Six Questions to Get to Know You as a Writer
By Cathy Yardley | June 3, 2016 |
Photo by Anne Thorniley
Lately, I’ve seen some posts and memes about writing and publishing that have genuinely set my blood boiling. I have seen authors get all stirred up about things that ultimately showed, in my opinion, a fundamental misunderstanding of the publishing industry, while other things, that I feel are vitally important to the industry, continue to get ignored.
I was all set to type out a well-researched and utterly eviscerating rebuttal. Bar graphs and diagrams might have been incorporated. I was going to channel Alexander Hamilton (the original and Broadway versions), Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie, and possibly Che Guevara. Maybe a little Adam Smith thrown in for good measure.
Seriously, guys. I was on fire.
Fortunately, I came to my senses before subjecting you to that. Hopping into a phone booth and donning my superhero rantypants is more like eating a bucket of M&M’s: initially pleasurable, but ultimately a bit sickening. As the meme so eloquently states, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
Besides, I’ve talked at you enough in my time here as a columnist. Today, I want to hear from you.
I’m going to ask you the same questions I ask all my clients. They are, as follows:
- How long have you been writing?
- What genre would you say you write?
- Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
- What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
- What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
- What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
I ask these questions to gauge where writers are in their journey, from squeaky-new to seasoned pro. I also get a sense of how they learn, where their interests are, what their strengths are, and what their stumbling blocks are.
Since I’m being nosy enough to quiz you, I’ll turn it around. In exchange, you can ask me anything.
I’ve been in the industry, working with traditional publishers and self-publishing, for the past seventeen years. I’ve also worked as a publicist, editor, and coach. If you’ve got craft questions, marketing questions, publishing questions, whatever… I’ll field them, or point you in the right direction to get the answers you need. I may even make future non-ranty blog posts about them, if there’s enough discussion. :)
So what’s on your mind, gang? No holds barred. Let’s get a little crazy, let our writers’ hair down, and get to know each other a little better.
Cathy Yardley has published over 33 novels, novellas, and serialized fiction, both traditionally and independently. In 2011, she started RockYourWriting.com, with the mission of helping novelists make a living. She has helped hundreds of authors as a developmental editor, writing coach, and through her “plot sessions” – one-on-one calls that get authors from concept to plot points in one hour. She’s also written the Rock Your Writing series of reference books, taking authors through the writing cycle, from concept to completion. Sign up for her newsletter, and you can receive free downloads to help you plot and revise your novel.
Guess I’ll start. :)
1. How long have you been writing?
Fiction for nine years now.
2. What genre would you say you write?
Contemporary romantic (not Romance), science fiction, or whatever sparks my curiosity. But because I write about lesbians, that’s probably considered a subgenre.
3. Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
Yes, I’ve taken online and “3-D” classes. I love learning from better writers. I hate that I’m so shy that I don’t get the most out of them.
4. What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
Bird by Bird, Word Painting, Reading Like a Writer, and others, as well as novels by writers I adore.
5. What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
Just one? Hmm. Finding the language to say what I want to say how I want to say it. Probably stopping too soon—at good enough instead of wonderful.
6. What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
I’m working on a second novel, so would like to take less than the seven years the first one took. I’d like a first draft by the end of this year and on to revisions for the next. As for goals, I’m starting out older, so not looking at this as a career that needs to support me. I don’t care about laurels. I just want to write to the best of my ability and have the quality improve as I progress. I love the high I get from writing a good sentence. The thrill of a great review is fleeting. The high can be recreated over and over.
My question: What do you think it will take for stories about lesbians (not as side characters or to be killed off) to be taken seriously by the big publishers? There are endless discussions within the “lesfic” community about the quality, or lack thereof, of lesbian fiction, but some books surpass the mainstream, yet time after time, the writers I see making it have either left the lesbians behind (Emma Donoghue hit it big with Room) or write historical fiction (Donoghue and Sarah Waters) or mysteries (Ellen Hart).
Hi, Elaine! :)
I’m going to preface this with: this is just my personal opinion regarding big publishers. Especially since the rise of digital fiction and the self-publishing movement, big publishers have been terrified, gambling more and more on “big breakout” styled books. They make judgments about what the reading public as a monolith will buy, and that monolith is largely cishet white and straight. While diversity seems to be “trending” (and a slight shudder here… diversity is not a “trend”, for God’s sake) it is still difficult to make a sale.
That said, it sounds like you’re asking what it will take for stories about lesbians being the main focus of the book, as opposed to being lesbians in other genres like historical or mystery, to be taken seriously by big publishers. The problem would be convincing them that there is a market for it. If it is a focus on a lesbian relationship, it’s an uphill battle, because focusing on any love relationship where women are involved is considered “women’s fiction” and that’s a fairly rigid hetero world that already has a tough time getting past the transom in traditional publishing. Women’s relationships are given short shrift, generally speaking, because they’re not seen as intriguing enough. (Not that men’s relationship books are considered more intriguing, there just generally isn’t a “market” and from what I’ve seen, very few offerings for those sorts of books, other than Lad Lit a la Nick Hornby.)
Best bet would be to have a hell of a commercial hook, something with very clear and escalating conflict. Just an examination of a lesbian relationship — or any relationship — isn’t enough. It needs to have something intriguing. Are the characters unusual? Is the situation unusual? For example, a lesbian couple in the military, serving in Afghanistan where being gay poses both legal and social difficulties (up to and including death.) Both the challenges of being gay in the military AND the horrifying possibilities of discovery in a virulently anti-gay and male dominated society show an obvious conflict to the lesbian characters and their relationship. Something like that would probably hit, I’d think.
Great question! Thanks, Elaine!
Writing: Forty years (with a long break in there).
Genre: Currently (male-authored) women’s fiction. Also an historical fantasy on ice. (No, not about frozen water, I mean awaiting revision.)
Instruction: I have taken writing classes, and I have taught them. Learned more from teaching, honestly, though there are some superb instructors out there.
Writing books: There are many, especially by contributors to this site, but equally instructive are other novels.
Biggest writing challenge (not “problem”, please): Writing real, authentic characters. The more I trust myself and write from a personal place the easier that gets.
One Year Goal: To continue writing not for the market but to meet my own writing challenges.
Your question: The publishing industry employs many lesbians in editorial and other positions. Being taken seriously is not the issue. The issue is whether lesbian stories can be written with mass appeal.
There is no reason why not. Take black literature. In the Seventies, Roots hit it big but was a slavery story. It was a political novel at the right moment. A few years later arrived How Stella Got Her Groove Back, which was emphatically not political. It was a true mass market novel, and sold that way.
Successful fiction sells across demographic lines: black/white, young/old, gay/straight, and so on. (Book consumers do tend to be high education/high income, though by no means exclusively.)
My point is that *all* fiction faces the challenge of appealing to people whatever their race, income, politics, faith, region, gender identity of whatever. It’s not an issue of being a lesbian writer, or writing lesbian protagonists. It’s an issue of writing, period.
Who would have thought we’d care to read a novel about the underclass in Afghanistan? Then came The Kite Runner. Any subject and any characters can achieve wide appeal. It’s all in how it’s done.
Benjamin! You’ve tackled the previous comment as well. I would argue that lesbian fiction has a harder time than other fiction when it comes to marketing to the Big 5. It is a matter of audience. Let’s say you have a story about a protagonist who lost the love of her life in and is now living like a hermit in a lighthouse. Suddenly, a photographer shows up, doing a calendar of lighthouses. They have a tempestuous affair. But ultimately, the photographer has to move on (there are other lighthouses to take photos of, after all) and the lighthouse keeper is given a choice — is she capable of moving past her loss, or will she remain behind, a solitary figure sequestered in her tower?
Make the photographer a guy, and you’ve got a potential women’s fiction novel. I can think of five editors off-hand who would at least look at it. Make the photographer a woman? You’ve got to be at least twice as interesting. The bar is simply higher, because the market perception isn’t there. The amount of sales for lesbian fiction is much smaller than women’s fiction, (possibly because of marketing, possibly because of societal perceptions) but either way, lesbian fiction has to be twice as good, and more than twice as commercially compelling in a high-concept way, as a straight story. That’s a reality right now, in my opinion.
It will probably take a breakout story to start to shift the balance. (One with a movie tie-in!) Here’s hoping.
“The bar is simply higher.” Maybe. But the bar was higher for The Kite Runner, too, and I’m very glad that Khaled Hosseini jumped over it.
To put it another way, you really want the bar to be lower? Is your aim for lesbian protagonists to have an easier route to Big 5 print or is your aim for them to be great protagonists?
I don’t mean to be insensitive or argumentative, but if you ask me the problem with a lower bar is this: lower sales and lesser characters.
Those easily published straight white male protagonists aren’t all great ones, not even close.
I think perhaps there has been a slight misunderstanding. (Or not! Let’s see. )
“To put it another way, you really want the bar to be lower? Is your aim for lesbian protagonists to have an easier route to Big 5 print or is your aim for them to be great protagonists?”
