Gay Ingram's Blog - Posts Tagged "book"
Believability Matters
There is a concept that a writer can put anything down on paper, make it interesting enough, or startling enough, or shocking enough and it will be a success. Imagination is a handy tool to have available when creating a piece of fiction. For some, the products of imagination come bubbling forth as a gushing brook; a freshet tumbling its path down a rock-strewn hillside. One situation sparks another, even more stupendous and climatic than the last.
But through all the weirdness and astonishing events must run a thread of believability. It’s all right to stretch the reader’s imagination but your writing must contain a nugget of believability or the story will be rejected and discarded faster than a streak of lightning.
Anything imagined can be integrated within a story’s structure as long as the writer remembers to embed an element of plausibility, giving the reader a hand-hold to grasp as the words take him/her into uncharted waters.
It isn’t necessary to plod along your plot line, never straying from the norm that we all encounter in our everyday lives. A piece of fiction can take its readers into unfamiliar territory, introduce them to strange lands, different lifestyles, people who think and act differently, life lives that differ from ours.
But through it all, the writer must keep in mind the commonness of mankind. Include those basic elements and truths that are a part of everyman’s psche. These will become your anchors, allowing the reader to follow along with into the unknown world you are creating on the page. As these benchmarks impress themselves on your readers’ minds, they will allow the reader to feel a sense of comfort. In the midst of the adventuring, the reader remains in contact with the believeable.
But through all the weirdness and astonishing events must run a thread of believability. It’s all right to stretch the reader’s imagination but your writing must contain a nugget of believability or the story will be rejected and discarded faster than a streak of lightning.
Anything imagined can be integrated within a story’s structure as long as the writer remembers to embed an element of plausibility, giving the reader a hand-hold to grasp as the words take him/her into uncharted waters.
It isn’t necessary to plod along your plot line, never straying from the norm that we all encounter in our everyday lives. A piece of fiction can take its readers into unfamiliar territory, introduce them to strange lands, different lifestyles, people who think and act differently, life lives that differ from ours.
But through it all, the writer must keep in mind the commonness of mankind. Include those basic elements and truths that are a part of everyman’s psche. These will become your anchors, allowing the reader to follow along with into the unknown world you are creating on the page. As these benchmarks impress themselves on your readers’ minds, they will allow the reader to feel a sense of comfort. In the midst of the adventuring, the reader remains in contact with the believeable.
Query or Elevator Pitch?
I’d like to address a couple terms that pop up often in the writing and publishing world: query and elevator pitch.
A query does not have to be a masterpiece to grab an agent or editor's attention. What
it has to do is 1) impress the agent/editor with good, clear writing and an interesting plot summary, 2) describe the work as fiction or non, provide a word count, and suggest a genre,
and 3) list your credentials as a capable writer.
“elevator pitch” - a short, snappy description of your book used to quickly and simply define it and to inspire interest. You generally have thirty seconds to two minutes. You know your book better than anyone; what do you think really sets your work apart?
A query does not have to be a masterpiece to grab an agent or editor's attention. What
it has to do is 1) impress the agent/editor with good, clear writing and an interesting plot summary, 2) describe the work as fiction or non, provide a word count, and suggest a genre,
and 3) list your credentials as a capable writer.
“elevator pitch” - a short, snappy description of your book used to quickly and simply define it and to inspire interest. You generally have thirty seconds to two minutes. You know your book better than anyone; what do you think really sets your work apart?
Cover Letter Pointers
Write in a friendly, self-confident tone. Bypass the cutesy and over-familiar. Be Professional.
List any qualifications, relevant previous publication credits, writing credentials, especially if you've studied with a prominent person, or on-the-job experience that would lend credence to this particular manuscript or even what inspired the writing of this book.
Follow submission requirements to the letter. Your synopsis should provide a thumbnail sketch of who, what, where, when and why--the theme, setting, principal players, all in a few sentences.
The point of a cover letter is to introduce yourself and your work. It is the sample of your work that you include which will clinch the deal.
List any qualifications, relevant previous publication credits, writing credentials, especially if you've studied with a prominent person, or on-the-job experience that would lend credence to this particular manuscript or even what inspired the writing of this book.
Follow submission requirements to the letter. Your synopsis should provide a thumbnail sketch of who, what, where, when and why--the theme, setting, principal players, all in a few sentences.
The point of a cover letter is to introduce yourself and your work. It is the sample of your work that you include which will clinch the deal.
