A month into my residency in Paris, and already it’s begun to feel familiar, a home away from home. We know where the good markets are now, the cheap butcher, the best baker in our neighbourhood, the guy who sells the best mussels and fish—and we cook up our little feasts on our humble two hotplates with, I like to think, a suitably Parisian elan and imagination and attention to detail!

The colour and beauty and grace of the city continue to fill our senses, and now that an impressionistic smudge of spring is starting timidly to color the edge of the winter sky, and the three signs of the warmer season approaching are beginning to show themselves—musicians busking in the street rather than just in the Metro tunnels, people clustering around the outdoor tables of cafes, and demonstrators starting to wave placards (a time-honored French sport!)–we are even more excited at being in this wonderful and inexhaustibly interesting place.

Yes, Paris is a feast for the senses—but it isn’t just the five senses that are richly rewarded. For a writer, one of the beauties of being here is that French love of words, particularly of witty—or poetic—words. It’s not only that this is a city of innumerable bookshops, a city where writers both living and dead are celebrated and feted—you can hear this love of words even in very ordinary conversations in little shops and at the checkouts of supermarkets, where people will very often make little remarks of both a very personal (much more personal than most English-language people are used to!) and witty kind.
Continue Reading »

First, some cool news: Juliet and I have both been nominated in the DABWAHA Tournament 2010. From the official site:

For newcomers, the DA BWAHA is a tournament of books where we put up a field of 64 books and you vote until there is one book, one champion. The contest is twofold. First, you must fill out a bracket identifying which book will win each round. Then you vote.

Want to play with brackets? Read the instructions here, and bracket yourself silly here. Voting begins on the 18th.

Now for your regularly scheduled blog post.

I’d heard it, known it was true: Writing your second novel can be very, very difficult for a wide number of reasons. Mostly, you need to be able to return to a state of creativity without the clutter left behind in the wake of the first book (meaning, that book’s creative process, that book’s promotional and marketing push, all that you didn’t know, all that you needed to learn). So often we hear writers liken their books to their children. Regardless of how firmly you embrace or repel that concept, I’m here to tell you that the aftermath of sending your first book off into whatever sunset it can find can be as exhausting as the aftermath of childbirth. And then it’s time to do it all again — write a second book.

One of the best ways to learn is to teach others. So I’m here to tell you something, share something, but really I need to hear this as well: Rules to help you survive the second novel. Composed with a little help from my friends.

Rule #1: After your first book is out there, it’s true you’ll have too many voices in your head competing with those of your characters–including those of reviewers. Don’t try to please everyone. Write for only ONE person–someone who’ll love your concept. (ht Barbara O’Neal )

Rule #2: Continue Reading »

Some of you who follow me on Twitter may know that the current project I’m working on for Working Partners is a horror novel for the YA market.  I’d submitted sample chapters to them last year, was asked to revise, then asked to submit a lengthier sample in December.  This week I received the revision requests back on that long sample.

Ouch. I’d been beasted pretty hard by the editorial team. 

Not gonna lie, when I first skimmed through the comments, my heart sank.  New scenes were requested because they weren’t feeling some of the scenes I’d developed, lots of notes to expand dialogue sequences, etc.   My ego took a hit too because basically they are asking for a rewrite.

So I started with the line edits last week and expected to hate, hate haaaaaate the whole process of revising this story yet again. 

But I’m a week into it, and surprise surprise.  Continue Reading »

She had a highly-regarded editor pluck her out of the online equivalent of the slush pile and signed her two a two-book deal with St. Martin’s.  She’s also eighty-something years young.  But Eugenia Lovett West does not rest on her laurels or her age when it comes to writing tightly-plotted mysteries.  Her latest novel, OVERKILL, features Emma Streat, a stylish former opera diva protagonist who doesn’t hesitate to get involved in murders and mayhem, especially if they threaten her loved ones.  I thoroughly enjoyed how Lovett West was able to seamlessly move her plot forward in a nail-biting mystery.  If you are looking for explosions, car chases and graphic violence in your mysteries, Lovett West’s style isn’t for you.  But if you enjoy staying up late at night trying to chase down an intricate web of mystery, make sure your night light is handy.  You won’t be able to put it down.

Please enjoy part two of our two-part interview with Eugenia Lovett West.  (Missed part one?  Go HERE)

Q: Your protagonist Emma Streat is feisty and opinionated, yet her motivations are always authentic and come organically from the story. What is your approach to characterization? What do you think writers should keep in mind when they are creating their characters?

