CHARACTERIZATION REVISITED
This subject has come up again in my personal reading, so I thought I’d revisit the subject.
I’ve been reading a lot of icky bug (horror) lately. Unfortunately for me, a lot of it tends to be literary writing, which I cannot stand.
What do I mean by literary writing?
Endless characterization and description. I’m including description in this piece on characterization because it can be just as ponderous.
BEGINNINGS – TASTE
While I’m a huge fan of icky bug, I’m no fan of literary writing. I once read a very thick novel by a well-known but shall remain nameless icky bug author and I was so mesmerized by the lack of action, I could barely get through that draggy tome. I recently read a science fiction novel that was the same thing.
For the icky bug, this was the great so and so?
You’ve got to be kidding!
For the science fiction novel, it was a first time I read them and will be my last.
Then after suffering through all that, several reviewers had the audacity to complain that they never got to know the main characters in either tome.
You’ve got to be kidding!
There was almost no action at all in the icky bug because this top-of-the-line author rambled on-and-on-and-on about the characters, endlessly going through trivial feelings and hopes and dreams and bla bla bla. I wanted to give up reading after suffering through that. The science fiction book was much the same except it included woke writing, using a lot of they’s instead of he or she.
So, in a nutshell, and I don’t apologize for this cliché, I hated those books.
GETTING TO KNOW THE CHARACTERS
For those of you that have been reading my blog a long time, you have read my infamous quote from old cowboy actor Jack Elam. He once said that he was sick of all these movies that went into the heads of the bad guys and their feelings. “Maybe they just wanted the money.”
That’s kind of how I feel about things. I don’t like to waste a lot of time characterizing. I also don’t like to spend a lot of real estate building up an entire world for a character while letting the action, the entire plot, come to a screeching halt. To me, I want the story to progress.
Why take five chapters to say something you can say in a paragraph?
Come on now.
I’d much rather leak out bits and pieces for the reader to put together as the action progresses. I do not want to bring everything to a screeching halt while the reader has to slog through another flashback, or a sideline while I explain why the character does or doesn’t like something.
Geez, give me a break.
EXAMPLES
I’ve once read two bad examples of icky bug while I was on vacation. Both should’ve been quick reads. However, they were excruciating.
Why?
Characterization.
The plots were fairly simple.
The characters were not.
Each chapter would start with something happening. However, right as the action started, the author brought it to a screeching halt as the characterization started. Then for ten or more pages, he or she would go off into la la land, describing the characters history, feelings, hopes, dreams or whatever, then at the end of the chapter, finally get back into the action.
Then in the next chapter, start doing the next thing.
Sometimes, the author wouldn’t even do that, but go right into the characterization before starting the action.
I was practically yelling “come on!” so often, my wife was wondering what was going on.
The reviews were mixed on both of these books. Some loved it, while others slammed the authors for never getting to the point.
I won’t specifically mention them because I don’t want to slam other writers and authors. Let’s just say that neither were the huge writer mentioned in that other section above and leave it at that.
BACK TO TASTE
There’s a big literary crowd out there.
There are some that are midway, so they could enjoy both.
However, there’s a huge crowd of readers that like to get to the point.
For me, I get to know the characters just fine with a few sentences and a random paragraph mixed in with the action. I don’t need page upon page, chapter upon chapter to get information I don’t want while the plot stews on the back burner.
I’m not alone.
SUMMARY
I’m a strong advocate for tight and right. Characterization does not have to be half the book. It can be done in small doses, so the author doesn’t lose sight of why they’re writing the book in the first place. Story and plot. If the story is about the character, fine. Don’t make it out to be a thriller or a mystery or something with action. Call it a character study and make it plain to the reader. If it’s a thriller, make it a thriller that moves (or whatever category it is).
Characterization should be an enhancement to the story, not a hindrance.
Happy writing!
DIVERSITY
INTRO
The other day I talked a little bit on my Saturday post about diversity. I thought it would be a good time to address the issue.
HOT BUTTON TOPIC
In today’s polarizing political climate, the word “diversity” can be a hot button topic. It doesn’t have to be, but one can only do what one can and hope for the best.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Regardless of how some may view diversity, it’s always been part of my life. Since I was a little kid right up to so many years working for the government, I’ve not only been exposed to, but have never seen an issue with diversity. What does that mean for you?
As a writer, it’s part of your job to reflect society. If you live in some kind of bubble, which is getting harder to do, you may not be able to reflect the majority of society.
