tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post6107402988550521671..comments2024-03-29T07:43:01.003+00:00Comments on Help! I Need a Publisher!: CONFLICTING ADVICENicola Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-86360874195970382722010-03-18T11:05:53.812+00:002010-03-18T11:05:53.812+00:00Jo - PREcisely! Behind every story of unexpected ...Jo - PREcisely! Behind every story of unexpected success is a hidden reason. The whole story is rarely told, because it spoils the "story". Sometimes a self-publishing succes, for example, is engineered through enormous financial investment and / or massaging of the figures. And often brashness way oversteps the mark, achieves apparent success but heralds plumetting failure later on. Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-60359565886349360872010-03-18T10:57:57.646+00:002010-03-18T10:57:57.646+00:00Quick update on that book that drove me mad for be...Quick update on that book that drove me mad for being published when I felt if failed on so many fronts. <br /><br />I've now heard from someone who has had personal, social, outside the writing/publishing world contact with the author. <br /><br />Apparently the author is a very pushy, brash, self publicist type who always manages to get their own way by not taking no for an answer. <br /><Jo Franklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11863749932391225653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-7305256177794711192010-03-18T09:36:49.774+00:002010-03-18T09:36:49.774+00:00Linda - "So many tales of overnight success g...Linda - "So many tales of overnight success give people the wrong idea. often when you look into it they have been either writing in another discipline - learning the craft - or they have become an overnight success after 20 years of trying! It makes for better media coverage that way" - hear hear!!!Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-35052097036297522852010-03-17T19:55:36.305+00:002010-03-17T19:55:36.305+00:00Great post. It is perfectly understandable that p...Great post. It is perfectly understandable that people are confused by all the advice out there because writing is not a 'nailed down - do it this way' kind of activity. <br /><br />When I start to think about what kind of thing to include in a writing workshop I am constantly refining it down to a particular focus because there is too much to cover and never enough time. So much of it Linda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-80615550291520126032010-03-17T16:30:27.528+00:002010-03-17T16:30:27.528+00:00Recently I received advice from an editor that sai...Recently I received advice from an editor that said after dialogue you only need one sentence of say, body language, that there is no need for anything else. Then I'm doing a course saying, power up that emotion, with examples of at least four sentences. <br /><br />It's all conflicting if you as me. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-74256956411281431102010-03-17T11:05:22.040+00:002010-03-17T11:05:22.040+00:00And I'm with you on the supreme negativity, Ni...And I'm with you on the supreme negativity, Nicoal. There's much starry-eyedness among would-be writers which needs dispelling with the chilly truth, if only to stop them racking up outrageous debts while writing their masterpiece on the assumption that if the advance alone won't pay them off, the film deal will. <br /><br />But there is a kind of learned helplessness among certain Emma Darwinhttp://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-68141618974787048532010-03-17T08:30:57.711+00:002010-03-17T08:30:57.711+00:00This is such a timely post - I've been getting...This is such a timely post - I've been getting a lot of conflicting advice recently about my kids novel. I agree with Vanessa that the different oppinions made me sit down and have a long hard think about the subject. The problem however arose when one of the critiquers was absolutely adamant that she was right telling me to send it back to her once I'd made the changes she told me to K M Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09801740095715755112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-80632855216336427272010-03-17T07:40:55.966+00:002010-03-17T07:40:55.966+00:00Jo F - sorry, forgot to answer your question about...Jo F - sorry, forgot to answer your question about what happened to the suggestions button. If you click on the "contact" button at the top of the page, there's an explanation of why that had to go - and also an alternative for you!<br /><br />Mindmap - I'm copying a whole para of your comment because it just about sums up the whole thing: <br />"It is a minefield out thereNicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-58951442580157932582010-03-17T02:38:23.660+00:002010-03-17T02:38:23.660+00:00Hmm. Interesting blog Nicola.
