I'm still a bit raw from yesterday. But, without it I wouldn't have had a few realizations I think will serve me well.
1. Writers want to learn to be better, and so we soak up any instruction we can. You can teach someone how to write better prose, hence the attention spent on eliminating passive voice and weak verbs, starting with a hook and ending each chapter on a cliff. But what sets authors and writers apart are better stories. Can you learn how to tell a better story? Sign me up.
2. I did learn what I wanted to know. Experienced authors are given more leeway. I didn’t know Blaze is bought by author not line. Since that is the case, name recognition earns them that right. Before, I was opportating under the illusion most people do as I do and simply read what comes in the box or has the best blurb and first paragraph.
3. I'm touchy about people who bash category. They'll read one book and if it doesn't sparkle they toss it aside and write off the whole genre. 95% of category is amazing, tight and intense and every word matters. When I trip over a book that isn't amazing, I know that others will use it as an example and it unnerves me. I needed to know why they are published...and I found out. At least with Blaze. It's a stretch, to see if readers want to go in that direction. It's a gamble, and publishers stack the deck by using a known author.
4. Semantics suck. Really. I said something about authors getting a bye - meaning they didn't have to stay within the fences and were allowed gates not available to new authors - and others read that as being able to type drivel and get it in print because of their name.
5. Virtual timing blows. I think out loud, and sometimes as I am typing. So as I came to conclusions yesterday about what the point of this whole mess really is beyond the nastiness, my anger abated and my hands stopped shaking. However, people read what you wrote with shaking hands and don't realize you're not angry anymore and just hurt and trying like h*ll to learn something from this.
6. I don't see what others see. I went back and copied the conversation that started the ball rolling, and I don't see my comments the way others do. Probably because I know the motivations behind them, and I tend to think the best of everyone. Others saw annoyance in the editors post, I still see clarification. Others saw me as coming back at her with attitude, I see me trying to sort out what it all meant.
I hate that all this went down because it makes new writers afraid to voice their opinions. People were so anxious about the editor chat last year they were emailing me questions to ask becuase they knew I didn't care if I sounded like a novice, and they wanted to seem professional. Well, who learns from acting like they already know?
What does this all mean now? Probably nothing. Even I'm nervous to post my learnings on eHQ...writers need to know Blaze is bought by author, it changes the way you approach writing for them. They're like an imprint, not a line. I want to ask if this is the way all lines are going, if Blaze is trailblazing for the rest to see what will work in the evolving market. But not today. Who knows what might happen.
