So,

Last week I went to a one day writer’s conference at Wesleyan University.  I took away bits of knowledge both useful and some not so useful.  One of the things that I thought wouldn’t be useful is something I am working with right now, as I am in the process of revising a manuscript for an agent, so I guess it was useful after all.  That will teach me to scoff at anything published novelists tell me to do.

Anyway, at the end of the day we were brought in to hear an agent and editor panel speak about the publishing industry.  The entire session was very informative.  One of the things they asked is how many of us in the room bought debut fiction lately… about four hands out of forty went up.  Then the agent asked who bought more than two books by new authors this year.  No hands went up.  Then she said something that floored me “We can’t sell you as debut authors if no one is buying debut fiction.  If you want to get published, do your part and buy some books written by people like you.”

I have to admit, at first I was a bit defensive.  I  shifted in my chair and thought… I have no money to go out and buy 100$ worth of books per year… who does she think she is? And then I started to think about it.  She is right.

How can we expect people to get excited about our work, if we are not out there looking at new work ourselves?  We can learn so much about what is getting published and we can even connect with these new authors and network through their blogs etc. etc.

And so, I have decided to buy some debut fiction.  I get to read, network, and see what the market feels like.  And, in a truly karmic sense… perhaps (If my work gets published) someone like me will give my debut novel a chance.

If you would like to read more about the conference click here for my personal post.

What do you think?  Do you buy debut fictiction?  Do you think we should?

Bookmark This

We have added yet another Girl with a Pen!

Michelle Witte

Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!

Thank you so much for joining us!

Bookmark This

If the answer is yes, congratulations!!!

If you are not one already, you are all set to be the next breakout novelist.

If not, however, this post is for you….

In the course of the current project I’m working on, one of the best tips came from renowned literary agent, Donald Maass, who says in his “Writing the Breakout Novel”:

“Without doubt the most common flaw I see in manuscripts from beginners and mid-career novelists alike is the failure to invest every page of a novel with tension. Low tension equals low interest. High tension equals high interest. The ratio is mathematic, the result positive…”

In short, you need to keep the reader hooked throughout. This will bring you an agent/ publication/ sales. That does not necessarily mean cliff-hangers on every page (though that works for some people)!

So what works? Other than the obvious advice on “making your character suffer” and “how can things get worse?”, here are a few things Maass has to offer:

No low tension scenes: Axiomatic, this one, but all of us have such scenes in our first drafts. The protagonist should not be caught mulling over things or summarizing them in the shower/with a cup of coffee/ while driving/ (fill your scene of choice here). Unless, of course, there is an interior monologue that introduces some sort of conflict.

So, sequential narratives are out–no factual descriptions of a character’s routine from dawn to dusk, except cases where he or she is being followed by a hired killer staking them out!

Use premises with inherent tension and gut emotional appeal: If your hero turns out to be the anti-hero, or if your heroine is trying to hide her child from his father fearing abuse or kidnap, to use a few cliché examples, the story has inherent possibilities of tension. Take it to an original level, and you have a tension churner.

Include conflict, however under the surface, or small: It could be a daughter who is not letting on to her mother that she feels hurt, or the heroine failing to hail a taxi–each of your pages ought to be the playground of two forces/attitudes/desires/ opinions/ clashing against each other, with drama or without.

Give your character high human worth, then test it: Sometimes it works to put a character’s morals in danger instead of her life. If you build up the character’s moral stance on a subject and then challenge it, you can raise the stakes and retain tension over a range of pages.

So the next time you are revising your novel, check each page for tension quotient. If a page scores 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, it is time to rethink the scene/ episode/ dialogue/ description, and introduce tension into the equation.

Bookmark This

Today, we’d like to Welcome two more Girls With Pens!

Suzanne M. Palmieri

and

Eden Tyler

We are so happy to have them!

Bookmark This

I’m relatively new to the writing scene. I only have one book–and it’s not even complete. But lately I’ve found myself growing bored with the story. I know where I want things to go–it’s just getting there that’s the problem.

That’s why I love Tuesday Storybook Pictures. Sarah posts these each Tuesday and I’ve come up with several starts to future projects. In fact, my blurb from the post two weeks ago, has turned into 5,000 words.

So my question is, at what point do you move on to a new project? Is it something that comes and you just have to get it down on paper? Or something that you really search for and write until it starts flowing? How many starts to new novels do you have?

I once heard something along the lines that it takes about five novels before you get published.

How close are you?

Bookmark This

Top 5 Benefits of Working Out for Writers

MarcilLall video

You probably already know that working out has great benefits. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old; the positive effects of working out are the same for everyone. There are different ways of working out including running, walking, cycling, weight lifting, dancing, and aerobics. How often you workout affects how good your health is. Did you know that exercising on a daily basis can actually save your life and prevent potential deadly illness like diabetes and heart disease? It limits your chances of becoming obese and provides a natural high that no other drug can match – seriously! Working out is an essential part of life, and we all need to participate.

Here are some specific positive effects that you’ll get when working out:

1. It gets your blood flowing. When your blood flow is increased, it raises the amount of oxygen to the brain. This is what helps you to think clearer and easier. Increased blood flow also promotes the release of endorphins and natural painkillers, making you naturally feel good all over. Once your blood flows better throughout your body, it decreases your chance for heart attacks and helps you lose weight a lot easier by increasing your metabolism.

2. Working out increases the creative and natural thought processes. When you participate in any form of physical exercise, it naturally boosts your mood. This in turn creates a happier sense of being and causes your creative and natural thought processes to flow more freely and easily. It has been said that persons of a more creative nature will oftentimes use body movements to overcome “blocks”. This therefore relates exercise to be very effective in creative thinking because of the movements it involves.

3. Working out helps to improve your mood. When you exercise, your brain releases certain hormones such has serotonin (in women) and testosterone (in men), which have been proven to elevate mood. There have also been studies that have shown a very strong link to diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders to a lack of exercise.

4. Exercise reduces muscle tension and stiffness. People oftentimes believe that too much physical activity is what causes them to be stiff or sore. This is not always the case. Not enough exercise and general movement can cause one’s body to develop stiffness, soreness, cramps, and tension. Exercise is one of the body’s natural ways of releasing built up tension and stress. When done on a regular basis, working out can relieve and help prevent knots and tension that have been built up from stress, prolonged sitting, and prolonged standing.

5. Working out on a regular basis can provide you with a mental break. Say for instance, you are the type who finds yourself getting stressed way too easily. By walking, running, or lifting weights, you can find ways to eliminate those negative energies. Or, for example, you might have an anger problem. Getting a punching bag or taking karate classes are both great outlets for this type of negative emotion. Even if you just need a place to escape to, walking alone on the track or working out a gym can provide you with a wonderful coping mechanism and peace of mind that you will find no place else.

As you can see, the benefits of working out really are worth the short amount of time and energy that you have to put in.  Especially if you would like t see your writing and focus improve.  Thousands of scientists, doctors, and manufacturers have tried to create medicines that match up to the natural feelings of happiness, peace, and serenity that we experience from exercise. Still, there is no exact match that’s identical to the long-term benefits that working out provides. Doctors are steadily prescribing exercise to patients for better, healthier, and happier lives. Who can blame them? Exercise is the overall treatment for a better well-being and for your writing.

Marci Lall

Our guest blogger is a personal trainer in Toronto who focuses on helping women lose weight and sculpt their bodies.

Bookmark This