REPOST: Battle of the Critiques

This a post from almost 4 years ago that I came across accidentally while searching for something else on the blog (go ahead--ask me how many bunny trails I go on every time I do a search!). With an influx of new readers here, I felt this might be timely for some of you.

Critique is such an important part of our journeys as writers--we simply cannot grow without it. Our stories will never be the best they can be without the eyes and words of others. But what happens when we receive conflicting opinions? How do we sort out the good from the bad? What does it even mean when we receive feedback on opposite ends of the spectrum?

I hope this article will offer you some clarity--and encouragement!

Battle of the Critiques

Anyone who has sent out a manuscript to a group of readers (which may or may not include your agent) knows what it feels like when those critiques start to roll in.  Each one that lands in your mailbox makes your stomach do this weird, twisty thing that's a combination of excitement and dread.  You're dying for the feedback, but you're not too excited to have your work's flaws highlighted in lime green for all the world to see.

Okay, it's not all the world.  But it can sort of feel that big.

The collective wisdom of the critiques--assuming you're sending them to the people who should be reading you--can either gently or not-so-gently open your eyes to inherent flaws in your story.  A gaping plot hole that you might have missed will be easily spotted by those who've never read the story before.  A protagonist who does a big Thing without having a believable motivation is going to be crucified by those who just aren't buying it.  Good readers will ask questions like, "Why is she doing this right now?" and "Could this have believably happened in the time frame you've outlined here?" and "What the heck did he do that for?"

And, too, there's the ever-useful "Huh?"  I've used it myself.  Sometimes it's just that the reader missed something she shouldn't have.  But more often than not, it means "this thing you just wrote makes absolutely no sense and I'm not even sure how to address it".

I see you nodding.

As your writing matures, the nature of the critiques shifts.  It's likely you've learned, at some point, how to avoid plot holes, and how to write dialogue that doesn't sound like Lord of the Rings fan fiction.  Your critique partners will pull out things that are more subtle, like a protagonist whose arc isn't strong enough, a supporting character who doesn't add anything to the story, or information that is being shared too early or too late.

The key to knowing which advice to hold onto is twofold: 1) You need to be hearing it from more than one person, and 2) It needs to resonate with you and with your vision for your story.

So, if one person says "Ed the Janitor has no real purpose in the story, and I think you should delete him", and five people say, "Ed the Janitor is my favorite supporting character", then probably Ed's role in the story is safe.  But if more than one critique partner is pointing out the inherent weaknesses in Ed's character, then you need to listen.

It takes an open heart--a combination of vulnerability and teachability--to be able to receive what people are saying so that you can then move toward allowing it to resonate with your story.  That's when you start asking questions like, "Okay, what does Ed really accomplish?  Do I need him?  Is that scene in chapter 12--the one I love so much that it's going to be engraved upon my tombstone--really adding to the plot?"

Those questions can be painful!  But so it goes.  As a general rule, if more than one set of eyeballs sees the same problem, YOU'D BETTER PAY ATTENTION.

You probably know all this already.  I certainly know it.

So you can imagine my reaction when, earlier this week, I received two critiques on the same day that were polar opposites.

I'm talking, there is no way that these two people read the same story.  

Reader #1:  "...spellbound and incredibly invested in the characters"
Reader #2:  "I had no sense of any of the characters...there was nothing to like about them."

Reader #1: "I had a hard time putting the book down and I feel like you hit all the really big moments beautifully."
Reader #2:  "...there was nothing to hook me..."

Now, before you make the assumption that Reader #1 was my mom--she wasn't.  Both of these readers are highly qualified to critique a manuscript.  Both are talented and experienced.  Both are honest and forthright.  

Reader #1 went on to point out (beautifully) all the areas she felt needed work (I agreed with every single one).  So it wasn't all cotton candy and fairy wings, for sure.  And Reader #2 made it clear that she was this level of honest because of our relationship and her belief in my abilities.

Meanwhile, my head kept spinning.  Counterclockwise, rapidly.

So I sent a mildly frantic message to Reader #3, asking if she had time to read my first chapter and tell me everything she hated about it.  (Yes, those were my exact words. I wanted all the ugly up front.)  This reader is also highly qualified and experienced.  And knows how to be brutally honest.

Reader #2: "The biggest problem I found was no real worldbuilding."
Reader #3:  "Your world is solid...but almost too detailed."

So I did what I always do when I don't know what's going on -- I asked Jodi Meadows, who is bossy and likes to always be right.

Her response?  "It's probably a good sign, actually."

I had no idea what she meant.

So she clarified, and it made sense:  People are having different reactions.  They're not all pointing to one inherent flaw, like a broken plot or a superfluous character.  They are reading the same words and seeing different things.  Some of them pointed out similar flaws (like too much telling when I should be showing, or a lack of clear motivation for my main character), but there was no single, enormous flaw that ALL or MOST readers have pointed out.  (Others have read, too, besides these three.)

Know what's most encouraging of all?  I am incredibly motivated to revise this based on ALL the feedback, including the heart-knotting response from Reader #2.  Which speaks well for my ability to get slammed with conflicting (to a high degree!) critique and to move on quickly.  Already, I've done work on the first chapter with which I'm really happy.  As in, I am eager to pull it out this morning to continue fine-tuning.

Honestly, I'm sitting here thinking, Who am I?  I'm so thankful to be not only emotionally stable this morning, but incredibly excited to write today!

Because, oh, this story.  It's on the cusp of becoming what I dreamed it would.  And I'm digging in and not letting up until I'm finished.

Reader #1: Thank you for your incredible support and brilliant insight.  You rooted for me all the way through the first draft, and you're still working your magic.  It is my intention not to let you down.

Reader #2:  Thank you for your courage, and for honoring me with raw words that you self-admittedly would not have sent to someone with whom you didn't have a relationship.  Thank you for loving me instead of fearing to offend me.  Because of you, I have discovered within myself depths that I didn't know existed.  And that's no small thing.

Reader #3:  Thank you for rescuing me!  And for your incredibly thoughtful and encouraging critique.  I covet your eyes on my work, because they've always produced good things.  You are kind, you are gifted, and you are appreciated.

Jodi:  You are bossy and you are beautiful.  And you, my very first critique partner, have walked me all the way through this journey--with grace, selflessness, wisdom, and humor.  You taught me that I could grow wings and fly.  And you're still teaching me.

To everyone:  We are all part of the same circle.  May you learn from me today as I continue to learn from those around me--and may you go on to share what you've learned with others.

And keep writing, no matter what falls down around you!

A Whole New Level of Pushing Through

Many of you have been following my blog for a long time--since before I was agented, since before I'd gone on submission with not one or two or three or four, but FIVE novels that didn't sell. I wrote a lot of posts about persevering, pushing through, never giving up.

Signing my contract with Tor Teen was definitely an arrival--a moment long awaited for, long dreamed of, long worked toward. But it was by no means the end. The hard truth is that perseverance and determination and chutzpah are just as necessary after you've landed your first book deal. Because--and here's the kicker: writing doesn't get any easier.

I mean, you all know that writing is hard, right? This writerly journey isn't for wimps! And getting your first book out there doesn't mean you're suddenly a pro who doesn't have to do more than blink one languid eye to produce the next novel.

As most of you know, I signed a two-book deal, and the second book was listed as "Untitled YA". True confession: I was immediately intimidated. Why? Because SOMEONE WANTED TO BUY A BOOK I HADN'T EVEN DRAFTED YET. That may sound like a dream to some of you, but for me it was a few breaths shy of a nightmare. One of my pre-published fears was that I would find myself writing a book that people were waiting for--and I wouldn't be able to do it.

That's a bit of a scary monster to overcome, yes?

Sure enough, my novel-in-progress has been a slogfest. I've groaned and wept and gnashed and cursed and stared and snarled my way through this process, day after day. I started the second draft before finishing the first because it was such a mess I couldn't write the denouement. Then I started the third draft when I was halfway through the second because I'd gone way off track again.

I think I'm finally on track--and EXCITED!!--about my new story, which will be out September, 2020. Which, considering how quickly the past year has zipped by, isn't that far away.

All that to say--hard work is hard work. Regardless of whether you're doing it before or after you're agented, or before or after you're published, it is what it is. Writing stories is glorious and fulfilling. It's also exhausting, overwhelming, and brain-sucking. 

Sometimes it makes me cry.

Sometimes it makes me feel like I should never have decided to be a writer.

But at the end of the day? It makes me feel empowered. Creative. Purposeful. And proud of myself for pushing through the hard bits.

