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Like many writers, I suffer from a dreaded writerly disease: trying to write it right the first time. I agonize over sentence structure, search my thesaurus for the perfect synonym, and doubt every plot line.
So when I came across this
New York Times Magazine Article that reminded me how important it is to be wrong -- and "to be wrong as fast as you can," I considered once again how overrated right is. In the article, Hugo Lindgren reviews a list of ideas he's had throughout the years and wonders why he hasn't written them. He recounts a Charlie Rose interview with Pixar's John Lasseter:
Pixar’s in-house theory is: Be wrong as fast as you can. Mistakes are an inevitable part of the creative process, so get right down to it and start making them. Even great ideas are wrecked on the road to fruition and then have to be painstakingly reconstructed. “Every Pixar film was the worst motion picture ever made at one time or another,” Lasseter said. “People don’t believe that, but it’s true. But we don’t give up on the films." We've all heard it a million times -- the stories of successful writers slogging through page after page of mediocrity, never giving up. And that is the real difference between success and failure. Never giving up.
So as I finish what I hope is my last major revision of this novel, I'll welcome making mistakes that can be fixed. I'll keep my eye on the light at the end of the tunnel and take the express.
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By: Eileen Cameron,
on 1/29/2013
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A content explosion - is how Rubin Pfeffer, partner at East West Literary Agency, former president and publisher of Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich, and a leading speaker at the recent Florida SCBWI conference in Miami, described the current world of children's publishing - digital books, hard print and self publishing. E books are at about to surpass print books and are at about 50% of new publications. By the end of 2013, it is estimated that
65% of American children will have access to or own a digital reader.
Wow! ipads, nooks, droids, and kobos...and cell phones.
Mr. Pfeffer suggests that new technology creates new content... and this is good for writers.
Another lead speaker, famed children's writer Bruce Coville, (MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN), pumped up the crowd with his topic,
"Ripples in the Pond and Why What We Do Matters." Don't be afraid to write, branch out and extend yourself. Expose yourself in your writing. Let it flow.
Writers from Florida and around the country heard from agents, editors, and great authors including Ellen Hopkins, (CRANK), and Toni Buzzeo (STAY CLOSE TO YOUR MAMA). Toni related how she arrived home from a meeting and announced that a writer friend had her own writing cottage - and her husband built her one! Well, her writing cottage in Maine is fabulous but we don't need a cottage - we need to focus on craft, learning craft, skill and persistence.
I drove home across Alligator Alley plotting my year's writing schedule, hopefully with renewed focus, craft and persistence.
Keep your plot unpredictable. Easy for you to say… I picked up a great tip on this recently. Use your critique partners – not just for review, but for breaking through plot bottlenecks.
Try this exercise: set the stage (your MC had a huge fight with her best friend), and ask your critique partners what might happen.
Wait for the first answer (she storms off and refuses totalk?) and avoid this at all costs: the predictable plot.
Delve deeper, seek alternatives. Brainstorm more answers with your partner. Does your MC tell other friends her side of the story, so that the basketball team shows its divided loyalties? Maybe. Does she cry on a badboy’s shoulder – the badboy her friend has crush on? Or maybe she’s so upset, she steals her father’s car to get as far away from the fight as possible… What happens then? Where does she go? That’s what everyone wants to know and where you should drive your plot.
You’re the writer, the creator, the omniscient presence, the grown-up. You drive. Drive your main character crazy. Test her, push her, force her to learn through doing, just like real life.
Remember: “Your main character is not your best friend.” You are not only allowed to put this ‘person’ into uncomfortable situations, you are supposed to. That’s your job.
Keep at it: tease, challenge and frustrate your characters. That’s when you’ll see what they’re really about. At some point you’ll be able to take your hands off the wheel and let them lead you on their journey of self-discovery and change.
Then you’ll have arrived at an interesting story.
The Paper Waiters ended 2012 with a joyful bang - book contracts for Robin and Brianna! Their celebratory posts were delightful reading. Full of !!!!!.
