On Bookends’ blog, agent Jessica Faust said, “When an agent tells you that something isn’t working, it’s typically not because you’ve decided to break whatever rules you think exist in this business, it’s because it’s not working. A character not being likeable enough usually means that readers didn’t like her. Now, sure it’s possible another reader might have another opinion, but it’s also possible that in your attempt to make her tough and damaged, you’ve made her unlikeable.”
As a freelance editor, I can relate to Jessica’s statement. There are times when a writer simply isn’t ready to receive REAL feedback. This often happens when she finishes her first or second manuscript and is convinced this book is going to make her famous. The writer jumps right in and starts querying, expecting nothing but praise from anyone who reads her soon-to-be bestseller. Most writers have experienced those same feelings. Who doesn’t want positive feedback? However, not all writers react the same way once they don’t get the praise they were expecting. Be very careful what you post on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, or any other internet site. You never know who is reading and, once it’s out there, you have no control where that nasty remark might land. Bashing the wrong agent could affect your career, especially if the agent was only being honest. Other agents may read what you wrote and decide you’d be too difficult to work with. Publishing is a small community, and with the internet, nothing’s private anymore. Think twice before you post something negative about another person in the industry.
The same goes for indie authors. While you’re obviously not going to approach agents, you might have gotten feedback from beta readers or reviewers. Expect to receive bad reviews. That’s a part of this industry. Not everyone is going to like your book. However, things will get personal pretty fast if you attack your reviewers or put down their reviews of your novel. I’ve seen it happen and it gets ugly. Your best bet is to refrain from commenting on that bad review and move on. Most of the time, you’ll only have a few bad reviews and people can see through those. If you have more bad than good reviews, you might want to re-examine your book. Maybe they’re right.
Have you taken the time to learn the craft or are you just winging it? Do you realize the odds of getting published are lower than they were ten years ago? Do you know how hard it is to prove yourself as an indie author? Not many writers make it very far in their career without learning the ins and outs of the craft. For example, while many writers probably believe they understand GMCs (goals, motivations, and conflicts), there are many who are mistaken. Not understanding how to use GMCs is a big deal—or rather, a deal breaker. The same goes for show—don’t tell, one or two dimensional characters, no inciting incident, lack of emotions, and so on.
Please, please, please… Do yourself a favor and learn the craft of writing BEFORE you send out your queries or self-publish. I promise you’ll receive more favorable feedback if you do.
If you need to learn about GMCs, Debra Dixon has an excellent book available through her publisher and I offer a one-on-one class to help you flesh out your characters’ GMCs. Check it out: http://labelleseditorialservices.com/classes/
How have you learned about the craft of writing? Did you take courses, read books, hire a writing coach, or what?
Lynnette Labelle
www.labelleseditorialservices.com
I’ve spent lots of time learning the writing craft. Starting out with retreats that focus only on craft and not marketing until my first manuscript was completed. Then I began to enter the world of the big conferences like ACFW.
The place I’ve learned the most about craft from is My Book Therapy at http://www.mybooktherapy.com/. They have a free bleachers chat every Monday night at 7pm central time. It really helped me to learn about a book structure and building a compelling story.
Thanks for the fabulous post! You are so right that we must wait until we are ready to be teachable if we are going to send in our work.
I have that book by Debra Dixon. She explains in simple terms and its easy to understand. Also, there’s a book by Stanley D. Williams, Ph.D. called The Moral Premise which is excellent. Right now I’m trying for about the fourth time to do the steps in John Truby’s Book, The Anatomy of Story. I never think my story is good enough.
A good reminder though because writers work hard on a story and it is hard to hear its not working.
Michelle: Thanks. I’ve heard of plenty of great retreats but have never gone to one myself. I’ve never heard of MBT, but I’ll check it out.
Alice: Thanks. I haven’t come across his book. I’ll have to hop over to Amazon and see what it’s all about.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
If an author is querying agents, they need to be a bit thick skinned. I have been surprised by the things I’ve seen on twitter, where an author considered a rejection personal. Sure, they hurt, and sometimes they aren’t even very nice, but it’s a business, for the author and the agent. My advice: Microsoft Word. I vent everything in writing on a basic word document, then I delete. No one sees it except me and my imaginary friend.
