So... I'm reading through Query Shark's queries, trying to see if I'm doing anything wrong with my query.
Can't see anything, but there's one thing that's niggling....
It's been bothering me for a while, but I think Doorways needs another go-over. Just to make sure all the unnecessary stuff is gone.
That's what I'll be doing now, so I'll see you on Wednesday! (There's an interview tomorrow, so I won't be doing any serious writing.)
Have you ever thought you were done, only to realize you're not?
If something doesn't feel right, go over it again. Trust your gut.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've written a query and thought it was finished. Then after sending out about ten queries, realized it wasn't. After I fixed it, I got a lot more requests.
ReplyDeleteHunkering down to do edits is something I can VERY much relate to right now, Misha. And while I don't ever truly think I'm done with something, there's a little hopeful spark somewhere in my mind at the end of every stage where I think, "Maybe I accidentally got it perfectly right. Maybe this is the time my readers come back with 'don't change a thing...'" Then the eMails come. :-)
ReplyDeleteWe have to embrace scrutiny, re-writing, etc. Stories/writing tend to get better with each pass through, so if you gut says check it out, I'd give it a look. If nothing else, it might boost your confidence in the project if you find it is still in pretty good shape.
I've had that feeling with short stories plenty of times, usually after a personal rejection (or a swath of forms). If a story hasn't sold in six months or so, I always take another look at it just on the assumption that I've improved as a writer in that period of time. But obviously that's not such a daunting commitment with a short story.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
J.W.
I'm probably committing heresy here, especially to all those experts who claim "Send me $100 and I'll tell how you how to write a killer query letter that will get your book noticed!" But if you work on it, follow some tips that knowledgeable people give you, after all that, it's the story that has to sell itself. I got 55 rejections before someone picked up my book, so it's a long road.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know how that feels. I thought I was done in 2011 when I attended a writing conference. After that I had to rearrange the chapters in the beginning of the book, and add a prologue (per a well-known author's advice).
ReplyDeleteThe novel is much better for it, although I was frustrated at having to revise in a major way how the story unfolds. Hang in there.
Hi Misha,
ReplyDeletePerfecting my English syllabus is much like that. Always something to add to improve it - it's never finished!
Umm...only all the time!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on completing Doorways.
ReplyDeleteI always think my work (manuscript, etc.) is never finished.
I'm never really done, always a work in progress until someone (like time) rips it out of my fingers.
ReplyDeleteYou're writer...things are never "done". LoL.
ReplyDelete~JD
More times than I can count.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I was just about to print my MS out for one more go at it.
ReplyDeleteNever. Well, sometimes. Actually, a lot. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteYes, I have definitely have been through that before. It explains why it is taking me so long to complete one of my books that has been through several do-overs. It is common to feel that way.
ReplyDeletehttp://brittneycanna.blogspot.com/
Every time I look at a MS I think there is more that can be improved. Eventually you have to make a decision that it is enough (you won't really believe yourself)
ReplyDeleteUgh. Yes. I DO NOT understand people who can write a book in two or three months. It takes me forever. I thought my latest book was done and then I got some feedback from two beta readers. Plus, I'd entered a contest and won a fifty page critique from a girl who was an editor for like seven year. Between the three of them, it turns out I have some pretty major revising to do. Kind of a bummer, but I want the book to be the best it can be, so I guess I'll be revising.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with yours!
Even though I don't write books, I still believe you will never be done with the edits, revisions, etc. You gotta make it perfect, to the best of your ability and that what matters most.
ReplyDeleteHope everything goes well with "Doorways" :)
"Have you ever thought you were done, only to realize you're not?"
ReplyDeleteAll. The. Time.
And not just with manuscripts. I tweaked my query a bazillion times, too, until I got it right.
OMgosh, if you only knew what number incarnation I am on with the query... one tip (if you haven't already done it...) let several fresh eyes (writers only) read and critique it... someone may catch the something that your instinct is trying to tell you...
ReplyDeleteGood luck :)
PS... if you need someone, I'll volunteer :)
I feel like my life is usually one big rewrite. Even after getting a book into print, I went back in and made changes (typos, etc.). That cost me, but I needed to do it.
ReplyDeleteIf you still feel like something needs working on, then it is best to listen to your gut and do another read-through. Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex, Misha. Go with your gut, give the book another read.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing Doorways! I believe that "gut" instinct is spot on!
ReplyDeleteGood luck having another look at Doorway.
ReplyDeleteI've thought I've been done plenty of times. Even once I'm querying, if all I'm getting is rejections, I know there's more to do.
Plenty of times. You've probably noticed my first two series/novels have not seen the light of day.
ReplyDeleteSend me your query if you want or anything else you need help with.
I agree that if something is niggling, you should trust your gut instinct and take another look. One annoying thing about my rejections is that only one editor so far has taken the time to give me any feedback - it's always a boilerplate "not right for us, keep trying". But I always take a rejection as an opportunity to go back to the story with a critical eye.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was done several times with my Russian novel, during all the rounds of edits, rewrites, revisions, and polishings I did last year (a decade after I thought it was done). I kept finding things that didn't belong there, new scenes and pieces to add, things to expand. I need to go through all 335,000 words (which it took a lot of work to get down to) at least several times more, but thankfully the worst is already done.
ReplyDeleteAll.The.Time. Or so it seems. My next manuscript is going to the proofreader tomorrow. I changed something last week - and the edit has been done for about a year.
ReplyDelete