Listening to Feedback with an Open Mind (continued)

Aaron: Recounting advice from Little, Brown editor Jennifer Hunt. An editor is like that really good friend who things you have a beautiful smile, but you have a little spinach in your teeth.

Nancy: We do want to help make that smile beautiful. Our feedback is always about making your work better. It's helpful to point out things like did the dialog sound authentic, is there a character that grabbed you, etc.

Courtney: Today everybody in the room's job is to see the spinach in your teeth. Use the time to talk about the spinach and figure out how to fix it.

Michelle: Sometimes editors are hardest on the things that we feel have the most potential. Those may be the ones we really pick apart because we want them to be great.

Courtney: Sometimes editors might come to you at an event like and say they see potential in your manuscript but it still needs work. If I see something in your writing and offer to work with you to get it in shape for acquisitions, take advantage of that. At that point, all I can promise you is my time, but I'm not going to take time to work with a writer on something that I don't think has that potential.

--POSTED BY ALICE