What Do You Dislike About Your Writing?

My writing process makes me sick!

Let me sum it up for you. Stare at the calendar with my deadline circled in red and worry, worry, worry. Panic a little. Worry some more.

Even though I’ve written a synopsis and have a general idea of how the story is supposed to go, the worrying and panicking go on for months.

Then with just two weeks (or less) to go it all comes together in my head, and I type like a maniac, fingers struggling to keep up with my brain.

The thought niggles at (and terrifies) me. What if it doesn’t come to me in the last week or two?

Every time I make a deadline I heave a sigh of relief and vow to never wind up in the position again, but I always do.

I dunno? If it’s not broke (yet), maybe I should stop looking for a way to fix it.

Sooo, is there something about your writing process that gets on your last nerve? Click the comment button and tell me all about it!

Reflective Me

We're nearing the end of another year, and as usual, I'm feeling reflective. I always start the new year with a slate of goals, both personal and professional. My intentions are always good, but the follow through...not so much. Lose weight has been a staple since the age of five, I'm sure. Eventually, I'm going to focus more on health than the actual weight. Maybe that will trigger something in my brain that allows me to finally get where I want to be, health and weight-wise.

Another annual list-maker is my vow to be more productive in regards to my writing. But here's the thing, I can write thirty pages in a day, and some nagging voice will tell me that I could have striven for thirty-five. I've come to accept that I will never be satisfied with my output, yet every year I will vow to improve.

Then there are those nebulous goals of being less selfish and being an overall nicer person. They are things I really can't measure, but I try to achieve them all the same.

In addition to those yearly goals, I have a master list. It's a list I came up with in 2006 of eight things I vow to accomplish eventually. Up until this year, I had only checked off one item on that list, "Make a First Sale." This year, I was able to check off another, "Travel Abroad."

I know there is a psychology behind making these lists. For me, the joy always comes in the sense of accomplishment I feel when I can finally draw a line through one of the items. But, as with so many things, it isn't just getting to that destination, it's also about the journey. I always learn a bit more about myself as I work toward my resolutions. More often than not, I learn that I can do so much more when I focus and don't allow my inner fear to slow me down. Even when I don't reach my ultimate goal, the satisfaction that comes from knowing that I gave it my best shot is something I cherish.

For those of you who make resolutions, tell me the reasons why. You don't have to share your actual resolutions, but I do want to know why you feel compelled to make them.

Guest editor Eric T. Reynolds: A Book's Journey

Eric T. Reynolds is Editor/Publisher of Hadley Rille Books, a publisher of fantasy, science fiction, and archaeology fiction. Hadley Rille just celebrated five years in publishing. Eric has edited over 30 books over the past five years, many of which have received critical acclaim. He is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, has had fiction published by small press and nonfiction published by science-related publications. Visit him on Facebook “Eric T Reynolds” and his blog, ericreynolds.livejournal.com.

An author creates something from nothing, a whole world of people, situations, places, and conflicts that up till now did not exist. Her words ultimately enter the minds of readers who then get to experience her genius. Even after he is gone, thoughts from the author’s mind can continue to speak to people for countless generations through his book. Here I present that book’s journey from when we receive it to publication from the point of view of an editor.

After the author has completed the book, revised it, had it critiqued by other writers, revised it again (and tossed it into the trash and resurrected it), and so on, the author must then find a publisher, which is not an easy task. Larger publishers generally only allow agented submissions while small press will often allow authors to submit manuscripts directly. Guidelines can vary and are generally posted on publishers’ websites. (Best not to ignore those guidelines. Why give an editor another reason to say no?) If the author is fortunate to have the manuscript accepted--usually publishers can only accept a small fraction of what they receive--the author and publisher start a new relationship and the first steps toward releasing the book.

When an author hears her book has been accepted (after waiting forever) she generally celebrates. Little known fact: the editor also celebrates, which sometimes involves much jumping around and screaming (but only in private), particularly if the book is from a new author, one the editor has now “discovered.” (Editors have egos, so go ahead and let them believe that.) The time toward publication varies, but for our press it can take up to a year, depending on the schedule of books already in the works. During this process, we offer an advance to the author and work up a contract.

