Thursday, January 07, 2010

Slush Piles

I don't like slush piles. They're scary and messy. Unfortunately, with the recent snowfall extending from Wednesday night, through Thursday and up until Friday morning, I find an overabundance of them.
If I must negotiate one, I tread carefully and hope I don't slip and fall.

The best thing to do is avoid them altogether. I look for spots that are either snow packed or kind of dry where it's easier for me to walk. I look for sheltered areas, like under awnings. I walk through buildings instead of outside when I can.

As a writer, I also try to avoid slush piles. A few ways to do that are:

1. Address your query to a specific editor or agent.
2. Pitch to an editor or agent at a conference. A good pitch may result in a submission request.
3. Research what an editor or agent wants before you submit anything to them.

Do you know of any other ways? What has worked or not worked for you?

4 comments:

  1. Meeting the editor at a conference is probably the best way to avoid the slush pile!

    We were supposed to get snow this morning. All the schools within a hundred miles of us were on a 2-hour delay. We woke up to 40 degrees and brown snow... (ie - dead grass!)

    Bummer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1) Move to Florida. Or Arizona, or California.

    2) Look in the acknowledgments section of novels whose authors you admire and see if they name their agents. Then query that agent saying you're an admirer of such and such author.

    3) Have a really good ms.

    Great topic!

    ReplyDelete
  3. As a writer I learned to follow the guidelines closely. I've heard that many submissions get tossed without being read simply because the agent/publisher guidelines were not followed.

    I avoid weather made slush piles by moving to Florida!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That picture looks scary and dirty. So glad I live in Sunny Southern California.

    ReplyDelete

Your Comment Is Welcome