Such stunning good news deserves a back story. Now that the confetti has been swept away, the band has packed up, and the fireworks are ash, I'd like to ask Robin and Brianna a few questions.
1. How long did it take you to write the manuscript that just sold?
2. Who/what influenced your revisions?
3. Anything else about this success story you'd like to share?
So . . . take it away, Robin and Brianna.
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| Peter Pan Illustration by Kathleen Atkins |
How do you enter the magical world of your young readers?
To get into the right mindset, I think back to how I felt as a child. I also get lots of ideas from my students (I teach elementary art).
But how do you tap into that world if you don’t interact with children on a daily basis?
One resource is
Edutopic’s list of winning student blogs by children ages 6-13. It’s a great way to research how today’s kids spend their time, what they care about, and what they find funny. (Notice how many of the blog titles include the word, ‘Awesome’.)
Another resource I love is the New York Times’ blog,
“Kids Draw the News.” On this site, children submit illustrations to accompany articles on current events. It’s a great way to discover how children view the world. Plus, their illustrations are a hoot!
What resources help you enter the world of young readers?
By: Melinda Meister,
on 1/4/2013
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Writers, hang on to your scribbles! Your shopping list may one day be worth a small fortune...to someone, if not you. Yesterday (January 3, 2013) the Wall Street Journal reported that there are people who deal in writers' memorabilia, and it doesn't even have to be memorable. In addition to marked up manuscripts, legal pads, notebooks and tax returns all qualilfy. Sadly, most writers operate digitally these days, reducing the number of scratched out story lines stored in attic boxes. So it might be well to keep some handwritten notes on your work and mark them "Do not discard." Your great grandchildren might actually benefit from what your children may once have tossed in the dumpster.
Happy New Year, Paper Waiters! I am so excited to be starting off the new year with some good news... some VERY good news! My picture book, Mystery at the Miss Dinosaur Pageant has been... acquired by Caroline Abbey of Bloomsbury Children's Books!! Yay!!!!
I am so excited I finally get to share my good news. This fun and wacky picture book is near and dear to my heart and I would like to extend a huge thank my awesome Paper Wait critique group for guiding me through revisions (and for believing in it when they first saw an early draft!). And a huge thank you to my awesome agent, Teresa Kietlinski, for believing in this story and helping it to find the right editor!
So please help me celebrate! Take a piece of cake, a scoop of ice cream and join the party!
Can't wait to celebrate lots more good news for all the wonderful Paper Waiters in 2013!
By: Eileen Cameron,
on 12/28/2012
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As the New Year turns with all its new possibilities and unknowns, we often resolve to do better...in many avenues of our lives...and especially in our writing. As Sharon mentioned here at the blog a few weeks ago here, we writers do resolve (every year!) to be more diligent and creative. And as the New Year approaches we think back upon the last months and consider what we could have done differently and consider challenges to come as the time flies.
"The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot!"
Micheal Altshuler
We are the pilots. To help set our courses for the coming year we can set our instruments on go with the help of many sages.
"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one"
Brad Paisley
"Every man should be born again on the first day of January, Start with a fresh page."
Henry Ward Beecher
"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."
Edith Lovejoy Pierce
"What the New Year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the New Year."
Vern McLeellan
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."
Abraham Lincoln
For us writers as we plot our courses for the coming year this great advise is energizing and inspirational for creative work in the coming months, but lets spice the flying time with a little fun too.
"Each age has deemed the new born year
the fittest time for festal cheer!"
Sir Walter Scott
You're the Pilot!
Happy Writing! Happy Resolutions! Happy New Year!
Okay, so, I wasn't going to post this quite yet since I'm sure everyone is busy with the holidays but I can’t hold it in any longer…
I HAVE A BOOK DEAL!!!!!! Balzer + Bray is publishing my debut YA, The Promise of Amazing, in 2014!!! Champagne for everyone!!!
