A Call To Conference

This last weekend I had my first experience at a writing conference when I attended Moonlight and Magnolias in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm not much good with crowds, but I was told that a regional conference like this would be a good introduction to help ease me into the scene, in the event I might ever consider a national conference. And I have to say, I'm so glad I gave in to the peer pressure. I'm still riding the high of spending 4 days basking in such a unique atmosphere of professional ambition and warm camaraderie. I pitched to 2 agents, and received 2 requests for the first three chapters (despite the fact that my hands were shaking under the table and I stammered my way through each appointment.)

Reflecting back on my experience, I had a few tidbits of advice I wanted to get down before my brain evicts them to make room for something of questionable importance. These were just my personal takeaways--chunk them if you don't like them. :) Hopefully there's some universal application to be had.

#1. Business Cards - I recalled a conference several friends attended last year, and the overwhelming lament from most of them was: 'I should have brought business cards.' Many had put off the necessary evil of branding themselves onto a tangible piece of paper out of concern for what pen name they might want to use, or what color-scheme suited their genre. And while I agree, it's worth making every effort to present a good first impression...better a mediocre calling card than none at all. You want people to be able to contact you later, without the use of a private detective!

Which brings me to my next point...

#2. Network, network, network! - While I carpooled to the conference with two of my dearest mentors from our particular guild chapter, we saw relatively little of each other all weekend. This was by design. My friends had navigated the conference scene numerous times before and encouraged me to seize every opportunity to chat people up and make new friends. I could talk to them any time, after all. And while the introvert in me had a number of freak-out moments in which I went running to the nearest familiar face from my chapter like my 18-month-old to her security blanket, I usually recovered within a few minutes and went bounding back into the fray.

Which leads into a consideration I initially took for granted...

#3. Nap Time - It can do wonders for the disposition of toddlers and conference-goers alike. Keep some sleep in reserve. You never know when you might hit it off with a handful of people you happened upon in the lobby, and look up later to realize you've yammered on into the wee hours. Crawling out of bed and down to your morning workshops after such an evening is about as much fun as bathing a frightened cat...while naked. I'm not exaggerating, people. There's only so much a good cup of coffee can do.

(But still, scout out all possible coffee venues upon your arrival. You'll thank me later.)

#4. Attire - Allow for comfort on travel days, but once the conference is in full swing--think business casual. As I was there to be taken seriously, along with learning and making some lasting connections, I brought along my best 'hire me' clothes. I noticed a number of people who added an exuberant flair to their carefully selected outfits, but I'm honestly too much of a newbie to be daring. :)

Note: I think I went a little TOO safe with the formal-wear. If there happens to be a formal event like a dance or award ceremony, and you would like to stand out from the crowd at all, try to avoid wearing a black cocktail dress. (Unless, of course, you happen to me a dude. In which case a black cocktail dress will definitely get you noticed. >.>)

Now, who wants to offer up their take on a conference experience, or possibly some pointers to go along with that? I'm sure I've missed some things.

Rejection I Can Appreciate

So far I'd been trying to use this blog to be helpful to other aspiring writers. Right now, I just want to be real with you. (Fear not--I have no intention of emotionally upchucking all over your house slippers.)

I just wanted to confess that I've just received my fifth rejection from an agent, and I've got some mixed feelings about it. (Yes, I know that five rejections is nothing, and I can easily expect a dozen more before the planets align and/or Snooki's book finally runs its course.) I'm not reflecting so much on the rejection as I am on the -type- of rejection it happens to be. You see, this is the first non-form rejection I've received.

Aha! My angsty dark cloud has a silver lining.

That's right, while it still stung like being the last kid picked for Dodgeball, this letter was -personalized-! No generic 'Dear Author'... my actual name was at the top of that tiny paragraph. No cut-and-paste standard reply about how the agent gets so many queries every day they can't possibly give me a hint as to why my project (regrettably, of course) doesn't interest them... this one gave me an explanation. And here it is, short and sweet:

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'Unfortunately I'm going to pass on this idea. The manuscript is quite long, and it's quite hard to sell memoirs from authors with small platforms.

