Baby on the Market: Submitting Queries to Publishers

I've busted my tail during the past few weeks to write a decent query and synopsis for the third MS. I have had great input from my CPs in NoVA and I truly appreciate their help.

Now I am ready to, *gulp*, query again.

People have read my work, and they say I have a good voice for BLAZE. So once again, I am querying that house first in HQN. I hope I get in past the cracked door, but I know it's a long shot. 

I spent most of the morning editing my query for BLAZE--of course they require two pages single spaced and I have, 4.5 double spaced pages. Edit... edit... edit... but I think I have a passable one now. I'm pleased with my query letter-- happy to mail it. 

After finalizing what I wanted to send to BLAZE, I checked out the websites for my next print publishers and e-publishers. I printed out their guidelines for submission and stacked them in order of query. Now I have 8 houses to query. Whew.

Next I work on getting each submission ready to mail out. And I am creating a spreadsheet for the task. My baby's ready to fly out the door. In the days ahead I will revise and polish the rest of my MS. I will also ignore the GH scores sure to dampen my day when they arrive at my door. I am filing them in the BOX and will refrain from looking at them until Sept. 09.

After I send off my submissions, I am targeting a few contests I feel will generate interest in my book. 

Synopsis Super Write In

I woke up with energy to burn for the first time in at least two weeks. In fact, I had forgotten what it was like to feel awake in the morning for at least two years. I just muddled through each day and did what had to be done regardless of my energy levels. 

So to have the oomph to go and tackle my dreaded synopsis was a great feeling!

First thing, take new medication. Second, I went through the MS and pulled out all my Pivotal Plot Points and noted them with extra tags. Man is it easy to zip back and forth throughout the document on Scrivener.  I also had to mark the black moments for my hero/heroine as well as my resolution. It is so quick to move and mark the various scenes with highlights in this program. I am glad I have it for all my future writing projects.

I read through my original synopsis, marked changes, and then reread my Craft Corner notes regarding how to build a good synopsis. I had a lot of work ahead of me. But I was determined to finish a good workable draft today. After I made sure I had info necessary regarding plot, I went back into Scrivener and highlighted passages I wanted to add to the synopsis to show my voice and build the story plot.

I imported my word doc into the Scrivener doc, into a separate folder, and then I cut and pasted the highlights into the doc. It was a snap to cut and move from each scene into the synopsis. No more scrolling through an entire doc, or pressing find and searching for a needle in a haystack. It's partitioned by scenes and chapters and I have the keywords noting PPPs and all the necessary plot points. Voila, I had a paper to edit.

I edited it. Cut and moved elements, tried to incorporate the GMC of my hero/heroine. And I finished. I then exported the doc over to Word and printed it. Less than five pages! Double spaced! I am sooooo happy. Now it's a matter of tweaking the echoes and fine tuning the grammar. 

I have a query letter, a synopsis, my first three chapters, and I am almost done! For Ellora's Cave I have to have a great end chapter, so I'll work on that on Monday.

By next Friday, I should be ready to query!!! Woohoo! 

Woohoo--Kiss Scene Attacked

Well I've been tackling a myriad of issues with the story this past week--a little in the AM and a little in the PM. AM I work on the MS and PM the query and/or synopsis. Given my health and all the doctor visits, I feel pretty pleased about my progress.

The kiss scene is addressed and changed. Not perfect. But my hero is not a sleaze anymore (at least not to me). I went through the first chapter with a great judge edit and then I hit it today with my own spin. Worked out well--I had distanced myself from it so it was easier to tackle.

I woke up with a lot rolling in my head re: this book and a tag line for the 4th book's query. Figure I may as well start laying down the groundwork for the next pitch/query now. Any rate, have an idea for a scene at the end so I jotted that down in scrivener. And then I wrote down and saved the tag. Then I worked on the kiss scene--yeah to sexual tension, not actual action. 

All and all a productive week for me. Whew.

The Dreaded Synopsis *gulp & gasp*

The morning stunk. Period. 2 hours at the doctor, blood work drawn, unreasonable weight gain in a month (argh and double argh), and general distraction of follow up phone calls about all the above. Bottom line: I am being tested for everything that can cause my immune system to drop lower than the deepest well and cause me to bloat up like a beached whale. Seriously, I think the only thing I wasn't tested for was ingrown toe nails. Sheesh.

So, no chapters completed this morning. 

And after a brief battle with myself, and a few nudges by an accountability partner, I edged into the synopsis. Yuck and yuck and yuck.

First, the synopsis I sent out with the GH reflects a completely different ending -- one based on another dear CP's influence of losing it all (love my romantic suspense friends LOL). Second, I incorporated something new and it is not in the synopsis (I really don't want the scores now that I am at this point--again). Third, I realized I have bits of wonderfulness in it, but after reviewing my craft corner notes from a wonderful author in my writing chapter, I need to redo a lot. 

BLECH.

Sigh. Gasp. Grunt. And Groan.

