They say writing is re-writing. Which is, by the way, completely true. Most of a writer's life is spent re-writing, and the actual writing part usually only takes place during the first draft and outline stages of a book. The rest of your time is spent trying to figure out how to rewrite the first draft (and second, and third) to make it the best it can be, and then changing it to suit what your "people" (ie. agents, editors, etc.) think will make it better. It's all good! In my opinion, if you have the right people, your work, will indeed, improve with all this re-writing.
I don't dislike re-writing - in fact, I rather enjoy it, but there comes a certain point when you become so used to reading your work a particular way, that when notes and critiques are given, the necessary changes may be hard to see.
Being objective about my work has ALWAYS been the hard part for me, because I understand perfectly well WHY the characters reacted the way they did, or WHY the plot twists that certain direction. It makes perfect sense to me! So, when I get a note that would change one of these choices that I have purposefully made, I can see why some writers may resist.
An agent recently told me that after reading some writers work, and the agent sends a critique of said work, explaining either why she didn't like it, or why she did, and what could make it better, that the writers become quite defensive and resistant and sometimes, outright hostile in the face of criticism.
Here's my open letter to them:
DUDE! If you think it's hard getting a critique from an agent or an editor, a human being who actually reads and sells and critiques books for a living, try reading some of the critiques from people who don't do that for a living, (ie. GoodReads.com) and THEN tell me what the agent or editor said is not valid. They are only trying to HELP you! If you don't listen, your book will either a) never get represented, b) never get sold to a publisher, c) get really really bad reviews, d) won't sell. This is the harsh truth, Mr. and Ms. Writer. You have to listen to the "people" trying to help you...And why? Because you are not objective about your own work. It's a fact! So listen to the smart people, take their advice, and be thankful, and gracious, and shut up and smile.
The End.
I just don't get people sometimes...
I don't dislike re-writing - in fact, I rather enjoy it, but there comes a certain point when you become so used to reading your work a particular way, that when notes and critiques are given, the necessary changes may be hard to see.
Being objective about my work has ALWAYS been the hard part for me, because I understand perfectly well WHY the characters reacted the way they did, or WHY the plot twists that certain direction. It makes perfect sense to me! So, when I get a note that would change one of these choices that I have purposefully made, I can see why some writers may resist.
An agent recently told me that after reading some writers work, and the agent sends a critique of said work, explaining either why she didn't like it, or why she did, and what could make it better, that the writers become quite defensive and resistant and sometimes, outright hostile in the face of criticism.
Here's my open letter to them:
DUDE! If you think it's hard getting a critique from an agent or an editor, a human being who actually reads and sells and critiques books for a living, try reading some of the critiques from people who don't do that for a living, (ie. GoodReads.com) and THEN tell me what the agent or editor said is not valid. They are only trying to HELP you! If you don't listen, your book will either a) never get represented, b) never get sold to a publisher, c) get really really bad reviews, d) won't sell. This is the harsh truth, Mr. and Ms. Writer. You have to listen to the "people" trying to help you...And why? Because you are not objective about your own work. It's a fact! So listen to the smart people, take their advice, and be thankful, and gracious, and shut up and smile.
The End.
I just don't get people sometimes...
I partially agree. I think you need to LISTEN to professional notes, but you shouldn't just blindly follow all of them. In the screenwriting world, producers and executives often want to put their "fingerprint" on a project, whether or not it's good for the project or not. Agent or manager notes are usually less selfish because they are doing what THEY feel is best to sell the project. But again, they are not always right. It's up to the writer to listen carefully and figure out which notes are really beneficial or not. For a young writer it's harder to differentiate. And green writers, like you point out, get defensive when criticized. And that's definitely a fatal flaw. But again, I don't think they should listen to ALL notes. For a seasoned writer they should be able to filter the notes. But I think the most important notes to pay attention to are the ones that are the same from multiple sources. If two publishers give you the same note, that is definitely a note to pay attention to. But two different publishers may give you two notes that are polar opposites because they have separate agendas. So I think it's a tough call. I personally listen to 85% of the notes my manager gives me. I think that's an awful lot, but I trust his judgement and he's proven to me that he knows what he's talking about. But I also trust my judgement and that's why that number isn't 100%. Anyway, that's my two cents.
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify, I don't think you should blindly follow ANY professional advice. I'm assuming that the advice given is GOOD. There have been plenty of notes I've gotten from lit agents and other writers that I absolutely disagreed with, or simply didn't work, but I've also gotten notes that are constructive, well thought out notes, that, when I am objective, can only serve to improve the work. If you don't trust your agent's, or manager's notes as a whole, then no, don't follow blindly. Like, 'this is a great concept but I want you to rewrite the whole thing changing this key plot point or element,' and then when you say yes, you realize it's a totally and completely different story than the one you were trying to tell. No. Don't go there. If, however, the notes point to elements that were either not in the work to begin with (like, add this, and it needs more of that), or if the characters need more development, or the plot loses its way at some point and you need to bring it back - those are what I would call GOOD notes, and those notes, writers need to listen to. Yes, filter the notes, but I would also hope that you only take notes from those whom you respect and trust on the whole. Two more cents. :)
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