by Dame Devon
Every so often, we’re going to blow the blog open and ask you to come on out and say it to our face. Tell us what you want to know. Ask us some questions. Get the inside scoop.
Today is that day.
Post your questions in the comments, and we’ll see what we can do to answer them in the comments, or maybe separately in blog posts throughout the next couple weeks.
But before you go firing off all your questions, I’m going to address something I am often asked:
How did you find your agent?
Answer: The hard way.
Listen, I know there are people out there (you could be one of them, I have no problem with that) who come up with an idea on a whim, bang out a book, throw a couple stamps on the thing (or hit “send”) and then have agents and editors and half of the publishing world scrambling for a piece of that action.
That ain’t how it happened for me. I think I took the longest road you could take to get published while still working toward that goal every damn day (and if you are like me, sorry. Here, have chocolate.)
The hard way included:
- Fifteen plus years writing short fiction because someone told me the “easy” way to get a novel published was to write short fiction and build a readership.
- Six pounds–you heard me pounds–of rejection slips, many smaller than a post-it note.
- Five books that suck, because writing a book isn’t the same as writing short stories.
- Five years of looking for an agent in all the wrong ways. I might have to make a second post on this, but people, do yourselves a favor and treat looking for an agent like a fast-paced job. Do not send out one preciously carved query once a year. The market, the industry, changes too quickly for that to be a viable route to representation.
- Months trading writing time for researching agent time. Every hour spent looking for an agent took away the speed at which I could produce stuff the agent might want to see and sell. Catch that 22?
- Conferences, conventions, pitch sessions. Dude. Money, time, energy. Lost ‘em all.
So what’s the easy way? Hell if I know. But here are the things that were worth it for me:
- Writing short fiction because it taught me what you can’t learn by writing novels.
- Publisher’s Marketplace. Cost something like 20 bucks a month. Agents report their sales, what they’re looking for, and their contact information, all in a sortable database.
- Preditors and Editors, Agent query, agent blogs, agent web pages. Fantastic, accessible research resources with tons of great business information too. (check out our links for writers page)
- Acknowledgment pages in books I liked or that were similar to what I write. Writers often thank their agents and editors there.
- Conventions and conferences where I met other readers and writers and fans. Cons gave me a chance to meet agents and editors, and even more importantly, a chance to listen to agents and editors on panels and in workshops. I actually crossed an agent off my list after listening to her on a panel. Not because she was a bad agent, but because it was clear she and I were not a good personality match.
- Face-to-face pitch sessions that made me boil my book down to one snappy line and taught me that if I take slow breaths and smile, no one will know how nervous I am and I might even have a little fun. Pitches opened the door for me to find my agent, who, in my humble opinion, was well worth waiting for.
Now, it’s your turn. Ask the Dames some questions, and we’ll tell it like it is.
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Tags: deadline dames, Questions
All good advice. The one I find perplexing is the oft-repeated “Write a great book”, because – that’s exactly what all of us think we did. The other one that makes sense is to try and find an agent whose style fits our own. Completely logical – BUT – how is it possible to figure that out ahead of time, without ‘trying them on’ for size?
Maya M.: I think you’re absolutely right about that. If possible, you’d like to meet potential agents at conferences, or at least hear them speak. Then, if you get an offer of representation, you need to have a dialog (once you finish hyperventilating) to discuss your questions and how your agent does business. This can give you a feel for whether the agent is right for you, whether you’re comfortable with him/her, whether your personalities mesh. You can also talk to people who are represented by that agent and get a feel for how that relationship works. But the truth is (IMHO) that you can’t be sure until you’ve “tried them on” as you put it.
Do your best to arm yourself with as much information as possible. But know that in this business, there’s no such thing as a sure thing, and be prepared for the possibility that it might not work out.
Did you know that the book that you eventually sold was “the One” or did you think that of all your books?
Katee, I love that question. I honestly thought all the books I wrote were “the One”
And I simultaneously worried that it wasn’t good enough, or wouldn’t come out at a good time for the market.
So I always have another book, the “Other One” in the wings, waiting for me to write it.
Okay, this is something that I’m currently struggling with on my writing. This is the first book that I’ve ever gotten (mostly) through writing. The problem is the resolution. The big conflict has already happened and now… nothing will write itself.
