Documenting Publishing My Book: Week Two

January 6-12, 2025

January 6

Research:

I started today with researching the synopsis. I've probably written hundreds of these - it's part of refining the writing process - but it's been a while since I've properly researched them. I started here because I'm trying to make sure I don't approach the publishing process with any misconceptions or outdated information, and, like always, I'm glad I did. I learned a bit about the synopsis and it helped me solidify a few vagrant ideas floating around in my brain.

As a refresher, you write a synopsis for two reasons (in my opinion):

1. The synopsis show the reader (and hopefully agent/publisher/fan) that you know what you're talking about. The story is complete and fulfilling, it fits your chosen genre, and it proves that you've got a handle of the storytelling process. It can also help your agent figure out if what you're writing is for them, so no one wastes any time. Love it. 
2. It shows you that you know what you're talking about. Remember, the synopsis has a few key parts: 
   1. Hook - the part of your story that makes your reader want to read it, distilled into the opening (and intriguing) line of your synopsis
   2. Characters - who your story is about, and why we should care about them
   3. Plot - this is the big one. I work with a lot of writers who struggle with this one, because the synopsis includes a few things: central conflict, major turning points, climax, and the resolution. (You're not saving the ending as a surprise). As you're writing, you need to be sure to know when you're hitting these high points, so you can refine your synopsis and your elevator pitch. 

I got really good at these in film school, because you usually have only about 30 seconds to ask someone if they want to be a part of your film project before they say no. If you start talking and haven't gotten their interest in about 5 seconds, (a few words) give up - they will probably go somewhere else. 

One thing I want to stress about this whole process is how extremely not-personal it is. Think about querying and publishing as a competition, but not with other writers: it's a competition of time. Agents have a limited amount of time, and they have to very quickly figure out where to spend it. They have criteria they have to meet, and if your pitch doesn't meet that criteria, they have to move on. It's a part of the business. 

I run into this all the time. When I'm interviewing potential 1:1 students or when a writer sends me their work to review, I only have a few minutes to look at it. If you haven't hooked me in those first few words, then I have to move on. 

Here's the takeaway: it's probably your pitch, not you. If you're getting a bunch of no's, not just in writing but anywhere in life, think about how you're presenting your pitch. Are you going in blind? Or do you have a compelling hook that buys you a little more time? That's where I'd start.

Developing the Book: 

I jumped back into the hero's journey plot structure template inside of The Complete Novelist's Kit. I've been using this for my last few projects, because it does a really good job of asking you questions that spark ideas for your story. (This is how I teach - I rarely provide direct answers to things, because I've learned that asking questions helps the students come up with answers themselves, and that mental work helps them actually retain it). This method also works with me. 

Inside The Complete Novelist' Kit, there's also the positive character arc planner, which I'm using to help me figure out Levi. I have an inkling of what he's about to get up to and why, but today I discovered one of his greatest fears. This is one really messed up dude. 

I watched a movie the other night that helped me figure out some of the details about Cassian, who fills the Mentor role in this story. I spent time on his profile in Creating Iconic Fantasy Characters and finally have a family tree for him (part of his motivation) as well as what he actually does in the story. Yay! A character I don't have to cut because he actually has a purpose....tee hee. 

Writing the Book:

Finally came up with a name for my plant-people. I have been puzzling over this one for weeks. I also have a few more names for a mysterious drug in the world, and now a Pirate Captain that will play some kind of role in the worldbuilding. He isn't alive, but he does help with the fantasy one of the characters carries with them through the plot. 

I added 665 words to the draft, for a total of 1,224 words. Not bad!

January 7

Research: 

I made an account on Query Tracker today. I'm approaching this whole situation with a lot of curiosity. I've never made much use out of Query Tracker before (duh), but after reading a lot in the Writer's Digest, I figured I'd give it a shot. 

I'm intrigued and a little intimidated by the whole process. I wonder if this is a neurodivergent thing, but I have a deeply-ingrained fear of being evaluated by someone who doesn't know me (I've developed a pathological phobia of job interviews for this reason). It's not a confidence issue - I feel perfectly confident in myself and in my work - but more of an issue of, how can you make an evaluation if you don't have all the facts?

