tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post6099363430969079512..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Remember when I said "it's the writing?" It's the writing.Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-289094427162944602016-01-17T10:17:29.401-05:002016-01-17T10:17:29.401-05:00I'm late to the party with this comment, but s...I'm late to the party with this comment, but something has been niggling at me.<br /><br />"Am I being held to a higher standard because the concepts require flawless execution? Are my ideas bigger than my talent?"<br /><br />The most ordinary concept can become a bestseller if the writing is gorgeous. How many times has Romeo and Juliet been rewritten? The Titanic movie has elements of it. Young, star-crossed lovers find love, but meet a tragic end.<br /><br />Conversely, the most wonderful concept can be ruined with mundane writing. I have several books about the lady bronc riders that are either so romantic and idealistic to be laughable or dry as toast. They got published, so obviously someone liked them well enough to do that, but there isn't a single one that is truly interesting.<br /><br />All books, regardless of concept, should be written with the idea they will be held to a high standard. As a writer, you should demand nothing less of yourself. <br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56295731713211731102016-01-16T14:42:48.035-05:002016-01-16T14:42:48.035-05:00I'm looking forward to trying my current manus...I'm looking forward to trying my current manuscript in different POVs. Thanks!Brittany Picketthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15363550184599933447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81628728129505032622016-01-16T14:39:43.933-05:002016-01-16T14:39:43.933-05:00I love that. What a great example.I love that. What a great example.Brittany Picketthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15363550184599933447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-26607127318245014012016-01-15T19:16:39.599-05:002016-01-15T19:16:39.599-05:00Here's an idea that will take time, but will a...Here's an idea that will take time, but will also open your writing brain in unimaginable ways. Pick a novel you love, one that sold well or at least mortally well. Open a file on your computer. Retype the entire novel. Just don't try to sell it as your own( see The Words, where Bradely Cooper gets in hot water by doing this.) the act of wriing rather than just reading someone else's words gives you a blueprint for how the writer designed the structure. You will live inside his/ her syntax and diction, and grasp how he/she developed plot and character.<br /><br />You may want to begin small with a short story.<br /><br />Good luck! <br />Laura Moehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827474421798014522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-4204958627782666182016-01-14T22:01:17.476-05:002016-01-14T22:01:17.476-05:00Can I just jump on a point Heidi (Duchess of Kneal...Can I just jump on a point Heidi (Duchess of Kneale) made above? Talent and skill work together. A skilled pianist may not have talent, and a talented pianist might not be skilled. Both are tolerable to listen to. But a talented pianist who has worked and trained to become skilled is a delight to the ears.Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86442848699144527172016-01-14T21:38:42.155-05:002016-01-14T21:38:42.155-05:00I'm commenting again to offer a resource that ...I'm commenting again to offer a resource that might be helpful to this particular questioner as well as to anyone who has heard the advice to "keep editing" and are not exactly sure what the hell that means or what they're supposed to be doing.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.screenwritingtricks.com/2015/12/nanowrimo-now-what-rewriting.html" rel="nofollow">This post from Alex Sokoloff </a>is one of the best I've ever seen for advice about what to look at while editing. The first time (years ago) she posted this list of "Top Ten Things I Know About Editing," all the tiny lightbulbs in my brain exploded. Her entire site is full of good advice, especially about structure.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-44151267151235086902016-01-14T21:31:46.624-05:002016-01-14T21:31:46.624-05:00Oh, Opie, I feel you. I sooooooo feel you. I'm...Oh, Opie, I feel you. I sooooooo feel you. I'm getting the exact same results with my current WUS on the query train. Brilliant, charming idea, but it seems I'm not executing it to its best ability. Now, it just might be this particular book, because I'm getting sales in other areas. I won't know for sure until this one comes off the query train and I throw up my next book.<br /><br />Also, I second what everyone else has said. Sounds like you're at the end of your apprenticeship but haven't been able to make that jump to journeymanhood. You need personal, one-on-one dissection of your current work. A mentor, crit partners, beta readers and a class/workshop to do this for you. There is only so many craftbooks and websites we can read. Now what it sounds like you need is someone to analyse your application and offer suggestions for tweakage. You need someone to tell you what you did right, and what needs work and WHY. This is how we refine our craft.<br /><br />As for your questions: <b>But I feel like I'm throwing away clever ideas with my not-there-yet writing.</b><br /><br />No! No, you're not. Absolutely not. Just because you've executed an idea poorly doesn't mean it's locked in stone. Goodness, no.