Writerly Wednesdays

Which Love Do You Write For?

Why do you write?

A simple question. Many common answers, some probably better than others.

To entertain others.

Because I must. The voices in my head won’t shut up until I set them loose on a page.

Because I can do better than most of the crap that gets published these days. (Not my reason, but I’ve seen it.)

Because I love it.

I think for most of us, love comes into play somehow. Some kind of love is involved. Is it the love of the writing process? Is it the love of the finished product? Is it desire for the love of readers?

For some, that last one is a solid NO. “I write for myself, not the reader.” I think that’s valid, but I only fall partway into that category. When I start drafting a story, the first, most instinctive criterion is to write a book I’d want to read. (This is always a good idea, considering the number of times I’ll go through a manuscript with revisions and editing passes.)

But I also write for the reader … I hope I do, anyway. I try to write books teenage-RC would’ve liked to read, and I know there are plenty of current teenagers who have just enough in common with RC-of-ages-past to enjoy similar elements.

I try to create characters who resonate. Forgive the physics intrusion, but for resonance to happen, you need two things—the sounding tone (provided by the author) and the resonant object (the reader). It’s kind of a cool thing to have someone think you wrote in some brilliant symbolism, but you know it wasn’t your conscious intention. That reader brought some of the brilliance by viewing it through their own lens.

(And yeah, I think I just mixed sound and optics metaphors there … turning off physics-brain now.)

Sometimes we get so bogged down in the hard stuff about writing and publishing that we forget the love—whatever love it was that brought us to this art. We fret over query letters. (Guilty) Rejections deject us. (Guilty) We fear our writing sucks so profoundly that no one can put their finger on why, so we’ll never be able to fix whatever’s wrong. (Guilty-Squared)

If you find yourself in a place like that, stop and take a breath. Remember why you’re putting yourself through all the contortions and seeming torture that it takes. I hope on some level, it’s because you love it.

Love takes work. Love brings pain. But love is worth it.

Speak up:

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Never Say "Never Give Up"

First, let’s be clear about the title of this post. By no means am I saying anyone should ever tell anyone else, “Quit writing. You suck. You’re wasting your time.” Sure, only a small number of us will ever have financial success as novelists. But even if we could know with certainty that someone will not be among that number, there are other reasons and rewards for writing, for persevering.

So here’s what I am saying.

I frequently see writers pondering whether to set one manuscript aside and focus on another, usually because they’ve queried upwards of eighty, ninety, one hundred agents and aren’t getting anywhere.

I see other well-meaning writers say, “No, don’t give up! Keep at it, believe in yourself …” etc.

My response is different. My response is “Find the right course for you, and shelving this manuscript is a valid choice.”

Why? Because I’ve been there. I took two manuscripts to the point of being queried out. I made some progress with each, but not quite enough.

I didn’t give up on those novels. The only “giving up” was on querying them. I’ve always viewed those manuscripts as being in my pocket, waiting for their time.

Moving ahead to other projects was the best thing I could have done.

I did lots of revisions on those earlier novels, making them a bit better each time, but that can’t compare to what writing brand-new stories did for me. They made me stronger.

Lingering on any one project longer than I did would have been a mistake, and wasted time. I’m glad I “gave up” on those. I still love them—my first manuscript is in many ways my favorite. The story is, anyway. The writing … I can do better now. So I will.

Every writer has to make that decision, figuring out when it’s time to put one novel on the shelf and focus on another. A dozen queries isn’t enough to throw in the towel. When you get into triple-digits … well, even then, it depends. Have you had near-misses on fulls? Were the first half of those queries before you really knew how to handle the querying game?

Maybe it’s time to move on. Maybe not.

But it’s your decision, and no one should think less of you if you “give up.”

Speak up:

4 comments

Confessions of a Goody Two-Shoes

I admit it. I’m a rule-follower.

In school, when the teacher said, “Do this,” and “Don’t do that,” I stayed in line. Even when I could’ve gotten away with something. As a teenager, I didn’t party. Never even would’ve occurred to me as a possibility. I didn’t push the envelope with the dress code, I didn’t use language worse than “crap,” I didn’t do anything that people seem to think all teenagers did (yes, even in my time, old crone that I am … note sarcasm).

Sounds like I’d have made a really boring character for a YA novel. But that’s beside the point.

This has extended into adult life. I show up to school earlier than required and stay at least until the end of my contract time. I still don’t party.

I don’t illegally download music or movies.

(Ah, now we’re getting closer to my point.)

