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 Monday, June 22, 2009
How to Save Time and Money with Professional Editors
Posted by Jane
This post has been adapted from material by Jim Adams, at his site Migdalin.com. I met the talented Jim this past weekend at the WD Editors' Intensive, and we discussed his passion for editor George H. Scithers.
—
After 30 years of rejection, I finally got tired of not knowing why my writing wasn't working. Before trying to find a publisher or an agent, I sent the novel I'd just finished (or so I thought) off to a professional editor.
The year that followed was expensive (professional editors don't come cheap), but it also taught me things about plot, protagonist, pacing, and novel structure that I hadn't picked up from 15 credit hours of undergraduate creative writing courses, an M.A. in creative writing, and reading untold books on writing (some of them with titles like PLOT).
Professional editors are more efficient than how-to books. They give you feedback specific to your project. It's one thing to read a "rule" in a book, it's another thing to have an editor point to a spot in your opus and say, "Here's where you broke the rule, and here's how your writing was weakened as a result."
Professional editors can be more effective than a degree in creative writing, since half your time in getting that sort of degree will be in ancillary class work. Worse, unless you're careful and choosy, you could easily wind up (as I did) at a university where the creative writing teachers sneer at pedestrian concerns like plot. If you dream of getting an M.A. or M.F.A. in creative writing, you might consider finding a professional editor instead. Not only could you learn more in less time, the editorial route might even be less expensive (depending on the university you're applying to), especially if going back to school means giving up a decent-paying job.
As sold as I am on getting help from professional editors, though, when I started working on a new novel, I faced a real dilemma: an insufficiency of funds. Although I hope this new book will need less editorial hand-holding than the previous one, getting the full manuscript critiqued still represents a major expense.
Also, I never feel I've mastered something until I do it right three times in a row. As such, I still have doubts about my ability to spot major plot holes and plot sidetracks on my own.
My brilliant solution to this conundrum?
I sent my editor a detailed synopsis rather than a complete novel.
Getting a synopsis critiqued is not only less expensive, it can save you a lot of time. In my case, although I already had a complete draft of the novel written, revising generally takes me twice as long (at least) as writing the rough draft. Thus, by spotting major non sequiturs in the synopsis, my editor can save me from tweaking pages, chapters, or even (please God, not that again!) an entire book that needs to be tossed out and rewritten from scratch.
If you like to outline and plan books ahead of time, you could even save yourself time during the drafting stage by getting an editor to look at your story premise and outline straightaway.
While they might tell you things you don't want to hear (such as that your underlying story idea won't hold water), wouldn't you rather find that out before you've spent months or years of your life working on the thing?
Even getting a synopsis edited can cost $200 or more, but it's money well-spent, since this particular $200 could save me weeks, even months, of fruitless revision and polishing. Even better, it could save me several thousand dollars, compared to sending a full manuscript to my editor, only to find that my novel has major structural problems—problems that could have been fixed via a review of my story outline.
Wondering how to find a solid professional editor? Preditors and Editors is a good resource for checking out an editing service before you give them your money or your manuscript. I've been using The Editorial Department, and the editor they assigned me to (Peter Gelfan) is the greatest: cruel, insensitive, tactful, patient, and very insightful.
My first book is still making the rounds of agents and publishers, and may still wind up turning into a trunk novel. While I'm convinced it's technically solid, that isn't enough to make a book sell given the difficult publishing environment these days. But whether my first book makes it or not, I feel much better about what I'm doing. I no longer feel like I'm spinning my wheels fruitlessly, repeating the same mistakes over and over again without realizing it.
—
Have you used a professional editing service that you've had a good experience with? Recommend it in the comments!
You can also check out:
Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published | Guest Post
Monday, June 22, 2009 1:32:31 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  Trackback
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Friday, June 19, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 6/19/09)
Posted by Jane
 I
watch
Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Friday or Saturday for the week's best Tweets. (If I missed a great Tweet, leave
it in the Comments, or if you want more of a particular category of Tweet, also comment.) Best of BestAsk the editor: Do publishers have rules about POV?
@LatinoBookNews
Check out Jim Shepard on writing: "I don't think you realize how hard this is for me." [in Oprah's magazine]
@Sirenland
How to find something great to read
@GuyKawasaki
Getting Published, Agents/EditorsTerrific advice on hiring a literary agent from @MichaelHyatt
@RachelleGardner
Should you go to a writers conference? Easy list of pros and cons!
