johnrberkowitz

[johnrberkowitz]

#AmQuerying: This Time It's Personal

#AmQuerying: This Time It’s Personal

I’ve been here before. My last novel, an Upper Middle Grade Fantasy, was the first book I ever seriously tried to get published traditionally. I queried well over 100 agents to that end, without much success. I’m now about a dozen queries into the process with my latest novel, ACTUALLY EVER AFTER, another Upper Middle Grade book. However this time, I have some experience under my belt. What…

[johnrberkowitz]

It's Possible to Plot and Wear Pants at the Same Time.

It's Possible to Plot and Wear Pants at the Same Time. #amwriting #WIP #pantsing #plotting

Are you a “Pantser” or a “Plotter?”

pantser  noun

\ ˈpan(t)-sər \

a. a NaNoWriMo term for a writer who ‘flies by the seat of their pants’ when they are writing a novel. They have nothing but the absolute basics planned out.

b. one who performs a pantsing on a pantsie.

  plotter  noun

\ ˈplä-tər \

a. a writer who meticulously outlines the plot of their novel in advance of writing it.  Plotters…

[johnrberkowitz]

"BOOM, Baby!" When the Muse Returns

"BOOM, BABY!" WHEN THE MUSE RETURNS. It's like she finally came home from vacationing abroad. How is your muse doing? #amwriting #MG #mymuse #inspired

It’s like she finally came home from vacationing abroad.  For months — despite being excited, motivated, and committed to my new novel — I couldn’t seem to get anything on paper to stick.  I wrote and rejected half a dozen opening paragraphs, unable to get past that 1-page hump.  Nothing worked.  Where was my muse?

And then the other evening, I settled into bed with my iPad and wrote four…

[johnrberkowitz]

Starting a Second Novel is ... Different

STARTING A SECOND NOVEL IS...DIFFERENT. It's like the second time you dive into the lake, you KNOW it's freezing cold. It's just a little bit harder to take the plunge. #amwriting #MG #WIP

I wrote my first novel* by the seat of my pants.  If there is one scrap of wisdom I can claim to have learned from that experience it is this: You will revise your first chapter more than any other part of your book.  If for no other reason than it is the part of your novel you will have on paper the longest (unless you write sideways; I can’t manage that particular technique).

I revised that…

[johnrberkowitz]

COZY MYSTERIES: My Brief Journey Down the Rabbit Hole

WHAT SHOULD MY NEXT NOVEL BE? A COZY MYSTERY, MAYBE? I explore the pros and cons of this unique and interesting genre. #amwriting #amresearching #cozymystery

I don’t want to grow up.  And you can’t make me.

I write middle grade novels with fantasy elements.  In the past I’ve written high fantasy and dabbled in science fiction.  I’ve considered and rejected writing for young adults, because I’m not comfortable being responsible for teen-aged girls engaging in romantic relationships.  And frankly, adults are boring.  However, when it was time to…

[johnrberkowitz]

Rolling Up My Sleeves: How to Prep for a New Novel

Rolling Up My Sleeves: How to Prep for a New Novel

It’s been a while coming, but that excitement and enthusiasm that proceeds starting a new writing project has finally returned.  I felt it’s slow approach for quite some time, like a long winter portends the spring.

In fact, that’s exactly what it was like.  Last July, in the hottest part of the California summer, we packed up our possessions, loaded them onto trucks, and moved to the beautiful…

[johnrberkowitz]

Giving Myself Permission to Fail

Giving Myself Permission to Fail

I’ve been absent for awhile, because I haven’t had anything new to say.  It’s taken me awhile to realize that that’s a problem.

It’s not that I have some hubristic need to spout my “wisdom” to the unsuspecting world on a weekly basis.  The simple fact is, I find writing a blog to be personally useful; it helps me hone my chops, focus my ideas, and clarify my thoughts by forcing me to express…

[johnrberkowitz]

Second-Person Tense - a Literary Unicorn?

Second-Person Tense - a Literary Unicorn? Why I'm not writing what I want to write -- yet. #amwriting #WIP #Kidlit #MG

We’ve all read or written in first-person (I) and third-person (he/she), but where is the elusive second-person (you) novel?

