Another writing support thread

[LaBarbera]

Hi all,

I've been lurking here for a while! Now breaking cover to ask if anyone wants to chat during drafting/revisions/submissions/whatever circle of Hell you're in.

Mine is, I think, a literary novel of sorts, historical and with a fantastical element. I don't know if it's good, though feedback is promising, but I do know it's the best thing I've written so far. I am currently on my third draft, and copying over/writing in a new document, which is going well. I'm anxious about wordcount, though, as it's short at the moment and neither I nor my mentor can see anything obviously missing or any big pacing problems. I'm hoping that taking the time to draw out those moments of discovery or change or suspense will take it into short-but-publishable territory.

Anyone else? :)

[LouisaMayAlcott]

Ekundayu congrats on getting representation (and a rejection after 6 months???!) can I ask how long it was between being asked for the full ms and then getting 'the call'? They've mostly had mine 3 weeks now albeit with Frankfurt book fair in the middle and the waiting is driving me crazy!

Hope you very soon get a shiny publishing deal!

[AppropriateAdult]

Congrats Ekundayu! Huge achievement. I guess the nervous inbox-watching never ends...

[Ekundayo]

Thanks, you two. I had one offer of representation within a week of querying (this agent is unusual in that she only reads full MS, so skips the ‘requesting full’ step), and I nudged the others (I think I’d sent to four, plus an excellent non-UK indie publisher who accepts unagented submissions) as soon as I had that. (The indie publisher said no within a fortnight.)

One nudged agent got back and asked for the full within the day, read it while she was on holiday, and asked to meet as soon as she got home. I decided between the two offers I had, and had just signed with the second one when another agent asked for the full about two weeks after I’d nudged (so too late).

Then the Curtis Brown agent form rejection just now, six months after I’d queried. Presumably clearing out the CB inbox after Frankfurt.

@LouisaMayAlcott, my agent won’t send anything out to editors between the last week of September and the end of October — she says it’s not that everyone goes to Frankfurt, obviously, but that there’s a definite general lull in response times. So it sounds entirely possible agents just haven’t got to yours yet because they’re wading through extra-full inboxes.

And yes, @AppropriateAdult, I’m finding this wait way worse than any previous one, for some reason. I think because it’s the second batch of editors it’s gone to, after an admittedly very small previous submission.

Good luck to you both!

[LurkingElle]

Congratulations Ekundayo! And fingers crossed for you for this round of editor submissions.
Could I ask what genre you write in? Obviously no need to answer if you prefer not to!

[Ekundayo]

Thanks, @LurkingElle. I write literary fiction. I’m a few thousand words into a second novel to take my mind off the one that’s out on submission.

[LurkingElle]

Very good plan to get immersed in Book Two...

[LouisaMayAlcott]

I agree it's best to get immersed into the next book I've started NaNoWriMo to try and take my mind off the submissions but it's only partially working!

[Ekundayo]

I hear you. Mine went out on the 28th, and I realise I am thinking about with some part of my brain all the time.

[AppropriateAdult]

Any news, Ekundayo? Or anyone else? I submitted my first batch nearly two weeks ago - had two requests for the full in the first week, which was very exciting. One of those was rejected (boo!) - got very nice feedback about the writing but ultimately the agent didn’t feel there was enough going on plot-wise to make it saleable.
The other full is still out there. And then I haven’t heard back from anyone else yet. Which I know is not unusual, but damn, the waiting is hard!

[LouisaMayAlcott]

That sounds good appropriate - I'm in a similar position, some fulls requested then one rejected and some submissions I'm still waiting for a response. I hate all this waiting but I hate the rejections even more!

[Gallivespian]

I’ve name changed, @AppropriateAdult — three passes only. One ‘didn’t love it’, one ‘not enough narrative drive’, one ‘beautifully done, but we published a novel on a similar topic last year that tanked.’

Still lots more to hear from, but no one’s snapping my hand off.

