Posts by Therese Walsh
I recently had the opportunity to read a letter written by an independent bookstore owner about the state of his business. Though it’s not my place to share those details here, I do want to talk about a general sentiment read in that letter that made me feel both sad and frustrated. It went something like this:
It’s not that people are deaf to the message that we’re here and struggling. They know they could do more to help small bookstores. But aside from a token gesture now and then, people are shutting down to small bookstores. What we hear more and more often is “Why should I help?”
It was the “Why” in this that got to me. Because I’m sorry for the store owners who’ve toiled and built and are now seeing ashes of their businesses. But also because we *do* need indie bookstores–especially authors. Have we really forgotten this? Even looking at it from the strictly selfish perspective of “What do we get out of this as writers and authors?” have we forgotten that:
Read MoreTruth: Writers sit. A lot. We sit and type. We sit and edit. We sit and read. We sit and dream. We sit while sifting through Twitter and Facebook posts, and while digesting blogs. And then we sit and type some more.
It probably goes without saying that it’s important to have a decent setup in our writing spot—that our work area, chair and desk all jive together, and complement the proportions of our bodies. It goes without saying and we think we’ve done all we need to do, but sometimes things aren’t feeling quite right. We have a stiff neck at the end of the day, or aching wrists, or our chair makes us uncomfortable and we can’t figure out why.
Here are a few pointers I hope can help.
On the Desk
Wondering how all of these computer rules translate to use with your laptop?
Read MoreI am so distractible. Dealing with that aspect of myself is one of my greatest challenges as a writer. Though my doc has assured me that I do not have an adult version of ADD, I’ve wondered a time a two.
Being distractible can be caused by a whole slew of things—like genetics, parenthood, stress, and anxiety—but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it.
Minimize Visual Distractions
You know what distracts you best. Me? I’m easily distracted by notices popping up on my computer screen—telling me I have a new email, or a new comment to approve here at WU, or a new DM on Twitter. Because of course I want to go see, right away, what’s going on, what needs to be done—and I want to then do whatever that is.
This fix is simple enough: Turn all that stuff off. Turn it off, leave it off until you’ve met your goal for the day. If you need help, there are programs that can keep you off certain URLs (like Twitter) for the duration of your work session. Windows users, check out Nanny for Google Chome, LeechBlock for Mozilla, FocalFilter for all browsers, or a fee-based service like Rescue Time or Concentrate. Mac users, Vitamin R is for you.
An even more drastic step is to shut down your Internet connection completely—something our own Juliet Marillier has been known to try on occasion. You can do this by manually pulling the Internet cable from your computer, by turning off the Internet via the network connections setting, or by using a service like Freedom, which will apparently do it for you. I have yet to go there; I tend to like being able to do instant research if I need it, or buzz over to thesaurus.com if I’m in need of word bettering. That’s not to say I couldn’t benefit from these programs, because insta-research may just be a more cleverly disguised form of distraction for me. (My issues are never ending, I’m telling you.)
Sometimes the best strategy is to step completely away from your normal computer. Try this:
Read MoreTherese here. When I learned that Donald Maass recently brought a new agent into his fold at DMLA, you know my first thought was to interview her here at WU. I’m so glad that Katie Shea took the time to answer a few questions for us and let us get to know her and her literary tastes a little bit. Enjoy!
TW: Tell us about your journey to becoming a literary agent. Did you always want to be an agent? Have you ever been a writer?
