Writerly Resources

So, you've done the impossible. You've written a novel. You typed "The End" (or some variation thereof) and now you're staring blankly at the screen wondering, "What now?" To help with that question, I offer you these resources that have and have not (hey, you might have better luck with them than I did) helped me during my own post-completion journey.



(The most important thing you'll write after finishing your novel is the query letter. And prepare yourself. It's not easy. It's going to chip away at your sanity and poke little holes in your soul. But the little bugger is VITAL for pitching your book to agents. It needs to tantalizingly tempt agents with your story and make them want more. And that's no easy feat to accomplish on your own. 

Here are some of the sites I used for getting my query letter and synopsis into the best shape possible. But BEWARE, you're going to get a lot of contradictory opinions on the query critique sites (mostly from unpublished, amateur writers looking for help themselves) and you need to do your own research first so you can sift through all the opinions for the ones that are actually helpful)):


Sites for Query Critiques:




(for tips on how to REVISE query letters. You can submit your query for critique but your chances of one are slim. Query Shark herself says, "It's harder to get a query posted on QueryShark than to get a request for a full, just FYI. In the course of a year I've read more than 200 fulls, and only posted 151 queries here atQueryShark." So good luck!)


Helpful Articles and Posts:



WD's Successful Queries Series (This is an excellent series of interviews with agents who look at the queries that worked for them and explain why. Great example of "what to do" vs. "what not to do.)

How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis (Susan Dennard, author of Truthwitch, shares a great method for writing a concise and compelling synopsis using a Hero's Journey inspired worksheet.)


(an online critique workshop. Though the structure of the site is confusing and a bit cluttered, it's a great place to get feedback. You have to critique a certain number of other submissions (and these critiques must meet certain standards) in order to get your own critiqued, so critters are held accountable for offering genuine, helpful feedback. But you have to do the same!)

(Writer's community where you can post your story for feedback and also connect with beta readers.)

(one of the largest online reading platforms, which means there are a lot of people looking to read your story! But if you want to stand out, you're kind of obligated to create an eye catching graphic to act as your cover art. Here are some great reasons to use wattpad.)




(I can't stress enough how important it is to do your research on an agent before querying them. There's an etiquette to agent queries & they like to see that you did your homework. I found that creating an Excel document was super helpful for keeping track of who I wanted to query (along with their submission guidelines and response times), who I already queried and on what date, and who I got rejections or requests from.)



Agent Query Database (massive database of agents that allows you to search for agents by genre or keywords)

Publisher's Marketplace (A huge database of agents and editors with news about book deals and sales, agent information including their sales, their preferred genres, and sometimes their submission requirements)


#MSWL (a site with a massive number of agents' manuscript wishlists! updates with their #MSWL tweets)

Absolute Write (This site has amazing forums discussing agents and literary agencies. Just google "agent name" + "absolutewrite" and it will take you to a thread where query-ers talk about their experience querying a specific agent or agency.)




8tracks (Great place to find playlists for writing or creating your own book soundtrack!)

Camp NaNoWriMo (similar to its November counterpart, Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writer's retreat that holds sessions in April and July. You set your own word count goals and join a cabin of other writers who help motivate and encourage each other.)

LitRejections (@LitRejections) ("Helping Creatives Persevere Through Rejection") 



Twitter is a great resource for stalking--erhmm...researching agents and finding useful writing tips. These hashtags will take you to some great pointers straight from the agent's mouth:

#querytip 
#pubtip
#askagent
#tenqueries
#MSWL


(Pitch Contests on Twitter)

#PitchWars
#PitchMadness      (these 3 events are hosted by Brenda Drake, author of Thief of Lies)
#PitMad
#FicFest                 (a brand new contest created by author and editor Tiffany Hoffman)
#DVPit                   (hosted by Beth Phelan for Marginalized Voices/Diverse Books)
#PitchCB               (hosted by Curtis Brown and Conville &Walsh)
#pg70pit                 (hosted by story coach and freelance editor Lara Willard)
#SFFpit                  (hosted by author and scientist Dan Koboldt)
#QueryKombat      (hosted by authors Laura Heffernan, Michael Anthony, and Michelle Hauck) 
#SonofaPitch         (hosted by author Katie Hamstead Teller)
#PitchSlam             (hosted by L.L. McKinney, Jamie Corrigan, Kimberly Vanderhorst, and Laura Heffernan)
#PassorPages          (hosted by Operation Awesome)

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