Comments on Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: What I Learned About Writing While Watching Realit...

Dear Nathan, You made me laugh out of my columni...

2009-11-28T22:08:34.976-08:00

Dear Nathan,

You made me laugh out of my columnist, left out of op-ed pages blues. Thank you

Now I know what to do. Be patient, be thorogh, and be nice.

Hug yourself for me.

Thank you, Nathan! This has now opened new windows...

2009-11-19T18:57:12.182-08:00

Thank you, Nathan! This has now opened new windows to see that "smizing" like Tyra Banks and spotting out participles in a paragraph can be related in a fun way.

Great post Nathan! This has really opened my eyes ...

2009-11-19T18:51:41.285-08:00

Great post Nathan! This has really opened my eyes to how "smizing" and participles can be connected in some way.

This whole post is such a great analogy! Phil Keo...

2009-11-18T12:26:18.054-08:00

This whole post is such a great analogy!

Phil Keoghan is totally one of those charismatic personalities that I can imagine just hanging out and chatting with. Kind of like Wil Wheaton.

I heart Nathan Bransford.

2009-11-18T10:27:16.129-08:00

I heart Nathan Bransford.

Nice post Nathan! You can find lessons about lif...

2009-11-18T05:56:48.957-08:00

Nice post Nathan!

You can find lessons about life in anything... and art imitates life, so there are writing lessons all around us.

Nathan, if authors could say what they wanted, the...

2009-11-18T05:22:02.149-08:00

Nathan, if authors could say what they wanted, they wouldn't need to use the anonymous function.

I guess I'm confused as to why this is oppression. While people comment anonymously for various reasons, many do so because they're spewing vitriol. We've seen that over and over on this very blog. I guess I just don't see how it's oppressive to ask writers to develop a few people skills and treat others with respect.

It's not the opinions themselves, Mira. Honest. It's the way in which they're expressed. A case in point: you stated an opinion that several people have disagreed with, yet you did it with the utmost respect for others' feelings and you stood by what you said by commenting under your name. What is wrong with asking people to do that?

I guess I just don't buy this argument that writers are watched by the Publishing Police. I think we're perfectly free to say what we want as long as we act professionally. And you know, that's not unique to the publishing industry. You'll find that anywhere.

"Either way. I'm going to speak my mind as I see f...

2009-11-18T02:43:56.965-08:00

"Either way. I'm going to speak my mind as I see fit to do, because how can I call myself a writer if I don't?"

Gordon, have a character do it for you. Dickens created Scrooge for a reason. And they're still making movies from/of that one.

" ...if you think writing a query is so easy then ...

2009-11-18T02:39:35.796-08:00

" ...if you think writing a query is so easy then I'm going to email you mine and you can give me suggestions, because I'm having a horrible time trying to figure out which 100 or so of my 100,000 words should go into it. Where do you even start, for God's Sake, in describing something that took a whole novel to tell? And still make it sound original, fantastic, never been done before but yet appealing to a wide audience and not at all like those books that inspired you but aimed for the same readership?"

Christine H., write the query first then hold the book to it. :-)

Clearly the most important comment made on this bl...

2009-11-18T02:24:57.837-08:00

Clearly the most important comment made on this blog today:

c. Writers can not make a living in their field, yet others make a living off of their work.

Thank you, M.

Ah, Steve. You're missing out on one of the great ...

2009-11-17T21:03:12.832-08:00

Ah, Steve. You're missing out on one of the great pleasures in life.

Ever since I heard described the preimse of the ne...

2009-11-17T20:59:14.742-08:00

Ever since I heard described the preimse of the newly inaugurated show "Survivor", the genre that has come tyo be known as "reality TV" has been a source of sadness and disgust. These shows glorify the idea of lying, cheating, backstabbing and looking out for "number 1". They are designed to encourage that behavior and are marketed to those who find such spectacles enjoyable.

The fact that occationally an otherwise decent individual may be a fan of such stuff just goes to show that life will always have its surprises.

By drawing the comparison between such "entertainment" and the publishing, you have, perhaps unintentionally, issued a scathing indictment of that industry. I can only hope the parallels you have detected are incidental and spurious.

If speaking my mind in this manner lessens my chances of someday being published, then I suppose that would be evidence to support the parallel. But I think I would rather not come out on top in such an arena in that case. It's important to me to like the person I see in the mirror each morning.

-Steve

My family and friends still don't buy my/your excu...

2009-11-17T18:35:13.559-08:00

My family and friends still don't buy my/your excuse that reality tv offers an educational way to turn off your brain.

