Proposal Writing Tips from Chip MacGregor (Part 1)

A few weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity to attend The Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference which takes place at the Ridgecrest Conference Center near Black Mountain, NC. It’s a different setting, and therefore atmosphere, than ACFW, but a great place to gain the high quality teaching and remarkable fellowship you're used to at ACFW but with a more relaxed 'retreat' feel.

Anyway, I took a proposal writing course by “Agent Extraordinaire” Chip MacGregor (who represents our very own Amy Leigh Simpson). Known for his excellent track record in publishing, his fantastic wit, and his occasional appearance in a kilt, Chip brings a wealth of knowledge to the proposal writing process.

There were 11 components to Chip’s Chat on Novel Proposal Writing, so I’m going to present Part 1 now and Part 2 next time (June 23).

Chip started with a ‘big picture’ view by getting us to think about the proposal this way:

-          What is the overarching purpose of the proposal?

-          Think in terms of “resume”

-          A proposal is seen by a small (and very select) audience

www.freedigitalphotos.net

So what are the bare-bones components of a proposal? (I’ve included examples from one of my proposals to help with definitions)

We’ll discuss the first 4 components today.

1.      Title (don’t get attached to it ;-) Of course, it's what you call your book (instead of 'that thing' or 'my baby')

2.      Hook – a summary of your story in one-two sentences (a summary which shows why your story is meaningful)

EXAMPLE:

Does true love have an accent?

A speech-language pathologist determined to move up the academic ladder and out of rural Appalachia makes a deal with her arrogant supervisor to change a thick-accented and big-hearted cattle farmer into corporate world material by Thanksgiving. An Appalachian twist to My Fair Lady                                             

3.      Overview – this short description introduces your main characters and gives the basics of your ‘core story’.

a.      9 sentences or less

b.      Can be seen as the ‘back cover blurb’ or even the elevator pitch (I’ll do another post about this as conference time draws nearer)

 

EXAMPLE:

Dr. Adelina Roseland feels confident she can correct anyone’s speech. Accent reduction is her specialty and she’s worked ten years in research with it to attain her dream job: Professor at the University of Virginia. Her dreams come to a full stop when she is sent to a tiny town in Appalachia to begin a new program for UVA’s satellite university there. Determined to prove herself, Adelina makes a daring wager with her arrogant supervisor: If she can pass Appalachian cow farmer, Reese Mitchell, off as a Harvard grad and help him with a job interview for a corporation in Chicago, then she can present her research at the National, launching her career to further heights and moving her as far away from Appalachia as possible.

But Adelina didn’t plan for the faith and friction of single-dad Reese Mitchell or his chaotic family. Drawn into a culture she’d been trying to forget for the past fifteen years, Adelina finds the warmth of family, the hope of faith, and the joy of love melting away at the deep wounds of her past. But when Reese discovers that he’s been a mere pawn in her step up the corporate ladder, will he be able to forgive her deceit or will their miscommunication end in two broken lives. Will some good old-fashioned Appalachian grit from a meddling mother rescue this culturally-diverse couple in this modern day My Fair Lady story with an Appalachian Twist?

4.      Synopsis – more detailed (BUT STILL BRIEF) description of your story, without the ‘teasers’.

a.      Motivations of your main characters

b.      Story and character arcs

c.       Main plot points

d.      Answers the main questions posed in the beginning of your story through the end.

e.      About 2-2 ½ pages

f.        Present tense

g.      Single-spaced

h.      Plain font

i.        Clarity is key

j.        Shorter paragraphs than in your prose writing

To save on space, I won’t include an entire synopsis here – but perhaps we can write a post about it on the alley as conference season comes into full swing ;-)

So, of these first four what component of proposal writing do you find most daunting?

Prepping for Conference - A quick to-do list

Writers Conferences are happening all over the place and I'm sure that you'll have plenty of opportunities to read about how to craft the perfect one-sheet or design the most eye-catching business cards, but I wanted to take the opportunity to offer some other ways to prepare as well.

Here's a short list (or as short as my long-winded self can get :-)

1. Pray – The one I need the most, but end up doing last. (Sorry, Lord) As Christians our first response to any situation should be to pray. Pray about who you should meet, which courses you should take. If He guides your writing, He’ll guide you in the industry too.