@Kid_Lit
Who says $1 a word freelance markets are dead? The latest FundsforWriters newsletter from @hopeclark
@milehighfool
The Editorial Process [with a traditional publisher]
@BubbleCow
Should You Self Publish Your book? ~~VERY Good Article
@everywriter
What not to edit
@motsjustes
Craft & TechniqueEssay on compelling story telling
@lilleypress
The dangers of starting with dialogue - from @NathanBransford
@benwhiting
The importance of good characters in your novel
@BubbleCow
10 Myths of Writer’s Workshop [particularly for educators]
@MeghnaK
Letting your characters rule the story
@benwhiting
How to write a novel when you have no plot. Hint: it involves bumper stickers.
@kragtbakker
Publishing News, Trends, OpinionsHow the Lit Fic Crowd Can Make Digital Publishing Legitimate
@thecreativepenn
Kindle and book business: this is the best analysis I've seen recently.
@thecreativepenn
There’s a rich and vibrant world at the opposite end of mediocrity, and it represents the real future of publishing
@glecharles
What if people steal my book? Karmic rights management (via @thebookwright )
@thecreativepenn
Marketing/Promotion6 Things Readers Want from Your Author Website
(smart tips; focus on the fundamentals)
@dbschlosser
Advanced platform strategy from Chris Brogan and here
@thewritermama
Twitter on Twitter"I don’t want, or know how, to develop a strategy for my authenticity. Apparently, I will not be a successful tweeter."
@RonHogan
Online & Offline Resources/ToolsThe Economist's writing style guide is fantastic.
@thesolowriter
Five Good Books About Genre Writing by Actual Authors
@jharmonwriter
The Writing Life / PhilosophicalExcellent article about not letting your day job kill your writing life
@kellyaharmon
Love this by Seth Godin, YOU MATTER, reminds me of my 2009 mantra, Make Good Things Happen
@thewritermama
For tomorrow: Get up on the right side of bed. A new routine that'll change ur life.
@sanderssays
FunThis week, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," a sad, lovely piece from my writing teacher Sandra Tsing Loh
@lindseyleej
Looking for more social networking and updates from Writer's Digest?
Best of Twitter
Friday, June 19, 2009 4:26:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
5 Common Flaws in Memoir Projects
Posted by Jane
Most everyone knows how difficult it can be to sell a memoir when you're not famous (or infamous). I often advise writers that if you don't have a celebrity-like fan base, or a loyal and captive audience, then you need to write like a master—or have such a fantastical story that no one will be able to divert their attention from it (the kinds of personal stories that get aired on the morning shows, like that guy who had to cut off his own arm when stuck in a mountain crevasse).
Many writers I meet tackle memoir as their first serious book project, which often means their writing has not yet advanced to the level that will enrapture editors/agents. There are exceptions, of course, but I've only met one or two in my time at Writer's Digest, and they have significant writing history behind them. (Here is one example.)
Here are the five common flaws that I see in manuscripts I review at conferences.
- You have written a story focused on pain or victimhood—and nothing more. You get extra (negative) bonus points if you wrote it as part of a grieving process, either at the recommendation of a therapist or as part of a therapy group. Writing through grief and tragedy is a proven method to heal, but it is not a proven method for getting published. I say this not to be insensitive, but to bring needed attention to the fact that these stories are prevalent, and very few publishing houses are accepting them. This is especially true of stories of (1) abuse (2) cancer (3) caring for aging parents.
- Your source material is a diary or journal. And you're using that as your rough draft, or the book is structured in that manner. Such materials are fine for inspiration and to remember vivid details. But very few diaries or journals are suitable starting places for a publishable memoir. (And I say this as a fan of Anais Nin.)
- You want to tell about your experience as a means of self-help for others—that is, you mix the memoir and self-help genres. I have never seen this work on the page. You have to choose one or the other. Self-help is a better option if you have the credentials/authority to back up your advice. Life experience, or overcoming a personal challenge, is not enough expertise to help others, especially when it comes to physical and mental health.
