Pamela Evans – BACCA Literary

Are You and Your Book Ready for an Agent or Publisher?

When my children were young there was a wonderful climbing tree in our front yard. You had to be a certain height to reach the bottom branch and pull yourself up into the arms of the tree. Very young children often asked if I could help them up onto that branch. Not wanting anyone to get hurt, my answer was, “When you can pull yourself up, you can climb the tree.”

How does this apply to writing and getting published? Let’s discuss the often-dreaded synopsis. You must know your story well to write a decent synopsis. Many editors offer synopsis writing services for authors and there certainly can be a time to use one of those services, but I would counter that if you’re not ready to write a halfway decent one yourself, you’re probably not quite ready to submit your manuscript.

I’ll be the first to admit that writing a novel or work of nonfiction is a different skill from crafting the synopsis, but they truly complement each other. For the synopsis you need to have identified the strongest components of your work. You’ll need both the surface level – who, what, where, when – and the deeper why, blended into a compelling and clear summary.

Being an author means you spend half your time writing and half your time selling your work. An author must be able to describe and sell their book to an agent, a publisher, and to readers, even if self-publishing. In fact, if you’re self-publishing you’re the sales team. Either way, you’ll need strong synopses of different lengths to sell your masterpiece! Think of the synopsis as a way to ensure you know your work on every level and can discuss it clearly without hesitation. Until you have that piece, you’ve only done half the job.

Once you’ve got the goods, a great manuscript and a solid synopsis, you’re ready to query or publish. We’ll save the art of the query for another time!

Pamela Evans is an author and award-winning educator, early childhood specialist, and director of educational programs

Is It Time for You to Clean House as a Writer?

I’m not citing the way many of us procrastinate by cleaning. For most writers, there will come a time when many of the groups and activities that helped you get started will get in your way. Balance will be key. Focus on the writing itself.

First, what you already know…

Helping new writers get a start is big business. Once you end up on a mailing list, you’ll hear from marketers encouraging you to invest in various classes, platforms, and software. You’ll also be courted by established writers who supplement or make their living by editing, teaching classes, and speaking events. Recommendations on books to help you with your writing will be abundant. As a discerning consumer, find the groups and products you need in this moment and let them go when the moment has passed.

As your skills and confidence grow, the very groups which gave you an inspiring start can block your path forward. As an example, the mixed genre writing group you loved and learned from early on may be holding you back as you home in on your creative style. Find a group with more established writers that know your genre well. Assess and find what you need for the stage you’re in. The right support at the right moment will keep you inspired and help grow your craft.

Joining groups to learn and network is useful, but over time, the focus needs to be on your work. Put other activities aside. At least for a time, unless you are a hobbyist, and your interest lies in comradery more than the actual writing. There’s nothing wrong with making that choice, but it is a choice you could be making unwittingly.

If you’re serious about writing, don’t be shy about leaving a group which no longer works for you, even if it was helpful at the start. Those connections may become helpful again, especially if you were a strong contributor to the group. Leave or take a leave of absence on good terms. Thanks so much, but my time is limited, and I need to use it to write. Any writer will understand. If they don’t, they aren’t there to support you. Your time and focus are precious.

Networking is important, but not more important than developing your craft. Book promotion is important, but it comes after you have a book to promote. Many writers rush to query before their work is ready or worry about marketing before they have a product to sell. There’s always time for networking and marketing after the writing is done. In today’s viral world, it’s easy to put the cart before the horse. The best way to become and author is to write, as often as possible. The rest will fall into place.

Take stock and clear away anything impeding your writing.

Unsubscribe! Are you deleting emails from organizations you once dealt with, but now you don’t even read their emails or posts? Stop wasting time and cluttering your mind and inbox.

Turn off notifications for email and social media. Check in on your terms. Don’t let these businesses break your focus when writing.

Leave groups which no longer feed your creativity. You can always join again.

If chores distract you at home, write somewhere else—a library or a coffee shop.

A couple hours of thoughtful cleaning will reward you with new-found writing time!

By Pamela Evans

Pamela Evans is an author and award-winning educator, early childhood specialist, and director of educational programs. As a consultant for preschools and music programs, Pamela specializes in curricula for young families. A life-long learner, Pamela enjoys sharing and fostering a love for the natural world, the educational benefits of story-telling, and an appreciation of music and the arts with students, parents, teachers, and fellow authors.