Great post that validates my obsession.

ROFL!!! I would like some help I would like... no...

2009-11-17T16:05:04.653-08:00

ROFL!!! I would like some help I would like... not help I wouldn't like... thank you very much!!!

(Gasp! Can't breathe, I'm laughing so hard. I needed that!)

It's actually up right now on one of the query feedback sites but I don't want to hijack this thread, so I won't post the link. I made three attempts, and the blog host finally said, "Don't send me any more! Stop!"

It was that bad.

It's a fantasy, so there's world-explaining stuff that has to go into it... or doesn't have to go into it, depending on whom you're talking to.

Again, I really don't want to hijack so if anyone wants to see it, email me. Thanks!

headdesk That should have been I would be more ...

2009-11-17T15:23:18.039-08:00

*headdesk*

That should have been I would be more than willing to give you some help *if* you would like. :)

As someone who found that query writing was simple...

2009-11-17T15:21:59.173-08:00

As someone who found that query writing was simple after I stopped stressing about it, I have to ask you, Christine H, what's your book about?

Can you give us a short description of it? If you can do that, you've got the hardest part of the query down.

I would be more than willing to give you some help you would like. :)

"However, IMHO, all writers should act professiona...

2009-11-17T15:08:18.435-08:00

"However, IMHO, all writers should act professionally in every public arena, and they should carefully consider whether their public persona should reflect their personal feelings or opinions."

I just want to say that I started coming to this blog (and others) with absolutely NO expectation of EVER getting published or becoming even slightly famous. NONE.

So I was a little freer in my comments and opinions, because, hey, it's the Internet and I happen to be an extrovert and (like Mira) tend to speak my mind just because I'm getting into the discussion, not thinking about what someone might think 5, 10 or more years in the future when an asteroid falls out of the publishing sky and somebody actually wants to buy my book.

Now I'm scurrying around searching for and deleting anything I think could possibly be twisted and used against me, because I have this faint little hope my story might actually be publishable after all.

And, Ink, if you think writing a query is so easy then I'm going to email you mine and you can give me suggestions, because I'm having a horrible time trying to figure out which 100 or so of my 100,000 words should go into it. Where do you even start, for God's Sake, in describing something that took a whole novel to tell? And still make it sound original, fantastic, never been done before but yet appealing to a wide audience and not at all like those books that inspired you but aimed for the same readership?

Bryan, I'm sorry. I love arguing with you. :) ...

2009-11-17T13:55:00.678-08:00

Bryan, I'm sorry.

I love arguing with you. :) Let's pick this up again.

I wanted to say one more thing. I realized that Nathan could misinterpret something I said.

Nathan: on no level do am I implying that you 'sell out.' Did you think I was implying that? I was not implying that.

You are highly, highly ethical; it's one of the things I admire most about you.

And I get that you don't agree about the oppression thing. That's cool. I'll continue to feel oppressed, and you can continue to not oppress me. That can work, too. :)

Mira, It's okay! I'll just argue with myself. Sur...

2009-11-17T13:47:03.836-08:00

Mira,

It's okay! I'll just argue with myself. Surely it will be entertaining for all.

Bryan, I'm sorry. I realize that I've haven't re...

2009-11-17T13:26:30.716-08:00

Bryan,

I'm sorry. I realize that I've haven't responded to you, A.M. and Anaquana while I've been having a friendly discussion with Nathan.

I don't want to totally co-opt this thread. I really, really, really have been trying not to do that!

So, I think Nathan might be finished with our conversation - which I really appreciated - so, can I take a breather? It's a shame, because I love having friendly discussions with you and others, but well, frankly, I'm just so tired I can barely see straight. I really should not have started this one. Let's pick this up in another thread, okay? :)

Avoiding unruly writers is not blacklisting. I th...

2009-11-17T13:22:21.796-08:00

Avoiding unruly writers is not blacklisting. I think the perceived blacklisting is due to authors who have made it clear that they are rude and difficult to work with and/or are already damaging their 'image'.

Mira - if you act professionally, which I think you do, and an agent does not want to represent you because of something you've said on line, then good for you. You will have avoided a difficult working relationship.

However, IMHO, all writers should act professionally in every public arena, and they should carefully consider whether their public persona should reflect their personal feelings or opinions.

Mira, Because some Anons don't want to take respo...

2009-11-17T13:17:33.214-08:00

Mira,

Because some Anons don't want to take responsibility for their words does not make them oppressed.

