You'll all be delighted to learn that I am over my harrowing experience with almost getting scammed. My "recruiter" is still trying to reach me via Email and text to find out why I haven't completed my "assignment." Eat a dick, buddy!


I sent a query to a small house (that does reprints *rubs hands together in sinister gesture*) over the weekend since I finally finished the summary for The Finster Effect. Fuck, I hate summaries. I got an Email back on Monday asking for the synops and 5 chapters. I sent it. Waiting...
Also going to be checking in to a few other houses.

Since I've started trying to be a novelist, I think my writing has gotten pretty good. Without any extra formal training, I've developed a strong narrative voice. In face, my narrative voice has become more controlled and assertive from book to book. I've learned that I can't write a 3rd person POV with anywhere near the truthiness of the 1st person. My dialogue kicks ass. And my plotting skills are improving, though certainly not at the same rate as my character development, which is, if I do say so myself, stunning.

But...the editing. All of my books have different editors. My experience has been that editors at small houses don't really do what I was expecting editors to do. I thought an editor was supposed to find typos and stuff...but also to find ways to improve the book. I thought they would suggest cuts or adding things to explain them more fully, or to generally come up with things to streamline things, or make them more clear, more scary, whatever. My hope was that over time, I'd develop a relationship with a particular editor, and would learn and grow as a writer because of their input.

What I've been getting are editors who attempt to correct typos, and maybe point out a glaring inconsistency or plot hole. That's it.

Am I expecting too much from small houses? Or too much in general? Am I not really famous enough to score that kind of editing? I'm not entirely sure what's happening here, or what I can do to fix it. Could it be that small house editors are really just writers with proofing skills who don't have the confidence or objectivity to make editorial suggestions?

I recognize that I could do with more formal training in the world of writing. Since I can't afford it, I try to read as many different authors as I can. Certain books are so good that they change your whole perspective on shit--even making you think for a day or two that you shouldn't be writing at ALL if that's what other people are doing.

I feel a little too old for grad school at this point. Even if I could go, I could never afford it. But I could really do with a couple years of writing with hardcore critique and intensive networking with other writers.

That said, I am no longer trying to get a professional advance and join HWA as a full member. Instead, I'm looking for a smaller advance so I can join as an associate member. Associate members get assigned mentors, which sounds like just the thing I need. Then maybe someone can paint MY face up like a zombie and film me while I run around outside. Hahahahahahaa! (It's funny because that's what I did with my protege)