I didn’t say I wanted anything, particularly, and I’m never going to advocate lowering the bar and saying “no, let’s make it easier for books that are flawed or lazy to publish.”
My aim is to even the playing field. Why should a book with lesbian protagonists that is equal in quality to a book with straight protagonists be passed over? To say that authors of lesbian fiction are lucky because they have additional rigor to make their stories even that much better is disingenuous. That’s like saying “women are lucky they aren’t promoted to high management positions easily — it forces them to become stronger business people.” It ignores the fact that they already ARE competent.
Instead of lowering the bar for lesbian protagonists, why wasn’t your first thought “why don’t we raise the bar for straight protagonists?” You notice the disparity. You said: “Those easily published straight white male protagonists aren’t all great ones, not even close.” And yet — *they are published*.
It also assumes that every truly great lesbian protagonist gets published. They don’t. Not even close.
Again, it’s not about “setting the bar high.” It’s about “leveling the playing field.”
My point is, it’s unfair, but that is the situation being dealt with. The playing field is not level. Does that mean that authors shouldn’t strive? Hell, no. But if you ignore what you’re going into, you can’t be strategic, and you may set yourself up for resentment. At least, that’s my opinion.
I’ve been known to be “argumentative” myself. (See: Rantypants. ) I don’t think you’re being provocative or trying to pick a fight. This is a just a solid discussion — and, to me, an important one. :)
“Why should a book with lesbian protagonists that is equal in quality to a book with straight protagonists be passed over?”
““why don’t we raise the bar for straight protagonists?”
LOL. Well, you’ve got me there! Nicely put. Can’t argue. Wouldn’t. May I steal your lines?
(Though perhaps the bar for straight white male protagonists *should* be raised? Would spare us some disappointing reading, eh?)
Kathy, the part of your reply just above that is concerning to me is this:
“It also assumes that every truly great lesbian protagonist gets published. They don’t. Not even close.”
Kathy, do you know of truly good novels that have been turned down by the Big 5 solely on the basis of a protagonist’s being lesbian? That would be upsetting.
(“Wow, great manuscript, if only the protag were a straight white man, heck, in every other way we’d kill to publish this!”)
And I ask not to be cheeky, but genuinely, because all the folks I know in NY publishing are these days are highly committed to diversity and broadening both literature and audiences.
It would disappoint me greatly if main characters’ sexual identity were the primary factor in declining to publish good work.
Publishing is dominated by women executives, almost uniquely among industries. I know many gay and lesbian workers in that business. Is it truly still behind the times? What great novels have been passed over? How tragic for us readers!
“It would disappoint me greatly if main characters’ sexual identity were the primary factor in declining to publish good work.”
I absolutely think that agents and editors would decide not to publish a good book because it centered only around a lesbian relationship, because they would think it was too niche. They would say they aren’t discriminating, it’s simply “economics” — that people would not be interested in reading about a lesbian relationship. I can almost guarantee that there are excellent books that have been turned down by the Big 5 for just that reason. In fact, I could ask Big 5 editors if they’d acquire a story like that, over drinks and off the record, and you’d hear just those arguments. These aren’t closed minded people, or bad people, necessarily. This is “common wisdom.” Yes, they’re bandying around the word diversity, but I think you’d have a better chance with a lesbian protagonist in a different genre, like thriller or mystery. But she was talking specifically about a relationship story.
My bigger concern is the “victim-blaming” mentality, of “well, of course if the story is good enough, it will be published.” It subtly and subversively plants the suggestion that “well, if these stories were good enough, they’d make it” so there’s nothing wrong with the industry, it’s with the authors. I can say from personal experience I have seen books suffer because of subject matter and because of discrimination, and I know plenty of people in the industry, as well.
“My bigger concern is the “victim-blaming” mentality, of “well, of course if the story is good enough, it will be published.”
I see what you’re saying. Discrimination always has a false rationale. Heck, slavery was justified in all kinds of ways, including Biblically, that now look horrifying.
Over time I do believe that society accepts what it previously would not. We evolve. (Slowly.) Publishing does have biases and understandings about “the market” that, if not false, certainly are just waiting to be proven outdated. Believe it or not, even this straight white male author has some experience of that.
I’m all for excellent fiction and all for everyone’s fiction being judged on its own terms, not on false assumptions about something as large, changing and diverse as audience.
There is no one readership, and I will bet you that any “small” perceived readership for lesbian protagonists is a heck of a lot larger than the readership for some male-centric hard science fiction protagonists. Ha!
I suspect that you and I are talking around different sides of agreement. Onward with great fiction and showing publishers where their assumptions are wrong.
Great discussion, Kathy. Fun post too.
What Cathy describes, I’d call Romance, with a capital R. The main plot revolves around the relationship. Interesting to think that would sell if het. Capital-R Romance gets the lion’s share of sales in lesbian (and also I think straight) publishing. What if the main character was an animal control officer who grew up in foster care and is dealing with her annoying, alcoholic mother, while trying to get approval to build an animal shelter and, by the way, also dealing with some relationship issues?
I’m not saying my novel was Big 5 worthy. I don’t think I’m there yet, but I just hear things like publishers figure one token lesbian story at a time is enough (2015’s being Under the Udala Trees).
The fact that the Kite Runner came out in 2003, after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, likely contributed to it getting published. That it became a bestseller had to do with its excellence.
I’m not suggesting the bar be lowered, but as Benjamin points out, there are a lot of not very great white male protagonists that get published. Why would that be if the bar should be high?
1. Been writing on and off for 25 years (nonfiction and fiction), 3 novels (indie press for print editions) and a dozen short stories published in small lit magazines.
2. Mystery/supernatural
3. Studied writing in college. Years ago I took workshops. Mostly useless and a waste of time. I do better one on one, mentor style, with an editor or writing coach. Or my own self-study.
4. Writing Fiction by Janet Burroway is my favorite textbook. Also Story by Robert McKee. Making Shapely Fiction by Jerome Stern. I read a writing craft book every month and review it on my blog.
5. Biggest writing problem? Action scenes are very difficult to do smoothly. Also, openings of chapters: I often say, how do I start this?
6. Next 12 months is my 4th novel that’s still incubating. Ultimate goal for my career? No big designs. Just write, publish, sell; write, publish, sell. If I sell one or two novels a day, I’m happy.
Question: Literary Agents. In the past I’ve had 3 agents and not one sold a book. Is it harder to get an agent now than years ago? I hear nowadays, it takes over a year of submissions to land an agent and then close to 18 months for the agent to land a publisher. Then over a year for the publisher to schedule publication. Is it worth the wait of some 4 years? I’m not a spring chick.
I’m glad you asked about agents, Paula. I’d add to Paula’s question…what to do about non-answers from agents who request fulls/even R&Rs? What’s the best way to “nudge”?
Julia,
By non-answers, do you mean “getting ghosted” — where there simply isn’t a response as time drags on?
If they have requested a full, I think a polite email at the three month mark is perfectly acceptable. I’d also say that unless there is a reason you want this agent specifically, query others. This is a business. While the sales cycle is long, I think authors have diminished their own power as entrepreneurs by allowing over year-long lags without response, and “I don’t want to upset them” mentalities, as if agents were gods rather than potential business partners. That is ridiculous. No other business would allow such behavior.
tl;dr: a business-like email saying “I know you’re busy, but it’s been three months, is there any progress?” plus moving on is your best bet. If they’re excited about the commercial potential, they’re going to jump on it.
Thank you, great advice, and thank you for the wording suggestion. (And, yes, I’ve absolutely continued to query!)
Paula,
Regarding agents… it depends on the story. I have had clients who went on to get agents in less than a year, and who sold stories in that same year. I’ve also had clients who have had not had a nibble, despite having solid stories. Genre matters, market perception matters. If you’re writing for a clearly defined genre (i.e., thriller, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, romance) and can state your marketing potential clearly, as well as encapsulate your story in a way that’s very “sales-y” (high concept, commercial hook, etc.) then you’re more likely to land an agent. As to selling to a publisher, that’s more of the same. It’s a different mindset than selling, which is why so many writers struggle with it. And yes, traditional publishing’s time frame is still quite slow, so after it sells you’re still looking at about a year to a year and a half lag, at least.
Is it worth the wait? If you have a very commercial “big book” and you want them to launch it, if you’re strapped for cash or hesitant about the labor involved and don’t think you can do self-publishing justice at this point, then sure, going after traditional publishing can be worth it. I’d give it a time frame, though, and have a plan B in place. A lot of publishers and agents are looking for “hits” from the indiesphere to then pursue, since they’ve doing the groundwork in establishing the audience. There are more paths to success now than there were before.
1. I’ve been writing fiction for ten years while freelancing (technical, business); primarily fiction for the past five years.
2. What genre? Probably the best description would be commercial/literary, but I’ve also written mystery and MG & YA.
3. I have a journlism degree, but I’ve taken only a very few week/daylong classes in creative writing. My favorite part is the feedback from instructors (about my writing) and the workshopping with other students.
4. My favorite writing reference is WRITING FICTION: A Guide to Narrative Craft by Burroway & Stuckey-French.
5. The biggest thing I need help with is conflict, tension, and motivation. Second biggest is great beginnings, where to start the story.
