Regardless of your political persuasion, I'll bet you can agree with me that we need a little kindness in the world right now. Every morning I open my news apps with trepidation. I know that I need to be informed, that I need to see the reality of what's happening in the world, but the truth is, I'd rather not know.
And yet I've realized it's important to face the difficulties of the world in order to figure out where the help I can give is best placed. This is also what drives me as a teacher. I know I can spread positivity in the world, and where better than with the future difference-makers?
Yet at this time of year I find myself getting a little down about it. It's the end of the school year and I'm tired, the students are tired, my children are tired. And when I get tired, I turn into the gumpiest, most impatient woman on the planet...or at least in South Carolina.
And yet the world finds a way of bringing me back to hope...
Yesterday I attended our school's graduation excercises. I always look forward to them as I'm a sentimental, nostalgic type and I love seeing the kids transition from what they've always known to that for which they will be known. But this year was extra sweet for me.
I teach a creative writing independent study, a class limited to four students who choose to write a novel, a short story collection, a poetry collection, or a play/screenplay. It's a tall order--especially for second semester seniors--so I usually end up with the kids who have been waiting for a reason to have to find time to write creatively. This year I worked with two novelists and two poets. You should probably make note of their names, as I'm certain the world will be blessed with their writing quite soon.
Katherine, Sophie, Louisa, and Jacob gathered around me after their graduation, when their peers were heading to the cafeteria for cake or taking pictures with family. They had two large reusable grocery bags containing five boxes, and they were so excited it was barely containable.
They had created for me what has to rank as one of the best gifts I've ever received.
Inside the boxes was a tea set. Each writer had painted a teacup and saucer that illustrated some element of their writing. Katherine's teacup featured a pair of eyes staring at me, a la The Great Gatsby, eyes being pivotal to the characterization in her novel, a fantasy surrounding specially enabled humans and a mysterious and (hopefully) misunderstood stranger. Sophie's depicted a cat on a windowsill and a school bus to remind me of her book of poetry, a glimpse through the eyes of several students who were experiencing the same events with different emotional responses. Louisa's was painted rainbow because each of her poems focused on a different emotion, and Jacob's was covered with a passage from Deuteronomy, a chill-inducing moment from his Jason Bourne-esque novel. The crowning piece was a teapot featuring the title character from the novel I had worked on with them, Miranda.
They had gathered at a local pottery studio after exams to make these pieces for me. That's right, four high school seniors, during the week when many of their peers go on beach vacations and throw last minute celebrations, had spent an afternoon painting pottery for their teacher. Wow.
So today I feel better about the world. Because these four stand as examples of the kindness that is on its way. These creative, intelligent, compassionate minds are making their way into the world and are determined to share their voices in it.
So when you look at the news and feel the anxiety I share, let your heartbeat slow and your breathing regulate. The future's looking mighty bright indeed.
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Sunday, May 21, 2017
And now for something completely different...
One of the questions I've often asked myself is: What kind of writer am I? And by that I mean, in what genre does my work fit?
As I've written on this blog, I love writing in the chick lit genre, particularly about the American South. I have stories for days, a veritable well from which I can draw inspiration. Certainly Sweet Divinity fits perfectly into this style and genre, as does My Literary Boyfriends. Yet I also enjoy writing literary fiction; at least, I have enjoyed writing it when working on my manuscript of Miranda.
So the question remains: What genre suits me best? And I think the answer is "both".
When I first set out on my journey to publish, I just sent out whichever manuscript was ready, not a worry about a long-term career. I just wanted to publish. But the more I work, the more I know this is what I wish to do, consistently, for the rest of my life. Therefore I came to the realization that perhaps I had to choose: Am I a Sophie Kinsella or a Jane Green, a Caassandra Clare or a Chris Cleve? It seems as if in order to market your book, one must market herself, and that requires defining yourself as a writer.
But the truth is, I am both a chick lit writer and a writer of literary fiction, and I'm pretty sure I've got some nonfiction inside of me as well.
So while I'm still seeking representation for Sweet Divinity, I think I'll give Miranda a little bit of love, and we'll see if she strikes an agent's fancy. Besides, while I can be sweet and humorous, I certainly believe I'm complex enough to be gothic and metaphysical as well. We should all own our unique complexities. And I'm ready to own mine.
As I've written on this blog, I love writing in the chick lit genre, particularly about the American South. I have stories for days, a veritable well from which I can draw inspiration. Certainly Sweet Divinity fits perfectly into this style and genre, as does My Literary Boyfriends. Yet I also enjoy writing literary fiction; at least, I have enjoyed writing it when working on my manuscript of Miranda.
