Pacing can be one of the most difficult things to get right in a novel. Bestseller author Kiersten White has some advice on it:
- Cut out the first chapter. I heard Cassie Clare talking about this on her book tour, and it's so true. The first chapter of the first draft is for the writer, not the reader. You're figuring out the voice and setting up the world/character for yourself. Most of the time (at least this was true with many of my early books) the story doesn't really start until chapter two.
This probably won't be of interest to anybody but me; however, if you're writing a time-travelling novel, here are some ways that won't make a physicist cringe:
- 3) You can’t kill your own grandfather.
Agent Kristin Nelson shares with us the top 10 writing mechanics problems she often sees in workshops:
- 1. Telling instead of showing.
2. Including unnecessary back story.
3. Loose sentence structure that could easily be tightened
On Publishing —
The query letter is one of the hardest things to get right. Agent Mary Kole shares with us the one right way to write a query... or not:
- Here’s my take on it: the writing sample is so much more important than the query. The query is a 250 or so word cover letter that is meant to introduce the agent to a writer’s premise and qualifications in a snappy, enticing way. That’s all.
Many writers dream of receiving The Call. But what comes afterwards? What should you ask when talking to your dream agent? Agent Vickie Motter has some advice for writers:
- Time Line: how long do you foresee edits taking and when are you expecting to be able to pitch?
2 comments:
So helpful! Thanks for taking the time to round up this information for those of us who have been. . .uh, conspicuously absent and are falling behind LOL!
These are awesome links- the one about cutting out the first chapter is really helpful--in fact I did this for the novel I'm currently revising. Thanks for keeping us in the loop :D
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