Kelly: Great idea!
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Absolutely writers need to study their craft! I had a big jump in my writing quality when I first joined a critique group in 2007. then, of course, as your writing gets better, it’s harder to get CPs who can give feedback that is specific enough to help you improve further. Then I started doing workshops (OK I’m a workshop junkie, I admit it) and I have an editor to help me as well. Both of those things then helped my writing improve again in a big jump, and I also now know how much I STILL don’t know. I don’t think the learning ever ends.
Great advice! The internet is forever! We’ve got to remember that!
This is very good advice. I myself am a young enthusiast of the written word and am slowly learning the craft. I wished I would have learned a lot more what actually goes on in the literary and publishing world. I worked on my great-grandfather’s authentic WWI diary and after being turned down by publishing houses and literary agents for a year and a half I decided to self publish. He was one of the most decorated officers of WWI and the potential of this diary is limitless. Things are going decently well but I wish I would have learned the ropes first. http://www.thatswar.com. Great post for people trying to get there manuscripts published!
Ciara: I agree. Even authors who’ve been published for many years say they’re always learning because the market is always changing. A good example of this is how readers expect to see deep point of view in most novels now. You wouldn’t have seen that forty years ago.
Jemi: Thanks!
Brannon: Thanks!
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
What an excellent post! There can definitely be an, “I’m just going to take my toys and go play somewhere else” reaction to feedback, when what’s need is some revising. Or soul searching. I always see rejection as an opportunity (at least if it’s not a form rejection.) It allows the chance to gain insights into what might not be working. Thanks for a great blog post.
Thank you for the reminder, and for saying it in an honest, straightforward manner. I think there should be billboards with this on it, plastered in cities all across the US. Along with website pop-ups, unsolicited text messages, and on the back of cereal boxes (not at the expense of missing children, of course). It can’t be said enough.
Thank you!
Thanks, Deidre. You’re a perfect example of what I was talking about. I would never have guessed that you’d read this post and yet you did. There’s just no way of knowing who will read what we put out there, so we’d better play nice.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
I find it strange how some people seem to think there’s nothing to learn about writing. Just because someone can put words on paper doesn’t mean they are a good writer. Also, sometimes people overlook that writing fiction is a different beast.
As feedback goes, I think it’s important to think of it as a chance to improve something you love, instead of taking it personally. If a suggestion to add a pinch of salt takes your favorite recipe to a whole new level, wouldn’t you be excited?
Two wonderfully candid points! 1) Don’t retaliate against non-positive (not nec. negative) feedback, and 2) Learn the craft.
~~~
1) Typically, even in negative feedback, there’s a nugget of gold that you can extract to make your writing better. Some reviewers CAN be mean – ignore it; it’s their way, and they’re probably like that to everyone. Distill what they say, and ask, “Could I use this to make my writing better?”
2) Learn the craft — Thank you for pointing this out! I winged it at first (wung it?), but during that time, read, talked, and learned the in’s and out’s of writing fiction. It’s much more than just typing, it’s crafting a good story, using techniques like you mention (GMCs).
~~~
Wonderful post! Easy to read, short, to the point, and topical!
Tim
scienceforfiction.com
Diane: LOL
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Rainy: I love the pinch of salt analogy.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Thanks, Tim.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Any sentence that begins: “I learned to write by/at/whatever …” is wrong.
If you finished learning to write then you are finished as a writer.
I dare any writer to learn rejection the way I did. My first foray into the arts was as a stage actor. It is very difficult to accept rejection as impersonal when they are essentially rejecting you the person. You might be turned down for a part simply because you look like the director’s mother-in-law! Rarely are you rejected outright. Most directors will hold two auditions and your rejection is in failing to be called back.
I am so relieved to get criticism (constructive or otherwise) after years of “Next!”
