WIP

When you ask for advice....

This came up while meandering through some online group stuff. Sometimes there are people out there, especially young or new writers, who want advice and frequently ask for it, but never take it!

I don't mean to rant here, but nobody wants to be mean or abusive. They aren't going to come out and tell you what you should already know. Sometimes they hint around the corner, or suggest you start following the publishing sector (for example, add agent blogsites to your daily reading list).

They aren't just talking to hear themselves speak (well, some writers do like hearing their 'voices' or they enjoy the excuse to stave off their own edits and writing). the bulk of writers who hang out at writing workshops and offer advice to newbies do mean well and they are trying to help somebody find out what they themselves learned the hard way.

There is one example that I know of and I'm going to speak carefully, because I don't want to out this writer.

This person wrote a book that probably isn't going to fit into the current market. This person is young and has been trying to publish this book, but is frustrated at lack of success. This person asked for advice, and a lot of people promptly told the person that there were various problems with the length of the book and the content of the book not fitting with the genre.

The person waited a week and then asked for advice again. Same question. Like the other question and subsequent advice/answers did not exist.

This probably fits in with all of the other people out there who are trying to publish 180,000 word middle grade novels and getting frustrated at all of the form rejections.

Dear writers, kindred spirits of mine, fellow trudgerers through the slush and daily writing grind... the answer is in the pudding.

Pudding = internet.

We live in a golden age of information at our fingertips.

And even when you ask questions of fellow writers instead of doing the market research yourself, you are still offered friendly advice from people who did have time to do the research (and moaned and suffered agonies over the unfairness of boundaries and limits too).

Please listen.