Pitching Your Idea - Part 1

By Donna Sundblad

The other day I had an opportunity to chat with an author I didn’t know. Within a short amount of time, he sent me a link to his website and asked me to read his three self-published novels. I glanced at his site and asked the genre of his books along with a few pertinent questions. Rather than specifics, he offered a vague idea of the concept behind his stories.

I explained that time constraints would not allow me to read his work anytime in the near future and suggested he query reviewers.

“What’s a query?” he asked.

His question shed light on the reason his website offered so little information. He didn’t know how to pitch his books.

A Trail of Breadcrumbs

In the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” the children leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find their way home. As writers, that’s the mindset we need. We sprinkle specially crafted breadcrumbs for others to find in hopes that each morsel generates interest and ultimately stimulates an appetite for the “whole meal.”

Consider the author I met the other night:

• He caught my attention by introducing himself (breadcrumb #1).
• Mentioned his books (breadcrumb #2),
• Led me to his website (breadcrumb #3).

While we chatted, I visited his site. He’d piqued my curiosity. His website had a professional appearance and appeal, but it didn’t give me a clue as to the content of his books. I’d lost the trail. His nebulous answers turned the trail cold. Momentum diminished and the opportunity to hook me slipped through his fingers.

Know Your Market

It’s important to know your market and customize your pitch. I gather fresh market information from a variety of newsletters. Books like The Writer’s Market offer thousands of markets and pertinent information as to what individual publishers look for in submissions. Search out publications that seek what you offer.

For novel-length projects the majority of publishing houses will not consider unagented manuscripts. If you don’t have an agent and submit anyway, you’ll sentence your manuscript to the slush pile where it will die of neglect with thousands of unread submissions. Don’t waste your postage.

In some cases, you can get around this requirement by attending a writer’s conference. Many conferences offer opportunities to meet with agents face-to-face. If you pitch your idea successfully, they’ll ask to see more and provide direct contact information.

Another item to watch for in the guidelines is whether or not the publisher accepts unsolicited manuscripts. If the guidelines tell you to query first, put together a professional query letter selling your idea and asking permission to submit.

Have you found more than one possible market? If so, do they accept simultaneous submissions? If you want to send your manuscript to more than one publisher at the same time, this is called a simultaneous submission. Check the guidelines. Many publishers do consider them while others don’t. Know your market.

Pitching Your Idea - Part 2

How to Dress Your Victorian Female Character - Part 1

When writing a Victorian era fantasy novel, even though it's fantasy, you'll want your world and characters to represent the period with accuracy. Even if you loosely develop a fantasy world based on the Victorian period, the information in this article will help dress characters in Victorian style apparel with enough detail to make it real in the reader's mind.

In this article we'll study the clothing of a Victorian Lady. Lady was the proper title of any woman whose husband ranked higher than baronet or knight, or who was the daughter of a nobleman not lower than an earl. A Lady's affluent lifestyle followed fashion. With that in mind, this article takes a look at how to dress a fantasy character based on historical dress.

Details down to underwear reflect a Victorian character's placement in time. In the first half of the nineteenth century undergarments served a utilitarian function. At that time, underwear lacked trimmings and decoration. But in the second half of the century, frills like lace and embroidery came into style. When dressing or undressing your character, keep details period specific.

Basic Victorian Undergarments

• Chemise: a loose-fitting, white linen shirt-like undergarment designed to hang straight from the shoulders, fit loosely at the waist, sometimes more tightly at the hip and reached to the calf. You'll want to research neckline shapes and other small alterations for the timeframe of your story.

• Drawers: an undergarment that covers the lower part of the body with legs reaching to the knees. Legs of this garment were sewn separately leaving the crotch open. Drawstring casings gathered at the back above a loose-fitting seat. This loose fit design prevented the open seam from separating. Again, depending on the exact time frame, you'll want to research whether the legs to the drawers for your character should be flared or wide, or gathered at the knee.

• Corset: a close-fitting undergarment, stiffened with whalebone or similar material and often tightened by lacing. It fit tight around the trunk of the body. Women wore this garment to shape and support the body. It was worn over or under the petticoat.

• Petticoat:(most often made in one piece with the bodice attached) Commonly made of flannel, this garment worked as a slip or underskirt worn for warmth and to hide the contour of a woman's legs. Often a decorative petticoat was full and trimmed with ruffles or lace. Three Petticoats were usually the minimum worn.

• Stiffened petticoat, crinoline or bustle: Several petticoats were worn to support the bell shape skirt (before the cage crinoline in the 1850's). Early petticoats were starched and corded (cords ran through them to hold the hem out). Petticoats changed with fashion. As you design your character's wardrobe, consider the decade you want to target within the Victorian era. Do some research. Should your character be wearing a narrow paneled skirt or a wide bell skirt? Bustles came and went. Be sure to check if it is appropriate to add a bustle to your character's fashion sense.

• Decorative petticoat: Depending on the year, decorative petticoats included things like flounces down the back, popular colors like scarlet or added decoration at the hem that showed below the hem of the dress

Don't leave your character standing there in her undergarments. Be sure to watch for part 2 of How to Dress your Victorian Female Character to give her an authentic look.