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Get Known before the Book Deal
No Plot? No Problem!
Get Known before
the Book Deal
by Christina Katz
There's a lot of discussion of platform in the writing community. Katz provides a clear explanation of the concept and lots of tips and suggestions on how to develop one.
A platform is basically the measure of influence you and your work have on potential readers. It's become increasingly important in the publishing industry. A first-time author with a strong platform provides a better business case to a publisher than one without a platform.
A platform is shaped by your history—what you've done—not what you intend to do. For example, a retired cop has a better platform for writing a police procedural than a graphic designer. The cop has instant credibility in terms of subject expertise. He will likely still need further platform development to build a ready audience for his writing. If he spoke at public events and developed a following for a blog about his expertise, he'd strengthen his platform and be further along in establishing an audience interested in reading his future book.
Of course you need a compelling story and solid writing skills to be published, but in today's market you also need a platform. It's just good business. Publishers don't need to gamble on an unknown when they can publish an author with an established audience.
Katz' book is ideal for non-fiction writers. Everything she covers is relevant and spot-on for non-fiction writers seeking to improve their odds of landing a book contract. Not every topic is perfectly aligned for fiction writers, but there's still plenty to make the book worth reading. In fact, much of her advice is useful for any creative endeavor you're pursuing.
This is Katz' second book and she's expanded her own platform substantially to reach a larger audience. Her advice is all the more credible because she's following it herself and you can see the results. In the end, this is a book about Marketing, specifically tailored for beginning non-fiction writers, with sections applicable to anyone interested in being published.
Katz maintains several websites: Christina Katz, The Writer Mama, Get Known before the Book Deal, and several blogs of the same names. Get Known before the Book Deal is 264 pages, published by Writer's Digest Books, 2008. It's available for $16.99 through bookstores, Powell's, etc.
Characters & Viewpoint
by Orson Scott Card
Here's a title with both the Writer's Digest Books imprint and the credentials of a successful author behind it. In publishing jargon, that's a solid platform for success.
Orson Scott Card is a science fiction writer and winner of Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. He's also a successful teacher who's taught workshops for Antioch, Clarion, and Cape Cod.
C&V is loaded with good advice for beginning and intermediate fiction writers. About two thirds is devoted to character and one third to viewpoint. Card explains the elements that go into a good character. A writer should get to know their main characters as well—or better—than they know many of their friends. This foundation feeds into their dialogue, their actions, and if they're the narrator, the vantage point from which they tell the story.
A fully developed character doesn't control the situations that occur during a story, but they do control their reactions to those situations and thus, the outcome. This is what helps define them and create the connection between them and the reader. It brings them to life.
The book is filled with guidance on how to develop characters, add depth, and understand charcter's roles in different types of stories. Even with all Card's help, the hard part is still up to the writer. Card provides a useful framework from which to begin and several suggestions on how to approach the challenge from different perspectives to help your newly-formed characters emerge.
The final third of the book is the best explanation of point of view I've read. He focuses on first and third person and covers them in depth with examples to illustrate his points.
If you're an aspiring fiction writer who wants a greater understanding of why character development and viewpoint are critical elements of good storytelling—and a path to get there—Card's book is an excellent place to start.
Characters & Viewpoint is 182 pages. Published by Writer's Digest Books. $14.99 (retail) or check your local library.
Writing Down the Bones
by Natalie Goldberg
The title and subtitle of this book are good examples of its content and approach. The title Writing Down the Bones is a bit mystic. Its exact meaning is subject to interpretation. The subtitle Freeing the Writer Within is plain and clear. Goldberg studied Zen meditation extensively and its lessons pervade her approach to writing. She's also the author of nearly a dozen books and an accomplished teacher. She clearly knows the territory well.
One very important idea you can use immediately to get your writing off to a great start is to let go of your inner critic. Stop editing yourself before you begin and throughout the first draft. Just let the words pour out. It's more important to get them down than to get them perfect. When you've finished exploring then go back and invite your inner editor to join you for the rewrite.
Goldberg refers to her approach as writing practice. Her advice is both spiritual and practical. Her enthusiasm and encouragement are inspiring. She tackles all of a writer's demons: doubt, failure, discouragement, procrastination, loneliness, and writer's block. But it's not all about getting in the proper mindset, she also addresses the craft of writing with entries on the reader, show vs tell, authentic writing, eroticism, active voice, perspective, and pushing yourself to improve.
