The Fame Game

Writers beware of the temptation to chase fame. It's a trap that catches many writers, making them forget why they started to write in the first place. One shouldn't write for money or attention. The urge to write comes from a place inside, it satisfies the primal storytelling nature that exists in all of us. That is the fire that should fuel the craft. There's nothing wrong with desiring recognition, but there is a danger in seeking it and losing focus in pursuit of it. 

A few years ago, I fell into this trap and as I hit reset on my career, I'm more mindful than ever of avoiding the same mistakes this time around. Always produce work that you can be proud of and appreciate the readers you have. Leave the rest to the hands of fate.

Stains on the Memory

Over the past year and a half, I've had little interest in inventing new stories to construct. This isn't so much due to a lack of imaginative urges as it is a result of half realized stories lingering around like so many spiders on the brain. Coupled with my fair share of industry frustrations during the course of the past half-decade, I came to the conclusion some dozen or so months ago to focus my efforts on stories that I had already worked on to varying degrees, not in hopes of gaining anything beyond my own sense of satisfaction.

Beginning last summer, I started to write the first draft of a story that had been thoroughly outlined some years ago, while also revising a manuscript that had been completed even years before that. I've since completed two revisions of that story, which now awaits its fate in the aforementioned world of "industry", leaving me the chance to return to the first draft of the other one. Though it's been a busy month, welcoming my first child into the world, I've since begun reading over the chapters that were written last summer and starting the process of reclaiming my train of thought and my mastery of the characters. 

These days I feel that I'm more of a completest when it comes to my work. In my younger years, I was so eager to simply write, write, write...but as I grow older, I feel the urge to compose. There's a fine line between writing a manuscript and building a story. So far, I'm enjoying the carpentry of it.

Patience in Excess

Over the past few days, I've been going through my posts from the life of this blog to pull out relevant thoughts pertaining to writing for a project I'm working on. And while I found a wealth of intriguing thoughts shared over the years, I also began to feel more than slightly defeated as I came across posts related to manuscripts that have still gone unread. 

Patience is a quality all writers must possess in abundance. The process itself requires near limitless amounts of it just to finish a single story. But the need does not diminish after the manuscript is done. There is still more waiting to be done. And sometimes the waiting feels endless, because sometimes it is. Through it all, one needs an abundance of confidence. When that well runs dry, there is nothing more to wait for.

IMPORTANT WARNING

Effective immediately, the world governments have ordered a ban on all future publishing of the following genres: dystopian trilogies, paranormal romance, and books about rich teenagers who behave nothing at all like teenagers. 

Citing popular demand and fear of an uprising if one more of these over-hyped and manufactured stories surfaces, cease and desist instructions have been sent to all major media outlets. Writers currently working on such projects are encouraged to erase all files and burn all drafts. 

Similar measures are also being considered for comic book movies, reality television shows centered around any sort of wives, mothers, or subhuman made-up jobs. Thousands took to the streets to protest these new rules but were silenced with two simple words: BE ORIGINAL.

Walking in Oblivion

The most terrifying moments for an author are undoubtedly when the first readers of a manuscript have finished the story and are prepared to tell you what they think. No matter how many times you may think to yourself that you are doing good work during the course of writing a manuscript, there is always that nagging fear that the words truly suck and you've only been tricking yourself into believing otherwise due to laziness. This is what makes the first response from another reader so critical, and so nerve wracking. Like it or not, the truth will be revealed.

When I recently finished the novel I'd been working on for the past several months, I felt good about it. I knew I'd worked hard, that I'd supported the characters actions and that the story had depth and meaning, yet I still worried about the possible criticisms that might come my way. I made some daring narrative choices with this book, which even though I was happy with, I knew they were a bit of gamble. But I committed to them. A writer needs to commit to the story he or she feels they want to tell.

Yesterday I heard back from my agent. I must confess to a level of dread upon seeing the email in my inbox, but as it turns out, my anxiety was all for nothing. The response was overwhelmingly positive. As always, there are a few places for improvement, but they are minor and I was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. There is nothing quite like the feeling of knowing the choices you've made and the work you've put in has paid off in some way. Hopefully you will all be able to read this story in near future.