Sorry about all this. The idea itself seemed interesting and interestingly enough mirrors a fiction project that I'm planning on taking on.'

Best,

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Now that I've gotten some potentially useful feedback on my attempt, I have to decide what to do with it--if anything. (This was only the query, by the way. This particular agent didn't want writing samples included.)

*Can I cut down the manuscript notably?

Maybe a few thousand words could still be trimmed without the book losing its essence, but I'm not sure what count to shoot for (as there is no average word count for this genre.)

*Can I magically pull a 'platform' out of subspace by becoming famous overnight?

Unlikely. (Call me, Snooki! I'd like to audition to become your arch nemesis. >.>)

*Can I completely rework the book into a fiction piece and still live with myself?

Ask me again after another two-dozen dismissals.

Okay, so I suppose I don't have much by way of conclusive information just yet. At least it's a start. Seeing any of this echoed by a different agent will certainly make me sit up and reassess my approach to the query gauntlet.

In the mean time, the name of the game is 'persistence.' If Kathryn Stockett (author of 'The Help') had to face down 60 rejection letters before finding an advocate for her story, then I figure I've got 55 more to go before I'm entitled to mourn my lack of marketability. (I may do a bit of whining at every interval of 10 or so, but I'll try to keep it to myself as much as humanly possible.)

So, has anyone learned things from rejection letters? And if you happen to have some experience with them, tell me what you make of mine. :) I'm wide open to interpretations/suggestions.

Writers & Jargon

When I attended my first meeting for a local writer's guild, I did a lot of nodding and smiling. A default reaction to feeling dauntingly obtuse. There I was in the middle of the largest gathering of kindred spirits I'd ever experienced (well, outside of church or a comic convention), and I wasn't sure I understood their language. We were all speaking English, of course, but I was tripping over enough buzzwords, acronyms, and iconic phrases to make me question whether I knew anything about writing at all.

This wasn't any sort of intentional exclusion, mind you. I'm reasonably sure that most passions and professions claim their own set of specialized vocabulary, to one extent or another. Coming from a nursing background, I'd seen many an eye glaze over when I start throwing around medical terminology. It didn't take me too long to draw the obvious parallel. Before you can effectively talk shop, you need to know the lingo.

It seemed to me that I had two choices. I could either risk my pride by admitting ignorance, or risk missing out on an invaluable information base.

Well, I was there to learn outside of a vacuum, wasn't I?

Pride lost the argument. I looked around until I found a sufficiently non-threatening face, and promptly recruited myself a translator. I wish I could recall exactly who it was I had whispering hasty explanations to me throughout the rest of the meeting. I owe them a coffee--and my eternal gratitude. They gave me a much needed boost onto the learning curve.

Over the next several months, a number of my new guild-mates were kind (and patient) enough to continue answering random questions, pointing me to books and web sites, and otherwise filling in gaps in knowledge where Google searches had failed me. In that time I've kept track of a number of definitions I wished I would have known starting out. So for those new to the organized writing world, I wanted to offer a few of the orienting basics--in some semblance of a logical progression.

For those of you who've been navigating these literary waters for some time now, I would appreciate any suggested additions to the list! :)

MS = Manuscript.

WIP = Work In Progress (typically in reference to one's current manuscript.)

MC = Main Character.

POV = Point of View (Refers to the character(s) and/or perspective from which you decide to tell your story.)

GMC = Goal, Motivation, Conflict. Your character wants ______ because ______, but they can't have it because _______. (A way of reducing the essence of the book's plot down to 2 sentences. A critical ingredient to an effective query.)

TSTL = Too Stupid To Live (When one of the writer's objectives in a story to get the reader to care about what happens to their primary characters, you don't want them thinking this about any of them.)