So the question remains: What genre suits me best? And I think the answer is "both".
When I first set out on my journey to publish, I just sent out whichever manuscript was ready, not a worry about a long-term career. I just wanted to publish. But the more I work, the more I know this is what I wish to do, consistently, for the rest of my life. Therefore I came to the realization that perhaps I had to choose: Am I a Sophie Kinsella or a Jane Green, a Caassandra Clare or a Chris Cleve? It seems as if in order to market your book, one must market herself, and that requires defining yourself as a writer.
But the truth is, I am both a chick lit writer and a writer of literary fiction, and I'm pretty sure I've got some nonfiction inside of me as well.
So while I'm still seeking representation for Sweet Divinity, I think I'll give Miranda a little bit of love, and we'll see if she strikes an agent's fancy. Besides, while I can be sweet and humorous, I certainly believe I'm complex enough to be gothic and metaphysical as well. We should all own our unique complexities. And I'm ready to own mine.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
A Query Query
I've had many questions about the journey to publishing. This is a journey I've been on for some time, and I take it for granted that everyone who knows me or who reads this blog knows the path a writer takes on her way to publication.
But the truth is, it's a much more complex path than many imagine, with many alternate routes from which to choose. From the moment I completed my first manuscript, I've been trekking the route to representation. On this path I submit query letters to literary agents whom I think will like what I have to offer. With perfect timing, a captivating hook, and luck on my side, the agent asks for a partial of my manuscript, then the full manuscript, and then ultimately offers me representation (with a possible rewrite there at the end to see how I work with others). I've been down this path to the very end, through the rewrite, only to get the breakup letter that lowers the spirits of any writer. In fact, I save all of my rejections in a folder so that one day when I sign with an agent or publisher, I can hit "delete" in a grand purge!
I've had a lot of success with my query letter, and I'm grateful to so many blogs and articles that have helped me strengthen it. The first round of queries, I sent this letter in a shortened version, but when I began to shop around last summer (the summer of my literary ailment), I added a paragraph on marketing. This was after I received a rejection that contained something like, "I love it, but I don't know how to make it stand out in a busy market." So I decided to address that concern upfront.
I'm not naive enough to believe my query is perfect. However, it's effective. So if you're wondering just what a query letter looks like or maybe just what this novel I've been ddiscussing is all about, I offer you the generic form of my query letter for Sweet Divinity.
Dear Reader,
Based on your interests and the clients you represent, I feel certain that you will enjoy my commercial women’s novel of 95,000 words titled Sweet Divinity.
Amanda Jane Roberts swore she would shed her country ways and never look back to the Georgia farm where she was raised. But now that she’s discovered her husband’s affair (in a movie theatre, no less! How tacky!), she’s packing her bags and her precocious five-year old daughter and heading home. And home hasn’t changed one bit. Her feisty mother who shoots squirrels from her attic with a shotgun, watches her preachers on television, and tosses her son’s marijuana plants out the window (replacing them with useful herbs, of course) is still the independent, wise woman she always knew. Her best friends, young mother Dana and closeted David, are ready to pick up where the friendship left off. And the country boys are still gentlemanly and sincere.
But Amanda soon learns that although home may not have changed, she has. The girl who once loved working outside, cheering on the local high school football team, and baking sweet goodness in her mother’s kitchen has become a city girl whose girlfriends love high heels, overpriced coffee, and air conditioned comfort. She has forgotten the politics of small town life, and is quickly thrust back into a world where people are judged on their ability to hold with tradition.
Against this backdrop, Sweet Divinity is the story of a woman searching for her true identity and the strength to make a life of her own. Starting over as a single mother, she longs to find her place. Through taking on the challenges of living with her opinionated and idiosyncratic mother, establishing herself as the town’s most sophisticated (and still southern!) baker, and explaining to her daughter why life is disappointing but ultimately rewarding, Amanda begins to realize that although she may be “citified”, perhaps there is a little bit of country girl deep down, hollerin’ to get out. Thus the novel raises a universal question: how much of who I really am is defined by the place I call “home”?
Sweet Divinity will be my first published novel. While studying English at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, I was fortunate to be selected for an independent study in novel writing under the mentorship of Gap Creek author Robert Morgan. I received my MA degree in English from The College of Charleston/The Citadel and currently teach high school literature and creative writing courses in South Carolina.