Excellent advice! I’ve seen some spectacular meltdowns online, and they weren’t pretty; in fact they left me feeling embarrassed for the authors in question.
With regards to feedback, though, I have almost the opposite dilemma. In the last couple of years, I’ve only received two comments that weren’t either positive or constructively encouraging, and those two comments were made by readers who had very clearly not read the whole book. Even my rejection letters have been polite and encouraging, despite my work not meeting the agents’ requirements.
I’ve had a lot of very helpful input from editors and friends who helped me through my first drafts, but it troubles me that I haven’t had any negative feedback: are people being nice, telling me what they think I want to hear, trying to spare my feelings? Is absence of feedback a positive or negative thing?
To answer your questions: I’ve been writing since childhood, and I feel I’m still learning about the craft of writing. I feel it’s an ongoing and probably never-ending process. I’ve never been able to afford to take courses or hire a writing coach, much as I’d love to, but I continue to read books about writing, and I follow the advice and guidance given freely by professionals such as your good self. Thank you!
Jeffery: I love your story. Thanks for sharing.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Johanna: If you join Savvy Authors, their classes are usually between $15-$30. If you’re not a member, you can still take the classes, but they’re a little more. RWA chapters have classes in that range, too. I offer one-on-one classes and occassionally teach classes open to 15-30 students. Classes don’t have to be hundreds of dollars. You can do it a la carte and learn what YOU need to learn. Good luck on your journey!
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
I agree that arguing with agents or reviewers is pointless; it’s not like you can argue them into changing their minds and thinking your book is great when it’s not! Even if it IS great, they just didn’t like it–what can you do? Not everyone will like your particular brand of writing; that’s life.
I do, however, also think it can be useful to share criticism or feedback with others, in order to try to make more sense of it. As you mentioned, it’s not necessarily personal, and it is sometimes only one person’s opinion, but it’s also important to be able to differentiate between “well, that’s just one person’s opinion” and “yeah, this is a recurring issue; how can I fix it?” So sometimes I will share comments that make me scratch my head, not in any attempt to ridicule the person who made them, but trying to understand what that person really meant.
I have seen lots of messages that writers view as “personal” attacks, but which are really just form letters. (You can Google the message and see if anyone else has posted something similar, if you want to be sure.) I wouldn’t take any of those too hard, especially if it’s received the same day you sent your query. Those people didn’t read your work anyway, so who cares what they think?
Laura: I agree that it can help to go over the criticism with trusted writer friends as long as this is done through email or phone and not posted on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, any other social media outlet or a writers’ loop, where everyone can see it. Even if it’s not your intention to bash the critiquer, you don’t want it to be PERCEIVED that way.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
I agree about learning all you can. I tried for years to get things published and managed to get a few short stories “out there” but I wanted to publish a novel. I wrote one, then a second, then a third. Then I got a Master’s in Children’s Literature with an emphasis in creative writing for Young Adults and did an independent study with an amazing professor who also wrote YA (and was traditionally pubbed by a big 6). He helped me edit and polish the novel, WITCH HUNTER and it was published. I have since published 11 more novels (most self-pubbed but three were not) in the past year. I have learned so much about the publishing business. I am on the lookout for an agent. I never talk about my rejections only my successes on social media. Every time I get a reject I send out another query. I am determined to find an agent, as someone once said, “it only takes one” [to like your novel]. One of the things I think newbie writers need to know is that persistence and determination along with motivation (and of course, writing talent) plays a big part in writing these days.
I started with local critique group within Emerald Coast Writers and went to their conferences and seminars. Then I found SCBWI online and went to one regional workshop so far, put an ad in their website, and made my own critique group for children’s writers. I sometimes do internet searches by subject to find answers to writing and grammar/punctuation questions. I never stop looking for ways to improve my writing. Taking my book through a class of 7th graders was by far the most fun.
Thanks, Kathleen. Good luck on your agent search.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com
Sher: Oh, they would’ve loved that.
Lynnette Labelle
http://www.labelleseditorialservices.com