It used to be that you could give a new writer advice on the publishing industry and be pretty certain that what you were telling them was the truth to the best of your knowledge. There were ‘sure’ paths to take (ie write the best book you can, get it critiqued, start the next book, then submit to an agent and keep your fingers crossed). These days not so much.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve probably noticed the explosion or implosion happening in the publishing industry. Even those of us who’ve been in the rodeo for a while, don’t exactly know how to ride this particular critter. There are clauses popping up in contracts that would curl anyone’s hair. So what’s a writer to do?

I’ve been giving this particular question a LOT of thought. See I started out selling books to an online e-publisher, then moved to NewYork publishing via several contest wins. I’ve had three separate agents–one of which left the business–and I have the scars to prove it. The scent of desperation coming out of New York right now is absolutely cloying. I find myself in a position that I hadn’t anticipated. (I’m sure a lot of writers do.) I have a release, Blood Lite 2 coming out in September 2011 (shameless plug), but I’m officially out of contract. What does that mean? I haven’t sold a new book yet.

Being out of contract is not unusual in publishing. In fact, it happens to most writers at some point in their careers. What’s different now is that for the first time I’m not sure exactly what to do. Due to the current publishing climate, I’m not in a particular hurry to jump back into the fray. This does not mean that I’ve stopped writing. On the contrary, I seem to be in squirrel mode. By that I mean I’m writing and stockpiling manuscripts. I have one novella, one contemporary, and a fantasy YA finished. I’ve also just started work on an urban fantasy romance. Hope to have a rough draft done in August. I plan to follow that book up with a straight urban fantasy. Once I’m done, I think I’ll be in a good position to test the waters again…if I want to.

These days authors have a choice when it comes to publishing and the line in the sand continues to grow. There are some authors who believe that N.Y. publishing is antiquated and should be done away with. Most of these authors come from a self-publishing/indie background. There’s nothing wrong with indie publishing. I’ve been slowly putting my backlist up with a few original pieces tossed in for giggles. The other side of the fence is lined with authors from a traditionally published background. They’ve written their books, got an agent, and sold their work to N.Y.  Both sides have strong opinions about the right way to publish. (HINT: There isn’t one.)

The thing is I think in order to survive in today’s publishing climate an author must figure out how to do both. Right now there’s a lot of enthusiasm coming from indie authors, especially the ones making decent money. For every one of those authors, there are thousands of othersmaking very little–much like in the traditional publishing model. As excited as I am about the indie opportunities, I know just like when the first wave of ebooks hit in 2000/2001, it will not last. That’s why these days it’s more important than ever to diversify. I cannot stress this last point enough. Every writer has to think about the long game. Short-sidedness is inexcusable, especially with all the free information floating out there.

Indie publishing has been touted as a short cut to publishing. Although most aspiring writers won’t want to hear this, indie publishing is not a short cut. You still have to spend hours and hours working on your craft.  By the way, this never ends. You still have to write hundreds of thousands of words. You still have to know how to tell a good story. You still have to have your work critiqued by someone other than your mom. (Unless your mom is like my mom and will tell you exactly what’s wrong with your book.) Just because you can publish a book in a matter of hours these days, doesn’t mean that you should. Indie publishing is always an option, but it should never be your ONLY option.

Jordan Summers has eighteen published books to her credit. She is a member of the Horror Writer’s Association, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Novelist Inc., Romance Writers of America, and the Published Author’s Network. Her next release, BLOOD LITE 2 comes out Sept. 2011. You can reach Jordan through her website: www.jordansummers.com.

Urban fantasy is a vast, undiscovered country that’s still in its early growth period as a genre. If you’re looking for a place to break into the market, I think nothing offers so many opportunities as urban fantasy—the “rules” are few and the editors are already looking for books that are a bit different from the early tropes that have been established.

I spent seventeen years trying to get published in various genres before I discovered urban fantasy at the bookstore. The basic premise was a revelation to me: pick a critter from mythology or folklore, drop it into a contemporary setting amongst clueless humans, and hang on for the ride. When one considers the breadth of human belief and the staggering number of places those old gods and creatures can get into trouble in the modern world, the possibilities are endless—but if you look at the shelves, you’ll see that only a fraction of the territory has been explored so far. Most everything is happening in New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, and most of it concerns vampires, werewolves, demons, or faeries. To contribute something new, therefore, all you have to do is browse and see where there’s some negative narrative space on the shelf—a wee little niche that you can fill, that you want to fill—and then write it. I know it’s easier said than done, but honestly, it worked for me. I got a three-book deal by starting with this very basic market analysis.

One thing I noticed immediately in my review of the genre was that there were relatively few males writing about male protagonists. That would set me apart right away. Once I had that thought, my own fondness for Celtic traditions suggested a Druid in the modern world might be a good time. My quick scan of the shelves revealed that there were exactly zero urban fantasies featuring a Druid hero. I have since learned that there was a series at that time featuring a Druid in Boston who’d lost his powers, but I went to writing The Iron Druid Chronicles thinking I’d have no competition (instead of little competition) and my book would therefore stand out a bit from the rest of the slush pile. I had a blast writing it; compared to the baggage that vampires and werewolves drag around with them, Druids are practically blank canvases.