'Show! Don't tell' = Writing in such a way that the reader is able to experience the story through a character's thoughts, words, actions, senses, and feelings rather than through the narrator's summarization. (Often used as an admonishment, or as a warning that you are starting to sound like a text book writer instead of a storyteller.)

Beta Reader = A secondary reader who previews a work with an eye to spotting errors, offering feedback, and/or suggesting improvements. (Typically a volunteer.)

Copy Editor = Someone who edits a manuscript for grammatical errors, along with pointing out inconsistencies and repetitions. (Typically a hired professional service.)

Novella = Between 17,500 and 40,000 words.

Novel = 40,000 words or more.

Single Title = Novels more than 80,000 words in length, not published as part of a publisher's category.

Voice = The distinct style, personality, and perspective of a piece of writing. When authentic, it serves as a literary 'fingerprint' -- made up of the author's innate diction preferences, sentence patterns, world-view, disposition, mood, personal experiences, etc.

Pantser = Writing style named for those who prefer to write 'by the seat of their pants' -- have the tendency to start writing with little or no plot in mind and without knowing exactly where they're going. They allow their characters to dictate where to go; and enjoy the spontaneity of this kind of writing.

Plotter = Writing style of one who MUST compose a detailed outline of their story before they feel like they can begin the real writing. Plotters tend to painstakingly plan out the beginning, middle, and end their story in advance; along with all parts in-between. Character sketches, fleshed-out backstory, and formulaic story-arcs appeal highly to them.

Quilter (sometimes called 'Plotser' or 'Plantser') = You guessed it, this writing style is a hybrid of the 'Plotter' and 'Pantser'. Quilters know their story and characters ahead of time, along with most major plot points, but remain flexible to character-driven changes as they go. They may or may not write scenes in actual order of progression.

Hook = The all important first paragraph of your query letter or article, meant to 'hook' the reader's attention.

Blurb = A short summary, usually referring to the words on the back of the book jacket.

Query = A sales letter through which you attempt to market your idea to an agent or editor.

Pitch = Same concept as a query, but often used in reference to a session with an agent or editor in person (or live chat/skype, if done via the internet).

Slushpile = An accumulative 'pile' of unsolicited manuscripts that have been sent to a publisher or editor.

HEA = Happily Ever After

Plotter, Pantser, or Quilter?

If you're new to the lingo, no, I'm not making a reference to evil pranksters who dabble in arts and crafts. Today I'm talking about writing styles!

Why? Because understanding how you (and others) naturally operate can go a long way toward helping you improve on your writing methods.

Note: I'm not going to claim to be an expert on this, I'm just going to lay out some observations I've made of my writing peers along with my interpretation of the available definitions.

*Plotter

By all definitions I found, a Plotter can't stand not to create an outline for their book before they actually begin writing. They may even go so far as to outline their individual chapter scenes. They see the whole picture ahead of time, and may feel compelled to create goals and checklists to help them track and quantify their progress. As a result, they are more likely to write in chronological order, from start to finish. I tend to associate Plotters with the OCD inclined, although this isn't always the case. If you need to feel precise or 'in control' with your writing, then you may innately lean in the direction of Plotter.

Advantages: When it comes time for the dreaded synopsis to be written, they have a distinct head start in the form of an existing outline. Plotters also tend to catch logistical errors and lags in pacing early on, saving themselves a great deal of trouble later down the writing road.

Disadvantages: Plotters can sometimes plan their story to death. They may get so bogged down in the details, chronology, and backgrounds involved that they take forever to actually start writing the meat of the story. They may also be tempted to cling to a predictable, formulaic approach, which can handicap their creativity.

*Pantser

To the best of my understanding, Pantsers derive their name from the implied 'fly by the seat of their pants' tendencies. Born improvisers, they don't entirely know what's going to happen next in their story, and they like it that way. Some insist that it ruins it for them to know the ending to their own story ahead of time. They also tend to have a knack for downplaying the more tedious elements in story structure, which seems to maximize their enjoyment of simply writing for writing's sake. If you like surprises and don't like to feel constrained, you may be leaning in a Pantersly direction.

