Writer’s Bible

Picked up my 2010 copy of Novel and Short Story Writer’s Market yesterday at Borders.  Yeah I know, I’m a few months late, but I do consider it my literary bible.  I eventually get a copy every year and besides the market listings, I like to read “The Writing Life” inserts and the “Craft and Technique” suggestions.

This year’s copy had a great article on critique groups entitled, “Should You Stay or Should You Go? by Melissa Hart.   I found Melissa’s insight very helpful, because I’ve recently been looking for a critique group to join.  After reading Melissa’s piece, I now have a game plan for finding one that’s just the right fit for me.

I obtained several other pieces of useful information through reading the craft section.  The entries were all written by published authors and my highlighting pen went to town.  One very disturbing piece of information I encountered was the fact that just because you obtain an agent for your first book, doesn’t mean that you will have that agent for your second, third or fourth…and that’s not necessarily your choice.  An agent may love your first book, but not be interested in another one you produce.  So then…it’s back to the drawing board trying to “sell” what you’ve written.  Some agents and writers form life long relationships, but sometimes you can be considered a “one trick” pony and have to re-sell yourself every time you have something to market.  Sounds exhausting!   I’m not going to dwell on this right now though.  I have to get the first one sold before worrying about the second or third.

The section in Writer’s Market about debut novels I also found particularly insightful.  There’s not one writer out there who isn’t or hasn’t struggled to get their work into publication.  I’m traveling in a good crowd.  Reading these tales can either motivate you or depress you.  I chose to feel motivated and to stick to querying till my mind turns to dust.  I also realized that I don’t have to wait on a nibble for Deadly Letters…I can also be marketing Broken Soul at the same time.  Who knows which one will strike pay dirt first?

Portions of the Writer’s Market can also be accessed on-line and upgraded features can be uploaded for a nominal fee.  I prefer the feel of a hefty book lying in my hands and the actual action of turning pages, but I am signed onto the website for all the freebie information.  Check it out: www.WritersMarket.com

Ding…Another Round

“Thank you for thinking of me with your work. Unfortunately, it’s not right for me.” Thus speaks Kelly Sonnack, from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.  Another rejection regarding my children’s book Where is Daddy?.

When I first started querying agents about my books I got excited each time I saw a reply posted to my email.  I guess it was the naivete of a debut artist trying to break into the market.  I was always optimistic and hopeful.  “Was” being the operative word here.  Now when I see a reply in my email my stomach churns, my gut clenches, I sweat a little and then I open the email file.  Whoosh…shoulders fall and disappointment sets in.

I guess if I was just sending out queries for my novel Deadly Letters, it might be a little easier to handle all the rejections.  I guess I must have a masochistic nature though cause I’m querying about short stories, children’s stories and my novel…all at the same time.  It’s a plethora (LOVE THIS WORD) of rejections.

The good news is I’ll soon have enough rejections to wallpaper my bathroom.  A little light reading while I take care of other business.  I’m starting to make a game out of receiving these letters of dismissal.  When I see one pop up I try to guess whether this kick in the pants will be about my child’s book, one of my short stories or novel.  After opening the reply I go to my Excel chart and write “NO” next to that agent’s name…in red.  My little flow chart is looking quite colorful at this point.

Enough of this drivel for the day.  I have query letters to send out.  There’s another foot or so of wall space uncovered in my bathroom.

Self-Publishing Success Story

I received my first  copy of the North Carolina Writers’ Network News, in my mailbox, yesterday. I’m a fairly new member to the NCWN, live a pretty routine and boring life, so this was very exciting to me.  I sat down  read it cover to cover and highlighted anything I felt I might want to refer back to.  I was surprised at how much information I was able to obtain from the 18-page publication.

