Yes, querying is hell. I gather it is a numbers game, send out x amount of queries and you have y liklihood of a response. Problem is, those numbers are large. And queries cannot be randomly scattered, they need to be focused. Aaargh! I was just calculating how many hours I spent writing, editing, and then marketing my novel. Many, many. Perhaps a total of a year and a half, anyway? And not a cent so far.
The writing and editing is tortuous, but torture I don't dislike, BTW. On my desktop right now is a copy of my novel, with LAST TIME! included in the title - referring to numerous edits. LOL, (wearily).
Tips from the Pros
Moderators: Celeste Stewart, Ed
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Elizabeth Ann West
- Posts: 561
- Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 4:42 am
- Location: Moncks Corner, SC
- Contact:
See, I have no desire to write a novel for one main reason: When I think about my favorite authors, only like 5 of them are still alive. So, I therefore see having a successful novel akin to a death wish. Ergo, I will not be writing a novel any time soon since I am only 26.
LOL.
But cheers to you CR and Celeste. May you bring up my number of favorite alive novelists to 7!
LOL.
But cheers to you CR and Celeste. May you bring up my number of favorite alive novelists to 7!
Hi, all -- I thought it might be a good idea to get out this thread and dust it off so it could be of help to the newcomers.
I'd like to add a little tip, too. I know that when I am composing a particular kind of article I find myself using the same word, or a form of it, too often. For example, "...she was so excited ... there was so much excitement ... they, too, were excited.." (OK, corny example, I know, but you get the idea. And I'm not referring to SEO stuff at all). So when I'm finished, I will go to "Edit" (in Word), then "Find," and enter a root like "excite" and see how many times I've used it (in any form) to see if it was overused. If so, I will replace many of the instances with different but similar words, or I'll redo a sentence altogether.
I have no idea if this makes any sense - I haven't finished my first cup of coffee. Holler if it doesn't.
I'd like to add a little tip, too. I know that when I am composing a particular kind of article I find myself using the same word, or a form of it, too often. For example, "...she was so excited ... there was so much excitement ... they, too, were excited.." (OK, corny example, I know, but you get the idea. And I'm not referring to SEO stuff at all). So when I'm finished, I will go to "Edit" (in Word), then "Find," and enter a root like "excite" and see how many times I've used it (in any form) to see if it was overused. If so, I will replace many of the instances with different but similar words, or I'll redo a sentence altogether.
I have no idea if this makes any sense - I haven't finished my first cup of coffee. Holler if it doesn't.
risks
My riskiest maneuver (by a long ways) was in 1998 or so ... I was a contributing editor with a magazine, and had written a number of aviation-related pieces during the previous couple years. I was not, however, any sort of aviation expert - nor even a pilot! My boss the Alpha Editor assigned me a bigfat in-depth aviation piece that I did NOT want to do. It was a controversial topic, argued hotly by at least three different involved groups, and I was dead certain that no matter how I handled it, I'd get hate mail from at least two of the groups. I argued and resisted, but he insisted, and I started on the piece. I ended up interviewing probably 20 people, and really wanted to go into a witness protection program when the piece was in production.
Much to my surprise, everyone involved in the issue liked it. No hate mail. Lots of fuzzy mail. Requests for reprints.
Hmmm. If it had been up to me, I'd have NEVER taken on that project. (My Alpha Editor usually "suggested" assignments or asked me what I was working on.) But he demanded I do it, and years later I'm glad I did. I guess that's how I relate to the "take a risk" advice on writing - don't be a chicken about writing something difficult!
Much to my surprise, everyone involved in the issue liked it. No hate mail. Lots of fuzzy mail. Requests for reprints.
Hmmm. If it had been up to me, I'd have NEVER taken on that project. (My Alpha Editor usually "suggested" assignments or asked me what I was working on.) But he demanded I do it, and years later I'm glad I did. I guess that's how I relate to the "take a risk" advice on writing - don't be a chicken about writing something difficult!