Comments on Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency: Evaluate Your Manuscript

This was very interesting and helpful to me. I was...

2009-03-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

This was very interesting and helpful to me.
I was surprised to find that I seem to do a lot of these points naturally when I am writing... perhaps I am not as bad as I keep thinking I am!
Very helpful and insightful anyway thanks.

Excellent post, thank you, WMLA! This is a fantas...

2008-08-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Excellent post, thank you, WMLA! This is a fantastic list and I pretty much agree with all your points. ;)

It also really helps to have a list to reference, a way to check things off when going over a MS to make sure it really, truly is ready to be sent out.

I'll be checking back to your blog often.

~Merc

I think the opening hook should be the crux of the...

2008-08-02T23:23:00.000-07:00

I think the opening hook should be the crux of the entire novel. "Who is John Galt?" Why is Harry Potter special? Who killed the jogger? Who was the jogger? Anything less and I would classify that as a fake hook.

I think the reason why many books start strong but quickly fall flat is that the authors try to answer opening questions too soon. That and they don't add another question when answering an old one. Some of the most engaging books were basically a series of questions. Personally, I think that's what each chapter should do. Answer a pressing question and ask another pressing one. Some of the books I have enjoyed the most ended each chapter with at least one question and then the author answered at least one question in the next chapter. I am almost tempted to title the chapters of my next novel with at least one of the questions I ended the last one with or at least allude to the question in the chapter's title.

As for openings, I wholeheartedly agree that the story should start when the action has started. Why do authors think they have to "set the scene"? Explain things later. Get things hopping and explain along the way. Watch the original Terminator. The first bit of exposition was during a rough-and-tumble car chase. It could have been done with a narrator at the start or, even worse, the main characters talking over a cup of herbal tea at a cafe.

As for dialogue, I like it when I feel each has their own agendas. Note the plural. There should be overt and hidden agendas. The conflict between different agendas of the speakers makes some of the best dialogue. And if you do have someone that is just there to give exposition, make them interesting. Make them opinionated and colorful. Don't make them politically correct. If they're bland, I fall asleep.

As for wanting to read more, if it is a series, I want to learn more about the characters. Tie up all the plots and sub-plots but don't tell all about the characters. Leave me wanting to learn more about them. If the characters are set (don't change from one novel to the next), I should want to learn more about what makes them unique and interesting. If they do change, I want to know how their relationships change with other characters AND I want to find this out. Does Mr. X and Ms. Y hook up? The story is complete, but not the characters. That and you have made me care about the main character. S/he is real to me. I have bonded to them. I want to continue my relationship with them in the next novel in the series.

This was actually very helpful. It was confusing t...

2008-08-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

This was actually very helpful. It was confusing to digest at first, but only because it made me second guess my MS. Then I read anonymous's comment. I think you're right when it comes to character's having too much voice. It must mean that the story isn't being told. There's nothing wrong with character's having a strong voice, otherwise. Details are our friends!

A character having too much voice-- Sharene and I ...

2008-08-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

A character having too much voice-- Sharene and I have discussed this and we have no idea what this means. The only possible meaning we could attach to this would be that there is too much characterization and not enough story. Many editors want plot driven stories (plot controls the story rather than character)and that being the case would object to a purely character- driven story. However, to be sure, you might ask the person who critiqued your work what he or she meant by this comment. It is hard to speculate what someone else might have meant when I don't know the full context in which it was presented.

As far as I know, no one at WMLA has ever rejected a work for a character having "too much voice." Hope this helps.

Is there any such thing as a character having too ...

2008-08-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

Is there any such thing as a character having too much voice? In my mind if the main character is telling the story then the reader should know what she's thinking, feeling and desiring all throughout the story. I feel that as long as the story is still being told in a tasteful manner there shouldn't be a problem. So, what does is mean when I get a critique saying my character has TOO MUCH of a voice? To me, it just makes no sense. Have you ever said that? Why?

Pagecrazy: First you have to decide what your book...

2008-08-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

Pagecrazy: First you have to decide what your book really is. If the story is about you and you are the main character in the story, it should be a non-fiction autobiography or memoir. If, however, it is a fictionalized version of your life with you as the main character, you, as its author, should still not be in the story. Fiction has a fictionalized narrator and even if it's based on fact, it's still fiction and you still have to respect your main character's individuality. So, your first step is to decide what your book will be and consider your goals for it. That dictates most everything else.

I am a little confused on the Author issue. My MS ...

2008-08-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

I am a little confused on the Author issue. My MS is about me, so I am the author, narrator, and main character. How do I change that effectively without taking away from the reality?

Great post. I especially liked "Voice (point of vi...

2008-08-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

Great post. I especially liked "Voice (point of view)—who is the narrator?"

When I read published books or a friend's MS, I ask myself: Who is the main character? If the answer isn't obvious early on, then warning bells go off. I also see a lot of author intrusion - author's telling the story in a heavy- handed manner instead of letting the character show me the story.

When my blog hiatus ends on 9/1, I'll be sure to give the W-M blog a plug. Lots of great advice here.