tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post1346841303986653264..comments2023-10-29T06:20:58.540-04:00Comments on This Too...: The RulesMelissa Sarnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11215683401795724259noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-3161749351959198792012-03-18T04:15:32.080-04:002012-03-18T04:15:32.080-04:00I'm such a rule follower, too. And maybe this ...I'm such a rule follower, too. And maybe this mistake is a good thing - maybe it will cause the agent to do a double take and really read through your work at which point he/she will become totally hooked. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08423177965966814938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-62202143505057382552012-03-14T00:32:23.198-04:002012-03-14T00:32:23.198-04:00Oh man! Let's hope that agent doesn't even...Oh man! Let's hope that agent doesn't even notice. <br /><br />And I am a total rule-follower, too. All the time. To a fault.Jessica Lovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01382996481558671385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-3573239882120974572012-03-13T21:30:41.378-04:002012-03-13T21:30:41.378-04:00Yes, so many rules - and each agency has a differe...Yes, so many rules - and each agency has a different one...ugh. Querying is a full-time job! Sorry about the mistake, but you wrote about it brilliantly!Amy Makhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15254187438354480256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-52213233229218559732012-03-13T19:48:43.134-04:002012-03-13T19:48:43.134-04:00Oh no! Those darn first words :)
I'm with Jen...Oh no! Those darn first words :)<br /><br />I'm with Jen though. People make mistakes and if the rest of your query is spot on, the agent will overlook it.<br /><br />It can be said that I'm too much the other way. The little things don't bother me, but then they add up and they become a big thing :) haha. <br /><br />Not sure if one is better than the other. Probably not. :)Kelley Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06373650788799372118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-61811892972504908432012-03-13T18:15:15.723-04:002012-03-13T18:15:15.723-04:00I think we've all made mistakes like that in q...I think we've all made mistakes like that in queries. The very stress of writing the query predisposes us to make mistakes, I think. Try not to beat yourself up over it. <br /><br />Forget the rules as much as you can and follow your instincts. It's like reading too many pregnancy books when you're pregnant -- they will freak you out; the "right" information is constantly changing; and the worst thing you can do is get yourself all scared. Better not to read any! ;)Dianne K. Salernihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16459839567235304842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-22096647629254426792012-03-13T15:26:17.394-04:002012-03-13T15:26:17.394-04:00I think with writing, the eye for perfection with ...I think with writing, the eye for perfection with editing is good. However, unfortunately, typos do slip through the net. <br /><br />Being writers, we can't let every worry about being perfect, stop us from being creative. As someone said, things happen if they are meant to be. I hope you find an agent.Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03677623973651031381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-56748218552015156072012-03-13T14:22:48.205-04:002012-03-13T14:22:48.205-04:00I feel your pain, Melissa, but I hope the followin...I feel your pain, Melissa, but I hope the following story helps.<br /><br />I queried an agent, then went to my sent mail and saw that a bunch of garbage characters had found their way into the sample. I worried about what to do, so I tried resending the email to my different email accounts to see what was going on. And sure enough, the wacky characters were there.<br />So, I politely emailed the agent from a different account and told her what had happened. She said it was fine. Then I noticed that I had used the wrong word in the query: "worst" instead of "worse". Aarghh! But alas, I also noticed that I had truncated the sample in the second email also...another reason to resend the query. So I did, explaining how the "email" had truncated my sample, but I also sneaked in that change.<br /><br />Okay, now the result:<br />A few days later I got a rejection from that second query, or third, I should say. Oh, well. I thanked the agent and moved on. Then...<br /><br />I few days after that I got a request for a partial from the same agent on the query with the wacky characters in the sample and the typo in the query.<br /><br />I swear I went back and read that query a million times trying to figure out why she would request material from a query that was all screwed up, but reject the query that I thought was perfect.<br /><br />To sum it all up, Melissa: If it's meant to be, it will happen--whether your query is perfect or missing a word.<br /><br />I hope this helps. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-29775630779662045212012-03-13T13:52:38.215-04:002012-03-13T13:52:38.215-04:00Ugh. I do feel your pain And yet, it is eye openin...Ugh. I do feel your pain And yet, it is eye opening to know that no matter how careful you are, things can still be missed...I'm glad you've decided to use this fact as a reason to take it easy on yourself:)<br /><br />One rule I'm glad I broke was that I sent queries to certain top lit agencies even if there wasn't someone there who was a perfect fit for my genre...one of the head people at FinePrint gave my query to an intern about to turn agent...and I became her first client.<br /><br />So, you never know...some rules are meant to be broken. Too bad it's not always clear which ones;)Jennifer Hoffinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07616744694563644199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-51816089333099160612012-03-13T13:32:23.888-04:002012-03-13T13:32:23.888-04:00No, no, no! Melissa, I have learned from experienc...No, no, no! Melissa, I have learned from experience just to use the rules as a guidline and then deviate as I wish.<br />My father always said that when filling in forms not to see them as sacred and to change the wording or whatever so that you are sending off what you want to say and not what someone else dictates that you say.<br />¿¿I think that he may have influenced me???<br />Anyway, I think that you should just be who you are and try to bend the rules to suit you rather than allowing them to tie you down ... you are too much of a creative spirit for that. However, I do admit to being scared and freaked out inside when I have sent off something, so I suppose that(but for my Dad) I could well be a 'dedicated follower of rules' deep within!agujahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15857809123531088629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-63582631027714982672012-03-13T13:28:03.198-04:002012-03-13T13:28:03.198-04:00You are human and not a robot, right? That's w...You are human and not a robot, right? That's what the mistake proved. Now, would I probably be upset at myself and want to cry a tiny bit? Yes. But it just proves that no matter how hard we try to be perfect, we can't be. And if the rest of the query is as AMAZING as I think it is, the agent will still want to request from you. ;0)<br /><br />I am about to hit send for the first time in a few days. If I'm lucky enough I will not make a huge mistake, but if I do then I will remember what I just told you. (I hope)Jenny S. Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00482342313938669366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-73152894447479743642012-03-13T13:15:07.966-04:002012-03-13T13:15:07.966-04:00Dear god! It sounds like something I do everyday, ...Dear god! It sounds like something I do everyday, except it's not a query, it's the website copy I'm writing everyday. You get too close to it. In the end the mistakes and typos you make slip through because your brain knows what's supposed to be there and fills it in without notifying you. My trick to avoiding simple mistakes is reading it out loud. Your brain can't fill in the holes when you're reading. You're forced to hear every single word that is and isn't on the screen. Just keep telling yourself you're human.Laura M. Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07118305776404765529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9060010344115435519.post-33988042600111762012-03-13T13:01:36.554-04:002012-03-13T13:01:36.554-04:00As a rules follower I feel your pain . . .As a rules follower I feel your pain . . .Sheila Silerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15284982582798743408noreply@blogger.com