This Girl!

I watched Angie Ziederman's audition on American Idol during the past week and couldn't help but relate it to writing (shocker I know.)   First watch the audition, the whole thing.  Then come back and we'll chat.

Can you spot her huge mistake?  Her first query song was a mess.  Definitely rejection material and definitely not the way to get out of the slushpile to Hollywood. Then with her second song it turned out she could actually write sing quite well.  She got lucky because for some unfathomable reason Jennifer Lopez saw something in the hot mess that was her first song.  We as writers probably won't be quite so lucky.  That's why we have to put our absolute best out there with every query, every pitch, every conference because chances are none of us will have Jennifer Lopez tagging along with us begging the other agents to give us another chance (and if you do why are you bothering with queries, just have her publish it for you).