I was looking through some short stories I wrote in the past few years and came upon a little gem called THE ROOMMATE.
It’s a humorous mystery/horror tale of a college student who suspects his roommate of murder. I did some quick proofreading and added it to Scribd.
Check it out below and let me know what you think.
[scribd id=31079493 key=key-2nusyxwuurpelnv1tp3g mode=scroll]
Leave a CommentMy entire first novel — WE, THE WATCHED — is now available for free on Scribd. You can view it below or on the Scribd site. You can also download the eBook on your PC or send it to your Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iPhone or iPad, and a variety of other mobile devices.
If you like what you read, please use the Share option to tell your friends via Facebook, Twitter, etc., or embed the novel on your blog. And if you have time, please rate the novel and leave a comment. I’m not asking for money at this time, but anything you can do to spread the word is most appreciated!
WE, THE WATCHED by Adam Bender
Leave a CommentStill working on getting my novel WE, THE WATCHED in the hands of literary agents. I’ve had two bites on my query letter so far. One of them asked me to physically mail the first 75 pages of my manuscript. It’s in their hands now, but I’m not expecting a reply for another few weeks. It’s kind of like mailing box tops to Kellogg’s cereal to get a prize — most agents take 6-8 weeks to get back to you.
The second bite, if you were wondering, didn’t work out. The agent asked to read the first two chapters, but a few weeks later e-mailed me to say he wasn’t enthusiastic about the first-person narrative. Even though it hurts to get a rejection, I was glad to get some constructive criticism. If you haven’t taken a look at it already, my book is written in first-person present tense. That’s not exactly the most traditional style, especially for a first novel. I liked how it turned out, and peers have told me they did as well, but I can see how it might be a bit polarizing at first.
As it turns out, I’m going with a more traditional third-person past tense in the new novel I’m working on. One of the things I want to do as an author is explore a variety of different narrative styles. I actually have quite a bit of fun figuring out how best to convey plot within different writing structures. While first-person present was a great way to explore what the protagonist was thinking, the third-person style has allowed me to incorporate other characters’ perspectives and jump around a little more in the story’s time line.
Leave a CommentSo I’ve decided to make a renewed effort at publishing my novel WE, THE WATCHED.
I bought the most recent edition of Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, and have compiled a list of about 62 literary agents (yes, 62) who I think might be right for my novel. I’ve already e-mailed query letters to about 10. Since yesterday, six have replied and one asked me today to send the first couple chapters of my novel!
The fact that five agents said no in one day, after reading only a query letter, should give you a sense of how competitive the market is. Check out this response from one agent who I’ll leave anonymous:
I’ve begun receiving more than 30 submissions a day and, as a single agent with no assistants, I simply can not get to them all.
Given my present workload, I must wish you well with another agent.
30 submissions a day? That’s like 900 a month! Good luck with that, guy.
The usual process for submitting a novel, if you were wondering, is as follows.
So far I’ve gotten to step 3 two times. The first time ended in rejection, the second…is currently pending. The important thing is to keep trying. And if it doesn’t work out, write something else and try again. That’s my plan, anyway.
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