I’m still pinching myself.
In honor of this and in the spirit of Christmas, I’m having a GIVEAWAY!!!
In the comments section, tell me which writers have influenced you and why and I’ll randomly select someone to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card! Okay, my turn:
One of the writers who has influenced me is fellow Jerseyan, Judy Blume. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret was the first book I remember falling in love with. I lived in that book. It was also the first book I read over and over again. What struck me most about that book was the way it made me feel. I was going through some of the same things that Margaret was going through…trying to figure out where I fit in, who my friends were, getting a bra, (worrying about having something to fill out said bra!), and going to my first boy/girl parties. These were thrilling, yet sometimes, scary events! Reading about someone going through those same things made me feel that all the emotions, the highs and lows, that I was experiencing were…normal.
This is what I aspire to do in my own work - to create characters and stories which grab you by the collar and pull you into their world. To laugh, cry and maybe even recognize yourself there.
So how about you, Paper Waiters? Which writer has influenced you? Any comments left before midnight on December 24th will be eligible for the giveaway!! (Just make sure to include an e-mail address so I can contact you!)
Oh, and I apologize for the overuse of exclamation points...but I just can't HELP IT!!!!!!
One of my favorite blogs is
Calling Caldecott. It's co-written by Robin Smith (a second grade teacher and reviewer for Kirkus and Horn Book) and Lolly Robinson (who teaches children's lit. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is designer/production manager for Horn Book.)
November was Picture Book Month at the Horn Book and two exceptional articles in that section of the blog are "Over and Over," an emotional tribute to Charlotte Zolotow written by her daughter, Crescent Dragonwagon; and Patricia Gauch's article "The Picture Book as an Act of Mischief."
Moving on to the reviews of possible Caldecott Medal candidates, here are a few of the books they've featured:
Bear Has a Story to Tell written by Philip Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead.
A Home for Bird written and illustrated by Philip Stead
and And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano, illus by Erin Stead. Could this be another "Stead" year?
Goldilocks and The Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems. Could the committee go for a fractured fairy tale? Maybe an Honor book?
Penny and Her Song. Kevin Henkes. For the Geisel committee instead?
And my favorite:
Z is For Moose by Kelly Bingham and Paul Zelinsky. A wacky romp through the alphabet. Amazing to me that Paul Zelinsky, of the rich, traditional oil paintings, illustrated this with such freedom and verve. You can read Roger Sutton's interview with him on the Horn Book website.
Do you have a favorite Caldecott candidate?
With the New Year just around the corner, resolutions for 2013 come to mind.
I resolve to write one picture book manuscript each month. How will I keep that resolution, you may ask?
Reading the daily
PiBoIdMo posts during November inspired me to do a little writing each day. Now I didn't say
good writing. I do have hope that the act of writing each day will eventually lead to good writing. Or even
really good writing. Or one day (gasp!) a published book!
Here’s to a creative 2013!
Do you have a New Year’s writing resolution?
Recently I read a very inspiring blog post. It challenged me to rename three characters where I had settled for bland, generic names. The new names I came up with were much more interesting. (At least, I hope they are. :o) )
But, what really surprised me was how involved a revision this seemingly simple change entailed. I mean, it should be a simple matter of cut and paste, right? \
But it was far from that. Nothing simple about it.
The change of names reverberated through my manuscript. (Just as Ann Whitford Paul had suggested they would!) After re-naming my characters, I discovered the birth order of my young protagonists and how that fit into their motivation within the story.
And, once I gave my characters more interesting names, my last stanza no longer worked. I think that subconsciously, that last stanza had always bothered me a bit. But with the new names, somehow I could no longer pretend to myself that my original attempt at an ending worked. It needed revising. And that revising was challenging but fun to do.
Yes, those new character names really did set in motion a chain of changes. Good ones, I hope!
Has a relatively minor revision ever sparked a chain of changes in your writing? How did your chain of changes turn out?
