tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post1177754568946049024..comments2024-03-26T18:28:06.391-04:00Comments on Evil Editor: Face-Lift 1230Evil Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-38782825467091227232014-10-28T20:19:42.788-04:002014-10-28T20:19:42.788-04:00It sounds a bit as though Ella is trying to find h...It sounds a bit as though Ella is trying to find her daughter (not literally at the beginning, but by the end) is the main theme here.<br /><br />She takes in boarders in a(n unrealized?) attempt to mother by proxy, or maybe figure out what went wrong. So treat that as your plot.<br /><br />Maybe something along the lines of:<br /><br />The estrangement of her only daughter has haunted Ella for years. Discovering she has cancer becomes the fire she needs to discover what went wrong.<br /><br />She takes in boarders (names, <i>reasons</i> (I'd go with the reasons she picked them over their quirks to keep it character focused)<br /><br />(Maybe a short bit about <i>how</i> the tarot readings are directing her journey of self-discovery/healing). (Maybe something about realizing she can at least try to make things right) Wrap up with her actual plan to find her daughter. (Hopefully the book doesn't stop there, but I could see it ending with her on her daughter's doorstop about to ring the bell. Would probably make me cry.)<br /><br />Hope this helpsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-48364813745562750072014-10-28T18:35:35.254-04:002014-10-28T18:35:35.254-04:00I'm hoping there are some bright spots in here...I'm hoping there are some bright spots in here that you'll discover as you write.AlaskaRavenclawnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-61081327238221422582014-10-28T18:15:07.613-04:002014-10-28T18:15:07.613-04:00I'm really curious if anyone has any tips spec...I'm really curious if anyone has any tips specific to writing queries for character-driven stories. Because it seems a lot harder than plot-driven high-concept stories.SBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-57434309281230734922014-10-28T15:23:47.741-04:002014-10-28T15:23:47.741-04:00Tough to critique a query knowing the story hasn&#...Tough to critique a query knowing the story hasn't been written yet, but here goes anyway:<br /><br />So the women are all living together, Ella figures out she needs to forgive herself, and...? Maybe this is a character driven story, but an editor is still going to want some sense of what happens, what Ella is going to do to try to find her daughter, and how easy or hard it's going to be.<br /><br />It's clear by the end of the query why Ella starts off thinking about ending it all, but the first sentence sounds more like "Well, the kids have all moved out and I have nothing left to live for. Guess I'll go blow my brains out." Try to make it clear that Ella is really alone in the world at this point, not merely someone whose children have their own lives now.<br /><br />The other women disappear once you describe them, except for Kyra. They may well have their own interesting story arcs and challenges to face, but for the purposes of the query, you need to show how they help or hinder Ella in attaining her goals.<br /><br />Learning to forgive herself for not realizing her husband was abusing her daughter and repairing her relationship with her daughter sound like two mostly separate issues and I'm not sure you have space to adequately address both in the query. Unless Ella Jr. ran off because Mom was so stuck apologizing and beating up on herself for not seeing what was happening that neither she nor Ella Jr. could start to move on with their lives, Mom showing up and announcing that she's finally forgiven herself isn't likely to fix things.<br /><br />On a totally unrelated not, lot #4 sounds like something I would read.InkAndPixelClubhttp://ladiesofcomicazi.comnoreply@blogger.com