Recently I posted on my Next Big Thing, the novel I’m currently working on. I tagged Leah Griffith in there. She has posted on her own novel-in-progress, a follow-up to her award-winning Cosette’s Tribe.
Here’s an interview with that most elusive of creatures, an agent who accepts juvenile works…children’s books through young adult.
You thought the creative work was over when you finished that book, right? Well, the creative work has only just begun. Here’s an article about how storytelling helps you market your speaking engagements, books, and other things you might have to offer.
No one doubts that electronic devices have dramatically changed the face of publishing today. For years, doomsayers brayed that print would shrivel and blow away. I’ve always held that the new devices would generate shifts but that print would still be alive centuries from now.
In particular, the bad-news prophets claimed that tablets, cell phones and ereaders were all supposed to suck subscribers from print versions of newspapers and magazines. For a time, that appeared to happen.
Now, however, there’s a big shift. Esubscribers are generating new and stronger sources of income for magazines and newspapers. This article presents yet another new way for readers to access their favorite journals…by paying MORE for the eversions than for print.
Here’s a post that lists 5 ways to generate story ideas. One of the tips is to read your junk mail…um, OK.
Now, I’ve been writing and editing for twenty years. In my experience, it’s pretty rare that writers actually need ways to come up with story ideas. It’s actually more of a problem to decide which of those ideas is strong enough to support a story, what format that story should take, and how best to put it on the page.
However, the same article suggests taking a small scene from one story or book and expanding it into an entirely new story. I’ve had clients do this with classic works of mythology to great success. And of course there’s the retelling of Gone with the Wind and other classic novels from different points of view that recently have become bestsellers.
So…what’s your take on story ideas? Do they come in a flood or a trickle? What helps, what hinders?
The Oprah Channel has struggled since day one to reach the numbers it had hoped for. Part of the reason is that Oprah doesn’t show up in much of the programming. Another very real issue is simple oversaturation…the channel can’t offer the same thing all the time.
She’s trying a reboot by building on this interview with Armstrong. The struggle she’s facing is just a reminder that even the biggest celebrities can’t market just anything…and they can’t rely on their name along. Quality must always come first.
Takeaway: Know your audience and what they want. When you deliver it, you’ll automatically provide quality content.
Here’s a look at what Writer’s Digest recommends for those first steps when writing a novel.
For anyone looking to expand their reach on social media, check out this post.
I recently challenged myself to come up with the top-ten best practices for social media for a presentation. As it turned out, it was hard to keep list to only ten items.
So I did some research and much scrapping of excessive rules and realized that it all does boil down to ten very basic principles to be successful in social media:
Conde Nast magazines like Wired, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair have a new contract that changes the film option agreement (think about films based on articles like Argo, Brokeback Mountain, and Eat Pray Love This article warn writers about some of the pitfalls.
Green Blotter is associated with Lebanon College.
Green Blotter, Lebanon Valley College’s literary magazine, is open for submissions of poetry, fiction, photos and other artwork for the Spring 2013 issue. Undergraduate students at colleges and universities anywhere in the world are invited to submit work via email between now and February 28, 2013. See our submission guidelines for complete instructions.
WHAT is it that frightens you there? Stories you have heard? Residuals of murder you feel? The tale of the little boy–and his mother who did things she should never have done?
Drunk Monkeys is an eclectic web zine that provides a home for emerging writers and poets, offers in-depth discussion of cultural issues, and features critiques of film and television that rely on analysis rather than snark.
David Halperin, author of Journal of a UFO Investigator, tagged me for a blog hop called “My Next Big Thing.” David posted on his current project, The Color of Electrum, which is the sequel to Journal. Check out his full blog post by clicking here.
Everyone in the blog hop answered ten questions about their latest projects. David’s is a continuation of the coming-of-age story started in Journal. He describes Electrum as:
Danny Shapiro, college freshman and former “UFO investigator,” finds himself caught up in the late 1960s world of drugs, sex, and would-be revolution–while mysterious, deadly fires, timed according to the Biblical Book of Ezekiel, come striking ever nearer to him.
At the bottom of this post, you’ll see the writers I’ve tagged. Hop along to read about more great works!