By: Melinda Meister,
on 12/4/2012
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When hurricane Sandy hit, she felled several large oaks on our property, a major "revision" job, if you want to compare it writing. Luckily, the storm left the house still standing. Subsequently we took down two more immense oaks threatening the the house. Oddly, from within the house it is impossible to see where the missing trees once stood. I know a writer who is valiantly revising a very good story. He calls me when, like the hurricane, he chops whole sections. He has chopped out thickets of writing that don't move the plot along. But the main character and the plot are still standing, and the story is moving forward to what should be an excellent conclusion.
I like to inject a fair amount of humor into my work. I don't write a lot of slapstick or ROTFLMAO stuff, but I hope my readers are giggling frequently. Lately, due to some personal circumstances, I've had a hard time writing at all, let alone writing funny.
I needed a way to combat my writing inertia and get me and my characters out of their gloom. So I invented a writing exercise. At least, I don't know of anyone else who has done this before. Oh, except maybe Second City and other improvisational acting troops.
So here's what I do when the funny is missing.
I put my characters in ridiculous situations and see what happens. Like an audience calling out ideas to an improv troop, I don't spend a lot of time thinking of circumstances. I work with any idea that pops into my head and go for it. I'm not looking to use what I write in my novel, I'm just trying to make myself laugh -- at my characters or with my characters.
My MC has tripped into a ring at a three ring circus and found himself face to face with a lion. He and his love interest witnessed a nun boost some cash from the poor box and followed her around town as she made some purchases. His entire group of friends spent the night in one hotel room -- oh, wait, some of that may end up in the novel.
The point of this exercise is to relax and be silly. No one has to see it but me. Unless, like Julie said in her last post, I save it for some added value down the road.
By: Eileen Cameron,
on 11/28/2012
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Last month I commented on the coming hurricane - SANDY - and how even if the power, and consequently the lights, went off, people could still read long after their charges on their computers, tablets, and phones went dead - with a book and flashlight or candle!
You've been reading most of the month here on our blog about the toll the storm took -the vast damage to homes, businesses and amusement parks! And how discombobulated you can get when trying to stay warm or cook over the fireplace. If you are not from the tri-state area affected by Sandy you might be thinking - we've heard this all month - can they get over it?
Well, the storm did take a toll. We all know people who lost their homes - their one and only home, as well as vacation homes. It was pretty devastating.
Our area was without power for 12 days. The local nursing home had a generator but it didn't keep the heat up to normal and the elderly patients were cold. Many of the children were out of school for a week and a half. This might sound great if you are ten, until you realize that you might not get a spring vacation this year.
But we writers keep on focusing on writing - can still scribble with a pen on paper and have time to reflect on the lives of writers and readers in the past - before Tom Edison turned on the lights!
How precious is the light - to read and write by! Until people had gas lights and then electric lights, they had to really work at finding time to read. In the summer there is ample natural light until the late evening but in the winter you would have had to sit close to a window in mid-day. Children, writers and clerks working on rows of figures had to use the day light carefully. This sure gives us a renewed perspective on light and how we are so used to having this gift 24 hours a day. And, it gives us a glimpse of how people sacrificed other needs and enjoyments just to read and write before the electric light.
I did sit by the fire and read books into the night - but I used up innumerable batteries in my large flashlight and many candles as I held the book with one hand and the candle stick in the other!
Thanks Tom Edison (who did his great discoveries in NJ!) for our light! And here is the rest of it.
By: Julie Whelan,
on 11/24/2012
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Thought I’d share a few nuggets of wisdom about ‘the business’ from the SCBWI NJ Fall Retreat a few weeks ago. In my next post, I’ll share some craft tips.
Editors, Agents and ConsolidationSelling a manuscript is increasingly "more difficult." There are fewer editors, and each editor is responsible for a growing number of books.
- Each editor has less time available to spend on each manuscript.
- The Penguin/Random House merger will only add to this trend.
