One agent suggested my novel was young adult. This surprised me because I wasn't trying to write a young adult novel. The main character is a teenager though. But I never thought I was writing for teens. Writing for teens...that's a minefield. Well, it can be. Adults are allowed to read anything without much of …
Category: rejection
The Writer’s Map
My writing career is not going anywhere in as much as I've no books published and agents aren't even walking down my street, much less knocking down my door to invite me out. But of all the books written in the world, only a certain number can hit the shelves. Probably what I need to …
The Dreaded “A” Question
I hate the "A" question. So, I read a blog post by my friend JES regarding the "A" word--as in What is your novel About? An agent is currently looking at my first novel, and this "A" question is on my mind. My first novel is about a difficult subject...a conversation stopper subject. Now let's …
I’m deluded and that’s okay. (I angst all night and I worry all day.)
On those American Idol tryouts you see those people who believe they can sing. They sing their best with all their dreams flung about for the world to see and then are told how awful they are. And they are awful. Perhaps you've laughed at their self-delusion. Perhaps you've cringed. Actually, I've never watched the …
Continue reading I’m deluded and that’s okay. (I angst all night and I worry all day.)
Pick the Right Baby
The agent wasn't taken with the pages I sent from my manuscript The Labyrinth House. I rewrote them, but they still work for her. The agent was willing to read a few pages of The Blue Jar, and she liked those pages enough to ask for more. I've sent more, and I'm now waiting. I …
It’s not what you think.
How often do you look back on a past moment in your life and wonder if you missed what really happened? I am very good at this. The other day I was reading about some hubbub going on over a storyline on a television series. I don't watch the series but the issue of writer …
Faking
I got through high school and college without a boyfriend. I had a few dates, but no one you could call a boyfriend. (By boyfriend I mean someone who would actually refer to me as his girlfriend.) So after dating (and I use the term loosely) guys who seemed incapable of anything resembling a actual …
Rejection Is Funny
BBC Channel 4 seems to take issue with sharing videos----silly folks----but whatev because you should see this clip on dealing with rejection. The bit about "sucking out your eyes" was particularly funny to me. I'm getting ready to send more stories out into the world of literary journals. Either a story will be rejected (likely!) …
Maybe a Bad Book
It "may be a very bad book." I read this in The Paris Review: Interviews Part I---- Kurt Vonnegut:...Now, judging from the reviews my latest book, Slapstick, has received, people would like to bounce me out of the literary establishment--send me back where I came from. Interviewer: There were some bad reviews? Vonnegut: Only in …
Maybe a Temper Tantrum
Sometimes I may begrudge every other published writer everything. You know, in moments of personality collapse. Meaning, those moments when I'm not the great and fantabulist soul I want to be. (Yes. Fantabulist.) Those moments when I'm resistant, cranky, jealous, and generally not nice. (All you saints out there can begin throwing stones at any …
Marta Bacon 