tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83144123714107063612024-02-07T20:12:39.878-06:00word-crafting: a writer's blogDeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-52207247548883684592014-03-16T13:04:00.002-05:002014-03-16T13:04:43.246-05:00A Fond Farewell<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU9l-Nj1jiiq_DT1TCEVk6vwjCLtDEDj95UdS_L1-dyXKaoJzpuzEn91VbJU7SBB5JJkovstNogJ8Nu85PrUdptMfqBRmb-_Fkx37U9cEau7JyCdDV3ReogNfAYXOVVRHXSAWl9sIo0M/s1600/220px-Knight's_Point,_West_Coast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFU9l-Nj1jiiq_DT1TCEVk6vwjCLtDEDj95UdS_L1-dyXKaoJzpuzEn91VbJU7SBB5JJkovstNogJ8Nu85PrUdptMfqBRmb-_Fkx37U9cEau7JyCdDV3ReogNfAYXOVVRHXSAWl9sIo0M/s1600/220px-Knight's_Point,_West_Coast.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Since late October 2013, I’ve posted
only once on this blog and that’s because my hopes—plans for it—have gone awry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I began this writing blog back in
September 2012, I had high hopes of sharing with you my adventures with
publishing. I’d seek an agent for the novel I was writing and explore that
search with you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
agent would find a publisher/editor and I’d let you know about today’s
contracts and negotiations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
manuscript would go through the publishing process and I’d have a title and
cover that you and I could ooh and ah over. Then
would come publication and together we’d climb aboard our luge and zoom down the
slope of sells and reviews, of readings and signings, of working with social
media and the publisher’s marketing department.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6KdySzDbf8xb-rPV1NGKkQDLFk6GpcxiqxduAcddwTBeCjXSqOZQsPstHpckYGvvKk9rdwBBx8vBQof__nTeVWvorBe3C_V95-taFtCTvv6lyAO-XDBLKaZNghy67q8k05Jjcgl4xE8/s1600/220px-The_Caxton_Celebration_-_William_Caxton_showing_specimens_of_his_printing_to_King_Edward_IV_and_his_Queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6KdySzDbf8xb-rPV1NGKkQDLFk6GpcxiqxduAcddwTBeCjXSqOZQsPstHpckYGvvKk9rdwBBx8vBQof__nTeVWvorBe3C_V95-taFtCTvv6lyAO-XDBLKaZNghy67q8k05Jjcgl4xE8/s1600/220px-The_Caxton_Celebration_-_William_Caxton_showing_specimens_of_his_printing_to_King_Edward_IV_and_his_Queen.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Only
one part of that has happened—the agent search last September, October, and
November. I’ve e-queried many agents but found no one interested in a
historical novel about Palestine in the first-century of the CE. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Wanting
to be published again, I thought perhaps that a memoir might have a better chance
of interesting agents and editors. And so I set out in January to collate all
my convent stories from my on-line memoir blog Coming Home to Myself. I
realized I had many more stories to tell about those nine years, and I hoped to
do so this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because
life happens, I haven’t done any collating or writing since the new year began.
Moreover, I find myself loath to begin. The project just seems boring to me.
And my best writing has always come from the wellspring of my own passion and
curiosity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">What </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">I’m both
passionate and curious about right now—and what has held my interest since
sixth grade when we studied ancient history at St. Mary’s Grade School—is
Bronze Age Greece. Last summer I worked on a first draft for a novel that takes
place there in around 1250 BCE. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
may be the first book in a trilogy or I may just continue writing and tell the
whole story in a longer book.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza2WDWHUDxhyphenhyphenuHAWUz25imaXbyOdGO2iaNZYz3R1x8PXB4reY7ISu5DOewg7TanVFErwcgTUWYOxxOtVxqImWNWMBhYGcNkGc4yfWB9_mZzvglrHZgoe8nmGLWkhfOBqWh_9AUBECQdU/s1600/250px-FD_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza2WDWHUDxhyphenhyphenuHAWUz25imaXbyOdGO2iaNZYz3R1x8PXB4reY7ISu5DOewg7TanVFErwcgTUWYOxxOtVxqImWNWMBhYGcNkGc4yfWB9_mZzvglrHZgoe8nmGLWkhfOBqWh_9AUBECQdU/s1600/250px-FD_1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
know, deep down, that the writing itself is the bread, the sustenance. And that
getting published is the slathering on of creamy butter. The first is more
important than the second. And yet, I do so love butter!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However,
getting publishing—if that ever happens again—is in the distant future. So that
leaves little to write about here. And that was what I wanted to share with you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thus,
I’ve decided to cease writing on this blog. Anything I have to say about my
writing life will go on the other blog, which is, of course, the story of my
life. Writing has been a big part of that story. So there is some serendipity
here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpALt3BjorUHU93J-aa8taXciT7n9-Kj7OMNB0XlliqgBN6KVzJYFfuFoN_sCy0qdJhxxyKs6SjZlZJS147TjWVjK8hKI5ILHsi5LVKZRfF2pX9fbpVKTY_8-L-aTH7LmoC15lEMJ85Dk/s1600/220px-Tarangini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpALt3BjorUHU93J-aa8taXciT7n9-Kj7OMNB0XlliqgBN6KVzJYFfuFoN_sCy0qdJhxxyKs6SjZlZJS147TjWVjK8hKI5ILHsi5LVKZRfF2pX9fbpVKTY_8-L-aTH7LmoC15lEMJ85Dk/s1600/220px-Tarangini.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
of the new adventures in my life is memorizing poetry again as I did when I was
in my teens. The poem I’m memorizing right now is “Ulysses” by Alfred Lord
Tennyson. It ends with these lines:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">Though much is taken,
much abides; and though</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We are not now that
strength which in old days<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Moved earth and heaven;
that which we are, we are;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One equal temper of
heroic hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Made weak by time and
fate, but strong in will<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To strive, to seek, to
find, and not to yield</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Those words
speak to me and convey what motivates me to continue writing. I have stories to
tell—on my memoir blog and in manuscripts. I trust that the blog postings will
be read. And I trust also that if my writing is for the good of the Universe,
it will be published. But I have no control over that. I have control only over
what I do and how I respond to the vicissitudes of life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What I will
do is write when I have the time and health and inclination. I will strive,
seek, find. There is no yielding when one’s desire to do something leads them
to great happiness in the very doing. As to the uncertainty of life—I’m in for
the long haul!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thank
you for following this blog through the past year and a half. Let’s hold each other’s
heartwishes in our visualizations, prayers, and thoughts. May all we do be for
the good of the Universe. Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Photographs from Wikipedia.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-21640701904057462052014-01-26T16:29:00.000-06:002014-01-26T16:29:03.731-06:00Two Fine Books You Will Enjoy
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My last
post, way back in October, contained words of wisdom from two follow bloggers
who had been kind enough to share their thoughts with me on getting published.
At that time, I said I’d post again when I had news about finding an agent.
Fourteen weeks have passed and I still have nothing to report. But I missed
writing on this blog, so I’m here today because you may be wondering, with Bugs
Bunny, “What’s up, Doc?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
me, nothing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
for <a href="http://writeryogini.blogspot.com/">Melissa Ann Goodwin,</a> a fellow blogger and author, quite a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Goodwin’s
first book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Christmas Village,</i>
was published in 2011. I learned about it in early December of that year. Right
before Christmas, I read it with great satisfaction. This novel for ten to
fourteen years old appeals to adult readers as well as children. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Goodwin’s
story caught and held my interest because of her vivid characterization and her
suspenseful plotting. She has an astute ear for realistic dialogue. Because of
this, I entered her scenes and lived the adventure with Jamie, a contemporary twelve-year-old
boy who travels backward in time to the 1932 village of Canterbury,
Vermont.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlw2PYTRKQpLNltRaNjWB3wifZ1hleUCpbFvhTRAhBiu5L5ahhVk9FsS3Yl8oElNpBC3SCUQRtB9fIFpimLvYP-qZulBtAxW4vCCBoiUEad0HFV8eYeaU-LbgCVErlOck4LrhEkE5RC0/s1600/jpeg+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlw2PYTRKQpLNltRaNjWB3wifZ1hleUCpbFvhTRAhBiu5L5ahhVk9FsS3Yl8oElNpBC3SCUQRtB9fIFpimLvYP-qZulBtAxW4vCCBoiUEad0HFV8eYeaU-LbgCVErlOck4LrhEkE5RC0/s1600/jpeg+front+cover.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If you enjoy books for young readers, like those written
by J. K. Rowling and Kate DiCamillo, I encourage you to read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Christmas Village</i>. It is the </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">2013 Blogger Book Fair Reader’s Choice Award Winner for
action/adventure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
good news for you today is </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">that Goodwin has written a
sequel—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Return to Canterbury</i>. A second
book is always more difficult than a first one, especially if that first one
has been so successful that readers yearn for a follow-up. These avid readers
want to know more about the characters they’ve come to cherish. An author then
faces the daunting task of writing a story that will fulfill all the
expectations of the readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Return to Canterbury,</i> Goodwin has
more than fulfilled my expectations for Jamie and his two Canterbury friends,
Chris and Kelly. Of course her books would appeal to me because the name of my
Thursday on-line memoir blog is “Coming Home to Myself.” Discovering what and
where is home has been basic to my postings. Goodwin knows we all search for
home. As she recently wrote on her blog: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Longing for
home is a theme in both of my books—and in my life. In <i>The Christmas Village</i>,
12-year-old Jamie finds himself far from home at Christmas time, and longs for
nothing more than to return home in time to be with his family for the holiday.
In <i>Return to Canterbury</i>, it's less about Jamie's desire to <i>return</i>
home, and more about his desire for that kind of deep sense of belonging that
makes us feel like we are <i>at home</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">In the search
for home,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> The Christmas Village </i>presented
the reader with a mystery that the three young people solved by using their creative
minds, their sense of fair play, and their compassionate hearts. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Return to Canterbury</i> presents us with
another mystery that the three young people will solve, gaining the respect of
the entire village. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iBV_hHr_1BXU6tUeFYa372K0Eq6k8FJw_qd1xsV_X-bjtpfDNibCmRxYRknXDfpzy2RHLtt0a4GZ-42oHGnIx98LwdJzmUONFwNTEKaG656qhaz8wIDeXWZpcic4SNMC3AFWZ_nzY48/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iBV_hHr_1BXU6tUeFYa372K0Eq6k8FJw_qd1xsV_X-bjtpfDNibCmRxYRknXDfpzy2RHLtt0a4GZ-42oHGnIx98LwdJzmUONFwNTEKaG656qhaz8wIDeXWZpcic4SNMC3AFWZ_nzY48/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Once again,
Goodwin provides the tension and suspense that lead to a wholly satisfying
ending. Jamie has traveled back to 1935. He, Kelly, and Chris are three years
older than in Goodwin’s first book. Older and wiser, but still fast friends,
they share a love of adventure and a willingness to risk themselves when danger
again threatens the village of Canterbury.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">In reading
this sequel, I felt I had come home again because not only do I meet these
three youngsters for a second time, I also got to learn more about the adult
villagers who play such an important role in helping Jamie discover what home
really means. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Both of
Goodwin’s books deserve a large readership. She writes with great confidence
and creates a compelling plot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">I finished
reading her second book around one in the morning last week and lay there with
a smile on my face as I let the plot, the characters, and the charm of
Canterbury pass in review through my contented brain. Finally, I spoke out
loud, “Well done, Melissa. Well done.” The cats raised their heads in
bemusement and then snoozed again, perhaps to visit their own Canterbury.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">I encourage
you to think about any young family members or friends who are celebrating
upcoming birthdays or happy events. The gift of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Village-Melissa-Ann-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B005Y3R8TE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390754069&sr=1-2&keywords=goodwin%2C+melissa+ann"><i>The</i> </a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Village-Melissa-Ann-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B005Y3R8TE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390754069&sr=1-2&keywords=goodwin%2C+melissa+ann">Christmas Village</a> </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Return-Canterbury-Melissa-Goodwin-ebook/dp/B00HMA1TZ6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390754114&sr=1-1&keywords=goodwin%2C+melissa+ann">Return to Canterbury</a></i> would win you a reward as the “best” grandmother, mother, or
friend! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-55724480455053651502013-10-27T10:52:00.000-05:002013-10-27T10:52:17.766-05:00Fellow Bloggers Provide Help
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">In
last Sunday’s posting I asked questions about fiction genres and the state of
publishing today. Two fellow bloggers, <a href="http://perpetually-in-transit.blogspot.com/">Perpetua </a>from England and <a href="http://drkathleenmccoy.blogspot.com/">Kathy McCoy</a>
from the United Sates, provided answers to these questions. I want to share
their informative responses with you because you may not have had the time to
read all the comments for that posting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
my question about the difference between commercial and literary fiction,
Perpetua answered:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">In my librarian
days, literary fiction was serious and sometimes more difficult fiction which
was normally printed and sold in small numbers, unless it won a book prize of
some kind, when demand would rise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Commercial
fiction is basically popular fiction, often in genres such as crime, romance,
thriller, which can almost be relied on to sell, often in large numbers. This
doesn't mean it isn't well written, but it appeals to a mass-market in a way
literary fiction doesn't. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">In
my response to her comment, I asked if there were subcategories of the genre
“historical fiction.” Here is her reply:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"> Historical
fiction is a very broad category, which can be subdivided into different types.
There are historical mysteries (Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novels spring to
mind here or Lindsey Davis' Falco novels set in Imperial Rome) historical
romances, such as Georgette Heyer's Regency novels (much loved by DH and me) or
serious “literary” historical novels such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I, Claudius</i> by the poet Robert Graves. I'm guessing there are
probably historical thrillers too, but I can't call any to mind at the moment.</span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zNO5zCca_1RduuwxAw8b4EY3SWZlWlHM4_hI2kAAU-ScHh6LOqm-hdy8KyMPNzD4hJ8wOZZusPHBuG6mNhPIzM7UXKF85jegevDGQ4Zi-7UfdfF2N8tXc2jO0AhlgzkSSYyN4E1xV9Y/s1600/Making_Peace_3+Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zNO5zCca_1RduuwxAw8b4EY3SWZlWlHM4_hI2kAAU-ScHh6LOqm-hdy8KyMPNzD4hJ8wOZZusPHBuG6mNhPIzM7UXKF85jegevDGQ4Zi-7UfdfF2N8tXc2jO0AhlgzkSSYyN4E1xV9Y/s320/Making_Peace_3+Cover.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">To
my question about the state of publishing today, Kathy commented, as Perpetua
did, from her own experience:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I understand
your frustration, Dee! My agent has been schlepping <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therapy Cats</i> around to publishers for months now. A few have said
"No" and more are just sitting there letting it grow roots on their
desks. My agent said something about it was a shame that I hadn't published a
completely new book in more than ten years so I would have a more recent,
dynamic presence online. So frustrating! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">So I finally
decided to write some e-books inspired by my blog and see how that went—which is
why I haven't been blogging for a month. In that time, I wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Making Peace With Your Adult Children</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aging and Other Surprises.</i> The
latter makes heavy use of past blog posts and is a semi-memoir. I decided, just
as a beginning, to get them converted to e-pub and professional covers done at
Vook, which my agent recommended. Both are now on Amazon and other outlets as
e-books and will soon be available as print on demand titles. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I got a call
from PBS Next Avenue, an online Baby Boomers magazine, the other day and the
writer said she had seen my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Making Peace
With Your Adult Children</i> book on Amazon and wanted to interview me for an
article that will feature a link to the book and my blog post. So I'm
optimistic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">This has cut
down on some of my frustration in waiting for someone to buy my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therapy Cats</i> book. There is no longer a
stigma attached to self-publishing/indy publishing and my agent was very much
in favor of it. (It also keeps me out of his hair!) Have you thought of trying
this with either of your book ideas, Dee? Some "indy" books have been
picked up by traditional publishers later on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I certainly
don't have all the answers these days in the rapidly changing world of
publishing, but I'm more hopeful now. Maybe this approach is something to
consider. There are ways to do it without it costing a lot. Because I chose to
have Vook do the ePub conversion and also design a deluxe cover, my books cost
$600 to get up and running, but sales are starting to come in. But you can do a
Kindle Direct book with a Smashwords or other print on demand book for very
little upfront.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 400.5pt 409.5pt 427.5pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Dear Perpetua and Kathy, you’ve enlightened
my understanding of publishing and offered me options. Thank you. Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">NOTE: I won’t be posting again until I
have more news about my search for an agent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-77198466117581527792013-10-20T12:11:00.003-05:002013-10-20T12:11:56.780-05:00And the Beat Goes On . . .
