10 Steps to Success as a Novelist--Summer Rerun, sort of

Note: Yep, this is a summer rerun, too, but I've done some tweaking. Are we not all editors at heart?

One perk of being a published writer is gaining credibility whether I deserve it or not. I'm frequently asked to speak to church groups, book clubs, service groups, and writer groups. I love it! I'm a teacher, first and foremost, and a bit of a ham.

I spoke at my first writers conference not long ago. They asked me to speak on what it takes to be successful in publishing. (Don't worry, I'm doing research!) These are my notes on 10 steps to success (I know, there are more than 10. I'll have an addendum in my handout):

1. Determine if you're a dabbler or a writer (This is from Sharon).

A writer will trouble over the perfect word, insist upon writing draft after draft until the manuscript sings, dream about her characters, forget to eat, listen to critique and make changes as needed, and never, never, never give up even in the face of repeated rejection. A dabbler is easily discouraged.

2. Read poetry.

We've all heard to read the best fiction the world has to offer. Let me add poetry to your reading list. No other writing form can train you on the power of word economy. And poetry makes the ordinary extraordinary. I've learned to see my world more fully through a poet's eyes. Above all, a novelist must be an observer. It's the details that bring authenticity to our stories.

3. Care about people.

Be fully engaged with the people around you and take every opportunity to broaden your circle of friends. LISTEN to people. Hear their stories. Become part of their stories. As a novelist, you write about people. And since I believe you have to love your characters--the good, the bad, and the incorrigible--you should practice loving the people around you. The result will be more fully developed characters and a broader variety of personalities.

4. Duct tape yourself to the chair! (From Latayne)

A writer writes purposefully. Some writing teachers will say you have to write every day. That works well for some people. It's impossible for others. I say, find what works for you. Come up with an achievable goal, even if it's a paragraph a day while sitting at soccer practice. And do it. My goal is to write 1,000 words per day. I find that is about my limit for creating slop in one day. Apply duct tape as needed.

5. Learn the publishing biz.

Oh my. The publishing biz is really changing with eReaders and self-publishing and the economy upending the publishing houses. Go to a writers conference and make a gracious pest of yourself by asking every editor and agent what is going on in publishing. Be a student of the industry. Read professional journals like Publisher's Weekly, The Writer, and Writers Digest. There are many more!

6. Don't stagnate.

Take classes. Read books. Grow as a storyteller and write the very best story you can. By the way, this is the strongest element of your marketing plan. 

7. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

• Will you read my story?
• Will you offer editorial comments? (This is becoming more typical as the publishing houses are looking for manuscripts that are ready to go. Also, sadly many publishing houses are letting editors go to save money. And we LOVE our editors!)
• Do you LOVE my story?

8. Fall in love with your craft.

Genius is highly overrated and possibly nonexistent. On the other hand, you can't quench the passion of loving your art. You will do anything to perfect your technique. You will gladly--almost without notice--invest the 10,000 hours it takes to master a skill.

9. Be patient.

It just so happens that all of us are learning this at the moment, and we aren't exactly happy about it. You have to be patient with people who have promised to be beta readers but have gone AWOL, an endorser who eats your manuscript for breakfast, your agent may seem to be sitting on your manuscript, a critique partner keeps rescheduling, and/or agents aren't as much in love with your story as you are...and they're dead wrong. It only took God six days to create the earth, but publishing moves much slower. I hope you're the one exception to this, but that's not what I'm hearing.

10. Define success for yourself

Let me ask you a few questions: Are you a born storyteller? Is entertaining people one of your gift areas? And here's the tough question: Can you be happy with a small audience? Is connecting with your reader the reward you crave, or are you hoping for a rancho in Napa Valley? We hear get-rich stories about big-time writers all the time, but the reality is quite far from that. If you're going to pour your life into a story, you must love what you're doing and define success for yourself. For me, telling a redemptive story that entertains is a huge challenge. The payoff is hearing that people connect with the characters and say that they look at the world and eternity a little bit differently. 

