Writing Tip Of The Week

[talithakalago]

UPDATES:

Yes, I missed my Christmas post. I’m slack. However tonight is New Year’s Eve! I have a few resolutions for next year, including getting a new car, finishing the second draft of Lifesphere Inc 2 and organising a finally draft of The Hungry People.

The first time I heard back from a publisher (TOR) was a few minutes before midnight on New

Comments

[lilacfield]

Write more, read more, travel more. Find an agent and try to get published. (Life outside writing? What can that be?)

Have a wonderful 2011!

[talithakalago]

Life outside writing-pffft, now you’re just making things up!

When are you anticipating have a manuscript polished and ready to query?

[lilacfield]

Around the middle of the year? Editing/revising/rewriting might start in mid-January.

[talithakalago]

Are you waiting until mid Jan because you're taking a break to let it mellow or because you're still finishing the draft?

[lilacfield]

I'm still letting it mellow. Time is a great help in lending me a new perspective on a draft.

[talithakalago]

I agree 100%! In a perfect would all my first drafts would mellow for six months before I edited them. I can't see that happening in the long term. Grin.

[lilacfield]

This particular draft is my NaNo 2010 story -I figure letting it mellow for 1.5 months is long enough. Otherwise I might not be able to get it ready for pitching this year.

[talithakalago]

Sounds like a perfect plan to me.

Have I linked you to agentquery yet?

[lilacfield]

No, you haven't. Is it this one? http://www.agentquery.com/

[talithakalago]

It is indeed! Most people get sick of being sent there over and over. The other one I'm always linking to is duotrope. :P

A leisurely few months to get your query list ready is good too. I find it’s easier to send them in big clumps on a single day. EG: 20 a month.