- New authors: try a new and not-yet-established agent or editor, especially at reputable agencies. New authors need more personal attention. These young and hungry professionals can devote more time to you than a more senior editor may have available.
Author ResponsibilitySeveral editors and agents agreed that authors are expected to do even more these days once they are published.
Editors are looking for extra content: - short stories,
- character notes,
- side stories for minor characters.
You must help, sometimes for free, to build the audience and bridge the time between major publications. Don’t throw away your character sketches or alternative plot notes!
Still, each and every editor professes to be looking for new talent -- but mostly through agents or conferences. As always, put forth only your best work.
Finally, kudos to Leeza Hernandez for keeping the conference on-track after Sandy. Through our first day, the hotel was running on generator power. NJ Transit was not in operation. Still we had a full panel of agents and editors, and a full schedule. Thanks Leeza.
Good luck and keep at it writers.
By: Robin Constantine,
on 11/20/2012
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Thanksgiving is here! Already! We still have uneaten Halloween candy!!
Stores are hawking their Black Friday sales - some even starting BEFORE Thanksgiving. (Black Wednesday, anyone?) Christmas decorations are adorning shopping centers and private residences. And my sure fire way of telling the holiday season is upon us - Starbucks has their holiday hot cups! And Peppermint Mochas!!
So, I'm going to keep this light. I'm hosting an incredible (albeit virtual) Thanksgiving feast and you're all invited! Please bring your favorite dish and a guest - a character: hero, villain or otherwise - from your favorite children's book. Picture books to YA! Classics to contemporary! Everyone is welcome.
Hmmm...I invited Severus Snape, but seeing as a)he doesn't want to fraternize with Muggles and b)he doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving and c) well, there was that nasty business in book seven...he declined via owl.
So instead my guest will be the lovely Katniss Everdeen. She promised to provide the fowl.
Who will you bring, dear Paper Waiters?
By: Sharon Wildey Calle,
on 11/17/2012
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| Arthur Rackam |
With life comes loss. Whether you lose a memento, job, home, pet, or loved one, the pain can feel the same.
With writing also comes loss...
Lately I’ve been mourning the loss of paragraphs, phrases, and words in my picture book manuscript.
Breaking up with a cleverly crafted phrase or an endearing scene can be excruciating. It’s so difficult to part with something you love.
After any period of mourning, it is imperative to move on. Often, life sends better things your way.
I am starting to think as a picture book writer instead of a children’s book writer. I cut out anything that can be shown or explained with the illustrations.
My manuscript has gone from 563 words down to 253 words. And you know what? It’s getting better.
Here are some great quotes by picture book author Juliet Clare Bell on the subject:
“Editing picture book manuscripts is different from editing other manuscripts….A manuscript for a great novel will read as brilliantly as the novel itself. A manuscript for a great picture book will not. But that’s the point. It’s not MEANT to. It’s a picture book. It’s all about the book as a whole.
“Remember, you’re not aiming for something that will flow beautifully without the aid of pictures (as it will look as a manuscript in your hands); you are looking for something that will flow beautifully as a picture book.”
“…picture book editors know how to imagine the pictures. It's their job.”
How do you deal with loss in your writing?
By: Gale Sypher Jacob,
on 11/14/2012
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Hurricane Sandy stole my concentration. Ever since those six days without power and then the nervous-making gas shortage, I've been unable to settle back into writing. I'm not talking about being as creative as putting words on the page. I can't even concentrate on pondering the problems in my two current projects!
Here's how I feel:
All foam, no beer.
No grain in my silo.
A few cards short of a full deck.
Missing a button on my remote control.
My sewing machine's out of thread.
I'm one taco short of a combination platter.
The cheese has slid off my cracker.
My elevator doesn't go to the top.
Now compared to Sandy's physical destruction, I know my problem is small. Maybe writing this post will jump start a writing routine?
Thanks to The Paper Wait I had a deadline. Will a deadline do the trick?
Photo credit: Mel Evans/AP.
