Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Over the last few months I have finally begun the process of contacting, and contracting, an editor for my book. It is funny how similar to dating this process has been for me. It started over coffee, with an exchange of backgrounds and other basic information. After that seemed to go well, it progressed to a “sample edit”, in order for us both to see if the professional relationship we were heading towards would work. Concerns included: whether we would be on the same page-pun intended-regarding what things were important and should be expanded upon, and what things ended up taking away from the dialogue, scene, or overall story. I was surprised at how vulnerable the experience was initially. I found myself wondering-hoping-if they would like it or hate it. If they liked it, would they like it a lot? Or just a little? If they hated it, would it be enough to not want to see the rest of my work? I felt like I was back in my teens, waiting for the first day of school to start.
The advice I can offer at this point is that you try and find an editor who has edited books of your genre. At the very least try and discover what genre of books they enjoy reading. While they may be the best editor in the world, if they have not edited similar stories before, or have not even read them before, they are unlikely to have the same foundation of knowledge and interests that you have. Some may think this is a good thing, as it allows for a more impartial, detached edit of your work. I, on the other hand, want my editor to be excited about my work. I want them to be familiar with the influences that went into my writing and appreciate my work as a fellow reader, instead of just an editor. I feel like I am writing up a dating profile for an online dating service. Likes, dislikes, preferences, shared interests. In the end, try and find someone you are comfortable taking criticism from. Because in the end, their job is to help you make your work as good as it can be. Which means doing their best to take it apart piece by piece.
Today we are going to talk about procrastination. That insipid thing that turns a day into a week and a week into a month. Before you know it you have gone months without touching your work. This is very easy to do in a busy, adult life; especially when you are not getting paid to do what you are putting off. I have come to understand why the professor of my National Write a Novel in a Month class continually spoke about making elbow room for your writing. If you do not make yourself sit down, you will never touch your book. When this happens, you start rationalizing why you should not force yourself to sit down. “I’m not getting paid.” “It is not that good anyway.” “I have more important things to do.” All of these allow you to dismiss and put off finishing what you worked so hard to accomplish. After a time, the anxiety and fear kicks in and you try not to think about it. Whether this is fear of success, failure, or the fear of getting the momentum started again, it is paralyzing. The only solution I have found is to create deadlines for yourself. Whether this is getting the next chapter to your trusted readers, adding a certain amount of words by the end of the month, or rereading your work. If your can, find people that will hold you accountable in gently firm ways. Most importantly, remember that your book will not finish itself.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
So I am back and better than ever with another piece of freelancing advice. While it might seem obvious to some, those of us that assume will likely find this tidbit helpful. Obviously, if your assignment has built-in check-in points meet them. Make sure you make contact at the pre-appointed times to let whoever gave you the work know that: 1) you are still alive 2) you are at least aware enough to check in and pretend to have done some work and 3) you understand what a deadline means. This valuable lesson applies whether there are predetermined check-in points or not. Just because someone says they need the assignment by a certain date doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t appreciate hearing from you before that very day. So, to finish my pedantic obfuscation, one should always remember: 1) you are not the only freelancer in the world (you might think so, because you think you are important, but others may not share that sentiment) 2) those that assign freelance work are generally busy (ie. they don’t have time to check in on you, that is your job, cupcake) and 3) regardless of whether you are told to do so, it is always good practice to check in every couple of weeks or so, at the least, simply to put minds at ease.
In the course of freelancing one should always remember that everyone follows the same rules; but most people apply them with slight differences. This may not seem like much, but when discrepancies are compounded throughout a manuscript, you look dumb. The tip of the day is: always ask for the style guide, and read it, before you turn in any work. This will make you look smart, not dumb, which is good. That is all.
So, the one thing anyone who is trying to publish a book should know is that it takes time to publish a book. While you could spend all of your time working on your piece until you publish, the problem becomes evident: how do you pay for food? The simple answer is freelancing. I have been freelancing for just under two months now and feel I should share little bits of wisdom as I come across them. The lesson for today is—never trust your word processor to do its job. Always always always run a spell check, even if you have the newest version of word and your program’s grammar and spelling sensitivity are set at the max. Turning in one of your first projects with “fighter” spelled as “figher” is embarrassing, even though Word 2010 said, “Everything is A ok here! Send that puppy off! Job well done.” Don’t believe it, it lies.
