The Link Between Method Acting and Writing Believable Characters

August 27, 2010

I’m reprinting this blog post from my old book doctor blog because it’s as relevant to my literary agency clients (and potential clients) as it was then to my developmental editing clients: In one particularly funny episode of the TV series, Monk, a production company is filming a movie based on one of Mr. Monk’s [...]

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Recommend a good mystery?

August 22, 2010

You might think that with all the reading I do for work, the last thing I’d want to do for pleasure is read. But reading for me (and probably for most writers, editors, agents and other book people), is among the most pleasurable pastimes. And I love a good mystery. My problem is, my favorite [...]

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Self-publishing: opportunity or oblivion?

August 16, 2010

Any author who’s trying to get a publisher or agent for his book knows how difficult the market has become. Ebooks are taking off, thanks to the Kindle and the iPad, and as prices for these and similar devices drop, more readers will switch to ebooks, for the convenience of carrying a library around in [...]

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Rejection-proofing your novel: keep the reader turning pages through the end

August 2, 2010

Often, aspiring novelists start off their novels with a bang. Action, tension, danger — everything that an agent or editor looks for. And then, the tension drops off a cliff after they’ve got the reader’s attention. They pile on backstory and explanations. I see this so often in what at first look like promising manuscripts [...]

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Before you decide to break all the rules, learn them

July 29, 2010

I get queries and partials quite often from talented new writers whose manuscripts don’t make the cut because the author hasn’t mastered the basics, such as: – Show, don’t tell; – Don’t let the reader catch her breath; – Don’t narrate the character’s story — show character through action; – Don’t use dialogue as exposition; [...]

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Patience, patience

July 27, 2010

If you’ve sent me a query recently, you’re in good company. I have a backlog of more than 100 to read (and that’s not counting the full and partial manuscripts awaiting review). That means that while I strive to read everything and get back to authors within two weeks, it’s probably going to take me [...]

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How to Improve Your Manuscript: Dialogue is not Conversation

July 22, 2010

A couple of weeks and a couple of hundred queries since my last post, I’ve noticed several patterns among the novels submitted to me. Again, most writers do have talent, to varying degrees. But problems with technique kill any chance of escaping the slush pile. So, I’m going to write a series of posts which [...]

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Is the “slush pile” really filled with, well, slush?

June 29, 2010

A couple of different people recently sent me the link to a Salon article about the opportunities for self-publishing in the electronic age. No new information for anyone who’s in the industry. But what stopped me and made me think I should comment is what the article’s author, Laura Miller, thinks about the “slush pile,” [...]

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