FAQ - Why Do You Write? (And a spring slideshow)

Q: Why do you write?

(Well, this isn't actually frequently asked but an audience member asked it of the panel I was on last Thursday.  The two other writers - a retired professor of creative writing and a young man not long out of a MFA program -- both answered that they wrote because they had to -- that it was a consuming passion. Boy, did I feel like a Philistine -- albeit an honest Philistine - when I answered.)

A:  I write for the money.  The money I receive for my books isn't great -- it wouldn't support a family -- but it's useful and it allows me to justify the hours and hours I spend working on my novels. Would I spend a year, churning out 400 plus pages if I didn't get paid for it? 

No, I don't think so. I'd scratch that creative itch with photography or quilting or painting or gardening. And blogging, of course.  Oh, I'd eventually try my hand at poetry or a play or some shorter fiction -- but as I spent the first fifty-something years of my life not writing anything more than the occasional letter, I can't say that I HAVE to write.


Obviously, I don't have the passion -- just perseverance.

 CLICK ON SLIDE TO BIGGIFY AND READ CAPTIONS.

 

FAQ-Research

Q: What kind of research do you do for your books?

A:  Various kinds and a lot more than actually gets written into the book. I like to have a good background of what I'm writing about but I only use enough to make my stories seem plausible.

First, I visit the places I'm writing about. For the most part, everything I write about takes place in my neck of the woods  -- even on our farm. (Why, oh why didn't I think to set my series in some exotic locale? Then travel to said locale could be a tax write-off.)

But my travels are local -- to a tent revival (but not to a snake-handling church,) to the River Art District in Asheville, the casino in Cherokee, a Civil War era house in nearby Marshall, one of the few remaining drover's stands in Fairview, the Vance birthplace for a look at the clothing and house furnishings of times past. . .

For the forthcoming Under the Skin I took a thirty minute drive to Hot Springs and the Mountain Magnolia Inn, as well as the Hot Springs Spa. It really helps me to be in a place and get the feel of it before I write about it.

For Old Wounds and for The Day of Small Things, I spent some time in Cherokee, at the Museum and at a Southeastern tribes dance festival, talking to folks and buying some useful books for research. 

I also occasionally have helpful readers who share pictures and diaries -- like Inez and Odessa's diaries that really gave me a picture of life around here in the Thirties and Forties. 

There are also a number of helpful friends and acquaintances who will answer my questions -- several physicians and psychologists,  a pharmacist, our local dentist (a good friend and the original of Doc Adams in Signs in the Blood and in Old Wounds)  and my friend Kathy, the realtor who inspired Sallie Kate. Mechanics, lawyers, journalists, farm agents, law men -- I've got a little list.


I've found that folks are incredibly generous with their time and expertise when you say the magic words, "I'm working on a book and need to know..."

And there are folks around I can talk to and hear their memories. I have. too, my own memories of the old folks I knew thirty years ago and the things they told me about growing up in the mountains.

Really, most of my thirty-some years here in the mountains amounts to research. I just didn't know at the time that I'd eventually be writing about it.  I've used my experience on jury duty, things I overheard in the laundromat, the time I got a concealed carry permit, and lots more that I'll use eventually.

One thing I do at the beginning of each novel is to visit our county library (and sometimes the much larger library in Asheville) and skim through the newspapers of the time period I'll be writing about. The advertisements, as much as anything, give me a feel for the time, whether it's Little Sylvie's 1901 trip to Ransom where she talks about the things she sees in the store windows, or Red Bird's favorite nail polish or her trip to the S and S Cafeteria with Luther in the Thirties.

I've also accumulated a nice little library of Appalachian related books and I list the ones that have been most helpful in the acknowledgment pages of each book.  Sometimes just the pictures are enough to give me a feel for the period.

And there's Mr. Google -- almost anything I might want to know is there, including primary sources.

 

Between the world outside my door and the world of the Internet, plus a pretty lively imagination, I can set the scene fairly well. Because I'm not writing history, and since I made Marshall County a fictional place (albeit based on a real one,) I have a little leeway. I'm not aiming for infallible accuracy -- just a reasonable verisimilitude.

 

FAQ - Do You Outline?

Q: Do you make a detailed outline before you begin to write a novel?

A: I'm often asked this and up till now my answer as been "No, I send my editor a few pages indicating a bit about characters and plot -- what's the main problem, what are the conflicts, what are some high points, and what's the resolution."

But things have changed. The novel I want to write next isn't about Elizabeth Goodweather nor is it a spin-off like The Day of Small Things.  It's still in the mountains, still in mythical Marshall County.  But it's a whole new cast of characters and not really a mystery.