So my mantra on this side of the journey remains the same: Never Give Up. I'm still living that, and I expect I always will. Nothing worth doing is easy; nothing worth sharing is effortless. Sharing our words with the world is a high calling, and we've got to be prepared to dig in until we're barely standing.

And then we can eat some chocolate or queso or or or MOON CHEESE (my new favorite snack) and keep going.

Believe in yourself! Believe that, when you are flat on your back and ready to quit, tomorrow you'll have what it takes to write another page, another scene, another chapter.

Hooray that we're all in this together! Hooray that we can rely on each other when we're feeling like we can't do this anymore!

Deep breath. Eyes wide open. Jump back in.

Onward!

Amazing Editing Services For Serious Writers

You may or may not have heard me gush about the fabulous Adam Heine.  He's been my colleague/friend/critique partner for a number of years now, and he wrote this awesome book:

Izanimi's Choice by Adam Heine

Adam amazes me for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he lives in Thailand and is a foster (and biological) dad to more children than you could possibly imagine living under one roof.

It's thrilling for ALL WRITERS that this man has now hung his official editing shingle.  I can honestly say that I couldn't imagine not sending my work to Adam for critique.  Adam is a master worldbuilder, and he's adept at poking holes in worlds that need shoring up.  (And when I get something right and he praises me? It's like Sudden Christmas.)  His in-line notes are relevant, thoughtful, and infused with his special brand of humor.  (Seriously, I laugh out loud. And everyone needs a bit of out-loud laughter in the midst of reading a critique, yes?)

I recommend him to you with great enthusiasm!  Here are his own words:

I've been writing (professionally) and editing (unprofessionally) for years, but I've recently opened up my services as a professional editor. I love helping authors, whether seasoned novelists or those still on the road to publishing, and I offer several different levels of editing -- including a sample edit so you can try before you buy. My specialty is speculative fiction (all categories), but I'll edit anything.

So if you'd like to have a professional author with an obsessive eye for detail take a look at your novel, I'm your guy. More detailed information can be found here: Editing Services

Encore: Utter Silence

I first posted the following in January, 2013.  This was a popular post, garnering over 70 comments and touching a chord in many of you.  (And, of course, you offered your trademark advice and encouragement, as always.) I've added updated comments at the end.

UTTER SILENCE

Perhaps if I talk about this, it will work itself out.  And perhaps, if you're dealing with the same thing, things will work out for you, too.

It's the I-can't-write-this-plot-for-the-life-of-me syndrome.  And it's VERY. BAD.

Here's the thing.  We have to keep writing, keep going.  Right?  In those in between places, it's especially important--at least for me--to have something warm on my plate.  ("Between" as in "between the other things that are going on".  Anything from waiting to hear from crit partners on a recent revision, to waiting for the next sub round with editors, to waiting for anything you can possibly think of. Because at least fifty percent of a writer's life consists of waiting.)

So, in my "between place", I've been working on a YA SF.  I've got characters I already like, a setting I'm happy with, and a premise that makes me think, Yeah. This is cool. This could really work.  Good stuff, yes?

Alas. I can't plot it to save my life.  I've worked it from every angle you can imagine -- raw beat-sheeting, logline, backstory scenes, scenes from the novel, trying to come up with an ending, planning a single chapter--I HAVE DONE IT ALL.

And I still don't have a story.

This has thrust me into a sort of writerly crisis.  When I wake up and the day snaps into focus, I remember that I am unable to plot my story, and a sinkhole opens.  As in, here we go again.  I'll waste my writing time staring, checking Twitter, and typing admonishments to myself.

No, really.  Want to see something straight out of my Scrivener notes?

(Okay. I'm bracing myself for a moment of raw transparency.)

Authoress's Notes to Self:

Know what? I don’t know. I don’t have the foggiest idea.  I thought this war was about disputed space.  Fine.  Then what in the world would be so valuable that ISN’T space, that both sides would destroy the other for it?  And why would EVELYN have it?

Did Evelyn steal it from someone?  If so, who?  Kyung-Soon’s friend-who-remains-nameless?  The Quantum Corporal?  Him?

If so, why did HE have it?

What IS the blasted thing?

In the end, I have no idea. In the end, I suck at plotting. SUCK.  I’m great at developing characters and apparently I’ve got great pacing.  But plots?  No.  This is so hard; so incredibly counter-intuitive for me.  I don’t know why I ever started writing novels in the first place.

You're allowed to laugh.  Or shake your head.  Or cluck your tongue at me.  But, yeah.  This is real; it's where I am.

Well, at least it's where I am with this story.  It's just...well, sucking the life from me.  All the tried-and-true things....like taking a walk or staying completely away from the story to give it space...haven't worked.

Sometimes it's hard not to despair.  Sometimes it's not hard to rethink everything.  Like, why am I doing this to myself?  I can do other things.  There are actually other things in my life that I do.  That I'm good at.  That bring me pleasure.

But this writing thing?  It won't go away.  I need to write. I am never so bereft as when I am not in the midst of breathing life into a story.

What's a gal to do?

I don't know.  What do you do?  Pull out another story?  I don't have those; I'm the one-idea-at-a-time type.  Quit?  I refuse.  Take a break?  Well, yeah....except when you haven't actually written anything, it's hard to justify a break.  What, exactly, is a break from nothing?

So.  There is it.  Authoress's Science Fiction Crisis.  Not even chocolate is helping.

Pouring time and energy into my clients' partials has been a godsend.  It's invigorating to inject creative input into someone else's work--hopefully to his benefit.  And it keeps my brain from atrophying.

But it's not writing.  So the writing part of my brain is weeping.

Do you have an answer?  Or are you hanging onto the flotsam along with me?  I'm sure we can stay afloat--but I'm not sure when we'll find fresh water.

Please.  Fresh water, someone?

-------

UPDATE

I wrote the novel, rewrote the novel, and it's now on submission.  It is, to date, my strongest work.  In fact, I love it with all my heart.  So much, in fact, that when my contemporary dance teacher played a song in class that was from my playlist for this particular novel, I teared up.  (And then I sent her the first chapter so she would understand the emotional connection.  Fortunately, she loved it!)

Moral?  Wait for it...  (Tick. Tick. Tick.)  Ready?  JUST. KEEP. WRITING.

Yeah, you knew that.  But sometimes it helps to see someone else's journey from frustration to fruition, if only to be reminded that it DOES make a difference when you don't give up.  I remember the angst of trying to plot this novel.  And you know what?  I think that, just maybe, when something is REALLY biting our butts, it's because it has the potential to be really good.  Not that it's good in the moment--not yet.  But good stuff isn't easy, right?  So maybe that thought will inspire you the next time you're feeling really overwhelmed by your latest project.

Anyway, it's certainly helping me right now, because THE NEVER-ENDING WIP STILL ISN'T FINISHED.  Seriously.  This is me, the 3-months-to-a-first-draft queen, still slogging through.  But something in my guttiest of guts keeps urging me, "This is brain-suckingly hard because it has the potential to be fantastic. Suck it up!"  So I keep going.

There you have it.  From hand-wringing to tears in dance class.  From mental mess to finished masterpiece.  It happens.  You can do it.

Now go write.

And a Final Chunk of Logline Wisdom From Holly Bodger

(Feel free to heap accolades, thanks, sycophantic remarks, and promises of your firstborn children for Holly in the comment box!)

1) The most common problem I saw this round was the use of vague or cliché expressions in the place of real details. I think some writers do this because they think it creates intrigue. It doesn’t. When you say something like, “Linda needs to come to terms with her past,” this tells me nothing. Did she cheat on her first boyfriend? Was she abused by her father? Was she a mermaid who sold her voice for the chance of love with a guy with unusually perfect hair? YOU MUST BE SPECIFIC! All stories are pretty much the same without the specifics. The specifics are what makes it SPECIAL!!!

2) A few of you started off with the need (YAY!) For those of you who didn’t, please remember that readers engage with the character’s need, not their goal. That’s why I tell you to put it first. For example, start your logline with, “All Harry wants is to belong,” and I am in for 7 books, 8 movies, and a theme park. Start it with, “All Harry wants is to find the sword with the magic powers,” and I’m mildly interested, but I’m not paying $39 for a fake wand.

3) For those of you who completely ignored the rules of a logline, I’m going to guess that you’re also ignoring this post. If you aren’t, please please please remember that this is not the time and place to try to break the rules. If you can pull it off, please go ahead and break rules and conventions and stereotypes with your story. But don’t do it in your logline. You’re trying to show agents that you are a great writer who will be a pleasure to work with for years to come. Screaming, I DON’T FOLLOW RULES is not really the best way to accomplish this. Yes, you may be the one person who manages to pull it off, but you are a lot more likely to be one of the 99 who doesn’t.