Advantages: The general assumption is, if the author doesn't know what's going to happen next, neither will the reader. Their more haphazard approach often grants them a freer flow of creativity, and most don't seem to agonize when it comes to corrections.

Disadvantages: Heavy revision load. Plot holes and character inconsistencies may go unnoticed until the novel is finished, and correcting that late in the process carries the potential of a domino effect on other logistical complications.

*Quilter

Quilters (I've also seen them called Plottsers?) are something of a hybrid between the first two styles--trying to strike some sort of balance between calculated organization and imaginative spontaneity. They usually begin with a solid idea of what they want to write and how it will end, but they remain flexible to a plotline or character developing in an unexpected direction as they go. While they look before they leap, that doesn't mean they've decided how they're going to land. They prefer to write scenes as the mood strikes them, but not in any particular order. For a Quilter, a novel ends up being much like stitching together a series of interconnected short stories. They don't mind throwing characters and situations together just to see what happens, but because of the scene-jumping, they also like to create orderly references to keep their train of thought from derailing.

Advantages: The best (and worst) traits of the two previously mentioned styles, depending on the person.

Disadvantages: They may lack a sense of accomplishment until they've been able to piece together significant sections of their story.

I've personally found myself to be a Quilter, though I'm certainly not advocating one style over another. (I'd like to thank the warring effects of OCD and ADD for nurturing my particular 'technique.' >.>) I'm convinced that one's writing style is whatever comes most naturally to you, and forms as a result of your personality and ingrained habits. So, go with what works! There are plenty of exercises out there that encourage you to stretch yourself and/or determine the approach that's most effective for you.

Pantsers, don't squelch your creativity just because those nifty craft books recommend strategic outlining and formulas. And Plotters, don't think you need to take a Xanex and throw your punctilious caution to the wind just to get your muse to return your calls.

So, tell me about YOUR style. :)

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Titles And Pretenses

Lately, I've been giving a lot of thought to what I ought to be calling myself. It's my understanding that titles are either earned, bought,(often a little of both) or bestowed by those qualified to do so. And so, you can see why I feel a bit like a fraud every time I call myself a writer. Yes, I call myself that -- among other things. I even have the designation 'Writer' listed on all of my calling cards, as though it were some desperate attempt to justify myself. True enough, if I would have instead called myself 'High Queen of the Fire-Breathing Elephant People', VistaPrints wouldn't have cared in the slightest, nor stopped to question my sanity.

At least when I call myself a mother, I can hold up one of my beautiful, squirming spawn as proof of the claim. Okay, so I do have a finished manuscript now. I suppose I could hold up the flashdrive backup copy and feel better about declaring myself a writer. But even as I consider that inane bolstering of my self-esteem... I get this image in my head of a galloping Richard Simmons crying out, 'I'm a Pony! I'm a Pony!'

Just as Mr. Simmon's claim and imitation does not, in fact, make him any more Equine -- I don't see how having written something necessarily makes me any more of a writer.

For the sake of argument, I'll expand my concern out into other related and somewhat subjective forms of human expression... At what point does one cross the line from dabbler-with-a-hobby to true Artist? When can a musical performer be called a Musician? -- Is there a magical number of fans one needs to accrue (outside of one's obligatory familial relationships)? Perhaps a board of experts on the skill that get together and vote?

I'm sure these questions have already been beaten to death and then flogged for good measure, but it's my blog, and I'm asking them anyway. ^_^

Unless I'm missing something, there don't seem to be any hard-and-fast rules. (I hate not knowing the rules. How is one supposed to bend, break, or petition to change them if no one knows what they are?) I've read the opinions of dozens of published authors on the subject of when they -felt- like they'd truly become a writer. Some said it was when they won their first contest and basked in the fickle glow of peer-approval; others claimed the title at the moment they received monetary compensation for their work -- regardless of how meager the sum; a confident few just seemed to always 'know' that writing was what they were meant for; and still others admitted that they still didn't -feel- like a writer, in spite of their undeniable accomplishments.

