Colleen Oefelein
Literary Agent
Adventure Write
Literary Agent MacGregor & Luedeke Lit Christian Disabled Veteran PTSD warrior Penn State alum Also Author CM McCoy: EERIE Loves Irish dance, space & Pokemon
Literary Agent
#WritingCommunity
Did you use a filtering verb in your opening (see, hear, feel, watch, smell)?
Eliminate it & bring your POV closer:
#querytip
Literary Agent
Query trouble?
Make sure u include all your juicy bits!
1. Use this template to collect them
2. Work them in:
- MC intro
- strong verbs
- inciting incident
- conflict/obstacle {crisis}
- intrigue {secret}
- MC's goal
- stakes {consequences}
#querytip #WritingCommunity
Literary Agent
Struggling with your query?
Writers Digest has a great series called Successful Queries (examples of real life queries that landed an agent or publisher):
writersdigest.com/successful-que…
#WritingCommunity #Writers #amquerying #querytip
Literary Agent
Lately I see submissions that ignore the subjunctive mood.
I wish it were not so.
Here’s a quick and dirty reminder of when/how to use subjunctive:
grammar-monster.com/glossary/subju…
#amwriting #querytip #amquerying #writerscommunity
Literary Agent
Editing tip:
Avoid double-writing. Don't explain what your words show.
Ex:
She couldn't contain her excitement. She sprinted across the street and tackle-hugged him. -> She sprinted across the street and tackle-hugged him.
Much more better 👍
#writingcommuity
#querytip
Literary Agent
Editing tip of the day:
Remove “began to” and “started to” for your MS. Use the verb that follows.
Ex:
The sky started to glisten. —> The sky glistened.
Much stronger 👍
#querytip
#amquerying
#WritingCommunity
#writerslift
#authorlife
Literary Agent
Jennifer DeChiara @4writers
So happy and thrilled to announce the addition of agent Erin Clyburn to JDLA! Welcome, Erin! For information about what she's looking for and how to submit to her, please visit our agency website at jdlit.com. pic.twitter.com/eSWqCpX7hxAttention #amwriting’ers!
Get your query letters shined up for agent Erin! See her wishlist on jdlit.com.
❤️ Welcome Erin! ❤️
#amquerying
#writerslife
#Writers
#querytip
Literary Agent
On today's Agent Monday post, meet fab Senior Literary Agent Stephen Fraser @fraserstephena of The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency!
@JDLitAgency
#Mondayblogs
#pubtip #querytip #amquerying
marielamba.wordpress.com/2019/04/15/age…
Literary Agent
Passive voice is hated by me.
It should be annihilated.
Authors should be compelled by a sense of duty to their readers and be forcibly sat at their computer so that the dizziness created by a run-on passive sentence can be addressed.
#querytip
Literary Agent
Colleen Oefelein @eerie_o
One example:👍She lunged at the teetering statue, pulling it into a giant bear hug as she cha-cha'd it into submission.
She stepped back and huffed.
"Graceful," I said.
Spinning around, she bared her teeth and pointed a bony finger in my face. "Hands OFF the art," she snarled.
And so, to recap, if your rejection feedback is
"too much telling"
and you're inclined to edit,
look for instances of explained motivation
as one way to tweak some telling into showing
#querytip
#amquerying
#amediting
#writerslife
Literary Agent
Let's talk about explained character motivation & 1st drafts:
🗣️She lunged at the teetering statue to steady it.
This is telling. It distances the POV.
Edit out the telling (the explained motivation, "to steady it") & show action instead:
#Querytip
#writerslife
#amquerying
Literary Agent
The “Engine Cranking” fix: Ask a couple brand new CPs to read & ID the paragraph that starts your story.
The subtleties that follow engine cranking usually knit all that backstory dumped in those first “engine cranking” paragraphs, beautifully.
#querytip #amwriting #writerslife
Literary Agent
First page trouble?
Axe the engine cranking!
Many authors bury their best opening a few paragraphs/pages into their MS
(thread)
#querytip #writerslife