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mary rosenblum
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Hello, all!
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mary rosenblum
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Happy May to you, and welcome
to our Tuesday Forum
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mary rosenblum
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I selected our topic today,
because of course, I spend a lot of my time dealing with aspiring writers
as they struggle through that frustrating 'breaking in' period...
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mary rosenblum
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and I have very clear memories
of my own feelings during that time. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And you have no objectivity at
this stage of course. :-) If you're going to achieve any objectivity about
your writing at all, it's probably going to come much later. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about getting better. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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xana
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Can anyone be truly objective about
his/her own writing?
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mary rosenblum
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I don't really think you can
be entirely objective about your own work, Xana.
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mary rosenblum
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Too much of what powers
writing comes directly from our selves.
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mary rosenblum
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Just as we can't be totally
objective about ourselves, neither can we be totally objective about our
writing.
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mary rosenblum
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And just as you have a wide
range in people from those who see themselves, their strengths and
weaknesses pretty clearly to those who will never see any flaws in
themselves...
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mary rosenblum
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that about describes the range
of objectivity among writers. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But what frustrates most
novice writers the most is that they see stories 'just like theirs'
published every day...
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mary rosenblum
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and the question becomes 'why
that one?' 'Why that piece of ### instead of mine?'
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mary rosenblum
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Now some factors have nothing
to do with quality, everything to do with marketing.
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mary rosenblum
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This editor has discovered
that his readers love erotic vampire stories and they don't care what the
quality is like.
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info
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Doesn't it boil down to the fact
that maybe your piece isn't bad, that editer didn't care for it where the
next one may love it?
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mary rosenblum
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That is always a possibility.
I don't sell every piece I send out. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Editors assume I'll send them
something well written and structurally strong.
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mary rosenblum
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They say yes or no based on
whether they like this story, whether they can use it.
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mary rosenblum
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If this editor doesn't like
it, I just send it on.
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mary rosenblum
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At your stage, you all are
probably a little less certain of the quality of your story. I was at that
stage.
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mary rosenblum
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But as long as you get those
bland 'didn't suit' rejections...
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mary rosenblum
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rather than the 'never darken
our door' rejections, you're probably within the ball park.
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xana
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Unfortunately, a lot of readers
opt for the known writer rather than taking a chance on an unknown, so the
unknown has a lot more trouble getting published
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mary rosenblum
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That's absolutely true, Xana,
and not only that, the publisher knows that you, as an unknown, will sell
exactly one copy of your magazine...
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mary rosenblum
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to readers. That's to your
mother.
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mary rosenblum
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And that's reality. Prose is a
profit and loss business.
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mary rosenblum
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However...there is a balance
to this seeming catch 22...and it is in your favor.
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mary rosenblum
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Writers quit writing...new
writers skyrocket to sudden fame...
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mary rosenblum
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editors don't want a competing
publisher to be publishing that skyrocketing new writer...
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mary rosenblum
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and they don't want to be
caught with a dwindling pool of talent as the 'work horses' retire or do
other things or start sending in lousy stuff.
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mary rosenblum
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So they watch all you
newcomers far more closely than you might guess. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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By the time an editor sends
you an acceptance letter, if you have been sending stories to that mag...
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mary rosenblum
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that editor not only knows
your name but has been watching your improvement and waiting...
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mary rosenblum
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for that 'tipping point' when
he/she figures he/she had better snatch you up before some other editor
does.
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mary rosenblum
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Because we're all rather loyal
to the publisher who bought our first story. :-)
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tory
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Mary, does that same hold true
for novels? They know your name, watch and wait?
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mary rosenblum
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It's a bit harder to submit
frequently in the book business, tory. But yes, if an editor gets a book,
and actually takes it 'to conference' with the other editors...
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mary rosenblum
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and market people, and it gets
voted down, you'll get a rejection with usually a handwritten note from the
editor.
