INCOMPLETE Writing a book is one skill. Pitching is another skill. Previously, we looked at two main components of a query letter; Logline and comp titles. In this blog post, you will read the pitches authors used to sell the manuscripts we see now as picture books. I would love to […]
Pitch examples of quiet picture books Read More »
To understand better the practical meaning of Logline and comp titles, previously we looked at set 1 and set 2 of the published picture books. In this post, we see another set of pitch examples. I sincerely thank friends who shared their pitches with me. The list is ordered alphabetically based on the
Pitch examples of published picture books (set 3) Read More »
To have a better understanding of the practical meaning of Logline and comp titles, previously we looked at 6 pitch examples of the published picture books. In this post, we see another set of pitch examples. I thank friends who shared their pitches with me. The list
Pitch examples of published picture books Read More »
To write a story one thing. To pitch it is another thing. Previously, we looked at two main components of a query letter; Logline and comp titles. In this blog post, you will read the pitches authors used to sell the manuscripts which we see now as picture
Pitch examples of published picture books Read More »
The third and possibly the last chance to grab the agent/editor’s attention in the query letter is to finish the pitch by providing comp titles. Comp title is abbreviated for comparing title or competitive title. The first paragraph gives an overview of the manuscript: age category (PB, MG, or YA), word count, type (graphic novel,
Comp title in Query Letter Read More »
How to pitch; use a formula or not? If you meet an agent or an editor, you have a short time to pitch your manuscript. As short as an elevator ride; 30 to 60 seconds—some it is called an Elevator Pitch. Therefore, the first characteristic of a successful pitch
Pitch a Fiction; write a log line Read More »
I will write here later
I read this book merely because of its title. My reasoning was that when an author is so careful with the title, the story will most likely be good. And it was not good, but brilliant.
Seven resin collectors
The story happens in a small, impoverished fictional village called Dukuh Paruk in the middle of Java Island. The main character, the 14-year-old Rasus, is in love with an 11-year-old girl, Srintil, whose grandfather believes she has a talent for Ronggeng—the Javanese dance. Moreover, in Rasus’s imagination, the girl is a replacement for Rasus’s mother, whom he had lost in childhood. A Ronggeng dancer isn’t a simple entertainer. The dancer is considered a sacred vessel for the village’s ancestral spirit and is expected to be available to the men of the village! I am not sure if it is comparable to the “sacred prostitute” in the temples that we read in the ancient Sumerian stories.
I read the first book in the trilogy in German—Die Tänzerin von Dukuh Paruk. Sadly, the other two volumes aren’t available to buy. In English, the trilogy is published in one volume with the title “The Dancer”.
The central conflict of the story is that Rasus has to emotionally put up with the tradition that everyone in his village believes in or benefits from. Rasus grows out of this calamity; he criticizes his village and its culture. In a nutshell, the story is the classic archetype: a boy becomes a man.
Tohari’s writing voice brings this archetype to life, especially his descriptions of nature and animals, which immerse me in the atmosphere of a Javanese village. The main theme of the story is the battle between tradition and humanity. In spite of the dire atmosphere in the story, it is very optimistic. Poverty and tradition cannot kill the humanity in Rasus.