Busy Day...Sometimes refreshing

I just realized as I sat down to work through some submissions that I hadn't logged in today. Woops. It has been one of those days.

But I have to say, as I ran around today like a chicken with my head cut off, I did realize there was a benefit to all of this. I had the chance to really get some good project development ideas worked out in my head. These had been projects that I had been strugglign with for so long and now the answers just fell into my lap.

I think this is something more authors need to consider doing. There will be times when you are madly working through a problem with your story and it just doesn't seem to work out the way you want it. When this happens, move on.

What you will often find is that the work you do on something other than your writing will allow your brain to relax enough to find the solution you need. Sometimes, working too hard on a project creates a serious case of tunnel vision.

So tomorrow - take the day off and see what develops. Who knows, you might find a lot of answers you need.

Scott

What Happened Between More and No

I had a writer recently ask me why I would reject something after I sounded so enthusiastic about either the proposal or the partial they had sent.

 

That’s a fair question and actually fairly easy to answer, although there are several angles we can take with it. I want to answer this one from the proposal standpoint and then the partial standpoint.

 

THE PROPOSAL So a writer has contacted me, generally electronically with the information I ask for in a submission. If it is the form, it is a simple fill in the blank worksheet asking for the basics (title, genre, word count, and brief premise of the story). If it is an email query, it will be the same information except without the form (I am hoping they include all of the information). In this case, I really do look at the premise. Does the story have enough of a high concept to really say, “Hey, that sounds really intriguing!” Now, if it is something that I know I will simply have to read more from I just say send more, but today, we are dealing with that “Wow!” submission. The premise sounds fantastic. It might even be the type of story I am actively looking for. That is where the excitement comes from. So I ask for a partial or when I am really excited, I ask for the full.

 

THE PARTIAL In this case, the writer has sent me a snail mail query. With these, the writer is allowed to send the first three pages, the synopsis and the cover letter. Sure, you get to send more since you’re paying for it in postage. Now understand that I am still looking for the same thing. I am looking for the story that has that great twist to it. I am looking for something that, based on what you have sent, has some potential. So I request more.

 

This partial request might even be from the original proposal via e-query. In other words, you sent me an e-query and I ask for the first three chapters. If something still sounds interesting, I will ask for a full.

 

O.K. so here comes the no.

 

Your new material arrives and I take a look at it. What happened between I want more and I now say no? In this case, the list becomes pretty basic:

 

• The synopsis tells me the full story. This one comes from the proposal only writers. The pitch sounded great, but when I read the proposal and the premise at the end of the book things just fall apart. It is generally here that I see “the baggage” of the characters that you all know I detest so much. It is always at the end of the synopsis that writers hide all of those “soap opera” elements that ruin the great beginning. You know what I mean…”It was then she found out about his obsession with alien vampire bunnies and his revelation about how he was abused by Elvis, when he was in a rock band of vampire were rats…”
• Your pitch was great but not the writing. Again, this one comes from the proposal only writers. You might have this amazing story premise that comes across as being amazing, but when I read the actual writing, it just doesn’t live up to the hype of the original material. This is when writers get the comments of “no depth”, “showing not telling”, “didn’t hook me”. Remember that writing has to be both great and have a great premise in today’s market.
• Your pitch implied something different. This one is really frustrating. I read the initial idea and think the story is one thing and then I read the material and find out it is something different. In these situations, it always seems to stem around a confusion over the genre or misleading information about the word count. Sometimes it is the writer hiding certain details from me in the query. For example, the writer left out the fact that the book was previously published, or they “forgot” to tell me they are with another agent and still under contract with the other person.
• The bottom fell out in the story. In this case, the problem occurs after I have looked at a partial, then asked for a full. The no stems from the writing falling apart, generally after chapter 5. As most writers know, we re-work the beginning so much that it becomes amazing but forget about the rest of the story. Sometimes the end falls apart because the writer “just wants to finish it” and rushes the material or the storyline. For chick-lit, I always found the writing crashed after they ran out of D&G or Gucci jokes.

 

Writers need to know we are not trying to drag out the whole process. We are really looking for the best of the best. Sometimes it just takes time.

 

Scott C. Eagan

 

 

What Makes a Hero Hot!

The heroes of the romance novels are always the ones we hear people talk about. But the real question I want to ask is: What makes them hot?

 

I do believe that writers seem to have missed the point when it comes to the “hot” heroes and much of this stems from the issue of Alpha and Beta males. As I got ready to write this today, I did a quick search to see what people thought of Alpha males. In every case, the term “mach” seemed to arise. But then, as you read further into their descriptions, all of the so-called characteristics were related to job and activities but not the personalities. Delta Force commanders named Jake Strong (sounds like one of those Rescue Heroes my son played with), fire fighters that run around with their shirt off and the like. I think this was a key point to notice. Making a character hot does not mean making them stereotypical.