I just got back from my local SCBWI meeting. It was wonderful!
Two local authors presented inspiring workshops. (Thanks Lisa L. Owens and Ben Clanton!) Before that there were fun and funny announcements from our wonderful regional advisors, and good news announcements. Always such a pleasure to hear!
Usually, people don't think of writing as something social. But, when this social component is there, it is such fun. Now that I live across the country from my amazing Paper Wait critique group, these wider community connections are essential.
Of course, there are many ways to find community. Like many writers, I find such wonderful community online. Especially at Verla Kay's Blueboards!
And in November there are even more opportunities for online community. Good luck to all those who are doing NaNoWriMo!
My writing challenge of choice is Picture Book Idea Month. It is such fun to read the blog posts Tara Lazar has been posting each day from a wonderfully talented group of authors and illustrators. (If you read only one (and I definitely advise reading more than one), you must read Day 9's post by Kelly Light. Incredible.)
I am definitely inspired from all this wonderful community! Must get back to writing!
What writing communities have you found? Do they leave you feeling inspired too?
All of you, I'm sure, have read a book so exquisitely crafted that at the story's end the main character seems to be shadowing you. You feel like asking him to sit down and tell you more. This can't be all, you say. I just finished "Old Filth," a highly praised 2005 novel by British writer, Jane Gardam. It could easily be a young adult book, so I'll use it as the subject for my comments. Gardam's work encompases Edward Feather's long life, starting at the end, then switching to the beginning, with his birth in Malaya, then to his miserable seven-year old existence in Wales, then to teenage years, back and forth, each chapter revealing a piece of the puzzle Feathers was. Nevertheless, it is a perfect page turner; only in the last pages of the novel are the multitude of mysteries that make up Feather's life resolved. What I'm sure Gardam did prior to writing was to create a very thorough biography (not just a character sketch) of Edward Feathers, and probably biographies of all the story's characters. Her meticulous character development paid off. I'm afraid I have been careless, writing and hoping my characters catch my reader's attention with minimal effort on my part. I could improve. Vastly.
By: Robin Constantine,
on 11/2/2012
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As one of the Paper Waiters who now lives outside of NJ, it has been heartbreaking to watch the footage of Sandy and the devastation left in her wake. The above picture, in particular, left me feeling empty, helpless and just, well, sad. That is the Star Jet roller coaster from Seaside Heights' famed Casino Pier.
There are no words.
I called it the jet star...rolled off the tongue better, I guess. And it used to TERRIFY me. The first climb was straight up to the sky and there was always that thought - what if it doesn't stop? What if we go hurtling into the ocean? That net is SO not going to catch me! Being terrified was part of it - especially when there was a cute guy involved. Nothing like the adrenaline rush of a roller coaster ride to force that first tenuous physical contact and make it okay. There is magic in that sea-salt air!
The boardwalk was always bustling with families, freaks, hairbags, bennies, guidos and guidettes BEFORE Jersey Shore was even an idea in some TV executive's head. It was the perfect diversion. My mother recently told me, back in her day, they were warned about going to Seaside because the "sin oozed up from under the Boardwalk."
It didn't stop her from going.
Steak sandwiches, lemonade with half a lemon floating in it, games of chance for oversized stuffed animals or rude tee shirts and the possibility of stolen kisses after a sleepy day at the beach...a little slice of Jersey heaven.
I know the shore isn't the only place that was devastated, and I can't begin to fathom all of the lives this storm has touched and changed forever. What is life affirming to me is how people come together.
Children's author
Kate Messner started
KidLit Cares -
an auction to benefit the Sandy Relief Effort. A phone chat with agent Erin Murphy, a phone call and critique with Egmont USA publisher and editor Elizabeth Law and a Skype visit with author/illustrator Mo Willems are just a few of the experiences you can bid on through this amazing auction. Author Skype visits! Manuscript critiques from pros! All to help out a good cause. Go. BID.