By the time I finished Hounded, the first book in The Iron Druid Chronicles, I’d been trying to get published for nineteen years. When it landed me an agent inside of two months, I began to hope that maybe I’d finally written something ready for the market. It turned out to be precisely the sort of thing publishers were looking for: once my agent submitted it, Hounded sold in just two weeks in a four-way auction. It can happen for you too.

There are still plenty of niches in urban fantasy that need filling. To my knowledge, there are no gay or lesbian main characters; there’s a profound lack of gnomish heroes trying to make a difference in a world dominated by human giants; there are no manticores struggling for acceptance in a world full of prejudice, and so on. Go see for yourself; the ideas are out there, waiting for you in the bookstore, between the books that are already on the shelves, screaming in all the voices of the world’s mythology that they deserve some attention.

And whatever you do, whatever you’re writing, keep at it and don’t give up.

Kevin Hearne is a native of Arizona and really appreciates whoever invented air-conditioning. He graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and now teaches high school English. When he’s not grading essays or writing novels, he tends to his basil plants and paints landscapes with his daughter. He has been known to obsess over fonts, frolic unreservedly with dogs, and stop whatever he’s doing in the rare event of rain to commune with the precipitation. He enjoys hiking, the guilty pleasure of comic books, and living with his wife and daughter in a wee, snug cottage.

PLC: First of all, congratulations on Possession! What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

EJ: I hope readers are glad they spent the time to read it. That the hours were worth it. If that’s the case, then I’ll be happy.

PLC: For those who don’t read your blog, will you share a bit about your journey getting this book published?

EJ: Oh, man, I don’t think we have enough time for that. And I don’t really blog about the behind-the-scenes of how I queried and stuff. Also, people aren’t reading my blog??? I’m shocked.

Anyway, I wrote POSSESSION in April of 2008—which was before The Hunger Games was published and before I even knew what Publishers Marketplace was. I’d been a writer for about 3 months, and POSSESSION was my third novel.

I wrote it and put it away, and sort of worked on it off and on for the next 8 months. During that time, I was querying my first novel, which failed epically. In December, I was looking for the next book I would try to query, and I chose POSSESSION. So I revised hardcore for about 4-5 months and started querying.

8 months later, I’d done two agent-requested revisions, sent 189 queries, and been rejected a billion times. Then I got an offer of representation. I did a few more revisions and the book sold fairly quickly after that. That was February of 2010.

Now it’s June 2011, and my book baby is about to be born!

PLC: What has surprised you the most in the process of getting Possession published?

EJ: Actually seeing the book. I know that sounds lame, and I know it’s a book, but to actually see it? That was holy blow-my-mind weird. Surprising. Like, “Hey, it IS a real book!! Wow.”

PLC: You’ve written a book for aspiring authors entitled From the Query to the Call. Will you tell us a bit about this book and how our readers can get a copy?

EJ: This book stemmed from my time writing for the QueryTracker blog. I’d spent a great deal of time studying and perfecting the query writing process, and I’d been blogging about it on QT. And I like writing query letters, which is a bit on the psychotic end of the spectrum.

I’d queried my brains out, had many experiences, and decided to put it all together in a guide for aspiring authors to use and learn from. So I did. The eBook is free on my website: www.elanajohnson.com

PLC: We are continually amazed by all the things you’re involved in (writing, WriteOnCon, Query Tracker, League of Extraordinary Writers, family life, social media, etc.). What’s your secret for getting so much accomplished and doing it all so awesomely?

EJ: I find what I can give up, and I give it up. Usually it’s sleep. I try hard not to give up the time with my family, friends, and co-workers. Something has to give, so yeah. I’m tired most of the time. Or at least my clone is…

PLC: What’s once piece of advice you have for aspiring authors?

EJ: I’ve given so much advice, and I hate to repeat myself, so I’ll see if I can come up with something else…

Listen to your gut. If it says you’re not ready, you’re not ready. Get back into the MS and revise some more. If it says you’re ready, chug the Pepto Bismol and get submitting. I really think the gut knows.

PLC: As fellow fans of bacon, we’d love to know your favorite concoction. What in the bacon realm really brings you to your knees?

EJ: Okay, so you know I’m not hoarking back at every meal, right? I mean, I want to, but yeah. Doesn’t happen. For me, there’s no better pairing than bacon and hamburgers. A good thick slice of bacon on a hamburger… Yum.

Thank you, Elana!

Storyteller job 1: Transport Your Audience

Ensure that some element or elements of your work takes them to another place, where they can feel something poignant, something that will impact their experience of the real world. Whether you’re looking to write the next media juggernaut bestseller or the next critically-celebrated award-winner; whether you’re peddling spoon-shallow adventures or deep journeys through your characters’ souls; whether it’s High Fantasy, High Art, or Highlander fanfic; you must draw the audience out, in, and onward. A non-compelling read can still be enjoyable, but if the readers aren’t sucked in, then the story won’t resonate with them, and they won’t recommend or remember it in a month. Compare a generic Kung Fu Theater flick to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.

What basic story components ensure that the reader’s real world vanishes, replaced temporarily by the ones on your pages? There are 4: Setting, Characters, Plot and Style. Every book, film, and sporting event has these elements, but if yours is rich enough in any one of them, then your transporter is sure to work its magic (or high-tech function) on the readers.

