A.G. Carpenter's Blog, page 12
November 27, 2013
WIP Wednesday
From Thingbreaker:
The back door slams open, splinters of wood ricochet off the walls from the shattered frame, and four men step through. They are of an average height and weight, and uncomfortably similar. Not just because they're all dressed in the same dull brown suit. Their faces – blank eyes under a sloping brow, noses a little too wide to be handsome and hard chins like a boxer – are all identical. Like someone stamped them out of the same mold. My feelings toward Reyneaux and his unsee...
The back door slams open, splinters of wood ricochet off the walls from the shattered frame, and four men step through. They are of an average height and weight, and uncomfortably similar. Not just because they're all dressed in the same dull brown suit. Their faces – blank eyes under a sloping brow, noses a little too wide to be handsome and hard chins like a boxer – are all identical. Like someone stamped them out of the same mold. My feelings toward Reyneaux and his unsee...
November 20, 2013
WIP Wednesday
From The Gear'd Heart:
He ducked inside the hut, returning in a moment with a spindly table that was nearly as tall as Keira. “Just make sure these are in order.” Untying the cord, he licked his fingers with a vellum tongue and spread the small, rectangular certificates carefully on the polished counter. “Proof of residence. Proof of citizenship. Certificate of Specialization.” The last prompted him to look at her more closely, take in the runes stamped on the buckle of her satchel, the charms...
He ducked inside the hut, returning in a moment with a spindly table that was nearly as tall as Keira. “Just make sure these are in order.” Untying the cord, he licked his fingers with a vellum tongue and spread the small, rectangular certificates carefully on the polished counter. “Proof of residence. Proof of citizenship. Certificate of Specialization.” The last prompted him to look at her more closely, take in the runes stamped on the buckle of her satchel, the charms...
November 18, 2013
Goals
Last December I proposed the following goals for myself during 2013.
1: Find an Agent Who Can Sell The Steampunk Novel
2: Finish the Novellas I started This Year but HAVEN'T FINISHED
3: Write another Novel or Two
4: Sell my Short Stories
Two of those (#2 and #3) were things I could control. And with that thought in mind I finished up BRASS STARS and put some good effort into ALL THAT IS PRECIOUS and SURVIVOR. I've also revised The Steampunk Novel (and am currently delving into another revision rou...
1: Find an Agent Who Can Sell The Steampunk Novel
2: Finish the Novellas I started This Year but HAVEN'T FINISHED
3: Write another Novel or Two
4: Sell my Short Stories
Two of those (#2 and #3) were things I could control. And with that thought in mind I finished up BRASS STARS and put some good effort into ALL THAT IS PRECIOUS and SURVIVOR. I've also revised The Steampunk Novel (and am currently delving into another revision rou...
November 12, 2013
Cover Art for BRASS STARS
Ever since I first saw the sketches for the cover art, I've been waiting on pins and needles to see the finished version. And today it arrived in my in-box. I can't tell you how thrilled I am.
The artist is the amazing Lex Paul. More of his work can be found HERE and HERE
More info about my novella (including a free excerpt) can be found at Eggplant Literary Productions: http://eggplantproductions.com/e-books/brass-stars-g-carpenter/
And, if you want to know more about Eggplant Literary Productions (and check out some of the other awesome books they've published), be sure to browse their site: http://eggplantproductions.com/
November 2, 2013
The Challenge
The National Novel Writing Month is here and with it comes a heightened awareness of the function of The Challenge.
On the one hand is the obvious, write 50k words in 30 days challenge. For those of us still balancing the demands of Real Life (including family responsibility and day-jobs) with the requirements of Being an Author Who Actually Writes Stuff, making that 1.7k words every day is rough. Especially for a whole month.
But there's also prospect of writing something difficult. This is where I find myself - facing down a story that I love, but is more complex than anything I've written before. (Not more complex than anything I've attempted before. There are a bunch of things I've tried and had to put to one side because I'm just not there yet. ) This is The Challenge to Improve as a Writer.
It wears many hats.
Sometimes it's the struggle to improve my storytelling ability. The elusive quest to put the emotion on the page so strongly the reader feels it.
Sometimes it's the fight to give my characters depth. To make the plot be more than just a sequence of events. To make the story feel like something that matters.