YOUR EXPERIENCE
Maybe you grew up in, or currently live in a place with little to no diversity. Many of you have grown up in a diverse society. While many of you can reflect your own experiences, what if they weren’t diverse? Why is diversity necessary?
INCLUSION SELLS MORE BOOKS
While the purpose of some stories is to deliberately isolate certain groups for either story purposes, or because of personal experience, as a writer, you should be appealing to the widest audience. What does that mean?
It means that when certain minorities read your book, it’s far more comfortable for them if they see themselves somewhere in that story.
YOU CAN’T WRITE WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW
It might not be the best idea to write a main character of a different race, gender, religion, or whatever if you have no experience in that area. You can research to make it more realistic, but for most writers, portraying someone of their own race or gender is most comfortable and accurate. Does that mean excluding everyone else from the story?
No, not at all.
You can introduce different people into the story, just be sure not to pander to tropes and stereotypes.
Just because someone is usually represented as so, doesn’t mean you have to.
WRITING WHAT YOU’RE NOT
For example, my main character in the Meleena’s Adventures is female, yet I’m male. Does that mean I can’t write the character? Of course not. Authors do it all the time. What they keep in mind is that they have to make sure the character isn’t just following tropes and stereotypes, or doing something they would never do in real life. This comes from deep observation and plenty of beta readers or critiquers. It can be done realistically.
If you’ve grown up with diversity, it’s a lot easier to portray someone different from you, especially if you have experience and open eyes.
At least half if not more of all the people I’ve known in my life were female. When I decided to go with a female protagonist, it’s from personal experience and plenty of observation. As I read the first drafts to my writer’s group and beta readers, I got called out if I had her do something a female would not do. Then again, if I did have her do something a normal female would not do I had to justify why she did some certain thing.
When you’re writing about someone different from you, whether it be gender, race, or political/religious differences, you need to make sure it’s realistic and not stereotypical. Other sets of eyes, especially someone of that persuasion can be big help in getting it right.
FOR THE MOST PART
For the most part, people are people. It doesn’t matter race, religion, sex, political persuasion. People are still going to act like people for most things. There is no stereotype. They don’t call it diversity for nothing. Despite our many differences, we are still people.
SUMMARY
Including people different from you not only reflects the real world, but brings them into your world and makes them feel part of the story. The key is to include others realistically and not with tropes or stereotypes.
Happy writing!
WRITERS CONFERENCE FINAL THOUGHTS
I recently did a series on query letters and attending a conference. In this summary, I want to go over some final thoughts about the Las Vegas Writers Conference and conferences in general.
NO LONGER LIVE
There’s nothing like the thrill of being at a conference in person. The setup where I was always a volunteer, working the front desk, attending classes, eating the food. Most of all, interacting with other writers and the staff has been something I’ll never forget.
Nowadays, especially since COVID, these conferences are no longer live for the most part. There are, of course, exceptions.
Videoconferences are the thing now. Our regular writer’s group meetings have been on Zoom for a long time now, and I have to admit, on-line is very convenient.
So, what’s the big difference?
LIVE IN PERSON
A live conference is meeting everyone face-to-face and there’s nothing quite like it. For sure, it’s more expensive, but getting to rub elbows with everyone is worth it, despite some waiting around, indecision of maybe what classes to take, dealing with the occasional idiot. I have to say in over a decade of attending conferences, they were overwhelmingly positive experiences despite an occasional glitch. That being said, especially for those of you coming from out of town, it takes time and money and a lot of extraneous hassles to attend.
VIDEOCONFERENCE
The difference in videoconference is that not only is it cheaper, but you can do it right from your home without even having to dress fancy. That means you don’t have to travel from A to B to get there. Most of the same things are available. The big difference is that you’re not physically there. There’s no chance to just bump into someone, sit at a dinner table and talk shop, or a host of other interactions not possible on line. Then again, it’s a lot cheaper to bring experts to the field, plus you can schedule one-on-one time with them if need be.
PREFERENCES?
While it’s a lot more money, I prefer the in-person event. The convenience of having the conference in my town is also a plus. The food is usually great, and the chances of a random encounter with an expert to pick their brain is much better.
On the other hand, I can see why videoconferences are the thing right now. No chance of getting sick from whatever’s floating around out there. You can sit in front of the camera in your jammies and go through the same basic steps as a live event. You can chose your own food. No driving or flying. With a few exceptions, you can still get that one-on-one time with an expert. What isn’t available are spontaneous unscheduled events. To some this can be good or bad, especially if you feel awkward. It can be better to prepare for a scheduled meeting, rather than being caught off guard.
