10 Ways to Avoid Bad Writing According To a New York Literary Agent
Good writing is subjective. Bad writing is obvious.
According to a New York literary agent, it only takes 5 pages to reject a book. Seems his taste is on point — his clients include Pulitzer Prize nominees, NYT best-selling authors and American Book Award winners.
Having spent 2 years reading manuscript submissions at an indie publisher, I can relate. So many people have a great story to tell — and so many of them tell it very badly. Having a good story and telling it well aren’t the same.
I saw an American Idol clip of JLo crying about sending someone home.
It’s hard, she sobbed. You feel like you’re killing their dreams.
That’s how I felt every time I read bad writing.
How do you tell them?
Because they think it’s good.
You know what the problem is, right?
Good writing is subjective…
Problem is, there’s no such thing as good writing. Good is subjective. I might love a book — you think it’s a dud. Taste is personal. And on top of preference and taste, no two people read the same book.
