I wouldn’t say I’m rewriting, because I’m not changing anything inherent to the story. I’m merely substituting words, removing extraneous wording and information, and adding parts that I feel heighten the emotion and the plot.
Cece commented about setting aside a ms and going back to it later with fresh eyes. I do that with all of my mss, but find that every time I go back to them, there is something I would change. I rarely go back to something and think that it’s perfect as is.
How many times should you tweak a ms? What is the magic number that one should reach and say, “Okay. That’s it. No more.” Is there really any excuse to send out a work you are not 100% satisfied with? And how do you know if it’s truly dissatisfaction you feel or just plain fear of rejection?
I’ll read a scene and think it’s great. Then I’ll try to picture the scene through someone else’s eyes and deliberately try to find things wrong with it. Unfortunately, that’s all to easy.
A recent inductee in the critique scene, I am leaning heavily on my cp’s to be my fresh pair of eyes, but what do you do when they wouldn’t change a thing and you still see some room for tweaking? Kill the devil on your shoulder?
At what point do you kill the monster and fling him to the public? (You can comment here or on the message board. )
Earlier this year I thought about selling my work and then getting an agent because it seemed easier, but it really distracted me from my writing! And, two of my top targeted publishers(Pocket & Bantam) tightened the hatches and only accept agented submissions.
I think that I would be a tad resentful of an agent who rejected me and then accepted me when a house accepted my work, but if it was my dream agency, I’d work with them. When it comes to finding representation, it’s a lucky draw of who accepts your work. Sometimes the big agencies can see some potential regardless of the market and sometimes its a smaller agent who can see it.
But I’m not going obsess about it too much or my writing will suffer because I’ll sell myself short trying to write something publisher acceptable.
on August 20th, 2004 at 4:17 pm
IMO, it’s becoming far too common for authors to sell their work on their own and then the agent will jump in and sign them. Where are the agents who aren’t so money-hungry and take on new authors simply because they like their work? A whole roster of unknowns would dent their wallet, to be sure, but I wish agencies would set aside 5 or 10% of their roster to cultivate new talent.
Maybe it’s petty and childish
, but it would chafe me to sign to an agent who rejected my work previously, simply because I sold it. But of course, I \would\ sign the contract if the agency was the one I wanted and I would work with them and be polite and friendly, but part of me would always be bothered that they hadn’t invested that crucial beginning time with me.
on August 20th, 2004 at 9:05 am
I heard of one woman who actually landed an agent after she sold–the agent told her she loved her work but didnt offer representation before because the historical market was so tough right now.
I was having so much fun last night that I had to force myself to go to bed and stop editing.
on August 20th, 2004 at 6:53 am
I’m not sure what my problem is. Agents read my work, say I’m a great "storyteller" and ask for "something else" I’ve written. I get tons of comments on my "voice" and how my writing is "technically very strong". I believe they’re getting \me\, but they’re not getting the story or else they think it’ll be a hard sell. Actually, scrap that. I don’t know what the deal is. Really. No clue. :plain:
Editors like it. They solicit. :confused:
O Great Bestower of Agents!! Help me send my work to someone who "gets it"!
Good luck tweaking your story, Cece!! Know that I am right there with you, toiling away, making a great story fit somewhere in the ranks of the Marketing gods.
on August 19th, 2004 at 11:45 pm
We are our own worst enemies on so many levels! I think you have to reach the point where you trust your gut instinct (and let the damn thing go! :P). I know w/TBGG I did worry that the plot wasn’t deep enough(or episodic) but I never worried about my writing. Becuase I know my writing is solid. I didn’t take the time to set it aside and go back a few months later. I had a full request to get out the door. I wrote and edited it in 9 weeks.
I also knew that some of the things we angst over, all the stupid @%$#@ is not stuff that’s gonna get you rejected if your writing is solid. It sounds so hokey but it really is about finding the editor or agent who loves your voice–and i think this applies whether you’re aiming at har/sil or ST. I didnt belive it until I heard it from my agent’s mouth. :rolleyes: And you won’t find that agent/editor if you don’t "kill the monster".
The ms. I just picked up to do some work on is my fave. It’s also the ms. I found my voice in (lucky #2). I LOVE the story (my agent loves the heroine) but six months later I know it will never sell unless I present the H from a different angle. And I came up with a way to streamline the ending (poor gypsy gets my blathering emails).
on August 19th, 2004 at 5:02 pm