Sometimes it's just about being a better writer than I was yesterday.
The problem with The Challenge is that it raises questions and with questions come doubt and with doubt comes the seemingly inevitable "block". That mind-numbing, finger-paralyzing block that keeps us from putting a single word on the page because it might be The Wrong One. Or the words might be okay but the concept is a Bad Idea. Or that this story is taps something so personal that No One Else Will Get It.
But there is hope. When staring down my own doubt (and the blank white screen of my word processing program) I remind myself of the following.
1. The first word you think of is usually best.
2. Even when it's not, you can always fix it later.
3. A simple word is frequently better than an esoteric one.
4. Even when it's not, you can always fix it later.
5. Every idea has potential.
6. Even when it doesn't, you can always fix it later.
7. Every idea will appeal to at least one other person.
8. Even when it doesn't, you can always fix it later.
The Challenge, really, is not in the story. The Challenge is in the writer and how much we are willing to risk putting on the page.
On the one hand is the obvious, write 50k words in 30 days challenge. For those of us still balancing the demands of Real Life (including family responsibility and day-jobs) with the requirements of Being an Author Who Actually Writes Stuff, making that 1.7k words every day is rough. Especially for a whole month.
But there's also prospect of writing something difficult. This is where I find myself - facing down a story that I love, but is more complex than anything I've written before. (Not more complex than anything I've attempted before. There are a bunch of things I've tried and had to put to one side because I'm just not there yet. ) This is The Challenge to Improve as a Writer.
It wears many hats.
Sometimes it's the struggle to improve my storytelling ability. The elusive quest to put the emotion on the page so strongly the reader feels it.
Sometimes it's the fight to give my characters depth. To make the plot be more than just a sequence of events. To make the story feel like something that matters.
Sometimes it's just about being a better writer than I was yesterday.
The problem with The Challenge is that it raises questions and with questions come doubt and with doubt comes the seemingly inevitable "block". That mind-numbing, finger-paralyzing block that keeps us from putting a single word on the page because it might be The Wrong One. Or the words might be okay but the concept is a Bad Idea. Or that this story is taps something so personal that No One Else Will Get It.
But there is hope. When staring down my own doubt (and the blank white screen of my word processing program) I remind myself of the following.
1. The first word you think of is usually best.
2. Even when it's not, you can always fix it later.
3. A simple word is frequently better than an esoteric one.
4. Even when it's not, you can always fix it later.
5. Every idea has potential.
6. Even when it doesn't, you can always fix it later.
7. Every idea will appeal to at least one other person.
8. Even when it doesn't, you can always fix it later.
The Challenge, really, is not in the story. The Challenge is in the writer and how much we are willing to risk putting on the page.
"Brass Stars" - Sneak Peek
Eggplant Literary Productions has the official page up for Brass Stars. It includes the blurb and an excerpt from the novella.
You can check it out here: http://eggplantproductions.com/e-books/brass-stars-g-carpenter/
The full novella will be available Monday, November 18th.
Stay tuned for more updates (and the awesome cover art).
You can check it out here: http://eggplantproductions.com/e-books/brass-stars-g-carpenter/
The full novella will be available Monday, November 18th.
Stay tuned for more updates (and the awesome cover art).
October 27, 2013
Hunger And Fear
A few years back we installed a swinging door between the kitchen and the living room. It's primary purpose was to keep our cats at bay while preparing food. And for several years it worked just fine.
Until we got Sundance, a leggy 4 pound female. Of all the cats in the house (including our 15 pound bruiser, Monster Cat) she is the only one who has conquered the spring-loaded hinges in the kitchen door, pushing through even while the door repeatedly squishes her.
At first I was afraid the other cats would watch her squeeze between the door and the jamb and they would do the same thing. In fact, one or two of them tried it, but as soon as the door started to squeeze in on them, they would wiggle a retreat. At first I was just amused that this tiny cat could (and would) do what none of the other larger cats can.
But the other day it hit me: there is a lesson to be learned here.
Sundance doesn't want to wait around for the bowls of cat food to be brought to her, she wants the good stuff I'm fixing for dinner and she wants it now! She is willing to risk the pinch of the door because she lets her (perceived) hunger outweigh her fear.
As a writer there is a lot of fear.
