Subjectivity - take two

[frost_light]

Melissa  asked for posts on subjectivity and experiences with it. Yeah, I've had some. I also saw the list of things an author had shown as being the top 25 common tropes in young adult fiction. Several writers left rueful comments that now, they'd have to delete any of those twenty five tropes that they had in their manuscripts .

Of course,

Comments

[antonstrout]

I have to wonder when I hear in a rejection letter that certain things are overdone that what they're really saying in their rejection is that these things can be done well, just not by you! Not that I've ever received a rejection letter like that...

When I see something that's been done to death, its usually accompanied by a lot of copy cat factors of the original works... more derivative than anything. I'm willing to forgive Mary Sue's and all that is something interesting is being done with them... and if it weren't for overdone things, my book (out in 19 days now! eep!) would be empty!

[frost_light]

Doing something well is so much more important to me than doing something new (and really, what's been "new" lately, anyway?)

[opportunemoment]

Heh.

I have a half-vampire heroine. I hate trying to explain that novel to people, they get this Look. I currently have absolutely no faith that agents and publishers aren't going to get the Look too, no matter how good the book actually is. So, thank you for telling me this!

*clings to your story*

[frost_light]

Half-vamp heroines are still selling. Look at the reply on this topic from Jaye, who just sold her half-vamp novel!

[jayewells]

First, yay half-vampires!

Second, I had an agent refuse to look at my novel because it had a vampire in it--the market was too crowded, she claimed. I hold nothing against her, but it was a major blow at the time. I loved my book, and I already knew the market was tough when I started submitting. In fact, I almost walked away from the story more times than I can count, convinced no one would want a story about a half-vampire, half-mage assassin with a hairless cat demon sidekick. But the story kept pulling me back because I loved it. What if I had taken that agent's word as law? Or paid attention to the naysayers who claim there's nothing new under the sun in vampire fiction? (Get it, sun and vampires? Anyone?)

I can tell you what wouldn't have happened: The three-book deal that was just announced in Publisher's Weekly.

[jbattis]

Congrats!

[frost_light]

Congrats again, and yay half-vamps back at ya! :)

[vivaciousvivi]

If it's done well, it doesn't matter what supposed overused tropes an author uses. It's all about the voice and the style.

Everyone keeps saying vampires are dead...(sorry about the pun couldn't be helped) but I keep seeing new books bought, and more coming out.

Jeaniene your book rocks because of your voice and the way you told the story. In the hands of a lesser adept author it wouldn't have worked.

So I agree, write what you want to write, write what you love.

[frost_light]

Thanks for the compliment. Of course, not everyone liked my book, and that's fine. Different strokes for different folks and all that. The vamp genre is still alive and well - I kill me! ;) - but even if it wasn't, writing what I love is more important to me than writing what is popular.

[kehazen]

I saw that list. Turns out my current YA WIP has something off of it. I briefly wondered if I should change it and almost immediately shrugged off the thought, the truth is it's something integral to the story. I figured if this little thing, important to the plot as it is, stops my book from being published someday then I just didn't do a good enough job and I'll have to try harder on the next one.

BTW, I'm really glad you didn't know about the market over saturation before you sold. Halfway is one of my favorite vamp books. :D

[frost_light]

Thanks! One day I'd like to pollute the YA market with a vamp book, too. There is no stopping the fang! :D