writing process Archives

Are writers happy?

Alexandra Sokoloff, Are writers happy?, dream job, living the dream, mastery, teaching writing, writing process Comments Off

Feb 152013

by Alexandra Sokoloff

There’s a discussion going on right now on the mystery listserv Dorothy L, on the topic: “Are writers happy?”

Notice that the very asking of the question implies the opposite, doesn’t it?

I thought it was a question worth blogging about; it gives me the chance to expound on something that I’ve been mulling over this week.

You see, I’ve been car shopping, an activity that puts you into falsely intimate circumstances with strangers, and somewhat forces you to talk about what you do for a living. I always have the impulse to lie, because after all, why should I be the only one in the car telling the truth? But car shopping is stressful enough without having to remember what story you told which salesman, so I generally end up confessing. And it’s amazing how many of these guys (they’re all guys) said the exact same thing to me when I told them I was a writer.

“Living the dream...”

Now, either a staggering percentage of car salesmen secretly want to be writers, or this is a fairly common feeling that non-writers have about writers and writing. Or maybe both.

It’s good for me to be reminded that I have the dream job, because I’ve been doing it so long that I tend to think of my writing career as a morbidly obsessive, slimy, desperate slog through the mountains of Moria with no torch, pursued by the Orcs of my imagination and/or the business. (Insert your own metaphor, that just happened to be the first one that came to me. I can think of worse.).

On the other hand, maybe I’ve been able to make the writing life work for me for so long because I DON’T glamorize it. I don’t sit down at my desk (or in my bed) every morning thinking that what I’m about to do for the next seven hours is going to make me happy. I think – well, I KNOW - that if I’m lucky I will lose myself in the process enough that at the end of it I will feel sluggish and stupid and barely remember what I did that day, but if I do it and two or three hundred more days like that in a row there will be a book at the end of it.

And that – is a kind of satisfaction that makes all the tedium and terror of the process worthwhile.

Why that is I’m not even entirely sure. Because at the heart of it I’m a materialistic person and I need this stuff in my imagination to take solid form? Because it DOES make me happy that other people read and enjoy my books?

(And when I say MY books, I don’t really mean that. Because once the process is done, and I look at the book, it doesn’t really feel like I wrote it. It feels a lot more like I just brought this thing called a book back from some distant place, and when people praise me for it it’s really more like complimenting me on my mountain climbing or spelunking skills.)

Or is it just that old adage that if you’re a writer, you can’t do anything else?

Most of my happiness around writing has to do with (as Dorothy Parker said), “having written.” Because once you do that, you get to talk about the book with readers, the greatest pleasure of all, and go to writing conventions, which DOES make me happy because I get to be around people just like me, whom I don’t have to explain myself to and who maybe live life a little more fully in those moments because we’ve all just been momentarily let out of the cage we live in called writing.

But in terms of fun, teaching writing is a lot more fun than writing. I get to be with people who are still in love with the wonder of the process and who laugh at my jokes and when a workshop is over I am not still obsessively thinking about it for the rest of the day. Plus I feel like I've at least gotten some exercise, what with all that pacing around and wild gesticulation. Much more fun than sitting in a chair.

But I know that just teaching wouldn’t satisfy me the way writing books satisfies me. I think it has partly to do with mastery. When I was a kid and went to my first musical, I looked up at the dancers on the stage and thought (just like in that song from A CHORUS LINE) – “I can do that.” Of course, I couldn’t, not then, and it was a long, long, long time and several million dance classes before I could do my own triple pirouette, but when I finally DID? That click of – mastery – was the greatest feeling, a sense of accomplishment that never goes away, because it is in my body, now. I’d gone from dancing to being a dancer.

The feeling of satisfaction I get from finishing a book doesn’t last that long, honestly. I need to write book after book to get that feeling. But long ago I went from writing to being a writer. Just like with dancing, there is something in me that wanted the completion that only writing a book, and another book, and another, can give me. I’ve made that journey more times than I can count, and every single time I think I’m going to fail, but more times than not, I brought back a book.

Well, maybe that IS living the dream.

So I have to get back to the mountains of Moria. But for today, what do you think? Are writers happy?

