Whether you're planning a wedding, a kid's birthday party, or a lunch with friends, the special event always requires thought to setting the mood. Do you want a shabby chic wedding at a country chapel? Or a Super Hero bash for your four year old? How about a garden tea for a few of your closest girlfriends? All these events bring about a vision in our heads, a trigger for our senses.
Your fifteen minute agent/editor
appointment at a writer's conference does not fall short as a "special
event" for your writing career. The spotlight shines bright and brief
in those few moments, so why not be sure you are prepared to not only
sell your novel with a bang, but set the mood of your writing, and
leave the professional with an experience they can't forget?
Besides stellar writing and a snazzy
premise, it's best to tap into more than the agent/editor's sense of
hearing as you speak, and impress an image that will stir the
appropriate emotions for your particular book. The one sheet is the
most effective way to tap into the professional's senses during your
“special event”. It is your décor and mood lighting all in one.
It can also be another hook to grab their interest and dig deeper
with conversation. And it is my ABSOLUTE favorite thing to create
besides the actual story.
Here are some examples of establishing
the tone of the book through graphics and layout using my own
designs (I tend to write more character-driven books so I include a profile or face in my own one-sheets):
A historical set deep
in the Amazon jungle (Winner of the Mile High Scribes 2011 One Sheet
Contest):
A coming of age story set post-Dust Bowl in cotton country of Texas (Finalist of the Mile High Scribes
2013 One Sheet Contest):
A historical romance set in a coal town in the Utah mountains (prejudice is a theme, so I went with the starkness of black
and white):
For more info on creating these
yourself, click here.
This conference season, I am excited to, once again, offer one sheet designs to any CBA writer. Go to my blog www.angiedicken.blogspot.com click on my CBA One Sheet Design page for more details!
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Angie
Dicken first began writing fiction as a creative outlet during the
monotonous, mothering days of diapers and temper tantrums. She is
passionate to impress God's love on women regardless of their
background or belief. This desire serves as a catalyst for Angie's
fiction, which weaves salvation and grace themes across historical
cultures and social boundaries. Angie is an ACFW member and is
represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
