I’m sure the issue of writing dialogue has been covered before, but since I’ve noticed a lot of weaknesses in this area in the submitted material I’ve been reading, I thought I would add my two cents.
The way I see it, there are two major components to writing dialogue well. The first of these is realism. Spoken language is very different from written. Creating convincing, interesting dialogue isn’t easy, though, because you really have to strike a balance between mimicking natural speech patterns and not boring your reader with the umms, likes, and extraneous “filler” chit chat which doesn’t help develop your characters or plot. It’s the difference between the witty banter on a TV show like Gossip Girl and the frequently tedious conversations which take place on “unscripted” shows like The Hills (no personal bias there, obviously).
The second component to writing good dialogue is context. I vividly remember a creative writing exercise from when I was in middle school. In this exercise, you are given four or five lines of pure dialogue—no he saids or she exclaimeds or anything outside the quotation marks. The challenge was to take those lines and create five distinct scenes around them. The scenes had to vary in setting, situation, atmosphere, and outcome.
The point of the exercise was to prove that the average conversation contains far more subtext than it does text. Words aren’t merely said; there is tone, body language. What are the characters doing while they talk? Not only can context enhance the realism of the scene (in real life, I find that really momentous conversations often take place while one is, for example, chopping celery), but it can subtly advance the plot—such as a seemingly innocent fidget which signifies that the fidgeter is not telling the truth.
Hope that helps!
~Katherine
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The Synopsis
So, an agent loved your query letter and has requested a partial manuscript. Congratulations!
As an intern, my primary job is to read through the massive pile of partials sent to the agency and give my recommendation on whether we should pass on the manuscript or request a full. Today I wanted to talk about a piece of the partial that so many authors underestimate, but which is incredibly important to those who read it: the synopsis.
When we only see the first three chapters of a story, our understanding of the story is very limited. We can see if the introduction leaves us wanting more or if the author's writing style is something we care for, but we don't get to see the twists and turns of the story, the development of the plot or characters, or--most importantly--how the story ends. The synopsis fills in those gaps, explaining to us how the story progresses and eventually concludes. Your story may be brilliant, the best ever written--but if your synopsis doesn't explain that story to us, we may pass on the submission and never know what we missed out on.
I've seen a lot of mistakes with synopses recently, and wanted to share a few of them with all the authors out there who are preparing their partials so they don't fall into the same traps.
A synopsis is NOT a blurb: I've seen a few synopses which are nothing more than a paragraph that very briefly describes the major conflict of the story, similar to what you would read on the back cover of a book. This is not enough. This kind of description is appropriate for the query letter, which the agent has already read. We know, basically, the gist of your story, but now we want to know how the plot progresses in a bit more detail.
A synopsis is NOT a chapter-by-chapter summary: On the other hand, don't go overboard. I had a synopsis that was nothing more than a summary of each chapter of the book. While the author did include all the information we needed to see, we also got a whole lot more. We've received synopses that were actually longer than the partial. This is not good. The synopsis should explain the important bits of your story, but shouldn't tell us about every minor character, side-plot, or trivial detail. If we want to know that, we'll request a full manuscript.
A synopsis is NOT a trailer: Please, please, please tell us the ending. I read a synopsis for a mystery novel that explained the entire book up until the point where the mystery was solved. It's really hard to evaluate a story without knowing how it ends. Having an author say that the plot leads to a "satisfying ending" or "an unexpected twist" doesn't really tell us anything. As much as I hate people giving away the endings of books before I read them, in order for us to do our jobs we have to have the ending spoiled.
A synopsis IS important: Please be sure to include one. If the story is a sequel, also include information about the previous book(s). Formatting should be the same as the partial--use the same font style and size, double-space, and number the pages. There is no strict page limit for synopses since it depends on the book, but the best ones I have read were around five pages (double-spaced). Synopses over ten pages tend to be way too much, while two-page synopses usually just aren't enough. We should be able to read your synopsis and understand the entire plot without feeling like we've just read the entire book squished into ten pages.
In short, take care when writing your synopsis. We interns read a lot of stories on a daily basis, and the synopsis plays a large role in our decision of whether or not to recommend requesting a full manuscript of any particular story. As lovers of books, we want to want your story--so write us a synopsis that will have us begging for a full. Good luck!
~Lindsey
As an intern, my primary job is to read through the massive pile of partials sent to the agency and give my recommendation on whether we should pass on the manuscript or request a full. Today I wanted to talk about a piece of the partial that so many authors underestimate, but which is incredibly important to those who read it: the synopsis.
When we only see the first three chapters of a story, our understanding of the story is very limited. We can see if the introduction leaves us wanting more or if the author's writing style is something we care for, but we don't get to see the twists and turns of the story, the development of the plot or characters, or--most importantly--how the story ends. The synopsis fills in those gaps, explaining to us how the story progresses and eventually concludes. Your story may be brilliant, the best ever written--but if your synopsis doesn't explain that story to us, we may pass on the submission and never know what we missed out on.
