I hit 1,000 Wordle games played just this past week. My starter word used to be “stare,” which gave me my only “Wordle in 1” badge. However, after losing to several –er words, I changed my starter word to “taser.”
My Wordle stats when I hit 1,000 games played last week
Broadway in Boston season ticket holder
My wife Kate and I met and fell in love in New York City and frequently went to Broadway shows. For nearly our entire time in Boston, we’ve been season ticket holders of Broadway in Boston. Some of my all-time favorite shows: The Producers, Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, Hamilton, Fun Home, and Six.
Fan of IKEA bookcases
We have more than a dozen Kallax bookcases around our house. And those are Markor bookcases behind me in all my book review videos.
Visited Berlin
In January, I visited Berlin for several days with my eldest son Ben. We went to the Stasi Museum, Berlin TV Tower, Berlin Cathedral, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, and more. I was most struck by how Germans didn’t try to hide their dark history. They want it out in the open so no one forgets.
Below are pictures of sections of the Berlin Wall.
I’ve kept detailed records of all 30 of my query submissions to date in a spreadsheet and I’ve found the query response rate varies wildly based on whether the submission was made via QueryManager or QueryTracker or via email. However, the difference in query response times is much more muted.
Query response rates
Of the 14 queries I submitted via QueryManager and QueryTracker, I’ve heard back from 100% of them. Of the 16 queries I submitted via email, I’ve heard back from only 38% of them.
In the defense of email submissions, the vast majority of the agents said they didn’t always respond with rejections and to assume that no response means they’re not interested. Given the low response rate, I appreciate that so many of them set that expectation.
That said, most of the rejections I got via QueryManager and QueryTracker were generic rejections, which begs the question: If literary agents using those platforms can copy and paste a generic rejection into the system, why can’t agents using email do the same and close the loop on the submission?
I assume it’s because emailed rejections probably invite more follow-up emails, but perhaps the responses could include a line that discourages replies. I don’t know if that would help, but I do know as an author that it’s really nice to have a definitive answer and not wonder if your email was overlooked or <gasp> routed to junk.
Query response times
Regardless of the submission method, response times averaged 49 days. For submissions via QueryManager and QueryTracker, I heard back in 54 days, on average. For submissions via email, it was 44 days.
However, the spread was huge. I got three responses in less than a day—with all of those submitted via email. One of those speedy responses was a request for the full manuscript, which felt awesome, despite it leading to a “great writing but not for me in the end” rejection.
At the other end of the spectrum, I got 5 responses after more than 100 days. None took more than 6 months to respond—which I’d heard was not completely out of the question. Even with these late-comers, I was grateful to have responses.
As expected, the form rejections didn’t include any useful feedback. However, there also wasn’t any in the positive-tilting rejections like the “great writing” one and another saying, “This project is too similar to one already on my list.”
Of course, 30 rejections is feedback in and of itself. Some introspection led me to:
Rework the first 50 pages to accelerate the introduction of characters and conflict
Identify and correct weaknesses in my query letter
I read The Fantasy Fiction Formula on the recommendation of my developmental editor and found it to be highly helpful. It covers all the fundamentals of novel writing, from formulating a story plan to crafting a story climax, but also gives you a lot of tools to understand those elements better.
For instance, it includes a lot of charts and lists, including ones for different types of opening hooks and different story roles. One of my favorite frameworks is SPOOC, which shows you how the Situation, Protagonist, Objective, Opponent, and Climax all work together. Having a clear SPOOC gives you a massive headstart on writing your query letter and jacket copy. The book also includes plenty of drill exercises.
I give it 5 stars, 20 dog ears, and 5 Post-its.
For my dystopian sci-fi trilogy, two concepts from The Fantasy Fiction Formula were particularly helpful.
The moral dilemma
Chester says that “a well-written third act requires the protagonist to be cornered and forced to deal with some kind of inner dilemma. … Whatever the inner dilemma happens to be, passing this part of the final test requires the protagonist to reveal their true nature and face the internal problem squarely.”
Moral dilemmas feature prominently in the climaxes of each book in my dystopian sci-fi trilogy. But after reading Chester’s advice, I tweaked the climax of Book 3 to make the dilemma even more stark and the resulting cost even higher. [evil laugh]
The hidden story
Novels often contain as many as three story lines, says Chester.
The ongoing story
The back story
The hidden story
This was my first time encountering this concept, which I found fascinating. Chester explains that the hidden story is “running parallel to the ongoing story, although most of the time it’s not on view. Readers are unaware of it, but writers have to know what’s happening off-stage to their nonviewpoint characters.”
Fundamentally, that makes perfect sense. Of course, things are happening that you aren’t showing. What I found really interesting was that I was routinely revealing the hidden story, particularly with my antagonists.
In other craft books, I’d read about writers cheating their way to big twists and surprise reveals by artificially withholding information. Instead of being impactful, these can make readers feel cheated. Moreover, they’ve robbed themselves of the opportunity to create suspense by revealing breadcrumbs of the struggles to come.
