Crapometer
Posted by CM under Writing on Fri 15 Dec 2006
‘ll update this post. But I’ve sent Miss Snark my hook. It’s my first attempt ever at writing such a thing. I suspect she’ll tell me it’s too much character development and not enough plot. But this is really all about the learning attempt, right?
I’ll post a link here when she gets to it. She’s doing these things at a prodigious pace right now. I’m probably going to get a number well into the three-figure mark, though. So it might be a while.
Votes as to whether I should post the hook before Miss Snark gets around to it?
EDIT: While we’re waiting, Holy Countess Fraser, Batman!
December 15th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Good luck, Courtney!
December 16th, 2006 at 9:49 am
Oh boy, the crapometer. Yikes!
At least if you make a serious effor she takes you seriously. Mostly.
Alice
December 16th, 2006 at 10:53 am
I don’t know about that, Alice. I’ve been reading a lot of people’s serious (albeit some of them seriously bad) efforts, and Miss Snark crushes them under her stiletto with nary a blink. I’ve also been reading her tear down (what seem to me) pretty good plots and dance all over a few that are, quite frankly, bizarre. Perhaps “Crap-O-Meter” should be modified to “Wheel-O-Crap,” because some of the reactions seem rather random. But then, so are all human reactions to some degree, and agents and editors are, presumably, human. It’s a crapshoot, haha.
CM, you are braver than me. Her reaction to your hook will make or break my opinion of Miss Snark. Because she’s just waiting for my validation, I’m sure.
December 16th, 2006 at 12:25 pm
I submitted mine too. I’m sure she’ll tell me it’s no good, but we’ll see.
Randomly, your link didn’t work for me, but. Was that the link to the hook that was quite clearly an entry from Avon FanLit?
December 16th, 2006 at 5:29 pm
You’ve inspired me to write a hook. Of course, it makes my WIP sound like the most trite piece of historical romance drivel ever written… but then again, maybe that is exactly what it is.
Can we still submit to Miss Snark (whom I highly suspect is one of the literary agents from RWA Idol)? I am apparently in a masochistic mood today.
December 17th, 2006 at 9:56 am
FWIW, Miss Snark is not one of the agents from RWA Idol. She’s actually funny. And yes, a few people do know who she is.
The literary agent you’re thinking of, on the other hand…
::shudder::
December 17th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
Ah, yes, thank you, Lynne. Googling “Who is Miss Snark?” proved very informative…
Perhaps I shouldn’t admit it, but I found thought both the literary agents at RWA Idol were extremely funny in a snarky sort of way…
December 18th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
People have different tastes in humor, Sara, and that’s okay.
December 19th, 2006 at 7:31 am
CM, I saw your comment on the Avon Fanlit piece. One would think one would walk—nay, run—away from that storyline forever. And Damien Van Horn? Can we say it’s an unfortunate name choice.
I submitted two. #71 (which was all backstory, apparently, but received kind comments from readers if not Miss Snark) and I’m waiting for #349, which she will hate, really, really hate because it’s a multi-genre romance spoof which is impossible to describe and makes me wonder what the hell I was thinking.
Your piece sounds very promising. If anybody can make geometry sexy, you can.
Miss Snark is the devil, but fascinating in her own way. I can’t believe she’s slogging through all the entries. I like to enter her contests where you must incorporate random words (hmm, what does that remind me of?).