Wednesday I had a book signing at my favorite bookstore,
Time Tested Books, on 21st Street, between K and L. It's a marvelous place. I have spent hours and hours through the years, browsing the wonderful selections. I never leave a bookstore empty-handed, but I usually leave this one with an armful of books. The owner,
Peter Keat, always can find what I'm looking for. His staff, Finian and Mazelle, are the same. All the books are nicely organized, and the atmosphere is gracious. It's a great place for a book lover to hang out. Once my husband even phoned me there, because he knew where I'd be when I didn't come home from one of my walks. (For a sampler of what to find, read some of the reviews on Yelp,
HERE. )
So when I learned
Imogene and the Case of the Missing Pearls was going to be published in June, I knew exactly where I wanted to have my book signing.
MX Publishing sends exclusive shipments to independent booksellers who give pre-publishing signings. The signing went very well. I'll skip now to pictures of the evening. An evening of great fun, I have to add. It felt like one big party! And, you can see in the background, what a great bookstore this. (Side note: MX specializes in Sherlock Holmes-related books, so if you're a Sherlockian, you can find lots of good reads
HERE. )
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| This is Maddy (to your right). She was the perfect Imogene! |
On the right, you see Maddy Johnson, the actress who started in the trailer everyone liked. Below is her father, Steve Johnson, who put the trailer together. Steve is a magician and has a wonderful magic-and-costume shop in Carmichael,
Grand Illusions. Want some magic tricks? Wand a magician at your party? Need a costume? You can learn more about Grand Illusions
HERE |
| And this is her father, Steve Johnson, who made the trailer |
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| Friends and neighbors |
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Fellow teachers and writers
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JaNay and Rosi, fellow writers. JaNay
wrote the fantastic PB, Imani's Moon.
Between them, Julie, with whom I
used to teach. Next to Rosi, Bob,
from a former group. In front, one of
my art students, Miranda. |
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Nancy, David, & Naomi were in a
former writing group. Nancy is in one
of my current groups. She wrote All
We Left Behind, which I'm reviewing
next week. Naomi's book, Landfalls,
is coming out in August.
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Then there were my super cool
teacher friends from Elder Creek,
where I used to teach. |
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Next to Rosi, another writing group
member, Paddy, and her two boys.
Super-teacher Julie at the right. |
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In pink, our fabulous house-sitter, Dana.
She's going to have a little boy, soon.
Next to her, in maroon, Bethany, a school
librarian who's had kind things to say
about Imogene. |
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The Erica (tallest) and Vanessa
are wonderful artists in my art
class. Sofia is still too young,
but I hope she'll join in the future
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Even my dentist came! (green shirt). That was so kind of him.
And Kari (wearing cap; hubby Bill by her side) organized my
school visit to Matsuyama Elementary School, April 17.
That was another wonderful event. The kids were super! |
And there you have it! A wonderful evening, surrounded by books and friends in a wonderful location, with my wonderful husband taking pictures. What more could you ask?
Meanwhile, check out the links above, and come back next week for my review of Nancy Herman's book,
All We Left Behind, a deeply moving story about the Donner party, through the eyes of Virginia Reed.
Personally, I love criticism. I’m greedy for it. I know how hard it is to find someone who can give honest, constructive criticism – criticism that makes you suddenly see the wood from the trees, makes you realize that what you were never quite happy with is just not good enough, and can ask questions in ways that leads you to answers you didn’t know you were looking for.
As writers, we’re standing inside our stories, so it’s difficult to know how they look from the outside. As Kathy Lowinger says, ‘Get your work read because you can’t see yourself dance’. An outside perspective can be invaluable – and offers insights that you wouldn’t get otherwise.But - having been a member of many writing groups, and a teacher of many creative writing courses, I also know how damaging criticism can be. I come across students who are afraid to read their work in case they receive a negative comment that makes them want to give up (and in this case, I tell them, ‘don’t read’). I come across people who were criticised as children for their creative efforts and were told they were ‘making a mess’ or weren’t ‘doing it properly’ . Needless to say, they haven't tried it since. And I come across writers who want to offer up their work for criticism, but only want positive feedback and defend their work against the slightest criticism.
So I suppose I have concluded the following: - A writer shouldn’t share their work until they’re ready for criticism and can take it or leave it without being mortally wounded. This is usually possible only after some time has elapsed after writing it.
