tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post6381264431068981511..comments2023-07-03T07:26:04.780-04:00Comments on The Rejecter: Apparently She's Serious.The Rejecterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087643296072075641noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-4042277937954201822007-09-22T20:13:00.000-04:002007-09-22T20:13:00.000-04:00In all fairness (and, yes, I know the particular b...In all fairness (and, yes, I know the particular book I'm about to mention doesn't fall under the category of fantasy), S.E. Hinton was only 16 when she wrote "The Outsiders". That's a teenage girl writing a novel from a male POV; a novel that is widely considered to be a modern classic, and tought in high schools throughout the country (at least it was when I was in high school). All that being said...man, I wish I had that kind of gumption. <BR/><BR/>At 31 years old, I refuse to even glance an anything I wrote before the age of 22. It's far too embarrassing even in the privacy of my own home. We should all rest easy in the knowledge that, one day, the little girl in question will be all grown up. When that day comes, she will recall the hubris of her email and turn beet red. I just wish I could be there to enjoy it. (Yeah, I'm mean. So what?)Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11428260187738162397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-36877541776345038382007-08-15T14:22:00.000-04:002007-08-15T14:22:00.000-04:00As Amy said, this is not all teenaged writers' sta...As Amy said, this is not all teenaged writers' state of mine. This is an arrogant egotistical teenaged writer's reaction to more than (gasp!) 2 rejections. <BR/><BR/>I'm fifteen, and after writing my umpteenth novel, I am currently shopping one to agents that has been critiqued by many, many writers, shred to bits, rewritten twenty-plus times, thrown away, salvaged, and lost me many a chance for a social life. <BR/><BR/>I recognize I'm not the most talented writer in the world by far (I doubt I'm even in the top million), but at least I've had twenty critiquers all agree my manuscript is publishable.<BR/><BR/>Who wants to bet the 'freakishly well-written' masterpiece was a first draft of a first novel?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-75496879407798187192007-07-23T01:21:00.000-04:002007-07-23T01:21:00.000-04:00Well, I'm a little sad to know my odds of being pu...Well, I'm a little sad to know my odds of being published are smaller than a quark, but I guess it's good to know that I can't instead of remaining ignorant and sending in a similar (albeit better worded) letter.<BR/><BR/>As for Eragon: HAH! I wasn't wrong when I thought his writing was a pile of bull. That makes me feel much better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-69080676564358649952007-06-29T18:36:00.000-04:002007-06-29T18:36:00.000-04:00Ok, whoever had the cojones to write this letter c...Ok, whoever had the cojones to write this letter clearly has some unmedicated psychological issues. But please, please, PLEASE do not assume this is how all teenage writers are. I am seventeen, and took last year off school to write my second manuscript (the rejections for the first are still in my inbox, right above the congratulatory notice for the manuscript's win of a respectable conference-sponsored contest.) Said second novel is now represented by an agent I met at the conference, and is currently being revised before going out on submission. This is something I have been working towards for ten years, religiously, at the cost of my friends, wallet and certain personal hygiene habits.<BR/><BR/>So don't be haters, folks. Some of us kiddies deal with rejection and carpal tunnel, too.<BR/><BR/>(Also, Eragon was indeed a POS. Bravo, Rejecter.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-45300934295217945492007-06-26T18:47:00.000-04:002007-06-26T18:47:00.000-04:00Re Eragon suckage:Check out the "AntiShurtugal" Li...Re <I>Eragon</I> suckage:<BR/><BR/>Check out the <A HREF="http://community.livejournal.com/antishurtugal/" REL="nofollow">"AntiShurtugal" LiveJournal</A> sometime. It's an LJ for those to vent their <I>Eragon</I> suckage and cry many single tears.<BR/><BR/>Now here's the <I>really</I> scary part:<BR/><BR/>If patterns hold, there should be a pitch making the rounds on the CBA/Christian Bookstore publishing circuit right now: <B>"Just like <I>Eragon</I>, but CHRISTIAN!"</B>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-61185770867979541272007-06-22T10:00:00.000-04:002007-06-22T10:00:00.000-04:00The great thing about stories like Eragon, is they...<I>The great thing about stories like Eragon, is they bring young readers into the fold, who can then pick up classics (and hopefully excellent new works) and learn where the tropes came from and how they *should* be used.</I><BR/><BR/>No, no, no! That's not how it would work! The kids would read the originals from which Eragon was stolen and presume that <I>Eragon had been ripped off.</I> Haven't you ever heard a kid insist that a cover song is the original version, and that the Stones or whomever never did that song because it's too current? Their time is the only time, after all!writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-78943467792011938372007-06-22T09:53:00.000-04:002007-06-22T09:53:00.000-04:00Ditto rei on Eragon. What a piece of junk! And b...Ditto rei on Eragon. What a piece of junk! And besides the horses without physical needs, there's the really bad learning to use a sword better than anybody in the evenings by the fire on a journey fraught with monsters across unknown lands with no food supplies.