ELW: That’s a really hard question. No doubt every writer has a different approach. People often ask if I use people I know as characters. The answer is a firm no, they are all a mix. For my main protagonist, I wanted someone I could admire and like. It took several revisions to find a suitable age and name: Emma was once Maggie, then Molly, then Torey. By now I’ve spent a lot of time with her, and I know her as well, maybe better, than my own daughters. I think writers should keep in mind that the plot can be masterful, but all is lost if the reader loses interest in the main character. Continue Reading »

So, among the things I have done this morning that don’t include writing: Tweeting, Facebooking, Scrabbling, Scrambling, updating my blog, and surfing through various gossip/entertainment forums in search of…what? Distraction? Yes, distraction. The one thing that I haven’t yet done today? Write. Despite the fact that I have a 1k (minimum) self-imposed word count per day and despite the fact that my manuscript on my fourth book is due in just a few short months.

And because you guys are out there reading this post and responding to my tweets and putting up pictures of your kids on Facebook, I know that I’m not alone. So how do we juggle it all? How do we ensure that this time-suck of social media doesn’t, well, suck up all of our time?

Truth be told, I’m still tinkering with the answers to these questions. I don’t, however, think it’s any coincidence that I wrote my first two books at a much faster pace than I have my second two: back then (in ancient days – okay, four and three years ago, respectively), Twitter didn’t exist and Facebook was something those young folks were doing. In other words: I wasn’t distracted in the same way that I am now. But now, whenever I feel the urge not to write (which, let’s be honest, is more often than I care to admit), there’s always something that can steal away my attention. A Scrabble move that needs to be made, a perfectly hilarious tweet that needs to be posted (and then replied to and then replied to some more…)

So what’s a writer to do? Continue Reading »

If you stick to it in this business, if you work on your craft and keep striving to improve, the chances are actually pretty good that you will achieve some level of success. There’s a saying I really like from Richard Bach: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” And that is so, so true. Now I don’t guarantee where your success will plateau. Maybe you’ll snag an agent. Maybe you’ll sell a book. Maybe the sky’s the limit. But you’ll never know unless you keep at it.

However. (And this is a fairly big ‘however.’)

If you have the conviction to stay with it, despite depressing odds, constant rejection and disheartening criticism, you will also become the target of people who lack your inner fortitude. People who quit on their dreams, no matter what they might’ve been, will tell you that you’re wasting your time. They will do their utmost to undermine your determination. Why? I ask myself that a lot. To me, it seems like a lot of work for no reward. But I think, at base, it hurts some people to see other people display courage or ambition they lack. They think, if I didn’t do it, then it can’t be done. Well, no. Dream big. As the White Queen said: “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

This post regards dealing with the naysayers in your life–the ones who want to convince you to take up knitting or stop wasting your time. That’s not their decision. But before I get going, I will say this: if you’re not writing for love, if you don’t have to, then you should stop. Seriously. There are easier hobbies. But if you can’t, if it’s a drive that pushes you ever onward, then ignore those negative people. Don’t let them distract you from your goals or drain your energy. I have some tips in that regard.

(1) Do not engage.

This can be hard, frankly. Say you sign with an agent, or get your first book deal. Suddenly people you thought were your friends become passive aggressive on you. Accept there’s nothing you can do to change their reactions. Understand that your success is not, in fact, hurting them in any fashion. Sometimes you will have to take the high road and say nothing when you’d really rather offer four letter words and improbable anatomical recommendations. If these people really are your friends, they’ll apologize on their own. They’ll admit their insecurities. How you proceed from there is up to you. If they don’t, well, that brings us to my next point. Continue Reading »

If you missed part one of author Skyler White’s craft essay on myth and fact, click here, then come back. Skyler’s debut novel, and Falling, Fly, has been dubbed a “trippy urban fantasy” by Publisher’s Weekly. She was about to tell us how “developing a character by creating their reality in tandem with their mythology” may help solve all of your story problems when Therese rudely interrupted here in order to create a two-part post.

And that’s where we’ll pick up.
_________

Developing a character by creating their reality in tandem with their mythology may avoid problems down the line, but it still doesn’t fix anything, and that’s what I promised. I believe almost all breakdowns in characterization come from over-balancing on one or the other side of this Myth/Fact continuum, so let’s do a quick run-down of some of the most common complaints leveled against characters:

“She feels like a cardboard cut-out.” This is gorgeous code for “Your character is all meaning and no fact.” You’ve wheeled in a symbol and forgotten to dress her in specific detail. Your starship captain is the archetypical military leader – strong, decisive and resolute, but he just doesn’t feel real. One of the best tricks here is to find a tension in myth that plays out as opposites in fact and include both contradictory facets in your character. Perhaps his obedience to rule of law conflicts with his loyalty to his brothers in arms, and he looks the other way or even takes an active role in helping one of his men escape from punishment for a crime. Or he has to betray a guilty comrade to uphold the law.