Personally, I don't yet fall under any of the above categories. And I continue to wonder if I'm ever going to feel like more than a chronic daydreamer with a slightly above-average vocabulary.

In the end, I'm not sure how much it matters. So maybe it's just a subjective label that describes an activity AND makes me feel a little better about myself. Until someone highly qualified tells me otherwise, I'm fairly content to live out my imagination with the utmost gusto... Which may or may not involve personalized mementos that support my delusions.

So, I want to hear what YOU think. What do you call yourself, and why?

Music To My Muse

When someone is as ADD-addled as I happen to be, it's difficult to concentrate on one particular task for an extended period of time. No matter how passionate you may be about said task, thoughts always end up ricocheting around your brain in their own little game of synaptic Pinball. It can't be helped. One minute I'm on a role in exactly the right direction, the next I find myself crossing the mental median, distracted by something frivolous, completely unrelated, and/or shiny.

Having small children isn't helping matters, unfortunately. There are days I feel like I get an average of 30 seconds to myself at one time. (This overdue blog post, for instance, wasn't so much written as it was accumulated over the course of five days.) But such is life. We must either adapt to the seasons, or be doomed to frustration.

I suspect just about anyone with an artistic bent can have trouble getting back into the groove of what they're working on after being sidetracked. Once you've been knocked out of 'the zone', it can feel as though your drive and inspiration went skidding off into a separate zip code. Your time, of course, is limited. So how do you rein in your focus?

*Some find success in the readily available and ever popular mainstay: caffeine.

*Some are able to utilize a set of specific habits/rituals – either intentionally or unintentionally cultivated – which their subconscious has been conditioned to recognize as a precursor. (Not unlike a more elegant, personally tailored version of Pavlov's dog.) This method actually helps me to some extent. If I've gotten derailed too badly, I'll go make myself a cup of tea and read something unrelated while the water is brewing. At least half of the time, once I've gone back upstairs and sat down at the computer with my beverage, I find that I'm able to continue.

*On a related note, some find it helpful to take a short but deliberate 'brain break'. This may involve a walk, a drive, taking a shower, reading, or working on an entirely different project of some sort. It's amazing what a brief change of scenery can do.

*And then, there are some who can regain their desired level of function through music. While I'm not one of those people who can write while there's music going in the background, I do have success with keeping and occasionally tapping a file of melodies that fit the mood of my work. Whenever possible, I assign theme songs to my characters; it actually helps me to play their song if I'm having trouble staying true to their personality. As I'm writing different scenes, I keep an ear out for music I'd find fitting for a soundtrack(In the wildly improbable event that my book were ever made into a movie).

At the risk of sounding delusional, here are three of my top soundtrack picks for the book I'm currently revising:

Bonjovi – It's My Life (This one was just kind of obvious, it being a Memoir and all. Not to mention the fact that it ends up being referred to by name in the third chapter.)

Seabird – Don't you know (I see this coming in as cruising music for any transitional driving scenes.)

Kids In The Way – Fiction (Perfect for a particular dream sequence. Yes, as a matter of fact there IS a freaky emo dream sequence. >.>)



All of that meandering to say... I'm curious to know who else out there uses music as an auditory remedy for mental flightiness. Above and beyond that, I'd like to know what song/songs you would choose for your work, were someone to turn it into a movie. Where would they fit, and why? Go ahead – I both invite and dare you. Dream a little dream. ^_^ (i.e. Make me feel a little less weird about this!)


P.S. For those of you who do better with a brain-break than with reorienting of the musical variety, I would like to direct you to the most recent literary recommendations of a brilliant writer and workshop instructor, C.J. Redwine – God bless the ground her stilettos trod upon.
http://www.cjredwine.blogspot.com/2011/02/best-reads-of-2010.html?spref=fb