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mary rosenblum
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And that editor will remember
you if you submit a new book fairly soon. But in the short story
universe...
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mary rosenblum
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writers tend to have stuff on
editorial desks several times a year. Of they should!
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xana
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How can we learn which markets
are most open to new writers with no connections (daughter of the
publisher, etc.)?
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mary rosenblum
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They all are, xana.
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mary rosenblum
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No publisher can rely on
connections and keep his or her job.
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mary rosenblum
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Because sales of the magazine
suffer if readers stop buying.
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mary rosenblum
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Connections does not guarantee
talent.
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tory
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sounds like I should ask my
agent IF any of those rejections were handwritten!
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mary rosenblum
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Hmmm. Usually, agented ms get
a letter from the editor to the agent explaining why he/she didn't buy the
book tory.
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mary rosenblum
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Good agents don't normally get
'rejection slips'. They have some sort of working relationship with the
editors they submit to.
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xana
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A lot of buying is due to
marketing, not the quality of the book
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mary rosenblum
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It is, there's no getting
around the fact that you can find plenty of 'dreck' on the shelves...
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mary rosenblum
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and many writers quit the
business before they ever start selling because they find that so unfair.
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mary rosenblum
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Well it is unfair.
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mary rosenblum
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So?
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paminnapa
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would this be considered a good
rejection and would like to see more of my writing, "although we wont
be publishing this particular piece, we do thank you for sending "the
game" it was a good read. We arent able to give specific feedback but
please take a look at Editors imput for some ideas. Again we appreciate the
opportunity to read your work. This was from a high paying market.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, Pam, that's what I call
an encouraging rejection slip. Believe me, everybody has another one for
the people...
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mary rosenblum
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who simply send in work that
is not even close to the bar.
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mary rosenblum
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It is colder, suggests they're
really overwhelmed with submissions and maybe a writing course would
help...
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mary rosenblum
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something like that. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Now, I"m making a bit of
a generalization here...
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mary rosenblum
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but most publishers have a 'go
away' slip, a 'you're in the ball park keep trying'...
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mary rosenblum
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and the next step is a
personal scribble from the editor
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about getting better. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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spider
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Are there particular themes that
certain publishers look for, or is everything done at the whim of the
market?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh goodness, no, editors have
their own personal preferences, too.
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mary rosenblum
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They're human!
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mary rosenblum
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They're no more objective
about writing than we are.
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mary rosenblum
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They have to pay attention to
what their readers want or the readers stop subscribing and they lose their
job.
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mary rosenblum
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But they still tend to pick
stories that THEY like whenever they can.
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mary rosenblum
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THat's why it's worth reader a
few issues of any magazine...to find out what that editor seems to like.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about getting better. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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jackie7777
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I have had several pieces
rejected because it was very similar to what the pastor had preached about
or wrote about in the past. Should I consider that as a compliment? (I was
writing pieces for Christian magazines)
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mary rosenblum
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Sure. THat means they would
have seriously considered it but they already had something like it.
Hmmm...can you find out what that pastor plans to write about in the
future? :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I'm kidding...but that's a
common reason for rejection that has nothing to do with quality.
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xana
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I can see why a beginner would
have a much better chance publishing in a magazine than in the book market;
the mag publisher can sell the mag with one or two known writers
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mary rosenblum
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Well, yes and no.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, magazine editors (who
were often writers, too) do try to sneak new writers into issues with a
strong foundation of 'names'. Most editors I know really do try to help
beginners get in...when they can do so without compromising their own
reputations.
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mary rosenblum
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(You published THAT? I can't
believe it.... said by other editors at a con)
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janecj333
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It would be a great help to
those of us in the runners-up
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mary rosenblum
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What's that, Jane? I think I
got your question after the thread had moved on.
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janecj333
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list in the LR anthology to know
what your thoughts were
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mary rosenblum
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I did give oral reasons. :-)
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janecj333
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of theme, writing quality,
characters?