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hello again after a three-week
hiatus. During that time, I’ve busied myself with visiting the websites of
literary agencies to determine which agents represent historical fiction. As I
look at what each agency represents, I’m also interested in the following
genres: memoirs, fantasy, and inspirational gift books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why?
Because these are the categories on which I’ve been working the past few years.
Let’s begin with the memoir.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
other blog is an online memoir. I hope one day to take the postings and shape
them into one or two memoirs—depending on length.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Back
in the early nineties, after the publication of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Angela’s Ashes</i> by Frank McCourt, memoirs really came to the fore in
publishing. Rick Bragg’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All Over But the
Shoutin’</i> and James McBride’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Color of Water,</i> both published a few years later, cemented the premier
place of memoirs in the publishing world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBZVzfAIUQe9GxJjsxnxA6CH3icHeI7KsJSu9-HGKC0L6gqi5WqCITHTAp2HDAd05K4XrNx1b0z6DXeSUcn3iqHOJZk8XSx-4EuLmXd78B47eIqmWc9C6cvTzesDuuqLBTUkjBgKiuLI/s1600/51tVT69jS3L._AA160_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBZVzfAIUQe9GxJjsxnxA6CH3icHeI7KsJSu9-HGKC0L6gqi5WqCITHTAp2HDAd05K4XrNx1b0z6DXeSUcn3iqHOJZk8XSx-4EuLmXd78B47eIqmWc9C6cvTzesDuuqLBTUkjBgKiuLI/s200/51tVT69jS3L._AA160_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
so many memoirs have been published since then that the genre is not as popular
with publishers as it once was. So some agents no longer represent this genre
while other agents will say in their listings that they do not want “misery
memoirs.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m
not sure what my memoir will have going for it. Nor am I sure what thread could
hold the memoir together. Perhaps I will simply concentrate on the convent
years, but I admit to wanting also to share the story of my mother’s influence
on my life. I would also like to share some of the post-convent stories,
especially those that have to do with peace and justice issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
the fantasy genre, I now have ready the first book in a trilogy. Judy King, who
illustrated <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story,</i>
has done stunning pen and ink drawings for Book One. I’m nearing completion of
the other two books in the trilogy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIZXSW43f81BQoi9ozTbcAhyx4ahxxbgROgEBB4RUDfOTNu9_SRS9Jh3k6yOXxIWwRD9s73sB7SA_DqVumjt0kUB-YhTA9s4nzIzoKRgxAY_fQMWiqF1cyfGmVv6g0nfzAaC6IcjvEvI/s1600/220px-Cat_eyes_2007-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIZXSW43f81BQoi9ozTbcAhyx4ahxxbgROgEBB4RUDfOTNu9_SRS9Jh3k6yOXxIWwRD9s73sB7SA_DqVumjt0kUB-YhTA9s4nzIzoKRgxAY_fQMWiqF1cyfGmVv6g0nfzAaC6IcjvEvI/s320/220px-Cat_eyes_2007-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
manuscript for the inspirational gift book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Celebration of Angels </i>is also near completion. Recently, several friends
read it and responded enthusiastically to varied aspects of the manuscript. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
I worked for Winston Press in Minneapolis in the 1970s and 1980s, all I knew of
publishing was the developing, writing, and editing of curriculum for grade and
high schools. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Today
I know almost nothing about what’s happening in publishing: What are agents
looking for? What kind of stories do editors want from agents? What are the
developing trends today?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From
a fairly thorough reading of the websites of many literary agencies, however, I
have learned that some agents represent just nonfiction, while others represent
only certain subgroups of fiction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
example, many do not represent fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, Westerns, children’s
pictures books, and juvenile books. Some agencies represent only “commercial
fiction” or “literary fiction.” What do those two terms mean? I’m just not
sure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
do understand that agents are effective only if they know a wide group of
editors at publishing houses. They must know what those editors are looking for
with regard to manuscripts. If an agent doesn’t know many—or even one—editor
who is looking for a historical novel, then she/he won’t be interested in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Reluctant Spy. </i>The agent will look
upon the novel as a dead end.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many
editors who retire or leave publishing become successful literary agents.
Having worked in a publishing house, they know enough people to approach with a
proposed manuscript.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> That’s another thing I’ve been
investigating on those web sites for literary agents: their professional
background.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lots
to do. I’ll report more when I get a nibble or two. Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Cat Photograph from Wikipedia</i></span></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-81373936883083025452013-09-29T11:34:00.001-05:002013-09-29T11:34:40.747-05:00A Novel's Beginning Scene
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0G6u49q0qgLt2cyEhidfvd5RnkEOyTVxJeQuBw_IRj-39HFw04xpjna1o1nZrlCHXxIm8ZuB2_lS8gRXVe2bP9GRFknultxUzmdcB123135jHDmT-pu3bz0hqpYFRBztCoKnkubsDeY/s1600/Angel_Van_Verschaffelt_SantAngelo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0G6u49q0qgLt2cyEhidfvd5RnkEOyTVxJeQuBw_IRj-39HFw04xpjna1o1nZrlCHXxIm8ZuB2_lS8gRXVe2bP9GRFknultxUzmdcB123135jHDmT-pu3bz0hqpYFRBztCoKnkubsDeY/s400/Angel_Van_Verschaffelt_SantAngelo.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Here’s an update on what’s happened
in the last week with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy</i>.
I sent eight e-queries<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. </i>In seven of
them, I pasted in, per each agency’s web site instructions, a number of pages
from the manuscript. The pasted sample ranged from five to fifty pages. I was able
to send out three on Monday, one on Wednesday, and four on Friday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Within
that same time, two of the eight agencies declined to represent the
first-century Palestine novel. Still, this is just the beginning. I continue to
believe that at least one or more agents will ask me to send the entire
manuscript of 122,000 words. Then of course there will be the anxious waiting
to see if, after reading, an agent will want to represent the historical novel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
all this has been going on, I’ve been considering the opening pages of the
novel. Somehow the first scene has never felt right to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Late
last night, after staying up until 1:30 am to finish an intriguing mystery, I
turned off the light and thought about the beginning of the novel I’d just
finished reading. That led, quite naturally, to thinking about the beginning of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Several
years ago, an author asked me to read her manuscript for a historical novel. After
doing so, I asked, “Do you like your main character?” The simple question
startled her. Somewhat disconcerted, she admitted that she wasn’t sure any
more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
explained that if she, the author, didn’t like the character, readers wouldn’t
either. Readers need to be pulling for the protagonist. So in the first
scene in which the main character appears, she or he must be shown in a way
that will attract the readers' empathy and concern.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Last
night, I remembered that conversation and realized that in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy</i> I hadn’t followed my own advice—the novel begins
with a scene in which Ephraim displays the darkest parts of himself to a man he
considers his rival. Thus, the readers' first impression would probably be negative. That impression might color everything else they subsequently read abut him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Yet within a number of pages the story shows the strength of
Ephraim and the burdens of his life. He then becomes a sympathetic character . . .
and thus reader-friendly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
at 2:00 am this morning I sat here on this computer chair and began to reconstruct
the first fifty pages. Now the novel begins with Ephraim showing himself in a
good light so that readers will, I hope, root for him throughout the rest of
the story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By
the time readers come to the original opening scene, they will better
understand why the main character is jealous and angry. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">They’ll understand, I hope, that
like all of us, he is human. That is to say—flawed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
reorganizing the first fifty pages, I’ve ended up with a new first chapter and
a more sequential telling of the story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’m
pleased with this decision, which was made on St. Michael the Archangel’s feast
day—Michaelmas. That’s significant to me because just this past Thursday I
found a slim manuscript about angels, which I’d written in 1995.
Reading it again, I found myself wondering if it held any promise. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Perhaps
Michael is now watching over me and has helped me find the right beginning for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
many years, I’ve believed that I had fourteen guardian angels—my own, given to
me at birth, and thirteen others, whom other humans had declined. All of them have stood by me in difficult times. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
week I, along with Michael and those fourteen guardians, will continue to send
out queries. But I’ll be even more hopeful because the beginning is right.
Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-33129868136128226562013-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:002013-09-22T08:00:02.683-05:00Not Much to Report<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hello All on this lovely day here
in Missouri. This past week, I polished the generic query letter, the synopsis,
and the first fifty pages of the manuscript.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
somehow, no matter what plans I have upon awakening, I never get done all that
I need to do in order to start sending out queries. As the saying goes, “Life
happens.” And while it’s happening, I’m napping, walking, dealing with a headache, doing errands, simply staring off into space . . . or reading mysteries!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
did go to a number of agent web sites this past week and read them carefully to
determine exactly what materials each agency wants beyond the query letter.
Also, I read the lists of authors each agency represents. If I discover an
author whose books I’ve read with pleasure, I can add that to my query and
personalize it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
now I have a list of 8 agents to whom I hope to send queries this week.
I’ve found 104 agents who represent historical fiction and I’ll write to all of
them if need be in my search for someone to represent <i>The Reluctant Spy.</i> My hope of course is that several will ask to
read the entire manuscript. That may be an unrealistic goal, but I’ve always
believed in dreaming big. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
won’t be posting again on this blog until I have something to report. That may
or may not be next Sunday. Please just keep those fingers crossed for me. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> No need to take your treasured time today to leave a comment. I know</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px;">—</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">and so appreciate</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px; line-height: normal;">—</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">that you'll rooting for me. Peace.</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-24784735745137329822013-09-15T10:23:00.001-05:002013-09-15T10:23:44.750-05:00 Agents, Here I Come!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfyaJyqxiBW-fw4hZni50qe_i7hsEL4a8R3scGUJgnDbQEYSv43JYDMcypBogWFEVcGMFD16Jz6DeBkXg2_lWlpIkUVKtOdWMhnTBErGrj0iHOqRijVImC_1c8fyQsBA7pcjKh3Mrugc/s1600/300px-Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Magi_Journeying_(Les_rois_mages_en_voyage)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfyaJyqxiBW-fw4hZni50qe_i7hsEL4a8R3scGUJgnDbQEYSv43JYDMcypBogWFEVcGMFD16Jz6DeBkXg2_lWlpIkUVKtOdWMhnTBErGrj0iHOqRijVImC_1c8fyQsBA7pcjKh3Mrugc/s400/300px-Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Magi_Journeying_(Les_rois_mages_en_voyage)_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hello on this Sunday morning here
in Missouri—a morning that reminds me of autumn in Minnesota. The hot-tempered
weather has cooled off: a good day for writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Many
of you wished me abundant sales at the fair last Sunday. So you may be as
disappointed as I was to have sold only two books. But that fact has a flip
side: I met several vendors who gave me ideas for other local fairs, like those
held in hospitals and schools. So now I have some research to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
2011, the trade paperback publisher of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story </i>sent me the final 600 copies of the out-of-print
book for the price of shipping. I still have 400 copies in the garage. That’s a
lot of fairs, folks!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now
to the present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
spent the past week critiquing a manuscript for a first-time novelist. Back in
July, I’d done the same. After that reading I encouraged her “to situate” her
scenes by providing details so that readers could visualize where something was
happening. I also recommended the use of detail when writing dialogue so that “talking
heads” would not confuse readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
author sent the manuscript back to me for review in early September. As often
happens, in an attempt to show facial expressions and body language, she had
added too many details. Moreover, the timeline was confusing, and in at least
one crucial scene she missed the opportunity to create drama. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
completed my reading, critiquing, and slight copyediting on Thursday. The next
day, she and I went through the manuscript on the phone for 3 ½ hours. I
explained what still needed to be done—most of which could be accomplished by
the deletion of words and the condensing of some scenes. Having words to cut is
always easier than having to add words. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because
this is a young adult novel, it is supposed to be only about 75,000 words. The
present manuscript has over 100,000. So the author welcomed the cutting I
suggested. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
we’ve worked together in July and again this month, I’ve come to admire her
dedication and maturity as a writer. She’s committed, open to advice, and
professional enough to take those recommendations that work for her and to
discard the rest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She
also has a reserve of fortitude and tenacity—necessary virtues when seeking
publication. In recent weeks, she’s persevered and sent out eighty-five query
letters to agents. Yes—85. Two have asked to see her manuscript.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
don’t know how you are responding to that ratio, but I’m impressed. Getting an
agent is so difficult today and two of those eighty-five intermediaries between
author and editor have asked to see her completed novel. That’s great news.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She
plans to do the cutting and have the manuscript ready to send out by early
October. I’m so hoping that one of those two agents will want to represent her
writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Having
completed that project, I’m now going to return to my own query letters to agents. The
book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2013 Guide to Literary Agents</i>
lists 104 agents who represent historical novels.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have my query
letter ready; I’ve visited agent websites; I’ve selected the first few to whom
to send a query. Now the journey begins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
week I hope to contact several agents to seek their representation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy</i>. Start visualizing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Peace. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-7732700789279689022013-09-08T09:00:00.000-05:002013-09-08T09:00:05.417-05:00Fairs and Writers
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpeOsw5Reke_4zLCQgVHZ3y9m4Qr7zm8wMHM5hdtglBlAE_No2a5UWLV6WEH8c5qpO5lPyiik7SP9qV1YfLrqjSFVFNFQcDNFKpB0htdyouqsFUIwiw68uCbyHeCe2M3iawXNu9x5YXc/s1600/Aire_de_pique-nique_en_Haute-Savoie_(France).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpeOsw5Reke_4zLCQgVHZ3y9m4Qr7zm8wMHM5hdtglBlAE_No2a5UWLV6WEH8c5qpO5lPyiik7SP9qV1YfLrqjSFVFNFQcDNFKpB0htdyouqsFUIwiw68uCbyHeCe2M3iawXNu9x5YXc/s400/Aire_de_pique-nique_en_Haute-Savoie_(France).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m writing this posting on
Saturday afternoon, but it will appear on my blog tomorrow. Here’s the thing,
today I did my walk, then baked a chocolate zucchini cake for the family
picnic, and then drove over to St. Mark’s Catholic Church on Lee’s Summit Road to
set up my display for tomorrow’s fair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
I got back home, I caught up with reading and commenting on blogs—finally got
through my list of 70 for the week and learned so much about the wonderful
bloggers whose writing takes me away from this desk and into other states and
countries and times. In a few minutes, I’ll take a shower, get dressed, put the
cake in the car, and drive to the picnic where I’ll probably go way over the 26
points I get a day on Weight Watchers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QVekBde3-VW2Jm5YJf6gznW27-6nN1Zmgx3Nu6Rg0_IwKc8UfRTrAWmgkEFUH1Y2xykHbZoEPVolhd4o70nk3NgMf0RroWDqKZmHgxGh-a-gCtVwoaVeP_nf51SbH7APNOqWsWjkYr4/s1600/220px-Potato_salad_with_egg_and_mayo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QVekBde3-VW2Jm5YJf6gznW27-6nN1Zmgx3Nu6Rg0_IwKc8UfRTrAWmgkEFUH1Y2xykHbZoEPVolhd4o70nk3NgMf0RroWDqKZmHgxGh-a-gCtVwoaVeP_nf51SbH7APNOqWsWjkYr4/s320/220px-Potato_salad_with_egg_and_mayo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now
what does all this have to do with a writing blog?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Selling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Selling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Selling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tomorrow—Sunday—from
8 am to 2 pm I’m going to be sitting behind a table at St. Mark’s Church
selling copies of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s
Story </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Legacy: Dulcy’s
Companion Book.</i> Also I’ll be selling two books by E. C. Stilson, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Golden Sky,</i> a memoir, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Sword of Senack,</i> a fantasy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
Dulcy’s first book was published I did this fairly often, but that was twenty
years ago and I’ve neglected to attend fairs since moving here to Missouri. So
this is a first for me in my new home state. I want Dulcy’s stories to reach
many readers and for that to happen, I have to do my part. All writers do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
rental of the booth space at the fair was $50. In moving from Minnesota to
Missouri four years ago, I misplaced the small easels that I’ve always used to
display books. So in August, I meandered over to Hobby Lobby, a craft store, found
them on sale, and bought six for $18.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thus,
I have $68 invested in the fair. I’m hoping that I’ll recoup that money with
Dulcy’s two books. I’m selling the books for $10 apiece or two for $17. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
four people bought both books, I’ll have the $68. Any more sales would be
gravy! And if seven people bought just one book apiece, I’d make $2 beyond what
I spent. Hip! Hip! Hooray!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course, I’m hoping I’ll sell more books than that but I saw the other booths
being set up today and there are some interesting and lovely things to buy. We
all have only so much discretionary money, and I don’t know whether the
attendees will be readers who love cats. We’ll see. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
wish me luck . . . and an abundance of sales!<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-43825768129918282752013-09-01T10:29:00.001-05:002013-09-01T10:29:52.526-05:00The Belief Behind a Query
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hello again on this rainy Sunday
morning. I can almost feel the pores of the hard-packed earth absorbing the
moisture, yielding to gentleness. The rain gentles both the ground and us
today. And so I’m thinking again of how the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fascinating</i> gentled my own held-fast inflexibility with regard to
my opinion of all I wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All
that is except for Dulcy’s first book—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story.</i> In 1989, Dulcy gave me our story; I simply edited her
words. Because she, not I, wrote it, I believed in that book from the
beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
fact, two days after she began to channel it through me, I stood in the doorway
to my Stillwater office and said, out loud, “This book is going to be
published. And it’s going to be published by Crown. And it’s going to touch the
lives of many people.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
just knew, deep down where Oneness and certainty dwell, that Dulcy’s book was a
gift not only to me but also to the Universe. For almost two years I never
doubted. Never that is until rejection letters from editors piled up. Then doubt crept in. Believing that
I’d failed Dulcy, I felt guilt over my inadequacies. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> In April 1991,</span> a letter from the editor Jane Meara arrived. Fifteen months later Crown
published the manuscript. It touched many people’s lives and continues to do
so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
that was Dulcy’s book, not mine. And as the years passed, publishing changed.