My favorite article was entitled: “Self-Published Novelist Beats the Odds” by Linda Rohrbough.  The article concerned Maryann McFadden’s rise to the top, starting with publishing her own book.  She struggled for five years to get an agent for her book and then finally decided to self-publish.  Maryann didn’t stop there though.  She ‘marketed’ her book…big time!  She traveled all over to small bookstore to do readings and signings and made appearances at book clubs.  Word began to spread about her book and eventually she sold 2000 copies and suddenly…agents were interested and her dreams came true.  Her first book The Richest Season has gone global and her second book So Happy Together is now out in hardcover.

I really admire Ms. McFadden’s fortitude and wish it came in pill form.  I’ve been tempted to self-publish my first novel Deadly Letters, but I have this dang lazy streak within me and just know I wouldn’t be able to find the time or energy to market the way Maryann did.  I’ll just keep chipping away at the “agent wall”, but in five years if I haven’t had a nibble…look out Lulu…here I come!

Ode to a Literary Agent

Hello, hello Mr. Agent man,
Please respond as fast as you can.
I gotta know if my novel’s pure junk,
And if I need to go out and get drunk.

Your response to my query is all I desire.
A request for my manuscript is what I require,
I sit and I wait, hoping to hear,
Your continuing silence is all that I fear.

I’m trying to be cool,
But this waiting is cruel.
Please give me a yes or even a no,
I just need to hear…is my project a go?

Thousands of queries, I know you receive
But my book is special, I’m sure you’ll perceive,
So ask me to send it for your reading pleasure,
I’m sure that you’ll love it and find it a treasure.

It’s tense and it’s thrilling,
At times it’s bone chilling,
The storyline centers on a murdering fiend,
And I even included a really great sex scene.

So what’s not to love Mr. Agent man?
Read it straight through and you’ll be a fan.
Oh what’s this I see in my email file?
You’re passing? Oh crap…there goes my smile!

NCWN Morning Out

Richard Krawiec is a dynamic, humorous author who I had the pleasure of hearing speak at the North Carolina Writer’s Network meeting, in Raleigh, yesterday morning.

Richard’s presentation was entitled: “Agents and Editors-Are They Still Out There?”  He spoke about the tedious process of getting published.  I have to admit I was a little “down” after hearing how difficult it seems to be to break into print these days, but I’m still determined to keep trying.  Richard also shared several success stories…all of which were very inspiring.  Perseverance and fortitude helped many authors get published.  Other authors have been  published because “Fate” stepped in and lent a hand.  I’m a good friend of Fate and I’m hoping she’s going to give me an assist in getting my book onto store shelves.  I’ll sit down and have a little pow-wow, with Ms. Fate, tonight.  I’m also going to order an extra helping of perseverance, with side order of fortitude…just in case Fate is too busy to help me.

My main reason for attending this meeting was to network with fellow writers.  Writing can be a very solitary occupation and getting out to mingle among my peers is fun and exciting.  Hearing their stories of struggles and success helps me to realize that I’m not as alone as I thought I was.

Don’t just sit home by yourself all the time just pounding away on that keyboard.  Get out.  Enjoy some time with friends and other writers.  After all we gather most of our material for great stories while out in the world.  Join a local writer’s group.  Your hometown library may have one and if they don’t then maybe you can start one.  Invest in memberships to writer organizations whether it’s on a national, state or city level.  Their websites alone can give you a ton of information.

Okay, it’s time for me to go to Starbucks, grab a cup of joe and people watch.  I find some of best characters in my local Starbucks.  Care to join me?

Poor writers…and I ain’t talking style

Can I afford to get published?  Much of what I’m reading and the writing authorities I’ve been going to hear speak, state that one of the best ways to get your manuscript into print these days is to attend conferences.  Conferences where agents and publishers will be attending.  You can make an appointment, while you’re there, to speak to a couple of them about your project and see if you can hook them.

Sounds exciting.  One-on-one time with an agent.  Bragging about how wonderful my novel is.  Reeling them in and getting them to want to take a copy home with them to read…right NOW.  I can’t wait.

POP…that’s my balloon bursting.  As I researched conferences around the U.S. I am shocked at the cost involved.  Even the local conferences are three and four hundred dollars.  Yikes!  I’m a woman who’s been laid off work for a year now and I don’t have that kind of disposable income.