6. My goal for the next 12 months is to have a(nother) novel to query. My ultimate goal is to work with an agent and to have a novel traditionally published (I have one self published novel).
Thank you for this post — it sent me in search of that favorite writing reference and reminded me that I should go back through the part on conflict, crisis, and resolution. Any suggestions you have for resources to further my “education” in this area would be much appreciated!
Julia,
I love writing reference books! (Who doesn’t, right?)
When it comes to conflict, crisis, and resolution, I adore Jack Bickham’s Scene and Structure. I also love Don Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook (his questions are much more hands-on and the exercises are great) and Mary Buckham and Diana Love’s Break Into Fiction.
I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s replies on that question! :)
How long have you been writing?
About 12 years
What genre would you say you write?
I would say western but I was told by an agent not to say “western” but to say historical. So I write historical. Also dabble in mystery/suspense. Would love to write non-fiction but that’s even a more huge time investment so not likely to happen.
Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
Have been to 3-4 conferences over the years, read writing craft books voraciously. Enjoyed: Especially in the early conferences being a sponge and soaking up tips, tricks & nuggets of wisdom–I needed it all. Dislike: After you’ve been writing a while, conferences seem old news. What I need most is to write, write, write. That is my best teacher right now. Also don’t like the “You must do it THIS way” approach that is sometimes taught. There’s an exception for everything and a good author knows if they take chances on bending the ‘rules’ the failure or success is on them.
What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
Absolute Favorite: Writing the Breakout Novel.
But there have been TONS of craft books that have been valuable. James Scott Bell has several of them. And plenty of others besides.
What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
Doesn’t directly qualify as “writing” problems per se but the 2 biggest are having confidence in myself to develop the skill to write great stories and 2)–a really big one–learning how to tame my thoughts down and settle on a plot. Major struggle to put a lid on the indecision about the 50 million different directions my story can go and just outline and write the dang thing.
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
Finish 1st draft of my next novel, revise one of the others. Ultimate: Series of historical fiction all set in or pertaining to Arizona. A character and a state chronicle.
Brenda — I’d say 80-90% of the people I work with have “50 million different directions my story can go” issues. :) The one thing I advise in that case: go back to your character. The stronger your character, the more finite the number of choices he or she will have to choose from and still be authentic. Then, as obstacles mount, the choices get pruned even further.
Thanks for answering! :)
Thanks for asking!
1. How long have you been writing?
Twenty-one years.
2. What genre would you say you write?
Mainstream contemporary fiction with a literary quality.
3. Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
I took a class on ‘Writing the Mystery’ in 1995; it was a class for adults, and homework was optional, but the teacher told us those who did the homework would end up with characters, plot, and a first chapter – so I did the work. She would then use examples from the writing of those who did the assignments – so there was immediate feedback. It worked well – I finished that mystery in the following years and still plan so revise it if I ever get some time.
4. What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
Sol Stein’s ‘Stein on Writing,’ Lisa Cron’s ‘Wired for Story’, Albert Zuckerman’s ‘Writing the Blockbuster Novel,’ Blake Snyder’s ‘Save the Cat’ books, Armando Saldaña-Mora’s ‘Dramatica for Screenwriters,’ Donald Maass’ ‘The Fire in Fiction,’ Orson Scott Card’s ‘Characters and Viewpoint,’ and Edward D. Johnson’s ‘The Handbook of Good English’ – they are within reach.
5. What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
Marketing. The writing has gelled into something I’m happy with and don’t want to meddle with until the Pride’s Children trilogy is finished – so it has a unity of method, tone, and voice. I will revisit the writing later – there’s always something to learn.
6. What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
Finish Pride’s Children: NETHERWORLD, the second book in the trilogy. Publish some short stories. Market. Find my tribe and my niche.
Alicia! Always good to hear from you.
Marketing is the Achilles heel of many writers. Writing is focused inward, marketing outward. I tend to look outside of writing resources when it comes to marketing… there are a lot of great business books out there that might help, if you’re interested. I like Gary Vaynerchuk’s Jab Jab Jab Right Hook, and I love Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt, but that isn’t as accessible if you don’t generally read business books.
Good luck with your Pride’s Children series!
The problem I have is that, with extremely limited energy, all methods which require a lot of effort for a small return on investment can’t work.
I need other methods where focused attention brings a larger return – to spend my scarce resources.
I’m getting ideas, trying things, watching the expenditures and the returns.
I read business books – when I have time. There’s always something to learn. Thanks for the particular recommendations – you’ve just curated them for me.
Super fun!
1. How long have you been writing?
– I started “seriously” writing in 2012, meaning I quit stuff that took time away from it, stopped talking about how I was going to do it, and just did it.
2. What genre would you say you write?
– Upmarket women’s fiction
3. Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
– I took a creative writing class in college, but far more helpful to my practical education has been working in the publishing industry for going on 15 years and reading a ton of books during that time that were not the classics taught in my degree program. I’m a copywriter, so that has improved my writing in a number of ways: precision, brevity, persuasive query letters, etc. I’ve also benefited immensely from a few writing craft books, workshops, and conferences. Plus, just writing MORE, because the more you write and rewrite and revise, the better you get.
4. What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
– Writing 21st Century Fiction and Writing the Breakout Novel (by WU’s own Donald Maass)
– The Forest for the Trees (by Betsy Lerner)
– 77 Reasons Why Your Book Was Rejected (by Mike Nappa)
– How Not to Write a Novel (by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman)
– The First Five Pages (by Noah Lukeman)
– And I can’t wait to read Story Genius (by WU’s own Lisa Cron who will be our 2017 WFWA Retreat speaker) and Write Your Novel from the Middle (by WU’s own James Scott Bell who will be the keynote speaker at the Breathe Writers Conference in October)
5. What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
– Plotting. I’m a pantser first, though I usually know what I want the climax and ending to be, and then I get to a point where I need to plot out the middle and sometimes that gets muddy. This is why I’m looking forward to learning from both James Scott Bell and Lisa Cron in the coming years.
6. What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
– My first novel is on submission, so I would really like to see my first contract in the next year. My second MS has been turned into my agent, so I’d like to polish that up this year and start submitting it, perhaps in the fall. And I’m drafting a third, which I’d like to finish (first draft) this year so I can revise in the winter.
In the long run, my ultimate goal is to publish about every two years, slowly increasing readership and sales until I can work part time in a plant nursery rather than full time in publishing/marketing. I’d like to be able to work less with other people’s books and write more of my own, I’m thinking about ten years down the road when I’m in my mid-forties. That would be the ideal.
And now for my question for you: What do you think is the most overlooked aspect of building sustainable writing career?
Ooh, great question, Erin!
I’d say the most overlooked aspect of building a sustainable writing career is developing your mindset. There’s a great book called The Power of Full Engagement by James E. Loehr and Tony Schwartz that helps with this. They point out that, at the Olympic level or any other top athletic competing level, the difference in skill is negligible… it’s the mindset and ability to manage energy that sets the true winners apart. I have seen too many authors burn themselves out, either from the crush of writing and promoting or bitterness at the industry’s foibles. They get crippled by fear and depression. They are blown about by the highs and lows of success and rejection. If you want to make it as a long-haul author, you *must* actively create routines for self-care, mindset, and energy management.
1. How long have you been writing? – About twenty-five years. I’ve been pursuing it seriously as a career (meaning writing every day/sending out tons of submissions instead of just writing here and there and submitting something about once a year) for the last five.
2. What genre would you say you write? – Romance, largely paranormal.
3. Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? – Not since I was younger, but I have sought out a lot of knowledge independently, through reading books and the vast amount of information available online through writer’s groups and blogs. The classes I did take I enjoyed learning the mechanics of writing, but I never thought enough focus on creativity was involved.
4. What are some of your favorite writing reference books? – ‘Bird by Bird’ by Anne Lamott. ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King.
5. What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? – Although I write in a genre that can be trope-based and formulaic, I would like to be a bit more innovative with my ideas.
6. What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? – The next twelve months: continue to build sales of the books I currently have published, grow my readership, and continue to publish works. Ultimate goals: to pay the bills with writing by publishing consistently, having a large and solid readership, and building the social and marketing platforms I need to make it a ‘real job.’
Megan,
PNR! Woot! Woot! Woot! *does a happy dance* I love paranormal romance. I was on the Sherrilyn Kenyon and J.R. Ward bandwagon until the series just ran too long for me (I may still get back into them, though) and I’ve read tons of other authors. I also write romance, although more contemporary (and some urban fantasy). Good luck, and keep me posted! :)
Hi Cathy,
Interesting post and thanks for asking.
1 How long have you been writing? From high school on, I have taken Creative Writing courses and attended the Un of Iowa Summer Writing Workshops for 11 years. Now I write full time.
2 What genre would you say you write? Upmarket fiction, women’s fiction with literary elements—Donald Maass’s postcards!
3 Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? As mentioned above, I took many classes at the Un of Iowa Writing Workshops and enjoyed all of them.
