Partial Requests and Coke Floats

Since I'm flying high about a recent partial request I received, I thought it a perfect topic for a post. So what does it mean when an editor or agent says, "We'd like to see the first 30 pages or so of Dangerous Expectations." What does this have to do with Coke floats? You'll have to read on to discover the answer.

Well, first of all, you must pick yourself up off the floor. Because that's where you'll find yourself after reading that wonderful, hard-to-obtain email. Why is it hard to obtain? The partial is generally the second step in the process, not the first. Numero uno is writing a brilliant query letter that will make your story stand out above a bizillion other queries. I'm not kidding. Agents/editors receive literally thousands of query letters (email and/or snail mail) from aspiring authors each year.

What's a query letter? I'm glad you asked. It's that lovely one page fact sheet that sums up your 400 page baby and talks a little bit about you, too. How do you sum up an entire book in one page? It's called the blurb. An extremely technical term for the back cover copy of a book. Next time you're in a bookstore (and I hope that's soon), read the back cover. What will you find? For romance, you'll probably read 2-3 paragraphs detailing a bit about the hero's and heroine's character and the conflict that will keep them apart--at least until the last chapter. It IS a romance, after all.

Sound simple enough?

Well, partner, you're in for a rude awakening if you think so. As the author, you carry all the little details in your mind that brought your story from page 1 to 400, and you ache to share every morsel with the reader. How can you not? How can the reader possibly understand why the heroine did this or that if you don't spell it out?

We authors can be obtuse sometimes. Do we, as readers, need the entire book spelled out for us. Nope. We rely on that brilliantly worded blurb to help us decide whether or not to purchase the book. Okay, it's not just the back cover copy. The author's name, the front cover, and the first paragraph help us, too, but we're not talking about those items.

Repeat after me...The blurb is your friend. Again...The blurb is your friend.

Now, that I've convinced you of how important the first step is, let's move on to the second step--the partial. When an agent/editor asks you for a partial, you'll typically send him/her the first 3 chapters and a synopsis. I say "typically" because it varies greatly from publishing professional to publishing professional. Some want 3 chapters, some want 30 pages, and others may want 5 pages. The key is to read the instructions that come along with the request VERY carefully.

Once you send off your partial, you wait. And fret. And hope.

Your next email from the agent/editor may be a request for a full or it could be a rejection. When the agent/editor wants a full, s/he is asking you to submit the entire 400 page manuscript. This is a good thing, but don't consider it an offer yet. A rejection is still a possibility. But so is an offer.

Either way, you should be extraordinarily proud of yourself, because only a lucky (and talented) few get to this stage in the process. So celebrate. Celebrate every step of the way. When I received my partial request, I shooed my husband off to Oberweis Ice Cream to buy me a Coke float. It was yummy, and I hope to be able to order another one very soon.

GMC

I'm not referring to one of those gas-guzzling, muscle-man, can't see around SUVs tooteling down the highway (can you tell I drive a standard transmission car?). Nope, I'm talking about Goal, Motivation and Conflict aka the backbone of an awesome story.

My local RWA chapter has a wonderful reference library that I recently tapped into. The book I selected? Debra Dixon's Goal, Motivation and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction. Now, I admit not being very far along, but what I've read so far has really resonated with me.

Here's just a few notes I've written down.

• Conflict creates worry (Simple statement but to the point and meaningful)
• A writer should aim to take the reader on a journey of uncertainty (Ooo, I like that)
• Your story must answer 4 questions: Who (character), what (goal), why (motivation), and why not (conflict)

It seems to me that the last bullet can be used to build a high concept or short query paragraph about your story. I have to read on to be sure, but it looks good right now.

Sorry for the short post. I'll talk a little more about this once I've finished the book.

Great Advice

What does a writer do when she's finished writing a nearly 400 page story? My multi-published friends unanimously agree that I should take a break from the manuscript before jumping into the editing process. A two week hiatus will give your brain time to rejuvenate, time to look at the story with new eyes, they said.

Of course, being the skeptic I am, I did not immediately buy into this theory when I heard it for the first time last year. However, having read the blasted manuscript more times than I can count, I was in desperate need for a mini vacation from the thing.

So I took a break, but continued to write. I'd established a routine, you see, and my internal clock kept screaming at me "It's time to write!" Since I'm highly motivated by guilt, even self-imposed, I wrote and completed a short story in two weeks.

I submitted the story to The Wild Rose Press soon after and held His Secret Desire in my hands three months later. As near as I can tell, I experienced every step of the publishing process that an author would with a full book--editor's letter, revisions, galleys, cover, marketing, and a finished e-book to admire. The editor I worked with was wonderful and she snuffed out all my unfounded fears, which I will be forever grateful.

I plan on writing another short story while I wait for the details of my newly completed manuscript to fade and I can look at it with fresh, excited eyes again.

The moral of this post? Listen to your published friends. They are wise as well as wonderful.

The End

Those two little words can bring so much joy and so much angst to a writer. Why, you ask?

Joy comes from finishing a manuscript that has taken months to write. And then comes angst. It builds within minutes of writing "The End," because the writer knows she must now begin the editing process. And then comes the dreaded submission process. This is the time you must send your little baby out to the publishing world and wait for them to decide if you have a priceless gem or a worthless rock. Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but you get my meaning.

For me, editing my story causes more stress than sending out queries. Editing is what makes a good book great. It's kindling for a building fire. I love it and I hate it. What can I say--I'm a contrary person.

Last night, I wrote those two little words at the end of my manuscript. And tonight, I start back at page one and begin turning a pumpkin into a gilded carriage. I am ever optimistic.

Wish me luck!