During interviews, I'm often asked about writing. Here are some of the most common questions I receive:
Q: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
A: I wrote a lot of poetry when I was young. (I don’t write poetry anymore.) And I always wanted to be a writer … or ruler of the universe … they’re kind of the same thing. But I honestly considered myself a writer way back in elementary school when I wrote a poem about roller-skating, and it was published in a small booklet.
Q: Are you self-pubbed or traditionally published? What made you go for this model? What advice/tips can you share with writers working towards the same goal?
A: I chose the traditional publishing route, because it felt like the right choice for me. I wanted the editorial input of a talented agent, and I wanted the business expertise of a publishing house. My advice for writers working toward being published via the traditional route is to make sure your manuscript is as polished as possible before querying agents. Then when you receive feedback from agents or editors, consider their advice carefully and improve your manuscript based on the feedback you’ve received.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author?
A: Christi Corbett (author of ALONG THE WAY HOME) advised me to keep an “I don’t suck” file, which is basically a resource of reviews that compliment my writing. That way any time a rejection or terrible review comes my way, I can refer back to the flattering items and not feel quite so awful.
Q: What are some of the common challenges that new and experienced authors face and what advice do you have for overcoming them?
A: The most common challenge is rejection – an agent rejecting a query, an editor rejecting a submission, or a reader rejecting a book. Rejection is the toughest test a writer faces. And honestly, the only way to overcome it is to eat a lot of chocolate refer back to the “I don’t suck” file.
Q: What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
A: Revise. Revise. Revise. Finishing the first draft of your manuscript is an awesome accomplishment, but do not stop there. Revise it. Find a fellow writer to critique it. Revise it. Find another person to critique it. And revise again.
Q: Do you write as you go, or do you have the book all planned out from page one?
A: I have found that creating a story “road map” (not a precisely plotted outline) works best for me. It gives me direction while writing, but it is more flexible than a detailed outline.
Q: Are you worried your Google history will get you into trouble?
A: Absolutely! I have googled some pretty sketchy topics … all in the name of book research, of course.
Q: Where is your favorite spot to write?
A: My favorite place to write is in my office next to my window, which looks out into my garden full of berries: raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries.
Q: How do you celebrate the completion of a book?
A: With my favorite ice cream: Chocolate Haagen-Dazs
Q: What do you enjoy the most about writing?
A: I love the challenge of translating the vision in my head to a story on paper that someone else then reads and envisions in their own mind.
Q: How do deal with writer’s block?
A: The hardest part of writer’s block is pushing through it. That means first, I have to sit down and start. Sometimes I’ll set the timer for fifteen minutes and force myself to just write – even if it’s terrible and even if I delete it later – because sometimes the physical action of typing will get the creative energy flowing again.
Q: Anything you would've done differently if you could do it all over again?
A: I would have read more books on the craft of writing before I began to query agents. Some of my favorite books on writing include:
THE FIRE IN FICTION by Donald Maass
SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder
THE STORY BOOK by David Baboulene
SELF-EDITING FOR FICTION WRITERS by Browne & King
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
Z is for ZONE
No, I'm not talking about the "zone" writer's get into when they're on a roll, and no, I'm not talking about that famous diet. Instead, I want to share with you another awesome blog resource: Kill ZONE
From the website, "The Kill Zone is the musings of 11 top authors covering topics that inspire, anger, amuse, and entertain us. Each day, we’ll share what goes on inside our heads as we observe and write about the world around us. The Kill Zone is a doorway into the thriller and mystery writer’s mind."
And on that happy note ... we've made it to the end of the A to Z Challenge. I hope you've found the resources from this month's postings helpful. I plan to catch a few ZZZZZzzzzz's tomorrow. ;)
Happy writing.
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
Y is for YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES by Deborah Halverson
Yeah, yeah, the title of the book is actually: WRITING YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES, but I needed to make it fit in my A to Z list. ;)
If you are writing for the YA market, this is a definite must have. Plus, regardless of the market or genre you are writing for, this book has the best section on VOICE that I've ever read anywhere. "Voice" is such an elusive concept, but Deborah Halverson gives you concrete steps to take to improve the "voice" in your writing. I highly recommend this book.
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
X is for eXactly write (uh, yeah, pun intended)
Okay, we're coming down the final stretch, and OH. MY. Gosh. This is freaking hilarious ... CLICK HERE - trust me - YOU WON'T REGRET IT ... This awesome link gets the whole writing eXperience eXactly write. ;)
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
W is for Writer Unboxed
Go now: http://writerunboxed.com/
Come back and let me know what you think in the comments. (Please do come back.)
