I think finding an agent, editor, even writer's group that are sympathetic to and "get" the sort of thing you're trying to do is really important (and probably roughly in that order).
It also takes some confidence that one knows what one is doing oneself. :-) Because when we start writing, we're so aware of the fact that if someone says "this doesn't work" responding with "you just don't get it" is more often a sign one is a bad writer than not--it's up to us at writers to make people get it after all.
And yet there comes a point where one has reached a level where one has to be able to say that sometimes when people don't get it it's your fault as a writer; but sometimes it's that what you're doing is sideways of what the reader is doing/looking for.
And yet if what you're doing is sideways of what enough readers are looking for, you get into trouble all over again.
But learning the difference between "this doesn't work" and "this isn't this particular person's type of story" can be really hard, and in some cases there still isn't a clear answer.
It's the whole when to listen to other people, when to listen to yourself, question. Ignoring either has perils.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2004-08-14 03:26 pm (UTC)It also takes some confidence that one knows what one is doing oneself. :-) Because when we start writing, we're so aware of the fact that if someone says "this doesn't work" responding with "you just don't get it" is more often a sign one is a bad writer than not--it's up to us at writers to make people get it after all.
And yet there comes a point where one has reached a level where one has to be able to say that sometimes when people don't get it it's your fault as a writer; but sometimes it's that what you're doing is sideways of what the reader is doing/looking for.
And yet if what you're doing is sideways of what enough readers are looking for, you get into trouble all over again.
But learning the difference between "this doesn't work" and "this isn't this particular person's type of story" can be really hard, and in some cases there still isn't a clear answer.
It's the whole when to listen to other people, when to listen to yourself, question. Ignoring either has perils.