Jessica Sinsheimer

I know there are so many rules about revisions, and of course you shouldn't just keep sending them, without asking, over + over. In general, you get one per agent.

THAT SAID, if I haven't read yet, you're saving me time if I read the latest and greatest ONCE, versus all versions.

So, please ask.

And so rare! Most of the time I read them and feel bad. I think this is one of the first times I've felt buoyed.

It made me so happy when you said "Specificity!" in the chat at one of our events. I think of that often. :)

Ha! Perfect. I am too.

Reminds me somehow of the Dorothy Parker quote: "I can't write five words but that I change seven."

Please think of me when you're ready! Even if I'm officially closed to queries. Jessica (at) ContextLit (dot) com.

I can see how it'd take 30 hours--it's delicate work! And you never know if cutting one thing will change something else.

Just got a check-in so good, it made me want to write an entire class on check-ins, and bring up this author to show how the heck he does them so well.

They're bright. Bouncy. Informed. None of the "What are you doing if not reading my book?" guilt. I even giggled reading this latest one.

Yes! And honestly, it feels so much better, the times we have time to tell you something. I feel awful sending forms!

Thank you! Yes! These things can make a life-changing difference!

There's a famous author (can't remember name) who mentioned a note on a rejection slip with (paraphrasing badly) "Good, but too PUFFY--cut ____" and this changed everything.

I always hope that when I add a personal note, it turns into real things for the author.

I guess I'll never know.

I think so! DM'd you my best guess. :)

Great tips! 🌟 Starting with relatable characters really draws readers in! Let's make SFF accessible and enjoyable for everyone! 📚✨ #SFF #WritingTips #ReadersMatter

Thanks, SFF Reviews! :) I love that plan!

Haha yes, and then no one is tempted to use my least favorite writing workshop term, "flesh out"! I hate when people say "Just flesh it out" like ahhhhh stoppppp

You could think of trope like a trellis.

It can provide a general shape, but you can grow just about any plant on it.

Some plants will take up the whole thing, some will probably wrap around it and weaken it, some will leave room for spiders to build webs and birds to build nests.

Yup! Voice has energy like the characters do. Pretty sentences (or snappy ones, or funny ones), carry energy as well. Same with great imagery, tension, momentum, tone.

Ideally, I think, reading should feel like you're absorbing creative energy.

Not like you're reading an instruction manual.

That level of nuance makes the difference between, for example, all of the enemies-to-lovers stories.

I suspect some of these stories purposely lean into character. Lucy's obsession with smurfs, Josh's difficult father.

Yeah! There are only so many familiar tropes and ways to combine them.

But there are practically infinite character possibilities and human reactions to these worlds we create.

This isn't to say that you can or should be all character all the time, of course.

But let's say you're using a familiar trope or two. I'm going to be there for what it does for your characters, what they worry about, hope for. What the story feels like, looks like. What meaning we can make.

It's often character that makes your work stand out, feel fresh.

Yes, we love a good plot. But if you're using familiar elements, it's not usually "Familiar elements only turned up to 11" that breathe life into your story.

Emotional specificity usually (IMHO) gets you there much faster.

If you start your book with a character we're supposed to dislike, we may end up associating our bad feelings for them with our feelings for your work.

Try to provide an alternative if you do this--the main character having a running "Wow, can't stand them" in a very different energy can help.

I admit my eyes start to glaze over if you use more than three or so words/names from your world in the beginning of the pitch.

However, the minute you add a character moment that makes absolute emotional sense on earth, my feeling of comprehension comfort skyrockets.

When pitching SFF, keep in mind that your reader may feel "Wait, I don't get it" discomfort trying to find comprehension. Too much, and they may give up.

To better optimize for a fast read, it's easier to start with character. Limit words just from your world. Limit subplots. Limit hypotheticals.

It was wonderful to go to one of my first in-person conferences since, you know, that thing that happened in 2020.

I forgot how much I love talking with publishing people in person! How nice to sip ☕️, chat about the panels, and even be nearby when someone got great news and the whole room cheered.

We had so much fun! What a great day, and so happy to see our whole team together in person for the first time. 😃

Aww I love that! That's so cute!

Aww that's cute! Did it have little pizzas it could throw? :)

I really liked how much the Ninja Turtles appreciated pizza.

They were so strange!!

Does anyone ever randomly think about how weird cartoons were in the 90s?

I feel like a recurring trope was always a bunch of kids with magic powers having a random, normal problem.

And then one of them says, "I have an idea! Let's use our powers!"

And then the other kids are like "Yeah!"