Literary writers speak up

shinta said:

Curious to know if there are literary writers out there-- visitors, guests, subsribers to AW-- where are you in the process? Struggling to finish a book, successfully finished a book, trying to find representation, shopping the book, waiting for publication, published already-- please post a line or two and share your experience.

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I just passed the halfway point in my lit novel. I will finish it this year. It's crazy difficult to write (harder yet to edit) and until it's finished, I won't concern myself with any other aspects of the writing world.

I post bits and pieces often in the Lit SYW and encourage any and all to stop by and see/read/post and take full advantage of the often brilliant insights of the critters that hang out there.

Best of luck to us all eh? -Kelly

Congrats Use Her Name! That sounds like it's been a long time coming for you!

Also, for what it's worth, my agent commented once that seeing a writer published in literary magazines (I am assuming legitimate and well thought of ones) had a large impact on her, as she considered it a big signal that the writer was legit and willing to work to promote their work.

April81 said:

Congrats Use Her Name! That sounds like it's been a long time coming for you!

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I really need to figure out how to do this consistently.

*SNAP*

Just got off the phone from mine She's happy with all the revisions and ready to sub.

*sigh*

I heart my agent

No - mine is based in Australia and if anything slows it up it will be the FREEZING weather we're having.

Congratulations to you, too! Feels so good, doesn't it? Are you starting a new one straight away? I'm into research for my next - really enjoying it

Oh I rather loved Eucalyptus... I was living overseas when it came out and it sent me into all sorts of homesickness. I don't remember if it was universally popular but I think it may have won a couple of prizes (maybe Miles Franklin Prize?).

Next book I write is going to have one main character, one timezone, one week to tell the story. Polyphonic and I are no longer friends.

Such a weight off my shoulders! At this stage I don't even mind if it sells or not. Just to know that it's done and it didn't get broken along the way...

Oh look - a link to what Aussies thought about Eucalytpus. Just for you

Congrats, Shinta and Mccardey, for revisions done. Godspeed to your books.

On a separate note, I do think editors edit as much as they ever did. They are just asked to spread it out among more books.

(And ask a contracted writer! The editorial process still seems robust, based on the conniptions editorial letters bring about. Or so I hear)

Thanks Kellion

On a separate note, I do think editors edit as much as they ever did. They are just asked to spread it out among more books.

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That makes sense. I'm glad to think the editing thing is over for now, anyway I think I've gone word-blind.

... there is a literary aspect to all my scribblings. Helps knowing that as it allows me to send to markets that may be receptive. Current one is out on request with an editor and agent too. I plan to get it out to two more agents, if I can find others that seem like good fits. One just about does, but not entirely. May send anyway. (What makes things difficult is that I'm looking for an agent who reps my genre and also another genre that I plan to get into in the near future. That would be ideal.)

I my current WIP will qualify as literary fiction...and while it is harder for me writing wise...it is all I read

I am in a Philip Roth phase right now reading wise and woudl suggest him as a good place to look

also, I enjoy John Irving and John Updike....and as for more contemporary authors, I think JM Coetzee is great as well as Charles Baxter

Even Saul Bellow is a good one...older but his stuff is great and some of his are really short so you can get just a taste

... Saul Bellow is awesome. I read one of his early short novels for the first time a few months back: The Dangling Man, 1944. It's about a guy waiting to be drafted into WWII. I have a collection of Paul Bowles stories that's awaiting me. I read Sheltering Sky which I enjoyed. So I'm supposing I'll dig these too. Enjoy your reads!

The older writer I feel I am most like is Graham Greene. Unfortunately my recent stories are more like Larry McMurtry. I am reading Annie Proulx, Barbara Kingsolver, and a guy from the boards who's not too bad. What I am working on was started before the "great recession," when I was sane and had a job, but I feel that my next book will be the "great recession" book of the century. You know like: "The Grapes of Wrath" but in this one, the middle manager loses everything to finally find work at a Taco Bell, pushing 7 layer chalupes to the unsuspecting lunch time crowd.

I just finished the new Aimee Bender book, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Speaking of Greene, I just (really—five miuntes ago) finished watching The Comedians, which I liked. But I've never read the book on which it is based. The story is a lot like The Quiet American in many ways, but less suspenseful and violent.

... your book sounds interesting, Use. Keep at it.

I'm trying really hard to not finish reading Dan Delillo's Libra, it always helps to have something of his laying around with a bookmark in it just in case I need a reminder.

kuwisdelu said:

Sometimes I think my writing is more "anti-commercial" than "literary."

Crap.

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Interesting thing happened while I was trying (not too successfully) to take an offline staycation last week. Got feedback from an agent who reviewed my pitch without the intro/closing paragraphs: pitch only, not the full query with genre.

Her take on the plot was spot-on, and she said it sounded like upmarket women's fiction. So I finally have an answer from the mysterious land of agentdom as to how my pitch is being perceived at the other end. And I have a less anti-commercial sounding genre that I can use. I'd been testing out a few queries with women's fiction as the genre, but honestly, I was afraid to get all cocky and call it "upmarket," LOL.

Oh, and she said (gets giddy) she had no corrections to the pitch, and she actually used the word "brilliant." Her one very helpful change was a title swap. So now I'm pondering new title ideas before I jump back on the query wagon.

Unfortunately, this agent doesn't rep work with my themes, but she was extremely helpful. The feedback was part of a Webinar I attended.