Okay, I had a new plan for getting Scramble out of my life. I would drop the F-word in my Facebook status and be otherwise inappropriate, and that would get me permanently booted from the site. I was very pleased with this idea as it was sure to gain me several hours in my day, when lo and behold... Plan A kicked in, and I actually started to get sick of playing!
So, here I am. Done Boggling. And back to blogging. (Which is by the way an anagram of Boggling.... ah, the things you see when your mind is habituated)
Let's see... what to blog about?
Okay, here is a random anecdote (names have been changed to protect identities).
My friend Q wrote a brilliant rhyming PB called Circle and Square. Truly one of the best picture books I have ever encountered. I fell madly in love with it.
She sent it to Agent Y who said, Terrific premise, but "unfortunately your rhyme is very poorly executed." Hmmphh. I consider myself a good judge of rhyme and I beg to differ.
She then sent it to Agent Z, who adored it and said. "You are a rhyming genius. I'd like to represent you."
Go figure.
I bring this story to your attention, not to criticize Agent Y who I happen to like very much. But just to reaffirm one of my "2010 Don'ts." Do NOT take rejection to heart. This is a very subjective business.
Cast a wide net. Someone will fall in love with your story. And it only takes one.
22 comments:
I've been dealing with my own fair share of rejection this week, so it was reassuring to hear this anecdote. :-) Congrats on kicking your Scramble habit!
Thanks for the kind words. I'm sure I'm not the only one who needed to hear this!
Thanks for this post. It's so hard to develop that thick writer's skin, but stories like this help.
I like that. Cast a wide net!
You are so right on that!
Great story; excellent point. Congrats to your friend ... that is so exciting!
Congrats on your Scramble recovery--I was laughing at your F-bomb idea. I wholeheartedly agree with your cast a wide net advice (very well put, by the way). Agents/Editors are looking to fall head over heels in love. That's a tall order considering everyone's unique tastes.
I laughed out loud at the F-bomb idea! ;) Desperate people do desperate things. Glad you didn't have to resort to that! Glad to see your brain has become un-Scrambled.
True dat, sister.
Now, make sure you stay away from Bejeweled. Totally sucked me in over Christmas!
It's so hard not to take rejection to heart but you just helped me by sharing this anecdote. Thanks!
A great reminder....it's all so subjective. So, so subjective.
Sometimes I feel like if my net gets any wider it will be so heavy that it will pull me in with it and I'll drown in a sea of editors and agents and forgotten submissions!
But thanks for the encouragement. :-)
It's amazing how tastes can be so different. And it's hard to remember when you're obsessing over a rejection. Thanks for posting this reminder!
I love this! You think all agents/editors have some special power that tells them what's good and what's not. It's nice to hear that a lot of it boils down to taste.
SO VERY TRUE.
when i asked you for a (grown-up) book recommendation, you offered ''the help'' by
kathryn stockett. researching it for our book club, i discovered it was rejected by 45 publishers!!
it went on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies in the first few months. go know!
luckily, she too, believed in casting a wide net!
Yeah, I actually think it was rejected by 45 AGENTS. (Then sold quickly to a publisher) But it is a great example! Thanks.
Amen! Here's to everyone finding that special someone to fall in love with their stories!
what they heck is Boggler - am I the only one who doesnt know?
Oh wow, I have a friend who really needs to read this. It makes me feel better too. Thanks so much for sharing this, truly :) :)
Amen sister! Great advice and great anecdote. And, I'm with Shelli. I have no idea what Boggler is . . . and I'm thinking I'd better keep it that way.
sfkildi
Hooray for your friend's new agent!
Rhyme is tricky for some folks - there are those folks who only understand strict syllable counts, and accentual verse throws them for a loop. Not that I can say for certain that it was the issue here, but I know it's been an issue for others when subbing to editors and agents. Those who really understand rhyme are a small subset of those who are willing to accept it (which is a subset of those willing to accept pbs, which is a subset of all children's agents - what a convoluted Venn diagram!)
Post a Comment