4 What are some of your favorite writing reference books? Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott, Writing the Breakout Novel, D. Maass, Crafting Scenes, R. Obstfeld, Creating Plot, J. Madison Davis and I read John Gardner also.
5 What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? The first chapter to get an agent to take me on.
6 What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? I desire an agent. I would hire an editor now, but after one expensive time with an editor, I feel an agent’s guidance should come first. I have two other novels to rewrite and publish after the one I am currently querying.
Congrats on writing full time, Beth! Fingers crossed that you connect with the perfect agent for you.
Cathy, I might have enjoyed your Hamilton-Adichie-Guevera rant. You always give such terrific advice and I’ve been enjoying all the comments so far, getting to know my fellow writers here.
1. I’ve been writing for 15 years.
2. I write primarily for children, nonfiction, esp. science and math, also a bit of fiction and poetry.
3. I’ve taken classes and loved them because they push me beyond my comfort zone. I always find I make a quantum leap when I take a class. I prefer the in-person classes best. Online hasn’t been as fruitful. I also taught for the Institute of Children’s Literature for several years and that cured me of lazy writing because I couldn’t very well carp on my students without changing those bad habits myself. LOL. I say the best way to learn something is to teach it.
4. Don’s Breakout and 21st Century, Julia Cameron’s Right to Write, Levine’s Negotiating a Book Contract (I don’t have an agent), Jim’s Plot and Structure, Vogler’s Hero’s Journey, Stein on Writing, Save the Cat, Writing a Book that Makes a Difference, Giblin Guide to Children’s Books, Word Work by Rogers.
5. I struggle with first drafts of a novel. What seems perfect in my head gets mangled when I put the story on paper. Also, my internal editor is always criticizing and it takes a lot of effort to write without censoring myself. That’s partly why I enjoy revision so much more.
6. For the next few months I plan to work on polishing some picture books and sending them out. I also want to get my historical fiction ship-shape. Longer term, I want to have a body of trade books (I only have one right now; the rest, 50+, are work-for-hire) that will earn enough royalties so that we can afford a traditional Catholic college education for our children, and to be able to write novels with greater ease. Some stories of my heart just don’t fit in the short format. Needless to say, I hope they become best-sellers. God-willing.
Vijaya, I’ve seen you around so much on Writer Unboxed, I’m happy to get to know more about you! Children’s fiction is so challenging, I’m impressed. And yes, the best way to learn is to teach!
Those are a lot of work-for-hire books, as well. Good on you for writing so prolifically. I think that having your own catalog, as it were, will definitely help with your goal. Good luck — I look forward to hearing about more of your work!
1. All my life
2.Genre fiction for children, young adults and adults
3. Panel discussion and lectures work best for me
4.On Writing by Stephen King
Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul
The Art and Craft of Storytelling by Nancy Lamb
5. The biggest problem I’m currently facing is finding the right publisher for my picture books
6. 12 month goal: finding the right publisher for my picture books and YA novel
ultimate goal: finance my husband’s retirement
Leanne, thanks for answering. Picture books are particularly challenging these days. I went to high school with Matt de la Pena, the author of Last Stop on Market Street, the second picture book to win the Newbery Medal. He also writes YA, both realistic contemporary and dystopian. If you know your audience and your themes, I think you’ve got a lot of opportunities. Good luck!
1) Have been writing for 9 months
2)Literary fiction
3)Attend a bi-weekly writer’s group for help
4)Most other members are genre; having a hard time finding peers with similar interests
5) Fave book is “The Art & Craft of Novel Writing” (Oakley Hall)
6)Need help with linear storytelling, as am rank amateur
Question: What is UP with literary fiction publishing? It is my passion, but…I can barely stand to read the literary journals. BOR-ing. From what I can tell, no one else reads them either. Does this mean I have more of an upmarket literary fiction bent? Help. I am just searching for contemporaries at this point, am just beginning the submission process.
So great to see you here, Chandra! :)
It’s hard when you’re in a writing group that doesn’t really mesh with what you write. You’re in luck here, though — I think WU has quite a few literary writers. You might be able to swap work, if you like, or at the very least hear lots of things about the approach. (Like Don Maass’s post the other day about literary postcards.) They would also be better able to talk about literary journals, the readership and content. I think, because literary fiction is so hard to identify with a market, that having the journal “creds” probably helps as far as getting an agent or publishing traditionally. Personally, I think if you’ve got a slightly more commercial bent, then you might be in a better position to sell, but I’ll see how other people weigh in.
I totally get what you mean about literary journals! I do think there is a problem with “literary” fiction sometimes being boring, although I certainly have literary fiction I love. I agree with Cathy–you should check out that post about literary post cards, it was great. I really like the description upmarket literary fiction, like literary fiction you don’t have to be an English Major to find out about or enjoy. That’s what I’m working towards!
Hey, Chandra,
I’m down below and write lit fic, too. Cathy suggested I come up and introduce myself to you and Erin, so here I am…introducing myself…to you and Erin.
What lit fic mags are you reading? I love them! The New Yorker, The Atlantic — both staples in my reading. But another one — Crazy Horse is really good and actually takes submissions (the other two are pipe dreams for now). Another one is Glimmer Train. I submitted a couple of shorts to them early in my journey…hmm….I think it’s time to revisit.
Are you connected to the Facebook community page? If not, it’s another great way to meet people who write lit fic. They can probably direct you more than I; I’ve been working feverishly on other projects and am not as abreast on the topic.
Anyway, great to meet you!
Hi! Thanks so much for the response. Clearly I am not well-enough connected, as it has taken me a week to discover it! I have recently submitted to a few journals, though nothing as ambitious as Glimmer Train….hope to see you around and thanks for all your suggestions.
1. I’ve been writing since I was 8 (now almost 60). I was seriously trying to get published in my 20s, had a gap when I was in grad school, then wrote less seriously for many years till a friend of mine convinced me to do Nanowrimo in 2010. I did that 4 times, then set to revising the first novel I completed. Still working on that…
2. The current novel is women’s upmarket/literary. I have two other drafts that are magical realism/(probably women’s upmarket too).
3. I took classes as an undergraduate, in my 20s, and during the past year through Grub Street Writers. The latter have been the very best, with supportive but challenging teachers and good craft advice. What I like best is the chance to meet other writers, learn techniques to improve my work, and get feedback. What I like least are pretentious fellow students (esp the ones who suck up all the time and air in the room) and instructors and prescriptive “advice” that assumes there is only one way to write and/or get published.
4. Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott. Charles Baxter’s books. I’ve just started Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Leguin and so far love it.
5. I start from character, place, and scene. Plotting and keeping the plot moving is harder for me. Feeling confident about my work and putting myself out in writing communities is the hardest, but (as in doing this) I am forcing myself.
6. My goal for the next 12 months is to finish revising my novel, get it professionally edited, and send it to an agent. My goal for my writing career is to continue it this time! I would love to be published and make money from my writing, but whether or not I do I will continue writing. The most important goal of all is to continue to work to become the best writer I can be.
Questions for you: Is my age and not being “cute” really a barrier to being published? Is it all right to try to connect with “real” (i.e., published) writers, or will they think I’m a presumptuous nuisance trying to take up their writing time? (corollary, which you wouldn’t be able to answer: Am I a pretentious nuisance? Or just a plain one?)
1. How long have you been writing? For as long as I can remember. I started with stories for school, graduated to fanfiction, and have now moved on to pursuing writing as a career. (Note: All my life is not that long, I’m only 24.)
2. What genre would you say you write? Literary and magical realism
3. Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? I have a BA in English Lit with a minor in Creative Writing. I’ve taken one community writing course as well.
4. What are some of your favorite writing reference books? On Writing by Stephen King, and anything and everything ever written by Neil Gaiman (even though they aren’t reference books…) Also I really love the “Writing Excuses” podcast.
5. What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? I have problems with plot and endings… endings are the worst.
6. What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? For the next 12 months, I want to finish the novel I’m working on, and get at least five short stories published in literary journals. For my career, I want to make a living writing novels.
Question: Are there any blogs/newsletters you would recommend subscribing to that give hardcore advice about developing your skills and expanding your toolbox as a writer? Thanks!
Erin, I love magical realism! Always great to see a magical realism author. And you write in literary journals (or are trying to?) You might want to weigh in on Chandra’s comment… what do you like about literary journals? Who do you think the audience is, and how do you think it will help you as a writer?
As to blogs/newsletters — well, obviously I love Writer Unboxed. :) I tend to follow blogs and newsletters more for market information and marketing trends, rather than writing craft — I learn more from reference books, and workshops or one-on-ones with authors who teach. I do like K.M. Weiland’s Helping Writers Become Authors, I think she’s got good nuts-and-bolts craft stuff. Also Janice Hardy’s Fiction University. If you’re thinking literary, though, you may want to look more in that vein.
Anybody else have blogs and newsletters to suggest?
Thanks for your reply! I am working on getting into literary journals, circulating a few pieces right now. I did reply to Chandra! Thanks for the resources; I will check them out!