Yes, I’m aware that you know all this already, but it bears repeating. To prove our agreed point, and hopefully to illustrate the methods you can emulate when constructing your stories, let’s examine how Setting, Characters, Plot and Style have been applied in our culture’s greatest works. And by “greatest”, I mean “most far-reaching, widely-known, and influential”, i.e. “Lord of the Rings”, “Star Trek”, “Star Wars”, and “Harry Potter”, with nods to the big 3 Superheroes: “Superman”, Batman”, and “Spider-Man.” The Big 4 + 3. Some of these are primarily film and television and serialized comic stories, but their lessons can certainly be applied to the written word. (Yes, I also love “Dune”, “Hitchhiker’s Guide”, “Firefly”, “Neuromancer”, et cetera, ad infinitum. . . This is just my cultural observation. If my assessment overloads your geek outrage meter, then direct the angry comments at me. Don’t bother the fine folks at Parking Lot Confessional.)

In the interest of blog brevity, we’ll conduct a high level view, without getting overly detailed.I’ll present examples of what works; you’ll have to figure out on your own how these apply to your material.

Setting

How iconic and unforgettable is the Death Star, with all of its dread power and titanic scale? Who wouldn’t love a chance to explore the fully-realized wonders of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth? Spidey’s New York and Clark Kent’s Metropolis are adequate, but Batman’s gothic, decadent Gotham is a marvelously sinister playground for his dark acts to play out. When the protagonists inhabit a distinctive place, like the Starship Enterprise or Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the setting can often take on a personality of its own, becoming a minor character unto itself. Similarly, some low-or-one-dimensional side characters can serve well as setting. Yes, as long as a minor character is interesting, it’s perfectly allowable for them to be two-dimensional. Jabba the Hutt is possibly the perfect example. The Klingons as a species are another (hatemail to [email protected]).

Setting must also necessarily include the fantastical elements and possibilities. Who watched the Star Wars films and didn’t want a lightsaber of their own? How fascinating and rich is the concept of The Force? Yes please, I’d love to take the Batmobile — any of the Batmobiles — for a test drive. What Harry Potter generation kid didn’t want to have a wand and broom of their own and learn spells from Dumbledore and the Hogwarts teachers? I, for one, would love to give Quidditch a try – - or 3D chess vs. Mr. Spock.

I’ll be in the Batcave, testing out my web-shooters.

Characters

Of course we need to love and cheer and feel empathy for the central protagonist, but it’s possibly more important for the reader to fall for the people around them. As Luke ascends on his path to Jedi Knighthood and unlocks the secrets of his destiny, he also becomes something godlike and no longer attainable. We’re left on the bleachers (or with Ewoks on the Moon of Endor) with his friends to cheer on our hero in his final stages. Yes, we weep and cringe at his moments of agony, but he’s still stepped up to a plane above our own. If we weren’t gaga over the more relatable superstars Han Solo, Chewbacca, Leia, and everyone else by now, then we’d feel a bit left behind in their mundanely awesome company. The same goes for Harry Potter. Our heart breaks for him in his cupboard beneath the vile Dursley’s stairwell, but when his journey begins, we fall in love with Hagrid, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Snape(!), etc., through his eyes, at the same time that he does. In each of these cases, it’s their flaws at least much as their admirable qualities that have won our hearts.

Character interaction should display variances in tone and civility, just like your real-life relationships. The Spock (cold logic), McCoy (red-face emotion), and Kirk (cool-headed strength) dynamic made us care and feel as though we were there with them in red shirts (gulp); this was also far more important to Star Trek’s success than any hokey aliens or bogus techie plot resolutions. Spider-Man and Batman’s special abilities and toys look like fun, but we also feel for their personal, private struggles.

Which leads to a final point about characters. . .  Audiences are also pretty fascinated by Power, with a capital P. It’s what drew us instantly to Darth Vader in Episodes 4 and 5, before we knew he was a deadbeat dad; he was a f***ing force of nature. It’s what draws us most to Superman. We love Frodo and his Hobbit bromances, but we swoon for Gandalf, and to a lesser extent, Aragorn. Gandalf’s undisputed command of sorcery is his sexiest quality. OK, now I feel awkward. . .

Plot

Much has been made of Luke Skywalker’s Campbellian Hero’s Journey. It’s been a long time for most of us (cough), but let’s not forget how each of the revelations, victories, and defeats dropped our jaws wide during our first Star Wars viewings. Harry Potter’s world is marvelously, cleverly constructed and populated with wonderful friends, but the destiny planted on his brow as an infant has kept zillions of eyes glued to pages and movie screens, all feeding minds that need to know how everything turns out. The Lord of the Rings’ epic story never relents, never lets us or Frodo or the scattered pieces of the Fellowship relax; the edges of our seats are worn thin as we journey with them through their trials and dangers and enemy confrontations. We’re always interested and compelled to continue because fascinating new events are constantly unfolding, minor victories are being won, all while we’ve been teased with incredible excitement to come (Luke’s final confrontation with his Father and the Emperor, Harry’s final confrontation with Vol – - He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, Frodo’s final trek through Mordor to confront the Crack of Doom). We’re interested and compelled to continue because we care deeply about these characters, and might cry during Kirk’s sermon at Spock’s funeral.

