tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post6421246745743448287..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Word Count v.confusingJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-74412183180245924602016-04-16T01:37:26.521-04:002016-04-16T01:37:26.521-04:00Wow! Love the Blog's new look. Is that Colin&...Wow! Love the Blog's new look. Is that Colin's work? No,I bet it's that creative side of you, QOTKU, just come popping out on TAX DAY. It's so exciting. Makes me want to send you a question. Reminds me of the bridles and halters curled around those empty Coors bottles on the floor of my Ford pickup. <br /><br />Also, congratulations on the Writers Digest Award. Brian M. Biggshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12496003737348924995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-40688145370471691392016-04-15T23:42:01.252-04:002016-04-15T23:42:01.252-04:00Sherwin Williams is a paint shop! Reading these co...Sherwin Williams is a paint shop! Reading these comments I've been wondering who *he* was... thanks google ;)AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-15227114250535934592016-04-15T23:35:22.886-04:002016-04-15T23:35:22.886-04:00Plot beats. Ultimately, this is the true measureme...Plot beats. Ultimately, this is the true measurement of a novel's length. If you don't have enough plot beats, you don't have enough story to call it a novel.<br /><br />"Marry Me" is a novella at 20K (enforced by my publisher. I took out a subplot, alas). My Regency Romance is a nice comfortable 82K, and the pacing is comfortable. My Fantasy clocks in at 125K, and that's after I pared it down. Guess which book my beta-readers declare the fastest-paced? Yep, the one with the tightest plot beats.<br /><br />If you were to take your story down to the bare bones, what would the plot beats look like? (Hint, this is a good way of writing that synopsis someone's gonna want at some time.)<br /><br />If your story was plot-based (as opposed to character-based), have you followed the Three Act Structure? Most good stories do, because it provides a natural-feeling structure. You don't have to follow TAS, but it does help.<br /><br />Do you have subplots? Novels have subplots--yep, every single one. If you're worried about word length, throw in a(nother) connected subplot.<br /><br />Once you've got your plot beats sorted, then you can lather on the beautiful description that makes your story come alive.<br /><br />P.S.: love the orange.<br /><br />P.P.S.: Mark Darcy dies? Honestly people, spoilers!Her Grace, Heidi, the Duchess of Knealehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17818060864422019573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86362313006599297662016-04-15T23:09:09.623-04:002016-04-15T23:09:09.623-04:00Congratulations on the award logo. Very prestigiou...Congratulations on the award logo. Very prestigious andwell deserved.Steve Stubbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421775912951050610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-26697315533314783132016-04-15T22:58:14.751-04:002016-04-15T22:58:14.751-04:00Sherwin Williams called, and what we've got he...Sherwin Williams called, and what we've got here is: Writerly Beige; Iowa Kernals; Blood(on the keyboard)Orange; Synopsis Tan; Query Buff; Peeled Onion; and R&R Taupe. <br /><br />Donna, I too briefly feared a flashback; no worries, it was a good trip. <br /> Mark Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17262292085318047939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-50793124415206679662016-04-15T21:59:52.212-04:002016-04-15T21:59:52.212-04:00Wow!!! Janet - I am LOVING this background!
And ...Wow!!! Janet - I am LOVING this background! <br /><br />And congratulations on the Writer's Digest award; it couldn't have been given to anyone more deserving!<br /><br />Re the addition of description, I most like Chuck Wendig's thoughts: <br /><br />1. The reader will fill in many of the details that I don't; I need to give the reader the details she can't supply herself;<br /><br />2. Abnormalities are the details that matter most. The details that defy audience expectation are the ones that matter... for example, the mouse crawling around in the sink (in the public restroom); and<br /><br />3. Each detail has text and subtext. The text is what it is ("a toilet") and the subtext adds to the deeper story ("The toilet's clogged and broken like everything else in this building, spilling water over the bowl rim") by adding to the overall atmosphere and theme.<br /><br />There's nothing like rodent and toilet references to drive the point home!<br /><br />Good luck, OP!Kae Ridwynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10356868531870405990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-47032349812035527522016-04-15T21:28:27.634-04:002016-04-15T21:28:27.634-04:00KD,
Actually all those details are there althoug...KD, <br /><br />Actually all those details are there although not crammed onto the first page. It's an unforgiving land reminiscent of Dune. She's the leader of people who are being destroyed. While she's describing what to her is the rugged beauty in land no one else would want if not for a rare mineral, it reflects her desperate situation. It's a masterful weaving of description and emotion, artist and doomed leader painting her last sunset.<br /><br />Personally, I think most skilled authors will reflect the emotions in the descriptions or use a detail that is in stark contrast to the emotion. <br /><br />The aftermath of a raging battle. The colonel could take in all the carnage, but instead notices the ragdoll lying in the road with its missing arm.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Julie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81571830564120520262016-04-15T21:21:44.905-04:002016-04-15T21:21:44.905-04:00I rather like the new background. It is very cheer...I rather like the new background. It is very cheery!<br />Congrats on the Writer's Digest award. They didn't ask me, but I would have given it to you too.