How to Crush That Query

Tags

novel, novel writing, query letters, query tips, screenwriting, screenwriting tips, Writing, writing community, writing query leters, writing tips

 

Hello, Writers & Storytellers,

so I have started a new blog that is attached to my course and membership site which is hosted on Kajabi and I’d love you to head over there and check out my blogs that post every #writerwednesday but it’s okay if you still love it here too!

This week I wrote about CRUSHING YOUR QUERY LETTER. 

Here is the link to the blog over there. TAKE ME THERE NOW

Now, I’ll write about queries here as well! 

It’s not a difficult task to talk about our stories, right? You love telling friends and family and co-workers all about your novel, screenplay, or new idea for a TV pilot–it flows easily but for some reason when we go to write that query letter we get completely locked and it never comes out right.

Why?

This is like playing golf or any sport really, it’s a MENTAL GAME. You psych yourself out that this query is the most important piece of writing and your life depends on the outcome and then you forget how to write and you forget how to talk about your manuscript in a way that draws people in.

The pressure is too much!

It shouldn’t be.

So what I want you to do is change the way you think about queries and trust me, they will get easier.

Also, it is not the end of the world, whomever you are sending it to may or may not be the agent for you, so stop pressuring yourself.

I want you to be successful and I know you can do it! You can, you just completed and revised your screenplay, your novel, your children’s picture book, your TV pilot so you can do this!

I want you to head up to the link I posted before and to make it easy, here it is again.

TAKE ME THERE 

And if you still need more help, I’m offering a FREE look at your query for the entire month of July–meaning you can email me your query and I will look at it and give you some general feedback to help you get it right!

You can get in touch by emailing me at Stephanie@judaniebean.com and put CRUSHINGMYQUERY in the subject line.

Okay, that’s it for this edition of #writerwednesday and I hope you have a super day, week, month, and get that query written!!

YOU GOT THIS! 

XO Stephanie

It’s Been A While & I’m Celebrating

Tags

screenwriting, TV writing, Writers, writers life, Writing, writing community

So I started a new blog that is on my website and I love this one so much that I promise not to go away forever but all my business coaches tell me that I need to focus on the one connected so I will do both!

Today I posted this

https://www.stephaniebourbon.com/blog/i-m-celebrating-the-positives

And I’d LOVE you to hop over and read it!!

More tomorrow, I promised.

Meanwhile, I’d love for you to come check out all the new things I am offering for writers just like YOU HERE

and please make sure to choose one and sign up so you will be on my list to get all the specials early for being a VIP.

Thank you for reading and being with me all these years!!

I couldn’t do any of it without you!

 

XO XO Stephanie

Writing Goals Aren’t Just Important-They Are Invaluable

Tags

Film, novel, screenwriting, TV writing, writers life, Writing, writing advice, writing goals, writing tips

Good morning writers,

I hope you are amazing!

I also hope that you are writing down your writing goals for the week ahead. I find that when I have my plans or goals written out in a list I tend to stick to them and actually make them much more than when I say, “I’ll write whatever whenever I have time.”

That’s why for me #NaNoWriMo is so great. I always get an entire novel drafted. It pushes me to stick to daily word count goals.

Here are some quick and easy tips to make those writing goals work for you so you will accomplish more and get that draft done faster.

1. Make daily goals-this can be word count or page count or scenes, whatever you need. Write them down somewhere that you can see them.
2. Get an accountability partner to check in with. You don’t have to check-in everyday-there are no rules but whatever you want just check-in.
3. Make the goals fun. Maybe you meet with your partner at a coffee shop every day for an hour, maybe you chat on the phone or via social media. Mix it up and have fun.
4. Cross them off as you do them-this is like getting a star in school-just feels good.

Now for some don’ts.

1. Don’t edit your writing as you go
2. Don’t compare yourself to other writers you see on social media
3. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make the daily goal–today is a new day.

 

I hope this is helpful and that you all have a very productive week!!

BONUS for reading. I have created a writers GOAL sheet JUST for you and it’s FREE!!!

You can get it here, make as many copies as you want, hang it up so you can see it and check off those goals as you make them! 

Happy Writing!

XO

Stephanie

BTW I’m taking a holiday with my husband for our first wedding anniversary AND we are moving apartments this month so I may post less than normal but you can find me on social media and I hope you join the STORY CONCIERGE FB group!

