Flashbacks - good or bad

A flashback is “an interruption of the chronological sequence (as of a film or a literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence.”

There are so many blog posts and articles out there on flashbacks. People have different views on them. Here, on a blog with posts written by agents, is an interesting post on the effective use of a flashback. Some of the advice is write it as a complete scene, don't put it in the beginning of the book, insert a flashback after a powerful scene in the novel, give the time and place in the first sentence so as to not force your reader to try and guess it.

Then there's a different take on flashbacks. Not that they're necessarily wrong, but there is a different way to structure them and use them. Kristen Lamb – an author who if you're not already following her blog I'd start following it as soon as possible – has her own viewpoint on flashbacks. You can find her posts here,  here, and here.

There are several questions you need to ask yourself before inserting a flashback. You can find a good list of them here, but let me share just a couple with you: do you need to explain the character this much; will your story work without the flashback; is there any other way you can fill your audience in on the info.

I've run into a little of a quandary with Marked. Other than it's getting a total rewrite because it turned into goo in the middle and ended up making a mess of itself, I start the book with a flashback. It's in the form of a nightmare, a dream that has come to herald something bad happening to Aisling and those around her. Now, do I cut that and do it another way? I have her explain it later in the story when she's asked. Do I leave it in? What do I do with it? Right now...I don't know. I'm going to have to sort that out when I get back to it.

What are your views on flashbacks? Do you get jarred out of books or films when they're used? Have you used them yourself?

The benefits of getting an agent

In today's changing market, we hear so many contradicting things. “You need an agent.” “You don't need an agent. Just self publish.” “Going indie press is the best.” The question isn't what is right for everyone. It's what is right for you.

Now, I will admit to wanting a publishing contract with the Big 6. I know a lot of authors who would just rather keep full control of their works and go one of the other routes. This doesn't mean I won't make that decision for my own writing in the end.

Today I'm talking about what it takes to find an agent. I've started doing the research because my goal is to start querying Marked by the end of this year. I hope to be ready by October to start, but we'll see how that goes.

Now, the first stop I made in my research was Jody Hendlund's blog (http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/). She has a post that she published back in 2011 about the six benefits of having an agent. Here's a rundown of that list.

1. Agents have connections. Agents keep in contact with the publishing industry. They have the contacts, work behind the scenes with those in the editing and publishing companies, and are always on the look out for new ways to help their clients.
2. Agents help with career planning. They can work together with you to make plans for your long term career.
3. Agents act as arbitrators and negotiators. Agents are skilled at acting as go-betweens. Even if you have a good relationship with your publisher, it helps to have someone who can keep a professional outlook when you become more emotionally involved in a project.
4. Agents offer feedback on books. Many agents will read the books and offer their own editorial comments on the book before they try to sell it.
5. Agents can provide emotional support. Things can discourage you with the full process of the writing industry. An agent can be encouraging when you need the boost.
6. Agents are in touch with the industry pulse. With the speed things are changing, authors may get behind. Agents keep track of the market and what's selling, what the options are, and what publishers want.

Agent Rachelle Gardner offers another perspective on it in this blog post. http://www.rachellegardner.com/2013/04/the-benefits-of-having-an-agent/ To summarize this one, there are a lot of steps of the process that an agent can help with. They help make your proposal shine, they interact with your publisher, they work through helping you understand your contract, and many other things. There is more to the blog post than I could summarize here. I suggest going to read it yourself.

As I did the research I found a lot of pages that offered suggestions. All you have to do is search them out. Now, there are cons for choosing an agent as well. As with self publishing and indie publishing, research both sides and make your decisions based on the pros, cons, and your own personal choice.

Writing Wednesday - Reasons why an agent may turn down your manuscript

I picked up the October issue of Writer's Digest and found a few interesting articles. One of the ones that caught my attention was an article titled "10 Reasons Agents Pass After Requesting Your Full Manuscript." It's written by agent Marie Lamba of the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency. She had a lot to say and some interesting points. I thought I'd share the highlights.

Reason #1: It's not what was promised.
Your query is a promise to the agent of the story you're trying to tell. When the story you send in doesn't match the query, you have problems. The fix is simple. Make sure your query accurately describes your novel.

Reason #2: It's wrong for the genre/audience.
Works that are clearly not actually a good fit for the intended market get rejected. Like when you write age inappropriate things into a mid-grade book or two thirds into a romance you suddenly throw in the paranormal. The fix is simple. Identify your readers and your genre, and study up to know what the marketplace standards are for your manuscript content and length.

Reason #3: The story lacks authenticity.
Your story must be smart and authentic enough to appeal strongly to the audience. Errors, false notes and lazy writing will only make the agent roll their eyes at you and pass on your manuscript. The fix is simple. Read widely. Do a lot of research. Don't just parrot what you find in travel guides or online documents. Open your eyes and your mind and put that into the manuscript.

Reason #4: The manuscript falls to pieces.
The beginning of the book is polished but the rest of the book falls flat. Agents will pass on manuscripts that aren't strong all the way through. The fix is simple. Polish the whole manuscript, not just the first three chapters.

Reason #5: It takes you too long to get on with it.
Your opening pages draw the reader in, but that's as far as you go. You take so long to get to the point that people lose interest and stop reading. The fix is simple. Figure out if you're starting the novel in the right place. Make an outline. Cut scenes that don't push the story forward.

Reason #6: The writing lacks confidence.
Too much description to make sure your readers understand the scene can really pull a story down. Instead of letting the main plotline do the job, the author stacks on more and more stuff. Overwriting can destroy a good story. The fix is simple. Find the large blocks of description and see how you can pare them down. Search for feel and felt. Show, don't tell, but keep the showing down to a minimum. Also, don't make your plotlines too complicated. Less can be more.

Reason #7: Too familiar.
Predictability is a killer. If an agent sees the twist coming well in advance then it's pretty obvious you're not going to keep their attention. Don't write your books as slightly altered copies of popular works. The fix is simple. Follow your own ideas. Make sure your novel stands apart.

Reason #8: You haven't made me care.
If an agent loses interest and starts skimming the pages, you're probably not going to get a deal out of it. If they put it down and aren't driven to pick it back up, that's another bad sign. An agent has to be invested in the story if you want to sell it. The fix is simple. Analyze your character's development. Make sure you're doing all you can to engage and keep your reader's attention.

Reason #9: Disappointing payoff.
If your payoff doesn't match the previous writing, your reader will feel cheated. If an agent finishes your manuscript thinking "That's it?", then it's probably going to be an automatic no. The fix is simple. Figure what is driving the story and look at the climactic moments. Make sure you answer the book's big question in a satisfying way.

Reason #10: It's just not strong enough.
Ms. Lamba says this is the hardest book for her to reject. The author's done so many things correctly but the book still doesn't scream at her to be published. Agents aren't looking for good books. They're looking for amazing books. If an agent doesn't feel confident in the manuscript, they're not going to be able to pitch and sell it to publishers. The fix is simple. Find your novel's strength. See if you can find a way for that strength to be heightened. If it's plot driven, make it more innovative. If it's character driven, make the character more memorable. Whatever makes your novel special and amazing, make the element even stronger as the book progresses.

She finishes with the advice that what one agent rejects another might accept. Don't revise after every rejection, but if you're getting constant rejections it's time to take a look at the story. As a published author as well as an agent, Ms. Lamba has the experience in the market that many of us hope to have.