- You have no definitive story arc or story problem. Are you attempting to tell everything about your life, from beginning to end, starting with childhood, where you were born, where you went to school, leaving no stone unturned? Why? Are you sure it's essential to the story? Memoirs need a beginning, middle, and end, and there needs to be a story problem, just as you would find in a novel. And it needs to be told in scenes, and have characters. And you need to leave out a lot of detail.
- The story is not told with a fresh or distinct perspective. You need to find the voice or perspective that makes the story compelling and offers vibrancy, and create an effective and engaging dramatic persona.
One of the more fascinating pieces I've read on memoir was in a July 2002 article in Writer's Digest magazine. W.W. Norton editor Alane Salierno Mason discussed the difference between the "I" memoir (which is all about the narrator) and the "eye" memoir (which is about point of view and relationship to the greater world as well as self).
Most people I meet are undoubtedly writing the "I" memoir, but it leads to a lot of talking and talking and talking (as Mason points out), and unless that talking is absolutely captivating, it's tough to take the project further than your own friends and family.
Looking for more help on this topic?
Photo credit: Jurvetson
Craft & Technique | Getting Published
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 2:55:19 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 6/12/09)
Posted by Jane
I
watch
Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Saturday for the week's best Tweets. (If I missed a great Tweet, leave
it in the Comments, or if you want more of a particular category of Tweet, also comment.) Best of BestAdorable AND valuable - 5 Things Sesame Street Can Teach You About Breakthrough Blogging
@Mediabistro
Just compiled a writing advice database of past posts
@NathanBransford (literary agent)
Writing revision checklist for fiction
@NathanBransford
Love this post: Top Ten Things I Know About Editing
@BubbleCow
20 Must-Read Blogs For Freelance Writers
@dnzWriting
Stand Alone (no links)
Better than great sales or bestseller lists are letters from readers saying your book reflects their lives & makes them feel relevant.
@amymackinnon
Idea: Use a Facebook Fan page or group to give away knowledge and tools. Be a resource. <LOVECAT think: Knowledge networking>
@timbursch
"It's nearly always better to resist the urge to explain."
—Renni Browne and Dave King
@KMWeiland
Social networking is about building relationships BEFORE you ask people to represent you, buy your work or offer you a contract.
@DebraMarrs
"Tell almost the whole story."
—ANNE SEXTON
@AdviceToWriters
"There’s nobody out there waiting for it, and nobody’s going to scold you if you don’t do it."
—LYNNE SHARON SCHWARTZ
@AdviceToWriters
@thecreativepenn and @mariaschneider routinely dig up great things on the web for writers, and are worth following.
@KimsCraftBlog
Writing Tip: Make your writing reader-centric: always answer the implicit or explicit "What's in it for me?" question.
@expertwriter
Getting Published, Agents/EditorsShould I send a revision to agents currently looking at my work? You know you've had the urge
@Kid_Lit
Should you query now or wait to meet an agent at a conference? @RachelleGardner gives some insight
@JohnUpChurch
7 reasons manuscripts are rejected & how you can avoid it
@janetlaneauthor
E-Publishing reality
@thecreativepenn
Done writing? Tips for hiring an editor
@motsjustes
Publishing Comparisons (POD vs. POD)
@thecreativepenn
Considering a pen name? The pros and cons.
@motsjustes
Craft & TechniqueWeekend Writing tip: Plan Through Character
(includes worksheet)
@AnnaDeStefano
On Genre-Based Critique Groups: Helpful but Not Mandatory
@Becky_Levine
Some lunchtime reading for any writers out there: "Writing: The power of three"
@Kimota
Plotting by Elimination
@benwhiting
Podcast with lively discussion about editing.
@ljsellers
Great writing podcast by three authors (one writes fantasy, the other horror, the other webcomics)
@gregbas
Setting as a Character - agent Maass on writing mythic significance into the landscape
@dbschlosser
"Just say no to dialect, y'all"
@motsjustes
Keeping your dialogue lively by @RGregoryBrowne
@benwhiting
Learn about point of view in fiction writing
@motsjustes
... a new talk, on plotting and springing surprises in novels (by Arthur A. Levine editor)
@chavelaque
Publishing News, Trends, OpinionsTIME: Amazon defining the future of publishing
@KFZuzulo
Marketing/PromotionAuthor Christina Katz @thewritermama with platform ideas and mistakes
@janecandid
Building an Author Platform (Video)
@thecreativepenn
A pain free method of self-promotion
@TXBirder
Twitter on Twitter
Some deep insights into twitter in this post by @cheeky_geeky. Really thought-provoking.