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
V is for Visuwords
Writers need words, and sometimes we need a thesaurus or dictionary to help us utilize our words more efficiently. Here's a really fun website that lets you LOOK at words and their relationships with other words in a visually dynamic way: http://www.visuwords.com/
It's really fun. Check it out. ;)
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
U is for University of Chicago Grammar Resources
Unless you're perfect, we all have questions when it comes to proper or correct grammar. University of Chicago offers a website with helpful information.
University of Chicago Grammar Resources
Where do you turn when you have grammar questions?
Do you just google it and trust the first website that comes up on the list?
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
T is for THE STORY BOOK by David Baboulene
Sure, T is for "THE" is a stretch, but this is a great book, and I had to include it in the list of resources this month! This is where it fit. :)
Such. A. Great. Book.
Click here:
For my FULL review of THE STORY BOOK
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
S is for SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder
Seriously, if you haven't read this book yet ... WHAT are you waiting for?
Have you already read SAVE THE CAT? If so, did you find it helpful?
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
R is for Rachelle Gardner, Literary Agent
Rachelle is an active blogger, providing great information regarding writing and the publishing industry: RachelleGardner, Literary Agent
What agents do you follow online because they provide great information?
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
Q is for Query Shark
If you are in the trenches of sending query letters to agents, you need to check out this website: http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
P is for Predators & Editors - and - Publisher's Marketplace
I could not choose just one resource for the letter P. Both of these websites are essential tools for you in the publishing world:
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
O is for ON WRITING by Stephen King
The first half of ON WRITING is a memoir of King's life, and if you are a fan of his, you'll love it. From wiping his bum with poison ivy to being locked in a closet, the glimpses into his life will make you appreciate his writing even more.
The second half of the book is about the craft of writing. King offers many helpful tips, such as stop researching so much and just write the story:
"Remember that you are writing a novel, not a research paper. The story always comes first" (page 233).
The only downside to this book is King's language. If you're a fan of his, you already know he uses profanity. If you flinch at the F word, you may need to take a muscle relaxant before starting this book.
Are you a fan of Stephen King?
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
N is for Nathan Bransford
Here is another legend in the industry: Nathan Bransford. And his blog is an incredible wealth of information. He recently published a book on the craft of writing, and I've added it to my must-read list.
Have you already read his book? What did you think of it?
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
M is for Mystery Writers of America
Here is another great organization for you to check out. Their website offers tons of great information: Mystery Writers of America
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
L is for Lamott
Not many authors can boast over 34,000 ratings on Goodreads and an average 4.2 rating (out of 5 stars) ... but Anne Lamott can! Her book about writing is a legend in the industry.
For more details - check it out on Goodreads!
Have you read this book already?
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
K is for Kidlit.com
I am a huge fan of Mary Kole over at http://kidlit.com/. Not just because she runs an awesome blog, but also because she took the time to help me personally (years ago) when she didn't even know me. She didn't have to, but she did. And I'll be forever grateful.
In addition to her blog, she's also written an excellent book on the craft of writing:
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
J is for Jane Friedman
Jane Friedman certainly has her finger on the pulse of the publishing industry, and her insights are very educational. I always learn something new when I check out her blog.
http://janefriedman.com/
So … you want to be a writer? Where do you start? How do you get there? No worries. This month I’ll be sharing my A to Z list of writer’s resources: books, blogs, and beyond! Check back each day to find helpful resources for improving your writing and navigating your way through the publishing industry.
I is for International Thriller Writers
According to their website, http://thrillerwriters.org, "The International Thriller Writers is an honorary society of authors, both fiction and nonfiction, who write books broadly classified as “thrillers.” This would include (but isn’t limited to) such subjects as murder mystery, detective, suspense, horror, supernatural, action, espionage, true crime, war, adventure, and myriad similar subject areas. ITW’s mission is “To bestow recognition and promote the thriller genre at an innovative and superior level for and through our Active members; to provide opportunities for mentoring, education and collegiality among thriller authors and industry professionals; and to grant awards for excellence in the thriller genre.” ITW By-laws: Article II, Purposes, Section 2. One of the main purposes of the organization is to provide a way for successful, bestselling authors to help debut and midlist authors advance their careers. To that end, ITW has designed numerous, effective programs and events which promote debut and midlist writers and their work, sometimes in partnership with bestselling authors. In addition, ITW promotes literacy, gives money to worthy organizations, supports libraries, and advances the genre. Finally, it brings together almost a thousand writers, readers, publishers, editors and agents at its annual conference, ThrillerFest, as well as at CraftFest, a writing workshop program, and AgentFest, where aspiring authors can meet and pitch top literary agents."
Do you belong to a writers' organization?