In my trilogy, I make the hidden story visible to create dramatic irony, which is when the reader knows more than the characters do. Then readers have to experience the tension of wondering if the heroes will avoid the coming danger (Nope!) and then painfully watch as danger blindsides our unsuspecting heroes.
That said, turnabout is fair play. And sometimes the antagonists are unaware of what our heroes have been up to and don’t account for that in their plans. [evil laugh]
In addition to my book files, I have a separate book notes file for Project: T.A.G., my dystopian sci-fi trilogy. That file is currently 683 pages, and includes over 100,000 words of copy I’ve cut or substantially rewritten, but wanted to save. The remaining 50,000 words are focused on two very different aspects of the project:
Cast list, including details on appearance, backgrounds, motivations, mannerisms, speech patterns, etc.
A timeline that goes from 2048 to 2116, even though the action in each book takes place over a year or less, academy-style, between 2104 and 2106 over the course of the three books in the series
Locations around the world where scenes take place
A list of all weapons, equipment, and technologies used by characters
Themes for each book
A list of mirror scenes and echoes
The playlist for each book
Publication & marketing plans
Comparable books
Back cover copy and flap copy (book description, bio, etc.)
Potential blurb contributors
Notes on book cover concepts
Website updates to make, including creating an electronic press kit
Pre-publication launch marketing plan
Post-publication marketing plan
Along with my book notes, I have a separate spreadsheet to track my querying efforts. I also have a separate doc to plan my blog and social media content that has a running list of topics and draft posts for this trilogy and the next four novels I have planned.
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While I’ve written five nonfiction books and nearly 4,000 articles and posts, I knew I didn’t know nearly enough about novel writing. I’d taken a couple of courses on it in college, but that was long ago and those were workshops rather than instructional. What I needed was a masterclass in novel writing, so I set out to create one for myself.
I started off with Hooked by Les Edgerton and How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card, both of which my eldest son gave as birthday presents. Then I bought a few more books on craft I found at Barnes & Noble. And then I started buying the craft books mentioned in the craft books I was reading, plus ones mentioned in articles I’d read.
Admittedly, some advice is repeated by multiple authors, but I’ve found that just reinforces what the fundamentals are. At the same time, truly unique advice and frameworks have stood out, especially once I got a dozen books in.
Both kinds of advice were helpful, since I was writing and revising my novels as I read these books on novel writing. As I read, I reflect on what I’ve written in previous chapters and whether it needs tweaking. Or I can adjust my outline for future chapters, which happened after I read The Fantasy Fiction Formula—which I highly recommend.
I’ve since read two more craft books, and I have six more in the TBR pile on my desk. Every one I read makes me a little better writer.
Some of the books on novel writing I’ve read
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From the gramophone to compass to the computer, advancements in technology routinely cause people to abandon skills, says The Atlantic’s Kwame Anthony Appiah in The Age of De-Skilling (link to gift article).
“It’s a reassuring pattern—something let go, something else acquired,” he says. “But some gains come with deeper costs. They unsettle not only what people can do but also who they feel themselves to be.”
Of course, AI is the next big advancement that’s causing the current cycle of de-skilling. The question is: What skills will people be giving up? And how will that impact their identity?
In these cycles, people have several paths available to them:
1. The cyborg
They can use the technology collaboratively, keeping their skills while gaining speed, precision, or other benefits from the technology.
2. The monitor
They watch over the technology as it does their former job, stepping in to assist when the technology falters. In this role, the person invariably loses skill and their former identity.
It’s around these two choices that most of the conversation about AI has revolved. Will you be the “human in the loop” that stays actively engaged in your craft? Or will you be the “human on the loop” that merely oversees and signs off on the work the technology does?
But I think there are two other options.
3. The innovator
Freed from some aspects of their profession or task, they specialize in one or more of the remaining aspects. In the age of AI, this means focusing on very niche subject areas where there’s relatively little domain knowledge—or, more commonly, being on the forefront of new discoveries. The innovator doesn’t compete with the new technology. Instead, they expand knowledge or pioneer new methods, which over time improve the new technology or fuel the next technology innovation.
4. The artisan
Some people will continue doing things the old way. They will maintain their skills and identity, but compete directly with the new technology. In some cases, a critical mass of consumers will appreciate this human- or hand-crafted product or service, making it a viable choice. In other cases, there won’t be a viable market.
I recognize that not every person in every instance will have full discretion over which of these paths they take as AI spreads across industries. However, in my day job, I’m going to lean into being a cyborg and specialist, as that makes me the most valuable as a digital marketer. And in my night job as a novelist, I’m going to lean into being an artisan, as that best aligns with my values as a novelist.
The final paragraph of The Age of De-Skilling by Kwame Anthony Appiah in The Atlantic
When I first read this query response from one of the agents I reached out to, I was bummed. They already have a novel that’s similar to mine, I thought.