Tips for a Successful NaNoWriMo

Tags

creative consulting, NaNoWriMo, nanowrimo2019, novel writing, Novels, Writing, writing advice, writing novels

Hello WRITERS

First of all, I apologize for taking some time off from this blog. As many of you know, I am in the process of creating my signature online course STORY CONCIERGE and several mini-courses that will be budget-friendly and take less time to complete as we are all so busy and a lot of us don’t have a ton of money to spend on courses.

This said, I am rolling everything over to my course platform KAJABI and even this blog will roll over, so please be patient with me.

I also started a YouTube channel this summer and am taking the month of October off as life has gotten so busy and if you follow me on social media, you know that we are also moving apartments AND jetting over the Pacific Ocean to enjoy our one year anniversary in Hawaii.

There are no enough hours in the day.

SOOOOO I am doing #NaNoWriMo as I have done it every year since 2006 and one year when it first started before that. I love it.

I am going to be posting weekly videos AND FB lives AND Instagram stories all November giving support, tips, insights, and anything else that YOU need to have a successful month. 

You may add me as a buddy at https://nanowrimo.org/ I am stephnewyork

Here are some quick and easy tips!!

1. Be open to whatever story you are writing–meaning–just be free and free write
2. Don’t edit–just write
3. Make a schedule. Usually, during NaNo I set aside a couple hours every month to write BEFORE I do anything else. Well, maybe you can’t do that but try to schedule this in–you will be more likely to do it if it’s on your calendar.
4. Make a daily word count goal.
5. Aim to finish before the end of the month so you have time to spare.
6. Do NOT compare yourself to others
7. Don’t expect this to be perfect right out of the gate.
8. Don’t outline in October—I find those who do this often fail because they are trying to stick to an idea, whereas it’s better to just write. If you must outline, just do it as simple as possible as a guide, not a detailed map.
9. Do go to write-ins online and in-person with other writers.
10. HAVE FUN!!

Here is a FREEBIE—a goal sheet download for writers-—this can be so helpful for NaNoWriMo or any of your writing goals WRITER GOAL SHEET DOWNLOAD

Happy Writing xo 

Stephanie

BTW I’m taking October off from this blog as well but you can find me on social media

Join the STORY CONCIERGE Free FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/StoryConcierge/

Twitter https://twitter.com/stepholivieri

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/JudanieBean/ 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/stepholivieribourbon/

 

Writing For Children!

Tags

Children's books, kid lit, kidlit, Picture Books, Writing, Writing for kids, writing picture books

Hello writers! 

This fall is going to be insanely busy for me, so I’m going to cut back and only post once a week to go with my YouTube videos. Then, hopefully, after things calm down I can get back to more than once a week.

This week’s video (YOU CAN WATCH IT HERE) is all about writing for children, and more specifically writing picture books.

This is something that I am asked about all the time, I see questions asked in kid lit groups on Facebook and other social media sites, and when I meet people out in the world.

It seems that everyone has an idea or wants to write a picture book. 

That is amazing. I believe that picture books can change the world. They are important, they are fun, they can teach lessons, they open up reading to children and the list goes on.

So YAY, you want to write one? 

Well, there are things that you need to know about writing them.

Please pop over to YouTube and watch the short video I created for YOU. AND grab your free PDF just for watching—and for being someone who reads my blog you can get your copy here too. 

I want to share this information with you because I want you to succeed AND I want children to read your book.

Let’s go!! 

Thanks for reading xo Stephanie

www.judaniebean.com

www.twitter.com/stepholivieri

 

 

Tuesday Tips~How To Find The Right Agent For Your Writing

Tags

author, author life, fiction, finding an agent, how to find an agent, literary agents, novel, publishing, query letters, researching agents, screenwriting, show business, TV writing, writers life

Cheers to all the writers & storytellers who are here today!

I want to talk to you about finding an agent because this is something I am asked about all the time.

“How do you find an agent?”

“I have no idea how to find an agent.”

“Where does one find an agent?”

“I heard that I need an agent but have no idea how to find one.”

and finally.

“Do I need an agent?”

Let me start with the last one and work my way back up.

The answer is both YES and NO. It really depends on what YOUR specific goals are for your books. 

