Writing group this week, as usual, provided enlightenment. And humor. And fun. But this past Monday, for the first time, I came home with a feeling of discouragement, too. I wasn't even the target of critique on Monday night, so doesn't that just bring to mind what in the heck happened?
The short story is this: In addition to all the short pieces we've read and critiqued, we've now looked at one full manuscript from two different people. Two people I thought might now be in the process of sending out query letters, hoping to find an agent to represent them. Instead, one person has shelved her book; the other has decided to rewrite.
My mind spun when they gave us the update, although I stayed silent. When is the story done? When is the revision process over? At what point does the story you started with become a different story, and should you stop if that happens? If the 2nd story is better, I guess you go with it, but can you continue to try to make something better forever? Does anyone have the answers to my questions?
My guess is that an agent and an editor do. And if you have both of those, they will tell you when the story is finished. Which means these ladies will at some point need to take a leap of faith, and so will I.
The short story is this: In addition to all the short pieces we've read and critiqued, we've now looked at one full manuscript from two different people. Two people I thought might now be in the process of sending out query letters, hoping to find an agent to represent them. Instead, one person has shelved her book; the other has decided to rewrite.
My mind spun when they gave us the update, although I stayed silent. When is the story done? When is the revision process over? At what point does the story you started with become a different story, and should you stop if that happens? If the 2nd story is better, I guess you go with it, but can you continue to try to make something better forever? Does anyone have the answers to my questions?
My guess is that an agent and an editor do. And if you have both of those, they will tell you when the story is finished. Which means these ladies will at some point need to take a leap of faith, and so will I.
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