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Back to Articles Page What makes one book stand out over another is its drawing card, its quirky idea—that one thing that makes it different from other books in its genre or theme. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series is a good example of this. We know in real life there are bounty hunters that go after people who fail to make their court appearances. The majority of these are men. There are some female bounty hunters, but we don’t hear about those as much as we do the male ones. Most people probably didn’t think there were female ones when she started the series many years ago. That was her quirky idea. Take a girl with no bounty hunting or self-defense skills, put her into a situation, and see what she can do. It’s what made her stories different from others out there and made them fun to read. In my first story, The Wannabe Detective: Jeanne’s Dilemma, the quirky idea I had was to take a 45 year old bored, out-of-shape, over weight housewife and have her become a detective because she had read so many detective stories she thought she knew it all. As she got mixed up in someone else’s business, she gradually came to the realization that she didn’t have the knowledge she needed or the physical ability to do the job. Real life wasn’t at all like her books. There are many amateur detective novels out there but the amateurs generally do a good job. Jeanne fails miserably at every turn. This makes her stand out among the other amateur detectives out there. Look at your stories. What in your stories is your quirky idea? What makes your stories different from others out there like it? This twist will help it stand out to an agent or editor when it comes time to traverse the long road to publishing. Agents and editors are looking for stories that aren’t a round peg fitting into a round hole, just like all the other stories that come across their desks. They want to find that one square peg that makes them stop and look twice. That one that makes them say, "I want to read more of this." Ultimately, we all want to be published. Having a story with a twist, a quirky idea, helps us on that journey. Go check your stories. Find that quirky idea. If you can’t find it, consider making some changes. Give yourself that edge. You’re worth it! Back to Articles Page |
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