Dream Away Life

The finished copies of Life is But a Dream arrived this morning and I have to say, the book looks beautiful. Seeing a book with the dust jacket for the first time is something I'll never grow tired of. It's as if even though you know the book will be published, it never truly seems real until you're holding the printed copy and open the crisp spine. Here it sits on my desk, next to my Yoshitomo Nara clock and the Denny's mug I stole in 1994. Syd Barrett is looking on from the background. You can't tell from the picture, but Syd is all scratched nearly to shreds. My one cat really has it in for Syd for some reason. Luckily Albie the three-legged goat is there to watch over him.

Life is But a Dream...(Teaser 3)

- In the center of my collage is a black-and-white photograph of a mother and young daughter hugging in the snow at night. They are wearing heavy winter coats and ribbons in their hair because the picture is supposed to be of a scene in the 1800s and that was the way most girls and women wore their hair, I suppose. Around the photography, I glued pictures of flowers I'd cut from the stacks of magazines Mrs. Weaver set out for us to use. The flowers are bright and colorful against the black-and-white snow. I painted the sky with watercolors, I used dark purples and blues and painted them really wet so that the colors ran together in interesting shapes. I used a little bit of pink paint on the girl's cheeks. - Life is But a Dream pages 71-72

It's now only two short months before my novel comes out. I'm still very excited about it. It seems most readers are responding positively. I enjoy that. It's not so much about wanting something you write to be adored, it's more about knowing that people out there really got what you trying to say. So far, I'm pretty happy about that.

One of the big subplots in the book is the main character's struggle to separate art from reality. In a way it mirrors my own struggle of doing that during my teenage years. That's a theme that runs throughout my books, this idea that we dream so hard for what we imagine that sometimes we get lost in what is truly around us.

* The quoted passage was inspired by a photo still of Meet me in St. Louis which I manipulated to look like the above picture.

Last One in Line, Please Close the Door Behind You

Part of being a writer means accepting rejection. Anyone who has searched for an agent or submitted manuscripts is aware of this hazardous aspect of the profession. Unless you are somehow lucky enough to become the new flavor of the month and people line up for any old scrap of words you throw at them, rejection is unavoidable. But even those on a winning spree will eventually taste the other end. When their flavor is replaced, they'll feel the sting of being told no thanks.

Publishing a book is more difficult than simply writing something that is good. It's a process of finding the right place for the story at the right time. Lately my luck in that department has been slim. I recently finished a manuscript that I know is one of the best I've ever written. Though as my agent tries to find a home for the book, it seems to be too similar to something else or not quite what we're looking for...and though those are all valid reasons that I understand, after a while it's hard not to let it get to you. You start wondering if it weren't better to just have a crowd of people line up outside your door to punch you in the stomach. At least that would be over in one day.

Though I remain hopeful, and there are still several people considering the project, it never gets easy to accept rejection. It comes with the job, but it's a part that never gets easier. All one can do is keep their fingers crossed and hope the next reply is a resounding YES.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Computer

It's only a few short months now before Life Is But a Dream is released. That means it's about time for the nerves to kick in as I wait to see how it will be received.

Though I've promised myself not to get worked up about reviews, I imagine that I probably will. It's kind of inevitable not to be curious what the reaction is to a story you've spent so much time creating.

Lately, the book has shown up on a good number of blogs and there seems to be a lot of anticipation and excitement for the book. I also noticed that a lot of Advanced Reader Copies were shipped recently as it turned up in a number of In My Mailbox posts over the past few days. So the good news is, it's getting attention. The bad news...potentially more reviews to avoid.

In the meantime, I recently did an interview on Trisha's Book Blog that you can read here. I'm sure this will be the first post in many concerning my neurotic worries that seem to come with the territory of putting your work into the world.

Life is But a Dream (Advanced Reader's Copy)

Late last week, I received a few of the first ARCs for my new novel Life is but a Dream (due out next March). In some ways, this is always a little more exciting than when the actual finished book arrives because this is the first time I get to see the words on a page that wasn't spit out by my computer. Maybe it's just me, but words read different from a book. I suppose that's why I could never see myself reading an e-book.

Typically by the time a book gets to this stage, I've read it about twenty times in various stages. I've mentioned before that by the last pass which comes through my way, I can barely stand to look at the book. If you read anything that many times, it will inevitably sound horrible. But seeing the story printed in a book, with different font and different layout has a way of allowing me to look at it with fresh eyes. I spent part of Friday flipping through it and was really happy with every scene I wrote. Honestly, I think this is easily the best book I've written (so far).

A few things to note, mainly that is not the cover that will be appearing on finished books. The cover will be similar but there were some issues about rights when it came to using the photo. When the final cover is finished, I'll be sure to share it.

