on their own line:

#

That's it. No spaces in between the paragraphs or scene breaks either, throughout the whole thing. This is the same for both short stories and novels. For example (and I'll have to use something of mine that isn't published or under contract or on sub, so this is not part of "Chasing Dreams", which I've been using in the examples thus far):

    "You're gonna be okay," I tell her. But we both know it's a lie. No one in this family, myself included, seems to be able to keep themselves from making the same mistakes over and over and over.

#

    After dinner I go right to bed and Kenny follows me. I'm too exhausted to tell him not to and then have him ask why and… whatever, I can't think about this now.
    "Saw your wheels in the garage," he says, inviting himself into my room. "Pretty sweet."
    "What of it?"

SOCIAL GRACES © 2011 by Lydia Sharp

That would all be double-spaced, but the point is there are no extra spaces in between anything.

If an editor wants this "*****" or something else to be used for a scene break, they will state so in the guidelines. We're still talking about Standard Manuscript Format here.

At the end of your story, center this on its own line:

--END--

Yes, that is required. The editor needs to know they got the full story, didn't lose a page anywhere in the transfer.

Now that your manuscript is all squared away, you can write your cover letter. I always recommend sending a cover letter, whether or not the editor states they want one. The only time I won't is if the editor specifically states they do not want one. All other times, it's perfectly okay. It's professional.

Please understand that a cover letter is not the same thing as a query letter.

I use a standard cover letter, every time, and it's no longer than a few sentences. If this is a printed submission, the page is going to look too empty. That's okay. The editor can use the space to make notes if they want.

My cover letter for "Chasing Dreams", which was an email sub, looked like this:

Dear Editor:

Thank you for considering my science fiction short story, "Chasing Dreams" (about 7400 words). I have pasted it below this message. My short fiction has been published in three anthologies from Pill Hill Press (www.pillhillpress.com) -- SHADOWS & LIGHT (2009); FLESH & BONE (2010); SHADOWS & LIGHT II (2011). Thanks again, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Olivia [last name]

[contact info here, same as what is on page one]

Short and sweet. Even shorter if you don't have any publication credits to mention. Which is nothing to worry about if you don't have anything published yet. We all have to start somewhere.

All of that was in the email. Then I "pasted the story below" in the body of the email, because that was how the editor specified she wanted it.

There are 3 main ways to e-sub:

• document attached to the email (editor will state which file format to use)
• story pasted in the body of the email
• submission form provided by the publisher on site

Again, I can't stress enough how important it is to go through submission guidelines with a fine-tooth comb.

Now let's breakdown what is actually in that cover letter.

1. Dear Editor

If you know the editor's name, use it. If you don't, "dear editor" is perfectly okay.

2. Thank them for reading your work. I mean... it's a professional editor taking the time to read YOUR story. By God, you had better be grateful even just for that.

3. Briefly tell them what it is. Genre, title, word count. No need to say anything else about the story. Not even "I saw you have a particular interest in cryogenics and thought this would be right up your alley." Seriously. This is not a query letter in the slightest. You're subbing the entire story with this cover letter. The editor will find out what your story is about when they read it.

(And yes, if you're wondering, "Chasing Dreams" is about cryogenics, among other things. It hasn't been published yet, but it's under contract.)

4. Mention any RELEVANT publication credits. I've actually changed my credit detail since using this letter. When your credits start to rack up, you can't list them all in the cover letter. At some point you have to just list your best two or three and/or your most recent publications, or else the cover letter is too long. In all honesty, some editors skip the cover letter entirely and go straight to the story.

You can add a sentence that says, "a full list of my published fiction can be found on my website" or something like that, if you want them to see all of it. But realistically, they're not likely going to check out your website or your other stories unless they like THIS story that you've submitted. Not necessary to say anything about it in the cover letter, but it can't really hurt, either.

Short story titles go inside quotation. Book titles (including anthologies) go in ALL CAPS. Give the publisher's name and the year it was published, or the month and year it was published.

[Side point: This is also standard for the bio section of a query letter.]

5. Another thank you. Brownie points. Show them you are a pleasant person who they would be happy to work with.

6. Sincerely, real name, contact info.

PROOFREAD PROOFREAD PROOFREAD!!!

