Are You Query Ready?

For those of you who frequent my blog, you probably know I just attended my first writer's conference and that I absolutely loved agent Tina Wexler. Not just because she is a fireball in this tiny Brooklyn package, but because she had some EXCELLENT advice!

Now it is my turn to share the love...

Here are some things Tina Wexler says you need to do before you are ready to query:

-Finish your manuscript: This should be a no brainer, but man do we want that feedback. She suggests you get that from others and query when you're done. I mean, what if they request a full and you can't deliver? Whoops.

- Manuscript is revised: And she means in a BIG way, around 30-50% big. And by revised, she means chunks taken out, chunks added, scenes moved around, characters added, altered or deleted. You get the picture. Revise your butt off.

- Read out loud: Preferably by another person while you listen. This makes total sense to me because she said we read our MS the way we want it to be read. If someone reads it out loud we may find one character we loved sounds needy and annoying when read by someone else.

- Chapter by chapter outline: As boring as it is, this will lay it all out there. You can really see what is cohesive and what isn't.

- Timeline: For the same reasons above. You may find some big gaps in time or snafus you hadn't realized before.

- Have a conversation with your protagonist: She suggests at every pivotal point in your MS, stop and ask the protag what would happen if he/she chose a different route. We as writers might try to make it easier on our characters in order to essentially make it easier on us, the writers, but is it what's best for your manuscript?

- READ: And not just beta reads, but read three books in the genre you are writing in that have been published in the last year.

- Get some betas: And if they tell you that your MS is fabulous, get another. They aren't really helping. Also make sure they are in the know about the genre and age group you are writing.

- Take some time off: 2 weeks, no touching the darn thing!

- Edit for voice: Once all of the above is done, go back and edit for voice. Tina says writers can grow attached to the words that get us to the end, but by going back and adding in some voice, it can really enhance our MS.

and last...

-Query because you think you are ready: Not because you are sick of looking at your manuscript and you want some feedback.

Good advice eh? What do you think? Are you ready to query? Do you do some or any of these things before hitting the query craze?

And just a reminder, if you haven't signed up for the Killer Characters Blogfest yet...you should! It'll be a scream:)