Also, I will be giving one of these away in a contest...as soon as I figure out how exactly I want to do that. Details will be posted once I have them. (In the meantime, if you're a book review blogger and would like a review copy, let me know and I can put you in touch with the right people.)

a bloody but holy day

I'm spending this weekend going through the copyedit of my novel Life Is but a Dream. For those of you not in the publishing business, this stage of the process is equivalent to a medical check-up. It is tedious and I don't want to do it, and yet it is very important. Even if it does make me sleepy.

Besides the fact that its main purpose is to go through the grammar of the book, grammar being something I despise nearly as much as bees and wasps, the main reason I dread this stage is really the fact that I have to read my own book again for the seven millionth time. Nothing ever sounds exciting after reading it over and over. However, it's the last stage to really change something that I don't like so the reading is important.

I'm about a third of the way through and so far, I think I've changed about six words. I know it seems crazy to say this, but I feel six words is a worthwhile use of my time.

Winning

Yesterday, a court in New York may have saved the last shred of copyright law by rightfully defeating Google's attempt to claim ownership for millions of books by essentially putting the burden of proving copyright on the copyright holders.

Though there were some good intentions in what Google was attempting to do, there was always an eye on profit. And I know everybody wants everything to be free these days, but we can't live in a capitalist society and not have copyright law. Some of us have to survive on our intellectual property and asking us to surrender it to Google because of they say so, just doesn't sit right with me.

The issue is quite complicated and I won't attempt to summarize it. I'll leave that to the experts. Here's an article from The Guardian explaining the decision (article). This is a victory not only for authors, but for all of us. We can't allow corporations to simply bypass the law to create systems that are more beneficial for them alone.

And yes, I'm aware of the irony that I'm posting this with Google's free blog service.

A Question of Character

The other day, I got to spend an enjoyable evening in the company with creatures of my own kind as part of a panel with other writers for NYC Teen Author Festival. It's always nice hanging out with other writers every once in a while, if for nothing else than to reassure yourself you're not the only crazy one out there. It's especially nice when we've gathered for the purpose of talking about our craft. Even though every writer has to figure out the process that works best for them, that doesn't mean there isn't a lot to learn from hearing about someone else's process.

Our discussion on Monday centered around the idea of character and voice. It was fascinating to hear how others go about discovering their characters. It seems many of us wait to begin a project until we feel as though we hear the main character in our heads. But how we go about finding that voice seems to range widely.

Some writers find a character within a plot they want to tell. I tend to start with the character and let he or she find the plot, though I've worked the other way too. One thing I learned by listening to the other writers was that the way you approach a project depends greatly on what the project is. I know that might sound fairly obvious, but it's less obvious than it seems.

Writing is like any artistic discipline, once you figure out a way that works, you tend to stick with it. But the danger in that is the risk of becoming stale. The skeleton of the process probably needs to stay in place, but there has to be room to freshen it up with new ideas.

If there's anyone who is, or wants to be, a writer and you happen to be in the New York City area Friday or Saturday, I highly recommend you attend some of the panels that are taking place on those days. There's an unbelievable amount of talent gathered to discuss different aspects of the writing process. They are all free and you'll learn a great deal. (Check here for a full schedule.)

When Bad Books Do Good

Poorly written books have always had a place on bestseller lists alongside truly great books. There's no accounting for taste among some people. Other people simply look for books to provide baseline entertainment that they could easily find during the day by watching reruns of crime procedurals on cable.

As I grow older and wiser, I've learned to stomach this affront to my art. But the one thing I really can't seem to accept is when really average writing is celebrated as exceptional literature. Authors with little talent or vision, who essentially should be writing novel adaptations of movies like Yogi Bear are being hailed as the second coming of J.D. Salinger simply because they've tapped into the right trend or connected with the right blogger.

I'll simply never understand how a book with an unfocused story, zero emotional depth, and the artistic level of language equivalent to a magazine article can be so adored. Honestly, isn't it time we stop celebrating mediocrity simply because we may like the person who produced it?

Back to the Drawing Board...Literally

I woke from a dream late last week with a story burning a hole in me wanting to get out. As always, I took some notes but I really wanted to return to a project I'd already been working one. However, every time I opened that document and tried to work, this other story haunted me.