Go Where the Pain Is...and Other Great Advice From Anne Rice

Today we have found an incredibly encouraging video posted by Anne Rice on September 18, 2012 which she made in response to the many writers who have asked her for writing advice.
Here are a few highlights to get your attention:

• Write what you want to be known for
• Be brave and reach for the fire from heaven
• her first book was accepted at a writers conference
• getting a book published is no harder now than it was 'back in the day'

 Get out your pad and pencil - you'll want to take notes.

No Yellow Brick Road in Writing

I love what Arthur Slade shared in his interview on Monday, especially his confusion about being a YA writer.  Discovering how prolific authors get headed in the right direction can help those who are just starting out or simply not making any headway.  YA, adult, genre, literary – how hard can it be to know what we write or which direction to go? As Arthur pointed out, it’s not always easy to tell.

Dorothy asked the scarecrow, "Which way do we take?"  His cryptic answers were  “Pardon me, this way is a very nice way,”  (points other way) “It’s pleasant down that way, too,”  and (points both ways) “Of course, some people do go both ways.” I’m surprised she didn’t leave him hanging in the cornfield.

We have to start somewhere, and there's no yellow brick road.  Some writers follow one road until it dead ends and their writing gets stalled.  Some branch off at the ‘Y’ in the road and add a few vampires or whatever is currently on the horizon.  Still others take the road less traveled and find success.

So, how far do you travel before you sit down in the dust and re-think your decision?  If you’re traveling alone, you may go far off course before taking stock and honestly considering your options.  It’s not smart to be a lone wolf in the writing community.  You can waste a lot of time trying to decide things on your own.  Writers are generally too close to their writing to see things clearly.  We all need honest feedback.

Sometimes we fall into a certain type of writing because we follow advice such as 'write what you know' or 'write what you read.'  The advice is neither good nor bad, just tricksy.  Sometimes the story gets a hold of us and we think it knows best.  Often a character will demand our full attention and we assume the story is theirs alone.  This happened to me when an insistent character, a 12-year-old girl, told me her side of the story and I bit.  Mean mommy + bad sisters X rotten luck = unjust circumstances.  I was sure I was a YA writer and that this was a YA story.  I read all the ‘how to’ books for YA fiction.  I read and dissected great YA fiction.  I was around kids every day and knew how they talked and what they cared about.  By gum, I knew what I was doing!

The story came together and stirred some interest at a conference, including an agent who went back and conferred with his colleagues about it.  His eventual response:  We don’t do YA.  If it had an adult perspective, we would be interested.

Great gnashing of teeth ensued on my part.  I railed to my family, "It’s perfect the way it is!" which translates to (a) I’m sick and tired of this story, and (b) I don’t want to rewrite it again and (c) how badly do I really want to be published?  I stamped and huffed and scowled, and when I was spent, my husband sagely said, “You know, it could really use the mom’s perspective.”

I stuffed it in a drawer for a week or more.  When I came to my senses, I realized he had something there.  The mom started talking to me.  And then the sisters.  And the grandparents.  Grief, like a spreading stain, had seeped into all their lives and done its damage.  How could I have missed it?  So, I picked it up again and told the whole story this time.

For my part, I had to set aside what I was so sure I knew and listen to what credible sources told me about the story and my writing.  It doesn’t mean I won’t write another story with a juvenile’s perspective.  Kids have such insight and tell it like it is.  But it will most likely be written from the standpoint of an adult reflecting on childhood experiences.

Some writers will insist that they have ALWAYS known what they were destined to write.  Oo-rah.  Good for them!  Even better if they have ever considered another way and had their original choice confirmed.

How did you come to realize what you were meant to write?  Was it a trial by fire or just the quiet affirmation of readers and colleagues?  Maybe you’re still in process.  We’d love to hear.

Heart In Hand

I want to take the opportunity to publicly thank Sharon, Katy and all the fabulous authors and presenters who made the writers conference a success! I especially want to thank the writers in attendance who invested their time and money in a day's training, which for some I'm sure was like sticking their toes in the water, not sure if they would sink or swim in the writing pool.

