I can’t sleep and one of the reasons is because of reading this weblog by a literary agent and her wonderful sharing of comments on writer submissions that is of the greatest value to any writer. Why this is even better than a writers group is because it is the opinion of an agent that reads story openings constantly so she sees them all and has a greater wealth of experience to draw from. It is the pointed comments she makes that we wish we could get back scribbled on our own submissions so we know what we’re doing wrong–or right.
There are 57 submissions she’s covered in various entries in the past four days, so check them out if you have some time to spend. I don’t always agree with her but it is an excellent learning tool because the examples are there, so when she claims something is telling instead of showing, it is clearly demonstrated.
However, while I have noted a bit of not-so-great writing, there were a few very good samples. And frankly, between this and the tons of reading I’ve been doing lately it seems I am getting pickier and pickier about what good writing is all about. It takes more to move me. I realize that I’ve been panning some of the published stories in all the literary journals I’m catching up on, and in the same vein, I’m not so cocky about any of my own stories either. As a matter of fact, I’ve decided that they’re not very good at all.
But I’m willing to still spend some (though less) time to learn by writing, though I’m not sure that I’ll ever be of the caliber I would expect as a reader. I have a feeling that my true calling is not as a writer, but perhaps as an editor or just an appreciator of fine writing.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology