"What I'm looking for is a strong and unique voice."
Last year, I had the opportunity to read several queries and unpublished picture book manuscripts for critique in a two-week period. So it was like a microcosm of what an agent or editor faces every day when they read potential stories to acquire. And it was pretty eye opening. Mostly because so many of the stories were good but not great. And the ones that were great really jumped out, especially compared to the other ones.
Agents and editors want to love your book. They want to get to your manuscript and have it be like the thing in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.
"But how do I do that, Julie?" you ask. "How am I supposed to know what everyone else is submitting, so I can be sure I stand out?"
Here's what stands out in a pile of manuscripts: being unique. And what's unique? You are. You're the only you there is. So your job, as a writer, is to take the subject you want to write about most, what you would actually love to read, and write it in your voice. Write the book of your heart, and, trust me, that will stand out.
Now, to be sure, you need to work on craft and make sure you have all the tools in your writer toolbox (read Stephen King's On Writing for more about that). You definitely need to make sure your grammar and punctuation are correct, and that you follow submission guidelines. Otherwise your manuscript will stand out, but not in a good way.
But once you have practiced writing and feel good about your general skill, and you've done your research about how to submit and who to submit to, the best thing you can do is write your book. Don't write what you think other people want. Don't write the book of someone else's heart. How could you, even? It's what always cracks me up about people offering up book idea suggestions. Maybe someone else can take someone else's idea and make it into a good story, but when people say to me, "I'd love to read a book about the adventures of a bobcat!" (or whatever), I say, "Ok, go for it." I'm not going to be able to write that book and make it good, because it's not the book of my heart.
It's all the elusive "voice" that you hear people talk about ("I'm looking for something with a strong and unique voice"). And if you are having trouble figuring out what your voice is, that's totally normal and fine. The key is: don't give up. Like everything else in writing and publishing, take your time. The way to find your voice is to keep experimenting. Write a lot. Some of it will be kind of boring. That's not your voice, because you're not kind of boring.
What is the unique angle you can bring to your story? What are the sorts of sentences only you can write? Are you good at dialog, at poetic description, at a whipsmart and unexpected story arc? Do you relate most to stories where the characters are lonely, are overwhelmed, or take a meandering journey toward doing the right thing?
You need to keep writing, and, through trial and error, you'll circle in on your voice. Keep writing, and your voice will come more naturally and easily each time. You'll know when you find it. You'll write something that opens a crack in your brain (in a good way -- this crack lets your creativity flow through). You'll write the story and your pulse will race, and you'll think, "This is good." That's what you're working toward. Keep going, keep writing from your heart, and I know you'll get there.
It's Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Go to School pre-order time! Pre-order the book between now and May 28, 2018, and I'll send you a bookmark, a postcard with a scratch-and-sniff sticker, and two enamel pins. Did you know that the dogs in this book go to Bea Arthur Memorial Elementary? It's true! I named the school after Bea Arthur because I admire her strength and humor. One of the pre-order pins is a Bea Arthur Elementary pin. The teacher in the book wears it, and now you can too! The only way to get the pin is by pre-ordering. Full instructions on how to do it are here.