Discussion of the Day: Dirty Literary Laundry
The folks over at the Absolute Write Water Cooler are having a bit of sport at the expense of author Jenny Edwards, who has been sharing her rejection letters on her blog (along with some career-suicide level commentary).
Check out the Tales of a Rejection Queen blog here and jump into the discussion here.
AuthorScoop
April 23rd, 2010 at 9:24 am
I certainly feel for her.
The querying process is uncomfortable on the scale of that naked-at-the-office dream. In my version, I’m always trying to play it off, polishing my predicament with some hopelessly awkward faux-aplomb. Usually, it plays out along the lines of holding an insufficient file folder over my front - up, then, down, then hovering in the middle so that my navel is shielded while all the important bits are taking on more unflattering fluorescent light than they ever should.
In my dream, I’m trying to act unbothered; like it’s no big deal that I’m naked; like I’ll be all sorted out and buttoned up and warm just as soon I’m sure my chatter has convinced them that my nudity isn’t a disaster, or even entirely unplanned.
The worst part is that I can never tell if they’re buying it or not.
Ahem. Yes. The parallels to seeking representation and publication are obvious. I can skip the therapist’s couch and go straight to the meds. Or the self-cuddling jacket.
But what I absolutely cannot do is puke my crazy all over the internet.
Ms. Edwards, we’re all crazy. We’re all pissed. We’re all hopeful, distraught, resigned, and renewed at blindingly fast turns. You may be special in some way, but not in this. You really don’t want to be caught out pretending like your manila folder of bravado is distracting anyone from your goosebumps.
Your best bet is to delete that blog. Never post anything under that name again (hopefully, it’s not your real one) and let it sink under Google’s benevolent waves.
April 23rd, 2010 at 9:55 am
It would seem to me that she’s decided this is her best bet of getting the attention of the four top agents on her lists to represent her. Think about it. What better way to get them to read her work but to call them out and berate them.
Of course an experience writer knows that she’s not only put herself in a precarious position legally by defaming their characters in writing and blasting it across the world wide web—we are also aware that such tantrums aren’t likely to make anyone feel bad for her but rather paint a big red and wide circle around her with the notice, “avoid at all costs–unprofessional at work”.
And yet, if her goal was to be seen and quickly, to gather to her a crowd that would read her blogs and thereby gain in popularity by virtue of shock value–she’s doing exactly what the media does on any given day and in that instance, well played.
April 23rd, 2010 at 10:25 am
Train.Wreck.
I read it, and sat stupified for a solid five minutes before I could think of words to attach to it and how to compartmentalize it in my brain. Does it fall under freakshow or cautionary tale? Should I feel badly for taking a bit of pleasure in the knowledge that at least I’m not THAT crazy?
I keep my crazy confined to myself whenever possible, and while there are times I feel like spewing it, I’ve thus far managed to keep it off the ‘net.
So on that front, I have to admit I take a bit of pleasure in knowing that someone lost her cool more spectacularly and more publicly than I ever have.
Watching someone in the act of self-sabotage isn’t pretty. I chose the cautionary tale compartment, with a side of perverse enjoyment.
April 23rd, 2010 at 11:32 am
Some times ago there was a blog similar to this, except it was about saving money.
The blogger described a family as deeply in debt and desperate for ways to save money (to the point where they enforced a time-limit on showers). Yet there were needless expenditures on the blogger’s part and secret spending from the family members.
As a result, the blog was a trainwreck with heated commentary on both sides. Guess it’s human nature to be fascinated by self-sabotage. It reminded me of this one, where the blogger claims a wish to be published and yet makes sure she never will be, unless it’s by a vanity press or through self-publishing.
April 23rd, 2010 at 12:41 pm
I’ve not done any internet play-by-play on my writing process or on my agent search, or on my editorial submissions experience now that I have gotten at least that far. Primarily, this is because it’s not very interesting and, also, I’ve already got a wonderful core of saints and cyber-angels who put up with my bitching and whining. To fish for anonymous sympathy would be grasping.
But if I were going to try to be both honest and professional in describing what I’ve gone through in pursuit of this dream, I would have to say that once I’ve dried my tears and chiseled off the crust of resentment, I’ll admit I’ve mostly been treated courteously. I don’t suppose I can demand more in my literary aspirations than I would be able to expect from any other facet of life.
Once I’ve calmed down from a round of hamster-wheel fretting, or a rejection, or a conversation that I didn’t understand, I’m left with two things, and will likely always be left with them, no matter what I achieve or fail:
1) I will not be able to understand why some things reap ‘yeses’ when others harvest nothing but ‘nos’
and
2) Every writer, agent, editor, and publicist I interact with is a real person with a life and a day that was either great, fine, boring, or a pain in the ass. They are working at a job. Many times, they have somewhere they’d rather be. To that end, they are like everyone else I encounter and I’m at least smart enough to know that I have my best chance at a positive result by offering my best work and my best attitude. So that’s what I try to do, and then dissect my gripes in private.
If I ever name names on the internet, it’ll only be the ones who I’ve noted with something nice to say. That list is already admirably stacked for an industry that’s supposedly notorious for back-stabbing, sniping, and just plain rudeness. If someone’s not on it, I’ll just listen to my elders and betters and keep it zipped since I haven’t got anything nice to say.
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:02 am
One of the standard questions of every edition of Jeff Herman’s Guide is the “describe the Client From Hell.” I think I’ve just been exposed to her in all her Batshit-Nuts-Out-of-Hell glory. It’s rare you come across someone so bound and determined to screw their own career with such relentless ferocity. It’s almost admirable in a ten car crash kind of way. Maybe Miss Edwards figures why should literary agents have all the fun with their blogs showcasing the insipid and brain-dead query letters they receive. How dumb do you have to be to think “Ha! I am on the Internet and nobody knows my secret identity.” You’ve still got a ISP address, baby and they aren’t hard to find. I just pray she doesn’t stop sending out her obviously awful query letters. It only helps the chances of everybody else.
May 18th, 2010 at 7:40 am
So many comments in so little time, I have to agree, it is a great blog post. the site is great