- A writer should say ‘thanks’ for the feedback they receive, and nothing more. Then they can go home and decide what to do with it. If a writer tries to defend their work, the people giving feedback will quickly stop bothering.
- When giving criticism, try and restrict it to the one or two main issues – don’t go on and on.
- Try and give other writers the feedback that they are ready for. We can’t judge everyone by the same yardstick – and when I think back to what my writing was like when I first started, I cringe. By working to our strengths and strengthening the positives, the negatives often fall away all by themselves
- But even when giving feedback to experienced writers, don’t forget the positives. We all like being reminded of what we do well. It makes us want to carry on.
What's your experience of writers' groups? Have I forgotten anything?
http://www.heatherdyer.co.uk
I want to thank everyone who emailed me their thoughts on writing groups, and here is my collective response: writers' groups are great if they work for you. Maybe they support you in some way that is necessary for you to go on writing. They are just not for me, and I need to spend what little time I have actually writing. So while I appreciate offers to join online critique groups, I like figuring out how to revise on my own. Just the way I work. And I think I'm more ruthless on myself than nice people would be.
Besides, I have to spend my online time looking up obscure facts about polar bears and peacocks so I can look at the clock and think, "OMG, it's 1:45 and the boys will be home in 17 minutes, and I haven't started revising yet!" It makes me really use those 17 minutes constructively. Unfortunately, another way I work: the Internet is my endless encyclopedia of trivia.
And while I'm sort of on the subject of writing and writing groups, I had no idea so many folks out there are aspiring to be writers, and YA writers in particular. It seems to have exploded, and I feel like Rip VanWinkle. Where did all these people come from and what were they doing before?
In reading some of these emails, I found out a lot that I didn't know, so I started snooping around the Internet to see what they were referencing. Now, admittedly, I am not a writer involved in many literary social loops - okay, no literary social loops - but I discovered a huge business has sprung up to cater to the aspiration of being a writer. There are workshops run by editors and former editors who charge mightily to critique your manuscript and make it publishable. (Can/do they guarantee that? What if that manuscript is still lingering in your hard drive three years later? Do you get a refund?)
There are conferences and weekend retreats and retreats combined with spa treatments to relax you so you can write better. So a sea kelp facial and then a little plot tweaking? Oh, sure, I get that. And none of these are cheap.
Then there is a strange fellow termed "collaborative publishing" - which seems like an advanced form of Xeroxing. You pay someone to publish your book. That's putting it a little baldly, but that's what I gathered from reading their spiel. You get to say you're published even if you're out a couple of grand.
Through none of this does anyone mention talent. There is a conspicuous absence of the T-word in most publishing come ons, and there is this weird atmosphere around writing that if you work a manuscript to death, send it out enough, throw some cash at it, you'll eventually hit it right, quit your day job and start lunching with JK Rowling. Or something along those lines. The odds are never mentioned.
We live right near Atlantic City, sort of a subdued LasVegas with tons of casinos and gamblers. One of the things Gamblers Anonymous does is explain the incredibly low odds of making it big at a casino. It's logical, and mathematical, and inarguable. You would think all the examples would keep the gamblers away from the glittery lure of Harrah's. But it doesn't, and the casinos continue to thrive. They keep coming back and spending money despite the almost impossible odds.
The gamblers know there are so many gamblers and so few jackpots. And the casinos know exactly how few gamblers will accept that as fact.
The Edgar Awards nomination list was released yesterday. This is the "shortlist" being considered for the award. The Edgars Awards are for the best mystery stories in many genres and mediums. They are given by the Mystery Writers of America.
Here are the children's book related categories:
Best Juvenile
The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch (very cool website)
Shadows on Society Hill by Evelyn Colemen
Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn
The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh
Sammey Keyes and the Wild Things by Wendelin Van Draanen
Best Young Adult
Rat Life by Tedd Arnold (yes this is the same Tedd Arnold that is known for his picture books)
Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney
Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin
Blood Brothers by S.A. Harazin
Fragments by Jeffry W. Johnston
You can read the full press release here.
How many middle grade mysteries have you read this year?