And since I'm not a best-selling author, getting a new contract isn't a foregone conclusion. It's not my editor's decision alone. The new novel basically has to be pitched to a group of people - including marketing -- who will be asking one question. And that question isn't Is this novel going to be a well-written book? 

No, the question is Will this book sell a lot of copies?   Because, like it or not, publishing is a business.

So I've been directed to write a really detailed proposal -- almost a chapter by chapter synopsis.  I make a start -- and I find I'm writing the book rather than a synopsis. Arrgh!

Which is why I'm giving the Snowflake Method a try.  Back in the fall, one of the students in my writing class told us about this way of working out a plot and I was intrigued. (I'm not going to try to paraphrase it here -- check the link if you're interested.)  Now I'm working through it, trying to come up with a dynamite proposal.


It takes time -- but I'm hopeful that the hours spent on this meticulous outline will save days when it comes to writing and I won't be up in my workroom in the wee hours of the morning, trying to figure out what should happen next.

FAQ - Can Writing Be Taught?

Q: Did Dickens, Jane Austen, Shakespeare and all those authors we know, get any help? I think that you don't want to be a writer -- you are one or you aren't.

A:  The questioner has a good point -- I don't think it's possible to teach the art of writing,  but I do think that there's a lot that can be taught about the craft.  I certainly learned a lot from the class I took and from some books I've read. Hints on how to write dialog, beginning with a hook, various methods for plotting, even such nuts and bolts matters as how long a book should be, or what font is preferred by agents and editors are useful to writers in today's over-crowded market.

That said, I also think there's a point of diminishing returns with classes and inspirational books and there comes a time when one must just concentrate on WRITING -- finishing that novel or memoir or collection of poems.

As for the art of writing.... 

The best advice I can give is to read books written in the kind of language you want to write. Read till the sentence structures and the music of the language comes naturally to you . 

Even better than reading , I think, is listening to well-read audio books. When reading, I tend to skim, in hurry to find out what happened. But when listening, I can savor the beauty of a well-turned phrase, a clever transition, an apt description. I love Jane Austen, Neil Gaiman, P.G.Wodehouse, Patrick O'Brian, and Douglas Adams on audio, to name just a few.  All of these writers are in love with language and can make words sit up and beg or sentences jump through hoops.

Elizabeth George was quoted somewhere as saying she always spends a half an hour before she begins to write, reading 'up.' That is to say, reading on a higher level than she writes. I think she mentioned Jane Austen.  And I'd say that's probably not a bad idea. I know my writing would become very spare and straightforward if I went on a kick of reading Hemingway.


Read the best of what you want to write.

FAQ - The Book Tour

Q: So, when you have a new book out, your publisher sends you on a tour, right?  And they pay for it, don't they? Provide you with media escorts and all that, right?

A: Hahahahahhahahaahahahahahhahahaha . . .  oh, sorry, let me get a hold of myself here.

Alas, the sad reality is that, unless you're one of the blockbuster-writing bestselling darlings of the publishing world, you are on your own nickel for most of what you do in the way of travel and promotion.

Occasionally an author will be offered a stipend for travel or a room for the night. Often he'll be fed. By the organizers of the event, I hasten to add, not by the publisher. But the reality is that traveling to promote one's book is an expense -- deductible, but still an expense.

My 'book tours' are at near by bookstores and libraries, as well as the occasional conference such as those in the slide shows below. And they are, as I said, pretty much on my own nickel.

Below are slide shows from Murder in the Magic City and Murder on the Menu -- two terrific event which I just attended where I met wonderful authors and readers. (Click to biggify and read captions,)

FAQ - Dare I . . .?

Q:I ended my last FAQ post by saying "If you really want to write, you'll find the time."  

To which one person responded: "It is not the writing that I have difficulty finding the time for, it is the "Writing". People keep telling me I should "Write" rather than write but I can never find time. And I suspect the reason is the one given in your final sentence. Deep down, I suspect I am frightened of attempting to Write in a serious way (whatever that may be.) 

 

 A: That wasn't actually a question but that's okay -- this isn't actually an answer.  But if the writer is talking about a fear of rejection, I can speak from my personal experience.

When I was in high school and in college, I thought I'd like to be a Writer.  I knew I wrote well -- I was an English major, after all. I wrote essays and papers and the like all the time. And got A's on them. But could I Write?  

To me, Writing meant publication -- preferably in The New Yorker and, failing that, in some prestigious literary journal. 

