The pace of the story is dictated by the sentence length. Not just the words used. This thought occurred to me as I sat reviewing something that I had written. Here’s the context. The good guy in a story is an a jam. He has to extricate himself from a difficult situation. He has to throw off his trail a man who is following him some distance away by assaulting him when he least expects it. Here we go then:
Which is more difficult to write? Novel or query? No prizes for guessing! It has to be the query!! As the days go by, I discover that writing a 80,000 word novel was so much easier than writing a query. I would like to share my learnings for the benefit of others who might be in a similar position – now or later:
There are innumerable sites in the web that offer sound advice on writing. Suzannah Freeman has done us all a great favour by compiling a list of “23 Websites that Make Your Writing Stronger“. Thanks for that strong list for writing stonger.
Until some months ago, I had only a very hazy idea of who literary agents were and of their role in the publishing business. I always thought of them as being representatives of publishers who scout for writing talent. Now that I have written my first- as yet unpublished- novel titled ” It Can’t Be You” all of a sudden, I am in the process of discovering just how important literary agents are. I understand that very, very few authors get their work published directly by large publishing houses without being represented by a literary agent.
I never imagined writing a query letter would be that important. Honest. As I learn more about the craft of the trade, I am amazed at the wealth of information available on writing queries. There are books, websites and blogs which cover the subject in great detail. Continue reading “Thank you, Mr. Lukeman”
Shelfari is described as the “premier social network for people who love books”. I came across this network only recently and was delighted to explore the immense possibilities there. I look forward to spending many enjoyable hours here.
National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short was not new to me. I had come across it some years ago but couldn’t find( or should I more accurately say “make” ) time to take part in it. Very simply, people attempt to write at least 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November each year.
You got to start somewhere, right? Let me start with a quick list of my Top Ten ( in other words my favourite ) Authors:
I am an aspiring novelist. An aspiring writer. A keen blogger. What I have in common with millions of others- experienced writers and novices alike- is that all of us are “Writing To Be Read”.
Here is a blog dedicated to the world of writing- covering the art of writing, authors and books. And readers of course, without whom there would be no takers for our writing.
I am hooked to books- and writing. This space is for me to explore the world of writing, authors and books. They have given me countless hours of enjoyment. I hope they do the same to you.
I live in Bangalore, India. Writing is my passion. I have been a corporate executive, management consultant and executive coach for three and a half decades. Writing to be read is what I hope to do for the rest of my life…..
Prem Rao : Stories from a Story Teller 