Spring Forth!

Rose's Colored Glasses

April 2007 Newsletter

What's Inside?

Announcements!
Email Queries
Where do Ideas Come From?
Bringing in the Senses
The Critique Line
The Cycle
Dear Rose

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Email Queries
By Roni Adams

In this age of email and instant access to editors and agents, should your email query letter be as formal as one sent through postal mail?

Of course it should. Even though email is a more informal means of communication, your first representation of yourself and your work should always be completely professional. A query letter doesn't have to follow the same format as a written letter, like we learned in high school business class. You don't need to provide an inside address, a proscribed number of spaces, the date and a formal salutation and closing, but the letter should contain formal attributes.

Email Address should reflect you as a serious writer

To back up one step, one of the most important things in an email query should be your own email address. Is it professional? Does it reflect your writing career, such as roni@roniadams.com or is it something like toohotforyou17@hotmail.com? Which one sounds like a serious writer working towards publication? An email address should be an extension and should include your pen name, if you have one. Another thing my email demonstrates is that I have a web site where they can go to discover more about me.
Do you need a web site? That's another whole discussion, but if you have one, you should definitely advertise the fact by using that email when querying or in any correspondence with editors or agents. If you don't have one, you do need to get an email that's professional. Either with your given name or your pen name.

Know the name of the Editor

Okay, so now you have a professional email address. Do you have the name of the editor you are querying? If you do, then you should certainly address that person by name in the email the same as in a regular letter: Dear Ms. Jones.

The Query - Hit Story Hightlights

If you don't know the editor's name or you are querying a general email submission box such as querys@thewildrosepress.com then no salutation is needed. For some, the greeting, "Dear Editor" is too generic. Choose to start your query like: "After reading your submission guidelines, I would like to submit the following to your erotic romance line." Then a space or two and then the next line: "My story is about two actors caught in a timewarp on an old west stage. The two loves wind up in a series of…" You get the idea. Make your query only a few paragraphs, hit the highlights of your story the same as you would in a printed query letter. DO NOT attach your synopsis.

Wrap up

In your final paragraph say something to the effect of, "I have included my synopsis following this query letter. I look forward to hearing from you soon." Close your note with a formal signature and your contact information, including snail mail address. I always add my phone number. The last thing you want is an editor who would like to request your story but can't find you.

The Synopsis

After your contact info, make three *** to indicate a break between the query and the synopsis. Start with the title of your book, the page or word length, and then, if appropriate, which line in the publishing house you are targeting. For example:

Roni Adams
"To Love and Lose"
55K words
Champagne Rose Line

No attachments, unless requested

One of the most important things when emailing an editor is to never, never, never attach anything unless you have been invited to do so. In this day of virus and SPAMS, editors have been instructed by their IT departments to never open attachments they aren't familiar with and to delete them without reading.

Brief Synopsis

Keep your synopsis brief. Make it appeal to the editor and generate interest. Your goal is the same as it is in a snail mail query; you want that editor to respond positively and ask for more.

Once you have that editor's email, you may be tempted to simply shoot them a note and ask them if they received your query. Editors are very busy people. They receive hundreds of emails weekly, sometimes daily. Most will send an email verifying receipt of your query and will be in touch after their review. Sending your email with the "return receipt" button turned on is generally acceptable.

When to Inquire

So you know your query was received and several weeks have passed. How long do you wait before contacting the editor and asking for a status update? The worst thing you can do is email an editor a week after you've sent your submission. Just because email is instant and quick doesn't mean the reading or reviewing of email is any faster than reading a printed letter. Give the editor time to do his/her job.

How to Inquire

So how long do you wait? The same as you would a snail mail submission. First refer to the publisher's submission guidelines. Is a timeframe stated? Some houses request no additional contact for at least six months, etc. If no details are given, use the guideline of three months. Again, be professional. Do not become a pest to this editor and be tagged as such. Your follow-up should be short and to the point. Something along the line of:

"On February 1, 2007 I emailed a submission for my story, "On Bended Knee." I am following up to see if I can provide additional information on this story. I am still very interested in your opinion of this timetravel western, and I look forward to hearing from you at your convenience."

