I’ve been so busy editing over the last however-many-months, I haven’t posted anything besides a few book reviews, a note on querying (which was mostly for my own benefit), and the weekly Friday Morning FYIs. So here’s a short (<900 words) thingy I banged-out, oh, probably a year ago. I wrote it one day when a strange, naggy little idea way-too-small for a novel broke through the topsoil in my mind, and watered itself.
Enjoy!
WARNING – hastily-written, unnecessarily-long, thought-streamy post ahead.
So I’ve started querying for my 57,000 word high-concept Middle Grade Contemporary Fantasy (whew) novel. If you’ve never written a book, you couldn’t know what an emotional rollercoaster it is from start to finish, including the part where you pitch it to publishing professionals. Let me explain.
Continue reading “Aaaaaaaaaand ‘Send’: The Courage to Query”
Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI (Oops, almost forgot! edition), my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.
This week’s FYI is inspired by how I’m about to finish my final round of edits before I start querying:
Yes, hard work pays-off. Putting in long hours pays-off. Commitment pays-off. HOW it pays-off, though, is up in the air. At the very least, you’ll know you did your best.
Thanks for reading,
{RDj}
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Unlike the last book I reviewed, this one is not tough. The Screaming Staircase is a very good book, with a few small issues.
I saw this book mentioned by a literary agent on Twitter as the kind of middle grade horror they’d love to represent. Intrigued, I fired up my Kindle app and dove in. I was not disappointed.
Prose – Strong, elegant, and consistent, but not always efficient. Overall, it’s quite good.
Story – In a world where “Visitors” (ghosts) are a publically-recognized threat, children-who are the only people who can see the spirits-risk their lives to put the ghosts to rest. The story is told by Lucy, the newest member of the London-based ghost-fighting agency, Lockwood and Co.
The story is engaging, with the main focus on a violent ghost attached to a locket the team finds on an investigation. The best (read-page turner) scenes are those where ghost-fighting takes place. The author creates a real sense of danger by not only describing horrific manifestations, but also reminding us throughout of children who’ve lost their lives combatting ghosts. This results is gripping waves of dread and relief. The main story’s climax is also satisfying.
By the end, I wanted more, and look forward to reading book 2.
Favorite thing – The sense of dread the author creates in ghost-involved scenes.
Overall – Recommend.
Welcome to your Friday Morning FYI (Late as Hell! edition), my chance to share observations/wisdom/rants in short, easily consumed form.
This week’s FYI is inspired by the old idea “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”:
Examine your life. If it’s good, awesome, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be better. Don’t remain static. Static is safe, true, but safety never makes for a good story.
Thanks for reading,
{RDj}
Ron Writes Stuff 