Purgatory's Pit of Doom

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Cricket18

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Cricket, I keep thinking of that old joke about the guy who goes to Hell and is given a tour and told he can choose where he wants to spend eternity.

There's a pit where people are standing ankle deep in shit. A pit where they stand waist deep in shit. And a pit where they stand neck deep in shit.

Naturally he chooses the ankle deep option. Not 5 minutes into his stint in Hell, a bell sounds and somebody (Satan, one presumes) shouts over the loud speaker: "Break time's over! Everybody back on their heads!"

Effing hilarious.

(((Mario)))

(((Steve)))

(((Madder)))

(((Ink)))

(((Cheeky)))

Sheesh, (((everyone in the Pit ))))

Leigh, I'd be really careful about that. If they ask who, it could really bite you in the ass.

Empty in-box for me today...business as usual.
 

ink wench

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(((Leigh))) Echoing Cricket here, but I'd be careful about that. Some agents hear "offer" and they become more likely to reject because they don't want to deal.

If I'm understanding yesterday's Purgatory thread correctly you could stick sanitary napkins all over your body to hide the smell. (Thank you, Happy Camper for blowing my mind!)
:roll:

I know happiness isn't allowed in the Pit, but I thought your noses might appreciate knowing I've showered. :D Running water is a beautiful thing.
 

madderblue

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Yay! for shower. Much better than the alternative. ;)

Kellion, Jacklyn Smith was my hero when I was in 6th grade and having seen her recently she's still my hero. Anyone who looks like her has gotta be great.

And, yeah, if it's not one thing its another...
 

Leigh.Lyons

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(((Leigh))) Echoing Cricket here, but I'd be careful about that. Some agents hear "offer" and they become more likely to reject because they don't want to deal.

:roll:

I know happiness isn't allowed in the Pit, but I thought your noses might appreciate knowing I've showered. :D Running water is a beautiful thing.

At this point I just want an answer. I know that it could make her just hand out an R, but at least then I'd have a response.

Congrats on the shower!!
 

Leigh.Lyons

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So with a fever of 103 I decided that I must write (because delirium does that to me). How does one write degrees into an ms? is it "90 degrees" or "ninety degrees"?
 

kellion92

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Leigh, I love your profile pic! Feel better. Anyway, "90 degrees" would be the way to go
 

soulcascade

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'If I'm understanding yesterday's Purgatory thread correctly you could stick sanitary napkins all over your body to hide the smell. (Thank you, Happy Camper for blowing my mind!)' <- um...Madder? Elaboration is needed! I don't go into Purgatory what the heck was that conversation about lol

*sigh* Madder it seems like books set ANYWHERE are a 'wee bit hard to sell' now a days.

ETA-oops looks like I posted before reading Kellion's comment. Ah well.

Congrats Cricket and Ink on an empty in-box! It's the best we can hope for down here
WOOT Ink on getting a shower! At the risk of getting attacked by annoyed maggots :hooray:
 
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Snappy

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I'd just like to add my empty inbox to the Pit pile.
 

kellion92

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Nice koan.

If you pile more empty boxes into a Pit, is it still empty?
Can a Pit be filled by that which is empty?
 

ink wench

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My empty is Pit empty. The empty of the forsaken and the lost. Actually, I sent out a bunch of queries earlier this month to agents who are quick responders. I still haven't heard back. Since it was *all* the ones I sent out that one night, I'm thinking gmail lost them in cyberspace.
 

kellion92

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Ink, could you choose one agent for followup, resending the query and asking if it was received? Your answer (if the original was received or not) is probably true for the others...
 

soulcascade

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Nice koan.

If you pile more empty boxes into a Pit, is it still empty?
Can a Pit be filled by that which is empty?

*zen pose*

if a tree falls in the woods and no one gets squished, is that tree annoyed?

If the walls of the pit weren't covered by poo, would it still be the pit?

If an agent doesn't respond to a query, did they get it in the first place?

If we ever hear good news down here, does that mean the end of the world is nigh?
 

SteveCordero

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{{{Leigh}}}

{{{Ink}}}

I know the Pit is not the place for good news (Ink finally showering notwithstanding), it is the place for angst and putting good news in Pit-level context.