<br /><br />In my early days, I came up with a brilliant plot; I love it to bits. But I did not have the mastery of my craft back then. Wrote two-point-something books of the trilogy, then moved on to something else.<br /><br />When I came back to it several years later, I realised just how bad it sucked. Made me cry.<br /><br />So I threw out 200,000 words and started again.<br /><br />You heard me: <b>I threw away two hundred thousand words.</b> Don't freak out; that wasn't a total loss. Those 200K words taught me a great deal about the craft. These words were necessary when I wrote them. But that doesn't mean I have to keep them.<br /><br />I rewrote the whole trilogy, and I'm so glad I did. It's much stronger now. (Is it strong enough? We'll see. It's the book that's next for the query train.)<br /><br />So... <b>Should I wait to use another high concept until I've perfected the art? [or] Should I revise this one?</b> <br /><br />Eventually you will revise every single novel you love. That's the nature of the profession. If the concept sings to you and makes your heart swell with joy, come back to it when your skills are sharper. Don't worry that you are throwing away another high concept. You're not. <br /><br />You are simply practicing your skills until you can get it right. At this point, it might not matter what you write about. You're not creating a viable product at this point. You're refining your craft. Write lots. Write everything. This is good practice. <br /><br />The beautiful ideas will remain. You can always go back and rewrite them later. <br /><br /><b>Are my ideas bigger than my talent?</b> <br /><br />No. Your ideas are bigger than your current skill. Skills can change and improve. Keep at it with your ideas until your skills matches them. It happens eventually with persistence.<br /><br />Meanwhile for starters, consider putting a chapter or two through an online grammar checker like <a href="http://www.editminion.com" rel="nofollow">editminion.com</a>. Your issue might be something as simple as grammar mistakes.Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Knealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17818060864422019573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-43832222745271552372016-01-14T20:18:12.909-05:002016-01-14T20:18:12.909-05:00Petitioner,
We are all apprentices in a craft whe...Petitioner,<br /><br />We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.--Ernest Hemingway<br /><br />I'm infinitely better than I was when I penned <i>The Bard</i> umpteen years ago. The next three were better than the previous. People say practice makes perfect, but it doesn't. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you keep practicing doing something the wrong way the only thing you'll get is faster at doing it wrong.<br /><br />That's why it's so important to keep honing your craft. Janet had a list of recommended writing craft books a few weeks ago. That's a good list to print out and take a look at. I particularly like Don Maass, Gary Provost, and James Scott Bell. I probably have a hundred craft books around here somewhere. The ones I made sure got unpacked were those, my dictionaries and thesauri. Breakout Novel Workbook by Maass is coming to pieces.<br /><br />Find a good critique group. I found mine on Compuserve Books and Writers Lit Forum, but there are several around. I just like B&W because interesting writing craft discussions are prone to pop up like wild mushrooms and various people from new writers to mega successful authors will get involved.<br /><br />Find some good beta readers. You'll go through a passel of these before you find the keepers.<br /><br />Read, always read. After you write, read. Renew your source of creativity.<br /><br />Taking a class is a good idea. Two Reiders are taking a class with me right now. Some of the students are in the pits of despair. Once the smoke settles and they are out of the battle, it will start sinking in. They'll realize they aren't horrible. They'll see ways to apply things to their writing that will help them from now on.<br /><br />One bit of advice. If you take a class and you decide to offer advice, do try the sandwich method. Find something that works and comment on that. Try sandwiching some potentially tough criticism between something positive. You don't have to be born gracious, but you can fake it for a little while. Sometimes being gracious is like mediocre sex, fake it even if your don't feel it.<br /><br />If all you do is offer biting criticism to show off how much you know, you might make yourself feel superior, but a truly superior person is the one who lifts someone else up.<br /><br />Don't give up. Most writers don't fail because they aren't talented, they fail because they aren't persistent.<br /><br />Janet is write, execution is everything. There are a dozen books out there about lady bronc riders. Most of them are so bad the covers tear themselves off.<br /><br />Good luckAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-83507190597874375132016-01-14T19:39:32.714-05:002016-01-14T19:39:32.714-05:00Some great advice here already. Some of it will wo...Some great advice here already. Some of it will work for you, some won't, but give it all a try. A few additional things that have been useful for me:<br /><br />I find it difficult sometimes to see what works in a really good book. I get too caught up in the story. I've learned far more while reading a truly craptastic book where it's easy to see the mistakes. And then I ask myself: am I making these mistakes? Sometimes it's just as helpful (to my ego, if nothing else) to realize that, no, I'm not. But once I see someone else doing something that doesn't work, it's easier to see when I do it.