4 Tips on How To Write A Compelling Query Letter

May 25, 2021May 23, 2021Leave a comment

If you’re a querying writer nothing makes you want to jump off a cliff faster than having to write a query letter or dreaded synopsis. Now, as painful it is to write one, it’s also the only way to get a literary agent’s attention and your ticket to traditional publishing if that’s something you’re aiming for. Now, I’ve written a myriad variety of query letters for different projects and I’ve gotten full manuscript requests for them, so I have some experience in writing them. I’m not going to say that I’m a full on expert as agents are all different and some may respond better to one type of query than another, but if you’re just starting out or wish to amp your query writing game, then check out below for some tips on how to nail a winning query letter!

TIP ONE. ALWAYS START WITH A SALUTATION.

The classic Dear is fine in this case, followed by Mr./Ms. and the agent’s surname. Please make sure to spell their name correctly and for the love of all that is important to you, NEVER and I mean NEVER open a query with “To Whom It May Concern” unless you want to end up in the rejection pile pronto.

TIP TWO. BEGIN YOUR LETTER WITH A HOOK.

Before you delve into your MS’s plot and amazing characters, you should catch the agent’s attention right away and the best way to do that is by delivering your hook right away. What makes this MS stand out for all the rest? Find out what it is and hook your reader stat!

TIP THREE. NO MORE THAN THREE SHORT PARAGRAPHS TO EXPLAIN YOUR PLOT.

After you’ve delivered your hook, now you can explain what your plot is, what your main protagonists are, and what the main conflict is. This is also where state the GENRE, WORD COUNT, and any comp titles.

TIP FOUR. SUCCINT SHORT BIO AT THE END.

This is where you write why you’re the perfect person to write this book (say if you’re writing about a drug addict and you’re an ex addict or if you’re an own voices author), whatever it is you can state it here but keep it short!

And this wraps up my four tips for writing a compelling query! Let me know if this has helped you!

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3 Tips for Writers

May 11, 2021May 9, 2021Leave a comment

If you are a writer, or aspire to be one, you have probably experienced some of the symptoms of writer’s block. Writers find that they can write only when they feel inspired and their minds are energized. When writer’s block strikes, it is often followed by an overwhelming sense of fatigue and frustration. Unfortunately, there is almost no way to combat writer’s block. The best you can do is wait it out.

However, writer’s block does not have to be the end of the line if you are willing to accept some practical steps that will help you to overcome these feelings and continue writing. Keep in mind that writing is an extremely personal process; as a writer, you are responsible for your own feelings and thoughts, so try not to blame yourself if your creative juices seem to dry up at any point. this state will most likely persist until the writing session is complete or until the next time that artists’ muse visits them again.

Here are some tips to help you to get past writer’s block and to finish your piece:

Take a break. If you are experiencing writer’s block, a break can actually be extremely helpful. Unfortunately, this is possibly the last thing that you want to do when writer’s block strikes because it usually means that you have not been getting much work done on your task at hand. However, taking a break from writing is sometimes the only way to get past this phase of writer’s block. During your break, do something that has nothing to do with the things that you are writing about currently. Try to relax and unwind, whether it’s by going for a walk in the park or taking a hot bath at the end of a long day.
Write anyway. The most important thing to remember is that writer’s block does not have to be the end of your creative process. Even terrible rough drafts can be edited at a later date and polished into a better finished final draft, so don’t worry about your rough draft not being the next bestseller. You can fix things up even if you have little written, but you cannot fix a blank page.
Read your genre. If you’re writing for a specific genre (ie. Horror, thriller, romance) it’s best to read a lot of books in that genre so you know what publishing companies are looking for. Not to mention that the more you read the better you will become at writing and the more ideas you’ll have from reading new material! It’s definitely a win/win situation.

These are my three tips for writers, share below if you have any ones that work for you!

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3 Tips That Will Make You A Better Writer

September 15, 2020September 13, 2020Leave a comment

There are many books that explore the craft of writing but these tips are what will really change the way you work and write.

ONE. WRITE EVERY DAY.

By this, I don’t mean that you have to write a specific word count every day, because many people will feel a sense of failure if they don’t accomplish what most professional writers do. But since many of us that are writing have day jobs, trying to crank out 1,200 words daily is almost impossible. The secret is, there is no magic number. Write every day, even if all you can write for that day is ONE SENTENCE. But slowly, if you continue, in a year you’ll finally have a rough draft of a novel.

TWO. COMPLETE ONE PROJECT.

The problem I see with many writers is that they never complete a short story or novel. Instead, they begin a project, and once they struggle they let go and begin another. In the end, many of them end up having ten unfinished projects, and no single finished project to show for their efforts. Focus on completing ONE project so that you can then have something to edit once you’re done. You’ll never see your writing career launch if you’re always in the phase of starting new projects and never completing any of them.

THREE. READ BOOKS IN THE GENRE YOU WRITE.

Publishing is a business, which means that in order to see what is selling in your given genre, you have to read books from that genre. I don’t mean just one or two. I mean, A LOT. You should aim to read at least one book a month. Reading should be seen as a way to study the craft of writing. This will be way more helpful to you than dishing out hundreds of dollars for a writing workshop that lasts three days where you accomplish nothing.

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7 Ways To Overcome Writer’s Block

September 20, 2018September 15, 2018Leave a comment

Photo courtesy of http://araugustyn.com

It happens to the best of us. If you’re a writer, you’ve at some point dealt with the dreaded Writer’s Block. Every writer has struggled with this at some time in their lives, but there are methods of overcoming this dreaded obstacle rather than wallowing in self-pity and allowing months turn into years and finding yourself even more in the tunnel of no return than before. So don’t be that writer. Below are some suggestions on how to push through the block and be one with the muses once again.

Read poetry. – This can put you in a certain mood and allows the creative juices to flow.
Go for a walk. – Even if you’re just going around the block with your dog, sometimes the movement and being out in the open air allows our brain to refocus.
Play a game. – Not a video game that can suck up eight hours of your life without noticing, but a true hands on game, whether it’s a round of cards with friends, a board game, or chess, sometimes doing a different activity other than writing will help your thoughts regenerate.
Paint or draw. – I personally love to draw using charcoals. Sometimes when your brain is doing something creative in a fun setting (you’re not agonizing to be the next Picasso) you find that it opens up the doors of your writing brain too.
Listen to music. – If you wish to be in a certain mood to help create the setting and atmosphere of a story, then I listen to music and many times just listening gives me ideas for prose. Jot those ideas down.
Keep a dream journal. – I know this seems so cliché, but it works! When I first started writing my YA novel CUT HERE, I began with Lena’s backstory of how she had lost her mum. That backstory was inspired by a nightmare I had in the summer of 2008 when I dreamt of seeing a fur coat splattered with blood and later seeing a book entitled CUT HERE. I wrote that odd dream down and didn’t use that idea till the winter of 2011 when I began writing the novel, so what may seem like an irrelevant dream or idea now, could be useful later on! You never know!
Write pitch ideas down. – You may end up not using them at all, but thinking up plot pitches for a book may just get you out of the writing funk and excited about a new project!

Photo courtesy of www.bang2write.com

Whatever you do, just remember that NOT WRITING isn’t a solution to overcoming Writer’s Block! You need to be proactive and willing to put the effort to get out of the tunnel rather than wait for the muses to come and rescue you from writer’s hell. So after doing any of the suggestions above, just write. Whether it’s about the activity, your day, or writing ideas, just write. Because the only way to truly overcome Writer’s Block is to start writing. You can do it!

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The Inkblotters

A Writer's Lifestyle Blog

Tag: writingtips