What does this mean????? Please help me

joyce · Jul 12, 2007

I just received a rejection letter that I know was not form. The agent said that my manuscript (marketed as paranormal romance) sounded to much like modern fiction. He felt I was doing too much with the "myth sounding" type of writing. Which he said was nothing wrong with that, but it is a style that has some limits.

What in the hell is "myth sounding" type of writing. I know my story has elements of fantasy, romance and is set in the modern world, but what does that mean? Can anyone help me define my problem please.
Thanks in advance for any help in understanding what my problem is.

Jamesaritchie · Jul 12, 2007

Myth

joyce said:
I just received a rejection letter that I know was not form. The agent said that my manuscript (marketed as paranormal romance) sounded to much like modern fiction. He felt I was doing too much with the "myth sounding" type of writing. Which he said was nothing wrong with that, but it is a style that has some limits.

What in the hell is "myth sounding" type of writing. I know my story has elements of fantasy, romance and is set in the modern world, but what does that mean? Can anyone help me define my problem please.
Thanks in advance for any help in understanding what my problem is.

Just a thought, but are you writing simply, or are you writing the way you think a writer should sound?

joyce · Jul 12, 2007

I suppose I'm writing the way I write. Not every writer writes the same way so I guess I don't pattern myself after anyone. I have a "dramatic" personality so perhaps I'm being too dramatic in my writing.....too descriptive etc. I just did not know what "myth sounding" meant. Since this is my first novel and this whole business is new to me, I don't know all the lingo.

KingM · Jul 12, 2007

Perhaps you could post a short excerpt, say, a paragraph or two, that you think is indicative of your style.

Azraelsbane · Jul 12, 2007

Maybe you should post a bit of your stuff on the SYW forum. I'm curious to see what "myth-sounding" sounds like myself

Maybe they were talking about storyline? That's all I can honestly come up with... It just seems like such a strange term to use.

jordijoy · Jul 12, 2007

KingM said:
Perhaps you could post a short excerpt, say, a paragraph or two, that you think is indicative of your style.

There's a thought...and a good one at that.

Mr. Fix · Jul 12, 2007

Looking for Loch Nessie

"Myth Sounding"? Is someone searching for the Loch Ness Monster.

I like dramatic writing. Unless you are writing a childrens story, in which case you are trying to keep it simple, I would think dramatic writing to be a good thing. I wouldn't dwell too much on the rejection of a single publisher. If this definition keeps coming up, then maybe there is something to it. I think the subject here (the Publisher/Agent) sounds too full of themselves. Their self-importance is reflected in the non-definitive manner in which they describe their rejection.

Most (credible) letters I have recieved do not struggle with their definitions as to why my work was not selected. Mostly in the range of "we're not looking for this kind of material at this time" or "the subject is not of any interest to this publisher." and so on. I never recieved a definitive critique of my work yet. Like "the MC was too wimpish." or "Stories of this genre do not use technology." So my expertise with this is limited.

jhtatroe · Jul 12, 2007

Are you perhaps writing in third person omniscient? To me, "myth sounding" would be that sort of detached authorial voice used in stories that begin, "A long time ago, in a kingdom far, far away..."

JoNightshade · Jul 12, 2007

"This day, I have taken it upon myself to lead you, my fairest princess, back to the land of your birth."

VS.

"I'll take you back to Oz."

This is what "myth sounding" means to me. I could be wrong. Actually the style can work, but often people go overboard. Something in between my two examples is probably best.

joyce · Jul 12, 2007

Thanks everyone here is an example of my "myth sounding" writing.

Blood flowed like a river seeming to consume all in its path. Faces and twisted bodies littered the red waterway as it swept by. The desperate screams and pleas for forgiveness echoed out into the distance unheard. The carnage traveled on its ghastly path grabbing every living human along the way sucking them in. Escape was futile!

Only the landscape above the river was unscathed by the assault. The remaining living creatures watched quietly from their spot on the lush mountain, pleased at the scene before them. It was if the gates of hell had opened, devouring the lower portion and all its contents into its fiery bowels. The end of mankind was at hand.

Maybe I'm just too flowery. Who knows..........I can't just say the man cut his arm off even if I'm describing something to my friends. I have to describe all the blood and guts.

James D. Macdonald · Jul 12, 2007

What does it mean?

Anything that isn't "yes" means "no."

Move on to the next agent.

raydad · Jul 12, 2007

Maybe the agent was referring to the hero myth in Joseph Campbell - "Hero with a Thousand Faces" or Vogler - "The Writer's Journey". When someone says "myth" or "mythical" that is what I think of. Does your MC follow a mythical hero's journey? I would cut sentences like "Escape was futile!". That's forcing an opinion on the reader. Let them decide whether escape was futile or not. Just show what happens. It's not too flowery. It's graphic and bloody. It's good description, but maybe cut sentences like "The end of mankind was at hand".

joyce · Jul 12, 2007

I know that a no means no and I plan on moving on.......I just did not know what "myth sounding" meant. It was a strange statement to me that I can not define. I was only wondering did someone with more experience know what the definition of that term meant.

Yes my MC does follow a mythical hero's journey. Basically Mother Earth is pissed at humans for their abuse of the planet. A couple born from natures gods have to complete a journey to save the worthy of mankind or we become extinct when the planet goes through a rebirth.

Berry · Jul 12, 2007

I suppose you could ask the agent what they mean by "myth sounding". If you do, I'd suggest hitting these points:

Dear Agent,
1) Thanks for considering the novel
2) If you have time, could you please explain, what does "myth sounding mean"?
3) If you DO NOT, that's OK too, don't worry, I'm not going to start stalking you if you don't have time to answer.

Of course, that runs the risk of not getting the answer, but you're no worse off. Move on to the next agent.