Style

The most neglected of the 4 elements, and also the most-criticized element of our 4 + 3 example franchises, if you listen to naysayers. In spite of the whines, J.K. Rowling’s style was light, comedic, and delivered her story in a way that kid readers found irresistible. Line up with the hipsters to bash George Lucas’s writing ability, but Yoda’s legitimately real-world applicable wisdom (from Episodes 4-6) and distinctive speech mannerisms have mesmerized generations. Stan Lee’s goofy conversational eloquence added fun and humanity to our Spider-Man experience. I find LOTR kind of dry at points, though not as desert-like as The Silmarillion – - but there’s still a lyricism and a grandiosity that works for the epic scale and scope of the story of the One Ring. Batman is coated in buckets of matte black style. Forget the movies, great and awful and campy; have you read “The Dark Knight Returns” graphic novel?

It’s often stated that the author’s first job is to tell the story, and I don’t disagree, but there’s no reason to tell the story in a dead or coldly descriptive way. A momentary departure from our usual examples: read William Gibson, read China Mieville, read Tom Wolfe, read John Steinbeck, watch a Quentin Tarantino film. Note the loving care they put into each sentence and scene and each description, where every paragraph is alive, and even non-smokers need a cigarette at the close of each. Their words never obstruct the Setting, Characters, or Plot, never bring the author too much to the forefront, but they help to convey the auteur’s “brand” and feel and style, which the audience will come to love and recognize even without seeing bylines. Don’t underestimate the power of The Force, and don’t underestimate the power of vibrant, distinctive prose to transport your reader.

Now, let’s be honest. . . You and I both love some artworks that are lacking in as many as three of these categories. It’s possible to succeed so well at one, that the others no longer matter. And hey, posit that certain stories can’t accommodate one or more of the four categories; I’ll back up your argument. An example of my own that had a formative effect on me as a writer: Christopher Reeve’s first Superman film did a masterful job of telling his story, of bringing depth, soul, and pathos to the cartoonish Superman and Lex Luthor, all within a fairly stock city setting. Let’s not even get started on the cherished, cheesy Godzilla films of yore.

I digress.

As a sub-NYT Bestseller – - or even as a NYT Bestseller – - you need to master the art of the 4 elements: Setting, Characters, Plot and Style. If you’re too cool for Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Harry Potter, or comic book heroes, then identify how these 4 elements have been utilized in your personal favorites and make them work for you.

Jack Mangan is an author, podcast pioneer, musician, father, etc., born in New Jersey, but now residing in Arizona. His “Jack Mangan’s Deadpan Podcast” features over 200 episodes of interviews, commentary, comedy skits, original music, and a great deal of community-contributed content. Jack’s “Spherical Tomi” was among the first wave of podcast novels, and was the first number one title at Podiobooks.com. His fiction and non-fiction writings have appeared in numerous online, print, and podcast venues, including such prestigious outlets as Michael Stackpole’s Chain Story project, Interzone Magazine, Podthology: The Pod Complex, Theme and Variations, 2020 Visions, Variant Frequencies, and Tales of the Talisman. He seeks to shake up perceptions and provoke independent thinking, through music, comedy, writing, and his outspoken, sometimes controversial views. More info about Jack Mangan and his work at: http://www.jackmangan.com.

Did you know that when you write something and type the end, you really have two manuscripts? There’s the manuscript in your head and the manuscript on the page and they don’t match up.

The manuscript in your head is what you intended to write. It’s the pie-in-the-sky manuscript, perfect, moving, capable of evoking tears and contracts. It is nuanced and comprehensive. We know more than we can put on paper, always. We intend more than we actually put on paper, always.

The manuscript on the page is the result of trying to translate the ephemeral thoughts, intentions, emotions of a story. In the translation, we have to deal with word choices, sentence choices, paragraph choices and all the interactions that occur among those choices. We deal with creating a living, breathing character that has unique, compelling motivations and emotions. Add to that the choices the characters make that work together to create a plot. Multiply all that by a couple subplots. And add in the spice of creating a great voice that leads the reader through the story in a compelling way.

Wow. It’s hard to match up the thing in your head with the thing on the paper.

That’s why revision is essential. The purpose of a first draft is to get something on paper. The purpose of a revision is to match up the story in your head with what you put on paper. Sometimes that means you need–desperately–a reader who can tell you what they understand from the story: did your thoughts get reproduced EXACTLY in the reader’s head? No, didn’t think so. That’s the job of revision to make your thoughts transfer exactly–through the medium of the written word–to your reader’s mind.

Don’t look at revision as a chore, but as part of the process. The only good writing is revised writing.

Darcy Pattison is an Arkansas children’s book author and writing teacher. In 1999, she created theNovel Revision Retreat, which she now teaches across the nation. Translated into eight languages, her picture books and middle grade novel (listed below), have been recognized for excellence by starred reviews, Book of the Year awards, state award lists and more. She is the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature.

Thanks to eReaders like the iPad, Kindle and Nook, the distribution and consumption of digital books is exploding, and it’s causing a ripple effect throughout the publishing industry. But what does it really mean?

