Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 1

Welcome, lovetowrite, and thank you.

Should one mention theme when querying agents? I've finished a YA novel ms and am toiling away on the query letter . I keep bouncing back and forth over whether I should say the theme in the letter, and if so, where in the letter.

Forgive me if this was ever covered upthread...I haven't read the whole thing.

I'm not convinced that theme needs to be mentioned at all in a query letter.

What does need to be mentioned: word count and genre. Any special qualifications you have for writing this book. Previous publications and awards (limit yourself to the three most recent/most prestigious).

If they ask for a synopsis, follow their guidelines on that. Brief is good.

Thanks Uncle Jim!

Assignment Twenty-One
Write and submit a short story to an open anthology.


Well, I wrote my short story - Fantasy genre.

In the second draft, I deleted all unnecessary -ly words, adverbs and adjectives; rewrote sentences with "had," "has," and the like; removed more than 1500 excess words that were repetitive, info-dump or the story didn't need it.

I had people (husband and co-worker) read it. They liked it. I submitted the first section to SYW. It got torn apart (*facepalm*). Time to re-write it, which we all know means a totally different short story. I understand the meaning of this better now.

With the suggestions and critiques I received, a major overhaul of the main character is necessary. My light, airy, clueless ("juvenile") heroine will become darker, grounded and less gullible.

Plus, I will be changing the 1st person narrative to 3rd person.

And before I forget - SHOW, DON'T TELL!!!! (Oops - don't use all caps and exclamation marks.)

I will revisit Assignment 21 again.

Once again, a plug for Uncle Jim on the Radio.

Here's the information: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=693081&postcount=3863

Short version: http://www.am990.com at noon Central time, tomorrow the 6th of August.

I particularly invite any of our friends who are, or are contemplating being, published by PublishAmerica to tune in.

I just wanted to say thank you so very much for your generosity in sharing what you know on this forum. I am new to the forum and working my way through this thread. The information is amazing! I have been sharing it with my 15 year old son who is working on his first Fantasy novel. Both he and his older brother have read your books the Circle of Magic series when they were younger and complained when there were no more to read.

Once again, thank you.

~Casi~

On the air in fifteen minutes.

G'afternoon Jim. I had a heck of a time hearing the broadcast. Streaming interruptions made listening painful. I'm looking forward to the iPod version or online replay. I seem to have less trouble when listening to Ed's pre-recorded shows. Any idea when he'll will have them posted?

No idea, Liam. I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Uh-oh! Looks like I ticked off some scam agent or vanity publisher!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0812517067&itm=1

Jim, A reviewer, August 2, 2006, *

James D. Macdonald said:

Uh-oh! Looks like I ticked off some scam agent or vanity publisher!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0812517067&itm=1

Jim, A reviewer, August 2, 2006, *

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Ticked off a scammer or VP? You? Surely not!

"Jim the Reviewer" needs a good dose of laxative. He'll get over his angst, By Honor Betray'd will continue to sell, and all will be right with the world.

I missed your broadcast...is that the only time they will air it or will it be repeated?

I just wanted to say that I fixed the beginning of one of my books. I always disliked the opening for various reasons. Things weren't moving along, and with the MC waking up as the start, it was deadly dull. In my head, I had the following words from Uncle Jim (tried to find the original post, but to no avail):

So, where does your story begin?

One way to find your beginning is this: first, write your book. Now go through it to find its start.

Here's how to recognize the start: it's the point where you can no longer summarize everything that went before in a single sentence.


I finally found my start this weekend. There is movement, and things happen, and I am happy with it.

Onward, and thank you, Uncle Jim.

Karen

Here's the original post: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=82322&postcount=35

I'm happy that you're finding it useful.

I hate to admit it - and if and when I do twig it I'm probably going to kick myself - but I've seen the below-quoted phrase used many times and can't get a real grasp of it.

Is it on the assumption that the 'everything that went before' is routine and mundane? Is the summary sentence likely to read something like - Bob spent a boring week doing what he did every day, until Saturday afternoon when.... ? Then the story really starts on that Saturday afternoon.

Don't tell me I've worked it out at last? Kick, kick! If so, I'm tempted to delete this post, but on the other hand I can't be the only one not to have cottoned on.

ETA And to make matters worse, he posts the reference right above me!

allion said:

Here's how to recognize the start: it's the point where you can no longer summarize everything that went before in a single sentence.

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And don't think of those first, deleted chapters as wasted work. They are the backstory that you have to keep in mind, whether any of it is ever mentioned again or not. It's also good practice.

Uncle Jim, you mentioned that your outline for a novel runs to about 2/3 the length of the finished work. That bowled me over until you started to describe how you wrote them: Conversations between characters about the plot, conversations between characters and author about themselves and the plot, rude comments from the reader, etc.

I realized you decided on a very smart technique. You write a deliberately bad first draft, with no subtlety or obfuscation of plot, knowing it all has to change and be filled out later, anyway. (Which probably makes the first draft go very quickly; there's little pressure to make anything beautiful.) Was this impression correct?

I haven't had the opportunity of using this technique yet, as I've been concentrating on short stories lately. But I'll try it. I will!

Deliberately bad? Perhaps. They're outlines, for heaven's sake: not a novel, the blueprint for one. They're where I find out if a particular plot arc is going anywhere, or if a character works. And where else could I write the scene where Harry Houdini escapes from a milk can full of maple syrup? It was fun to write, even if it never appeared anywhere. "Fun" is a big part of the experience for me.

(Our short story, "Nobody Has To Know," incidentally, is an unedited chunk of one of my outlines. My coauthor took it, added linebreaks, and submitted it. It was published in Vampires, Jane Yolen, ed.)

Ken: what went before might have been fascinating in its own right, but It Isn't Part Of This Story. The Mystery of the Flying Express was worth a novel of its own, but it isn't part of The Clue of the Broken Blade, and is disposed of in a single sentence in the latter work.

BTW, for everyone: Leigh Grossman (author, editor, packager) is writing a series of posts elsewhere on the web on How Publishing Works. The latest episode is on Agents, and it's here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/7/122232/1998

(Leigh has the good sense to quote me several places in his series.)

If the backstory takes up a third of the novel -- it isn't backstory.

SeanDSchaffer said:

Is it part of the novel, or is it possibly another story....

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Yes.

James D. Macdonald said:

Yes.

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I need some help - PLEASE! I have been told that I tell too much and need to change it to showing. I am very confused about the difference.

As an example:

Midday, it must be – her stomach told her so. At a clearing, she unloaded her supplies, ate and rested.

Is that telling or showing?

Allynegirl said:

At a clearing, she unloaded her supplies, ate and rested.

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That's telling, and we're grateful for it. Not everything should be shown. Just don't be that brief when it matters.