Step One:
Step Two: I wrote. And I learned about writing. It
made me do this:
Step Three: I let my critique group and
beta readers tell me what parts they liked, but most importantly, what parts
were garbage in my beloved novel. At first, it made me do this:
Step Five: I rewrote or deleted the
garbage parts. At first it felt like this:
Now it's more like this:
Step Six: I wrote a query letter. It was
harder than writing a novel. Okay, not really, just less fun. I read every query letter ever written on this
planet and seven others to try to make mine better. I read agent and writer
blog posts to find out what hooked them in a query. I had my query edited and
critiqued, I swore at it, I apologized and gave it chocolate, and we came to an
understanding. This is Version 43.2 that I finally settled on. It's not even close to perfect, but it did the trick.
Dear Rachel Marks,
I discovered on the
Quick Brown Fox blog that you’re seeking YA fiction. I hope you’ll be
interested in my YA time travel novel, TIME WALKER, first in a series and
complete at 97,500 words.
For Time Walkers, death is temporary and youth
can last forever. But Rachel’s mom never mentions that, and Rachel never tells
her mom about the hallucinations. It’s like the universe is trying to vacuum
her up. She’s losing her mind, her track career, and her friends. Just when she
thinks she’s found the center of the black hole, she lives the worst—and
last—two minutes of her life. The paths of time snatch her dead body and rip
her to particles, then slam her back together in the Middle Ages. She’s alive,
but it’s a rough era. Dead twice in one day, the paths toss her into 1897 Victorian
Chicago, a tough place for a six-foot-tall sprinter in stolen, too-small
clothes to blend in.
Members of the Society of Time Walkers nab her
before the Chicago police can. They teach her what her mom didn’t—that the
hallucinations were her genetically-altered mind’s preparation for time walking.
The Time Walkers feel like family, except for agent Adam Patterson. He feels
more like a pulled muscle: aggravating and tight. He’d love to arrest Rachel
for illegal time walking, but settles for taking her to Society Headquarters
for training before her explosive ability kills her, or someone else,
permanently.
Two centuries and a continent away from home,
with her former life off limits, Rachel joins the agency fighting rising
historical crimes. She’s always wanted to see the world and tracking down
stolen Rembrandts and unauthorized Time Walkers is one way to do it. But something
worse is lurking under the crime wave and the Society is dividing. Some claim
the human world is dying and only Time Walkers can save them. Others, like
Adam, believe that given its dark origins, time walking must remain secret
to humans, no matter the cost. With a war coming and her first death haunting
her in so many ways, the cost could be Rachel's life. That, and her mom still
hasn’t apologized.
In the vein of Richard Ungar's TIME SNATCHERS
series, but intended for an older teen audience, TIME WALKER will appeal to
fans who enjoy the superhero elements of Tahereh Mafi's SHATTER ME series
and Shannon Hale’s DANGEROUS. Though I would prefer time travel, I make do with
world travel, taking teens on adventures with tour groups. As a registered
nurse, I have a handy background in anatomy and physiology. I’m a member of
SCBWI and study with New York Times bestselling
author David Wolverton. The complete manuscript of TIME WALKER is available
upon request. This is a multiple submission. Thank you for your time and
consideration.
Sincerely,
Jessica Lee Parsons
Step Seven: I researched agents and sent
them my query letter. I used Query Tracker to, you know, track my queries.
This:
Step Nine: This:
Step Ten: My agent, Rachel Marks, made
suggestions to polish my story. Really, really wise suggestions. (You're never
done writing your book. It can always get better.) This:
And now, a Word from a Wordsmith:
"You don't start out writing good
stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it's good stuff, and then
gradually you get better at it. That's why I say one of the most valuable
traits is persisitence."
Octavia E. Butler, Award-Winning Author
and Sci-Fi Queen
Hello. I am a little confused, though I love this adorable, illustrated lesson. Doesn't your agent help you find a publisher?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shannon, and yes, absolutely agents help find publishers, but I'm part of that process. My agent helps me get my manuscript as polished as possible, then sends it to editors who work for publishing companies. If an editor likes it, they may ask me to make some more improvements, then they'll try to convince a committee that it's worth investing in. If the committee agrees, then you get a deal, and may still have some editing to do. Quite a process, huh? Does that clear it up?
ReplyDeleteThank you for including a copy of your query letter! It helps to see an example of what worked for you. Also, I enjoyed the illustrations. Bret W.
ReplyDelete