And I couldn't bear the thought, not so much of rejection as of anyone knowing about said rejection. I even toyed with the idea of renting a box at the post office so I could receive issues of The Writers Digest surreptitiously -- as well, perhaps,as the dreaded rejection letters.


I didn't do this -- neither did I pursue Writing any farther after sending one poem to The New Yorker and, not surprisingly, receiving one rejection letter. 


It took over forty years before I decided to Write -- ie pursue publication. And somehow, a wonderful thing had happened.  I had lowered my expectations. (I suspect it had to do with age and wisdom.)


It didn't have to be The New Yorker or a fine literary journal. It didn't have to be The Great American Novel or even literary fiction. I decided to have a go at a mystery -- crime fiction -- a genre that reaches from just adequate writing to Really Amazing Writing.


I gave myself permission to fail. And permission to fail publicly. (More age and wisdom -- I find that the older I get, the less I care about what others think of me.) I told people I was trying to write a mystery. When I finished it (and what an achievement that felt like!) I let it be known I was querying agents. 

My family saw the rejection letters clogging the mail box.  (The post office is over thirty minutes away -- thank goodness I'd gotten over the secrecy bit.)

The above is not one of mine -- I wish that it had been. Encouraging rejections are few.  And in spite of my lowered expectations, each form rejection was like a body blow. A scribbled note on a rejction letter, on the other hand, felt like a hug.

I've told people that I think one needs to feel fairly strong and secure in themselves to risk repeated blows to the self esteem. But if you want to Write, that's what you have to do. You can't succeed without risking failure.

People deal with rejection in many ways from papering a room with rejection letters to changing their names and moving out of town.  

Here's a novel approach.  Check out the Journal of Universal Rejection .

 It might be therapeutic.  Or at least good for a giggle.

FAQ - How Do You Do All That You Do?

Q:  How do you find the time to do all you do -- write, blog, garden, cook, read, teach, publicity for your books, et cetera, et cetera... ?

A: I'm always embarrassed when I get this question from people who read my blog because the simple answer is that I don't do as much as my blog may lead you to think.  There are weeds and dust bunnies and unmet deadlines and unfinished projects of every ilk all around me.

What I want to know is how people with day jobs manage to write novels.

But, people invariably ask when I do a talk, what kind of schedule do you have for writing?

And I always have to say that I write when I can.

There are many writers who keep office hours(and stay off the Internet during those hours) -- and I know I should try to do the same -- but I don't.

I've written six books now (seven if we count the first and unpublished one,) mostly at night between eight and midnight (or later.) This seems to be when my brain gets into the writing mode.  There are times (especially as deadlines near or zoom past) when I attempt to write most of the day but for whatever reason, those late night hours are the most fertile.

Not very helpful, if you're a beginning writer, seeking advice on how to structure a writing day. But I suspect that everyone has to find his/her own best time and place to write.  I know that rising at some ungodly hour of dark-thirty probably isn't going to work for me -- though many writers swear by putting in several hours before dawn.

The single piece of advice that I have for most writers, as far as finding time to write is: Don't watch television.  For many people, that's several hours a day you could be writing.

Or stay off the Internet. . . ouch.

If you really want to write, you'll find a way . . . and the time.

 

FAQ - Odds and Ends

I did an interview yesterday and was reminded of lots more little Q I'm F A.  

Q: Why aren't your books in hardcover?

A: That was the publisher's decision, not mine. I suspect they felt that I'd have better luck building an audience with seven dollar paperbacks than with twenty-five dollar hardcovers. And let's face it, many folks see mysteries as quick, rather disposable reading -- not something they intend to read again and again.


Q: Are your books on Kindle and other Ebook formats? 


A: Yes, they are. Again, that's up to the publisher -- I have nothing to do with it.


Q: What about audio books? 

A:  Sorry, no.  I'd love it if they were -- especially if it was a good reader who did the dialect well.  Maybe someday . . . but again, this is in the hands of the publisher and, like everything to do with publishing, it's driven by the bottom line. 

Q: What advice would you give writers hoping to get a book contract with a traditional publisher?

A:  1. Don't quit your day job in hopes of selling a book and watching the money roll in. That happens in only a very, very, VERY few instances.

        2. Your first priority should be to finish writing your book --before you get your author's website (I said, website, not blog) and before you get that author's photo taken in the tweed jacket with suede elbow patches. Finish the book and start the next one. 

        3. There's an overwhelming amount of writing and publishing information out there. Don't try to read it all. Don't attend every conference and take every workshop. If you did, when would you have time to write your book?