Then I became concerned. Oh no, they have a novel that’s similar to mine. I need to make sure mine is published first. I thought about how I might accelerate my timeline—which essentially meant abandoning querying and self-publishing.
Is being first really better?
But then I realized that publishing isn’t about being first. If anything, it’s about NOT being first. That’s why literary agents want to see successful comps—and ideally very recent comps—and most ideally lots of recent comps. They want as many reassurances as possible that they’re not going out on a limb.
There’s safety in numbers, which is to say that’s what creates established audiences. The more successful books there are that are similar to yours the better, because people seek out books that are similar to ones they’ve already read and enjoyed.
So, I’m taking a deep breath and sticking with my original plan and query more agents after I’m done working with my developmental editor. And if this other book beats mine to market, that’s all the better.
In the meantime, the fact that a major literary agent has signed a book that’s similar to mine is a form of validation. It means there’s a higher chance another agent will see the value of my novel. It’s far from a guarantee, but it’s a positive sign. At least that’s how I’ve chosen to see it.
A query response from one of the literary agents I approached about my dystopian sci-fi novel
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I was querying agents, but decided to pivot and work with a developmental editor before doing any more.
Book 2
📕 Draft complete!
✍️ 100,000 words, 27 chapters
▶️ Out with final beta reader 📤
Waiting to hear back from my last beta reader. Will then hand it off to developmental editor.
Book 3
📘 Work in progress…
✍️ 37,000 words, 11 chapters
▶️ Goal to finish draft by end of year 🥂
Finishing by year-end may be a stretch, given all the work I’ve been doing on book 1 with my developmental editor. However, I’ve now done a detailed outline of the final book, which may give me the momentum I need. Fingers crossed.
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Title page: single spaced with no running header. Contact details (Legal Name, Address, Phone Number, Email, Website) in top left corner. Manuscript word count to nearest 1,000 words in top right corner. Title centered halfway down page in ALL-CAPS. Your (pen) name 2 lines under title. Book category (i.e., Adult, Young Adult) centered at bottom in Title Case. Book genre (i.e., Science Fiction, Paranormal) centered below that in Title Case.
Industry standard manuscript format for a title page
Font: 12-point Times New Roman in black
Margins: 1 inch on all four sides
Alignment: align left (except where otherwise specified)
Line spacing: double spaced with 0 pt “Before” and “After”
Spaces after periods: 1
Paragraph indentation: 0.5″ (except for opening paragraphs of chapters and after scene breaks), set in Paragraph menu, not with tab characters
New chapters: insert page break before each one
Chapter number: center and bold
Chapter subtitle: center under chapter number
Time gap since last chapter: center and italicize 2 lines above chapter number
Chapter breaks: center three asterisks (* * *)
End: type “The End” to reassure readers that no pages are missing
Running header: insert header aligned right with LASTNAME / TITLE / PAGENUMBER
Be aware that every editor, agent, and publisher may want something slightly different, so consult with them on the manuscript format they prefer. But in the absence of being able to get that information, if you follow the manuscript format above, you should be in good shape.
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One of the questions my developmental editor asked me before taking me on was “Is there a villain or antagonist in your story? Who?” When I answered the question, I didn’t mention villains, only antagonists. That’s because I don’t think there are any true villains in my story, only characters who have desires that run counter to what the heroes want.
In fact, I have three tiers of antagonists in my story:
Series antagonists, who drive the entire series
Book antagonists, who drive the action of each book (some series antagonists become book antagonists)
Threshold guardian antagonists, who present mid-book blocks our heroes must overcome to progress toward their goals (Threshold guardians are a character type discussed in The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler.)
I like what Jack Anderson, the author of The Return of Moriarty, says about the differences between heroes and villains. In particular, I agree that while “heroes die for their beliefs, villains kill for them.” But I would add one more quality I think separates villains from antagonists: relatability.
DC Comics vs. Marvel Comics
There’s no better example of this distinction in action than the stories from DC and Marvel. DC features iconic villains like the Joker, the Riddler, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Bane, Lex Luthor, and Darkseid. Many of them are certifiably insane, while others are egomaniacal sociopaths and ruthless tyrants.
The Joker is insane, while Magneto is a zealous mutant rights advocate.
On the other hand, Marvel features iconic antagonists like Magneto, Thanos, Loki, and Kingpin. They’re bad and absolutely kill others in the name of their beliefs, but they’re not insane, two-dimensional characters. Their heinous actions stem from relatable worldviews, such as Magneto’s desire to protect mutants from racist persecution and Thanos’s desire to alleviate resource scarcity caused by overpopulation. These characters also have other redeeming characteristics, such as the ability to care for others.
If you’re into antagonists and protagonists who are rainbows of gray tones, rather than black and white cartoon characters of evil and good, then my sci-fi trilogy is for you.
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