On Querying

Houston, we have a query. Six, in fact! In between speaking events in May, I finished revisions on my novel, prepared my “query packet”, and sent it out to SIX literary agents.

I know six doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a start. I’ve been using QueryTracker to build a list of agents to query (which is currently about 70 strong, yikes), and over the next couple of months I plan to spread querying them over the next couple of months. I’m excited, and scared, and expecting the process to take a while, but I’m hopeful. There are a lot of agents out there looking for something like the book I’ve written, and all I need is one who loves it nearly as much as I do.

The problem with querying is that nothing is standardized. I followed the most prevalent advice and prepared a “query packet” consisting of a query letter, a synopsis, and the first ten pages of my book. Going in I figured this was all I would need. I expected some agents to ask for all three parts, others to ask for only two parts or even just the query letter and nothing else. The reality is very different.

In my first round of queries, I had agents asking for my first three chapters, my first fifty pages, a one sentence pitch, or a one paragraph pitch, usually in addition to my query letter. One agent didn’t ask for a query letter at all. And I was feeling silly about putting so much work into a synopsis until I got to the last agent in my first batch, who was the only one to ask for it.

On top of that, all but one of these queries was submitted via form, which is just like filling out job applications online. You have to upload your resume (query letter), then fill in a bunch of blank boxes with information that should already be in your resume (query letter).

And I get it. It’s a mild frustration on my part, but agents are professionals, each with their own ways of doing things. They want to make sure each query presents exactly the information that will best help introduce them to a story. And they get thousands of submissions, so each agent’s form is personalized to maximize efficiency when they sift through the pile.

I understand why the system is like this, and I don’t place any fault at agents’ or agencies’ feet. It is what it is. But that doesn’t mean I can’t wish for just a little bit of standardization, as a treat.

QueryTracker helps, at least, by keeping track of my list and having thousands of agents at hundreds of agencies searchable in one place. I can’t even fathom how much time it’s saved me in terms of just being a place to look for names. I still have to do my own due diligence, of course, but it’s miles better than just Googling “literary agents looking for science fiction and fantasy” and crossing my fingers that I get something useful (which was the only plan I could come up with before I was clued in to QueryTracker’s existence).

So, my plans for the coming month include sending queries to even more agents, touching up my manuscript based on feedback from beta readers, and working on some short story ideas I’ve been percolating. Outlining the sequel to my novel is also high on my priority list. I think it’s especially important to get to it now, when the first book is still fresh in my mind. Stay tuned for updates!

As always, thanks for reading.

<3 Anna

Revisions, Revisions

I’ve been making great progress on my writing goals this past month. When I finished drafting Broken Tethers, I had a plan for how I wanted to go about revisions. I knew there were some things in the plot that weren’t quite working, and, thanks to an alpha reading session by my critique group (shoutout, Tomeworks members!), I was able to identify what most of them were and come up with general directions for how to fix them. So, I let it rest for a few months, then got started on my plan.

First, I wanted to read the book myself. I hadn’t yet read it all the way through (not since I put it all together, at least). But the thought of reading such a long project on my computer screen was daunting, and besides, I’d already seen every chapter on the screen. It would be easy to miss things like typos and awkward sentences with the familiar medium, and I wanted to trick my brain into thinking it was seeing something brand-new. So, I had a copy of the manuscript printed (all 603 pages!) and spiral-bound. Then, red pen in hand, I read it aloud.

I’d heard about this trick from other authors, that reading aloud makes your brain slow down and really register every word on the page. But, having never undertaken a project of quite this scale, I’ve never needed to use it before. Short stories and novellas are a little easier to keep straight in my head while I’m drafting, so they tend to not need very extensive revisions in my experience. For this project, reading aloud was an amazing trick. I found minor continuity errors, awkward sentences, typos, and came up with more solidified ideas for the larger part of the revisions as I read. This is something I’ll definitely do for all future novel-length projects.

Now that I’m finished reading through the manuscript, I’ve started in on the actual revising. I’m not very far into that part yet, but I’m excited for how the book will turn out once I’m done. I’ve already got a few beta readers lined up (you know who you are, I appreciate you!), and I’m looking forward to getting their feedback.

I have other novel-related goals for April, too. Since I’m getting closer to the “querying” step in my publishing journey, I’ll need to spend some time in April assembling my query packet. That means writing a query letter and a synopsis. The query letter is essentially me pitching my book to agents, and while I’m concerned about that because I’ve never been a great salesperson, I’m more concerned about writing a synopsis. HOW am I supposed to distill a 600-page book down to ONE? But that’s a problem for another day. I’ll figure it out.

Outside of working on my novel, I’ve been busy! I’ve been working with the rest of the Tomeworks editing team to produce content for our website and social media. We might have a couple of honest-to-goodness clients hiring us in the coming weeks, so that’s exciting!