It is a minefield o...Hmm. Interesting blog Nicola.<br /><br />It is a minefield out there for the new writer and there is such a thing as too much information. However, I believe a great deal depends on whether the individual has an open, creative and curious mind with a healthy dose of common sense. Praise by close family and spouse should be taken with a pinch of salt. However, encouragement by published authorsCC MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09903422375744085705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-69377019369656530882010-03-16T20:25:00.935+00:002010-03-16T20:25:00.935+00:00Re: the question of whether lecturers on MAs shoul...Re: the question of whether lecturers on MAs should be published, I think Nicola's central point is right, that MAs are not, and should not be primarily concerned with getting published: they're a Masters in an academic subject, Creative Writing, which is a practice-led discpline which studies the work in progress by a twin track of doing creative work, and studying the creative process. Emma Darwinhttp://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-69043542942177264852010-03-16T18:50:46.157+00:002010-03-16T18:50:46.157+00:00Please continue to excuse typos - can't face c...Please continue to excuse typos - can't face checking!<br /><br />Anonymous - ah. Actually, I happen to believe (intuitively rather than logically) that it is possible for an unpublished writer to be a very good teacher of writing. After all, that unpublished writing teacher may never have tried to be published and may simply love the art and to teach the art. A Creative Writing MA is about Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-20339010525973475062010-03-16T18:39:15.436+00:002010-03-16T18:39:15.436+00:00Please excuse typos - am dizzy with tiredness
Str...Please excuse typos - am dizzy with tiredness<br /><br />Stroppy - I quite agree that not every unpublished author knows what they're talking about. But this all comes down to each of us having to make an intelligent judgement as to whose advice might be relevant, and weighing it against someone else's advice. ALSO, if you wanted to give advice, you certainly know a LOT about what you'Nicola Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189894289540344094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-11430473417496444012010-03-16T18:14:51.314+00:002010-03-16T18:14:51.314+00:00I'm a newbie writer and blogger, who's bee...I'm a newbie writer and blogger, who's been a bit daunted by the plethora of advice that's available on the internet. I'm starting to realise that this blog is helping me to sort out some of the wheat from the chaff, so thank you for your generous help.<br /><br />I strongly suspect that an article about apostrophes would help many of us. I believe I know how to use them correctlyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-32252327274897669432010-03-16T17:53:07.481+00:002010-03-16T17:53:07.481+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.David John Griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01524610087056533062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-50275876591931170542010-03-16T17:52:18.729+00:002010-03-16T17:52:18.729+00:00So right that writing is an art (as well as a craf...So right that writing is an art (as well as a craft). Although there are some companies who try to make it a science, selling seminars or modules, or whatever they are called, for exorbitant prices, all over $200 each, including even "How to write the perfect pitch" (over $300 for that one, I think). Makes me very annoyed that some people succumb to this, believing that their writing David John Griffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01524610087056533062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-19556254170320794522010-03-16T17:33:28.315+00:002010-03-16T17:33:28.315+00:00Well, on Creative Writing MAs, far too many of the...Well, on Creative Writing MAs, far too many of them seem to give more weight to academic teaching experience than to publishing experience. They seem intent on turning out, rather than novelists, people who go on to teach on Creative Writing MAs.Daniel Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07487799866651688342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-14362197735736039222010-03-16T16:54:05.023+00:002010-03-16T16:54:05.023+00:00But what if you have supreme alcohol and and a pro...But what if you have supreme alcohol and and a problem arrogance? I think feedback (as opposed to advice) from other unpublished writers can still be useful if it's objective and can be backed up with examples. Anyhow, loving the blog and comments.DThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11803989273524731892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-22054307711413892682010-03-16T16:47:11.403+00:002010-03-16T16:47:11.403+00:00"some advice is rubbish. Generally, it’s best..."some advice is rubbish. Generally, it’s best to avoid taking too much notice of advice from people who have done nothing to prove that they know anything relevant. For example, an unpublished writer who has never worked in any relevant bit of publishing may be very well-meaning and intelligent but is not necessarily a reliable person to give you advice about anything other than how to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-49680996194791961012010-03-16T15:31:33.774+00:002010-03-16T15:31:33.774+00:00I posted something in regards to conflicting advic...I posted something in regards to conflicting advice on my blog today too. Must be the weather. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one in the same quandry of who to listen to.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13267066733031149882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-9418864672892113422010-03-16T15:05:05.657+00:002010-03-16T15:05:05.657+00:00It also depends on the advice.
As a rookie &...It also depends on the advice. <br /><br />As a rookie & unpublished, I map out more or less my experience and generalize a few points without stating them as rules. My advice is more or less directed to people, who hope to be published and attempt their first tries. <br /><br />Also conflicting advice is best and as you said depending on the book entirely. It is a neat trick to learn, where Harry Markovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09140305922494369576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-55141661652675162342010-03-16T13:04:07.239+00:002010-03-16T13:04:07.239+00:00Good advice :)
It's always good to know and t...Good advice :)<br /><br />It's always good to know and trust your source!Jemi Fraserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02214408467456320167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-57009450492959972112010-03-16T12:46:39.449+00:002010-03-16T12:46:39.449+00:00Writing is an art, not an exact science: hear hear...Writing is an art, not an exact science: hear hear!! And publishing is a business. So it boils down to the money, and that's rule #1-- will this make money? Or do we think this will make money? And editors are people immersed in both the art of it and the business end of it, so editors probably come across as the most conflicted bunch of the entire group.Karen Jones Gowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01153821980625034810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-37555030699964159422010-03-16T12:44:39.553+00:002010-03-16T12:44:39.553+00:00And anyone from the above list who has developed e...<i>And anyone from the above list who has developed either supreme arrogance, horrible negativity or an alcohol problem. Some of them may be lovely people and well-meaning, but their advice is not reliable...</i><br /><br />That made me laugh. I'm sure I don't have an alcohol problem...Go away googlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00920753582190379988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-81065457228208511242010-03-16T12:37:06.238+00:002010-03-16T12:37:06.238+00:00Talking of conflicting advice, what happened to th...Talking of conflicting advice, what happened to that little button we could press to give you suggestions for future blog posts, Nicola?<br /><br />There is so much conflicting advice out there. But I do find if you read enough of it, then the common themes become ingrained in your brain. Then it's down to you to interpret it to ensure that the writing is fab and that your submission package Jo Franklinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11863749932391225653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2488887316391780144.post-38978216056070941692010-03-16T11:12:54.394+00:002010-03-16T11:12:54.394+00:00Hmm, this is the sort of thing that makes me wonde...Hmm, this is the sort of thing that makes me wonder about the use of workshop groups, eg. in my professional writing course.<br /><br />We read each other's work, and give feedback, but none of us is published. So how useful is this feedback?<br /><br />Sorry, that might be off topic - are you talking more about conflicting advice on how to get published, not how to improve your writing?SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15847565982538951065noreply@blogger.com