Tag Archives: fiction

Landmarks

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It’s been an interesting year in my writing career for me.

I’ve had my first print publication from Cutting Block Press, to be released in August in their new anthology, Tattered Souls 2.

I’ve been to my first convention as an author with something being sold and celebrated at the convention. There, I signed my first autograph for a complete stranger.

And now I’m taking on my first novel editing commission as a freelance editor from someone I didn’t personally know.

It’s been pretty amazing. I’d like to describe all these processes, so you can see what they’re like from the inside.

I submitted ‘Becka’, my horror novella, to a few places before Cutting Block Press. I approached the submission process with a strong amount of confidence in the work. I’ve submitted short stories before, to lots of places. Following standard advice at the time, I usually submitted with the philosophy that if you start at the top (in pay terms) and go by what genre and general type of story the magazine likes, you’ll eventually get there. That didn’t really happen.

With ‘Becka’, I had a much smaller field to go through – it’s not easy getting novella length work into print. But I knew it was a fantastic story (no false modesty here). And so I approached it with the attitude of finding a worthy home for it – somewhere that it would fit in to the attitude and desires and body of work of the press in question. The second place I looked happened to be Cutting Block, and I sent it off really hoping they would accept it, because they were right for the story. And it got accepted.

Later I found out they were having a release party for it at the World Horror Convention in Austin, which happens to be a place where I have relatives. I also had a friend who wanted to take me to Florida and could sort of fold a trip to the convention into the general vacation. Now, let’s be clear: that meant I didn’t have to pay anything in particular for this trip. Travel costs, convention entry, all covered. As an ENTRY LEVEL published writer, I would strongly recommend not spending much to go to conventions where your stuff is published – it’s fun and exciting, but makes zero financial sense and there’s not that big a boost to your career. Go to your local ones, because they offer so many benefits that it’s worth the entry costs. But when you factor in hotels and flights, better wait till your career demands it.

That said, I learned a lot. I mostly learned about the horror community. Now, be aware that I’m comparing it to the SF/Fantasy community, which is mostly where I spend my time. In comparison, I found that the horror convention was much smaller. Smaller even than my local Denver SF convention, Mile Hi Con. And this was the WORLD Horror Convention.

Everyone I met at the convention was wonderful. Nice people, friendly and interested (and interesting). Interestingly, everyone I met was a writer, or an artist, or a publisher, or an editor, or attending with one of the above. I do mean everyone. At Mile Hi Con you have a large surrounding flood of readers, appreciators and people who come to meet the writers/editors. Yes, nearly every SF fan is an aspiring writer somewhere in the closet of his soul, just like me. But at the horror convention, the attendees were almost universally in the biz. These people were primarily selling to one another.

It may be as a direct consequence of that, but I also felt that there was a strong uniformity to cover design, art and clothing of choice – all of which were black, with a strong iconic image and/or statement.

It was all very interesting and I enjoyed it greatly. There were some fascinating panels. As usual, the combat panel, staffed by ordinary looking people who could tear you into small pieces if necessary, dissolved into anecdotes – they do that at the SF conventions too and it’s always a blast. I had a great time manning the booth for Cutting Block, quizzing anybody who sat with me about aspects of the business that I wasn’t fully familiar with yet. Learned a lot there, too, especially about when it is and isn’t useful to sell your own books. And I signed an autograph or two for people I’d never met, which I count as a landmark too.

Good stuff, and I had a great time. Conclusions: there’s lots of room for innovative new writers in the horror field, and make sure you spend your money wisely when considering conventions.

And finally, the freelance editing section of my website garnered a customer for the first time. As you know if you’ve been reading this site or following me on Twitter, the marvelous Jeff Kirvin got me into the whole editing thing, flooring me a year ago or so by asking me to do this job I’d never considered at all. Like Miles Vorkosigan, I never thought this was a job that had any reference to me, but I took to it like a bat to warm blood. The term addiction may be useful here.

So these are the landmarks of my career recently. It’s not all been roses – I seem to be rather stuck in terms of getting any writing of my own done recently, for example. I’ve been through patches like that before, however. And health issues have really interfered with things in the last months. But that’s hopefully going to turn around.

