tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post1295164480959351537..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: My next seminar at #WDCJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-90817349993600729032018-09-08T13:11:09.379-04:002018-09-08T13:11:09.379-04:00In college, when I was the worlds greatest writer,...In college, when I was the worlds greatest writer, I turned in a paper early to my professor for feedback. He returned it and told me to cut 25 pages. I knew he was crazy because why else would he suggest cutting even one of my golden words? But because he had the power of the grade, I struggled through and cut the pages - amazingly without losing anything important. I returned the revised copy to him, beaming with pride on how incredibly talented I was as a writer and now as an editor. He sent it back again and said, "Cut 15 more pages." After I picked myself up off the floor, ranted and raved for several minutes, and thought about calling the paramedics to take this man to the asylum, I accepted his latest challenge. I cut another 15 pages and got an A+ from a professor who rarely gave a grade above a B. But what I learned from him through all that revising was a lesson far more valuable than a 4.0 GPA.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11916192654080788769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-16730769253860140372018-08-14T22:16:29.317-04:002018-08-14T22:16:29.317-04:00It has been hard to read these comments.
Me: I...It has been hard to read these comments.<br /><br />Me: I'm finished with novel! (50K words)<br /><br />Beta Readers: We want more! What happened to X? What about Y?<br /><br />First Agent Queried: It is way too short for the genre. Rewrite.<br /><br />Me: (Rewrites) Now 113K words. Novel is much better. I was cheating before with all that "14 years later" stuff.<br /><br />Publisher: Too many characters, too long, info dumps. Ought to be two novels.<br /><br />Aaaand confusion reigns.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25387682490052136382018-08-13T21:22:42.591-04:002018-08-13T21:22:42.591-04:00Love reading all the stories. Everyone has a diffe...Love reading all the stories. Everyone has a different journey, a unique way they develop their relationship with their writing.<br /><br />The hardest lesson for me (still) is balance and pacing. A lot of my critique partners say they like my writing, but that elements introduced in the world don't logistically work and feel disjointed. I've also gotten the "I don't care about the character" feedback and I realized that I needed to start my novels a bit sooner, get readers grounded before I started bombarding my protagonist with misfortune. Also, what <b>Colin</b> said: Feeling very close, and then finding out you are much further away than you'd like. <br /><br />But most of all, I'm still learning that ultimately, at the end of the day, it is <b>my</b> story--which means I have to figure out what people are <b>really</b> saying with their feedback. "Maybe you should start here" might also be "This beginning still works if you condense it a bit."<br /><br />Ultimately, we are all, constantly, learning. Karen McCoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02640324898284007337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51697076404348909872018-08-13T20:30:53.707-04:002018-08-13T20:30:53.707-04:00This was practically me, except it was a bunch of ...This was practically me, except it was a bunch of editors telling me they felt more invested in the secondary characters in my story than the main one. I felt like defending her until I realized I should've been defending her IN the story, not in reality. Like you, I realized it was my fault they didn't connect with the character as much as I did.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05917677588507159481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-2037539466599047542018-08-13T19:49:10.973-04:002018-08-13T19:49:10.973-04:00I'd been writing for years, lots of quasi-fini...I'd been writing for years, lots of quasi-finished crap that I knew was crap, but was finally working on something I just *knew* was going to be amazing. Trouble was, I'd started writing this story as a romance and it was . . . insipid. So I decided to add some stuff (ie, a huge complicated political conspiracy) to make it more interesting. Great idea, right? *eyeroll* <br /><br />A big name author who I respect was at that time offering paid critiques of the first however-many pages, so I sent him my pages. In the interest of brevity, let's just say there was a lot more wrong with it than I had anticipated. It was cringe-worthy. The most significant issue was, paraphrasing: "You've got this terrific high concept thriller, why are you ruining it by writing it as a romance?" Took me a long time to wrap my head around that (I was SO SURE it could be both) (it really couldn't; at least, not the way I was doing it) and start over. Lesson: When you get a fresh new idea, just freakin' start a fresh new ms.<br /><br />Another bit of advice I still struggle with is that it doesn't have to be "perfect" (whatever that means), it just has to be done. Definitely still working on that.<br /><br /><b>Melissa</b>: If a judge remembered you <i>years later</i> and was relieved you hadn't given up writing, it was NOT because you were "so awful." "Awful" writers are plentiful and easily dismissed. It was because he saw potential. In fact, I suspect he was more harsh with his critique precisely <i>because</i> he saw potential. Stop beating yourself up over what was essentially a compliment.