I got another full request today so, of course, I'm very happy. This does balance out for the full reject I got on Monday (but not for the Jets losing, of course). But this is my conundrum--as I've mentioned, I'm not getting feedback on the full rejects. I've gotten full requests on this project off of query letters only, query sample pages, and off of partial requests.

I'm not far from the end of my list. Do I change the query? Do I revise? The agents are liking my writing and the query I wrote, so what else can I do?

With the full request I just got, the agent wrote "I am not sure where you found Sofía's voice, but kudos" but you guys may remember a few weeks ago when an agent wrote that she "didn't feel the writing/crafting are quite there yet." Both agents read the same sample pages.
 

Snappy

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*zen pose*

if a tree falls in the woods and no one gets squished, is that tree annoyed?

If the walls of the pit weren't covered by poo, would it still be the pit?

If an agent doesn't respond to a query, did they get it in the first place?

If we ever hear good news down here, does that mean the end of the world is nigh?

:roll:<- Is that allowed down here?
 

soulcascade

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Snappy feel free to laugh away! We're allowed to do something other than cry down here from time to time ;)

Steve, I'll make an exception for that good news ha ha! I'd say if you're getting the requests, then your query is working and it seems your sample pages are working too. What I worry about (and don't kill me) is that there is something after the sample pages that isn't working for those agents and that's why you're getting the R's. The only other thing I can think of is that your query doesn't quite reflect the actual story, is that possible?

Then there's always the possibility that agents are pickier than ever *cry* and THAT'S what's killing you.

Or, Steve, I could kill you with ambiguity and drone on and on about how subjective this all is and that perhaps you don't have to change anything at all
 

SteveCordero

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Thanks, Soul! I'm thinking along your lines as well. That's why I'm desperate for feedback because I want to know if there is something I should revise after the sample pages that will make it work for them. I'm an easy reviser.

As to the query matching the story, I think it does and betas have read both and said it does. So, arggghhh, the confusion.
 

soulcascade

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Well if betas have said the query / ms are good and match we can scratch that off at least :)

You know, I've queried off and on for a few years now (*cry*) and I can count on one hand out of all the partials/fulls I sent out the number of times an agent came back with feedback of any kind. So (to add ANOTHER scenario onto this already tottering pile) perhaps agents are less and less willing to spend time giving reasons for R's as the numbers of queries they get increases...
 

ink wench

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Steve, congrats on the full, but ugh. I'm not sure what to tell you. The query works. Your opening works. So eh? I keep hearing how hard paranormal is to sell these unless it's something different, and yours sounds like it is. I wonder if it's too different? Different =/= different in publishing land, after all. I'm useless, sorry.

I'm probably going to be in the same boat as you soon. I have gotten feedback on most of my Rs, but it's generally been useless feedback. "Not high concept enough." Or "too similar to ___." Nothing I can change. The couple specific, actionable things I've gotten don't mesh so they're clearly about taste. I'm trying to decide whether to blast the universe with queries or what. Um, is that a long-winded way of saying feedback doesn't necessarily help?

Kellion, I might but I'm not going to bother until I decide what/if to revise. Am waiting on a beta for help with that.
 

kellion92

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(((Steve))) From what I hear, agents are getting stingier with feedback -- it's not personal. In fact, they are trying to be deliberately not personal.
 

mario_c

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So a kind of reject today - my interview for an internship was rescheduled for next week due to the blizzard (which is still raging). I can only go on my weekday off because it's in the city, you see. I'm eagerly awaiting the thanks but we "hired" someone younger and cuter eMail to arrive in a week's time.
 

Cricket18

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Steve, if I had to toss in my completely worthless .01, I'd say sit tight. You're getting requests. Have you been upgraded from partial to full?

Mario, you'll still get the call, I'm sure.

As for feedback, I really, really wanted to lay all of my passes, from agents and editors alike, across the floor of my house. I kid you not--pretty much none of them were the same, and many contradicted one another. Too fast. Too slow. Snarky MC. Loveable MC.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

ETA: in-box still empty? Check.
 

soulcascade

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LOL Thanks Lisa!

Cricket, I'm starting to think in inbox full of...well crickets (lame pun intended) is the best news we're gonna get down here. I HATE contradicting advice.
 

lkp

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I have had no useful feedback at all from any of the rejections for the novel. The last one said she loved it and she'd have bought it if she bought trade paper instead of hardcover. And since then, crickets. Do crickets live in telephones too? Well, now they do.
 
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