I belong to a online critique forum:
I’ve received some wonderful feedback that’s really helped to strengthen my writing so I’m kind of a fan. Recently, there’s been a rash of people who post pages for critique and then blast the constructive criticisms they receive. It’s because of this that I feel a need to point something out:
Agents can Google, too.
Like it or not, they will judge not only your writing, but your personality in deciding whether to offer representation. If they put your name into Google, those nasty threads come up and along with them are your reactions to constructive criticisms. No one’s writing is perfect. Ever. But agents need to know you’re willing to go the extra mile and listen to people who know more about writing than you do. More importantly, they need to know you can be professional. Maybe you’ve just had a bad day, but an agent isn’t going to know that. You’re probably never going to agree with every critique you get, and that’s fine. Take what you can from it and move on. It’s a free country and you’ve got every right to disagree with someone’s comments.
You do not, however, have a right to be rude and disparaging on a public forum.
Exhibit A:
(In response to a grammatical correction) You seem to be quick at judging people, “riddled with mistakes”, I must laugh at this, don’t think you can just patronize and not receive a nasty reply, I do have the ability to insult you without you even knowing about it…
If you’re certain your writing is that perfect, don’t bother posting it for a critique. Here’s another beauty:
Exhibit B:
(After receiving an extraordinarily in-depth critique — professional editor quality — from one of the most technically knowledgeable people on the forum) Right…thanks for the crit….Watching Syndrome….turkey basting et al. I never cease to be amazed at the machinations of rule obsessed nit pickers. If you examine any published novels you will see that authors use whatever devices and constructions suit them.
There are unfortunately those who believe that if you write to a magic formula you will produce a best selling masterpiece. Hogwash! What most authors actually require is a damn good plot and the wit to set it down. What we regularly get on sites like this is an anally retentive pile of self important claptrap. What would have been interesting would have been a comment on the emotional and dramatic content of my piece….not an opportunity to air your knowledge of the minutiae of dramatic point of view and ram some of your own work in my face. Forgive me if I am less than impressed.
If you post anything like this online, then you’ve probably just ruined any chance you have of being represented by a respectable agent who knows how to use a search engine (and most of them do!).
With thousands of people writing books every year and the publishing industry being in the state it’s in, agents are getting pickier by the second. They’re looking for a reason to say “No” just to narrow down the vast amount of queries in their inboxes. You might have the next Great American Novel — and you’ve just helped rule yourself out.
And that’s a shame.
(P.S. Thank you for being a jerk and narrowing down the writer pool. Upping my chances, one cranky forum poster at a time.)