Even a well-written book must be edited. The author may think his book is perfect--but it isn’t. Almost. Maybe. At our press, one or two editors and I will go through it and make comments and changes, each of which we run by the author. This usually involves passing the document back and forth with a “track changes” option enabled. Changes for which we disagree, we argue about, then the editor wins (but actually, we work with the author closely on any disputes and can be swayed to the author’s favor). When the manuscript reaches its almost final form, we send that to at least one proofreader who will search for typos and any inconsistencies that have slipped by our expert eyes. We run those by the author and when all corrections have been made, we produce a PDF “proof” layout for the author to read through once again. Sometimes we wait until this stage to send it to a proofreader. Any corrections--usually minor at this point--are made and we produce a file to send to the printer for advance reading copies (ARCs) to be made.

Meanwhile, we have been working on the cover. Sometimes we find already existing art that fits the story well; other times we commission an artist to produce the cover art. In either case, we involve the author in every aspect of this process, as much or as little as the author feels comfortable. Our goal is to produce an eye-catching cover, one that represents the book well (rather than have a catchy cover that has nothing to do with the book, or a rendering of a person who looks nothing like the character in the book). We hope the casual browser will want to pick up the book, read the cover blurbs, open the book, and buy it. The artwork is the foundation for whole cover design layout (the layout design is done by someone other than the artist). We try to have the cover ready in time for when we produce ARCs. The ARC is then very similar to the finished book.

When the ARCs are ready, we send them out to reviewers, including the large review magazines such as Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and to various genre publications such as Locus, SF Review and many others, including prominent bloggers and anyone else we can convince that we are just about to release the best novel of the year. Additionally, we send books to authors and others who have agreed to blurb the book. ARCs are usually produced at least three to four months before publication to keep within the submission requirements of the review magazines.

When the ARCs are in circulation, we have one last chance to make corrections to the text and cover, which we can do up to about a month before release. Then the book goes to the printer in its final form. During those last three months we also we concentrate on marketing. Publishers, large and small, generally expect authors to help market. This includes getting around their communities and getting word out. Authors are often familiar with local bookstores and other venues that work for launching a book. We have done bookstore signings, house parties, and held launches in local historic places that will accommodate a good number of attendees. Often, the author will get an interview at a local publication and get the book launch included in local events schedules.

But we don’t expect the author to do the majority of the marketing. Our publicist produces press releases for local papers. We market the book directly to bookstores, particularly those where we’ve already done business. We contact libraries (especially those who already have titles by us) and let them know about the reviews. We place ads in the large magazines to support the books being reviewed there. Each book brings a new challenge and we always look for new ways to get attention. We attend conventions such as the World Science Fiction Convention and the World Fantasy Convention, and other conventions where we can meet all kinds of fascinating people. Sometimes we launch new books at those. We partner with convention-attending booksellers to make our titles available and sometimes we acquire a dealer room table and masquerade as hucksters ourselves. We make sure awards committees are aware of our titles--and we’ve had several books requested, including one that made the final list. Stories from our anthologies have been included in “best of” anthologies and have been nominated for awards such as the Hugo. All of these help lend much-deserved credibility to the new book.

Just before release, the book is placed with distributors from which booksellers and libraries will be able to order. The physical book is ready for the author to hold in her or his own hands. And then on the day of release, we try to make a lot of noise and we encourage the author to do so as well.

We not only produce hardcovers and paperbacks, but we offer titles on Kindle and soon they will be available in other formats. We’re entering a whole new world of publishing and we want the be at the forefront of new markets for author.

Publicity is essential for a successful release. Some of the areas where we’ve been successful have come from positive reviews (it’s during this time, just before or just after release, that libraries and book sellers are seeing reviews of the book), blogging by friends and acquaintances and their friends and acquaintances, and podcasted interviews. As the book makes its way to readers, word of mouth becomes an important way of getting books out to even more readers. (I remember a certain book that had a first small print run, only to gain from word of mouth. . .) After the book is released we continue to market it, and can set up book tours to help increase visibility of the book and its author.

