You know, someone has to die . . . when swords are involved. at Brenda Drake Writes . . .
Matching Books to Readers by Chris Dolley at Book View Cafe
You and the beginnings of your manuscript are standing in Grand Central by Getting Past the Gatekeeper
From another post by Getting Past the Gatekeeper (in the middle of an unflatterering review: PPW)
I confess we change our reading styles a bit--that is, the slush pile trains us. We read more for rhythm, word choice, energy, tone, feeling, voice, unusual sentence construction (you've no idea how many writers pick one simple sentence and repeat it. And repeat it. And repeat it), and not quite so much for comprehension. I've certainly lost details of how things happen or why--even in manuscripts I've liked very much. Why? Because my focus is elsewhere. I'll pick up, of course, on things the average reader would get--but I'm not circling motifs, tracking coincidences, or going beyond the text, as I would with a work I was reading purely for me.
I really enjoy Getting Past The Gatekeeper. Many thanks, Deb!
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Oh my gosh, as always Deb thanks for the links. And love, loved this line from Getting Past the Gatekeeper:
ReplyDeleteWhat will you get you a rejection, however, is prose that's afraid of itself.
Gave me tingles it did.
Hi Angela! I'm glad you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteHey, Deb, that's why I love agent blogs. I learn a lot from their thoughts. Now I just hope I learn how to use them to improve my writing.
Never be afraid! Of your writing, at least. ;-)