Taking responsibility.
Lately I’ve seen a rash of writers with the idea that they don’t have to perfect their book as much as possible – because surely when they’re discovered, agents and editors will recognize the potential for greatness and fix the flaws in their book. What? Rejected? But why?
Yet if they do get a critique with their rejection, rather than being grateful they whine because while the agent or editor told them what was wrong, they weren’t given explicit, line-by-line instructions on how to fix it or what they wanted in place of the problem areas. Why? Why didn’t the agent/editor/etc. tell them what to do to make their book great, so they could go on to become the darlings of the publishing world?
News flash: because that’s not their job.
Agents and editors don’t fix mediocre books. They hone and sharpen already-good books. If they tell you there’s a problem, it’s up to you to fix it. When they give you a critique, it’s not a guidebook that you follow letter by letter: swap characters A and B, change this letter, that color. It’s an open-ended ticket, a road with many directions, and it’s up to you to have the talent and the maturity as a writer to decide which path to take. Your critique will tell you the problem; your ingenuity and hard work will uncover the solution.
Will it be the right solution? That depends on how good a writer you are. Agents and editors can give you guidance, can catch your mistakes…but it’s your job to know how to improve your book. It’s your job to use that guidance, to not shirk change, to know your craft well enough to take flaws and turn them into answers. Whether you seek an agent or take other routes to publication, you’ll never find your way if you embark with the idea that your book is “good enough” because someone else will whip it into shape.
Your book is like your child. You wouldn’t expect someone else to raise your children for you, to teach them the values you want them to possess, to show them right from wrong. So don’t expect agents, editors, or even critique partners to fix your book, or to nanny you through fixing it yourself.
Thank them for pointing you in the right direction, and then take responsibility and nurture your book to maturity on your own.
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Unfortunately, too many people DO expect other people to raise their kids, do their work, make them better. Gone are the days where pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and doing things for yourself. It’s a very big reason why I tend to hate Other People’s Kids – because they expect ME to raise them – or the school, or random strangers. Take responsibility people, or suffer the wrath of Lessa!
(…i know. scary huh? hehehe.)
I was going to make the same point, but Lessa already said it better xD Dare I say great minds think alike?
Lessa: I quiver, darling, I quiver.
Sihaya: Could say it’s a human condition, then, and a sad sign of societal de-evolution. Writers, parents, etc. don’t want to take responsibility for anything. Bah.
Hmmm…I wrote a post very much like this the other day. Sort of. Think you are clearer about it here than I was, though.
Nicely said.
And for the record, I have kids and I fully intend to let my TV raise them.
I must’ve missed that post or I wouldn’t have beaten the dead horse around the blog circle.
Hey, I was half-raised by TV and there’s nothing– ~twitchtwitchdrool~ –wrong with me!