Querying your manuscript

Just returned from San Jose, California, where I visited their famous Rose Garden. As soon as I walked through the entrance, the fragrance from hundreds of roses was intoxicating. The weather was perfect for viewing the Rose Garden in all its glory. Very nice visit!

San Jose Rose Garden

Now let’s talk about queries. How much personal information should you include in your query? What is important and what isn’t? Mary Kole, associate agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, writes on her Kidlit blog, Biographical Information in a Query, that “there are two things you should focus on in your bio: professional writing credits and information relevant to the project at hand.”

But what if you don’t have any publishing credits? Kole writes: “If you haven’t published or won anything, don’t sweat it.” She then goes on to advise what to do. On this post, Kole also covers POV in Queries, Identifying Genre, and Query Formatting. If you’re ready to query your manuscript, it might be a good idea to read Kole’s post. 

Here’s an actual query letter that author Nathan Bransford, wrote to an agent (it worked) for his book, Jacob Wonderbar, which is due out this month. 

Best of luck with your query!

"This morning I took out a comma, and this afternoon I put it back again." -- Oscar Wilde

Flashback or Backstory?

Do you know the difference between flashback and backstory? Brian Klems, online editor blogger on the Writer’s Digest blog, offers an excellent, brief explanation of the difference in his article, “What is flashback in a story?” Klems writes: “Some folks confuse (flashback) with backstory, but the time constraints of a flashback don’t allow us to share too many details. They just allow us to reveal tidbits.” For more on this topic, visit his blog.

Santa Fe

But how do you decide which one to use and when? Is there a strategy or guidelines for this?  There’s a pretty good article on another blog, Be a Better Writer, with Pearl Luke, that gives examples of both.

“Each story has a time frame,” she writes. “…backstory must be shown, however, and not told.” She also warns, “Any time you interrupt the forward moving story, you risk losing reader interest, so dramatizing the interruption decreases that risk.” She offers examples, techniques, and basic guidelines on how to get around this. See for yourself.

 
"We don't write what we know. We write what we wonder about." --Richard Peck

Who is your target audience?

Who is your target audience? Have you ever been asked that question by an editor or an agent? I have. You want to have a ready answer when you reply. Is your book for middle graders, young adults, children, adults? Be specific. In literary agent Chuck Sambuchino’s post, “Who is your target reader?” on the Writers Digest blog, he notes: “See this question as an opportunity to show both the businesslike and passionate sides of yourself – i.e., why this is a marketable book and why you alone of all the souls on earth were born to write it.” 

For more on this topic and for a blog roll of literary agents, visit his site above.

School Visit

On another note, I enjoyed reading an essay by Michael Sims, “Some Book: Celebrating 60 Years of ‘Charlotte’s Web,’” in the New York Times. I think you will enjoy it too. 

“Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.”  ― E. B. White

Fiesta Week

It’s Fiesta Week here in San Antonio. Parades, queens, princesses, school bands, and thousands of locals and tourists alike enjoying San Antonio’s annual event. It is a time of celebration and fun!

According to the website on sa.org, the history of this event goes like this: “In 1891, a group of ladies decorated horse-drawn carriages, paraded in front of the Alamo, and pelted each other with flower blossoms. The parade was organized to honor the heroes from the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto."

It has really grown since then. Visit the website above to find out more. In the meantime, I have a “Fiesta Wreath” in my home to start the week off right.

HAPPY FIESTA!

How do you start your story?

You, the writer – you know how to start a story, right? But do you know how NOT to start a story? On her post on the Institute of Children’s Literature blog, Jan Fields asks the following questions:  “ … where are you starting? Are you engaging the reader or confusing him? Are you getting the story moving or starting at a long dead stop?” In her article, “Don’t Start This Way – Unless it Works,” Fields offers tips on how to “engage the reader and not bore him” with your opening. So do you start with dialogue, a scene, a character? Read her post to figure out what NOT to do. 

Library

Here’s a treat. An interview with author Jon Scieszka and illustrator Lane Smith on the Design Mom blog. They collaborated on numerous books including the Caldecott Honor book, The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. 

“The best children's book writers are not people who have kids, but people who write from the child within themselves." Andrea Brown

April is Poetry Month

Since April is Poetry Month, I would like to post a couple of my poems. These were published a while back.  

SAWDUST

                                                                                   By Lupe Ruiz-Flores

Stained old muslin apron

wrapped around his ample middle

grocer dips into sawdust barrel

sprinkles the powdery shreddings

across the wooden floor.

Like snowflakes they fall

making no sound

as they settle gently

on the decayed wood

once itself part of a tree.

Scent of freshly cut wood

uniting with old gray boards

a blend of yesterday and today

like cousins at a reunion.

                                                       Published in San Antonio Express-News

 The Time Piece

                                             By Lupe Ruiz-Flores

 

Like a pendulum I swung

from your golden chain I dangled

in tune with your heartbeat

the ups and downs of your life.

 A slice of treasured time

reflected in my golden armor

I played my soulful music

as you commanded.

 My cover, an ornate, gilded eagle

perched proudly on solid rock

a reminder of the solidarity

we once shared.

 

Detached from you forever

I now become someone’s heirloom

my fine, embellished lines

caressed by the next in line.

                                                                     Published in Voices Along the River – San Antonio Poetry Fair

Award-winning author Jane Yolen offers tips on writing a poem on Katie Davis’ blog.
"Love the writing, love the writing, love the writing... the rest will follow." Jane Yolen

More día and poet laureate

San Antonio has its first poet laureate: Poet/author Dr. Carmen Tafolla. This award-winning author has published numerous children and adult books plus books of poetry. We wish her a wonderful two-year term as San Antonio’s poet laureate. Publishers Weekly just did a feature on Tafolla titled, “Poetic Justice in Texas.” 

Another author in the limelight is Pat Mora, founder of El día de los niños/el día de los libros. Publishers Weekly also featured Ms. Mora on their blog post, “Día Initiative Extends Its Literacy Outreach.” Visit both posts for an interesting read. 

I am in the middle of revisions for one of my middle-grade novels. So … I visited the website, The Writing Center. Under their title, "Revising Drafts," one of the questions asked is “What does it mean to revise?” and “Why is revision important?” This post goes through the revision process step by step. If you need guidance with revision, here it is. Go for it!

"If a teacher told me to revise, I thought that meant my writing was a broken-down car that needed to go to the repair shop. I felt insulted. I didn't realize the teacher was saying, 'Make it shine. It's worth it.' Now I see revision as a beautiful word of hope. It's a new vision of something. It means you don't have to be perfect the first time. What a relief!" —Naomi Shihab Nye