Monday, January 31, 2011

Criticism and the Writer

In the early days of writers' lives, our works are our babies, and no one wants to be told that the baby is ugly, or has bad manners, or isn't the brightest tot on the block.  It's hard sometimes even for a pro writer to remember that the work isn't really our baby, and we must learn to separate ourselves from our work.
The trick with writing and publishing is to remember that criticism is about the work, NOT ABOUT THE WRITER.  Criticism, constructive or otherwise, also isn't about the dream of being a writer, it's just another part of the work of being a writer.
Learning writing craft is similar to what an athlete does to become good at his game.  We start out with no skills but work until each necessary skill reaches a certain level of competence. 
It requires practice, even more practice, sweat, pain, criticism, the pained self-knowledge that we are not perfect, and a realization that the dream of being published or being on the team doesn't magically happen.   Then the cycle begins all over again as we grow as athletes  or writers. 
As a writer, you have a choice of whether you want to dream the dream or you want to buckle down to the hard work, the criticism, and the incredible learning curve of creating publishable craft.  
The criticism, both positive and negative, will never go away if you choose to be a writer.  You need only read the cruel Amazon reviews of some of the best writers to see that even fame, fortune, and success have an ugly side.  Or listen to the stories from pro writers who have to deal with incompetent or control freaks editors and publishers.
The work of improving craft never goes away. It is the same whether you are a newbie without a clue or an established writer.  Nora Roberts and Stephen King have said so, and I imagine any other writer you respect has said the same thing at one time or the other.
Dreaming the dream with no work or emotional toughness may be fine in the short term,  but in the long term that dream attracts the predators-- the scam agents, fake contests, and vanity publishers-- who convince you that you are perfect then suck money and dreams right out of you until even the writing is no longer enough, and the dream becomes a nightmare.  
If you love the writing and want to be published, you need to decide if it's a goal worth fighting for as well as a goal worth the time and distress of learning the craft and putting up with the shit.  If it isn't,  you need to find another goal worth the effort.  

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Links of Interest

INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF CARINA PRESS:
NARRATIVE DISTANCE:
HOW CAN  YOU TELL IF  YOUR WRITING IS IMPROVING?
WRITING TO A MARKET:
CHARACTER GROWTH AND PLOT ARCS:
THE NOVEL TWIST:
USING PRESENT TENSE:
WHY SELF-PUBLISHING BOOKS CAN BE A BAD THING FOR YOUR CAREER:
THE MIDLIST WRITER AND CHANGING TIMES:
WAYS TO SPOT A BAD OR CROOKED LITERARY AGENCY:
HERE'S ONE EVIL BOOK CONTEST:  Not only do you have to pay a large fee to enter, they get ownership of all books entered forever.  That means you are paying to have someone rob you of your book.  (Read the small print in all contests and contracts!)
PLACING CLUES FOR THE READER:
WRITING HISTORICAL FANTASY:
OUTLINES:  What you or may not want to include.
LIST 'O LINKS:  Great list of writing links.
LEGITIMATE WRITING CONTEST:  Del Rey, the sf publisher, is holding a contest for the best sf, fantasy, horror, or paranormal romance novel.  The winner will receive a complete edit from a Del Rey editor and may be published.  
THE SYNOPSIS WITH LOTS OF CHARACTERS:
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TENSION AND AN ANNOYING LACK OF INFORMATION:
ESTABLISHING YOUR CHARACTER AT THE BEGINNING:
ONLINE PROMOTION TOOLS:
TOO MUCH PLOT?  Very good ideas here.
THE WRITER'S KNOWLEDGE BASE:  A search engine for those seeking writing advice.
FORENSICS:  About false confessions from a forensics psychologist.
MARKET NEWS:  Samhain, one of the more successful epublishers/POD publishers, is starting a horror line edited by a former Dorchester editor.  
~*~
Marilynn's Workshop Schedule and Information Links
Writing in the Moment, April 11-May 8, 2011 

How to get your voice, viewpoint, and craft so perfect that you disappear and your story comes alive.  Lots of worksheets. 

~*~
The Blurb: Mother of All Promotions July 25-August 7, 2011 
A blurb is the pithy description of your novel in a query letter, the short "elevator pitch" used at a writer's conference, the log line for online promotion, and the all important back cover copy for a published novel.  Without a great blurb, a novel won't be noticed by agents and editors.  
 Marilynn Byerly--creator of a blurb system used by university publishing courses, publishers, and many authors-- will show you how to create that perfect blurb for your novel.  The course will include a number of worksheets and in-class blurb analysis.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Beta Readers

QUESTION:  What is a beta reader?
The term "beta reader" is a bit mushy in definition according to who uses it, but the most common usage is a reader who reads most if not all of your book after you write it and before you send it off to the agent or editor.  That's as opposed to a critique partner who works with you through the whole process.  
Often the beta reader is a reader, not a writer, so you are allowing a test run of your book.  Sometimes, if your book has specialized knowledge in it, your beta reader is an expert on that knowledge so they are reading to be certain you got it right.  For example, if your heroine is a physicist and her theories are part of the story, you'd find a physicist in her field to vet the book for accuracy.   
Like critique partners, some beta readers are excellent while others are absolutely useless.  Be sure to have more than one so you get a better sense of both the quality of the readers as well as the quality of your novel.  