An agent became a necessity and the rejection letters once again piled up as I
sought representation for my writing. Any certainty I’d ever had fled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>During
this past week, I’ve considered that one word—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fascination</i>. I know it’s the view I now have of my writing. But I
think it’s also affecting how I’m crafting my query letter for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Slowly I’m
realizing that<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>my lack of confidence may
have tinged with doubt any query letter I sent out during the past twenty years. Perhaps the words I chose
or the tone of the letter indicated that my manuscript was somehow lacking in
something essential for representation and publication.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
long-time friend once said to me, “What you send out into the Universe, Dee, is
what returns to you.” Perhaps in those letters I sent out doubt, and the agents
turned down representation because they doubted that my manuscripts were well
done or would have an audience. I’ve sent out doubt and doubt has returned to
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5qZgAz4zbWy8mHrgQy-8Wm2XK7wZDwI74hRn6VYNGFmcUSyTaN2AcKJE67WEzb73P4mEVADirW6wL7cZxWz0YHhLYmTClZDkC66decGgN-nAXZ7hV8Mmd1v9kLQtdRIhU3hm0mfSPzY/s1600/300px-Starsinthesky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5qZgAz4zbWy8mHrgQy-8Wm2XK7wZDwI74hRn6VYNGFmcUSyTaN2AcKJE67WEzb73P4mEVADirW6wL7cZxWz0YHhLYmTClZDkC66decGgN-nAXZ7hV8Mmd1v9kLQtdRIhU3hm0mfSPzY/s400/300px-Starsinthesky.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
her comment on last Sunday’s posting, Inger wrote, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">I sense your self-confidence here.
A bit different from the past and, yes, fascinating. I believe that a strong
belief in your novel, in that it is not only good, but also fascinating, will
find its way into your letters to these agents. And they may start to worry if
they don't respond, maybe someone else will, and they will lose out on a major
novel. Dee, I have no idea where all the above came from, but came it did, so I
will leave it there.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To which I
responded . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Dear Inger, I am so grateful to
receive these words of yours—wherever they came from. Just this morning I said
to a Minnesota friend that I thought the query letter I was crafting was
different from those I've written in the past. Why? Because I'm different: I
believe now that I can write and I believe in my writing. And so my attitude
has changed. I'm hoping this newly discovered confidence will be apparent in
the query I send out. You've just delighted me with your comment. Thank you,
Inger. Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 4.5pt; text-indent: 31.5pt;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">So there you have it—how one word can
seep, gently, into the pores of a person’s life and bring change. Once again I
thank Fran for that word. And I thank all of you for sticking with me through
this process. I’m still working on my query letter while compiling a list of
agent names to whom I’ll send it. I’ll keep you in the loop! Peace.</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-14031083656107797862013-08-25T11:03:00.001-05:002013-08-25T11:03:24.961-05:00Snail Mail and E-Mail<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">
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</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJI1TYDchISY1lxm1CfD81m_ONCAlpAo1Al2H2Z207SycpjRcPVeIg1XFA3KaqwPFV8sHuEh_79DYQzU7kkagx-4yrPw4l0bpKjcGaID50aiEt9OXkCuk3NAuiHepSDRQnBvtbdQ4pLY/s1600/220px-LongPointStationHouston.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeJI1TYDchISY1lxm1CfD81m_ONCAlpAo1Al2H2Z207SycpjRcPVeIg1XFA3KaqwPFV8sHuEh_79DYQzU7kkagx-4yrPw4l0bpKjcGaID50aiEt9OXkCuk3NAuiHepSDRQnBvtbdQ4pLY/s400/220px-LongPointStationHouston.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Two Sundays ago, I wrote about my
befuddlement over what to do with the manuscript for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy</i>—try to get it published or stuff it into the
computer’s innards and let it molder for ages hence. Your responses helped greatly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Last
Sunday, I shared with you the power of a single word—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fascinating.</i> Once again, your responses gave me the courage to make
the decision detailed below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
Sunday I’d like to share with you what I’ve being doing in the past seven days.
What I haven’t been doing is blogging. That is, reading and commenting on the
seventy blogs I enjoy and try to follow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because
that word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fascinating</i> has impelled me
to look for an agent . . . and to look in a new way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the past few years, I’d done an agent search several times. That involves (1) going
to a book such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2013 Guide to Literary
Agents </i>or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book
Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents</i> or (2) searching web sites that
list agents such as Literary Rambles for children’s books or AgentQuery.Com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These
books and lists may offer a little or a lot of information about a particular
agent or agency: names, address, e-mail address, web site, genre represented.
That last item is essential because some agencies represent only nonfiction.
Other agencies may represent fiction but only a certain kind: literary,
historical, fantasy, contemporary women’s, mystery, mainstream, young adult. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finding
an agent takes time. Thought. Effort. Here’s what I’ve been doing in the past
week instead of blogging:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I wrote a generic query letter for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy.</i> Crafting the first
sentence and paragraph so as to entice an agent into reading the entire letter
requires going over it repeatedly. When I begin to contact agencies and agents,
I’ll modify that letter as necessary. That is, I’ll mention some book an agent
has represented or the agency’s client list or an agent’s particular interest
in some area. Finding out that info requires extensive research.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I studied the books and lists mentioned above to
determine which agencies represent fiction, specifically, historical fiction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I visited agency web sites to determine two things: the
names of those agents in a particular agency who are interested in the type of
fiction I have to offer and how they want someone to query them: electronically
or by snail mail. Do they want only a letter? Or a letter plus the first five
pages of the manuscript? 30 pages? 50 pages? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Slowly,
I’m beginning to develop a list of agents to contact. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the past few years when I’ve done an agent search I’ve taken the easy
route—sending out only e-queries. That’s cheaper than snail mail and usually,
if the agent does choose to respond, the response comes much quicker than
through the mail. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTThumFXM-cyhinwfw51OpOtvXgMyzVEmyafP8TVGHN-2cbxyp9RKMgqP0wLum17rLjLvk5ANttSW8TNLbmbZHBtwCKz79c0ahVem-gr-bs_C1MqnTrY7Fb0Lrhvwd40M2nw4Zis_pJM/s1600/Uspslogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTThumFXM-cyhinwfw51OpOtvXgMyzVEmyafP8TVGHN-2cbxyp9RKMgqP0wLum17rLjLvk5ANttSW8TNLbmbZHBtwCKz79c0ahVem-gr-bs_C1MqnTrY7Fb0Lrhvwd40M2nw4Zis_pJM/s320/Uspslogo.png" width="314" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;"><br /></span>
This
time, I’m decided to do two things differently—bless that word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fascinating!</i> I’m going to send out snail
queries and I’m going to send them not only to agencies that represent
historical novels—which is what I’ve done in the past—but also to those agents
that represent “mainstream” fiction. That’s a breakthrough for me. I believe
that in the past I’ve been too narrow in my vision. I’m going to cast a wide
net this time.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
this coming week, I hope to continue my search and also to visit each of your
blogs at least once. How can I expect you to offer your thoughtful suggestions if
I don’t follow your postings? And I so enjoy discovering what you are all doing
and thinking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’d
appreciate any thoughts you have on the process I’ve detailed. I plan to spend
the month of September searching lists and sending out queries. I’ll keep you
posted. Lots to do . . . and I love it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span></span>Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-62690719979778281342013-08-18T11:53:00.000-05:002013-08-18T11:53:28.109-05:00Free at Last!
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</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Last
week I bemoaned my inability to decide if the manuscript for <i>The Reluctant
Spy</i> was ready for publication despite the email from a friend who’d read
the story and found it “fascinating.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
This week, while tracing the arc of my writing life, I’ve pondered that word.
In 7</span><sup><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"> grade I won first place in the Kansas
City diocesan essay contest. I can remember Mom’s broad smile as I returned
from the podium with my prize—a prayer book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
In college I was one of twenty finalists in the prestigious 1958 Atlantic
Monthly essay contest. At the time, my writing mentor, Sister Scholastica,
tried to impress on me that in this nationwide contest I’d excelled among
thousands of entries. But I, preparing to enter the convent, had little time
for such foolishness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
During the next twenty-seven years I became a nun, taught, and found a new life
after leaving the monastery. Then, in 1985, I became a freelance editor,
copyeditor, and curriculum developer. Suddenly writing became important again.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
Four years later, the cat I’d loved for nearly two decades died. Dulcy
immediately began to channel through me the story of our life together.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp2B9pSLPtrWeWKDXdB4CgEReDnN4tK3S8fnJBedBf9DuuTK7PCGdRnnJ8SCeNJTVtixJjOJurwt_UkCcOd_KHKOPTCphSM3hkgFju0mh9wuElrG5EOYktkcVXNYbdwsR5pWXLvi2Ru8/s1600/Dulcy+drinking+sink+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkp2B9pSLPtrWeWKDXdB4CgEReDnN4tK3S8fnJBedBf9DuuTK7PCGdRnnJ8SCeNJTVtixJjOJurwt_UkCcOd_KHKOPTCphSM3hkgFju0mh9wuElrG5EOYktkcVXNYbdwsR5pWXLvi2Ru8/s400/Dulcy+drinking+sink+water.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"> Late
that summer, I told a friend about this strange phenomenon. “Well, it’ll all be
trash,” she said with surety. “You’ll just have to throw it away.” Her words
stunned me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
A few weeks later another friend, a published writer, read the first draft of
Dulcy’s story. “Put this in a safety deposit box,” he recommended, “and don’t
look at it for five years. Then maybe you’ll find something worth keeping.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
His wife’s take on the book? “Bor-ing! Bor-ing!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
When I expressed doubts about my writing ability to an acquaintance, she said,
“Well, Dee, maybe you can’t write. Maybe you just don’t have the gift.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
With that, my thoughts jelled: I wasn’t a writer. I couldn’t write well. I was
a hack. Dulcy’s book being published made no difference. After all, she wrote
the book; I simply edited it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
I knew two things: I could edit; I couldn’t write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW02c0dLHizC9sl4HVtKPuFAtz7SkEZ9PpH72gHXP8BbCfbOuw_ztJUYOn3xbYC2cgUKoPkG8Yh6klD1iiBYRcj7iWDl0imsbTbGhY34MeD-VR5k0lSifeTM7xHC22-IvNOyVgZDM6ZiI/s1600/300px-Xatta137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW02c0dLHizC9sl4HVtKPuFAtz7SkEZ9PpH72gHXP8BbCfbOuw_ztJUYOn3xbYC2cgUKoPkG8Yh6klD1iiBYRcj7iWDl0imsbTbGhY34MeD-VR5k0lSifeTM7xHC22-IvNOyVgZDM6ZiI/s400/300px-Xatta137.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
The years passed with me crafting sentences, seeking to find the cadence of
words. Because no agent was interested in representing my writing, the belief
that I was a word-dabbler rooted deeper and deeper into my psyche.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
Then in 2011, I began to blog. Several readers commented that my writing was
good and so I’ve come to believe that I can write a 600-word story. Yet that
realization hasn’t expunged my belief that I’m a rank amateur with regard to
writing longer stories that demand well-drawn characters and extended suspense.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
Recently a psychic told me that in this life I was meant “to let go.” Not of
specific things—like the convent or a dysfunctional relationship with a couple
who’d been friends for years or a home in Stillwater. No. She meant the mega
things—those beliefs that arc my life from beginning to now. During this past
week I’ve examined the belief that I’m a charlatan. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxJaH1HLUeIFNJ37CWuCr7YMsb8L3646JFnILG6Q6fXVpUTLTAg8leueb9hg02SJ-Q75DchMEm8naOAz16sKzVT6SU0loxIex9TjBrpzJr_LF-mRLqIBgdlhmOKiLx2_KRbcniU4L9Cc/s1600/800px-Krokusse_violett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxJaH1HLUeIFNJ37CWuCr7YMsb8L3646JFnILG6Q6fXVpUTLTAg8leueb9hg02SJ-Q75DchMEm8naOAz16sKzVT6SU0loxIex9TjBrpzJr_LF-mRLqIBgdlhmOKiLx2_KRbcniU4L9Cc/s400/800px-Krokusse_violett.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now
here we are today. I’ve mulled the past, recognized the belief, and read that
wonderful word <i>fascinating</i>. It has broken through the bars of my
conviction that I can’t write a novel.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CWNAne-MBr0qnu1I4nj-NnYeIpGrPdK-tl9UpUSdk8-0faWiPDSZL2PFOlkwsggheVQRmu2cGBrfXC9fvSv_QdytWmK847KkmmRRIGKiF_lJAuINrgpxOXhAtmjqIhy3qJqQKv0gHAo/s1600/796px-Fru%CC%88hling_blu%CC%88hender_Kirschenbaum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CWNAne-MBr0qnu1I4nj-NnYeIpGrPdK-tl9UpUSdk8-0faWiPDSZL2PFOlkwsggheVQRmu2cGBrfXC9fvSv_QdytWmK847KkmmRRIGKiF_lJAuINrgpxOXhAtmjqIhy3qJqQKv0gHAo/s400/796px-Fru%CC%88hling_blu%CC%88hender_Kirschenbaum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
Fran’s word has, literally, freed me from a way of thinking about myself that
has shackled me for years. Today I want to thank her for helping me let go of
that old belief about myself and my writing. I can write. I can write a novel
that will, perhaps, be published. But whatever happens, I will be grateful to
this friend for freeing me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">
Peace. And Hallelujah!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-90354384280575973022013-08-11T12:02:00.001-05:002013-08-11T12:02:22.800-05:00When's a Manuscript Ready to Publish?