The last of my muse’s words have petered out and I’m left with a blank stare. Now, it’s not necessarily that I don’t have ideas as to what needs to happen, I’m just more indecisive about it than anything. I see two different ways to end it and I’m getting no inkling as to which would be best.
Have you ever had a problem like this? Not necessarily with an ending, but at any point in your books. And what did you do to get past it? I’m kind of to the point of saying “screw it”. To just write SOMEthing so that I’ll have something to edit later (and edit I will because my baby definitely needs it…). Wow, and I wonder why people call me longwinded.
well you answered my main question!
My question is about deadlines and contracts.
I imagine there is some sort of ratio of how long it takes you to write a book versus how many books and releases you can have contracted out. What if you write one book a year. Is it feasible to be contracted out for the next three years/three books or do you aim higher?
Hi, how do you keep track of continuity and descriptions of characters? Is there a software. If not, I think it would make money. Thanks!!
How do you write when life won’t cooperate? You know it’s about making the time, and you dutifully carve your hours, but then when you get there, you stare at Word bitterly and think, “how can I write when X IS WRONG?” (and I don’t mean minor X. I mean life-may-explode-in-a-minute-X.) I know the answer is probably, it’s okay not to, but what if the writing is something of a sanity-savor, and not being able to do it makes you feel worse?
“Write a great book”
Maya M., you’re right. Of course we all believe, in our deepest of hearts, that we’ve written a great book. And we should believe that. Hell, if **we** don’t think it’s great, why would an agent or an editor? And it today’s harsh economic climate, writing a great book is more important than ever before.
“try and find an agent whose style fits our own”
Maya M., yeah. It’s tough. Best thing to do is try to get some face time with agents, as Dame Jenna says, at conferences. That’s ideal. But here’s a secret: Many writers, both published and unpublished, change agents. Seriously. It’s not a forever-and-ever-amen sort of decision when you sign with an agent. Of course, you **want** it to be forever. But sometimes, it’s not. Heck, I changed agents after my former agent sold three books and a novella of mine. And I still found another agent (the fabulous Dame Agent), and I haven’t looked back.
because – that’s exactly what all of us think we did. The other one that makes sense is to try and find an agent whose style fits our own. Completely logical – BUT – how is it possible to figure that out ahead of time, without ‘trying them on’ for size?
“Did you know that the book that you eventually sold was “the One” or did you think that of all your books?”
When I wrote HELL’S BELLES, it was more like, “Damn it, if this one DOESN’T sell, I’m stopping.” Because I felt in my gut that HB was onto something. (Thankfully, I was right.)
Right now, I have that “OMG, this will be it, it, OPRAH-BIG IT” about one of my projects on submission. Heh. First step: having an editor BUY it. Fingers crossed.
But no, I don’t have that OMG YES feeling for all of my books. Most are more like, OMG I HOPE THIS WORKS.
Great post – thank you so much for sharing your journey.
My question is this:
I’m pitching my second novel to agents (the first one ended up in the novel graveyard) right now. I’ve had four requests for partials, but nothing beyond. I keep getting responses like: ‘It’s good, but I’m not enthusiastic enough’ etc. I’ve no idea what might be turning them off! Any thoughts on next steps?
Thank you!
“Okay, this is something that I’m currently struggling with on my writing. This is the first book that I’ve ever gotten (mostly) through writing. The problem is the resolution. The big conflict has already happened and now… nothing will write itself.”
Ohhhh, God yes. This happens to me. Whenever the words simply stop, that’s my brain’s way of telling me I did something wrong. Seriously. Every time I have writer’s block, it’s because the story took a wrong turn somewhere. (Alternatively, when I’m doing it right, the story seems to write itself.)
It sounds like you’re going through something I did when I first started HELL’S BELLES. Originally, I had the Announcement (if you read the book, you know what I’m talking about) occur in chapter 2. By the time I’d written chapter 4, I knew I’d done something wrong, because all of the tension had leaked away. And I realized I’d given away the cow with the milk by revealing the Announcement so early. I started again, this time with chapter 4 now as chapter 1, and another plot change to jazz things up (Jezebel runs away from Hell instead of walks away). And boom: 2 months later, I had a novel.
Ashley, perhaps the big conflict in your story needs to happen at the end of the book instead of where it currently is. Does that feel right to you? Or do you think it’s something else that’s getting in the way?