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mary rosenblum
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Oops sorry...your stuff is
coming through piecemeal.
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mary rosenblum
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No, I didn't want to do a
specific point by point critique of that.
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mary rosenblum
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You don't get that in the real
world. You do sometimes get the kind of comments that I maid in an
editorial introduction. :-)
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beryl
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I got one that said--no more
room in the anthology but thank you for submitting and I strongly urge you
to find a home for this :-)?
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mary rosenblum
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That's a positive note. :-) I
hope you do, Beryl.
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sol
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I like being reminded of
editors' humanity . . . Makes the "business" seem less
"monstrous"
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mary rosenblum
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That's a very good reason to
go to cons, sol. It wasn't until I started inflicting myself on editors and
writers at cons with my little ears wide open...
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mary rosenblum
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that I started to realize that
editors are mostly really nice people who were often writers, too, who CARE
about what they produce as much as we do...
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mary rosenblum
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and really would rather you
succeeded than failed. What a revelation!
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mary rosenblum
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Not that there aren't jerks
out there. :-) I sell to a few.
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libertybell
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So how did you progress past all
this? Simply perserverance with craft improvement and "don't give
up?"
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mary rosenblum
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Yep.
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mary rosenblum
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Did a lot of crying, swearing,
being depressed, being mad...and then I'd write something new.
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mary rosenblum
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Again. And again. And Again.
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mary rosenblum
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BUt...and this is what this
entire forum is really about...
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mary rosenblum
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I made myself get better.
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gail
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If one piece receives rejection
after rejection, at what point do you decide to A) shelve the piece, or, B)
rework it? Which "fix" will you normally choose and why?
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mary rosenblum
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I tended to shelve the piece.
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mary rosenblum
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Telling myself I'd rewrite it.
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mary rosenblum
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Usually, by the time I got
around to it, I had improved enough that I could see the major weaknesses
that had kept it from selling...
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mary rosenblum
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in the first place but not how
to fix 'em and didn't do anything...I was better off writing new and knew
it.
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mary rosenblum
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I could probably fix many of
those now.
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mary rosenblum
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One or two I might try.
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mary rosenblum
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I did fix one...the one that I
sold to the SciFiction. For a VERY nice price. :-) That was serendipity.
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sol
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That's the ticket. Keep on
keepin' on and allow yourself to go through the misery. Learning that it's
part of the parcel.
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mary rosenblum
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It is.
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mary rosenblum
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There is a real misconception
that writers are born...and what you write now is talent based...the best
you can do.
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mary rosenblum
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So if it doesn't sell now...it
won't sell later.
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mary rosenblum
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Bull honky.
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beryl
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Guess if it were easier the
whole world would be published
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mary rosenblum
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LOL the whole world IS getting
published now, beryl...with the lessening cost of Print on Demand
publishing. That's why you have houses like iUniverse Publish America and
all the new vanity presses.
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gail
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My concern with
"shelving" a piece is, what if I'm just sending it to the wrong
market? -- I'm still struggling to figure out how to identify appropriate
markets for my stories -- or whether the piece itself is the problem. Any
suggestions?
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mary rosenblum
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I wouldn't shelve a piece
until you have tried all possible markets forit.
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mary rosenblum
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That might be ten or eleven.
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mary rosenblum
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When I was just clawing my way
into the market, I started with a list of 5 - 7 markets that I thought a
story might fit.
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mary rosenblum
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Highest paying to lowest.
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mary rosenblum
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When one came back, I checked
off that market, and sent it out to the next.
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mary rosenblum
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When I ran out of market
ideas, I shelved it. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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Sometimes an anthology opened
up later or something and I sent it out again, often not.
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sol
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Sounds marvelous. I have yet to
locate cons in my area, but look forward to them
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mary rosenblum
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Try shawguides.com, sol.
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mary rosenblum
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They offer a pretty good list.