Fear that my ideas are stupid. Or that maybe they're brilliant but that my writing skills won't match the material I'm tackling. Fear that I will never finish the book. Fear that I won't know how to finish the book. Fear that no one else will like what I have to say. Fear of rejection. Fear of failure.
Fear that in the end this will be nothing more than a huge masturbatory waste of time.
I've spent a long time trying to get rid of my fears. I remind myself that I've sold stories in the past, I can do it again. I analyze my old work in order to improve (and show myself that I have already improved). I practice telling myself that one more rejection doesn't matter, it's only the eventual acceptance that's important.
In the end, the fear remains.
So does the hunger. And that, I realized, is why I've not given up. (And believe me, there have been a lot of moments, days and weeks when I really did think it was time to throw it all in and give up this idea of being a writer.) Because I want the good stuff and I want it now.
I'm afraid of the long hours of feeling like I'm etching each word in stone with a slightly undercooked carrot. I'm afraid of another rejection letter on a story I love.
I'm afraid of someone I respect telling me what I write isn't good enough.
But I am hungry and that outweighs the fear.
Until we got Sundance, a leggy 4 pound female. Of all the cats in the house (including our 15 pound bruiser, Monster Cat) she is the only one who has conquered the spring-loaded hinges in the kitchen door, pushing through even while the door repeatedly squishes her.
At first I was afraid the other cats would watch her squeeze between the door and the jamb and they would do the same thing. In fact, one or two of them tried it, but as soon as the door started to squeeze in on them, they would wiggle a retreat. At first I was just amused that this tiny cat could (and would) do what none of the other larger cats can.
But the other day it hit me: there is a lesson to be learned here.
Sundance doesn't want to wait around for the bowls of cat food to be brought to her, she wants the good stuff I'm fixing for dinner and she wants it now! She is willing to risk the pinch of the door because she lets her (perceived) hunger outweigh her fear.
As a writer there is a lot of fear.
Fear that my ideas are stupid. Or that maybe they're brilliant but that my writing skills won't match the material I'm tackling. Fear that I will never finish the book. Fear that I won't know how to finish the book. Fear that no one else will like what I have to say. Fear of rejection. Fear of failure.
Fear that in the end this will be nothing more than a huge masturbatory waste of time.
I've spent a long time trying to get rid of my fears. I remind myself that I've sold stories in the past, I can do it again. I analyze my old work in order to improve (and show myself that I have already improved). I practice telling myself that one more rejection doesn't matter, it's only the eventual acceptance that's important.
In the end, the fear remains.
So does the hunger. And that, I realized, is why I've not given up. (And believe me, there have been a lot of moments, days and weeks when I really did think it was time to throw it all in and give up this idea of being a writer.) Because I want the good stuff and I want it now.
I'm afraid of the long hours of feeling like I'm etching each word in stone with a slightly undercooked carrot. I'm afraid of another rejection letter on a story I love.
I'm afraid of someone I respect telling me what I write isn't good enough.
But I am hungry and that outweighs the fear.
October 17, 2013
Southern Gothic Now Available
(I should have posted this earlier in the week, but I've been scattered.)
Southern Gothic: New Tales of the South, an anthology that includes my own flash piece "Love Like Dysphoria" is now available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Google Play
In addition to over 15 stories and poems the book features original artwork by Nathan Mark Phillips.
Southern Gothic: New Tales of the South, an anthology that includes my own flash piece "Love Like Dysphoria" is now available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Google Play
In addition to over 15 stories and poems the book features original artwork by Nathan Mark Phillips.
September 16, 2013
"Brass Stars" - Forthcoming From Eggplant Literary Productions
I am very pleased to announce that my SF Western novella - "Brass Stars" - has been accepted for publication by Eggplant Literary Productions.
I cannot tell you how pleased I am about this. This dark SF Western has been a pet project of mine for several years and I'm thrilled that it's found a wonderful home.
Currently it's scheduled for release in November; exact date to follow when we get closer to the... actual day.
I cannot tell you how pleased I am about this. This dark SF Western has been a pet project of mine for several years and I'm thrilled that it's found a wonderful home.
Currently it's scheduled for release in November; exact date to follow when we get closer to the... actual day.
September 15, 2013
Tools for Selling Your Novel: The Query Letter
Query letters are like the Gorgon of the writing world. Unpublished and experienced authors alike get all wobbly at the knees when they hear the words "query letter".