The auction runs until November 9th. (latest item additions have later end dates!) THANK YOU!!*photo credit NBC News
By: Eileen Cameron,
on 10/28/2012
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As we and all in the east on the Middle Atlantic coast prepare for THE STORM - SANDY - we are storing up batteries for radios, and flash lights and checking candles, matches, barbeque grills, shopping for food usable without electric power, and leaving stores empty of batteries, soup, bread, milk, water, and cookies. We are thinking of what the next few days will bring. Will there be severe flooding, wind damage and power outages? Will the power be off for a long time?
The good news for readers, and writers, is that we have numerous vehicles to keep us company during the storm. Computers, Kindles, I Pads, and DS's. We can surf the web, play games, send emails, watch videos, and read books on these great utensils.
But...
when the power has been off for a long and continuous time and the energy in our reading machines dies down, there is hope! If the electric power is off for a long enough time and the machines no longer operate without being charged, we still have...BOOKS!
In day light and at night in the glow of flash lights or candles, we can read on and on in a hard copy paper book. When the lights go out, we still have books - for information, research, mystery, romance, and STORY!
Sort of nice.
I tossed my ‘giraffe’ in the air…the rhyming manuscript about which I was so excited went off, exclusively, to two carefully chosen editors.
A month or two later, I had heard nothing; I assumed nothing.
As happens in this industry, it turns out that editor number one, for whom I had high hopes, left the publisher two weeks after I emailed her. Editor number two has sent no reply. Nearly three months have passed since I submitted.
I need to follow up so that I can forward the manuscript to other editors. How should this be handled? While I am out of luck with editor number one, is it as if the manuscript dissolved in cyberspace? Or do I have a responsibility to follow up with that publisher? Editors move frequently. What is the standard practice with manuscripts left unresolved upon that editor's departure?
With editor number two, I have a picayune protocol question: since I submitted by snail mail (as required) must I also follow-up by snail mail? Or can I shoot an email?
Rejection protocol. I know many of you have been through this before. Thanks in advance for your advice.
By: Robin Constantine,
on 10/22/2012
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Over the summer my husband noticed a song on one of my iPod playlists and wondered why on Earth I felt like listening to THAT? It was
Hate Me by
Blue October. I'm prone to some blue periods, so his concern was genuine. Is that how I was feeling? But when I answered that I wasn't listening to it for me, but for my character - I think he worried even more!
I first heard the song in spin class, during a time I was getting to know the characters in my current manuscript. There was something about the haunting melody and angst-ridden lyrics that felt perfect for my male protagonist. I listened to it for quite some time - sometimes while writing - to put me in the character's frame of mind. See, music is portable. You can listen to it in the car, on a run, cleaning, folding laundry and still write in your head. With my ear buds in, I can multitask, even make dinner, while working out my plot and no one is the wiser.I know I'm not the only writer who gets inspired by music. Stephen King listens to heavy metal so he can focus. Stephanie Meyer even thanked the band, Muse, in her acknowledgements for inspiring her while she was writing the Twilight series. I rarely listen to music while I write, but when I do, it's to tap into some emotion. If I'm stuck in a scene, or have trouble feeling the mood I'm trying to create, listening to music sometimes helps. I don't consciously put a playlist together, but when I'm finished with a novel I definitely have a soundtrack. And every character, no matter how minor, almost always has a song.So what about you Paper Waiters? Does music help or hurt your process?
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So true, Judy. And so wise. I recently heard an interview with Michael Chabon at the end of the audiobook of The Yiddish Policemen's Union in which he revealed that he had written a 600pp first draft of the book with a first person narrator. He threw it out and kept 30pp. And he was so nonchalant about his efforts! It reminded me that what we see in a book is the tip of the iceberg.
Advice I need to follow. Too often I agonize over sentence structure and the perfect word in a first draft. I should just get the ideas down and leave the angst to later.
Truer words were never "written." A certain amount of discipline is necessary, but getting it all out is far superior to getting hung up on the first paragraph...and going no farther.