Holy Links and Feeds, Batman

Realized this weekend that I have several dozens of links on my computer's bookmarks, on this blog's right side, and in my Blogger Reader's subscriptions.  Holy links and feeds, Batman!

So I'm severely organizing all of these, and I'll put them all on the right side of this blog--at some point.  I've been working on this a lot, and you just can't do one thing for several hours, staring at the screen, pressing save, and blah blah blah without going a little bit nuts.  But I'm gettin' there, so have some patience.

And keep checking off to the side.  There you'll find links that I read, subscribe to, think are interesting, or find helpful to writers--and any combination of these things.

The links are not all followers of this blog, so I'm not just pimping my e-friends.  These are things I actively read, like, and/or find helpful.  Included are blogs and sites about agents, agencies, writers, and maybe one or two bloggers who are not associated with the writing, blogging, agent thing.  I mean, come on, now.  There's more to life. 

I mean, maybe.  I think there is.

Give 'em a shot.

Warning about Contest-only Submissions

A little warning about publishers.  There are some who only allow submissions through contests they hold.  This is ALWAYS to be avoided, especially if there's a fee to enter this contest.  A friend of mine sent me an email with four interesting/odd/eccentric publishers that a friend of his had sent him.  Three of the four only allow submissions through their contests.

Here's the response I emailed back to him--

Thanks for the publishers below.  I looked at a few of them; the problem with those that only take submissions via the contests they hold is that the contests themselves are what they make the money on.  You submit your book to the contest and pay a $50 fee, let's say.  Now, 99 out of 100, at best, are pure crap, no better than amateur fare.  These would normally get immediately rejected, of course, but for free.  Now, these poor slobs, who can't write for crap, are bad writers and now out $50.  This house might get all crap, but at $50 a pop, why not?  They tell the least crappy one, "Okay, no officially submit it to us,"--and then turn it down.  Flat.  Or, even worse, charge that poor slob--who feels he's soooooooooo close---$350, let's say, to edit the thing (or they suggest he pay a specific editing company $350--and they either get a bite out of that, or they are the editing company, by another name, that they've "recommended"), line-by-line or page-by-page--which it doesn't need.  It needs a dose of reality and a complete overhaul, not a red-pen edit that a 7th grade teacher would do.  So now they have his poor slob's $50 contest fee, and his $350 editing fee--and they still reject him.  And they do several versions of this to many of the other contest applicants as well.  Mucho bucks; no hassle; not too many books to represent--and then they say they're just "very picky."

There are good contests out there--but they're not ethically run by publishing companies.  That's not moral, as it isn't when an agent asks for money up-front to edit your work--or "recommends" an editing person or company, that, again, they either take a bite of, or they are that person or company they've "recommended."  Oldest trick in the book, and always to be avoided.

Drood: What Is Good Mystery Writing?

Photo: Charles Dickens


See below for the 5th and last part of my short story, "Shadows."  I hope everyone's liked it.  I have been away for a few days; an immediate family member has been diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer--in five different areas.  This is bad enough, but there's also a major deadline at work: tons of things due this coming week.  Of course.

So what does one do when faced with all this?  He escapes!  He reads!  I finished Dan Simmons' Drood--all 771 pages of it.  It's taught me a few things about mystery writing, and maybe writing in general (I warn that there may be some spoilers below):

1.  It starts with a quick introduction by the narrator (Wilkie Collins) and the main mystery of the whole 771 pages.  Why did Dickens perform a "murder" of one of his characters that so engaged--and horrified--his pre-Victorian audience?  This was apparently opposite his normal character.

2.  Did Dickens murder someone?  The method is explained in one sentence.  Very specific detail.

3.  Did Dickens become obsessed with a person/thing named Drood?  (Avid readers will know that Dickens was in the middle of a masterwork when he died, titled The Mystery of Edwin Drood.)