A couple of issues have sprung up this past week that got me thinking about what a goody two-shoes I am, and with particular significance to writers.

Issue #1: The Ubiquitous Piracy of eBooks

This isn’t a new thing. It took a while, but the file-sharing phenomenon that’s plagued music and film for years is really catching on in the eBook world.

There are those who say piracy increases sales. A cause-effect relationship there is dubious at best, and I have all kinds of problems with the way the statistics are interpreted by proponents of file-sharing.

Goody Two-Shoes Says: I. Don’t. Care. I don’t care if something that’s wrong both legally and (in my opinion) morally helps my sales. (No, I don’t mean that the illegality of something automatically makes it morally wrong. And yes, I had to add that it’s my opinion because there are those who think file-sharing is morally right.) I’d rather have poor sales than benefit that way.

What’s the right/best way to try to keep piracy under control? That’s the tougher question. If you have thoughts, would love to hear them.

Issue #2: The Posting/Pinning of Pics You Don’t Own

This one’s a hot issue right now. An author was sued for posting a picture on her blog that she didn’t have the rights to.

Nope, you can’t just find an image through a search engine and post it on your website or blog or pin it on Pinterest. Some images are fair game, free for the taking. Others are flexible, allowing certain uses as long as you meet certain conditions, link back, etc. And others are strictly controlled by the artist, and if you want to use them, you’d better ask and be ready to live with their answer (possibly including payment).

Some of us knew this. Some didn’t, which is fine. A lot of us grew up in the internet age, but that doesn’t mean we were sufficiently educated in how to properly handle all this intellectual property that’s now so easy to access. Now we all know, and I see everyone taking steps to make sure they’re only using images properly.

But even as they clean up their blogs, I see some saying, “This is stupid. This makes my life harder.”

Goody Two-Shoes Says: So what if it’s inconvenient? I mean, really? Visual artists and photographers shouldn’t get the same respect we want as authors under Issue #1?

How about instead of grumbling, we direct our energy to educating about artists’ rights? Maybe we should talk to the kids in our lives about how the ease of ‘copy-paste’ doesn’t make it right.

Or am I just outdated in this whole idea of following the rules?

Speak up:

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Choose Your ‘Tude

Anyone who knows me could tell you that I’m a mix of realist and recuperating perfectionist. I hope for the best without getting my hopes up. I acknowledge when I do well without getting out-of-control big-headed … well, I try, anyway.

Like anyone else, I have those moments when I get down on myself. I’ve had aspects of stories that I wondered if I’d ever get right. I’ve been afraid I’d never come up with a good story idea again. (That one still comes along now and then.) I’ve had manuscripts get several requests, only to get rejections that left me saying, “Mindy, what am I doing wrong? How on earth do you get an agent to ‘fall in love’ with a book?” (Yes, Mindy has been the recipient of any and all negativity rants.)

That last bit has been key for me—having someone to vent to when I’m feeling insecure and uncertain. Someone who doesn’t just blast sunshine back at me. (“No, RC, you’re the awesomest, they don’t even know, you rock everything!”) Someone who acknowledges my feelings, counteracts with factual evidence, and admits when she doesn’t have the answers, either.

So despite my ability to criticize myself to death, I’ve managed to keep an attitude of “If I keep trying, I’ll keep getting better, and eventually I’ll get there.”

There’s a different approach that can certainly be tempting, but I feel certain is less effective. The frequent, public declarations of, “I suck. I’ll never succeed at this. I’m screwed.”

Well, yeah. I believe that’s called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I’m not a sunshine-and-rainbows, super-jam-packed-with-positivity type person. But I do know one of the few things we can control in this industry (and life in general) is our attitude.

If we’re overconfident, we annoy others with our arrogance. And we look foolish when we inevitably can’t deliver.

If we constantly declare ourselves full of supreme suckitude, what are we looking for? Baiting others into a pity party? Fishing for compliments, which we’ll then refuse to accept (because, y’know, we’re so convinced of our suckiness)?

Hard truth: I am not here to convince anyone of their greatness, particularly anyone who doesn’t want to believe it. I’m busy maintaining my own ego’s balance.

You don’t have to believe you’re great. You just have to be passionate enough about writing (or whatever you’re doing) to keep working at it, and believe that if you do, you’ll improve.

And you are the only one with the power to do that.

Speak up:

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The Dilemma of Authors on Facebook

It’s a question that comes up all the time on AgentQuery Connect. How (if at all) should authors use Facebook?

After being heavily involved in a couple of online writers’ communities, I ended up with a lot of writer-friends on Facebook. Some are aspiring, some are self-published, some work with (or have founded their own) small presses, some are agented, and some are traditionally published.