Will brick and mortar stores exist in ten years? How many of the big six publishers will survive? Does anyone need an agent any longer? And if an author can get a 70% return from an independently published novel and only somewhere between 10-15% on a traditionally published novel, will authors abandon the old model and go straight to market with their own stories?

Right now, depending on the source, digital books represent anywhere from 8%-12% of the market, which means that most people are still buying books the old-fashioned way. But as the price of an eReader drops, how much longer will that last? Purists insist that the smell of the pulp and the texture of the paper are simply too potent to ignore. But do kids born in the last 5-10 years hold that same nostalgia for a physical book? More importantly, why does any of this matter? Here’s why . . .

Thanks to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and other members of the eBook vanguard, it’s never been easier to get published. In fact, you don’t even need a publisher to make your book available to the masses. Simply write your story, create a cover, follow a few easy steps so you know how to format the book and where to upload the file, and voila!

Though percentages vary based on the price you charge for your book and the retail outlet, you’ll get about 70% of the price the book is sold for. Wow! What other business will you find where you get a 70% profit margin? But I can hear you asking, “if it’s that easy, why does anyone go through a traditional publisher?”

It’s a fair question.

The advantages to working with a traditional publisher are (1) top-tier professional editors; (2) attractive cover design and interior layouts; (3) physical copies of your books into retail outlets from coast-to-coast; (4) promotion and marketing; (5) up front money.

All five reasons are valid, but for me the first is the most important. Editors are invaluable. They do so much more than ensure your grammar is correct. It’s like having Obi-Wan Kenobi or Gandalf working as part of your team, and I don’t want to ever give that up.

However, there are a growing segment of authors who feel they are not receiving a fare share of the digital publishing profits. When a book is sold online through a traditional publisher, that publisher receives 70% of the sale price, and in turn, gives the author 25% of those profits, or 17.5% of the sale price. Then the author’s agent gets 15% of that, leaving the author with 14.875%.

Those authors believe you can hire freelance editors, artists and graphic designers to fill key roles that publishers provide for a fraction of the price (i.e. that extra 56.125%). And that publishers only offer a very limited amount of publicity and marketing unless you are an author who sells millions of books—and let’s face it, few of can sell like James Patterson, J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. And as to the up front money, the argument is that if you are patient, you’ll make more money over time.

Amanda Hocking is an exciting example when it comes to independently published authors. She couldn’t find a home for her books, but she didn’t give up. She worked hard at her craft (the key to success) and then decided to post them online. She told a few bloggers about them and they gave her great reviews. She didn’t sell a ton of books in the beginning, but a year later she sold over a million books, and made over two million dollars. But here’s the catch. She just signed a four book deal with St. Martin’s Press for another two million dollars. So if self-publishing is so great, why did she sell out and go the traditional route? (Note: she’s addressed that question on her blog).

Then there is Barry Eisler, who recently passed up a five hundred thousand dollar deal for two books so he could self-publish them. He believes he can tap into his fan base and make more money over time. That’s a lot of up front cash to pass up no matter who you are.

So who is right? Who is wrong? Will traditional publishing last or will publishers go away? I can’t answer that question. Nobody can. But I can tell you that I’m going to keep one foot in both camps.

I’ve been blessed to work with some of the best and biggest publishers in the world—Scholastic, Hachette and Thomas Neslon. But not everyone is going to have that chance, and it doesn’t mean you aren’t talented or your book wouldn’t sell. Look at THE SHACK, not to mention Amanda Hocking, JA Konrath and many others who are experiencing amazing success.

Independently published authors no longer carry the scarlet letter. The stigma is gone. But you need to understand that catching lightning in a bottle like Amanda Hocking did will not be everyone’s story. And if your book isn’t good enough to be published, self-publishing won’t help it. It’s not a short cut, but it is another outlet. And that’s exciting.

To track trends on independent publishing I highly recommend the following blogs:

1. Dean Wesley Smith http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/
2. Kristine Kathryn Rusch http://www.kristinekathrynrusch.com/
3. JA Konrath http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/
4. Mike Stackpole http://www.michaelastackpole.com/
5. Barry Eisler http://www.barryeisler.com/
6. Amanda Hocking http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/

While I was growing up, I moved a lot. I went to 3 elementary schools, 2 junior highs, and then 3 high schools in three different states. To cope with it, I wrote stories. Then I went to college, got a job and had a family. I stopped writing. But I couldn’t stop forever. I started writing early mornings, late nights and weekends. Now I’m lucky enough to say that I write full-time. I also blog in hope to help other people get published, too. You can visit my blog at www.jonslewis.com.

Note: Right now, Jon’s first YA novel, Invasion, is on sale for only $.99 on Amazon for the Kindle. In Jon’s words, the novel is “Kind of like Fringe and X-Files with a bit of Alex Rider and Maximum Ride.”

When a new writer joins a workshop, they often run smack into a wall of ruls. No head-hopping! Kill all adverbs! Third person only!

Usually, the ones spouting those rules are semi-new writers, the ones who have absorbed these absolutes through critiques, but who have not yet figured out which rules are really necessary. Their intentions are good. The problem is, they don’t necessarily understand the reasons behind those rules. Worse, they sometimes mistake stylistic choices (omniscient POV) with genuine errors (sloppy POV shifts).