I tried to be disciplined and resist as long as I could, but the other night it wouldn't stay in any longer. I sat at my drawing table and the main character emerged effortlessly as if she was always there waiting to be seen. I hand-wrote the opening scene beside her at a pace my hand could barely keep up with. There are still many questions that I'm mulling over and still a lot to discover about this world I've trespassed into, but it's too late leave. I'm hooked.

There's one thing I've learned about publishing and that's to follow your imagination. You can't necessarily worry about who will publish your story. The only think you can be certain of is that if you don't love what your writing, it's pretty much guaranteed nobody else will either.

Why the World Needs Picture Books

(from Maggie and the Pirate by Ezra Jack Keats)

There was a disturbing article in the New York Times yesterday about the perilous future of the Picture Book. (You can read article here). The article addresses the dwindling sales of picture books as well as the shrinking number of them being published. It also talks about parents pushing children away from picture books because they wrongly see them as too simple.

Now having worked for years in Children's Publishing as a major buyer of Picture Books for Scholastic's Kindergarten Book Club, I can say with confidence that in the past fifteen years there have been WAY TOO MANY picture books published. When too many titles are published, there are undoubtedly terrible titles making it to the market and the good titles suffer. I see this happening in the YA market currently. It also happens in music. And unless a consumer has the time (and who does except for us fanatics) to devote endless hours to research, it may be hard to weed through the bad to find the quality titles. So more selective publishing isn't a bad thing in my opinion.

What really frightens me is the other aspect of the article. Picture Books are not simple. Not the really good ones anyway. Picture Books are extremely valuable for children. The marriage of text and pictures is how we learn to visualize a written story and how to let our imagination expand the story. Certainly there is also a need to have children read chapter books. I LOVE chapter books. But they serve a completely different place in the learning to read process.

Chapter Books are perfect for encouraging independent reading. But independent reading is only part of the child's learning to read process. Learning to read can't simply be about vocabulary and testable skills. The key to raising a child who loves reading and not just a child who can read, is the magic of storytelling. Picture Books are some of the most perfect examples of storytelling that we have developed as a culture. They are not simply for teaching toddlers the alphabet or to count or that apples are red. There are many complex and rich stories contained in that section of the store, not to mention many of the finest pieces of art produced in the last century.

Next time you're in a bookstore, do yourself a favor and spend some time in the Picture Book section. Pick one up instead of that new James Patterson or Nicholas Sparks novel...I promise you'll get infinitely more from its pages.

I Could Do That...

One thing that always annoys me as a writer of children's books is the seemingly endless parade of people who will say, "You know, I've always thought I should write a children's book." That in itself is condescending. I mean honestly, how many other careers would people do that for? There's this sense that it's easy and that it could be done on a whim, that's the implication that annoys me. Those horrible celebrity books don't help that misconception either.

Now, I'm not always so cranky and sometimes I'll show a genuine interest. "Oh really," I'll say. "What kind of children's books do like to read?" This is typically followed with blank stares that seem to ask me why they would ever read children's books. Not only does this show a lack of interest in the genre, but also a lack of knowledge when it comes to the writing craft.

You can't be a writer without being a reader. And you certainly can't be a writer of children's books without ever having studied the genre. This goes without saying. You wouldn't try to write a sonnet without ever having read one. And to be a professional writer, you have to at least partially follow the industry. I'm not suggesting you jump on every trend, but you have to know what's of interest readers and publishers. Even if you think whatever said popular title happens to be is total crap, you need to understand the appeal.

If you want to write a children's books, go for it...just do your research please.

Young Adults Keep Getting Older Too...

The other day, I talked about how books published for teenagers, and their audience, was skewing younger. But there's another shift that has taken place in the world of teen literature over the past several years -- adults are now reading these books in record numbers. We can thank a certain wizard for making the Children's and Teen sections of the book store a must-stop for most readers. I'm grateful, not only for the increased sales, but also because it makes me look a little less creepy for trolling around the chapter book section.

With adult readers comes adult bloggers and influence. Influence in the publishing world translates into buying power, then into sales, and from there into editorial. On the surface, it would appear the adult presence would counter the trending toward younger books, but it doesn't always. Because the one thing I've noticed frequently is that most adult readers of YA fiction tend to get angry when the characters behave...well, like teenagers.

I see it all the time; a review by an adult reader that thinks such and such character behaves stupidly, or that such and such character drove them crazy. Perhaps that's because a real teenager would drive them crazy. The truth is, the life a teenager can be frustrating and confusing, and that's what realistic teen fiction tries to present. An adult reader doesn't necessarily want to dwell on those difficult times. And as I get older, it's remarkable how easily most adults forget completely what it was like to be a teen. Therefore, what is presented as realistic teen fiction today is kind of far from the reality of most teens.

