In which I love Despicable Me and Castle

I finally got to watch Despicable Me and catch up on the last two (whoa!) episodes of Castle. They were both amazing, in completely different ways.

(Beckett and Castle... she needs to figure out that authors are way cooler than doctors, asap! Especially when the author is Nathan Fillion... I mean, Castle. Unless you're sick or dying, in which case, yay doctors! But in this fictional world of TV...)

I love both shows for completely different reasons, but the two things that were the same across the board were interesting characters and awesome dialogue. Both shows have excellent examples of each.

Hmmm... wonder if the same could be said for books? I'm going to go with YES. Truly interesting characters and really great dialogue don't just suck me into movies or TV shows. If a book has both of those elements, I just can't put it down.

I think there's a word for it; one word that encompasses both of those elements (and even a little bit more). Hmm, what was it again... oh, right. VOICE. Ever heard of that? Ever heard any agents or editors say that above all else, a truly great voice is what grabs their attention? I know I have.

So tell me, what are some of your favorite characters and why? What "voices" have you read recently (or in the past) that you just can't forget and wish could go on and on? And how do you find and show a really great, unique voice in your characters?

Back to Query Hints (#2)

So, before I left for Florida, I gave you my first hint on successful queries.

Here's hint #2: make sure your query shows your MCs voice.

Queries are tricky little things, because you have to accomplish so much with so little. One of the most important things that you need to succeed at (and that will get your request rate to probably double), is to show the voice of your main character in the paragraph(s) that describe your book. A query with a great hook and no voice will probably still get some requests, but a query with a great hook and a fabulous show of voice will probably get at least twice as many requests to read more.

You might be thinking "that's great, but how do I show voice in a query?" (Especially if your mss is written in first person when the query has to be in third person?)

I heard a great little tidbit once that you might want to give a try. Write it in first person. Don't SEND it in first person, just write it that way until it shines. Most people find that it's easier to show voice in first person. Ask yourself how would Jane/John (or whatever your character's name is) explain their story? Is Jane snarky and outgoing or is Jane shy and reticent? Is John hilarious and quirky, or is he an angsty MC with an attitude? Every one of those options would tell their story differently, right?

Then, once you have a great paragraph or two, told in your character's voice, you go back through it and change the I's to she/he/the MC's name. You may have to tweak it a little bit once you change it to third person to make it read cleanly, but those changes shouldn't be too hard.

You might be surprised at how much voice that simple exercise will help give your query. Try it and let me know how it goes. Good luck to all of you out there in the query trenches!

Curly Hair and Originality

Hello everyone. My name is Sara and I have naturally curly hair. There I admitted it. I can't tell you how many people would tell me that I'm so lucky to have naturally curly hair. I have to admit that there are times (not always) that I will agree with them... now.

When I was in middle school and high school, I seriously thought my curly hair was a curse. You tell me how it feels when everyone is sporting the latest "Rachel" hairdo of straight/flippy/short/long perfection (depending on the season of Friends that everyone was emulating) and I'm the only girl who looks like I still think getting perms is hot. I was going to post a picture of me in high school, but sadly there were no digital cameras running around rampant at that time. That means I'd have to find a picture of me and scan it in to my computer. Since I just moved and have no clue where half of my belongings are, it's just not happening. I know, you're devastated. Maybe another time... if you beg enough. (Cue evil laugh *hehehe*) Anyway... by the time I was senior, I was slightly more enamored of my curly hair, and realized that it was kind of nice to stand out from "the pack," but I still longed for the ability to straighten it. Blow drying it and using a curling iron = major frizz disaster of wavy craphair.

Then, THEN, when I was in my twenties, I met my CHI. Hello pretty straightener of miracles! I found a tool that would straighten my hair as straight as Jennifer Aniston's on season um... the one where it's super long and bone straight the whole time. In ten minutes. Choruses of angels were singing praises. Or else I was just belting out my joy and it was echoing back to me in my bathroom. I still wore my hair curly sometimes because I was a little afraid that if I didn't, my curl would go away.

Is there a point to this, you might ask? Hold your horses, I'm getting there. This is just too fun to reminisce. Ah... oh, sorry. Continuing on.

So, here I am today. I usually switch back and forth between straight one day and curly the next. And sadly, my curl isn't as tight as it once was (though it does get curlier if I wear it that way more than one day in a row), so I think my straightener addiction is having a small effect on it. Or maybe it's just changing with age.

Okay, ready for the point? How many of us writers have a hard time finding and embracing our own unique and original voices in our writing? Why do so many of us not only compare ourselves to other writers in terms of success or skill or what have you, but sometimes we (or maybe it's just me) find ourselves trying to force ourselves to fit into a certain mold? The key to being truly successful, to truly standing out of that slush pile or on that shelf, is to embrace our INDIVIDUALITY. That doesn't mean you shouldn't learn the tools of the trade and maybe use some of the best techniques that successful authors will teach you in classes or books. But don't lose yourself in the effort to "fit in."

Find what makes your stories and your writing unique and wonderful and embrace it. Now, should I wear my hair curly or straight today? ;P

Carolyn this pic is for you - proof of the curly hair. ;-) Random shot, but it shows the curl pretty well. (I'm helping lace up my SIL's wedding dress)

P.S. you may notice that my author picture is me with straight hair. It just so happened that my friend (who is in a writer's group with me and is an amazing photographer: Erin Summerill) decided to do pics at our last get-together, and my hair was straight that day. Just in case you were wondering. Like I said, it's a 50/50 chance these days if you'll see me with curly or straight hair. :-)