I've seen a lot of mistakes with synopses recently, and wanted to share a few of them with all the authors out there who are preparing their partials so they don't fall into the same traps.
A synopsis is NOT a blurb: I've seen a few synopses which are nothing more than a paragraph that very briefly describes the major conflict of the story, similar to what you would read on the back cover of a book. This is not enough. This kind of description is appropriate for the query letter, which the agent has already read. We know, basically, the gist of your story, but now we want to know how the plot progresses in a bit more detail.
A synopsis is NOT a chapter-by-chapter summary: On the other hand, don't go overboard. I had a synopsis that was nothing more than a summary of each chapter of the book. While the author did include all the information we needed to see, we also got a whole lot more. We've received synopses that were actually longer than the partial. This is not good. The synopsis should explain the important bits of your story, but shouldn't tell us about every minor character, side-plot, or trivial detail. If we want to know that, we'll request a full manuscript.
A synopsis is NOT a trailer: Please, please, please tell us the ending. I read a synopsis for a mystery novel that explained the entire book up until the point where the mystery was solved. It's really hard to evaluate a story without knowing how it ends. Having an author say that the plot leads to a "satisfying ending" or "an unexpected twist" doesn't really tell us anything. As much as I hate people giving away the endings of books before I read them, in order for us to do our jobs we have to have the ending spoiled.
A synopsis IS important: Please be sure to include one. If the story is a sequel, also include information about the previous book(s). Formatting should be the same as the partial--use the same font style and size, double-space, and number the pages. There is no strict page limit for synopses since it depends on the book, but the best ones I have read were around five pages (double-spaced). Synopses over ten pages tend to be way too much, while two-page synopses usually just aren't enough. We should be able to read your synopsis and understand the entire plot without feeling like we've just read the entire book squished into ten pages.
In short, take care when writing your synopsis. We interns read a lot of stories on a daily basis, and the synopsis plays a large role in our decision of whether or not to recommend requesting a full manuscript of any particular story. As lovers of books, we want to want your story--so write us a synopsis that will have us begging for a full. Good luck!
~Lindsey
Monday, June 8, 2009
Starting Out as an Intern
Here I am—a twenty-year-old English major with a fragile dream of making it in the publishing world—who now finds herself in a position to dispense advice to readers most likely much wiser than herself. So rather than try to impress with some profound insight on the publishing industry, I will start with what I know: The Intern.
Every partial or full which comes into Elaine’s office is first reviewed by at least two interns. While we certainly don’t have the final say in acquiring or rejecting submissions, our evaluations, along with Naomi’s input, help Elaine determine which of them is the most promising. If you’ve submitted your material for consideration at this agency, you may wonder, and rightly so, what qualifies us interns to form judgments on your work.
So who are we, exactly? For one thing, we are all lovers of books. We have to be; otherwise we would probably never venture into this chronically unstable industry where it can take years to make one’s way up the totem pole only to find oneself the unemployed victim of another merger.
So we have probably all devoured books since we learned to read. As we’ve grown up, we have developed our own literary tastes, drifting from Nancy Drew mysteries to The Hobbit to Ian McEwan or Jodi Picoult. We’ve learned what it is that makes us connect with characters, driving us to keep reading until two in the morning to learn what happens to them. As students, we’ve delved into Faulkner and Joyce, written papers on Arthurian literature, and learned to recognize what sets great books apart from the rest, despite radical differences in story and form.
Now, for the first time, we have the opportunity to start putting what we have learned into practice.
I’m lucky, then, to be able to spend the majority of my day doing what I love—reading. But here there is no curling up on the sofa, propping a book open with one hand and sipping hot cocoa with the other (actually, that is not quite true; our interns’ office contains a plush sofa which I often monopolize). We plow through page after page, chapter after chapter, taking notes and then typing up reader reports. You might argue that this method disadvantages the writers we are reviewing. After all, it’s easy to get a little jaded after reading the fourth consecutive political thriller in which the President is abducted by aliens (okay, haven’t come across that one yet).
But despite this I think there is a genuine advantage to the method as well. By its very nature, the process of reading such large quantities at a time accentuates the strengths and weaknesses of the writing itself. Stories which lack originality or sharp prose fade unmemorably into the day’s piles of material, while writing that is fresh and compelling will instantly stand out as such. In other words, the cream rises to the top of the bucket.
We interns may not be the most experienced, but we know what to look for in a book, and we’re desperately eager to discover the treasure hiding in the slush pile. So to any writers out there with material waiting on an intern’s desk, take heart! You’re in good hands.
~Katherine
Every partial or full which comes into Elaine’s office is first reviewed by at least two interns. While we certainly don’t have the final say in acquiring or rejecting submissions, our evaluations, along with Naomi’s input, help Elaine determine which of them is the most promising. If you’ve submitted your material for consideration at this agency, you may wonder, and rightly so, what qualifies us interns to form judgments on your work.