If you want to be traditionally published by one of the big publishing houses in New York–then having an agent is definitely the way to go. Of course, like anything, there are always exceptions to this that will prove me and anyone else who recommends you get an agent wrong. Those exceptions might be when a writer meets an editor at a conference, or when a writer wins a contest, or something similar. Some publishing houses allow non-agented submissions too–that’s a horse of another color and I will do a whole blog post about that at some point.

The thing is, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, the reasons to have an agent far outweigh the reasons not to have one. 

Here is one example of a situation where having an agent is a good thing.

If you get an offer from a big publishing house–let’s say that you get really lucky and this happens–without an agent, you really are on your own to negotiate. I don’t recommend this for many reasons. Agents do these deals for a living. They know better than we do what is a good and what is a bad contract. They know the industry and they know what editors will be the best for you and your book.

***I have to stop and say–yes there are bad agents out there-but for the most part they are great to have on your side.

For the film and television writers out there-YES, YOU NEED AN AGENT. For all the same reasons that novelists do and more. The entertainment industry is so crazy competitive AND deals in Hollywood go south all the time. Your agent is the one who will have your back. Not only do they get your script in front of the right directors, producers, studio execs, they will also fight for you when you need it.

It’s the same as novels in that you could get lucky but it’s just not worth it in my opinion. I have worked in the film and television industry for more than 20 years and I have seen so many things go wrong that I would never go at it without an agent.

Yes, agents can make bad decisions too–they are humans, just like us but for the most part, they really are the best career partner you can have. 

“But aren’t all agents just there to make money?” 

Even if this was true and it’s not always true–that’s a good thing. This is SHOW BUSINESS. It’s a BUSINESS. Publishing is a business. The entertainment industry is a business. You want to make money.

***If you really don’t care or want money–you may be okay without and agent.

OKAY—now that we have decided that YOU NEED and WANT an agent.

HOW DO YOU FIND ONE? 

There are many ways to get an agent. 

Tomorrow my YouTube video on finding an agent comes out so please watch as a complement to this blog today!

Also on YouTube, I have a video all about why agents are rejecting your query letter and you can find that here.

Here are some of the ways that I have found to be effective for myself and others.

Join organizations for what you are writing. There you will meet other writers and most likely meet agents at conferences and events that are held within that organization.  Also, most of these websites will have a resource page that has agents listed.

*See resources at the end of this blog

Here is a video on attending conferences.

Writing conferences are great for meeting and making connections.

When you go to writing conferences there are often workshops or pitching events where you get to meet agents one on one. This is a great way to make a connection.  Keeping in mind that this isn’t the place to pitch to agents in the bathroom, hallway, in a workshop–unless they ask you.

Social Media is another great way to find and research your agent. Following them is perfect to find out what they like, want, who they already rep and if they are open to submissions. Don’t stalk them, but following them is really good. Many agents also participate in things like Pitch Wars on Twitter and use hashtags when they are looking for something specific-Manuscript Wishlist #MSWL. Then you go to their agency website, get the submission guidelines and submit.

Twitter and Instagram are both exploding right now (summer 2019) but Facebook is still a great way to make and create connections through groups and just being FB friends.

Social media is NOT a place to pitch unless asked to or as part of a pitching event. 

Trade books like Writers’ Digest Marketplace books—although with the recent bankruptcy, I’m not sure what will happen with those in the coming years.

Query Shark, Query Tacker, Publishers’ Marketplace are all great too.

Asking fellow authors and or writers who their agents are and getting recommendations to submit.

The most important thing to do is your research and take your time.

Don’t send out hundreds of query letters. Would you do that when finding a spouse or significant other? Or if you were hiring someone to join your business? No, you wouldn’t. Your agent is like a business partner, so you don’t want to rush it.

Be selective. When you meet agents at conferences, it’s a great idea to come home and Google them. Find their blogs, social media, and anything else you can about them. You may find that they aren’t a great fit even if you loved their workshop.

I will say that the biggest mistake I see writers making is being too broad and just submitting to anyone who will and or is accepting queries. Don’t be that writer.

This is an important step in your career. Whether this is your first or fourth agent, the process is the same.

I hope that this is helpful for you. Below are links to some great resources for your agent search.

If you have other resources that you would like to share, please do in the comments! 

