The Writer's Conference: A Few Days Later

In follow up to my last entry, here is a summary of my experience at the PNWA writer’s conference.

The Attendees:

I met many great people, all aspiring to the same goal of sharing their writing with the world.  I met people writing poetry, legal and political thrillers, varied fantasy and science fiction sub-genres, young adult novels, and so much more.  Despite our varied interests, we all had a great deal in common and I think I learned a lot from my fellow attendees.  I also came away with some interesting character sketches from the many people watching opportunities and a few contacts with whom I hope to stay in touch.

The Sessions:

It is always interesting to listen to what people inside the industry have to say.  There were successful authors, agents, and editors running most of the sessions.  It was great when they validated my own research with many of their tips and recommendations, and even better when they offered new insight into things I didn’t know as much about.  The How to Write a Synopsis and Query Letter session with author Bob Dugoni was incredibly valuable for me.  He broke down the elements of both in such a way that I had a new letter and synopsis mostly written by the end of the session.  That was just one of many excellent learning opportunities.

The Pitching:

This was a very good experience for me.  I was extremely nervous about doing this, but I went to a Clarion West party with a friend who is attending this year and got an opportunity to speak with Ellen Datlow there.  She was very nice and I enjoyed talking to her.  That conversation really helped me relax, as did the editor and agent forums the next morning which helped me look at these wonderful people as people I might be lucky enough to get to know and not big scary entities who could make or break my career.

I managed to get five agents and an editor to request some portion of my work, which felt fabulous since I was figuring I might get three of them if I was lucky (though I did learn that there is a time to pitch and a time to give these people a break – be sure to respect that if you go to this kind of event).  I also realized that I need to tighten the book up before I send it.

Some of the sessions helped me come up with ideas for things I could cut and I am already down 7,000 words since Sunday.  The pitching also helped me find the holes in my query and synopsis.  The pitch and query both failed to show what is unique about my trilogy and I now have some good ideas for bringing that out.

Other:

The industry is in a state of change and I found it fascinating to listen to the differing opinions the many agents, editors, and writers had about how it was going to go.  With eBooks and self-publishing rising in popularity, things will continue to change at a remarkable rate for some time.  Many of the speakers seemed to feel that traditional publishing would remain, but that there were now new ways to get there.  For example, several commented that successful sales with self-publishing are becoming an alternate way to get the attention of agents and publishing houses.  I don't plan to go that route at this point, but who knows how I will feel in the future.

I would love to see at least some of my work in print.  I hate killing trees, but there is something magical about a printed book.  That said, there is a whole new generation of kids reading books electronically who may never understand that view and there is nothing at all wrong with that.  In fact, if you asked the trees, they'd probably be happy about that change.

Things I'd Do Differently:

I think not staying at the hotel was a mistake (though it was a financial decision).  On one hand, I did a lot of pitch practicing and came up with a new book idea on the hour drive to the conference.  On the other hand, I decided when to leave based on how tired I was going to be driving home, which meant I didn’t hang around as long as I might have in the evenings and missed the dessert reception Thursday night and the literary contest awards at the end of the dinner on Saturday.  I also could not talk myself into driving back down for the half-day session on Sunday.

I would probably also get my book into the literary contest.  I wasn't paying attention and the deadline just skimmed by this year.  I've been wrapped up in my writing and editing work, but I think the contest would have been a good opportunity to get more feedback on that work.

Wrap-up:

That’s it.  I enjoyed the conference.  I learned a lot.  I met great people.  I have a small leg up on the competition with my next six submissions.  I also have a lot of work to do to get those submissions ready, but I will take the time needed and do it right.  All told, I think it was a great thing for me and I recommend it to anyone who hopes to get their writing out into the world.  Your mileage may vary.

Wrapping my head around the writer's conference.

So here I sit, trying to prepare for the four-day writer’s conference that starts tomorrow.  I just got back from a road trip to attend to varied family matters last night after midnight.  This is my one day to get my head around the sessions I want to attend and to make sure I know what I am doing for my agent/editor pitching sessions.

  Why am I writing a blog entry?

  That’s easy.  I have four books in varied stages of editing, four more books waiting impatiently to be written, the characters vying for my devoted attention to their story, and a few short stories dangling off the end of the stack wishing those books would get out of the way and give them their chance at the blank page on the computer.  Aside from that, I have piles of laundry from the six days of the road trip heaped in the laundry room, I need groceries, and my house looks like a hurricane swept through.  In those moments, sometimes the only way to get my head back on straight is to analyze the situation through my preferred medium, writing.