I’ve been following Writer Unboxed for years but haven’t ever commented before. Thanks for making my first time such a great experience!
Erin,
Welcome to Writer Unboxed (well, congrats for finally coming out of the shadows and commenting). I write lit fic, too, and Cathy suggested I introduce myself. It’s good to meet you, and I’m sure our paths will cross many times over in the coming years. Are you aware of the WU Facebook page? Up at the header, if you hit “F” on the typewriter, it will take you there. It’s a great community.
See you around!
1.How long have you been writing? Since I was eight years old, but there have been long, tortured periods of being blocked. It’s only in the last seven years that I have really become ‘a writer’.
2.What genre would you say you write? Sci fi, fantasy, children’s picture books and reference material for primary schoolers and teens. Other stuff bubbles along in the background…
3.Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? I completed a communications degree, but over the last few years the internet has provided access to a wide and deep field of shared knowledge and experience that has been far more valuable to me.
4.What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
Many of those already mentioned. I also liked Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic.
5.What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? Reducing procrastination so I can be more productive. Given that I need to support my family, I’m not giving up my day job just yet, so I need to make the most of the time I do have, without burning myself out. I actually tend to err on the side of being comfortable, but time is slipping away…
6.What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? Finish revising and polishing my first novel and submit it, with a time limit. If unsuccessful, examine self publishing options. Begin next novel. My ultimate goal would be to be able to make a (comfortable!) living from my writing.
My question: I’m an introvert. I like to live my life in the real world, not on social media. Given the nature of this industry and how much the author needs to be involved in promoting their work, am I on a hiding to nothing by wanting to be published? Assuming it’s not my work that is lacking, just my willingness to engage, am I doomed to failure?
Gaetane, I hear you re: being blocked. I’ve gone through serious periods of being blocked, although it turns out depression was a serious component of that. I urge all authors to look at that.
As to marketing as an introvert that doesn’t live online: you don’t necessarily have to have a prevalent social media presence. It’s one tactic, but it’s not the only viable strategy. If you like writing, you might look more at writing pieces for guest posting, creating a static website, and hopefully working with a publisher that is willing to do things like promotional pricing and ARC (advance reading copies) to get the word out with reviews and giveaways and things. Or possibly advertising. Might be a bit more expensive, but if you don’t pay in time and labor, you pay in money.
Nothing is impossible. If you’re willing to put in effort and find alternatives, you’ve got a shot.
Hey, Cathy,
Goodness! I’ll have to come back later when I have more than a moment so I can read everybody else’s comments and get to know them a little better, too. Plus, your responses (I’ve already read a couple coming down to the basement — excellent!).
Let’s see…since I only have less than a moment now, I’ll cruise through your questions:
How long have you been writing? Ever since I could hold a crayon. Of course, it was nothing but a rainbow of scribbles, but it made it to the front of the fridge.
I continued to write as a hobby all through school and became interested in journalism but didn’t pursue it beyond high school. People have always told me, “Mike, you should write a book,” and when caring for my Mom, I decided to take them up on their suggestion. Share some of my life experiences in fictional form.
In 2011, at the urging of a friend, I started a blog, realized how rusty I was, spent the year reacquainting myself with the craft, and in Fall of 2012, reopened under new management. I’ve kept studying and am currently working on my first novel (well, my second, but the first one is a NaNo castoff not suitable for human consumption).
What genre would you say you write? Literary fiction. I say that because that’s what others tell me I write. My stories are character-driven, emotional, a little funny, a little sad…I dunno…they’re about life.
I experiment with my short stories and am all over the map with those, but the stories that are in my heart for novels fall in the literary fiction category.
Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? Yes, back in high school (extra-curricular) and a creative writing class in college.
I enjoyed (and still do) writing “outside the box,” but my college prof didn’t enjoy reading it. I knew the rules and I bent them a lot. I write realistically and usually use slang and nonstandard words (correctly, by the way…most of the time in dialogue, although I did have a narrator once who was an old prospector. Actually, the story was epistolary — excerpts from his journal — and was written by a person without much education. Even with that, I researched western dialect of the period, so it was true-to-period.) So, I guess my dislike would be feeling “caged in” with my writing. I like to let it flow as it should.
What are some of your favorite writing reference books? Oh, god. Let’s just say probably all of the ones mentioned above, especially if Wired for Story (Lisa Cron) and any of Don’s books were among them. I have them all.
But ONE book that seriously set me free was John Vorhaus’s How to Write Good. I was (and am — I constantly fight it) a perfectionist. The whole book was great, very well-written (or should I say written good?), straight-forward, and had John all over it if you’ve ever met him. However, the piece of advice that stuck with me was “Let whimsy rule the page.” Of course, he elaborated on how to do that and come back and fix it later, but that sentence hit home.
I like whimsy, and letting it rule the page was freeing. Suddenly, I was writing with complete abandon. I wasn’t laboriously poring over each page like a Tibetan monk scribing a sacred scroll, fearing my hands might be cut off if I made an error. That book was a game-changer. And it was cheap, too. Double w00t!
What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? Well, I’ve already touched on that a litle with the perfectionism. Also, devising a better schedule…better time-management.
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? To have the rough draft of my wip finished. My ultimate goal is to make a decent living writing, via novels and freelance. Who knows? I’ll take it as it unfolds and do my best (and work my ass off).
I’ll have to read the others before asking a question. I don’t want to duplicate, and that “less than a moment” expired hours ago!
Can’t wait to meet-meet you in Salem!
Mike, my WU friend! It is always good to hear from you! And since you are also a literary (and I’d say, somewhat upmarket) writer…have you met Chandra and Erin? :)
If your novels are like your blogs and social media posts, I am sure I’ll love them. Can’t wait to meet you in Salem, as well!
1. How long have you been writing? It’s cliché to say “all of my life”, but it’s true. Except for a few years during college, I have always written. My first novel was written 15 years ago.
2. What genre would you say you write? Science fiction and fantasy. I love them both and like to switch back and forth to keep it fresh! My current querying project is science fiction, my current WIP is fantasy.
3. Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? Not anything formal, aside from a standard high school class many years ago. I mostly self-teach through writing books and websites. I did recently attend my first conference which had some instructive panels. I enjoy getting a chance to try something new and really make something “click”, and I hate the generic advice that seems impossible to apply practically.
4. What are some of your favorite writing reference books? How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card and Story Engineering by Larry Brooks. As a bonus, it’s not a reference but just about writing in general, is Sometimes the Magic Works by Terry Brooks.
5. What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? I don’t know! That’s the frustrating thing. I’m at that point where I can’t seem to figure out what is holding me back. I guess just adding that spark, that something that grabs readers and won’t let them go.
6. What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? I try to set writing goals that are under my own control. So in the next 12 months I would like to query my current querying project widely as well as finish and revise my current WIP. But, in my heart, my real goal is to get repped by a good agent. My ultimate career goals are to *have* a career. To sell my books, to have readers, potentially to support myself by the same.
Nora, it’s so great to meet you. I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy (love the Dresden Files, love a lot of old school Asimov and Ender’s Game some John Scalzi and all sorts of urban fantasy and epic fantasy and oh, my, so much fun!)
And you’ve named two of my favorite writing resources, Card’s How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy and Larry Brooks’ Story Engineering, which was a game changer for my own fiction.
Looking forward to watching you find that spark! :)
Cathy, thanks for asking.
1. If you count my hand-written-and-Xeroxed-and-sold-on-my-street-corner Beatles newsletter when I was nine, over 50 years. But in regards writing stories and poems and scads of dreck on a more consistent basis, 40+ years.
2. Probably commercial (or mainstream)/literary on the fiction side. Nonfiction: travel, journalistic pieces, personal essays, business copywriting and other tumbles of words.
3. MA in Creative Writing, S.F. State U. Decent program when I attended, but I could have likely learned as much about characters by visiting more S.F. bars and writing about that (since many of them resemble the famed Star Wars bar scene). So I did more bar scrutiny after I graduated. Fair amount of conferences too.
4. Many mentioned already: Bird by Bird, On Writing, Writing Down the Bones. But also, On Writing Well (Zinsser), The Well-Tempered Sentence (Gordon), Eats, Shoots and Leaves (Truss) because I’m an editor too. (Pinckert’s Practical Grammar as well, because the title’s so good.)
And the reference books that are the writing itself: Lolita, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gilead, The Road, Handmaid’s Tale, Grapes of Wrath (we could go on forever here…)
5. Oh sheesh, got a day? Well, from the cloud level, translating the shimmering merging of characters chasing their Grail, dancing language, the smell of the earth in a setting, the life-mystery suggested but only realized later as a faint taste—all that from the dream state of when you begin a project, to the actual reality of those cussed flat tires on the page. Dang.
From the ground level: doing the work.
6. 12 Months: Finishing (I’m close!) a collaborative historical novel that’s been good fun (and then the work begins). Self-pubbing the finished novel before that (oh yeah, the work must begin on that too).
Ultimate goal: to have an hors d’oeuvre named after one of my main characters. Really though, just to have moved some people with my work, so that after they’ve finished my book, they say “Wow, that was pretty damn good. I might even read it again some day.”
