Relevance in a Book

When reading through a manuscript the first thing I think of in each and every scene is relevance. Is what is presented in this scene relevant and necessary to move the story forward? Of course there is always a bit of room for world-building and description to immerse the reader in the story, but if you're going to go on about something, it must be relevant. Backstory can be worked in, but it must be sprinkled, not doused, much like a strong spice that you don't want to overuse. And, of course, it must be integral to the story and what is to come. One of the keys to backstory is to try as hard as possible not to put it in the first ten pages. You probably won't be able to resist, but trying will at least minimize it. There are alwasy exceptions, though!

It's important to start your story as close to the inciting incident as possible. Identifying the inciting incident can be difficult, and one can be tempted to think something in the backstory might be the inciting incident. Don't fall into that trap! The inciting incident is the thing/conflict that propels the character forward, forcing them into action that leads to the outcome. It sets everything in motion. Backstory does not do that. Backstory might determine why a character acts a certain way or does certain things, but it does not set everything in motion. Think of the inciting incident as the first main conflict in the story, and as that, it needs to connect with all the following conflicts and inevitably, the resolution.

To simplify it, think of the meat of your story, what it is really all about at the core. Now that you have that, make sure your inciting incident ties into it directly. Don't start with backstory, start with what is relevant.

But Did They?

A trend is arising in manuscripts that leaves readers with a question, one they should not have to ponder. You've no doubt read it, and probably written it yourself. I've been guilty of it too. You're reading along~or writing~and come across, "she could hear...", or "he could see..." Just because you could possibly see or hear something, doesn't mean you do. Which begs the question, did she in fact hear it? Did he, in fact, see it? We may never know.

All jesting aside, sometimes this tactic is called for in writing, but more often than not, it isn't. The key is to try the sentence with "she heard" or "he saw" and feel it out. If it works that way, chances are you don't need to pose the question. Another good way to determine which way you should write it is to ask yourself, "do I really want the reader to wonder whether or not they saw, heard, smelled, etc. whatever it was?". If you don't want them to wonder, why pose the question? 

Hopefully those tricks will help you. And remember, sometimes the rules are meant to be broken, sometimes it will be appropriate to to pose the question. But reducing your use of this often overused writing trend will make it more powerful when you do want to use it, and clean up your writing. 

Happy writing, and if you have any hypotheticals of the situation you'd like to try out, feel free to post them in the comments. 

Pitching at RWA

Next month I'll be taking pitches at one of the biggest conventions for romance writers, readers, and publishers, RWA!

Almost all writers are nervous about pitching in person, but hopefully I can help alleviate some of that. Just remember, we are people too, and we want to like your work, but if we don't, it isn't the end of the world. Here are some tips to make a great first impression:

Before the conference: Try your pitch out on people. Pitch it to your significant other, your friends, family, even your cat or dog. Get it down to where you know it and can rattle it off at any given time.

Choose who to pitch ahead of time and have backups in case their line is really long. BUT, make sure the editors and agents you are going to pitch to accept the genre of your book, otherwise you are just going to get a pass. Do your research!

At the Conference:

Be passionate about your book, but be able to get to the heart of the story in under three minutes. Have a great hook sentence that lays out the problem, stakes, and solution. Or, to put it another way, hook them with an interesting sentence (not a run-on one, think Twitter pitch length).

Then give a short paragraph or two that highlights the really interesting parts of your story (much like a query letter). You want to leave plenty of time for the editor to ask questions. An elevator pitch is between 1 and 3 minutes long and gives you time to introduce yourself, talk about your experience, awards, that kind of thing. To keep from rambling carry a notebook or note cards with your pitch written down. Try not to read off it unless you have to, but have it just in case. I do not mind if people read off their notes if it helps them.

Tips To Get You Ahead: If you're pitching me and are reading this before hand you are already several strides ahead of the game. Read through my wish list, read my expected manuscript lengths, know the submission requirements of City Owl. In other words, do your homework on those you plan to pitch to. I can't say this enough. And relax, especially if you're pitching me. I'm laid back and easy to talk to. I'll help walk you through it if you get stuck.

Personal Tips: 

• I do not like passive voice (overuse of was, were, that kind of thing). If you use this too much in your manuscript, it is not for me. A little is unavoidable, but too much is not good. 
• I do not like info dump, telling, and back story that isn't worked in well and sparingly (and preferably after the first five pages or later. Later is better). 
• I'm an editor, not an agent. I am not there to 'represent' your book, I'm there to consider publishing it. Not the same thing. Not by far. 
• When at the conference, you do NOT need an agent to pitch to me, or later to sign with me. Several of the authors I have signed don't have agents, several do. At events such as this, I am open to unsolicited (unagented) work. 
• I like good pacing with a healthy dose of action. 
• I'm partial to third person past tense. First person past tense is alright too. Present tense makes me twitchy. It isn't an instant no, but it had better be amazingly well done so that I hardly even notice it. Have cards on hand to give to me!

What NOT to do: Don't pitch to someone randomly outside of pitch sessions unless they ask about your book. If they ask about your book, that's an invitation to pitch so rattle off that elevator pitch. No means no. Don't push or argue the point. It will not help matters. In fact, it could hurt them, severely. Don't bring gimmicks, drawings, or reviews from friends or family who have read your manuscript. Your work will speak for itself, and if it can't, well, then it can't, and that says enough.

If you are attending RWA and your work matches something on my wish list, come see me in the Lyceum Room along the south side of West Side ballroom on the 5th floor!