News - Melanie Conklin

What Betas Taught Me: Teen Readers Rock

“So. You’re going to write the next one, right? Cause I don’t want to like tell you all the bad stuff if you won’t write the next one.”

Oh my God, there’s Bad Stuff. I reassure the earnest 13 year old sitting across from me that I will not, in fact, be deterred by her honest feedback.

“Okay. Cool. I just wanted to make sure. Cause I was really upset when I turned the last page and there was nothing more.”

Swoon. Then she hits me with the Bad Stuff:

The parents don’t act real.
The first chapter was kindof, well, totally, boring.
I had to skip a lot of that soccer scene.
The dance was too short. I want to know what happened. Why didn’t you show it?
Why does that girl hate the her? I mean, you always have someone you hate, but you know why.
Why wouldn’t she ask so-and-so what was going on? I would just text him/her.
When are you going to write the next one?

Well, obviously, that last one wasn’t Bad Stuff. Still, hearing teenage reflections on my novel made me realize I am not a teenager anymore. Really. I have to give that up now. But it also made me realize that I still *get* teens, and that they love it that I do.

All Things Query

que·ry

[kweer-ee] noun, plural -ries, verb, -ried, -ry·ing.

1. a question; an inquiry.

2. mental reservation; doubt.

3. Printing . a question mark (?), especially as added on a manuscript, proof sheet, or the like, indicating doubt as to some point in the text.

4. an inquiry from a writer to an editor of a magazine, newspaper, etc., regarding the acceptability of or interest in an idea for an article, news story, or the like: usually presented in the form of a letter that outlines or describes the projected piece.

5. a torture device

If you find definition number five the most relative, you might want to check out these query resources. I’ve been bookmarking them all over the place, so I figured why not list them for everyone else!