I just have a couple of short stories under my belt and the odd bit of editorial and translation as part of my day job. Just enough to realise that if I'm serious about writing I have to up my game and:
a) Get an agent b) Write more stuff.
I've always enjoyed writing fanfic, but I personally learn a lot from proper critiques of my work. Fancrit tends to be gushing when it's positive, and focusing too much on continuity elements when it's negative. Perhaps that's just a Doctor Who thing, I don't know.
Might be your betas - my usual suspects ( alocin42, thats you!) tend to be quite harsh on things that dont make sense or could sound better / more English / etc... She's not so big on continuity, but more on the thing making sense, kwim?
My Shelf Life entry has had 4 betafyings now so far, and i'm waiting on Adrian for number five. And i may give it to my next door neighbour for number 6. Can't have too many opinions, never.
Funny, not one of them pointed out the same thing twice.
Yeah, maybe i ought to get an agent or something. Course i dont have a professional career at the moment besides professional mommy and housewife, so its a bit awkward :/
I don't do the beta thing, for fan fiction at any rate. It probably shows in a lot of my material. I'm a ruthless self-editor and my background in obscure French literature (and cinema! Ooh, got the dvd of Last Year in Marienbaad from the director of Providence! I am teh chuffed!) means no one understands my influences enough to comment on certain things - which are definitely the bits that NEED reining in.
My Shelf Life entry gets more esoteric by the hour, but I've given Ace the best line EVER, so hopefully no one will notice.
I feel I'd write more if I had an agent. Productivity is my downfall. But lack of professional career isn't a barrier to getting an agent. An agent shouldn't cost you anything, merely take a commission from your work that they sell to publishers.
I'm a ruthless self editor as well, but i feel i can do nothing but benefit from trusted and respected peoples' opinions on my writing, so i take it all in, and what i come out with in the end is hopefully worth printing!
Ooh, well if it doesnt cost anything to have one, maybe i'll look one up!
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(no subject)
a) Get an agent
b) Write more stuff.
I've always enjoyed writing fanfic, but I personally learn a lot from proper critiques of my work. Fancrit tends to be gushing when it's positive, and focusing too much on continuity elements when it's negative. Perhaps that's just a Doctor Who thing, I don't know.
(no subject)
My Shelf Life entry has had 4 betafyings now so far, and i'm waiting on Adrian for number five. And i may give it to my next door neighbour for number 6. Can't have too many opinions, never.
Funny, not one of them pointed out the same thing twice.
Yeah, maybe i ought to get an agent or something. Course i dont have a professional career at the moment besides professional mommy and housewife, so its a bit awkward :/
(no subject)
My Shelf Life entry gets more esoteric by the hour, but I've given Ace the best line EVER, so hopefully no one will notice.
I feel I'd write more if I had an agent. Productivity is my downfall. But lack of professional career isn't a barrier to getting an agent. An agent shouldn't cost you anything, merely take a commission from your work that they sell to publishers.
(no subject)
Ooh, well if it doesnt cost anything to have one, maybe i'll look one up!