Feel free to email me if you have further questions.

More Logline Wisdom From Holly Bodger

Just so you know--I don't ask Holly to write these things.  She just...writes them.  And sends them to me.  And then I post them for you.

As ever, her words are chock-full of wisdom.

-----

I saw two common problems with the loglines in this group:

1. Order. Much like with your novel, there are reasons why we need to see the NEED and then the INCITING INCIDENT and then the GOAL and then the OBSTACLES. A lot of these loglines had these elements, but many were out of order. This isn’t a huge problem, however the loglines are stronger when they come in the order that has the greatest effect. Also, remember that these loglines are like an ad for your novel and you (the writer). If an agent/editor sees a weird order in a logline, they might start to wonder if your book is all over the place, too. YOU DON’T WANT THAT! Final note: if you are struggling with the order of elements in your novel, get a copy of Save the Cat. It’s a wonderful tool I still use during revision (I know Authoress loves it, too!)

2. Goal not connected to obstacles. This one is really important: your obstacles have to stand in the way of the main character reaching the goal. So, if your main character’s goal is to win a soccer trophy at a tournament tomorrow, the obstacles must prevent the character from going to the tournament, or playing well, or winning. While it might suck for this character to find out her prom dress is going to be the wrong color, this would not be an obstacle to her goal.

Finally, there was only one question in all 40 loglines so I thank you for giving the poo-flinger a break!

On Patience: Encouragement From an Agent

Several days ago, I came across this blog post by the lovely Sarah LaPolla of Bradford Literary.  For obvious reasons, I found it deeply encouraging (because, yanno, WAITING).

Seriously.  Take a few minutes to read it.  Those of you who have been around here for awhile know that I am the poster child of The Long Journey That Still Hasn't Brought Me Somewhere Quantifiable (or something like that).  I'm not giving up, and neither should you, regardless of what stage you're at.

(Unless, of course, you've determined that it actually IS time to give up.  But that's a different story.)

The "overnight success" stories are the ones that burn our ears and whisper to us that the cards are stacked against us.  And yes, sometimes a first query round DOES produce an agent.  And sometimes a first round of submissions DOES produce a book sale in five weeks.

But that's not the norm.

Go read Sarah's blog post, and then come back here and tell me what you think.  Honestly, this is a must-read for ANY author currently on submission, and any serious writer in general.

And thank you, Sarah, for being a voice of encouragement to those who are determinedly seeking the traditional route to publication.  Today you are our champion!

On Trend-Chasing and the Unpublished Novel

If you're aspiring to be published, you already know that the popularity of specific genres waxes and wanes with infuriating unpredictability.  While in the throes of birthing a new story, it can be tempting to jump on the what's-hot-right-now bandwagon.

"Oh!  YA Contemporary is the THING.  I will write one right now."

"Look at all these thrillers coming out!  Probably I should rewrite my current project as a thriller."

"My critique partner's friend's agent told her that MG Coming-of-Age Magicial Realism Mysteries are rushing to the top of every editor's list.  I'll get right on that."

And you know what I'm going to say next:  Don't do it.

The thing about trends is that they're sort of like tornadoes.  You're tracking them carefully as they gain speed and momentum, and then, without warning, they change direction, tearing up everything in a completely different path.

Trend-chasing will always set you behind the curve.  Why?  Because by the time you've plotted and written and revised and queried your manuscript, the trend will have changed.  Your query letter will only add to the agents' overwhelming sense of ugh-not-another-Divergent-clone, and you'll rack up more rejections than you'd like to count.

Now, there is definitely something to be said about taking the pulse of the industry, which isn't the same as jumping on the latest bandwagon.  Paying attention to what's selling consistently, but isn't, perhaps, at the peak of the mountain, will give you a solid sense of where your work fits and if it has a chance of flying.  This happens in more general terms, like "MG is enjoying a resurgence lately" or "Regency Romance seems to remain stable in an overall volatile marketplace".  Far better to understand what's out there and what sells than to throw your I'm-not-sure-what-I've-got-here project blindly into the abyss.

But.  Throwing yourself into the latest frenzy is only going to frustrate you.  So make sure you understand the difference.

Here comes the disclaimer:  At the end of it all, still write what you love.  While you're honing your craft...while you're learning the publishing ropes...while you're discovering your own, unique voice...write what you love.  Even if it is an on-the-rise trend.  Even if there are way too many wannabes clogging the pipes of your chosen genre.

Writing what you love isn't the same as chasing a trend on purpose.  If your heart is content, then pour yourself into your work and bide your time.

I know this all too well.  I write science fiction, and my favorite sub-genre is dystopian.  I know, right?  Because it's to the point where editors back away while waving garlic cloves and muttering curses.  I write straight science fiction, too, which has become an almost-as-tricky sea to navigate.  Recently, I received a rejection-that-wasn't-a-rejection on my YA SF.  It was glowing praise for my story from an editor who wanted to acquire it--but encountered an in-house impasse.  What can you do?  Nothing, really, but press on.

I printed out the Words of Praise and hung them on my bulletin board.  They read like something from a starred review, and I glance at them frequently to remind myself that, yes, I can write, and someone out there really, really liked it.

All it takes is one yes.

So don't try to be something you're not.  Don't try to write something just because it's the next hot potato, and you want to get ahead of the curve.  Chances are, you won't.  Write what you love, and work your tail off to become the best you can be.

The reward for your hard work will come in its own time.

Allow Yourself to be Treated Well

Yes, I care about the journeys of other writers.  Yes, I tend to particularly "mother hen" those of my colleagues with whom I share friendship as well as writership.

As in, if you hurt, I hurt.  If you're angry, I'm angry.  You know how it goes.  You do it, too.

But I want to channel my latest bout of righteous indignation into something productive, and here it is:

Signing with an agent is a wonderful thing.  But if it ends up less than wonderful for any reason, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

I know that many of you who read my blog are either getting ready to query or have been querying and are firmly entrenched in I-need-to-find-an-agent.  Then there are others of you who are recently or not-so-recently agented, but not yet published.  Like me.

Let me tell you something.  When you sign with an agent, you have not won the lottery.  You have worked hard and made a business connection that will be (hopefully) beneficial to both of you.  Being agented is a STEP along the way.  It is not a mode of being that requires you to stay in a perpetual state of stunned thankfulness.

Don't get me wrong:  I am daily thankful for my agent.  I adore him and he knows it.  And I think he must be at least marginally fond of me, because, let's face it--he's put up with me for quite some time now.  But the bottom line is that Josh treats me well.

Yes, I've been frustrated sometimes (and he knows it--because I've communicated it).  It's almost always because of a lack of communication.  The truth is that I feel "taken care of" when I'm communicated with.  Dark holes of silence?  I don't do well with those.  Not even marginally.  But all relationships, both business and personal, have their ups and downs.  Because nobody is perfect, and forgiveness is key to happiness.  And threaded through the frustrations and miscommunications is a strong sense of being treated well.  Being respected.  And I know--because he's said it--that Josh is in for the long haul.  We are, both of us, imperfect humans.  But I think we've got an undeniable synergy that trumps the hiccups.  Our relationship feels good.

This isn't always the case with agent-client relationships.  Of course, it's not always the agent who's the "bad guy".  Nobody wants to represent an author who is whiny or demanding or full of himself.  Agents are overworked and trying to inhumanly multitask on an almost-daily basis.  If we need respect, then they need it, too.  Respect for their time, their priorities, their private lives (yes, they do have them).

But.

If you feel more angst than satisfaction with your agent, something is wrong.

If you're not feeling supported, encouraged, energized, challenged to be become better, something is wrong.

Mind!  I am absolutely not saying that your agent exists solely to be your cheerleader.  HE DOES NOT.  But cheerleading is part of it.  Letting you know that he's excited about something, or that you've done a good job with the latest round of revisions, is a very decent-human-being sort of thing that needs to happen.

And if you've done something a bit out of line?  Like, maybe you posted something on your blog that's a bit taboo--or maybe you've made an unreasonable demand?  Then your agent needs to communicate this to you professionally and kindly.  If you receive anything less than professional and kind, then that, to me, is a red flag.

(This is assuming that you are also being professional and kind.  Right?)

You need to be treated well.  Not pampered, not coddled, not deferred to on a daily basis.  But simply treated well.

