I'm watching the Are You Hooked contest on Authoress's blog with much curiosity. Especially after one worried individual dashed over here to make sure that I was a rank amateur and my opinion didn't count so they could console a sobbing author.
Only the author was my friend. And when it comes to reading I do know what I like.
*sigh*
You can't please everyone I suppose. Or even try for that matter.
Anyways, moving on. The contest is going great, as usual. I've gotten similar feedback as before. The opening has improved but why don't I name the MC? And seeing what genres everyone is coming from this makes sense. YA usually follows one or two characters. Sci-fi doesn't always follow this convention and it isn't unheard of to open with someone other than the MC. Which is what I did.
The Secret Agent liked it, and that's my main goal. I write dirty genre fiction. I know not everyone will like it. I don't even *want* everyone to like my work. Twilight and Harry Potter have hordes of undying haters, and it hasn't hurt their sales at all.
I'm watching to see if I get anymore comments. I'll do a wrap up and see what advice I can take in tomorrow's Random post.
And I'm going to go crit the last 15 submissions before bed tonight.
I admit, YA just isn't my thing. Some are cute, but I have so much trouble connecting after a page. I've been burned by promising first pages though, and I know sometimes the best stories have the weakest openings (Tolkien should have started with Helm's Deep in my opinion. A good action opening is always a winner). What I'd really love Authoress to do is a back-of-book blurb in house contest. I know the agents want to see pages, but I think I'd really love some of these stories if I could see the back of the book.
EDIT: The anonymous poster has been found! The foul blackguard who accused me of author curelty is none other than my long suffering Ice, MMC in DoJ. Apparently he snagged a computer somewhere and went to vent frustration against his author in the only way he knew how, virtually. Poor bunny-boy.
*snicker* I always knew there was something different about Ice. ;)
ReplyDeleteSo, call me slow, but I'm confused...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, glad you're getting good feedback. Am off to examinerate the entries myself :)
YA - I love YA, but only a certain subset of it. I think the problem is that people persist in using the term as a genre, when it's really not. It's a distinction, but it's not a genre, because you can have fantasy YA, commercial YA, literary YA, sci fi YA etc - every genre you can think of can have the "YA" tag added to it.
I love YA books that are in genres I like to read anyway. I don't like YA books in genres I don't read. For me, it's nothing to do with liking YA or not; it's to do with their actual genre.
My problem with YA: to many people use the label as a cop out to not develop characters well. I love some books meant for younger readers. The Circle of Magic series is great. I adore Catherine, Called Birdie. But anything that looks as well developed as Nancy Drew makes me gag.
ReplyDeleteI want to love the characters, and a lot of authors try to skimp of development. Other times I just hate that the story wasn't more in depth, longer. Sometimes I feel a YA story was great, but I daydream about how much better it would have been if it were 250 pages longer and had more depth, time, and texture.
I want to walk away from a book satisfied, not feeling cheated out of the real story.
Agreed. Good YA is good, and bad YA is bad. But that's a factor of the writing, not the YA label, and is true of all genres.
ReplyDelete:)
I've been busy, haven't gotten to commenting over there yet. Probably won't get through them all this time. Guess I better get some done tomorrow!
ReplyDelete*is jealous the Secret Agent already commented on yours*
*blushes*
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to catch up with the SA, buts/he started at 45 and is working backwards.
Well, well, I write YA. When I post my novel on CC, you must tell me what genre it goes in. I'm at a loss because it's complicated. And I'm happy to say, Lei, that you will probably like my book. You say you
ReplyDelete"daydream about how much better it would have been if it were 250 pages longer and had more depth, time, and texture."
Well, mine is longer, contains actual literary elements, and has depth. Just get past my crappy beginning. :) Beginnings are hard. I need your help on that!
I thought SA gave you a nice review. And the person who left that comment on my post - well, I'm just happy you laughed about it. If somebody had said that about me I would have started crying. I'm such wimp. You are much thicker-skinned than me, my dear girl.
LG- I'm convinced one of my characters possessed some poor, innocent, writer. Characters... can't live with them can't write without them :o)
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