Comments | darinbradley: Letters to a Young [Aspiring] Writer

darinbradley

Letters to a Young [Aspiring] Writer

Feb 14, 2009 14:27

There are, perhaps, too many sites, readers, and blogs out in the ether that offer advice to aspiring writers. Let's add to the mess-after all, it's a conspiracy to keep you confused.

Every time you read a block of advice about writing or how to be published, you should read it skeptically. Including this one. These blocks of advice are particular ( Read more... )

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Comments 19

jeff2001 February 14 2009, 18:42:13 UTC

Excellent, thank you!

The same general dynamic prevails in the world of the Hollywood reader. Basically one's chief goal is to winnow out the chaff. Readers are dying to not read stuff -- to shorten the stack -- any deviation, any hint of "Oh hai, I am not professional", and the reader happily tosses the thing. Actually reading something is somewhat of an annoyance...one which can turn quickly to joy, in those rare and wonderful cases.

darinbradley February 14 2009, 18:47:17 UTC

Glad to help the hive-mind. I certainly don't mind if I get some material that isn't quite my thing, but I really would like to see "special snowflake-ness" go away, as well as a outright ignorance of what publishing (or filmmaking, or whatever) really is.

Life isn't fair. Those who learn this will get ahead faster.

deborahlive February 14 2009, 19:06:26 UTC

That email address thing is mind-boggling to me. It seems so obvious and yet I get queries all the time from people who apparenlty haven't thought about that one. Goofballs.

And same to the cover letters. You know my absolute fave? The one that actually does keep me from having to look a the story? Any variation on "While I have not been so fortunate as to read a copy of Polyphony, I'm sure my story is perfect for it."

No kidding. People say that.

That copyright notice thing really bugs me, too.

Great stuff!

darinbradley February 14 2009, 19:09:40 UTC

Well, be fair: reading a copy of Polyphony *is* an act of fortune. You have to be one of the fore-ordained Elect to receive a copy from the stars.

Because, you know, you can't get copies anywhere. Sure would be handy if you would offer free and convenient samples for people to read.

You should think about doing that . . .

deborahlive February 14 2009, 19:14:11 UTC

Shhh...I'm changing the name to Secret Press's Secret Anthology Series That No One Knows About Because It's a Secret.

Secret Guidelines won't be announced anywhere! You have to overhear them on a bus in Detroit while heading down to the Plasma Center to raise money for a pack of smokes and a Red Bull.

darinbradley February 14 2009, 19:16:10 UTC

Publishing is a conspiracy to keep new writers out! See! See!

This is just another twist in keeping people down--it's no longer about who you know, but who you don't!

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darinbradley February 15 2009, 13:55:53 UTC

To be sure.

I wish I had started following that rule sooner.

serasempre February 15 2009, 18:54:38 UTC

Once again, you are my hero.

The things in your list of no-nos that bug me the most are the copyright thing, and the title in 24 pt, drop-shadowed, embossed comic sans in the header of every page. I roll my eyes at the email address, but I gnash my teeth at the reminder that THIS story is copyrighted so I'd better not steal it!

I still remember (not so) fondly an author who responded to the rejection with histrionics. Imagine caps and multiple exclamation points as he told me (over several pages) that he wasn't boring, he was literary, and that yes, he did run on and on, but that was what the editor's red pen was for. He almost soured me on personal rejections, which I still provide when I have time.

darinbradley February 15 2009, 19:20:13 UTC

See, that's why I'm not big on personal rejections.

You're a braver editor than I! I refuse to surrender my time and energy to dealing with those.

threeoranges_ February 15 2009, 21:23:50 UTC

I've never gotten over the goofy e-mail thing.

I have two that I use regularly. One is named after a Vonnegut character, and it, or some form of it, has been my e-mail since college, and it's just a habit now.

The other is my Gmail, created back when I maintained some semblance of Web anonymity. I've been Three Oranges online for such a long time, I don't know if I can change. It's only within the last year that I changed my first and last names from "Three" and "Oranges" in the display fields.

darinbradley February 16 2009, 16:58:17 UTC

I have several, each for different purposes. My academic email is for teaching and research stuff, my gmail is for, well, most everything, and an old yahoo account is primarily for sites that require emails for registration.

Everything in its right place.