Musings of a Hopeful Author

In the hope of maybe trying to get my story published, I have started researching query letters and best practices.  I think they might be harder than resume and cover letter writing combined.  And we all know those are painful.  I think every aspect of it is difficult. First, I have to be able to sum up the entire story in 1-2 paragraphs. Second, I have to be able to explain why it's a good fit for the agent to whom I'm sending the query.  Third, I have to list my own credentials as a writer. Fourth, I need to list reasons why my story fits a specific genre and why people who like that genre will like my story. And fifth, I have have to list the length. As if any one of these were not hard enough, I also feel that I will be held to an industry standard that my story doesn't exactly fit.  Granted, that's part of the reason I wrote the story.  It fills a gap, in my mind at least, where a lot of stories could be told. The word count is brutal....

So, in the time since my last post I have not been idle.  Only a few self-congratulatory pats on the back for finishing the first draft were given before doing a few more edits and sending it out to a select few friends for feedback and typo/grammar checks.  While not wanting to spend each moment waiting for them to finish (and not wanting to apply undue pressure by asking about progress), I have started on my next story. (EXACTLY MY POINT!!) My latest story, which currently has been outlined about 80% of the way (at a high level) is a live interview with a former President and First Lady by the host of a Dateline-esque type show.  The fictitious former President and his wife were extremely popular during his time in office, and have decided to come out of their incredibly private existence away from the public eye to give an interview in honor of the 20th anniversary of his presidency.  The interview, done through the eyes of the anchor, will go through th...