  Laundry, house cleaning, and groceries will simply have to wait (who needs to eat anyway?).  My many characters and their compelling demands for my time must also wait.  I adore them.  I want to give them all of my attention all of the time, but the conference is another tool to help me with that and I must give it my everything right now.

  I’ve never done in-person pitching to agents and editors before.  I hope it will, at worst, be a great learning experience.  My game plan for the afternoon is to research the ones I will be meeting with so that I have a true understanding of what they have represented and skim through their blogs if they have them to get a little deeper insight.  Then I am going to take a long, critical look at what I have for a pitch.  I need to understand what makes the novel I am pitching stand out and how to communicate that to these people.  Interestingly, the last agent I sent my submission packet to has not rejected it yet, which adds a little complication if someone at the conference shows interest, but I’m willing to deal with that if it becomes an issue.

  And there it is, in black and white.  The reason I wrote this.  I now have a game plan, which is more than I had before.  Now I need to (reluctantly) turn off my music and focus on that plan.  Maybe Monday, when this is all over, I’ll post again and let you know how it went.

  Happy writing!

A Writer's Doubt

I just finished reading one of many encouraging articles about writers dealing with a crisis of faith in following their dream.  Am I wasting my time?  Should I stop writing and find a real career?  Am I being selfish by following my dream?

Given how easy it is to find this same topic on every web site and in every book about writing, it must be a common problem.  Sometimes it seems like that alone, the simple realization that almost every writer goes through those periods of crisis, should make it better.  To know you aren't the only one and that most writers who have succeeded in their writing careers have gone through this should be comforting.  It isn't.  Why?  Because somewhere in the back of our minds we understand that every writer who didn't make it went through it too.  We know that suffering through those moments of self-doubt isn't any guarantee that the struggle is going to be worth it in the end.

I count myself lucky in many ways.  My family, my husband, and many of my friends stand behind me in my pursuit of a career as a fiction author.  In fact, they are my best fans and, in many cases, my most reliable reviewers.  I don't think all writers are that fortunate and I hope they all realize how important they are to me because of that.

My struggles come in two forms.  The first is a deep fear of letting down those wonderful people who have been supporting me while I chase my dream. I don’t have a good solution for that other than to try not to let them down.  The other is a sense of the opportunity I am turning away.  I have made more than $50 an hour as a technical writer.  That kind of money is not easy to walk away from, especially considering that, if I do really well, I might scrape together a living wage as a fiction author.  The problem is that, no matter how good I am at it or how much I make doing it, I am never happy doing technical writing.  There is no satisfaction in it for me.  I feel like a caged bird.  Worse yet, at the end of a day of technical writing, the last thing I am up for is yet more writing, but I am not happy when I am not creating stories.  It is a downward spiral for me.

What to do?

Well, the downswing in the economy has helped me with that question.  When I found myself jobless in a now extremely competitive environment, my husband and I talked and decided that I should take the opportunity to focus on my writing.  So that is what I do every day now.  I treat this like my job.  I set goals and personal deadlines.  I work hard at it.  I believe I can make it happen.  I does me no good not to believe.
I've had my moments of success.  I've sold a few stories and have one that has just barely missed the cut twice.  To be honest, I hate writing short stories.  My passion is for longer work.  I am running a fantasy trilogy through its fourth edit while I send out submission packets for book one of the three.  I am almost ready to submit a novella to publishers and I am editing a fourth unrelated novel that I believe has great potential.  I have about seven more novels in various states of completion or planning waiting in the wings.  I also have a few short stories seeking publication because I do, occasionally, write one that has some promise.  And those wonderful supporters of mine, they are helping me polish my work.  I love them for it (and for a few other reasons).  :)

I guess what I am saying is, this is my job.  A lot of people think I am good at it, but the final word on that is in the hands of agents and publishers I don’t know.  Regardless, I take it very seriously and I think that is important.

Not everyone who wants to be an author is going succeed, but if you are willing to put out the effort, are willing to research and try to master your craft, if you can stomach all those rejection letters that stand between you and your dream, then I think you are at least giving yourself a fighting chance.  If you really, really want it, then search out those opportunities in your life, find the people who will support you and nurture them.  Give yourself a chance and take it seriously.

Some tips on publishing.

