Becoming a starving writer isn’t easy. The odds of getting
your first novel published are approximately 200 to one.
First of all, you need to know something about the structure
of a novel. Almost without exception, a novel can be broken down into three
distinct segments: the setup, the conflict and the resolution.
The setup starts with a hook, something exciting or mysterious
or bizarre or profound or whatever to entice the reader to continue. Plus, the
opening line must entice the reader to read the second line.
The setup goes on to introduce the main characters and the
basic premise of the story. The setup ends with the first of two plot-points
that changes the direction of the story, thrusting it into the next segment,
called the conflict.
The conflict is usually the biggest of the three segments,
the meat of the story.
Somewhere along the line, a second plot-point changes the
direction once again, this time into the resolution, which wraps everything up
and often ends with a climax.
Once you have developed the structure of a novel, the next
step is to write it.
It should contain wisdom and wit, and flow like a river of
poetic nuance. But above all, it must have some elements of originality. No
publisher wants a re-hash of what has already been written by others.
A novel should be a minimum of 55,000 words. Some of the
gothic romance novels can run up to 125,000 words. My novels are all about 70,000
words.
Once you have written the first draft, don’t bother to
celebrate too much. Your work has just begun. You must rewrite and rewrite and
rewrite until you bleed.
You’ve got a 200 to one shot of getting published so it
behooves you to make it as impeccable as possible without going insane. One of
the hardest decisions is to know when to quit because it will never be as
perfect as you desire, but you'll have to cut it off at some point.
When you’re finally done writing, you’re ready for phase two
-- getting it published.
You have three options -- find a publisher, find a literary
agent or self-publish it yourself.
Finding a publisher or agent will require great fortitude,
patience and persistence.
Don’t bother sending a first novel to a publisher. Most mainstream
publishers will only accept submissions from reputable literary agents.
Most literary agents will not accept unsolicited
manuscripts. Agents prefer a query rather than a complete manuscript. Some
literary agents will take unsolicited queries and others won’t. A query to an
agent usually consists of a 1-page letter explaining your project, a 5-page
plot synopsis and the first three chapters of your proposed book. Make sure
everything is double-spaced with a quality appearance. Although literary agents
frown on multiple submissions, ignore them. Send out lots of submissions at a
time because agents take many weeks to get back to you. Almost all agents will
respond, usually with a form rejection letter.
Don’t ever give up. I could literally paper my walls with
rejection letters.
Once you have signed with an agent, don’t get too excited --
your odds of getting published have been reduced to about 12 to one. Even if you
get lucky, it may take years. By the time my agent finally matched me with a
publisher, I had written four novels, all of which were then published over a
ten-month period in 2000-2001.
Bret Burquest is the author of the following 4 fiction novels
(published by Random House imprint Xlibris) -- available at Amazon and many
other on-line booksellers in paperback or e-book format.
THE ELEVENTH
SAGE -- metaphysical mystery -- A journey of the mind of an amnesia victim into
the reality of a famous past life in the Old West, while simultaneously
creating the destiny of a precise future being pre-lived subconsciously
A BAD RUN OF
FATE -- psychological mystery -- An enigmatic serial killer stalks modern-day
prospectors seeking a lost treasure in central Arizona.
GOOMBA IN
MONTANA -- suspense thriller -- A young man discovers that his widowed mother's
new suitor is a dangerous federally protected witness and is forced into a
life-or-death struggle for survival.
THE DOGMAN OF
TOPANGA -- suspense thriller -- A newspaper woman seeks seclusion in a remote bohemian
village near Los Angeles to write a story exposing a vast conspiracy whereupon
her nearest neighbor is a mysterious man who lives in a cave with dogs and
someone wants her dead.
Ten year later, I compiled 5 nonfiction books consisting of articles
I had written (wrote a weekly newspaper column for 8 years, plus some published
magazine articles) and countless blogs (see bret1111.blogspot.com). Rather than
scramble to find another publisher, I self-published these 5 volumes in
2011-2013.
Bret Burquest is the author of the following 5 nonfiction books
-- available at Amazon and many other on-line booksellers in paperback or
e-book format.
THE
REALITY OF THE ILLUSION OF REALITY -- 44 articles on topics such as parallel
dimensions, collective consciousness, intuition, UFOs, Edgar Cayce, St.
Germain, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, End of Days, the White
Buffalo, Jesse James, Noah's Ark, JFK & MLK assassinations, Dead Sea
Scrolls, Lao Tzu, Illuminati, New World Order, Bilderbergers, Hitler after
WWII, reincarnation, Near Death Experience, Mayan calendar 2012, ancient
wisdom, the Purpose in Life.
1111
HAPPY TRAILS ROAD -- 48 humor articles on topics such as dogs, cats, talking
fish, dragonfly tattoos, Bronko Nagurski, lightning strikes, rednecks,
chiggers, blondes, armadillos, hurricanes, fallen beings, amazing
synchronicities, world's deadliest animals, relationships, Hollywood,
Valentine's Day, Catch-22, confronting bullies, Toad Suck, Monkey Run, big bad
women, banana slugs, flying queens, the secret of life.
ORB
OF WOUNDED SOULS -- 48 articles on topics such as happiness, failure, anarchy,
haunted places, Burning Man, Time Travel, Dogon Knowledge, philosophy, medal of
honor, Indiana Jones, John Lennon, George Carlin, Paul Newman, Bob Hope, Kinky
Friedman, chocolate, best places to live and die, leap seconds, the Secret,
moose attacks, depression, manifest destiny, mystical numbers, memories of past
lives.
PATH
TO FOURTH DENSITY -- 44 articles on topics such as Geronimo, Skull and Bones,
World War III, Mothman, Battle of New Orleans, Vice Presidents, superstitions,
Leonard Peltier, Majestic-12, planets in retrograde, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
New Madrid Earthquake, daylight savings, UFO truths, Alternative 3, Islamic
radicalism, spiritual beings, abiotic oil, reptilian shape-shifters, TWA Flight
800, United Flight 93, hashing, next ice age, ascension to 4th density.
11:11
EARTH TIME -- 44 articles on topics such as communicating with spirits, coup
d'etat of the USA, Nostradamus, Princess Diana, ancient giants, moon
structures, Hunter S. Thompson, Carlos Castaneda, Marlon Brando, Milton
Friedman, Jane Fonda, West Memphis Three, Obama strategy, G.I. Jurdjieff, Emanual
Swedenborg, Pythagoras, North Korea, Military Industrial Complex, Vince Foster,
reptilian shape-shifters
After all that work, I can now call myself a writer, albeit
a starving writer. Statistically, only one in 25 published writers actually
makes a living at it. So far, I’m not the lucky one in 25, but at least I can
go to my grave knowing I gave it my best shot.
___________
Quote for the Day --"The difference between
the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning
and a lightning bug." Mark Twain
___________
Bret Burquest is the author of 9 books. He lives
in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and where being a starving
writer is a pleasant passage through life.
___________
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