What I have read agents don't want

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Agents don't want a journey. Agents dont't want a story that is about a magical object .

What do you want to write about in fantasy that is what you want to read?
 
Just spent Easter at a large British Sf and f Convention, and one thing I came away with is that agents and publishers want stories that are well written and add new twists to even the most traditional story. If the writing is strong, story and characters convincing and interesting you have a chance. It is up to you to keep trying.

I heard that agents were not interested in any story that has a character that can either see or predict the future in anyway. Well, I have just had an agent request a full synopsis and sample chapters from one of my efforts that contain such a character. This agent I queried back in November. You just have to have faith in yourself and what you are writing and take the rejections on the chin, they are not personal. What one agent does not like or want another might. Ok, this agent might well read the sample and reject it (actually most likely will) but there is a chance they could request the whole manuscript. (Then reject it :D )
 
Agents don't want a journey. Agents dont't want a story that is about a magical object .
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pardon me, but would this not rule out a large percentage of the typical or traditional fantasy that is already out on the market?
 
I think that's the point. There's loads of it already, so they're after something else. However, a well written story with a few quirks, even if a stereotypical quest to destroy the one whatever, can still work.
 
WriterDoug said:
pardon me, but would this not rule out a large percentage of the typical or traditional fantasy that is already out on the market?
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Which would be a plausible reason they don't want it anymore.

I suspect it's more to do with the quality of the writing than anything else, though;)
But it's true that a lot of the new successful authors at the moment are more un-conventional fantasy.
 
I'm not sure it's so easy to classify what agents want in terms of plot. It would be much easier to say that agents want something that they think will sell :)

But as writers, should we really be trying to write something that will sell or something that we personally love? Of course, the best thing would be if we can write something which combines both ...
 
If you personally love it then, unless you are some sort of wierdo, other people probably will to, so it will sell. Of course, no writers about here are wierd in any way, so it's all ok...
 
Sapheron said:
If you personally love it then, unless you are some sort of wierdo, other people probably will to, so it will sell. Of course, no writers about here are wierd in any way, so it's all ok...
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I don't know, I've seen some stuff that folks loved that I wouldn't try and sell to professional paper shredder...
 
Hi guys

Finally decided to join this forum after months of reading it!

Anyway, it seems like every agent is different - what appeals to one might not appeal to another, and everyone seems to have different theories about what the current fashion is.

I think the best thing is to write the story you want to write, and not worry too much about anything else. So long as the story isn't full of cliche, and is well written, then I'm guessing it would stand a chance.
 
Most writers have more than one idea they would love to write about, more than one plot and set of characters they could fall in love with. Choosing from among those the one that is the most likely to sell makes sense. Writing something you don't really want to write because you think it will sell is a very poor idea.

But I agree with Culhwch: just because you like it doesn't mean it's good or that it will sell. You have to be able to communicate what it is about the story and characters that you love to other readers.
 
You know it doesn't matter what agents or publishers want if your story is poorly written and lacking.

To that point, it doesn't matter whant agents and publishers want if you have a great idea, but you never sat down to write it.

And it certainly doesn't matter what agents and publishers want if you don't want to write what they tell you too write.

Don't write for others. Write for yourself first. Get feedback on grammar (esp commas!) plot, flow, characterization.

But never write only because you want to write for agents and publishers. Always write because it is what you want to do.
 
Great advice about writing what we want.

I read those things about what agents want off of several agent blogs. I guess the point of my post was to find out what all of you want to write about, what is compelling to each of you, as writers and readers. Specifically, what kinds of stories in fantasy? Good writing, sure, but what kinds of plots do you look for to read or want to write?
 
I have some stuff in the critiques section. I like to write about normal women who are placed in extrodinary circumstances or do something entirely outside of thier social identity.

Some of the stories I have written that are not placed here are very graphic, but still hold to that fantasy theme. I like to write things with a shock value. If you expect that my quiet mousy librarian will discover her inner goddess and save the world, then by chapter 13 I have her murdering innocents and making demonic pacts. Why? Because its fun. If you expect my heroine to save everyone, chances are I will actually kill everyone because she needs that pain to move onto a greater task. Both those stories are written, but I don't like them and they need a lot more work than I can put into them right now.

And its the same thing in the books I read. thats what I love about King, Jordan, and others---tehy change your expectations, keep you engaged. The good is not always good, and evil is not always evil.
 
My stories are usually a patchwork of references, pastiches and spoofs. I almost exclusively write science fiction. I do have one fantasy story in mind but it doesn't fit in with my usual style of writing, and so it's not even at the top of my list of stuff to write :)

My stories are usually about the human condition - the fact that we are capable of so much more as a race but usually tend to let the worst in us come out rather than the best. However, most of that is usually in the background, shown in little touches here and there as part of a larger picture. The main plot? That usually gets dictated by the characters themselves - I just sit back and let them take the story where it will :)
 
What I want to write about is people. Normal people doing normal everyday things. On a different planet to Earth. Basically I just want to use my normal people doing normal (to them) things as a way of exploring their culture and their planet - hopefully in a way that other people will find interesting and engaging.
 
Agents want what publishers will accept. And publishers prefer not to take risks, they like to publish sure-fire best-sellers. So something which resembles the current best-sellers is likely to be in with an advantage (I've noticed a rash of books concerned with mysterious religious lore since The Da Vinci Code hit the jackpot...).

However, IMO it takes a lot of skill and experience to write "to order" to hit a specific market - that's best left to the established professionals. Writing a first novel is very difficult, so it's best to choose something that really interests you - something that you can't can't get out of your head unless you write it down. Then try it in crit groups to polish your writing skills before you think of sending it to an agent. In particular, the first page has to catch their attention and make them want to keep reading it, because agents get sent so much stuff that if that doesn't happen, they're not likely to reach page 2.
 
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