“I can’t relate to your character.” What are people asking for when they lodge this complaint? They’re saying they don’t recognize themselves in the person you’ve made. Relate-ability comes from that which is universal in your character. You need to come out of what makes her unique and specific and work in what makes her mythic. Your captain may be a green, gilled gorgon from the distant rim, but he’d rather bleed into his boots than reveal his webbed feet, we’ll connect to his embarrassed vanity.

“I don’t like your character.” You still need to be working more in myth, but focused on meaning. Almost any despicable action is “likeable” if we understand why the character acted the way they did. The current literature, from Dexter to House, is full of these “bad” characters rendered forgivable by insight into why they do what they do.

But even the most character-driven of writers needs a plot. Continue Reading »

Today and tomorrow, author Skyler White will wield the WU mic to talk to us about an interesting topic — using myth and fact to create well-rounded fiction. We’re thrilled she’s with us. Take it away, Skyler.
__________

The opportunity to write a piece about craft at Writer Unboxed has given me a welcome respite from talking about my debut novel, and Falling, Fly which comes out this month. I’ve chosen to write about myth as a writer’s tool for several reasons: it is a topic in which I’m deeply invested; it does relate to the novel I’m supposed to be promoting by guest-blogging; and because more and more, at conferences and informal gatherings, I’m finding writers with a secret, private, life-long love of mythology, and I want to out everyone I can. It’s a bit of a crusade for me, really – to get people talking about the stories in and of their lives.

I’ve titled this post Myth: This Will Solve Everything as a bit of a joke, because I’m aware that my faith in the topic borders on the fanatic. But I’m only mostly joking. There are two ways to read this post, and although they’re opposite of one another, to me, they are both true, and that paradox pleases me. It is also my metapoint. So first, let me break my title into its two interpretations: “Myths can solve any problem a writer faces,” and “It is a myth that anything can fix all a writer’s woes.”

What does it mean to use the word “myth” that second way? It means the same thing my grandma meant when she asked me if I was telling her a story about something naughty I’d probably done. Myth = Story = Lie. And yet I’m a lot more comfortable with “storyteller” as a writer’s alternate job description than “liar.” And I actually do believe that myth can solve my problems. Myths are stories that have been around for generations. They swim in our cultural gene pool. They mutate and resurface, they bubble up in endless retellings, and they spawn innumerable offspring, from Shakespeare to Joyce to Clash of the Titans (coming to theaters near you in April 2010). So what do we make of the tension between these meanings of “myth?” I suggest we cultivate it. Tension, after all, is good for writers. Continue Reading »

Imagine entering a writing contest sponsored by a major publishing house, but not winning. Then imagine getting an e-mail from a very A-list editor wanting to offer you a two-book deal because your writing captivated her. An aspiring novelist’s fairy tale ending, right?

Dreams did come true for mystery novelist Eugenia Lovett West because that’s exactly what happened to her. At the age of 81, Lovett West entered the Malice Domestic contest sponsored by St. Martin’s, and her novelist’s career took off. Her debut mystery, WITHOUT WARNING, was the first in a series published by St. Martin’s Minotaur imprint. Her second book, OVERKILL, is a whipcrack page turner, with a smart and sexy protagonist in Emma Streat, international venues and a plot that keeps you guessing. It’s inspiring that Lovett West has carved a niche in a cutthroat genre, and is doing it at an age when the rest of the world is thinking about resting on their laurels.

Please enjoy part one of our two part interview with mystery novelist Eugenia Lovett West.

Q: Yours is an unusual road to publication. Thirty years ago you wrote a historical suspense novel THE ANCESTORS CRY OUT; in 2004 you were plucked out of a contest by heavyweight mystery editor Ruth Cavin of St. Martins and offered a two-book deal. What was that journey like?

ELW: The journey was long, very long, in part because I skipped around changing genres. Mysteries are my favorite escape read, so why not sit down and write one? Hold it. I soon found that there’s a vast difference between reading mysteries for fun and writing them. Like a strict school, there are rules that must be followed: Drop clues, insert red herrings, and come up with a surprising villain.