Like most writing teachers, Goldberg encourages her students to write every day. Daily entries in a notebook or journal are like warm-up stretches before exercise. They keep you loose and invigorated for the path ahead. She includes writing exercises, ideas, and prompts to stretch and expand your expertise.
The book is very accessible. The chapters are short and concise, so you can read one in just a few moments or take them a dozen or more at a time. Their length and easy-going conversational style suggest journal entries. In that sense, they inspire you to take action and get started on your own writing practice.
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg has sold over a million copies and has been translated into fourteen languages. The second edition includes an interview with the author. It's published by Shambhala.
Beginning, Middles & Ends
by Nancy Kress
This is an excellent resource book for writers who want to learn more about what goes into the construction of a good novel or short story. Kress is a Hugo and Nebula award winner, author of dozens of novels and short stories, and a frequent contributor to Writer's Digest. She knows the territory very well and shares her extensive knowledge clearly and concisely.
The book is divided into the three sections of its title. Beginnings focuses on the first two scenes. From the very start a good story sets the stage for what's to come with conflict, character development, and interesting details. A strong beginning will usually evoke emotion from the reader as well.
By the time a writer completes a draft of the first two scenes, he or she will know enough to decide which character this story is about, which point-of-view to present, and what the main plotline will be. This foundation is important to direct the action for the bulk of the story: the middle.
The Middle is where the writer develops the story's implicit promise—the reason the reader is reading. It may be simply to be entertained, to live vicariously through the story's characters, to learn something new, etc. A strong Middle delivers on the story's promise and dramatizes events to increase conflict, reveal character, and set the forces in motion that will lead to the story's climax. The Middle is the long bridge between the Beginning and the End.
The End is largely the story's climax where the conflicting forces that have been building up during the long Middle finally collide. In novels, the End also includes the denouement, where the final details of the story are wrapped up. Most short stories end with the climax itself.
Kress' book includes three chapters for each of the three sections. Each chapter concludes with exercises to help beginning writers understand the material in greater depth.
Throughout the work, Kress is careful to note the differences between writing a short story and a novel. Her guidelines are equally valuable for both types of stories. She does an excellent job presenting the material and then provides examples to illustrate her points.
Beginnings, Middles & Ends is an excellent guidebook for beginning writers. At 150 pages it's a quick read and a great addition to a writer's reference shelf. Website
On Writing by Stephen King
I loved this book.
The first third of it is really a memoir. It's about his journey, starting with early writing influences and ending with the sale of the paperback book rights of his first major hit, Carrie. King is a little older than I am, but I'm close enough to relate firsthand to his recollections of Roger Corman movies, underground school newspapers printed from stencils, and Famous Monsters of Filmland—to mention a few of the references that struck a cord.
The part about writing is called The Toolbox. Actually, there's a sort of warning before The Toolbox, called What Writing Is. The warning is to come to writing with whatever attitude you'd like, but come to it seriously.
The Toolbox is the heart of the book, and it's excellent. King's advice is grounded in common sense, hard work, and years of experience at his craft. He outlines the basics: reference tools and rules of thumbs with plenty of examples drawn from his many years of writing. His approach is unstructured. Start with a situation that grabs your interest and begin writing. He compares the process of discovering the story as similar to uncovering a fossil. The writer's job is to gently dig it out without marring it.
King's process of writing is situation-driven. The plot unfolds as the situation dictates. He doesn't know where the story is going until he gets inside the characters and the action. Then, it's slowly revealed. This approach may not work for everyone, but it's worth learning about and trying to embrace. Obviously, its been wildly successful for King.
He also explores workspace, description, character development, dialog, revision, classes, and writing groups. It's wonderful to read his seasoned insights on all these topics. But his main advice is to write and to read—a lot. Write everyday. In the end there is no better teacher than experience.
The book concludes with reflections about the terrible accident he endured when a drunk driver ran into him as he was walking by the side of the road; and his long physical and mental recovery.
PS: Orginally I borrowed this book from the library, but I've already bought my own copy. I'll be referring to it often as I continue to learn the craft of fiction writing.
