gabrielle-the-writer

[gabrielle-the-writer]

Title: The Night Circus Author: Erin Morgenstern Genre: Fantasy My Rating: 5/5

Erin Morgenstern weaves a captivating story in The Night Circus, in which two magicians engage in a lifelong duel. Trained from youth by their masters, they must continue the game even as they fall in love. Eventually, however, one of them must lose. But losing means dying and, even worse, destroying the entire structure of the game–The Night Circus–and the lives of their found family.

If I had stopped reading this book around page 100, I might have given it three stars. It had gorgeous imagery by an obviously talented writer, but I felt like nothing much had really happened. By the end, I was enthralled. The Night Circus isn’t a book so much as a beautiful, bittersweet dream. An enormous cast of characters enriched the story and raised the stakes. Most people think death is the worst thing that could happen, but Morgenstern convinces the reader that it’s the least of worries. To lose the game is to die, but it also means losing the love of your life and destroying the lives of hundreds of people that have become family. I started The Night Circus at the suggestion of a friend and emerged a different person.

“Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There’s magic in that. It’s in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone’s soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift. Your sister may be able to see the future, but you yourself can shape it, boy. Do not forget that… there are many kinds of magic, after all.”

[gabrielle-the-writer]

How To Publish Your  Novel: Part 3: Organization Amid Chaos

Years ago, when I first thought I might become a published author someday, I started researching how to achieve my goals. What I found was completely overwhelming. I needed an agent, but there were thousands of them. Each of them wanted different documents I had never heard of. Query? Synopsis? What?

In this series, I’m going to share what I found and break down how to publish your novel. I’ll cover a the difference between the types of publishing currently available, writing a query letter, writing a synopsis, and finding the ideal agent to query. The process can seem overwhelming, but I hope to offer some clarity and simplicity so you can approach publishing with confidence.

Welcome to Part 3: Organization Amid Chaos. Catch up on previous sections here: Part 1: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing Part 2: Finding an Agent

Organization Amid Chaos

You’re trying to get your novel published in the traditional way, which means finding an agent. But an online search returns scores of possibilities!

Don’t get overwhelmed. (Okay, allow yourself a moment to get overwhelmed, then pull yourself together!) Writing is hard work, and so is getting your manuscript published.

Compiling an ideal list of agents is going to take some time and focus. Buckle in, follow the guide below, and it can be a smooth and, dare I say, fun process.

Literary Agents: How Do I Find THE One?!

This is the research method that works best for me. There is no “right” way, so take what you like and develop your own system.

Start a Preliminary List

Let’s get a rough list of potential agents together. Open a new document in Excel, Google Docs, whatever works for you.

Ready?

I label the columns as such: Fit, Agency, Agent, Website, Notes, Query Method, Synopsis, Pages, and Response Time. That seems like a lot, but I want to save myself from having to look up information later.

In the last post, I covered finding potential agents online. Using whatever genre-specific list you’ve found (AAR, Writer’s Digest, Poets & Writers, etc.), start filling in your table. Write the agency name under “Agency” and the specific agent under “Agent.” If more than one agent is listed for each agency, feel free to write them on a new line. If there’s a website, copy that down as well.

You now have a chart that looks something like this:

I find it best to just continue through the online list, writing down every agent, agency, and website so you don’t lose your place if you have to stop. Once you’ve exhausted the list, it’s time to dig in.

Fill in the Blanks

Starting at the top, visit the first agency website. What you’re looking for is a list of agents and what types of manuscripts they want. Some websites have this information in a section called “agents,” some have it in “submissions,” or “about.” Some have it in multiple places! Scour the website. The whole thing. In your spreadsheet, start filling in some of the other columns.

Under “Notes,” jot some things the agent likes. Sweeping, epic fantasies. Mystery with a bit of romance. Stories about families. Whatever seems relevant to your manuscript.

They will also have a preferred query method, typically email or Query Manager. Note whether they like to receive a synopsis. If they want the first several pages of your novel, how many? If there’s information on response time, put that in, too. It will save you from wondering later.

Getting Organized

While you’re reading up on each agent, you’ll get a sense of their personality and preferences. You’ll also get a sense of whether this person may be right for you and your manuscript. Here’s where the “Fit” column of our spreadsheet comes in. Rank each agent from 1 (terrible fit) to 5 (absolutely amazing). I do keep a list of the ones who aren’t a good fit to avoid forgetting and trying to re-research them later.