<br /><br />Happy weekend everyone. Now it's beer thirty, but tomorrow I need to work. I have pandas to draw.Panda in Chiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160375490647791433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-6217833338530103952016-04-15T21:12:25.815-04:002016-04-15T21:12:25.815-04:00Ouch! My eyes got chomped by a shark and spit out ...Ouch! My eyes got chomped by a shark and spit out by a dragon. <br /><br />All this to say, I can't decide if I like the background. I like the swirls. This orange is a bit bright for me though. It actually hurts a bit to stare at the screen. Ah well. Nothing could keep me from reading the amazing content in any case. <br /><br /> Megan Vhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00752842865397799428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64705016168623840372016-04-15T20:26:46.696-04:002016-04-15T20:26:46.696-04:00Jennifer: I've had THE SINGER FROM MEMPHIS by ...Jennifer: I've had <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/The-Singer-Memphis-Athenian-Mystery/dp/1616956682?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00" rel="nofollow">THE SINGER FROM MEMPHIS</a> by Gary Corby on pre-order since December.<br /><br />Yes, I'm a fan. :DColin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-27538332661288508322016-04-15T20:17:53.848-04:002016-04-15T20:17:53.848-04:00Julie, you're proving my point. If your MC is ...Julie, you're proving my point. If your MC is an artist, a painter, then all that visual description and the glorious details of a sunset will be important to the character. Of course you'd include it. But I suspect the writer did not ALSO describe all the various cacti and lizards and snakes and detail which ones were poisonous, or maybe didn't describe how hot and dry the air was, or how far it was to the nearest source of water and how many days it would take to get there if she had to walk, or detail who owned the land and how they acquired it. In a different story, those other details might be important.<br /><br />To use Janet's example of a truck littered with fast food wrappers and beer bottles, if you're in the POV of a character who is a major gear-head, it's likely they aren't going to notice that mess. They're going to notice the souped up engine and the purr or roar of the engine and how fast it can get from zero to whatever. What a character notices defines them. Deciding which details to include is important. I'm not saying not to describe things. I'm saying you can't simply include ALL of the details and think you've done a good job. <br /><br />(I don't think we're disagreeing here; I maybe didn't do a good job of explaining myself.)<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-67997472342801423622016-04-15T19:32:14.177-04:002016-04-15T19:32:14.177-04:00I Wear My Sunglasses At Night might be the most ap...I Wear My Sunglasses At Night might be the most apropos song for this.<br /><br />I think it is a plot to keep the amount of comments down by hurting our brains.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56699342573999546842016-04-15T19:17:09.998-04:002016-04-15T19:17:09.998-04:00KD,
Yes, everyone knows what a desert looks like,...KD,<br /><br />Yes, everyone knows what a desert looks like, but I was at Surrey last year when Jack Whyte started reading a first page in a desert setting. The author went on with the description, the MC setting up her canvas to paint a desert sunset (which was described in glorious detail) and at the end of the page...someone arrived like a harbinger of doom.<br /><br />I watched the agents because I knew the story and kept thinking, "Don't say stop. Don't say stop." They didn't. They started leaning forward the further Jack read, hanging on each word.<br /><br />She got cards from agents who told her they didn't care that it wasn't finished. Send it when it was ready. They really wanted it.<br /><br />She did such a good job of setting up the beauty and the foreboding of the place it was really hard to let it go. It certainly could have been described as, "Arabella lived in the desert", but I doubt that would have got the requests.Julie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-76298013758965658702016-04-15T19:11:46.899-04:002016-04-15T19:11:46.899-04:00We actually had a conversation in my writer's ...We actually had a conversation in my writer's workshop....last Saturday? The week before? On how long a novel "should" be, and how in a way it's genre based, and what may be too short, etc. I of course referred everybody here and said "This is where I get a lot of the information I'm giving you." This blog is on all of my "recommended Writing Things™" lists. <br /><br />May I actually recommend the High Standard cover of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVm-pTiyC48" rel="nofollow">California Dreamin'</a>?<br /><br />Congrats on the Writer's Digest award! Well deserved. <br /><br />Additionally, I was book ordering today, and I spied with my little eye a book coming in May by Madame Sharque's client Gary Corby.Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-88764340118278826402016-04-15T19:05:54.185-04:002016-04-15T19:05:54.185-04:00I see the template image is by "molotovcoketa...I see the template image is by "molotovcoketail". Fitting.<br /><br />But I do love how cheerful and bright it is here. Although it makes me think 'don't follow the light'. After all, it is a shark tank!AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86770961288479311782016-04-15T18:53:20.905-04:002016-04-15T18:53:20.905-04:00Colin, last song to add from me - if you want to a...Colin, last song to add from me - if you want to add that is...another Tommy Rowe - too good to pass up!<br /><br /><br />Sweet Pea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCKXxJRgVgc<br /><br /><br />(I can almost see all the young'un's out here going whaaa? I never heard this stuff)<br /><br /><br />Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-26963449147173141602016-04-15T18:52:02.875-04:002016-04-15T18:52:02.875-04:00Congratulations, Janet. This is a great blog.