<BR/><BR/>I saw some promise to Paolini's writing, but this book needed revision in the worst way to be considered good writing.writtenwyrddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02280711822302493122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-46218512074313317642007-06-21T09:23:00.000-04:002007-06-21T09:23:00.000-04:00Okay, so I write fantasy and have a beard, and two...Okay, so I write fantasy and have a beard, and two cats...and am female...hm. Well, I guess in the plus category, I *also* think Eragon was a poorly-written, cliched hunk of boring drivel, but he's rich off of his novel and I'm not, so there it is.<BR/><BR/>ANYWAY, I feel for this teen's moxy, I do, but it's a tough thing to be a writer -- especially a 'young' one -- when you're caught between feeling that your writing is better than a lot of stuff out there while simultaneously feeling that it sucks as you try beating it into shape. You present the former and bury the latter if you want to market yourself. This is my generous interpretation of this letter.<BR/><BR/>However...<BR/><BR/>Well, sometimes you DON'T write well. Sometimes the writing DOES suck. Your first idea isn't always your best idea and sometimes your first passion isn't the one you take on for a lifetime. (Think of your first real date!) And that's what experience, rejections and critiquing can teach you in the world of writing.<BR/><BR/>Of course, I say this having written since I could write and knowing I wanted to do this for a living. Still, I agree my early novels never saw the light of day (and thank goodness for that)!<BR/><BR/>You want to know if you're good? Have your work critiqued by at least 5 people who are not related to you in any way (no family or friends or families of friends, etc.) and see what they think. DO NOT just send stuff out there because, frankly, it clogs up the pipes. Someone has to take an objective view and, Dear Writer, it sure as heck ain't you.<BR/><BR/>Good luck!<BR/>(**rolls eyes discreetly**)dawnmetcalfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13089595351679441381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-43292297452811218052007-06-21T00:08:00.000-04:002007-06-21T00:08:00.000-04:00Gosh.I'm uh kind of bummed now that you all said i...Gosh.<BR/>I'm uh kind of bummed now that you all said it wasn't my beauty that's getting me published...ORIONhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01534064935115027523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-80769343770406931092007-06-20T23:28:00.000-04:002007-06-20T23:28:00.000-04:00My guess: The question (is the slushpile a meritoc...My guess: The question (is the slushpile a meritocracy) was serious but the letter is at least partially tongue-in-cheek, with the suppositions inflated to further drive home the question.LindaBudzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09290094983584931044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-44839787653836251372007-06-20T21:35:00.000-04:002007-06-20T21:35:00.000-04:00Anonymous 2:39, this letter sounds genuine to me. ...Anonymous 2:39, this letter sounds genuine to me. John Scalzi wrote a blog post that draws offended teenaged writers like flies, and about half of them sound exactly like this, only with worse spelling and grammar.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-11313438775201824562007-06-20T14:39:00.000-04:002007-06-20T14:39:00.000-04:00If you are the type of person who gets your jollie...If you are the type of person who gets your jollies by sending fake questions to Rejecter's blog to get a rise out of her and her readers, then you are the type of person who would respond, "What? Of course I am serious. Please be kind" when she emails you in disbelief over your question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-47040987836288815082007-06-20T11:51:00.000-04:002007-06-20T11:51:00.000-04:00I think Paris Hilton wrote the letter. In prison.I think Paris Hilton wrote the letter. In prison.patriciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17470873164584439119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-19651982562647366792007-06-19T22:30:00.000-04:002007-06-19T22:30:00.000-04:00Hm, coming at it from the other side, I wonder if ...Hm, coming at it from the other side, I wonder if beauty could actually work against a wannabe writer since they mightn't fit in with the stereotype of how a writer should be. Even if they got the right contacts someone would eventually wonder how they made those contacts... When I went for a grad job as a programmer I think being slightly nervous actually worked in my favour cuz geeks are 'supposed' to be a bit socially awkward.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-35975820546539584602007-06-19T17:57:00.000-04:002007-06-19T17:57:00.000-04:00Re Eragon--it wasn't so much that Mom and Dad were...Re Eragon--it wasn't so much that Mom and Dad were rich as much as Mom and Dad were in the publishing industry. Badboy, The Rejecter never said that influence didn't matter--she says as much in her comments on getting published in The New Yorker. But just being pretty doesn't count as "influence", especially at nineteen. And especially with the writing skills the questioner demonstrated here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-39125478876731960172007-06-19T13:52:00.000-04:002007-06-19T13:52:00.000-04:00Oh, I don't know. I'm pretty sure "Special Topics ...Oh, I don't know. I'm pretty sure "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was published because the author is attractive. Certainly it wouldn't have gotten anywhere on its own merits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-48494760984199949752007-06-19T13:38:00.000-04:002007-06-19T13:38:00.000-04:00Love the blog ...Love the comment about fantasy wr...Love the blog ...