I’ve chewed my fingernails down to stumps. Sympathy and fellow-feeling to both you and @LouisaMayAlcott. I feel as if I’m waiting for rejections now. It’s so hard, isn’t it?

[LouisaMayAlcott]

It is @Gallivespian the waiting is doing my head in! I've also now submitted to a couple of digital first publishers who take submissions from authors. It just means more waiting though!

[Gallivespian]

Another four passes in the last few days. Everyone is praising it to the skies, but no one is buying it!

[LouisaMayAlcott]

@Gallivespian I got 4 rejections over 2 days last week - like you say, lovely rejections but still make you wonder why won't someone just say yes! I can totally empathise and it's hard having to pick yourself up again.

[Gallivespian]

You can feel a bit punchdrunk from all the nos, I agree @LouisaMayAlcott! I’m trying very hard to just keep going with my second novel, but even though it’s a very different affair to the one that’s out to editors, it’s pretty tough keeping going in the face of no after no. Especially couched in compliments!

[yellowplumpreserves]

Hi everyone. Mind if I join this thread?

I'm working on final tweaks to my first novel. I have edited and edited. I think I'm one of types who can never be satisfied and probably just need to bite the bullet and start sending it out.

Now trying to write the synopsis which I am finding really challenging. Have read the Nicola Morgan ebook and some other resources online, but still struggling a bit. It's historical fiction, about 106000 words (lots have already been cut), and interweaves the stories of two protagonists, occasionally swapping between them to raise tension. I think that is part of the challenge.

Anyway, just saying hello, really.

[yellowplumpreserves]

Sorry about all the nos some of you have been getting. Hope you have a yes soon! I'm trying to go into the process of sending it off to people with absolutely no expectations that anyone will like it! But not sure that will help.

[AppropriateAdult]

Welcome yellowplum! Congrats on getting to the end of a full-length novel, that’s no mean feat.

Synopses are tricky; both of my (as yet unpublished) novels had dual timelines, which I dealt with separately in the synopsis - so, full description of Timeline A, and then new paragraph and something like “Alternating chapters describe the events of” etc. Maybe something similar would work for your twin protagonists? I think the main thing with a synopsis is that it’s clear and explanatory - it doesn’t have to be breathtaking writing.

[LouisaMayAlcott]

My novel is also dual protagonists. I have a brief explanation of that at the beginning of the synopsis and then I have something like 'in blah blah year, protagonist A does xyz' and all that happens to her, then a second paragraph which starts 'A's story is intertwined with that of B in blah blah year' and then a description of her story.

[yellowplumpreserves]

Well, I sent it off to one agent today. They didn't want a synopsis which was the only bit left to do, so I thought there was no harm in just sending it. Now the plan is to forget that I've done it until February, which is how long it could take before I hear anything.

I've been having a look at lots of resources on Jericho Writers and finding them really helpful.

[Gallivespian]

I’d send off to a few more too as soon as you've written a synopsis, @yellow. I think it can be pretty debilitating to have all your hopes resting on one, and of course some agents simply don’t reply at all. Or send a form rejection six months later.

[everythingcrossed]

Oh my God, I've just found out that I've won a pitch-to-an-agent slot in the new year! What do I do? What do I say?

[Gallivespian]

Excellent, @everythingcrossed! I would just practise talking about your novel in the most direct, informative and appealing way possible.

[LouisaMayAlcott]

That's exciting @everythingcrossed! I did this at a conference this year although I'd already submitted my first chapter and synopsis. If you're doing a straight pitch will you need to do an elevator pitch? Like describe your book in a couple of sentences? Then maybe think of a way of expanding it a bit.

[everythingcrossed]

The competition was judged on the first chapters and a synopsis so I'm not sure if I should just add some meat to the bones of the synopsis during our face-to-face? I've got 15 minutes... so that's quite a lot of time. Louisa, did the agent you pitched to throw you any curveball questions? Was there an expectation that s/he would ask for your full manuscript afterwards? It feels like such a big chance but I don't want to hang all my hopes on it.