The Greatest Query Ever Told

I have a few more writing blogs to post before I get back to pressing tax issues. Tomorrow I will post on the WRWA fall conference in pictures. They are a fine looking bunch, I guarantee you. Now, for today’s topic: The Greatest Query Letter Ever Told.

Nearly 146 years ago, President Lincoln addressed a crowd of 15,000 at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg. Pennsylvania. His query… his plea to preserve this nation is arguably one of the most important speeches ever delivered. With so much at stake, President Lincoln, without the luxury of internet query samples, gave us the greatest query ever told.

In just over two minutes, Lincoln spoke a mere 10 sentences, sentences that echo down to us today. Let’s look at the address from a query point of view.

• Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
  

Lincoln delivered the hook. Number of words (years), and the theme of the story (the reason our nation should continue).

• Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
  

Now, in four sentences, we get the book. If Lincoln can explain the state of affairs in 1863 in four sentences, why can’t writers describe their book with the same brevity? I aspire to communicate as clearly and concisely as Lincoln. Wish me luck.

• But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate...we can not consecrate...we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
  

And the cook. Agents love to talk about query letters containing: the hook, the book, and the cook. Lincoln, without the benefit of endless samples to draw from, produced the greatest query ever told with the nation at stake.

Notice how the cook begins. Lincoln provides our nation’s resume the way a writer will outline his publishing credits. There are no wasted words, only clear, concise phrases. When I read the last 15 words, a shiver runs down my spine. I think he would have had no problem finding an agent.

Brett Farve Can't Win

The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings square off this evening. Brett Favre has his opportunity to show the world he still has the right stuff. But can Favre win?

There is no doubt the Minnesota Vikings can win the game on the score board; the story for Favre is different. If the Vikings blow the Packers away, the fans will cheer in Minneapolis. And everyone will say, “That is what he is expected to do.” If the Vikings lose, or if the game is close (anything short of a blowout), fans on the west edge of the Mississippi will say, “Brett still thinks he’s playing in Green Bay.” Or, “The ‘ol boy is too old to play.” And angry fans may say, “Go back to the bayou, boy.”

Brett Favre can’t win. His best outcome is to avoid embarrassment. He will put on a show at the Metrodome, if anybody cares anymore.

I pity Brett. His best years are behind him and he wants to hold onto his youth at any cost. Too many of us do the same. There is a lesson in this for everyone. Brett Favre used to do things with style; now he just does things. There is an honorable statesmanship in maturity. May we all learn the lesson before we suffer a career ending injury. I will cheer the Packers on and pray Brett steps off the field with his head held high, uninjured.

Brett, you can still be part of the game even if your hands aren’t tucked into the center’s crotch. Man, I hope I learn that lesson well myself.

6 Financial Moves That Sound Good--but Aren't

Check this out. I firmly believe in sound financial advice. This is it.

Balancing the Budget

The federal government is spilling red ink to the tune of $1.5+ trillion over the past year. A large part of this is waste. I have a solution to sop up some of the red stuff taxpayers will need to pay for eventually.

Accountants use the Power of Attorney to open communication with Revenue for specific clients. Once the POA is signed and filed, the IRS sends every document to the taxpayer and accountant. When the job is done, we disengage the POA and Revenue should stop sending duplicates to us.

But they don’t. Several days a month the mail doesn’t fit in the mailbox. A thousand letters per month or more from taxpayers no longer clients, grace our shredder. Revenue could save millions in postage and paper costs by honoring our request to withdraw from the POA. Think of all the trees saved. The only loser is the post office.

And I pray they never decide to send it all email. If they do, they will be sent to the spam folder automatically.

Persistence

I’ve been thinking about what it takes to be successful at writing, accounting, farming, or any other endeavor. The urban legend that 9 out of 10 businesses fail in the first year falls far short of reality. Many desire to own a business, but are ill prepared for the reality of running a business.

Of all the skills needed to start, build, and maintain a business, persistence seems to be the most important. It is so easy to quit when things become overwhelming. Challenges unimagined will arise. How you mentally handle these challenges will determine if you are successful or a statistic.

I have some experience starting businesses. You might even say a few are successful. Tax Prep & Accounting Services has been around since the mid 1980s and putting bread on the table all that time. I make a few dollars farming. Up to fifty steer grace the back yard at any one time and I turn a profit. Now I know what everyone says, you can’t make money farming. M’kay. But I do.

Now I am about to start another endeavor: writing. I have been writing since high school and love the process. About ten or fifteen years ago, Stan Schmidt, editor at Analog, liked one of my stories. He wrote a nice note on the rejection slip: “Too graphic in sex and drugs for our readers. Story is good otherwise. Good luck placing it elsewhere.” It was last time I submitted anything, until now.

You see, I sent each story out to one editor, and one editor only, and then shelved it. The truth is I didn’t think I could produce another salable story so why bother. I feel my skills have improved since and I can produce a steady stream of quality material.

