Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Congratulations Robin!

It's so thrilling to get a full...and nerve wracking to wait for the results!

My most incovenient time would be when I've left my flash drive at work and I can't pick up writing where I left off.

But I have a feeling that it will soon be when I'm at work since I'm about to change jobs and won't be able to spend a hour or two (or three) writing during the day.

Mood is unintentional in my books, and it usually dictated by the main character. I typically don't pick up on it until I've written a chapter or two (or four). The novel that I am querying now is on the darker side. I identified it fairly quickly when I first started writing it--I even got to the p...

I'd say that I'm a hybrid...although I'm a recently reformed pantser. If I stuck to being a pantser, I would take another ten years to finish my new novel. So I have made myself write an outline for my new project, but I will by no means stick to it. My characters have a tendency to throw curve ball...

How thrilling! Congratulations--that is so fantastic!

Excellent turn-around! I love your sense of humor, but I feel that it is overkill in some places. Queries are still a business letter, so you have to find that fine blend of voice vs. business. Ok I think the last one was terrible, and I'm not even waiting for your feedback before I post a new one....

I'm choosing to critique your first version because I think it is better than the most recent one posted. The second one is confusing, IMHO. How do you think this sounds, fellow author? Dear [agent], In MEETING OF THE WATERS, Jaime Adricks leads his online pirate crew in the video game Ages, battli...

This is a nifty concept! I can so see my husband reading something like this. I hope you're ready to go with your manuscript--with the release of "Cowboys and Aliens", I'm sure there will be new interest in Westerns, especially ones with paranormal concepts. I made a few "housekeepin...

Way to go Caroline! Did the agent request an exclusive look at your manuscript? Not an exclusive. But she did ask for a full right off the bat, which threw me for a loop. I spent about two hours doing another once over on the whole manuscript and sent it off. I looked up the agent's stats on QueryT...

SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!! I got a request for a full on Monday! It's a great agency and is a testament to putting some research into your agents before querying. The agent in question represents mostly YA, but by reading her blog, I discovered that she was interested in historicals as well. So now I am wait...

I hate endings. They're awkward, for one. My only advice would be to go with what your average reader would expect. Or rather what you would expect if you were reading your novel. I originally wrote a cliff hanger ending and when I revealed it in my synopsis, the people reading it had a fit. So I ha...

Thanks Quill! You've definitely done your time babysitting me through this process--I am truly indebted to you.

This is a very interesting concept and has a lot of potential. But... The plot seems to be obscured by the voice in this instance. Perhaps you should scale back and focus on coverying the plot first, and then add in the voice. Autumn was supposed to be smart enough not to get herself stuck in the wa...

I thought I would update you guys on my progress. I took comments from here and re-wrote and then posted in another forum for some fresh eyes. I must have finally hit the sweet spot because I got a request for a full yesterday! I wanted to thank you all for the comments and help you have provided a...

Well it took me 10 years to finish The Enemy Within... So I guess that means I need to get on with it and cut that time down by 95%. My new novel is moving just as slowly, but I am determined to get it polished off in a year. I hope I'm not being overly ambitious!