<br /><br />KDJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10534864045227102030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-65106962704714842552018-08-13T19:30:50.231-04:002018-08-13T19:30:50.231-04:00Wow, I showed a friend how to take all the bloat o...Wow, I showed a friend how to take all the bloat out of his 460,000 word first novel and he ended up with a short story. It still did not sell at 5,000 words. Agents want novels instead. He still thinks he is a writer, but I dunno.<br /><br />It sounds as if you had a great experience at your conference, which is great to read. Very best wishes for a great week to follow up.<br />Steve Stubbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421775912951050610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55464448676064138832018-08-13T18:50:58.603-04:002018-08-13T18:50:58.603-04:00Jerry Jenkins says there is no such thing as write...Jerry Jenkins says there is no such thing as writer's block. He points out that is an excuse that doesn't play in any other profession. <br /><br />It helps keep me on track.CynthiaMchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12175917641033760408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-66990318467490207582018-08-13T18:40:35.724-04:002018-08-13T18:40:35.724-04:00I had applied for, and successfully been selected,...I had applied for, and successfully been selected, to attend a five-day intensive mentoring program. My mentor was a multi-published author (with +50 books out there). I'd been selected by the quality of my partial but had to submit the full for the mentor to read prior to the five day intensive. <br /><br />At our first meeting to discuss her comments and to map out a direction for me to start she told me there were major problems with my internal conflict. I could try and fix and she would work with me on those changes- but her recommendation was to "throw the manuscript in the bin and start again". My choice - but I had to make it immediately as my allocated mentor time for the day was ticking.<br /><br />I tossed it. My whole manuscript that I thought was pretty good (it had got me the mentorship).<br /><br />Instead of fine tuning my words, my first day was spent replotting. By the end of the five days I had 3 or 4 scenes written (our goal had been to restructure with plotting and get the first chapter written and shiny). The story was much better for it. I finished writing the book and it finalled in every contest I entered but I didn't submit as I changed genres.AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-7422065572665212852018-08-13T17:35:57.006-04:002018-08-13T17:35:57.006-04:00Overwriting.
Ten years and counting!
Overwriting. <br /><br />Ten years and counting! <br />Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-18515061527909278902018-08-13T15:59:03.297-04:002018-08-13T15:59:03.297-04:00*sigh*
I know my book is too long (though not 274...*sigh*<br /><br />I know my book is too long (though not 274k worth). I've tried to cut it, only to have (very skilled and knowledgeable) beta readers tell me to put it back in. <br /><br />The writing is tighter. The story is better. But it's still too long.<br /><br />I'll let it garner rejections while I work on another, shorter novel. I know I can write a shorter one because I know why the current one is too long: more than one central character. The story I'm telling needs all the characters it currently has. I'll make sure the next story needs fewer. Far fewer.<br /><br />All the advice I've gotten over the years has been helpful in one way or another, and much of it has taken time to fully digest. I can't point to a single "most difficult" thing.<br />Elissa Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10727748060605823895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-88461342506881049932018-08-13T15:41:00.484-04:002018-08-13T15:41:00.484-04:00Oh the day when we brilliant writers, who always g...Oh the day when we brilliant writers, who always got A's and kudos throughout high school and college, realize we're not that brilliant when compared to other actual authors. <br /><br />I entered my brilliant work in a first chapter contest and was shredded by the judges. Wait, I thought, I'm not as special as I think I am. <br /><br />I shelved that novel because it was beyond my capability at that time. Years later at the same conference, one of the judges recognized my name and was so relieved to see I hadn't given up writing after his harsh take-down. That actually bothered me more than the initial critique. I was so awful, he remembered.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15244004664612029086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-38187185954961326422018-08-13T15:30:42.818-04:002018-08-13T15:30:42.818-04:00I had an amazing novel drafted. Right around 60k f...I had an amazing novel drafted. Right around 60k for YA. Was gonna have a super strong ending making readers want to dive into the next book.<br />Universal feedback : This isn't finished.<br /><br />What I thought would be an epic book two had to be cut, edited, and added into part one to make a coherent story.<br />Taught me a lot about how much a final version would look compared to the first.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09138851992293810933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-66908363355378127392018-08-13T14:54:34.241-04:002018-08-13T14:54:34.241-04:00My biggest critique partner, my husband ironically...My biggest critique partner, my husband ironically, has never liked the ending of my book! For years I would try to explain why a particular character had to die in a particular way… He never got on the bandwagon. The second I realized my intricately crafted conclusion wasn’t going to work had been devastating on two fronts: 1) At that point I had to go and rework the entire ending. 