Sunday, August 26, 2007

Conference over

The 15th annual Columbus Writers Conference, which I mentioned several posts ago, is history, and I have to send kudos to the conference's Fearless Leader, Angela Palazzolo, and her crew of dedicated volunteers (and paid staff, too), who do such a great job of moving everything along so smoothly. I've attended a few conferences in my time, and this one truly is one of the best. And this year, the best was even better. The speakers were terrific and very welcoming and helpful to those who attended.

It was a packed two days--and a bit tiring, especially for the staff members who were up all night--but their hard work really paid off. Many of the presenters commented about how much they love this conference because they are treated so well and also because Angela leaves nothing to chance.

Good show, folks!

And now a word to the attendees, who also were wonderful, because if the crowd isn't into it, the whole thing can be a little flat. This group was really into it--active, involved, asking questions, talking to each other and the presenters.

Nonetheless, just a bit of advice. While it's important to know the business of publishing--marketing and promoting, pitching and contracting, the first thing to do is to write the best work you possibly can. Read lots of books, not just about how to find an agent or a publisher or how to write a dynamite query letter (although those things are useful and necessary during your career), but also about the art and craft of writing. All that knowledge about the publishing industry won't help you much if your book isn't any good. Find your voice, try on different points of view, choose and polish your words until you really believe you can't do any more or any better. Let the rest take care of itself at the right time.

And don't believe your mother, your sister, or your friends about the quality of your work. No matter how candid they try to be, they love you, and they will not tell you the whole truth. Find a critique group made up of writers who are serious about craft or pay someone for a professional assessment. Find out what the unbiased observer has to say. Writing well is a great deal harder than it looks. It's a lifelong quest to be an outstanding writer. Take your time.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Why fiction?

In my last post, I talked about writing what you know. In a similar vein, it helps to write how you know. In the past year, I've had several clients who are terrific experts in their fields, and their book ideas might sell as nonfiction. However, they've made the decision to use those ideas as the basis for novels.

This decision demands that they know how to construct a plot, develop believable characters, write dialogue, and master myriad other large and small details. It's hard, exacting work to craft a novel.

Although nonfiction writing, such as biography, also must be compelling, fiction has to be even more finely drawn, since the reader has no background knowledge of the characters or the events that unfold in the novel.

I suppose there are natural talents out there who can, with no training except years of reading, sit down and crank out a wonderful novel. I have to believe those people are rare. Writing is like any other art; even the greatest painters and musicians studied with someone before venturing out to find a commission or perform their first concert. Or they spent a lot of time with other artists and musicians, working together and honing their skills.

People will accept the idea that painting and music are talents that must be nurtured; they are somewhat less willing to accept that same idea about writing fiction. After all, didn't we all struggle through high school English? Can't we all write? No. At least not at the level required for professionalism. So, if you're serious about wanting a career in fiction, you have to read, read, read, and study with those who have mastered the art. Go to conferences, take classes, join a good critique group. Learn again. And again.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

What You Know

A fair number of manuscripts cross my desk every year, and frankly, most of them have serious flaws. Not necessarily unfixable, but things that will take a good deal of work to correct. The most common problem I see is manuscripts in which the leading character works in a profession the writer knows nothing about. It rings false and readers know it.

Recently, I looked over a manuscript in which the main character was a television reporter. The writer had never been part of local news; in fact, he'd never even visited a newsroom. His next-door-neighbor had some passing acquaintance with the field, and she read the author's manuscript. However, because the neighbor was not an expert either, she missed some glaring errors.

In another case, the main character was an opera singer. The author knew virtually nothing about opera. She used a great many "opera" terms, but they were words I'd certainly never heard. I looked them up and couldn't find them. When I asked the author about them, she confessed that she'd made them up. Can't do that--unless you're writing a fantasy and the opera singer lives in another galaxy. But then you have a whole new series of issues.

Of course, no author starts out as an expert in every field, but if you're not conversant with a profession, either recast your character or become an expert. There are many opera singers, reporters, forensics experts, police officers, ballerinas, dog catchers, doctors, potters, politcal operatives, and teachers who would be happy to share what they know about their professions. Read everything you can, too. Have fun increasing your knowledge. That's one of the joys of writing. You get to learn as you go. What could be better than that?

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Take a chance

The Columbus Writer's Conference http://www.creativevista.com comes around near the end of the month. I'm always pretty active in the conference and enjoy other conferences as well, both as a participant and sometimes as a speaker. If you have designs on a writing career, an excellent conference, such as this one, is a good place to start. You'll meet other writers, hear workshops on craft and business, and have the opportunity to meet agents and editors. My agent and I met at a conference nearly 15 years ago, but didn't begin our author-agent relationship until 2003. Some things take time to develop.

While you may not place your book at a conference (although some people have), you make valuable contacts and begin to build a network not only of people who can help you, but also of people who have interests similar to yours. Writing can be a solitary life, and it helps to get out and rub elbows with those who are like you. These are the people who understand writer's block and rejection, and they can sympathize like no one else. And when you sell something, these are the people who are happiest for you.

If you're a neophyte writer, don't be afraid of coming to a conference for fear that everyone there is some well-known published author. Some attendees have published a lot, some have self-published, some have never published at all. It doesn't matter. You can ask any question you want to without looking foolish. People aren't there to judge you or your work. This is especially true of the professionals. They've heard every pitch, seen every kind of author, and read every kind of book, but they are usually very courteous and interested in what you have to say. Of course, they are honest about whatever your project is, but that's their function. If they aren't terribly encouraging, don't take it personally or get defensive. Use what they say to improve your book.

In short, go. You'll learn something and you'll probably have a great time.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

New buzz

It seems the most recent buzz word is on the ground. I think this usage began with troops who were on the ground in specific war zones, and that makes some sense. But now everyone's on the ground, from rescue workers to school teachers.

I also predict a rise in the use of nascent. There are many things in this world that are nascent, to be sure, but the word hasn't been used much. I think it's coming on, though, and probably will enter overuse status within a few months.

I've also seen a peculiar blip in a redundancy: share in common. I seem to be hearing and reading it often lately, and it grates. We either have something in common or we share an interest in something, but we don't need to share it in common.

I find the rise and fall of words very interesting and would love it if you'd share (but not in common) the buzzwords you see looming on the horizon.