KS: I love answering this question because I have always wanted to be a writer. As a little girl, my dream was to have a best-selling novel. After college, I was a freelance writer for a couple of websites, and I had the lifestyle beat for a small press. When I realized there were businesses called “literary agencies” in New York, I wanted to learn more. I got an internship with FinePrint Literary Management to absorb what agents were looking for and process of getting your book published by the big wigs. (Hoping I would one day do this.) During this time, I was drafting my first novel, writing on a strict weekly schedule. However, while learning more about the business, I began to love it. Reading queries was interesting and exciting to me. A pile of submissions was a land of possibilities, a path toward discovering a new fantastic writer. Moving from there, I got a fantastic opportunity to work along side of agent, Erin Niumata at Folio Literary Management, where I worked with celebrity chef, Buddy Valastro and his first cookbook, CAKE BOSS: STORIES AND RECIPES FROM MIA FAMIGLIA. I was hooked. This was what I wanted to do. (*Note: My first drafted novel, THE DIVORCE HOUSE, is currently aging in my desk drawer. I do plan to work on it someday.)
TW: What areas do you/will you specialize in?
KS: I love real-life stories. I want the raw, emotional, gritty, story line that I can feel deep inside my bones. At the DMLA, I am specializing in commercial-scale literary fiction, women’s fiction, realistic YA, and memoir.
TW: What do you look for in a compelling project?
Read MoreWhat inspires you as a writer?
If you write, and especially if you’re an author who visits book groups, you’ve likely been asked that question more than once. I think the question has more than one level, as does the answer. Like me, you may not even recognize all of your inspirations until after you’ve finished a draft, but taking the time to consider them may help you produce a deeper and more clarified work.
What am I talking about? Bear with me.
Skimming the Surface
Writers can be inspired by any number of things as they begin and continue to work on a manuscript: music heard or imagined, art found in a museum or seen on a billboard, a snippet of dialogue overheard in an elevator, a piece of perfect fruit (sure, why not?). Take a vacation and spend a good deal of time watching people? Read a good book and find yourself enchanted with an author’s turn or phrase or their voice? That sort of inspiration fits here, too.
Inspirations like these are simple and abundant, and while they don’t exactly find their way into your work they can help to keep you engaged with life and excited to write about life in general.
Under the Skin
Sometimes a writer latches to a simple Skimming-the-Surface type of inspiration and promotes it to something more, allowing it to take on a recurring role in fueling the act of writing. For example, while I was working on the rewrite of The Last Will of Moira Leahy, I stumbled on a song that I felt perfectly complemented the tale I was trying to tell; it was Roberto Cacciapaglia’s Atlantico. Whenever I felt blocked or otherwise needed a dose of inspiration, I listened to that song and it reminded me why I had to write my protagonist’s story.
Down to the Bone
Read MoreIf you missed part 1 of my interview with historical novelist Michelle Diener, when we discussed her international background and writing and research process, click HERE, then come back. Michelle’s brilliantly researched and fast-paced debut novel, a Tudor-set historical called In a Treacherous Court, recently released from Gallery Books. It’s the story of a female artist–an illuminator–caught in a male-dominated profession and then in a web of court intrigue along with one of King Henry VIII’s men, Keeper of the Palace, John Parker.
I’m so pleased to bring you part 2 of our interview today, when Michelle and I discuss dark moments, best advice, changes in the publishing industry, and more. As was the case last week, be sure to leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for one of her books; U.S. residents only, please. Enjoy!
TW: What was your darkest moment writing your debut? How did you get through it?
MD: I think every author knows that feeling of ‘What am I doing? This is the worst book I’ve ever written and there is no saving it.’ But I got through it because my CPs would read a chapter I’d literally savaged time and time again, rewritten three or four times, and by then hated, and they’d just rave about it. That definitely helped me keep going. But when I really got into the hell of it, I wouldn’t even send to my CPs, to spare them, you know, the ordeal of reading something that bad. Then I’ll keep plugging on, because I’d tell myself I can fix it later, there may be something I can still use. And then I’d read it all a week, or maybe two, later, and I’d realize it was just that I was too close. Some of it was actually okay. Because I know that about myself now, it is definitely easier to carry on.
TW: What advice would you like to pass on to aspiring writers?
MD: Never settle. In your writing and in your dreams. When you write, make sure what you are writing is not the easy way out. Dig deep and make it as original as you can. In your dreams for your work, decide what you want and go for it. When I was living out in the middle of nowhere in South Africa, submitting my work to New York agents, I think a lot of people probably thought I was mad.
