Tag Archives: writers

The Addicted Writer’s 12-Step Plan

12 Sunday Apr 2015

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This past couple of weeks between speaking engagements and teaching my novel writing class at the college, I have been critiquing and judging manuscripts for an annual literary contest. I’ve been doing this for ten years now- reading these entries for this particular conference in Seattle. Every year the manuscripts get better.

Bottom line- there is some tough competition out there.

Between the continual barrage of informative articles posted on social media and the countless ‘how to’ writing books, the ambitious and inspired would-be author is obviously listening, and taking the information to task.

Good for them!

Funny, but all I heard for the last several years was how the new ease of self- publishing would suffocate and all but stamp out pen-worthy writing. Not so, apparently. The flooded market has simply made the more determined writers more deliberate in their approach, so they will stand out.

By paying attention to authors, their publishers, and book sales over the past decade I have concluded it isn’t great marketing alone that sells books, and great books will not necessarily sell well on their own. Ultimately, it takes a winning combination of good marketing for a good book to achieve great sales.

There is the occasional exception. Free enterprise is often about offering you products without any quality control whatsoever. But hey, when someone can make a million bucks writing socially acceptable porn it just shows that America will always be a land of opportunity.

Amen to that.

If you have decided to take the high road, by going in the opposite direction of pure sensationalism, then what I will be covering in my blog posts for the next several weeks are the 12-step plan you might want to invest in.

This series to success (which I teach at the college in my fiction-memoir writing class) includes the specific elements we are to use as our guide when critiquing and judging those literary contest entries, so if you want to have a winning book, I hope these sobering truths that I will share over the next few weeks will be your commandments to faithfully complete.

1-Synopsis: The first entry in this 12-step series is the dreaded synopsis, which is the first thing any agent, editor, publisher, or contest judge will see if you are writing fiction. It’s more important than you think because it sets the mood for this stop-gate reader. If they find it confusing, boring, or irrational thinking, well, then you might be done before they have begun to even read your well-penned words  

Whether being asked for a short 1 page synopsis or a more in-depth 2-3 pager, it should be a concise summary with no flattery or embellishments. Just a straight talking road map of your plot and character arcs, which means you will have a heroes journey for your main character clearly laid out, without holding back on what the resolution is.

The difference between that short synopsis and a longer one will be the inclusion of exactly what those plot twists and turns are, and a few words on any secondary scenarios percolating beneath the surface of your main plot.

Be sure to mention the growth your protagonist will experience by the time things are wrapping up. If your plot isn’t plausible and doesn’t stand out as being interesting and dynamic- don’t expect a callback from an agent.

2-Book Proposal: If you are writing nonfiction such as a memoir or a creative narrative, you will not be writing a synopsis, but a book proposal instead. Make sure that your premise and the purpose for it is clear. Unless you have endeared yourself to an agent or publisher for which you have made a substantial profit, also be sure the entire manuscript has already been written and perfectly polished before sending out that book proposal.

Why write a book proposal if you’ve already written the book? Well you wouldn’t, if you were an established author and proven money maker, but even if you’re a novice, you have to play the game according to the rules. Remember, book proposals are written for traditional publishers, including the agents and editors that represent them. Nothing defines traditional publishing better than their well-established rules and reputation for following them.

Your trump card is not having a time lapse between when interest is shown and the manuscript shows up. It will be harder to forget who you are that way, since you are virtually a nobody… for now, at least, until you play your cards right and that manuscript finally goes to press.

Speaking of going to press, next week I will blog about what press, exactly, your book might be going to when I discuss publishing options; a virtual Pandora’s Box of choices (some more accessible than others).

Stay tuned for part 2….

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Kathryn’s next novel, Journey, will be released  September, 2015

by Winter Goose Publishing Author Badge 2015 2

 

 

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Down The Rabbit Hole

08 Friday Nov 2013

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Want to know what’s trendy these days in the world of words? I’ve discovered a great way to learn what friends and neighbors think about popular new releases, which by the way, is the type of book every writer is hoping to write. Of course reading is the best way to get in the head of a best selling author who has achieved what you want to become, but it’s even better to participate in a stimulating discussion about what you have read.

Where can you find people who have come together specifically for this purpose? In a book club! Yep. Hottest thing going right now, and one of the more positive activities in our modern day world. What? No time to form or attend a book club? Think again! If you aren’t reading what is currently out there and discussing what you’ve read with other readers, you are missing an invaluable opportunity to learn what people appreciate in a good read.

Okay, yes, we are all a little inflexible about the idea of writing to the market and nor should we do that. As every good conference speaker and book on writing tells us, it’s best to write what you know, for one, and what you are passionate about for another. Understanding how your audience thinks, however, can play a large role in developing characters they will relate to, or be repelled by, and for creating settings or plots of interest.

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Think of it as an adventure not unlike Alice in her rabbit hole. I had no idea when forming Book Club Divas it would turn out to be a delightful monthly brunch at different member’s homes, where we feasted on delicious food as well as food for thought! Each discussion deepened my own understanding of what the author was trying to convey, whether or not that author had done a good job, and why or why not. How valuable is that information to a writer? I would say it’s priceless.

Taking the time to read each month’s selection and form purposeful thoughts about the writing style, plot, setting, characters and overall theme of the books has greatly enriched my thinking and probably influenced my writing while currently doing final edits on my next novel.

If I was moved by what an author created between the pages – be it a beautiful description, amazing word choice, admirable heroine or horrific villain, it stuck with me. Now this knowledge is all up in my head fermenting, just waiting for the perfect day to spill out in my own voice, a rich blend of previous input and personal touch.

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So how does one find the perfect book club that won’t be a waste of precious writing procrastination time? I would say form your own. You can be as creative as you want with the members you choose, books you read, places and times you meet. I am grateful my Book Club Divas helped the structure and overall personality of our group develop and mature throughout the year. I relish how our very differing opinions and diversity of backgrounds has lent a touch of spice to the meaty discussions.

I promise if you take the time for a monthly book club, the reward for your effort will be far reaching. I have made new friends and fond memories, and read some great books I might not have selected on my own… a few of which will always be a part of me now, because they changed me in some way as a person, and more importantly as a writer.

Although I have chosen to move on from Book Club Divas at this time, I am already thinking about that next book club! I plan to form it when the time is right. Like reading and writing, participating in a book club is now a must-do passion. There is simply no going back to reading as I once did, without the anticipation and interaction of other voices weighing in on the literary scale with their often conflicting and always convicted opinions.

It’s a wonderful dramatic ending to reading a noteworthy novel and I want to thank my Book Club Divas for the memorable time we spent together. Sometimes I really believed I had fallen down a rabbit hole and was sitting at a most stimulating tea party, with Alice sitting wide-eyed among us, her blonde hair and blue party dress not moving even a hair as we discussed a wonderland of literary make-believe, all the while drawing real life conclusions that ultimately will help us to be better thinkers…. and writers.

If you are in a book club I would love to hear about how it’s structured, where you meet and what you’ve read recently!

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Creative Versus Critical

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

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I am a perfectionist. I confess this as the disease that it is. I never should have let my husband read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. He now loves to tell me how it must be hell to wake up every morning and be you. Then he grins like a cheshire cat, relieved that he does not have this dilemma of perfectionism.

What is perplexing about this is that my debut novel, Benjamin, is just now typo free. YAY! It only took six months to track down every evil little typo and smash it off the page. Let’s not even examine that I am a professional editor by trade, when not teaching college English, and soon creative writing.

I don’t blame my publisher, because the truth is – the buck stops here. If you want a small personalized press where you have creative input into your final product, you must share equal responsibility for whatever that final product finally becomes.

When wearing an editor hat I catch, well, pretty much everything. I know this by the moaning of my clients. Based on their recommendations written for my website, they eventually are happy to have made those edits.

My own work, on the other hand, I cannot seem to read objectively. Perhaps that would be a little like seeing your child’s glaring errors instead of their beautiful heart, soul and vulnerabilities each time you look at them. Of course, there is also the question of whether you are using your logic (left side) of the brain or your creative (right) side. Creativity has no patience for an English skills assessment.

I’ve learned that it takes a village to edit a book. Every editor brings a different talent to the table for what type of typo they detect. Some editors are best for content rather than commas. They can help you shore up your plot and deepen your characters laugh lines or lines in the sand to make them more lovable. Or they can restructure your sentence structuring. These would be my gifts. I leave correct comma placement to proofreaders.

I have one writer/editor friend who somehow finds every word with a missing letter. You’d be surprised at how many of these show up in a book. The reader is almost always unaware. It’s like the social media posts that show words as random letters but with a few in the correct place and ask if you can read it anyway. Yep, the brain decodes it at rapid speed. That’s why we don’t see those missing letters (or letters out of order) when reading.

My personal angst as a writer is using the wrong spelling for my word choice. Pores for pours. Peer for pier. Funny how I catch these for others when wearing my editor hat. Maybe it’s similar to being more attentive to our guests, while glossing over family with a mere glance.

Small publishers do not have editing villages as a rule. They have passion, heart and soul for what they do, and a good eye for good reads – but not a lot of worker bees for final edits and tedious marketing. Those are going to be our burdens as the author. So, I have formed my own village of editors and I now have a publicist.

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My publisher has been there for me every step of the way. Supportive, informative, and just plain believing in me, which every author needs well beyond that initial I will take a chance on you smile and handshake. This, by the way, is all you might get from the big publishers before being thrown into the lion’s den of the publishing process.

It has been an amazing ride this past year slowly breaking out of my cocoon as a cozy writer cuddled up to my keyboard, all the way to a published novelist fluttering about like a butterfly, signing books for readers and attending promotional events.

I cannot believe how much I have learned past the angst of how to write a synopsis for your well-crafted (because it was rewritten numerous times) manuscript, all the way to collecting and correcting those typos that unfortunately slipped through.

My earthshattering conclusion is that we evolve first as writers and then as authors, because if we don’t evolve we will certainly not be able to maintain an engaged audience and successful career. And this, my friends, is ultimately what it’s all about unless you are a one act pony with a life changing memoir from which you plan to collect your millions and retire.

Best of luck with that. (;

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