- Alex

Research tripping

acting, Alexandra Sokoloff, research, writing process, writing technique Comments Off

Nov 092012

by Alexandra Sokoloff

As anyone who interacts with me on Facebook knows, I got a little tense this election week. Not that that's unusual. And I doubt I was the only one here who wasn't getting much work done in the last few days. At the same time, I can't really afford to take time off, given the deadlines I've got going on, even if most of them are self-imposed.

But the Universe lined itself up for me,as it so often does. Actually, some people would say it ALWAYS does, even if that's not the way it looks on the surface. But that's another blog!

I just finished a second draft of my new book, BLOOD MOON, and I don’t know about you all, but I find it REALLY REALLY hard to take the advice I am always giving other writers: to take time off in between drafts of a manuscript. Even when I know it’s the best possible thing I can do for the next draft. But the next logical step in my process required research, in fact, a research trip to San Francisco. I know, I know, rough life. So on Tuesday I just got in the car and drove up, meaning I got to watch election returns in downtown Oakland (massively fun and obviously a huge party…)

And now I’m running around the city to locations I’m using in the book.

Now, I lived in the Bay Area for years, it’s not lke I don’t know what I’m writing about. But there is nothing like revisiting a city, neighborhood, park, street, whatever, while you are in the headspace of your characters, looking specifically for those details that will color in your book. And that’s really how I think of it – coloring in. I have the outlines of the story, but now I have to add those layers of light and shadow, color and sound and smell. And the feeling of being in a place.

I did a great panel at Bouchercon this year and the fabulous moderator, Daniel Palmer, who knows my acting background, asked if I used acting techniques to develop character. And of course I do. I don’t think about doing it, its just something I’ve done for so long that I couldn’t imagine not doing it. A lot of conveying emotion on stage is about creating that emotion inside of you, first, and then layering on the physical manifestations of that emotion so that the audience feels it, too.

So all this walking around in the actual physical world of my story is what really helps me to get the sensual reality of that world and whatever the characters are experiencing onto the page. I need to FEEL it. I can do research online and read books, and craft an approximation of an experience from that research and my own memoreies of experience, but it’s a lot harder for me than being there in person. In fact I have been doing so much walking that I can barely move at night, but it's the only way I really know how to do this. Driving it won't cut it.

But I’m a really physical person. Kinetic learner, psychologists call it. And the kind of writing I like to do and read is a lot about creating a sensory experience. I realize that not everyone is like this, because there are books out there that do very little to create a sensory experience., and people buy them anyway, so someone must be getting something out of them. But that kind of book rarely does anything for me. I want all six senses n ny books - especially that sixth sense of SENSING - the unseen stuff, the things that make your skin tingle. Synchronicities. A smell that takes you back to your childhood. Walking into the exact scene that you have been thinking about, and realizing the epiphany that your character will have there.

So for today I’m wondering – are you guys aware of what experiences you most want to read or create in a book, the way I find sensory experience (including the visual) my prime pleasure in reading? What is that draw for you, and what do you do in terms of reearch and craft to create that? Does acting technique play a part?

Or in reading, which authors/books are great examples of the experience you most want in a book?

(Sorry for the typos and short post today - I'm working on my iPad, which is not an optimum blogging experience!)

- Alex

How do you write?

Pari Noskin Taichert, writing process Comments Off

Aug 202012

by Pari

In addition to having wonderful writers at Murderati, we also have several who are superb writing teachers.

I am not one of them.
This isn’t false humility; it’s a simple fact. I have never spent much time analyzing my writing process. As a matter of fact, I have a really difficult time even trying to. I read our Murderati members’ -- and others’ -- fabulous posts on building climaxes, structures, big concepts and, each time, I think I’m finally ready to jump in and learn how to write! Over the years, I’ve enthusiastically signed up for several classes and . . . after about the second or third one, I’m back where I started: utterly befuddled.

I just don’t approach my writing in an analytical way though I admire the hell out of people who do.

But last week one of the psychiatrists at work approached me about collaborating on an article about creativity and storytelling from the therapist’s and the writer’s perspective. And for some reason, I actually liked the possibility of looking at my own process.