Wha...Congratulations, Janet. This is a great blog.<br /><br />What wonderful celebratory swirls!Theresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18165072684559960801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-12455490799203251282016-04-15T18:49:01.482-04:002016-04-15T18:49:01.482-04:00Holy Exploding Dreamsicle, Batman! I think my olde...Holy Exploding Dreamsicle, Batman! I think my older sister had a pair of pants just like this background, back in middle school. Between that memory and Colin's playlist (that sister's fav song at one time was Incense and Peppermints), we've discovered the [sunglasses] fountain of youth over here.<br /><br />In a very broad historical sense, I think physical description is less necessary since the advent of TV and movies and the internet. When someone writes a scene set in the desert, for instance, I've seen images of deserts and have a good idea of setting even if I've never seen a desert in real life. I'm more interested in knowing how a select few details of the place reveal/affect the character than in reading about every single cactus and grain of sand. Make sure the details have importance.<br /><br />The thing that's more difficult for me, and I suspect for a lot of writers, is describing the inner landscape of emotions. Not just thoughts, but feelings. For me, that's what really adds depth and resonance to a story.<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8461817894368292922016-04-15T18:24:55.793-04:002016-04-15T18:24:55.793-04:00Sorry, Deadeye. (Yes, I know the difference, buy y...Sorry, Deadeye. (Yes, I know the difference, buy you just sound so much more dangerous as Deadeye.)<br /><br />The verification thing had me pick out rv vehicles. I failed. <a href="http://starecat.com/content/wp-content/uploads/i-found-the-place-where-donald-trump-grows-his-hair.jpg" rel="nofollow">I guess that jumbo jet is only an rv vehicle for people who grow their hair here.</a>Julie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-27090479856966823542016-04-15T18:16:43.330-04:002016-04-15T18:16:43.330-04:00YAY!!! Congratulations, Janet! And your website is...YAY!!! Congratulations, Janet! And your website is absolutely awesome. Everything is so inviting and warm…I love it. <br /><br />The song that comes to mind is "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder: <br /><br />You are the sunshine of my life<br />That's why I'll always be around, <br />You are the apple of my eye, <br />Forever you'll stay in my heart <br /><br />I think that this verse captures how all of us feel about you. <3<br /><br />It's also a good song for dancing. I dance for you, Janet! <br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4voyw_guvPM<br />Lilac Shoshanihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06657389796454895412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78549659783865402482016-04-15T18:14:57.929-04:002016-04-15T18:14:57.929-04:00Colin, what does it say about me if I have over 50...Colin, what does it say about me if I have over 50% of that playlist on my iPod?<br /><br />:)<br /><br />Jammin' away over here.Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-20714224116070021682016-04-15T17:11:50.445-04:002016-04-15T17:11:50.445-04:00This is the first time I'm able to look at the...This is the first time I'm able to look at the blog on my computer instead of my phone - so bright and cheery! And the award is much deserved.<br /><br />To the topic at hand, a "perfect" book doesn't need extra description no matter how short it is. But I think for the vast majority of writers, a book that is too far below (or above) the word count norms is evidence of a bigger issue with the book. And I say this as someone who has never written a book over 93k and who doesn't like excessive description.<br /><br />Just for fun, with my current WIP (YA contemporary):<br />1st draft: 55k<br />2nd draft: 71k<br />(lots and lots of drafts)<br />Draft where I cut out filler words (just/really): 69k<br />Draft where I work in last rounds of beta feedback: 72kLucie Witthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08521285162656949602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-82360852176097792092016-04-15T17:07:17.757-04:002016-04-15T17:07:17.757-04:00Julie Weathers:
I had to look up gaskin, dobbin i...Julie Weathers:<br /><br />I had to look up gaskin, dobbin is a mystery to me outside flat season.DeadSpiderEyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07687178085803686186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-88334964805991079062016-04-15T17:01:07.391-04:002016-04-15T17:01:07.391-04:00Whoa! I leave this blog for a few hours and everyt...Whoa! I leave this blog for a few hours and everything turns orange and swirly.<br /><br />[Looks down at Scotch]<br /><br />[Looks up at blog]<br /><br />More Scotch, I think... :-)Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02288010060936146108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-17003223858857402622016-04-15T16:41:40.254-04:002016-04-15T16:41:40.254-04:00Janet, congratulations on the well-deserved Writer...Janet, congratulations on the well-deserved Writer's Digest award!<br /><br />Colin, great playlist! Might I suggest adding "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys?<br /><br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdt0SOqPJcgCindy Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13196306055833459983noreply@blogger.com