Catching up with pop-up submissions

[MaryA]

The highlight of Monday morning is catching up with the pop-up submissions from Sunday evenings, a difficult time for me to get away and attend.

Here we are with last night's pop-up submissions on Facebook's Litopia page and I want to say a big thank you to @AgentPete because this was again helpful and so pertinent.

I jot down points to watch for and general suggestions. Then I get back right away to some writing and revision with Pete's comments in mind. The most productive way to tackle Monday gloom!

 

[Carol Rose]

Watching the video now! Meant to listen live yesterday, but life got in the way.

 

[Ancora Imparo]

I bloody missed it again. Next week I'm barricading myself in this wee room and not coming out til I've heard it all. Working all day today so missed the 24 hour replay. Bum!

 

[AgentPete]

I'm toying with the idea of

a) Just asking for ten pages. You can tell an awful lot from the first 10 pages or so... maybe with a brief plot synopis. Would allow me to cover more ground.
b) Leaving the video up for about 3 months.

The latter may be controversial. The whole idea of pulling the recording down after 24 hours was to give a large measure of privacy to the writer. This would mean that a very small amount of their work (two to three %?) would be on public view for longer. However, the author would only be identified by their first name (or pseudonym, even).

The whole point of doing submissions in public is for you (and other writers) to see what goes on, and to think along with me as I evaluate submissions. A longer window would allow more writers to do exactly that.

Give me your thoughts.

 

[MaryA]

Well, @AgentPete I'd certainly watch the videos more than once or twice if they were up for longer because I find the comments insightful and being able to look at the opening pages of a draft fiction while listening is something that's not happening anywhere else. I can see right away what you are responding to and note my own responses to those sentences or dialogues at the same time. It's a different, more integrated kind of learning experiment, very communal and interactive.

 

[AgentPete]

That's what I was thinking. Also, it's a fair chunk of work for me, and I'd like to feel that it wasn't going to be destroyed immediately. However, I'm open to other views on this...

 

[Kitty]

I’ve not managed to be around for any of these so far and would love it if they stayed up a little longer since work has a horrible tendency to keep me away from cyberspace!

 

[Carol Rose]

I would love it if the video was up for longer than 24 hours, though I don't know if you need to keep it available for three months. Perhaps just a week? I wish I'd had time to watch the last two more than once because the comments are so insightful.

 

[Ancora Imparo]

A week would be great. A month perhaps better – for those who're away on holiday with no chance to sit on the internet for a while. But three months seems a bit long. I agree it's fab to see the work onscreen and hear the comments as you read. It's a unique opportunity to experience an agent's immediate reaction to a piece. I always find it useful and enlightening. I agree with MaryA – definitely worth watching more than once.

 

[Matthew Snoding]

I would probably agree that 3 months is a little long, but 1 month sounds reasonable. I too haven't had the opportunity to watch over the last couple of weeks (the kids keep me very busy!)

 

[Barbara]

How about moving the recordings over to the litopia forum after 24 hrs? (If that's poss, I don't know) They could stay there for a couple of months. That way, the public can still see them for a day the way they can now, but anyone serious about writing and honing their craft can take their time to go through them, away from public eye, away from FB. Just a thought.

 

[Rich.]

I think the ten pages + synopsis idea is good. Not so sure about leaving the video up for three months though, seems like an awfully long time. @Barbara's suggestion about locking it in the Colony is interesting.

 

[AgentPete]

How about moving the recordings over to the litopia forum after 24 hrs? (If that's poss, I don't know) They could stay there for a couple of months. That way, the public can still see them for a day the way they can now, but anyone serious about writing and honing their craft can take their time to go through them, away from public eye, away from FB. Just a thought.

Really interesting idea. Let me investigate.

 

[Sea-shore]

Yes, having the recording available longer would be great.
I was watching on Monday and FB cut off on me. I thought the 24 hours viewing time was a bit short ( the kids were making noise and I had to pause and go back quite often), and for the solid two hours or so of excellent critique by Peter, it would be useful to have time to listen to it properly/again.

 

[Amber]

I'm toying with the idea of

a) Just asking for ten pages. You can tell an awful lot from the first 10 pages or so... maybe with a brief plot synopis. Would allow me to cover more ground.
b) Leaving the video up for about 3 months.

The latter may be controversial. The whole idea of pulling the recording down after 24 hours was to give a large measure of privacy to the writer. This would mean that a very small amount of their work (two to three %?) would be on public view for longer. However, the author would only be identified by their first name (or pseudonym, even).

The whole point of doing submissions in public is for you (and other writers) to see what goes on, and to think along with me as I evaluate submissions. A longer window would allow more writers to do exactly that.

Give me your thoughts.

I figure I can give thoughts now that I've had experiences.