The future looks interesting. Thanks so much for being part of it. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do…

Defeating the Synopsis Monster – Part II

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The Synopsis Monster lifts its ugly head above the horizon, glaring at you with its one bloodshot eye. It’s time to take up your pen (mightier than a sword) and conquer that thing! But how? Well, my best advice is to cut it into little, little pieces first.

If your novel already has an outline, then you’re ahead! If you wrote the outline after the novel, then it’s ready to dissect. If you wrote it first, make sure the revised outline conforms to the revised novel, and then take it apart.

Even if you wrote the whole novel by the seat of your pants, with no plan, you can still go back and write a paragraph outline that will become a synopsis. Here’s how.

Take your book chapter by chapter, or scene by scene, however it breaks down. For each chapter or scene (from here I’ll just say scene) it helps to ask these questions.

1. What happens in the scene?
2. What purpose does the scene serve?
3. Out of that, what really needs to be in the synopsis?

The first question is the most easily answered. Simply write down a condensed history of what happens in the scene in terms of the story reality, leaving out the actual dialogue and settings, just the facts.

Then answer the second question. What is happening in the scene in meta terms – in what way does the scene serve the story? Remember that even if it’s just the characters relaxing and talking, or laughing together, that might serve an important characterization purpose, help to define a relationship, or give a needed break from too much action.

Finally, once all that information is written down, distill it to its essentials. In order for the reader of the synopsis to understand the basics of the story, what is needed and what isn’t?

Let’s take the following scene, from my short story, “Everywhere Signs”.

Farber’s luck being what it was, the unanswered phone call turned out to be Nora, his wife. He didn’t find that out until he got home, of course. Just at the hour when a hard-working man looks forward to dinner, putting his feet up, a cold beer, some television before bed… instead, he got both barrels.

“I called the store today.” Nora, rail-thin to his fatness, brown curls to his receding grayish wisps, was the bane of his life. She folded her arms, blocking the way to the kitchen, where he would doubtless end up having to microwave something.

“Did you?” he said at last, since some kind of reply seemed necessary.

“Did you?” she mimicked viciously. At times like this, her cheeks seemed to suck in, her eyes grow freakishly large. The woman he’d married quite vanished. “Did you? How would you know? No one answered!”

“I’m so sorry, Nora. I was training the new signboard boy and Penny was helping someone.”

A single sniff summed up what she thought of Penny. “It’s not me, George Farber. You know I’m not concerned about me. But if I called the store just once today, and got the machine, what does that say about our work habits? How many times does a customer call and get no service? Do you know what they do when that happens?”

Ah, the almighty customer. As far as Farber’s wife was concerned, the customer was God. Hadn’t they once given their love to other idols? Hadn’t they once sworn to worship only one another? “Is there anything for dinner, or…?”

“They go to another flower shop! Do you know what happens when they go to another flower shop?”

Farber stuck with silence this time.

“They stay at another flower shop, that’s what! And when they stay at another flower shop, Nora’s doesn’t make any money!” She stopped, lifting a hand to her brow, swaying a little. “Oh, you’ve given me such a headache. Why do you always have to give me such a headache?”

Silence, Farber decided, continued to be the course of the prudent man. Later, when he was peeling back corner of plastic to expose tater tots, he reflected that it had been a fairly short rant tonight. It wasn’t customers she worshipped, really. It was their money. But because Nora’s Corner Florist was one of those neighborhood shops that depended on its regulars, it came to the same thing, really.

Here’s the process of condensing this scene.

1. What happens in the scene?
From Farber’s POV, Farber listens to a rant from his wife Nora about money. He regrets their once-better relationship and engages in his own brand of passive-aggressive resistance when an apology fails to mollify her.

2. What purpose does it serve?
Advances Farber’s character, shows the relationship issues he’s having with Nora, and winds up Farber’s tension, with a tinge of comedy.

3. Condense.
When he gets home, Farber listens to Nora ranting and wishes things were better between them.

Keep doing that until you have gone through the entire novel. Congratulations! You have a synopsis – now, polish it. Make sure the first paragraph has an engaging hook, to keep the reader’s interest. Keep the writing fresh and authentic, but ensure that clarity is paramount. Give each character a reason why we care about them. Make sure there are transitions showing why the next action happened, so the reader can follow the story and not bog down.