2) I had to admit my husband was right - again. Both hard pills to swallow. <br /><br />Oh yeah, and discovering from a toothy agent that prologues aren’t as amazing as I always thought them to be. And that was after I spent a whole MONTH rewriting mine. I will admit, my *now* first chapter is so much better!Tammy Pigotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13981951602111082211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-57535266506918084422018-08-13T14:53:03.377-04:002018-08-13T14:53:03.377-04:00I've committed nearly every sin there is, some...I've committed nearly every sin there is, some of them pertaining to writing. <br /><br />On the serious side, the hardest advice (and undoubtedly best) was from my agent, who wrote me a 5 page editorial letter after I signed. It would require rewriting 70% of the book. I guess it was easier to take since he'd signed me, and his comments made total sense, but thinking about the sheer scale of that revision gave me the shakes. I pushed on, and now, six months later, with the end of the second rewrite in sight, I can honestly say that the book is 1000 times better than it was.<br /><br />Like Mr. Frain, I am trying not to let my words get in the way of the story. It requires constant vigilance and humility.<br /><br />Take any advice you can get. It sure beats silence.Timothy Lowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514224628760035696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-84035283642110724472018-08-13T14:27:01.628-04:002018-08-13T14:27:01.628-04:00An agent rejected a full with one main complaint: ...An agent rejected a full with one main complaint: my MC wasn't driving the plot; she was just reacting to it. And once I worked through all of the "yeah, but!"s in my head, I agreed. I rewrote the MS and made it much stronger. And I've been careful to keep my characters making active choices ever since.Amy Schaeferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17263719891092841767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-9803216540305896292018-08-13T14:24:50.544-04:002018-08-13T14:24:50.544-04:00Hardest thing I ever did was change a major plot e...Hardest thing I ever did was change a major plot element in one of my books. It was the thing that had drawn me to write the book in the first place, but after agents (including my own) and editors told me they didn't believe that element (even though it came from real life), I rewrote the book without it.<br /><br />And the book is better for it. And published.Kate Larkindalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06202347563426692610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-6882829124337417442018-08-13T14:21:44.152-04:002018-08-13T14:21:44.152-04:00I was told by a well-versed Agent at a conference ...I was told by a well-versed Agent at a conference that my Fire proposal should have more than just sample chapters - I should write it out entirely.<br /><br />At first, I was taken aback - but I understood her point. No one knows me, why should they care? I have to prove myself. Harsh. But of course being feral, I ignored her advice and started writing out sample chapters (with a full checklist of contacts, resource information, quotes etc. to back me up.) Then something clicked. I didn't stop writing after the samples...it turned into a book, which I am still working on.<br /><br />What I learned - <br /><br />The emotionally further you are from a topic, the better you can write subjectively. As in the old cliche "Time can heal all wounds." <br /><br />What I had was closet envy, especially when news reports on fire victims who have fire support and calls to evacuate. What I would silently say to myself was "at least they had help." What a weird thing to confess to. But when I started writing on this one particular chapter, I recognized it for what it was. Bitterness.<br /><br />Good writing is not vindictive. <br /><br />I want to be a good writer.<br /><br />So I went back to photos of the day after. And I remembered something. The sadness in the firefighter's eyes when they arrived that morning. There was nothing left for them to do but fill up water tanks with clean water for my damaged animals. They moved about silently, somber for being such young men. They kept asking if there was anything else I needed. In my pain, I couldn't see it, but in my healing, I recognized now that they were prevented from doing what they were called to do in life; fight fire to stop it from destroying. This hurt them too.<br /><br />I can see that now and can write about it.<br /><br />I want to be a good writer. Time will help me do this.Janice Grinyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14363741660626407979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86911100030972743462018-08-13T14:21:26.886-04:002018-08-13T14:21:26.886-04:00My encouragement for the day is from JD Frain. All...My encouragement for the day is from JD Frain. All writers overwrite. It’s good to remember we are all on similar journeys. Thanks. Brendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08941043145591116608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-35066680341362775102018-08-13T14:17:02.176-04:002018-08-13T14:17:02.176-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15244004664612029086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-44294580360685211132018-08-13T13:56:16.244-04:002018-08-13T13:56:16.244-04:00Well said, Julie! I know that I confused good pros...Well said, <b>Julie</b>! I know that I confused good prose (which always came easily to me) with good storytelling. Until that comment, it never occurred to me that a few beautifully written chapters could be less than interesting!