The great American novel: a thing of the past? Aspiring writers please read.

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Wednesday, January 8, 2025 02:53
VIEWED: 2613
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DREAMTROVE

Thursday, January 26, 2006 4:11 AM

I had another thought. The loss of the community store is partly to blame. A shop with a sit down place is a dying breed, replaced by megaplex walmart insanity and digital download. The lack of the common sit and read, sit and talk about what you read, etc., has caused some of this. Maybe. Just a thought.

QUEENOFTHENORTH

Thursday, January 26, 2006 3:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kpo:
Quote:
Anyways, so I sent sample chapters and what have you to these hundred or so people.

Wow, did you email it to all those people? Otherwise it sounds like a hell of a lot in printing/binding costs.

How's it selling anyhow? I imagine it's difficult when you have to promote it yourself.

Self publishing at 21? How 'bout that. I take my hat off to you.

Yeah, I emailed to all those people. Some won't even take regular mail anymore because it's so slow. The selling's starting to pick up a bit. I'm starting to get a buzz going around this area. And thanks.

But there wasn't much else I could do. I've got this nagging voice in my head that's like, "you must do something with your life."

"I'm having one of those things - a headache with pictures."

"Of course I'm right. And if I'm not, may we all be horribly crushed from above somehow."

Like books? Go to this thread: http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=14862
to find out how to buy mine!

KPO

Friday, January 27, 2006 1:37 AM

Quote:
I've got this nagging voice in my head that's like, "you must do something with your life."

I have this as well. Two voices in fact. My parents work as a team in this respect.

Nah they're quite subtle to be fair. Conveying everything they need to with well timed grumbles and frowns.

There isn't much faith in the whole writing plan but I think I can do it - although as this thread shows, it won't be easy.

Regarding your manuscript submission; I don't know what it's like in the Americas but I do know that email submissions are not much appreciated in agencies/publishing houses over here. Unless the company openly says on its website or whatever that it accepts work by email, I'm pretty sure most are instantly deleted. Which could explain why you only got a couple of responses out of a 100 or so.

A good procedure that I've gleaned (and if you try again with another novel you may want to use for yourself) is to send out a wide 'net' in the form of a 100 query letters to all the potential publishers/agents, which tells them a bit about yourself and the novel and asks if they are interested. Almost all will reply, most will reject, but a small but significant portion of them will ask for a submission of some kind, giving their own guidelines as to what and how (almost always they want a hard copy).

I recommend acquiring some kind of handbook for this process - I've found the 'Writers & Artists handbook' to be useful, and there's a copy in my local library.

Lots of good advice on lots of other aspects of making your way as a writer. Because as we've agreed - it's difficult.

Good luck with it all Queenie, anyway.

CHRISISALL

Friday, January 27, 2006 4:15 AM

I hope I haven't taken away hope from any who wish to get published; I started this thread to make people aware of how steep the mountain is, so they can be prepared.
Keep at it, that's mostly it.
I have a friend who used to make silly super-8 movies with me, mostly fighting/sci-fi stuff, and by hammering away in Hollywood, eventually landed a long-term job getting his ass kicked on a regular basis by Sarah Michelle Geller.
It can be done, but it's not quick and easy- that's the dark side.
And be creative about presenting yourself and your work, it's in a very real sense, an advertising thing.

For what it's worth...

2 cent Chrisisall

USUALLYCONTENT

Saturday, January 28, 2006 1:20 AM

A literary Earth that was! Yup, sounds about right. The dumbing down of everything seems to be marching us all to oblivion as surely as Lemmings go to the sea. A show where action had both cause and effect, right and wrong were often circumstantial and subjective, characterization and smart dialouge took actual attention and were central to the story rather than incidental to the next action sequence, seems unlikely to stand much chance due to when and where it aired. I Think BSG, and a few other exceptions, show that the climate may have changed. Smart, inticate, charecter driven, shows seem much more in demand now. Even those usally satisfied with the usual "short attention span theatre" offerings of "reality t.v." are finding more and more mindless. As major netwprks have to vie, more and more, with other venues and media (tivo, cable, podcasts, computer, etc. ) they seem both frantic and very unadventureous. The very things that made the media free are now the things that most find the least satisfactory. This would be the need to brodcast to the lowest common denominator and to sell airtime via commercials. I can put up with commercials but find it more and more difficult to try to sit through today's equivilant of "Car 54" and "Gilligan's Island".

JAYNEZTOWN

Wednesday, January 8, 2025 2:53 AM

they gave it to Bob Dylan to try keep it American, maybe next they had the idea of yo yo muddafukka rappers...but then thought hell no!

Han Kang receives Nobel Prize in literature in Stockholm

https://www.chosun.com/english/people-en/2024/12/11/65WIVULLMJGIJCQZHE
4Z2IPMVY/

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