 

If you have been reading lately, several publishers are now making a call for more Beta like heroes. Now, again, when I reviewed the research this morning, the definition associated with Beta hero was “wimp and geek”. This is far from the idea. I think that what the publishers are really looking for are heroes that can be masculine but don’t have to be the over-the-top caricatures we have seen lately. Heroes can be hot and not in “extreme jobs”.

 

Take a look at the following characteristics:

 

1.      Behavior - The alpha male presents himself in a way that shows others they are not to question or challenge his position.  He stands out as a smart, strong individual who has it altogether.  From the way he walks to stands, to communicates, his behavior is that of control.

2. Body Language - The body language of the alpha male is very noticeable.  While some are muscular, most men in this category are fit.  He enters the room with an undisputable confidence and almost courage.  His movements are slow and deliberate.  While standing tall, the alpha male is also friendly but does not like to be bothered with inconveniences.
3. Territorial - Once the alpha male has established his territory, he will remain there until he is ready to leave.  However, he does not guard the space with his presence.  Instead, he is relaxed but stands firm.  The alpha male has no problem looking any man in the eyes to let him know he is in control.  Additionally, this territorial behavior shows the females that he is a real contender for her attention.
4. Assertive - This does not mean the alpha male gets into fights but he is dynamic, mature, and finds it easy to socialize.  When approached by men and women, the alpha male is not passive.  Instead, he will communicate in a clear, concise manner.
5. Courage - Without doubt, the alpha male is courageous, meaning his is willing to take on any problem to reach resolution without worry.
6. Persistence - Once the alpha male has his sights set on something, he will work hard to achieve it.  This applies to business, family, friends, and of course relationships.  The key is that the alpha male is determined without being aggressive or manipulative.  He uses his position of control and concentration to get the job done.

 

Now, when I reviewed this list, in no way did these people identify the jock vs. geek idea. Your characters can be regular people and still be hot. Writers can simply focus on making their characters appealing to people. I guess I think of Newland Archer from Age of Innocence. Very appealing and yet far from the jock character.

 

See what you can do with that one. Let me know what you think a hot hero really is?

 

Scott C. Eagan

 

 

When Things Go Wrong

So, as I sit here watching the news about the Olympics (my son swims and is shooting for the 2016 games), I, like many, were shocked at the news about Chicago. Am I frustrated? Sure. But do we dwell on something like this? No. Changing venues for the Olympics in no way slows my son down for his desire to swim. And guess what? The same goes for writers.

There will be a ton of times when we receive news that is less than favorable. We may get a rejection. We may get a negative review. Deal with it.

I remember reading a while ago a book by the creater of USA TODAY. He stated that he never worries about things. When I first saw this, I disagreed. And then I read further. His comment was simple. When something goes the way he doesn't want, he realizes he has two options. If the problem can be fixed then he goes out to find the solution and do something about it. If it can't be fixed, he simply doesn't worry about it and moves on. Learn from it and make sure you don't make the mistake next time around.

As a writer, you need to keep writing and you need to learn from mistakes, especially if you get a rejection. Examine your work and make the necessary changes to improve your writing.

Scott

And one final note. I want to commend the coordinators of the US Olympic Committee for their efforts with Chicago. You did a great job! Now let's move on to the games and show the world the professionalism of our great athletes!

Why are you writing what you are writing?

I love asking this question of writers. Why? Because I get to sit there and watch them squirm. I get to observe writers justifying a story that really they had no business writing. So, do you know why you are writing your current project?

For many authors, they are writing it because it is far from the story that they should be writing. You need to write from the heart. You need to write the story that really means something to you and the passion of your own life comes across in the story. Too often though, writers choose stories for completely different reasons. I see it all of the time.

• Because their CP said they would be good a writing that story.
• Because it is hot right now.
• Because some editor or agent said they were looking for it.
• Because their entire chapter is writing in that genre (or for that publisher).
• and so on...

Now there is potential side effect of this. The story that is your passion, the story that you may want to write may be one that will never sell. There will be no publisher or agent that will sign that book. Does that mean it is a bad book? No way! It simply means it is not something that the public would buy (in their humble opinion).

Let's extend that thought a bit. If all of your stories that you want to write are those not suitable for publishing what does that tell you? It means you should keep writing. Write from the heart and enjoy it. Publishing may simply not be in your future.

Scott