Tag Archive: author meltdown
Eric San Juan
December 10, 2009
One of my favorite bloggers on writing and the publishing industry, literary agent Nathan Bransford, recently made an excellent post about dealing with criticism. Excellent reading for any and all aspiring writers. Confronting a critique or criticism need not be a gut-wrenching trial. It can, and should, be a valuable learning experience. One of the first and most difficult hurdles on the road to publication is learning to cope with criticism. Yet you must. No matter how good you think you are, criticism is inevitable. It is also vital to your growth as a writer. The ability to solicit critiques knowing they will poke holes in your work, and to then listen to said critiques objectively and with an open mind, is one of the…
Read more
Eric San Juan
June 1, 2009
If you hope for writing to be more than a hobby, it’s a good idea to have a good sense for what is and is not good practice when it comes to dealing with editors and agents. Those people will be your doorway into the world of getting paid for your work and having readers who are not friends and family. It’s helpful to know what approaches work and, more importantly, what approaches DON’T. That’s one reason why I pay attention to their blogs. Literary agent Jessica Faust shares a story about a writer who got defensive when she asked for more information about the author’s manuscript. Way to shoot yourself in the foot! I’ve mention being overly defensive before and it’s worth repeating: you…
Read more
Eric San Juan
May 15, 2009
Even as I type this people are reading my first book. And the fact is, not everyone will like it. That’s okay. It’s not a big deal. (Besides, I can always blame Jim for the parts people don’t like, right Jim? Right?) As I continue to work and write, and as people continue to read what I’ve written, I hope I don’t fall prey to launching into defensive rants against my readers. It seems sort of counter-productive, no? Not only are you not changing anyone’s mind, you’re just coming across like a jerk. It would be like a best-selling author lashing out against Amazon reviewers. Why do this? Please, Eric, never do this. (That’s me talking to myself.)
