If You're A Fiction Writer, You Should Be Able To Do This

I just stumbled upon17 Reasons Manuscripts are Rejected last week. I particularly liked No. 1 "The writer uses the phrase ‘fiction novel’" and No. 14 about tone and attitude. "Reid says she gets a lot of queries from writers who don’t like agents, and those writers are often open about their dislike. She suggests not revealing that you dislike agents."

I would love to see some of those queries.

Training Report: Finally got back to work on the 365 Story Project! Well, barely. It's a start, at least.

Evolution? Right In Front Of Me?

I've got to get an agent before they evolve into something else.

Link came by way of the NESCBWI listserv.

I'm Probably Too Witchy For This

So I continue to mull over the possibility of looking for an agent. I've even started doing a little research. I keep running into all kinds of stumbling blocks, though. For instance, yesterday I decided I couldn't approach a particular agency because I didn't like its website. Then I read about an agent who, while working for a publisher, had edited two books I didn't like. I've read that one good way to hunt for agents is to select books you like and see if you can find out who represented the author. I couldn't think of any books I've liked.

I started wondering if maybe I'm not nice enough to have an agent. It really seems to me that in order to find and keep one I'll have to be a lot nicer than I'm accustomed to being and for much longer periods of time.