Later, after the rejection slips piled up, I self-published the ms as a Christmas present for family and friends. The praise was heartwarming, and I entered the St. Martin’s Press Malice Domestic contest for first mysteries. Months went by. Out of sight, out of mind.

One beautiful June day, I opened my computer and there was an e-mail from renowned St. Martin’s editor Ruth Cavin. The book was too international for the contest, but would I consider a contract for two mysteries? Believe me, it doesn’t get better than that. This is a Cinderella story that should give hope to writers of any age. Good things can happen.

Q: At the age of eighty-something, what is it like to be talent-scouted by NYC editors and have a hot mystery series on your hands? How has the industry changed since you published your first book, and today? Continue Reading »

One of the most often asked and most annoying questions for writers is ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’ My answer depends on the circumstances. If the questioner is, say, a talented twelve-year-old, I explain how everyday experiences can provide fodder for the writer’s imagination, and how the more widely a person reads, the bigger the worlds that open up within his or her mind. But if the question comes from an ill-informed adult, the kind who tells me she may write a book some day when she has the time, I simply reply that I get my ideas from real life. If the person is puzzled as to the relevance of my real life to, say, a magical version of medieval Ireland, so be it. If I told this person that human behaviour transcends boundaries of time, space and culture, and that the biggest themes are universal, I’d probably get the response, ‘Yeah, right.’

I’ve had some professional self-doubt recently, partly thanks to reading a Review From Hell. This reminded me that a WU contributor, in response to a post from me last year, suggested I should consider writing a memoir about my cancer experience. I remember my sharp mental recoil when this entirely reasonable idea was put forward. I know real life provides the raw material for a writer’s creativity. I understand that such an account might be helpful to other women. And in fact I made notes while I was sick, especially in the earlier part of the year when I hadn’t been knocked flat by the treatment. I was able to blog about it; I had made my diagnosis public fairly quickly, so there were no secrets. But when I thought about a book-length work based directly on my personal experience I encountered a mental barrier. It was big, solid, and hung with KEEP OUT notices. Continue Reading »

Who spreads stories and why? Sociologists at the University of Pennsylvania have been studying data provided by The New York Times showing which of the paper’s articles are the most often e-mailed.

Their conclusions have some relevance for fiction writers because they reveal what it is about stories that probably generate word of mouth. This month and next I’m going to discuss these elements and show how you can apply them in your novels.

The first element is one that will be obvious to most of us, so let’s cover it right away. Positive articles are e-mailed more often than negative ones. What does that mean for novelists? It means that excitement is more likely to be stirred by characters with positive qualities and by stories with happy endings.

No big surprise, like I said. If your characters are dark, miserable and self-loathing you can’t expect readers to be enthusiastic. Qualities of strength, especially when we see them right away, inspire readers to care. Downer endings also narrow a novel’s appeal. But you already knew that, right?

The next element identified by researchers is a little harder to appropriate. More frequently e-mailed stories tend to be emotional.

Stop. I know exactly what you’re thinking. All riiight! My novel-in-progress is highly emotional! Best-seller list here I come!

Not so fast. Continue Reading »

Today we welcome guest Laura Cross to Writer Unboxed. Laura, an author, editor and writing coach, is the author of a new book — The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent: Everything You Need To Know To Become Successfully Published. We’re happy she’s with us today to discuss something every writer wants to know more about: writing a successful query letter.
__________

Literary agencies receive tens of thousands of query letters each year. With a rejection rate of 99% (ouch!), it is essential that you carefully construct your query to receive a positive response. Here are a few tips to help you create a winning query letter:

FOR FICTION QUERIES

1. Create a hook. Capture the agent’s interest by creating a two-to-three sentence hook that introduces the protagonist and the premise.
2. Deliver a captivating synopsis. A pitch for a novel should give the agent a sense of the completed book. After presenting the hook, deliver a one- to two-paragraph synopsis that touches on the main elements of the story. Highlight important characters, the antagonist, emotional turning points, the conflict or dilemma, the climax and the final lesson.
3. Leave the agent wanting more. End with a “teaser” that leaves the agent wanting to know what happens next in the story.
4. Show, don’t tell. You want to show the agent your story through your writing, not tell the agent that “it is a great story”, or that you are “a wonderful writer.”
5. Demonstrate the tone and style of the book. If you have written a thriller, create suspense with your writing. If your novel is a romance, deliver an emotional punch. If your manuscript is light-hearted, be sure to include humor in your pitch. Also, use present tense and active verbs to convey a sense of immediacy and immersion.

Continue Reading »