Hey! It’s the monthly blog hop/ known as the Insecure Writers Support Group founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. You’re invited to join if you're a writer, insecure, or just supportive of writers. It happens the first Wednesday of each month, and it would be sweet of you to visit at least a dozen or so new blogs and leave a comment. Your words are appreciated. Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
The awesome co-hosts for the March 2 posting of the IWSG are Janet Alcorn, Pat Garcia, Natalie Aguirre, and Shannon Lawrence!
Once upon many years ago...
I wrote a manuscript...
Many of the characters were witches...
I wanted readers to be disgusted with these witches...
Because they were not the cozy, sweet kind...
Cooking up potpourri and candles.
These evil beings performed grisly rituals...
And conjured up demons.
Some of the scenes were disturbingly graphic...
And afraid they might be too offensive ...
I edited out some details.
When I was done writing the manuscript...
I sent it off to an editor I found in Writer's Digest...
But like a rookie wannabe author...
I was so anxious to get feedback...
I waited until after I sent the manuscript...
Before I did a Google search of the editor...
Only to find out that she had been an editor...
At a Christian publishing house.
LORD!
Afraid the details in my manuscript might singe her eyes...
(sorry)
I expected her to write back saying...
That she torched the manuscript...
Then got on her hands and knees praying for my salvation.
When the manuscript finally came back with her notes...
I was shocked...
She liked the story...
But, she said...
“If you’re going to write in this genre I want to feel the spattered blood on my face, taste it in my mouth. Be true to the characters, warts and all.”
Okey dokey then...
I took her advice...
And fleshed out some character and scenes.
So...
That’s the story about my story.
What about your story?
What conflicts did you encounter?
And what did you do?
Always,
Em-Musing
10 comments:
Glad you Googled the editor. I make it a point to do that nowadays.
Wow! Good for you she was editor first. I would've been worried as well.
I have a similar story. I once submitted a story to a magazine without really check what it was. Turns out it was lesbian literary journal. My story was a weird-west cowboy tale without any female characters in it.
I did not get a response.
That's a great story, and it sounds like you had a good editor who could appreciate what you were trying to do and not view your work through a narrow lens.
That’s a fun story, and I love the editor’s comments. Researching the editor or publication is a good idea, but your story shows that people can surprise us. That Christian editor might enjoy surprising genres….That literary journal might be looking to shake things up with something a little different…You just never know.
That sounds like a crazy story and it's true! You give any book talks, you HAVE to include it.
That's great the editor gave you such good advice. Don't feel bad about not knowing what you were doing. We all make those mistakes. I know I did when I was starting out.
Writing for children presents a problem, however having read Neil Gaiman's wonderful book for children, 'The Graveyard Book', which won the Carnegie Medal, I must be more adventurous.
Wow, that is amazing, well done on finding that editor, I'd have been feeling the same way. Love the post.
She was able to offer good advice, so it seemns like it was not a total bust. But still a lesson for us all!
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