2. Research – if you have opportunity, check out the websites of the editor and agents you plan to meet at the conference. Even if you don’t have a formal appointment set up with a certain agent, you’ll have opportunities to meet them in other ways – such as in the elevator, at a meal, perhaps in a lecture. Know what they’re looking for and how your manuscript might fit into their line.

3. Etiquette – When you have that opportunity to meet editors and agents, remember your manners. They are people too. Accosting a poor editor with your terrific idea while she’s in the bathroom may make an impression, but not the kind you’re going for. If it is outside of your scheduled meeting time, introduce your question something like this “May I ask you a question?” or “Do you have time for me to give you an idea of my story?” Don’t hog the conversation at meals, but offer an out. Editors know you’re at the conference for that reason, but don’t be pushy. Be confident – but not overbearing. Listen to what the editor or agent has to say too. Listen more than you talk.

Oh, and BE ON TIME for your appointments. That’s a professional touch too.

"Please" and "thank you" never grow old.

4. Meet people – If you have spare time, try to meet people. It’s a great way to network, of course, but it’s always just fun. Finding other people who ‘speak your language’ can really be a boost of confidence – and decrease that general loneliness feeling authors have a tendency to feel. I CANNOT stress this one enough. You will make some of the most wonderful friendships and touchpoints by stretching beyond your comfort zone and engaging people in conversations. If nothing else, start with the simple question, "So, what do you write?"

As you well know, we writers LOVE to talk about our stories.

5. Be prepared, as much as you can – If you have novels in the works, create one sheets or one-pagers. Or make a projects sheet. Do NOT take your entire manuscript. If the editors want to see the whole thing, they’ll ask you to send it to them.

Research (like from #1) is a way to prepare. Try to review a map of the vendor before you get there, so you’ll know ‘kind of’ where the presentations will be held – it’s a stress reliever.

6. Dress – Unless the conference is in a temperate setting…I don’t know, like Hawaii, it would be wise to pack with varying weather in mind. For example, at the Blue Ridge mornings were cool, but afternoons were warm, so I'd wear a light jacket over short sleeves in the morning. Easy fix :-)

Also, when you have your scheduled meetings with editors and agents, you’ll want to dress like the professional you are. I don’t mean a three-piece suit. Slacks and a nice shirt will work, but enough to show you are serious about your writing.

7. Make wise use of your time – If you do #4 and prepare ahead of time, you will already make wise use of your time. Knowing the schedule ahead of time and getting a general idea of where you need to be…and then where you WANT to be, will help you make wiser and more effective use of your time.

8. Have FUN! This is an opportunity to celebrate your writing with tons of other people to "get it". I can't WAIT to spend time with my fellow AlleyCats, the gals from Seekerville, you wonderful followers of The Writers Alley, and the other amazing people I've met through writing. View your day through the balance of God's hand, with each appointment (whether planned or not) being an opportunity He's placed before you.


9. Be 'teachable'.It's probably not in your best interest to say you can’t change the book because “God gave you this book and it can’t be changed.” It hints that the editor or publisher will be out of God’s will if they change your story at all. We should approach writing with the same attitude as our faith - God is continually teaching us, whether through His Word, our experiences, or the people we meet.

10. Pray. Hmmm, didn't I say this already? Well, it's worth repeating. When our heart and mind are in the 'write' place all the circumstances around us come into the proper perspective. God's provided this opportunity for you to go to conference. In the start and the finish, keep Him in view.

What conference tips would you add?
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Deepen Your Characters - Tips from Susan May Warren

Well, as you already know from last week, I attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Writers Conference in Black Mountain, NC.

It was a wonderful experience in so many ways – but particularly the teaching. Since I was only there for two full days, my class list wasn’t very long, but the information was timeless. Over the next few posts I want to share with you some nuggets of inspiration I received while there.

Today, it’s a glimpse as Susan May Warren’s Becoming Your Own Book Therapist course.

Now, I’m a speech-language pathologist by-day, so I get the whole “therapy” idea. It’s what I do.

1.       See a problem

2.       Dissect the root of the problem

3.       Take steps to fix the problem through a series of questions/activities

4.       Celebrate your brilliance (I added that part, of course ;-)

So when I was introduced to a few of Susie’s techniques, it was a “light bulb” moment. Aha! There’s the problem. Let’s fix it!

Today we’re going to focus on Character Development.

If a judge/editor/agents says:

All of your characters sounds the same

What’s the problem? – Your characters are not developed enough. Not deep enough. He/she needs layers – like a coat. Each layer removed provides something ‘closer to the skin’ of your character. (okay, those last few statements were from Pepper, not Susie J

How do you deepen the character development?

