Thursday, June 23, 2005

NWS and me

As many of you may know the RNA runs the highly respected New Writer's Scheme. My experience with it was mixed. Some of it was my own fault. I submitted a partial and got some feedback, including the fact that the reader thought I was publishible. She also thought that M&B would never publish a Roman set romance. Last year, of course, I had sold to MWSC and so did not submit.
However, I did become eligible to read for the NWS. I volunteered to do so in January and last week I received my first manuscript.
Although the manuscript had problems, the writer oozed with potential. I do so hope she continues to write and to submit to publishers. Anyway, I wrote an 8 page report. I know the guidelines suggest 2/3 pages but hey people are paying cold hard cash and genuinely want some sort of direction. I divided the report in to four parts -- current market as appropriate to that manuscript, suggestions for futher reading, craft problems and then finally plot problems as I saw them. Then I signed it and sent it off.
The woman wrote to Nicola Cornick to thank her as she could not read my scrawled signature. She had expected to be gutted by getting her script BUT in fact had found her hands itching to get back to the keyboard. That made my day!
Fingers crossed that I have given her enough info to enable her to lift her writing to the next level and get published.
I am afraid that I am horribly competitive about these things. I want the people whose manuscripts I read to become published! reflected glory and all that.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

With you all the way, there. My reports are really long, too. I do admit to having some standard paragraphs (mainly because I find the same mistakes are repeated time and time again and it saves me retyping it - but I always personalise them with examples from the TSS). Good on you for being so supportive.

Anonymous said...

I think what goes around, comes around. It's wonderful that you're helping her. :)

Julie Cohen said...

I love doing NWS readings, too. I'm averaging less than you are on the thank-you notes, though. I've received one, and it made my day. While the anonymity is a good thing, it makes it frustrating when you don't know if your comments helped or not.