Like the novel itself, the synopsis needs to be overwhelmingly show, don’t tell.

In other words, use sentences like this: “Roger and his wife, Shiela, have an ordinary life until Roger’s sister is shot and killed in a drive-by, which the cops tell them is related to Roger’s newspaper business.”

Don’t use sentences like this: “This novel is about Roger and Shiela and the way tragedy and conflict in life initially puts their relationship on a downward spiral, until they pull together in the end.”

While both might apply to the same novel, the first one shows what actually happens, while the second one tells what the story means. That will come through, if the story is competent and the synopsis shows what happens.

Check that the synopsis conforms to the guidelines for the person you’re sending it to. They will usually want it in roughly the same format as the novel submission, unless otherwise stated. Most will want your name and the title on every page of everything you submit. Tailor the synopsis to the guidelines as best you can, including how long it is.

Be aware that grammar and spelling mistakes will stand out even more than they do in the novel. Likewise, poor writing such as passive language, repeated words and unnecessary questions (will Roger be able to reunite with his wife and solve his sister’s murder?) will stand out and weaken the whole.

To finalize, read it out loud to someone who has not read the novel and see what they say. If the result is, “Uh… what?” then you might need to try again. If the result is “Wow… I want to read this novel, now” or “Wow, that sounds like a cool story” then you’re in business!

Here are a few links to other sites with synopsis advice:
http://www.learntowritefiction.com/how-to-write-a-synopsis/
http://www.kathycarmichael.com/articles-and-seminars/articles-and-workshops/general-fiction-synopsis/general-fiction-synopsis-seminar/
http://cjdarlington.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-write-synopsis-for-your-novel.html

Defeating the Synopsis Monster – Part I

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The Synopsis Monster – is it a deadly, looming beast on the horizon, without discernible form, a threatening shape that plagues all writers? Believe me, it’s only frightening when you can’t really see it. Let’s blow away the mists and find out what we’re dealing with.

Pitches and the query letter are designed to sell your book to the publisher or agent. They are teasers, marketing tools to generate excitement. The synopsis is a business tool, and it has a separate function. Yes, it should be good writing that holds the reader’s interest in the story. But now you must show that you know how to write a coherent, well-structured story, and give it a satisfying finish.

A synopsis is almost always in present tense and in third person, no matter how the novel is written. However, the style usually reflects that of the novel, to some degree – lighthearted, serious, dramatic or sweet, the tone of your novel should be echoed in the synopsis, without loss of clarity. Opinion is divided as to whether to put the character names in all caps. I’ve mostly been told that this is for screenplays, and novel submissions don’t require it, but check the submission guidelines and then use your own judgment. Usually a synopsis is either double-spaced, or single-spaced with a space between paragraphs.

What exactly is included in the synopsis? The important parts of your story, the bones on which all the flesh hangs: Who are the main characters? Why should we care about them? What is at stake for them? What choices do they make? What are the results of those choices? How does the conflict resolve itself? All of that needs to be answered.

I’m often asked whether the agent or publisher really wants the end of the story included. Isn’t that a spoiler? The answer is yes, they really want it. The agent or editor is not merely a reader, but is also a partner in the enterprise of making your book a success. In order to do that, they need full information. A cliffhanger ending that leaves out the climax or conclusion is merely going to mark you as an amateur.

What can be left out? Side characters, statements of theme or meaning, detailed settings, dialogue and real-time storytelling. While all the words you put into the novel are necessary to the novel, this is not a novel. It’s a condensed explanation, a guideline, a road map that will allow the publisher to understand the direction and structure of the story you have told.

Flesh and skin and coloration are part of the overall living creature that is your novel, and it wouldn’t be a very satisfying creature without them. These are only the bones, so that the observer can see that the thing will stand up.

Next time: the actual process of writing a novel synopsis, with examples and resource links!

Take the five percent challenge!

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If you could get a professional opinion on the first five percent of your fiction piece for no charge other than filling out a questionnaire, would you dare to send it in?

Do you have the confidence in your writing to risk absolutely nothing except having someone give an honest opinion?