1. What is the working title of your novel-in-progress?
Buy Light and Purple Blooms
2. Where did the idea for this novel come from? Some years ago, I read a very short article buried on page 10 of a well-known newspaper about a pregnant woman who’d been murdered. The unborn baby had been cut from the womb. I wondered how it could be that our society had reached a point where such a horrific crime was only worth a few inches in the paper.
I began working with the concept. It didn’t take long to realize that the theme of the book is betrayal. That theme works out on many levels: Betrayal of spouses in what is supposed to be love for each other; the betrayal of organized religion against congregants who want to mature beyond dogma; and of course the ultimate betrayal of a mother-to-be.
3. What genre does it fall under, if any?
You might say I’m breaking new ground by creating a new category, women’s thrillers. That is, the story is primarily a woman’s story yet it has some of the same elements as thrillers…strong characters, and pacing that clips along quickly enough. And, of course, the protagonist is a woman!
If that’s too out there for you, think women’s fiction with an edge.
4. Who would you choose to play your characters in a movie?
Tilda Swinton would likely hold the lead. She’s really representative of women nowadays…independent, able to be fierce and loving according to the situation, and not so glitteringly Hollywood that everyday women can’t connect to her.
5. A one-sentence synopsis of your novel-in-progress:
After Lana Crossfield divorces her husband and her church, she must help a community of women survive a horrific betrayal when a pregnant friend is murdered and the unborn fetus is cut from the womb.
6. Will your book or story be self-published or represented by an agency?
Last year, my agent, Jack Scovil, died. He began representing me in 2003 after my first novel, Message Stick, won the James Jones Literary Fellowship. Jack was one of those fantastic old-school agents you hear mythos about but rarely encounter…he’d been around forever, loved literature, and was always kind even when my work needed revisions. Now I’m seeking an agent for a finished manuscript as well as the novel-in-progress. So I’m looking forward to establishing another working relationship with a new agent in 2013!
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It’s still in progress. I’ve written nearly 600 pages…and yes, by hand. My handwriting is fairly small and the journal I use is fairly large, so the handwritten page compares well to the typed page. Several revisions lie ahead before I can consider sending this out, of course. Since Buy Light represents a major shift in my voice, I’ve been working on this for nearly two years now, longer than my previous works took on average.
8. What other book would you compare this story to?
We Need to Talk About Kevin hits it right on the head. The work has a pace and voice that inexorably moves readers toward the conclusion. Quiet yet emotionally resonant.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book or story?
Although the idea for the story came from that few inches in the newspaper, the idea only generated the seed concept. The inspiration for this work has always been the new roles women are playing in the world. Lana tangles with her church upbringing and beliefs because that’s part of many women’s emotional maturation…to answer questions about what they believe and how they’re going to live. It also is an important part of how women step into their power day by day.
10. What else about the book or story might pique the reader’s interest?
Although the book enters the world of midwives and doulas, Lana is childless. Her journey is very much about the world of mothers and children; it’s also about women, single and married, who remain childless.
Garrison Somers, author and Senior Editor of The Blotter Literary Magazine, blogs on PineappleChili.com.
Leah Griffith, author of Cosette’s Tribe, blogs at Eating Life Raw.
Lots of inspiration in this blog post from BookBaby:
I am an independent writer.
This year I will:
* embrace my limitations, since they make me unique.
* be brave enough to show my work to others.
* write something every single day — even if it’s only a single word.
* create my own definition for “success.”
* write as if no one else will ever read it.
* take risks in my writing that make me uncomfortable.
* be patient and not rush to finish something that isn’t ready.
* not endlessly revise, but revise towards an ending.
* solicit feedback and actually listen to people’s criticism.
* submit my work for publication, knowing the odds are against me.
* do one thing every day to market myself.
* celebrate the small victories.
Very good overview article on thinking about your writing career. When the time is right, my clients and I discuss the business aspects of writing. This ranges from our first contact when they’re wondering whether their work is marketable to considering their audience’s needs during editing or rewriting. When the final product is done, we then discuss market trends that will impact their choice of agents and publishers.
Publishing is a business and, as the author, you must consider yourself the CEO of your book. From start to finish—the germ of a book idea to publication (and beyond)—you must take charge. If you make good business decisions, you will surely experience greater success. If not, then, you could be one of the nearly 78 percent of authors who fail.
Writer's Resource/Sunspot Lit 