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aurora1
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The Willamette Conference is
coming up, is that a good one?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes, actually it is. For all
genres and screenwriting. They do an excellent job and I feel it's worth
the money.
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geezer
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How long did it take before you
were selling consistantly?
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mary rosenblum
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well, I sold my first story in
88 but it wasn't published until 90. That didn't give me a really big clip.
LOL Even tho I sold it to Asimov's. It was about three...
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mary rosenblum
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years before I was selling
more often than not...but I got really really strong critcal reviews of my
fiction and that...
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mary rosenblum
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made editors pay attention.
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mary rosenblum
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Do not underestimate reviews.
They can really propell you ahead in your career.
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mary rosenblum
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And this is another reason not
to be modest and start with tiny ezines. They don't get reviewed...
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mary rosenblum
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in places that the publishing
world reads.
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sol
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Yep. And I have several LR
assignments to re-tend to for this year's goal of submissions
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mary rosenblum
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That's good, sol. I really
should go back and look at my 'inventory'. I recovered it from an old
harddrive not too long ago...
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mary rosenblum
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and printed 'em out. They're
in a stack on my desk staring at me. LOL.
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mary rosenblum
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One of these days.
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mary rosenblum
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Most of them are probably
worthless, but I might find a nugget or two.
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lore alley
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Mary I'm having trouble with
motivation. I know I know - write! But can you give a few habits of highly
effective writers for me to hang on my 'puter monitor? :-D
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, lore, I can.
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mary rosenblum
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Do it anyway.
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mary rosenblum
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That is the ONE habit all
successful writers share because there are times when sitting at that
bloody keyboard and working on something ...
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mary rosenblum
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makes you want to throw up.
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beryl
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Another motivator I received:
Give yourself a chance
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diana
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A mistake is only a failure if
nothing is learned by it.
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mary rosenblum
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Those are both good. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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And realize you have to write
a LOT to break in .
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mary rosenblum
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You have to believe that every
story is the one to sell....
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mary rosenblum
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and you have to live with the
fact that many won't.. But do NOT think about that while you're writing.
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mary rosenblum
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THIS one is the Pulitzer
winner.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a kind of self induced
schizophrenia!
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lore alley
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throw up, huh? sounds like
morning sickness... now if only I knew that 9 months later something would
be there to prove the creative effort
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah, sometimes it's a long
pregnancy, sigh. But you get there.
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about getting better. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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libertybell
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I understand you've written 7
novels and 50 short stories; what % of your submissions has been accepted
and/or published?
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mary rosenblum
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Actually published eight
novels, liberty...I've written more than that...
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mary rosenblum
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Hmm.... a fairly high
percentage since I started to sell....
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mary rosenblum
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I'd say well over 80%.
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mary rosenblum
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But not NEARLY that when I was
trying to break in, LOL.
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mary rosenblum
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As I said, I broke into big
markets and I got picked out by critics for a lot of praise and won some
awards...
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mary rosenblum
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That gave me a fairly high
profile as a new writer.
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mary rosenblum
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But then...I'm a very self
critical writer...
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mary rosenblum
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and I have some very critical
readers...
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mary rosenblum
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and I don't tend to send work
out until I'm comfortable that they work.
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mary rosenblum
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I've got several stories from
the past year or so that don't work...
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mary rosenblum
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and until I figure out how to
make them work, they'll sit around with those really old stories...
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geezer
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?ask You can't fall off the
floor, but you can't reach the stars from there either.
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mary rosenblum
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That's a very good way of
putting it, geeze.
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gail
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I had a story accepted for an
e-zine anthology. That was two years ago. Still no word on the anthology's
progress or even IF it will be produced. I don't want to burn any bridges,
but I'd like to resubmit this story elsewhere. What should I do?
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mary rosenblum
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Sigh, ezines are often funded
by Visa or maybe life intervened. I'd send the editor an email and explain
that...