@timoreilly
USA Today on the art of writing on Twitter (and Facebook):
@jwikert
Why Writers Should Use Twitter
@alexisgrant
Note to writers: Twitter may be a better platform than a blog.
@jamesscottbell
The grand unveiling: The Smashwords Writer's Digest ad, written by your tweets (and yes, winners inside the ad)
@markcoker
Online & Offline Resources/ToolsFive sites to get free books
@BubbleCow
The 50 Best Books on Writing Fiction
@BubbleCow
Sunday writers links (Thx @le_shack !)
@thecreativepenn
Detect Plagiarism on the Web by @CathyStucker
@BookMarketer
The Writing Life / PhilosophicalWriters: Are you indispensable?
@milehighfool
How to be a more successful writer - by thinking like an entrepreneur.
@barryeisler
Just blogged about 3 things John Cleese taught me on unleashing creativity at will
@sanderssays
"Listen Up, Old School Journalists" (via RecessionWire)
@mariaschneider
FunActual student comments in writing workshop from McSweeney's -hilarious!
@WritersGroup
NY Times map of publishing industry natural selection of logos
@ficwriter
The Top 15 Bad Romance Novel Opening Lines (giggle!)
@thecreativepenn
Looking for more social networking and updates from Writer's Digest?
Best of Twitter
Saturday, June 13, 2009 3:43:36 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Friday, June 12, 2009
Stay on Premise, PLEASE!
Posted by Jane
Today's guest post features once again the delightful Darrelyn Saloom. (You can read her first guest post here, "The Song of Writing.")
I'm sure you've all experienced some variation of the story below,
which illustrates a huge lesson that some writers never learn—how to
leave out all the unnecessary details! (Below: a picture of Darrelyn
and her husband.)
 
My first stay-on-premise lesson was in a freshman creative writing class, Wendall Mayo handed back my long short story and told me he liked it—all five of them!
Hmmm? I expected a Pulitzer Prize, not this. Okay, so maybe I wandered a bit here—oh, yes—and there. But I thought it would explain this, prepare the reader for that. So, maybe he had a point. But it’s a great story! I thought. But no epiphany.
Until Mardi Gras. My husband, Danny, and I stood in a noisy, inebriated crowd to watch the parade. A tacky float towered above us as we jumped and bumped and fought for beads. We were waiting for the next float when a woman (we barely knew) huddled next to us and started talking. She told us she almost missed her flight to get here. And even with all the noise, we grinned and bent towards her to listen to her story.
On the way to the airport she had stopped for coffee. She ran into an old friend, who was married to her ex-husband’s cousin. Oh, oh, oh, she almost forgot that the cousin had been taking a break from posting pictures of her lost dog, Muffin, that often ran away, but never for three days! … I mean, she had a dog once that …
Here came the next float, but the woman kept talking. She was not even to the airport yet. She had segued from Muffin the dog to her own dog to her ex-husband’s cousin’s marital history! Danny and I stuck up our arms to show her we wanted to scatter like children to catch beads. But she kept talking. I could hear a band in the distance—The Northside High School Band—my favorite! But she kept talking and talking and talking.
My husband’s grin slipped away. And then his eyes began to glaze. By the time his chin pointed skyward, I knew she had lost him. But now a relative had died! Tears pooled in her eyes! So I made Ooh sounds to confirm the relative’s sudden death was terrible. A tragedy! But what happened to the almost-missed-my-flight story?
The Northside High School Band marched closer. I started to dance a little, not knowing if this was appropriate (but not really caring at that point.) The band stopped about a block away to twirl batons, gyrate, and shake. These kids could really dance, and I longed to spin around to watch them. But the woman’s swollen tears had spilled to her cheeks!
Which Danny never saw because he continued to stare skyward. And then he began to roll his head. He rolled and rolled until he (brilliantly) swung his body on the last roll, broke the huddle, and slinked away. And left me with the talking (now crying) woman.
When the marching band finally parked in front of us, I threw my hands to my ears, mouthed that I could no longer hear her, and whirled and wiggled and bopped away. The whole time thinking of Wendall Mayo’s lesson on premise, a lesson now pounded into me with every glorious bass drum beat.
