Feedback?

I’ve had a nice run of requests for my novel Light Bringers and I’m totally appreciative of all the feedback, although I’ve only really had one agent actually spell out clear reasons why the story didn’t work for them and that was from the awesome Kate Testerman. While I didn’t agree with all of her comments and didn’t make all of the suggested changes, I knew exactly what didn’t work for her and why. Plus, her feedback helped to make Light Bringers better. (wish she would have asked for a revise and resub *pout-pout*)

Well, the rest of the feedback from other agents who have read my full manuscript has been less than helpful. And I’m not saying that in a whinny kind of way, I’m just saying I don’t really know what to do with their feedback.

One agent said that she found nothing really wrong with the story, it was just at the end of the day it didn’t resonate with her. That’s fine. It’s not going to resonate with everyone, but I can’t really take that and make my book better. Someone should totally market Resonating Dust. Just sprinkle it on your manuscript and it will guarantee to make it resonate with everyone who reads it!

*Don’t steal my idea. I’m totally thinking of marketing that!

Another agent said my conflict didn’t come in soon enough for her—that’s constructive and something I can fix, but then she said my main character was whinny and self-indulgent—not much I can do about that. Well, I could but I don’t wanna-lol.

Just had another request for a full from a pretty impressive house so I was on cloud nine when the request came only three hours after I sent the partial. I knew the response would be fast so I’m grateful for that.

He said he thought the premise was great and I had a good frame, but he had concerns about the writing, for example, he didn’t know why Heath needed to be British and what was the deal with me saying Ryan used fruity shampoo on his hair? Does he have an aversion to fruity shampoo or herbal?

Um…WTH?

Heath’s British because I want him to be and it’s MY NOVEL! One of my friends said that he was probably wondering if it will have some bearing on the story, does it move the plot along? Since when does someone’s nationality have to move the plot along? Maybe I’m mistaken, and if I am, please enlighten me, but I don’t see why my choice to have Heath be British should make a difference. I think it’s mentioned twice in the entire novel and shown through his speech. And Heath’s background as well as England will be featured in the third novel. Still, I have no idea what to do with that feedback.

As for the shampoo and Ryan’s “aversion” to the fruity scent, well, that scene was taking place in his mother’s house so he wasn’t pleased that the only shampoo available to him had a fruity scent. He’s a soldier, a macho type guy, and not too keen on showing up for work smelling like strawberries. Most guys would probably feel the same. I’m not sure what to do with that bit of info either.

I’ve just ordered Donald Maass’ book, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook, so I’m hopeful that the exercises will help me strengthen my novel, maybe even answer some of these unanswered questions I have about this feedback.

As I said, I’m not complaining. I just figured that sometimes when you talk things out with others going through the same thing, they may help you make sense of it, so…HELP!

Back to the Drawing Board…

Well, I’ve received a rejection from the last agent who had my full. She gave me some good feedback—some I’ll be taking and some I won’t. I sat on the feedback for a few days. I had to read over the email again with a brain that wasn’t clogged with disappointment and my ears weren’t ringing with sadness, (dramatic, aren’t I?).

I don’t want to be the type of writer who can’t take feedback because lord knows that would be the death of my career, but I also don’t want to be the type of writer who takes everything that someone says to me and runs with it.

Unless I’m truly delusional, I think I have a healthy balance. One of the things this agent said was that I could build the world a bit more. She felt like it was whole in my head but lacked a bit on the page. She was right. I didn’t have to think twice to answer the questions she posed to make my world more substantial. So obviously I had these world building facts fleshed out, but hadn’t put them to work in my story. I sprinkled them into my ms, and hopefully solved that issue.

This next thing she said was what I decided not to take. My story is told in the pov of more than one character. It’s not head-hopping, but as I’m sure you have all read a story that will give you say, the killer’s pov and then the cop, and then the protagonist, this is sort of what I do except I don’t have a killer or a cop-lol. The agent felt that I did myself a disservice by doing this, and maybe I should consider telling the story wholly from the female or male lead character. The majority of the book is told from the male lead’s pov, and I feel like I would lose something crucial to my story if I changed it all to his pov or maybe the female's.

I realized, (when I was through being bummed) that this agent--as much as I love her personality--was probably not the one for me. I know it’s what we all tell ourselves when we're rejected, but if she doesn’t care for something that is actually my style of writing, and something I’ll most likely do in all or most of the books I write, then she would probably have a problem with every one of my manuscripts. Granted, like she said, I might be doing myself a disservice and I guess only time will tell, but I have to be true to what I believe is right for my story, my writing style and my writing career.

And now I have compiled a new list of agents, revamped my query and when I get back from vacation, I’ll get back out there into the big bad world of querying!