If the answer is yes, then take the five percent challenge. Send me the first five percent of your finished work and get free, in depth suggestions about your piece. In return for a simple questionnaire report card on how helpful you felt my suggestions were, you get professional editing at no charge.

Is your fiction ready for an editor? There’s only one way to find out.

Fiction Writers – You Need to Read!

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Would you take seriously the ambitions of a competitive swimmer who didn’t like to get in the water? Or a person who wanted to direct movies, but proudly stated they have only seen two movies in the last year? How about someone who wanted to be a great orchestral composer, but didn’t take the time to listen to music?

Yet in the last several months, I’ve run into an increasing number of aspiring fiction writers who didn’t read fiction for pleasure – who seemed proud of that, or felt it was a good thing for their writing. This boggles my mind.

Now, I’m not talking about people keeping dream journals, or writing only for themselves. I’m talking about people who want to write commercial fiction, believe they have a career ahead of them in doing so, and intend to get published in one way or another.

Here are some of the reasons they give as to why they don’t read books, and my answers.

- “I don’t have time. I work a full job, have family commitments and can’t find enough time to do everything I’m supposed to, plus writing – how can I read?” If you cannot find time to read, how are you planning to find time to write? Writing takes effort, time, mental space, commitment and dedication. I suspect you might be listening to the ‘easy money’ myth that writers don’t work hard, and there’s lots of money in it. That is just not the case.

- “I don’t want my work to be influenced by other writers’ styles.” Then you will run into two problems. One, you will be unknowingly using cliches and done to death ideas that other writers have already used. And two, your style will be unreadable, because you have failed to absorb and internalize the flow of different styles. A writer’s unique voice is made up of their experience with lots of different styles – the reader has chosen and discarded what fit into their own style, then added something different of their own. That’s how you build a unique writing style. You can’t do it in a vacuum.

- “I don’t enjoy reading, in fact it’s boring. I’d rather watch the movie. Anyway, I don’t have to read other people’s work – it’s MY writing I’m interested in, after all.” This sounds arrogant, and it is. Its underlying assumption is that people are going to want to read your stuff, and you aren’t going to have to learn anything to make that happen. I’m sorry, but that is very rarely true. Also, with an attitude like that, your work is probably going to be somewhat on the arrogant side as well, which may not appeal to a lot of readers who are not you.

- “Reading hurts my eyes, confuses my mind, and I find it hard to follow.” There’s a little bit of justice in this one, but unless you’re afflicted with a major disorder, it’s usually about practice. Reading is a skill, and it’s hard to do anything for pleasure, even walking, if you don’t do it enough to be reasonably skilled at it. Out of practice? Start with flash fiction, work up to short stories and novellas before you start reading novels. If you look at a novel and it just looks TOO LONG, if it looks like work, then try something shorter.

Here’s why I think reading a great deal isn’t just fun, isn’t just important, but is crucial to the careers of fiction writers. In very basic, toolbox terms, reading increases your vocabulary, improves your understanding of workaday spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, paragraph length, dialogue tags. But that’s not all!

Nonreaders are doomed to write stories that come across like bad copies of ideas better writers have already published, because the nonreader doesn’t know it’s out there already. The nonreader’s work is riddled with cliche.

Writing takes time, effort and commitment. If you can’t find the time in your life to read, then where are you going to find the time to write… especially since you’ve made it harder on yourself by not reading?

Reading the work of other writers gives you a chance to have your style influenced. That’s a good thing. You cannot find your unique voice in a chorus of silence; you must hear other voices and discover how yours is different. Reading good fiction and bad fiction gives you the groundwork, the place to stand, to understand fiction at all, and to make your fiction understandable to others.

The nonreader cannot resonate to the rhythms, the functions, the unspoken rules of fiction unless they have absorbed a great deal of it, through reading it, in the past. The output of a nonreader is going to come across as disjointed, confusing and badly structured to those who have spent their lives reading a lot of fiction.

And, if you don’t believe me, here’s a challenge. I dare you… I DOUBLE DARE YOU to find me a published how-to book about writing good fiction that tells you there’s no need to read the work of others. If you find one, put it in the comments. If there’s even one that doesn’t advise you to read, I will be very, very surprised.