A short quiz

Recently I came across an excerpt from a book when it was posted to Twitter.

I've posted the excerpt below and it's followed by a short quiz.

Don't comment until AFTER you take the quiz ok?
And don't READ the other comments till you've posted yours, ok?

Get a pen/pencil and paper ready (you really need to write by hand for this.)

Ready?







Here are photos of the two pages.
I should mention this is NOT a trick quiz. The pink highlighting is NOT significant. Just read the text.

Now, using the pen/pencil and paper, write down what your very first initial response.

Give yourself thirty seconds. What you want here is your first, visceral response. Don't think, write.

Ok, ready?


Don't read past here till you're done.

Done?
Are you sure?

As sure as you are that you're not a robot?
Ok then.



When you look at what you wrote on the piece of paper is it about how this writing made you feel?

Or is your response more of what we'll call an editorial one? Syntax or spelling errors?

There is no right or wrong answer here and I'm not going to ask you to tell me what you wrote.

I will say this: If your response was editorial or analytical, you may be too focused on what's correct instead of what's powerful in what you're reading. That can be a problem when you're editing or revising your work.

Sure you want to have correct syntax and spelling, but more important than that is you want to have writing that makes people feel things. Envy, lust, anger, fear, or this case an incredible feeling of something I can't really find words for.  When I read "they are chanting Welcome Home" I felt a welling of emotion that left me in tears. I have no words for the feeling but it was real and it was powerful.


The reason I wrote this post was that when I published this on Facebook a couple days ago I was dumbfounded to find several comments with blistering attacks on the writing. It was as though the commenters didn't feel a thing. I was bewildered.

Then I remembered that when I get deep into editorial mode, I can lose all sight of the higher power of the book. I can lose sight of what it makes me feel as I try to make sure all the syntax is well-oiled and sentences are plugged in and the paragraphs lined up, ready to pull the page down the road.

That work has to be done, yes indeed it does, but if that's the ONLY way you look at text, you're missing the bigger picture. Good writing evokes powerful emotion. Good grammar evokes satisfaction. Know and respect their roles. They are not the same thing.


Now, have at it in the comments section.

Query question: can the publisher make me change the ending?

Six people I asked to beta read my work completed it and had useful feedback about where the story lagged or where it might be confusing, but two of them (a third of my readers!) didn’t like the ending. They wanted a happy ending for the characters that they had invested in, and I don’t write those. I strongly feel that protagonists must face the consequences of their actions, and sometimes those consequences are heavy.
I guess the silver lining is that they cared enough about the characters to be upset about the ending.
Now obviously, when I’m looking for an agent, I’d be sure to find one that is happy with the current ending. But what happens if we sign with a publisher? Is it possible that a publisher would have a similar view as a third of my beta readers? Could they be thinking “it’s got promise and once we sign, we’ll fix the ending”? Does a writer have any control at that point?
If the publisher tries to radically change a book after the author signs, can the author withdraw the book?

Yes.
If the author doesn't want to do the edits or changes that the publisher asks for, it's entirely possible to pay back all the advance money and cancel the contract. (You'll end up paying back the agent's commission portion too--we did our job and sold the book. You back out of the deal, we don't give the money back)


This doesn't happen often, but it does happen.


The way to avoid this is to have an agent who asks the right questions of the editor: do you love the book? do you think there are major changes? if you do, what are they?


The editor doesn't want to sign up a book and work on it for months only to have the author disagree and back out of the deal.  The editor will have some serious explaining to do up his/her food chain, and those are NOT fun conversations.


Your agent should know before going on submission that changing the ending is a deal breaker for you. That will help her figure out what questions to ask when negotiating the deal.

Query Question: value of second read

 I’ve been on submission for about a year. We’ve been passed on about 28 times. Not the end of the publishing world, but I feel like we’re getting closer. Recently my agent suggested that I hire a professional editor to give the book a read, because the rest of the world doesn’t love the book as much as she and I do. She re-itterated that she loves the book and her representation of it doesn’t hinge on my agreeing to do this, but in her opinion, we’re missing something and after a year, maybe we ought to let someone with experienced eyes take a look because she wants it to have the very best shot it can have. And to be fair, I’ve edited this book so many times that I can’t tell the difference between “better” and “different” anymore and she’s probably in the same boat.

She referred me to someone who’s worked for a couple of the big five houses. I checked her books and she’s thanked in a couple of the acknowledgements, so I think she’s legitimate. It’s expensive — 4 grand —and it’s still spec. I can afford it — means a little less fun this summer, but not like missing a house payment or anything. But I’m mostly thinking of the mantra that money should flow to the author, and that amount of money would be hard to recoup. And while I’m sure she’ll make it better, there’s no guarantee she’ll make it more sale-able.  At the same time, I’d hate to pass on it, exhaust the rest of the publishing pool and always wonder whether I should have had her take a look at it.

Do you ever make that kind of suggestion to your clients? I figure the worst that can happen is I do it, everyone passes and I’ve got a really well-edited book to put up on Amazon. But four grand is still four grand. If it matters, I’ve talked to her — she’s read the first few chapters — and she thinks there’s something there (but that’s also something someone would say to a prospective client) Her fee is for a detailed editorial letter and a comprehensive line edit.

Yes, I do this. I think your agent is smart to suggest it, and it's something you should seriously consider.  A second set of (fresher) eyeballs on this can help.

That said, you don't need a $4K edit. You need what's called a "second read."  That is, you need someone to read it and say "I think this sux here, here, and here. Also there."  You're NOT paying for compliments. You want the Suck. You EMBRACE the Suck.


Write to this editor and tell her you need a second read, essentially a reply letter if she was considering the book for publication.

Make SURE you LIKE the books that this editor has worked on, and think they're well-written. Not every opinion is equal.