Never heard how the woman raced across the airport in the nick of time to catch her flight. And, by the time I abandoned her on the crowded street, I really didn’t care. Her storytelling bored and confused me. All I wanted to do was to flee.
So if you ever find yourself telling a story. And the listeners’ eyes start to glaze, or their heads start to roll, or (heaven forbid) they flee. Chances are pretty good you’ve gone off your premise. So next time—for story’s sake—stay on premise, PLEASE!
Craft & Technique | General | Guest Post
Friday, June 12, 2009 11:10:40 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Center for Fiction Writers Conference: June 27
Posted by Jane
Ron Hogan of Galleycat has been working to put together a new writers conference with the Center for Fiction in New York—a conference that deals specifically with the issues that writers face AFTER they've created a great story and found an agent and publisher.
As you've often heard me say, it's as important for authors to know about the business side of publishing as the artistic side. It's nice to see a conference finally taking up this side of the writer's life in a serious and focused way.
The Center for Fiction Writers Conference is one-day only (Saturday, June 27) at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, with panels populated by heavy hitters from mainstream publishers and literary agencies (e.g., Dan Menaker, Jon Karp, Kate Lee, Larry Kirshbaum). The complete lineup of two dozen speakers is available online.
In addition to all that, the Center for Fiction is giving attendees a free month of access to its writers' studio in midtown Manhattan, plus a discount on future membership. The total cost is $200 for the day.
Here's some more information about the conference and why Ron Hogan wanted to produce it.
And more here.
This looks like a fabulous, top-notch event for someone with a publishing deal, especially for those in the NYC area.
For those who may or may NOT have a publishing deal, and are looking for a longer program that would help justify traveling a long distance to NYC, I encourage you to check out WD's new event this September that focuses on the business side of publishing, whether you're going the traditional route, DIY route, or still need to make up your mind.
Conferences/Events
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 6:30:20 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Monday, June 08, 2009
Does Talent Eventually Get Discovered?
Posted by Jane
Many writers attend conferences to pitch their work to industry professionals, and nowhere is that more true than at our BEA event that we held on May 27, where more than 400 writers showed up to participate in our Pitch Slam with 70+ agents/editors.
One of the writers in attendance, Lystra Pitts (also an Editors' Intensive graduate), wrote up a reflection on this event that illustrates what I've seen happen to many thoughtful and sensitive writers:
There is nothing like a convention room filled to the brim with writers to illustrate how desperate my situation is. These writers, who I am sure believe in their work as much as I believe in mine, all paid their hard earned money, money they didn’t earn writing, to be there. THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF US IN THAT ROOM. Hundreds, who like me crossed great distances and spent extravagant amounts of money to get a few precious moments with an agent. Writers are not in short supply.
I wondered what would happen if every person in that room had a brilliant masterpiece, a novel of unequaled quality, the magnum opus of their genre in our time—would the agents be able to take them all? Would they all get published?
I believe that the sad answer to that question is no. There are too many of us for all our talent to be recognized. The system cannot take everything it is offered, no matter how good it is.
Luckily, I am sure that only a handful of the people in that room had good stories. Right? That is what they would have you believe, that is how the system is set up. But I don’t know. I heard a lot of pitches, both practicing with strangers and overhearing the guys and gals in front of me and I liked most of the story ideas I heard. I am sure that a lot of people in that crowd had mediocre stories or mediocre writing skills and they will be rightfully culled from the herd. Won’t they? Again I am not sure. I have read a lot of really bad books, and I know you have too.
The system cannot guarantee that it will discover all the talented writers nor can it weed out the untalented. So I have to wonder how does one succeed in such a fundamentally flawed establishment? The only answer I have is luck. You have to get lucky, bottom line. It sounds bad right? But it isn’t as bad as all that. You can work with luck.
[Read the full post from Lystra here.]
I've debated this question for years:
Does talented work eventually get discovered? Does it bubble to the top?
Or do many talented writers go undiscovered?
For many years, I've thought that eventually talent gets its due. It gets discovered. (Yes, I've been called naive.)
Now, I think differently. But not because I've become cynical.
Talent isn't enough.
Frankly, luck plus talent isn't enough either.