TW: There’s a lot of pressure on authors today to do–everything. Write, help with publicity and sometimes marketing, dive headlong into social media. What are your boundaries? And what do you think about the newest kid on the block, Google+?
Read MoreI’m so pleased to bring you the first part in a two-part interview with today’s guest, Michelle Diener–a woman who was born in England, raised in South Africa, and who currently resides in Australia. Michelle’s debut novel, In a Treacherous Court, released three days ago, published by the Gallery Books imprint of Simon & Schuster. The book, a historical thriller/suspense with romantic elements, has already received great reviews and been picked up by Target as part of their Emerging Author Program.
In a Treacherous Court, the first book in a series, features true historical figures, including artist Susanna Horenbout and King Henry VIII’s Keeper of the Palace, John Parker. I was particularly struck by the sheer number of historical events Michelle referenced in her novel and the way she fictionalized the bridging of these pieces to create a believable possibility. Because of this, I was a little obsessed with her research process, as you’ll probably notice.
I also know Michelle through the RWA women’s fiction chapter, where I am president and she is Vice President of Communications. She is masterful in this position, and has created not only a beautifully organized and vibrant website, but a regular newsletter for members that is truly content-rich.
I know you’ll enjoy getting to know her a little today. And be sure to leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for one of her books; U.S. residents only, please.
TW: You have an interesting background–born in London, raised in Africa, living in Australia. Have these varied international experiences affected your writing or view of the writer’s world? How?
MD: Without a doubt, they have affected me a great deal. I think my experiences have given me the ability to see things from many perspectives, to understand that more than one person with an opposing view can be right, and that there still has to be a way to come to a resolution. It has taught me about being an outsider, a foreigner, a stranger in your own land, and also opened my eyes to different types of beauty and different ways of looking at things. All things I am glad I have experienced and which I try to incorporate into my work.
TW: You are one of the most efficient and productive people I know, with fantastic standards of excellence. Were you born a superwoman–attributing your gifts to your natural Virgo powers–or were these skills learned? How do you do it?
Read MoreWe’ve heard countless times about the importance of the first page, the first graph, the first sentence. We know that these first words need to hook busy agents and editors quickly if our book has any chance for publication and, once published, has any chance to develop a wide readership. And though we usually have more than one sentence to catch someone’s attention, why not make that first line work as hard as possible?
Recently my daughter read the novel Going Bovine by Libba Bray. She shared the concept with me, and then I picked up the book, turned to the first page and read:
The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World.
“That’s a great first line,” I told her.
She shrugged. “Really?”
“So much of what you told me about the main character is in that first line. He’s a kid, he’s a cynic, and he takes little pleasure in life. You see part of his arc in that first sentence, where the story needs to go to take him to a better place, so his best memory isn’t nearly dying at Disney.”
She looked at the sentence again. “You’re right,” she said. “It’s clever.”
It’s an easy concept–even if executing the concept might take you more time and thought that you’d like: Let the first sentence offer an impactful and authentic taste of what’s to come, an amuse-bouche that teases what the meal that is your story will offer and leaves the reader hungry for more. Don’t write a strong hook that suggests one thing and fails to live up to its promise. “The sky hemorrhaged rain on the first day of the end of the world,” might be a great first line for an apocalyptic thriller but is an obvious fail as the first line of a romance novel. (Note to self: Write an apocalyptic thriller.)
After a happy hour perusing my bookshelves, I’d like to offer up these examples of first lines that I think are not only intriguing but set the tone for the book they introduce.
Read MoreWriter Unboxed is thrilled to announce that we will soon bring on four new contributors: author Keith Cronin; independent publicist Crystal Patriarche; author and founder of Author Buzz, M.J. Rose; and author and editor of The Guide to Literary Agents, Chuck Sambuchino. Look for their bios to appear on the WU sidebar soon and for their first posts to appear in August and September. In the meanwhile click on their names to visit their sites and learn more about them.
