Six Great Books

An Editor On Editing and Publishing

There is a really interesting guest post on Writer Unboxed by Carolyn Tolley, a former publishing exec who has been a freelance editor of all genres of popular fiction for the past decade. Do Editors Edit Anymore? is long but very well worth the time to read.Tolley looks primarily into the way manuscript editing and publishing have and have not changed. Bottom line, a good story is still required – no matter how pristine (from an editing standpoint) the manuscript. About the manuscript Tolley asks:

Is it funny enough? Is it sexy enough? Is the police procedure creative? Is the puzzle hard to solve? Do I feel the jeopardy the character is in? Does the writer know where she/he would like this manuscript to end up? Is there an audience out there that might be the right one? Does the author peruse the shelves in the bookstore?  Has the author done his/her homework in this regard?

Tolley excellent inquiries signal that we authors had better know and be able to demonstrate what the story is with our manuscripts before we launch them out into today's volatile publishing universe.

Time Away

Early this year I took a hiatus from my novel, Provenance. I spent a couple of weeks traveling throughout Ethiopia and several weeks before that getting ready to travel to Ethiopia (you know how that is). When I got back from my trip a little health problem kept me from my manuscript for a few more weeks. All in all, it was nearly two months before I got back to my novel.

Since I began this quest for publication four years ago I had never taken that much time away from this thing that I love so much - writing. Just like when you ignore any thing or anybody you truly love, the guilt was enormous. At least until I realized that not a day went by that I did not find something that added to or enlightened my knowledge of what my novel was about.  Once I gained that insight, I realized how beneficial time away really was.

Throughout the two months away I thought extensively about the story I am trying to tell, about the characters and the situations I have put them in and about time, place, action, language, and emotion; about my prospective readers and how I would market to them. Whether I had a platform or a prayer of getting Provenance published.

My time away was time very well spent. Without the task of composition, the tyranny of word and page output - I was able to think critically about the story. By experiencing different places, people and situations I was able to absorb sights, sounds and emotions that I know will find their way into the pages of this novel or the next.

I found that a writer never really spends time away. I may not be at my desk or on my computer but I am doing what writers have to do - observe, experience and analyze the world in order to write. Now, I 'm back to my writing schedule and I am all the better for having had that brief respite - now, back to work!

The First Rejection

It came in at 12:42 a.m. via email: 

Dear Donna,
Thank you for sharing your work. Unfortunately, I feel that in today's market, I cannot take on projects unless I feel strongly about them. I'm sorry to say that it didn't happen with this one. This of course is just my opinion and others may feel differently. I wish you the best of luck with all of your publishing endeavors.

So there it was, my first rejection. I felt those five sentences but it wasn't the crippling blow that I thought it might be, there was an odd sense of relief - I had gotten the first one out of the way. Yes, the agent passed on my manuscript but I was still standing. She didn't rip me to shreds, she actually wished me well.

When I started sending my manuscripts out to agents I wondered how I would react to a rejection. I'd heard Kathryn Stockett in an interview talking about her debut novel, The Help. She'd sent her manuscript to between 45 and 75 agents (after a while she stopped keeping track) before she found "the one." Now, her highly rejected manuscript has been on The New York Times Best Seller List for 102 weeks.

So when I got my first rejection, Stockett's conviction, determination and resilience is what I thought of. No time for self-pity, figure out which agent to send my manuscript. One down - more to go - so who's next.

Abandon Manuscript

The New York Times arrived soaking wet a couple of  weeks ago and I called too late to request a replacement. Not wanting to go out in the pouring rain for another copy, I pulled out the laundry drying rack and carefully hung my favorite sections up to dry. It took all day but the essay, Why Do Writers Abandon Novels by Dan Kois, on the last page of the Book Review was worth the wait. 

Kois interviwed successful authors about books they've abandoned - pages that never would and in the author's opinion, never should see the light of day. The reasons vary but the outcome is the same - countless hours and words wasted. Or, maybe not. Writing, like any great profession is a practice, right? Every author interviewed went on to another successful project. A few even found a way to repurpose the abandonded material into another novel years later.

Something to think about when I wonder if the novel I'm writing is worth anyone's time and energy. If it sells it was worth it, if it doesn't then it was great practice and a head start on my next novel. Either way it's a win-win.

You Write Like ...

I've been having fun with a new website, I Write Like, that will analyze your prose and tell you what famous writer you write like.  As an eclectic reader from early on I've never really been sure which writers have influenced my writing style so I thought this fun little program might give me a clue. I tried analyzing several different sections of my manuscript.  My first comparison was to Stephen King, then Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) then, Stephen King again.  Not bad company - just not what I was expecting.  Have a little fun and see who you write like.

How Not To Query

A few of us in our writing group are in the process of submitting manuscripts and book proposals to literary agents - a nerve racking process to say the least.  No matter how carefully you craft your query, doubts remain.  I came across a very funny blog, SlushPile Hell, that helped assuage my growing fear of literary agents with a bit of humor. The unnamed literary agent who authors the blog replies to queries from the "you can't make this stuff up" file.  Only snippets of the offending queries are offered so I assume no writers were actually hurt in the making of this blog. 