I'm curious how many of my readers feel the same way. Is this a ND thing? Please confirm (hahaha).

I also started making a list of agents. I don't plan to query any agents any time soon (not until I've been through a few rounds of drafting) but I wanted to have at least one page of people so I can start researching them. My plan right now is to figure out who they represented and what books those people published, so I can add those books to the reading pile and see if any of them are similar to my style. The biggest rookie mistake in the world is to just query agents randomly, so we won't be doing that!

I'm a go-big-or-go-home kinda gal, so I'm putting together a list of 3000 agents. I figure they can't all say no! I'll just keep strategically querying 5-10 of them at a time until I get somebody I like and that likes me. If I change this strategy, I'll update it - but this is how I approach just about every daunting task in my life. Overwhelm myself with so many possibilities that I'll be too busy to think about rejections. 

Side note - I'm aware that rejections are imminent. Like I said in yesterday's entry, it's not possible to get a yes from every person I talk to, and a lot of those no's will likely be due to my own inexperience with this type of pitching. I'm not worried about it. I'm actually quite excited to share those rejections with you, and I hope we come up with something that wins together.

Developing the Book:

I spent some time working through The Hero's Journey Template inside The Complete Novelist's Kit. One thing I'm finding really helpful right now is working on Levi's character development (through the character planner) while simultaneously plotting the story. I don't have the whole thing in my head at the moment (which is weird, because I'm used to have so much story I can't contain it all) so I'm sort of discovering it piece by piece. I'm still really on track with getting to know my characters a bit, and I'm glad I started this way - understanding your characters at the beginning is a great way to make sure you don't write yourself into a corner later on in the storytelling process.

I'm still working through the Mentor character - his name is now Cassian (?). This may change, as I'm not sold on it and it's quite similar to another, very similar character I have in a different manuscript. I'm trying not to rely on tropes for this one, mainly because I tend to write a very specific mentor character who is the same in every single story. I recently watched Dungeons and Dragons (2023) and had forgotten how much I loved that movie - and Chris Pine's character inspired a few things for me. It really got those creative wheels working and helped me move in a different direction with the character who has been giving me the most trouble. (When I advise my students to engage in a nurturing routine, this is exactly what I mean - I was out of creative juice, so I went to watch a movie I enjoy, and bam! I'm back at it.)

I started working on the Sidekick profile in Creating Iconic Fantasy Characters. Levi has a sidekick - his name is XT-23, and goes by Extee. I've never written a robot-automaton character before, so this was a fun one for me to come up with. Physical descriptions are a bit challenging - what are the exact terms to describe an automaton of his shape? I guess I'll figure it out eventually. Psychologically, he was fun for me - sort of a cross between C-3PO from Star Wars and Baymax from Big Hero 6. This may change, too - depending on what happens with our hero, it may turn out he needs a different type of sidekick. As it is, though, Extee is a fun character to play around with.

I added 851 words to the draft today, for a total of 2,075 words!

January 8

Research:

I turned to handy-dandy Youtube today to look a little bit into the different questions about publishing. I found a really awesome video about the basics (which you can watch right here).

One of my biggest issues with this whole process is not knowing which questions to even ask. Although the steps of publishing are pretty simple, there is a lot of nuance in this process and a lot of different ways to do things. The video didn't really include new information, but it did solidify my current understanding and I figured it would be really helpful to all my students who aren't currently aware of the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing. 

Developing the Book: 

I killed someone off in the manuscript today - oops! I showed the initial first page to my mother and she said, "Rachel, you're not going to kill anyone, right?" And I just laughed nervously....because it's not my writing if everyone makes it to the end of the draft.

I got a question from someone on Instagram the other day: if I know where the Hero is going to go, do I have to use the Hero's Journey Plot Structure? 

I wanted to clear this up real quick. The Hero's journey isn't always a journey or quest. Although this is the typical use for this type of plot, the Hero's Journey is actually more about the internal journey that the character takes throughout the story. The plot simply helps bring about the change that the hero's journey requires. 

