How do you work with your literary agent

Bookhouse — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:45:37 -0800

What is your relationship like with your literary agent? I'm interacting with a literary agent right now, and I'm looking for firsthand accounts of how the relationship works for you. I'm not looking for anything about query letters or scam agents, but instead your stories, both good and bad, about interactions with legit agents once you are past the query-letter stages. Important lessons you learned, mistakes you made, anything like that. Special bonus points for agents who helped you shape a manuscript.

I'd also be interested in stories from the other side of the table (and yes, I have read Miss Snark).

I need some tips for writing fiction that's appealing.

gregb1007 — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:14:17 -0800

I need some tips for writing fiction that's appealing. I've recently learned that my fiction is unappealing to most readers. It turns out that I have an overly "cinematic style." I imagine all kinds of details: things on walls, hallways, how bodies look and move, clothes.

The problem is that when people start reading my story, they complain that it's all description and very little plot. They also would prefer me to get rid of most of my descriptions because they consider them unnecessary.

The visual stuff is what comes to me when I free write and thoughts of concrete actions/character features/events don't. How should I get myself to integrate plot elements into my writing?

(The way it works so far is that a storyline is the last thing I add to my writing because it has to be there. But it feels inadequate and fake.) Btw, he text that I am talking about is online at http://home.comcast.net/~gregb88/sparrow.html, if you want to get a better idea of my overly-visual writing style.

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How do you work with your literary agent

I need some tips for writing fiction that's appealing.