Right now, I don’t have much of a framework upon which to hang any concepts. However, I do know:

I start most of my stories with a broad theme (or a name) that intrigues me:

· The chile pepper industry in NM and the conflicts between big ag and small farmers
· A first-hand experience of divorce based on a book I read about “Rebuilding”
· An overweight Midwestern farmer’s wife who uses small magic without realizing it
· A woman named Guadalupe Nakamura

No questions. No conflicts to drive the story forward or give it much shape. Just interesting ideas to explore.

Voice is the most important thing to me. So I spend a lot of time getting to know my character(s). I go in as deeply as I can and write. I often talk aloud to hear the character’s cadence and close my eyes to see that person’s world, to smell it and taste it and hear it. I sit at the computer and feel the emotions that tighten my character’s stomach, the ones that make her heart beat faster or her skin tingle. I let myself experience that full reality as much as possible.

If I’m true to this second step, the authenticity of the character shines through in my writing. However, if I think about audience at this point or whether my new creation will “sell,” both the character and I are in big trouble.

So those are the first two steps in my process . . . I think.

How about you?
Do you know how you write? Have you thought about it?

Back on the rollercoaster

P.D. Martin, PD Martin, writing process Comments Off

Jul 052012

And so, the rollercoaster begins…again. This week I finally finished my mainstream drama/fiction project. Hooray! It’s been a long time in the making, mostly because I had to come off it several times last year to take paid freelance jobs (ghost writing, corporate stuff, etc.) and this year I’ve been focusing on my ebook strategy. However, I launched myself into the re-write in mid-May and now it’s done. It’s a wonderful feeling to be finished the novel and to be happy with it (for the most part).

The bad news is, I’m on the rollercoaster again. Sigh. I really don’t know if I’m mentally prepared for the lows as well as the highs. Sigh. You see, while I’m committed to the ebook path for some of my books (some genres), I feel that I’d like to give traditional publishing a go with my mainstream drama. Which means finding an agent. <Insert a million sighs>

Yup, THAT rollercoaster. Picking a shortlist of agents based on their recent sales and the authors they represent, then querying one to three at a time. And that’s a whole other thing—so many agents don’t like or insist on not being part of multiple submissions. But if you do one agent at a time, it could take you a year or more to get through your top 10! Of course, any author hopes that their first or maybe second pick will leap at the opportunity to represent them. But it’s getting harder and harder, even for authors with a publishing record (like me) to get an agent to take the plunge. I’m in a time warp, back in 1998-2004, when I was an aspiring author, looking for an agent or publisher. Looking for my first break. And in some ways, it feels like I’m back at square one. Sigh.

This week I start querying, and I’m both excited and petrified. I know I need to tighten the query letter and synopsis, so that’s my next focus. Although the timing truly sucks. This week and next week is school holidays in Victoria, Australia so I’m a full-time mum for the next two weeks. Not that I can complain—I’m also going skiing. In fact, when this post goes live I’ll be at Mt Buller, skiing for the first time in 10 years. And it will be my daughter’s first time ever. Exciting!!! Can’t wait. Although it does also mean I might not be able to respond to comments until the weekend (or perhaps I’ll be very brief from my Smartphone). Anyway…

Being an author truly is a rollercoaster—or more accurately several rollercoasters, sometimes happening simultaneously.

First, there’s the creative process itself, the creative rollercoaster. One minute you think that sentence, paragraph, chapter or book is brilliant; the next, you think it’s crap. And those highs and lows just seem to be part of the creative process. I’m still really on this rollercoaster for Cross Roads and Dead Ends (working title). I said above that I’m happy with it (for the most part), but like many authors I question whether you can ever be truly 100% happy with a book. I could edit and tweak for eternity, I think.

Then there’s the agent rollercoaster. The rollercoaster I’m currently on. Once you get an agent, there’s the publisher rollercoaster. Will your agent’s first round of publishers be interested? Will they all be so interested that it goes to auction (best-case scenario) or will they all pass (obviously worst-case scenario)?

Then there’s the rollercoaster once your book is published, the marketplace rollercoaster. Will the reviewers like it? Will the readers like it? And even if both reviewers and readers rave about it, will it actually make a dent in terms of sales? The making-a-living-as-an-author rollercoaster. See? Lots of rollercoasters!

