Dear Author Dearest

Source

Dear Author Dearest,

I just finished my first draft. Should I query agents or just go ahead and self-publish?

Sincerely,

Excited Writer

Dear Excited Writer,

First: Congrats on finishing a novel! That’s a huge accomplishment.

Second: You should do neither.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Sincerely,

Author with Sage Advice

~~~~~

Dear Author Dearest,

A follow up question … what would you recommend I do now if I’m not to query agents or self-publish?

Sincerely,

Still an Excited Writer (despite your previous advice)

Dear Still an Excited Writer,

Before making the decision to query agents or self-publish, I highly recommend you do the following:

1.      Read books on the craft of writing (see recommended list below).

2.      Revise your manuscript based on the knowledge you gained from the reading assignment.

3.      Join up with critique partners and let them rip apart your manuscript.

4.      Revise your manuscript again based on the feedback you received from critique partners.

5.      Have a couple of beta-readers go through your manuscript with fresh eyes.

6.      While they’ve got your manuscript, read another book on the craft of writing.

7.      Revise again.

8.      Repeat the above steps as many times as necessary, until you’re certain your manuscript is as polished as humanly possible. Then you’re ready to consider your various publishing options.

Happy revising,

Author with Sage Advice

Margo Kelly’s Recommended Books on the Craft of Writing:

The Elements of Style by Strunk & White

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne & King

The Story Book by David Baboulene

Writing YA Fiction for Dummies by  Deborah Halverson

The Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass

Margo Kelly’s debut novel, Who R U Really?, comes out 9/18/14. You can pre-order your copy today: http://www.amazon.com/Who-R-Really-Margo-Kelly/dp/1440572763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406569291&sr=8-1&keywords=who+r+u+really

Kirkus Reviews said, “Kelly's first novel is a suspenseful page-turner...”

You can find Margo online:

Twitter: @MargoWKelly

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargoKelly.author

Website: http://www.margokelly.net

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21444891-who-r-u-really

A Darkly Delicious Detail About Who R U Really? by Margo Kelly

The book jacket reads: “Ripped from a true-life story of Internet stalking, Who R U Really? will excite you and scare you, as Thea’s life spins out of her control.”

I *hope* after people have had a chance to read Who R U Really? (available 9/18/14) they will ask me, “What scenes actually happened in real life?”

Because I’m telling you, life is stranger than fiction, and often times things that truly happen would not be believable in a novel.

This story went through countless revisions, and so many times a reader, agent, or editor would say, “This is too unbelievable. This needs to be revised so it’s more realistic.” And in my head, I’d respond, “But that actually happened.”

Many of the scenes that really happened in our lives were softened up to make them more believable. But some of the remaining scary scenes actually happened, and … some did not. I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone, so I won’t give away any secrets today, but please after you’ve had a chance to read it, ask me which scenes really happened. It was scary when we went through it in real life, and for me and my daughter, it’s almost as scary to read about it again in print. The good news is: at least she’s still around to read it at all.

About Margo Kelly:

Margo Kelly loves to be scared (except when it comes to her children’s safety!) but otherwise, she loves to be scared when she’s reading a good book, watching a good movie, or suffering from the hiccups. She loves writing thrillers for young adults and hopes her stories give you the goose bumps or the itchies or the desire to rethink everyday things. Margo is represented by the not-so-scary, but totally awesome, Brianne Johnson of Writers House.

Margo is a native of the Northwest and currently resides in Idaho. A veteran public speaker, Margo is now actively pursuing her love of writing. Who R U Really? is her debut novel and will be published by Merit Press September 2014. Margo welcomes opportunities to speak to youth groups, library groups, and book clubs.

You can find Margo here:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter

You can pre-order her book here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Putting First Lines to the Test by Margo Kelly

Reading a novel is a treat, an escape, a joyride, an amazing adventure; and it begins with one sentence. The first line of a story can captivate me or lose me. And my favorite first lines are the ones that are story specific … meaning: that first sentence could not be used to start any other story but this one. Also, I love a first line that poses questions, creates tension, and makes me want to read more … immediately!

I grabbed a few books off my bookshelf and tested them to see if they met the standards above, and I’m thrilled to say: YES, they did! I loved reading these books the first time, and I’ve kept them on my shelves so that I can enjoy reading them again. While these aren’t all examples from creepy dark young adult books, they do all have great first lines!

ESCAPE FROM EDEN by Elisa Nader: “False prophets!” the Reverend Elias Eden yelled into the dented microphone.

WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson: So she tells me, the words dribbling out with the cranberry muffin crumbs, commas dunked in her coffee.

SEIZE THE NIGHT by Dean Koontz: Elsewhere, night falls, but in Moonlight Bay it steals upon us with barely a whisper, like a gentle dark-sapphire surf licking a beach.

INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher: Finn had been flung on his face and chained to the stone slabs of the transitway.

STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova: Even then, more than a year earlier, there were neurons in her head, not far from her ears, that were being strangled to death, too quietly for her to hear them.

THE GIRL IN THE WALL by Daphne Benedis-Grab: What do you wear to the birthday party of your ex-best friend?

ALONG THE WAY HOME by Christi Corbett: Every Wednesday Kate stood on the same front porch, her hand poised inches from the door, willing herself to do the unthinkable – walk away without knocking.

So … my challenge to you: grab one of your all-time favorite books and put its first sentence to the test. Is it story specific? Does it pose questions, create tension, and make you want to read more?

Or … do you think the first line of a book doesn’t really matter overall?

Margo Kelly

Who RU Really? Merit Press, 2014
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 Margo Kelly loves to be scared … when she’s reading a good book, watching a good movie, or suffering from the hiccups. She loves writing thrillers for young adults and hopes her stories give you the goose bumps or the itchies or the desire to rethink everyday things. Margo is represented by the not-so-scary, but totally awesome, Brianne Johnson of Writers House.

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Who R U Really? by Margo Kelly

To celebrate the cover reveal for Who R U Really? Margo Kelly is giving away TWO Advance Reader Copies of the book! Visit www.margokelly.net to enter by Sunday, May 11, 2014!

  

WHO R U REALLY?

by Margo Kelly

Merit Press -- September 18, 2014

Description:

Thea's overprotective parents are driving her insane. They invade her privacy, ask too many questions, and restrict her online time so severely that Thea feels she has no life at all. When she discovers a new role-playing game online, Thea breaks the rules by staying up late to play. She's living a double life: on one hand, the obedient daughter; on the other, a girl slipping deeper into darkness. In the world of the game, Thea falls under the spell of Kit, an older boy whose smarts and savvy can't defeat his loneliness and near-suicidal despair. As Kit draws soft-hearted Thea into his drama, she creates a full plate of cover stories for her parents and then even her friends.

Soon, Thea is all alone in the dark world with Kit, who worries her more and more, but also seems to be the only person who really "gets" her. Is he frightening, the way he seems sometimes, or only terribly sad? Should Thea fear Kit, or pity him? And now, Kit wants to come out of the screen and bring Thea into his real-life world. As much as she suspects that this is wrong, Thea is powerless to resist Kit's allure, and hurtles toward the same dark fate her parents feared most. Ripped from a real-life story of Internet stalking, Who R U Really? will excite you and scare you, as Thea's life spins out of control.

Pre-order Who R U Really?

Barnes & Noble | Amazon

About the Author:

Margo Kelly is a native of the Northwest and currently resides in Idaho. A veteran public speaker, Margo is now actively pursuing her love of writing. Who R U Really? is her debut novel and will be published by Merit Press in September 2014. Margo welcomes opportunities to speak to youth groups, library groups, and book clubs.

Connect with Margo

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook 

The Darker Side of Cutting Characters by Margo Kelly

Is every single character in your story important? Are you sure?

Here’s an exercise to determine the depth of your characters:

On strips of paper, write the names of every single character mentioned in your manuscript (except for the protagonist and antagonist). Put the strips into a bowl and mix them up. Pull out one strip at a time and answer these questions:

1.     What is the most outrageous thing this character does in the story?

2.     What is the driving emotion behind this character?

3.     What does this character strive to achieve within the plot?

4.     How does this character provide conflict in the story?

5.     How is this character different than the protagonist?

6.     Who in the story’s cast of characters is the complete opposite of this particular character?

7.     Who is similar to this character?

8.     Could this character be combined with a parallel character within the story?

9.     What would happen if this character had never been born in the world of your manuscript?

10.  Would his/her absence change the plot?

11.  Would the protagonist suffer from never having known this character?

12.  Are there other characters in the story that would simply pick up the slack and move the plot forward in the absence of this character?

13.  Why does this character matter?

14.  What does this character do to earn his/her spot in the story?

15.  Why do you want to keep this character in your manuscript?

Secondary characters must strive to earn their spot in the manuscript; otherwise they’re taking up unnecessary space, and most likely, they’re forgettable.

This is the dark truth.

If you cannot handle eliminating a needless secondary character, then you will have to dig deep to make him/her matter. By utilizing the questions above, you will be able give your secondary characters depth and importance.

Margo Kelly writes thrillers for young adults, and her debut novel WHO R U REALLY? will be published by Merit Press in 2014.  Follow her blog at www.margokelly.blogspot.com for the latest news on the cover reveal and publication information. You can also follow @MargoWKelly on Twitter.