Now, if it is the right thing to move the big conflict resolution to the end of the book, don’t panic! You can revise. This happens to all of us at one point or another, I’m sure. You can do it.
“I imagine there is some sort of ratio of how long it takes you to write a book versus how many books and releases you can have contracted out.”
Jamie, if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s this: there’s no set formula. Some people, like my BLACK AND WHITE coauthor, can have four contracted series simultaneously and not lose their minds. Others are very happy with one book a year.
“What if you write one book a year. Is it feasible to be contracted out for the next three years/three books or do you aim higher?”
It’s feasible, I’d say. But I also say, always aim as high as you can.
By the way, I am in no way speaking for all the Dames. Just popping by between day job projects.
“Hi, how do you keep track of continuity and descriptions of characters? Is there a software. If not, I think it would make money. Thanks!!”
Hmm. Dunno! I just keep stuff in my head. It’s not so much the appearances that make me go ACK but plot minutia. And that leads to tons of post-it notes all over my desk.
“How do you write when life won’t cooperate? You know it’s about making the time, and you dutifully carve your hours, but then when you get there, you stare at Word bitterly and think, “how can I write when X IS WRONG?” (and I don’t mean minor X. I mean life-may-explode-in-a-minute-X.) I know the answer is probably, it’s okay not to, but what if the writing is something of a sanity-savor, and not being able to do it makes you feel worse?”
JACKIE GIVES JESS THE BOX OF VIRTUAL CHOCOLATES
This happens, Jess. It does. Most of 2008 for me was spent with me being in a funk, and starting/stopping projects. I actually went into therapy, and I’m still there. I was on anti-depressants for a while as well. Life happens.
If you’re not writing under contract, when the deadlines really are set if not in stone then in wet cement, I strongly suggest that you take a break. This is NOT a defeat. This is a vacation, a mental vacation, something that will let you clean out the cobwebs and return to writing when it brings you joy again.
If you’re on deadline…suck it up, cupcake. If you’re on deadline, it’s a job, and that means you perform to the best of your ability, no matter how shitty you feel. **hugs**
I’m assuming this is not an under-contract situation for you, Jess. So please, really: walk away. Read other blogs (and if hearing about other writers’ great news makes you feel sad or worse about yourself, step away from those blogs as well). Clean the house. Exercise. Do something positive for yourself and no one else. Color your hair. Buy a daring shade of lipstick.
And when that spark returns — and if you’re a writer, I promise you, that spark will return — you’ll hit the keyboard with a vengeance. In October 2008, I had lunch with Dame Agent, and I mentioned this one idea I had. She told me bluntly, WRITE IT. Her enthusiasm was all the spark I needed. It pulled me out of the quagmire of yuck and blah I’d been in for months. And I wrote that new book in four weeks. It’s on submission now.
Hang in there, Jess. I promise you, this too shall pass.
“I’m pitching my second novel to agents (the first one ended up in the novel graveyard) right now. I’ve had four requests for partials, but nothing beyond. I keep getting responses like: ‘It’s good, but I’m not enthusiastic enough’ etc. I’ve no idea what might be turning them off! Any thoughts on next steps?”
You may want to get a critique partner to give your manuscript a read. Try Absolute Write, where you can share your work. You can also go to Backspace, which also has a critique your work section. FWIW, I met my crit partner via Backspace. Just one of those happy circumstances.
But yeah — a crit partner or a writing group could help. If your book is a romance, check out your local RWA chapter. If it’s another genre, see about national organizations for that genre, and then see if they have local chapter groups. Good luck!
Okay, I’m done monopolizing the board for now.
Jackie,
There never is a good formula, but it helps to know what’s been done and what’s a really bad idea. lol Just suck it up and get as many as you can, right?
Thank you for all of your answers.
“Hi, how do you keep track of continuity and descriptions of characters? Is there a software. If not, I think it would make money. Thanks!!”
For the four books of my Guardians of the Night series, and through the first three books of my Morgan Kingsley series, I did my best to keep track of everything in my head. I do not recommend this as a strategy!!
Now, I’ve put together a number of spreadsheets. For characters, the columns on my spreadsheet are: Name, Description, and Notes. In Notes, I include details like backstory, family history, habits–whatever I’ve developed for the character that I might need to remember later. I also keep a spreadsheet of all the places used in my books–including what’s in each room that is described, so that I don’t suddenly make drastic changes to the decor without noticing!
