Writers' Roundup: December 4

Full speed ahead on revision!

Links from this week:

• A series from editor Chuck Sambuchino called Successful Queries gives examples of real queries that worked, letters that convinced literary agents to request more from the author. Best of all, the literary agent tells why they worked. Helpful for someone like me who’s preparing to query. Chuck also runs insightful series by writers called 7 Things I’ve Learned So Far and How I Got My Agent.

• Tips to fight procrastination from a blog I just added to my RSS feed. Alastair Humphreys is an adventurer — I like the sound of that — author and motivational speaker. If you really want some inspiration, listen to his podcast about travel writing and outrageous goals with The Creative Penn. I kind of want to be Alastair.

• Literary agent Jessica Faust sounds off on the right way to prepare a nonfiction proposal. “There are guidelines to submitting material and there's advice on making your submissions stronger, but there are very, very few ‘rules,'” she writes, reminding us again that it’s the writing itself that counts.

• The #1 Disappointment of Published Authors — and how you can avoid it, from Jane Friedman at Writer’s Digest.

• Nathan Bransford’s post on How to Respond to a Manuscript Critique is based on personal experience; the literary agent is editing his own novel.

• Writer Lisa Romeo blogged about a collection of essays on the craft of nonfiction at Narrative Digest, from the Neiman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. It’s worth passing along.

• A lesson in self-publishing from literary agent Chip MacGregor.

• Jennifer Blanchard at Procrastinating Writers brings you 43 inspiring writing posts from 2009.

• Literary agent Janet Reid shows us why you should include pages with your query letter — which I’m now going to do based on her recommendation. Watch both links!

Happy Friday!