As a writer, try to imagine, after your death, someone in your family who's not a writer going through all your work, past and present, drafts, false starts, deleted files, scribblings-- all of it-- and publishing whatever they thought best represented you. Scary, isn't it? Pardoned at last Jim Morrison is in the news again. Governor Charlie Crist submitted his name to Florida’s … [Read more...]
You Could Be Writing
Why do some writers torture themselves with procrastination? Some writers fear failure, and you can’t fail at something you aren’t doing. But not writing at all is also a failure, so then guilt sets in, and there’s nothing worse than a guilt-wracked, procrastinating writer. Short-term interests, such as steam cleaning the carpet, straightening the linen closet and pulling weeds, trump long-term … [Read more...]
Nix on Outlines for Elmore Leonard
Here’s a totally different take on outlines from Elmore Leonard, from an interview for The Detroit Free Press. He never uses them If you aren’t familiar with Leonard, he is “The greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever,” according to a New York Times Book Review. He’s written 44 novels, and 21 of them have been made into feature films starring the likes of Burt Lancaster, … [Read more...]
Breaking Down the Writing Process
A plan! A plan! I stumbled on The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, written by agent and author, Evan Marshall: “By following this 16-step program, any writer can fulfill the dream of completing a novel that is ready to submit to agents and editors. No matter what type of novel the reader wants to write -- western to romance to literary to fantasy -- this program will work. It breaks down the … [Read more...]
Pet Peeves: Rejection
I don't mind rejection, but not when it seems arbitrary. Ah, the whim of editors. One declined my manuscript because her pet peeve is present tense, and she’s also looking for multicultural stories, so ultimately, mine doesn't work for her. Not much I can do about that, especially considering it's NOT in present tense. Another praised “the charmingly universal quality” of the novel, and the … [Read more...]