I’ve also been participating in writerly events, acting as a panelist for a few different conferences. Last weekend, I was a panelist for Understanding POVs with Storycrafting Sessions, a virtual conference hosted by Weeknight Writers. Honestly I thought it would be scary to be a panelist, and that I didn’t have enough expertise to talk about writing-related topics. But, in participating in these panels and talks, I’ve realized that was just the impostor syndrome, following me from graduate school into my chosen career. I’ve been writing professionally for about seven years now, and I’ve learned a lot, enough to make me, if not an expert, at least knowledgeable enough to have informed opinions on many writing-related topics.

Anyway, April is going to be an interesting month writing-wise. Getting ready to query means I’ll be working on some things I don’t have a lot of practice writing. So I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes.

As always, thanks for reading. Here’s a picture of the pretty flowers growing in our yard to celebrate springtime.

<3 Anna

Shaking Up Routines

There have been a lot of things going on behind the scenes over the past month! Tomeworks, our genre fiction editing collective, officially launched on March 1. Getting ready to launch Tomeworks has kept me incredibly busy over the past few months, so much so I haven’t had as much time for my own writing as I would like. Now that we’ve launched, I’m hoping I can settle into a more comfortable routine and dedicate more of my time to writing.

Tomeworks logo and tagline

I’ve set some ambitious writing-related goals for myself this year. I’m currently revising my novel, Broken Tethers, and plan to have the majority of revisions and edits done by the end of March. It’s been sneaking up on me! But I’m really motivated to see this book in the best shape it can possibly be in, because I want to start querying agents with it starting in May.

That means April will be dedicated to researching the agents I want to query. I’m nervous to take this step, frankly, because when I think about agents and querying I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. Sure, I’ve written a query letter before, and I could write a synopsis of my book if I put my mind to it. But as far as finding the right agents to query goes, I’m stumped. I have a few online resources that should help, but still. The task is daunting.

Even while I’m working on all of this, I’ll still be busy elsewhere. My fellow Tomeworks editors have been leading a push for us to sign up to be panelists at conventions, partly for fun but also to get our names out there and (hopefully) establish ourselves as experienced professionals in our field. It’s a little bit outside of my comfort zone to participate in events like this, as I’d generally rather fly under the radar and get things done quietly. But I understand the importance of becoming an established presence in the wider writing community. So, to that end, I’ll be participating in three upcoming conventions. The first, AggieCon, is this weekend in College Station! I’ll be on a couple of panels organized by fellow Tomeworks editor Sean Morrissey Carroll. Then, later in March, I’ll be a panelist for Storycrafting Sessions: Drafting online conference, talking about how to choose the right point of view for a story. I’m excited to chat with my fellow panelists; I’ve always been fascinated by the choices authors make when it comes to point of view, so I’m sure it will be a good time. Finally, my fellow Tomeworks editors and I are running a critique workshop at Comicpalooza this May! I’ve loved attending Comicpalooza since moving to Houston, so it will be interesting to experience the convention from behind the curtain. And it seems like authors are looking forward to our workshop; this is the first year Comicpalooza will have a literature track after it was cut a few years back, and that has generated quite a bit of excitement.

So, between Tomeworks and events and putting the finishing touches on my novel, there are a lot of changes happening in my working life right now. It’s a little scary, but it feels like I’m heading in the right direction. The only thing I need to work on is making sure to keep carving out time every day for writing. I feel like it’s easy for that to fall to the wayside, so I’m making an effort to keep up with it.

I have a few ideas for shiny new projects in the coming year! I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the environments of west Texas, especially since so much of the wild space in west Texas is currently on the cusp of being paved over by developers. Unrelatedly, I’ve also been rediscovering my childhood love of dinosaurs and the Dinotopia series. Those two thoughts have somehow combined in my brain, and now I want to write a dinosaur western set in Texas. In true “me” fashion, this project is currently #noplotjustvibes, but I’m letting it percolate a bit. I know next to nothing about the western genre, so I’ll need to do some research before embarking on writing. But I’m excited to see where the idea will take me! After I start querying my current novel, of course.

As always, thanks for reading my ramblings. Until next time.

<3 A.P.

The Year Ahead

The beginning of a new year is a great time for reflection, for stepping back and taking stock of your goals for the year, or years, ahead. I’ve been feeling a lot of writing-related pressure lately. Between finishing a draft of my novel to having a few successes in short fiction last year, I feel like I have to keep up my momentum to continue growing my career as an author.

But I keep reminding myself that being an author is a marathon, not a sprint. After all, my favorite strategy has always been to play the long game.

So, I took a step back from writing in January to focus on my other projects. That isn’t to say I didn’t write at all; I finished two new pieces of short fiction and I started edits on my novel. I kept an eye on submission opportunities. But I dedicated the majority of my working hours in January to my other goals. Namely: Tomeworks!

Starting a small business has been a frightening prospect, even working alongside four fantastic, dedicated people. I know the actual work will be fun; I’ve always loved editing, being able to take an imperfect draft and hammer it into a more cohesive, pleasing shape. But everything else that goes along with running a business feels daunting. Our website is set to go live on March 1 of this year, and I’m feeling caught between anxiety and excitement. We’ll see how I feel after we get everything launched and settled into a routine, but for now, my brain is on overdrive.