Invest in yourself I’ve been told.  Well, I like to eat and I’ve grown very fond of electrical power and running water in my house…and yes I enjoy having a roof over my head.  So I’ve chosen to invest in those little luxuries, instead of traipsing across the country in search of the agent who may sit down, listen to what I have to say about my debut novel and maybe give me a chance by agreeing to read it.

What if I spend all that money and I don’t even get a nibble?  Talk about a Prozac moment.  Then I’d not only be out my life’s savings, but I’d also be sitting in my car, no roof over my head, no running water and no electricity. How do “poor” authors do it?  I love when I can contact an agent by email.  Even postage can be cost prohibitive if you’re contacting hundreds of agents.

I remember an author that I went to hear speak, about thirty years ago.  She was living in one room of a boarding house, driving a car on it’s last leg and surviving on cans of soup.  I thought this was very romantic and glorious.  She was suffering for her art.  She was a hero of mine for a nano second.  When I look back on that now I wonder…was she ever successful or did she just live that sad existence for years to come?

Not so romantic to me now.  I’m spoiled with modern luxuries and as much as I love my writing…I just can’t give up the niceties in order to “maybe” get my novel in a bookstore someday.

I’ll stick to emailing out queries and save my one-on-one time for the agent who is already committed to publishing Deadly Letters.

Poetry Smoetry

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, Was he?

Now THAT is poetry!  It rhymes, it tells a story and I don’t have to suffer a brain hemorrhage trying to understand the deep meaning.  His name was Fuzzy Wuzzy, he was a bear, he lacked hair…so he wasn’t fuzzy.  Got it!  I am a simple woman, with simple tastes and I just don’t get all these flowery, tongue in cheek, long-winded poems…all of which I am supposed to “figure out” what the author was trying to say.  I love poetry that rhymes (I honestly thought that was part of the thrill and challenge of poetry), and poetry that tells a story (one I can understand), and poetry that’s humorous (a special treat cause I love to laugh).

When I was in design school in Pittsburgh (yes, I went to design school), a group of us discovered Rod McKuen.  I remember sitting in coffee shops with my copy of Listen to the Warm, holding it upright in my hands so everyone could see how intellectual and sensitive I was.  I didn’t really understand even half of what I was reading, but Rod was “the man” in those days and I wanted everyone to think “I got it.”

I write poetry.  No one who ever reads one of my poems would ever say, “Wow that woman is deep!”  They might giggle a little or at least smile, but I could never be accused of making them sweat out the true message in my words.

I attend an open mic night the first Thursday of every month at Royal Bean Coffeehouse in Raleigh.  There is one poet who reads every time and gets a huge round of applause whenever he steps up to the mic.  He writes funny, relevant, understandable poetry about current issues in life that we all deal with at one time or another.  People love him and I believe it’s because for the few brief moments he’s at the mic we get to smile and sometimes even laugh and we understand completely what he’s saying to us.

I will continue to write rhyming, simple poetry.  Call it childish, uneducated or shallow…but at least I know it will never be considered dull and anyone can understand it.

Reject me…really?

‘”Reject me,  is definitely not a tune I would ever think of singing right now in my quest for publication of my first novel, Deadly Letters.  John Fuhrman, however, actually made me believe that rejection may not be the end of my world after all.  He has written a book, Reject Me…I Love It and I was lucky enough to hear him speak Saturday evening at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC.

I didn’t come away from his talk thinking “oh goody I want tons of rejections”, but I did come away with a sense of peace on how I can market my book and not feel pressured by being dependent on whatever an agent or publisher can do for me.  I feel more in control of my own destiny.

He shared amusing  and informative anecdotes on how he’s been able to market and sell his numerous publications over the years and he was open and gracious in answering the many questions the attendees had.

I’ve been spending a great deal of time querying literary agents, in hopes that one would take an interest in my debut novel.  After listening to John I feel a better route, for me at the present time, might be to solicit small publishing houses and skip the agent route altogether, at least for my first book.  Once I get my book published, using some of John’s suggestions, I can market it myself and I think it might actually be fun.

