Sarah Cain

Tag: Sharknado

  • So You Want To Write A Book

    Every since I’ve gotten my book contract, writer friends have asked what the secret is to getting an agent.

    I’d like to tell you there’s a secret formula for writing a perfect query letter or giving the perfect pitch, but there really isn’t. I know there are agents who will post query letters that they loved on their sites, and there are any number of books on the subject of how to write the perfect query letter. You can distill your book down to a perfect sixty-second pitch. (Yes, I did say sixty seconds.) But the fact is, if you don’t have a compelling story, your book won’t sell.

    Agents are looking for books they can sell. It isn’t personal. An agent might like your book, but if she knows she can’t sell it, she isn’t going to take it on. Most agents receive hundreds of unsolicited queries a week, so if you are querying, try to make sure you spell the agent’s name correctly and do your research on the kind of book he or she represents. It doesn’t guarantee you’ll get read, but it will put you ahead of a great many who do query.

    It sounds grim. Well, in some ways it is. more books are being published than ever before, but more people are writing books than ever before. That means if you want to get considered by an agent, you also have to work on your manuscript and make it shine. If you aren’t a writer by trade, I strongly suggest hiring a developmental editor to go over your manuscript.

    However, one of the best things you can do for yourself is find a writers group. I love writers groups because the afford you the chance to network, and the more people you meet, the more connections you make. This is important on a lot of levels. Connections help you form your network, but more basically they connect you to other writers. You’ll meet up and bond with writers who like the same things you do whether it be Doctor Who or True Detective or my personal favorite, Sharknado. Of course you can do this on the Internet too, but it’s nice to put a face to the name so that when you’re embarking on your next Sharknado marathon you can tweet with each other about the awful–I mean awesome acting and special effects. Maybe you’ll connect with a great critique group or one person who will be a fantastic writing partner. This most important thing is you can find someone to give you support when you get rejected the first, second, and fifteenth time. And celebrate when you finally get that yes.

    Another plus, most groups have speakers in the form of published writers, agents, and editors come to speak, and these are people you need to hear from.

    Maybe you are the kind of person with the internal drive and commitment to just keep plugging and pushing until you break through. Maybe you don’t care about traditional publishing and figure you’ll go the self publishing route. Either way it’s so helpful to be part of a group.

    Writing is a very lonely profession. You labor in front of your computer screen and send off your queries and pages and hope. You go to writing conferences and rehearse your pitches until they are perfect. The sad fact is that we deal with rejection until we suddenly don’t. And that makes it worthwhile.

    Good luck!

  • Of Grumpy Writers and Flying Sharks

    Recently, I was struggling through some issues with my second novel. Essentially, I hated everything I was creating: the characters, the plot, the setting. It was all pretty grim. Still, I was pushing forward and feeling pretty grumpy about it.

    And then my son came home for a visit. Like me, Michael is a night owl, so we frequently find ourselves talking or watching movies long after my husband has gone to bed. Unlike me, Michael is a connoisseur of bad movies—the kind that don’t make the New York Times top ten. In fact many of them don’t make the theaters at all.

    Some of them are unintentionally hilarious. Like Sharknado.

    I cannot fully describe the joys of watching Sharknado, especially in the company of a twenty-something who fires priceless commentary at the pace of a machine gun. The movie itself is a combination of horrible acting, terrible CGI, and clichéd (if not totally ripped off) dialogue. In short, it’s amazing.

    I haven’t laughed so hard at any intentional comedy that’s come out of Hollywood in years.

    I realize it seems mean and snarky to laugh at a movie that (I suppose) was not intended to be humorous. But try to sit through it. Watch twenty minutes. If you have any sense of the ridiculous, you’ll be smiling, if not rolling on the floor.

    Now you might be asking yourself, “What the hell does this movie have to do with writing?”

    The quick answer: not that much, except that this movie made me realize that what I was writing wasn’t so awful. I wasn’t producing Shakespeare or James Joyce (then again, who is these days?) but I am chugging along. When I finish my first draft and revise, my book will improve. Everything will be okay.

    It is definitely a good thing to stop now and then and have a laugh, especially when you’re in the writing doldrums. Recognize that what you’re writing is going to turn out okay if you keep at it, even if (Spoiler Alert) you don’t have any sharks falling out of the sky.