4.  The main settings are described in very specific detail--good writing, never boring--by the end of page 2.

5.  The style, tone and mood of the narrator are established by then as well.

6.  The famous Staplehurst train wreck that Dickens was a part of about 5 years before he died is used as a springboard for the whole novel, and is very well-written and well-used.  This starts on page 3 and ends on page 11.

In short, this bestselling novel does what mysteries should do, what agents want mystery manuscripts to do: it poses the mysteries immediately.  It advances very interesting questions that readers would want answered: Did Dickens kill someone?  What was that Drood business?  It sets Dickens up as the focus of the novel, despite Collins being the narrator--which astute readers will realize as another point.  Collins should be the main character of Collins' narration/memoir; he is, perhaps, but Dickens is definitely the focus.  This establishes another huge theme: Dickens overshadowing Collins in life, as in this "memoir."  Again, this is established immediately and solidly by page 11.

Main characters; main themes; main settings; main mysteries; main questions--in short, everything, established in the first few pages, and then springboarded tremendously well using the train accident Dickens was in--with his young mistress and her mother, by the way, and not with his wife.  By page 11, the reader wonders a ton of interesting things and has no choice but to read on.

Agents have mentioned this time and time again.  Do this, and do this well, and they will represent the work and it will get published.  Dan Simmons had 771 pages to work with--and an already-impressive bestselling status--so he could have done whatever he wanted, at whatever pace he wanted.  He still did all of this by the first 11-15 pages.

It isn't selling out.  It's good writing.

Agent Submissions

So here's what happens when you research agents.  You already have a listing generated by whatever, however.  I prefer finding novels close to the genre of mine and finding out who represented it.  But whatever works for you.  You probably know that you should never just take the info. generated by your list, that you should go to the agent/agency's website first.  So I did that, for an agency that has represented some of the biggest names in American and British literature.  I found a general address to send a package to, and I was okay with that, because I believe that my writing can sell my writing better than a query can, so I'm happy when I find a snail mail address and a guideline that says to send X number of pages with the query.  Then I decided to research specific agents so that I could send the package to one who handles mystery.  Get the Dear ---- salutation right.  Turns out, 15 agents work there.  Foul and fair, because I have more research to do, but there's bound to be one who likes mystery, maybe mystery/detective.  So...okay, turns out 3 of them do, but only one of them says to send just a query, no pages, and has an email address at the ready.  But wait, there's more.  He also has a blog.  And, turns out, a very useful and extensive one, with hundreds of settings and entries, and literally thousands of followers and friends, and he has links to other writers and agents I'm familiar with.  And...on his About Me tab, on his blog, he says to send him a query and the first five pages.  Which I prefer, and which is different than just emailing a query as the site at his company says.  Now, a few hours later, with much clenching of jaw (I have to stop doing that when I'm on the computer for many hours), and much eye-strain and headache, I composed a letter that incorporated some of the truly awesome things on his blog (no fake flattery in queries), a novel he represented that I liked, and I found a super-useful tool and I got to send some pages.  And I didn't have to snail mail them.

Many hours.  One email package for one agent at one agency.

But it's worth it.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog.   My name is Steven E. Belanger, and I'm starting this blog for other writers, agents, magazine editors and readers, and really anyone interested in reading and/or the writing business.  I hope all of you get something out of it.  For now, I'll leave you with my website.  Take a look at the novel excerpt there--prologue and chapter one of Cursing the Darkness.  (I am currently seeking representation for that novel.)  You will also find a link re: my short story, "Hide the Weird," soon to be published in an issue of Space and Time: The Magazine of Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction .  Check out that fine magazine and read a few good stories while you wait for them to publish mine!

I will try to remain positive and hopeful.  If you're looking for complaints about specific people and/or specific agencies, you've come to the wrong place.  While I'm not exactly Mr. Upbeat and Cheerful all the time, I will make this blog productive and insightful.  I have enough negativity as it is in my life, please and thank you.

I will try not to succumb to shameless self-promotion.  I guess that means that I will shamelessly promote others I believe worthwhile, as well.

In your comments, please be nice and/or professional.  I will always attempt to do the same.

If you like what you see, please spread the word.