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06909176210194176373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-85514933124896494122018-08-13T12:30:03.668-04:002018-08-13T12:30:03.668-04:00That my novel wasn't starting in the right pla...That my novel wasn't starting in the right place. I huffed and I puffed, and then I looked over the prologue (yes, a prologue!) that I'd worked feverishly on, and realized it had to go. It was a present-day framing device (the rest of the book led up to that time), so even though it gave a decent introduction to the story and MC, it effectively defused all the tension in the book because the reader knew immediately what would happen to everyone. I wrote a new first chapter, starting much closer to the inciting incident, and signed with my first agent on that revised book.JKOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11037801818858013252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-48054727194608727712018-08-13T11:45:20.308-04:002018-08-13T11:45:20.308-04:00That my memoir wasn't letting people in. It wa...That my memoir wasn't letting people in. It was hard to drop the armor and write honestly about myself, but that's what makes a good memoir. It worked.Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11166776565191771729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-65593543969961769502018-08-13T11:23:12.532-04:002018-08-13T11:23:12.532-04:00Relates to the word length problem. The hardest ad...Relates to the word length problem. The hardest advice I've been given, and will always be given, is advice that means I have to not press forward as quickly as I would like to.<br /><br />Let me 'splain. Take querying, for example. I don't know about the rest of you, but when you're querying agents after spending months/years on your novel, it feels like you're almost *there*. That publishing dream is within reach. All it takes is one agent to say "Yes." (We know there's a lot more to the journey than this, but isn't that how it FEELS?) And then that agent replies "I love your MS!" And your heart sings. YES!! And then comes the next paragraph: "BUT..." Heart sinks. "... I wonder if it might be better if you do x, y, and z? I'd love to take a second look with these changes."<br /><br />Changes. Revisions. Re-writes. You thought you were done, but now you need to go back and re-edit. You were THIS CLOSE... and now you have to spend weeks, maybe months, doing more work.<br /><br />Being told you need to cut your novel in half falls into the same category, I think.<br /><br />So, yeah... any advice that slows my progress is hard to take. For me, anyway. What's worse is it's usually right. :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-71179146938432540372018-08-13T11:18:00.654-04:002018-08-13T11:18:00.654-04:00Do I admit to this? I'll type it and see if I ...Do I admit to this? I'll type it and see if I hit Publish when I'm finished.<br /><br />A fin-slapping NY agent once told me I was overwriting (in addition to several other egregious sins). I took all the criticism and went to work. I understood everything I was told and recognized it in much of my writing now that it was pointed out.<br /><br />Except overwriting. <br /><br />I had never heard the term before. How can I be a writer and not know such a basic term? I should have asked the writer-chomping NY agent, right? <i>No question is a bad question</i>, right? Yeah, yeah, sure. <br /><br />I didn't ask her. I asked critique partners who all gave a different response. Couple other people chimed in with other answers. When did I finally learn what "overwriting" meant? About two months after I resubmitted my ms. Doh! <br /><br />Happened right here on this blog. I finally understood to call the sun a "sun" instead of a "glowing gold orb" or some such. <br /><br />Truman Capote explains it best: "Most writers, even the best, overwrite. I prefer to underwrite. Simple, clear as a country creek.")<br /><br />If you read between the lines, Truman Capote is saying I'm one of the best writers out there. So now I have a blurb for my ms.John Davis Frainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18020019400599228492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30541015880566605762018-08-13T11:06:36.765-04:002018-08-13T11:06:36.765-04:00ETA because I don't want to rewrite the post. ...ETA because I don't want to rewrite the post. The massive novel B has will obviously be divided into smaller books. The agents knew that as did B.<br /><br /><b>Sarah</b> <br /><br />"I know she's the main character, but I really don't care what happens to her."<br /><br />That is one of the toughest criticisms a person can receive. I shared a short story with an editor friend of mine. I loved the story and he hated it. The writing was lovely, so I was surprised when he wrote back a few days later and said, "Hate to say it, J, but I couldn't stand this story."<br /><br />I was shocked. "Why not?"<br /><br />"The writing is lovely. I envision the author sitting in a perfect block of sunlight with a feather quill endlessly pondering each word before they put it down. It's perfection itself. I just didn't care about the character. I wanted him to hurry up and die." <br /><br />I sputtered a bit, totally taken aback. <br /><br />"Much prefer your writing," he said. "It's pure, no horse sh!t story."<br /><br />I suppose. Now, if we can just find someone else who likes no horse sh!t stories. <br /><br />“The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail. The trouble with most fiction is that you want them all to land in hell together, as quickly as possible.”--Mark TwainJulie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.com