In truth, the only genuine rule is: “Whatever works.”

Otherwise? Rules are nothing but obstacles. They trip you up, stifle your voice, and tie your inspiration into moldy wet knots. When someone says, You must, ask them, Why?

Pay Attention To The Rules

This is not a contradiction. What the phrase really means is that it’s useful to know the so-called rules because they often turn out to be useful guidelines. But! Use those guidelines wisely. Learn the reasons behind them. (Too much head-hopping might confuse the reader. Strong, specific verbs make for stronger prose. Choose the POV that works best for your particular story, not the one that comes easiest.)

Discard the rules whenever it makes your story stronger, but know why you are making that choice.

Write What You Know

If you were born in a particular city, grew up in a particular culture, lived through the history of a particular time and place, you know that complex tapestry of taste and scent, images and emotions, and all the other myriad details that transform your story from the superficial to the real.

Know What You Write

At the same time, you should not restrict yourself to the confines of your gender, race, or past. (Or any other identification.) If you decide to write outside your so-called boundaries, however, research is your friend. Use primary sources, not secondary accounts. Don’t depend on one set of opinions. Look for contradictory perspectives. If you can, talk with people who lived through those events. Extrapolate from your own experiences to fill in emotional details. And did I mention research?

If you choose to write about a world outside your own, do so with respect.

Write What Bothers You

Be suspicious of that first idea, the one that comes slipping into your imagination as though it were coated in olive oil. Sure, that might end up being the right approach to a story. Then again, maybe it’s easy because it’s superficial, because it slides over the rough patches.

Look for the story that chases you through your dreams, and itches at your subconscious. Those are the stories that will live longest with your readers, too.

Write What Makes You Happy

Or rather, write the kind of story that speaks to your heart. If you love intricate mysteries, write them. If you love slow-paced character studies, write them. If YA stories are your deepest, truest love, then dive right in. Whatever calls to you, write that. Never, ever, let anyone tell you what kind of story you ought to care about.

Be Arrogant

Your stories are important. Your stories—yes, yours—will lift someone’s heart, make them laugh, make them think, and comfort them when they grieve. Your stories will transport them into worlds and lives they never imagined before. You are the only one who can tell those stories properly. So write, and be damned the ones who tell you otherwise.

Be Humble

Understand that writing is not a short journey. There is no end to the learning, to improving your craft. Complacency kills the writer more often than editors, critics, or indifferent readers. Forget your ego. It’s a trap. All you should care about is making your story as strong and true as you can.

Remember To Breathe

Writing can be a lonely, frustrating process. And when it’s not lonely, it’s often filled with criticism. If things get rough—and they can—talk to your writer friends. Pet your cat. (Or dog. Or parrot.) Search for the balance point inside your soul.

Breathe. 

And remember the joy of telling stories.

Beth Bernobich is a writer, reader, mother, and geek. Her short stories have appeared in such publications as Asimov’s, Tor.com, Interzone, Strange Horizons, and Postscripts. Her first novel, Passion Play, appeared from Tor Book in October 2010. It won the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Epic Fantasy, and was long-listed for Tiptree Award and the British Fantasy Award. Her first YA novel, Fox and Phoenix, is forthcoming from Viking in October 2011. You can learn more about her from her website, http://www.beth-bernobich.com.

When Amy asked me to guest at PLC, the first thing I did was go to the site and read how the group started.  What I found was an earnest story about a few people standing in an empty parking lot, pouring their hearts out to each other about their hopes and aspirations.  These were people that desperately wanted to write.

She also let me know that the majority of PLC’s readers are aspiring authors.

It’s a bit daunting then to try and compose a blog post that’s inspiring to writers but I felt I should try because I thought I understood these folks, at least partly, since I too had come from this stock.  When I was in my twenties I wanted to see a book in a store with my name on it so badly that I couldn’t even explain the desire to my friends or family without sounding crazy.  I lived in a small town.  My writing group consisted of one.

I think it’s because of these solitary roots that I love Cyril Connolly’s assertion that it is, “Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.”  Sounds brave, doesn’t it?  There’s a bit of spit in there, projected at the face of the world (if you take it the wrong way). But I believe the spirit of the thing resides in a fundamental commitment to honesty which I believe (unless you are a profoundly good liar) fuels all good writing.  In other words, “writing for yourself” is writing honest.

And so?  That means it’s ok to have no public?  To have no book on a shelf?  Yes, I realize that the essential counsel is drown out by the longings of an unpublished writer.

Nevertheless: having a book on a shelf at B&N is not so different from *not* having a book on a shelf at B&N (even though, yes, you can want that and, yes, you should keep trying).

I’m not a new writer.  The only thing new for me is having published my first novel and attained the life-long aspiration of seeing it at the book store.

When this sort of thing happens to people, I’m sure there are those out there who believe that they have finally “arrived.”  After all, the hard cover first edition is like the birthing of your masterpiece into the universe, isn’t it?  Some may think they’ve transformed or transcended to some celebrity status and that they are now truly and unequivocally “professional grade”.

I’m not going to pound those people but…

You see, it’s all quite a bit less rapturous.  I think of it more as a wedding rather than being drawn into the media’s heavenly rays of light.  I mean, it is a big event full of euphoria and celebration, but it’s also tinged with worry.