Sean D. Schaffer · Jul 12, 2007

joyce said:
I know that a no means no and I plan on moving on.......I just did not know what "myth sounding" meant. It was a strange statement to me that I can not define. I was only wondering did someone with more experience know what the definition of that term meant.

Yes my MC does follow a mythical hero's journey. Basically Mother Earth is pissed at humans for their abuse of the planet. A couple born from natures gods have to complete a journey to save the worthy of mankind or we become extinct when the planet goes through a rebirth.

Are you using archaic language at all? You know, language you might find more in a document from an earlier time period? I know I'm guilty of some of that in my own writing. I'll be writing along happily and then, suddenly, I'll slip into King James English for a few words. I know what I mean, but perhaps an agent would not.

Still, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Like others have said, just move on. If you get more such letters then you might have reason to change what you've already written. If not, don't worry about it.

CheshireCat · Jul 12, 2007

joyce said:
Thanks everyone here is an example of my "myth sounding" writing.

Blood flowed like a river seeming to consume all in its path. Faces and twisted bodies littered the red waterway as it swept by. The desperate screams and pleas for forgiveness echoed out into the distance unheard. The carnage traveled on its ghastly path grabbing every living human along the way sucking them in. Escape was futile!

Only the landscape above the river was unscathed by the assault. The remaining living creatures watched quietly from their spot on the lush mountain, pleased at the scene before them. It was if the gates of hell had opened, devouring the lower portion and all its contents into its fiery bowels. The end of mankind was at hand.

Maybe I'm just too flowery. Who knows..........I can't just say the man cut his arm off even if I'm describing something to my friends. I have to describe all the blood and guts.

Based on this excerpt you posted, it looks like you're writing a mythical or fantasy-type story, but not the sort that's currently hot and selling well; these days, "paranormal" tends to mean vampire/werewolf or magical abilities, sometimes psychic abilities, but almost always on a more ... intimate scale. It's world-building of a kind, in the sense of creating your own mythology, but not save-the-earth-literally.

If any of that makes sense.

Willowmound · Jul 13, 2007

A literary agent not good at expressing himself in writing.

This amuses me.

Jamesaritchie · Jul 13, 2007

Willowmound said:
A literary agent not good at expressing himself in writing.

This amuses me.

I like agents who can't express themselves well in writing. If they could, they might not need me as a client.

Willowmound · Jul 13, 2007

Good point.

Dawnstorm · Jul 13, 2007

joyce said:
What in the hell is "myth sounding" type of writing. I know my story has elements of fantasy, romance and is set in the modern world, but what does that mean? Can anyone help me define my problem please.

Hm, perhaps the agent couldn't settle on a "reading mode"? Perhaps the fantasy and real world elements clashed for him/her? What kind of writing has the agent sold?

What pushes the excerpt you posted towards myth is:

a) Subject matter: a river (metaphoric?) of blood

b) Hyperbole: "echoed into the distance unheard", "every living human", "Escape was futile!" From the perspective of realist writing this looks like a long process condensed into a single metaphor. It's exaggerated, when taken as a single event. [btw, I'm not sure "futile" is the word right, here. There's no point in escaping?]

c) Appeal to general, abstract terms: "mankind", "remaining creatures"

d) The merging of the natural with the moral: "pleas for forgiveness" (plead to whom?), "ghastly path", "assault", "gates of hell" (in combination with "end of mankind"), "pleased at the scene"

If your language is more specific, and more "real" (less metaphoric), say when you're characters actually make an appearance, then there may be a clash of style, which catapulted the agent out of the story. (If that's the case, you could try agents who specialise in fantasy, and who may be more familiar with that curious blend.)

BarbJ · Jul 13, 2007

I'm curious also. You could ask the agent, although not, perhaps, in Berry's exact words

, but mention you passed it by your writers' board and we're all curious.

I'm also curious from your excerpt - is this about Revelation? "Myth-sounding" would have a different meaning from a Christian agent.

JasonChirevas · Jul 13, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
Just a thought, but are you writing simply, or are you writing the way you think a writer should sound?

I thought this as soon as I read the agent used the phrase "myth-sounding" and now, having read your sample, I'd say JAR was right on the money.

-Jason

zornhau · Jul 13, 2007

It's not entirely fair to take a gobbit out of context - that excerpt might well be the bit where the OP turns the volume up to 11, and good luck to them.

However, it read more like Simon R Green than sassy hip modern paranormal romance, what a friend of mine calls "fang-f*cker fic".

JasonChirevas · Jul 13, 2007

zornhau said:
It's not entirely fair to take a gobbit out of context - that excerpt might well be the bit where the OP turns the volume up to 11, and good luck to them.

However, it read more like Simon R Green than sassy hip modern paranormal romance, what a friend of mine calls "fang-f*cker fic".

You're absolutely right, but that's what the OP gave us to go by, and so I did.

-Jason

Storm Dream · Jul 13, 2007

joyce said:
Thanks everyone here is an example of my "myth sounding" writing.

Blood flowed like a river seeming to consume all in its path. Faces and twisted bodies littered the red waterway as it swept by. The desperate screams and pleas for forgiveness echoed out into the distance unheard. The carnage traveled on its ghastly path grabbing every living human along the way sucking them in. Escape was futile!

Only the landscape above the river was unscathed by the assault. The remaining living creatures watched quietly from their spot on the lush mountain, pleased at the scene before them. It was if the gates of hell had opened, devouring the lower portion and all its contents into its fiery bowels. The end of mankind was at hand.

Maybe I'm just too flowery. Who knows..........I can't just say the man cut his arm off even if I'm describing something to my friends. I have to describe all the blood and guts.

In this case, I think "myth-sounding" is probably a fancy stand-in for dramatic. There's a lot of description in there.

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