So basically, where does that leave us? You have the more fantasy, fairy tale publishing for the younger readers (and some of the older readers too) and the more Chicklit Lite for the older readers (and some of the younger ones too). And to be clear, I don't think there's anything wrong with this. Readers enjoy it. They can be enjoyable books. However, what there seems to be lacking is a real sense of books for teenage readers of literature, not simply fiction. There's not much out there for that 15-17 year old who wants to read about their lives. And what is out there is poorly stocked in stores and hidden among the paranormal romance picks of the month.

Basically, the readers who brought the genre back from the brink a decade ago are being shut out once again. Which is really saddening. On the other hand, it's kind of nice to see that YA has become a genre as diverse as adult fiction. It's not simply problem-novels and Sweet Valley High anymore. There's a world of publishing from fantasy to romance. I just hope it doesn't devour itself with too much of the same old, same old.

You Want Me to Change What Now?

One of the hardest aspects of the publishing process for a writer is getting that first round of feedback from an editor. This is especially true the first time you have to go through it. Here you are, you've pored your heart into this story and pulled your hair out running it through over and over until you've decided it was absolutely and completely perfect. Now in steps an editor to tell you such and such a character doesn't work, this or that plot element is implausible, and by the way it all really falls flat in the end.

If you're not used to this, the natural reaction is to dig in and take the "you just didn't get it" stance as you resist any and all changes. Here's the thing about that - you're most likely wrong. Unless you're editor is completely incompetent (which you must assume they aren't since he or she bought your manuscript and must have known what they were doing at that moment), he or she is trained to spot these flaws and help you work them out. This is what they do and you need to trust them.

I can safely say that every change I've made to a book stemming from the comment of an editor has made the book better. Don't get me wrong, there are moments to refuse. Some things are going to be important to you and your vision. The process is a compromise and you're allowed your say, but make sure you have a reason for it. Remember that an editor in on your side.

I have to admit that I had a hard time early on in my career accepting this. I wasn't difficult or anything, but I always resisted in my own mind and it took a good deal of effort to realize that most of the time, I was wrong. Now I'm very open and welcome to the comments. I just had a wonderful conversation with my editor on my new novel and the comments I received were all insightful. Like anything, approaching this process with a positive attitude will always result in a better outcome.

You Will Buy This...

It's gotten to the point where people who have never read a single piece of young adult literature snicker at the fact that the genre is now the "vampire" section of the bookstore and has been for years now. What they don't know is that it's also the section of handbooks to train girls into mindless, bitter, shopping dolls so that they grow up to be the kind of women adored on Real Housewives. These guides are disguised as fiction. They hide behind the "these are teens and it's fun" mantra, or the rather poor excuse that "this is how teens really are" as if teenagers can be withered down to the lowest common denominator.

What really bugs me about this type of book is that it's the kind that seems favored on a lot of the book review blogs that focus on young adult books. It should be noted that most of these blogs are run and reviewed by adults who read YA, not by teens themselves. So it begs the question, why are you recommending this trifle crap to teenagers? There are so many good and worthy YA books out there that deal with romance in a mature way and not like the plot of some bitchy movie. Of course, marketing departments have cleverly skewed these books as some sort of female empowerment, but is it really? I can't imagine the new goal of feminism is for a girl to grow up and be like someone off the set of The Hills or Sex in the City?

So why then do we have these trends that always seem to swallow up a genre? Easy money. People buy them and companies strive to give the people what they want. But when marketing is geared to children or teenagers, can that mantra really be a guiding principal? All you need to do is look at junk food advertising over the past fifteen years and see what it has done to the overweight generation.

I'm not suggesting there isn't a place for these books. Escapist fun is a relevant genre to be sure. And vampires have always been a popular subject, one I also enjoyed when I was young (Lost Boys RULES). But it would be nice if the flood of publishing into trends could at least, at the very least, have some redeeming quality as written pieces of fiction. Don't publish a book because it's about vampires and vampires are popular...publishing it because it's a good story.

American publishers are aiming their products at the mental equivalent of the armpit...Perhaps these publishers secretly admire their ruthless philistinism, their mastery of the ugliest sales conference jargon, the lack of the faintest glimmer of literate sensibility. Sales are what counts...

-J.G. Ballard