You’re thinking, “Well, here I am.  Found a partner who’d have me.  I wonder where it goes now.  Like another story: I wonder how this will turn out.”

The publisher is your partner.  They’re quite nice to you because, of course, they believe in you: else they wouldn’t have bought your stuff(s) see?

But you do tend to have some anxiety over reviews, sales, etcetera.

“Yeah, but those are good problems to have!” you yell at me.

Sure.  You’re correct.  But I’m just saying it’s not magical bliss.

Once the novelty of the thing has worn off, the bliss still comes from writing, from assembling words and sentences and so on.  That’s your joy.  Your joy is not in a spot light somewhere or even in the best review of the year.  Good and bad reviews both affect you only momentarily.  The only thing that is permanent is the craft itself and what it does to you while you are doing it.

On the shelf, your book is looking back at you with all of its polished stiff-spined sheen, a thing to be consumed.  It is an object fit for consumption, just as easily mass-produced as it is returned and mulched.  It is a brand, fit for derision and adoration and everything in between.  And now, congratulations, so are you.

But it is not (unless you earn your bread from writing) the thing that matters.  Thank God I don’t earn my living from it.  If I did, I’m afraid it would thoroughly suck the joy from it.  Because what I want is to savor words and mess about with ideas and construct wild realities.  I don’t want to try and guess what I think will sell and then write that thing.  Sorry Tor, it’s the truth.

In that regard, there is no telling how long I will be “in print” as it were.

Yet, the fact remains: I have written.  Like you, I have slaved over that sentence, that paragraph.  I have literally sweated it out, agonizing over the words, knowing that no matter which ones I choose, they will be wrong for some readers.  That’s when you have to stop caring and start writing.  I did and so have you.

And that’s what it means to write for yourself.  I don’t look at my book on the shelf and see it like other people see it.  For me, it is not a consumable. For me it is the proof of my struggle to create something and learn something and tell something that for me was true.  It is like a monument now, a stone graven with some obscure message I have left along the road.

Passersby may pause at it, marvel, or try to hurl it into the weeds.  But for me, its heft goes through my palm along my arm and into my soul.  For me it represents things that I do not expect it to represent to anyone else.

Getting published will bring you a set of fans and critics.  Admittedly, this is fun: to be loved and hated.  There’s something cosmically *right* about it.  You get your emails and your reviews and you experience a margin of fame.  You realize that for better or worse, the world at large has to some degree noticed you and responded.  But this is nothing to do with writing.

The thing you keep is the battle fought in the pages, before they were polished (published or not), before you called it “done.”  You are a writer if you write because you must.  This is the truth.  When your truth is solid enough that other people feel it in your words, then you will certainly be published.

Until then, you carry on.

Anthony Huso is a video game designer, “self-described nerd” and the author of The Last Page, published by Tor Books.

http://anthonyhuso.com

Thank you so much for inviting me here today. I’m still new to this “author” thing, so contributing to a blog like this is very cool and exciting for me. I’d like to talk a little about Getting It Done.

I’ve been writing with an eye towards publication for just over twenty years. I’ve had some ups, and a lot of downs. There were times when I wanted to give it up altogether, but of course I couldn’t, any more than I could give up breathing or eating M&Ms. My first taste of validation came when one of my short stories was printed in an anthology. I didn’t make much money from that first sale, but it was priceless because it was proof that someone out there thought my writing was good enough to buy.  After that, I went into a flurry of activity. I wrote two new novels, shopped around for an agent, queried publishers . . . and nothing.

I was crushed. After working so hard for so long, I thought I deserved to be published. I told my wife I was done. Burned out. I wasn’t writing anymore. She’d heard it before, but she commiserated anyway and said all the things I needed to hear. Keep working, she urged me. You’ve been doing this too long to give up now.  Two months later I signed the contract for my fantasy series.

In the end, I had two things going for me. The first is perseverance. I’m not any more talented than many other aspiring authors, but I kept plugging away until I got the right manuscript in the hands of the right person at the exact right time. Part of that was luck, but I always believed in my heart-of-hearts that I had the talent to be a successful author. So I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

The second thing is that I wrote. You might be thinking, “Yeah, I write, too. What’s the big deal?” But let me tell you. I didn’t just think about writing. I didn’t talk to my family and friends about writing. I didn’t sit around daydreaming about being a writer (well, maybe a little). For the love of heaven, I surely didn’t tweet about writing. I just wrote. I’ve talked to writers who can go on and on for hours about their wonderful story ideas and their philosophy of writing, but when asked what have they produced—what are they actively shopping to agents and editors right now—they have a shockingly shallow body of work. Lots of times they only have one novel that they’ve been trying to sell for years. My advice is simple. After your manuscript has made the rounds with the publishers and agents, toss it in a drawer and start a new one. The sooner the better.

I can hear the pitchforks being sharpened and the torches alighting, but if you’re at that stage where you’ve been writing for a long time, and you know deep down that you’ve got the chops to make it, then that old manuscript might have become an albatross around your neck, holding you back from your true potential. An informal poll on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) website revealed that, on average, it was a writer’s fourth book that got published.