Well, it’s Saturday morning and I’ve been thinking a lot about the process of trying to make it as a fiction writer. Almost two weeks ago, a good friend asked me how to go about finding a publisher for her short stories and her book. I had a lot of advice to give and it occurred to me that maybe more people could benefit from some of this information. I can’t claim to know everything, but I have sleuthed through tons of articles and books and websites and forums to gather the gems of wisdom that seem to filter to the top, so I’ll share them here and hope they prove useful to someone. Your mileage may vary. One of the most important things you can do as a new writer is getting your work up to a professional quality. This means learning grammar, learning to write good and compelling dialog, description and action, and understanding the difference between telling you reader what is happening and bringing them into the action. Take some writing classes, join a critique group (in person or online), read about writing, read books by successful authors in your genre(s), dig through articles in magazines or online. Learn everything you can about what you are trying to do. If you have the time, critters.org is a good critique site, but you must be able to give at least one in depth critique a week to be a member. Other writing forums can offer a lot of good advice as well, such as sffworld.com, but always be prepared to give advice or critiques when you can regardless of the forum out of consideration for your fellow writers.

When you think your manuscript is ready for submission, go back through the same process of research to learn how to write a good query and cover letter as well as a good synopsis. These are hard skills to perfect, but you can use many of the same resources mentioned above to help you learn how. When formatting your manuscript, sfwa.org has good information on formatting, along with numerous other articles that may prove useful.

As soon as you have a completed, polished manuscript (as a new writer, your best bet is to have a finished product before you approach a publisher or agent) you can start the process of finding a market for it. Here are a couple of the pages I use to help find publishers to submit to: Ralan.com and Duotrope.com. You can also get a copy of the current Writer’s Market at your local bookstore or subscribe to their list online at https://www.writersmarket.com.

When you find promising markets, take the time to read their websites, not just the submission guidelines, which you should follow precisely, but dig through the FAQ pages or blog pages if they have them to search for any gems that might give you an edge over the competition because it is fierce. It is also a good idea to read some of the stories/books they have published in the past if you can. Before submitting, it doesn’t hurt to look at Predators and Editors and see if there are any warnings against the market you plan to submit to, but be aware that some information could be biased by people who are angry about being rejected.

For short stories, when you have done your research you can submit your work.

When submitting novel length work, you need a finished manuscript and, while some publishers will still accept unagented work, finding an agent is recommended. Agent Query is good place to look for agents. Always check to see if they represent work like that you are trying to sell. If you want an easy filter, you can screen for AAR membership in the search, though a lot of great agents are not AAR members. Follow the same website investigation for an agent that you would for any other market (submission guidelines, blogs, etc.). Any respectable agent who shows an interest in your work will not hesitate to provide a list of authors/books they have represented and will not charge you any fees.

Some of the resources cited focus in the SciFi and fantasy genres, so you may have to do a little sleuthing of your own to find appropriate resources for other genres.

Good luck!

What do you like in a book?

Someone on one of my writing forums recently asked what women like to read and write about (because we all know that is considerably different than what men like to read and write about).  This was my answer.  It might be a little simplified, but seems to get the just of it.  :)

  I think people all tend to like good plotting and good characterization at the foundation of what they read. Beyond that, I love dark stuff. I like war, science, magic, and creative world building. I like villains I can sometimes understand and heroes I sometimes can't. I like choices that require great sacrifice and endings that aren't perfectly happy. At the heart of it all, I like a sprinkling of good romance, especially if it leads to some of those really difficult choices aforementioned. Still, I offer the opinion of only one woman.

The Electronic Age, Disappointment at the Speed of Light

I remember when I could send a short story submission to a market and wait three or more months for a reply.  Sure, I agonized for all that time, but some little part of me enjoyed pretending that it took so long because they were actually going to accept my work (and a couple of times it has actually worked out that way).

Now, more and more publishers and agents have started moving to electronic submissions.  How great is that!  It is environmentally sound, it saves them money, it saves you money, and it saves everyone time.  Only... well, I do sometimes miss having enough time to pretend they might actually publish me.  The turnaround on some of these electronic submissions can be a matter of days rather than months.  Ouch!  Barely enough time to get your hopes up before your ego is already recovering from the blow.

Then again, I shouldn't make it sound so bad.  Within that instant disappointment comes a gift, the opportunity to get your work out to more people faster without risking stepping on anyone’s toes by sending out simultaneous submissions.  If someone rejects you today, you can have it in another publisher or agents hands by this afternoon (or tomorrow, because you always take another fresh look at what you are sending before you send it out again - it is never too late to catch that glaring typo you somehow missed the first fifteen times or rewrite that one line that was a little too weak).

Last week I received two rejections and sent out three submissions.   If you look at collecting rejection letters as nothing more than proof that you are trying, this isn't such a bad change.  Maybe, going forward, I'll see if I can't make last week look like a slow one.  The future is all about opportunity.  Take it and run with it.

On Language and Fantasy Writing

I must bend knee to Tolkien to even speak on this subject.  At the heart of fantasy writing, you will always find his work.  Not only did he break ground on the genre in many ways, he also started a long-lived trend of creating new languages for fantasy races.  Unlike many modern examples, Tolkien had the knowledge to back up his language creation.  That gives the rest of us a hard standard to live up to, but one I do not begrudge him.

