Back to the Island

By: Andrea Hurst

July 25th, 2010 Posted in Blog

Returned home today from an amazing conference in Seattle, Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference – www.pnwa.org

All of has had a non-stop experience of networking, learning, and enjoying everything from top-notch speaker and author of House and Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus ( a must read) to the awards dinner Saturday evening.  I particularly enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces, agents, writers and editors from Penguin Publishing in NY.

My class, Crafting Fiction That Sells in Today’s Marketplace – An Agent’s POV, drew over 100 students and was an interactive learning experience and entertaining session.  I particularly enjoyed hearing writer’s first lines of their novels and one line pitches…some were very clever.

It is always sad to say good-bye, but returning to Whidbey Island for some R&R before I leave in 10 days for Portland and the next writer’s conference, was a perfect.

Hope to see some of you at Just Write on the Pier this week in Coupeville at Local Grown Coffee House.

~Andrea

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The Importance of a Good Critique Group – Rob Daniel-Agent

By: Andrea Hurst

May 11th, 2010 Posted in Blog
Having an impossible time finding an agent, let alone a publisher? Do you sometimes doubt your work and wonder if there could be something you’re missing? Please consider this:
Some writers have a special gift and can crank out bestsellers while living like a hermit, disconnected from any regular contact with the greater world of writing. The other 99-1/2%, like me, and maybe you, need to have regular stimulation and feedback – it often requires a ‘village.’ My village is the five other writers that form my fiction writers critique group. We meet regularly and each time two of us have sent out a dozen or so pages for critiquing, and an hour is spent on each writers work. Think your work is too ‘singular,’ and you could never handle such public exposure, anyway? Time to get over it and get feedback!
I was hesitant to join the group, but it has been a magical process…the variety of simple ideas, twists and frequent electricity those meeting provide are beyond help, they’re mother’s milk for many of us. Imagine a room full of Jiminy Crickets.   If you believe in your ability, have intensity and drive, and are determined to succeed in time, give it time. Read books, take classes and workshops. Attend conferences. Work harder and smarter. This is a business where shortcuts are scarcer than hens’ teeth, trust me. And have you noticed that some agents are now only looking at polished work?  Us your critique group and possibly a professional eye to perfect your work before you send it out.
Stay tuned to this blog for further information in answer to your question; “And just how am I supposed to conjure a critique group?”
Rob Daniel

Literary Agent with
Andrea Hurst Literary Management

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