Monday, December 9, 2013

Are Robots The New Vampires?? Jennifer Eaton on Subjective Writing #WritersLife

I'm thrilled to have beta bud, Scribo Pen Sister, & awesome author, Jennifer Eaton here today!!! Wisdom (and great stories) flow from this woman's fingertips, so take notes folks!

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Writing is a subjective business


First of all, a big congrats to Terri Rochenski’s two little girls for achieving the honor of becoming BIG SISTERS a few weeks ago.  Yahoo!  Big excitement in the Rochenski household!

Now that obligatory congrats are out of the way, let’s talk about the word “subjective”

From Dictionary.com:

sub·jec·tive [suhb-jek-tiv] adjective

1. existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective ).
2. pertaining to or characteristic of an individual; personal; individual: a subjective evaluation.
3. placing excessive emphasis on one's own moods, attitudes, opinions, etc.; unduly egocentric.
4. Philosophy . relating to or of the nature of an object as it is known in the mind as distinct from a thing in itself.
5. relating to properties or specific conditions of the mind as distinguished from general or universal experience.

Now let’s think of this in relation to writing, or more specifically, to authors SUBMITTING their manuscripts.

First of all, you need to have a great piece of writing.  If you are trying to submit your first draft, or never been critiqued or had a beta partner, you might want to think this over.  If you don’t have a high-quality product out there, it is going to be rejected. Period. What I am talking about here is well-manicured novels that are out for submission and getting rejections.

Publishing is a subjective business.

What does this mean?

Let’s look at the definition above.  #1 and #2 in my opinion say basically the same thing.  The agent or editor/publisher has an idea in their mind that has nothing to do with your manuscript.  That particular day, their boss may have said: “No more stinking alien stories.  I want dragons.  Find me dragons!”  Now, you may have a spectacular alien story, but on this day, you are going to get a rejection. It’s the THINKING of the person you submitted to, not your story.

#3 has to do with moods.  Again. Have you ever opened up your work email when you were angry?  Tired? Not in the mood to work? You look at things in quite a different light, don’t you? If you catch the agent/editor on a bad day, you could be rejected just for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

#4.  Okay, there’s a reason I did not take philosophy in school.  I have no idea what that said.

#5. “The universe of experience.”  This is why we are going to editors/publisher/agents, right?  They have experience.  If they are worth your effort, they have a nose for what will sell.  This is, after all, a business.  If they think that the day of the vampire story is over, then there is nothing you can do to change their mind.  You may have a GREAT vampire story, but if they think it won’t sell well by the time it gets to market, you are skunked. (By the way, don’t get mad at them for that… in effect, this is the knowledge we are “paying” them for, right?)

All this to say… If you are a new author, or maybe even a seasoned one, and you are getting rejections, don’t fret over it. 

Someone may have spilled their coffee on their laptop. 

Someone may have just signed a novel about robot gangster cowboys in New York City. And you just happen to also have a novel about robot gangster cowboys in New York City.

Someone may think the genre is dead.

Etc.
Etc.
Etc.

However…

Someone may just have finished the greatest cup of coffee EVER and are all juiced up to read a great book
Someone may have had an odd dream, and decided what they really want is a book about robot gangster cowboys in New York City. (Hey, it could happen)

Someone may have just gotten out of a business meeting where they discussed Robots are the new Vampires.

The truth is… You just never know.

So keep trying!

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Click on image to add on Goodreads


First Day of the New Tomorrow

Maya dreams of perfect skin, beautiful hair, good grades, and Eric Brighton—the boy she’s been crushing on since middle school. No matter how hard she tries, all these things elude her, but when a creepy college recruiter arrives with news that Maya has omnipotent powers, things change quickly.

Having everything she wants is a lot harder than Maya expects, though. Will she give it all up for the chance to be normal again, even if it means losing Eric?




Purchase Links:

Short Links.  Just copy and paste!

Full Link to Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/jennifer-m.-eaton



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Jennifer M. Eaton is a contemporary blender of Science Fiction, Dystopian, and Romance.  Her work ranges from the sweet contemporary romances of Paper Wishes, to the dystopian society of Last Winter Red and Optimal Red, with a dusting of young adult paranormal just for fun in The First Day of the New Tomorrow.

While not off visiting other worlds, Jennifer calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her wonderfully supportive husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle. 

Full time team leader, full time mom, and full time novelist... what more can you ask for?  Writing help did you say?  Well, sure!  Jennifer hosts an informational blog aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be. Stop on by and chat. She loves to hear from fans! http://www.jennifermeaton.com/

Her contemporary sweet romance, Paper Wishes is currently available in ebook format.  The Dystopian novelette “Last Winter Red” is available as part of the “Make Believe” Anthology.   Each title is available from Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com and Smashwords.

Paper Wishes:  Jill has no idea what she wants for Christmas, but when it looks like her best friend Jack is going to get exactly what he asks for, Jill makes a Christmas wish that will change both of their lives forever. 

Last Winter Red:  In search of a husband, Emily leaves the safety of the city and risks her life stepping into the outside world.  What she finds there will question the foundations of everything she believes in. Available as part of the Make Believe anthology.

The First Day of the New Tomorrow: Maya dreams of having everything she wants, but when she gets it, she can’t give it back fast enough. (Coming in September, 2013 from Muse It Up)


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