Hey You! Get Out of Your Head!

Hey, writerly folks! I have a friend of a friend who can't get out of her head to get started. Let's get together and give her our best advice to get over it, shall we? 

What do you have for her?

Josh Nealis: Just set a small goal. A minimum word quota everyday. Then up it every 10k words or so. Gives you time to find the tone and the story you want to tell.

Frank Fradella: Write the absolute worst opening line in the history of ever ever.

Rachel Burda Taylor: Go get Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way.

Robin Adams: Research always inspires me as well as gives me ideas!

Jessica Nettles: Just open Word and put the ideas on the page.

Carrie Fisher helped me a lot. She had anxiety and a lot of other stuff going on in her head. In spite of this, she was an actress and wrote hilarious novels. She said, “Stay afraid. Do it anyway.” When I get scared or the imposter syndrome gets loud, I hear Space Mom. If she could things, so can I, and so can you.

I bet your stories are awesome.

Sara Freites Scott: Just sit down and spill it all out on paper/laptop LOL don’t worry about it. Write what YOU want to read. You can always do rewrites later but get what you can down while you still have it!

John Morgan Neal: Start filling the blank page. With anything related to the story you are wanting to tell. Lists. Opinions. Song lyrics. What is the main character's favorite ice cream? Why? What makes them angry? Make up something about the setting. Who's is the weatherman on the local TV News? Describe them. What kind vehicle does the second main character drive. What color is it. Is that the color they wanted.

Kay Iscah: I tend to stay in my head until I can play the story out like a movie and I know the ending and all the key scenes. It was a little gratifying to hear Brandon Sanderson dignify being a "binge" writer as something other than horribly unhealthy in his lecture series. There is a point where you have to sit down and write, but it is okay to figure out what/why you're writing first.

My antisocial is kind of kicking in this week. Frankly writing is a flooded market, so if someone has to make themselves write, I think it's okay to not try to be a writer. Enjoy reading. Enjoy day dreaming. Turning your hobby into work makes it work instead of play.

#MotivationalMondays -- It's Okay

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #345 -- Getting Started

What's your favorite question for folks to ask you during conventions?

Easy, this one.

"How do you get started as a writer?"

To which they either mean...

1. How do you learn how to write?

2. How do you publish what you've written?

3. How do you find paying work as a writer?

or...

4. My friend is too shy to ask you, so I'm asking on his or her behalf and don't really know what else to ask.

Regardless, it's a great question because it is so full of the naivity, hope, and innocence that we writers tend to lose as we get lost in the business of being published.

It's a question that full of readiness, even if the asker has no clue what he or she is really in for, or that by asking it that way, he or she has revealed just how little he or she actually knows about the industry -- BUT THAT'S OKAY! That's the point of the question.

And for that reason, I'll do my best to answer it each time I'm asked, regardless of which question the asker is really trying to get the answer to. I'll tell him about the rigors of bettering the craft and self-editing. I'll tell her about the constant need for building a better and more connected network of writers, artists, and publishers. I'll tell him about the traps that accompany neglecting submission guidelines. I'll tell her about the joy of seeing your first byline in, well, anything from a local newspaper to a book of short stories. And I'll tell every asker that I wish I could go back and recapture that moment of asking for myself.

[Link] 5 Lies Unpublished Writers Tell Themselves (and the Truths That Can Get Them Published)

by Matt Mikalatos

Writers tend to be creative in many areas of life, so it’s no surprise that we can get creative with the truth. Or, as my mother said, “You lie a lot.” This is especially tempting when we are debating why we aren’t published. Before I was a published author, I embraced a few cherished lies because they blunted the pain of rejection. But the road to publication required discarding these lies and facing reality. Here are five lies I believed before I was published:

1. THE RULES DON’T APPLY TO ME.

I write amazing first drafts. If there were a contest for first drafts, mine would win every time. So I told myself, “Writing is not rewriting.” Other people might have to do multiple drafts, but my first drafts are so solid I could publish them as-is. For years I believed this.

One day I did three drafts of an article, and it became my first published article. A solid first draft is not good enough to be published. All those “rules of writing” that you read in Writer’s Digest, on blogs, and in creative writings classes are rules because they are true most of the time. So if there are some rules that you think don’t apply to you, think again. It might be the rule preventing you from getting published.

2. AGENTS AND EDITORS HAVE IT IN FOR ME.

Ah, those blood-sucking agents and editors. I’m pretty sure they have meetings in a secret underground lair where they talk about how jealous they are of my writing skills and how they should team up to keep me from being published.

This is a lie that is so prevalent among unpublished writers that editors and agents have to go to psychologists so they can feel good about themselves again. I know one editor who calls herself “Dream Crusher” to assuage her pain. Here’s the truth: Editors and agents desperately want you to be good enough. They make a living by writers being publishable. If you’re getting rejected it’s because you still have work to do. either as a writer or as a marketer.

Continue reading: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/5-lies-unpublished-writers-tell-themselves-and-the-truths-that-can-get-them-published?et_mid=617739&rid=232422756

[Link] What NOT to Do When Beginning Your Novel: Advice from Literary Agents

by Chuck Sambuchino

In a previous Writer Unboxed column, I discussed the value of starting your story strong and how an “inside-out” approach to narrative action can help your case. But just as important as knowing what to do when beginning your novel is knowing what not to do.

No one reads more prospective novel beginnings than literary agents. They’re the ones on the front lines — sifting through inboxes and slush piles. And they’re the ones who can tell us which Chapter 1 approaches are overused and cliche, as well as which techniques just plain don’t work. Below find a smattering of feedback from experienced literary agents on what they hate to see the first pages of a writer’s submission. Avoid these problems and tighten your submission!

FALSE BEGINNINGS

“I don’t like it when the main character dies at the end of Chapter 1. Why did I just spend all this time with this character? I feel cheated.”
- Cricket Freeman, The August Agency

“I dislike opening scenes that you think are real, then the protagonist wakes up. It makes me feel cheated.”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

IN SCIENCE FICTION

“A sci-fi novel that spends the first two pages describing the strange landscape.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

PROLOGUES

“I’m not a fan of prologues, preferring to find myself in the midst of a moving plot on page 1 rather than being kept outside of it, or eased into it.”
- Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary

“Most agents hate prologues. Just make the first chapter relevant and well written.”
- Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary Agency

“Prologues are usually a lazy way to give back-story chunks to the reader and can be handled with more finesse throughout the story. Damn the prologue, full speed ahead!”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

EXPOSITION/DESCRIPTION

“Perhaps my biggest pet peeve with an opening chapter is when an author features too much exposition – when they go beyond what is necessary for simply ‘setting the scene.’ I want to feel as if I’m in the hands of a master storyteller, and starting a story with long, flowery, overly-descriptive sentences (kind of like this one) makes the writer seem amateurish and the story contrived. Of course, an equally jarring beginning can be nearly as off-putting, and I hesitate to read on if I’m feeling disoriented by the fifth page. I enjoy when writers can find a good balance between exposition and mystery. Too much accounting always ruins the mystery of a novel, and the unknown is what propels us to read further.”
- Peter Miller, PMA Literary and Film Management

“The [adjective] [adjective] sun rose in the [adjective] [adjective] sky, shedding its [adjective] light across the [adjective] [adjective] [adjective] land.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

“I dislike endless ‘laundry list’ character descriptions. For example: ‘She had eyes the color of a summer sky and long blonde hair that fell in ringlets past her shoulders. Her petite nose was the perfect size for her heart-shaped face. Her azure dress—with the empire waist and long, tight sleeves—sported tiny pearl buttons down the bodice. Ivory lace peeked out of the hem in front, blah, blah.’ Who cares! Work it into the story.”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

Continue reading: http://writerunboxed.com/2013/04/22/april/

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#237) -- Blogging Intentions

What would you recommend for a fellow writer looking to start a serious writing blog?

By "serious" writing blog, I assume that means you're wanting to avoid the more personal blog about what's going on generally in your life and family, and not just posting your old poetry or waxing nostalgic about your favorite season or scrap-booking (not that there's anything wrong with those things).