Tales From the Bus
by Dr. Daniel Q. Swank
The concept of this zine grabbed me immediately when I saw it at the recent Portland Zine Symposium. If you've ever spent any serious time on public transportation, you know what I'm talking about. For me, taking the bus is usually something to simply endure, but at the same time it's often entertaining, funny, sad, unbelievable, nasty, or some combination of those things. When I saw this zine for sale I just had to get a copy. The source material was too rich to resist. What could be better than experiencing the best moments of bus life, without having to actually step aboard the behemoth?
This zine is a collection of short stories based on actual events witnessed by Swank on the bus, nearby, or at the bus stop. They originally appeared in another of Swank's zines Manuscripts Don't Burn.
The recaps of Swank's bus rides are above all else very entertaining and will jostle memories of your own experiences. The stories in this zine run the gamut of believability, from rock solid to incredulous. The ones involving bodily functions are gross and test the edges of credibility. And yet, as Swank reminds us in his introduction: "Public transportation is the great social equalizer . . . a scale model microcosm of humanity as a whole . . ." I believe he's right about that and in the end I have to believe that even the most outrageous stories he tells are probably true. They certainly could be.
Even if you've never been on a bus in your life and never will, I'd recommend this zine. It captures the parts of the experience that are worth writing about beautifully. One caution however. Just like bus riding itself, this zine is best taken in small doses over a period of time. There are a total of 54 commutes related here. When I read too many in a row, I felt a strong urge to pull the cord and get off for a while. When I read a few at a time, it was a lot more fun.
If you like this sort of thing, there's another wonderful column that runs in our local paper, Willamette Week, called Night Cabbie. It's written by a cab driver who recounts a memorable trip once a week. Great stuff!
Tales From the Bus is 56 b&w pages, plus cover. It's letter-digest sized and available for $2 (along with Swank's other zines) from Panurge Press.
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No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty
This book is the companion monkey, printed tour guide, and pocket personal adviser on how to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, written by no less than the founding father of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) himself.
The official NaNoWriMo is November. But you can choose any month you'd like and follow the advice in this guide. However, it's bound to be more fun when you know there are tens of thousands of other people all over the country—the world even—doing the same thing. You may even find time to connect with some of them via NaNoWriMo's forums or in person through your local Municipal Liaison. This thing gets bigger every year. There were over 100,000 novel participants in 2007 and more than 15,000 of them reached The End.
The book itself is an example of a work that's 50,000 words in length. Others are The Great Gatsby, Brave New World, The Catcher in the Rye, and Of Mice and Men. These are short novels by today's standards. Current popular fiction usually comes in at 75,000 to 80,000 words. But Baty advises what you're really writing is the first draft or your novel. The rewrite you may choose to do after NaNoWriMo concludes will likely add considerably to the word count before it graduates to a finished, polished novel. Or, just do it for fun, or to rejuvenate your creative reservoir.
Most professional writers advise the single most important thing for the novice to do is write, and write some more. So NaNoWriMo may be just the therapeutic immersion opportunity your writing aspiration needs.
In many respects this guide is a sales pitch to entice you to join the horde in November for the annual write-a-thon. Baty does a good job of creating excitement and enthusiasm in his appeal to the inner author, who's always wanted to write a book. But it's also a very practical guide that walks you through the obstacles and challenges you'll face along the way. It's all here, inspiration, support, life logistics and time management, the sweet smell of success, and a week-by-week self-help guide to get you over the most challenging hurdles.
You can read the whole book upfront to gain insights and tips about this wacky exercise, or you can use it as a personal adviser during the NaNoWriMo event itself, reading the individual weekly chapters at the appropriate time.
Baty writes in a friendly, humorous tone, never taking any aspect of the process too seriously except the goal (50K words) and the deadline (30 days). He writes with the conviction of someone who knows this territory inside out. Which is no surprise, since he's completed an impressive eight consecutive NaNoWriMos since starting this crazy marathon in 1999.
The book also includes a healthy batch of asides that offer additional advice related to the current topic at hand. Many are useful observations from previous "winners" who successfully wrote their novels in 30 days.
If you've ever mused about NaNoWriMo or writing a novel yourself, No Plot? No Problem! provides a quick, useful backgrounder into the process. They say the first draft is the hardest, so this may be just the kick-start you need to begin.