I've read one. Uno. Less than two and more than zero. So my question to you is this: Mysteries sell really really well sometimes, yes? Chasing Vermeer, for example, made its money back and it wasn't even that great of a mystery. And sure, the first Enola Holmes book didn't get the attention it so surely deserved, but by and large I get a ton of kids coming into my branch asking for mysteries. And nine times out of ten I have to point them in the direction of the series books because middle grade mysteries are few and far between. Why is this? Are they hard to write? Are publishers just blind to this trend? What gives?
All this is to say that the Edgar Awards were announced last week. And for the young 'uns, two wins.
YA Winner:
Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready
Juvenile Winner:
Room One: a mystery or two by Andrew Clements
Well done all around then. That would be a fun committee to be on, don't you think? The juvenile Edgar Award committee. I'd like that. And for an encapsulation of the evening of the awards you may indulge yourself in either the Edgar bulletpoints or first-time children's novelist Eric Berlin's take right over here.
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My friend paid a company big bucks to "fix" her contemporary mystery novel. They fixed some grammar, told her to "spice up the sex" and sent it back with the same typos.
She's still unpubbed, no agent, but she's not giving up. Go figure.
Oh, the T-word. I don't think we're supposed to say that one. We're just supposed to keep trying to get published rather than trying to, heaven forbid, become better writers.
Love that feather! I have one too; a student sent it to me because she is also researching peacocks. When I opened the package I thought, "The cat is going to go NUTS." But I managed to pretty much hide it from her.
I may be completely wrong, but I think the emphasis on groups is relatively new. By relatively, I mean much more so than when I started out, when there was almost no way for writers to meet each other except face-to-face at an SCBWI event, if indeed SCBWI was active in your locality. Every piece of advice I read at that time said "NOBODY, except maybe my spouse, reads my stuff until I'm ready to send it to my agent." I got the definite impression that just about all writers went it alone. No opinions wanted while the thing was still half-formed.
Sometimes I think groups are part of all the trappings of "being a writer." Because yes, there is a whole industry out there that caters to aspiring writers. Never mind that only a small minority has the talent level, the command of the language, AND the temperament (butt in chair, alone in room, hour after hour)to make it. Some have one or two of the above, but you need all three. And how much do you want a bet that the one they will assure you they have is talent? That plus "imagination." It's their grammar that's the weakness, they'll moan. And even worse, their time crunch. Oh, where is Verla's hammer-pounding smilie when I need it?
I think a lot of people look at writers like J K Rowling and imagine they can do the same -- produce a book that will capture the imagination of the world and earn them big bucks in a hurry. And few have even an inkling of an idea just how hard it is or how much of a long shot -- or indeed, how long it takes to develop skill.
I'm always amused by people who pursue a sport by buying all the kit -- expensive equipment, fancy spandex stuff, etc -- but skimp on the activity itself. Writing is the same. You can buy yourself a laptop, reference books, etc., join groups, go to conferences -- but at some point it all comes down to butt in chair, black on white. And yes, the T word too.
I have friends who have done similar things, Mike, and they are all still unpublished. It's weird to believe that without ever having studied literature or published in the tiniest of literary magazines that you have a shot at getting a novel published. But there is no shortage of folks who believe this, and there is no shortage of folks who will encourage them for the right price.
Sigh.
Right, Carrie, that unspoken T-word. It's much better to run around all the time going to conferences and joining countless groups and forums than to actually WORK at your writing. Forming your identity as a writer is what's important.
And random thought: why do so so many people put WRITER or POET or AUTHOR on their blogs when they have never published a single word? Just wondering. In keeping with that thinking, I'm going to put INTERNATIONAL SPY on my blog because I think it might be fun to be one.
(I know, I sound crabby. Rough week)
Well, it's good to know that, Marcia. I always imagined writers alone, too (and alcoholic, but that was only during the Hemingway phase) When I first started getting published, I got (snail) mail every once in awhile about conferences, but not to the extent that exists now. You could spend all your time shaping your identity as a writer and never manage to get a word down.
I have enough trouble with the butt glue situation as it is, and the distraction of groups would make me nuts.
And peacocks! I love Flannery O'Connor, and that's when I first started reading about them.
I know, Mary. We have friends who buy all this ultra sports equipment, then gain weight because I think the fun was all in the idea that they would lift weights or work on elliptical machines. It's so hopeful...sort of like writing. I guess it motivates them initially, but if they lack the T-word and the butt glue, and like Marcia said, the imagination, that's the end of it.