I admit, I’ve been cutting back on my Facebook use because it’s gotten overwhelming. Book release parties, announcements for signings, groups for these authors, groups for those authors … and that’s in addition to the invites, groups, and requests to play some game or another that I get from non-writing friends.

Slightly overwhelming, especially when I want to keep my Facebook check-in time brief.

I tried just ignoring things, focusing on what I prioritized, but darn if Facebook doesn’t make notifications obnoxious. If I get added to a group, I get a notification every time someone (or a friend, at least) posts in that group. If I get invited to an event, I get a notification when a friend posts in that event, even before I’ve gone in to say Join, Maybe, or Decline.

So, I say no. Not to everything, but to a lot of things.

Turns out for some of these things (Events, at least), the person in charge gets notified when I decline. Enter the guilt.

Cluttering feeds doesn’t sell books. Neither do guilt trips (at least not for me). How, then, does one effectively use Facebook as an author?

I’ll throw a few ideas out there, all of them theoretical from my perspective, and all of them just my opinion. I’m sure others will disagree.

Use a separate page. Either an Author Page or a Book Page for a specific book/series. Whatever you like. Let us know the page is there (and link to it conveniently on your blog/website), and then use that page for posting promotional information.

Don’t double-dip. This might just be me. If so, no problem. I’ll chalk it up to another of my picky quirks. But once you have that separate page, don’t simul-post the same information to both it and your personal account. Sure, some people will only see one or the other, but those of your friends who also Liked your page? Shows up twice back-to-back.

Be judicious in your use of Events and Groups. I’m fine with the occasional event invitation. When Events are created for every little thing, though, it crosses into the land of annoyance. I’ve never set up an Event, but I assume it’s possible to not invite ALL your Facebook friends. Choose invitees mindfully. Groups are especially tricky since Facebook allows you to add friends to groups without really asking them.
Think before you add—Does this person really fit the parameters of this group?

Don’t take it personally. If a friend declines an invitation or leaves a group you added them to, don’t assume it means they hate you, or are jerky poo-heads. Everyone has their own way of using Facebook, and maybe your event or group doesn’t fit in their model. And remember that it’s much more likely to reflect an annoyance with Facebook and its settings than you personally.

Do you have any tips or tricks for making Facebook use easier? Pet peeves of your own that you’ve seen done by writers? What ways do you see Facebook working for authors?

Speak up:

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We’re, Like, Y’know, in the FUTURE!

Today’s post is kind of an extension of last week’s Putting the Sci in Sci-Fi. But first, some lead-in.

Those of you who are on Twitter may know that @AngelaJames (executive editor at Carina Press) occasionally does an #EditReport session where she shares quotes from her editors on why manuscripts were rejected, then concludes with quotes on acceptances. In a recent session, the following tweet popped up:

“Characters read more like contemporary characters dropped in an historical world rather than being authentically historical.” #editreport
— Angela James (@angelajames) June 25, 2012

I’ve noticed the same problem occasionally in science fiction, most particularly in YA. The characters are a little too much like teenagers of today plunked down in some futuristic setting. When that happens, it doesn’t matter how much awesome world-building you’ve done. Your characters reveal it all to be cardboard backdrops on a junior high stage.

Would characters in your story still wear jeans? I mean, jeans have been around a while, so maybe, especially if it’s near-future. But maybe not. Would they still say “cool” or “awesome” or “creeper” or “legit”?

It’s a dilemma, though. Especially that bit about the language. Any type of current slang in a definitely-not-current setting will knock me right out of the story. On the other hand, I know invented slang is tricky, often making readers feel like these out-of-the-blue words are being shoved down their throats.

Remember the bit in Mean Girls where poor Gretchen tries to force her own slang upon the world?

(where I got this)

Sometimes when reading, I feel like giving the characters and/or author the same response Queen-Bee Regina finally gave:

With my own efforts at invented slang, I’ve tried to make it as organic as possible. Often what I do is take something current and twist it a bit. So far, it’s gotten good reactions from people who are ordinarily pretty picky about such things.

We don’t know what the future will be like. We don’t know what teenagers then will be like. That’s part of the fun of writing science fiction. At the same time, we want these characters to have a core that our modern-day readers can relate to. So it’s yet another balancing act for us to manage.

Do you have any tricks for making futuristic teens futuristic enough without losing their common thread with teen readers? Any pet peeves about too-contemporary elements showing up in a far-removed time period?

Speak up:

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