When I signed with my agent, my New Year’s Resolution changed from get an agent to get a contract. Now that 2018 has gone without a contract, I decided not to make the same old goal. I have no control over whether or not someone offers me a contract. So, how can that be a personal goal? What I realized is that my goal must be to be a better writer every day. In doing this, I will get that contract. So will you.
WRITING TIP OF THE MONTH:
There are subjective pronouns and objective pronouns. Okay. What does that mean? Well, subjective pronouns can be used as the subject in your sentence. Objective pronouns can’t. For example: Rachel and I went to the store with Doug and him. “I” is part of the subject in this sentence. “Him” is the object of the preposition with. It is incorrect to say, “Rachel and me went to the store with Doug and he.” Me is objective. He is subjective. Here is a list:
Subjective Pronouns (Used as the subject, comes before the verb–unless you are using a state of being verb like is, are, was, were, be, being, been. Also, be careful with questions because the subject might come after the verb.)
I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who
Example: He went to the store. OR The one you want is he.
Objective Pronouns (Used after the verb. Often who the action of the verb is referring to, but also after prepositions as the object of the preposition.)
Me, you, him, her, us, them, whom
I bought him some nachos. OR I bought some nachos for him.
The pronouns that I see most often misused are I/me and who/whom. Remember: I stands alone. Me follows a phrase or clause: to me, for me, with me, because of me. Who stands alone. Whom is the object of a phrase or clause: to whom, for whom, with whom, because of whom.
“Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.” –Leo Tolstoy
Book Reviews
YA Contemporary: NOT IF I SAVE YOU FIRST
By Ally Carter
Synopsis:
Maddie thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service agent and your best friend is the president’s son, sometimes life has other plans.
Before she knows it, Maddie’s dad is dragging her to a cabin in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and into a totally different life.
No phone. No Internet. And not a single word from Logan. Maddie tells herself it’s okay. After all, she’s the most popular girl for twenty
miles in any direction. (She’s also the only girl for twenty miles in any direction.) She has wood to cut and weapons to bedazzle. Her life is full.
Until Logan shows up six years later . . . And Maddie wants to kill him. But before that can happen, an assailant appears out of nowhere, knocking
Maddie down a cliff and dragging Logan to some unknown fate. Maddie knows she could turn back and get help. But the weather is turning and the terrain will only get more treacherous, the animals more deadly.
Maddie still really wants to kill Logan. But she has to save him first.
Ally Carter is one of my favorite authors and I eagerly awaited this addition to my collection. It didn't disappoint. Well, I was disappointed that it was so short. I loved Maddie and Logan. (Maddie would make a great Gallagher Girl.) I loved that it was set in Alaska. (Especially since I went to Alaska last year.) If you like high stakes adventure, you'll enjoy this one.
QUERY TIP
Social media works both ways. Follow an agent’s feed to find out more about him/her. See if you might have interests in common or a similar sense of humor, and get a feel for the types of books he/she represents. But don't focus on personal information. It’s best to keep that out of your query. Or, if it’s relevant, keep it professional. You can say: I follow you on Twitter and saw that you’ve been to the Grand Canyon recently. Since my manuscript is set in Flagstaff, Arizona, I thought it might interest you. Don’t say: You and your husband make a cute couple. Or: Your daughter looks just like you. That’s a little stalkerish. Stick to literary topics or references to specific literary posts. You don’t want your query to make him/her uncomfortable.
Happy New Year!
May all your literary dreams come true in 2019!
