Write On

Revising is a funny thing.

You go over words you know so well, but you change them, make them better, try to cut away the bits that don't work.

And sometimes the story has to change, too. Entire scenes need to go, or be added. Characters change their minds, or their reasons, or they don't get away with quite so much.

I'm revising tonight, as you can see. I have Domo-kun to keep me company, and various other knick knacks and books.

Sometimes it can be helpful to remember why we put in all this effort late in the night.

For me, it's because good books - great books - had such an impact on my life. Have such an impact.

David Almond's Skellig. Alan Garner. Philip Pullman. Michael Morpurgo and Kensuke's Kingdom. They meant a lot to me.

And I'd love to think that one day I can have books out there, too, trying - just trying - to do the same.

SPC

Query Tips from #Askagent

I posted in December about the wonder of Twitter's #PubTip hashtag - a collection of industry insiders and experts sharing thoughts and common mistakes as they come across them. It's an ever moving conversation that you don't even have to take part in to learn from - brilliant for introvert but inexperienced writers.

Well, today's post is a quick homage, if you'll excuse my French, to a slightly different but as widely used tag - #AskAgent.

AskAgent sessions work differently to #PubTip - they're usually slightly more organized (though often still spur of the moment), meaning two or more literary agents get together and agree / announce that they'll be doing an #askagent for a certain time. Then, you just Tweet your questions about agents' habits, preferences, industry standards, submissions, etc., to them, with the hashtag at the end. They reply - and bingo.

It's a brilliant way to get the answers to your specific questions, from the horse's mouth as it were. Except in this analogy, the horse is an agent. Yup.

Just a quick search shows up some good ones:

jennifer laughran ‏@literaticat

Only unethical agents. > RT @SpaceCoastLaw: Do agents ever reach out to gauge editors interest in queries, before signing author?#askagent

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1. Bree Ogden ‏@breeogden

   Well I can't sleep. So that's awesome. I'm open to a midnight sesh of#askagent to anyone who's awake.

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2. 11 JanL.T. Host ‏@LTHost

   @breeogden Re: age groups. I write in Adult and YA. Should I be looking for an agent that reps both? Or would I potentially need 2 agents?

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3. 11 JanBree Ogden ‏@breeogden

   @LTHost what age group does your querying ms fit into? #askagent

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4. 11 JanL.T. Host ‏@LTHost

   @breeogden I have completed ms's in both age groups that I've queried at different times. My most recent is YA.

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11 JanBree Ogden ‏@breeogden

@LTHost query agents who represent the genre of the book you are pitching-- and mention in the query that you write adult as well.#askagent

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1. Liana Brooks ‏@LianaBrooks

   #askagent When should I follow up on a partial request? I've heard 3 months, but should I give the agent more time because of holidays?

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2. 13 JanJuliet Pickering ‏@julietpickering

   @LianaBrooks I think 3months is fair, whatever's happened in that time #askagent

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Stacy McAnulty ‏@stacymcanulty

#askagent What's the rule for re-submitting? If you've rewritten entire novel (taking over 6m) do you say so or make like it's new?

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1:34 PM - 13 Jan 13 · Details

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1. 13 JanJuliet Mushens ‏@mushenska

   @stacymcanulty say so - complete honesty is best #askagent

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2. 13 JanJuliet Pickering ‏@julietpickering

   @stacymcanulty We might recognise it so always tell us if extensively revised and offer afresh #askagent

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3. 13 JanMichelle Witte ‏@michellewitte

   @stacymcanulty If you just queried and book is completely different, I wouldn't worry. But if agent requested material, say so. #askagent

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And that is a tiny percentage. You can keep an eye out for a new session - following a few agents on Twitter is the best way to get plugged in - and from there, remove all the confusion and worrisome problems from the querying process.

In other news, my agent Molly has a new blog post up with her own 2013 wishlist - you can find it here and I'm sure she would much appreciate you reading it before you send anything to her. Though, of course, if you have any doubt - #askagent

SPC

Doing Nothing but Writing

I had a weekend this weekend.

Or, more specifically, I actually got to do what I wanted with Saturday and Sunday. A lot of weekends get booked up, get busy, get filled with fun and brilliant and unique things, but then it's Monday before you even think about relaxing.

Where I am in my life right now - with a day job, sneaking in my fiction writing when I can - that can be a bad thing. Cause at the end of the day, I think what makes a writer is that you really want to do one thing more than any other; write.

But life is real, and for most, that is not. So, having a writing schedule is important. It doesn't have to be rigorous - 0600 hours, write powerful confessional dialogue, 0645, produce volume of brief but illuminating poetry, 0715, capture ennui using haiku and rhyme - but it should., essentially, leave room in your week for doing what you love:

Making things up and writing them down.

Well, this weekend, I did that. I get these days every now and then, when the wind blows the right way, and the augurs raise no objections. I get my wife's blessing to be an anti-social sod, and I write, and write, and write.