<br /><br />I tend to read with a different degree of attention when I know I'm going to be giving feedback to the writer. If you don't know anyone who will let you critique their work, pick a random book in your genre and pretend that author asked for your input. And then actually do the work, write a critique saying what worked and what didn't. You'll learn to think critically. Just, you know, don't actually send it to them. That would be weird. And rude.<br /><br />It's hard to give advice without reading your work, but you sound a bit impatient. I'm going to second the advice to slow down and make a few more editing passes. Great concepts may hook a reader, but compelling characters are what engage our interest and make us keep reading to see what happens to them. We want the emotional payoff, not just a surprise ending. Make sure you know what that payoff IS in your genre.<br /><br />Richard Brune mentioned Lee Child and suspense and I think one of the most interesting things I've heard him say [paraphrasing here] is that at the beginning you ask a question and then don't answer it until the end. So think about what the reader wants to know in your story, why they should care.<br /><br />And good luck! It sounds like you're <i>almost</i> there, wherever there is. It just involves a lot more work and a lot more time than most of us thought it would when we started.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-54223819823203392042016-01-14T19:12:19.739-05:002016-01-14T19:12:19.739-05:00I've been fortunate. I haven't sold a nove...I've been fortunate. I haven't sold a novel yet (it's been a while since I tried) but I always got nice letters that said "we have something close to this coming out please send us something else." I have a bit more success with newspaper columns, short stories, and magazine articles (though I took a break from all that as well). <br /><br />One thing that helps me is to record what I've written and play it back while I'm driving or doing housework. Awkward dialogue, wordiness, etc. really stand out to me when I hear them. <br /><br />I also will read a page or two of my stuff and then a page or two of someone I really admire. If I'm working on an opening I'll look at several openings of books I love or what's popular now.<br /><br />I read an interview with Danielle Steel where she talked about having no luck with her first 6 books and how glad she was that she sent out #7.<br /><br />Never give up! Never surrender!CynthiaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175917641033760408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-20096387290830463642016-01-14T18:50:18.155-05:002016-01-14T18:50:18.155-05:00I have been wondering whether or not Writer's ...I have been wondering whether or not Writer's Digest provided good critiques with their paid services. Has anyone had experience in using them?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03736352366533619152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25883024049178828492016-01-14T16:30:10.178-05:002016-01-14T16:30:10.178-05:00Like Opie, I'm good at coming up with concepts...Like Opie, I'm good at coming up with concepts, and have to constantly keep improving my craft to make sure it's up to snuff. Something I'm willing to do, of course, but I'm constantly concerned that my writing doesn't measure up in the way I want it to.<br /><br />Perhaps look at the protagonists in each high-concept WIP, and figure out what each one wants, and how they react and relate to the worlds you've created for them. Donald Maass had this very helpful post <a href="http://writerunboxed.com/2015/02/04/the-world-according-to-you/" rel="nofollow">regarding just that.</a> <br /><br />For those wary of SAVE THE CAT, Janice Hardy has a much shorter version of the <a href="http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/10/how-to-plot-with-three-act-structure.html" rel="nofollow">three act structure here.</a> <br /><br />I used this to roughly outline my last few projects before I wrote them. Once drafted, I looked at each chapter and did a GMC--Goal, Motivation Conflict. (GMC: Goal, Motivation, Conflict by Deborah Dixon was very helpful with this.)<br /><br />Wishing you all the luck, Opie!Karen McCoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02640324898284007337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-17961786050024423342016-01-14T16:25:46.459-05:002016-01-14T16:25:46.459-05:00So much great advice already, I don't think I ...So much great advice already, I don't think I have anything to say that isn't a repeat of someone else. OP, your in good hands here!<br /><br />I'm still working on finishing my WIP, even though at the moment I'm fighting the idea of giving up on it and starting something new. Plot, structure and the sagging middle are always my problems--it's actually nice to hear that so many Reiders share that! Not that I'm glad others have this problem, but if you do I'm glad to hear about it. <br /><br />And now I have that old song "Stuck in the Middle With You" in my head.Cindy Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13196306055833459983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55528740962973017122016-01-14T14:59:25.468-05:002016-01-14T14:59:25.468-05:00Lucie's Lovely Link: http://megangrimit.blogsp...Lucie's Lovely Link: <a href="http://megangrimit.blogspot.com/p/cp-matchmaker.html?m=1" rel="nofollow">http://megangrimit.blogspot.com/p/cp-matchmaker.html?m=1</a> :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-77361316572071423472016-01-14T14:27:20.506-05:002016-01-14T14:27:20.506-05:00http://megangrimit.blogspot.com/p/cp-matchmaker.ht...http://megangrimit.blogspot.com/p/cp-matchmaker.html?m=1<br /><br />happened to see a CP match thing on Twitter today if anyone is looking:<br /><br />Lucie Witthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08521285162656949602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-21519899885286445862016-01-14T14:26:33.786-05:002016-01-14T14:26:33.786-05:00@Dave Rudden... you are glad that you have boys th...