SUMMARY
One day, maybe the conferences will go live again. In the meantime, I can’t encourage you enough to attend one of these events, whether video or live. They both have their pluses and minuses but it all boils down to getting out there and learning, presenting your work, taking a leap to get published or learn how to do it better.
Yup, attending a writer’s conference is something every writer needs to do, regardless of format.
Happy writing!
ENGAGING YOUR FANS
INTRO
This just popped into my head this morning as I write this, but for those of you that are active on line, do you engage with your fans?
I’m going to talk a little about how I do it.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Many authors use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SnapChat or TikTok as ways of connecting with their readers (fans). Do you?
It’s great to have a web site but how do you encourage and engage fans with just that? While your link may appear in your bio on Amazon or even within the bio of your published book, sometimes it takes that extra push to social media to get any engagement.
WHAT I USE
I have to admit the social media choices are overwhelming. I’ve dabbled in Pinterest and Goodreads, but found them less than productive. Goodreads in particular seemed to be overly complicated from what I recall so I gave that up. Instagram? Never tried it and have no interest. TikTok sorry but won’t even go there.
What does that leave me with?
Facebook and Twitter.
I’ll have to admit I don’t get much out of Twitter. I post a tweet every week for my blog post, but only see a small fraction of action from that. I have responded to a few replies, but I don’t get many.
My biggest engagement is with Facebook.
While Facebook is quite awkward to use, especially when they keep improving it beyond comprehension (okay, a little sarcasm here), it’s still a useful tool.
WHAT TO DO?
Between my web site and Facebook, I always respond to comments. Okay, I have to point out there are plenty of spammers who want this or that. I ignore or delete those comments.
I get an occasional response on my web site and an occasional response to my Facebook posts. I can’t say it’s a lot, but I get a few.
What I see most is that when I post an article or an update to my website, I also post it to all the writing group sites I’m involved in on Facebook. I get plenty more visits to my website than actual engagements. At least people are responding to my posts.
I don’t get much direct feedback, I have to admit. However, when I do, I’m honored to be able to respond. Getting a reaction from a post is the best, good or bad.
Lately it’s been one guy who corrected a grammar point on my initial Facebook post. Then there was the guy who wanted my money to publicize my books.
Once in a while I get a comment or question which I love to answer.
Once in a while I get positive responses in some indirect way.
HOW DO YOU TREAT YOUR FANS?
The thing is that without the fans, you wouldn’t be here. Keep in mind that I use the term “fans” loosely to show all categories of engagement. Many of them aren’t actual readers of your books, but just people on line who engage. In my case, it’s quite often other aspiring or established writers.
If you ever want to get anywhere, you need to be gracious and nice to these people. Some of them may come off as abrupt, rude, and even nasty at times. How do you handle that? Ignore the negative or respond in a positive way. Never get in a negative back and forth with someone.
Negativity is not a good look.
SUMMARY
For most, it doesn’t take much to be nice. Okay, there are some of you that maybe have a hard time engaging. If you can’t do it in a positive way, I suggest just keeping quiet. It’s better to have no engagement than all negative. That’s a great way to drive away fans.
I appreciate each and every one of you, fan, reader, or just stopping by.
Happy writing!
PITCHING TO AN AGENT PART 5
THE SYNOPSIS
I’ve decided to move on, having said enough about pitch letters for now. If any of you want more on them, just ask, and I’ll throw in some more at a later date.
The synopsis is a breakdown of your story. It’s another form of an outline, but in complete sentences, no bullets. The purpose of the synopsis is to tell your complete story to the agent or publisher. Specifically, you need to outline the main character, the main conflict, and the resolution. Yes, you must tell the ending. The synopsis tells the complete story, from beginning to end, in abbreviated form. The key is the length. For a pitch letter at a conference, and for some queries to agents, it should be one page. For some agent queries, it might be two to three pages. From there, where a full manuscript is requested, it could be three to ten pages, depending on the individual requirements of the agency. The key is to follow their instructions explicitly. As a general rule, stick to one page unless told otherwise. One good thing about sticking to these rigid requirements is that it keeps your writing tight.
