Query Me

The hardest thing I've ever had to write (other than essays on books that I was never going to finish anyway) is a query letter. Query letters must be the bane of every aspiring author's existence, especially if it's the first time they're trying it out. I've written quite a few queries, all for the same book, and while they're all different, I do think that I'm getting better at them.

Let me tell you why query/cover letters are a fiction writer's nightmare, at least in my opinion: because fiction writers write fiction. Personally, I hate having to write about myself, about why I think my book is amazing and better than anything else out there. Not because I don't think it's amazing, but because it feels like I'm writing a heavily veiled "LOVE ME" letter to a editor I've never met before. I might as well be begging for publication for all the good it does.

The worst part of this is that I put so much work, effort, and time into writing both my cover letter and of course into the manuscript I'd like published. And generally, they go into a slush pile (read: recycling). And yes, I am aware that J. K. Rowling was rejected a million times or whatever, as were a bunch of other famous authors, and I'm sure they have binders full of rejection letters. But just because those authors have "interesting" stories about finally getting published doesn't change the fact that there could be countless other brilliant authors who didn't get published.

People say that the query/cover letter should be when you really shine by saying how good your book is, how well it fits into the market, and how good of an author you are. That it should reflect your style of writing while maintaining professionalism, and should really showcase your best work. And this is exactly what makes them so difficult. You can't just let your writing "speak for itself," you have to actually talk about it too. It's awkward, it's not easy to do, and it's a totally undervalued skill.

Which is why I'm currently working on perfecting it. Because, as cheesy as it sounds, I really would like to shine.

- Natasja

The Problem With Published Books

Yesterday as I was driving home from work, I passed by a place called "Baker Animal Clinic." A quick series of thoughts brought me to the conclusion that "Baker" was either the last name of the person who had opened the clinic or the name of the person the clinic should honour. And then I thought, "Hey, Baker would be a great name for a Jessica!" The reason I thought this was that I had a really hard time naming Jessica Carol from My Best Friend's Brother, who originally started out as Jessica Smith.

That's when it occurred to me that this is probably the biggest problem with finally, finally having a published book - I can no longer change anything. I mean, yes, I could always go back and fix the two mistakes that are contained in those pages (if you caught them and didn't say anything, then I thank you for your abundant kindness), but to change a character's name would be too suspect. It would say to the world, "This author didn't really know what she (or he) was doing."

Of course, now that I've publicly exposed that one truth, you might be thinking that anyway.* And I can't say I blame you. I mean, sometimes I'll read a book and think, "Man, I would have changed this or that before publishing." But it's too late, and there's no going back, not after a whole bunch of people have already read it. Which is why I have my faithful pre-readers, of course. I'll be honest with you - they do all the hard work. My sister points out every typo or grammatical error, my sister-in-law has no problem telling me when things make no sense to her, and my best friend tells me, "This is delightful! ... But that's kind of weird." And they really mean it in the nicest way, which is the great part.

But once it's published, it's pretty much stuck like that. Sure, you can add something for a later publication, an appendage or author's note. You just can't change names or events. You shouldn't need to, of course, but I could see many authors thinking back to older works and having a hundred what-ifs running through their minds. It's awful, but on the other hand, it certainly does a lot to improve my writing skills. It tells me what things I would or wouldn't do in the future. So I guess my "problem" with published books is still something I can use to my advantage.

- Natasja

*To be clear, once I'd named her "Jessica Carol" I was perfectly happy with this choice and wouldn't change it now, even if I could.