It's great. Oh, I have to stop every now and then and remember to be lovely to my increasingly patience spouse, but I also blitz through (without rushing) so much stuff.

The edits of my second novel, THE STORY BOY, have come on leaps and bounds. The bare bones of my new short story for the AW Blog Chain is written. This blog post is done, and if you're reading it, then that's another thing I've got ticked off my list.

Writers write, and you shouldn't feel bad about it - but it is a pretty isolating thing to do. It's good to have some time to do it and not feel like you're shunning people. If you're a writer, I can't recommend it strongly enough - just put a day in the calendar, as if it were a business meeting or a trip with friends. Lock yourself away and type - scribble! - scrawl! - and don't look back or at the time.

See how productive we can be. See how we fly.

So I'm on a writing high, right now. The edits for TSB seem so right, and in a month or so I can't wait to see what other people think.

For now, though, they're mine to read, to work on, to think about, and to write.

SPC.

Write a Story, Not a Novel. Or, Write a Novel.

The new year is full of well intentioned, not-really-intended, and downright jokey resolutions. Most of them have something to do with health (I will get fit!), a hobby (I will take up climbing!) or an achievement (I will climb EVEREST!). They're usually pretty innocent and there's no real bind to actually follow through with them. They're easily forgotten, too.

Wrong type of Magnum, usually.

I'm sure the resolution to write a novel is nothing new. For both authors and those just starting out alike, it's easy - and great - to get swept up in the new year / new you mentality and announce - even believe - that you're going to write that magnum opus.

But maybe that misses the point.

A novel - 40,000 words for kids, 90,000 for the grown ups among us - is just one form of story. Literary, genre, trendy stream of consciousness po-mo... beyond that, a novel is a block of prose with a moving plot, dialogue, and characters who find resolution.

A story is different, though. You can tell a story in a novel, of course. But you can also tell a story in, well, a short story. Clue's in the name. Or in flash fiction. Or blog posts. Or Twitter. Or poetry. Or even a poetry slam, though you've probably got more problems that need dealing with if you're going to poetry slams.

Music - songs - can tell stories. Even pictures. Video, of course. Youtube has some fantastic narratives on it.

My point is that if you want to do something great in 2013, write a story - but make sure that's what you're doing. 80,000 words for the sake of 80,000 words, but with no heart or love, is just a textbook in time wasting. A poem of 100 written with care and craft and courage can change the world. Sometimes it's why you write, and not what, that makes writing art.

NaNoWriMo will, sadly, make you go mad.
If you're writer, it's fine. No one will notice.

If you need inspiration or prodding, how about this: Sign up for a blog chain - fiction, non-fiction, it doesn't matter. Or you can enter competitions; New Pages has great calls for submissions listings and it can be a solid way to build an audience. Hey, why not start a blog? Do prep - admittedly, a lot of it - for NaNoWriMo.

Just write, write, write. Tell, tell, tell a story. Anyone can. It might be pants, but it'll get better. It might be genius, and then you'll really have something.

So go on. Write a story. Write one and remember that beyond all the clever style things, beyond agents and trends and literary criticism and technique and format is just you, a reader, and a tale that's worth the telling.

Back! Books! Biography! Blogging!

Merry 2013 to all who read this. I am now safely back in NJ, USA after a brilliant two weeks in England and Wales.

Travelling always means more time for reading, and with Christmas adding quite significantly to my reading pile I feel like I've had quite a book-ish fortnight. Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's THE LONG EARTH was a surprisingly clever read (and not a comedy) and I'd recommend it for the ideas alone. That they're executed so convincingly is just testament to these two great writers. Next to be read is Alan Garner's BONELAND - the final part of the trilogy. Described pretty much universally as 'long awaited' (The Guardian reviews it here) I'm looking forward, albeit with some hesitation. He's a brilliant writer, but it's a lot to live up to after such a long time.

Other unexpected gifts from family included Terry Pratchett's collection of short stories, A BLINK OF THE SCREEN, Stephen King's ON WRITING, and plenty more not mentioned here. All in all, a fantastic haul sure to keep me busy.

So, yes. England was busy but fun. Continuing the theme of literary tourism, we visited Samuel Johnson's house in Lichfield (if you're an English major and you don't know who he is, shame on you) and then the village of Hay-on-Wye in Wales - the bookshop capital of Britain, don't ya know. Both places I would happily go back to. Especially as the birthplace museum had a fun dressing up box with three-cornered hats. What isn't made better by three-cornered hats? Nothing, that's what. Great times.

Also popped by Shrewsbury Abbey, and my wife and I have recently started watching Cadfael avec Derek Jacobi. 

A very wordy beginning to 2013, then. Met with my agent in London to discuss books and plans. Still have the Modern Grimmoire anthology to look forward to - I'm supposed to send biographical details back to them soon. Intend to lie to make myself seem more interesting. 

Good to be back here, blogging away. Here's to a whirlwind of a year, with books, and stories, and creativity for all.

SPC