A week has gone by with no time to write. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking about writing, how to fix plot holes, and worrying about any loose ends I've left. I know the bigger the plot hole, the easier it is to recognize and fix. It's the smaller ones that can make or break a manuscript. Readers are smart. They notice the small things. 

Yesterday I figured out how to look at my WIP in a different way. I went to see my 90 year old, very deaf dad yesterday. He's a chill guy. He still cuts down trees, splits the wood, and stacks it neatly in his barn. Anyway, off topic. I got to his house, and I saw this in his kitchen

Me: Um, Dad, what happened to your wall?

Dad: I don't know. It keeps getting bigger.

Me: Well, what do you think it is?

Dad: Mouse.

Me: I'll get a mouse trap.

Dad: Nah, I don't want to trap him.

Me: But the hole will keep getting bigger. And, you know, the wiring.

Dad: "laughs"

Of course, because it was a hole, it made me think about my plot holes. You know, mouse hole, plot hole. I thought about how looking at Dad's mouse hole from the front of the house or any other room, you don't see it, but it can still cause damage to the house.

Just like in a novel, you can't see certain loose ends and plot holes from the cover, or from some other chapters, but once you see it, it affects the entire story.

So now I'm home, with a few minutes to commit to writing, which means searching for holes. It won't be as easy as walking into Dad's kitchen and whoa, there it is. But the search has begun, and I know I need to look room by room (chapter by chapter), instead of sitting back trying to see the whole novel.

How do you make sure you've closed up your loose ends and plot holes? I keep a running list of all of them I can think of, but it's the ones that slip by me I worry and fret about.

I hope you have a wonderful writing weekend! 

Why can't we write honest query letters?

 Whether you're a beginner or seasoned, writing isn't for the weak. It takes a lot of time. A LOT. It takes self-educating yourself with the craft...and as far as I know...there aren't any shortcuts. And just when you think you've got it...a manuscript polished shiny as can be and wham...you're faced with the query letter.

I get why agents want a query. Really, I do. But there really could be a gem of a story hiding behind a hideous query that never gets seen. For real.

And the query has to be so damned professional and rigid. I like honesty. Could we just have honest queries? Sort of like....

Hey, agent, I googled agents searching for MG adventure novels and your name came up. Yeah, I'm querying all nineteen agents that popped up. I'm super glad you're one of them.

So anyway, my story is about this really lonely kid. His parents are totally not present and he needs a family. His parents also move a lot so he has this leaving friends issue going on. Now that he's at his aunt's house for the summer, he just wants to be left alone and mope about being lonely.

Guess whaaaat? No deal, his lucky rabbit foot gets stolen by a dog, he meets his neighbor, they see a fight in a cemetery between a guy and a creature they call Swampfoot. They get in a fight, but make up. They break into a house, but not in a bad way, they find a missing dog, they get caught and tied up, and set up to take the fall from this bunch of thieves who also steal pets and sell them.

They make a plan to find out who the leader of these bad guys are, and they manage it after some cool roadblocks. And guess what? Lonely boy has friends! He loves them and wants to stay with his aunt. The End.

I've had short stories published in kid magazines and won third place in a flash fiction contest.

Take a look, and let me know what you think. Also, if you could, if you don't like it, could you just please, please, please let me know how to make it better?

Thank you so, so much,

Sincerely and respectfully,

If that was a query, full of truth and honesty, they would be much easier to write. What do think?