That's it. Again, give your contact info, etc. Remember, the fact email is friendly and informal doesn't mean you have that type of relationship with this editor. Even if you've met at a conference, had lunch or exchange greetings in the ladies room, do not assume they will remember you. Keep things professional, and you will begin what is hopefully a healthy business relationship on the right foot.

Where Do Ideas Come From?
By Judith Rochelle

How many people ask the question, Where do writers get their ideas? How do they come up with plot lines? With characters? I used to ask the same question myself. That was before the writing bug bit, and I took all the suggestions I'd been given and figured out how to use them.

Carry a Notebook ALWAYS!

For one thing, always carry a notebook-big, small, tiny enough for a purse--it doesn't matter. Just something to keep notes in. Say you're in a restaurant having Shrimp Louie and a chilled glass of Chablis and the people at the next table begin arguing about wine. Okay, what if they are co-owners in a winery. One wants to sell, the other doesn't. And if it's a family winery, all the more intense. So you jot down the gist of their conversation and maybe a word or two about the people themselves so you have character references.

In the Mall

Another good place to people watch is a mall. Every kind of humanity will pass before your eyes in the space of an hour. You can look at each one and play the "What If?" game. What if that guy covered with tattoos is really part of a biker gang running drugs? What if the couple looking so romantic are actually married - to other people? What if the old woman sitting across from you is really a millionaire looking for someone to give money to, but her family is fighting it, trying to have her declared incompetent? Well, you get the idea.

In the Newspaper

Newspapers are a great source, too, even letters to the editor. I read one in our local paper from a woman who had just moved to town and was renting a house, gone jogging and was caught in a downpour and a very nice man in a truck - with a dog - gave her a ride home. From that I came up with the idea for a romantic suspense about a woman who returns to her hometown after leaving it twenty-five years before. No one knows her after all this time. She's changed her name, she's a true-crime writer and she's back to solve the mystery of her sister's murder.

On Television

You can even steal a little bit from television. I watched an episode of CSI in which a couple left their dead baby for the police to find and faked a kidnapping. The baby was actually killed by their five-year-old child. Although an accident the parents didn't know what to do.

Okay, here's where the "What If?" came in. What If a family had a child that was really a bad seed, had already killed her brother and the woman was pregnant again? How would they find a way to remedy the situation? Watch for ECHOES OF THE PAST, out in May from Triskelion Publishing, to find out how far I took the What If game with this one.

When something triggers an idea in your mind, pull out that little notebook and jot it down. You never know how you can flesh it out at a later date. Describe people you see who fascinate you, places that might make good settings for stories. Anything you find interesting, someone else will like, too.

In Your Mind

But the most important thing to remember is that ideas come from YOUR MIND. So give your imagination free rein. Nothing is too absurd or off the wall. New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart said, If you write a page a day, at the end of the year you'll have a book.

So start watching what goes on around you and putting those ideas down. Maybe at the end of the year you'll have finished your book.

Newbie News

Bringing in the Senses
By Bev Oz

Ever run across the sweet, heady smell of honeysuckle while driving in the country? Can you close your eyes and visualize the vibrant reds and pinks of a sunset, or the pale greens of a newly budded tree? Can you imagine the brush of a feather against the backside of your knee? When you think about licking a freshly cut lemon and allowing its tangy juice to linger on your tongue, does you mouth water? Does the sound of honking of horns and screeching of tires make you cringe?

Can you smell it?
Can you taste it?
Can you hear it?
Can you see it?

Now think about what you've just read and how those words affected your senses? Did you smell the honeysuckle? See the reds, oranges, and greens? How about that lemon? Could you almost taste it?

Sensory Response

The human mind reacts to sensory suggestions, even suggestions taken in through written words. After a person experiences a sound, touch, taste, etc., the mere mention of the experienced sense can quickly evoke a sensory response.

For a writer, like myself, this is powerful information. Why? Because I know I can control what my readers see, smell, taste, hear, and feel simply by choosing one word over another. For example, consider the impact of changing just a few words in the following sentence.

Can you feel it?

I rubbed my hand against the furry softness of the cashmere sweater.
I rubbed my hand against the slick, almost wet, skin of the snake.

I opened the door and was nearly knocked down by the oppressive heat and humidity.
I opened the door and was nearly knocked down by the frigid north wind.