So, are you going to answer your own questions for us?
“Ultimate goal: to have an hors d’oeuvre named after one of my main characters.”
This is the coolest goal I have ever read. Ever. I now want this desperately. :) Just based on your post, I can tell I’d enjoy your voice. (Loved the “bar scrutiny” bit!) And it’s always great to meet another editor!
As to answering these questions myself… hmmm. Turnabout would be fair play, huh? Okay. I’ll do a separate post and answer myself. Thanks for asking!
How long have you been writing?
All my life. As a full-time professional, I’ve been self-employed since 2003.
What genre would you say you write?
Historical and women’s fiction with paranormal twists.
Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
Studied creative writing in college, but I learned more from the professionals in the trenches. I spent three years attending every writer’s conference from New York to Florida, including four International Book Expos (NY, DC, and Chicago.) I joined several national and local writing groups, and graduated from Writing the Breakout Novel Intensive Training by Don Maass.
I enjoyed the multitude of writers I met. Years later, I remain friends with many writers. Sharing our joys and frustrations, we have discovered how alike we are. I try to promote every author I possibly can, on my blog, and on social media.
What I disliked was the empty promises of editor and literary agent contacts. Eventually, I realized instead of fancy/schmancy writing conferences that charge an arm and a leg, and teach you the same worn-out topics they taught you last year and the year before, we need a Writer’s Convention where round table discussions result in finding real solutions to the serious industry issues at hand.
What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
Writing 21st Century Fiction, Writing the Breakout Novel, anything and everything by Donald Maass, including his workbook.
The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman
What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
With writing or marketing? I think most of us need the most help with getting our work into the laps of our readers. But if you specifically mean writing, then I would have to say keeping my word count to the required maximum. Also, I tend to edit too much as I write, which slows down the process. I have a tough time keeping my ADHD self in check.
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months?
Finish the manuscript for my next book, Bitter Homes and Gardens.
What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
To mentor, to teach, and to give back to hopeful writers. My deep-south hometown is full of women who love to read. They’ve been my greatest supporters. We would like our town to be a destination for authors who want to speak about their books, selling them afterward. Our goal is to create a Literary League. And of course, I would love to write and traditionally publish a few more books with a good publisher.
My question for you: I realize the length of time it takes from finishing the novel to publication is painfully long. Do you think that will ever change? Also, the process of retailers returning unsold books is an antiquated process that plagues every author. To me, it’s the most ridiculous part of this business. If the Gap can’t return its unsold blue jeans to the Levi Company, why should Barnes & Noble be allowed to return its unsold books to the publisher? Do you feel this will ever change?
Welcome, fellow ADHD writer! I adore your idea of a Literary League, and creating a literary destination.
As to the publishing industry’s antiquated practices… oh God, don’t get me started. I think smaller publishers are better able to shorten the length of time from acquisition to publication, and they’re recognizing that as an important development. (If they were really on the ball, they might look more at software’s Dev Ops practices.) And the consignment element, being able to return books to the publisher, is madness to me. Of course, with the stumbling of the bricks-and-mortar bookstore situation, things may be changing anyway. I think that it will change, but as with everything in the publishing world, it will be slow.
Here are my replies:
How long have you been writing?
Since I was about five years old. I’ve been working more seriously on my writing for about fifteen years.
What genre would you say you write?
Fantasy mostly, but also some sf, historic and mystery/thriller.
Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
I’ve gone to some writing courses. I think I mostly enjoyed getting feedback from a professional writer, but also from the other participants.
What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
I’ve read several, but unfortunately it was a long time ago and I don’t remember any titles now.
What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
Probably to write longer work. Most of my writing ends up being far too long to count as short stories, yet rather too short to count as novels. So I suppose you might say I write mainly novella.
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months?
Since I recently gave birth to twins, I can’t say I have any major writing goals at the moment. Hopefully I’ll be able to write some short stories.
What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
To be a better writer and to sell more copies of my books.
Ilirwen,
Congrats on the twins! Yes, having children (especially twins, I’d imagine!) definitely impacts the writing. I mentioned self-care before. This is a situation that calls for massive amounts of self-care, considering the physical and emotional demands on you. And having a good support network helps, as well… writing, and otherwise. Hang in there!
Hey Ilerwen,
I have seven year old twins, there isnt much I love talking about more! If you ever want someone to chat with about your triumphs, struggles or just love of having twins, I’m here with you.
Cathy,
What an awesome way to channel your rant’s energy.
I spent some time thinking about this today and wouldn’t let myself post until after I got my daily writing done (Thanks for the motivation, it was one of those hard-to-start kinda days). I hope I’m not too late.
1. Five years.
2. Adventure, sometimes with a touch of magic or a sprinkle of fantasy.
3. No but it’s on my list. I’d like to take classes so that I will be challenged and grow as a writer. I’d also like but not like to receive feedback.
4. Pen On Fire by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
I have a long list but figure many will have already been mentioned by now.
5. Query writing.
6. In the next 12 months I plan to query my completed picture book, finish, revise and query my current project, register for a class, workshop or conference and find a writing buddy. Ultimately, I’d like to be a published author and a motivational speaker that inspires young people with limited opportunities.
I do have a few questions for you. I hope three is not too many.
1. What are your recommendations for improved query writing?
2. I am interested in furthering my writing skills but feel like I have reached a ceiling for what I can do on my own. Would you recommend college courses, a workshop or a conference as the best next step?
3. I am on the hunt for a writing buddy. I attended a local writer’s group recently but felt like a complete outsider. I have also tried looking into online groups but hesitate to share/ participate after some of the horror stories I’ve heard. Do you have any suggestions for how to approach these situations or tips for other ways I can meet fellow writers that I haven’t tried?
Thanks so much for the privilege of being treated like one of your clients.
Celeste, it’s great to hear from you! We have a great group here, and several picture book writers, as well. You might connect with them a bit, either directly or in a post on the Facebook page (if you haven’t joined Writer Unboxed’s Facebook page… SO WORTH IT. Really, a great and lively crew over there.)
As to your questions:
1. There are plenty of great query resources out there. I have a book on querying, myself. If you want, just email me, and I’ll send over a copy. (That goes for anyone else who might be reading, by the way.)
2. I think you’ll want to look at very specific courses, not necessarily college courses. If you’re doing picture books, Jane Yolen does a Picture Book Boot Camp that apparently works wonders… I’ve heard many people singing its praises. Otherwise, are you a member of SCWBI? (Society of Children’s BOok Writers and Illustrators)? If not, I strongly suggest joining. They have conferences and some great resources.
3. How to approach/meet other writers — again, I’ve already seen several in the comments alone. Writer Unboxed is a fantastic community. We may need to do a picture book post or two, from the looks of it! But I’d say, set parameters, set a trial period (maybe you’ll swap work for a month or two and then take a break, and decide if you guys still hit it off, no hard feelings. Good fences make good boundaries.) It’s better to try and hit the horror story than stay paralyzed, in my opinion, but you have to gauge your own comfort levels.
Good luck with this! :)
How long have you been writing? — I’ve been interested in writing since I was about twelve (so, 34 years) but I’d say I’ve only been putting serious effort into writing within the last ten years or so. Really, for the last five.
What genre would you say you write? — Mostly science fiction and fantasy, which is admittedly a very large sandbox to play in.
Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? — I’ve taken a few face to face classes and I really enjoyed being face to face with other writers. Dislikes…I wish the sessions had been longer.
What are some of your favorite writing reference books? — How Not to Write a Novel, Outlining Your Novel, and pretty much anything Chuck Wendig has ever written.
What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? — Plotting. I can usually start strong, then I end up with a bunch of scenes that are part of the story but that need something else to connect them to the rest of the story. I particularly have trouble with endings.
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? — Finishing something. For preference, finishing something in the sense that “this is ready to be submitted for potential publication” but I’ll settle for ‘this is a first draft and it is done!” My ultimate goal is to publish something and get paid for writing. I don’t expect to be able to quit my day job, but a supplemental income would be lovely.
My question: Is there a market for shorter novels? Like in the 50-60 thousand word range?
Kathleen,
Ah, more sci-fi and fantasy. This has been a very happy day for me! :) I’m loving everybody’s responses, and seeing the breadth of genres and experiences.
As to your question — I think that indie/self-publishing and digital publishing has made a market for shorter novels, although I think if they’re part of a series, that helps things immensely. I’d say my biggest concern for sci-fi and fantasy at that length is that you’d have a hard time getting any significant world building in, and that tends to be a big part of the draw for that audience. Urban fantasy is a bit easier, because you’re building off of the established “world” and just coming up with the magic system.
So… yes, sort of? But it’s tough.
How long have you been writing? Just over a year.
What genre would you say you write? Horror and Thriller
Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? No.
What are some of your favorite writing reference books? Indie Author Survival Guide, and How To Not SUCK At Writing Your First Book
What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? Making my writing captivate and intrigue the reader.
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? 12 months: Start earning enough money to pay for college. Career: Make a living from it.
I have a few questions for you as well:
-Why or why don’t you think it’s possible for the average writer to make a living from it?
