September 2010
5 posts
3 tags
Not all Rejections are Equal
Just received another rejection. Funny how the word “unfortunately” leaps out from the page and smacks you square in the face. But not all rejections are equal; some qualify as what I call “the A1 Rejection”, and what better to illustrate my point than to include the actual text (pertinent details have been omitted to protect the agent’s identity):
Anne, Thank you...
2 tags
Cooking 101, or how to make your writing...
Welcome to Step Two of Making It Real. So you’ve finished something. Bravo! Now you have to let it cook. This advice is usually met with a baffled expression. “What do you mean, let it cook? My story is not a stew!” Well yes, yes it is. Your story is a stew of words and no doubt you think it’s absolutely perfect as written, you don’t need to change a thing. ...
2 tags
Oh, I am so entering this.
My publisher just emailed me this:
For immediate release, Sunday 5 September 2010
Melvyn Bragg, Daisy Waugh, Will Self and AS Byatt to judge the second Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award – the world’s most valuable short-story prize.
Judges are announced for the world’s most valuable short story prize, which offers £30,000 for a single story. Novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster...
3 tags
Wallpapering the spare room, or how to deal with...
By wallpaper, of course, I mean rejection form letters. This is my fourth since starting the query stage for my YA novel in February. Not a bad track record, I think, and I’m well aware that I’m still at the beginning of this process.
The rejection letter cannot be read without a certain amount of angst. In the end though, it has to be accepted for what it is: an indication that...
1 tag
lol?
slushpilehell:
I have an idea for a book about a dog. Before I take the time to write it, can you tell me if dog books are still hot?
I’m glad you didn’t waste your time. Dog books are out. Manatee books are in.