Now your spreadsheet might look something like this:

You only want to submit to agents who are actually open to submissions. Do not submit to agents who aren’t open. If an agent seems like a good fit, but isn’t open, mark them with a 0 in the Fit column and note the actual fit next to their name in case they open later on.

By the end, you may have a list of 50 or more agents with varying ranks. It’s time to pare down the list.

But How Do I Find the Perfect Agent?

Start with agents ranked 4 or 5. You may have only 20 of these. Revisit their website.

We’re going to give each agent a secondary fit ranking. For example, if you noted someone was a 5, a perfect fit for your manuscript, and you find they’re still a perfect fit, mark them 5-5. Someone who’s “merely” an excellent fit might get a 5-4. This will help you focus on who you’re going to submit to first.

If you have multiple agents from the same agency listed, you’re going to have to pick just one. You can save their information for later, but most agencies frown on duplicative submissions unless explicitly stated.

You now have a list of the 15-20 agents you think are the best possible fit for your manuscript.

Who Do I Submit to First?

Submissions should be done in rounds. Do a little rearranging of your list to create three (or more) bundles of 5-10 agents each. Your first round of submissions might go to two agents with a 5 ranking and three with a 4 ranking. For example:

This is fairly arbitrary, but I would advise against putting all your top choices in the first round. That way, if you don’t get the responses you want initially, you can revise your submission documents and still have good-fit agents on the list.

Great. I’ve set up my list and separated the agents into a few rounds. But everyone seems to want different things!

They do…and they don’t. There are a few basic documents that most agents will want: a Query Letter, a Synopsis, and the first few pages of your book.

In the next post, “Query Letters,” I’ll go over what this is and how to write one that will catch an agent’s eye.

[gabrielle-the-writer]

How To Publish Your Novel: Part 2: Finding an Agent

Years ago, when I first thought I might become a published author someday, I started researching how to achieve my goals. What I found was completely overwhelming. I needed an agent, but there were thousands of them. Each of them wanted different documents I had never heard of. Query? Synopsis? What?

In this series, I’m going to share what I found and break down how to publish your novel. I’ll cover a the difference between the types of publishing currently available, writing a query letter, writing a synopsis, and finding the ideal agent to query. The process can seem overwhelming, but I hope to offer some clarity and simplicity so you can approach publishing with confidence.

Welcome to Part 2: Finding an Agent. Catch up by reading Part 1: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing.

Literary Agents: The Basics

So you’ve decided to publish your novel and have settled on the traditional publishing method as the best option.

Step One is to find a literary agent to represent you.

What is a literary agent anyway?

The shortest answer is that literary agents sell manuscripts to publishing houses. Most publishers don’t accept manuscripts from authors directly; they need to come through a middle man (middle person?)–the literary agent in this case. When you find an agent who likes your work, they will submit to publishers on your behalf, negotiate contracts, and will be your advocate in the publishing world. They love your book and want others to read it.

Literary Agents: How Do I Find One?!

I get what an agent is–now how on earth do I find one?!

Gone are the days of purchasing enormous, phonebook-like tomes listing every literary agent’s contact information. Thank goodness we have the internet.

A great resource is the Association for Authors’ Representatives a/k/a AAR. Their database lists members and the types of books they represent. For example, in the search box, I typed “fantasy” to find agents who represent fantasy novels. As of today, there are 72 results, some of whom come from the same literary agency.

Other resources include Poets and Writers, Writer’s Digest, or genre-specific websites that may list agents seeking manuscripts.

So, you’ve done some research and found several lists of agents who likely represent your genre. But there are dozens and dozens of them! What are you supposed to do with all this information?

First, you take a deep breath. The sheer volume of information can overwhelm you if you let it. You are not the first person, nor will you be the last, to find a literary agent.

In next week’s post, “Organization Amid Chaos,” I’ll go over my method for sorting through all the information to find the best literary agent for your work. Done this way, it doesn’t seem so daunting after all.

[gabrielle-the-writer]

YAY I got my first response! Some lovely comments from my beta reader:

This was so beautifully visual I felt like I was there… I loved the ending!  I needed a tissue!  You wrote it so well that the emotions seemed so real to me… You’ve incorporated so many life lessons about love, family, compassion, faithfulness and more… a worthwhile read…

UGH I am feeling very impatient today.

