Wow! My First Rejection!
Got my scoresheet back from the Golden Heart contest today. Ouch. But I can look at it in several ways.
1. My writing sucks. My characters are flat. The plot is weak and tired. I should give up writing romances right now because I’ll continue to sucketh for the rest of my pitiful life.
or
2. My characters are interesting and the plot has merit, but this is my first completed novel and it shows. Now I should put it under the bed and keep working on my other stories.
or
3. My writing is fine. My characters are fine. The plot is fine. My story was just not what the romance industry is interested in.
I’m suspecting it’s more of the 2 and 3. I’m sure when I look back at the story after finishing another novel or two, I’ll wince a little. I also suspect, after reading Romancing the Blog and various other genre blogs, that I’m rather out of step with the mainstream romance community. The whole Tea and Crumpets thing that I got on my soapbox about a few months back.
Anyhoo, I got the book out there, which was my main goal. Now on to other writing projects.
April 21st, 2006 at 5:50 am
You mentioned a ’scoresheet’ – I’ve never seen one, but it sounds like it might be a sort of checklist or something that the contest uses? If it is, does it give any useful clues about 1, 2 or 3? Or is it just a ‘Dear Insert Name Here’ letter with no information?
By the way, your avatar seems to have disappeared from the sidebar (Sheridan is still there, though).
April 21st, 2006 at 9:32 am
Incorrect assumption # 1: Writers never improve. Incorrect assumption # 2: one swallow makes a summer. Incorrect assumption # 3:No one publishs anything that’s not erotic. Correct assumption # 1: I proved I can finish a novel. Correct assumption #2: I was willing to put it out there. Correct assumption # 3: I will keep writing – the most important.
April 21st, 2006 at 1:42 pm
Carla–the scoresheet wasn’t anything helpful. It merely showed what each of the 5 judges gave me (out of a possible 10, I assume). I’m hoping to get better feedback from the hearts through history contest–supposedly their judges make comments on your partial and stuff like that. My avatar isn’t there? sometimes Yahoo makes it disappear for a bit, since it’s connected directly to Yahoo. Sheri is a jpeg I’ve got in my ftp file, so she shouldn’t go bye bye.
Bernita– 1. I didn’t assume that writer’s never improve. I’m positive they do (hence the wincing when looking back at this book in a few years), unless they refuse to learn from previous mistakes and just assume the world is out to get them.
sorry, the neurons aren’t firing too quick right now.
3. Didn’t say wouldn’t get published. Just commenting on “mainstream.” I know, I know. I’m sounding like a snob/sour grapes. Mea culpa.
2. Huh? Oh. Just got it.
Ach so. I’ll deal. I’m sure somewhere there’s a reading audience for this style of book. Even if I have to go vanitypublishing ;D Just Kidding. wouldn’t want to risk the wrath of Miss Snark.
Being willing to put it out there is the biggest hurdle for me, I think. My hubbie said he was impressed I didn’t get too upset–he knows how poorly I handle “rejection” real or perceived.
I’m not sure I could stop writing if I wanted to–too many people running around in my head for that.
I’m trying to get up the guts to go to the Crap-o-meter with some of my writing and see what people really think, not just numbers. If I can handle specific constructive criticism, that’ll be real big step forward for me.
April 21st, 2006 at 2:14 pm
That’s a shame. What’s the logic in people investing time to judge something and then not telling the writer anything useful? Baffles me.
Is Elektra’s Crapometer anonymous, like Miss Snark’s was? If so, I found that was a BIG help in finding the nerve to submit my synopsis. At least then if it gets savaged only you know it was you, so you can learn from the comments without feeling a fool in public. (If it isn’t anonymous, you can still invent a one-time pen name with a disposable hotmail email address, which has the same effect).
April 22nd, 2006 at 2:20 am
Yea, but at least you submitted something….there’s a whole lot of people who haven’t even gotten that far. Just keep working at the craft. Even great and prolific…and well known authors like Brandilyn Collins, still work at learning to write well. It will come…in God’s time!
April 22nd, 2006 at 8:35 am
You do not “suck.” You will not “suck.” Keep writing.