Let me show you how persistence pays off in the tax office. The toughest cases are usually the inherited ones. Two clients stick out. The first came to me via a failed tax office. He owed over ten thousand and the taxing authorities were not interested in dealing straight. It took three years and tax court, but we got Revenue to accept our offer. Another client came to me from a Colorado CPA. This client owed over 1 million to Revenue and the IRS refused to resolve the issue. After four and a half years we got Revenue to declare the account uncollectible. After ten years it is out of stat and the client will owe nothing. And yes, the stat clock is running; we check every six months to make sure it is.

What would have happened if I gave up? Poor client would have been gutted is what would have happened. One thing I can guarantee you when you start a business: there will be days that test your constitution. It will happen.

And now I am submitting a short story. It will grace every editor on the planet, unless it sells first. I have a novel ready for an agent. I have article writing gigs in the pipeline from my WRWA conference contacts. Persistence, I tell you. I will never give up or quit. So my knuckles will be bloodied. Big deal. It will not be the first time.

WRWA Fall Conference, Part II

If you slept late Sunday morning, you missed the best speaker of the convention. John Lehman shared his thoughts on "10 Things I Think I Know for Sure About Writing and Getting Published." Lehman went into depth on each point. I will present the highlights here.

1. START

• S tory Ideas: Lehman feels you should have three or four ideas formulating in your mind at a time. Writing is the art of discovery and stories should lead to a greater understanding.
• T reatment: Don't limit yourself; write everything. A poem, short story, or essay, is a glimpse; the novel, a full look.
• A udience: Know who your audience is. Write what people are curious about. Spending time in a bookstore and watching people interact with the material can offer insight into what an audience wants.
• R esearch: Where will your book go in the bookstore? If it doesn't fit nicely into one section, it will not find any home there.
• T imeline: Set a schedule and stick to it. You need to write consistently and on a regular basis to build the writing muscle. When the time comes for you to produce quality material on short notice, you will have the skills to deliver and get paid for your skills.

2. Increase your circle of of identity to include editors and publishers. Lehman says we all have our circle of acquaintances and this circle must include those that can further your writing career. The right place at the right time is often knowing the right person when the time comes.

3. Journal your activities. Track your writing production and research. A good record mixed with solid goals leads to regular output.

4. Write in scenes. In every scene, each character has an objective. There is a winner and a loser.

5. Editors love metaphors. Editors want to see how characters deal with issues compared to other things.

6. Editors like titles and endings. Even though your title is unlikely to make to the final cover, a good title grabs agents and editors. Endings are the most important part of the story. If the ending is a disappointing, the story fails, and will not sell.

7. Who you know is important. Lehman enunciated he may catch flack for this point, but sticks to his guns on the statement. You need to build a circle of acquaintances in the industry. Editors buy, you need to know editors. Lots of them.

8. We are shaped by our early experiences and must move beyond these experiences. To be successful at writing, you must grow beyond your current comfort zone and learn.

9. There are stages to story development. First we absorb information, then formulate a story (a lesson learned), create the story, and finally, send it out into the world for other to see and learn (publication).

10. Writing myths and truths:

Truth:

• You are a writer.
• To give up is hard. To give up is like not breathing.

Myth:

• It is hard to succeed. In fact, it is hard to stop. You want to write, you must write. Continued effort will lead to sales. Quiting is impossible to swallow.

As you can see, Lehman provides powerful advice for all writers, published and unpublished. Never be afraid to write, send out material to editors, or get disheartened by a rejection. Your story will find a home in time.

WRWA Fall Conference, Part I

Two speakers stood out this weekend: Barbara Poelle and John Lehman. The remaining speakers were also good, but less suited to my tastes.

Greg Peck kicked off the presentations with a disheartening look at the downside of publishing. He spoke from his personal experience with a very small publisher.

Peck spoke at length about his book, “Death Beyond the Willows," and followed-up with his failed efforts to engage an agent and editing the original manuscript down to a manageable size. He admits if he edited his book down before sending to agents and editors, he may have published at a larger house. "My experience with a small publisher may be unique," Peck said. "Other small publishers could be easier to work with." When asked if he will look for another publisher to bring his book back into print, he said he had no plans at this time.

Barbara Poelle took the stage next. She spoke so fast at times, it was hard to follow. The upside: she got four hours of information out in an hour and fifteen minutes. Poelle provided information available on most agents' blogs and websites. She touched on word count, what she accepts, and mechanics. This blogger was out of breath after the presentation. Rather than laying out Poelle's entire presentation here, review the following blogs: Pub Rants, Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent, and Janet Reid, Literary Agent. These blogs will expand on her presentation. Poelle blogs here.

Cassie Hansen, a WRWA board member and Youth Member Services Coordinator, introduced three young writers from Wisconsin. She highlighted the challenges facing young writers and emphasized the opportunities available to the persistent. The differences between young male and female writers was also explored.

Many older members were glued to their seats as Jean Feraca talked memoir. Poetry was a large focus of the speech. Connections were made between memoir and the beauty of poetry.

John Lehman and Eva Apelqvist presented Sunday. Lehman had the most engaging program of all the speakers. Tomorrow I will have a long post on the "10 Things I Think I know for Sure (About Writing and Getting Published)" as offered by John Lehman. You don't want to miss it.