Start Small
By Guest | January 23, 2011 |
Therese here. Today’s guest is debut novelist, Eleanor Brown, author of The Weird Sisters, which just released this past week. It’s a book about three sisters, named by their lyrical father after Shakespearean characters, who love each other but don’t like each other very much, who have wounds to lick and secrets to bury when they return home after their mother is taken ill. I stumbled upon the first paragraph of this book online and have to share:
We came home because we were failures. We wouldn’t admit that, of course, not at first, not to ourselves, and certainly not to anyone else. We said we came home because our mother was ill, because we needed a break, a momentary pause before setting off for the Next Big Thing. But the truth was, we had failed, and rather than let anyone else know, we crafted careful excuses and alibis, and wrapped them around ourselves like a cloak to keep out the cold truth. The first stage: denial.
Fantastic voice, no?
The Weird Sisters has just been well reviewed in The New York Times, was chosen by Amazon as their January “best of the month” book, and was picked by Barnes and Noble for their Discover Great New Writers program. Not only that, Eleanor is near and dear to one near and dear to us; she is partner to former WU contributor and author J.C. Hutchins. We’re thrilled she’s with us today to talk about the importance of starting small. Welcome, Eleanor!
Start Small
When I decided to turn my writing hobby into a writing career, one of the first roadblocks I stumbled across was the dreaded query letter. And, more specifically, the list of previously published work I was supposed to include in said query letter.
“But I’m just starting out!” I cried. “I don’t have any publishing credits!”
“We won’t publish you without any publishing credits!” the cold, cruel publishing industry replied, and then went back to stomping on my dreams and mocking my outfit.
Well, not really. But that’s what it felt like.
It seemed like a vicious circle – in order to get published, I needed to be able to include a list of places where I’d been previously published. But I wouldn’t have a list of places where I’d been previously published unless someone would publish me in the first place.
I do not quote Cathy lightly when I say, “ACK!”
Here’s how I solved that dilemma: I started small. It’s tempting to finish a piece of writing and want to run right out and present it to The New Yorker, Granta, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, My Little Pony Monthly, Nan Talese and Binky Urban – whatever your authorial Holy Grail is. We feel that way because those people give us the writing we love, and we want to return the favor, to be part of that conversation.
And we will be. Just not yet.
I, personally, started on the internet. Without the financial and physical constraints of traditional publishing, site editors can be much more flexible about what (and whom) they publish. This doesn’t mean you want to share your writing with any nutjob with a Blogger account. There are reputable sites in all genres. You’re probably reading some of them (and if you’re not, you need to be – the conversation doesn’t begin and end in the pages of Cat Fancy or whatever you’re aiming for). Choose sites you admire, read them for a month or two to get a feel of what they’re looking for, and start submitting.
Your original query letter, by the way, doesn’t have to point out the fact that you don’t have prior publications. Just leave that paragraph out.
After I had a few online publishing credits, I moved on to print publications, mostly small, local ones. I had a few more pieces published in local newspapers, and my list of credits grew slightly longer.
Simultaneously, I started submitting work to anthologies and journals. Just Google: “call for submissions” +anthology. You may want to add the current year (to make sure you’re not looking at old calls), or a genre or keyword. You will end up writing pieces specifically to submit to these anthologies, but that’s okay. Some of the writing I’m proudest of came from things I wrote specifically to answer a call.
I can hear some of you complaining right now that the markets I’m suggesting are all for short pieces. “I’m a novelist,” you’re howling. “I cannot write in short form!” Not only do I not believe that you sprang, fully-grown, from Zeus’ head writing novels, but trust me – not only will writing shorter work help give your writing focus and clarity, it will give you the list of publication credits you need to effectively query agents to get your magnum opus published.
When I was ready to start looking for an agent for The Weird Sisters, I had enough publication credits that I got to choose what I wanted to include in my query letters, so I could really cherry-pick the ones that were both relevant and impressive. Don’t get me wrong – I still got my fair share of rejections. But I also got a number of requests to see the manuscript, and was able to choose an agent I really trusted to represent me. In turn, she was able to use those credits to sell me to publishers as an experienced and professional writer.
Building my list of publishing credits was a long process. But it had all kinds of side benefits: I got used to rejection. I learned to write for an audience, work with editors, and meet deadlines. My writing improved immeasurably because I was writing constantly in multiple styles and genres. And, of course, I had the kind of writing resume that got my work the attention I wanted. All because I started small.
Thanks for a great post, Eleanor, and best of luck with The Weird Sisters, which is definitely on my to-buy list. Readers, you can learn more about Eleanor and her book on her website, and you can follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Write on!
Many thanks to today’s guest.
You can read more WU guest posts by visiting this link.
That’s very sound and practical advice for writers facing that particular hurdle. Love the classy book cover. The Weird Sisters sounds like a great read, Eleanor.