I walked for more than 2 years through a bad agent situation with a colleague who felt unsupported and condescended to by an agent with a reputation for suddenly emailing clients and telling them she no longer wanted to represent them.  This colleague lived in fear that the same thing would happen to her.  When she finally found the courage to "break up" with this agent, she found a new one--and got a book deal fairly quickly.

I've watched colleagues fall apart because their agents decided to call it quits after one try with one novel.  (Which is why it's important to determine up front whether or not the agent you're signing with is a "career agent" or a "let's throw one book at the wall and see if it sticks" agent.  If he's the latter, and you're longing for the former, you're going to end up disappointed.  And you won't feel like you've been treated well.)

And, most recently, I've been privy to one of the most unprofessional communiques from an agent that I've ever seen.  (Not rivaling what I went through my my agent-from-hell all those years ago.  But, truly, there isn't a whole lot that could rival that.)  All because my colleague dared to ask for an update on her submission list.

Here's a disclaimer on that last one:  No one likes a pest.  It's never okay to PESTER your agent.  Weekly emails that say, "Hey! How's it going this week?" are going to drive your agent to the nearest bar before 2 p.m.  But asking for an update after your agent sends you an editor list on the brink of submission and then goes dark is not, in my opinion, "pestering".

You are allowed to ask for updates.  You are allowed to ask questions.  You are even allowed to ask for advice.

You are allowed to be treated well.

You are NOT allowed to be a diva, or to hurl invectives at your agent when he doesn't measure up, or to expect that your project and your needs will always come first.  In short, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE A JERK.

But if you are being a decent, hard-working, non-pesty client, and you aren't being treated well, then it's time to reevaluate your relationship with your agent.

Love yourselves, people.  Love yourselves enough to know when the way someone treats you isn't okay.  Love yourselves enough to trust your instincts when something isn't right.

Love yourselves enough to LEAVE when you are not being treated well.

And that is my mother-henning for the day.  Write well, live well, love yourself so that you can love others well.

Thank you.  I feel better now.

When Words Run Dry

If there's such a thing as "writer's block", then there's such a thing as "blogger's block".  And, honestly, when a blog's been around for as long as this one has (6 years and counting!), you're in constant danger of repeating yourself.

Hence the silence this week.  It's not a good week for an in-house critique, since our next Secret Agent contest runs next week.  And nothing has been clawing at my heart, begging to be expressed here.

So, as usual, I'm turning to the raw-and-real me, and telling it like it is.  In short, I have nothing to say.

I have no new words of wisdom this week for those of you on your querying journey.

I have no spontaneous words of encouragement for those of you who are weary in your journey.  (And yes, it really does work that way--words of encouragement spring to my heart and I share them.  I love when that happens.)

I have no ridiculous stories about Mr. A to share (though, to be honest, it wouldn't be hard to come up with one; like, this morning he was snoring while I was putting my make-up on, so I took a video of him on his iPhone.  He hasn't seen it yet...).

And, most of all, I have no good news to share.  So many of you have been pulling for me, cheering me on, offering kind, I-can't-wait-until-you-announce-that-big-sale words.  Often along the way, I have been compelled to keep pressing forward BECAUSE OF YOU.  Because you're watching, and because I never, never want to be an example to anyone of GIVING UP.

Maybe you don't realize how profound that is.  How much of a FORCE you are, collectively, in my life as a writer.

Now you know.

Apparently, it's been a strangely silent late-winter-into-early-spring for many authors.  As in, long bouts without responses from agents or editors.  Everyone knows that silence is part of the game (an infuriating part, but there you have it).  It never comes as a shock or an affront, but it does wear on us, yes?  Anyone who has ever queried or received requests for fulls or been on submission with editors KNOWS WHAT I MEAN.

At first, I thought the Extra Silence was my own experience.  But evidently it's not.  It's not a big deal--it is what it is.  But regardless of staying busy with another project (I am) and maintaining an even keel (I have been), it still nips and pulls at frayed ends of my emotions when I least expect it to.  Like a big, dark hole that I have to keep side-stepping.

"Careful.  Don't fall into the gaping hole."

You can't build a bridge over it, because then you'll just be tempted to hang over the edge and try to see the bottom.  (You won't be able do.)

You can't defy everything and jump in, because then it will SWALLOW YOU WHOLE, and you won't be able to function.  (You especially won't be able to write.)

The only thing you CAN do is to ignore it.  It won't go away (it's a big hole), but it WILL STOP BOTHERING YOU.  It's counterintuitive for anyone who's emotionally aware enough to understand that MOST problems WILL NOT GO AWAY IF YOU IGNORE THEM to do this.  Right?

But this is different.  This Silence isn't really a problem.  It's just a thing.  And we have to ignore it in order to keep pressing forward.

Anyway.  I'm busy ignoring the Big Hole.  And it seems that, in sharing this, I've ended up with some words after all.

Blogging can be so cathartic!

Agently Wisdom For Querying Authors

You may or may not know that Josh Getzler (my irreplaceable agent) blogs every Tuesday at Hey, There's a Dead Guy in the Living Room.  His post this week offers excellent insight on what to do and what not to do when you query him (and other agents).

Read this and take notes!

SOME FRIENDLY GUIDELINES AND PET PEEVES, by Josh Getzler and Danielle Burby

And here's an extra bonus:  If you have any questions about querying in general, or about Hannigan Salky Getzler in particular, LEAVE YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE COMMENT BOX HERE.  Josh and Danielle will pop by when they have free moments to offer their wisdom/insight/brilliance.

(Note: Please read the blog post BEFORE asking your questions.)

You're welcome! :)

Highlighting Reader Responses

There is much kindness and wisdom and insight in the comment boxes of this blog (the lifeblood of who we are, really).  It occurred to me this morning as I was (once again!) perusing your responses to my post on FEELING BLANK that the conversation was one-sided--partly because Blogger doesn't let me respond to individual comments (am I missing something?), and partly because there were so many responses.

I still can't respond to them all, but I wanted to highlight a few so that you can all read them, and receive whatever gold nuggets they may offer.

From Krista Van Dolzer:

I really do believe that luck favors perseverance (and once you reach a certain level of technical proficiency, it all comes down to luck).

Krista, thank you for sharing your own story of perseverance.  I think that, somewhere deep inside us, we know that we must persevere--but when we actually hit that wall of I FEEL NOTHING, it surprises us somehow.  And that's the point at which many turn away.  Give up the dream.

Thank you for the clear reminder that our enthusiasm and sparkle dreams aren't what push us forward to the finish line.  It's raw perseverance.

From Kate Larkindale:

I think it's like falling in love. To begin with the whole writing/querying/publishing journey is new and exciting and you can't wait to get to the next step. But over time, the process becomes like a job and one you're comfortable with. The highs don't feel so high, and the lows don't feel so low. It's just something you keep doing because it's your life.

Kate, this is a perfect analogy.  I'll take it further and say that some writers bail out when the headiness of new romance fades.  When the journey starts to feel like a 40-year marriage, then probably we're in the right place.  (Assuming, of course, that, like a very long marriage, there's still a little passion in there somewhere!)

From Tom Alan Brosz:

Most difficult tasks will reach a point where the "dream" or enthusiasm isn't really there. That's when persistence and will take over, and you keep plugging even though it isn't all that much fun any more. 

Being an adult means that even when the last thing you feel like doing is your job, you buckle down and do it anyway. The goals haven't changed just because the mood has. That goes for writing, and many, many other things in life.

Tom, thanks for the reminder that this keep-going attitude applies to so much more than our writing.  Living a life of persistence and perseverance pays off in every area.

From Rick Rowe:

Write the stories that come from your heart.

Oh, yes.  Despite the level of angst or sorrow or complete blankness we might be slogging through, the actual writing is all about what's in our hearts.  The process and the publishing business and life in general may suck the life from us, but there is life in our stories--if only we remain true to them.  Thanks for this, Rick.

From June:

Blank is a defense mechanism. Like a child who grows up around screaming and can attend boot camp with a bored expression even as a 300lb drill sergant threatens to whip his @$$. Blank is your way of not allowing feelings through because you've been dissapointed by those feelings and hopes in the past. 

This is a valley, there will be more hills and moutains, but when in the valley, lower your expectations. You knew this was a long journey. You knew the risks involved. We've all heard the stories of people who didn't sell until their seventh book or the college student who sold her first book within months.

