Last weeked we welcomed three kicking literary agents – Tina Wexler of ICM, Linda Pratt of Sheldon Fogelman, and Jennifer DeChiara of Jennifer DeChiara Literary – to Agents Day in Kansas City. What a weekend!
Linda started off the morning with an excellent talk on how writing is a lot like hopscotch. One tip I found helpful was how to figure out if your pacing is too slow or tension too subtle. She suggested you write up a summary of what happens in each chapter, breaking it down by action.
Jennifer DeChiara stressed the importance of pitching and appearing like a pro when you meet an editor or agent, whether in person or on paper, because you literally have seconds to wow them. (I hope to soon share some exciting news about a fellow writer who did just that!)
Tina Wexler reiterated much of what Jennifer and Linda said, but also reminded me of what I think is the most important thing a writer can bring to this process: the journey you take should be as fun as it is difficult.
They offered so much more, and I will skim my notes and post them in the days to come. These ladies would serve any writer well. On a personal note, the best part of the weekend was hanging out and chatting as women, not writers and agents.
And the food rocked, too. Thanks, Carla and Helen for pulling an all-nighter to make sure the sandwiches were as fresh as possible. And thanks, too, to Jeff, Dave, Daniel and Xander for hauling all the goods.
Now, swing by www.heartlandwriters.com and check out what’s up in KC.
Happy weekends, everyone!
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Sounds like a GREAT Event!
Thanks for sharing the info =)
Re: Sounds like a GREAT Event!
Hope to share some more notes, once life winds down. It was a great event!
Good luck with JoNoWriMo!
I really like what Tina Wexler said. I think when the difficulties of the journey outweigh the fun, it’s time to find ways to make it fun again. Notice I didn’t say it’s time to quit. No, no quitting.
Quitting is easy. Finding the funny again is hard
They interacted so well with each other and the crowd, it was hard to not have fun and remember, hey, we’re supposed to like this!
Sounds great! I like that reminder about fun and work.
Yep. Jennifer Jackson has a post today asking writers why they do it, why they seek publication.
Good question. I likened it to dangerous addictions. It can wreak havoc on your life but when it’s good. Wow, it’s good.
I hear the agents had fun, too.
I hope so! They made it fun.
Thanks for the post. Tina’s my agent (she’s absolutely awesome) and so right about having “fun” with your writing. So many times I hear other writers saying over and over again, “I hate my story!” or “I’ll never get it finished!” or “My writing sucks!” When it becomes nothing but a chore, maybe it’s time to step back and think–WHY am I doing this…and do I really “want” to?
I think that all the time. Inevitably I can’t stay away
Best of luck with your writing career! Tina is awesome!
Oh, and I should add, she talked about your books, and even gave a copy to one of our writers who brought lemon bars for our afternoon meet and greet!