When I’m working on a book, I put a blank copy of the spreadsheet beside my computer and scribble notes down. I’ll then go back and put them on the online spreadsheet once the book has gone through all its revisions and copy edits, just to make sure none of these descriptions, etc., changes between drafts. I then have a printed version of these sheets available for easy look-up.
Lastly, I have a calendar. I just chose a random year (2006) and started marking off days that action occurs or that time passes, so I can keep track of what time of year it is at the start of each book, and how much time has passed since the very beginning. I have to do this, because I’ve messed up the time line several times in the past. Luckily, the copy editor caught my mistakes!
“I keep getting responses like: ‘It’s good, but I’m not enthusiastic enough’ etc. I’ve no idea what might be turning them off! Any thoughts on next steps?”
The next step is to write the next book. This kind of response generally means the agent/editor liked your book, but they didn’t *love* it. Unless they have some specific feedback for you, they are probably never going to love it, even if you make changes.
Think of a published book you’ve read that you’ve enjoyed, but didn’t love. Now try to put a firm finger on what that author could have changed to make you love the book instead of like it. You’ll find that’s insanely hard to do, which is why you get vague feedback like “I wasn’t enthusiastic enough.” Believe me, I have lots of those letters in my file cabinet, and I still get that kind of response from editors even after being published.
If you still have agents left to query, by all means do so. You only need one agent to love it, after all. And you only need one editor to love it as well. But you’ll greatly increase your chances of finding the perfect match between manuscript, agent, and editor if you have more manuscripts to choose from.
Whatever you do, do not give up! You are obviously close, and if you keep at it, you will break in one day. (It took me 18 completed manuscripts to finally write The One, but I’ve sold a total of 12 books now in the span of about 3 years. It was worth waiting for it, as frustrating and awful as the wait was.)
“I keep getting responses like: ‘It’s good, but I’m not enthusiastic enough’ etc. I’ve no idea what might be turning them off! Any thoughts on next steps?”
I got a lot of these. In fact, one agent said the writing was spot on, the plot was great, but the beginning just didn’t pull her in. Another agent said the same thing. I rewrote the beginning to be way more active and had full requests from the next four or five agents I sent it to.
Sometimes, I think it’s something as simple as needing a more raw, emotional element to the beginning–something to really snag their interest and make them care about the character right away.
I have one for you Dames, how did you find your critique partners?
Do you find writer or non-writer friends give the best feedback? Family? Almost strangers? (Though I admit I wouldn’t be altogether comfortable asking some girl off the net to crit my book just because she happened to be on the right sort of website.)
Hi Skarrah. I’ve been critiquing with fellow Dame, Rachel Vincent, for more than two years. We were both members of the same RWA chapter but had only chatted online on our blogs.
She won a topic challenge I did for fun, gave me a crazy topic to write about and I met the challenge. She loved it and asked me if I wanted to work with her. Here are some links for more info.
The bit of rough flash fiction I wrote in response to her topic is here.
http://relliott4.wordpress.com/now-they-run-from-valen-greer/
And here are two VERY honest detailed posts with examples of how we work together. Some of it is kind of funny, some of it painful.
http://urbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2008/10/can-i-have-band-aid-with-that-critique.html
http://urbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2008/10/when-band-aid-isnt-big-enough.html
LOL! I haven’t visited the old blog with comments on that story in a long time. You can see where Rachel and I first start yacking about writing here in the comment secton of the story.
http://thewritesnark.blogspot.com/2006/05/now-they-run-from-valen-greer.html#links/
The real irony is she called me while I was reading this. (g)
“how did you find your critique partners?”
Skarrah, I had been in a number of writing groups and workshops. Heck, I even founded and led one, eons ago.
But for me, things came together when I was active at Backspace. I’d posted about my work, and about other things, and I got to know a bunch of the other posters over time. Well, I became very friendly with one in particular, and eventually I asked her if she’d like to read the first three chapters of HB. She said, “I thought you’d never ask!” She read, she commented. She raved about it — AND gave me great feedback. And then she gave me the first three of her book, and I LOVED it. And I gave her my feedback. And…well, it was serendipity. 