-What is the best way to improve your writing, besides reading and writing more?
-What is a great book to read that will help me improve writing?
David,
It’s so great to meet a horror writer! I feel like that genre has so much room for growth. I wish I worked with more horror authors. (Actually, I met Mercedes M. Yardley online, because of our last names… she’s a wonderful horror writer, and she writes about horror. She has a blog about her writing, actually. You might check it out here: https://abrokenlaptop.com/)
As to your questions:
1. Is it possible for the average writer to make a living from it? It depends on how you define “average.” :) I think it’s possible for a midlist author to make a decent living (let’s say $40-60k USD/year), but it’s a tough road, and it requires being entrepreneurial, resilient, and relentless, as well as being aware of the market, decent at “selling” (your work and your brand), and surrounded by a solid support network (writers and others.) Most people have elements, but not the whole package. I’ve met writers who are excellent, but don’t have the entrepreneurial bent — and relentless marketeers who overcorrect and skimp on their stories, teetering on the edge of burn-out. It takes a strategy. I’d say look at going “hybrid”, that is, deliberately planning a writing career that includes both traditional and self-published works. Think holistically about your marketing and your writing — they’re both elements of the same ecosystem, after all. That said, I absolutely believe it is possible. Difficult, but possible.
2. What is the best way to improve your writing besides reading and writing more? Again, support network. Get yourself a group of supportive writers who enjoy your genre and who are willing to work together to hone each other’s work, keep an eye on the industry, and support each other’s marketing. Also, people who are friends who will keep you from going crazy, because nothing drives you more insane than writing, in my experience. These people should ideally be writers as well, because they will understand and not judge when you’re tearing your hair out and speaking in tongues. Finally, the best way to improve your writing is to get your work out there. The difference between a successful author and an unsuccessful one isn’t the quality of the writing in most cases (alas, I know!) but the ability to stand up to criticism and rejection. I don’t care how flawless someone’s writing is, there are always, ALWAYS going to be haters. Vocal ones. Learn to tough up around that, learn to submit your work just a hair before you think it’s ready (not when it’s really rough — that’s a balance you’ll learn — but when you can recognize you’re just nervous and stalling) and you’ll find yourself head and shoulders past other writers who aren’t able to cross that bridge. You’ll learn more, too.
3. What’s a great book to read that will help improve your writing? Well, we’ve got plenty of resources in the comments! Look through, and start there. :)
Oh, and again, I’d say join the Writer Unboxed Facebook page. Lively group, great links and resources, and fantastic discussions. Also, very, very supportive. :)
Sorry… a quick edit. I meant to say Mercedes writes about WRITING on that blog link. Not about horror. Although she is obviously a horror writer. Which is what I meant. D’oh!
Also, just took a quick look at your website. You’ve made a few hundred dollars on your first two self-published books? And you’re, well, quite young!
Well done, you! :)
I get the feeling you’ve got JUST the entrepreneurial mindset to make a go of a writing career!
Thank you :) That means a lot to me. I just copied your comments in a different document so I can think about what you said more.
Initial thoughts: That’s some really great advice. I’ve been struggling to find a group of writers like that, as most are too busy or too hard to contact. However, I’m doing my best and slowly I’ve gathered one or two.
That blog looks fascinating. I’m gonna check it out more seriously. Fellow WordPress blog ;) Lol maybe I should take notes.
If I ever get a Facebook page (stingy, overprotective parents), joining WU is gonna be the first thing I do! And when I get older, I plan to come to the UnConference thing. I’ll see you all there in a couple years ;)
And oh yeah! There’s TONS of cool stuff happening in the Horror Genre :) I’m loving all the authors who have started taking a piece of the pie from Stephen King lol.
All righty. I’ll play. Let’s see…
How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first short story at 10 and I’m 47 now. But I started writing “seriously” at about 29.
What genre would you say you write?
I used to say literary fiction. But now I write fairy tales, magical realism, and science-fiction–all with a literary bent.
Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing?
Yes. In college and in an evening course when I was 29.
What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
Mostly I enjoyed all the writing courses I’ve taken. I had a bad experience with a poetry class once, but I’ve been fortunate to be in mostly positive environments.
What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
The ubiquitous Bird by Bird and On Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande. Writing Done the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. But I have a couple shelves of writing books, and I may like one aspect of one book and one aspect of another.
What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
Keeping the plot and subplots hanging together.
What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
I had a publisher, but that publisher went out of business. So, my goal is to find another publisher. I don’t expect to make tons of money writing, but it would be nice to be able to at least cut back on my hours at my day job.
Thanks for asking!
“…fairy tales, magical realism, and science-fiction–all with a literary bent.”
Mmmmm. That sounds wonderful! :) Hugs on the publisher situation, though, that’s the worst. Fingers crossed that your work finds a new home!
1. Been writing “for real” for about 20 years. But that’s just subtracting the approximate start date from THIS date… there were plenty of gaps in there!
2. Genre: commercial/literary/”mainstream,” mostly. But I’ve lately been experimenting with SF (which I’ve read since I was a kid). I published a mystery in 1992, and about a half-dozen tech books in the few years after that.
3. Classes: just one — a semester-long course in creative writing, my sophomore year it college. It was so long ago, I don’t remember much about it! (Except my annoyance with the pretensions of some of my classmates. :))
4. Favorite writing reference books: I guess ‘Writing Down the Bones,’ Annie Dillard’s ‘On Writing,’ Stephen King’s book. Also working my way through Don Maass’s workbook now and finding it tremendously challenging and helpful.
5. Biggest problem I need help with: finding time to write with abandon, for hours at a time. I can really do this only on Sat. mornings; just not enough!
6. (a) Writing goals for next 12 months: finish the Maass workbook and use it to attack the WIP. (I’m already champing at the bit to get to that point.) (b) Ultimate goals for writing career: attain some kind of validation — from readers, critics, I don’t care as long as they’re strangers (if that makes sense) — that I can actually write good fiction. At my age, though, I’m not sure I’ll get to that point. Ha.
Thanks so much for this column and for the questions. Best of luck with all the responses you’ll likely draw — given an open invitation, writers love to talk about themselves!
John,
Isn’t the Breakout Novel workbook great? (I’m assuming that’s the Maass workbook you’re referring to, anyway.) And yes, I completely understand what you mean by validation of strangers, people that don’t have any ulterior motive (i.e., “my Mom loves my work.”) Sounds like great goals. :)
Cathy, first of all, thank you for the questions and for bringing a determined lurker out of hiding.
1. How long have you been writing? I’ve been a translator for about twenty years. As for the “other” kind of writing, I’ve been writing fiction for my eyes only since my teenage years. Let’s just say it’s been a while. I’ve had my eye on publication for the past three years or so.
2. What genre would you say you write? Adult fantasy with grown-up and broken-down hero(in)es.
3. Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? I’ve never taken any writing classes, and so far I’ve been to a grand total of one writers’ conference – soon to be two, and I’ll be at the UnConference in Salem this fall.
4. What are some of your favorite writing reference books? On Writing (Stephen King), Writing the Breakout Novel (Donald Maass), Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott), The War of Art and Turning Pro (Steven Pressfield), The Right to Write (Julia Cameron) and How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy (Orson Scott Card).
5. What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? My picture’s in the dictionary next to the word “pantser”. Once I start putting fingers to keyboard, anything can happen. So plotting is a problem for me. The other one is figuring out where my writing’s lacking and how I could improve it to hook an agent.
6. What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? I’d like to place the first part of the series I’m working on with an agent. What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? I’d like to see my book(s) traditionally published.
Here’s my question for you: At which stage of a work-in-progress would you bring in a developmental editor?
“Adult fantasy with grown-up and broken-down hero(in)es.” My favorite kind of heroines, in fact! Flawed and F’ed up, those are my particular specialty. I feel kinship. :)
RE: at which stage of a WIP would you bring in a developmental editor… if you’ve gotten a number of rejections and aren’t quite sure why, a developmental editor could help you get things on track and point out structural flaws, and let you know on a high level if it’s the story or the prose itself that’s the problem. Personally, I’d say get a rough draft done and perhaps one revision pass, then bring a developmental editor in to get it in sales shape. On the other hand, if you’re a pantser and you’ve been having problems getting your plots to gel, you might simply call in a coach to help walk you through the structure and tighten it up — that’s probably cheaper than a full developmental edit at that stage. Does that help?
Thanks, Cathy. Sounds like a developmental edit would be the way to go for me, then. I pitched my novel to five agents at a writers’ conference and got five requests for more. And then a resounding nothing. No rejection that would give me any hint as to what the problem might be.
I’m thoroughly enjoying all the back-and-forth here, and glad to see so many folks in the same/related genres, too! :-)
1. How long have you been writing?
I’ll join the “all my life” crowd, but after the well refilled post-academia I started getting back to creative writing around 2006. I’ve been much more consistent and committed since fall of 2012.
2. What genre would you say you write?
Historical (women’s) fiction with elements of magical realism. I love literary fiction, but the term triggers my inner perfectionist (I feel ya, Mike). I aspire more to the squishy “upmarket” category.