For about a month before the conference, I'd stood in the foyer on Sundays at a sign-up table at my church (where the conference was held), and I noticed something. Some people approached the table with outright curiosity. These were people who were actively writing or had always felt the urge to write. They wandered away perusing the brochure, promising to register. Others passed by, checked out the brochure and replaced it, saying they had writer friends they would send our way. Then, there were the lurkers. Drive-bys. People who walked past without making eye contact, glancing down at my sign and continuing on several times during the morning. They stood across the room checking out my table from the side of their eyes. If they gathered the courage to stop and actually speak to me, without exception they had a story to tell. A hurt, a wound that they yearned to share, wisdom gleaned from their experiences or just felt the need to vent. Some hurts were physical, obvious, but others were deeply hidden.

What is it that compels us to share our experiences but at the same time struggle against it? I think the biggest factor is fear. We are afraid to put the words on paper because others may not give validation to our hurts and traumas. We must relive painful memories in order to write about them. We feel a stigma attached to the experience as the victim. We wonder what other people will think of us, or possibly those we expose. And although writing it all down may be cathartic, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will sell.

Here are a few things to consider:
1. Your experience may not be enough for a book treatment. Consider writing a personal experience piece for an edition of Chicken Soup or a magazine (even online) for example. It could reach many more people that way and can be a great way to break into print.
2. The hard truth is that publishers don't generally buy memoirs unless the person is a celebrity or the writer has a unique voice. If you feel strongly that it should be in book form, then make your story segue into the bigger issue. For example, a person who was molested as a child may write a book about child abuse and include their experiences.
3. If you are writing about an issue, you may need credentials as an authority (degree in psychology, etc.) or a co-writer who fills the bill in order to be taken seriously.
4. Disguise the facts in order to protect the privacy of others, including your family. Putting your experiences on paper is about sharing truths learned, not about getting revenge. A good publisher can tell the difference.
5. By all means, journal while you are in the thick of the experience and moving through it. But step back from the issue for a period of time before attempting to share it with others to develop a broader perspective.
6. Use your experience as background for a fictional character or story premise. Some readers find it easier to read about fictional characters enduring these hardships than real people. But be prepared to suggest a happier resolution than you possibly found to be true.

Does the need to share an experience resonate with you? We'd love to hear from you!

Writer's Conferences - How to Play Nice with Others

It's HERE! We are excited to announce the second annual Audience with an Agent Contest on Novel Matters! Our last contest yielded fantastic results with two authors seeing their manuscripts requested by Wendy Lawton.

This time around literary agent Janet Grant will be reading the top submissions.

Here are the official rules:

Our new Audience with an Agent Contest begins February 1, 2010. Submissions must be received at Novel Matters by April 15.
Finalists will be announced on May 15, and Janet Grant of Books & Such Literary Agency will announce a winner from the finalists on June 15.

You won't want to miss this remarkable opportunity. We look forward to your submissions. Please follow carefully the Guidelines below.

Guidelines:

• Open to US and Canadian fiction writers
• 1 submission per person, fiction only
• 1 chapter, up to 20 pages, plus 1-2 page synopsis
• 1" margins, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 (synopsis may be single spaced)
• Pages should be numbered and your last name and title should appear in the top left hand corner of every page.
• Books & Such Guidelines apply
• e-mail your submission to novelmatters@gmail.com. In the subject line, type: Audience with an Agent Submission
• Attach your submission as a single file as Word document (one file containing BOTH your synopsis and first chapter)
• Six submissions will be selected and sent to Janet Grant. Being selected does not guarantee offer of a contract for representation

~

It's February; we've officially broken in the new year and many writers from beginners to multi-published are sifting through information from various writer's conferences trying to decide which one(s) to attend.

We at Novel Matters feel your pain - so, its Writer's Conference week on the blog. I'm kicking it off today with a post about general rules for conference attendance - tips and tricks that will help ensure you get the most of the conference experience no matter which writer's conference you attend.

We invite you to ask questions either in the comments section or, you can e-mail us your question and we will answer it over the course of the week. If your question is about a specific agent, editor, publisher, or writer you hope to connect with at a conference, ask, and we'll try to help you out. Between the six of us, we know a fair number of people in the industry - or we know someone who knows someone - no guarantees, but we will do our best to help you with your question.

