#editortips for 09.07.12

@smoulderingsea: A query is not a synopsis. It should be a brief, interesting sales pitch, not a methodical blow-by-blow of the plot. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: There is no One Truth of Publishing. It's more like a lot of little truths, many more variables, and a strong dash of WTF. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: The time you spend agonizing over rejections or worrying over query responses? Won't change anything. Use that time to write. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Don't tell me why your book would sell. Show me. #editortips #showdonttellalloveragain

@smoulderingsea: When you get a rejection, don't reply that it's not what you wanted to hear. It's unprofessional, and won't change the response. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: No one will hold a gun to your head and make you write. (Well, a really good friend might. Wait, what?) That choice is on you. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: I've been on the verge of a contract offer only for the author to change my mind with rude behavior. Don't be that author. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Be bold in your writing, but while you're going balls-to-the-wall, don't neglect the little things. Subtleties add depth. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: A story is more than a sequence of events--more than "He did this, and then he did this." Stories feel. Think. Evolve. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: You'll find publishing causes less stress if you drop the "us vs. them" mentality. It's a diverse group of people. Not a war. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: It's fine if the meat of your query remains the same when you customize for each sub--but don't use c/p blind form queries. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: You don't need an MFA degree to be a writer. It doesn't matter where the skill comes from as long as you learn. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: When you link clauses with "but," make sure they actually relate. "It's dinner time, but Risu's licking the couch." #huhwhat #editortips

@smoulderingsea: You'll get rejected. You'll fall down, fail, despair. You might even be mocked. Doesn't matter. Get the fuck up. Keep writing. #editortips

About #editortips:
#editortips is a daily rash of tweets from an only partially crazy editor, chock full of random chocolatey morsels about writing, editing, and querying vaguely disguised as helpful pointers and/or really bad humor. I tweet as @smoulderingsea, and try to post with some consistency every weekday at 6PM CST. Weekends optional, depending on if I’m spending yet another Saturday night editing because my social life consists of Netflix and spreading conspiracy theories about ketchup.