Nicholas Sparks

A typical agent in New York gets 400 query letters a month. Of those, they might ask to read 3-4 manuscripts, and of those, they might ask to represent 1.
Nicholas Sparks

Above all, a query letter is a sales pitch and it is the single most important page an unpublished writer will ever write. It's the first impression and will either open the door or close it. It's that important, so don't mess it up. Mine took 17 drafts and two weeks to write.
Nicholas Sparks

All characters come from people I know, but after the initial inspiration, I tend to modify the characters so they fit with the story.
Nicholas Sparks

Because publishing is becoming more business-oriented each day with more examination of the bottom line, it's harder to break out than ever.
Nicholas Sparks

By reading a lot of novels in a variety of genres, and asking questions, it's possible to learn how things are done - the mechanics of writing, so to speak - and which genres and authors excel in various areas.
Nicholas Sparks

Focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind.
Nicholas Sparks

I do not use profanity in my novels. My characters all go to church.
Nicholas Sparks

I don't know that love changes. People change. Circumstances change.
Nicholas Sparks

I have certain moral parameters that I do not cross in writing; I don't write about adultery or kids having premarital sex.
Nicholas Sparks

I read over a hundred books a year and have done so since I was fifteen years old, and every book I've read has taught me something.
Nicholas Sparks

I suppose I'm most influenced by any good, commercial writer. I learn from everyone.
Nicholas Sparks

I suppose more than anything, it's the way of life in this part of the country that influences my writing. In Eastern North Carolina, with the exception of Wilmington, most people live in small towns.
Nicholas Sparks

I think that enduring, committed love between a married couple, along with raising children, is the most noble act anyone can aspire to. It is not written about very much.
Nicholas Sparks

I think that men know how to romance a woman and most do it well, at least for a time, otherwise women wouldn't marry them. The problem is that most of them begin to rest on their laurels.
Nicholas Sparks

I write 2,000 words a day when I write. It sometimes takes three hours, it sometimes takes five hours.
Nicholas Sparks

I'll admit that it's not easy to get an agent, but becoming successful in anything requires perseverance.
Nicholas Sparks

I'm writing a new love story, set in eastern North Carolina. Surprise, surprise, huh?
Nicholas Sparks

In all love stories the theme is love and tragedy, so by writing these types of stories, I have to include tragedy.
Nicholas Sparks

Loving once and only once is possible - anything is possible.
Nicholas Sparks

My wife, my family, my friends - they've all taught me things about love and what that emotion really means. In a nutshell, loving someone is about giving, not receiving.
Nicholas Sparks

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