Freebie Template: Query Tracking Spreadsheet

When I started querying agents a few months ago, I realized I needed a way to track everyone I submitted to so that I wouldn’t make dumb mistakes like double-querying the same agent. I looked around for templates, but couldn’t find much. Query Tracker is an option, but it doesn’t have all the functionality I need. Specifically, it will only track agents who are registered with QT, and it doesn’t meet all of my data tracking needs. So I created my own little obsessive Excel spreadsheet. If you want to be more organized with your queries, this tool could help you. Also, since it’s a spreadsheet, you can customize it as appropriate to suit your needs.

Download the QueryTracker Spreadsheet!

It should be pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll take your through some of the features.

Do writers have only one book in their hearts?

“All great writers only have one fantastic book in them. Anything else they write is simply a subpar variation on that same theme.” That’s what one of my English professors in college once said (approximately).

Aside from not wanting to accumulate crippling student debt, let’s just say there’s a reason I didn’t go to grad school.

How to Research Your Novel If You’re Awkward or an Introvert (or both)

So you’re writing fiction about something fun. Awesome. Maybe your main character is a professional skydiver who also owns a bakery, or your villain is a corrupt archeologist falsifying artifacts. Maybe you’re writing a BDSM book. Whatever it is, you’re super jazzed, so you dive into the story.

…And promptly realize you know nothing about the subject matter and have no idea what you’re doing.

How to Write Affirmative Consent in Romance

Note: There is, of course, dubcon and noncon (dubious consent and nonconsent), but those are very particular erotica categories that I won’t get into here. This post is for authors who want to know more about writing affirmative consent into their work.

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#consentissexy and #consentismandatory have swirled around the media for a while now. But for romance/erotica writers, what do those ideas mean for us?

But Naaadiiiaaaa, why is this even important?

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Romance novels and erotica have a lot of emotional conflict, yes? The protagonists are often fraught with angst about whether they should kiss, sleep together, or even dive into a relationship, right? Well because of that, intentions and true feelings are not always clear. Adding affirmative consent removes doubt for the characters and your readers and therefore, everyone can enjoy the sex way more. Everybody wins! 

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