That’s what happened to me. It took me five years to write my first novel, mainly because I waited around too long for “inspiration” to strike. Then, after the first draft was finally done, I didn’t have a clue how to professionally revise it. I must have written the entire manuscript over from start to finish at least ten times. By the end I was a mess of frustrations. The best thing I ever did—the thing which I feel put me on the path to eventual success—was putting that manuscript in a box in my attic and forgetting about it. My second and third novels were better, but I was still struggling to put together all the elements of a complete novel. Four was my lucky number.

So if there’s a magic formula for success in publishing, it must be “work your butt off and never give up.” Deceptively simple advice, but in the absence of inescapable talent, it’s the only thing that ever worked for me.

Jon Sprunk lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife and son. His first fantasy novel, Shadow’s Son (Pyr Books) was published in 2010. For more on his life and works, visit www.jonsprunk.com.

Thank you for inviting us to contribute to this blog. There has been a lot of august company before us, so we hope we’ll have something interesting to say.

Here are 2 comments we got from different readers of our book The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire Book 1 via our blog and email.

1) I’m in the awkward between spot between teenage and adulthood so I’m not usually…one who will pick up an adult novel…. I wish I could find as many books in (the) adult genre as this that interests me.

2) (Y)our book is only for the teen audience – I am a 48 year young married guy – and enjoy(ed) the book thoroughly!

These two comments raise the question: Is The Greyfriar Adult or Young Adult?

And they raise the further question: Does it matter?

We didn’t write the Vampire Empire trilogy to be YA, or rather, we didn’t write it intending for it to be categorized as YA in bookstores. We did want it to be accessible to a wide scope of the reading public of all ages. We purposefully kept the violence level acceptable (no extreme gore) and the sex level to a minimum (i.e. no sex), although with strong romantic elements. We intended for it to be an adult book, but wanted teens to be able to enjoy it too. Since we have a background in comics, writing stories acceptable to a general audience comes natural to us.

When we found an agent, she never thought of The Greyfriar as YA. Our publisher (Pyr Books) never considered the Vampire Empire trilogy to be YA. In fact, at the time they bought the manuscript, they didn’t even publish YA (they do now). The trilogy was categorized as mainstream fantasy, and The Greyfriar was shelved in the adult sci-fi/fantasy section in bookstores. But soon after it went on sale last year, something interesting began to happen. We started to get glowing reviews on a lot of YA blogs, and we received lovely emails from teen readers saying how much they liked the book. This was unexpected, but not inexplicable. By happenstance, The Greyfriar included a lot of elements popular in YA books – fantasy, vampires, romance, dark futures, angsty heroes, and an adventurous female lead.

No matter what we intended, we were thrilled to be adopted by YA readers. Since we had become an honorary part of the YA revolution, we started to talk about why it was happening, and that made us think back to our own teen reading years (several decades ago!). Back then, there was no real “young adult” category for books. There were children’s books and adult books, and you moved from one to the other at some point in your teens. We were both voracious readers of sci-fi/fantasy and adventure, and the adult sections of the bookstores were full of titles we could enjoy. The fact that they were adult books didn’t mean they were full of gruesome violence or explicit sex, which would systematically deter younger readers.

These days, however, it seems it is necessary for books to have violence and sex to be considered “adult.” There are far fewer books now for a 13-year old to select from the adult shelf, or at least books that wouldn’t send shivers down the spine of a parent to know their kid was reading them. Like movies, over the last decades, any book meant for a mature audience seems to require content that would merit a PG-17 or R.

And so the “maturing” of the adult shelf created a hole in the book-reading market that YA came along to fill with compelling stories, interesting characters, and well-crafted prose, but light on the sex and gore. Many of today’s YA books would have been considered adult titles when we were teens, although likely the protagonists would’ve written as adults rather than teens.

So our experience with Vampire Empire indicates that novels which resonate with a young adult audience don’t have to be created specifically to be a YA novel. It’s tried and true advice in the writing game to write the book you want to write. Don’t worry (too much) about labels. Don’t latch onto the hot new trend because that trend will be played out by the time you finish your book, and you’ll have to shove that manuscript in a file cabinet and go hunting the next hot new trend. It will be very clear to an editor that your book is just a product to you, not a labor of love. And if you don’t love your book, why should an editor?

You can never completely predict or calculate what will find an audience, except good books. That trend almost always works. Find the book you want to write and stick to your plan; don’t panic (too much) as trends rise and fall. For example, in the time it took us to plan, plot, and write The Greyfriar, the vampire wave came and went…twice. And while we were working on the book, we certainly never expected it to grab a YA readership to the extent that many people would assume our novel was published as a YA book. We are, however, really glad it did. We LOVE our YA readership. They are enthusiastic and loyal. They love good stories and resonating characters, and they love to talk about books.

They remind us of us when we were teens wandering the aisles of our local bookstore looking for that next adventure. There were so many to choose from then – and there is today too.

Clay and Susan Griffith are a husband and wife writing team who are the authors of The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire Book 1, a rousing combination of fantasy, steampunk, pulp adventure, and romance. The Rift Walker: Vampire Empire Book 2 will be published in September 2011. 

Clay and Susan have also written comic books including The Tick (NEC Press), and the upcoming Allan Quatermain and It Came From Beneath the Sea…Again (both from Bluewater Comics).