WHAT IS the secret to writing a successful book? Well, first we have to define successful. For the sake of this discussion, let’s say it’s a book that gets you an agent, a major publishing contract, remarkable sales, and ultimately a lifelong career as an author. Is there a formula for success in the publishing … Continue reading The Right Idea and Its Perfect Execution
Category: Writing/Publishing
I Read Dozens of Manuscripts in 2019 | Here’s What I Learned
I'VE BEEN reflecting on all the unpublished manuscripts I read and critiqued in 2019, ranging from sci-fi to high fantasy to detective procedural to YA romance to literary efforts that don't fit into a genre category. Despite the range of styles and writing quality, if you were to take my critiques of all these books … Continue reading I Read Dozens of Manuscripts in 2019 | Here’s What I Learned
My Goals for 2020
THIS IS the first post I've made on this dusty ol' blog in quite some time. If you don't know, I took a long hiatus from social media to deal with a mountain of personal issues and to get my life back in order. Things worked out, the year ended on several high notes, and … Continue reading My Goals for 2020
On #PitMad and Querying
I’M UP late on the eve of #PitMad, the biggest pitch event on Twitter, a quarterly affair that always ends in writers landing agents who go on to land those writers book deals. Untold thousands of aspiring authors participate, vying for the “likes” of perhaps a couple hundred agents. As writers, the odds are automatically … Continue reading On #PitMad and Querying
I Did a Blog Thing!
THIS IS the first blog thing I've done in quite a while. I enjoy blog things, so hopefully this post marks the rebirth of frequent ramblings. In the tradition of my blogging style, I have no idea what I'm even writing about! Let's start with PitMad, because it's coming up on Thursday, June 6th. You … Continue reading I Did a Blog Thing!
I’m a Pants Plotter
I SEE this question being asked all the time: plotter or panster? In other words, do you outline first, or do you begin with an idea and let the story take you where it wants? There's an argument for an against both ways of going about it. Some would say plotting in advance is stilted … Continue reading I’m a Pants Plotter
Your Protagonist’s Low Point
EVERYTHING WAS just fine for your protagonist. They were living a normal life. It wasn’t a great life by any means, but at least nothing bad lurked on the horizon. Or maybe that’s wrong. Maybe your protagonist was doomed if they continued sitting around, not taking charge of their life. Or maybe an imminent threat … Continue reading Your Protagonist’s Low Point
Mock Query Letter
Dear Ms. Literary Agent, Janie Character has lived her entire life imprisoned in the pages of a novel. The only thing that can set her free is the imagination of an avid reader, but there's just one problem: Janie isn't real. She needs a reader's mind to exist at all, and, confined to the page, … Continue reading Mock Query Letter
I Want to Read Your Query
I WANT to read your query and/or your opening chapters. There are many of you out there who can't afford an editor or a query consultant but would love the opportunity, so I'm volunteering to take on as much of a workload as I can manage. At the same time, I would love to make … Continue reading I Want to Read Your Query
Do You Carry a Journal?
I HOPE you do. Just got confirmation from a writer on Twitter that he does too, and then I started thinking about my journal-carrying habits and wondering if it's common among writers. I guess I shouldn't call them journals. Notebooks and memo apps work too. And it's not like I'm logging my daily activities. I'm … Continue reading Do You Carry a Journal?
Tory Hunter Books 