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
early June, I posted that Judy Healey—a friend and published author of
historical fiction—was reading “The Reluctant Spy,” a novel I’ve written that
takes place in first-century Palestine. Judy suggested that I explain unfamiliar
words, such as jasper ring and tamarisk, and clarify the difference between the
Pharisees and the Sadducees. Responding to these suggestions will take little time
or effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her
bigger concern—one demanding a restructuring of the first third of the novel—was
the dynamic between two of its characters: Ephraim and Daniel. She wanted to
know the background of their dissension much earlier than I provided in the
novel. I had presented their past in several scenes sprinkled throughout the
first third of the manuscript. I hoped this would intensify tension and
suspense. That didn’t work for Judy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While
in Minnesota recently, I enjoyed a working lunch with her. Having read only the
first third of the novel, Judy believes its main thrust is the story between
Daniel and Ephraim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
me, as the author, that thrust is between Ephraim and Yeshua. That’s why I
began the novel with a scene between the two of them. However, Yeshua does not
appear again with Ephraim until nearly a third of the way through the book,
when Part II begins in the Galilee. Then the story line becomes theirs. In the
latter part of the manuscript, Daniel re-emerges several times. He’s the catalyst
of the ongoing need for Ephraim to attach himself to Yeshua, a man for whom he
has only contempt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ES5vQ2T-b7WDYfCSio7fHOqBXl9ZmUQxOr8LbZ-2yUIJgrSmDDXF0mfPMxTrd_B1xtE6ylZ27D8y2ht98eOcq7sFLZiuyGp4MeUf6AaVuWq3r710AAs8x0gckPeyVJp-F5aW7R0PG8M/s1600/250px-Lemon_Orchard_in_the_Galilee_by_David_Shankbone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ES5vQ2T-b7WDYfCSio7fHOqBXl9ZmUQxOr8LbZ-2yUIJgrSmDDXF0mfPMxTrd_B1xtE6ylZ27D8y2ht98eOcq7sFLZiuyGp4MeUf6AaVuWq3r710AAs8x0gckPeyVJp-F5aW7R0PG8M/s400/250px-Lemon_Orchard_in_the_Galilee_by_David_Shankbone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Orchards
in the Upper Galilee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Back
in January an editor read the manuscript and made suggestions that led to the deletion
of 9,000 words. She thought the novel was ready for publication. So after
returning from Minnesota, I was left with a conundrum: to publish the novel as
is per the editor’s counsel or to change the first third per Judy’s
recommendation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Unable
to untie this Gordian knot, I asked a friend, who’s a prolific reader although
not of historical novels, if she would read the manuscript. I gave her a series
of questions to consider in her reading. She’s now gotten back to me. Here’s
her e-mail response:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I just finished "The Reluctant Spy" and
found it fascinating! I don't usually (almost never) read historical novels
because I generally find them to be slow. I tend to skim through the
descriptive parts and to read only the narratives thoroughly. I
determined to read every word of your book and I'm glad I did. </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Yours
required a lot of description in the beginning, but the pace picked up at about
page 20 and stayed strong throughout. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are quite a few instances of incorrect punctuation and random typos and spaces
that need to be corrected. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
loved Ephraim’s conversations with God/Hashem. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
felt I got a true understanding on why the characters, especially Ephraim and
Yeshua, acted as they did. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
only suggestion I can make is to make sure you get it published! <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Y80ZYb1aj0AD35GwMaRbJ8xkJOzaz3QWVndkPxYleOgRT-XmuJSiKm79Hc_gQYhn9fyHW6mTLEfyGDDB4ZmFTXFnui7p7hk_rAO_aM8xwQaiFo4sJipXGfSlVoaagmcccbFCmDYeELM/s1600/320px-Second_Temple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Y80ZYb1aj0AD35GwMaRbJ8xkJOzaz3QWVndkPxYleOgRT-XmuJSiKm79Hc_gQYhn9fyHW6mTLEfyGDDB4ZmFTXFnui7p7hk_rAO_aM8xwQaiFo4sJipXGfSlVoaagmcccbFCmDYeELM/s400/320px-Second_Temple.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Model of Herod’s Temple at the Israel Museum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">While my
friend’s response delights me, I’m still perplexed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Judy is a published author so her opinion sways me. And yet I
know that any reading of a third of a novel over a three-month period needs to
be taken with a grain of salt. We seldom hold the intricacies of a book in our
heads for three months when we do sporadic reading. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On
the other hand, a friend often cannot be objective even when trying hard to be.
Still, this friend has been honest with me before when something I wrote didn’t
work for her. Perhaps only those first twenty pages of the novel need
recasting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Given
these three responses, I’m befuddled, wondering if I need to hire another professional
editor—Judy gave me the names of two who have helped her—or if I need simply to
go for publication. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
you read this posting—in the United States or Great Britain or Australia or
wherever you are—please send me your best thoughts about this manuscript. The
truth is I’m confused, wondering if I need to continue to fish or if I should
cut bait! </span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-91946230589439894082013-06-02T12:24:00.001-05:002013-06-02T12:24:49.281-05:00Judy's Reading of "The Reluctant Spy"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In my <a href="http://mywordcraftinglife.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-novel-cat-fantasy-and-letter.html">May 5 posting</a>, I shared with you the first response of a friend—July Healey—to the
manuscript for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy.</i> Judy is an established writer of two historical novels published by HarperCollins to excellent reviews. In
April, she offered to read my manuscript when I told her the beginning of the novel was giving me trouble. </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;">Last
Saturday, </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-bidi-font-size: 21.0pt;">she
sent me the following e-mail:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 15.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">I think <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Reluctant Spy</i> is a terrific story and you have told it well. Everything I
have to say is embroidery. You have well developed characters and a strong plot
line. . . . You have done a wonderful job here. Best, Judy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">But a fine
editor—like the one I had back in December whose sound advice enabled me to
delete 9,000 words and tighten the story line—does more than simply give an
overview of her first response to the manuscript. Truly gifted writers and
editors find what doesn’t work and suggest solutions. And Judy knows what to look
for. On Wednesday, I received the following in-depth comments from her about
the first 86 single-spaced pages:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">Plot and character: </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">Several strains feed the animosity of
Daniel and Ephraim and, to a lesser extent, Ephraim and Yeshua—or rather
Ephraim for Yeshua.</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">The first case seems based on Daniel’s
childhood envy of his father’s pride in Ephraim and the betrayal of Ephraim by
studying the Pharisaic tradition rather than Sadducean and his concealment of
this. For me, the character of each of these men and their relationship forms
the core of the story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">However, it’s taken me some time to piece this
together. What would have helped me earlier is the following:</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">Clear
understanding from the outset of the difference between the two traditions.</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">Understanding
the relationship of Daniel’s father to Ephraim: How had he come to live with
the family? Why was Daniel’s father paying for Ephraim’s education? How could
he not know where Ephraim was studying if he was paying the fees?</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">Clear
understanding early on (rather than much later) of how Daniel and Ephraim parted.</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">What,
exactly, is Ephraim’s relationship to Daniel now? In some scenes he seems
excessively obsequious, although once in a while he musters the character to
challenge Daniel. Ephraim is awfully tough on God but can’t stand up to Daniel.
I think, especially early on, there should be more resistance on the part of
Ephraim.</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">Daniel
is the most interesting character in the book to me, so far, although the
portrait of Yeshua is fascinating. Yet Daniel seems relentlessly vicious. Why?</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">I
expected more of a reaction when Daniel tells Ephraim that it was his testimony
that led directly to John’s death. I think you should do a little more with
that scene.</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.75in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: x-small;">Herod's Temple at the time of Yeshua.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.75in; text-align: center; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;">
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><b>Bridging your knowledge of the times
with the readers’ ignorance:</b> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;">
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<ul style="line-height: 150%;">
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">You are steeped in the times and the
words of the times but your reader is not. Every historical fiction writer
faces this challenge and we each address it in our own way. One way is to have
a glossary of terms so the reader can flip back when she comes upon an
unfamiliar term</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">Another
is to add more description when you use an unfamiliar term. “Jasper ring” for
instance. We don’t care that you know the right word. We want to see it.
Describe it for me now and I’ll continue on in the story. But without the
description, I’m only faced with the fact that you have esoteric knowledge that
I don’t have and I am annoyed and halted in my reading. “Tamarisks.” What are
they? What do they look like?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">Most
of these words can be embroidered with little effort. Honor your reader’s
ignorance rather than displaying your knowledge of the time.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">But
the larger problem is that of helping the reader early on understand the
difference between Pharisees and Sadducees and, by understanding, enter into
the tribal world these characters inhabit. This is core to the story.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">It’s
really good Dee. I know it will be published. But that strategy is another
story!</span></li>
</ul>
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</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"> Judy
has now sent me her comments written on the margins of the first 86 pages. When she completes her reading, I’ll get busy determining
which of her suggestions work for me. But already I can see that I need to work
on delineating relationships and making Ephraim more believable. I’ll share
more with you as I receive Judy’s comments. Peace.</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville;">
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-87484594453537484042013-05-19T13:20:00.000-05:002013-05-19T13:28:20.040-05:00Synopsis of One Writer's Life<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Warning: This is a long posting.
You may want to bypass it until you have a cup of tea and a scone in hand for
leisurely reading!!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
leaving the convent on Christmas Eve 1966 at age 30, I collapsed in my parents’
home and simply stared into space. The next year, because of a friend’s
graciousness, I was offered work as an editor at a Dayton, Ohio, publishing
house that produced Catholic weekly readers called “messengers.” I worked as
the religion editor for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Little
Messenger, </i>a publication for first and second graders. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
the next seventeen years I taught briefly in Dayton and in Claremont, New
Hampshire, and studied for a master’s degree. The rest of the time I worked as
an editor and writer, first for Pflaum in Dayton and then for Winston Press in
Minneapolis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Beginning
in 1973, I worked myself up from editor, to co-director of the Winston trade
department, to director of its curriculum department. By 1984, I was working
fourteen hour days: eight at the office and six each evening at home. Exhaustion
finally took its toll, and in mid-July of 1984, I resigned from my position to
become a freelance line editor, copy editor, and curriculum developer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
freelanced until my retirement in 2001. During those seventeen years, I completed
projects for a number of Catholic publishers as well as small presses throughout
the United States. I also began teaching professional editing in evening and
Saturday classes at the University of Minnesota, the College of St. Catherine
in St. Paul, and Metropolitan University. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>During
those seventeen freelance years, I set an hour aside each morning for my own
creative writing. I’d begun writing, as all of us probably do, in grade school.
The Sisters of Mercy taught me the basics and I became enamored of words and
their power to paint pictures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
college, my mentor became Sister Scholastica—a Benedictine. She encouraged me to
let my imagination soar, and I wrote short stories, fantasies, essays, and
poetry before entering the convent in June 1958. However, for the next eight
and a half years, the convent offered no time for writing and I lost any
interest I had in expressing myself with words. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
continued until I became a freelancer in 1984—so for twenty-six years I did no
writing of my own stories. Then, when I became a freelancer, I suddenly got the
idea for a romance. As I’ve posted before, I wrote two romances and they were
“duds.” But when Dulcy, the cat with whom I’d lived for seventeen and a half
years, died in 1989, she gave me the story of our life together and I began to
write again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Dulcy and
me.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
the past twenty-nine years, I began one thing after another, but that demon of
perfectionism has kept me from completing much of anything—the words just never
seemed to be anything more than mundane. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
yet, as I sit here today I realize that I have finished a few things and I’m
eager to work on others. Here’s what I’ve complete in final draft—edited and
polished. The first three listings have been published.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A Cat’s
Life</span></i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (Dulcy’s memoir)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A Cat’s
Legacy</span></i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (Dulcy’s gift of twelve habits of highly successful cats)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Twenty children’s books for Capstone Press under the
name Dee Ready and the pseudonym Anna O’Mara.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Gift of
Bastet</span></i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Net</i> (Book 1 of the
Great God of Cats fantasy series)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-size: x-large; line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Reluctant Spy</span></i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (a novel that takes place in first-century Palestine) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A Multitude
of Angels</span></i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (the text for a series of photographs by Judy King who did
the art for Dulcy’s memoir and who is doing the art for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Gift of Bastet Net</i>)</span></div>
</div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the
sketches for The Gift of Bastet Net.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And here is the additional writing
I’ve done, but not completed, during the past twenty-four years:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A first draft for the novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Winter Tapestry</i>, about four ex-nuns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A first draft of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three
Roads Diverged</i>. This is Book 1 of a trilogy I plan that takes place in
Bronze-Age Greece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Half of Book 2 of the Great God of Cats fantasy series—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Warriors of Bastet-Net.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Half of Book 3 of the Great God of Cats fantasy series—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prayers to Bastet-Net.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Drafts for two picture books for children.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Several chapters for a memoir by the four cats with
whom I lived after Dulcy died. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Two romances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">More than 200 postings that will become part of a
single memoir or of a trilogy of memoires: early life, convent, post convent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So,
on this day, when I woke up and felt a little down. A little blue. A little
annoyed with myself for being so lazy and for getting so little done. On this
day . . . I’m realizing that I have been true to the longing I have to write.