But I did a bit of cutting and pasting--tossing and revising--hunting for index cards--review of the facts, just the facts madam--and now I know I need to go back in with the lessons I've learned and revise again to my heart's content. 

The good that came out of all this is that I like my new version a lot better so it'll be easier to write the synopsis. Plus, I am in revise mode in the mornings so the story is fresh in my mind and that will help me write the synopsis. And finally, I managed to clean up all my files on the computer for this story so it will be easier to revise and write the query/synopsis for the novel.

Sigh. Gasp. Grunt. And Groan.

Tomorrow I am praying I have a good writing day. I want to have zero interruptions in the AM so I can work diligently on my revision. I am not picking up the phone, even if it is the lab reports, until after 12PM. I can call back for that info. And In the PM, I will continue tweaking my query and my synopsis. 

Baby steps. Baby steps.

Oh, how I wish I could leap instead of crawl to the finish line.

As soon as my health is up to par, I am celebrating with a full day of writing!

Wind Refills the Sails

Yesterday I had to go back to the doctor to deal with the stupid belly button wound. I was nervous, but after taking a mega pain pill, I enlisted my DH to drive me to and from said dreaded appointment. Apparently, pain medication just makes me not care that it hurts like hell to get my belly tortured with gauze and pressure. But the good news is that I no longer have to endure the pain. I just have to heal.

First breath of air returns to the sails of my writing. Being in pain and throwing Personal Pity Parties does dampen the enthusiasm and motivation. Now those doldrums are banished.

Second breath of air in my sails meant meeting another writer and connecting over coffee. We didn't really write, but we talked about our goals and made plans to meet again. At last! Someone who I can connect with in person. How novel.

Third gust of air in my sails was receiving the critique from my fabulous and generous CP. Once I managed to get the document to open in MAC's version of Word, I was able to see her comments and edits. Voila! Print, read, digest and ready to input into the Scrivener program!!

While today is not a day I usually write MS, I've decided to implement the one hour a day rule at minimum. That way, I will get moving forward. In addition, I must spend at least one hour a day during the week (M-F) working on my query and synopsis for the third MS. By the end of the month, I had better have something to show for this commitment.

Ah, finally, I am feeling like my old self again. But let it be said, rejection and losing contests are easier to overcome than health problems. A lesson learned: take care of oneself especially when one is *gasp* over forty!

Derailed by Health Issues

Well on Monday I had stupid sebaceous cyst removed and it hurt like the dickens. Now the medication and the general discomfort, plus the knowledge that I am getting the dressing changed and it will hurt again today is weighing me down. I am not accomplishing anything except reading about writing, slight revisions, and learning to use Scrivener. Yesterday I didn't even do scrivener. Today I plan to do it a bit in the afternoon, but I am frustrated by the fact that the stupid printer won't allow me to print from the front tray due to the computer change. And I have read the manual on line, managed to figure it out twice, but haven't figured out how to make that default setting. So it is a huge pain. And then my CP has graciously sent me more pages with comments but for some reason all the comments are at the back of the story instead of woven throughout the story. ARGH.

I've got the third MS inputed. I know I need to work on a query and a synopsis as well. But I can't seem to wrap my brain around it. I think I will use a craft corner lesson on the bloody thing to get me started next Monday. I'll revise in the AM, do synopsis and query in the PM. Some of the places I am targeting don't require the first three chapters so I will send to them first. Meanwhile, hi ho hi ho... it's off to the doctor I go for my torture time.

Considering the Business of Writing

I'm already chomping at the bit to revise this book, but I am not starting till after I tinker with the third one. Instead, any ideas that float to me, I am writing down in my notebook, or putting on post-its and transferring over to the notebook when I have time.

I must get my third book tighter, fix some trouble spots, and march it out the door in queries to agents and publishers.

I am targeting BLAZE/HQN, and Ellora's Cave, Red Sage, and Avon Red to start. And I need to find some more publisers that will accept unagented submissions and queries. It's so hard. I tried to find out who the editor was for Avon Red, but can't find a portal into that mysterious knowledge. Argh.

It's the business side of writing that drives me crazy. I think I was almost grateful for an excuse not to query as it meant I couldn't be rejected at all last year. I could just write to my heart's content.

Well, head up out of the sand, quick gander around, and back to the dreaded business of trying to get someone with the power to sell my books to actually READ ONE!! Argh. And that means coming up with a witty query, an eye catching letter that stands out from the slush pile, and a good enough synopsis to get someone to say, oh yes, by all means send the first three chapters! Argh again.

I had entered a lot of contests last year in the hopes that if I finaled I would get an editor to read my work. I managed to get one editor in my Touch of Magic contest final, but it was not to be... boo hoo.

This year I am entering contests because they force me to tighten my writing, and to write the dreaded synopsis -- it is like a CURSE for me to compress all my words into 3-5 pages, double spaced. But I will do it.

And I have to wrap my head around all of that in a week.

But for now, I still get to play a bit.