Now is the time to acknowledge the pity party, take a deep breath, and keep on trudging through. You have talent. Your writing, whether published or not, has an affect on your fans. Us. Those that read your words, learn from you, and take comfort that you're on this journey with us. I pray you are published some day soon so you can reach that initial dream. But keep dreaming. New dreams. New goals. New purpose. You make a difference, even when you feel like you've only left a blank.

June, your comment about the defense mechanism struck home.  I agree that "blank" is our brain's way of protecting us from too much pain.  It's amazing how dissecting the psychology of an emotional response helps us to feel more in control.  And less crazy.  Thanks for that, and for your words of encouragement.

(And I fixed your "your" typo.  Your comment about this being your first draft made me smile.)

From Becky:

I don't know if I'm resigned to the dream not happening or realistic that the dream is not a reflection of reality... But I'm not writing for the giddy high. I'm writing because I write.

This right here, Becky:  I'M WRITING BECAUSE I WRITE.  That's perfect.

From MargotG:

Feeling blank for a time allows the well to refill. Not just with energy, but with creativity, enthusiasm and joy. Give it some time.

Thank you, Margot, for the positive spin on blankness!  It does give the well a chance to refill.  Mine is already refilling!

From Kelsey Beach:

It may be that you're encountering the dream in a new way. It's like visiting a new place. You picture yourself there and plan all the things you'll do and see, but it's different when you're there. It becomes less fantasy and more practicality. "How do I get to the Eiffel Tower?" is a question of bus schedules, not scrimping pennies. 

 As you said, you're still writing and working; you're still riding the bus. And the Eiffel Tower is still there. It just might take a special sunset or a glass of Burgundy to kindle a slightly different dream.

Kelsey, I love this.  Such a beautiful, practical analogy of this whole dream thing.  This is genius.

And, finally, to "Anonymous", who gave me the pep talk about self-publishing--I hear you.  I really do.  While self-publishing is not something I'm pursuing right now (as I've stated before), it is definitely on my radar.  I like the whole "hybrid" concept, and I haven't written it off.  I appreciate your gentle and encouraging words.

There are so many others of you to whom I would like to respond, but this post is already quite long!  To all of you who offered words of encouragement and affirmation--thank you.  You know how it is when someone else says, "I know you'll make it!"  It's like you hang on those words for a while, because you can't believe them for yourself.  That's why it's so important for us to stay connected with each other, right?  We can all say, "I believe in you!" to each other as needed.

Right.  I feel better now, having properly responded to your outpouring of wisdom, experience, empathy, and kindness.

Let's go out there and rock this Monday, writers!

Critique Observations: When Dialogue Rambles

I've been meaning for quite a while to begin a series on trends I've discovered while editing opening chapters.  Today's is the first installment of Critique Observations.

---

Dialogue is hard.

In my earlier novel-writing days, my husband was very involved in the first-pass editing process.  One of the things he was best at was calling out dorky dialogue (his term) and making me see that what I'd made my character say was, in fact, nothing like what a real person would say.  Mr. A's presentation was especially effective because of the way he read the excerpts--in dorky voices.

Belly laughter does a world of good when someone's pointing out your writing faults.

One of his all-time favorite VERY BAD lines of dialogue is from the first draft of an MG fantasy.  And here it is:

“Strange, for silence so long unbroken to be disturbed twice in succession.”  

Go ahead.  Read it out loud.  TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS MER-GUY WAS SAYING.  I dare you.

Mr. A. keeps this little gem scribbled on a piece of paper amidst his collection of bills and junk-that-needs-sorting.  Whenever he decides to clean out his cubby, he comes across the paper, finds me, and reads it out loud in his best mer-dude voice.

And I laugh all over again.

Dialogue is about more than making your characters' speech understandable, though.  And I've found that, by and large, many of my clients get tripped up on dialogue for several reasons:

1.  The dialogue is unnatural.

Like my example above, lines of dialogue can come off stilted, clunky, overly-formal, and just plain wrong.  As writers, we often have the tendency to infuse our dialogue with a flowery, writerly type of writing that ends up sounding like--well, like a writer writing words.  This is especially evident in fantasy, when we think our characters need to Speak A Certain Way in order to fit the world we've created.  It can happen anywhere, though, in any genre.

One of the best ways to fix this problem is to READ OUR DIALOGUE OUT LOUD.  If it doesn't feel and sound natural coming out of your mouth, then you've got some work to do.

Here are some examples of BAD DIALOGUE.  Read them out loud.  

"I absolutely do not know what you are talking about," Glenn said.  "I would never do anything like that--not ever.  I can't imagine myself stooping so low, becoming that desperate."

Griselda held up the glowing orb.  "It is not yet time for me to reveal the depths of this orb.  Indeed, it is not in my power to choose, nor to reveal, this time.  Look upon this with eyes wide open, small ones.  Look upon it and shudder."  She smiled.  "The end of everything is upon us."

In the first example, Glenn is being too formal ("do not" instead of "don't") and redundant.  Here's a better version:

"I don't know what you're talking about," Glenn said.  "I would never stoop that low."

In the second example, the magical Griselda sounds like she's reading cue cards for a B-movie.  It's a fine line, indeed, between making our fantasy characters sound intriguing--and making them sound ridiculous.  Perhaps this version reads better:

Griselda held up the glowing orb.  "I cannot tell you what I see.  I hardly understand it myself."  She smiled.  "But let's not fear the end of everything.  Not yet."

2.  The dialogue is too much at once.

This is closely related to #1.  Writing entire paragraphs of dialogue spoken by one person isn't going to read naturally.  People don't speak in one-minute soliloquies!  Natural, back-and-forth dialogue gives speakers equal time, with responses on the shorter, not the longer side.  Sure, sometimes a character will have a big explanation to give.  But it's still better to break up that explanation with some interjections from other characters, and certainly with a beat or two.

Example:

"Mother wasn't always this way," Eva said.  "Years ago, when I was small, she smiled all the time.  Laughed a lot.  But the depression started setting in while I was in high school.  Sometimes I would come home and find her curled up on the sofa, weeping softly.  That's not an easy thing for a sixteen-year-old, you know?  And there have been so many doctors over the last few years, so many failed attempts at drugs with side effects I can't begin to describe to you, that I've lost count.  It's no wonder Dad gave up and left.  He was never strong enough to deal with anything that rocked his boat too hard.  So that leaves me.  I'm the only one here who gives a damn about her.  And I'm not about to abandon her."

It's simply not believable that Eva would stand there and spout that entire chunk of text while her listener(s) stand listening raptly.  At the least, the text needs to be broken up with some beats.  What is Eva doing?  Pacing?  Opening and closing her fists?  Passing gas?  And what about her listeners--are they responding?

Nobody talks in huge chunks of text.  (Well, I'm sure there's the odd exception--the talkative person in your life who doesn't seem to need oxygen to keep going.  But even if you're writing a loquacious character, the chattiness needs to be believable!)

"Mother wasn't always this way," Eva said.  "When I was small, she smiled all the time, laughed a lot.  But the depression set in while I was in high school."  She bit her lip.  "Sometimes I would come home and find her curled up on the sofa, weeping softly.  That's not an easy thing for a sixteen-year-old, you know?"

Raymond brushed her arm with his fingertips.  "Yeah.  I know."

"There have been so many doctors over the years--so many failed attempts at drugs with side effects I can't begin to describe.  It's no wonder Dad gave up and left."  She was on a roll now.  "He was never strong enough to deal with anything.  So that leaves me.  I'm the only one who gives a damn about her."

3.  Dialogue that rambles without purpose or direction.

This is also a common problem.  We must never forget that dialogue isn't just about making our characters talk to each other.  It needs to serve a purpose and move the story forward.  If your dialogue isn't doing those things, then it needs to go.

The purpose might be two characters getting to know each other, or the revealing of important information, or even an argument.  But if you continue on with banter that isn't focused on moving the plot forward, your pace will utterly stall.  It's all "blah blah blah" with no reason for existing.

Rambly dialogue:

Flippy poured the tea into Noonie's cup.  "I hope you like oolong."

"I love it!"

"So do I," Flippy said.  "Though it's hard to find my favorite blends locally."

Noonie reached for the honey.  "I know.  This is such a po-dunk town.  I want to leave."

"I've been wanting to leave for a long time."  Flippy waited her turn for the honey.  "It reminds me of when we were in high school."

"Oh, my!"  Noonie stirred slowly.  "Those were the days."

"Yes.  Those were certainly the days."

"Would you like some milk?" Flippy asked.

"No, thank you," Noonie said.  "Honey is all I need."

Flippy sighed.  "It would be so lovely to be able to buy local honey."