Thank you for all the encouragement you’ve given me through the past months. No
one could ask for better and more helpful support. Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">PS: Mount
Saint Scholastica, the convent I joined, is celebrating its sesquicentennial
this year. The nuns there have invited all of us who left the convent to come
back for a celebration this coming weekend. I’m eager to go and to meet friends
I haven’t seen in 47 years. Given this, I won’t be posting here next Sunday. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<!--EndFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-53770769288276365042013-05-12T12:41:00.000-05:002013-05-12T12:41:28.911-05:00Novel about Four Ex-Nuns
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For the past two days I’ve been
stymied about what to write for today’s posting. Then this morning, as I sat at
the computer, organizing my array of blogs as bookmarks, an idea came: Why not
share something about my manuscript for a novel about four ex-nuns?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>An
old adage is to “write what you know.” And I do know something about nuns and
ex-nuns. Also, I know something about the thought process that can lead to
suicide because in the 1970s I’d struggled with those thoughts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
story developed from my wanting to explore what a suicide does to the family
and friends left bereft and angered by the self-inflicted death of a loved one.
As the main characters, I envisioned four ex-nuns, the mother of one of them,
and a priest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddctdwj4TCeByUP8ZvLny7waj8LLWSjRdMGNiEJ3b9JXcmh-B6TncharBxW3v1yEMnwNzFCjm_stL_4cdmyl_M7cwy0oa1H3f1XtTTBvOMzplQuIGNedH_2tSsnXOZtzCIbmAP4Gonvs/s1600/mom+and+dad+and+me+as+postualing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddctdwj4TCeByUP8ZvLny7waj8LLWSjRdMGNiEJ3b9JXcmh-B6TncharBxW3v1yEMnwNzFCjm_stL_4cdmyl_M7cwy0oa1H3f1XtTTBvOMzplQuIGNedH_2tSsnXOZtzCIbmAP4Gonvs/s320/mom+and+dad+and+me+as+postualing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why
ex-nuns?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because most people expect them to be
women of deep faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
what if the suicide of a beloved adult child of one of them tests that faith?
What will moor them? How will the death affect their relationships? Who else,
beyond the four of them, will be affected by death and by the changes within
these women and their history with one another?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
began working on this manuscript in the late 1980s, after I became a freelance
line editor, copy editor, and curriculum developer. In 1984, at the age of
forty-eight, I’d resigned from a well-paying and demanding position as the
manager of the curriculum department at Winston Press. One of the reasons for
my resignation was that I wanted time to write my own manuscripts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
freelance days were full-time busy with projects and with teaching evening
courses on professional editing at several different junior colleges and
universities in the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities. Nevertheless, each
morning after breakfast, I’d enter my home office and write creatively for an
hour. That led to two romances that never saw publication because, after all,
what did I know of romance?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfa6u1BmvEBxTRMqjTJfIUergU2O9dFq2KGBVSOE9GY1gyrDj2UwdaFLHq-x7LD26T_6i9FLopKxuDUSb4XYfeSo3lKiHN0ggekg-wda5_7eCXqfL46d00_Ht26EpeIlcfCEy6vXLcH2g/s1600/first+vows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfa6u1BmvEBxTRMqjTJfIUergU2O9dFq2KGBVSOE9GY1gyrDj2UwdaFLHq-x7LD26T_6i9FLopKxuDUSb4XYfeSo3lKiHN0ggekg-wda5_7eCXqfL46d00_Ht26EpeIlcfCEy6vXLcH2g/s1600/first+vows.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
the idea for the ex-nun story came to me. I wrote the first draft in a year,
but laid it aside because the writing seemed uninspired. However, the
manuscript taught me a great deal about writing. Its most important lesson was
to let characters take hold of a story and direct it to its end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
hadn’t known that could happen until one morning when I came, unwillingly, to my Apple
computer to write a new chapter with a new voice. Each chapter of
the draft was in the voice of one of the ex-nuns. Three of them had already
moved the story forward, but the fourth—Ruth—had been given no chapters of her
own. The truth was that I’d developed an antipathy toward her because of what
the other characters had said about her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Here's what happened that day:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Reluctantly,
I began Ruth’s chapter with her arrival at the protagonist’s home. An awkward
conversation ensued between them. Ruth started to say something, and I suddenly realized what
she was going to reveal. Her whole background—the story of a childhood tyrannized
by abuse—flooded my mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
heard myself say, out loud, “Ruth, you’re not going to tell her that are you?
Please, Ruth, you’ll be hurt!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
began to cry at the pain and agony Ruth had endured. Tears trickled down my face
and fell on my clenched hands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
felt the overwhelming disappointment of her life—a life that explained her barbed
replies to those who tried to get too close to her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
Ruth’s resolve coursed through me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
lifted my hands to the keyboard, and her story unfolded with its own grace and graciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
tears accompanied it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
Ruth ended her story, she, too, cried.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
I?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
embraced her. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Truly, to understand all is to forgive all. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> From then on I counted Ruth
as an aspect of myself that I now understood and loved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Writing,
as you can see, is healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-90395511036211500612013-05-05T10:43:00.001-05:002013-05-05T10:43:31.080-05:00A Novel, Cat Fantasy, and Letter
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">Hello All, on this rainy Sunday here in the Midwest. The two-year
drought has ended with waterlogged soil. Forecasters predict two sunny days
this week, so while farmers plow, I’ll weed the shrub garden. Before doing
that, however, I’d like to share three things about my writing life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
March, I read the draft of the Bronze-Age Greece manuscript <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Roads Diverged,</i> which I began to
write back in 1994 after a three-week trip to Greece, financed by my earning
from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story.</i> This
draft used up nearly 70, 000 words and yet represented only a third of the
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given that, a completed
first draft might comprise 210,000 words. That’s twice as long as most presses
want to publish for a first-time novelist. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;"> Considering
that, I’ve decided to write three shorter books. By this time next year, I hope
to have completed the ending to Book 1 and to have edited, rewritten, and
polished it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCqQDqFScg0Dd-5dAqSboct9fxM0lE58G3Gfa2IEY63yef68D9e4ZQgBhNsiIA-3Adb7gpVJ22oJTyTQcIWgt0UIZoU3ZAe4_oxwcOLXFs6R-WIwwa0fnio3GgeghYQ7cyvpzokSeccU/s1600/Mary+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCqQDqFScg0Dd-5dAqSboct9fxM0lE58G3Gfa2IEY63yef68D9e4ZQgBhNsiIA-3Adb7gpVJ22oJTyTQcIWgt0UIZoU3ZAe4_oxwcOLXFs6R-WIwwa0fnio3GgeghYQ7cyvpzokSeccU/s400/Mary+.jpg" width="345" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">A 1996
photograph of my cousin Mary Ann (right) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">and myself by
the flower garden <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">behind my home
in Stillwater, Minnesota. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">Note the T-shirt
I’m wearing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">I’ve completed Book 1 of a cat-fantasy trilogy and
have half of both Book 2 and Book 3 done. Fortunately, Judy King—the gifted
artist who captured Dulcy’s sweetness in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Cat’s Life</i>—had the time to do the art for Book 1. Each of the seventeen pencil
sketches she sent me yesterday displays her creative wit. And the cover she’s
designed is as inviting as the one she did for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Life.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">Last week, Judy Healey, the twice-published
historical novelist and friend who is reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy,</i> sent me an e-mail that made my day. As I’ve explained
before, I started the Palestine novel thirteen years ago and Judy read an early
draft. After reading the first few chapters of the present draft, here’s what
she had to say:</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">Dee:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"> At
long last I'm reading your book...about 40 pages in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
is very engaging and I'm hooked. It is slow going because I am making notes on
pages . . . all pretty minor stuff. But the writing is very good and I think
the book has improved 100% from an earlier version I read some years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I'm
going to do the first 100 pages and mail them to you. At the end I'll also have
a short memo on overview stuff. . . . It will be into next week when I mail the
first set. But congratulations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
can talk publishing strategies later. Love, Judy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">You can appreciate why I’m
pleased. Judy is an accomplished historical novelist. If she sees some worth to
this draft then I’m content that I’m growing as a writer. That doesn’t mean of
course that any agent will want to represent it or any publisher publish it.
However, the fact that Judy praises it helps me know that my writing does have
some merit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 22.0pt;">For most of my adult life,
I’ve considered myself a hack. My writing seemed so prosaic next to the writers
I read. To my surprise, many of you have complimented my writing as seen in my
on-line memoir blog. So because of you, I’ve stopped comparing myself to the
fine writers I read and simply accepted that I am a storyteller and that my
stories speak to others. I thank you all for this gift you’ve given me. Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-15897215996358303872013-04-14T12:23:00.000-05:002013-04-14T16:58:52.923-05:00Two Axioms about Writing Bestsellers<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
interviewed, successful novelists often say that the best thing beginning writers
can do to enhance their craft is to read the classics, other good literature,
and the genre for which the aspiring author wants to write. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
only by doing the latter that a writer knows how that genre is being written
today and what appeals to modern-day readers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Many
nineteenth-century writings are now considered classics. But when contemporary
readers try to read the long descriptions and philosophical musings in these
novels, they close the books—unread. Today, many busy readers have neither the
time nor the patience for that type of writing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFn_YNSjz0kfPe3BpjBuaUTmWQ-meIsalIuknanpty3T-ICO9rQZjb_r2R-J9TmUtuNHxr9RTc279Wq402nKywaKzckKMPa8pQ9WsRv9cKYe56a7qHkcYCDVqCrKu-aHUrZOlsjR-yAE/s1600/George_Eliot_at_30_by_Franc%CC%A7ois_D'Albert_Durade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFn_YNSjz0kfPe3BpjBuaUTmWQ-meIsalIuknanpty3T-ICO9rQZjb_r2R-J9TmUtuNHxr9RTc279Wq402nKywaKzckKMPa8pQ9WsRv9cKYe56a7qHkcYCDVqCrKu-aHUrZOlsjR-yAE/s1600/George_Eliot_at_30_by_Franc%CC%A7ois_D'Albert_Durade.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans), author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Middlemarsh,</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">which some critics consider the finest novel in the English
language.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
many aspiring writers read more contemporary novels to find out how to be
successful today. For example, the prolific James Patterson, a best-selling author
of thrillers, writes in short chapters. A number of successful novelists now
emulate him in their writing style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve
read that readers today want shorter books and shorter chapters because they
often have time to read only a few pages before having to do some other task.
So Patterson and other writers who want to copy his success insist that
aspiring mystery authors keep their chapters short, shift from scene to scene,
and keep the action moving relentlessly.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMHBOXubMQTRRqIdavcA2vF0cwDpxt6FHfabQrBWffhWmpf3bbAj2vcrjV50R1byq7xbzHa-XEkDphxDYHIYv9zVw2P7_ES4-D-WbOYDLpdyAqxu6U3i49LShxhlFeUNVerFDU6WRmMc/s1600/220px-James_Patterson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMHBOXubMQTRRqIdavcA2vF0cwDpxt6FHfabQrBWffhWmpf3bbAj2vcrjV50R1byq7xbzHa-XEkDphxDYHIYv9zVw2P7_ES4-D-WbOYDLpdyAqxu6U3i49LShxhlFeUNVerFDU6WRmMc/s320/220px-James_Patterson.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">James Patterson who’s written innumerable bestselling novels
since the 1970s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> Some readers have the notion that all published novelists become
wealthy. These readers peruse articles that mention the advance a novelist got and
the number of books a writer sells and believe that they, too, can become a
multimillionaire by writing a bestseller. And that’s true. They can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> But writing that bestseller, finding an agent, and getting a
contract isn’t easy. And the truth is that few novels win the interest of
enough readers to become bestsellers. Bestselling is always iffy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Frustrated, these aspiring novelists do more homework and
discover what type of fiction is being written today and is most often
bought by readers. Their axiom becomes: Write what’s bringing in the big bucks!
According to an article in the <a href="http://proactivewriter.com/blog/what-is-the-best-book-genre-to-write/">ProActive Writer Blog, </a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">. . . of the people
who buy at least one book at year, 8 out of 10 buy a fiction book . . . [but]
out of the same group of people, 8 out of 10 will also buy a non-fiction book .
. . Of the people buying at least one fiction book a year, just under half
(48%) buy what is classed as <b>Mystery, Thriller and Crime</b>.</span><span style="color: #646464; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 25.0pt;"> . . . </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The second most
popular book genre was Science Fiction with 26% of readers buying Sci Fi books,
‘Literature’ was close on its heels with 24% and Romance is worthy of a mention
with 21% of the market.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Now
why am I writing about this today? I’d like to share with you my own first
attempts at writing and getting published. When I became a freelance editor and
curriculum developer in 1984, I spent the first hour of each day writing. At
that time, romances were among the biggest sellers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q9Ec34e_j4tYodBbmaHTjZS9WFLD6WLTe0PhbvnLYP_18X7KXVc4kcXIQJB6LJWKi-0nxudXGxJitZ-4IFkAevMd5A2ti0d9gM3RiWI4o-UVXgwQfwTO_BogwN4UA2wDUr09oTmZqzA/s1600/220px-NoraRoberts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Q9Ec34e_j4tYodBbmaHTjZS9WFLD6WLTe0PhbvnLYP_18X7KXVc4kcXIQJB6LJWKi-0nxudXGxJitZ-4IFkAevMd5A2ti0d9gM3RiWI4o-UVXgwQfwTO_BogwN4UA2wDUr09oTmZqzA/s1600/220px-NoraRoberts.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Nora Roberts' career
began with romances. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">After becoming a
bestselling novelist, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">she has gone on to
writing women’s fiction and mysteries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
ten years, while in a deep depression, I’d read Harlequin romances because they
ended happily with no concerns about the social issues that so worried me.
