 20 years of Master Class to Masterpiece |
|
|
|
II. SUBMISSIONS, continued Manuscript Elements and Edits What’s your usual response time to manuscript submissions? For requested submissions, Pippin asks for a one-month exclusive with the manuscript, if possible. We aim to respond within that time. How many pages do you read before deciding to continue or decline a manuscript? It’s a big range. Sometimes—I’ll be honest—I know within the first paragraph that a manuscript probably isn’t for me (I’m sure everyone has experienced this when they start a book they don’t “click” with) and I’ll read just a couple pages. But if the writer gets my attention, I’ll keep going—20 pages, 100 pages, the whole thing. Voice is often touted as a desirable element in fiction, yet it’s difficult to pinpoint (“I know it when I see it”). What does voice mean to you? How can it help create and/or define a character? Please cite examples. Ah, the voice question. For something so essential to fiction, it’s sure hard to define. To me, the best way to describe it might be the “personality” of your novel (and characters), the details and dialogue and perspective you provide to make them memorable. Distinct. Examples are unlimited, so I’ll pick from the bookshelf right in front of me. Adele Griffin’s Tighter gives us an engaging teen narrator, who then starts to crumble. Can we trust her? Jerry Spinelli’s Crash presents a gruff bully protagonist, then makes us adore him. Both are deft and nuanced voices. What self-editing tips do you suggest; what are common flaws in manuscripts you see? I’m not too much of a stickler for typos, and they do sneak in (I’m sure I’ve had some here). But errors begin to weaken your credibility after a while, and make your work a little bit easier to put down. I also think it’s a good idea to read your manuscript out loud (yes, this can take a while) and listen for word repetition, unintentional patterns, clumsy dialogue, imprecise language. Reading aloud can be quite exposing, and might reveal some weak spots you weren’t aware of. What are memorable, perhaps elusive, story qualities that hook you? I do love an unreliable narrator. And also plots with “twists,” those books you finish, turn over, and begin again, thinking “how in the world did the author just pull that off?” Tell us about your approach to revisions in an accepted manuscript—one for which you’ve provided an editorial letter and/or invitation to re-submit. My goal is to help the author make the manuscript as polished—and irresistible—as possible, before we submit, and I love this aspect of the job. The revisions vary widely in scope, naturally. They might include major structural changes to plot or character, tightening, or detailed line-by-line fine-tuning of language and dialogue.III. ON A PERSONAL NOTE How has meeting writers at events affected you and/or your work? What do you enjoy about workshops? I find meeting writers to be energizing, especially when I really connect with someone and love her work. But even when I don’t, I think, “This person is here. Learning. Revising. Networking.” It’s really impressive, all the creativity and smarts and sheer diligence, all in one room. I also like learning what people do when they’re not writing (since, more often than not, their novels are squeezed somewhere between work and family and commute), and hearing how they make the time for it. And I’m really looking forward to meeting these talented PCCWW writers in October! Advice for workshop attendees about how to benefit from your critiques? Listen with an open mind, and add my reactions to others you’ve heard. If readers keep coming back to the same spots in your manuscript, it’s probably a sign that something isn’t coming across as you mean it to. That said, it’s your book, and if a suggestion or critique feels far from what you mean the book to be, it might be a case of the wrong reader for your work. What would you like writers to know about you, the individual who scrutinizes (and sometimes rejects) their literary labors of love? We’re just regular people, with good days and bad. Remember that the agent or editor reading your work could have (a) a similar book on her list, (b) a big meeting the next day that she’s worrying about, or (c) a headache. I wish I could say I read every submission under ideal circumstances, but it’s just not true. Some of you will get me distracted or busy, others will reach me when I’ve just moved something big off my plate, and find myself energized and more “open” to new work. This is all to say: keep at it. Again and again. If an agent declines your work, remember that she’s just a single reader, someone with her own idiosyncratic tastes and roller coaster workload. At some point, you’ll catch an agent or editor at just the right moment, someone who falls in love with your book and sees it for all it can be. Don’t accept less! Read this agent’s bio and author testimonials.
|
|