Sprinkle some on

When I write, I carefully sprinkle in sensory words to achieve greater reader involvement. I want the readers to experience what my heroines and heroes experience and become immersed in my story. If I can coax the people who buy my books to completely lose themselves in my books' make-believe worlds, maybe they'll come back for more.

The Critique Line
By Allie Standifer

We all love having our writing praised, reviewed and sometimes even critiqued. What happens when the shoe is on the other foot? When we are the ones responsible for giving advice, opinions and feedback? How far is too far? How much honesty is too much? Where is the line you shouldn't cross?

Crit Unto Others

My advice is to live by the Golden Rule. Crit onto others as you would want them to crit onto you. Writers send their work for your honest opinion, not a gushing review of their own brilliance. Be frank, not brutal. If you see a break in the story flow, point it out, but also offer a solution. POV problems? Show which words caused the error and again offer a solution.

Offer Alternatives

Don't bash and trash another author's work. If huge problems are present and you can't find a good word to say, offer alternatives and a new perspective. Remember every writer has to start somewhere. You just may be the critiquer that makes or breaks a new author's courage to write.

Praise is Great - Keep it Honest

On the flip slide, don't go so overboard that the author thinks she's being cheated out of a New York Times bestsellers list. Praise is great. It helps to build a new writer's confidence and keep a veteran's voice fresh. It lets a person know her writing has value and her voice is strong.

Learn to walk the critique line. Keep your praise honest and your criticisms helpful and to the point. In the end, the person you're reviewing will be grateful for your honesty and tact.

The Cycle
by Delilah Devlin

Optimally--if my brain would only cooperate--I'd always be ready to leap into the next new project as soon as I typed "The End" on the last one. This would mean that before I finished a draft of a story, I'd have to have fully envisioned (I'm coming to hate the word "plot" because it's not exactly what I do) the next story so I can leap right into it.

So the optimal cycle for me would be: Write draft of Story #1--while plotting storyline for Story #2.

What's been happening lately has my rhythm screwed up. I'm out of contracts to fulfill at the moment, hence no deadlines, which has made it a real struggle for me to get serious about writing the next book regardless of black-and-white acceptance of said story.

So my present, unproductive cycle is this: Piddle on draft of Story #1--while dreaming about Stories #2, 3, and 4.

My friends at first said, "You're just tired. You wrote stories back-to-back last year. Take a break." Well, I don't think breaks work for me. If I'm not writing, I'm stressing and feeling guilty about the fact I'm not writing. So maybe I need to devise a new cycle which will incorporate the rest my brain seems to need without letting me get entirely off-track.

So this will be my experiment: Write draft of Story #1--while plotting storyline for Story #2--then, take a "research break" before starting the whole thing again.

Maybe if I give "surfing the Internet" an official name, I won't think I'm just goofing off. I'll let you know how it works.

Dear Rose,

I usually write romance that has a little sex in it. Nothing over-the-top. Nothing too gratutitus. However, recently I've written and sold two stories that are VERY sexy. Nothing is left to the imagination - nothing!

I'm debating whether I should use a different pen name for these sexy stories, or if I should use my regular pen name. What do you recommend?

Signed - The Double-sided pen

Dear Double,
The answer to this actually starts with a question. Which genre sold first and what do the readers associate with your name? From your letter it looks like the first "taste" readers got of you was in a sensual story - what you usually write. This means they're going to associate the author (we'll call you Jane) of that book with the sensual, not over-the-top type story. Those readers may now go into the store and see Jane on a book and purchase it, only to find it's now MUCH more graphic. This could possibly turn them off which could result in lost readers.

A good example is Nora Roberts. (note: Ms. Roberts was not interviewed for this answer)

Most people who read Nora associate her with sweeping romantic love stories. These books contain all the wonderful elements of a well-crafted romance.

When she turned her talents to writing near-futuristic romantic suspense, the content was darker and grittier, the language harsher and the sexual content more explicit. People looking for a Nora might possibly have been turned off with the different story type, so she writes under the name JD Robb in order to keep the identities seperate. Sherrilyn Kenyon (paranormal)/Kinley MacGregor (historical) is another example.

In short, I suggest adopting a name to go with the new sexier style of writing.

Always,
ROSE