I listened to the popup submissions every week because I wanted to get a feel for the whole thing. The entire process has been informative. One of the things I'm surprised by each time I meet or speak to someone who is an agent or a publisher is that ... they like stories... they like books ... I believe they're on our side. I haven't submitted to anyone but so much of the vibe among writers is, "Why won't an agent or a publisher just give me a chance?" I don't think we're doing ourselves any favors by nurturing that feeling.

You have a precise and direct manner of providing feedback which I appreciate. When writers or even readers read something, they don't always have a way of articulating what is wrong with something.

But I doubt you were wanting a critique of pop up submissions. I only wanted to reiterate, it was 100% worth it and everyone should do it.

I think it would be good to shorten the number of pages. At first I was going to say, "Most people can write ten pages of good stuff and so ten pages won't be enough of an example." But then, I suppose the possibility of the story falling apart on the next page is almost always there.

I would be okay with the video being left up but I understand some people have concerns about copyright. I almost think posting something in your name is a sort of poor man's copyright and I always think stealing someone else's words is about the stupidest and silliest thing anyone could do ... but what do I know ... I've ghostwritten things which is essentially the same thing ... (yeah ... still don't understand ghostwriting).

AND .. I thought of one more thing ... the video can be saved and downloaded ... so you might as well leave it up longer... it's out there.

I suppose a synopses is a good idea. I didn't turn one in because I didn't know we could. That was unclear.

Thanks again for all the time and effort you've donated to helping writers understand how the whole submission thing works.

 

[MaryA]

Amber, it was great getting to know you and your work during last night's pop-up submissions, the last of the year. I would also like to see the Litopia webcast stay up for longer, it is worth revisiting.

Isn't it interesting that when you look at your work on the screen during a submission, you suddenly see all kinds of clumsy sentences and problems with pace (too much detail!) because you're able to read your text through the eyes of those reading with you and listening to Pete?

 

[Amber]

Amber, it was great getting to know you and your work during last night's pop-up submissions, the last of the year. I would also like to see the Litopia webcast stay up for longer, it is worth revisiting.

Isn't it interesting that when you look at your work on the screen during a submission, you suddenly see all kinds of clumsy sentences and problems with pace (too much detail!) because you're able to read your text through the eyes of those reading with you and listening to Pete?

Yeah. There were typos. I don't know how I didn't see them. Yes, it was great getting his sort of knee jerk but not rude reaction. It reeks of sincerity.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I agree with Barbara. The idea of a WIP visible for 3 months would definitely deter me...not because I was worried about plagiarism, but it's too much public exposure during a time of development.

I think 5 -10 pages lets you see very well where we are at, and give us the skinny, if we were to include a micro pitch alongside.

 

[AgentPete]

But I doubt you were wanting a critique of pop up submissions. I only wanted to reiterate, it was 100% worth it and everyone should do it.

Very happy to have any feedback, thank you! A critique of my own submissions session is nicely meta

I would be okay with the video being left up but I understand some people have concerns about copyright. I almost think posting something in your name is a sort of poor man's copyright and I always think stealing someone else's words is about the stupidest and silliest thing anyone could do ... but what do I know ... I've ghostwritten things which is essentially the same thing ... (yeah ... still don't understand ghostwriting).

The idea is to pull videos down from public view on Facebook after about 24 hours, this is really just to let people who may have not been able to join us or who might have had tech problems during the event to have a chance to see it. There is now a new section in the Colony called Video Library. This will expand in the weeks ahead. One of the sub-sections there will be for a somewhat longer window to see Pop-Ups - members only, i.e. non-members will NOT see it. I'm thinking about a month or so, the general feeling was that 3 months was too long. All this will be explained on the new submissions page, so people know what they're doing. I will still try to remove authors's surnames or address info etc.

AND .. I thought of one more thing ... the video can be saved and downloaded ... so you might as well leave it up longer... it's out there.

I suppose a synopses is a good idea. I didn't turn one in because I didn't know we could. That was unclear.

Again, this has been made clear now on the new submissions form.

Thanks again for all the time and effort you've donated to helping writers understand how the whole submission thing works.

My pleasure. I can't see any reason for the process to be shrouded in secrecy!

 

[AgentPete]

I agree with Barbara. The idea of a WIP visible for 3 months would definitely deter me...not because I was worried about plagiarism, but it's too much public exposure during a time of development.

I think 5 -10 pages lets you see very well where we are at, and give us the skinny, if we were to include a micro pitch alongside.

Currently, the idea (in the new year) will be to delete the Facebook recording after about 24 hours, as mentioned above, but to have it non-publicly available inbside the Colony for maybe 4 weeks. We'll see...

 

[Katie-Ellen]

It's brill. I feel my inner editor becoming more forensically hound-like, every session I'm able to listen in to. And I have a few giggles too...not at the subs, not at sad stuff, the looney with the shotgun, but now and then at Peter. Sorry @AgentPete. It's his little, asides; dismayed, devout or semi-despairing, at prologues, or just the world ' ...exposure, but not as in Harvey Weinstein... oh God.'