A Time Travel Poll...

In discussing whats marketable and whats not right now an agent mentioned that Time Travel isn't so hot. To make a time travel sellable it would have to have a different hook.

Hmmm. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this one. A time travel book is bascially a fish out of water book. Person travels back in some weird and unique way and is thrown into a place where she has to learn day to day basics, cope with people who might have a different view on everything and generally find love, solve a murder, or otherwise have an adventure. Its been done a million times so what would a "different hook" be?

I have a time travel on the shelf. Its been there a few years but I really don't think its got anything special. Girl travels back, adventure, civil war, fall in love, pop back to present time with the love of her life. Eh. What's so different there?

So? What would you have to see in a time travel type book that would be different enough so you'd plunk down your $10 or so?

What ever you do...

don't forget to dance your way through life! May the cockatoo be with you.

What makes a memorable character?

Ever meet a character that stays with you after you've closed the book? She follows you around for a few days-maybe months and you feel a bit of regret that the book was done. You can only hope for a sequel!
There was something in her adventure that came through and made you believe for a bit that she was a real live person. You connected with her emotions, thoughts and actions. The author did such a good job of it that you just don't want to let her go. That character is now like an old friend you want to check in on now and then. The big question is; HOW DID THEY DO THAT?
I want to create that kind of a character! I want readers to fall in love, hate or awe of my character, but how? I think the closest I ever came to this was when I reincarnated a woman as a chihuahua. In that story we saw how tough a tiny dog's life could be from the mouths of dog. (it was posted here a while ago) The people who read this story sent me emails filled with fear, anger and PASSION! They expressed raw emotions at the adventures of this little dog and cheered her on. So, why can't I do that in every book? (Too bad I can't find an agent you loves chihuahuas!)
Back to spoiled Scarlet from Gone with the Wind. Through the whole story this girl stays self centered with a small edge of meanness around some of her actions. Yet, we can't let her go. I hated Scarlet, admired her and watched in awe as she always came out on top. I wanted to hit Ret over the head for wasting his time on this bitch because she was never going to change and then there was poor dumb Ashley. I didn't see the attraction Scarlet had for him but who's to question love? Gone With the Wind stands strong even today becuse of these over the top characters but how did she do it?
Someone? Please? How do you evoke passionate responses to your characters? I need to know this magic formula so agents and editors will swoon at my work. I want them to laugh out loud, weep with desperation and cheer my girl onto the end. Well?

Fear of the Query

You work for months, years, maybe even decades on your book. Its the love of your life. It holds things that have become part of you and it takes great courage to fan the pages and tell the world to take a look. So, now you have to query. Take your masterpiece and squish it into three sentences and hope (pray!) someone will understand its greatness...in THREE SENTENCES!
As much talent as it took to write your book needs to be worked into your query. Lets try it.
GONE WITH THE WIND: Spoiled southern belle loses love of her life. Is seduced by a bad boy and as the Civil War begins and finds out she has more resourses then she ever imagined. Still she stays spoiled and self centered.
TOM SAWYER: Small town con-boy has many adventures. This takes us rafting and spelunking as he is chased by a crazy man. This boy even attends his own funeral.
ONE FOR THE MONEY: Out of work woman, desperate for a job, starts bounty hunting. She chases down the bad guys with comedic timing while fending off the advances of one hot cop and another hunky bounty hunter.
I think I need more work on this stuff. Its much harder then I thought.

Sunday Writer's Prompt

Everyone needs a good push now and then. Here's your Sunday Prompt to carry around with you this week. When you're bored, waiting in line or simply looking for something to fill some empty space- FLEX YOUR WRITING MUSCLE!

This week's prompt:

You've been reincarnated as an animal. What animal are you and what's your average day like?

Now, go forth and write! (Feel free to post your masterpiece.)

More talk about Agents

I have to say something about Literary agents.

God Bless them.

Although they say writer's need to have thick skins, I now see the same is true for agents. I've been wandering around the blogs of several agents who post about the business. They also post about how writer's respond to their rejections. The bitter nonsense some writers take the time to send to an agent who rejected them is AMAZING! The only thing I can't figure out is why would a writer do that???

Do they only intend to write this one book and think they will never-maybe-someday need this agent? Her good will or professional advice? Does the writer think that agents don't talk shop when they get together? Wouldn't it be better to give a quick and polite "Thank you, maybe next time". I've met a few agents here and there and everyone was happy to share their insight into the business. I'm sure there are nasty ones, but perhaps when you find one in a bad mood there's a reason for it. Aside from the regular family/work/life problems they come to work, where they are hoping to find the next great novelist and they walk into a nastygram from a rejected writer. Then think of the writer. Imagine how long it took to craft that letter and think how much more productive that time could have been in writing your next book instead of lashing out against someone you might someday want for a friend. No win situation. You've pissed off a perfectly good business contact and probably spoiled someone's day. Think back to mom's advice, "If you can't say something nice...blah, blah, blah."

Either way, God bless the agents who have to face this nonsense.

For writers: Put those rejections in a pile in the corner and remember they are just notches in your writer's belt. Everyone has them and someday you'll be speaking at a writer's conference talking about them like they were distant history. A lot of the greatest writers on the planet have piles of rejections and the message they send is never, never, never give up.

Your question: Have you ever responded to a rejection letter? If so, what did you say?

My dog orders me to do the dishes!

Meet Princess Lokota, affectionately known as Lokie. Every night she expects the dishes to be put in the dishwasher directly after dinner so she can get her licks in. Please know this 13 year old shelti is well fed. She eats Breakfast promptly at 6:30 a.m. and there better be a half can of greenbeans mixed in or she'll follow you around poking you with her paw.

"Hey! Where's my veggies?"

No shower, no coffee until the meal is served. When I arrive home at 5 p.m. she expects half a cup of dry food with a tablespoon of low fat yogurt within fifteen minutes of coming through the door. She stands by her dog dish and yaps until this is delivered. Afterwards the family is allowed to eat but immediately after the dishwasher must be loaded so she can inspect the dinner plates. Well, tonight I was tired, in pain (still recovering from rotator cuff surgery) and sacked on the couch to tackle the dishes AFTER Survivor China. I'm the boss here, right? If I want to let the dishes wait-- I'm allowed, right? My dishes, my house...

Eh.

Sorry, Lokie yaps, thats not on the schedule. She's standing here poking and yapping. She pretends she has forgotten what "Go lay down!" means. I think she feigns deafness as the whim takes her but hears very well the whispered word-cookie.

"GO LAY DOWN!"

"Yap! Yap! Yap!" and a poke.

I've lived and learned a half century. I'm an adult, I've raised two children, held numerous jobs and managed many people. I have a black belt in Karate for crying out loud!

But here I sit at the mercy of a dog that barely comes to my knees. My whole existence measured by whether or not I forgot to buy the dog's yogurt.

When I was a kid and wondered what I would be when I grew up-- I don't remember dog-slave being on the list.

Tomorrow night they predict thunder storms.....I'll be here, pinned to the couch by a dog poking, shaking and whining ....its the only time I'm allowed to skip the dishes...