Let's see... this was aimed at 'literary' writers, so some of this may seem more common sense than the rest.
* Entertain the reader. * Tell a story, not a character sketch or slice of life. * Don't write a victim story. * Be concrete rather than abstract. (Don't just decide to write about 'loneliness'.) * Short stories are practically impossible to sell. (This is less relevant in genre fiction.) * It's easier to get a new, hungry agent than one who's well-established.
It seemed like the article was saying that most literary MFA students think that once their work is 'good' it'll magically get picked up by a publisher and sell a bazillion copies with no further work on their part. Mostly because the schools don't teach much about the business aspect of writing.
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Date: 2008-03-16 09:41 pm (UTC)* Entertain the reader.
* Tell a story, not a character sketch or slice of life.
* Don't write a victim story.
* Be concrete rather than abstract. (Don't just decide to write about 'loneliness'.)
* Short stories are practically impossible to sell. (This is less relevant in genre fiction.)
* It's easier to get a new, hungry agent than one who's well-established.
It seemed like the article was saying that most literary MFA students think that once their work is 'good' it'll magically get picked up by a publisher and sell a bazillion copies with no further work on their part. Mostly because the schools don't teach much about the business aspect of writing.