 

The two photos were taken at sunset on Jupiter Road as I drove home from the interview.

FAQ - Tips for Critique

Q: I hang my head because I tend to cheerlead too much, I think. . .  Do you suppose you could give us some things to start with if we are recovering cheerleaders and want to be better crit partners?

A: If you do cheerlead, at least be specific. 'I love the way you described the sound of his gargling'  or 'The way you show your ninja hero's weakness by having him insist on a night light makes him much more interesting to me' is a lot more useful than 'Oh, you're such a good writer.'

Here are a few place to start in critiquing a novel.

Setting: Is there a strong sense of place? Do we know when and where the action of each scene is taking place? Are most of the senses engaged -- do we know what this place smells, sounds, feels like? Is the woolen coat the girl wears rough under the hero's fingers? 

And, this is the big question, are the characters acting against the backdrop of setting? 'Harold always ate his dinner at the table in the center of the room. It was covered by a red tablecloth with a small burn spot.


Or are they interacting with the setting? (much better)  "Harold carried his microwaved TV dinner to the table in the center of the room. As always, he positioned the plastic dish to cover the burn Matilda's cigar had left in the red tablecloth."

Characters: Are the main characters real, fully developed people with a past? What do they want to achieve? What stands in their way? Are they likable or at least interesting so that readers will want to know what is going to happen to them?

Dialogue: Does the dialogue sound like real people talking? (Hint -- most folks in speaking use contractions - "I  (would not) wouldn't pick up that ferret if I were you, Cyril.") Do the main characters have distinctive voices? Can the reader keep track of who's speaking?

Show, Don't Tell: Is the author telling the reader things that the characters should be showing the reader?

'Horace was really angry.'  That's Tell and it's boring. 

'The knuckles on Horace's clenched fist were white but his face was a deep red. Without warning, he smashed his fist through the dry wall.' That's Show. See the difference?

Odds and Ends :In my classes, I generally suggest that we not focus on typos, misspellings, punctuation, or grammar. I make these corrections on the hard copy but don't take up time in class with the basics.

I do, however,  address the all too common misuse of its/it's and the difference between lie and lay. Just as I did in this post a few years ago.

And one last tip. I think it's a mistake to critique work on the basis of the author reading aloud. Unless, of course, you're critiquing performance. The thing is, a good reader can make mediocre writing sound better than it is and a bad reader can make great writing sound like . . . that stuff you step in.
.

FAQ - Critique Groups

Q: What's your opinion of critique groups?

A: A critique group -- the right critique group -- is a wonderful thing, especially for a not-yet-published writer.  Meeting regularly, whether in person or by the Internet, will at the very least encourage you to keep turning out pages. 

Ideally your critique partners will catch things that you overlooked (why is that character's name Mandy on p. 3 and Mandi on p. 35  and how can her hair be straggling down her back in Chapter 3 when she just had it cut short in Chapter 1, a few weeks previous?) 

And then there are the things that you as the writer know but haven't quite communicated.  (You may know that Cuthbert's deep silences and curt answers betoken a depth of soul and shrinking from the banalities of crude modern life but your critque partners may point out that he comes across as a jerk.) 

Just as it's hard for a writer to proofread her own work -- your brain reads the even though your fingers typed teh -- having fresh eyes on your work to look for continuity issues and for the overall sense and pace is invaluable.

Of course, there are good critique groups and bad critique groups. You don't want readers who delight in tearing down with no suggestions as to how to fix what they see as wrong. You don't want readers who hate the sort of book you're writing. ("I can't read chick lit" or "I hate sci-fi" -- that sort of attitude.) You don't want readers who are fixated on looking for their pet aversions, be it passive voice, the use of 'had' or adverbs or semi-colons, to the exclusion of paying attention to the story.


And you really don't want readers who are no more than cheerleaders.  "O, I love it! You're an amazing writer." Well, maybe a little cheerleading to keep you plugging away is a good thing. But if you're serious about the writing life, you've got to learn to deal with criticism  -- you've got to learn to learn from criticism.


In my opinion, a good critique group needs to be small -- two to four folks would be plenty, assuming you're going to give good attention to each other's work.   

Where to find a critique group?  The one I was in before I had a contract and an editor of my own grew out of a writing class I took. Four of us from the class continued to meet after the class had run its course.  This is a good way of forming a group because by participating in a class with the other folks, you'll gain a feeling for their critique style and whether it's likely to be useful. I know that several of the classes I've taught have formed spin-off groups. 