Also, M.J. has asked that if you have questions or subjects you’d like for her to address in her marketing column, that you send them directly to her at mjroseauthor@gmail.com
Write on!
Read MoreNote: I penned this post in March, and it was originally posted on Storyfix.com.
Also, p.s., the Writer Unboxed Facebook group is nearly 500 members strong now. If you’re looking for a vital writing community on Facebook, come and check us out.
You might think this crazy, but for me, editing is…fun. I have the harder time getting ideas onto the page to begin with. I toil over concepts, the timing of reveals, characterizations and descriptions and most especially the wording of my sentences (8,302 of them in my work-in-progress; I just counted).
Something happens to me, though, after I hit that final period in my draft—the end. I turn from fretful writer to dispassionate editor.
How? Why? And fun? Am I crazy?
Introducing Write Brain, Left Brain
When I complete a draft, the writer-me is exhausted and desperate for a break. But the part of me I’ve been suppressing—the manager who’s kept a mental tally of better ideas—is eager to have a turn. Some would say that the right hemisphere of the brain—the side that’s credited with our creative functioning—has just passed the baton to the left hemisphere—the more analytical part.
Bear with me as I ask you to envision these hemispheres as if they are real people. Right Brain is the artist—a little disheveled with a smudge of blue paint on her cheek and a half-dead daisy tucked behind her ear. Her long skirt is fringed with tiny bells. Left Brain is all business. Power suit. Flats. She carries a hatchet in one hand and a red pen in the other. Her smile is a little evil.
You can’t blame easy-going, love-my-bells Right Brain for hesitating to pass her work over to hatchet-happy, evil-smiling Left Brain, can you? But she’s exhausted, she needs a break, and Left Brain is there, waiting…
The Steps to Editing Acceptance
Read More
Back in 2007, I published a post here called The Unpubbed Writer’s 7 Deadly Sins. It seemed to resonate with a lot of readers, and was our first experience with the power of StumbleUpon as our stats reached new highs. I was published in 2009, and have had it in mind to revisit this idea–the what-not-to-dos–from a published author’s perspective. I’ve collected some of my own missteps here, but I also reached out to one of my favorite author communities–Fiction Writers Co-Op–to round out the list. If you’re unpublished, learn these lessons now and save yourself some grief later; and if you’re published and doing any of these things, take heed.
The 7 Deadly Sins of the Pubbed Writer:
1. Believing that publication means you’ve found Easy Street. I wish I could tell you that once you’ve published a book you’re suddenly gifted with a smooth ride in this industry. You might think that your next works will flow effortlessly from your fingertips because you’ve traveled this way before; you know how to write a book. But the truth, at least for most of us, is that each book presents with its own lessons and challenges. You’re still going to want to rip your hair out at times, and need another writer’s fresh eyes on your work, and decide on occasion that you’d much rather have been a banker. You’re going to need to open one or twelve of your writing books when you’re stuck–to figure out what went wrong or because you need a hit of inspiration. You’re going to question in some of those moments that you know anything at all, if your muse was replaced by a rusty can of SPAM.
So, no, the writing doesn’t necessarily become easier.
And just because you’re “in” with a publisher, just because you have an editor who chose one of your works and deemed it worthy of a cover and a shelf, doesn’t necessarily mean smooth sailing either. Says author Judy Merrill Moticka:
Editors leave, houses change/restructure, and just because I have one published book out there, it seems that each submission is just as hard as the previous one (or . . . harder). There is no straight path.
Read MoreJudging WU contests has become more difficult! This time around, there were 200 entries in our hooks-for-books contest, with the winner set to receive 14 of Mary Stewart’s beautiful reissued titles. Kath and I debated, we compromised, and finally we came up with our Top Ten hooks:
1. Sarah opened the door to see her dead mother standing in the rain.
2. Her baby was sleeping peacefully in the crib, even though the chainsaw still smoked and buzzed.
3. Two things stood out immediately – I had seen the man in the black suitcoat before, and someone else was watching him.
