Getting Attention

Getting Attention

A few days ago, someone came to visit whom my dog adores. While my roommate was talking with this person, I was napping in my room. I ignored Lucy’s pleasepleaseplease let me out to see them. When I finally got up, she looked at me and then began shredding a piece of paper on the floor.

Now, it is difficult to say that she was trying to get my attention, but it sure doggone felt like it.

She got attention, just not the open-the-door kind of attention she wanted, but more of the what-are-you-doing kind of attention.

As writers, we very much want the attention of an agent. There are plenty of ways to get their attention, but sometimes, it isn’t the attention you want.

The bad ways:

•         Gimmicks. This includes, but isn’t limited to: asking a rhetorical question in the query letter, sending a letter with 26 point neon orange font, or starting your query letter with dialog.
•          Breaking the rules. Example: Purposely misspelling the word green or writing an entire query letter as one giant run-on sentence.
•          Not Following Guidelines. If they say no attachments, you attach something. If they say they don’t represent young adult novels, you send them your query for a YA novel.

These ways will most certainly get you noticed, but not in a good way.

So what are the steps to get noticed in a good way?

The good ways:

•        Write something awesome.

That’s it. Plain and simple. If you want their attention, do that. It won’t work with every agent, everywhere, but guarantee, if you write something awesome, it will get noticed.

Happy Writing.

Scary!

Writing isn’t in itself scary. But there can be rather worrisome moments. If you don’t believe me, check the heart rate of any author who has just sent out a bunch of queries. Or even worse, when the query response has come back and it’s sitting in your e-mail inbox, unopened, waiting.

Rejection can sting, so perhaps that’s why it’s so scary to submit.

One day nearly five years ago, I was walking my dog (This will connect back to writing, I promise). Anyhow, Lucy, in her excitement to smell some awesome aroma, stuck her head into a shrub. This particular plant had a branch that stuck straight out—which poked Lu in the eye.

She was fine, but to this day (Note: five years later), Lucy refuses to walk past that particular stretch of shrubs.

Moral of the story?

Sometimes things (rejected queries) hurt, but it’s foolish to let something like that paralyze you. Keep sending.

Second moral of the story?

Chihuahuas never ever ever forget.

Happy writing!

Best Friends: Your Main Character’s Sidekick

Sometimes good hero needs a sidekick or a best friend. They can provide the comic relief as Ron Weasley so often did. They can be helpful and save your hero’s behind like Timon and Pumbaa. They can sometimes be annoying like Edmund in the Narnia books (or worse like Eustace Scrubb). Sometimes, the sidekick simply gets your characters into more shenanigans like Ethel of I Love Lucy.

Either way, your character isn’t a solitary figure. (Unless you are writing about the last man in the entire world). Use those people around them to create a richer world and a richer character.

Here are some pictures of my two favorite best buddies:

X: Xtra Small

X: Xtra Small

Lucy thinks she is an ordinary girl - until she is rescued by a fluffy giant of a cat, enrolls in obedience school, learns to play fetch and does battle in a deadly duel (with a squeaky toy). The reason: LUCY IS A CHIHUAHUA.

*Note: False information. Lucy has never been to obedience school (Though she needs it some days) and she refuses to play fetch. I was using my creative license. Points to whoever can figure out what book blurb I played with to introduce you to Lu. Enjoy the pictures.

I Do Not Like the Cone of Shame

Sometimes, submitting your writing to your critique group can feel like this. The Cone of Shame. Misery. Why on earth would anyone put themselves out there like that?

Oh yeah to get better.

The cone of shame isn't just for entertainment (though it can be very entertaining for the dog's owner). It is for healing. It is for making things better.

So the next time you feel a little embarrassed by submitting your work to get critiqued, remember what the Cone of Shame is really for.