What exactly does "Precious" mean?

[DrG2]

I've heard agents refer to a writing style as "precious", and based on their comments, it seems to mean some combination of:
self-absorbed - - the author inserting his own personality too much in the narration.
autobiographical - - the story is about something that changed the author's life, turned into fiction.
trying too hard to make the text sound nice/pretty
trying too hard to effect a style

What does it mean to you?

[mammamaia]

ditto all of that!

[pls]

I'm thinking of the exclamation, "Well, isn't that precious?", that I can just hear an editor exclaiming when presented with a nice story about puppies and kitties. Is that what you mean?

[DrG2]

I'm thinking of the exclamation, "Well, isn't that precious?", that I can just hear an editor exclaiming when presented with a nice story about puppies and kitties. Is that what you mean?

I don't think so. I'm not really sure. Although I've learned most words by what they seem to mean in context, I'm not 100% sure about an editor's use of "precious".

[mammamaia]

i am an editor and, while i don't use the word myself, i'm pretty sure what's being referred to is an editor/agent/publisher saying, 'it's too precious' in re writing that is any/all of the things drg listed...