Ultimately, my aim as an author is to take my readers on a rollercoaster, but with very different highs and lows. In the case of Cross Roads and Dead Ends, I want my readers to experience the characters’ pain, their loss, and feel that sense of resonance. I want to take my readers to soaring heights, but also sometimes the depth of despair. But that means I have to go on all the other rollercoasters first. So here I go. Ready for the adrenaline high and the possible motion sickness.

So, authors, which rollercoaster are you on at the moment? Readers, how do you feel about the author rollercoaster?

Dr. Bob’s Test #6: Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Paid Writer?

Robert W. Fisher, Writing, writing process No Responses »

Jul 032012

Some folks pay a lot of money to find out this stuff. The following is pretty accurate and it only takes 2 minutes. Take this test for yourself and send it to any of your friends who want to write for a living.

Answers are for who you are now… not for who you were in the past. For you, there is no past.

This is (at least, it was) a real test, altered to measure writing potential. It is normally given by the Human Resources Departments at many zoos today to provide better insight into a prospective employee’s ‘unnatural interest’ in the animals. Oddly, that’s a real problem.

It’s only 10 simple questions, so keep track of your letter answers to each question, but don’t bother writing down anything. A real writer should be able to memorize the entire test. There will be a quiz…

Begin:

1. When do you feel your best?
a) late at night, after the heebie jeebies pass.
b) during marathon bouts of illegal sex with the Grendal twins next door.
c) after the first 3 shots of Old Bushmiller in the morning.
d) never.
e) after you’ve killed again.

2. You usually walk…
a) with a fake limp, to get sympathy.
b) whenever you miss the bus.
c) in a serpentine manner to avoid them.
d) backwards, when peeing outside.
e) casually, away from the crime scene.

3. When talking to people, you…
a) sometimes touch yourself inappropriately.
b) spit on them unintentionally.
c) spit on them intentionally.
d) try to see up their nostrils.
e) sometimes kill them.

4. When relaxing, you sit with…
a) your knees bent, head back, mouth open, just in case.
b) your legs wide apart, in very revealing shorts.
c) your legs stretched out, with an obvious tent in your pants.
d) one leg curled under you, like a big girl.
e) the corpse of your latest victim.

5. When something amuses you, you react with…
a) an unexpected release of urine.
b) a laugh, but not so loud that they notice.
c) an uncontrollable urge to hurl your own feces.
d) a controllable urge to hurl your own feces (but you do it anyway).
e) a hunger for human flesh.

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you…
a) make a loud entrance by screaming hysterically and taking off your pants.
b) make a quiet entrance, but still take off your pants.
c) make the quietest entrance, since you weren’t invited.
d) hurl your own feces.
e) always fixate on the host/hostess, until asked to leave.

7. You’re working hard, concentrating hard, and you’re interrupted. You…
a) immediately protect your privates.
b) stab the interrupter.
c) hurl your own feces.
d) kill and eat the interrupter.
e) vary between these four extremes.

8. Which of the following colors do you like most?
a) all colors are against you – you hate them.

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going
to sleep, you are….
a) stretched out on your back, both hands protecting your privates.
b) face-down on your stomach, pretending to be a woman (or a man).
c) on your side, slightly curled, pretending to be a fetus.
d) with your head under the covers, looking at your privates with a flashlight.
e) with your ankle hooked behind your neck, trying to reach yourself.

10. You often dream you are…
a) falling into a giant toilet.
b) fighting or struggling to get out of a giant toilet.
c) searching for something or somebody in a giant toilet.
d) flying or floating in a giant toilet.
e) hurling your own feces.

POINTS:

1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6 (d) 8 (e) 60
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 32
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 60
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1 (e) 60
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 0 (e) 60
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2 (d) 1 (e) 60
7. (a) 6 (b) 45 (c) 4 (d) 60 (e) 27
8. (a) 45
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 60
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6

OVER 60 POINTS:
Others see you as someone they should handle with care. You’re a potential serial killer with delusions of grandeur, yet you show definite writing potential, especially in the greeting card market. You will also probably spend a lot of time incarcerated with others who fear you, but who want you sexually.