<BR/><BR/>Love the comment about fantasy writers having beards.<BR/><BR/>While I don't have a beard, my mustache outfuzzed my son's until he was almost 30. <BR/><BR/>Does that count in getting published?The Grumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10016970340725999041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-70750939543106037052007-06-19T11:44:00.000-04:002007-06-19T11:44:00.000-04:00There are lots of books that suck but which get pu...There are lots of books that suck but which get published and sell well.<BR/><BR/>The factor we're failing to take into account is not that mummy and daddy were rich, but that Eragon was <I>enjoyable</I>. <BR/><BR/>Even though it sucked. <BR/><BR/>It was like the Da Vinci Code that way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-85162786995252390702007-06-19T08:52:00.000-04:002007-06-19T08:52:00.000-04:00"Eragon sucked" and "The boy would never have gott..."Eragon sucked" and "The boy would never have gotten published if mommy and daddy hadn't been rich" together kind of prove the questioner's point that getting published can be influenced by stuff other than your writing. Now who's being naive?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-78682953787212405632007-06-19T00:02:00.000-04:002007-06-19T00:02:00.000-04:00C'mon, you gotta love that teenage moxy! I wrote s...C'mon, you gotta love that teenage moxy! I wrote similar letters about being the world's greatest poet at 16, of course, that was before I dropped out of highschool.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-30882695673365795022007-06-18T14:06:00.000-04:002007-06-18T14:06:00.000-04:00Sorry to be pedantic, but no, Rejecter -- we don't...Sorry to be pedantic, but no, Rejecter -- we don't have any of Socrates' speeches. At least not first hand. What we have is Plato's version of them. Obviously I could be wrong, but I'm not aware of any first-hand Socrates having survived.<BR/><BR/>All of which is a propos of nothing, but anyway...Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17551251102277461893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-79117412884706767422007-06-18T13:19:00.000-04:002007-06-18T13:19:00.000-04:00Hey Kate, the reason we assume the poster is femal...Hey Kate, the reason we assume the poster is female is 'cause of Mademoiselle Rejecter's headline..."Apparently She's Serious." She tried to hide the gender in the post below but missed her own headline.<BR/><BR/>I disagree that the colossal ego displayed in the message was necessarily the mark of the self-impressed male - there are plenty of women with this sort of ego too (and who will assure you how good-looking they are. A fact, which, incidentally, IS relevant, as obviously the better-looking you are the better you'll come across in the media and to your fans. Sad but true. Fortunately it's not a pre-requisite as Stephen King will happily attest.)<BR/><BR/>If the writer was trying to be funny s/he/it didn't do a very good job of it...a mark of the unformed writer. However it's possible we're taking hir far more seriously than we should.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-73735951386664479902007-06-18T13:17:00.000-04:002007-06-18T13:17:00.000-04:00I weep for my generation.I weep for my generation.Fluffyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12364011996327363616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-86319745456801453482007-06-18T12:32:00.000-04:002007-06-18T12:32:00.000-04:00"19 is young but not 15 crushing your hopes and dr...<I>"19 is young but not 15 crushing your hopes and dreams young. 19 is stupid young but old enough to get a smack down and bounce back from it young. So please, unless you are getting a question from the "we must be protective of your fragile egos" young (under 16 is where I would cut that off), please let them have it. You will be doing all of us a favor."</I><BR/><BR/>I'd go so far as to say that anyone who at 15 will let their hopes and dreams be crushed by someone on a blog (respectable and knowledgeable as Rejecter is) isn't going to make it far in this business anyway. You have to, at the very least, be able to take criticism.<BR/><BR/>RE: Eragon: You are my hero. Seriously. There are other ways to get kids into reading.Mirihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18076693898421760613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35623128.post-26590850460955470412007-06-18T12:06:00.000-04:002007-06-18T12:06:00.000-04:00The refreshing naivete of youth, the feeling of be...The refreshing naivete of youth, the feeling of being empowered to change the world and being welcomed to do so.<BR/><BR/>The sad reality is that the world just doesn't care. <BR/><BR/>Of course, maybe I am just overly jaded.<BR/><BR/>There was an interesting interview in the latest issue of The Dramatist, in which several authors were asked what they would really like to do for a living. Interestingly, none of them chose writing. I suppose the desire to escape one's job is universal. While we clamour to become writers, the writers are clamouring to become us.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08466885792177930052noreply@blogger.com