Looking forward, I hope to spend the new year continuing to develop my writing craft. My main goal for the year is to start querying agents with my novel (another daunting task; don’t ask me about the process of finding agents to query, I don’t want to think about it yet). I also have a sequel to start drafting and a partial draft of last year’s NaNoWriMo project to finish. But I also want to continue writing and submitting short stories. I have several drafted stories waiting for edits, ideas that need developing, and more stories out on submission rounds than I ever have before.

Overall, I’m hopeful for what 2023 will bring for my writing. I’ll just keep working and reminding myself that I’m playing the long game. Everything I’m doing now is just laying the foundation for my future.

I plan to update this blog more regularly this year, and hopefully I’ll have some exciting announcements and other cool things to talk about down the line. For now, I wish you all health, happiness, and success in the year ahead.

<3 Anna

More writing news!

It’s been nearly two years since I updated this blog (yikes), but I’ve been steadily working on my writing all this time. And I have two pieces of exciting writing news to share!

First, my latest short story, “Stolen History”, about a multiverse-traveling Librarian and her trusty Satchel finding a place where the people have forgotten how to read, was accepted for publication in the upcoming The Librarian anthology from Air and Nothingness Press! The Kickstarter is live now, and has been amazingly successful, but you can still make a pledge to get a copy until the end of October. Trust me when I say, it’s worth it. All the stories in this anthology are fantastic.

Kickstarter for The Librarian

Second, I’ve finally finished drafting my first Ecanthra novel, tentatively titled Broken Tethers. It still needs some revisions and editing, but I’m planning to start querying it sometime early next year. Broken Tethers is my most ambitious writing project to date that I’ve actually followed through on, so I’m immensely proud to have it all on paper. I have high hopes for this series, and I hope agents, editors, and readers will love the world and characters as much as I do. Once I start sending to first book out for queries, it will be time to start writing book 2!

That’s all for now. I’ll be back here soon with more updates.

<3 Anna

Writing news!

You can check out my latest work, “Winter’s Spring” in the current version of Analog Science Fiction & Fact!

https://www.analogsf.com/store/

I also participated in a Q&A session for Analog’s blog, The Astounding Analog Companion. Check it out to learn more about me, my story, and my thoughts on writing!

https://theastoundinganalogcompanion.com/2020/11/05/qa-with-a-p-hawkins/

I hope you enjoy my work. More to come!

<3 Anna

Vignettes, Part 1

Welp, I know I said I would have a book discussion next, but I thought this might be more fun…

I sometimes write small vignettes as a way to get the words flowing when I’m having a particularly hard time writing, or just to wake my brain up in the morning. I generally take inspiration for these snippets from pictures I’ve taken, or something nearby when I sit down to write. It’s a fun exercise, and I thought I’d share some of my favorites here! The following two vignettes I did share on Instagram a while back, accompanying some photos I took while I was assisting with ecological field work in the Texas coastal prairie. I took many photos that summer, but some of them stood out to me and demanded words to accompany them.

Sunflower

She is like a sunflower; a little prickly if handled indelicately, Her stem tall and strong. Deeply rooted in the earth, She grows and thrives when all around Her things wilt and shrivel in the heat and drought. She follows the sun, Her guiding star. Seeing its face, She turns toward it, its brightness mirrored in the brightness of Her smile. Even when clouds and rain obscure Her sun, She is not discouraged. Her tough stem sways in the wind and bends under the pounding rain, and when Her sun returns, She shines up at it more brightly than before.

A.P. Hawkins

Skin of the Earth

I once was a creek, my bed soft and silty and brown and smelling of organic things. Roots and worms burrowed through the cool, sticky soil under my shallow waters. The sun beat down on me, unrelenting, for days, weeks, months, without a single drop of rain to grant reprieve. Now my waters are gone and my once soft, silty, cool bed lies exposed and cracked and solid. The parched skin of the earth, hardened around roots and worms alike and thirsting for the tiniest breath of rain.

A.P. Hawkins

I hope you enjoyed these short pieces and their accompanying photos. Be on the lookout for more vignettes as I continue my quest to post here more often. And I haven’t forgotten my promise of a book discussion; one of those will be coming very soon.

Stay well.

<3 A.P. Hawkins

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Going Forward

My original concept for this part of my website was to use it as a kind of infrequent journal about really anything going on in my life. I made one post and left it for a while, and coming back to it now, that feels a little bit too personal. I’ve never used a blog before, so this is all new for me…

But I think, going forward, I’m going to use this part of my site to post brief discussions of books that I’m reading, news and updates on my writing, and maybe a life update or two when I go on interesting trips or other notable things happen. I think that format will help me utilize this part of my site more frequently and will help keep it interesting.

Thanks for reading, and look for a book discussion coming soon!

Stay well,

<3 A.P.