I'm beta testing a novel with teens. One of my betas wrote me yesterday:
"I was upset when I flipped the last page and realized there was nothing more."
That comment will fuel me for days!
Search found 14 matches
- March 7th, 2012, 1:05 pm
- Forum: Writing
- Topic: Signs You're Doing It Right
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1426
- March 5th, 2012, 7:12 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: THE FIRST 22: YA fantasy VS.2
- Replies: 2
- Views: 1703
Re: THE FIRST 22: YA fantasy
The first paragraph is backstory--though we may LOVE to read this in the novel, you need a more exciting first line in a query. In fact "normal teenager" sounds boring, right? So why start there? Tell us why we care to read the query: Before the car accident, sixteen-year-old Derek Weber t...
- March 5th, 2012, 6:44 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
Re: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
thanks for the feedback peeps!
- February 29th, 2012, 4:19 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
Re: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
After taking in a variety of feedback, here I am. I like it! QUERY: When fourteen-year-old Katie takes a test, she expects to ace it, but when everyone else bombs a bio pop quiz, she discovers she’s not just smart—she’s psychic. After she stops freaking out, Katie finds that mastering her powers is ...
- February 29th, 2012, 2:29 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
Re: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
Well, emotionless, clinical, and detached is certainly not what I'm aiming for, and I'm sorry to hear it struck you that way. Katie's trying to figure out how to be both a friend and a psychic. Her relationships matter. That is why Brian plays a role in the query. The conflict with Hilary is mention...
- February 29th, 2012, 1:07 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
Re: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
Thanks, quills. You have a real talent for spotting the extraneous, although we do differ on our vocab preference at times. :) I am still on the fence about the last line. I agree the grammatical structure is less than perfect, but I feel required to make the stakes super duper clear. Maybe that's Q...
- February 29th, 2012, 10:52 am
- Forum: Synopses and Plot Outlines
- Topic: HELP!!! ...Ah well - too late
- Replies: 2
- Views: 6694
Re: HELP!!! 22 hours and counting....
just so you all know, this is one of the rules from the competition:
"Novels for children or young adults will not be accepted."
yours is not YA, is it?
"Novels for children or young adults will not be accepted."
yours is not YA, is it?
- February 28th, 2012, 11:57 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
Re: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
"Good, but I would find a clearer term for "ex-bestie." Is this a British term? Are you primarily querying British agents?"
I just have to say this made me laugh out loud. I've never been British, but I have been a tween girl
I just have to say this made me laugh out loud. I've never been British, but I have been a tween girl
- February 28th, 2012, 5:08 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: Query: The Lamb
- Replies: 4
- Views: 2415
Re: Query: The Lamb
This is for the novel that was my NaNoWriMo this year. It needs a couple rewrites and some good editing, but I think it's got a solid grounding. On November 11th, 2011, televangelist Charles Foster Wallace announced to the world his intention to create a god machine. > this is an interesting openin...
- February 28th, 2012, 2:50 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
Re: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
Thank you everyone for your opinions on MG v/s YA! Here is the latest version of my query. I should mention, I'm in the middle of MS revisions using beta feedback from both tweens and adults, and so the MS and the query are advancing in tandem. It may be awhile yet before any version of the query le...
- February 28th, 2012, 1:35 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
Re: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
thanks for the feedback! the query has already evolved much past this version, and i'm glad to see some of your comments are issues i've been ironing out. regarding "sidekick," i had "confidante" but got feedback that level of vocab may be inappropriate for MG. I need to work tha...
- February 28th, 2012, 9:29 am
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
Re: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
Thank you Kay, those are very helpful thoughts and I appreciate your sharing them. I believe I'm coming to the same conclusions. I am framing it as "upper middle grade," as I've found in my research that this category is evolving in response to YA appeal to tweens 10-14. MG books with a li...
- February 24th, 2012, 1:37 pm
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: Query: Never Remember *Revised*
- Replies: 16
- Views: 6242
Re: Query: Never Remember *Revised*
First and foremost, I could not say that I know what your basic story is about. Character, yes to some degree, but conflict and crisis are still confusing in this latest revision. I've written a few lines based on what you have in the last revision, and although I'm not sure if they will work with t...
- February 24th, 2012, 11:50 am
- Forum: Queries
- Topic: QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
- Replies: 23
- Views: 10384
QUERY: YA or MG? BOOK I OF THE SIGHT
SCROLL DOWN FOR LATEST REVISION :) Hello fellow writers! I've really enjoyed reading your work and comments this morning. I'm looking forward to jumping into the discussions, so look out for me! I have a conundrum on my hands. I've written a novel that seems to lean more MG, but the MC is 14...an ag...