John will be conducting a seminar at Carolina Beach, April 23rd, 24th and 25th, where he will share more of his insight and success into getting your book into the hands of readers.  This seminar will be for a limited number of writers, so you’re sure to have your issues and concerns addressed.

Thank you John for all the facts you shared with us last night and I look forward to seeing you at the beach.

WTH is Literary Fiction?

Literary fiction has always been a mystery to me.  What exactly is it?  Why is something considered literary fiction?  What makes fiction…literary…instead of just plain fiction?

While reading the April 2010 issue of The Writer, I came across an article, by Moira Allen,  entitled:  What makes literary fiction ‘Literary’?  It was like the Ms. Allen had read my mind.  I not only read the article through…twice…but I also highlighted, highlighted, highlighted.

Some of the words that caught my attention and made me smile were: panache, daring, originality, strong voice.  I loved that the article said “structure of a literary story may be experimental or nontraditional”.  I LOVE nontraditional.  I want to write and I want to write my way.  I like quirky, a bit strange, some WTH moments and an OMG ending.

One of my favorite quotes was by Victoria Ross, editor of  The Antigonish Review, who said, “There is nothing predictable about these ‘literary’ stories.”  Robert Stewart, editor of New Letters, said, “Editors are looking for something that is unprecedented.”  I can do unprecedented and I’ve often been accused of being unpredictable.

The article ended with Alexis Enrico Santi, editor of Our Stories saying, “Don’t be afraid.  Take some damn changes and be audacious.  It won’t get written until you decide to cast fear aside and pull that damn trigger.”

Okay Santi!  I’m onboard.  After reading this article I immediately typed up a unique and novel story that I’ve had roaming around in my head for years, but never put on paper.  It’s different, stretches the imagination and to some will appear unbelievable, so I was afraid it didn’t fall into any particular genre, and kept it bottled up inside.  It felt so good to ‘pull the trigger’ and be ‘audacious’ yesterday.  Finally, it’s on paper and today I will begin the editing process.

I have written my first piece of  ‘literary fiction’.  Amen!

Freelance Saturday

Did you know “timing can mean the difference between selling an article to a magazine or not selling it”?  Did you know “it’s critical to have a personal website if you want to be a successful freelance writer”?  Did you know “you can scan the newspaper for ideas and by approaching the storyline from a different angle, could end up being able to sell it to a magazine market”?

I learned all this and so much more when I spent my Saturday at Wake Tech Community College, attending the Triangle Area Freelancers conference.  It was the best way I could have spent my day.  I learned more in those eight precious hours than I have in ten months of struggling on my own to understand the ins and outs of the freelance world.

Triangle Area Freelancers is an organization run by a group of dedicated, successful freelancers, who are all willing to share their secrets and advice with newbies striving to earn a spot in “by-line” heaven.

For this conference they had break out sessions geared toward the novice and the more advanced writers.  We were free to choose the sessions we felt would address our needs.  I attended “Crafting a Winning Query Letter, Five-Minute Mentoring, Chasing the Human Interest Story and Technology for Beginning Freelancers”.   I came away from every single lecture with pages of notes to help jump start my career.  My favorite though, was the Five-Minute Mentoring session.  We sat at round tables with two or three successful freelancers and for 50+ minutes we were able to pick their brains to find answers to any questions we had.  I sat with Mandy Matson and John Wood, both of who freely shared valuable and interesting information with all of us.

I’ve attended other conferences and was disappointed because the presenters didn’t really come across as wanting to truly help fledgling writers.  I never get that feeling with this group.  I believe they actually enjoy helping newcomers and assisting each other in obtaining their writing goals.

If you are looking for a wonderful, supportive group of people to spend time with and learn the freelance craft and you are lucky enough to live in the Raleigh area, then you owe it to yourself to check out the Triangle Area Freelancers…loving known as TAF and look into becoming a TAFfy.