51 TO 60 POINTS:
Others see you as exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive; you’re a natural leader, who’s quick to expose himself to others. They see you as bold and adventurous, someone who will try anything once, especially if it involves small farm animals or a discreet troop of curious Girl Scouts. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate. Spending time with you often involves a lot of running. Sensitive poetry should be your milieu.

41 TO 50 POINTS:
Others see you as fresh, lively, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who’s willing to get naked to be the center of attention. They also see you as exceptionally kind and considerate; someone who will help them get naked, too. Soft-core pornography is where you’ll undoubtedly shine.

31 TO 40 POINTS:
Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical, although you have an unwholesome preoccupation with the elimination of bodily fluids. They also see you as clever, gifted or talented, but modest. You’re not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who will provide a friend a comfortable pair of stolen sneakers and a clean handkerchief for those late-night peeping sessions. You’d make an excellent screenwriter, especially in the teen romance world. That’s a hot market today.

21 TO 30 POINTS:
Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy, very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them to learn about your scientific interest in rare animal semen or those secret and expensive trips to Jamison’s Funeral Parlor after hours. A career as a celebrity interviewer is a natural for you.

UNDER 21 POINTS:
People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, a momma’s boy who could use a hard paddling and a slow maple syrup enema from a hairy man named Grandma. Some people think you’re boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren’t. You’re actually very scary. Television comedy writing should suit you nicely.

Now add up the total number of points. Then send the entire test to Dr. Phil on Channel 5 (CBS) to grade since Dr. Bob did not finish medical school, or even start, and is not even remotely a real doctor (but, then, neither is Dr. Phil) or in any way a real writer.

Sincerely,
Jimmy Crackcorn (and I don’t care)

Tricks to Creating a Page-Turner

Joe Moore, Writing, writing advice, writing books, writing craft, writing exercise, writing process, writing suspense, writing techniques, writing the thriller, writing tips Comments Off

Apr 042012

By Joe Moore

If you write mysteries or thrillers (or any genre, for that matter), there’s nothing more rewarding than to have someone say your book is a real “page-turner”—that they couldn’t put it down. And there’s nothing more fulfilling for a reader than to find a book so captivating that they can’t stop reading. Naturally, the writer has to develop a compelling story populated with three-dimensional characters and enough conflict and tension to keep a reader’s interest. Those things are givens, and it’s the writer’s job to craft those elements into the manuscript.

But did you know that there are some simple formatting tricks that anyone can do to improve the readability of a manuscript and keep the reader turning pages. And what’s really cool is that you don’t have to change your story at all to benefit from them. Not a word.

Trick #1. Write short chapters.

Whenever a reader gets to the end of a chapter, they must make a decision to read the next chapter or put the book down and go do something else. It’s a natural stopping point or a launching point to the next part of the story. If it’s late in the evening, many times that decision involves continuing to read or going to bed. What you don’t want them to do is put down the book. When a reader finishes a chapter and comes to that late night decision to stop or read on, they usually check to see if the next chapter is short or long. If it’s only a few pages, there’s a really good chance they will read one more chapter. If they get to the end of that next short chapter and repeat the checking process again, they won’t go to bed. They’ll keep reading. And you will have setup a format that they’ll come to expect and rely on.

This tip does not mean that every chapter must be short. What I’m suggesting is to examine each chapter and see if you can split it into two. Or even three. After all, the same information is going to be imparted. It’s just going to happen in multiple segments.

There’s always going to be a need for longer chapters. Just ask yourself if that 6k-word chapter you just finished writing could be broken into multiple chunks. Remember that you want to entice the reader to keep reading.

Now I know that some writers will react by saying, “Well, my chapters end when they end. Short, long or in between, I write until the chapter naturally ends itself.” Fine. Do whatever you’ve got to do to write a great story. This trick may not be something that fits your writing style. But from a physical standpoint, readers tend to keep reading if they feel the next chapter will take just a few minutes to finish.

From a personal perspective, my co-writer and I try to bring our chapters in at around 1000 words. I know, some of you will think that’s way too short. But one of the most frequent comments we get from our fans is that in addition to enjoying the story, the short chapters kept them up late. We’ve had more than a few readers blame us for them not getting enough sleep because they decided to read “just one more chapter”.