I’d like to write essays too, at some point, but my main focus is developing my novel-writing/story-telling skills right now.
3. Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
I took an undergraduate poetry writing class way back when, and then–because I confess at the time I couldn’t bear the thought of the “well-made play”–I did an independent study in playwriting. I was a theatre major in undergrad. Now, of course, I can see where I might have learned a lot about causality and story from a more traditional playwriting course, but I’m working on learning that via self-study. More recently, I’ve taken a short workshop or two, but I keep feeling that where I am and what I need to learn are not syncing with what’s been offered in my area (for now).
I enjoy brainstorming and problem-solving with fellow writers. I dislike “here’s the only way” and when a writing group spirals into collective paralysis. Thank goodness for WU!
4. What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
In addition to many of the books listed here, I’ve found David Corbett’s The Art of Character very helpful. My newest favorite is Story Trumps Structure, by Steven James–the organic method he describes makes a lot of sense to me and my writing process.
5. What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
Getting out of my own way, hands down. Once I have something to revise, I have raw material I can work with. I know I need to keep working on conflict, tension, story momentum…but first there must be a there there!
6. What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
12 months: finish my current novel draft and revise it, get it ready for agent queries. If I get that far, start on the next novel, but one day at a time. My initial goal is to be traditionally published, but I’m watching the sea changes and would consider the hybrid route one day, if necessary.
Long term, I’d love to continue writing and publishing novels, building an audience but also actively participating with my writing peers (supporting each other, being part of the larger conversation, and so on). I don’t think I’ll ever be a book-a-year sorta gal, but I aspire to steady progress over time. I liked Erin’s question about sustainability!
Definitely looking forward to meeting you, Cathy, and many other folks IRL at the UnConference! It feels like it may be a mega-shot of the learning and interaction I’ve been craving…not to mention providing a nifty concrete goal/deadline for the current WIP.
Hi Alisha,
I’m looking forward to meeting all my online friends at the UnConference, as well. Can’t wait to meet you! :)
I’ve seen it mentioned a few times. Can someone please ‘splain to me what you mean by “upmarket” fiction?
Thanks!
I’ll take a stab: my sense is that “upmarket,” while a rather vague term, often refers to fiction that appeals to book clubs. It’s commercial (vs literary), but sits in the middle zone between “true” literary and more mainstream. For a concrete example, I would guess Orphan Train counts as upmarket. Or Station Eleven–though that skews literary, or The Storied Life of AJ Fikry…
If you read Donald Maass’ post a couple days ago, I would think that upmarket fiction makes use of both scenes and postcards.
What she said. :)
Writing: I’ve been saying I wanted to be a writer since Kindergarten, likely because my mom was writing then. I’ve taken it seriously since about 7th grade and have been writing exclusively for the last ten years.
What genre: I started out writing contemporary women’s fiction, but that was just to learn the craft. My true niche is historical women’s fiction with a literary bent. (I would share readers with Alyson Richman, Cathy Marie Buchanan and Stephanie Cowell. Stephanie has already given me a blurb.)
What classes did you take: I have an MA in English from Iowa State, where I taught composition classes. I also took creative writing classes in college and grad school. I liked having the camaraderie of being around other writers, but I could not stand the sometimes vicious attacks that occurred in class. It seemed there was always at least one student and often the teacher who were beat down by the system and felt they needed to knock others down in order to build themselves up.
Favorite reference books: Anything by Donald Maass, The First Five Pages, and Stephen King’s On Writing.
Biggest Problem(s) in my writing: Procrastination and turning off the internal editor. I’m working on the first one, but the second issue is firmly ingrained. I’ve written whole drafts in three months before. This one has taken ten years. Of course, I have two busy children now, so this does slow me down! This particular story is one that I’ve known I was going to write since I was eight, and it will not let me go. The fear I won’t get it right can be crippling.
Goals for the next 12 months: I want to finish this (hopefully final before submission) draft and have several beta readers look it over. I’m lucky enough to have a couple of published authors in my genre who are interested, so I know I’ll be in good hands. Ultimate goals: I want to write books for a living. I know I likely won’t get rich, but I’d be happy if I made enough to help fund the kids’ college educations and take some great vacations!
I look forward to meeting you in Salem, Cathy!
Congrats on the blurb, Kim! That’s fantastic! And it sounds like you’re clear on what you want, and what resources you have… and, of course, you know you’ve got the WU support network behind you. Definitely looking forward to meeting you in Salem! :)
This is fun, and interesting…
1. Since sixth grade, or thereabouts.
2. Fantasy/Scifi/YA – mostly
3. In college and I enjoyed them all, especially critiquing and having others critique my work. It was fun and informative.
4. Rofet’s Thesaurus, Dictionaries foreign and domestic, Sin & Syntax by Constance Hale, and Writing the Breakout Novel, to name a few
5. Making my ok queries great and finding an agent
6. Acquire an agent and tell as many stories as I have in me
My question: what are some of the best no cost/low cost, least time consuming (haha, I know, I’m probably asking for the moon) marketing techniques for small-pub authors?
RE: best no cost/low cost, least time consuming marketing techniques for small-pub authors…. tall order, indeed.
You’re going to spend something. If you don’t spend money, then you spend time and effort. Something’s got to give. I also don’t know what you consider “time consuming.”
Your best bang-for-your-buck is obviously having a website with a newsletter capture. Send out a newsletter at least once a quarter. While some would argue “newsletters are dead”, I’d say read stuff from Nick Stephenson (he has a great paid course, but plenty of free resources on the internet) and Tim Grahl, which will explain why it’s a better conversion tool in more detail. The absolute cheapest and best thing you can do, in my opinion, is figure out your comps and identify your target audience. That way, all your marketing material — your website, your newsletter, any guest blogs you do, any review materials you send out — will have a better chance than average to convert. It will also save you time because you’ll automatically “rule out” things that would be high effort for low potential return.
I also have an ebook on Amazon, called Painless Promotion: Strategy, that you might find helpful. There are other resources out there, as well — again, Tim Grahl, Nick Stephenson, Derek Murphy. You might also read the blog ittybiz.com, which I love. Some of the language is NSFW, but it’s definitely worth the read.
Thank you very much!
1.How long have you been writing?
Since I learned how to pick up a pen. I’ve been writing stories since I was little and attempted my first novel when I was eleven (it was a clichéd mess with a protagonist even I couldn’t stand by the end, but still an achievement). I was first published in 2009.
2.What genre would you say you write?
Mostly science fiction with occasional forays into fantasy. That said, I have a short story coming out next month in an anthology that is a modern romance with no trace of SF&F. That’s quite a departure for me.
3.Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike?
I’ve been to various writing workshops and even writing holidays. Probably the most useful advice I got was around how to write a query letter. What I’ve disliked is when the person leading the workshop clearly has no knowledge of the SF&F genres (even from reading them) and yet tries to give me genre-specific advice.
4.What are some of your favorite writing reference books?
How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card
On Writing by Stephen King
How Not to Write a Novel by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman
5.What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing?
Finding time to write. Marketing and promotion of my books.
6.What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? What are your ultimate goals for your writing career?
Finish the next Codename Omega book. Ultimately, I would love to be able to write full time, or perhaps have a part time job and write the rest of the time.
More SF/F! Love it! Goodl uck on your next Codename Omega book, Jessica! :)
1.How long have you been writing? Since 1995 (seriously writing), but like all of us here, I’ve been telling stories before I could even write them down.
2.What genre would you say you write? mostly children’s picture books, but I’ve stepped into MG/YA fantasy
3.Have you taken classes or received instruction for creative writing? yes – lots! What did you enjoy, and what did you dislike? I enjoy learned the craft and finding my voice. At first, I disliked how long it takes to really understand the craft and learn it. But I see the value in taking my time and working on being the best I can be. Of course, like most writers I know, I detest writing a synopsis. And query letters! UGH. But I’ve made peace with it over the years.
4.What are some of your favorite writing reference books? My favorite by far is Writing 21st Century Fiction by Donald Maass. It showed me a whole new way to approach my characters and brining their stories to life.
5.What do you think is the biggest problem you need help with in your writing? I need to be better at writing tight. Trim those excess words we all love so much! :)
6.What are your writing goals for the next 12 months? I’m planning to self-publish a picture book series with my friend, who is an illustrator – one every six months. We’ve been published together traditionally, but that was a while back. No one else seems to want to take a chance on us, even though our sales were good. And since we’ve been working and learning, we feel confident we can put out a great product. I’m also trying to find a good home for my YA fantasy novel. What are your ultimate goals for your writing career? To publish books that people don’t feel like they’ve wasted their time and money. There’s nothing better, for me, than to find a novel I want to read over and over again … like spending time with old friends. I want to do that for others, too.
Thanks for asking, Cathy. It’s fun to learn about other writers.
Thanks so much for sharing, Pam! :) Good luck with your picture books… we have quite a few picture book authors, I’m learning. We’ll definitely have to look into a post specifically tailored towards it, I think!
That would be great!