My Last Five Attempts At Literary Suicide

Chicken Warrior · Oct 6, 2007

My Latest Five Attempts At Literary Suicide

Okay, no matter what I try and write I have some genius way of making it completely unmarketable. Last month, I had an epiphany: screw the market and write whatever the heck I feel like.

So...my latest WIP is my favorite so far (at least fav story that I've gotten onto paper) but these are some major barriers I'm going to encounter comes subs. What should I do?

1. It's first person present tense. I am breaking the first rule of contemporary YA here. I think it works, but I know there's an instant bias against this.

2. It can only be labelled as 'quirky' but it's going to be at least 75,000 words now, probably 80. I think most people who want quirky want short and spunkey and this is kind of long.

3. It's quirky and semi-epic. Can I call it an 'epic, quirky, YA novel'? Can you even call your stuff epic in query letters? I don't want to turn of agents who are looking for more serious works by calling it quirky.

4. It gets increasingly literary. It starts off at about a grade 2 reading level and increases gradually throughout. This is deliberate: I like it. But I'm worried that my partial will be a horrible representation of the actual work.

5. I like words. Too much. I think it moves at a good clip, but I am blind to my own 'wordiness'.

So there you go. Am I dead, or just paranoid?

Danger Jane · Oct 6, 2007

You're paranoid. Cut off the wordiness and you might have it down to even 70K after the final cut. Totally publishable.

Tons of contemporary YA is first/present. All mine is. It doesn't read weird...as far as I know...

And quirky epic sounds SO COOL.

bethany · Oct 6, 2007

You know what will make you feel better? Write a query letter for it. That'll show you that you can smush it all together into a story that sounds great, and also maybe help you to focus as you go. (or if you worry about catering to the market, maybe not, but I do think it helps you see the core of your story and focus on it, to write the query in advance)

Wordiness can be pruned in revisions, don't worry about it now. Just be prepared to cut.

Don't worry about the reading level, worry about pulling the reader in. If it reads simply but is compelling you're good. Hopefully agents'll request 50 pages and you can show the novels progression through that? Remember that good writing trumps all the other concerns.

I don't know of any rule against first/present, and there's no bias against it in YA. It's actually quite popular.

My book is first/present and currently the second revision has put it over 80k. It's realistic, not epic, not quirky and all happens within one month, but it's the only example I've got right now.
My WIP is first/present and is at 85k before revisions and I tend to add a lot. My agent just said don't go over 100k (though she wanted me to stay closer to 80)

Chicken Warrior · Oct 6, 2007

Okay, thanks guys. I actually already have written a query, and I think it'll work. It just feels like my book has split personalities.

JoNightshade · Oct 6, 2007

I think you're overthinking it. Write the book first. Worry about this stuff later.

bethany · Oct 6, 2007

Just out of curiousity, what do you feel makes your other books unmarketable? Of course you don't have to answer, but I wonder if they can be "fixed" or if they are really unmarketable at all. I find the YA market very forgiving, and quite open to innovation.

The Lady · Oct 6, 2007

Lots of people say they hate present tense and whenever I have used it (and that's rarely) it's the first thing my critters complain about. Consequently I always made a point of writing in past.
But then my last story suited present tense so I used it.
It came back with comments, of crazy, bizarre, mad, etc, but not one of them spotted I had written it in present tense. It was also nearly 10,000 words long so plenty of time to spot it.
I also think that story is one of my better ones and the critters who liked it said they were completely caught up in the story. So, from this, I surmise, if your story is good enough, they won't even notice it's present tense.
Also I came across an editor saying recently that although she would have sworn she hated second person stories, the last story she bought was second person and she hadn't even noticed it was second person until they were doing the edits.
So there, be good and you can do what you like.

Shady Lane · Oct 6, 2007

Chicken--don't freak. I like long, quirky books, and prefer present tense. TONS of people do. You're doing fine.

Chicken Warrior · Oct 6, 2007

Okay, thanks guys, I feel much better. Not sure I would want an editor who didn't notice what tense my book was in, but it's nice to know they're as open as they claim

I have read some excellent present tense books, but I still see publishers that say 'Generally, we do not accept first person books written in the present tense...' etc. etc.

@ Bethany: My other books are much, MUCH, more conservative. Generally, the problems are simple: too short, too short, too short, and set in the past but not 'historical' fiction (no realistic references, etc.). Also, one my MCs are very snarky and often unlikable, which is also a problem I forgot to mention with my WIP, but again, it is integral to the story and hopefully people will see that.

bethany · Oct 6, 2007

Question- can you combine snarky with vulnerability? With kindness?

I'm kind of snarky myself and I have to soften my characters sometimes.

Well if your other ones are too short, don't worry about this one being too long

I hate to see people beat themselves up over marketing concerns almost as much as you hate to see deluded people with no idea of the market- who have written 1 million page epics about a young wizard named Parry Hotter and think they will soon be millionaires or whatever. Or who think that putting a couple of words on paper is all it takes to write a picture book. Anyhow, don't beat yourself up. Have fun... write stuff. Get off the damn internet (that was directed at me, not you)

Cassidy · Oct 6, 2007

I agree with the others here-- write the book you want to write, make it as strong as you can, and don't worry too much about where it will fit at this point. different is good, right?

and i know lots of folks on here have said they hate first person, present tense but guess what? my first novel was first person, present tense, and got accepted by the first publisher i sent it to.
so there

Carrie R. · Oct 7, 2007

Chicken Warrior said:
Okay, no matter what I try and write I have some genius way of making it completely unmarketable. Last month, I had an epiphany: screw the market and write whatever the heck I feel like.
...
So there you go. Am I dead, or just paranoid?

I think that's the best way to approach things! Of course, I'm biased

Last year I decided to screw the market and write what I really wanted. It's first person present and the characters don't use contractions. Really deep introspection, literary (with zombies), etc. And I think it worked out great! It's by far my favorite book I've written and I had multiple offers of representation from agents (we haven't subbed it yet to editors).

I've always tried to write with the market in mind, and I didn't TOTALLY disregard it, but I think that when you write for yourself more than anything else that it really shows.

Chicken Warrior · Oct 10, 2007

Finally finished! :Clap:

Sorry, I just had to clap for myself. This book actually only took a couple months but it feels like it's been years and I'm really looking forward to editing/sending. Sellable? We'll see. Here's the intro & first chapter minus a few details, to give you a sense of what I meant by the early writing style. The rest of the book is more in the style of the intro but with a lot more descriptive narrative. Intriguing enough?

EDIT: Moved to the secret password protected SHARE YOUR WORK board. The secret password which I musn't tell you is vista.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1714441#post1714441

Chicken Warrior · Oct 10, 2007

Hmm, the feedback is starting to come in. Not YA.

Great, I've missed the pegs again.

My Last Five Attempts At Literary Suicide

Chicken Warrior

Ahead of Your Time

Danger Jane

bethany

:)

Chicken Warrior

Ahead of Your Time

JoNightshade

has finally arrived

bethany

:)

The Lady

Critical Member

Shady Lane

my name is hannah

Chicken Warrior

Ahead of Your Time

bethany

:)

Cassidy

writing for kids and teens

Carrie R.

Procrastinating, clearly

Chicken Warrior

Ahead of Your Time

Chicken Warrior

Ahead of Your Time