Several years ago when I was attending critique a lively discussion was prompted by one of the members asking the group if we thought of ourselves as writers or authors. I was surprised by the fervor some exhibited in response to that question. The person who’d brought it up was the group’s constant devil’s advocate,…
Category: Blog
Do You Write Candy?
Do you write candy? Or something—you hope—more filling? Do you hope the next book you write is everyone’s guilty pleasure? Or do you want readers to stop and admire your prose stylings like a rare orchid? Do you want your readers to enjoy the experience as if they were going to an amusement park? Or…
Guest Post: “We’d like to request an R&R” By Janet Fogg
Receiving any sort of positive response from an editor or agent is always a shiny moment, but when one such response included an acronym with multiple definitions, I found it impossible to resist substituting a few of those alternatives. Excerpt from an editor’s recent email after reviewing full manuscript: [We’ve] highlighted a number of ways…
I’m Better Than You
So in this writing game, part of the currency authors are paid in is status. Money might come, but even more important than fabulous cash prizes, in some circles, is status. And how do you get status? Oh, the status game has many markers. Who is your agent? Oh, that’s your agent? Wow. You get…
It’s Perfect. Almost.
I sent 25 pages of my just-finished manuscript to a contest last week, but not before I’d gone over it carefully. My critique group had reviewed it. My beta reader had gone through it. I went over it a couple more times before I sent it – damn, it looked good. Yeah! Then it was…