Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Writer Feedback (Need some!!)

                             

No - this post is not about cooking. (Although I may do a couple of those along the way. You never know.)

Remember those "what if" games you played when you were kids? You know, the ones where your friend asked: "If you were any animal, what would you be?" And you said: "A wombat - of course!" (Or a blue-footed booby. Or meerkat. Or whatever animal had caught your fancy.)






Lately I've been doing the crockpot routine, so to speak. The idea in question? I've been "mulling over" an idea for a regularly posted "series" on my blog. The inspiration came from the time I've spent on Twitter, poring over the rather insightful, and often very specific, tweets from the agents and editors I follow. As I came across different nuggets, I'd think: "Ooo! Need to remember that one" - and tucked it away in a Word file to peruse later. The document got longer...and longer....and longer.

Moreover, a pattern soon began to emerge. Yes, most of the tweets had to do with (a) queries,  (b) dos/don'ts of writing and (c) overall publishing industry. That's no surprise; if you're a wanna-be author, you're gleaning little nuggets for yourself. But a far more intricate pattern emerged within the pattern, that I did not see until my Word document had grown to four or five pages. I broke my "nuggets" into smaller and smaller categories, with more specific titles. I found myself wondering how I was going to properly assimilate all this wonderful information - not just the pithy sayings themselves, but the inferred logic of what they really mean, when you get down to it. Then I wondered if perhaps others might want to read and ponder the same things. 
So - I'd like to do a series of "agent tweets" posts beginning in January, about once a week or so. My problem? These are all such great statements and insights from those who scrutinize our queries, and then our manuscripts, that the statements have a very wide, yet nearly circular pattern to how they're connected.

In short: I'm not sure where to start. Which topic? At which end of the elephant? (Or wombat?)

This is where I need your help. Below I have listed the various categories into which I've divided the tweets. I would like to know what YOU would consider (a) worth your time clicking back over to read and (b) which topic you'd like to see first.

Please take a look at the list below, and tell me which ones really stand out to you. And if you think any of these are pointless, even intuitively obvious - please tell me! I don't want to spend my time on some topic you've heard discussed ad nauseum.

At the same time, I think some of these topics will never (or ought to never) grow old....

Categories of agent/editor tweets I've compiled:

Time It Right
Hard (Yet Encouraging) Truths
Blunt Honesty
In Season/Out of Season
Beta Readers
Mind Your Attitude!
Ready? No, really....are you??
General Requests and Advice
Writing Do's and Don'ts
Queries: TMI or NMI (Too Much Information or Need More Information)
Query Uh-Ohs: Logistics
Query Uh-Ohs: Content
Query Uh-Ohs: Format
Using Social Networks
BAD Ideas
Kindles
Be Honest
This Screams "Bad Writing"
Know Your Limits

NOTE: I have no intention of pointing out which agent or editor made which comment, for several reasons. Besides, what I've gleaned is only a cross-section of tweets, but they are all regularly recurring themes that I'm seeing on Twitter over....and over....and over.

I figure we who intend to submit our work ought to sit up and pay attention.


What do you think? Anything grab your attention? 
All of it? None of it?

Thank you for your feedback! 
Everything will help me make this blog a more 
user-friendly place.









5 comments:

  1. The ones that jump out at me are:
    Hard (Yet Encouraging) Truths
    Beta readers

    They all sound really awesome though, and amazingly helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would agree, they all sound awesome! Though I am very interested in Hard (Yet Encouraging) Truths, This screams "Bad Writing", Blunt Honesty and Writing Do's and Don'ts

    ReplyDelete
  3. While I think it's important to get encouragement and support I think all of that is best served by your friends, family, Twitter buddies and writing buddies. I think then it would be best to start with the brutal reality from the Agents and Editors. The truth is sometimes hard to hear but if you want to do something or be something in the world of writing, it's time you heard the Truth, without the sugar coating. So I'd suggest you start with:

    Hard/Yet encouraging truths
    Blunt Honesty

    Then maybe move onto the Bad Ideas stuff. General Info and, of course, finishing on the Are You Ready and Query stuff.

    I think starting with the brutal stuff will force the writers to look hard at themselves and decide if this is a fight they want to take up.

    I look forward to seeing what Pearls of Wisdom you have found for us all.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think I could learn something from them all! My top three would be Hard (Yet Encouraging) Truths, Beta Readers, and Queries: TMI or NMI (Too Much Information or Need More Information)- I often struggle with what to put in a query letter and what to leave out.

    Great idea!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. My picks (re-ordered from most to least interested):

    Query Uh-Ohs: Content
    Query Uh-Ohs: Format
    BAD Ideas
    Beta Readers
    Hard (Yet Encouraging) Truths
    Query Uh-Ohs: Logistics
    Queries: TMI or NMI (Too Much Information or Need More Information)
    Using Social Networks

    ReplyDelete