NOT EASY BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE
A synopsis can be extremely hard to write properly. However, the synopsis can also be a very good way to reveal how well your story has been put together. It is a good way to spot any red flags in flow and plot. When you break down your story into a few paragraphs, just to get the key plot elements, you’re going to see right away if it all holds together. If, at the end of your synopsis, you notice that the story doesn’t hold water, you may need to go back and do some rewriting!
HOW?
One way to develop your synopsis is to start by describing each scene or each chapter (if you have a lot) in one bullet sentence. Compile all of these bullets and look them over for the key patterns. If something looks extraneous, maybe it shouldn’t be there. Once you have that down, turn these bullets into sentences and then organized paragraphs so that they flow together.
As for me, I have the whole story in my head. In my creative process, I only know where I want to start and where I want to end, the middle is a total surprise. You’ve heard that all before, right? Well, once I get going and write it all down, it becomes locked in my head. As I edit it over and over again, the plot and all the details become locked in so when I sit down to write my synopsis, I already have the big picture going for me. I don’t have to bullet out each chapter. However, I don’t expect all of you out there to write or create the same way I do, so I’m throwing that bullet method out for you.
The key elements are that you introduce the main character and maybe their adversary by name only. Everyone else remains unnamed. They’re just anonymous characters as far as the synopsis is concerned. The first time you name these one or two characters, you put them in italics. From then on, they’re in regular font. Don’t get bogged down in unnecessary details such as naming a whole bunch of characters, names or places in the story. Don’t list timelines either, especially on a one-page synopsis! Describe the plot, describe what happens, describe what, where, when, why and how the character gets from point a to point b in the story and what happens at the end. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you’re writing a two, three or more page synopsis, a few sentences per chapter might be appropriate unless you have eighty chapters. Again, if you do this, it should read almost like a short story. It should make sense on its own. If it doesn’t, you need to work on the plot of your book some more before you try pitching it.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Now, the final element to all of this, before you ever even think of turning it in to an agent or publisher: Get someone or several other people to read it first! There’s nothing like second sets of eyes to see what you can’t!
Until next time, happy writing.
PITCHING TO AN AGENT PART 4
THE PITCH LETTER (QUERY LETTER)
(One That Worked)
Now I’m going to show you a pitch letter that worked. Below is the letter that I handed to the publisher that gave me the contract for my novel, Meleena’s Adventures – Treasure Of The Umbrunna. Keep in mind that I handed it to her at the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference and pitched to her in person. You can still do this virtually at the Zoom conference. Have it ready to attach to the chat box or e-mail the agent (or mail it), whichever they prefer. As for my in-person pitch, after I sold her on the idea, she had me send it along with the first fifty pages plus a synopsis, which was on the back of the same letter. There’s no reason a virtual meeting will go any different if you succeed in getting a bite.
I’ve included notes of explanation where appropriate, and left off the headers and dates and a photo, which is something (the photo) you shouldn’t put on a letter you’re mailing out! Also, I modified parts of it so as not to give away the actual plot in case anyone wants to read the book.
Re: Meleena’s Adventures – Treasure Of The Umbrunna
Fantasy – 79,500 words
Pen name: Ray Brooks (I have since dumped this idea and went with my real name).
All she wanted was to get rich, but in the end, will she sacrifice all to help another? If she isn’t careful, people may start to think she’s a decent person. (This is the pitch line, the first thing I said to her after introducing myself.)
Meleena goes through life one picked pocket at a time. With a wild heart, she spends each night with a different man, and often wakes up in a strange place. When she goes after a valuable pearl hidden in a lost city called Slab, she figures this is the way to the easy life. An old magick user named Grel may hold the key to finding this pearl, and he insists she not go alone if she hopes to survive. Despite second thoughts and an aversion to working with others, she gathers a team and heads for the lost city. However, she’s not the only one after the pearl, and Meleena enters into a race to get there first. (This is the body of the text. It should be one paragraph, but I broke a rule and made it two short ones (the second one follows). It worked. They were condensed from the original. The whole point was that the entire letter had to fit on one page, letterhead, spacing, signature, credits, all of it. Keep it brief!)
As she fights her way to the lost city, Meleena discovers she’s out of her element in the wilds. Her companions help her survive, and she learns to trust others. After a hazardous journey, she reaches the pearl first, but is betrayed by one of her friends. After escaping, she learns that Grel has been manipulating her all along, and the pearl is not what it seems. Besides the monetary value, it is the only way to provide a cure for the queen of her kingdom, Grel’s former lover. She’s now faced with making a huge profit or helping the queen. This wasn’t the easy life she envisioned.