 

For Children’s Book Writers

http://www.scbwi.org
http://www.kidlit411.com/

For novelists (any genre)

https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/
https://www.authorsguild.org/
https://www.rwa.org/
https://www.writersdigest.com/
https://www.agentquery.com/
https://queryshark.blogspot.com/
https://www.pw.org/

Video for TV writers

For screen and TV writers
https://www.wga.org/
https://scriptwritersnetwork.com/
https://www.hollywoodscriptexpress.com/literary-agents.html
https://screenwritingumagazine.com/2019/01/25/7-ways-to-get-an-agent-or-manager/

 

Resources from Judanie Bean 

SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER & FREEBIES
https://www.judaniebean.com/

JOIN THE FB STORY CONCIERGE GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/StoryConcierge/

TWITTER https://twitter.com/stepholivieri
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/stepholivieribourbon/
PINTEREST https://www.pinterest.com/JudanieBean/
LINKED IN https://www.linkedin.com/in/stepholivieri

 

 

What Do You Want to Know? (About Writing)

Tags

author, author life, author tube, Film, novel, screenwriting, screenwriting tips, story concierge, storyteller, storytelling, Television, writers life, Writing, writing coach, writing community, writing tips, you tube

Happy Tuesday Writers! 

I have decided a couple things about this blog! I love it, so don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere, but I may add the content from this blog to my new websites for my courses-both of my landing pages.

You can find them both in the links below

Judanie Bean presents STORY CONCIERGE  (this is still being built so this is a sneak preview just for you-my readers)

www.judaniebean.com  My writing website with links to my courses, YouTube, the Story Concierge Facebook Group and more!

The other thing is that since I’m posting videos on YouTube every week, I’d LOVE to get your input so if there is something you want to know about writing, working as a writer, publishing, getting an agent, story, writing queries—whatever it is and you want a video on it. Let me know!! 

You can comment here and or email me at stephanie@judaniebean.com 

I shoot the videos for YouTube 1-2 months in advance and will be shooting some later today and next week. I’m also BUILDING my Story Concierge Course as we speak–just for YOU, with YOU in mind so if there is something that you have been missing in courses LET ME KNOW!

I’ve been taking questions from writers and building from there but am super happy and open to suggestions.

Thank you so much for being here —- it’s GREAT to be back!

You can find me on YouTube every Wednesday and soon I will be doing two a week so please SUBSCRIBE

Cheers and happy writing!

    xo Stephanie

Writing Tip—JUST WRITE

Tags

Writing, writing coach, writing community, writing tips

www.judaniebean.com

www.youtube.com/stephaniebourbon 

How To Survive A Writing Conference

Tags

author, author life, Film, novel, SCBWI, Television, tips for conferences, travel, writers digest, writers life, Writing, writing conferences, writing tips

 

Good morning writers, or afternoon on the east coast. 🙂

Sorry that I missed yesterday. I’ll be honest, it’s getting a little overwhelming as I’m creating courses for writers, shooting videos and posting them on YouTube and keeping up with social media, but I’m still planning to be here every Monday and Tuesday for sure.

Monday Motivation & Tuesday Tips 

So please excuse my absence yesterday.

Today I wanted to give you some quick and easy tips for attending a writing conference.

I know so for so many it can be really scary, especially if it’s your first one. This is totally normal, trust me on this. I am an extreme extrovert and it’s still overwhelming at times and when I started? I wanted to hide in the corner and not talk to anyone.

It’s hard because you are putting yourself out there and that is terrifying.

I always think back to the film BACK TO THE FUTURE

 

And this is something that literally SHAPED me as a teen. I saw that and it changed everything for me. I had been acting and performing in musicals, and I was in band and dance so I was on stage a lot and sometimes was completely horrible–I’m 100% sure of it, but I always did think “what if they don’t like me?” then I saw this movie and I felt better.

If Marty feels this way and someone wrote him as a character then we all must feel this way and BOOM! My perspective shifted—for the most part.

Then cut to many years later and I’ve been published, spoken at screenwriting conferences, attended many and I was going to my first children’s book conference with three unsuccessful adult/mainstream fiction books under my belt and I felt like everyone would see that I wasn’t supposed to be there. I didn’t have a fancy degree or MFA in writing, I came from acting & animation, so I didn’t belong.

I remember like it was yesterday being in my hotel room at the Hyatt in Century City and changing my outfit 6 times. I remember texting friends to make sure that I didn’t walk down alone. I remember being terrified.

