I saw it coming, but ignored it, and now I have irrefutable evidence that I am almost certainly not a crime writer. I sent the WIP (about half a novel) to Wonderful New Agent, and she sees in it all the flaws I'd hoped she wouldn't notice. Too many characters, not enough tension, much too much personal stuff about the characters etc etc. She liked lots of it, but. Oh, that word 'but'! We are speaking about it tomorrow ("lots to talk about" says WNA) but I think the writing's on the wall. Or my crime writing's on the wall. Which is not to say that I can't still use the characters and the setting. I suppose all I have to do is not kill them off, and keep them alive to do something else. Pole dancing, German classes, extreme ironing or whatever.
WNA hasn't exactly said I'm not a crime writer. Not yet. But I think she's going to. In a way it will be a relief (I'm getting rather good at being relieved at bad writing news), but I am also fed up. THIS HAS NOT BEEN MY YEAR!
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A lot of us seem to be struggling for direction at the moment, Frances. You're not alone, which is really no great consolation.
ReplyDeleteAll it needs is one idea, though - and you have an agent who clearly believes in you and a hotline to one of the country's foremost editors. Keep on truckin'!
Thanks, Tim. I'm aware that several of us are having problems - one of the reasons why the whole MNW support system is so valuable. The not being alone is a consolation, because non-writers simply don't understand the compulsion to keep on writing (I'm not sure I do, either). But we have to keep on, don't we. There doesn't seem to be any choice. I hope your writing is going well.
ReplyDeleteIf by "writing", you mean "maps", it's going very well. If your definition is more stringent--possibly confined to the creation of the written word--the news is not so encouraging...
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