Here's a post from 6/28:

    Writer: God told me to write this book and that it would become a bestseller.

    Agent: I talked to God. He said he was just messing with you.

You gotta laugh - follow the link to read and enjoy.  

So, What’s Your Book About?

Last Saturday our Six Great Books (SGB) writing group spent the day at the 31^stAnnual American Independent Writers' (AIW) Conference in Washington, DC. It was a great day of panels, fiction and nonfiction round-tables, craft sessions and the all important pitch sessions with literary agents. While I benefited greatly from all of the sessions and the speakers (Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest Books and Jill McCorkle of North Carolina State University's Creative Writing MFA Program were spectacular) the conference was my first opportunity to pitch my recently completed novel.

The first question everybody at a writer's conference asks is, "So, what's your book about." If you attend a pitch session with a literary agent it's, Hi my name is (big time literary agent) – what's your book about? You have ten minutes starting now. Go!

Writing Rules

My husband, my biggest booster rivaled only by my beloved writing group, recently sent me two great articles from the Guardian newspaper (UK) that offered pearls of wisdom from successful authors, Ten Rules for Writing by Elmore Leonard and Ten Rules for Writing (part two).  While I appreciate the insight and information these authors so generously shared with the unpublished, I wonder about the dangers inherent in seeking and accepting too much writing advice.  There is the danger of spending too much time being taught and not enough time learning - as if reading about writing you can make you a great writer.  My husband, who is a college professor, says to students hoping to learn by osmosis, “I can teach you but I can’t learn you.”  In other words, to learn requires your participation, not just your attention.  You have to do and you have to experience what you wish to master.  If you’re spending a lot of time reading you are probably not writing.  If you're not writing then you're not a writer.

Another danger is trying to write by the rules.   There’s no shortage of advice and information out there for writers or would-be writers.  My book shelves are dense with volumes on writing and my files are full of articles and quotes on writing.  Any book or article offering advice on writing never fails to get my attention.  Writers and teachers - some good, some bad, some benign - readily share tips, tactics, techniques and words of wisdom about their writing and experience.  Because I am writing more these days and reading less about writing, I’ve become more discriminating about the advice I take to heart.  By doing, I’ve learned what works for me and what’s working for my book.  I’m writing  every day and every day I learn more about writing.  I still judiciously seek the wisdom of the masters; but I know there is only one hard and fast rule to becoming a writer – you must write.

Despite reservations, I enjoyed reading Ten Rules for Writing – Parts I and II - and I hope you will too.  The articles offer several gems but the one rule I have taken to heart was offered by British author Helen Simpson.  On a Post-it note on the wall in front of her desk is a quote from the 19^th century French writer, Gustave Flaubert.  It reads, “Faire et se taire,” which Simpson translates as “Shut up and get on with it.”

Amen.

Should You Hire a Professional Editor?

   Recently read a fabulous recent post on Writer Unboxed - Should You Hire a Professional Editor.  I'm nearing "The End" of my novel, - I've got my copy editor on alert but I've been wondering if I should do more or just put this bad girl out there.  The post by Jane Friedman, publisher and editorial director of the Writer’s Digest brand community, provides insight into the editing process - the whys, the why nots and what ifs.  I found it a truly valuable read - so of course I want to share.  Be sure to read the comments - they offer even more information, especially Jason Black's comment on the difference between development, line and a copy edits, all radically different, all valuable. 

Share your experience if you've worked with an editor or book doctor - leave a comment!

 Should You Hire a Professional Editor?

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Lost Loves

There are phrases, scenes and dialogue in my manuscript that I simply fall in love with. As I write them, the words really speak to me adding just the right context, tone, inference and information to my story. Then comes the second or even the third draft and though I once loved those words, I realize they have to go. I know my writing will be stronger, my story tighter, my readers more engaged if I don't make them wade through words that don't add much, however poetic they may be. There was a gifted writer in a class I recently took – her writing was pure poetry and some of her phrases were actually breathtaking. The problem was that I got so lost in the beauty of her descriptions that I'd forget the point she was making or I'd lose track of the story she was telling. I found myself re-reading passages and pages and after several of these episodes the beauty became a burden.  The revelation I had from reading her writing made me more cognizant of the need to give my readers prose that keeps them on track and moving forward. No wandering off into the surrounding scenery, unless it truly adds to the story.

Every writing teacher I've ever had has said essentially the same thing about writing – a good writer has to be skilled at using a pen and a knife. The pen for creating – the knife is for editing.  A writer's skill at both will ultimately be determined by those who read your writing.

I'm editing sections of my novel now and the process is sometimes be painful. Other times, when I make just the right cut, it can be exhilarating. As I carefully pare down my prose I keep a file with the precious remnants created by the pen and cut by the knife. Perhaps they'll work for another story or I'll retrieve them should I have second thoughts, again.  For now, they are lost loves and just like other lost loves – remember the really good guy you thought you loved but didn't marry – they were once perfect but in the end - they just didn't make the cut.