4. Being the daughter of a burnt-out contract killer wouldn’t have been Celia’s first choice for a life.
5. The floors in hell are cold.
6. In this photo, Jacquie looks completely sane.
7. Later, looking back, she realized the moment the swans started swimming across the causeway toward her was the beginning.
8. I had never contemplated the stupidity of cows before, but I had never been chained up in car driving across the country before either.
9. Karsten’s last day alive was otherwise unremarkable.
10. Alice sat back and sipped a glass of malbec, while her family album burned in the fireplace.
And the winner is…
Read MoreIf you missed part 1 of my interview with author Jael McHenry–when we discussed revisions, evolutions and Midnight Cry Brownies–please click here, illuminate yourself, then come back.
Cool Breaking News: WU contributor Jael McHenry’s debut novel, The Kitchen Daughter, which releases in just four days on April 12th, has a gorgeous review in the May edition of O, The Oprah Magazine (p 190)!
What’s The Kitchen Daughter about?
After the unexpected death of her parents, shy and sheltered Ginny Selvaggio, a young woman with Asperger’s Syndrome, seeks comfort in family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna’s soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning—before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish.
A haunted kitchen isn’t Ginny’s only challenge. Her domineering sister Amanda insists on selling their parents’ house in Philadelphia, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents’ belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn’t sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn’t know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father’s photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there’s only one way to get answers: cook from her parents’ recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them.
Offering a fascinating glimpse into the unique mind of a woman struggling with Asperger’s and featuring evocative and mouth-watering descriptions of food, this lyrical novel is as delicious and joyful as a warm brownie.
Trust me, it’s a feast of words that’ll make you glad to be a reader. I hope you enjoy part 2 of my interview with Jael.
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TW: Simmer. A Watched Pot. Honey from an Onion. And now The Kitchen Daughter. This story tried on plenty of titles. Was this an arduous or fun process for you? What, if anything, did you learn about finding the perfect title for your work?
JM: In a way, it’s like I said about editing earlier – a manuscript can become any one of a hundred books, and it could also have any one of a hundred titles. I love titles, so it was fun for me to brainstorm. I always felt like the original title, Simmer, was a placeholder. I didn’t mind changing it, but I wanted to make sure it changed to something I liked. So I gave my publisher a ridiculously long list – probably 30 titles or more – and they liked The Kitchen Daughter best. It gives you some sense of what to expect, which is important in a title. You want it to be interesting in itself, but that’s not the only goal. A title is a clue to the story. You can come up with the most lyrically beautiful title in the world, but if it doesn’t match the book, it’s not a good title. (At one point I was also really attached to The Shape of Salt, so now I just have to write a book or a story that actually […]
Read MoreValued WU contributor and former Writer’s Digest publisher Jane Friedman has a book out! Called The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations, Jane’s book promises to be “a definitive and comprehensive view on how book publishing will evolve and transform.” I’m glad she agreed to a Take Five interview here so we can all learn a little more about her book.
TW: Tell us a little about your new book, The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations. What sets it apart in the marketplace?
JF: As far as I know, it’s the only thing ever written that postulates 14 different possible futures of publishing. Also, I’m not speculating on next year, or even 10 years from now. I’m really thinking 50 or 100 years from now.
TW: Why this book, why now?
JF: I’m asked my thoughts on the future of publishing at nearly every event or conference I speak at. At the Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference (February 2011), author Christina Katz challenged me to write a book on the topic. At first, I told her I had no interest in such speculation. But then I reconsidered. We agreed on a release date of April 1, which at the time was less than 2 months away. By the way, that’s an important thing to keep in mind. April 1.
TW: Can you share an excerpt with us?
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