But it took time. I’m glad I had the experience with other writing groups before my crit partner and I found each other.
Thanks for all the great advise ladies!
I’ve recently finished my first novel and I’ve been pulling my hair out with revisions. I think it’s great, but I need to trim the fat. I’ve heard that 187+K is a little extravagant for a previously unpublished writer. How do I know what to take out and what to keep? And what is the average word count for Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy?
Lisa — yeah, 187,000 words is, frankly, huge. You want it absolutely no longer than 120,000 words — and you’re much, much better off aiming for 100,000. Seriously.
Think about it this way: a 100,000-word novel is approximately 400 pages for mass-market paperback. You’re proposing nearly double that: a 700+ debut novel. A book seller could shelf one 700+ page novel OR two 300+ page novels in the same space. Which do you think the booksellers would aim for?
What to take out and what to keep? Only you can make that call. I’d suggest that anything that doesn’t move the main plot forward should be scrapped. So if you’ve got subplots going on with secondary characters that are there more out of interest than out of actually advancing the main plot of the book, lose them. This would be the dreaded “murder your darlings” part of being a writer.
But look at it this way: you automatically have ideas for the next book or two (especially in par-rom, which loves series that have different H/h in each novel).
Skarah, that’s a great question: how did you find your critique partners?
Funnily enough, I found mine through Dame Rachel’s blog. It’s true! Almost 2 years ago I spotted Chandra commenting on there and checked out her blog, and we gradually got chatting via email. And exactly the same with Renee. I then drew them both over to the Dark Side with LiveJournal, though they both still maintain their other blogs too. *g*
Personally, I prefer crits from a mixture of writers & readers, that way you get a balanced view of things. I’m lucky that I have a teenage (American) friend I met via LJ who is willing to read my YA stuff. That’s such a help for me!
MayaM: The one I find perplexing is the oft-repeated “Write a great book”
Let me add to that: “Write a great book that in some way stands out from the other great books in the same genre.” How it “stands out” is up to you, subject matter, voice, pacing, characterization, plot twists, but adding that zing of flavor that is all you, baby, will help it stand out in a crowded market.
AND: trying agents on for size can be done in the dark, behind closed doors, in the comfort of your own home–Hey, now, I’m talking the internet!– Read agent blogs, web pages, read the blogs and web pages of their clients. You’ll get a feel for an agent’s personality.
Ashley: “The problem is the resolution. The big conflict has already happened and now… nothing will write itself.”
Who was your main character at the beginning of the book? What did she want? Why did she want it? Who got in her way? How did she get that thing?
Who is she now at the end of the book? She should have changed. Her wants and needs will have changed in some way. She should want something different.
All plot lines need to point to the heart of the story. And it is not always the big conflict that is the most important story we tell.
Maybe there’s a plot line that needs more attention and will bring about your ending?
(practical advice–get a TRUSTED reader and ask them what they wished there was more of in the book.)
JamieLeighHansen: “There never is a good formula, but it helps to know what’s been done and what’s a really bad idea. lol Just suck it up and get as many as you can, right?”
It’s a complicated question to answer. Every genre has a different definition of “prolific” and “market saturation” For some markets, one book a year is considered mind-bendingly fast.
The best advice I can give is sell your book, and know if it has series potential. I wrote Magic to the Bone as a stand alone because I didn’t know if I would be lucky enough to get a multiple book contract. I got a 3 book deal, with releases every six months–not one book a a year.
There isn’t a way to plan how fast your books will come out–a lot of that is in your publisher’s hands–but it’s a great idea to know (by doing) how fast you *want* to write books.
Hope: great question!
Jenna: I have spreadsheet envy!
Jess:“How do you write when life won’t cooperate?”
I agree with Dame Jackie. If you aren’t under contract, walk away and rest. Fill your creative wells. Give your soul rest.
Hang in there.
Skarrah: “how did you find your critique partners?”
I made them. Out of the spare parts of my broken dreams.
Trial and error. I went to crit groups on line and face-to-face, workshops, classes, met other writers, readers. Right now I “use” three people. My brother, my best friend, and my writing buddy. The one thing they have in common is they read voraciously, and they don’t pull their punches when they think something isn’t working for them.
Jamie Leigh: My question is about deadlines and contracts. I imagine there is some sort of ratio of how long it takes you to write a book versus how many books and releases you can have contracted out. What if you write one book a year. Is it feasible to be contracted out for the next three years/three books or do you aim higher?
