As a writer how many times have you been told:
“Your story didn’t pull me in.”
Or,
“I didn’t feel connected to the main character.”
Or (the worst),
“It’s just not for us.”
What does that mean?!
It feels like a cryptic message that I am supposed to decode and I don't have the decoder ring.
I'm sorry, I know that this is taboo (writers criticizing other writer's work) but I have read the most horrible short stories recently and I am frustrated. Not only that, but books are equally frustrating to read lately.I'm not sure what is going on out there in the publishing world but I have found many type O's in books published by the major publishing giants. And, I've read books that defy all the "rules" that I am trying so desperately to follow.
Back in the spring, I had an agent slam me because I used the word "anyways". She went on and on about how that word is not something a "real" writer would use because a "real" writer knows that anyways isn't a "real" word. Funny, because the very next week, I read a novel by a very well-known and
successful writer that had the word "anyways" peppered throughout it! Every time I saw the word, I wanted to copy the pages and send them to the agent that
berated me.
Recently, I have read shorts that are so bloody awful and yet are in print while mine are being constantly rejected. Some of these "stories"aren’t stories at all but musings. Here I am trying so hard to flush out my plots and develop my characters and someone writes an entire piece on things that are lost, in a list form and calls that a "story." WORSE….someone published it! It “drew” someone in! I just don't get it.
I know, I sound bitter and jaded. I suppose I am but most of all I’m frustrated because all of these damn rules have killed my mojo. I am so stressed out that I can’t even write anymore. Let alone the fact that reading has also become stressful because I am too busy finding the mistakes.
I need to get my mojo back. And, my love of reading.
I understand that an editor or an agent has to “connect“with something if they are going to represent it but when rejecting a writer because of that lack of connection it would be helpful if the writer knew why. Heck, it would help if you knew why. You (agent/editor) aren’t connecting with a story because the writer (me) didn’t set up the plot correctly.
If an agent or an editor simply said, your plot is non-existent or even, your plot needs work it would be so helpful!
You could say something like: "Hey writer person. Your story stinks because your plot stinks! Do you even have a plot? Can you list your plot elements?"
We writers can work with that!
I think plot is theme’s evil step-brother that no one likes to talk about. Why is everyone so afraid to talk about PLOT? I think it's because even agents and editor's don't really understand plot either.
I've read all sorts of books, articles, and blogs about plot and I find it about as easy to grasp as calculus. Then, I had a revelation. When I was in college and taking calculus for the, ahem, second time everything finally clicked and I got an A in the class. What happened was I stopped trying to understand it. When I stopped applying logic to the problem and just "solved" the problem suddenly the world became clear. I simply used the formula and ultimately got the answers right.
I'm hoping that I can apply this to my writing and my understanding of plot. I have a long, hard road ahead of me but knowing that plot is my problem is something I can fix.
Anyways (see what I did there?)…..I will be spending my Thanksgiving break thinking about plot and how I can better develop some of my stories.
Wish me luck!
“Your story didn’t pull me in.”
Or,
“I didn’t feel connected to the main character.”
Or (the worst),
“It’s just not for us.”
What does that mean?!
It feels like a cryptic message that I am supposed to decode and I don't have the decoder ring.
I'm sorry, I know that this is taboo (writers criticizing other writer's work) but I have read the most horrible short stories recently and I am frustrated. Not only that, but books are equally frustrating to read lately.I'm not sure what is going on out there in the publishing world but I have found many type O's in books published by the major publishing giants. And, I've read books that defy all the "rules" that I am trying so desperately to follow.
Back in the spring, I had an agent slam me because I used the word "anyways". She went on and on about how that word is not something a "real" writer would use because a "real" writer knows that anyways isn't a "real" word. Funny, because the very next week, I read a novel by a very well-known and
successful writer that had the word "anyways" peppered throughout it! Every time I saw the word, I wanted to copy the pages and send them to the agent that
berated me.
Recently, I have read shorts that are so bloody awful and yet are in print while mine are being constantly rejected. Some of these "stories"aren’t stories at all but musings. Here I am trying so hard to flush out my plots and develop my characters and someone writes an entire piece on things that are lost, in a list form and calls that a "story." WORSE….someone published it! It “drew” someone in! I just don't get it.
I know, I sound bitter and jaded. I suppose I am but most of all I’m frustrated because all of these damn rules have killed my mojo. I am so stressed out that I can’t even write anymore. Let alone the fact that reading has also become stressful because I am too busy finding the mistakes.
I need to get my mojo back. And, my love of reading.
I understand that an editor or an agent has to “connect“with something if they are going to represent it but when rejecting a writer because of that lack of connection it would be helpful if the writer knew why. Heck, it would help if you knew why. You (agent/editor) aren’t connecting with a story because the writer (me) didn’t set up the plot correctly.
If an agent or an editor simply said, your plot is non-existent or even, your plot needs work it would be so helpful!
You could say something like: "Hey writer person. Your story stinks because your plot stinks! Do you even have a plot? Can you list your plot elements?"
We writers can work with that!
I think plot is theme’s evil step-brother that no one likes to talk about. Why is everyone so afraid to talk about PLOT? I think it's because even agents and editor's don't really understand plot either.
I've read all sorts of books, articles, and blogs about plot and I find it about as easy to grasp as calculus. Then, I had a revelation. When I was in college and taking calculus for the, ahem, second time everything finally clicked and I got an A in the class. What happened was I stopped trying to understand it. When I stopped applying logic to the problem and just "solved" the problem suddenly the world became clear. I simply used the formula and ultimately got the answers right.
I'm hoping that I can apply this to my writing and my understanding of plot. I have a long, hard road ahead of me but knowing that plot is my problem is something I can fix.
Anyways (see what I did there?)…..I will be spending my Thanksgiving break thinking about plot and how I can better develop some of my stories.
Wish me luck!
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