And there are on line critique groups but I have no experience with them. Browse around and see what you can find. 


Once you are in a critique group, you should be able to judge after a few sessions if it's going to be helpful or not. If it's not, get out. If it's really toxic, get out fast.


Maybe in the comments someone will have more suggestions.

FAQ - Classes

Q: Do you do online writing classes? I don't live in the Asheville area but would love to take a class with you.

A: Alas, no online classes. The ones I teach through the Great Smokies Writing Program (see side bar) keep me pretty busy.  But if any of you are interested in spending a week in the mountains and doing a class, I will be teaching at Wildacres Writing Workshop, July 9 -16. 

There are classes in non-fiction, flash fiction, poetry, short story, and novel writing.  And if that doesn't tempt some of you prolific bloggers out there . . .

My class will be  'contemporary commercial fiction' -- that basically means popular fiction as opposed to literary (though some popular fiction is rather literary and some literary fiction is popular . . . )

The tuition, which includes room and board is pretty reasonable.  And there are a few scholarships available.

 I'm really excited about this opportunity. Ron Rash, just to drop a name, is leading the short story class  and I'm hopeful I'll get a chance to sit in at some point. And the poetry offering is so tempting . . .


I haven't been to Wildacres before but the area is beautiful and I've heard nothing but good things about the facility and the food and the programs.


Do check out the links.   It sounds fairly idyllic.

FAQ - How Can I Get an Agent's Attention?

Q: I want to submit a query letter to your agent. Any suggestions on how to appeal to your particular agent in my query letter?

If she likes chocolate, let me know what kind. (joke)

A: Oh, I know this feeling. How can you stand out in the crowd of submissions?  Write your query letter on the back of a hundred dollar bill? Drop names of people that the agent might know?  Say that you're sure your book will be a great TV show? Include cookies?

The only one of those suggestions that might work is the name-dropping -- and then, only if the name in question has read your manuscript and is willing to provide a blurb for it, if it's ever published.  (Not many authors will read unpublished manuscripts because of the possibility of being accused of plagiarizing should they at some time in the future write something similar.)

Another time you might name drop would be when using a comparison -- as in, 'When I learned that you represent Glamora LaMour, I thought you might be interested in my manuscript which contains a similar blend of red hot passion and culinary hints.'

Really though, the best thing that you can do is to give an honest look at what your book is about.  Of course you want a tantalizing hook that will make the agent want to learn more . But don't promise something you can't deliver.

For example, suppose you find out that the agent you're  querying is fond of books with feisty grandmothers and your main character has a grandmother who appears in one scene. It might be tempting, when you write your query, to make more of that scene than there is.

But imagine the agent , enticed by the thought of a story about a feisty grandma, eagerly reading the manuscript only to find that it's really all about a twenty five year old  triathete/astro-physicist . . . well, I suspect that agent might feel not only disappointed but that she'd been had.

My agent asks for a brief letter and the first ten pages of your book.  It's those opening pages that will make the difference as to whether she'll want to see more. 

All the gimmicks in the world won't sell an agent if she isn't grabbed by the story itself. It's the  writing that will single you out from the crowd.

Is This the End? - FAQ

In response to some questions/comments on my past two posts, I feel I need to say that it's not actually my decision as to whether there'll be another Elizabeth Goodweather book after the one coming out next year.  It will be the publisher's decision and they'll make that call based on sales. 


Sad but true -- it's a business.  If a series isn't continuing to sell more with each new release, the publisher will often drop the series.  And when a series hasn't done that well, it's unlikely that another publisher will want it. 

So what's an author of a dropped series to do? Often the author will come up with an idea for another series --  under a different pen name.  


Why a different name?  To entice booksellers and readers to take a chance on this 'new' author.  If Glamora Tynnsdale's (made up name)  books about a amateur sleuth who is also a professional tuba player haven't done well in the past, evidently booksellers will be reluctant to order her new series about a psychic CPA who solves murders -- unless that new series is written under a different name -- say, Tynnsdale G. LaMore.


Silly games.  But the reality of publishing is this -- it's all about the bottom line.

I still have good ideas for more Elizabeth books though . . . and conventional wisdom says that it often takes five or six books to really establish a series.


We'll see. I feel good about Under the Skin which is coming next October. But only time and sales will tell if the numbers are good enough to warrant more Elizabeth books. It will be probably be 2012 before it's clear one way or another. More waiting . . .

And, yes, I'm still waiting  to hear if my new characters find favor with Herself.  Maybe if I changed my name as well  . . . Victoria Elan . . . Victory Lane . . .