Then I ran into someone who I didn’t know was going to be there and she invited me to coffee and BOOM, it all went away. I quickly realized that these were my people-my colleagues–they were just like me. Sure some were further along on their journey but for the most part, they were me.

Conferences are great for many reasons. I joke that I go to them to socialize, but I go for many reasons, seeing my friends from all over the country and the world is just a bonus. I also get craft, networking, and submission information. Although that last part hasn’t really helped me because I usually come out of the craft and critique sessions with 6 months of revisions but the networking is amazing. You also can learn so much about the industry and how it’s changing.

I highly recommend going to them if you can afford it. It’s worth it.

I made a video that drops tomorrow on YouTube about it so please check it out and meanwhile take the tips in the image I posted and enjoy yourself.

I’m always around for help if you are feeling overwhelmed or nervous. 

Also on Twitter and other social media so many of us have posted articles and things like that about going to them.

From an article that I wrote in 2015 for the SCBWI Los Angeles blog-it was for that children’s book conference but all the rules apply to any writing conference in any genre.

THINGS TO DO

1. Be yourself – be genuine, kind, courteous and thoughtful.
2. Choose your breakouts/workshops based on your interests and desires, not just what your friends are doing. You signed up so make the most of it. You can meet your friends between them, and sit with them for keynotes, hang out at night. It’s great to be together, but this is your time.
3. Show up on time to everything – it’s professional. Remember you only get to make a first impression once.
4. Be open to critiques in the intensives, portfolio show, first pages, or anything where your work may be read or shown.
5. Introduce yourself to someone, or many people, whom you have never met before.
6. Do unto others – remember that? Treat others how you want to be treated – with respect, kindness, and consideration.
7. Say THANK YOU a lot.
8. Remember that everyone there is just like you, so ignore those feelings of “OMG, he/she wrote best selling novels so I am not worthy!” etc. You are just like them, they are just like you. Think of them as colleagues. They will be someday.
9. Be excited to talk about yourself and your work, but without bragging, or selling.
10. SMILE
11. Be humble.
12. Make real connections with people who you really like.
13. Talk about things other than your work.
14. Get, and hand out business cards, phone numbers and emails.
15. Dress comfortably and stay hydrated.

Writing conferences are a great place to learn your craft, be inspired, and make life long connections. Be ready to have fun. If you are a shy person, like so many artists and writers, try not to be intimidated by the number of people there. It’s okay to talk to authors, agents, editors, and artists who you like. Just be aware of their time. So no pitching in the bathrooms, etc. Talk to people in pairs. If you have a more confident friend, ask them if it’s okay to hang with them, and/or get introduced to someone through them.

The art of the SCHMOOZE

If there is a gala, happy hour, or dinner/lunch you can meet tons of people in an organic way. Just be genuine, happy, and gracious all the time, and you can’t go wrong.

Don’t forget to tune into my YouTube channel and subscribe–this week, I am talking about this very thing in a short fun video!

Sign up for my newsletter, freebies, and information on my Story Concierge course HERE

Join the FB group I created for all storytellers HERE

Follow me on social media  

Pinterest

Instagram

Twitter

xo Stephanie

Tips for Tuesdays

Tags

author, creative consulting, Story, story concierge, Writing, writing community, writing tips

Hello Writers, this week has been a bear!! It’s July, it’s hot and nasty out AND my husband and my dog both need more of me than usual—that said, I’m happy to be there for them but it’s chipped into my mornings.

My little dog wouldn’t eat today so I went to the store and bought stuff to cook for him and he still wouldn’t eat but finally, he did and BOOM! It was noon.

AAAAARGH! 

So my writing TIPS for today are really just ONE. 

It’s OKAY to take a break when life gets crazy. I have been feeling guilty of not writing today but then, it’s 3:30 (pst) and I still have to work my dayjob.. so I’m giving myself permission to not write at the moment and get to the things that keep a roof over my head.

My tip, again, is to know that it’s okay when you have to take a break. 

Take that break.

Recharge.

Start over when you are ready.

When you write when you aren’t focused, you tend to make a lot more story, character and plot mistakes, and then you have to fix them later.

It’s okay to take a day off!!

www.judaniebean.com 

www.youtube.com/stephaniebourbon