~*~

QUESTIONS, I TAKE QUESTIONS.  Have a question about publishing, craft, or anything else writing?  Ask me via my blog or website.  

~*~
Marilynn's Workshop Schedule and Information Links
Writing in the Moment April 11-May 8, 2011 

How to get your voice, viewpoint, and craft so perfect that you disappear and your story comes alive.  Lots of worksheets. 

~*~
The Blurb: Mother of All Promotions July 25-August 7, 2011 
A blurb is the pithy description of your novel in a query letter, the short "elevator pitch" used at a writer's conference, the log line for online promotion, and the all important back cover copy for a published novel.  Without a great blurb, a novel won't be noticed by agents and editors.  
 Marilynn Byerly--creator of a blurb system used by university publishing courses, publishers, and many authors-- will show you how to create that perfect blurb for your novel.  The course will include a number of worksheets and in-class blurb analysis.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Links of Interest

MARKET SURVEY:  Sisters in Crime has just released a 47 page report of the mystery market -- who is buying, where they are buying, etc. 
POV:  FIRST VERSUS THIRD
INTERVIEW 101:
SETTINGS AND CONVERSATIONS:
ADDING THE SPARKLE OF INSPIRATION:
EDITING VERSUS REVISION:
FORENSICS:  The care and feeding of a shotgun wound.
HOW TO GET PAST "THIS STINKS:"
WRITING LINKS:
BAD OPENINGS TO THE BEGINNING OF A STORY:
SHORT STORY MARKETS:
CHOOSING BETWEEN 1ST AND 3RD POV:
BEST PRACTICES FOR WRITERS:
FILTER WORDS WEAKEN WRITING:
TOP TEN BEST WRITING ARTICLES AT STORYFIX:
USING REAL PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAD IN YOUR FICTION, THE LEGALITIES:
RESOURCES FOR SELF-PUBLISHERS:
STEAMPUNK ANTHOLOGY:  Shakespeare and Steampunk.  Yes, really.
SETTING THE RIGHT TONE:
GETTING RID OF THE WEAK WORDS IN EDITING:
FORENSIC LINGUISTICS:
~*~
Marilynn's Workshop Schedule and Information Links
Writing in the Moment, April 11-May 8, 2011 

How to get your voice, viewpoint, and craft so perfect that you disappear and your story comes alive.  Lots of worksheets. 

~*~
The Blurb: Mother of All Promotions July 25-August 7, 2011 
A blurb is the pithy description of your novel in a query letter, the short "elevator pitch" used at a writer's conference, the log line for online promotion, and the all important back cover copy for a published novel.  Without a great blurb, a novel won't be noticed by agents and editors.  
 Marilynn Byerly--creator of a blurb system used by university publishing courses, publishers, and many authors-- will show you how to create that perfect blurb for your novel.  The course will include a number of worksheets and in-class blurb analysis.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Writing Coaches

QUESTION:  I keep seeing advertisements for writing coaches.  What are they and do you think they are worth the money? 
A writing coach is similar to a life coach who coaches you on way to change and kicks your metaphorical rear so you make the changes.  The writing coach specializes in working with writers on writing.  
I guess whether you want one boils down to how much handholding you need, how much cash you can afford in a business where the likelihood of making a profit is slim, and how fast you want to be up and running on your craft.  
Choosing a writing career and making it work requires the strength of character to keep moving forward in adversity as well as the ability to choose to write every day when everything from your health, your family, and anything fun seems to attract or distract you more.  If you don't have that drive and strength, no writing coach can give it to you in the long term when they only stay in the short term.  
If you decide you need a writing coach, be sure she has the kind of background you need in your specific genre or subgenre, and she's a decent teacher.  Some of us are born teachers, and some aren't.  If it's possible, take her on for a short period to test her abilities out rather than signing up for a long-term deal.  

~*~

QUESTIONS, I TAKE QUESTIONS!  If you have a writing question, ask me via this blog or my website.

~*~
Marilynn's Workshop Schedule and Information Links
Writing in the Moment April 11-May 8, 2011 

How to get your voice, viewpoint, and craft so perfect that you disappear and your story comes alive.  Lots of worksheets. 

~*~
The Blurb: Mother of All Promotions July 25-August 7, 2011 
A blurb is the pithy description of your novel in a query letter, the short "elevator pitch" used at a writer's conference, the log line for online promotion, and the all important back cover copy for a published novel.  Without a great blurb, a novel won't be noticed by agents and editors.  
 Marilynn Byerly--creator of a blurb system used by university publishing courses, publishers, and many authors-- will show you how to create that perfect blurb for your novel.  The course will include a number of worksheets and in-class blurb analysis.