You're a bloody puppet! You're a wee little puppet man!

Spike ,'Smile Time'


The Great Write Way, Chapter Two: Twice upon a time...  

A place for Buffistas to discuss, beta and otherwise deal and dish on their non-fan fiction projects.


Susan W. - Nov 09, 2005 7:16:35 pm PST #4836 of 10001
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights

I got my first agent rejection on the new project today: "Although your work sounds intriguing, I'm sorry to say that I don't believe I am the right agent for you."

Oh well. Her loss. One down, 40 or 50 to go.


Allyson - Nov 10, 2005 5:29:04 am PST #4837 of 10001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica

I'm sorry, Susan. I have a stack of rejection letters here from publishers, and I'm not at the point where I can say it's their loss. I keep reading them and thinking, "I suck."


Susan W. - Nov 10, 2005 6:43:41 am PST #4838 of 10001
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights

Well, it helps a lot that my first choice agency just reopened to submissions from unpublished writers yesterday. I won't be as philosophical if they reject me.


erikaj - Nov 10, 2005 10:05:25 am PST #4839 of 10001
Always Anti-fascist!

Titles: Mine are never very good. Any thoughts?


Amy - Nov 10, 2005 10:07:07 am PST #4840 of 10001
Because books.

I used to be good at romance titles -- my boss and I would sit and brainstorm in her office over books that needed new ones. My own titles, not so much, unless I get the occasional inspiration.

Titles are hard. And there's more that goes into it than you think -- the tone, the genre, a sense of humor (or not), and on and on.


Kalshane - Nov 10, 2005 10:20:16 am PST #4841 of 10001
GS: If you had to choose between kicking evil in the head or the behind, which would you choose, and why? Minsc: I'm not sure I understand the question. I have two feet, do I not? You do not take a small plate when the feast of evil welcomes seconds.

It's funny, I'm titling the individual chapters of my WIP, but I have no idea what the title of the actual book is going to be. I have the same problem titling short stories I write. I guess the chapter titles are easier because they don't mean as much.


Liese S. - Nov 10, 2005 10:29:47 am PST #4842 of 10001
"Faded like the lilac, he thought."

Yeah, titles are tough. It's one of the reasons I make myself title my drabbles. I need the experience.

With my song titles, it's easy, because I can be deliberately vague and get away with it. But that's a whole different thing.


Connie Neil - Nov 10, 2005 10:38:00 am PST #4843 of 10001
brillig

So far I haven't had too much trouble with titles, though it does take a lot of internal mumbling. I pretty much go with the old "what's the theme" thing and try to avoid anything too cutesy or trite.

My problem is summaries. I hate giving away big plot points, but I can't help thinking I'm being so vague as to not make it sound very interesting.


Susan W. - Nov 10, 2005 10:45:28 am PST #4844 of 10001
Good Trouble and Righteous Fights

Um, you know how I said I wouldn't be so philosophical if I got a no from my dream agency?

Well, I have one now. Just 24 hours after I sent the query.

Cue me in a funk, worried that NO ONE is going to give me a chance. I mean, these guys seemed like such a good fit, and the head agent said in a Q&A I participated in recently that she thought the way to go with historical romance was to try something a bit different, go bigger and more epic, which, HELLO?, my book totally does.

It's a good book. It really is. I'd say that even if it wasn't my book.

t runs off to frown at query letter and try to figure out if that's what's causing the problem, because my book so doesn't suck!


Amy - Nov 10, 2005 1:28:46 pm PST #4845 of 10001
Because books.

But there are about a thousand people like you who think they're a good fit for that particular agency, Susan. The trouble is, the agency can't take on all of them.

And you know what? Sometimes it's as simple as the subjective stuff erika and I were talking about last week or thereabouts. Something can be technically *good* and have all its parts and pieces, but if it doesn't ping me emotionally the day I read it, I'm not buying it/representing it. There's truly a gestalt element to writing, you know? The whole is bigger than the sum of its parts, in ways that don't always make a lot of sense on an objective level.