Melvin Said:

Query letters, agents and editors, oh my, I need help?

We Answered:

Don't worry too much about selling yourself. Worry about selling your book. What you need is a really great synopsis that hooks the reader (ie, the agent) straight away. Then you can talk, very briefly, about yourself.

I suggest you take a look at the following agent's blogs. One of them, Query Shark, actually reproduces good and bad queries and dissects what's good/bad about them. You'll find them helpful, I'm sure.

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
http://blog.nathanbransford.com/

Unless the agents you're approaching specifically ask you not to (some do, but they're usually pretty clear about it) it shouldn't be a problem to approach a publisher that accepts unagented queries. However, if an agent gets back to you asking for sample pages or your manuscript, you would obviously need to tell them that you had also approached whichever publisher it is.

Wesley Said:

I need to go to summer school to get ahead, but...?

We Answered:

phff!! yur parents are total duche bags!!! they dont want a better education for you? wot a jerk!
reason them with negatives:
"why dont you want me to go to summer school? dont you want me to go to college? with this education in the summer i can fit in more curiculums and increase my chance of a better education. there's time in christmas, thanksgiving day, and new year to vacation but i can take this time in the summer to go to school and learn more! if you are discouraging me to go to summer school, even if my grades arent in my wants, then i can oppose you of not wanting me to go to regular school! what kind of a parent does that? mom/dad, i really want to go to summer school. i think it would be best if i go so that i can advance faster. i might even be able to take college courses in highschool! then i can graduate from college much better! please reconsider your opinion and think of my education first rather than playing time (make a serious face like your mom/dad does when they think yur imature)"

you need to have the arguing mind (i got it from my dad, lawl) to agrue with parents. you have to know where you can push it and you have to push it a little bit over the line, just a little, and temp them into anger but then coax them into happieness, then finally create sorrow and pitty in them to make them see yur point of view, after that show them a solution to that pitty so that they would see that as a good idea to do it, becuase they are still seeing yur point of view, right?

also, try to sound smart, use big words, it would impress them. or you can sound stupid with silly words to show that you need a better education

or, if all else fails, do exactly that. fail. fail one of your courses and tell them you really need this summer school opportunity given to you.

if they dont do any of that (i suggest you do all this by march at latest, someone with passion would do all this within a week) then quit waking up in the morning and quit going to school. go on a strike and tell them you wont go to school if they wont let you go to summer school

but i'm hoping you wont have to come to this.
lets hope that yur parents have some sort of compassion in them to see better of their own child :)

Jason Said:

How to Make the Most of Summer?

We Answered:

A college that you apply to may not necessarily care that you've already taken a community college course. The credits may transfer as just "you've taken 3 credits" rather than "You have taken the Intro to Creative Writing Prerequisite." If you fail, it might be bad. If you consistently show that you are striving to go above and beyond, such as taking all your AP tests and maybe another college course in the fall, it would help you.

But, taking the class will help you personally regardless if a potential college cares about it or not.

Personally, I love summer college courses. Since you're used to going to all of your classes every day in high school, it won't be that much of a change for you. You'll just have to do more writing than you are used to.

Roberta Said:

I have to do a french intorduction of myself, please help!?

We Answered:

I am a sophmore: je suis au secondaire*
I prefer the creative writing course: Mon cours preferé est l'écriture
I am colourful: je suis une personne enthousiaste/ creatrice/ unique--- the expression a colourful personality doesn't translate into French; you would be saying I am a coloured person. Enthousiaste or creatice mean enthusiastic, creative.

I like rainbows: j'aime les arcs-en-ciel
je suis très timide is good.
J'ai pratiqué la photographie cette été-- I did photographie this summer.

*I went to elementary and high school in the French school system--we didn't have junior or senior years, just secondaire (high school) 1 though 5.

Ah dress--i get it! J'aime les vêtements de couleurs vif. (Vibrant or lively colours).

Roland Said:

How can you prepare for 11th grade over the summer?

We Answered:

See if you can find out through the school or from someone who took these subjects last term the names of the textbooks that were used. Try to borrow these books from the school or to purchase them through Google shopping. There are also many excellent review books that you can obtain through a book store such as barnes and Noble. Almost any of the popular review books are excellent./