A little advice for those of you who write as well as read: any kind of writing is a case of pitching and catching. The pitching is when you put the words on a page; the catching is when somebody reads them. And, in between, things can happen.
When you put the words down, you do so with a certain context in mind. When the reader picks them up, a whole different context comes into play. So what you said may not be what the reader reads.
This observation stems from a blogged review of The Damned Busters. The blogger read a couple of chapters then decided she (the blogger's gender is an assumption-from-context on my part) knew where it was going and didn't bother to read the rest, but skipped forward to find a few words that confirmed her prejudices.
What can you do when someone trashes your book without reading it? Nothing. And it's not just unprofessional bloggers who do this sort of thing. My second novel was professionally reviewed (and positively) in the Toronto Globe and Mail by a critic who obviously read the first chapter and the last few pages.
Again, what can an author do? Nothing, except keep on pitching
Matt, I’m interested in what you have to say about “beginning sentences” and “first paragraphs.” Are there subtle differences between a short story and a book?
ReplyDeletePopular consensus is that you need some sort of action or spark that will catch an editor’s eye. I’d like to hear you take on that.
Imagine you're an editor, reading opening after opening of artfully crafted first sentences and paragraphs intended to catch the eye, but followed by page after page of the same old stuff.
ReplyDeleteA brilliant opening sentence/para will not sell a story that fails to deliver on the promise. A well crafted story with a limp opening sentence will sell, but the writer will receive a note suggesting an improved beginning.
What counts is character, plot and story that, individually and collectively, hook-- and hold -- a reader's interest. My advice is not to worry about snappy tricks and catchy lines. Concentrate on doing the whole thing right.
Subtle differences between books and short stories? The main difference is that in a book, you have room to fill in the space that surrounds the story; in a short, you narrow the focus down to the essentials. Everything else follows from there.
Thanks Matt.
ReplyDeleteAnother question: when you started out writing, was it with short stories or did you jump directly into books?
Either way, what was your hit and miss rate with publishers? Or did you have an agent to represent you?
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I started out writing novels, and only began writing shorts in order to raise my profile and increase book sales.
ReplyDeleteMy experience has been unusual. I've never yet had an agent pitch a book for me and receive an offer. I've had agents pitch and not succeed, and I've had them make deals after I've secured the offer. I've done most of the deals myself, though I probably could have done better if I'd had an agent. My agent is now pitching an on-spec thriller that would be the opener for a series, and I'm hoping that this time the curse will be broken.
Most of the novels I've written were sold on the basis of a pitch, though the first two were written on spec. In the mid-nineties I wrote two suspense novels that never sold, and which I plan to bring out myself as ebooks this year. They're good books, but they were bobbled by the agent who was handling them -- she had a family disaster and lost all interest in her work for several weeks -- but no agent will look at a book that's been out with another agent and hasn't sold.
I've sold virtually every short story I've written. There was a little crime short that I only sent out once (I'm not satisfied with it), and there was a fantasy piece called "So Loved" that ran in Postscripts last year that I had to rewrite substantially after it bounced off a couple of editors. Otherwise, I sell what I write.
Further to the above, here's a link to a piece that blogger Matthew Cheney asked me to write some years ago, telling the whole gruesome tale of my early years as a fictioneer:
ReplyDeletehttp://mumpsimus.blogspot.com/2005/04/notes-from-writer-matt-hughes.html
Wow. Those are good odds.
ReplyDeleteAnd an interesting article.
Do you self edit your stuff or do you have some other person go over your work before you send it off?
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I'm an editor as well as an author, so I produce pretty clean mss.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that by self-editing you affect your objectivity?
ReplyDeleteBy this I mean, “Is this story good or is this story bad?” Naturally, you would have your own personal bias (and “good” and “bad” are subjective). And so, is there a way to see your work as others might?
I must be pretty good at judging my own case, because I've sold almost everything I've written and I've never been heavily edited.
ReplyDeleteMy weakness is that I'm a minimalist, which means that sometimes I expect the reader to do too much catching. But I'm aware of that and try to compensate. So far, I've been generally successful at redressing the balance, although in the on-spec thriller I finished this spring, I was grateful to my agent for pointing out that I hadn't made the character's personality and motivations warm enough for a reader to empathize with his situation.
Matt, thanks for your time. Though you did not say it I think it’s articulated clearly. You have “confidence” in your writing. Perhaps that is the key.
ReplyDeleteIn case you’re wondering: I asked these questions hoping to get some insight into manuscript submissions for “Asimov’s,” “Analog,” and “F&SF.”
Over the last six months I have fired off eight submissions to these “big three” without even a nod that I am driving in the right direction. I’m mature enough to realize that it’s not “them,” per se, but rather, probably a combination of common writing errors made by me. In time, I tell myself, I will work my way through them. All the same, my rejections do make me wonder if I’m setting my target to high.
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I occasionally critique for a fee. If you're interested, send me an email.
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt. I’ll see how the rest of the year shapes up and I’ll you know.
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