How is Your Summer?

How is everyone doing?

I have been having a busy summer so far. I've been working with writers and squeezing time in for my own writing. I've been trying to make time for reading too. I've completely neglected my blog. So now I'll try to get caught up.

My latest project is compiling a list of Literary agent  to make available to writers. It will be ready in September.

I'm still providing script service. I've been reading a lot of scripts. Some are good. Many of them could use more work.

I will advise script writers to try to form stories that do not require a lot of special effects. Special effects are expensive. Producers are looking for 'low cost' scripts. So that's my tip to you.

Stay tuned I'll have more post for you in the near future.

Good morning, readers.

Here's something that may help you if you are in the process of getting an agent:

5 Things Writers Should Ask Potential Agents
There are hundreds of questions you could ask an agent, from the sensible "What attracted you to my book?" to the slightly less sensible "When will you net me my first million?" The key is to choose the ones that will get you the most important information you need to make an informed decision. Here's a list of the five most crucial questions you should ask any agent before agreeing to join her client list.
Read more ...

Hook Readers On Page One

Hear more resources for you. When reading your stories I always write in the critiques that you need to hook the reader on the first page. Following is a video tutorial from literary agent Jessica Regel explaining the importance of hooking the reader on the first page and how to do it.

 

Hook, Line, and Sinker:
How to Determine Your Book's Hook and Craft

an Attention-Grabbing First Page  

SUE JOHNSON eMedia ProductionCoordinator Writer's Digest Tutorials

The opening of your novel sets the stage for everything you want to accomplish. Your first sentence has to grab the reader and not let go. From your "hook", the one-sentence logline you use to describe your book, to the first page of your novel, it's critical to capture the reader's attention immediately-whether that reader is an agent, editor, or consumer. Not only do you want to quickly pull readers in with your story idea, you also need to establish your narrative voice as compelling, believable, talented, and authoritative.

In this tutorial, instructor and literary agent Jessica Regel shows you how to catch your reader's attention with your hook and first page. Using real life examples from her own client list, Jessica examines the hooks and first pages from published books to show you the dos and don'ts of opening your book and the common mistakes that drive agents crazy and stop them from reading the rest of your work.

During this 80-minute video tutorial, you'll learn:

• How to write an attention grabbing one-line hook
• When it's appropriate to compare your book to another book
• Why it's important to hook the reader from the first page
• Why a prologue may do you more harm than good
• Common mistakes of first sentences and first pages
• Overused beginnings and clichés that can drag down a work
• The benefits and pitfalls of starting with action

Preview: Hook, Line, and Sinker: How to Determine Your Book's Hook and Craft an Attention-Grabbing First Page >    

Hello readers,

Are any of you going to be in LA, California this summer. If so I recommend attending the Writers Digest Conference this August. Read the following info:

Experience a 360-degree view of your novel—with the guidance of some of today's most accomplished writers.

Whether working on your novel is part of your daily practice, or maybe still just a daydream, the Writer's Digest Novel Writing Conference has a lot to offer you—particularly if you're in search of both practical advice and creative inspiration to fuel your writing ambitions. Join Writer's Digest August 15 - 17 in Los Angeles and  get a holistic overview of both the art and business of being a novelist. When you look at the Conference's education sessions, you'll notice a familiar order to the program: It's structured exactly like the process of writing a novel. You'll start by generating your ideas, outlining and refining your plot and crafting fully-realized characters. Once you've progressed  through these steps, you'll work on your query letters and practice  your pitch to perfection. Your mentors on this journey will include not only Phil Sexton, Writer's Digest magazine's Publisher, but also six New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, including Hugh Howey, Larry Brooks and David Morrell, plus publishing industry experts and literary agents. This step-by-step process packs so much of what any aspiring novelist needs to know into a single extended weekend.  Summer will be here and gone in the blink of an eye. Why not carve out this one weekend for yourself, spent among your  writing peers and immersed in what you love? Your novel deserves it.

Hello readers,

Need an agent? I got these new agents names in my email today.

