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- Aug 3, 2005
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All right, all right, I'm laughing. I see the error of my ways, and I'd like to edit my way to redemption...
It's true: I am precocious, self-conscious, and over-the-top, and my writing does not conceal these qualities.
However: I'm not that far off the mark (judging by agents' responses). I think I just don't see the lines I'm not supposed to step over, so I'm constantly stepping over them. Admittedly, this has been a problem in real life, and is therefore probably true of my writing.
I admit, my best writing coaches were a small handful of teachers and professionals, so I was hoping to stay within my comfort zone by eliciting the help of a teacher or published writer, who could provide qualified criticism from an experiential perspective.
It's been suggested that I use a group situation to obtain the criticism I seek; but right now, at least, I'm alone with my plight. I'm too old skool to be comfortable outside the F2F format, and getting in on a group, much less finding one in my area, has gone unrequited. Further, until I get a handle on what I'm doing wrong in my own work, I feel immensely underqualified to tell others what's wrong with theirs, and I can only hear the clock ticking louder and louder as I try to make good on this lifelong dream.
I am not deleting my original post, as this is who I am, for better and worse. But maybe now we can laugh. Maybe?
<sigh>
It's true: I am precocious, self-conscious, and over-the-top, and my writing does not conceal these qualities.
However: I'm not that far off the mark (judging by agents' responses). I think I just don't see the lines I'm not supposed to step over, so I'm constantly stepping over them. Admittedly, this has been a problem in real life, and is therefore probably true of my writing.
I admit, my best writing coaches were a small handful of teachers and professionals, so I was hoping to stay within my comfort zone by eliciting the help of a teacher or published writer, who could provide qualified criticism from an experiential perspective.
It's been suggested that I use a group situation to obtain the criticism I seek; but right now, at least, I'm alone with my plight. I'm too old skool to be comfortable outside the F2F format, and getting in on a group, much less finding one in my area, has gone unrequited. Further, until I get a handle on what I'm doing wrong in my own work, I feel immensely underqualified to tell others what's wrong with theirs, and I can only hear the clock ticking louder and louder as I try to make good on this lifelong dream.
I am not deleting my original post, as this is who I am, for better and worse. But maybe now we can laugh. Maybe?
<sigh>
This was my first agent's assessment of the first 100 pages of my fiction manuscript. "Yes, well, the same is true of the author," I was dismissive. This was my first rejection, and I was unfazed. Surely these qualities had their place, I was confident. Two stacks of rejection letters later, I was fazed. Obviously, my manuscript had problems, but what were they? Unfortunately, my mentor (a successful Broadway librettist) had passed away before I could even tell him I had embarked on my first novel, and my two professional-writer beta readers were too busy with deadlines of their own to read anything beyond my title page.
I've been adrift ever since, trying to piece together my failings based on what few critical comments I received from the more generous of agents. Although I've made some headway, it's not enough. It's not nearly enough.
So, here's what I've got:
+ A too-long novel about two girls who become best friends in kindergarten, virtual strangers in adolescence, acquaintances in college, and good friends in adulthood. Why does their friendship take many detours? Sex, what else!
+The story is presented like snapshots in a shoebox that reveal the lives and relationships of these two best friends as they confront life, love, each other, and themselves.
+ Although the story, the characters, and the author do not suck, the piece as a whole does not "sing."
And, here's what I'd like:
+ An experienced professional with a good sense of humor to give it to me straight, as in: "Here's what's working, here's what isn't."
+ A seasoned writer or teacher who would derive satisfaction from seeing someone benefit from his/her experience, knowledge, and tutelage.
+ A sharp individual who is not put off by a sarcastic wit and an argumentative nature (though I would try to keep both to a minimum).
This is my pledge:
+ I will not waste time with neediness, pessimism, and self-pity (I have people for that).
+ I will maximize what little time you have to give.
+ I will repay your efforts by not making you regret your decision to help.
Interested parties should be able to provide writing credentials and/or teaching experience. A brief explanation of why you'd be willing to help wouldn't hurt, either.
Email or private message preferable.
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