I sent what is hopefully the penultimate draft of my manuscript to three beta readers and my critique partner a little more than a week ago and I just want it BACK already! I want to see what they thought and make some edits and send it out to agents. 

I’ve gotten into this mindset where I’m ready to send it out and now I have to wait for probably another few weeks before I get any responses.

It’s excruciating. And I don’t really feel like working on other projects….

[gabrielle-the-writer]

Writing Prompt of the Week

Everyone is assigned a guardian angel who helps them through life; however, due to a clerical error, a demon was assigned to you.

[gabrielle-the-writer]

Book Review

Title: The Antiquities Hunter Author: Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff Genre: Mystery My Rating: 3/5

When P.I. Gina learns her best friend Rose has a stalker, she’s hired as Rose’s bodyguard. The stalker is most likely trying to deter Rose, an undercover agent, from testifying about stolen artifacts. Gina tries to flush out the stalker, but Rose is critically injured in the process and Gina must take Rose’s place as an undercover agent. She travels to Cancun with a mysterious Mexican agent, Cruz, whom she’s not sure she can trust. The two must find out if a wealthy collector has anything to do with Rose’s stalker and the theft of Mayan antiquities. There is a lot to like about this book, particularly Gina’s background–her mom is a Russian immigrant who might be a witch. Her Japanese dad is a retired cop. They both give Gina religious talismans to protect her and Gina has her own sense of superstition. What a refreshing backstory! A multiracial, short, tough woman who cares deeply about her friends and family. The male lead, Cruz, however, leaves a lot to be desired. Stunningly attractive, mysterious, possibly a double agent?, an archaeologist,  published author, AND undercover agent… he is everything at once and way too good to be true. I have a pretty strong ability to suspend disbelief, but that was too much for me. Gina’s phenomenal acting abilities while she’s undercover aren’t quite out of the realm of belief, but her interactions with the lecherous collector are generally unsettling and a near-sexual assault that doesn’t serve (at all) to move the plot forward put me off. In the end, the plot felt needlessly complicated when the villain was ultimately revealed. I was drawn to this book by the promise of a Mayan storyline and got a pretty superficial glance of Mayan culture, myth, and modern archaeology. Though this was not the book for me, I did enjoy parts of it and I feel like Gina could be developed into a really compelling character in future installments.

[gabrielle-the-writer]

[gabrielle-the-writer]

We die a little every day

I turned 31 last weekend. Society tells me I’m supposed to feel something about that. Panic, maybe, that the good years are behind me. Forty is fast approaching and after forty is basically death.

The thing is, we die a little every day.

Am I preoccupied with death? I… don’t think so, although perhaps the books on my nightstand recently would say something different (The Denial of Death, Civilized to Death, How Not to Die). If I am, it’s certainly not a new preoccupation–ten years ago, my final paper for a college English course was about fear of mortality in eighteenth through twentieth century American literature. At the time, I was also taking psychology courses on Terror Management Theory, which posits that most human action is done to mitigate the ever-present fear of death.

In my day job, I work for a medical malpractice attorney and I see how quickly things can go from normal life to nightmare.

Okay, so maybe I think about death a little more than the average person.

My partner and I were joking about my birthday and how I’m “old” now (his favorite joke, as he is nearly four months younger than me). He might have said something about how it was the beginning of the end. But I seem to be living life in reverse–the end has already passed.

My naughts, I said, were all about control–my lack thereof.

I had a little more agency in my teens, but my life was ruled by school and homework.

In my twenties, I found myself and learned what I don’t want out of life.

My thirties, I told him, are the beginning of the beginning.

The thing about death is that it could happen any time. I asked myself if I died today, would I be happy with the life I’ve lived? The frank answer is no. That’s a hard thing to admit because it implies wasted time.

I am taking control of my life this year. I’m making big changes in the way I live, work, and relax. A few weeks ago, I thought about my goals for one year, and five years, and ten years from now, and wrote them down.

This year I am going to spend more time writing, reading, and creating art. I am going to submit my novel to literary agents and rewrite Secret Project #1. I am going to spend more time with my family, my partner’s family, and friends I haven’t seen in far too long.

