The Hardest Part of Writing

For me, writing has always been writing about what I liked, what I wanted to read and what I was comfortable with. But that doesn't make for a good-or even great-story. I was always afraid to write things that hurt. I don't want my characters to hurt, to fill pain, to cry. Yes, my characters face challenges, but those challenges, I've come to understand, only touch the surface of my characters' feelings. I have to write what I don't want to. I have to make my characters face their fears, my fears. So I have to write what causes them, me, pain. I have to write what will make my characters cry, mad, selfish and behave in ways I don't want to see them behave. It hurts, but it makes my characters all that more real. And that's what it's all about. Writing a character so believable, your reader can relate to them in many ways; the reader can see themselves in the situations you write about, even if those situations are set in a universe completely foreign to them.

And so, I write those things that will make me cry because I don't want my character to behave like that. I don't want her to do something so selfish. I don't want him to die. It hurts. I hurt. And after the tears and the anger, I read over my story and I realize the truth. My story, my characters are better for it. So write the hard parts, you'll be a better writer because of it.

When you're active, you learn so much

In just one month (this first part of January), I've done so much to help me and my writing. I've joined the Writer's Digest community to gain more incite on the mechanics of writing and getting published. I've researched information on the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and looked into the Austin chapter to see when and where they hold their meetings. I've also reviewed accepted query letters to see what those writers did right that got them noticed by agents. Whew! That's a lot in only two weeks. But it's been well worth it. Most importantly, I learned the difference between middle grade and young adult fiction. Now I know which group my science fiction story belongs to (young adult) and which my fantasy story belongs to (middle grade).

Wow, I'm so jazzed to keep learning so my writing just gets better. When you jump out there and get involved, you can get overwhelmed. But remember to pace yourself, find those things that apply to your type and style of writing and, most importantly, hold on and have fun!

3 Must Do's When Querying An Agent

The process of querying an agent is probably the hardest part of the manuscript process to date. I've sent out around 20 queries so far, and there are three things I've learned in my short time that you must do.

1. Do spell the agent's name correctly. I know it's been said before, but it is an absolute must. There's no faster way to lose an agen'ts interest than to turn them off by misspelling their name.

2. Do make sure that agent handles the genre of book that you've written. Again, it's been said many times, but it can't be said enough. If that person doesn't handle your genre, it shows that you didn't take the time to research the company. They probably won't take the time to pass on your letter to the right person. Remember, they receive hundreds of queries a day. They're extremely busy. Respect their time.

3. Do remember to follow the agent's query instructions to the letter. If they say they want one page, don't send two pages or more. If they only accept email queries, don't send a query by snail mail. (I learned this one too late. The agent guide I used was out of date, and I ended up snail mailing a query instead of emailing.)

You've done painstaking work on your manuscript to get it to the point at which you're ready for an agent to take a look at it. Don't rush the query letter! Take the same amount of time, or more, with it. Remember, it's an agent's first impression of you. You want to show them that you can follow instructions and that you're easy to work with.

My first sci-fi short story published

Hi everyone!

I am new to blogging and this is my very first one. For those of you that don't know me, I am an aspiring science fiction/fantasy writer. I have two manuscripts completed. One is science fiction and the other is fantasy. Both manuscripts are geared toward middle grade readers. I also write short stories and comic books when I can, and I received wonderful news (an early Christmas present you might say). My very first sci-fi story I submitted was accepted. It's up on Aphelion, a sci-fi webzine. Here's the link: http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/shorts/2011/12/FreshMeat.html. I'm so excited.

I hope this is the beginning of something new. What a great way to end 2011 and begin 2012. I'm working on submitting query letters to literary agents. As I go along, I'll share my journey with you. I'm a member of Writer's League of Texas here in Austin, and I took the plunge and signed up for the Writer's Conference in June 2012. Hopefully, I'll get my "15 minutes" with an agent and can pitch one of my manuscripts.

That's about all for now. I'm really happy about the short story and my writing plans for 2012. It's going to be a great year.

Happy New Year!