Fiction Writing Site
	Elsa Neal BellaOnline's Fiction Writing Editor

"Terrific" query letter example [offsite link]
Literary agent Jenny Bent discusses the merits of a real query letter that caught her interest.

Calculating typesetting word count of a manuscript
Your manuscript has two different word count totals – the actual number of words written, and the typesetting word count which is the figure the publisher uses to determine whether your manuscript will fit one of their standard book sizes.

Example of a good query letter [offsite link]
Literary agent Kristin Nelson analyses a good query letter written by one of her current clients.

Formatting your submission to agents and publishers
One of the biggest hurdles in writing is getting a publisher interested in buying your manuscript. Slush pile readers have a lot of manuscripts to go through, so don’t give them any formatting reasons to ignore yours.

Samples of winning synopses [offsite link]
Samples of successful synopses by a variety of romance writers.

Synopsis - The negative image [offsite link]
Some great advice and tips on how to write a synopsis from Deborah Hale.

Terminology and guidelines on story length
What do you do if an editor asks you to cut your story to Drabble length? What's the difference between a Novel, Novella, and Novellette? Here are some guidelines.

That dreaded synopsis [offsite link]
Romance writer Anne Gracie shares her synopsis writing process.

Writing a character-based synopsis [offsite link]
Romance writer Meredith Bond shows an example of one of her character-based synopses together with commentary.

Writing a synopsis
Almost every publisher and literary agent requires a synopsis of your novel in a submission package. It is the major selling point of your work, so learn to write a good one.

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