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mary rosenblum
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you're wondering about
progress, because if the anthology isn't going to fly, you'd like to
resubmit.
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mary rosenblum
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A good editor should have kept
you up to date on complications.
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mary rosenblum
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If you get no answer in a week
or two (in case she's on vacation)...
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mary rosenblum
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send an email formally
withdrawing the story and terminating the contract.
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mary rosenblum
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If you have the snail mail
addy, do so with a registered letter, just to make the legalities solid.
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libertybell
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How many hours a day do you put
into your actual writing craft, then in the beginning versus now?
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mary rosenblum
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Oh, gosh, liberty, I put in
many fewer hours now. :-) I have a much better grasp of what I am doing,
I"m not...
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mary rosenblum
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wasting nearly as much time in
revision, I can do a lot of writing in my head while doing other things.
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xana
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Can you give us five ways we can
improve our writing - how to avoid the mistakes almost everyone makes?
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geoff_m
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Is selling and friendlier
rejections the only measure of getting better? Are there less obvious
indications, like less bleeding from the forehead?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes let's talk about that
'getting better' things.
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mary rosenblum
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But I mean to post info's
question first:
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info
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people aren't born writers but
isn't it fair to say that some people can become writers by the life they
have lived in some cases?
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mary rosenblum
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Yes and no, info.
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mary rosenblum
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Someone who has lived like
Papa Hemmingway has a wealth of experince to use...but if he/she can't
write well..so what?
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mary rosenblum
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Someone who has always lived
in a tiny town doesn't have the experience..but...
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mary rosenblum
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if that person has gained a
deep insight into people and why they do things and can express it
powerfully...
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mary rosenblum
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she may write a best selling
character driven novel.
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mary rosenblum
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It's just not that simple.
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mary rosenblum
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Okay, let's talk about that
better thing.
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mary rosenblum
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When you start out writing,
you read stories, you know what is 'good' you think, I can do that, and you
do it.
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mary rosenblum
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What happens...to me, you,
everybody...is that before you understand the mechanics of prose...how
writers do what they do...
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mary rosenblum
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about all you 'see' in that
story is the plot and characters. And the story is cool...
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mary rosenblum
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and you write a similar story
in terms of plot and character.
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mary rosenblum
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What you do not realize is
that three quarters of the story you wrote is in your head.
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mary rosenblum
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Standing in that universe in
your head, your story IS as good as the one on the page.
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mary rosenblum
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BUT...what you forget is that
the reader does not share you mind...
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mary rosenblum
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so three quarters of the power
of that story is probably missing from the page those readers read.
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mary rosenblum
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So to them...the story is
weak, thin, lacking in character.
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mary rosenblum
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You just can't see how writers
get everything that is in their heads onto the page when you start out.
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mary rosenblum
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Nobody can.
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mary rosenblum
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That is what I spent most of
my time figureing out in my first years of serious writing.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm still figuring it out,
even though I'm a lot better at it than I was...
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mary rosenblum
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and I'm figuring out stuff at
a pretty subtle level at this point. :-) But I'm still working on it.
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mary rosenblum
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The writers who get better do
not write in a vacuum.
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mary rosenblum
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They give their work to other
writers, to critique groups.
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mary rosenblum
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They swallow the critiques and
they listen and consider honestly. Did this person say something that maybe
is right?
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mary rosenblum
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They read other writers.
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mary rosenblum
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Okay this works.
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mary rosenblum
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Why does it work and why did
my crit group tell me MY characterization was thin?
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mary rosenblum
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Pick apart the sentences.
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mary rosenblum
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What words did that author
use?
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mary rosenblum
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What adjectives?
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mary rosenblum
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Could that be it?
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mary rosenblum
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Hmmm...why is this description
vivid and my readers told me mine was boring?
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mary rosenblum
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What is different.
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mary rosenblum
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Analyze.
