What if my writing's sh*t and I'm deluding myself?

[belledechocolatefluffybunny]

It could be though couldn't it. I know I've only been waiting a few days for a response from an agent but what if it's dire. Where do I go from here?

thank you winny.

Fair enouh Bitter. This was one of the very early ones, the later ones are more clearer in what they are trying to say (I hope)

I like your writing Belle, it is very 'classic' to me. That maybe why the publishers are sitting on it for now until there is a backlash against 'edgy'.

Well, as to the 'message' that's why I thought that perhaps making Cherry more of a bossy nightmare and her putting other animals and herself through a lot of inconvenience and then finding out she was wrong could send out a message of sorts It's quite comical, too, isn't it- and not all children's books are about a 'message' nowadays, I don't think.

But I like the old-fashioned aspect of your writing, Belle- but I if I were you I would just simplify the sentence structure a bit.

I have no idea what edgy is! There's alot of pet books out there (dogs/cats/hamsters), not alot of anything else except for horrid henry.

Oh, sorry, in my first post, I meant that subject matter-wise it's appropriate for 5 yo but perhaps a bit difficult in the way it's written iyswim.

That was the plan winny. There's other books where the other characters (the duck/sheep/pigs) are the main character with the others in the background. This is Cherrys book, she's bossy and wants to control what the others do. They give in for a quiet life. In the latter books, ie, the pig one, they are for slightly older children as there's chapters and they are longer, there's a message in these. The pig one is about not worrying if you are small or slow, you are going to be good at something.

I don't know about 'edgy'- I think there's market out there for 'classic' children fiction, although perhaps that niche is already taken by B. Potter etc.

I know what yu mean winny. I need to look at the language and legnth of the sentences.

Sorry, I'm on ds's laptop and it misses letters out if I'm not paying attention.

Classic is good as they last alot longer then what is good now??

I thought Cherry was bossy, but I'm not sure it would be very obvious to a 5 yo- I would make her more bossy

More bossy? Can be done!

Makes a good gift as well- beautiful hardback collection of stories with lovely illustrations...much better than all this princess crap that I see is on offer now. Haven't looked at books aimed at boys for a while now (DS is obsessed with manga ).

I like that it would be one book with lots of stories.

I want to do some real ones for boys where they climb trees etc. There's alot for older boys if they like gods/vampires etc. I wasn't too happy about ds reading captain underpants though to be honest.
I like the fox one, he stands and talks to a little chick who's never been out of a 'metal shed' before so has never seen a fox. He invites himself to supper. It's a bit spooky.

I'm going to go to bed and hope the worlds a better place when I wake up.

Sorry to moan. Thank you for reading though

Have you 'tested' the stories yet? DS is 8 and a half- if you've got something for that age group post it or email me (pm for address) and I'll have him read it tomorrow after school! Just half of the story if you're afraid I'll steal it- just to see if he would get into it iyswim. No offense taken if you don't want to, though .

Goodnight, am off to bed, bloody 1 am here, why oh why do I always go to bed late . It's all your fault, Belle!

Hi Belle

Well done for putting yourself out there. Are you yourself an illustrator? Reason I ask is that from the age target, I imagine this will be a picture book, or at least heavily illustrated. Just be aware that-

1. The pictures sell picture books rather than the writing. Publishers are basically looking for neat, tight stories that break down easily into scenes for illustration purposes.

1. Because of 1. , the illustrator scoops most of the royalties- the split is often 75/25 in their favour so it's hard to get rich unless you do your own illustrations.

re the story, the rules that apply to adult fiction equally apply to children's fiction. Put simply, you have a main character (protagonist) who has a defining characteristic, which drives a series of events (the storyline) and as a result of those events, the protagonist comes to some realisation or changes in some way. At the moment, it's not clear that the denouement (the egg not being an egg) is as a result of the protagonist's (Cherry's) defining characeristic (her bossiness). I think this is what some other posters are getting at when they say it lacks a clear message. It's not that a child's book needs some moral teaching, but that the cause and consequence need to be quite obvious/ uncomplicated.

HTH- not in the industry, but in "real life" used to be an advisor to a children's publisher so understand the business model fairly well and have sat in on quite a few meetings where they've gone through submissions. It's quite a different animal to adult fiction in terms of the profit model.

I immediately thought it needed pictures! But then my oldest is 5YO so I was thinking about reading it too him.

My DH is reading him the Faraway Tree, reliving his childhood!

As only a Mummy I thought some of the words didn't 'work', but isn't that what editors do?

And how would the series work if some were aimed at older children, shouldn't they all be aimed at the same age?

I like the bit where they slide off the 'egg'.

It has some good humoorous touches but there is IMO too much of a serious undertone - the characters' responses are rather too adult and a little bit scary in terms of the actual dynamic at play.

You start wondering if the author has an agenda and Cherry might suddenly be shot by an errant rifle.

Sorry probably just me.

Hi Belle.
First, a few days is not enough time to start expecting a response from a sub. Mark your diary for six weeks. If you've still heard nothing then nudge. But not before!!!!!

Agents/editors hate pushy writers.

Second, even if an agent loathes your work they are unlikely to say so. You will receive something entirely unhelpful like 'not right for our list' or 'I didn't love it enough.'

Finally, I have to tell you that there is no way of ever knowing if you're a 'good' writer. Evan after all my 'successes', I still question my abilities.
And in many ways, what is 'good' ? As has been sniffily, posted here, there are some books that have done enormously well, that others find 'badly written' ( a non-writer's word if ever I heard one, and one that completely misses the point about work doing what a writer set out to do in terms of connection with readership etc...but I digress).

So I will paraphrase the rather lovely Elizabeth Gilbert. As a writer it is not your job to judge your own work. That is for others to do. Your job is to write and submit. The rest is in the lap of the Gods.

Thank you. I now have a 'this wasn't right for me, although it had it's merits.' Shame she didn't see the rest of it
I shall pick myself up and keep trying. Beats being bullied.

I know you are talking sense litchick.

that sounds like a standard rejection - pro forma- and means nowt

That's what I thought. They only wanted the first chapter or 5 pages, whatever was shorter. It gets very interesting after the second chapter; skateboarding pigs etc. She's really missing out there.

hey belle now we are evens!
pass the pringles ...
keep trying OK?

ps I'd like hens and chickens with unusual names, that would be one short way to add 'edge'