"I was just thinking the same thing!"

"Maybe..." Flippy tapped her fingers on the sides of her teacup.  "Maybe we do need to go back to our high school dreams.  Just pack up and leave, like we said we would."

"You haven't changed much, have you?"

"I suppose not," Flippy said.  "Well, except for these extra inches around my middle."

Noonie laughed.  "I guess that's part of growing older."

"Certainly not my favorite part."

"No," Noonie said.  "Mine, neither."

Clearly, Flippy and Noonie have some plans to make.  But all the banter about tea and honey and fat middles isn't doing anything to forward the conversation--or hold our interest.

Don't get me wrong--characters do have to interject little personal thoughts and funny asides and whatnot.  The trick is to do that without losing the thrust of the scene.  In short, AVOID BUNNY TRAILS.  We don't need to be privy to every, tiny detail of Noonie and Flippy's conversation.  It's a given that we're only being shown a portion of it, anyway--the portion that is vital to our story.  Their tea party will likely continue off-page.  We need to see only the part that will move the plot forward.


Flippy poured the tea into Noonie's cup.  "I hope you like oolong."

"I love it!"  She reached for the honey.

"I've been thinking about our high school days," Flippy said.  "All our big dreams."

Noonie smiled.  "You're going to try to talk me into leaving this po-dunk town, aren't you?"

"We always said we'd pack up and go.  But all we did was grow old."

"I did more than that," Noonie said.  "And I think you did, too."

"I grew thicker around the middle, is all.  Cream?"

"No, honey's enough for me."

"None of this is enough for me."  Flippy tapped her fingers on her teacup.  "Let's do it.  Let's get out of here."

And there you have it.  With a disclaimer:  I'm not claiming that my above examples of good writing would win any awards.  But they are definitely better than the bad examples the precede them.  It's the CONCEPT I want you to walk away with, and not the burning desire to write a Flippy and Noonie scene just like mine.

As you continue to edit and revise, turn a sharp eye toward your dialogue.  Is it natural?  Is it necessary?  Does it read like a real person saying real words in a real situation?  It may not come easily at first, but after a while you will get your groove, and the words of your characters will spring to life.

Just remember:  DIALOGUE NEEDS A PURPOSE.  Once you give it one, it will zing!  And your story will unfold as naturally during your characters' speech as it does during exposition.  A worthy goal, yes?

Onward!

Know What You Write--and Write It Right!

I promised some thoughts on the Baker's Dozen entries, so here you go!  Jodi covered all the main points in her excellent blog post last week, but I've got something I'd like to focus on here:

KNOW WHAT YOU WRITE.

This has two meanings:

1.  Know your genre.  If you don't know what you're writing, how can you create a world that is believable?  For instance, if you don't know that science fiction and fantasy are two completely separate genres, how will your story make sense?  (There is no such thing as "science fiction/fantasy".  A story is either one or the other. There is such a thing as "science fantasy", which incorporates elements of both.  But, again, it's a separate genre, and you need to know it if you want to write it.)

Know, also, that "YA" and "MG" are not genres.  They are categories.  And within each category, there is a wide realm of genres, from contemporary to mystery to fantasy to historical.  If you are calling your story simply "YA" or "MG", that tells me right up front that you don't know what you're writing.

"Fiction" also doesn't cut it.  If you say that you write "Adult Fiction", that tells me nothing.  Is it a thriller?  A romance?  A fantasy?  You need to know what you are writing so that you can write it well.

2.  Once you know your genre, LEARN IT WELL.  In other words, read it.  Research it.  Talk to people about it.  And read it some more.

(And when you're reading it, make sure you are reading CONTEMPORARY WORKS.  Because reading HEIDI and THE LITTLE PRINCESS and THE BOXCAR CHILDREN is not going to prepare you to write a good, contemporary children's novel.  And that is what you need to produce--a contemporary novel.)

It seems like voice is most often a problem with middle grade novels.  Usually, it's a question of not nailing a middle grade voice at all--the "author voice" is imposing itself on the story, giving it a narrator-y feel and infusing the young characters' dialogue with adult-sounding words and phrases that simply don't work.  If you write middle grade, you need to read A LOT OF GOOD MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS.  And it also helps if you spend time with REAL MIDDLE GRADE CHILDREN.  For some reason, finding a really good middle grade voice is challenging.  The more you read and research, the better chance you'll have at nailing it.

We also came across some middle grade novels with a voice that sounded more YA.  The characters were TOO sassy and sophisticated for their ages.  There is a firm dividing line between MG and YA, so make sure you know which one you want to write, and then work on nailing that voice.

Less frequently, we ran across a YA with a voice that was too young.  Again, know your genre, and READ your genre.  A 16-year-old does not think, reason, or talk like a 12-year-old.  So it's important to know the difference.

Again:  READ.  READ.  READ WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE.  You can't be a good writer without being a good reader!  If you try to do it, you will, in effect, be writing in a vacuum, and your novel will reflect that.

Think of this in terms of music.  There's jazz and pop and classical and Celtic and blues and country.  And dozens more.  And if you want to be a songwriter or performer, you need to know what it is that you're writing or performing.  Because if someone hires you to play jazz at his book launch party, and you show up and play Yiddish folk songs, someone's going to be unhappy.

"What do you play?"

"Oh, music."

"What kind of music?"

"You know.  MUSIC."

It doesn't work that way.  And it's the same with novels.

"What do you write?"

"Oh, fiction."

"What kind of fiction?"

"You know.  FICTION."  Or... "You know.  YA."  Or...  "You know.  MG."

(Just today, my barista asked me what I wrote.  I immediately said, "Science fiction and fantasy."  Because I know what I write!  And now he knows, too.)

Know what you write.  Read what you write.  Then you will be able to WRITE IT RIGHT!

Common Problems With Beginnings

As you know, Jodi Meadows and I have been wrangling our way through the YA/MG slush for the Baker's Dozen.  Our reasons for saying "no" each year are pretty much the same, and Jodi has done a great job outlining these Problems With Beginnings in this post at PUB CRAWL.

Go there and read it.  Then, if you feel the need to chat about it, feel free to come here and...well, chat about it.

Always learning, always growing.  All of us, together.

Right?  Yes!

(And thank you, dearest Jodi, for this wonderful blog post.)

A Tweet By Any Other Name

I was scrolling through my new followers on Twitter this morning, and, naturally, a lot of them are writers.  Most of them, really.  But what's interesting is the way they choose to identify themselves on their profile pages.

So interesting, in fact, that I'd like to point some of them out.

I am the (aspiring) author of [insert title of novel].

Folks.  If you are in the middle of writing a novel, you are not aspiring to write it.  You are, in fact, writing it.  Unless, of course, all you're really doing is sitting on the sofa and dreaming about writing a novel.  In which case, you are not an author at all.

Author and writer

Really?  You're both?  How do you determine which of your works are authored and which are written?  Doesn't that get confusing?

Aspiring writer

Again, one does not aspire to write.  One writes.  The term "aspiring author" is often used to denote someone who is attempting to get published, but I wonder what the term "aspiring writer" is meant to denote.  "I'm going to write one day when I find some extra time"?

Wannabe writer

Perhaps another case of simply dreaming about writing some day.  Except that the bio goes on to say that this person is working on a first novel.  Which is more than just wannabeing a writer.  Right?

Writer. Aspiring author of [insert title of novel].

I see the distinction that's trying to be made here:  This person is comfortable with the term "writer", but wants to make it clear that the novel hasn't been published yet.  Is this really necessary?  Surely there's a way to say this without sounding like "writer" and "aspiring author" are two separate entities.

My point is not to poke fun (you know me better than that).  My point is: CALL YOURSELF WHAT YOU ARE.  Own it.

Well, figure it out first.  Get it in your head that you don't have to make a distinction between "writer" and "author" in your Twitter bio (or any bio).  Yes, there's the implied "author means you're published" thing.  (I have debated this in the past.)  If you're not comfortable with "author" because you're not yet published, then use writer.

As in, I AM A WRITER.

That about covers it.  And it also makes you sound confident instead of wishy-washy or apologetic or confused.

You could try, I WRITE.  Or be more specific:  I WRITE MG AND YA FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION.

If you're just dipping your toes in the water, you might say, I'M WRITING MY FIRST NOVEL.  (Not "I'm aspiring to write my first novel".)

Regardless of where you are in your journey, though, you are a WRITER.  Because...you write.