Proofread your manuscript a million times. Then proofread it one last time. Then proofread your cover letter and triple-quadruple check that you've included everything you need to include. Make sure you've attached the file to the email, if that's how you're submitting.

(I've forgotten to attach the file before. Not for a short story, but for a request from an agent. It's sixteen shades of embarrassing but you'll survive.)

NOW YOU HIT SEND.

Go ahead, hit send. I know you're scared as shit, but it's liberating, I promise.

After that...

You work on something else and you wait. I'm sure you'll check your email fifty times a day. That's okay, if it's what you need to do. Just make sure you are also still writing in between that.

You wait.

And you wait.

And you wait.

If you don't get a response within the stated response time, follow the procedure laid out by the editor in the submission guidelines. Stuff does get lost sometimes. It happens. This is also not the end of the world.

Your response will be one of the following:

• form rejection (these are common; expect them)
• personal rejection that includes feedback (sing your praises; feedback is rare)
• ACCEPTANCE

If you get the third one, take a few minutes to congratulate yourself (I usually break out in some kind of awkward dance move that I didn't know existed until that moment). DON'T DO ANYTHING PUBLIC YET. Wait until you have something official to announce. Keeping quiet is one of the hardest things you'll have to do.

The editor should lay out for you what the next step in the process is. Quite often this includes:

• sending you a contract
• allowing you a reasonable amount of time to review the contract
• answering any questions you might have, in a timely and professional manner

If everything looks kosher and you're getting good communication from the editor, you sign the contract, send it back, and then they sign it and send you a finalized copy.

What happens from there is entirely dependent upon the editor and what has been detailed in your contract.

You may have to wait for the editor to send you revision notes (which is what I'm currently doing for "Chasing Dreams"). You may have your story accepted "as is" and published right away. You may have your story accepted "as is" and published within 90 days. Etc, etc, etc.

Payment and royalties are also detailed in the contract. Quite often, you don't get paid right away, but the editor has to pay you within a certain amount of time from either (a) the time of acceptance, or (b) the time of story publication.

If you are lucky enough to get this far in the process, REVIEW YOUR CONTRACT with as much, or even more, effort as you reviewed the submission guidelines before you submitted.

You DO NOT have to commit to anything, even if the editor says they want your story, until you sign the contract. Nothing is final until there are official signatures involved. So make sure you are 100% okay with whatever is in that contract. You have every right to withdraw your story if something feels off, but you don't have that option once you're bound under contract.

Don't let your giddiness over "holy frack someone likes me, they really, really like me!" cloud your better judgement. This is a business, and the decisions you make at this step in the process will affect that story for the rest of forever. Even if you have rights reverted back to you after a stated period of time, your story is no longer "new" after that-- it can only be considered for publication as a "reprint", which limits your options and almost always pays less.

Any further questions? Ask in the comments.

Happy writing (and submitting and publishing),
~Lydia

Tuesday Tunes - My Last Breath

Writing endings is tough. Personally, this is the area I struggle with the most in a first draft. My brain kind of explodes a little, thinking of how to tie everything together in a way that is both expected and unpredictable.

I'm currently at the end of my WIP. I know the events that need to take place. Events and actions are easy. It's the emotions that kill me. They call this a climax for a reason-- it's the PEAK of everything you've set up for the past 300 pages. It's the most intense of all your intense scenes put together.

It's the simultaneous resolution of the outer and inner conflicts.

In James Scott Bell's Plot & Structure, he says the best fiction has death "hanging over the MC" from early on, until it is conquered in the end. This doesn't always mean physical death, but that is the most common because it is the most intense.

The YA novel I'm writing has a very strong element of death from beginning to end. It starts out as social death, and then emotional death, and then there is a clear physical death threat that hangs over the MC all the way until she confronts the antagonist at the end.

I didn't realize this when I'd first added that physical death threat-- it was just part of the story and that's all I was thinking about-- but without that extra, extremely intense element, this story would be in a completely different class. A lower class, in my opinion. That one little element (that is not really little at all) is essentially what drives the reader more quickly through the pages.

It creates worry. Worry keeps readers reading. They wonder... will such-and-such character's last breath be on the next page? The next one? Maybe the next one? And suddenly they're at the end, in the final showdown.

Today's song reminds me of the emotional and physical intensity of a good ending.





Happy writing,
~Lydia