What Goes On in There?

Ever wonder what in the world goes on at a publishing house as potential best-sellers are created or discarded in a single vote?

My agent, Rachelle Gardner, has an excellent post on what goes on in a publishing house as the decision is made whether to buy an author's manuscript or not.

It's all about what will sell. Period. So don't lose heart if you're still trying to peddle your manuscript to resistant editors. Sometimes it's a matter of the wrong book at the wrong time, or the right book and the wrong time, or the wrong book at the right time!

Take a peek inside the boardroom. http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/

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You Know You're a Writer If...

Borrowed from the writer's e-newsletter, Seekerville, here are some sure-fire ways to tell if you're a REAL writer.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE A WRITER IF...


Your list of New Year’s Resolutions not only includes your goals but also your motivation and conflict.

You never read a dictionary you didn’t like.

You dream about your WIP and wake to write down a phrase that keeps running through your head.

“Doing lunch” means editing your work while you gobble down a sandwich.

You’d rather spend time in Seekerville than with your non-writer BFF.

You read the first lines of every new book in the bookstore and made note of any agents or editors mentioned in the acknowledgements.

You turn every real life situation into a “What if!”

You never leave home without a pen and paper tucked in your pocket, purse or man bag.

You’d rather sit at your computer than ________ (fill in the activity of your choice).

You can figure out who the villain is by the third chapter of any book you read.
(Not Seeker books, of course.).

Your Christmas Wish List includes the latest How-To Writing book.

You break down every movie you see into 3 Acts and Turning Points.

Your kids know eating pizza 5 nights in a row means mom’s on deadline.

Your kids get tired of pizza after ordering delivery 5 nights in a row.

You jot down snippets of conversations you overhear at Starbucks.

You openly talk in public about how you killed hubby.

You take notes when police chase scenes run on the nightly news.

You spell sassy SASE.

You check caller ID for a New York area code every time the phone rings.

You break down in tears when the kids bring in the mail and say you’ve got a big envelope from the editor who’s had your manuscript for over a year.

You ask your pharmacist the easiest way to poison someone.
(Not the editor, of course.)

The history listing on your laptop includes “How to Make a Bomb” and “Meth for Beginners.”

You’ve never met a cop you didn’t want to interview.

At writing conferences, you realize the women (age 23-27) wearing black and hiding their name tags are all New York editors.

The first section you look at in the Sunday newspaper is the bestsellers’ list.

Rejection means more than a boyfriend dumped you.

“Your baby” refers to 400 pages of Courier New.

Your family vacations each summer in the locale you’ve selected for your next book.

You know query means more than a question.

Along with the dust bunnies under the bed, you’ve also shoved five completed manuscripts rejected by a wide-range of editors, who you call names I won't mention.

You know you can’t judge a book by its cover.

You go to work in a T-shirt and sweat pants.

You know voice has nothing to do with singing.

Pretty much sums up my writing career thus far!

It's all about the business and what's hot at the moment or suspected to be hot this time next year.

"It's great, it's moving, your skill shines through, but it's not zombie-vampire-Amish-romance, so I don't think it'll sell right now. Next?"

If you can't play this game long enough,

you're in the wrong business.

Start Where?

The End.

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How many sets of 10-30 pages do you have lying around or saved on your computer?
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You had a brilliant idea, saw the characters streaming through your mind, heard their voices, imagined their predicaments. You typed frantically, scarcely taking time to breathe. The world on your computer screen was more real than the dinner burning or the kids screaming in the background.
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But finally you got it out. There it was, three or four chapters. You were shaking with exertion and exhilaration. And then you went to turn off the stove. And never came back.
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Every writer has those stories lying around in various stages of dress, like the cast of a play at the after-party. I've had them since the 6th grade, when I spent every free moment in class--and some moments that were not designated "free time"--scribbling away in my notebook.
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So how do REAL writers do it? How do they get to the end? How do they tie up all those details and characters and plot lines to make a satisfying book?
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Here's a tip: Start at the end.
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May successful authors do it that way. They have a good handle on the main characters,have a vague outline of a plot, but then they focus on a good ending. Nothing ruins a great book like a limp finish. So write the end with all that passion that first fired your story. Don't worry about how it's all going to tie together. That's what middles are for.
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It's okay. Your mom will never know you started with dessert!
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Writing in Color

Spring is a great time for writers. Nature explodes in vivid array, as if to apologize for the drab winter. My house seems to come alive after a near-death experience. How are you doing at capturing color in your writing?

A good exercise is to use words to convey the idea of color as though you were describing it to a blind man. How can you make him see red? Blue? the contrast between yellow and black if he's never seen it?

Color is more than just visual. Study those red tulips above. How would you describe them in your writing? One way is contrast them with the green lawn. They stand out against the carpet of smooth grass like bright feather balls.

Connect color with the other senses. Imagine what they feel like, smell like, how they would taste. The yellow bushes huddle against the porch like fat ducks in a row.

Go outside and look around. Spend a few moments absorbing the texture of the air, the smells drifting over your face, the soft sounds fluttering from the trees. Describe it in as much detail as you can without a lot of adjectives. Adjectives are the lazy way to write. Use comparison, metaphor, simile, and personification---all those literary words your English teacher tried to teach you. They're quite useful when you want to write something memorable.

Describe spring at your house. Leave your paragraph below if you like and I'll take a look at it. Happy writing!

What's In a Title?

So you've typed the last word and your story or book looks pretty good. But what do you call it? Does it really matter? How important is a title?

.Think about the books you're attracted to, the stories that stop you as you flip through a magazine. It's usually the title or cover that caught your eye. That's what we see first. That's our first hint that this might be worth a second look.

.So how do you come up with a good title?

.For a book, think about the way it will look on the shelf. The title needs to hint about what's inside.

Is it suspense? The title should offer a hint of forboding.

Is it a romance? The title should tell that without giving away the plot. The Cowboy Who Left One Woman for Another gives away a bit too much. Why read the book if you already know what's going to happen?

My agent Rachelle Gardner gives a lot more detail about how titles work. Take a look here .

If Only...

May every editor who reviews your work have this problem!
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