Playing Nice with People Who Intimidate You - or, how to not just survive, but thrive at a writer's conference.

Da Rules:

1) Align your writing goals to the conference you want to attend. This rule assumes a great deal of forethought prior to registering for a conference. As a writer, you are the CEO of your small business - an entrepreneur. It's important to have clear goals for what you want to accomplish as a writer and how you plan to accomplish them. Are you just starting out? You're in luck. Most conferences offer workshops for beginner writers - but ensure you sign up for the workshops that best fit with what you hope to accomplish. A workshop on writing Amish Memoirs may well be fascinating, but if you hope to write devotional books for computer nerds - you shouldn't waste time in the memoir workshop. The short version of this rule: Writer, know thyself.

2) Don't keep going to the same conference year after year out of habit. Routine and habit are fine for housework and memorizing the multiplication table, but creative types require fresh thought, stimulation, and adventure to keep the writing pipes running. I know, it's so great to get together with a gang of ol' writing buddies and catch up, but returning year after year to the same ol' same ol' does nothing to boost your creative effort. Are you looking to raise the bar on your writing? Check out some of the conferences you've been over looking all these years and take a chance. The short version of this rule: Think outside the box.

3) Stalking a specific editor or agent because God told you they will publish/represent you is always a bad idea. Conferences have systems in place that put writers and industry professionals together. Do everything you can to work within the system that is set up (e.g. fifteen minute appointments you can sign up for. Or submitting your ms ahead of time to a specific editor/agent in hopes they will want to talk to you about it during the conference). But even if the system isn't working for you and you can't get in to see that one person God TOLD you is THE one for you - don't lose heart. And don't follow them into the washroom. Relax. Be professional (no one wants to work with a writer who goes to extremes to get noticed). And remember - if God told you that you will be working with Agent-Amazing, you have nothing to worry about. He'll make it happen in His time. The short version of this rule: Have faith; be a pro.

4) Realize that pitching your book will feel weird - and get over it. You will only have a short time to talk to any single industry pro, and while it may feel strange to launch into a spiel straight away - it's actually helpful for the editor/agent/publisher you're talking to. Be professional - Sit down, shake hands and say, "I'm Joe Blow. I've written a 75,000 word Women's fiction titled There Goes Joe Blow. It's the Ya Ya Sisterhood meets The Stepford Wives." Give 'em what they want - the goods on your book. It will feel weird for about three seconds, then the editor/agent/publisher will say something back to you and you'll go - whew! I did it! I can do this! (But PLEASE don't say you wrote a fictional novel. Can't tell you how many times I've heard a new writer refer to her masterpiece as a fictional novel. No, no, no). Short version of this rule: Shoot from the hip.

5) If you get stars in your eyes, give them a rub and keep your agenda in mind. Some conferences are packed with multi-published authors we all gush over. It's fun to rub elbows with the likes of them - but remember, you aren't a tourist, you're on a journey to become a multi-published author yourself. Avoid gushing. It's actually awkward for the author or whoever it is you are gushing over. A smile, or handshake and a quick, "I enjoy your books. It's a pleasure to meet you" or words to that effect are perfect. Short version of this rule: Act like you belong (because you do!)

6) Multi-published authors want to help you, but they are not information cows to be milked. I attended a conference last year and was approached by an unpublished, but hopeful writer. She asked me for my professional contacts. I declined (I didn't know her, hadn't read her work). She asked again. I declined again. Later, she approached again and told me if I were really a Christian writer, I would share my professional contacts. Again, I declined. The exchange was uncomfortable, but I would do the same thing again. Publishing is about developing relationships. This takes time, but the rewards are lasting - and I don't just mean sharing contacts. The short version of this rule: Relationships first.

Now you: What's your question about attending a writer's conference? Do you have a tip to share? Leave a comment! If you prefer to e-mail us a question or comment, you are welcome to contact us at novelmatters@gmail.com. We will answer each question as best we can.