If you are not a part of the solution...

I don’t have kids. I have cats. And they are fairly self-sufficient.

My job is a typical 9-5er, even if the commute is a little long.

I am single, and therefore don’t have the need to spend quality time with a significant other.

I’m clean, but I do not obsess over housekeeping. Or really keep up with the dusting, for that matter.

So, where the heck does the time go?! Where is that magic cluster of hours where I can sit down to write and not be disturbed?!

I will tell you where it goes, minions. Nowhere. The time goes nowhere.

Clock 

Time is always there, sprinkled around in little handfuls of minutes, snatches of hours. Time, my lovelies, is not the problem.

Fiction Writing in an age of facts

Mark Twain said that the difference between truth and fiction is that fiction must be believable.

This entire concept really makes a fiction writer’s life—specifically those in the fantasy and science fiction genres—really difficult sometimes. In order to make our stories plausible, there is a lot of research involved.  I mean, the readers believe in physics and gravity and linear timelines and such. Pssh. Wackos.

(That’s a joke, guys.)

My genre of choice is fantasy, which involves magic. Now, you would think that magic could just be all willy-nilly because, well, it’s magic, but it actually needs a set of finite rules to be plausible. Or else the magic-user has a really ludicrous advantage over everyone else and that would make the story a) predictable and b) not at all believable, even for a fantasy book.

My Experience with Agent Query

We all know I am not yet published outside of my job as a reporter. I would really like to be, and sadly, I am not as diligent about the whole process as I need. However, I forgive myself—I can always improve.

That said, I owe quite a bit of my sanity to Agent Query. I have finished what I would describe as a picture book manuscript, though it may be a little more advanced than that. It is an original fairy tale and it is damn hard to find an agent or publisher who is interested in that genre at that level.

Damn hard, I tell you.

Agent Query really saved my poor little brain. Even within the vast sea of information on the internet, filtering down results for “kids book agent” enough to make sense of them in a timely manner was next to impossible, and often yielded no relevant hits. Be that my fault or the fault of the search engine, I will never know, but when I came across AQ, I felt so relieved.

Of the 15 or so agents I have queried so far, 10 have been the result of AQ. It has also provided some great insight into the publishing process with resources and on-site essays:

About Literary Agents 

How to Write a Query 

When Agents Offer Representation 

The one agent I found that asked for a full manuscript, The McVeigh Agency (http://agentquery.com/search.aspx), I found by searching on AQ. Now, I wasn’t accepted there, but I did get some nice feedback from the person who reviewed the manuscript, which is always good.

The McVeigh Agency specializes in off-beat and minority culture books. Here is a link to their site, which is currently under construction but will come in handy later if you think you fit the bill: www.themcveighagency.com.

Best of luck in your searching! Let me know if you have any interesting results. 

Agent Query's New Addition

Okay, minions mine, I have surfed the Agent Query Connect site and found it useful, if a little stylistically antiquated.

I was expecting more of a Facebook-like interface, but this is more of a forum community. It has a chat room option, and blog listings as well, which I think speaks to the immediacy of the “oh crap, I have no idea how to deal with the publishing industry” vibe writes emanate occasionally. Even the professional ones—publishing is one of the great mysteries of the universe in my opinion, but I digress.

The Connect site, like it’s parent, is free. You create a profile, login and just have at it. Other writers are standing by to take your questions. No, really, other writers are there to answer any questions you may have. Writers from all levels, beginning to professional, are at your fingertips.

Sarah Belliston, a fellow “new” writer, declares AGC awesome. She explains that you can post queries for critique, find beta readers, and ask questions about the agenting process.

Let’s face it, my friends; have you ever tried to cajole one of your buddies into reading a manuscript? Mostly, they never have time, or they aren’t interested. There are people on AQC who are just waiting for you to ask. How cool is that?

C.B. Wenworth, another blogger, has a similarly glowing review. The post is a little older, but at the time she was in the process of writing query letter, hair “ready to hall out in huge chunks.”

Sound familiar? Is my bald spot showing?

She submitted a draft of the query and received some feedback. The experience taught him something that I keep forgetting: writing, though a solitary act, requires an entire village to improve.

I have one last perspective for you on AQC, that of the moderator: yet another blogging writer, Jean Oram. She explained AQC as a writer’s group as well, and describes the successes she’s had on the site—namely, getting an agent.

“You get back what you put in. I’ve put a huge amount into the writing community and in turn, have received a huge amount back. Join for the camaraderie, stay for the insights,” Oram said.

Sounds like pretty solid reason to jump onto that bandwagon. 

What is Agent Query?

Hello, my doves! I’d like to talk to you about that wonderful site, Agent Query today. I know I’ve mentioned it before on the blog as a resource, but I’d like to go a little more in depth about the site.

I first discovered the site typing in “how to find an agent” on Google, which is pretty much where I start everything. Once I discovered the site, it was like I had been given a telescope and could finally see the craters on the moon.

The site is a searchable database listing agents and publishers. The basic search involves selecting a fiction or nonfiction genre and reviewing the results. They also have an advanced search option that allows you to narrow the results down by who is accepting queries, if he or she is a member of the Association of Author’s Representatives, and who is seeking new clients.

Once you land on a results page, agent and publisher listings include websites, email address, physical addresses, genre listings and solicitation status. You can also choose to view a full profile with more detailed information.

In addition to agent and publisher listings, Agent Query provides a page for other resources, as well as tips on how to write a query letter and “writer beware” essays. All in all, it’s an excellent one-stop shop for beginning writers especially, as well as crunched-for-time professional authors.

Jeanne Bowerman wrote a nice little piece on Write On Online that goes into the nitty gritty of the reliability of the site as well as users friendliness.

George Angus from Tumblemoose also wrote a nice review on the site if you just plain don’t believe me.

But you know what’s the best thing I discovered about Agent Query? It now has a social media platform: Agent Query Connect (agentqueryconnect.com).

Please excuse me while I go investigate this new shiny toy.

Do you all have any writing related databases to share?

Do the Duotrope

Hello, minions mine. Do you want to know why I love the internet? Of course you do.

It’s the bunny trails.  The metaphorical bunny trails that lead to fabulous rabbit holes and sites of endless wonder. Now, before I get too carried away with this whole Alice metaphor, allow me to explain.

I am on Twitter, reading the tweets of people I follow. Person has an interesting link, and I click it, which leads me to the blog www.inkpunks.com. I start browsing the blog, reading up on the contributors and catching up on their basic tips for writing. It’s a wonderful site. And then, as I am reading a blog post, the site Duotrope  is mentioned.

What is this Duotrope you speak of, fine fellow writer?

Well, minions of my heart, it is a site, a free site, listing “over 3650 current fiction and poetry publications.” And I had never heard of it before.  It’s SO COOL.

Going back to the advice from Mr. Martin I posted many moons ago, one of the ways to break into the pro-writing market is to be published in a literary magazine. Duotrope makes finding those publications super easy with a huge database and advanced search system.

Some of their listings even include interviews from the publication’s editors, so future submitters can have a better idea of what the publication is looking for in a manuscript and an author.

Another thing, you should also check out the Inkpunks. Excellent, excellent blogs on writing and publishing, accompanied by a nice list of resources and even a discussion forum!

Geek Out Freak Out: Poe

Okay, my minions. I know I have been absent for a while; please forgive me. I will resume quasi-regular posting soon. In the meantime, please observe the following:

Now, go and freak right on out for a minute.

That's right. 

Say it with me:

"SSQUEEEEEEE!"

I expect to see you all in the theaters in March. That is all.