tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post5729481656765768474..comments2022-11-11T02:50:48.136-08:00Comments on Shark writer.: RTW: Friending up with charactersChar.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03157830649599433484noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1744809873533601457.post-84000741048600192262010-09-29T20:53:11.001-07:002010-09-29T20:53:11.001-07:00Hey Char,
Thanks for the comment on my blog! You ...Hey Char,<br /><br />Thanks for the comment on my blog! You asked about writing credentials. Now I'm probably not the most experienced person, but here are a few thing's I'd suggest:<br /><br />1. I got my editor at Scholastic through the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. The awards, aimed at teens in grades 7-12, are held annually with deadlines in the winter. There are tons of different categories, including short stories, poetry, etc, but the category I won was Novel Writing. I would strongly recommend these awards. The Novel Category is awesome, since you get a shot at publication, but winning for any other category is a really good credential to have on your resume. <br /><br />2. Short stories - Personally, I'm incapable of writing short stories. I wish it weren't so, but I was always more of a novel type. Still, if you're good at shorter fiction, I'd suggest trying to publish in a magazine or literary journal of some sort. Small credentials such as these are really good when it comes to querying agents. <br /><br />3. Young Arts. This is another national awards program, but it's only for seniors (kids ages 17-18). They also have a Novel Writing category. I'm planning on entering this winter. You said you're sixteen, so you probably couldn't participate until next year, but it's good to keep in mind for the future (they have awesome scholarship opportunities). <br /><br />I'm planning on querying agents for my next book starting in November. Once you have a novel, and you've polished/revised as much as you can, make sure to look up articles on writing a good query letter. The query letter is, if anything, more important than the credentials in terms of catching an agent's attention. I'm not very good at summarizing my stories, so I worked for weeks perfecting my query letter. <br /><br />Hope this helps! If you have any more questions, you can email me at katay444@gmail.com.Kate Courseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00800553702363940973noreply@blogger.com