Hello, dreamers. After a brief break, this past week I was back at it. I spent most of my time editing the altered passages of Pioneers and taking notes for Aquarius 1. The mix has left me with a curious mix of emotions: mild sorrow knowing I’ve finally put Pioneers behind me and near-elation as Aquarius 1 is finally coming together the way I wanted it to.

This week begins a transitional period in my writing. While Sara reads the final version of Pioneers, I begin the process of starting a new novel. There’s a lot to do this week, so here’s what I’ll be up to:

Pioneers

It came down to the wire, but on Friday night I finally finished my last edit of Pioneers. In order to save time (and preserve my sanity), I limited myself to the passages that had been recently expanded or rewritten. After all, the rest of the novel has been edited and re-edited over and over for the past couple years. It’s unlikely I’ll see fit to change any of it now.

That leaves the next couple weeks for the arduous task of preparing for querying. I have a lot to do: I’ll need to write a query letter (likely several) and synopses (as many as three), and revise my list of target editors, taking into account who is or is not currently open to submissions. Given the time of year, it’s likely at least a few of my top targets are currently closed to subs for the year. If that is so, that’s what I’ll have to deal with. I still intend to send out queries next month.

To that end, I’ll be spending time this week listening to the podcast “The Shit Nobody Tells You About Writing”. Each episode begins with a segment called “Books with Hooks”, in which two literary agents critique queries submitted by listeners. I’ve found the segment to be incredibly helpful, to the point where I frequently only listen to the beginning of the episode.

As I have said before, reading advice on querying is frustrating. There’s a lot of it out there, much of it contradictory, nearly all of it written by published authors (meaning it’s written by someone who succeeded). And it’s constantly changing, which means much of what’s out there is now wrong, even if it was right when it was written. And that’s where “Books with Hooks” is so helpful. Here are two active literary agents, telling you exactly what they want to see. And the fact is, that’s exactly the advice I want: not advice from writers who submitted queries, but agents who accepted them.

Already, I’ve begun taking notes as I listen. Hopefully, the next two weeks of listening will leave me with a clearer idea of how my query should look. As it is, I’ve been thinking of submitting my query (once it’s finished) to “Books with Hooks”. They have a fairly long waiting list, but I’m not deluded enough to believe the very first agent who reads my very first query will pounce on it.

Aquarius 1

As last week progressed, I finally began making real progress on Aquarius 1.

When I first set to writing the story about a year ago, it didn’t go well. I was cruising through the story, but it felt hollow. Lifeless. I was just going through the motions: telling a bland story without taking the time to develop characters to the point where readers would truly care about them. When I returned to my research earlier this year, I kept focusing on the sci-fi elements: spacecraft, technology, alien biosphere, etc. But I was missing what so many beta readers have told me makes Pioneers so engrossing: the characters.

So, halfway through last week, I opened a new file, and began working on characters. I threw out everything I had (which wasn’t much). I set aside everything I knew about them (which also wasn’t much). And I began to ask just who these people were, exactly. The results were incredible: for the first time since Pioneers, I felt I truly knew and understood who these people were. And now, I can’t wait to meet them, and see how they handle the calamity I’m about to throw at them.

There’s still a lot to do. By the time I put pen to paper, I’ll have pages of notes, and I’m still neck-deep in research. But every successful modern novel starts with the characters. And now, at long last, Aquarius 1 has the most important thing it was missing: a soul. And now that I’ve created a cast of interesting characters, I’m approaching the point where I won’t be able to resist the urge to write about them.

Reintroduction

Lastly, with editing on Pioneers behind me and querying on the horizon, I’ve been thinking about a pressing concern: my public persona.

In the modern literary world, being a good writer isn’t enough. Gone are the days (sadly) of the successful recluse, where a writer could hide themselves from the world and let their work do the talking. Modern readers demand a certain level of intimacy. They want to know more about the person who wrote the book. And I’ve begun to realize that most readers who look at my platform (this site and my Twitter page) probably have no idea who I am, really.

To be fair, I’ve changed a lot since I first put pen to paper, and I dare say for the better. I’ve grown a lot. I’m a lighter, funnier, less serious individual. I dress casually, worry less about what people think of me. And, I think, perhaps now is the time to reintroduce myself to the world. To show the world who I really am.

To that end, later this week among several planned posts will be a reintroduction post. I’m going to show the world just who it is writing about alien dinosaurs and the like. Then I’ll let everyone make their judgements. And you know what? I’ll bet they’ll like what they see. Until then, dare to dream. – MK