Yes, that is perfectly feasible and reasonable. However, if you can write more than one book a year–and write it well–there are several advantages to doing just that.
-More money in a smaller span of time
-You and your books (especially for a series) will stay in the readers’ minds more easily
-Your backlist will grow more quickly
But like I said, this only works if you’re capable of writing both quickly and well.
It’s up to each individual author to know her own limitations and abilities.
Jess: How do you write when life won’t cooperate? You know it’s about making the time, and you dutifully carve your hours, but then when you get there, you stare at Word bitterly and think, “how can I write when X IS WRONG?” (and I don’t mean minor X. I mean life-may-explode-in-a-minute-X.) I know the answer is probably, it’s okay not to, but what if the writing is something of a sanity-savor, and not being able to do it makes you feel worse?
I’ve been there. Seriously. I’ve written through at least two personal catastrophes, and rarely missed a day writing. And I mean big problems. But for me, writing through all that isn’t just a means of remaining consistent, or doing my job (though it is both of those). It’s an escape from reality in a world I control. A place to vent all those emotions that you might not have any other way of dealing with.
I poured serious anger, frustration, and devastation in Pride, in fact, under those very same circumstances.
“Hi, how do you keep track of continuity and descriptions of characters? Is there a software. If not, I think it would make money. Thanks!!”
May I help with this? Two software programs that I know of are Dramatica Pro and Power Structure. Both allow you to outline and develop your story’s plot and they also have a section for developing your characters. Power Structure asks how a chapter moves a story forward while Dramatica gets your idea down to one story form.
There are other software, but these are the two I’m most familiar with.
I hope I didn’t step on any proverbial toes.
Please delete if inappropriate.
Pamela, thanks for sharing! We Dames wear boots with steel tips, so no worries! Seriously, we’re all about sharing information. So again, thank you!
Hi, my question puts me firmly in the ‘beginning’ pile (which makes sense as my first book isn’t quite finished yet).
You talk about writing short stories… what do you do with them? How do you get them published? In front of people who can get them published? Every time I turn around yet another SF/SciFi magazine or journal is closing its doors. Their just don’t seem to be markets any more… I can build up a following (I think) by posting things on my site/blog, but will that count for anything to a potential agent?
How do you get it out there?
“You talk about writing short stories… what do you do with them? ”
It’s been a long time since I wrote short stories, so my information may be rusty. But back when I was writing them, the best place to go to find markets for short stories was http://www.ralan.com. The site is definitely still there, though I haven’t taken the time to get fully reacquainted with it. I highly suggest you check it out, though. There are more markets out there than you might expect.
Kat, I’d have to find it again, but I used to keep an eye on a website called the Black Hole. It gave info on SF/Fantasy magazines, response times on submissions, etc.
For me, I basically kept up with a lot of magazines, bought either samples or subscriptions to those I was interested in publishing in. I also wrote short stories for the confession magazine markets (bread and butter moolah) for years. Those take a little while to break into, but once you have a good contact, things pick up. They started calling me for stories.
SF/Fantasy markets are a little more difficult. I haven’t been working on short fiction for a while, so I’m behind, but I do know of a writer who is still writing that market. Jennifer Pelland. She shares her submission sales and rejections on her blog at http://jenwrites.livejournal.com/. She recently signed with an agent and will be sharing the novel process as well. She writes the dark stuff. I discovered her through Apex Digest, which is a great market for those who like their science fiction scary. They’re linked on our reader page.
Kat: There are markets out there for short stories. If you’re writing SF/F/H you may be surprised how many venues there are. Dame Jenna and Dame Rinda had great suggestions, and I would add http://www.doutrope.com as another source for markets and tracking them.
I’m not sure what impact posting your fiction on your web page might have on an agent. It might make an interesting discussion here.
Thanks so much Dame Jenna (devoted reader of your stuff), Dame Rinda and, of course, Devon. I am surprised: there are still more publications out there than I thought!
How do you balance Life with Writing? Do you set aside some time everyday to write – how do you manage that time?
[...] of the Cold From Hell) this Friday’s writing post is going to be shorter. I poked through the Ask A Dame questions and none of them really set me on fire, though a few of them did give me springboards [...]