These romances put me to sleep at night. In a way they kept me from throwing in
the towel on life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
when I finally yielded to my lifelong desire to write, I bought into the axiom
to write what’s bringing in the money: I picked romances as my genre. I thought
I could establish a reputation with romances and then move on to historical
fiction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
wrote two manuscripts; sent them, one by one, to Harlequin; and received two
rejection letters. And why wouldn’t those stories be rejected?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was forty-eight years old, had seldom
dated, had never been in love (although I loved many people), and what I knew
about sex could be etched on the edge of the left wingtip of an unemployed bee.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’d
read romances, but I knew nothing about the subject matter. In my craving to be
published, I’d picked a popular genre to which I could bring no life
experience. I finally did get published, but only when Dulcy, the cat with whom
I lived for seventeen and a half years gave me our story. The one we had lived
together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
for me another axiom proved true: Write what you know, not what’s popular. I’ll
share more about all this with you in future postings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626; font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">PS: The article quoted above is quite
short and worth reading for all of you who have some interest in writers and
what they write. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
three photographs/drawings of novelists are from Wikipedia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-67580178428232816562013-04-07T12:24:00.000-05:002013-04-07T12:24:23.336-05:00The Ongoing Saga of the Palestine Novel<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">Two weeks ago I shared with you my disappointment that I’d not heard back from the four agents to whom I’d sent an e-query about my polished manuscript on first-century Palestine<i>.</i> I’ve since received two form rejection letters. One put this whole process in perspective with the following words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">Our agency receives over 700 submissions per month and we only take on a few new clients per year. With the publishing industry being extremely competitive we need to feel a strong conviction when representing your work. While it is not for us another agent may well feel differently.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">Just think, 700 submissions per month. That’s 8,400 a year. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">I’m finding agent names in the book <i>2013 Guide to Literary Agents,</i> which gives “updated and submission information for more than 1,000 literary agents seeking new clients.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">If, and that’s a big if, all these agents receive 8,400 submissions per year—and some must receive more, some less—then that’s 8,400,000 e-mails sent out yearly by writers like myself. I picture millions of e-query sent to all these agents. Sent with hope and expectation, anxiety and eagerness, heartwishes and visualizations. Those e-queries just swirl through the Ethernet to computers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and elsewhere! Can’t you see the flurry of speed?!?!? It’s a marvel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmVEvJ0Yx4yy4BxZ71iWvzcHcbU7nNZvDr1xOYQeTJ43NXFpCvIPEY67WOmn9fyGZIhOdXf7t06AOKSiDdBb0e21h9g0_vc-9UveRAi61ZmOkHFEpwc6ZD1-V6wAu8ylo7YIb5d0_NBs/s1600/ID-10022212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmVEvJ0Yx4yy4BxZ71iWvzcHcbU7nNZvDr1xOYQeTJ43NXFpCvIPEY67WOmn9fyGZIhOdXf7t06AOKSiDdBb0e21h9g0_vc-9UveRAi61ZmOkHFEpwc6ZD1-V6wAu8ylo7YIb5d0_NBs/s400/ID-10022212.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="340" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">And just think of all the writers sitting at their computers typing novels and exposés, memoirs and cookbooks, humor and how-to books! It boggles the mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">Now for the “late, breaking news.” The historical novelist Judy Koll Healey—who has been a good friend for many years—has offered to read <i>The Reluctant Spy. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">In an earlier <a href="http://mywordcraftinglife.blogspot.com/2012/12/researching-and-writing-novel.html" target="_blank">posting</a> on this manuscript, I mentioned the help she gave me in 2002. Since then, she herself has had two highly successful historical novels published by HarperCollins Publishers: <i>The Canterbury Papers</i> in 2005 and <i>The Rebel Princess</i> in 2010. Both take place in twelfth century England and Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSt8Mfs1JjAu_jRx3-gvpRVVbZxShWEun9L1QquUW1OdHMJAv7Fpdk4eShy3S4_3WG55jDqm173pLrhPmWtk0pLaL71e5t2hnPzYp5ZmvCdyBsM4SJOvjiyaec8nN8Zsw08b-WlPLu544/s1600/Canterburycovsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSt8Mfs1JjAu_jRx3-gvpRVVbZxShWEun9L1QquUW1OdHMJAv7Fpdk4eShy3S4_3WG55jDqm173pLrhPmWtk0pLaL71e5t2hnPzYp5ZmvCdyBsM4SJOvjiyaec8nN8Zsw08b-WlPLu544/s320/Canterburycovsmall.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">In return, I’ll read an early draft of the final manuscript of her Canterbury trilogy, which she’s working on now. The truth is that determining the problems with someone else’s manuscript is often much easier than realizing what’s amiss with one’s own. As the weeks pass I’ll share with you Judy’s “take” on what I’ve written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">When someone reads our work, we hope for honest criticism. And we hope also that we will listen to that person’s critique with an open mind while separating the wheat from the chaff. That’s the hard point for any writer—recognizing the suggestions that work while resisting those that don’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">Sometimes a reader makes suggestions that don’t work because they miss the expectation we have for a scene. But even those suggestions can prove helpful for they bring to light something that’s not working in our story. As given, the suggestion won’t work for our plot, but if we look at it from several different angles we get a new perspective on what might work in the manuscript.<span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">This is what happened for me during the first two weeks of January when another fellow writer and friend </span><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">read the manuscript and made suggestions as to how I might strengthen the tension and create a less lengthy book. She found whole scenes that could be deleted and others that could be cut considerably. She also suggested a change in emphasis in one chapter. I used her suggestions to delete 9,000 words from the manuscript and to polish much of the prose. Her reading was invaluable to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">Now Judy is reading and I’m hoping that she, too, will find ways I can improve the story. Meanwhile I’m working on the first book of a Bronze-Age- Greece trilogy. I hope to tell you more about that soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 31px;">PS: Many agencies have more than one agent, so perhaps there are only about 600 agencies, each receiving 700 queries a month. That would skew my math. But that’s still a lot of queries a year—and a lot of writers!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 22px;">“Autumn Leaves,” attributed to Tina Phillips is from freedigitalphotographs.com</span></i></div>
Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-66523712279209287882013-03-31T16:53:00.000-05:002013-03-31T16:53:14.920-05:00The Word Today Is Alleluia!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ-bOmKATJsuVW4TOE986FBZyWqQl2S2T7gLj-1GEbf_Na4ntqrY55O8tOr43cIxAlp4DZmuPMWO7cwJ4sN_n9j1OXAXJ9hcavMqkXMy1_ZKpzF4iY2VGxg4ihyYEKXv4a7NDln8Mlgs/s1600/796px-Fru%25CC%2588hling_blu%25CC%2588hender_Kirschenbaum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQ-bOmKATJsuVW4TOE986FBZyWqQl2S2T7gLj-1GEbf_Na4ntqrY55O8tOr43cIxAlp4DZmuPMWO7cwJ4sN_n9j1OXAXJ9hcavMqkXMy1_ZKpzF4iY2VGxg4ihyYEKXv4a7NDln8Mlgs/s400/796px-Fru%25CC%2588hling_blu%25CC%2588hender_Kirschenbaum.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Today
Christians around the world celebrate Easter, a word derived from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">aurora,</i> the Latin word for “dawn,” and
from an Old English word for “east,” from which the dawn arises. Easter celebrates
a new way of wrapping our lives in hope. It is the dawn of hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Christians
celebrate Easter at the same time all of us celebrate the return of spring, when
darkness folds into light. Within the dark earth, hopeful seeds break forth
from their dry husks and stretch upward, willy-nilly, to light. To a new way of
being. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL18-Ljw64cNGt0YvgVpV0LNBRk2xIJRBoylV_G44ykvFiUq5MfKsoVWCU0nwzDQ2MltSwypmhmMumLpgsWmEKR3-J5E9aUKWn9plfjMhRI6mPg3wlRW40aohZKG4jk4mOcSfZpcf4D5I/s1600/220px-Sunflower_seedlings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL18-Ljw64cNGt0YvgVpV0LNBRk2xIJRBoylV_G44ykvFiUq5MfKsoVWCU0nwzDQ2MltSwypmhmMumLpgsWmEKR3-J5E9aUKWn9plfjMhRI6mPg3wlRW40aohZKG4jk4mOcSfZpcf4D5I/s1600/220px-Sunflower_seedlings.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
those in the Southern Hemisphere, the season that begins on March 21 reaffirms
that the waning of light and the entrance into darkness is part of each human’s
journey to wholeness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
past spring week, Jews observed their Passover, which commemorates the passing over
of the Hebrew people from the prison of slavery in Egypt to the possibilities
of new life beyond that land of desert and drought. For Christians<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,</i> Easter commemorates Jesus’ Passover from
one way of being to another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Passover
and Easter are inextricably linked. According to the Christian scriptures, Yeshua—Jesus’
Hebrew name—ate a final meal with his disciples. A Passover meal. He died on
the day before the Sabbath. In his death he discovered the Fullness of Life—Oneness.
God graced him with that new life on the first day of the Jewish week. A day of
new beginnings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Woven
through all these seasons, traditions, and feasts is the idea of newness. The
idea that we can pass from hatred of our human condition—with its loss and
death, flaws and foibles, despair and sorrow—to a newness of spirit in which we
embrace who we are. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYe58ayhJiUxXi0sd31zQIJNlSTHi1e1zmxH5EvAGJXEmy833ghbcecktiyzzR5yeDVFSJCaDn67LP1_Z7aILBJ3eXUXbCdDN1m5kcNobY5bpItQSlA4VIakjx0BwuGxlQcRMrSfZfEg/s1600/220px-Australian_painted_lady_feeding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYe58ayhJiUxXi0sd31zQIJNlSTHi1e1zmxH5EvAGJXEmy833ghbcecktiyzzR5yeDVFSJCaDn67LP1_Z7aILBJ3eXUXbCdDN1m5kcNobY5bpItQSlA4VIakjx0BwuGxlQcRMrSfZfEg/s320/220px-Australian_painted_lady_feeding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
what do we embrace? Our messiness. The very thing that so many of us resist.
Yet Easter proclaims that we can hope in the possibilities of ourselves. My 77<sup>th</sup>
birthday is tomorrow. And still I’m in the trenches with the messiness of
myself. I still have a hard time believing I am lovable. And yet out of that
messiness comes, for me, an ability to show others how lovable they are. That
messiness is me living with hope that one day I will embrace this loving and
lovable me. And in that embrace will come the gift of peace. I will then be the
Alleluia that Oneness proclaims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_WatWE_36xt0M2khU7pAZJz2sWWIISM-moGeA_j-MejvHznCcDMYTmFnDnkjso3d-Y0Bhcs_onuwqs_gocvZ-nargQ37oonGB2sKEckoq3WXs8raU_qlNbpP-DXLTvi5vieYmr2kkDs/s1600/220px-Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Return_of_the_Prodigal_Son_%2528Le_retour_de_l%2527enfant_prodigue%2529_-_James_Tissot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_WatWE_36xt0M2khU7pAZJz2sWWIISM-moGeA_j-MejvHznCcDMYTmFnDnkjso3d-Y0Bhcs_onuwqs_gocvZ-nargQ37oonGB2sKEckoq3WXs8raU_qlNbpP-DXLTvi5vieYmr2kkDs/s400/220px-Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Return_of_the_Prodigal_Son_%2528Le_retour_de_l%2527enfant_prodigue%2529_-_James_Tissot.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
else do we embrace when we accept this gift of Easter? Passover? Spring? The
answer is clear: we embrace our Oneness with every person who has ever lived.
With Yeshua and with the serial killer and the homeless woman with her shopping
cart, and the child with his Easter basket, and the widow with her grief. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>All
of us are “in” life together. We are united in our flawed humanity. By
embracing the darkness and doubt within ourselves, we become the cherished
human we long to be. And we begin to treasure the being of others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today
then, I wish all of you growth in the human spirit whether as Christian or Jew
or Muslim or as a nonbeliever whose belief lies in the hope of spring. I wish
you wholeness as you strive to become fully human. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
myself, I believe that Yeshua was a human being who fully realized humanity
within himself. He embraced the darkness and death that lies within each of us and
passed over to an acceptance of the possibilities within himself. He donned
Life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVyNn0kLkZpkZlKqblaTJ5taD2COMsJ9B-EWCJ0vf0Qq1IAlTk3ovSCpqit9yl8xg0H0mZ6cVqrjPS4rdSa6tLKAsHrN5dC185MYyKHFpdEpsFwkr5xnMQIAzKjVDqu3OdR3fdrN-WtM/s1600/220px-Siproeta_epaphus_Galawebdesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVyNn0kLkZpkZlKqblaTJ5taD2COMsJ9B-EWCJ0vf0Qq1IAlTk3ovSCpqit9yl8xg0H0mZ6cVqrjPS4rdSa6tLKAsHrN5dC185MYyKHFpdEpsFwkr5xnMQIAzKjVDqu3OdR3fdrN-WtM/s320/220px-Siproeta_epaphus_Galawebdesign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Yeshua</span> became compassion. He became graciousness. He became hope. He became
life-giving. He became the poet of possibility. He became the one who saw
Oneness every where, every time, every now, every here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
that is what this season offers all of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
on this day of spring, this Easter for my Christian friends, this first day of
the week for my Jewish brethren, this Sunday for you who celebrate each new
dawning, I pray that life will spring forth within you and that you, filled
with hope, will enter the Mystery that is the Holy Oneness of All Creation of
which you and I and the cats who lie here on my computer desk are a part.
Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 19.0pt;">All the photographs are from
Wikipedia.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-38029982312370049612013-03-24T14:02:00.000-05:002013-03-24T15:41:36.183-05:00The Long Road to Getting Published<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the past three
weeks, I’ve sent an e-query on <i>The
Reluctant Spy</i> to four agents, but received no responses. Along with three
of those e-queries I sent several manuscript pages. The not hearing means,
of course, that my query or those pages didn’t kindle any agent’s interest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdMtM7jqE1Si9_bA5wixW6BCECFIN1RNCetN_gB3cc5mGPyUe2PCsvYwAiSwWA8MLY0cm0KYffxQ8_dhC5rH0rDoh70X6SiB15tHjN0own3EflOlZ-OpPBjVs5bFPtjn6PMBdjKgIghk/s1600/220px-The_Caxton_Celebration_-_William_Caxton_showing_specimens_of_his_printing_to_King_Edward_IV_and_his_Queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWdMtM7jqE1Si9_bA5wixW6BCECFIN1RNCetN_gB3cc5mGPyUe2PCsvYwAiSwWA8MLY0cm0KYffxQ8_dhC5rH0rDoh70X6SiB15tHjN0own3EflOlZ-OpPBjVs5bFPtjn6PMBdjKgIghk/s400/220px-The_Caxton_Celebration_-_William_Caxton_showing_specimens_of_his_printing_to_King_Edward_IV_and_his_Queen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 150%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">A
Gutenberg letter press from the 15<sup>th</sup> century—one way of getting
published! (Wikipedia)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
tailoring the four e-queries I’ve sent, I scrutinized each agent’s web site to
discover two things: Does the agency represent any authors I especially enjoy
reading and what topics are of special interest to the individual agents? What
I’ve read about queries is that being able to mention something about those two
things in the query letter may capture an agent’s attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Here’s
the generic e-query I’m sending out, minus the tailoring, which I always put in
an opening paragraph:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 391.5pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Within the fast-paced, yet
character-driven pages of the historical novel <b><i>The Reluctant Spy, </i></b>Ephraim
must save an old enemy . . . or betray him. There’s no doubt this first-century
scribe can destroy his archrival. After all, just a few months ago his spying
led to the beheading of another man—and all because of that Bethany woman.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 391.5pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;"><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Who knew his chance encounter with
her would end in blackmail? Who knew that this man who dearly loves his wife
and child and will do anything to relieve their ills would be forced to accept
such disreputable work?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 391.5pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">One man holds the key that can unlock
the prison Ephraim’s made of his life. But that one man is his sworn enemy.