Trick #2. Write (or format) short paragraphs and sentences.

This trick is closely related to trick #1, but it involves the visual experience of your book for the reader. It also involves setting up a distinctive and comfortable rhythm and tempo to your writing.

As you read, your eyes not only move along the sentence but your peripheral vision picks up the “weight” of the next sentence and paragraph. You’re reading a single sentence, but you visually take in the whole page. As your mind plays out the story from one word to the next, it also calculates what is coming up next, and causes you to be subtly energized or marginally fatigued. It’s like driving across the desert—if the road stretches in an endless ribbon to the horizon, you become tired just knowing you have a long way to go to get to the next break, or in the case of the book, the end of the sentence or paragraph. But if the road is only a city block or two long before you start down the next stretch of highway, you feel less overwhelmed by its mass (paragraph) or length (sentence). Shorter paragraphs and sentences keep the eye from getting fatigued. They allow the reader take a mental “breather” more frequently thus keeping their attention longer. And it’s also a tool for controlling reading speed.

Shorter sentences move the story along at a faster rhythm and tempo because the eyes moves quicker and your peripheral vision sees less bulk and weight on the printed page ahead.

Trick #3. Eliminate dialog tags whenever possible.

If there are only two characters in a scene, eliminate as many dialog tags as you can without confusing the reader. The dialog itself should help to identify the character as should their actions. Even with more than two characters present, staging can help to reduce dialog tags. Staging and actions also help to build characters. Dialog tags don’t. If the reader knows who is speaking because of their actions, the number of tags can often be reduced or even eliminated.

Trick #4. Title your chapters.

Your book has a title for a reason. It sets the mood or intrigue of the whole story. Consider titling your chapters for the same reason. Like the book title, a chapter title is a teaser. When a reader ends a chapter and turns the page, nothing is more boring than to be greeted with the totally original title: Chapter 23. Or worse, just 23. Why not give the reader a hint of what’s to come with a short title. Don’t give anything away, just use the chapter title as an enticement—a promise of things to be delivered or revealed. Use it to set the stage or create a mood just like the book title. I believe that each chapter should be considered a mini book. Chapters should have beginnings, middles and endings. And one way to tempt the reader to keep reading is with a compelling title.

Tricks like these are never to be considered a substitute for solid, clean, professional writing. They are only tricks. But they work if used in the mix with all the other elements of a great story. And the only way for you to know for sure is to give them a try.

Beyond these formatting tricks, does anyone recommend others that can enhance the reader’s experience?

How I Created I Hunt Killers by Accident

brainstorming, Guest Posts, serial killers, thrillers, Writing, writing process, YA Comments Off

Apr 022012

Some history here…

Many years ago, back when I was a Wee Wannabe, I attended a writers conference in order to pitch The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. One of the first editors to show an interest in the book was Alvina Ling of Little, Brown.

Through a series of events no one involved can remember, Alvina somehow never got the chance to bid on the book when it went to auction. For some reason, the book just never went to Little, Brown. Oops.

Well, it worked out all right anyway ‘cause the book was published by the fine folks at Houghton Mifflin and people seemed to dig it, which is cool.

But Alvina and I had really connected, and as time went on we kept bumping into each other at various publishing functions, and I kept swearing to her, “I have a book I’m working on that you’ll want to see.” And she kept saying, “Great!”

And then I kept falling down on the job, deciding over and over that the cool thing I intended to show to her just wasn’t ready yet. (It still isn’t, Alvina. Someday…)

Cut to 2009. I moved to New York and Alvina, upon finding out, suggested we get together for drinks. As we chatted, I mentioned a couple of projects I had in the hopper that I thought might interest her ― one was a picture book and one was a YA superhero novel (no, not Archvillain ― something else entirely). She was polite, but I could tell neither one really intrigued her.

(BTW: No one else wanted the picture book, either. And I haven’t done anything with the YA superhero novel…yet.)

She asked what else I was working on. At the time, I was deep into a tough part of the first draft of a book so massive and complex that I had nicknamed it “The Book That Will Kill Me.” So I said something like, “Well, I’m working on this real killer―”

Mishearing, she immediately perked up. “Wait. You’re writing a book about a serial killer?”