I’m a member of the Henderson Writer’s Group in Henderson, Nevada. My short story, The House, appeared in the anthology Between the Pages, 2003. The Walk Home was published in the story collection Writer’s Bloc 2006, The Basement in Writer’s Bloc 2, 2008, and Fun In The Outland in First Voyage, 2008. (Remember, relevant writing credits, which should include a writer’s group, if you’re in one. Though none of these stories are fantasy, the chances of the publisher checking, or actually finding those books were pretty slim, so I took the chance. Turns out, many of those books were for sale at the conference! Also, the titles could mean anything, and at least they show I’m a prolific and published writer. Just make sure if you do this, you don’t put something down that is obviously not relevant.)
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Fred B. Rayworth
SUMMARY
There you go. An example, a visual aid, without giving away too much of the actual story, but hopefully, enticing you to read it. This example also gives you an idea of one way to successfully pitch to an agent. Next, I’ll cover the synopsis.
Happy writing!
PITCHING TO AN AGENT PART 3
THE PITCH LETTER (QUERY LETTER)
(What Not To Do!)
In this part we’ll get down to some technical thingies. We’re going to go over what not to do.
EXAMPLES OF NEGATIVITY
I mentioned never to use negativity or put yourself down. Here are a few examples. Some are overt, while a few may be a bit more subtle.
I know you get lots of submissions, but before you throw mine in the slush pile, I’d appreciate if you’d give me a chance.
Ding ding ding! Red flag! You’re starting negative right out of the gate! Don’t even bring the subject up! In the first place, you should be starting with your slug line. Second, you’re giving the agent the perfect excuse to do just what you are hoping they won’t do.
I’ve been submitting to lots of agents but was hoping you’d be the right one for my work.
Do I have to explain this one?
I’m a struggling writer and found your agency online. I would like to present my character…
A little more subtle but saying you’re a struggling writer is not only a cliché, it’s a given and also a negative. No need to voice it. Scratch the first sentence.
Thank you for considering my work. I may not be the best writer in the world, but I know I’ve come up with a winner here.
You had him or her at the first sentence and blew it with the rest. Hack off that second sentence.
Now for a little biography sample.
BIO INFO
I’m an accomplished writer with high grades in English grammar in high school and college. I excelled at all of my term papers and almost had an article published in the alumni newsletter but due to budget constraints, the issue was never printed. I had a short story called The Flag printed in Mystery Journal for Fiberglas Press, 1989.
She’s a mystery writer. The only relevant credit is the last one. The rest of it is pure fluff and irrelevant. Trash it. Inflating a bio with irrelevant material is no way to win friends with an agent. If you only have one credit, so be it. In the good old days, it was okay to throw in the kitchen sink. Nowadays, agents don’t have time to slog through all this crap looking for gems. You’re better off to keep it tight and right. Besides, “almosts” don’t count.
FINALLY
I’m sure you get lots of really “great” stories at your agency, but now get ready for a real treat. XXX will blow you away.
Oh, please! Sarcasm, conceit, grammar problems, the list goes on.
That’s it for now. Next time, an example of a query letter that worked. From there I’ll discuss other forms of query letters and why they may or may not work.
Happy writing!
PITCHING TO AN AGENT PART 2
THE PITCH LETTER (QUERY LETTER)
I need to tell you up front that this discussion pertains to pitching fiction and not non-fiction. When it comes to queries, they’re two different animals. I’ve never pitched non-fiction and don’t have a clue how to do it, so if that’s what you’re after, sorry! They’re called proposals, by the way.
WHAT NOW?
Now that you’ve heard the inevitable (you’re going to have to do one), how’re you going to go about it? The easy answer is to tell you to go to the bookstore or the wyberry (library, sorry, I like to play with words) and stock up with literally (if that isn’t a metaphor) hundreds of books on writing query letters. Or, I could condense it all down for you and let you know what’s worked for me and what hasn’t. Keep in mind that you can come up with a generic letter, but you’ll have to modify it for each agent. Not only it is good to personalize each one, but many agents have their own ideas of what a query letter should contain. A generic query letter smacks of impersonalization. That, my friends, is a big red flag with a trash can bulls-eye right in the middle of it!
THREE THINGS
The most successful query/pitch letters contain three things: The slug line (or pitch), what the story’s about, and a bit about yourself (what makes you qualified to write the story). Of course, you don’t write only those things. Remember, this is a letter to a person, not a machine. The key is that the letter should be brief, to the point and only contain relevant information. On top of that, it must be grammatically correct, contain no typos and something you might not always hear from others, it cannot contain any negatives or sarcasm.