I am going to be patient. I am going to be present. I am going to be compassionate. I am going to be honest.

I am going to live intentionally.

Come follow me over on my blog.

[gabrielle-the-writer]

Advice for getting over a writing slump?

My #1 Tip for Getting Over a Writing Slump

So, life is complicated. Writing slumps are complicated. I could probably write an entire book about slumps and blocks. Why they happen, how to get past them. But, for me, a writing slump usually comes down to one thing: I’m bored.

For whatever reason–because I’ve been following “rules” instead of writing in my own way, because I’ve created an uninteresting plot, because I can’t relate to my characters–I’m no longer interested in my WIP, or even in writing in general. So my biggest tip for getting over a slump?

Step 1: Figure out why you’re bored.

This could take time. Over the years, I’ve personally found that if I’m bored with my writing, I need to ask myself the following questions:

When was the last time you were interested in writing, or in your WIP? What was different then? Retrace your steps and figure out what’s missing.

Have you been writing as you think you “should,” rather than as you really want to? If you’re forcing yourself stylistically, plot-wise, or any other way because you think that’s how you’re “supposed to” write, you’re at risk of turning writing into something you dread instead of enjoy.

Do you need a break? Maybe you’re bored because you’re tired, or you’ve been working on this WIP too hard or too long. You might just need to go do something else fun and come back to it later.

What made you excited about this project to begin with? Have you gotten too far away from that initial vision?

Here’s an example: I recently found myself in a slump with my WIP Pigtail Girls. For a few days, I was really sad that the story seemed to be going south, and that I wasn’t as excited about working on it as I’d been. Then, I remembered my own advice. After pondering the situation, I realized that I’d gotten bored because I was writing a scene I thought had to be in the story (following “rules”). I didn’t think the scene was cool or interesting at all. I was just doing it out of some misguided sense of obligation or duty. So I thought back to the last scene that I’d actually enjoyed writing, figured out why that scene was more engaging, and rewrote the new scene in a way that better captured my attention.

There’s a lot of buckle-down, Calvinist writing advice out there that would have you believe that writing is Hard Work. It’s a fucking Struggle. You’re Not Always Going to Enjoy It, and if you expect to have fun all the time, you’ll never be a Serious/Published/Professional/Paid Writer.

I call bullshit on that. Here’s why: If you’re bored with your writing, your readers are going to be, too. And even if that’s not true, even readers end up loving something that bored you to death to write, what’s the fucking point? Are you really going to be satisfied with yourself or your writing when you have fans who are in love with something that you aren’t? Like, is that going to be fulfilling? I don’t think so. Which brings me to step two.

Step 2: Take your boredom seriously.

Decide, first and foremost, that you liking and enjoying your writing is a fucking priority. Above and beyond doing it “right.” Above and beyond what other people think. Decide that your relationship with your writing is the most important thing.

I can’t guarantee that this strategy will lead to fame, money, publication, or a wide readership. But it will help you get over a slump, and actually enjoy yourself in the process.

Hope this helps!

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The Literary Architect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler. For more writing help, check out my Free Resource Library, peruse my Tumblr Post Guide, or get The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. xoxo

[gabrielle-the-writer]

[gabrielle-the-writer]

Me trying to start a new WIP: But... but what if it’s not good enough?? 😨 What if I mess up?? Hm... 🤔 Maybe I should edit this part before writing more... 😰 I mean, what if it’s not perfect???

My last 2 brain cells with common sense:

[gabrielle-the-writer]

Got 10 minutes to take a survey on writer’s block?

Hey friends & followers! I’m working on a new book about the writing process and writer’s block. If you have a few minutes to take a quick survey about your experiences it would really help! It’s totally anonymous and confidential and all questions are optional <3

Take my writer’s block survey here!