@Dave Rudden... you are glad that you have boys that don't like Shopkins. Haha.<br /><br />Anyway, key line in the OP?<br /><i>"I know my writing has improved, <em>but I think the middle loses some momentum</em>, and I'm not sure if everyone is sticking around for the surprise ending."</i><br /><br />Sometimes, when we write out our questions, the answers come through in those questions.<br /><br />Obviously there is the idea of subjectivity, but as someone else already mentioned, there is also the idea of agents really liking your novels, but not loving them enough to feel they can sell them or knowing they might not be successful in the current market.<br /><br />However, maybe they just aren't engaged enough in the middle that loses some momentum. I might follow that instinct and start there (and remember that for the next manuscript).<br /><br />And cheers to the high amount of initial positive response, but man, I can imagine the discouragement that you must be feeling, too, at being CLOSE, but not quite where you thought you'd be or wanted to be, yet.ProfeJMarie (Janet Rundquist)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10170953918491663287noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51702490404271500642016-01-14T13:41:39.801-05:002016-01-14T13:41:39.801-05:00The existence of Shopkins makes me glad that I hav...The existence of Shopkins makes me glad that I have boys. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05928795394255396224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-58400236277163263052016-01-14T13:39:55.354-05:002016-01-14T13:39:55.354-05:00Kate Larkinsale,
What a wonderful and encouraging...Kate Larkinsale,<br /><br />What a wonderful and encouraging tale. Twenty published short stories in a year? That's amazing if I followed the math correctly. Heck, that's amazing if the math is off.<br /><br />I salute the entire group today. Great stuff for OP and all of us.John Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01702305890462479118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87005636779762243522016-01-14T13:26:13.051-05:002016-01-14T13:26:13.051-05:00@Donnaeve - I can't even escape Shopkins on th...@Donnaeve - I can't even escape Shopkins on this site? Oy. My daughter has so many of those friggin things. Stepping on them has become my new unavoidable fear (replacing stepped on Legos).Steve Fortihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06027977543853683231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-31092546486858043972016-01-14T13:14:06.518-05:002016-01-14T13:14:06.518-05:00I needed that video this week. I'm currently ...I needed that video this week. I'm currently in one of those I can be good but it's hard and so many writers are far more accomplished than I am funks.<br /><br />Heck, my writing is so bad now I couldn't even get gmail to understand I wanted to post this entry!<br /><br />P.S. - I worked as a busboy at Trader Vic's while in high school. I've seen (and sampled)my share of mai tais.Joseph S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07437663031050410028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-20558804125664385382016-01-14T13:03:42.727-05:002016-01-14T13:03:42.727-05:00I received about 60 form rejections (including no ...I received about 60 form rejections (including no reply) and one partial request for my first novel. At first I told myself I just had to stick with the query thing. One day I would find the right agent for this novel. I was - and still am - convinced that the novel itself was good enough for publishing. I also thought that despite its length (145K for YA fantasy), it couldn't be any shorter or told any other way. I'd worked on this story for quite a few years and the way I'd written it was the only possible way in the universe. But after those 60 rejections I thought, if nobody apart from a few beta readers was interested in this story, then so be it. I was already writing my second and third novel. I had moved on.<br /> <br />But not quite. I couldn't let go of my characters. I thought they deserved better. And after I'd finished another draft of my second novel, it suddenly hit me. I knew I could rewrite that first novel and make it into something better, something that might not be ignored. <br /><br />I haven't started rewriting it yet. I'm drastically rewriting my second novel at the moment, changing it from third to first person, changing the plot, changing characters... anything to make it memorable rather than just o.k. I ask myself if I'd have wanted my first novel as it was to be my first published novel, the novel from which the world would get to know me as a writer, and the answer is no. I can do better. <br /><br />Intended moral of the story, for what it's worth, coming from someone who isn't published and not even querying anymore at the moment: it can always be better, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to make it so. Every draft contributes to the learning curve. Go back to