Second-person seems to be exclusively the realm of the choose-your-own-adventure novels (which had their heyday in the 80’s), Internet fan fiction, and instruction manuals.  There is one notable literary exception: Jay McInerney‘s Bright Lights, Big City. In this novel the…

[johnrberkowitz]

The Mythical Positive Rejection

The Mythical Positive Rejection

Yes, this is a real thing.  And yes, believe it or not, a rejection can be good news.

Well, more accurately, a rejection can containgood news. If you’ve queried your manuscript for any length of time, you have no doubt received rejections that are positive and friendly and even encouraging.  Most form rejections try to soften the blow, but I have received several personalized rejections, and…

[johnrberkowitz]

My (Cheap) Portable Writing Life

My (Cheap) Portable Writing Life

A year or so agoI told you about the nifty keyboard case I got for my iPad mini, essentially turning it into an “iBook Nano.”  It changed me life.  By putting it into a zippered padded pouch with pockets for pens, charger, note pad, etc., I had a handled “briefcase” no bigger than an average-sized hardback book, which I took everywhere.  Because I use Word integrated with Dropbox, the latest…

[johnrberkowitz]

Is it ever OK to query an agent who passed with the same manuscript?

Is it ever OK to query an agent who passed with the same manuscript? Short answer: Yes! Long answer, click below. #amrevising #amediting #amquerying #querytips #agentadvice

Well … no.

That is, with the same manuscript.

But you wouldn’t do that, right?  You’ve gotten feedback. You’ve sought the services of an editor. You’ve revised and rewritten and rearranged and polished your manuscript so that it is no longer the same one you queried.  Because if you haven’t done those things, or most of them, you are wasting your time and that of your prospective agent.  Meaning…

[johnrberkowitz]

REVISION TRENCHES: Weasel Words

REVISION TRENCHES: Weasel Words A great way to put your manuscript on a crash diet and give it more pep. With examples! #amwriting #amediting #amrevising

I recently completed a major revision to my daughter’s and my current manuscript.  This wasn’t the first; experience tells me it won’t be the last.  However I did something during this last revision that I’ve never done before.

I systematically eliminated a wide range of “weasel words.”

wea·sel word noun 1) a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position.…

[johnrberkowitz]

"I'm not dead."

“I’m not dead.”

When I started this blog almost four years ago, my goal was to share the journey of crafting and ultimately publishing my daughter’s and my middle grade novel.  I was determined to post every week. And for 186 posts I was successful.

However, for the last two years, the journey has been “revise, find critique partners, enter…

[johnrberkowitz]

When Good News is No News

Feedback is absolutely essential. But sometimes GOOD NEWS IS NO NEWS. #amrevising #amediting

I started working on my daughter’s and my middle grade novel, PRINCESS MATERIAL, around four years ago (it was originally called The Last Princess).  We finished the first draft about two years ago.  Since then we have been deep in the trenches of querying, workshopping, and revising.  So much revising.

So, I’m pretty seasoned when it comes to feedback.  I’ve talked about that.  You need to…

[johnrberkowitz]

Sometimes NOT Editing is Harder than Editing

Sometimes NOT Editing is Harder than Editing. There's no virtue in rushing. #amrevising #WIP

So … I’m going through a series of edits on my manuscript.  I say series, because unlike in the past when I’ve made all of my revisions in one massive, thoroughly entangled pass, this time I am making them one at a time.

I’ve been sitting on these revision notes for awhile, letting them cook, researching details, collecting inspiration with a butterfly net. So, all of these ideas have been…

[johnrberkowitz]

Working with an Editor - part 5

WORKING WITH AN EDITOR - part 5. Putting all that lovely advice on the page. #amrevising #WIP

This is where we start the actual “editing” part of the writer/editor relationship. During our phone call, I took extensive notes. Because while I had my editor’s edit letter — which  was efficiently organized by plot, pacing, world building, character development, and writing style — it was during our phone call that she was able to elaborate and we had time to discuss possible solutions.

In…

[johnrberkowitz]

Working With an Editor – part 4

WORKING WITH AN EDITOR - part 4. The phone call. How to make it count. #amrevising #amwriting

If other freelance editors are like Michelle Millet of Write On Editing, the writing community is in good hands.

Not only did Michelle offer me exactly the level of feedback I needed for my project, but her turn-around was remarkable.  I already outlined in part 1 and part 2of this series, how and why I chose Michelle from all of the other freelance editors out there, and some of the feedback…