Literary Fiction

I never thought of myself as a pointy-headed, over-educated intellectual, but I like well-written books. Those that are classified as 'literary fiction', that is, but not all of them.

Take The Story of Lucy Gault, for example. There is some conflict, but not a lot of action. The first few pages are largely description and back story, all things that we as novelists are not supposed to do. No wonder my submissions get rejected. What I like to read is not the highly marketable stuff that agents crave, and so what I like to write is not accepted.

Browsing the back flaps on a shelf of books, I noticed that many authors list some sort of award or credential, yet none of it translates into a good book. Many times, I have been told by literary agents to get some kind of writing credit if I want to even be asked to submit a manuscript. It is all about marketing, not writing skill. Thank heavens for the public library, which has saved me a small fortune. I do not have to waste my hard-earned money on the drivel that spews forth from the Big Houses. Many times I have picked up a book based on the book flap story, only to give up before I have plowed through fifty pages. Hurrah, the author has been published in some literary journal, but that does not mean they could write a complete novel.

I rant in frustration. Perhaps I should be looking for an agent in England, where good writing seems to have more value. Hopeless, all hopeless.