Category Archives: query

Having Written Feels Better Than Anything

Dorothy Parker once said, “I hate writing, I love having written.” I don’t hate writing, but this week has certainly proven to me that having written feels better than (almost) anything. I completed the arguably final revisions to my thriller … Continue reading

Posted in #WOTF31, 2015, Agent query, Alchemy & Steam, Anthologies, award-winning author, chocolate, Fiction River, Having Written, Order of the Golden Grapefruit, published, query, Sharon Joss | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cold Shoulders

The big chill is on. For this past week, we’ve been in the throes of a deep freeze here in Oregon. Today is a bit too nippy even to walk  the dogs.  I lived in Rochester, New York for seven … Continue reading

Posted in 2013, author, Brothers of the Fang, don't give up, fantasy, fiction, joy, La Vida 'Loha, Livin' La Vida 'Loha, manuscript, marketplace, novel, Perseverance, publishers, query, rejection, shape-shifter, Sharon Joss, submission, Uncategorized, vampire, werewolf, write, writers write, writing business | Leave a comment

The Joy of Having Written

I finished editing the final six chapters on AURUM today.  I’m done.  Finished, Finito. This is my fourth completed novel.  The joy and lightness of spirit that comes with having written is a high I’ve now experienced four times, but … Continue reading

Posted in 2013, ambition, author, award-winning author, best seller, Best Sellers, butt in chair, celebrate, don't give up, editing, Favorite New Author, Joseph Campell, Larry Brooks, learning the craft, manuscript, more problems than the average bear, novel, novels, opening scene, prosperity, published, query, Research, revising, revisions, Robert McKee, Save the Cat, scene, science fiction, Sharon Joss, short story, speculative fiction, story structure, story worthy problem, write, write every day, writer, writers write, writing business | Leave a comment

The Dreaded Synopsis

 Ugga-mugga.  I hate writing synopses even more than I hate writing queries.  I suppose I wouldn’t mind them so much if I felt confident about writing them, but since my measurement for  success is a sale of my novel for … Continue reading

Posted in Cascade Writers, dark moment, dreaded, Glamour, inciting incident, pitch, plot point, PNWA, query, resolution, synopsis, turning point | Leave a comment

Next Steps

With GLAMOUR version 02.5 now in the hands of my early readers, I’ve set the manuscript aside for the next month, and I’m looking forward to a little downtime.  I’ve got some catching up to do.  I’ve been so busy … Continue reading

Posted in agent, blogging, critique, early readers, Neil Gaiman, query, Query Shark, reading, Stephen King, writers write | Leave a comment

The Importance of Starting in the Right Place

I admit it.  I’m starting over.  From the beginning.  After changing the POV in GLAMOUR from first person to third person, the story was still dull, and I realized I was starting in the wrong place.  And by starting in the wrong … Continue reading

Posted in characterization, hook, media res, query, story worthy problem | Leave a comment

Someday my YES will come

If you’re a writer (or any kind of creative person), rejections are pretty much a fact of life.  Especially if you’re just starting to submit queries to agents, editors, and publishers.   Especially if your manuscript or story has already been … Continue reading

Posted in agent, query | 1 Comment