Our titles remain in print for as long as the authors have granted us rights (and if we want to keep publishing them, we’ll beg for extensions). Best of all, with each new author, we have formed a new relationship that we hope lasts forever.

Twelve Writing Resolutions of Christmas

It is that time of year when resolutions are made for the New Year. Whether they are actually kept or not is often a different story, depending on how realistic such declarations may be.

I usually do not make yearend resolutions, figuring I am already motivated enough to do the things I might want to over the next twelve months-- such as exercise more, keep the weight down, improve on my craft, and avoid taking undue risks that could put my health in peril, etc.

But with the clock ticking on 2010 and my turn to blog, I thought it might be fun to make twelve writing resolutions for 2011:

1. I would like to expand my reach as a writer by becoming more involved with eBook publication, as this appears to be gaining ground among readers, with more and more equipped with all the latest digital reading devices.

2. I would like to up my daily quota of written material by 3 to 5 pages, which seems well within reach, especially on days that I'm on a roll.

3. I would like to spread my wings into young adult fiction, believing I have some great ideas that would appeal to this group. Indeed, I just released my first YA romance, HER TEEN DREAM, and have a YA ghost tale, GHOST GIRL IN SHADOW BAY, in the pipeline.

4. I would like to do more book signings. Not sure if they do much to increase overall sales, but it is nice to interact with fans who show up and are willing to shell out money to buy something you wrote.

5. I would like to donate more books to libraries. My publishers often give me more author copies of my books than I can give away to family and friends, meaning they usually tend to pile up in boxes in the garage. Library shelves would be a much better fit.

6. I would like to try and direct more traffic to my website, which is very cool with some great sounds to keep visitors company. But like other writers, I am battling a cross wind that is making author websites practically irrelevant with FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social networks giving readers all they need to know about writers.

7. I would like to read more for pleasure (something that has taken a real hit in recent years as I have focused on my own books). A fringe benefit of reading fiction and nonfiction as well is that it tells you what is being published so you can make sure your own writings remain relevant to today's times.

8. I would like to go to more writing conferences and conventions. These are a great way to socialize with your peers and get motivated to try and keep pace with your own writings.

9. I would like to volunteer more of my time and knowledge in helping other up and coming writers. Even a few words of wisdom can go a long ways in giving writers confidence and advice that could mean the difference between success and failure.

10. I would like to make one bestseller list or another. This is always a lofty goal of mine and have found some success there. Being amongst the top sellers in your field is always the highest form of flattery.

11. I would like to see if I can make some inroads into audio versions of some of my material. Short of seeing your novels adapted to the screen, hearing your books being read can be very gratifying.

12. Last, but not least, I hope to continue to learn ways to be an even more effective writer in plots and presentation. As the old adage goes, "The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement."

What writing resolution would like you to make for the New Year?

Any other resolutions that are important to you for 2011?

Use of Dialect

"



Chee Chee isn't going to Jamaica with me, so I'm pretty sure that nothing will happen."

This is an excerpt from my second book, Pirates at Port Royal. The truth is that such a sentence probably would not come out of the mouth of the average child in St. Kitts. It is more likely to look like:

"Chee Chee not going Jamaica wid me, so nuttin' gorn happ'n."

Writing direct speech for my West Indian characters has been an ongoing struggle for me. On the one hand, I do want the books to be an authentic representation of life in the Caribbean. I want my characters to seem realistic and familiar to my West Indian readers. On the other hand, I recall reading books set in Scotland and struggling to understand the dialect speech and wondering to myself how these words actually sound. I have also read books written entirely in Jamaican creole which I have to read out loud to catch the gist of the text. I don’t want to alienate my non-West Indian readers by making them work too hard to figure out what my characters are saying.

There is a little more to the dilemma in my case. While I appreciate the use of dialect, I have spoken out about the way that it is proliferating our English and questioned whether or not it is the right way to go. Many people have responded positively to my suggestions and it does seem a bit hypocritical if I turn around and write a book in dialect!