Also, there are lots of different plot structures you can use - in The Complete Novelist's Kit, I included three of the most popular and straightforward ones - but you have a wide variety of other choices, not to mention the option of combining aspects of each structure with each other. The possibilities really are endless.

January 9 

Research:

Today I found a solid answer to a question I've seen floating around social media: Are there good or bad times to query an agent?

Okay, here it is: yes and no. 

EEEEEEEK!!! 

I hate non-answers as much as the next person, so let me break it down for you a bit. There are bad times to query agents, and they make sense: summer (July-August) and Winter Holidays (Thanksgiving-New Year's). As a writing coach, I feel the same way - I don't typically like getting work from clients (or potential clients) during these times, because they're family-oriented for me. A lot of people (myself included) are out of the office or working on other things, or they're reading manuscripts they've already received (again, this is me). 

Assuming the agents you're querying are open to submitting manuscripts (because they have to be open, first) a good time is on a non-holiday, during the spring and fall, unless they make a specific call for manuscripts. Easy peasy. 

The "no" part of this answer comes down to day/time. I read about 20 different sources and all of them agree: the day of the week and the time you send it doesn't necessarily have an impact on your chances of getting an agent, so don't worry about it too much. Focus on having a good pitch instead. 

Another question I had was who specifically publishes the type of fantasy I write? I started by making a list of publishers I at least know a little bit about (there are 21 so far). I'll keep researching and learning as much as I can about them until there's an agent involved. My strategy so far is to make lists and then research them one by one as we go. 

Developing/Writing the Book:

I had a lightbulb moment with one of the scenarios in my book the other day, and it helped knit together something I wasn't sure about with the plot. Today I re-wrote a few lines to incorporate this new idea into the story, and I'm quite pleased with how it changed things - I feel like it unlocked some parts of the story in a really nice way. 

I didn't do a lot of planning or development today. Sometimes I need that structure in my life, and sometimes I just need to see where my intuition takes me - and that was the vibe today. This is why I stress that flexibility as a writer is key. Some days, I can't string a single sentence together, but I'll soak up information from another writer with ease. Some days, the opposite is true. Even though I set daily word count goals, I don't always hold myself to them, because I balance it out on other days of the week. 

Today I brought the draft up to 2969 words, including the few phrases I re-wrote here and there. I'm really pleased with how it's all flowing, and I'm super excited to keep working on this project.

January 10

Research:

Today I looked into one of the less-fun aspects of writing/preparing for submission: formatting. 

Ick. 

I hate formatting, mostly because I've never taken the time to properly learn the software I use to write (Microsoft Word) and just limp along with the amalgamation of random knowledge I've collected throughout the years. That and, as we'll see, there isn't exactly a standard practice for formatting when submitting, and this is something that bugs the ever-living daylights out of me when I'm working with students. 

(Not a jab at my students) BUT - when I get manuscripts from students, I frequently am reading five or more at time. They're in different forms (Google Docs, Word, PDFs, etc) and it drives me crazy because my silly ADHD brain can NEVER remember where I saved them. This year, I moved all of my 1:1 students to the same writing platform to keep myself from feeling fried. The relief is unreal. 

Fortunately, I found a helpful resource that explained some of the basic points of formatting for submission on word. I've linked the website here.

View if you will, but also take this reminder to check the individual guidelines of agents/editors/publishers before submission. There will probably be a few differences between each one, and a great way to make sure you DON'T get a manuscript request is to not do your research (so save us all a little pain and do your research).

Developing the Book: 

MAGIC SYSTEMS! 

Alright - it's time for a magic system. I harp on this one a lot here, because inconsistent magic system is the same as writing the word NOOB across your forehead in capital letters (and a bright green sharpie). I've been wanting to work on my magic system, but my printer ran out of ink, and I have this mental block around using my computer with this...it's silly, but when you've got ADHD you stop questioning the reasons behind things. Save yourself some time and just learn how to jive with it. 