Caught in web of dishonor, Ephraim stumbles. Will he despair or will he
discover a way to help his family and redeem his good name?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 391.5pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Blackmail, adultery, intrigue, and a
crisis of faith—these four themes of The<b><i> Reluctant Spy </i></b>remain
as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago. Moreover, the manuscript
fits into a perennially popular niche: books based on Gospel characters. One
example of this mushrooming trend is <i>The Testament of Mary</i>,<i> </i>which
<i>The New York Times </i>picked as one of the 100 notable books of 2012.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 391.5pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Just as it portrays the mother of
Jesus in a new way, so the characterization of the Nazarene and the Pharisee in
<b><i>The Reluctant Spy</i></b> differs from the usual Christian
understanding of them. In truth, its portrayal of the two main characters may
both intrigue and enlighten readers.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 391.5pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As to my publishing history: Crown
published <i>A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story </i>in 1992. It sold 14,000 hardcover
copies and was then published in China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Germany.
Wayman Publishing published <i>A Cat’s Legacy: Dulcy’s Story </i>in 2012, and
in between, Capstone Press published twenty children’s books I’ve written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 391.5pt; text-autospace: none;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Reluctant Spy</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> is a completed manuscript of 122,000 words. I’d be happy to send you
a sample or the entire manuscript if this e-mail’s pitch has piqued your
interest. Thank you for your consideration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 150%;">That’s
the generic query I’ve tailored, tweaked, and sent out to agents who represent
historical novels. However, I’m looking for agents who also represent at least
two of the following genres: fantasy, memoir, and picture books. Why? Because
I’m working on or have completed at least one example of each of these genres.
</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;">In
the Writer’s Digest book </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;"><i>2013 Guide to Literary Agents,</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;"> I’ve found
seventeen agencies that represent a combination of these genres. I’ve now
queried four with no results. So in the upcoming weeks, I’ll query the
remaining thirteen. Any thoughts?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbU3-3x2Za7RuGmjF6XE8VYwFOuadAV8etiXQyIg1ZmrLVRXMU_8dJHzF3c3HXGitcv3abrhJZNnMIM50m1X2aFFlFU0zp-tU_IjWre1hsXg35hJSAjJs1vViM6nd5eMdWdQ3WGKqdLI/s1600/220px-Erasers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbU3-3x2Za7RuGmjF6XE8VYwFOuadAV8etiXQyIg1ZmrLVRXMU_8dJHzF3c3HXGitcv3abrhJZNnMIM50m1X2aFFlFU0zp-tU_IjWre1hsXg35hJSAjJs1vViM6nd5eMdWdQ3WGKqdLI/s400/220px-Erasers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The traditional way
of erasing and adding material to a manuscript. (Wikipedia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My own final thought concerns the manuscript itself. </span><span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In the
writing of it, I’ve often thought that its beginning limps. Numerous times I’ve
crafted a new first chapter, but a suspenseful scene eludes me. Given that a
writer must grab a reader’s interest in the first sentence or paragraph, I wonder if the beginning chapters I paste into the e-query may </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;">simply be B-O-R-I-N-G!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-66509495085700681542013-03-03T11:57:00.000-06:002013-03-03T11:57:38.660-06:00E-Queries to Literary Agents
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;"><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hello All.
I seem to be moving back and forth between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Reluctant Spy </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Roads
Diverged.</i> Two weeks ago I posted the pitch of the former; last week I wrote
about research and background for the latter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;">
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So this week it’s time to return to that reluctant first-century
spy and talk about the process of introducing him to literary agents in the
hope of capturing the interest of at least one of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Much goes into any agent’s decision to represent someone’s
writing. Here are four questions, among many, that she might ask herself when
reading a query letter and sample pages of a manuscript:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Does this author’s voice and
writing style capture a reader’s attention? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Can the characters and the
plotting hold onto that attention for the length of a novel? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Is the market place interested
in this particular genre? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Baskerville; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Baskerville;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Among all the novels for this
genre, how does this manuscript differ? That is, does it have anything new to
offer?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o1r0QAbqZN8RUtndB7RADl3NCHvrpal98X5ok2Tg__yiFOGPhMCceWnGJrO9QVJPwn0b-xZ3_SscvapEa0QB5KZhxQpK82E3aYwcoOcZIIDJGSrlmOBna77jnQ0GAFTt5_7AxVW7ghY/s1600/520px-2009_stapelweise_Neuerscheinungen_im_Buchladen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o1r0QAbqZN8RUtndB7RADl3NCHvrpal98X5ok2Tg__yiFOGPhMCceWnGJrO9QVJPwn0b-xZ3_SscvapEa0QB5KZhxQpK82E3aYwcoOcZIIDJGSrlmOBna77jnQ0GAFTt5_7AxVW7ghY/s400/520px-2009_stapelweise_Neuerscheinungen_im_Buchladen.JPG" width="346" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A table laden
with novels in a German bookstore. </span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">(Wikipedia)</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, the agent has to rack her brain to determine if she knows
an editor or several editors who are looking for a new approach to the genre, an
outstanding protagonist who differs from others in that genre, or a theme that
is relevant to today’s readers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Back in November I sent e-query letters for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy</i> to twenty-four agents. In today’s world, most
agents simply ignore a query that holds no interest for them. However, a few,
even though they don’t want to represent the work, will reply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of that, authors treasure those
rejection letters. Early last December, four agents responded to my e-query. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One said, “The story line isn’t fully resonating with me.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Another, to whom I’d sent ten pages as well as the query, was more
expansive: “Though I did enjoy reading the first bit of your novel,
unfortunately I was not in love with it. Because I won’t be able to give your
novel the support and enthusiasm it deserves, I don’t feel that I am the best
agent to represent you at this time.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The third agent sent what I think was
a form letter: “We have evaluated your materials and regrettably, your project
is not a right fit for our agency. We currently have a very full clientele and
must be highly selective about the new projects we pursue.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The final e-response was also a form
letter—one that tried not to douse the hopes of a writer: “</span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Thanks for your query.
Unfortunately, I do not feel that I could be the best advocate for your
work. Please keep in mind that mine is a subjective business, and an idea
or story to which one agent does not respond may well be met with great
enthusiasm by another, and I encourage you to continue writing to agents.
Hopefully you will find someone who will get behind you and your work
with the conviction necessary in the current market.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmRZHw9MDKAGm2-NOvSAXbPXaFyr1eiTtpQu_tFhtgLJZEURT9KggChDMZtDJh9HTc6S1Qrc8AXlVTT1imcs9UlVL9HA9dK00W9zMzSoE3MkDcDCLTNa71ZMWx4L2ebbvHvEnA3XAUVI/s1600/800px-Barnes_%2526_Noble_Interior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmRZHw9MDKAGm2-NOvSAXbPXaFyr1eiTtpQu_tFhtgLJZEURT9KggChDMZtDJh9HTc6S1Qrc8AXlVTT1imcs9UlVL9HA9dK00W9zMzSoE3MkDcDCLTNa71ZMWx4L2ebbvHvEnA3XAUVI/s400/800px-Barnes_%2526_Noble_Interior.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">A
three-story bookstore in Los Angeles, California. (Wikipedia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Three months have passed
since I received those responses. In the interim, I’ve polished the manuscript,
deleting 9,000 words. With your help, I’ve developed a pitch to use in the
first three or four paragraphs of the e-query. Now I must begin the task of
finding agents who represent historical novels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">In my next posting, I hope
to share with you how I’m going about that. I will also post the generic query
I’ve devised from your comments on my posting of <a href="http://mywordcraftinglife.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-pitch-for-reluctant-spy.html">February 17.</a> Of course, I’ll
tailor the generic information to fit each agent I query. I hope to explain
“tailoring” also. Peace. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Baskerville; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-37806778433455189452013-02-24T11:49:00.000-06:002013-02-24T11:49:39.978-06:00On the Road to Thebes
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Goudy Old Style'; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Last week I shared my Amazon Breakthrough Novel
pitch with you and asked for your response. Several of you liked it as is;
others gave me excellent suggestions for what might make it more intriguing to
an agent. This coming week I’m going to begin honing that pitch to use in agent
query letters. In a future posting I’ll share with you the process of finding
agents to whom I might send a letter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Goudy Old Style'; font-size: large;">
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today,
however, I want to return to the novel on which I’m now working—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Roads Diverged.</i> Two weeks ago I shared
with you the research I did back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Let’s pick
up from there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Crown
published <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story</i>
in October 1992 and then sold rights to publishers in China, Japan, Korea, and
Germany. The advances and royalties enabled me to purchase a new Mac and a printer, take six months off from freelancing, and travel to Greece to do
research.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MZZJ2igV5JdLNp6KfcmGfg8yNVYtzQwkcHlANFtlP-pFjah0PFYs4lNb-7e9Cg443113kgngGEB2ndWhc8V9oF5Zw5g-yiLTDyalW0Fm-0rIZQuB5vkqyY2HKXqbzYQ2B-A0ArJtmvw/s1600/Me+at+Delphi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MZZJ2igV5JdLNp6KfcmGfg8yNVYtzQwkcHlANFtlP-pFjah0PFYs4lNb-7e9Cg443113kgngGEB2ndWhc8V9oF5Zw5g-yiLTDyalW0Fm-0rIZQuB5vkqyY2HKXqbzYQ2B-A0ArJtmvw/s400/Me+at+Delphi.jpg" width="295" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style";"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Goudy Old Style';"><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here I am on the road
between Thebes and Delphi.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’d
wanted to see Greece, especially Thebes, since sixth grade when our class
studied Ancient History. In late 1947 when Sister Mary McCauley introduced us
to Greece, I saw Thebes on a map. Suddenly a frisson of remembrance about that
city-state gripped me. In the depths of my mind, I could see ancient Thebes; my
senses knew it. That was my first déjà vu experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
November 1993, forty-six years after my introduction to the Bronze Age, I
flew to Greece with a friend. For three weeks, we visited many of the sites I
knew would be part of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Roads
Diverged.</i> We rented a car. My friend drove; I navigated. We visited Athens,
Knossos, Thebes, Delphi, Dodona, Olympia, Pylos, Mycenae, Lerna, Tiryns, Nauplia,
and Epidaurus. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> With
a small camera I took pictures, as did she, of all these places. As the months
pass, I’ll share with you some of the ruins I visited. Sometimes the
photographs will be blurred because I really knew nothing about framing a
scene. However, they will show you the sites about which I’ll be writing.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Goudy Old Style';"><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is the path at the
foot of the Parthenon in Athens.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">When we flew home in late
November, I began to write. For six months I used all the research I’d done to
produce the beginnings of a first draft for the novel I hoped would one day be
published. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><!--EndFragment-->
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then
in June 1994, I ceased to write. Why? Because the words of a fellow writer had
burst the bubble of belief I had in myself about being able to write anything
well, much less a novel. From then until now, that draft—the first third of the
proposed novel—moldered on the computer, awaiting the click of reactivation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then,
two weeks ago, I printed out what I had—some 60,000 words. For nearly twenty
years, I’d expected the novel—if ever completed—would divide itself naturally into
three sections that would reflect the three Oedipus plays written by Sophocles.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Using
those three dramas as a foundation for the arc of Antigone’s life, I’d weave a
story of who she was, what she did, and why. I’d search out the definitions
that prompted her actions. By doing so, I planned to fill out the bare outlines
of her life as given in Sophocles’ plays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>His
was the skeleton; I’d provide flesh, blood, tears, and sweat. Antigone would be
given lungs with which to speak to a new audience. She’d be given a mind with which to
enthrall us. A heart to woo us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
I read those 60,000 words these past two weeks, I’ve succumbed to her charms. Now
I’ve realized how best to present her life. I’ll share that realization with
you in the next couple of weeks. Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-689916532456965712013-02-17T10:31:00.000-06:002013-02-17T10:31:28.012-06:00The Pitch for The Reluctant Spy <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCfP7FNcKXsVmjYClO2ndHnlniZMP6yILdfQQx2beAqtKHKCiEZELcucjMs-AzJKUi0EGaBljsxt21eWXM0PFNyq_SeJpQHozP_9sO8eAcmrcLLCB9_LCeKLSJjeBX5T-wIRWrzgVsL0/s1600/Brooklyn_Museum_-_Reconstruction_of_Jerusalem_and_the_Temple_of_Herod_(Re%CC%81constitution_de_Je%CC%81rusalem_et_du_temple_d'He%CC%81rode)_-_James_Tissot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCfP7FNcKXsVmjYClO2ndHnlniZMP6yILdfQQx2beAqtKHKCiEZELcucjMs-AzJKUi0EGaBljsxt21eWXM0PFNyq_SeJpQHozP_9sO8eAcmrcLLCB9_LCeKLSJjeBX5T-wIRWrzgVsL0/s400/Brooklyn_Museum_-_Reconstruction_of_Jerusalem_and_the_Temple_of_Herod_(Re%CC%81constitution_de_Je%CC%81rusalem_et_du_temple_d'He%CC%81rode)_-_James_Tissot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod
(Wikipedia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Last
Sunday I ended my posting by saying that this week I’d share with you how I
started writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Roads Diverged</i>.
However, instead, I want to return to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Reluctant Spy</i> for one or more postings. According to the Amazon contest
rules in which I entered that manuscript, I couldn’t really write about it
until now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Why
now? Because on Wednesday of this past week, Amazon posted its list of those
entrants whose pitches had won them a place in the second round of the contest.