Ask your character questions. Have an interview. Sound weird?

I’ll use one of my characters from the story I’m going to write next (so it’s BRAND NEW TO ME too) to show you how it can work.

I’m using questions from Susan May Warren’s FABULOUS book, The Book Buddy, and notes from her class.

1.       Who are you - the bio

Ava Paige Emerson

27 years old

High School History Teacher

2.       Tell me about the darkest moment of your past, something that shaped you.

My big brother dying in Afghanistan five years ago. I caused me to hold on to my parents – but then, a year ago they died in an automobile accident while they were away in England trying to salvage their marriage. One of them cheated on the other – I’m pretty sure it was my father. He travels for business and men are usually known for their faithfulness, right? If someone’s going to cheat, it’s most likely going to be them.

3.       What kind of person are you today because of that moment?

Hmm, well I guess I’m independent, and more cautious about possible romance. Okay, to be completely honest, I don’t date. I haven’t since they died. I can’t bring myself to try and trust somebody who is probably going to leave me in some form or other anyway.

4.       What Lie do you believe that drives you and shapes your spiritual beliefs? (okay, if this one isn’t obvious from Ava’s answers so far….)

Nothing is constant – especially a man, so I can’t trust one. I have to stay independent and rely on my own strength to be happy. A guy is just going to betray me and being numb is a lot easier to bear than hurting through loss.

5.       What is your greatest fear?

That I’m right, I guess. That being alone is the only option for me.

 The point is…you keep asking until you get to the heart of your character. You search for her greatest fear, the lie she believes, her deepest wound, and her greatest dream. Those are the heartbeat elements strumming through the pages of your novel pumping life into your one-dimensional character. It's my first time using these questions for my new book - but it's helped me to start fleshing out my heroine, and I love the twists it begins to develop in my novel.

If you want to learn more, purchase Susie’s tool, The Book Buddy – a GREAT buy.

You can also check out my very first VLOG where I mention The Book Buddy and tell a little more about it.

Do you have any tools you use to help deepen your characterization? Any books you'd recommend?

What is your current heroine's greatest dream?

Live from BRMCWC 2012

Hey everyone! Pepper here, and I'm writing this post from the Blue Ridge Mountains Christians Writers Conference in Black Mountain, NC. It's a fantastic writer's conference that takes place near my 'neck of the woods' and I've had the opportunity to attend it (in bits and pieces) over the past 5 years.

I want to start off by reminding everyone about Divine Appointments. It seems to be the theme of this conference and it's something that I don't think we focus on enough when we are so anxious about pitching our stories to 'so and so' or getting our novels in front of 'what's his name'. Divine Appointments are just that - meetings, usually unexpected, that God strategically places in our paths in which we look back on and think...WOW! Only God could have done worked things out this way!

That's my focus while I'm here at BRMCWC...no wait, I guess I should always have that mentality :-) God's Divine Appointments and Holy Introductions (as keynote speaker Torry Martin said tonight) But in writing it's really easy to lose sight of God-centered work and focus just on the writing-work. God's right in the middle of our calling - weaving through the pages of our lives to add the perfect blend of intrigue, excitement, and wonder.

Have you ever had a moment like that? Or moments like that? I anticipating them! :-)

I just had a GREAT one with author Susan May Warren. It was a fabulous opportunity for us to share information about something that was NON-writing... Loved it!

Another wonderful opportunity was to give a big ol' hug to Alley Pal, Beth Vogt. Isn't she beautiful. I'll get a better picture tomorrow. My phone doesn't take such great shots. And you'll have the chance to see her "Princess Bride" dress. No worries. I'll have a recap of BRMCWC in two weeks ;-)

Here's one of me with Erynn Newman at the My Book Therapy party tonight.

If tonight has been this exciting, I cannot wait to share about the rest of the time I'm here. From an editing workshop with Susan May Warren to "Hollywood Writer" and so many more - I hope to share a lot of info in my next blog posts.

Now for the BEST news!! All because of Divine Appointment several years ago, my friend Lisa Carter met Abingdon Press editor Ramona Richards (Krista Phillips editor)....and TONIGHT she was awarded a 3 book contracts!! WOW!!!

Come on now - share your divine appointment stories? When was the last time God 'wowed' you :-)