Of course there's persistence, that's key. Because lots of people give up when success is around the corner. (I blogged about that here.)
Then there are those who are persistent but stubborn in their ways. It's those writers who can't seem to change direction or vision when they've received the kind of consistent or expert feedback that calls for a course correction.
Some people are stubborn and refuse to change. And sometimes bitterness follows. These are often the talented people I see who won't get discovered.
If you feel like a stranger or outsider to this whole publishing business, if you get downtrodden and bitter and start to beat yourself and others up about it, and try to make the publishing world submit to your will, it's a big problem.
Which side of the question do you fall on? Does talent eventually get discovered?
Photo credit: wstryder
General | Getting Published
Monday, June 08, 2009 5:55:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Saturday, June 06, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 6/5/09)
Posted by Jane
Best of Twitter
Saturday, June 06, 2009 5:24:41 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Friday, June 05, 2009
WORKING and NOT WORKING with regard to the WRITING of REAL-WRITING
Posted by Jane
 Today's guest post is from writer Nath Jones. I've known Nath since 1992, when we both started attending a quirky high school on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. She now lives in Chicago and has been attending Northwestern for a graduate degree in creative writing. You can find out more about her work here.
If I am sitting in my apartment on the couch, if I then tip over after a while and grab “The Journals of Lewis and Clark” up off the floor, if I pull the sea-foam blue, down-blanket over my shoulders, drop the book, and fall almost all the way asleep while listening to the cars go by outside on criss-crossing streets, it could be argued that I am not working.
But I’m a writer. A person devoted to her craft, sacrificing every other aspect of life to the fulfillment of this one dream. There is so much that goes in to becoming a “real writer.” Yet, most of the time, it’s still hard to take the whole thing seriously. Before getting very far in a writing life, one must find some professional bearings. One of the hardest things to figure out is deciding for oneself what constitutes “real writing” and “really working.”
Writing is a sort of exercise in futility. So writing, when one does not believe fully in oneself, has about it, an element of the absurd. It seems that one would have an easier time spinning straw into gold. And it is exceedingly difficult to believe oneself capable of spinning straw into gold—though it is much easier than believing oneself a “real writer.”
Where might one go to figure out how to spin straw into gold? There is only one place, into the mind. But what a journey! Is there any more daunting? No. But becoming a writer does not have to be a lonely and exhaustive survey of the psyche’s wild back country. Many writers have made this exact same foray into a world of what amounts to nonsense.
Nonsense? Sure, nonsense. The whole point of writing is to make sense, creating meaning. But the process of writing—the place where writing occurs if you will—is nebulous. Existence in such a place is disorienting, because it is riddled with ideas that do not yet adhere in ways that make sense.
Still, one does not need to reinvent every wheel and insist upon flailing around in the bush with a machete. (Yet I have had quite a bit of fun blazing my own trails my own way, and do, in fact, recommend it.)
But the question remains, am I working at all if I’m just bush-whacking my brain on the couch and not writing “real writing?” If I’m overcoming fears related to self-doubt, is that productive? Is it enough to practice, to go through the motions, to submit to the indulgence and pathology of a constant clattering at the keyboard, to inundate every single person I know with communiqué?
There is such a lack of tangibility in “really working”. It is so confusing. There are plenty of days when I am doing things that are absolutely necessary to becoming a “real writer” but don’t translate into pages of novels, short stories, or essays. This makes it very difficult to feel that one is “becoming a real writer.” When you are thinking, developing ideas to points of saturation, researching, reading, emailing, reading literary websites, it’s hard not to answer the phone when family members call. It’s hard not to drop everything if someone has free tickets to an afternoon ballgame. And it’s hard to take yourself seriously as a professional when even the “real work” you’re doing involves quite a bit of dithering, fiddling, and outright “dicking around online.”
It would seem that maybe—if I had a support system of individuals worth listening to—that I should be out finding respectable clothes, shopping for groceries, and toning my abs instead of allowing endless hours to disappear into the maw of self-doubt. But no. The writing is more important.
So. Couch. Book. Blanket. Dreams. And one is likely to confront various personal inadequacies in the discovery of this sense of professionalism. So a real writer will commit much of ones time to negotiating the strictures of paralysis and suffocation. Disbelief is daunting and constantly overcoming it takes a huge amount of time in a writing life. Of all the hours I devote to the productive development of my craft, I still must spend many more confronting inability. Yet, if you log those hours, and wait out the doubt, it almost always pays off.