your first manuscript in a few years. I left my first manuscript alone for a few months and it wasn't enough. I needed a few years. Oh, and read good books. Well-written books. I write fantasy but I love reading literary fiction for style, characters, symbolism, and depth. Writing classes and books about writing can only teach so much. <br /><br /><br /><br /> Andreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00328411110801244620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-32338061002742309042016-01-14T12:51:28.702-05:002016-01-14T12:51:28.702-05:00Hearing OP's question and all of these support...Hearing OP's question and all of these supportive yet realistic responses is daunting. Acknowledging the difficulty of the thing is an important part of coping with rejection, the dues-paying process of what we all love. When you wake up in the middle of the night and spend half the night tossing because you're suddenly sure you have to rewrite the first 100 pages of your WIP, you know you're a writer.<br /><br />Everyone in this club should be proud. This is not for the faint of heart.<br /><br />Timothy Lowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514224628760035696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-53199233368765783902016-01-14T12:51:04.215-05:002016-01-14T12:51:04.215-05:00I will have to come back and read all these wonder...I will have to come back and read all these wonderful comments when I'm not required to rip up the roads running errands, BUT, I did want to say this to Ms. OP:<br /><br />"I think the middle loses some momentum..." If you "think" this, it's likely true. I liked QOTKU's advice up and down and sideways, but mostly about taking a comp book and reading it with an editorial eye. Do this till your eyeballs bleed from the analysis of what worked for that story and how to keep your pacing/momentum up.<br /><br /><b>"Are my ideas bigger than my talent?"</b> <br /><br />That question reminds me of the gift we gave our next door neighbor's little girl. I bought this beautiful round, decorative gift box to put her present in. It was pink, with white Ho, Ho, Ho's all over the base, and then the top was sparkly white with red, green and gold glitter for words like Jingle Jangle, Santa, and Reindeer. Her eyes got SO BIG when she saw it. I got worried. I told her Dad, "I hope this isn't one of those gifts where the box out does what's inside."<br /><br />She actually loved what she got - a slew of SHOPKINS. :)<br /><br />But the point being...aand I hate to say it but it does sound like something's up with the writing... The wonderful responses from the queries, then requests from agents is definitely a big YAY! moment. Now you just need to get it beyond the YAY! and to the WOW! Or WHOOP!<br /><br />Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-83849335605324336082016-01-14T12:39:43.754-05:002016-01-14T12:39:43.754-05:00OP, what others said, but let us remind you that y...OP, what others said, but let us remind you that you are not alone, and give you a hug (((HUG!))).<br /><br />I am not a paid published literary Author, but like you, I want to be. I've attended college (changed careers each time I've gone back!) but in my lifetime, I have always written "things" :D. I've written successful Grants for various organizations, written articles to inform others of critical updates in local publications, co-authored speeches to speak before State Representatives and committees (I was a Union President and Lobbyist in a former life) and currently hold the attention of about 400 people or so for the last 5 years writing an entertaining, interactive blog (because I love to "tell" stories, jokes and take pictures :). The writing has always been there, just not in the traditional publishing format. <br /><br />Like you, I am now trying to figure out how and what the big publishing world wants, but still keeping my writing voice. AND especially find where my weaknesses lie. And if I may be so bold, I think that is what you are doing. Your writing voice is there, you just need to figure out what is needed to go in the direction of the literary world. There are all sorts of solutions, and if you are persistent in growing your literary style and sense, it will happen. Like Janet Reid says, Be BOLD.<br /><br />Just don't give up, and know that there is a good group to support you right here! ((((hugsbecauseimahuggerpooryou))))Janice Grinyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14363741660626407979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-88274927495597522282016-01-14T12:35:47.350-05:002016-01-14T12:35:47.350-05:00Everyone here has given such good advice. I don&#...Everyone here has given such good advice. I don't feel like I have anything new to add, but just want to add my vote to the writing short stories pile. I started off writing novels with no great success. Then I joined a writing group focused on writing short stories for publication and really learned how to craft a story. After just over a year of writing and publishing short stories (over 20 published in that period), not to mention critiquing other writers' stories, I was ready to write a novel. The book I wrote at the end of that intense short story writing year was the first of mine to get any requests from agents.<br /><br />Okay, so it took me another 5 years, and another 5 novels to get an agent, but no one ever said this was a quick and easy process...<br /><br />Practice and good CPs are essential.<br /><br />Kate Larkindalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06202347563426692610noreply@blogger.com