I'm by no means and expert at maintaining a "serious" blog about writing, but since I'm the only one on whose behalf I can communicate, I'll pass along what I did to start and maintain this blog.  

First, I went into the blog with a plan.

That means I figured out the goals and pacing and schedule of the blog before I ever wrote the first post. My goals were:

1. Promote my work by promoting, encouraging, and assisting other writers.
2. Support the work of genre writers with practical helps, from tutorials to interviews to posting open submissions from various markets.
3. Build a stronger and larger network through interviews, guest posts, and roundtable discussions.

And...

4. Become the best damn genre writing blog on the planet. (I'm still working on that one.)

Next I committed to a flexible but regular schedule. 

When I started, I committed to posting at least three times a week. After I got into it and the content finalized, I realized I'd need to adapt my schedule. Now my schedule is:

1. Post a "The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now" post every weekday morning, if possible by 6:00 am.
2. Post a weekly roundtable discussion each Thursday at noon.
3. Post one additional post each day, whether a link to a writer-focused article on the web, an author interview, a press release about upcoming work (mine or others), open submissions, etc.
4. Schedule as much as possible of the posts a week ahead of time so that an unexpected delay won't throw me way off schedule.

Next, I went to my network for support and content. 

I knew from the get-go that I couldn't accomplish the four goals listed above on my own. I would need help. Thankfully, between my time writing for comics, working with other writers, being on Facebook, meeting people at conventions, collecting business cards from face-to-face meetings with other writers and editors, and years of being a part of various newsgroups and other online communities, I had a much larger network of folks to turn to than even I thought at first.

Some help would be as simple as having someone to interview.

Other help might include getting writer/research/editing focused guest articles from folks I know who would be excellent resource people.

Still other help could be gathering a large group of like-minded writers to contact for roundtable discussions.

Others might not have time to commit to writer or doing roundtables, but they could help promote the blog inside their networks to raise awareness.

Then I started posting. 

The content was weaker admittedly at first as I adapted the plan as needed on the fly, but even then, the soul of the content was already present.

I started with whatever I had to offer. Press releases about upcoming work of my own and from other genre writers. Links to interviews I'd taken part in. Links to interviews with other writers I respected. Sneak peeks of upcoming comic book work. Links to practical, helpful articles about the craft of writer and editing. Anything I could get my hands on.

I kept up regular posting, and gradually was able to implement the kind of articles for which the site has become known (Question of the Day, Roundtables, Author Interviews) as my forays into my network started producing leads and original content.

Finally I spread the word like a madman. 

I printed business cards.

I linked the blog to my Facebook, Google+, and Twitter -- and linked it from the front page (not links page) and blog listing page of my official website.

I joined groups and met like-minded writers and contacted them for interviews and with upcoming roundtable discussion questions. I asked for help LONG before I ever thought of spamming the groups with "Come see my blog" messages. I provided content first and promotion second. In other words, I earned the right to post my questions and (yes, also) my promotional content.

I talked up the blog at conventions. I made sure that each new genre author I met got an invitation to be interviewed and to join in the roundtables as it related to his or her area of interest and expertise.

I linked as often as I could to other writers' websites and blogs to drive traffic to them and not just to store up traffic for myself.

And I cant' stress this one enough... I made a list of the blogs or regular columns of every writer who asked and whom I respected as a writer and put it on right on the front page of my blog, not hidden away in a list few visitors ever care to visit. I called the list "Heavy Hitters," and you'll see it on the right side of this page AND ON EVERY PAGE OF THIS BLOG. Why? Because I was taught to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And I'm still just country Baptist enough to believe that's good advice.

And after all that, I kept at it.

Especially when I didn't feel like it, like tonight when I thought to myself: "I'm exhausted, and would anyone really miss it if I didn't post a Question of the Day today?"

Then it dawned on me that even if you never faulted me for missing it or even if you never noticed it wasn't there, I would, and it mattered to me.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#222) -- Where to Publish

Where do you go to get your stories published? How do you even begin the process? 

Network.

Network. 

Network.