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The Literary Architect is a writing advice blog run by me, Bucket Siler. For more writing help, check out my Free Resource Library or get The Complete Guide to Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. xoxo

[gabrielle-the-writer]

He scream

[gabrielle-the-writer]

On my Bookshelf

Imagine you're crazy enough to climb a redwood tree. That's more than 300 feet. More than 30 stories. (No thank you--I'll stay here on the ground with my crippling fear of heights.) Now imagine sitting in the branches at the top of the tree, plucking fresh berries off the huckleberry bush that lives in the canopy. In "The Wild Trees," Richard Preston beautifully describes the unseen world in the tops of the earth's tallest trees. The canopies of the redwoods were once thought to be a desert, but they teem with life. Entire gardens grow in the treetops. Climbers can get lost in the branches, some of which are riddled with fire caves. Preston conveys the wonder of the canopies through the eyes of the pioneers who were some of the first explorers. I devoured this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in trees, explorers, or ecology in general. Someday, when I am able to see a redwood forest with my own eyes, I hope I feel like one of the explorers as he sits in the top of one of the trees: 

“The spiritual weight of the place seemed immense. It was as if he were waking up from a sleep, as if his life up to then had been a dream, and this was real. He felt as if he had left time behind.”  

[gabrielle-the-writer]

WHY did I agree to write a short story for my writing group?! It has been fighting me the whole way. I didn't know quite what kind of story it wanted to be, so I started an outline to try to pin it down. I'm not sure it helped. At least I still have ten days to get it done... 

[gabrielle-the-writer]

I can’t stop thinking about this quote, from The Atlantic’s article about Mr. Rogers and his legacy:

That last bit, “we all long to know that there’s a graciousness at the heart of creation” has been stuck with me all day. Partly because there are echoes of the Catholic I used to be in its phrasing—the idea that we are all hungering for grace is embedded in my very skull; I don’t think it’s ever washing out. But there’s something about graciousness in particular…

These days, I take a bus to work. Once, long ago (i.e., 2012) a coworker described public transportation as an exercise in mutual tolerance—a group of perfectly unaffiliated strangers come together in a crowded, constrained environment with the understanding that this will be mutual painless only insofar as we make it painless for each other. This means: you don’t talk loudly on your cellphone. You listen to music with earphones. You pretend not to be reading what your immediate neighbor is texting her friends. You squeeze yourself into as small a space as you can and say liberally “sorry” and “excuse me.”

And still…..there are older people on my route, and pregnant women, and a couple folks with the big motorized wheelchairs. And every time, I’m still surprised—touched, even, by the people who very gently brush an older woman’s elbow and ask “Would you…?” and when she nods, gather their things and stand. The nervy-looking young man who rockets to his feet to offer the pregnant woman somewhere to sit. CTA buses are somewhat-to-mostly ADA accessible, but only if the people sitting in the designated seats get up and lift the plastic, ugly-colored pew they were sitting on to make room. I’ve never heard the bus driver do more than start to lower the access ramp; the people in those seats nod, gather up purses and laptop bags and coffee cups and make their way to a convenient hanging strap. 

It’s not anything profound, it’s not special. This should be the way the world works on every level, the ordinary and rote grind of mindfulness of how others move through the world—even perfect strangers, stuck in traffic on Lakeshore Drive. I think often graciousness is a habit, a rote lesson learned and reiterated and made ordinary by its consistent application. Saying “thank you” is gracious even if it isn’t meant, small talk with coworkers is gracious even without any sort of real or genuine connection. Graciousness, the unthinking social response to need, to difference, to the other people you occupy the world with, and all others who you don’t personally know, can be deeply and movingly virtuous by virtue of its existence. Still mundane, absolutely, but….making it a part of our ordinary reality gestures to an even better one, where the good and the gracious are even more boring and commonplace.

For contrast: there are a number of times I’ve run to catch a bus (or watched someone else run for the bus while I’m on it) and every time the bus driver waits for you feels like an unearned gift. The bus driver is not obligated—they have a proscribed route and a certain timeline for fulfilling it, they are under no obligation to wait for panting, half-running person wind-milling her arms in an attempt to stall. But for me, the difference between grace and graciousness is that exactly. We all want to believe that at the heart of creation is an elevated kindness, a true and earnest desire to help; I believe that. And there’s certainly evidence of it in graciousness—last week when a man slipped in the slush of Michigan Ave and strangers rushed to help him up; a woman hanging off a pole lost her grip as the bus stopped suddenly, and another woman was already reaching out to steady her. But there’s also those situations you can’t write off as habit or instinct—sometimes there’s a choice, and you can either keep going and serving your self and your agenda, or you can stop, and let someone skip-run across the intersection and catch their bus.

[gabrielle-the-writer]

Writing Prompt of the Week

Sometimes, when one door closes, 

you need to nail a board over it.