“Um… No.”

“Oh,” she said, “that’s too bad. I really want to publish a YA novel about a serial killer.”

Maybe it was the alcohol clouding my brain, but the world suddenly no longer made any sense. “You want to publish a book about a kid who goes around killing people?” I asked her. “Are you kidding me?”

Alvina thought about it for a second. “Well, maybe the kid isn’t the killer. Maybe he just knows the killer.”

I shrugged. We finished our drinks. I went home.

In the morning, I called my agent and told her that if any of her clients had a YA serial killer novel that Alvina was the editor to call. My agent was aghast: “A YA serial killer novel? That’s disgusting!”

“I know!” I said. “I can’t believe it. Who the hell would write something like that?”

Of course, then I woke up in the middle of the night, suddenly and unaccountably obsessed. It’s not that the kid was the killer. It’s not that the kid knew the killer. It’s that the kid’s father was the killer! More than that, he was the world’s most notorious serial killer.

The title ― I HUNT KILLERS ― wouldn’t stop bouncing around in my brain.

So I got up and I pounded out a quick synopsis of the book and sent it off to my agent.

My agent read it and said, “A YA serial killer novel? That’s brilliant!”

Off it went to Alvina. Now, I can’t speak for her, but I’m pretty sure I HUNT KILLERS wasn’t exactly what she was looking for. And I imagine that it came as a hell of a surprise, too. But she dug it, and everyone else at Little, Brown dug it (or at least, that’s what they say to my face) and the next thing you know ― ta-da! ― I HUNT KILLERS was a reality…

Barry Lyga is the author of several acclaimed young adult novels, including his debut, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. He knows way too much about how to dispose of a human body. Barry lives and writes in New York City. His website is www.barrylyga.com.

Never look back?

drafts, editing, P.D. Martin, PD Martin, writing process Comments Off

Mar 292012

By PD Martin

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” Buddha

I love this notion of living in the present (well, in theory at least). And I even think the notion of looking forward is infinitely better than dwelling in the past. What ifs, questioning your decisions…it’s never a good idea. We all know the past can be a road to heartbreak. Right? But still, sometimes it’s hard not to wonder how things may have turned out with different options or different choices during key moments in our lives. How would the different trajectory look? I adore the movie Sliding Doors for its core concept of playing out two different paths. Although I can’t remember how it ended. Did the two paths converge?

And I guess when it comes to our personal lives, I’m also a believer of dealing with the past (and perhaps it can be a fine line between dwelling in the past and thinking about it enough to move forward).

As for living in the present…well, I can’t seem to get the balance right on that one either. I’m constantly looking forward — making plans, setting goals. It’s part of who I am. And while it’s easy to say that in an ideal world we’d all live in the present, that world would actually look pretty grim. No one thinking or worrying about consequences? No one planning forward at a personal, national or global level in terms of money, resources, environment, strategy? Scary, as hell if you ask me.

I guess the key at a personal level, is not to worry about the future so much that you miss out on the present.

Recently, I’ve been questioning whether it’s a good idea to apply the notion of “never look back” to our creative lives. Yes, I have a vested interest in this. As I mentioned in my last blog, part of my 2012 strategy (yes, looking forward) involves taking a trip down memory lane and pulling out some of those earlier manuscripts that never quite made it into print. Is there enough of a spark for resurrection? I mean, everything's a draft, right?

Like many authors, I also teach writing. And in the past I’ve always told my students that their first manuscript(s) — one, two, three, or maybe even more — are learning experiences. Ones for that top drawer that will most likely never see the light of day.

Still, I think back to my road to publication and there was at least one manuscript for which I found it hard to take no for an answer. In fact, many publishers also found it hard to say no. This particular young adult manuscript went through the very many levels of an unsolicited manuscript at the four top publishers here in Australia. This little book got through the readers, through the junior editors, right up to the acquisitions editors only to be booted out the door at an acquisition meeting. The dreaded vote. Of course, it’s all behind closed doors so I have no idea in each case who vetoed my book — marketing, sales, management? And I’ll never know.

