Comments on: Writers Face Off on 13 Hot Topics

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 31 May 2010 00:55:00 +0000

On #6 I am just now swinging, like a large and heavy gate, over to plotting. That leads me to #9, in which I started to just capture an imaginative turn of phrase that wafted through my head this evening and found myself fully 800+ words into a file called “Scenes-OneLiners”. The one-liners (“You used to be an Irishman. What happened?”) and scenes (2 Civil War soldiers decide to go over the hill) all fit into the plotted outline … so they properly count toward today’s word count.
As far as e-readers go? There are quite a few more than listed above … so I don’t see the field as being an ‘either / or’ proposition. I’m fine with selling to them, but I doubt if I’ll ever actually buy one.

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:25:33 +0000

1. Depends on where I see it. I don’t mind any of the terms in many things I read & write, though I tend more towards using “they”. It’s just stories where I hate to see anything other than “he” or “she” – as Jens said, I don’t see much excuse for not knowing.
2. I read & write children’s books.
3. If I had to choose – print. Don’t completely trust where ebooks are going just yet – and this whole Amazon/Macmillan mess is not helping.
4. iPad! I’m looking forward to trying out ereading with that. I read somewhere that the whole notion of backlighting causing eye strain is a myth — like Christopher was saying, any kind of reading can cause it. I find that the surrounding light in my room will make more of a difference to me.
5. Think I’d remain unpublished. For me, the point is that I’ll NEVER know if I’m good enough to be published until I’m published. Self-publishing, even if it sells some, will not change that opinion of my work.
6. I do need some sort of outline to write. It’s very general, and I’m not afraid to change it if needed.
7. Definitely best POV depends on the story you’re trying to tell.
8. I think it’s better to spit out the first draft, fast. But I self-edit. I think it’s a curse.
9. I do not force myself to write. I know I should, & I expect that will get easier when my youngest is off to school.
10. I actually don’t mind prologues at all. But I would definitely avoid using one myself!
11. I will purchase a much-anticipated book – NOT at Amazon, but I’d try to buy local! I use the library a lot, but the wait list is usually too long for me with new, buzz-worthy books.
12. NO rhetorical questions! I typically like to answer “no” to those myself!
13. Depends on the project. Picture books are going direct. Others, I will try to seek an agent.

Thanks, Suzannah!

By: Jens Altmann

Jens Altmann — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:05:40 +0000

Agents don’t charge fees. The only money they get from you is the commission from what they earn for you.

An agent who charges fees is a scammer.

By: suzannah

suzannah — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:14:46 +0000

Agents shouldn't charge anything at all for reading your query, partials, or full manuscript. You shouldn't pay anything at all, in fact, unless they manage to sell your book. Then, and only then, do they charge a commission. So, my thoughts are that agents are the way to go. Like you say, they can negotiate far better deals than we could for ourselves. Thanks! .-= Read suzannah´s last article ..Writers Face Off on 13 Hot Topics =-.

By: suzannah

suzannah — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:11:30 +0000

Thanks for weighing in. For #11, I used to buy anything I wanted, too. That was, until I got married, had children, and didn’t have money anymore Now I use the library whenever possible. I do buy the ones I know I’ll want to read again and again, though.
.-= Read suzannah´s last article ..Writers Face Off on 13 Hot Topics =-.

By: BenzuJK

BenzuJK — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:58:28 +0000

1. (S)he, S/he, Him/Her vs. They, Them.
–> They

2. Literary vs. Genre. Which style of writing are you committing your life to–literary or genre–and why? Which do you prefer to read?
–> Genre, coz it is more expressive and expresses emotions better

3. Print books vs. E-books. Will E-books take over print books, or will they continue to be secondary? If you could only choose one format, which would get your vote?
–> Love to hold paper in hand. So, Print Books.

4. Kindle vs. iPad. Devoted reading device, or multi-functionality? With all the recent hype over the iPad, do you think you’ll be converted?
–> Thats easy… Kindle is so 2009… Its the age of iPad now…

5. Self-Publish vs. Remain Unpublished.
–> IMO, it would be almost impossible to get good sales if you self-publish instead of using the distribution network of a large publisher. So, I am unsire

6. Plotting vs. Pantsing.
–> pantsing

7. First-Person vs. Third-Person. Which point of view is more effective–first-person, or third-person? Does one POV work better for certain types of writing than for others?
–> First person is easier. I would prefer it over third person writing style.

8. Self-Edit vs. First Draft.
–> First Draft. Always take your own time to perfect the post before publishing.

9. Routine vs. Random Creativity.
–> I tried to routine my writing, but didn’t succeed. So I guess I’ll stick to Random Creativity

10. Prologue vs. No Prologue.
–>I guess Prologue’s are a norm. Everyone writes a prologue…

11. Library vs. Amazon.
–> I like to purchase books for my collection (even though I might not read them all)

12. Rhetorical questions vs. Not.
–> Its your right to be Rhetorical

13. Agent vs. Direct Submissions.
–> I guess Agents would charge a fee, but use his contacts to get us better deals and larger publishers…
.-= Read BenzuJK´s last article ..Steel and Aluminium Partitions =-.

By: Jens Altmann

Jens Altmann — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:43:26 +0000

“especially if they’re ones I know I’ll only read once.”

Those are exactly the ones I would never buy as an ebook. Those are the ones I get from the library.
.-= Read Jens Altmann´s last article ..Review: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief =-.

By: Jens Altmann

Jens Altmann — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:56:34 +0000

1) If you write the story, you know the person’s gender. This shouldn’t come up at all. If I refer to an unknown gender in correspondence or something like that, I use „they“ because I find s/he etc. clumsy.
2) I read whatever sounds interesting. If it’s literary, then it’s literary. If it’s genre, it’s genre. In writing, I tend more towards genre. I don’t want to educate, I want to entertain.
3) My vote goes for print. I expect ebooks will remain secondary at least throughout my lifetime, but eventually the print book will disappear.
4) Neither. Both have considerable drawbacks, not the least of which are the DRM issues. The current ebook readers have the apparent advantage of e-ink, which is supposedly easier on the eyes but doesn’t work well with graphics. The ipad has the drawback that I don’t see why I should buy the ipad instead of a netbook that costs half as much and offers more functions.
5) For me, self-publishing is admitting failure, admitting that I’m not good enough to be published. I’d rather destroy all my manuscripts than self-publish. However, self-publishing can be an option for non-fiction, if your subject matter is too obscure/specialized to be of general interest.
6) I’ve done both, and I prefer to work from an outline.
7) It depends on the story. Again, I’ve done both, and they both offer benefits and drawbacks.
Self-edit all the way for me. I can’t work any other way.
9) I try to force myself to maintain a regular schedule, but alas it doesn’t always work out that way. When I force myself to write, it’s always crap, so the only things I force myself on is if I know there’s a paycheck at the end.
10) If the story requires a prologue, it needs to be done. If not, then not.
11) It used to be that I bought everything I wanted. Then I ran out of space and out of disposeable income. So I use the library more and more. I also use media swap groups.
12) If the agent doesn’t want rhetorical questions, don’t use them. End of discussion.
13) I’m currently agent-hunting, so that should answer that question.