Somehow, it always seems to happen, that suddenly I’m spinning straw into gold. Sometimes I still find myself stopping short, thinking. “What is straw?” “What is spinning?” “What is gold?” In context, they’re all abstractions. The meaning assigned to abstraction flexes, changes with the light. I’m constantly assigning meaning to these concepts. At any given moment “straw” can mean “life,” or “childhood,” or “grief.” Gold may mean, “a finely crafted piece of work,” or “income,” or “acceptance by a broad readership.”
Well, if that’s not confusing, I don’t know what is. It’s easy to see how a person can end up right back on the couch. Unless one has a very clear vision, writing can quickly become a mixed up jumble of cross-purposes. It’s like a cook trying to make soft caramels and chicken pot pie in the same bowl at the same time. It can’t happen. It won’t work. A writer simply cannot be trying to turn grief into income, while at the same time trying to turn childhood into a finely crafted piece of work.
Published or not, I’m a real writer, even on the couch under the blanket exercising avoidance on hundreds of fronts. And even on the couch, I’m really working. Benign catatonia is a significant percentage of what it means for me to exist as a writer. Why? Because nine times out of ten, I wake abruptly from somnolence and am compelled to record some newly discovered idea right then and there. For the next twenty minutes, or several hours on the really good days, no one could convince me that I am not working. I’m definitely working. It is undeniable. I’m busy. I’m writing. Don’t even think about interrupting me.
General | Guest Post
Friday, June 05, 2009 10:25:16 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Thursday, June 04, 2009
What Does It Take for a Blog to Become a Book?
Posted by Jane
I find myself advising writers more and more frequently to develop an
online presence first—sometimes by blogging—before attempting to get a
book published. Some types of content simply work better online,
or when you're engaging in real time with a community.
Online
platforms allow you to test ideas, develop your readership, and craft a
stronger premise for a print product. Plus, if you really catch on fire
with a particular readership, you can start attracting editors and
agents to YOU, rather than you chasing them. Doesn't it sound better to
be fielding offers rather than begging for them?
Of course, this
process takes patience. You can't launch your online efforts today and
expect interest overnight (or even in a year). You have to be invested
and dedicated to what you're doing, and involved in an authentic way,
for you to produce something of value.
And you also have to let
go of this idea of being online only to reach the holy grail of a print
book. You need to NOT want it in order to get it. That is, you have to
be Zen about it. Have goals, but no expectations. Know that your
project will likely change, or your goals will change, as you put
yourself out there more and more.
Key to remember:
Even the most popular blogs don't necessarily translate into great (profitable) books or a book deal
No
matter how much positive feedback you get on your blog, that doesn't
mean it's going to interest a publisher. It's the same thing as telling
an agent, "My mother loved it." You always need to back up "positive feedback" with hard-core numbers about subscribers, unique pageviews, newsletter subscribers.
So, what does it take for a blog
to become a book? It often takes someone in the mainstream media (or a trusted
voice or opinion maker) to scream to the world, "Have you seen this person's
blog? It's a must-read!"
When notable people talk you up to agents/editors,
and/or when you are featured by the so-called mainstream figures of online/offline media, then you can bet that agents/editors will start to
take notice and ask if you've thought of doing a book.
Now, keep
in mind that most blog material is not suitable for straight-to-book
publication. Bloggers turned authors usually have to start book
manuscripts entirely or partially from scratch, or undergo a very
thorough revision process. But if industry professionals see that you
have a strong voice, a strong message, and a strong following, they'll
work with you to figure out what your best book is, and help you adapt
your ideas for the best book product.
Here are a few extremely successful and visible examples of bloggers turned book authors.
If
you want to transition from blogger to book author, consider how a book will offer an experience or a benefit that is
unique or distinctive apart from the blog. Why would people want the
book in addition to or instead of reading the blog? Is it simply
because you think you can reach a broader audience? Sometimes that's
not reason enough. Consider why and how the book can be a vehicle for what's not easily or feasibly accomplished online, and how
readers would benefit from the book format.
Photo credit: Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion
Thursday, June 04, 2009 7:01:19 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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