(And on the author/writer thing:  When I contact agents regarding entries on the blog, I always refer to the authors of the entries.  Not the writers of the entries.  As in, "I will contact the author."  Not, "I will contact the writer."  There's that.)

So call yourself an "aspiring author" if you want to, but don't ever imply that you are only trying to write, when, actually, you are working your fingers to the bone late at night or early in the morning or on your lunch breaks or all weekend long.  Give yourself credit for what you do.

YOU WRITE.  Period.

Now go write.

The Story Inside You

Oh, the online advice.  It's ever-abundant, and much of it is good.  Then, occasionally, I read something that makes me want to bite my coffee mug.

It's not that this particular advice was wrong, per se.  It just hit me wrong.

It was the Don't Choose a Genre Just Because It's a Huge Seller advice.  And mostly, it's spot on. If there are already twenty million YA paranormal romances in the collective slush pile, you don't need to add another one.  If you discover how big the best-of-the-bestselling authors' paychecks are, and you decide to write exactly what they are writing, for exactly that reason, then you're an absolute twit.

But.

For me, it was different.  For me, it was the appearance of having attempted to ride a wave, when that wasn't it at all.

Yes, I'm talking about dystopian--my favorite go-to genre for both reading and writing.  Here's the thing:  I conceived the idea for City Limits two years before I wrote a single word.  Mark that:  two years.  I did not know what the word "dystopian" meant.  I hadn't read any dystopian novels.  I just HAD A STORY GROWING INSIDE ME THAT CAME FROM SOMEWHERE DEEP INSIDE MY BRAIN.

When I finally found the courage to write it (yes, courage--because I think part of the reason I sat on it so long is because it felt so "big"), I was just learning what "dystopian" meant.  It was one of those, "Huh. So that's what I'm writing!" things.

I was blissfully unaware of the wave that was sweeping through the YA bookshelves.  No idea that Hunger Games had crashed onto the scene, opening the gates for countless (countless!) other dystopian tales.

By the time Josh and I took City Limits on submission, editors had all come down with Dystopian Fatigue (for which, apparently, there is no known cure, aside from complete avoidance of the genre).  Lists were full two years out and more.  The market--as well as editors' brains--was saturated.

My manuscript must have had that oh-here's-another-one-trying-to-be-Suzanne-Collins appearance.  In truth, I hadn't heard her name when I started drafting.  It was my story, from my brain.  In the beginning, I didn't even know what to call it.  And when I learned what I was actually writing, I wasn't even sure if the correct word was "dystopic" or "dystopian".

So, yeah.  For me, it was simply VERY BAD TIMING.  I might wring my hands over the if-only-I-had-written-it-right-away-and-not-waited-two-years thing.  But the story would not have been what it ultimately became.  Two years earlier, I wasn't ready to write the story.

Then, when I was finally ready, the market had already outrun me.

C'est la vie.

So, dear hearts.  WRITE THE STORY THAT IS BURNING INSIDE YOU.  If you have examined your motives, and you know in your heart that you are not attempting to ride a wave that's already cresting, and you believe that your story has a life of its own, and does not exist as a reflection of someone else's story--then KEEP WRITING IT.

There is no telling what the market will look like when you finally land an agent/go on submission.  Just write THE BEST STORY YOU POSSIBLY CAN.  Get it critiqued, revise it, get it critiqued some more, rewrite the whole dang thing from scratch if you need to.  But if the story lives and breathes inside you, then LET IT OUT.

I don't regret having written City Limits.  It landed me my fabulous, can't-do-this-thing-without-him agent, and it maintains its place in my heart (and, I think, in Josh's) as a Good Egg.  As in, it's not shelved for eternity.  Not really.  Some day, somehow, it will find a home.  A place in the world.  Because I really want to share this story.  It has something to say.

There is a place, of course, where one needs to stop and assess one's direction.  For me, it has meant moving away from dystopian.  BUT AUTHORESS, you say. YOU JUST SAID TO WRITE THE STORY THAT IS BURNING INSIDE ME.

Yes.  And I did that--last year.  I struggled greatly, because the story-inside-me was another dystopian.  Josh gently warned me; my own common sense tried to nudge me in another direction.  But in the end, I had to write the story.  And again, I'm glad I did.  I love it, and I believe in it the way I believe in City Limits.  But unlike City Limits, this one is going to sit quietly on a virtual shelf.  Because it would be a waste of time to attempt to travel the same path twice.

Dystopian and I, for now, are not meant to be.

It's okay, though!  I'm up to my elbows in MG Fantasy, and it brings me a giddy sort of joy.  Fantasy is my first love, after all--I've been gnawing on fantasy novels since early middle school.  (We're talking adult fantasy--Katherine Kurtz and Patricia McKillip and Terry Brooks.  Hard core, UBER-geeky fantasy!)

What's most interesting about my current project is that I actually wrote it before I wrote City Limits.  Of course, that was before my writing had seasoned and matured.  The novel's been through two major rewrites since then, in addition to moderate revisions in between.  All that to say:  YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOUR STORY WILL GO.

So keep writing it.

You know best what's inside you.  You know best what you're capable of, and where your passions lie.  That's the pool from which you must fish your stories.  Not the current trends, not Goodreads, not your favorite authors, not your mom's opinion.  The stories must come FROM DEEP INSIDE YOU.

Read all the advice you can; cull through it, keep the good stuff.  Be savvy; know the market, be aware of what's trending.  Don't write in a dark hole, dripping bits of your lifeblood into novels like some dark, tortured thing.  But DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR INNER SELF, either.

Write what's inside you.  Work hard and WRITE WELL.  Some day, at the right time, things will fall into place for whichever story has come into its own.

Believe that.  And keep writing.

That's what I'm doing.  And that's what I will be doing, for as long as there are stories in my brain.  (Which, I expect, will be the rest of my life.)

Now go write something.

*hugs*

Baker's Dozen Observations

Probably the most interesting part of going through (endless, eternal, infinite, overwhelming) slush is noting the trends (like popular first names or recurring themes) and problems.  Problems, of course, are frustrating, because sometimes, for Jodi and me, this means the difference between YES and NO (or at the very least, MAYBE, which could have turned into a YES later). 

So I'm going to list the most commonly occurring problems, and then I'll save the BIG PROBLEM for last.  I think it might surprise you (unless you, yanno, scroll ahead to the end of the post).

1.  STARTING WITH ACTION INSTEAD OF CONFLICT OR CHANGE

This remains the most prevalent--and frustrating--problem we've encountered.  I blame the hundreds of online resources that urge writers to "start with action!" or "start with excitement!".  Of course, I also blame the writers for not further investigating what these well-meaning resources are actually saying.

Here's the TRUTH:  It's INHERENT CONFLICT that keeps a reader reading.  And "conflict" is not synonymous with "action".  If I've just met your MC for the first time, and she's jumping off a cliff or smashing her car into a tree or shooting somebody or lying on the ground bleeding from every orifice,  I'm not going to care a whole lot about why.  I need a reason to be invested in your character BEFORE she's bleeding or running or crashing or killing. 

In these instances, Jodi and I often made the note, "starting at the wrong place".  Which means, the writing may not have been bad at all, and the idea might've been awfully good, but it was impossible to jump into the action the way it was presented.

It was too much, too soon.

2.  CRAMMING TOO MUCH INTO THE FIRST PAGE

This is closely related to #1, since all that action is too much to handle when we have no idea about characters or setting.  But it can also mean, simply, that too much is going on -- too much description, too much backstory, too much exposition, too much action.  It's simply TOO MUCH for an opening page. 

3.  NO GROUNDING

This means, "We have no idea what's going on here."  And this, too, is related to #1.  Opening paragraphs need to provide us with a clear sense of WHERE and WHEN we are, as well as WHO we're dealing with and WHAT is happening.  If your opening pages are all about the WHAT, and nothing much about the WHERE, WHEN, and WHO, then nobody is going to really understand what's going on.  Except you, of course.  And that's what we mean when we say, "This is too much in the author's head."  You've got to get it out of your head and onto the paper. 

4.  LOGLINES THAT ARE TOO LONG

5.  LOGLINES THAT AREN'T LOGLINES

A disclaimer about #4 and #5:  Writing trumps loglines.  Always.  As in, ALWAYS.  So if your logline was a real humdinger, you might've garnered a "yes", anyway.  Because WE LOVE GOOD WRITING. 

But honestly?  It's important to be able to encapsulate your story in a strong logline.  And some of the loglines were WAY TOO LONG.  As in, blah blah blah and we had no idea what was supposed to be going on.

