Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Crafty, eh?
What do you think of when you hear: "You really need to pick up a craft book before you submit anything else."

Go ahead - think about that for a minute, I'll wait...

. . .

I told my mother this was a comment on a contest entry I got back. She asked me, macrame or witch.

"Beg pardon?"

"You said craft book, I thought you meant..."


"No, the contest judge was talking about a how-to-write book. Craft - the art of writing - book" I knew what that person - though sorely mistaken - meant. If you heard that, would you have known what I was talking about? Of course you would. You'd probably say did you use On Writing or somesuch. Not that the judge was in anyway right - as I have mentioned, save a few typos - I write perfect prose, intelligent introspection, corruptible copulation and delectable dialogue - she must have just been PMSing that day and couldn't stand the competition from me (hehehehe - see, can I spin a fictitious tale or what?!?!?)

Which lends the question, do writes have a speak all their own?

Yep!

Tell me the last time you heard POV in a conversation. Voice. GMC. Or heard someone mention head-hopping that didn't involve a heavily medicated dude in a pretty white jacket that buttons in the back.

Written at 5:53 AM by Denise McDonald.
11 comments
11 Comments:
Blogger Sandy J said...
I can't NOT talk about writing even with nonwriting friends.
May 16, 2006 8:09 AM  
Blogger Bailey Stewart said...
HEA, H/H, galleys, line-edits, etc. Yeah, there's a language all of its own. But that's not so unusual - Insurance Salesmen, doctors, lawyers - they all have a language that isn't easily understood by the outsider.
May 16, 2006 8:44 AM  
Blogger Bernita said...
Even genres develop their own argot.
TSTL?
May 16, 2006 8:51 AM  
Blogger Amie Stuart said...
SOunds like you and I had the same judge, babe =)

I dont bother talking writing with non-writers.......
May 16, 2006 12:13 PM  
Blogger Sandy J said...
Hmmm...Cece, maybe that's why their eyes glaze over, LOL!
May 16, 2006 2:03 PM  
Blogger Toni Anderson said...
Argh! What a coo! Judges should not make comments like that.

A published writer I know submitted her work to a contest under an assumed name with the title and character names changes and got back some ridiculously low score and the comment something like she'd never get that drivel published.

I got a crap score in the 4-Season. Not bothering again. To me the judges and editors are totally different people and only the editors count in terms of getting your work published. Unless they are really teaching you something it is generally a waste of time (man I'm feeling scathing, whereas if they'd let me final I'd be over the moon. Bad Toni!!!)

Even looking at good looking men/women. 'He'd make a good hero' :) Thankfully DH understands.
May 16, 2006 2:19 PM  
Blogger Denise McDonald said...
guess what I am writing on!

FINALLY
May 16, 2006 5:02 PM  
Blogger Ballpoint Wren said...
Wait... that judge told a PUBLISHED author she needed more "craft"? What a loser!

Don't enter any more of these things, Dennie. You're beyond them now, I'd say.
May 16, 2006 10:13 PM  
Blogger Bonnie S. Calhoun said...
We do have a language all our own> I've tried talking to non-writers...they look at me like I have two heads...LOL!
May 16, 2006 11:48 PM  
Blogger Bailey Stewart said...
I read in one of my books on rejection (yes, I have weird tastes) that someone once took a Pulitzer Prize winning book (one of the more obscure ones) and submitted it to a publisher under another name - it was rejected as not being "quality" enough for their house. Go figure.
May 17, 2006 8:12 AM  
Blogger Amie Stuart said...
the one thing you DO learn from contests is how to toughen up because let's face it..........eventually we're going to run up against someone who doesn't think what we write is golden *ggg*
May 17, 2006 9:21 AM  
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