Network with people you know. Network with people you meet online. Network through Facebook groups. Network through Yahoo mail groups. You never know when someone you help or know will be in a position to help you later on with publishing project. Also, network online through blogs or other options. I regularly check for open submissions and post the details here on the blog just as a reference and resource for you, O' Hallowed Reader of This Blog.

Case in point. While I was editor-in-chief at the indie comic book publisher Shooting Star Comics, I (along with the rest of the management team) greenlit a military-horror project by Tom Waltz called Children of the Grave. I had known Tom through my work at iHero Entertainment, and knew he had the goods, and was able to convince the rest of the team to that fact (truth be told, it didn't really take any convincing at all -- it was pretty evident all in itself).

Fast forward a few years to Tom working at IDW as an associate editor looking for a writer for a then unknown project called Gene Simmons Dominatrix (no apostrophe, and no, I don't know why, so don't ask). He called me. Why? Lots of reasons, but it never would have happened without networking.

Another story.

Bobby Nash and I are regular convention travelling companions to cut costs on rooms and gas. So when I started getting back into prose work a few years ago, he was more than happy to introduce me to Ron Fortier and Airship 27 Productions (who have now published several of my stories). In turn, while in a Yahoo group run by Ron, I met Tommy Hancock, who runs Pro Se Productions, and has also published a few of my stories now. And in return, because good networking goes both ways, when IDW was looking for writers for a Zombies vs. Robots prose collection, I recommended Bobby wholeheartedly.

Bottom line, be good at what you do, but never forget that networking is 90 percent of the battle.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#51) -- First Story Inspiration

What inspired you to write your first story?

My first real story? It was inspired by a song recorded by Geoff Moore and the Distance. The song was called "Calling Londontown" and was written Dave Perkins and Rob Frazier. The story of the same name was a sort of post-apocalyptic sci-fi tale about a future society that had banned religious practice. I sent it off to several sci-fi magazines, and I received an equal number of polite rejection letters from those magazines, including Analog and Asimov's Science Fiction. Maybe one day I'll revisit it. Maybe. Hmmm...

My first published story was called "Cherry Hill," and it was inspired by a history class I was taking in college. We were studying the racial history of the U.S. and slavery in particular, and the class discussion prompted a game of "what if..." Always fun for a writer. That story went on to win first prize in the college's writing contest (judged by Judith Ortiz Cofer), and eventually ended up in the anthology O, Georgia: A Collection of Georgia's Newest and Most Promising Writers Volume II and currently has a home in my collection of early writing, Gomer and Other Early Works, available in print and PDF e-book (other e-versions to come).

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#50) -- Considering Yourself a Writer

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

From: http://familynatters.blogspot.com/

I guess I first considered myself a "real" writer when I entered my first college competition and won. It was judged by Judith Ortiz Cofer, and to have a nationally recognized literary author choose my story over all the others really gave my self-confidence a boost and let me know that maybe I could do this thing called writing.

I first considered myself a professional writer the day I got my first paycheck, which wasn't much. It was a 25 dollar check from the local paper, The Alpharetta Revue, for a stringer job, but it was money I got paid for writing. It could have been a million dollars and I couldn't have felt prouder.

The day I got my first paying work for comics and for fiction, however... Well, after that, my self-confidence slid the slippery slope toward ego, and I have never turned back.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now (#14) -- My Secret Origin

How did you get started in the comic book industry? -- Lillian Hawkins

   

I got my start in the pages of Shooting Star Comics Anthology. Some friends and I started our own company and took the bull by the horns to show this industry we meant business. I had previously been a magazine editor, so I became the editor-in-chief of the company and helped us to develop publishing plans and publication schedules. 

As for the lettering, I was too broke to hire a letterer, so I learned how to do it myself in the stories I had written, and thankfully, there was helpful information all over the Internet. 

We had a blast putting out our books and eventually branching out to do other people's work too, such as the critically acclaimed Children of the Grave and one of the graphic novels in the Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa series, and I was able to publish my Fishnet Angel: Jane Doe miniseries as well, but when it came time to close up the shop and move on, we instinctively knew it, and we all moved on to find our new places in the comics world. 

Fortunately several of us have landed in various spots from AC to IDW and beyond.