ANYWAY - I finally got a printer with ink and printed out the magic systems guide from The Complete Novelist's Kit and worked through the first page. 

(literally, just one page was enough to get the gears turning - I can't describe how much I love this thing).

I've been a little bit stuck in the plot, because if you've got a magic system in your book, it needs to be integral to the plot, otherwise you'll find it difficult to justify keeping it when it's time for editing and revision. I didn't want to charge too far ahead with writing the darn thing before I got this one down, so I finally got around my mental block and started working through the magic system. 

And let me tell you...this one is a doozy. 

One thing I wanted to avoid was cliche (as much as possible) and I found one very specific way to subvert the expectations of my fantasy readers that I think they'll really like. I won't spoil it here, but when we get there, you'll know. 

That was a really awesome use of my time today, and I feel super invigorated to go write! 

(Consider this proof of that thing I keep saying: writer's block can be cured with a little bit of structure. I will never stop singing the praises of The Complete Novelist's Kit, because it's the only thing that's ever helped me make sense of my creative brain, and if you're anything like me, it'll help you, too.)

January 11

Research: 

I found a really helpful video on querying/finding a literary agent, and the creator who made the video is super helpful when it comes to getting published. You can watch that video here.

One thing that stood out to me when I was watching the video was a general attitude towards publishers and agents - sort of a me-against-them mentality that is really gross. When the creator was talking about it in the video, I was reminded of the general attitude on booktok/bookstagram towards traditional publishing, which is the general assumption that publishers are greedy and want to destroy your work before sending it out into the world. I think I absorbed a little bit of this attitude as well, and I'm was glad to be reminded when you sign on with an agent, your success is their job. Meaning, they want you to do well, because then they do well. 

Anyway - take a look at the video and check out some of the other videos on this creator's page. She is freaking fantastic and I'm really glad I found her.

Developing the Book: 

I spent time today inside the Magic Systems Worksheet in The Complete Novelist's Kit, and then hopped over to the Economics and Trade Guide, because these two are starting to work hand in hand. When magic is a prevalent part of your story, it's important that you can't cut it - so interlace it with every part of your story, or as much as possible. 

Here's what I mean by that: with just about everything I write, I run myself through a little thought experiment. "Rachel," I say to myself, "if you were to sell the rights to this right now so that it could be made a movie, how can you make sure they can't cut this scene/item/character/whatever?" 

In answering that question, I make it as necessary, important, and relevant as I can. Otherwise, you're just wasting time as a writer and a reader. (And if you one day sell the rights to a movie company, you're ensuring they don't butcher your work to the best of your ability.)

SO - Economics and trade. During this process (don't ask me how I got here) I realized that I now need a pantheon of gods. Great. Love a pantheon, hate naming them. No worries, though. I've got a handy-dandy name archive that I'll comb through and update as I work on this part of the story.

Writing the Book: 

I came up with an origin story for one of the important deities in the book, and I'm really pleased with it. The trick here is to not go over the top with details - I like to think about it as something you'd tell around a campfire to scare little kids. 

When I was in high school, I had a friend whose aunt lived in a haunted house. Whenever we had bonfires in my backyard (there were a fair few) he would come and tell stories about the house - and they'd scare the ever-living daylights out of me. Although I'm not writing a horror novel (this time) I kept this in mind as I constructed the tale. 

Short, sweet, simple. Gets the point across but leaves room for mystery. Chef's kiss.

January 12

Developing/Writing the Book: 

Something I'm loving right now is digging into the magic systems, particularly since the automatons in this story are held together and operated through a sentient-AI-style magic. Extee, the sidekick character, reminds me of all my favorite robot characters growing up - and he's quite different from the ones I used to write. I feel like he's just leaping off the page, and the dynamic between him and Levi makes me want to keep writing. This is exactly what I'm talking about when I say that good characters will help you overcome writer's block! 

(BTW - I used Creating Iconic Fantasy Characters to create these - and it made things so simple!)

Resources:

Got a question for me, or want to talk about writing in general? Check out Rachel's Coaching Group! 

Click here to access The Complete Novelist's Kit