Also?  Some of the loglines weren't, in fact, loglines at all.  Some might be called "taglines", which are those nifty little things you see beneath the title on some books (lots of YA books seem to do this).  And some were...well, we don't know what they were, really.  But they weren't loglines.

6.  FIRST PAGE DOESN'T MOVE

This is the opposite of "too much going on".  Sometimes characters were simply thinking about things.  Sometimes it was all exposition.  While it's a good idea to establish setting, a first page still has to MOVE FORWARD.  And that's why it's important to focus on inherent conflict or change.  If we're sitting on a hill of daffodils for 250 words, and the only thing that happens is the protagonist's deep sigh, there's nothing that will compel the reader to turn the page.

7.  WRITING ABOUT THINGS YOU HAVEN'T THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED

There will always be readers who won't be able to tell whether or not the author really understands synchronized swimming or quantum physics or snake charming.  (I've made these up, by the way; none of the entries were actually about these things.)  But if you are writing about something you've never done, or have only heard about, or are not an expert at, and if you do not thoroughly research your subject matter, SOMEONE EVENTUALLY WILL NOTICE.  

So if you're going to write about, say, music, and you maybe know a little about music, but not enough to write about, say, a gifted musician, or a music teacher, or a music school -- JODI AND I WILL KNOW.  Because we're both musicians.  And I've got my degree in music education.  

And, yes.  THESE THINGS SHOW.  Actually, these things make my stomach drop.  Because I am thrown immediately and completely out of a story if I get the slightest inkling that the author doesn't really understand the subject matter.

This happens.  It really does.  And it's an immediate "no" from both of us.

8.  WRONG AGE GROUP (for YA/MG authors)

This comes in two flavors:  a) Calling it YA but giving it an MG voice, or calling it MG and giving it a YA voice; and b) Calling it YA or MG, but the age of the protagonist is wrong for what you've chosen.  (For the record:  13 is generally tops for MG, though 14 can be considered "upper MG".  15 to 18 is YA.)

And now, a drum roll, please...

THE DISTURBINGLY COMMON PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED

Are you ready for this?

It's NOT KNOWING YOUR GENRE.

Seriously.  We had A RIDICULOUSLY HIGH AMOUNT OF ENTRIES WITH NO GENRE LISTED, and AN EQUALLY RIDICULOUSLY HIGH AMOUNT OF ENTRIES WITH MADE-UP GENRES OR MIXED GENRES.

Let me go through some examples off the top of my head:

YA

People -- THIS IS NOT A GENRE.  THIS IS A CATEGORY.  Is it YA Romance?  YA Paranormal?  YA Contemporary?  You have to have some idea of what kind of story you've written, yes?  Like, if it has ghosts in it, it's probably a paranormal.  If the MC is trying to solve a murder, then it's likely a mystery.  So CALL IT WHAT IT IS. 

YA FICTION

And THIS IS NOT THE ANSWER.  Of COURSE it's fiction -- ALL NOVELS ARE FICTION.  Please -- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE -- know what you are writing! 

YOUNG ADULT/MIDDLE GRADE

Um, no.  It is either YA or MG.  IT CANNOT BE BOTH.  Also?  IT STILL NEEDS A GENRE.

MULTICULTURAL

You know, this really isn't a genre, either.  It's a politically correct tag to help categorize stories about non-western cultures.  If yours is a multicultural story, WE WILL KNOW.  Like, if your protagonist's name is Yin Lee and she takes her shoes off before entering the house, it'll probably scream ASIAN.  We still need to know WHAT YIN LEE'S STORY IS ABOUT.  Is it a historical fantasy?  A contemporary?  KNOW YOUR GENRE.  It's not about the color of your protagonist's skin.

And I'm not going to list any of the made-up genres, because I don't want to embarrass anybody.  Instead, I'll make up my own, to give you an idea what I'm talking about:

UPPER/LOWER MG HISTORICAL MYSTERY ADVENTURE
YA DIESELPUNK SF ROMANCE w/ MAGICAL REALISM ELEMENTS
GENDERLESS ADVENTURE SERIES
FICTION WITH NOTES FROM THE AUTHOR, CAMOUFLAGED AS THE MC'S DREAMS

You get the idea.  Folks -- you have SO MANY WONDERFUL AND CREATIVE IDEAS.  You've simply got to figure out WHAT GENRE THEY BELONG UNDER.  Read other books like yours, find out where they're shelved in bookstores, see what categories they're listed under on Amazon and other online retailers.  In short, DO YOUR RESEARCH.

It doesn't bode well for an entry if the author doesn't seem to know what he or she is writing.

Capiche?

This was not a show-stopper, either, by the way.  Writing trumps genre problems, too. But it was a prevalent enough problem that Jodi and I both wanted to address it publicly. Because WE CARE ABOUT YOUR WRITING and WE WANT YOU TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

And there you have it!  Hopefully some of you will benefit from this information. 

Because it's all about continuing to grow...to learn...to move forward.  With maybe a little chocolate thrown in for good measure.

I really do care, dear ones.  And I hope nobody feels picked on.  I'm not the picking-on sort.

*HUGS*

Avoiding Bitterness

"Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a writer rejected."

I'm sure we've all encountered them at some time or another--those embittered, I-hate-you-because-I've-never-succeeded writers (or ex-writers) whose dreams have dwindled to shriveled longings that manifest as ugliness, pettiness, grumpiness, or out-and-out vitriol.  Sometimes it's subtle; sometimes it's glaring.  But it all comes from the same root of bitterness that any of us can too well imagine.

It doesn't happen overnight.  In fact, it probably starts like everyone else's journey--those first, painful stings of rejection.  The tears we hope nobody sees.  The vague pangs of jealousy as another, and another, and yet another writing colleague lands a book deal.

That's all pretty normal.  It's part of the journey.  We can learn to grow past it--to acknowledge our emotions and move forward.  (In fact, if we don't give ourselves grace during the times we're fighting with negativity, we're going to make ourselves more miserable.)

But when the bitterness takes a firm hold, something terrible happens to a writer's heart--it hardens.  Hopefulness gives way to doubt and scorn.  Words of congratulations to friends are clipped, forced, or withheld.  Attitudes of kindness and camaraderie devolve into contention and criticism.

Those among us who tend to turn anger outward will leave a path of destruction in our wake--harsh critiques, unfair reviews, petty gossip, angry diatribes against the publishing industry.  And those among us who tend to turn anger inward will wither into cold, silent shells of the creative people they used to be.

Anger, of course, is what happens when we don't deal with our sorrow.  Anger is stronger, more powerful.  Makes us feel in control.  It's when the sorrow of disappointment and rejection morphs into anger that we get into trouble.  And it's when we stay in the anger that something inside us begins to change.

It's not a pretty change.

There is so much kindness and humility and support in this community that the word "bitterness" isn't something that floats to the top when I think about you.  (Yes, I think about you.  Is that weird?)  But it is something we all need to guard against.

Because it's like a snake--silent, smooth, undulating its way in and refusing to crawl out again.

What's a writer to do?

• Be honest with yourself about your feelings.  Allow yourself to mourn, to cry, to throw bricks out your bedroom window, to quit for a day.  
• Give yourself grace.  If you catch yourself feeling jealous of a friend or angry at an agent's cold form response, acknowledge it without bashing yourself.
• Forgive.  Yourself, the harsh critter, the recalcitrant agent, the egotistical editor.  Don't let the sun set while you're still angry about something.  Forgiveness diffuses the anger that wants to turn into long-term bitterness.
• Stop paying attention to the small stuff--annoying tweets, naysayers, bestselling authors who make grammatical errors--and focus on YOUR WORK and YOUR DREAMS.
• Keep giving.  Your time, your ideas, your support, your kindness, your advice, your heart.  You do have something to offer, and focusing on what you have to give will keep you from crawling into a corner and lamenting about what you don't have.

It's a wonderful journey, but like any adventure, it's got pitfalls and snags and wrong turns along the way.  I believe we can hold each other accountable and stay on the right path without losing our way in the forest of bitterness.  

Do you agree?

One final, naked moment:  I need you.  This community helps keep me grounded and accountable.  You give me something to pour into when I feel too empty to pour (and yet, somehow, it happens anyway).  You make me smile, you remind me what's important, and you give intense satisfaction every time you meet a goal or have a revelation or take a baby step forward.

Collectively, there is no way this community will ever make room for bitterness--or for anything else destructive.  And that, my dear colleagues, is amazing and inspiring.

Thank you, as always, for who you are and for what you give.  Your contribution is immeasurable.