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mary rosenblum
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And most important.
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mary rosenblum
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Ruthlessly analyze your own
work.
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mary rosenblum
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Do not start with the premise
that 'this is perfect'.
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mary rosenblum
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Start with the premise of
'this could be better'.
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mary rosenblum
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It's a slow process.
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mary rosenblum
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You move forward in quantum
leaps as I called 'em.
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mary rosenblum
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My first 'quantum leap' was
limited third POV with a very tiny narrative distance.
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mary rosenblum
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When I finally 'got' that...I
started selling.
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mary rosenblum
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As I started to understand how
to make my readers know my characters without telling 'em...
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mary rosenblum
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I sold more often.
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libertybell
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narrative distance?
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mary rosenblum
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How far the reader stands from
the POV character.
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mary rosenblum
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If you look through the POV's
eyes...that's zero narrative distance.
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mary rosenblum
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If the reader sees the scene
from offstage somewhere...that's BIG narrative distance.
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libertybell
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back off omniscience? Use purist
POV?
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mary rosenblum
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Omnsicent POV is a weak POV in
all but very plot driven stories where the reader does not...
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mary rosenblum
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identify with any particular
character.
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mary rosenblum
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It works in literary fiction,
some horror stuff, but...
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mary rosenblum
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if your readers need to care
about hte characters, I wouldn't use it.
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mary rosenblum
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Give your stuff to other
people.
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mary rosenblum
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You'll learn who will give you
good feedback and who won't.
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mary rosenblum
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Keep giving your work to new
people...critique groups get stagnant without new blood and new
perspectives.
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mary rosenblum
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Analyze what you read.
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mary rosenblum
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Always.
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mary rosenblum
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I still do it.
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mary rosenblum
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When something really
transports me, I'll stop and pick it apart.
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mary rosenblum
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Why? What did the writer do
here to really lift this scene off the page?
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mary rosenblum
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And critique others work.
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mary rosenblum
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That will do more for YOU than
you will do for them, most likely. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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But don't rewrite other
peoples stories.
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mary rosenblum
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Ask yourself how you can make
THIS story better for them.
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mary rosenblum
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THat is much harder than
telling them to write a different story...
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mary rosenblum
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and as you learn to see the
weaknesses in others' work...you will...later on...be able...
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mary rosenblum
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to see the same weaknesses in
yours. But you will see it on others long before you'll see in in your own.
:-)
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mary rosenblum
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This is the Tuesday Forum with
me Mary Rosenblum LR Web Editor, fiction and nonfiction writer. We're
talking about getting better. If you're new here, remember that you need to
click on the Ask a Question button or the word bubble next to the red
question mark at the top of the screen, or use the ask a question icon in
order to ask a question. Your regular send bar won't reach me! You can also
type /ask in front of your question in your regular send bar to reach me.
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mary rosenblum
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Remember...the story you write
today is probably wonderful...if you could only let the reader share what
is in your head.
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mary rosenblum
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You just need to learn the
mechanics of how to put all that on the page, too.
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libertybell
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That's actually kind of
biblical. See the speck in another's eye, but can't see the log in your
own.
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mary rosenblum
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In the livestock world we call
it being 'barn blind'. :-)
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mary rosenblum
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I do a lot of workshops at
cons, where the participants crit each others work...
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mary rosenblum
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as well as us pros. And I
always smile. Never fails but people point out their own worst...
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mary rosenblum
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problems in everybody else's
work. LOL Never fails.
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sol
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This is a great time to hear
this, Mary. I'll be attending my first critique circle this weekend.
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mary rosenblum
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And not every critique is
accurate or appropriate. Consider them and if they just feel wrong...they
probably are.
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mary rosenblum
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I have never been in a writers
workshop where I didn't discard one person's comments...
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mary rosenblum
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I have one writer friend who
vets all my stuff on military verisimilitude and he's GREAT! And he
couldn't critique a story of mine...
