Maybe you first heard of the “story spine” from Stanley Williams’ book, The Moral Premise. But I actually thought of the concept all by my lonesome the winter of 2011 at the first Deep Thinkers Retreat. Because it became clear to me we HAVE to know what the story is about in order to develop the character and the plot. The pitch is that one or two lines, the concept, of the story that you tell editors or agents. Or you friends when they ask, “What’s your story about.” You must be able to tell it in one or two succinct sentences. If you ramble or start telling too much, then you’re not nailing the core of your story. For example, my pitch for Dining with Joy was “It’s about a cooking show […]
Read the RestTag Archives | Delivering Convincing Proposals
Before You Submit a Proposal
You can’t help it. It’s time. Really time. You’ve been writing and rewriting this book for eons. Or at least it feels like eons. You want to submit it, get going on your stellar writing career. Time’s a wastin’! Maybe you haven’t been working on it for eons, but you went to a conference and you heard an editor say she was really looking for the next great romance author to groom and you have just the story. Or finally, one of the BIG PUBLISHERS is actively seeking speculative fiction and your space navy story is ready for the picking. Perhaps your story has been through a critique or edit of some kind. A reader (mom, dad, sister, best friend, hubby, wifey) LOVED it. They want more! […]
Read the RestCover Letters and Marketing Plans…sell your novel CONCEPT
So….you’ve polished your story, the agent is breathlessly waiting for it…time to send it in, right? Nope. First you need to write a proposal. A post-conference, request proposal consists of a Cover Letter, a Marketing Plan, a Synopsis, and the first three chapters. I like to write my Cover or Query letter last because, well, by then I know what I’m trying to say. And, you should already have those first three chapters written and polished, right? If this is your first book you should have your manuscript already written. And you should know your physical, emotional and spiritual plots, including the black moment and the epiphany. You should know who your character is, what his values are, what motivates him and what his greatest […]
Read the RestNow What? Post ACFW Conference Chalk Talk
Are you home from the ACFW conference? Finally unpacked? I took a terrible head cold home with me from the plane (thank you coughing guy sitting next to me). But, what a great weekend we spent together at the annual ACFW Conference! I hope you came home filled with encouragement and new ideas on how to make your writing breathtaking. Now what? Conferences can be overwhelming – between the requests for proposals or full manuscripts, new story ideas, craft lessons, marketing epiphanies and loads of new friends. Where and how do you start to process all this information? First, sit down a make a list of everyone you met, from editors to fellow authors, to newbies. Then, start reaching out. If they are editors or agents who […]
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