See, I've always been a rule-follower (which is really funny that my first series is all about a girl who breaks all the rules!), and if an agent lists the way to submit to them on their blog/website, I'm going to follow it.
I think querying is one of those spots where you don't color outside the lines.
But in writing, I actually like to break a lot of guidelines. I think that's where we can and should experiment. Think about narrating a story from a unique angle, a different character than what's already out there. Try writing in multiple POV's, maybe even different tenses. Get creative with the dialog, vocabulary, or dialect.
Most of all, I think the one thing we can do as author that will serve us the best is to write the story we love. Don't worry about whether your editor or agent will like it. Don't concern yourself with how things are "supposed to be." Sure, there are some things that must be in place, especially in specific genres (like in a romance, the hero and heroine must end up together), but other than that, we only grow and improve by stretching into new and different places.
So as you're contemplating starting a new book, think about what you can do that you haven't done before. Break free of your self-imposed guidelines and write a book that you love.
Have you had any experience doing this? I've been around long enough to have experienced a lot of highs (royalty checks!) and lows (rejections!) of the business. I've reached the point where I've thrown my hands up into the air and said, "Whatever. I'm doing what I want to do."
I think my most successful novel came from that, because I wasn't trying to write something for someone else. I was just trying to write something I love -- and it turned out to be something I'd never done before: a novel in verse.
So I've been on that street that's full of the same POV, the same plot lines, the same protagonists. And while that side alley might be kind of dark, it's a great place to discover -- or re-discover -- your creativity. Don't be afraid to break free of the mob and find a new set of guidelines.
Just not when you're querying. :)
8 comments:
I finally started to aim myself in this direction. I've always tried to write the book I want but got caught up in following the rules (I'm a rule follower too). It's refreshing to write it. Although, I've been getting a lot of it's not sellable, but hey, it only takes one to like it, right?
Words of wisdom, Elana. Writing, after all, is meant to be one wonderful adventure after another. :)
So true that we have to follow the rules with querying. But you're right to throw up your hands with agents and editors. It's hard to know what is right and wrong, or good or bad with all the conflicting suggestions. Good luck with the querying.
I can see where an agent wouldn't want to move forward repping a writer that refuses to adhere to what they put as guidelines for querying. There's a difference in showing some originality in the writing, writing what you love vs. showing the agent that you may be difficult to work with due to choosing to ignore or just not read submission guidelines.
I agree that you should write the book you love and want to write (and want, for that matter to read.) That's the creative part of the whole thing. I do believe in following the rules for querying and submitting. Scott Eagan has a good post on his site about that: Babbles from Scott Eagan. He's an agent for romance fiction, which I don't write, but his advice for writers is always pithy and helpful.
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