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ISWG-What's A Writer To Do????



Another month has flown by.  Its hard to believe we're already in the throws of August's ISWG.  If you'd like to learn more about this wonderful group, click here: Alex's Blog.  

As many of you are aware, my book has been under review by editors from a couple of publishing companies.  It's been a little over a month since I submitted my novel to them. While waiting for a response, I began the querying process.  After receiving several form rejections from agents, I slinked away, teary eyed and discouraged, wondering "what's wrong with my query?"  I thought I 'd done everything right. I attended a pitch conference where I refined my story, posted the query on several writer's sites, and all the feedback was positive.   So what the heck????

One day, while whining to a fellow writer about my query, she suggested I take another look at Janet Reid's Query Shark.  I went in and read every single letter on her site and noted all her comments.  Come to find out, my letter read more like a synopsis than a query.  Needless to say the last two weeks have been devoted to revisions. I posted the new version of my letter on Query Tracker.  The problem is, it's difficult to get feedback. I crit others works, but they haven't been eager to return the favor. Since the premise of my novel is very different, switching between the sixteenth century Mayan jungle and present day, I need to know if the way I set up the plot/conflict works. It's difficult to lay out a complex book in less than 300 words.  I'm insecure that I'll never strike a balance.  How's a writer to know if it's right or not when she can't get feedback? If I send the revised version out to agents and it's still not catchy enough, then I've just wasted several chances.  What's a writer to do?  Any and all advice would be appreciated.  Until next time my friends, happy writing.

P.S.  I've considered hosting a query review day on my blog.  Basically, anyone who wants to participate can post their query and receive feedback from other writers.  If I can muster enough interest I would love to set it up.  


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