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mary rosenblum
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to save his life. He just
cannot wrap his head around what I'm doing. :-) But I love him anyway,
LOL>
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gail
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My problem's the opposite...all
I see are my flaws...I edit and re-edit stories right out of existence
because of it!
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mary rosenblum
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But Gail, you're probably
seeing the same flaws, right down to the nit level.
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mary rosenblum
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You also need readers to tell
you 'that's fine'. So you can relax.
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beryl
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Is gail's question a good reason
to be selective about where we submit?
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mary rosenblum
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That was the one about the
ezine...sorry I took so long.
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mary rosenblum
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Yes and no.
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mary rosenblum
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New magazines and ezines start
up and they can take off.
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mary rosenblum
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Why not get in on the ground
floor?
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mary rosenblum
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But if they don't pan out,
they don't.
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paminnapa
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can you ever read a book anymore
without finding flaws and such, things you would change? Im having a hard
time with that now..seeing things that seem out of place
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mary rosenblum
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Oh rarely. Lordy, I'm a VERY
picky reader. I will not read poor craft. If I can...
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mary rosenblum
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figure out where the plot is
going 1/3 of the way in and it is...I'm outa here.
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mary rosenblum
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If the characters are
cardboard, I won't last two chapters or two pages in a short.
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mary rosenblum
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But when something transports
me, WOW! I'm thrilled!
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mary rosenblum
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And THEN I ask why. :-)
Afterward.
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xana
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i found a good critique group in
town by going to a book fair for local authors
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mary rosenblum
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Super, xana...that's a
marvelous way to do it.
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mary rosenblum
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Now let me throw in a caveat
on crit groups.
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mary rosenblum
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It has to be right for you.
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mary rosenblum
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If you go to one and afterward
you feel battered, as if everybody tore your work apart, like you don't
want to write...
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mary rosenblum
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don't go again.
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geezer
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Ahh, but if there is at wist at
the end, you miss it.
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mary rosenblum
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No I don't geeze. I look at
the end. If the end is NOT what I suspect...and recently I did this and
absolutely fell off my chair with delight!....
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mary rosenblum
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then I happily read the rest
of the way, so impressed with the writers very deft use of my expectations.
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mary rosenblum
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By the way...
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mary rosenblum
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speck is going to interview ME
this Thursday night...
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mary rosenblum
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I figured I should answer the
questions for once.
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mary rosenblum
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So bring any and all questions
about me, my career, my writing life, and what have you...
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mary rosenblum
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to the Thursday professional
connection.
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sol
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:-) It's so cool to say that
about myself . . . a writer.
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mary rosenblum
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Anybody who seriously puts
words on the page with the intention of getting them read by the public is
a writer.
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beryl
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The first group critiquing I got
left me battered and bruised, a couple of encouraging words put in. I gave
it some thought in ICU and told myself, "If this stops you...You
shouldn't be writing." I returned and they apologized. Doesn't always
work out this way, I know.
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mary rosenblum
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Well, good critiquing is an
art. Not realizing that a new writer is 'tender' can happen...
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mary rosenblum
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but some groups have a limited
'must be this way' attitude and that's pointless.
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mary rosenblum
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And some have a 'be nasty it
has to hurt attitude' and that's WRONG.
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mary rosenblum
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Okay, let's wrap up our Oregon
Hour here, and bring your questions to the Thursday Professional Connection
interview.
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mary rosenblum
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I'm looking forward to that.
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geezer
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Not all critique groups fit. I'm
a Christian writer and I got into a group with a porn writer!
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mary rosenblum
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Yeah...mixed genre groups can
work...but often others in your genre are a better bet.
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mary rosenblum
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See you all tomorrow for our
casual chat...and Thursday. It'll be fun.
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mary rosenblum
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I'll post the transcripts in
the usual place:
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mary rosenblum
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Writing Craft: Forum
Transcripts.
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