I understand the stress. The query is the thing that will (hopefully) entice an agent to look at your pages. The query is the bait around the sharp hook of your manuscript; that tasty morsel that makes the agent (or editor) say "I want more." It seems like an impossible task to write a one page anything that will accomplish that. Especially when you start thinking about all the other query letters the agent sees every day. Yours has to stand out, not just among a few letters but a few dozen or hundred!
First, take a deep breath. Writing a query letter is not an easy thing, but it's not as hard as most of us have been led to believe.
Second, one of the best ways to get an idea of how to put a query together is to look at some existing ones. Query Shark is a great place to see various queries - some that work and many that don't - dissected by a Real Life Agent in order to illustrate What Works and What Doesn't. If you want to take the time to join the Absolute Write Water Cooler they have a forum called "Query Letter Hell" that is for the revision and refinement of queries. (There are also a couple of threads about How to Write a Query Letter and Successful Query Letters, if you're still in the research phase of your query mission.)
I have a caveat here: I have not found the advice given on my early query attempts though QLH to be especially useful. But many people have found the feedback and insight there to be invaluable. So, it obviously works for some, but don't be distressed if it doesn't seem to be working for you.
I DID find it useful to look through the successful queries to see what sorts of things they said, how they structured their letters. (And really the answer there is: all sorts of things and many different ways.)
I also found it very useful to start with a logline and then expand that to produce the bulk of my query.
Here was my three sentence logline: Magic-handler Keira Fennel's search for her father intersects with shape-shifter Lowen McCrae's hunt for a murderer in the alleys of 1888 London. When they uncover a plot to construct a mechanical heart from stolen flesh, Keira's skill with gears and magic makes her the target of the otherworldly villain. She's forced to participate in the experiment or lose both Lowen and her father.
(And let me just stop to say that I've a short version of the query letter that uses just these three sentences + the genre/length of the book and my personal info/credits. Although there are agents who apparently dislike loglines, this shorter letter has produced the same percentage of initially positive results as the longer letter.)
I expanded it to this: Nineteen-year-old magic-handler KEIRA FENNEL is painfully aware she has outgrown the magic school at Ballaghaddereen Abbey, but her father – absent in every way but his continued fear for her safety – is not ready to let her loose in Fey-shy Britain. When Keira learns Da is lost and injured, she seizes the opportunity to prove she no longer needs to be protected.
Her quest to find and rescue her father intersects with shape-shifter LOWEN MCCRAE's hunt for a serial murderer stalking the alleys of 1888 London. At first they are allies out of necessity, but a friendship soon forms and Lowen's search for the man who murdered his ex-wife becomes a mission to protect Keira. The bond is deepened when Keira reveals her Immortal second-nature in order to save Lowen and he accepts her strangeness without judgment.
As they uncover a conspiracy to construct a mechanical heart, the parts distilled from stolen flesh, Keira's skill with gears and magic makes her the target of the otherworldly MONSIEUR DEVEREAUX and his cohorts. Keira must choose between cooperating with Devereaux or losing both Lowen and her father.
Of course, the big question is always "But did it work?". I've had a 1 in 10 request rate off my queries. Which is at the low end of the spectrum but perfectly acceptable. (I know, I'd be giddy if I'd gotten a higher request rate on this, but I've had some really wonderful people ask to look at this so I'm satisfied.)
The longer version is great for querying folks who want only a query to start off with. If they ask for a synopsis as part of the query package, I've been using the short query letter. Because I'm a writer who likes to be succinct whenever possible.
But whether I'm using the long version or the short version, both letters have the following: a summary of the book (with the intent of showing the uniquenesses of the plot), the basic info on the book (genre, word count, with series potential, complete), a paragraph about my writing credits, and a brief paragraph stating that I am querying multiple agents, I look forward to hearing back, and whether or not I've included sample pages, etc.
Why am I telling you all this in detail? Because writing a query letter is not easy, but it's not rocket science. In fact, that longer query letter was written in one thirty minute stint last fall. (After I'd spent a month working on the logline, of course.) It has remained virtually unchanged since then.
So stop stressing. Write a logline (or nine) and find the heart of your story. Then write a query expanding the logline. Finally, go forth and query. Your agent is waiting.