Whenever you introduce new races or talking species within a novel, it makes sense that they might speak another language.  There are many ways to dance around this issue.  Probably the most widespread method is to create a “common tongue” that all the races know for trade reasons or the like.  That seems reasonable enough, but what do you do when you dump your character into the midst of a different race of people who have no real desire to accommodate by using that common tongue?

In books two and three of the trilogy I am editing (again), I do just that and she must try to pick up enough of their language to get by.  She has one mentor who is willing to speak the trade tongue part of the time, which helps with the learning process, but it is still a challenge.

What did I know of foreign language when I started this?  A little bit of Spanish learned in High school when I really wasn’t interested.  I’m certainly no Tolkien.  About the time I was working on the second book of the trilogy, I started learning Japanese for a number of completely unrelated reasons, not realizing how it might benefit my writing.  As a supplement to learning the language, I have also put some effort into learning about the culture it comes from.  What I have found through this process is that it gave me a valuable insight into what my main character would face trying to absorb a new language and culture.

If you write fantasy (and any other genre in some cases), I think learning at least one language and culture can prove to be invaluable research.  Learning Japanese has been very useful because of how it is structured in comparison to English and that it has some interesting history behind it, such as the development of their written language.  I’ve come up with many ideas on how to structure the languages in my book and to show the struggle my character faces.  In some ways, I almost envy her being submerged in their culture and forced to learn quickly.  Learning a language is hard when you have no one to practice on.

If you can make the time, even if you don’t write, I recommend learning a new language.  It is a good experience and you can do a fair job on your own using programs like RosettaStone along with some additional supplementary resources.  Pick a language you are interested and have fun with it.  The benefit to those of you who write will just be a bonus.

Thoughts about writing.

What is it?  What is the magical key that makes a person a successful author?

I am here to tell you that there isn’t one.  It is a lot like losing weight.  You work hard.  Then you work hard some more.  When you’re done with that… yep, more work.

You can start in many places.  I started in the 6^th grade writing my first novel, because I knew then that I was going to be an author.  The book was horrible, but kind of cute in retrospect and, yes, I still have it.  It wasn’t until the 8^th grade that I learned to actually complete a project.  Then life intervened for a while and after I got married, I went on writing books until my husband encouraged me to write short stories and try to get them published.  So I did.

I won third place in a short story contest of which publication was part of the prize.  I got a two-part story published in Cricket magazine (really a nice bit to put on my writing resume) and have had numerous near misses with another short story.  Short stories certainly aren’t the only way to get into writing, but they are a valid option for getting some credibility.

Now I’m learning the things they don’t tell you about in the 6^th grade when you tell your teachers and family that you’re going to be an author.

Editing.  This is a long process.  It can be fun.  It can be downright maddening.  I like the results, but I’m not always so fond of the process for getting them.  Right now I am taking on online revision class put on by a well-published author (Holly Lisle if you are interested) and, while I don’t think all of it will work for me, I think enough will to make it worth the time and money.  Learn to edit well if you want to get serious consideration.

Feedback.  Oh, this was hard.  I still need about an hour to tend my wounded ego every time I get real, solid feedback on something I’ve written.  That said, it is so worth it.  Learning to find the value in the feedback/criticism of others is one of the best things you can do as a writer.  Smother that protective streak that makes you want to assault anyone who dares criticize your darling gems of literary brilliance and see what you can learn to make them better.  Also, learn to give feedback to others.  You can learn a lot about finding problems in your own work by trying to find them in the work of other writers and everyone benefits (just remember that tact and honesty are very important).

The dreaded submission.  You think you have a beautiful synopsis and query/cover letter together.  You send them out, knowing the agent or editor will be stunned to tears by your amazing talent, then you get them back with a rejection, read them again, and cringe at how awful they are.  How the hell did that happen?  I don’t know myself.  I’m still unraveling the great mystery of the perfect submission packet.  I just finished another attempt at the synopsis for book one of my trilogy today.  I like it better than the last one.  I suppose that’s progress.

Determination.  You really want to write?  Then know what you’re up against.  A lot of people want to be successful authors.  Many won’t be because they don’t try, or they won’t put out the effort to know their profession (learn, learn, learn), or they just have really crappy luck (a lot of people who think they are in this category actually belong to one of the other two).  You have to work hard, you have to deal with criticism and rejection, and you have to try.  Ask yourself if those precious moments when your writing is going perfectly and you’re simply floating on a euphoric cloud with words bleeding out your fingertips are worth the struggle.  If the answer is yes, you’re off to a good start.