Let the time between posts be a strong reminder to you all that life has its ways of running interference with things like blogging, reading, and writing. After swelling my manuscript to just under 75,000 words I am nearing the end of a full read through. From there the revision process will move forward.
Whoo! I made it. I now have my entire story arc (in rough form) out on paper. Right now the manuscript is sitting at just over 70,000 words. I already know that there will be more. Currently I’m ending the book on a cliff hanger. We will see how long that lasts once I start getting Editorial feedback. Depending on the feedback I may be adding even more.
As I said earlier the second time around was different from the first. I still can’t decide whether it’s best to balance the raw creativity with grammatical cues or if opening the flood gates is still the best approach for a rough draft. Either way, it is all out now. The unimpeded revision process can now begin in full. I am very excited by all the story lines coming together. By the end of it there should be quite a journey for the reader to embark on.
I killed my first character this week. It was much harder to do than I thought. I actually had to take a moment before I could continue writing. Without spilling too many beans (guess you’ll just have to buy the book) I’ll tell you what happened. A secondary character gave their life to prevent a villain from killing the main character. The scene is jarring because it happens suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere. The entire encounter takes thirty seconds in real world time and is quite brutal. Wow. Killing a character was like being slapped in the face.
By the end of March I will have my entire story arch completed. The initial motivating factor was a promise to my wife (hopefully most of you have heard of, instead of experienced for yourself, what happens when those are not met). At first I wanted to have my story wrapped up within 70,000 words. As soon as I looked at my finished outline, those dreams were smashed. I have a feeling (sinking or floating I have not decided) that my manuscript will be closer to 100,000 words if I want to do it true justice. I may be wrong, but that is my current feeling.
So far the process is a mixed bag for me. I enjoy being with the characters that I know. It is exhilarating to expand on secondary characters and tie off subplots. The process is slower than my initial mad dash to 50,000 words. I know more now, it can not be helped. It is a struggle to find the balance between pure, unadulterated creativity and that which shall remain nameless, grammatical accuracy. I know that the revisionary and editorial processes will handle “that”, but I find it harder to turn that part of my brain off. It is also slower because I find myself including much more sensory and setting detail, emotion, and internal dialogue.
One way or another it will get done.
Time has flown. It is time to shed my tears and bid my class mates adue. Yesterday was my last revision class.
In our last class we spoke about the business of becoming a published author (boring). The process starts with approaching an agent, after having a finished book of course. Each agent has guidelines for how they want to receive submissions. Depending on the tech know-how and preference of the agent, submissions can be sent via snail mail or email. Regardless of the manner of submission, most agents require a cover letter and synopsis of your story. Rarely does this first submission contain any of your manuscript, although some agents might request the first five pages. It is baffling to think that after spending months laboring to get a finished product, approval comes down to a cover letter and synopsis.
Once an agent chooses to represent you, they begin approaching editors. An agent has the connections and relationships with editors that are much harder to establish as a writer. In most cases an agent will agree to represent an author for a year. During that time they will submit the manuscript to editors likely to be interested in publishing your book. If an editor likes your piece they will buy it. If they don’t then they won’t. Even after your manuscript is purchased by a publishing house there will be a pre publishing editing phase. In many cases, this phase has more to do with increasing marketability than anything else.
After making it through the above mentioned gauntlet of stress, tedium, horror, and fatigue comes the money (hopefully!). When a publishing house buys your work you will receive an advance on your royalties. This money will first go to your agent. The agent will take their cut, usually 15%, and then forward the rest to you. Be aware that if your book does not end up selling as predicted they may ask for the advance back! Any additional royalties gained for the life of the book will go through your agent before they reach you. It is very important to find a reputable agent because they will be handling your money for as long as your book sells.
Stay tuned for more exhilarating tedium.