Whatever you do, do not put yourself or others down! Do not use sarcasm! I must step back and say that if the sarcasm is part of the plot or storyline, that’s something else. If it’s about you or other authors, don’t use it!
Another thing to never to do. Okay, it’s something that’s extremely risky and 99% of the time doesn’t work. Write the query letter in character. Yes, I’m talking about your main character being a hard-bitten detective with a few screws loose upstairs. He or she writes the letter. It’s written on an old typewriter with a cigarette burn in one corner and coffee stains in another. The letter’s folded wrong and you sign it with your character’s sloppy signature, typing your real name and address on the envelope. Cutesy-poo to-the-max, but most agents and publishers have been there-done that, and can’t hit the trash can with it fast enough. Some may even respond with a nasty letter. A romance writer may send theirs on frilly stationary soaked in perfume.
Play it straight. No gags, no gimmicks to get yourself noticed. I’ve had more agents tell me they get extremely annoyed by these tactics and put these authors on their ***t lists. Keep that in mind.
It’s extremely important the letter have no typos or grammatical errors. When an agent gets hold of it, if they see you can’t even write out a single page without an error, what will a novel or short story look like?
Next time, we break things down even further.
Happy writing!
PITCHING TO AN AGENT PART 1
THE PITCH LETTER (QUERY LETTER)
Probably one of the hardest things an author has to write is the pitch letter. Yeah, I’ve probably said the hardest thing to write is the synopsis, or maybe the book blurb, but when you get right down to it, none of that matters if you can’t sell the book in the first place.
With the upcoming virtual Las Vegas Writer’s Conference, I figured it was time to revisit this series.
I’m reminded of the teen who doesn’t want to finish high school and comes up with the excuse, “Well Axl Rose of Guns N Roses never graduated, and look at him. He’s a big rock star millionaire.” Well, there’s ambition, talent, and dumb luck. He could just as easily have failed and never would have had anything to back himself up with. Mr. William Bruce Rose Jr. (his real name) might be the guy cleaning your pool while you’re making the big bucks because you went on to get a degree or the right tech school. Of course, people don’t picture all the hard work Axl put into his craft, regardless of a degree but…
Why I bring this up is that some authors think their story is so hot they won’t need to sell it, that agents will be knocking their door down to buy it from them. A pitch letter (or to bother trying to pitch their story) isn’t on their radar. They can skip the hard work because their story is so hot, agents and publishers will seek them out.
THE REAL WORLD
Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen often in the real world. The funny thing is that I actually did see it happen once at the very first writer’s conference I attended in 2005. There was this teenage kid pitching a story he hadn’t even completed. He didn’t have a proper query letter or even any writing samples, as I recall. Yet when he pitched his idea to one of the young adult agents, she signed him on the spot! To this day, I don’t have any idea if anything ever came of that kid or his books (if he ever completed one), but it was one of those magic Axl Rose type moments where lightning strikes and I was there to witness it.
Do you think it will happen to you? Fat chance! You, my friend, are going to have to work for it like the rest of us, if the numbers bear out. So, suck it up and start listening (or reading, if you want to get technical).
PITCH/QUERY LETTER
The pitch letter or as it is more widely known, the query letter, is your way of getting the attention of an agent or publisher. It’s a way of tapping them on the shoulder and saying “Hey, I’ve got something to show you.”
Agents and publishers get literally hundreds if not thousands of these letters per day/week/month. They’re always looking for the next best thing, something they can sell to make a ton of money. At the same time, they have to slog through all this crap. To get their attention, you need to be brief, to the point, no bull. Or as Jack Webb used to say in Dragnet, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”
CONCISE
In past posts, I’ve alluded to staying on track, keeping your story to the point and being concise. It’s critical you do that in a query letter. You’ve got just a few quick lines to blow their socks off, to pique their interest, to leave them wanting for more. By the time that agent or publisher reaches the end of that letter, they should know the story is a good fit for their agency, they should see that you have the chops to pull it off, and they should be intrigued by the premise, or pitch line. If you can pull all three of those things off, I can almost guarantee they’ll be asking for more.
SUMMARY
Next time I’ll discuss the structure of the pitch/query letter and some of the various forms.
Happy writing!
The Worlds Of Fred Rayworth 