So who are we, exactly? For one thing, we are all lovers of books. We have to be; otherwise we would probably never venture into this chronically unstable industry where it can take years to make one’s way up the totem pole only to find oneself the unemployed victim of another merger.
So we have probably all devoured books since we learned to read. As we’ve grown up, we have developed our own literary tastes, drifting from Nancy Drew mysteries to The Hobbit to Ian McEwan or Jodi Picoult. We’ve learned what it is that makes us connect with characters, driving us to keep reading until two in the morning to learn what happens to them. As students, we’ve delved into Faulkner and Joyce, written papers on Arthurian literature, and learned to recognize what sets great books apart from the rest, despite radical differences in story and form.
Now, for the first time, we have the opportunity to start putting what we have learned into practice.
I’m lucky, then, to be able to spend the majority of my day doing what I love—reading. But here there is no curling up on the sofa, propping a book open with one hand and sipping hot cocoa with the other (actually, that is not quite true; our interns’ office contains a plush sofa which I often monopolize). We plow through page after page, chapter after chapter, taking notes and then typing up reader reports. You might argue that this method disadvantages the writers we are reviewing. After all, it’s easy to get a little jaded after reading the fourth consecutive political thriller in which the President is abducted by aliens (okay, haven’t come across that one yet).
But despite this I think there is a genuine advantage to the method as well. By its very nature, the process of reading such large quantities at a time accentuates the strengths and weaknesses of the writing itself. Stories which lack originality or sharp prose fade unmemorably into the day’s piles of material, while writing that is fresh and compelling will instantly stand out as such. In other words, the cream rises to the top of the bucket.
We interns may not be the most experienced, but we know what to look for in a book, and we’re desperately eager to discover the treasure hiding in the slush pile. So to any writers out there with material waiting on an intern’s desk, take heart! You’re in good hands.
~Katherine
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Heart of a Woman
Harlequin is celebrating its 60th anniversity with an exhibit at Open Gallery in SoHo entitled "Heart of a Woman: Harlequin Cover Art 1949 - 2009." I wish I had known while I was in NYC over the weekend; the exhibit looks amazing. It will be on display until June 12th, but if you won't be in New York before then, check out the Flickr album from RT Book Reviews.
Also to celebrate its 60th anniversary, Harlequin is giving away 16 free (free!) e-titles. Check them out here.
Also to celebrate its 60th anniversary, Harlequin is giving away 16 free (free!) e-titles. Check them out here.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
a number of queries
How many times is too many times to query an agent about the same project?
If you’re doing it via email, of course, there’s always the possibility that it got lost in the ether of the internet, fell into a spam filter by mistake, or was accidently deleted by the miss-slip of a finger. Should you send it again just to be sure?
There’s one author who has now sent me the same email about the same project at least 50 times in the last six months. No, I’m not exaggerating. If anything I’m probably under estimating. I’ve gotten so proficient at deleting them, that I’ve probably forgotten how many. Some weeks I get his email two or three times a day. I dutifully responded to the first four or five – treating them all as though they were new queries. Next, I deleted a few with no response. Then I asked the author not to send the query any more. But the emails keep coming.
Someone suggested maybe the author has the query on some kind of auto-send and doesn’t realize the same query is going out to the same group of agents every time. But what author would do something like that?
I put his email on my list of addresses to block and still he manages to get through. Perhaps he really is just one of those cyber-stalkers. No spammer has ever been this relentless. Maybe I should be worried.
If he hasn’t gotten the message yet, I’m really not interested in his project (no matter how wonderful it might be) and harassing me with emails is not going to change my mind. Once would have been enough.
If you’re doing it via email, of course, there’s always the possibility that it got lost in the ether of the internet, fell into a spam filter by mistake, or was accidently deleted by the miss-slip of a finger. Should you send it again just to be sure?
There’s one author who has now sent me the same email about the same project at least 50 times in the last six months. No, I’m not exaggerating. If anything I’m probably under estimating. I’ve gotten so proficient at deleting them, that I’ve probably forgotten how many. Some weeks I get his email two or three times a day. I dutifully responded to the first four or five – treating them all as though they were new queries. Next, I deleted a few with no response. Then I asked the author not to send the query any more. But the emails keep coming.
Someone suggested maybe the author has the query on some kind of auto-send and doesn’t realize the same query is going out to the same group of agents every time. But what author would do something like that?
I put his email on my list of addresses to block and still he manages to get through. Perhaps he really is just one of those cyber-stalkers. No spammer has ever been this relentless. Maybe I should be worried.
If he hasn’t gotten the message yet, I’m really not interested in his project (no matter how wonderful it might be) and harassing me with emails is not going to change my mind. Once would have been enough.
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