I am very excited to send you the manuscript of Sweet Divinity (named for the essential southern sweet—I can send you some of it as well!). The authentic Southern voice fills what I see as a gap in a women’s market full of metropolitan voices or stereotypically “southern” twangs. Women want authenticity and relatable qualities in their protagonists, and my heroine, Amanda, appeals to southern women in an authentically regional manner, but also to every woman in the universality of her experience. Having lived and studied in three southern states, I can attest that there is a rich market here waiting to be tapped by a sassy southern voice. I look forward to traveling and promoting my work in my region, but also sharing a bit of this place through national marketing. I believe in Amanda Jane.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Megan P. Koon
But the truth is, it's a much more complex path than many imagine, with many alternate routes from which to choose. From the moment I completed my first manuscript, I've been trekking the route to representation. On this path I submit query letters to literary agents whom I think will like what I have to offer. With perfect timing, a captivating hook, and luck on my side, the agent asks for a partial of my manuscript, then the full manuscript, and then ultimately offers me representation (with a possible rewrite there at the end to see how I work with others). I've been down this path to the very end, through the rewrite, only to get the breakup letter that lowers the spirits of any writer. In fact, I save all of my rejections in a folder so that one day when I sign with an agent or publisher, I can hit "delete" in a grand purge!
I've had a lot of success with my query letter, and I'm grateful to so many blogs and articles that have helped me strengthen it. The first round of queries, I sent this letter in a shortened version, but when I began to shop around last summer (the summer of my literary ailment), I added a paragraph on marketing. This was after I received a rejection that contained something like, "I love it, but I don't know how to make it stand out in a busy market." So I decided to address that concern upfront.
I'm not naive enough to believe my query is perfect. However, it's effective. So if you're wondering just what a query letter looks like or maybe just what this novel I've been ddiscussing is all about, I offer you the generic form of my query letter for Sweet Divinity.
Dear Reader,
Based on your interests and the clients you represent, I feel certain that you will enjoy my commercial women’s novel of 95,000 words titled Sweet Divinity.
Amanda Jane Roberts swore she would shed her country ways and never look back to the Georgia farm where she was raised. But now that she’s discovered her husband’s affair (in a movie theatre, no less! How tacky!), she’s packing her bags and her precocious five-year old daughter and heading home. And home hasn’t changed one bit. Her feisty mother who shoots squirrels from her attic with a shotgun, watches her preachers on television, and tosses her son’s marijuana plants out the window (replacing them with useful herbs, of course) is still the independent, wise woman she always knew. Her best friends, young mother Dana and closeted David, are ready to pick up where the friendship left off. And the country boys are still gentlemanly and sincere.
But Amanda soon learns that although home may not have changed, she has. The girl who once loved working outside, cheering on the local high school football team, and baking sweet goodness in her mother’s kitchen has become a city girl whose girlfriends love high heels, overpriced coffee, and air conditioned comfort. She has forgotten the politics of small town life, and is quickly thrust back into a world where people are judged on their ability to hold with tradition.
Against this backdrop, Sweet Divinity is the story of a woman searching for her true identity and the strength to make a life of her own. Starting over as a single mother, she longs to find her place. Through taking on the challenges of living with her opinionated and idiosyncratic mother, establishing herself as the town’s most sophisticated (and still southern!) baker, and explaining to her daughter why life is disappointing but ultimately rewarding, Amanda begins to realize that although she may be “citified”, perhaps there is a little bit of country girl deep down, hollerin’ to get out. Thus the novel raises a universal question: how much of who I really am is defined by the place I call “home”?
Sweet Divinity will be my first published novel. While studying English at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, I was fortunate to be selected for an independent study in novel writing under the mentorship of Gap Creek author Robert Morgan. I received my MA degree in English from The College of Charleston/The Citadel and currently teach high school literature and creative writing courses in South Carolina.
I am very excited to send you the manuscript of Sweet Divinity (named for the essential southern sweet—I can send you some of it as well!). The authentic Southern voice fills what I see as a gap in a women’s market full of metropolitan voices or stereotypically “southern” twangs. Women want authenticity and relatable qualities in their protagonists, and my heroine, Amanda, appeals to southern women in an authentically regional manner, but also to every woman in the universality of her experience. Having lived and studied in three southern states, I can attest that there is a rich market here waiting to be tapped by a sassy southern voice. I look forward to traveling and promoting my work in my region, but also sharing a bit of this place through national marketing. I believe in Amanda Jane.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Megan P. Koon
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