On Advice
17 Dec
There’s this weird skill, not particular to writing, or even creative endeavors, but it shows up in them more than anywhere else since we’re constantly hammered with edits. The idea is: know what suggestions to take, and which suggestions to ditch.
I have a hard time ditching suggestions, but I’ll leave that to one side for now. My point is that this has been the single most difficult thing for me to learn about editing– possibly because it’s so very rare that someone’s suggestions don’t work for what I want to do. I’m a lucky bastard that way– the editors and beta readers who’ve raised me from the fumbling toddler to awkward adolescent stage of writing are all very, very good.
But there’s another facet to the whole thing that I didn’t expect: advice I wasn’t ready to take, either because I was exhibiting my notorious stubbornness, or I just didn’t know how to do what they were asking.
So here’s a story. The first book I subbed to agents, about two and a half years ago, was too long by– well, let’s say it pretty much had an extra novella’s worth of wordage. Typical newbie mistake, and I knew it even then. I didn’t expect anything to come of it, partly because of that, and partly because it was about vampires, and you always see NO VAMPIRES on everything these days. (Or MORE VAMPIRES, but that’s another post, too.) But I researched every agent and crafted this idiotic query letter by the book all the same, thinking of it as a practice run. To my shock and amazement, I actually got a few partial requests, and really good feedback. It all sort of came to the same thing: It gets moving too slowly– get to the good stuff. But you’re pretty good, so try again.
Only a lot nicer and more specific, of course. Considering that I hadn’t expected anything at all, I counted this whole affair as a win, and was really pleased.
Right, so then there was one of the last query responses I got. It was one sentence:
Cut it down to 80k and re-query.
And an e-signature.
I stared at that f@#ker for about fifteen minutes, going “but… but… I can’t. That’s like cutting out an entire book.”
Now, it wasn’t this agent’s job to tell me how to do that– it was nice of her to say anything at all. But I genuinely thought such a reasonable word count was impossible at that time, or god knows I would’ve done it before I sent the thing out in the first place. This, of course, meant it was not and would never be doable.
I started on the advice I knew how to execute, getting to the good stuff. I learned a bunch writing short stories and a few more books, going back to the first one between new projects. I brainstormed with incredibly patient and talented friends. I got up in the middle of the night and wrote down ideas. I refused to give up, which is probably dumb, but can’t be helped.
The thing is very near to being 90k, now. Like half what it used to be, and about 50x better. When it’s 100x better, I’ll try again.
But it’s nice to know I can be taught. Even if it takes over two years, a handful of short stories, six novels, and a crowd of cheering friends. (A copy of On Writing and Elements of Style didn’t go amiss either, let me tell you.)
Ha!
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Now playing: Clara Schumann – Piano Sonata in G Minor: I. Allegro
via FoxyTunes
Advice is awesome. The best part: I can take it or leave it. I made The House Eaters better with advice, just not good enough for that particular agent. Now if someone could just give me a little advice on how to be more patient…
Oh, I totally remember that! I loved seeing your updates on how much you ended up cutting that day. It was inspiring, in a way.
It really is tough to sort through advice – and it’s something I’m struggling with right now as a matter of fact, with three separate and occasionally conflicting opinions on the same book. Every time I decide against changing such-and-such I’m terrified I’m just being a stubborn and/or lazy jerk. I’m convinced that, a year from now, I’ll look back on myself and shake my head wearily.
On the plus side, it’s great to look back and see how much you’ve grown, both in skill and maturity. (Which I mean not in the sense of actual maturity, just in terms of writing, of course.)
Nice to get the feedback, but I know that stomach-punch feeling when someone tells you your work is less than what you thought it was. Guess that’s all part of the gig.
Sometimes I need a hammer to the head several times before advice sinks in, but we get there, right? I hope you requery the 80k agent someday.
Aaron, see my word of the day in the sidebar for my feelings on patience. Wish I could help, my friend!
Cory, ha! That’s funny that you remember! Yeah, first runthrough cut 60k from the fucker, and man, I actually liked it at that point. Well, almost.
I’m with you on feeling like a stubborn/lazy jerk, as you know all too well. That last edit I did was a prime example– I had to waffle for a month before I was finally comfortable with what I really knew all along was right. Sympathies, as ever.
Jeremy, I’ve had that punch feeling many a time! This one wasn’t precisely that– more like “but that’s crazy talk!” Like I literally did not comprehend how such a thing could be accomplished… in spite of knowing it needed to happen all along. But it was a definite jaw-dropping, painful sort of thing, all the same.
Cate, she’ll be the first one I go to, no doubt in my mind.
Blessed be the name of the Editorial Hammer.
Advice, even though it is free, is one of the hardest things in the world to take. Good luck.
Normally I can’t get enough of it, and follow it almost blindly, honestly. But this one was like running into a brick wall!
Guess I’ve finally managed to tunnel my way through
Feedback is always a nice bonus! Though I doubt I will ever be told I made something too long. I tend to lean the other way ; )
Ouch! Ambrose Bierce, you scamp! (re: patience)
That’s a really nice look into the thought process of editing. It shows that with time and patience almost anything can be chopped down to size. Great post, Katey!
Nat, that is almost always my problem– too long. Lots of words to say nothing! I ought to take some lessons.
Aaron, the truth, she hurts! (Scamp = perfect word. Wow.)
Alan, I was just thinking about it the other night, and realized I was kind of proud of it. Even though I should probably be more embarrassed that I couldn’t figure it out sooner
Thanks!
I’ve received advice that took a long time to sink in – stubborn little mind that I have – and when it finally did, I realised how right they were.
I don’t know if you’ve read Louise’s The Black Act. When she turned it in to Lachesis, it was *about* 110k, and she’d built it up to there after the owner requested her to do so. (If memory serves correctly)
In the first round of edits, we took out nearly 30k. When she went over it again later, when she took it to Library of Horror, she tightened it up even more.
As a former agent and once again editor/publisher – everyone puts in flowery bits and pieces, extra description, etc. Everyone, even we editors (you should read my awful, awful first novel!). The stories are always the better for edits, as hard as it is to do.
Danielle, sometimes I just don’t know HOW to do things. Drives me nuts!
Jodi, oh yeah, I LOVE edits, and I really, really dislike flowery bits. I love cuts even more than most edits– like big fat sections that can be carved out. But I had no idea how to make them, how to tighten up a plot, until that one finally clicked!
Not that I’m good at it now, but you know. Getting better, and that’s all that counts. Thanks to the vampires
Incidentally, The Black Act is on my Xmas list. In theory, it should be on its way to me now…
I think writing advice is like some books or movies…. sometimes you get a hell of a lot more out of it when you go back five years later.