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Joel Brigham Profile picture
@joelbrigham
Jun 1 • 7 tweets • 2 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
Everyone has a novel in them somewhere, but for beginners, the hardest things to do is get started. It can feel overwhelming, but I've got a few tips for how to start a novel if you've never written one before (or even if you have!) 🧵

#amwriting #writingcommunity

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1. Read! If you haven't read widely in the genre you want to write, I suggest strongly starting there. See what excellent books look like and how experienced authors do their thing. Good writers are good readers, so if you've already read a ton, you're off to a great start!
2. Learn your characters. There's something called a character profile that is designed to help you fully understand your character(s) before you start writing. Google "free character profiles" and fill out a few for your main characters. They're fun AND helpful!
3. Outline. I love "Save the Cat Writes a Novel" because there's an outline with story beats for almost every type of story. This will help keep you from wandering through words aimlessly, especially if you're a beginner.
4. Establish a writing routine. You don't have to write every day, but getting into some kind of routine will help you build momentum. Can you write first thing in the morning? While the kids are napping? Right before you go to bed? Try to carve out some consistent writing time.
5. Embrace the concept of "drafting." Your book won't be perfect the first time through, so just get words on the page (whether you love them or hate them). You're more likely to finish a draft if you just push through instead of being a perfectionist every step of the way.
Is this EVERYTHING you need to know about writing a novel? Of course not. But it's enough to help you get started and ensure you cross the finish line! Good luck with those first novels, friends!

~el fin~

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More from @joelbrigham

Joel Brigham Profile picture
May 31
Pitching an agent at a writing conference is a much different experience than querying an agent via email or QueryManager. It's thrilling (and nerve-wracking!) to come face-to-face with an agent, but does it impact your chances of getting an offer of representation? 🧵

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Full disclosure: I met my agent for the first time at a @writingdaywksp conference. I pitched 2 agents at that first one, and both asked for the full. Both ended up rejecting me (including my future agent), but I pitched 3 the next year. That's the MS that got me my agent.

2/?
@writingdaywksp So I know first-hand that it's possible. Agents aren't attending these events just for giggles. They're looking for talented new authors to represent! There are a few things you can do to make the most of these events, though, so let's have a look at what those are:

3/?
Read 10 tweets
Joel Brigham Profile picture
May 30
I see a ton of query letters where the author isn't just pitching a book but an entire series. We all love a good trilogy, but how do agents and publishers feel about them from debut authors? Let's have a look at how to approach pitching a series to an agent 🧵

#amquerying

1/? Image
When you are querying a book, you are querying THAT book as a standalone. It absolutely can be the first in a series, but an agent is looking to see if they can sell this individual story. In your query, make sure Book 1 stands well on its own.

2/?
The only thing you should say about future books when querying is this: "series potential." You could write something like:

THE WOUNDED GODDESS is a 90,000-word adult fantasy novel with series potential.

That's literally it. Everything else should focus on Book 1.

3/?
Read 7 tweets
Joel Brigham Profile picture
May 19
Because MG and YA authors are writing for kids, it's smart to check a story's reading level before querying agents. You don't want the vocabulary and syntax to be too easy or too difficult for your intended audience, right?

Here's how you check 🧵

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You may not have known this, but there are tools that measure a text's reading level. Mostly, they're looking at how many syllables you've got per word, and how many words you've got per sentence. The younger the reader, the simpler you want the vocabulary and syntax to be.

2/?
One tool is the Flesch Reading Ease formula, which ranges from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the easier to read. 90-100 is ideal for an average 5th grader, while 60-70 is ideal for 8th/9th graders. Scores of 0-30 are best understood by college graduates.

3/?
Read 10 tweets
Joel Brigham Profile picture
Apr 20
I'm going to break some hearts today. Your query letter is probably too long. How long SHOULD it be? Let's look into why shorter is better, and why. 🧵

1/?

#AmQuerying #AmWriting #AmEditing #WritingCommunity #RevPit Image
Before I give you a tangible word count goal for your query letter, a few words about diction: Writing MORE doesn't mean you're writing BETTER. We novelists are, by trade, wordy people, and sometimes trimming things down to their essence is the hard part.

2/?
Diction is the process of carefully choosing words, which means keeping only those words that BEST communicate your ideas and stories. I've seen a lot of queries written by folks who were told to keep it "under one page," but then filled up that page to the damn brim.

3/?
Read 10 tweets
Joel Brigham Profile picture
Apr 19
How should you address an agent at the beginning of a query letter? Well, folks, I don't have an easy answer for this one, but I'll do my best to break down your options. 🧵

1/?

#AmQuerying #AmWriting #WritingCommunity Image
The very first thing I'd do is check the agent's Twitter bio if they've got one. Agents with clear pronoun preferences will almost always list them there. This will keep you from using the wrong Mr./Miss/Mrs./Mx./none of the above.

2/?
You can also google their name with "MSWL," and oftentimes you'll find search results with pronoun preferences there, too. Try really, really hard not to misgender someone. It may sound trivial to some, but for some agents, that can be an automatic "no."

3/?
Read 9 tweets
Joel Brigham Profile picture
Apr 18
To spoil, or not to spoil? When it comes to writing a query letter, that is the question.

There is an answer ("No, you shouldn't"), but let's break down why that is. 🧵

1/?

#AmQuerying #AmWriting #WritingCommunity Image
Many agents will ask writers for two submission documents beyond their manuscript: a one-page or two-page synopsis (which will spoil everything), and a query letter (which will not).

2/?
Many agents start with the query letter (the one that doesn't spoil), and that's a good thing because we're aiming to engage them at that point. We WANT them to want more. The more materials you can get an agent to read, the better your chances, right?

3/?
Read 6 tweets

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