I understand the stress. The query is the thing that will (hopefully) entice an agent to look at your pages. The query is the bait around the sharp hook of your manuscript; that tasty morsel that makes the agent (or editor) say "I want more." It seems like an impossible task to write a one page anything that will accomplish that. Especially when you start thinking about all the other query letters the agent sees every day. Yours has to stand out, not just among a few letters but a few dozen or hundred!
First, take a deep breath. Writing a query letter is not an easy thing, but it's not as hard as most of us have been led to believe.
Second, one of the best ways to get an idea of how to put a query together is to look at some existing ones. Query Shark is a great place to see various queries - some that work and many that don't - dissected by a Real Life Agent in order to illustrate What Works and What Doesn't. If you want to take the time to join the Absolute Write Water Cooler they have a forum called "Query Letter Hell" that is for the revision and refinement of queries. (There are also a couple of threads about How to Write a Query Letter and Successful Query Letters, if you're still in the research phase of your query mission.)
I have a caveat here: I have not found the advice given on my early query attempts though QLH to be especially useful. But many people have found the feedback and insight there to be invaluable. So, it obviously works for some, but don't be distressed if it doesn't seem to be working for you.
I DID find it useful to look through the successful queries to see what sorts of things they said, how they structured their letters. (And really the answer there is: all sorts of things and many different ways.)
I also found it very useful to start with a logline and then expand that to produce the bulk of my query.
Here was my three sentence logline: Magic-handler Keira Fennel's search for her father intersects with shape-shifter Lowen McCrae's hunt for a murderer in the alleys of 1888 London. When they uncover a plot to construct a mechanical heart from stolen flesh, Keira's skill with gears and magic makes her the target of the otherworldly villain. She's forced to participate in the experiment or lose both Lowen and her father.
(And let me just stop to say that I've a short version of the query letter that uses just these three sentences + the genre/length of the book and my personal info/credits. Although there are agents who apparently dislike loglines, this shorter letter has produced the same percentage of initially positive results as the longer letter.)
I expanded it to this: Nineteen-year-old magic-handler KEIRA FENNEL is painfully aware she has outgrown the magic school at Ballaghaddereen Abbey, but her father – absent in every way but his continued fear for her safety – is not ready to let her loose in Fey-shy Britain. When Keira learns Da is lost and injured, she seizes the opportunity to prove she no longer needs to be protected.
Her quest to find and rescue her father intersects with shape-shifter LOWEN MCCRAE's hunt for a serial murderer stalking the alleys of 1888 London. At first they are allies out of necessity, but a friendship soon forms and Lowen's search for the man who murdered his ex-wife becomes a mission to protect Keira. The bond is deepened when Keira reveals her Immortal second-nature in order to save Lowen and he accepts her strangeness without judgment.
As they uncover a conspiracy to construct a mechanical heart, the parts distilled from stolen flesh, Keira's skill with gears and magic makes her the target of the otherworldly MONSIEUR DEVEREAUX and his cohorts. Keira must choose between cooperating with Devereaux or losing both Lowen and her father.
Of course, the big question is always "But did it work?". I've had a 1 in 10 request rate off my queries. Which is at the low end of the spectrum but perfectly acceptable. (I know, I'd be giddy if I'd gotten a higher request rate on this, but I've had some really wonderful people ask to look at this so I'm satisfied.)
The longer version is great for querying folks who want only a query to start off with. If they ask for a synopsis as part of the query package, I've been using the short query letter. Because I'm a writer who likes to be succinct whenever possible.
But whether I'm using the long version or the short version, both letters have the following: a summary of the book (with the intent of showing the uniquenesses of the plot), the basic info on the book (genre, word count, with series potential, complete), a paragraph about my writing credits, and a brief paragraph stating that I am querying multiple agents, I look forward to hearing back, and whether or not I've included sample pages, etc.
Why am I telling you all this in detail? Because writing a query letter is not easy, but it's not rocket science. In fact, that longer query letter was written in one thirty minute stint last fall. (After I'd spent a month working on the logline, of course.) It has remained virtually unchanged since then.
So stop stressing. Write a logline (or nine) and find the heart of your story. Then write a query expanding the logline. Finally, go forth and query. Your agent is waiting.