Superb post. Even though a writer may know the various marketing strategies, with traditional public relations goals, it’s possible to get focused on one aspect of that effort and forget to throw the net wide. Thank you for this reminder …
~ Tami Jackson
https://VampireReview.blogspot.com
Thanks for the great tips Eleanor, especially the stepping stones of article submissions. I have one article published in a national magazine, but one does not make a list.
And Thanks Therese for including the first paragraph of Eleanor’s book – I just ordered it!
Judy
Excellent post! The internet has been a godsend for new writers, and I’ve found that fellow bloggers are more than willing to give each other a chance to get started as a writer.
I love writing for print media, but the more I get involved with web writing, the more I see its potential. Even if a writer isn’t writing for another site, it’s a good way to build a portfolio online and get used to writing under deadlines and soliciting feedback. Blogging has really helped me expand my writing skills.
This post really speaks to me. Thank you for the systematic, specific instructions for “publishing before publication.” It’s very helpful!
I’m looking forward to reading your book!
I like it! How encouraging to read about “starting small”.
Glad you have made this WU Guest Post!
Patricia
PM_Poet Writer
I can’t wait to read The Weird Sisters. Great, inspiring post! :D
Ditto what Juliet said exactly. :)
Perfect advice. I agree 100% Also, ditto to Therese’s comments about the first paragraph of your novel!
Your history is much like William Faulkner’s, who also started small, writing pieces for a tiny New Orleans literary magazine, The Double Dealer, and for the Times-Picayune newspaper. After having written three novels, he still had to support himself by painting houses. Novelist Kevin J. Anderson says, “Most aspiring writers give up long before their chance arrives.” You didn’t, and that’s a wonderful lesson for the rest of us.
Such great advice! Sometimes our ambitions and aspirations try to outrun our abilities, and we forget how many small steps are needed to get us where we want to go.
I’m definitely intriguing by the opening to The Weird Sisters, and can’t wait to read the rest. :)
Ooops! Funny how typos stay hidden until after you click “Submit Comment”. Grrr.
Obviously I’m “intrigued”. Although maybe I’m intriguing too. LOL
I’m delighted to hear that so many of you found this helpful – I was so daunted by this process at the beginning and I hope my experience saves someone some angst.
And thank you to all of you for saying such kind things about The Weird Sisters!
So fun to stop by Writer Unboxed – thanks for having me!
Eleanor – I’m tweeting this to my writing posse as these are tips we ALL need to know. Everyone starts somewhere and it is nice to see that starting small has won the race for you! Congratulations!!
Aspiring-to-be-published writers should take heed to these words of wisdom…I have my cut-and-paste tool at the ready to put these tips into practice. :)
Fantastic, Eleanor! Just that single paragraph and I’m off to Amazon to snag your book. Thanks too, for your very valuable advice, not just as a way around that bizarro conflict of “no credits, can’t get credit” situation, but for the reminder that starting small is a wonderful drill for improving our writing skills as well.
Bravo on your debut novel success :-)
Great approach to building credits! And I have heard nothing but raves about your book, Eleanor, it sounds wonderful — and what a great first paragraph.
Thanks for stopping by WU!
A great perspective on how to build your career up to that first book getting published! Congratulations,
Namaste,
Lee
Thanks for the hard yet valuable advice. If my pursuit of a career in writing has taught me anything it’s nothing comes easy in life except bottled cheese. Best of luck with The Weird Sisters.
Thank you for this clear, practical, and very helpful advice. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the big picture, the large goals. Starting small makes a lot of sense.
I can’t wait to read The Weird Sisters!
Fabulous post! I teach an short story course in the Writers Program at UCLA Extension, and you’ve just deftly answered a question that my students have been batting back and forth online. This is so perfect I’m going to post the link for them right now. Thanks for making my job so much easier!!
Such great advice, Eleanor. I’ve done exactly what you suggested here–built up writing credentials slowly but surely. I’m hoping it will pay off when I’m finally ready to query this novel. (Don’t think I’ll be ready for over a year–at least!)
And this is why Writer Unboxed is such a great site – the community. What sweet comments! Although I will say I’m kind of in love with James for comparing me to Faulkner in the smallest of ways.
Another thing I didn’t mention was contests – I also found those helpful and one of the ones I won I featured in my query letter.
Good luck, everyone, and thank you so much for letting me know you found this helpful!
I’m one of said students in the short fiction class at UCLA mentioned above. Thanks, Eleanor Brown, for this encouraging advice and thanks to our “Best in the West” writing teacher, Lisa Cron, for the nudge toward this site.
Coming late, but this post is exactly what I need to hear right now. Thank you for this!
And congratulations on the reviews and signs you’ll be embraced by the public! Killer voice there, m’dear. My TBR pile groans louder.
[…] on Writer UnBoxed, debut novelist Eleanor Brown covers the same topic, using her own career path as an example. It reminds me of the Shel Silverstein poem, Melinda Mae: […]