3 Agents Seeking Your Query NOW

Click on any name below to see the full mini-profile on the GLA Blog (with submission instructions). Good luck querying!

1. Mary Krienke of Sterling Lord Literistic

She is seeking: Mary represents literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and realistic YA that pays close attention to craft and voice. She is especially drawn to new and emerging writers who seek to push boundaries of form and content, and she responds most strongly to writing that reaches great emotional and psychological depths. She is equally interested in work that illuminates through humor or by playing with genre. Her other interests include psychology, art, and design.

2. Andrea Hurst of Andrea Hurst & Associates

This alert from established literary agent Andrea Hurst (Andrea Hurts & Associates): "I am reopening my submissions this summer to unsolicited queries from June 1 - September 1, 2014." This is a great opportunity for writers everywhere who are writing genres & categories that Andrea accepts. She is not always open to submissions, and wanted writers to know.

She is seeking: "I am looking for upmarket, book club women's fiction, commercial women's fiction/romance (contemporary or historical), young adult fiction, and most areas of nonfiction (authors with a substantial platform who have already developed a solid, highly polished proposal - this includes memoirs, health/wellness, business, self-help/personal growth, memoir, cookbooks, pet books, spirituality). As of 2014, we are now accepting middle grade contemporary fiction as well."

3. Renee Nyen of KT Literary

She is seeking: Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. "I'm always interested in YA historical fiction, mystery, sci-fi, and thrillers, but genre is not as important to me as strong prose and compelling characters."

Hello!

Good news for writers looking for an agent. I got this today in my inbox.

Unsolicited Submissions Wanted: Agent  Andrea Hurst Seeks Women's Fiction, Romance,  YA, Memoir and More This alert from established literary agent Andrea Hurst  (Andrea Hurts & Associates): "I am reopening my submissions this summer to unsolicited queries from June 1 - September 1, 2014." This  is a great opportunity for writers everywhere who are writing genres  & categories that Andrea accepts. She is not always open to submissions,  and wanted writers to know. More info below. Read more ...

Good Morning Readers!

Here's something I got in the mail- email - that can help in your script writing. In doing critiques for scripts with -- in drama, thriller, comedy-- I've noted that the character's relationships are weak. I've written pages of how to make them strong ad complex. If you have time and money check out the falling online webinar by David Freedman. He'll tell you much of what I say in critique and teach you even more. So check it out.

Romance and Chemistry Techniques: The Signature of a Great Writer Monday, June 9th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Sale Price $59.99  REGISTER NOW Two Days Left to Save | Register Today   Relationships are a key component of almost every script.  Let world-renowned screenwriter, David Freeman teach  you the skills you need to achieve complex relationships  in your script. You may envision complex relationships between the friends, family members, and lovers in your script. But is that complexity really shining through? Don't miss this opportunity to study numerous specific techniques from David Freeman that make the relationships  between your characters interesting. Whether they involve  romance or not -- make your character interactions be one  of the most unforgettable aspects of your script. Make the   audience believe that two people are destined to become  lovers or friends. Simply having an "attraction" between two people is probably the weakest way to start a romance. There are MANY better techniques which you'll learn in this   webinar. You'll learn techniques for making the audience QUICKLY believe that two people are old friends or members of the same family. These techniques involve deftly creating credible, complex relationships. What you'll learn: Tools to create compelling relationships while still retaining  your voice as a writer. How to write layered, tangible characters. Ways to make your scripts compete at the highest level. This class is open to TV writers and movie writers of all levels at any and all stages of development of their idea. If you want to create gripping character relationships with a world class instructor, you'll love this webinar.

David Freeman   David Freeman is a screenwriter, and internationally sought screenwriting teacher.  A long-standing member of the Writers Guild of America,  he has sold and optioned scripts and ideas to Sony  Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MGM, and other major film and television companies. He works half time for News Corp developing television dramas. He has taught screenwriting and script development  not just to writers around the world, but at Pixar,  Disney, to many executives of the BBC, at various film studios in China, and to many other film and  television companies around the world.  REGISTER NOW