I guess my problem is that I just don't see or feel this oppression you're talking about. Where? How? I've never felt anything but free to offer my honest opinion. And I've certainly been willing to do so. *cough cough*

Anyway, I just have trouble in moving past the abstract conception of oppression to something real and particular. What is this oppression? What is it I'm being prevented from doing? What rights of mine are being obstructed? I can't really think of anything, can't see it around me.

Ink, And that happens not only in the publishing ...

2009-11-17T13:10:17.065-08:00

Ink,

And that happens not only in the publishing industry. Employers in ALL industries are now Googling prospective (and current) employees. How many times do we hear about such and such a company firing somebody because of something they've posted on FaceBook, MySpace, or Twitter?

Nathan, if authors could say what they wanted, the...

2009-11-17T13:06:24.068-08:00

Nathan, if authors could say what they wanted, they wouldn't need to use the anonymous function.

And I could compile a pages long list for you of industry posts that were disrespectful of the writer. Pages and pages. Not yours, of course. Never. Which is why I come here.

But we could go back and forth on this because we have a different perspective on life:

You're pragmatic, I'm not so much. Where you say: "That's life, I'll work within the system," I say: "That sucks, I'm going to speak up and change that."

My method is not always very effective, and has got me into huge trouble over time, while your method is likely to make you highly successful at a young age. I think I do have something to learn from you.

On the other hand, you can't say: 'that's life' for all things. There are times to stand up and say 'this needs to change.'

And whether 'it's life' or not, it's still important to call a spade a spade. The fact that the system is oppressive may just be a fact of life, but the bottom line is: the system is oppressive and unfair.

Mira, This isn't an argument! Good, friendly disc...

2009-11-17T13:03:37.105-08:00

Mira,

This isn't an argument! Good, friendly discussion. :)

And I sort of agree with your point... I mean, yes, there's occasionally abuse of power. But I think that's the reverse of what you said before. It's not systemic, it's personal and individual. This is certain people and certain instances. And real abuses seem pretty rare. Most of what I see, on both sides, is little more than venting of frustrations. Agents, say, will get annoyed by the habits of certain writers and make a comment. Writers will do the same. That seems more like poor communicaion than oppression.

And that very much goes both ways. I just don't see silenced and submissive writers everywhere. I see writers arguing and complaining and dialoguing and disagreeing all over the place. And I don't see much risk, usually. Obviously, anons are safe. And I really don't see an agent e-mailing every other agent and editor they know to say "So and so left a terrible comment on my blog, so don't work with them." Yes, if you say something, an agent or editor who's considering you might google your name and find it (and thus maybe change their mind). But a writer can do the same thing and google the agent - and thus choose someone else for their project if they don't like what they see. And I see this a lot, where writers are turned off particular agents based on such evaluations. That's perfectly legit. And so I don't see why an agent or editor wouldn't be equally free not to work with someone based on their perception of certain comments.

There are ramifications for what we say and do. If don't want to accept those ramifications, I shouldn't make the comment. I'm responsible for my words, and I should be held accountable for them.

Feel free to egg me now. :) Accountability! I accept whatever your catapult dumps upon me.

Comments on Nathan Bransford - Literary Agent: What I Learned About Writing While Watching Realit...

Dear Nathan, You made me laugh out of my columni...

Thank you, Nathan! This has now opened new windows...

Great post Nathan! This has really opened my eyes ...

This whole post is such a great analogy! Phil Keo...

I heart Nathan Bransford.

Nice post Nathan! You can find lessons about lif...

Nathan, if authors could say what they wanted, the...

"Either way. I'm going to speak my mind as I see f...

" ...if you think writing a query is so easy then ...

Clearly the most important comment made on this bl...

Ah, Steve. You're missing out on one of the great ...

Ever since I heard described the preimse of the ne...

My family and friends still don't buy my/your excu...

ROFL!!! I would like some help I would like... no...

*headdesk* That should have been I would be more ...

As someone who found that query writing was simple...

"However, IMHO, all writers should act professiona...

Bryan, I'm sorry. I love arguing with you. :) ...

Mira, It's okay! I'll just argue with myself. Sur...

Bryan, I'm sorry. I realize that I've haven't re...

Avoiding unruly writers is not blacklisting. I th...

Mira, Because some Anons don't want to take respo...

Ink, And that happens not only in the publishing ...

Nathan, if authors could say what they wanted, the...

Mira, This isn't an argument! Good, friendly disc...

headdesk That should have been I would be more ...