But with the whole ebook thing (remember, I’ve been a bit of a dumb ass with this) it made me wonder whether this book could be resurrected. Since I last worked on my three YA novels (which I wrote between 1997-2002) I’ve learned a huge amount about the writing craft. And I’ve written another seven books. So what would that experience bring to my earlier novel(s)?

Well, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing the past three weeks. Digging out “the one that got away”. And with fresh eyes (it has been nearly ten years, after all) I could see the novel’s strengths and weaknesses, but more importantly I knew a few editorial passes would address the weaknesses.

Alexander Graham Bell said: “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."

But what if closed doors sometimes open for us, once more?

Is there anything from your life that you’ve decided to go back to, decided to “dwell” on, with positive results?

Not For Us!

Joe Moore, rejection, Writing, writing advice, writing exercise, writing groups, writing process, writing tips Comments Off

Feb 082012

By Joe Moore

We’ve all gotten them. Some are personalized and contain constructive criticism. Others are form letters addressed to “author”. Some have been photocopied so many times that the cryptologists at the NSA couldn’t even decipher their original message. Or they might arrive as a brief thanks-but-no-thanks email. They all say the same thing: your manuscript is not for us.

Rejected.

There are numerous ways to deal with literary rejection. We can all imagine the negative methods. But today, I want to discuss the positive ways to deal with the not-for-us letter.

After you’ve amassed an impressive stack of rejection letters, start by asking yourself if your query letter or synopsis might be the issue. You might have written the next Great American Novel, but if your sales pitch—your query letter—doesn’t do the job, the editor won’t want to move to the next step of requesting a sample. One method of improving your query and synopsis is to get help from an impartial third party such as a published author, writer’s forum or critique group. If you know someone who’s already published, ask if they can read your letter and give you advice on where you might be going wrong. Many online forums such as AbsoluteWrite, Writing Forums, and others have specific sections on query evaluation and feedback. Use them.

Next, you want to determine if you’re really targeting the appropriate publishers or agents. This is where you need to study the market. Go to the local bookstore and find novels that are similar to your manuscript. Make a note of the publishers. Many novelists include the name of their editor or agent on the acknowledgements page. Note those names. Then go online and visit the publisher’s websites. Read the descriptions of the plot on Amazon and B&N, and compare to yours. Google the agents names. Look at their list of clients. Are those writers some of your favorites? Do they write books similar to yours? Do your homework and focus on specific publishers and agents that deal with your kind of book.

Another question you need to ask yourself is if your book is as good as it can be. Of course, you’ll probably answer yes. Then take a moment to really consider the question. Are you being rejected repeatedly because the manuscript is just not ready for publication? Chances are, it probably isn’t.

So what should you do? Again, get outside help. One of the best ways to improve a manuscript is to join a local critique group. Most towns and communities have a library. Ask the local librarian if there are any groups that meet in the area. Check with the local bookstore. They usually know of critique groups or have bulletin boards that might list them. Critique groups that are made up of serious writers can be a huge benefit to helping you improve your work. Just remember that critiquing is a two-ways street. You want honest and sincere feedback, and you need to be prepared to give it back to your fellow members. There’s a very good chance that a group of fellow writers can help you get your story in shape so you can start submitting again.

Finally, don’t shoot the messenger. Agents and editors are in business to make money. If they don’t sell books, they go broke. If they don’t discover new books from new authors, they eventually go out of business. Their rejection of your work is nothing personal. Chances are, they don’t even know you. All they know is what they read in your query or sample. And the reasons for rejecting a manuscript can be as numerous as the number of submissions they received that day. Don’t blame them.

Forget about the lame excuses like: publishers only publish big established names and famous people. Or your book was rejected because it’s “different”, experimental, too unique for mainstream. Or you can’t believe they rejected your book when there’s so many bad books published. Go to The New York Times bestseller list. Look at all the writer’s names. Each and every author on that list was once an amateur struggling to get someone to read their manuscript and dreaming of making money as a published author. Every one of them fantasized about seeing their name on that list. What did they do? They realized that rejection really doesn’t mean “not for us”. It means “not ready for us yet”. Now go fix your book.

Any rejection stories to share? How many rejection letters did you get before that first book was published? If you’re published, do you still use a critique group or beta readers?