Monday, November 9, 2009

Twitter Questions from Writers

Only three questions today from Twitter but these are good ones...

Can you explain the difference between urban fantasy and fantasy and why you represent 1 and not the other?
For me, and others may have a different twist on it, Fantasy really deals with a world building element of things such as magic, fairies, demons and the like. Sure they show up in urban fantasy, but the setting is the key. We are dealing with stories in Fantasy that really are "make- believe" in the classic sense of the term. When it comes to urban fantasy, we are looking at stories that really are present day, and have found a way to blend an element of the paranormal with a truly present day urban setting.
As far as why I take one and not the other, I am feel I have better connections with the urban fantasy market than I do with the straight up fantasy.

Rcv'd GRACIOUS critique from a respected agent re: my partial. Is it a no-no to reply w/ a quick thank you?
There is really nothing wrong with sending a reply of "thank you for reviewing this" after a rejection. Don't expect an answer. Don't think this is a way to have a better chance the next time, it is just a response. I guess I view this in the same way you would write to someone after a job interview. You may not get the job, but you let them know you appreciated the time for the interview. Again, don't expect a reply there.

If you're sent a rej. can you submit to said agent w/ diff project--down the road?
Unless the agent told you to go away forever and never contact them, sure. The key though is to learn from the mistakes and to make sure that the new story is not doing the same thing you had a rejection on with the first manuscript. For myself, I do keep a database and if I have an author that submitted an earlier project, their name will come up. I do go back and see what I rejected them on the last time. I am hoping they aren't doing the same thing. Surprisingly, a lot do.

Hope I answsered all of those questions.

Scott

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for answering those questions! I've always wondered about how other people differed on the definitions. Based on your answer, I think mine still qualifies as an urban fantasy, so I will be querying you regarding my publication offer. Thanks again!

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  2. Thanks again for the insight...it is much appreciated by those of us still aspiring!!

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