Have you had that struggle between realistic and understandable speech?

Resonance

I did a post quite a while ago on my own blog about "resonance” in writing. It’s been one of the more popular posts I’ve made so I thought I’d revisit the concept for Novel Spaces.

Resonance represents the degree to which a name, term, or subject evokes already existing associations in someone’s mind. Consider this, you hear about two good mystery novels by writers unknown to you. The first features Linda Harmon as the private eye. The second features Sherrill Holmes, a descendant of the great Sherlock. Which book captures your attention first? Which immediately brings thoughts to your mind?

I’m betting it will be the “Holmes.” Resonance is the reason. Whether you liked the Holmes stories or not, you recognize the name. It carries weight. It already evokes thoughts of detectives where “Harmon” is a cipher. “Holmes” impacts like Harmon cannot, at least for most people.

Some names carry powerful resonance even when separated from the historical figures who wore them. Consider “Moses,” or “Jesus.” What personal and physical traits do you automatically assign to a character named Moses? Does “Moses” suggest someone who is strong willed? What about “Morris?” Resonance gives your character “Moses” power the moment his name is put on the page. Not so much for “Morris.”

Resonance can be negative, as well, though. Take “Adolph.” Think very carefully if you decide to give your character that name. Most people will automatically associate “Adolph” with mass murder, concentration camps, and war.

Even fictional names can develop resonance. “Sherlock” has it. “Conan” has it. What do you think of when you hear the name “Homer?” Homer of the Odyssey or Homer Simpson? I bet you thought of one of them. For The Simpson’s fan, the name Homer is going to evoke a certain level of dumbness.

How many thrillers have you seen with Nazis in them? Nazis have resonance. And I wonder how much resonance had to do with the phenomenal success of The Da Vinci Code? Leonardo Da Vinci himself. Jesus. Mary Magdalene. The Catholic Church. The Vatican. Opus Dei. “The Last Supper.” All of these have resonance.

For adults, everyday words already come with varying degrees of resonance. What images come to mind when you hear concrete nouns like “blood,” “snow,” “death,” “lover,” or “child?” When I hear the word “blood,” I don’t just think of the liquid; I think of life itself, and of a color, and of violence. For me, “child” brings thoughts of my son, Joshua, pitching baseball, riding his bike, laughing and playing. Resonate nouns make more powerful engines for your prose.

Some abstract nouns, like “freedom,” or “violence,” can develop powerful resonance, but they are still different from concrete nouns in the specificity of images they evoke. Other abstract words evoke little: “humanist” or “theorist.”

Consciously or unconsciously, many writers in the past have used resonance in naming their characters. Mike Hammer. Sam Spade. Or consider the wealth of fictional characters named some variation of “Cain.” Unfortunately, this has been overused and I’m not sure you want to name your characters “Stone,” or “Steele,” or “Wolfe,” or “Hawke” anymore. Here, resonance has been lost because of overuse, or has been transferred from positive to negative.

Resonance is a writer’s tool just as much as punctuation and grammar. You just need to consider what resonances you’re evoking as you write. Should your character fly the “Stars and Stripes?” Should they be from “New York?” Should they be described with terms that evoke the “tiger,” or those that evoke the “snake?” There’s no real right or wrong answer. There are only resonances: positive and negative, and sometimes both.

Balance

How do you make all of the parts of your life even out, keep everyone happy, including yourself? You have children, a husband, another career, and family obligations, what do you do when your muse starts to talk to you and all you want to do is slip into your cave and write for days at a time?

I find keeping everyone happy, including myself to be a delicate balancing art and there a days that I don't always do an effective job. Although I don't have any children, I have a husband that expects time with me. I also have elderly family members that need me to do a million things for them in order to keep them as healthy as possible. Along with those obligations, I have a career that can be demanding at times, plus four nieces and one nephew that believe I belong to them.

As writers, what tricks do you use to make it all fit together? How do you keep everyone happy, including yourself?

I'd love to hear from you.