My name wasn’t on that list. Please
know I’m not discouraged; my getting through the first round depended on judges
liking not only historical novels but also first-century Palestine ones. That’s
asking a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWpkz-8Ud-dzTf8jSKUgqf11j2FgbPINCdD7IawNUEnHoZ-MjC7GhMct5Fm25mf4UNM7wkAKHAOw9lEoxtISi4Ni4dtq5B4w2xWQZWyrailcsxayIU97Ev5r1XlGtwLj62q6QLksPYu0/s1600/Yarden_0182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWpkz-8Ud-dzTf8jSKUgqf11j2FgbPINCdD7IawNUEnHoZ-MjC7GhMct5Fm25mf4UNM7wkAKHAOw9lEoxtISi4Ni4dtq5B4w2xWQZWyrailcsxayIU97Ev5r1XlGtwLj62q6QLksPYu0/s400/Yarden_0182.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">River Jordan (Wikipedia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Perhaps
more importantly, my pitch had to grab the judges’ attention. In early January
I struggled with writing three hundred words to beguile a judge into wanting to
read more. <a href="http://www.cominghometomyself.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-pitch-isnt-synopsis.html">Click here </a>for the “pitch” posting on my Wednesday blog and <a href="http://mywordcraftinglife.blogspot.com/2013/01/winnowing-words-and-pitches.html">here</a> for
what I wrote on this blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today,
I’d like to share with you my contest pitch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Pitch for the Amazon
Breakthrough Novel Contest<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Ephraim, a first-century
scribe, moves toward a crossroads: To betray—or to save—an old enemy. He hasn’t
a clue how to solve his own dilemma. The truth is that he’s played many roles,
but perhaps none harder than balancing between envious savior and reluctant
spy. Can he manage both without undermining the foundations of his own life? And
how much pride will he swallow to do so?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There’s
no doubt Ephraim can destroy his archrival. After all, just a few months ago
his treachery led to the beheading of another man. Now he’s hit rock
bottom, hunting desperately for the way to reclaim his honor. It’s all a
question of what he’ll risk in his headlong flight from righteousness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From
the intrigue of Jerusalem to the crossroads of Bethany, from the gossip of
provincial Capernaum to the deadly threat of Golgotha, Ephraim journeys over
more than muddy roads. The rat-infested cells of Machaerus Fortress looming
over the Dead Sea cannot be any darker than the labyrinth of his own tortured
mind. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Goudy Old Style'; font-size: 21px; line-height: 31px;"> His
journey into the abyss of despair could end in redemption or ruin. One man
holds the knife that can sever the muddle Ephraim’s made of his life. And this
one man is the next victim of his betrayal.
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"> Blackmail.
Adultery. Intrigue. A crisis of faith. The themes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> Reluctant Spy</span></i> remain
as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago. Ephraim knows he
can't change the past. But if he could let go of it, both he and his
Galilean rival might escape the machinations of Jerusalem and Rome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyTwuduoW2pdaE2tn-0mZzc_r-vW-bNiTjn-HfPScZZd3H-PBEWheIWOPGofrxee-Afgv4RheULtGTL-RcZUoxPyiecUqHDehEMnwNpAtAzGLjZopdtT_930uqkbaA67tYVShMF2WDV8/s1600/800px-Beach_of_Sea_of_Galilee_in_summer_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyTwuduoW2pdaE2tn-0mZzc_r-vW-bNiTjn-HfPScZZd3H-PBEWheIWOPGofrxee-Afgv4RheULtGTL-RcZUoxPyiecUqHDehEMnwNpAtAzGLjZopdtT_930uqkbaA67tYVShMF2WDV8/s400/800px-Beach_of_Sea_of_Galilee_in_summer_2011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Sea
of Galilee (Wikipedia)</span><span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What
do you think? I know all of you want me to succeed. But please put aside your
liking for me and for my writing and consider if this pitch on the book flap of an historical novel would grab your interest. If not, please tell me why. No suspense? Ephraim’s problems uninteresting? Too much information?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Any
suggestions for the reordering that information? For building more suspense? For
whetting your interest? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
reason I ask is because I plan to use some paragraphs from this pitch in the query letters
I’ll now begin to write. Just as I needed to attract the Amazon
judges’ interest, I’ll soon need to pique the interest of agents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Goudy Old Style"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thanks
for any help you can give me. Peace.</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-6255931598000580322013-02-10T11:08:00.000-06:002013-02-10T11:08:45.964-06:00Researching Bronze Age Greece
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Last Sunday I asked a favor of all
of you who read this blog: I needed more reviews for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Cat’s Legacy </i>and asked if you’d help me get them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">While
asking for reviews, I also reflected on my lack of a platform—at least one dependent
on page views of my two blogs.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> The
fourteen encouraging comments you left on last week’s posting have been so
helpful. You complimented both books, which many of you have already read and
reviewed. You stood behind reviews you’d written for them, offered to write a
posting about how one of the books had helped you in a time of grief, and in
general offered me your continued support as I try to get both books into the
hands of readers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
addition, one of you ordered copies of both books, two of you have already left
reviews on Amazon, and three of you offered suggestions for how to increase my
page views. It’s now time to consider what direction to take. I’ll share my
decision with you when I’ve made it, but for now I simply want to say to all of
you a heartfelt “Thank you” for responding with such good will and creativity
to my request for help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today
I’m posting about the new manuscript on which I’m now working: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Three Roads Diverged</i>. It explores questions
about definition: Why do we let others define us? What happens when we cast
aside those definitions? Does our integrity depend on resisting being defined
by others? And finally how old does someone have to be to walk away from the
definitions families impose?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
novel, which takes place in Bronze Age Greece circa 1250 BCE, demands research
on my part. I began this research back in the late 1980s with the study of
classical Greek. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> That was not the language spoken during Greece’s Bronze Age,
but it would, I thought, introduce me to the language in which the great plays
of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides had been written and to their cadence
and syntax. I hoped both would lodge themselves in my unconsciousness and influence
the way I wrote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6lOfP5EyqY1bMWzerB_GeTSUCWX3OgUiqYekL0wiNmaHb3rDhyphenhyphenBXBJeCeUniauYXVzgss09WiAGbE5QsC4PzS2BZmjnCvBXFbJZCob1MmRfyLP9zJX8uccisHJJqkd41oV0STUu_28E/s1600/220px-Euripides_Pio-Clementino_Inv302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6lOfP5EyqY1bMWzerB_GeTSUCWX3OgUiqYekL0wiNmaHb3rDhyphenhyphenBXBJeCeUniauYXVzgss09WiAGbE5QsC4PzS2BZmjnCvBXFbJZCob1MmRfyLP9zJX8uccisHJJqkd41oV0STUu_28E/s200/220px-Euripides_Pio-Clementino_Inv302.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5Imo4NvGU65QLAbYLkQdXYHEDN-YFRaaDsodjuPi8TcMWynSiCc3ZBVwy5yothX3x4QCAl552TrUMLEBHPJ-ilbbvsKy__tqcS2LAwIwniaZ6D83tKYnlsdGd8Q8Nl2T1hOsPyQegK0/s1600/220px-Aischylos_Bu%CC%88ste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5Imo4NvGU65QLAbYLkQdXYHEDN-YFRaaDsodjuPi8TcMWynSiCc3ZBVwy5yothX3x4QCAl552TrUMLEBHPJ-ilbbvsKy__tqcS2LAwIwniaZ6D83tKYnlsdGd8Q8Nl2T1hOsPyQegK0/s200/220px-Aischylos_Bu%CC%88ste.jpg" width="124" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe_Y5j3DtFINgZX5owTa2udSY19O9GkTw_qzIVBtMKruZzqf6mTX12-1nThg_Ifa1_bXVytP_UR-lCeGz08WZAF07FK1CzuDsnBIOfbU5gBERAfIJVKzJpNVHMs_zT-Qo3ufzcgKNSGc/s1600/220px-Sophocles_pushkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMe_Y5j3DtFINgZX5owTa2udSY19O9GkTw_qzIVBtMKruZzqf6mTX12-1nThg_Ifa1_bXVytP_UR-lCeGz08WZAF07FK1CzuDsnBIOfbU5gBERAfIJVKzJpNVHMs_zT-Qo3ufzcgKNSGc/s200/220px-Sophocles_pushkin.jpg" width="147" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Aeschylus,
Sophocles, and Euripides<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Those
renowned Greek dramatists used the ancient myths of their land as subject
matter for their plays. I’d decided to use those myths also. So exploring the
plays of these classical dramatists in the original language seemed appropriate
to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9vIdDsXKflfx3_fyOhER7bBKwuSDPWwNwtKg8MI8DSCN5ymekVqNJLmZast5YC25gtxcMfNfhBQaknLqTs-97wvxot3Im9_56Hc2x2O0MtZuTB6h8SGoQ1dMXx0pZtuT1qm-HkXOeTQ/s1600/350px-Delphi_Composite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9vIdDsXKflfx3_fyOhER7bBKwuSDPWwNwtKg8MI8DSCN5ymekVqNJLmZast5YC25gtxcMfNfhBQaknLqTs-97wvxot3Im9_56Hc2x2O0MtZuTB6h8SGoQ1dMXx0pZtuT1qm-HkXOeTQ/s400/350px-Delphi_Composite.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The ancient
theater of Delphi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
begin, I studied classical Greek for two quarters at the University of
Minnesota and then continued my studies through correspondence courses from the
University of Wisconsin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
never became proficient in speaking the language because of my auditory
learning disability, but I did begin to understand syntax as I translated from
Greek to English and English to Greek. Moreover I began to appreciate the way
classical Greek writers approached their subject in both histories and plays.
To write authentically, I needed to learn how those early Greeks thought. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Beginning
in the late 1980s, I have purchased many books on Greece’s Bronze Age and on
the city/states of the time like Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Athens, and Thebes; the
flora and fauna of Greece; religion; typography; law; arts and crafts; the role
of women and men; mythology, and any other subject matter that explored the
world at the time. I now have a library of over a hundred scholarly works
on Bronze Age Greece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZ_r0yPqxjnoilM5fQGqrPM-SEAWX17dIjAfoSRi5UvOscbR2QrJKEag1NqQHprHswfHVCb9gonTtjz5Dy-IsVe5FVz__PM61bSgDhEK7r2uFRVHYuoQ2MqdvS9Z5CfZQYwagrm8sX8M/s1600/275px-Mycenae_lion_gate_dsc06382.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZ_r0yPqxjnoilM5fQGqrPM-SEAWX17dIjAfoSRi5UvOscbR2QrJKEag1NqQHprHswfHVCb9gonTtjz5Dy-IsVe5FVz__PM61bSgDhEK7r2uFRVHYuoQ2MqdvS9Z5CfZQYwagrm8sX8M/s400/275px-Mycenae_lion_gate_dsc06382.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Lion
Gate at Mycenae.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ll
be working on this manuscript for at least two years. My postings on this blog
will reflect my progress. Next week I’ll share with you how I began to write
back in the early 1990s. Have a good week. Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314412371410706361.post-22690739379244644862013-02-03T10:51:00.000-06:002013-02-03T10:51:31.773-06:00Book Reviews and Platforms
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
I have known two exceptionally
astute senior editors. Back in 1991, the Crown editor gave me the word <i>relationship</i> that led to the publication
of <i>A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story.</i> In
2012, the Wayman senior editor gave me the phrase <i>Dulcy’s Companion Book</i> that led to the final cover for <i>A Cat’s Legacy. </i>Both these women have
been a blessing in my life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Recently,
I spoke with that same Waymen editor about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Cat’s Legacy </i>and why it may not be selling. She believes the new cover,
which I introduced to you in last Sunday’s posting, will help. As perhaps the
purchase price will. However, she also believes that readers, before deciding
to order a book, look not only at the cover, title, and price but also at the
number of reviews it’s received. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
of today, February 3, 2013, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s
Legacy</i> has only eight reviews. Wayman’s senior editor thinks it needs more before
prospective buyers will consider it a book worth buying.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How
many more? Well, that’s debatable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Life: Dulcy’s Story</i>
has twenty-two reviews from its first publication in 1992 in hardcover and its
second publication in 2012 as an e-book, and yet it isn’t selling well either. Perhaps
it, too, needs more reviews.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of
course, reviews may be only a part of this. Publicity is probably the major
influence in the sell of any book. In years past, the publishing company did
the publicity. And surely Wayman has done its part in publicizing both of
Dulcy’s books.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOtXNa_yXMf8WOf_6SMXNwui1OknPF3cluYDwxoO2TiaeC-NDJ5vQ8V2MbPTtHXNMh2zQrzh_gaR3jrpSaWfU1TXb8TiCHQTsym9qfwiKyngJ7O4eWHrireF31oNpROJtnvYD3PLHJmw/s1600/300px-Lancaster_Gate_tube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOtXNa_yXMf8WOf_6SMXNwui1OknPF3cluYDwxoO2TiaeC-NDJ5vQ8V2MbPTtHXNMh2zQrzh_gaR3jrpSaWfU1TXb8TiCHQTsym9qfwiKyngJ7O4eWHrireF31oNpROJtnvYD3PLHJmw/s400/300px-Lancaster_Gate_tube.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However,
unlike 1992 when Crown published <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s
Life</i>, today’s large, contemporary publishing houses demand that writers
have a “platform.” That is, a means by which they themselves can get word out
about the book. This platform may be any or all of the following: blog, Facebook,
Twitter, web site, radio show, PBS series, seminar or conference given around
the country. That is, any writing or personal appearance that puts the author
out in front of a large audience that might buy the book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Last
week, a fellow blogger and author of several well-received and read books sent
me an e-mail response to my comment on her blog. Given her past success, her
words about platform stunned me. Right now, she is writing another book, and
her agent has explained to her what’s necessary in today’s publishing world: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;">Publishing
has changed so very much. Even with all my experience, I feel like a beginner—not
in terms of writing, but in terms of the business. Book proposals are now 75%
marketing and 25% content. It used to be the opposite. And last year, I read
somewhere that you couldn't claim your blog as a decent "platform"
unless you were getting 10,000 page views a month. I felt so discouraged as
that seemed such an impossible number. But in the last two months, I've been
averaging 12,000+ page views a month! Still not a whole bunch of Followers, but
a good number of page views. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="http://drkathleenmccoy.blogspot.com/">Dr. Kathleen McCoy</a> went on to explain that a series of postings she did on
parents/adult-children relationships changed the number of page views she began
to receive per month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhwMfKBOFg9mqGLfdAI_DyeMXW9n1DDjKsFq6euHdMXSZYOSuQndbeX542WOzX_yjQqOdWURRAaRiof2RIBl4ugIUyq_lO6JekMZBSJVo7vOSI6oJlBclCcjSETeRy6kSpTDtz5KAXtI/s1600/220px-Waterloo_tube_stn_entrance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhwMfKBOFg9mqGLfdAI_DyeMXW9n1DDjKsFq6euHdMXSZYOSuQndbeX542WOzX_yjQqOdWURRAaRiof2RIBl4ugIUyq_lO6JekMZBSJVo7vOSI6oJlBclCcjSETeRy6kSpTDtz5KAXtI/s400/220px-Waterloo_tube_stn_entrance.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
I’m left wondering if perhaps my blogs simply don’t appeal because of what I
write about. I have two. One is an on-line memoir on which I post a story of my
life each Wednesday. The other is the one you are reading right now. It is a
memoir of my life as a writer seeking publication. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For
the first, I have 205 followers and fewer than 2,000 page views a month; for
this second one, I have 25 followers and fewer than 200 page views a month. So
you see, I literally have no platform. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dr.
McCoy believes that a platform may be necessary only for nonfiction. So perhaps
the novel I’ve written—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Reluctant Spy</i>—won’t
need a platform. We’ll see. All I’m sure of right now is that for each of the
past three months, neither of Dulcy’s books has sold more than five copies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
bottom line to this lengthy posting is that I’d greatly appreciate any help you
can give me with the following:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>Writing
a book review on Amazon or Goodreads for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Cat’s Legacy </i>and/or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Cat’s Life</i>
if you haven’t already done so.</li>
<li>Asking those to whom
you’ve given the book(s) to write a review.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Thank you. And peace to you ever
and always, pressed down and overflowing. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00612299013780771262noreply@blogger.com33