70 Solutions To Common Writing Mistakes

s n o i t u l o S om to C mo ng i t i n Wr BOB MAY ER es k a t Mis s n o i t u l o S om to C mo ng i t i n Wr BY BOB M www.writersdigest.com Cincinnati, Ohio AYER es k a t Mis 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes © 2007 by Bob Mayer Manufactured in China All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review Published by Writer’s Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 (800) 289-0963 First edition Visit our Web sites at www.writersdigest.com and www.wdeditors.com for information on more resources for writers To receive a free weekly e-mail newsletter delivering tips and updates about writing and about Writer’s Digest products, register directly at our Web site at http:// newsletters.fwpublications.com 11 10 09 08 07 54321 Distributed in Canada by Fraser Direct, 100 Armstrong Avenue, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada L7G 5S4, Tel: (905) 877-4411; Distributed in the U.K and Europe by David & Charles, Brunel House, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 4PU, England, Tel: (+44) 1626 323200, Fax: (+44) 1626 323319, E-mail: postmaster@davidandcharles.co.uk; Distributed in Australia by Capricorn Link, P.O Box 704, Windsor, NSW 2756 Australia, Tel: (02) 4577-3555 ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-442-2 ISBN-10: 1-58297-442-X Edited by Kelly Nickell Designed by Claudean Wheeler Production coordinated by Mark Griin About the Author New York Times best-selling author Bob Mayer has thirty-three books published under his own name and the pen name Robert Doherty Bob graduated from West Point and served in the military as a Special Forces A-Team leader and a teacher at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School, experiences he drew on to write Who Dares Wins: Special Forces Tactics for Building the Winning A-Team He also teaches novel writing for colleges, workshops, and conferences, based on his Novel Writer’s Toolkit, published by Writer’s Digest Books Bob has more than two million books in print, including his latest novel, Don’t Look Down, co-authored with Jennifer Crusie He lives on a barrier island of the coast of South Carolina For more information see www.bobmayer.org or www.crusiemayer.com for the infamous He Wrote/She Wrote blog TABLE OF CONTENTS Part I: Habits Not Starting 10 Not Finishing 12 MisusingWriter’s Groups 14 Forgetting the Reader .16 hinking You’re the Exception to the Rule 18 Not Breaking Rules .20 An Unwillingness to Learn 22 Letting Your Ego Run Amok 24 Not Understanding the Diference Between Craftsman and Artist 25 10 Waiting for the Mood to Strike .26 11 Not Managing Your Time Correctly .28 12 Failing to Learn From the Masters 30 Part II: The Idea 13 Not Having an Idea hat’s Diferent Enough 32 14 Not Doing Enough Work Prior to Starting Your Actual Writing .34 15 Not Being Able to Succinctly Say What Your Work Is About 36 16 Not Knowing What Your heme/Intent Is 38 17 Not Knowing Who Your Audience Is 40 18 Playing Out Your Personal Demons on the Page 42 Part III: The Story/Plot 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Not Having a Hook 44 Telling, Not Showing 45 Overusing Setup .46 Not Having an Inciting Incident 48 Not Escalating the Conlict 50 Misusing Flashbacks and Memories .52 Overplaying Emotions 54 Saying the Same hing Over and Over 56 Lecturing the Reader 57 Part IV: Scene & Structure 28 29 30 31 Writing Incidents, Not Scenes .58 Using Bad Dialogue Tags .60 Handling Point of View Incorrectly 61 Not Understanding the Limitations of First-Person POV 62 32 Failing to Create Substantial Conlict 64 33 Not Setting Your Scenes 66 Part V: Characters 34 Not Understanding hat Character Is Preeminent 68 35 Using Contrived Conlict to Bring Your Characters Together 70 36 Not Understanding Your Characters’ Motivations 72 37 38 39 40 41 42 Making All Your Characters Sound and Act the Same 74 Picking theWrong Character Names 75 Creating a Stagnant Protagonist 76 Creating a Weak Antagonist 78 Creating Too Many Characters .80 Not Recognizing Your Characters’ Needs and Flaws 82 Part VI: Editing & Rewriting 43 44 45 46 Falling in Love With Your Bad Writing 84 Overediting and Removing Subconscious Seeds .85 Listening to Too Much Feedback 86 Not Moving On 87 Part VII: Selling Your WOrk 47 Using the Copyright Symbol and Other Subconscious Negatives 88 48 Failing to Use Basic Formatting 90 49 Choosing Bad Titles .91 50 Writing a Bad Query Letter 92 51 Writing a Bad Synopsis 93 52 Not Putting Together a Strong Noniction Proposal 94 53 Not Knowing the Magazine Market 96 54 Paying for an Agent to Read Your Work 97 55 Not Using Rejection in a Positive Way 98 56 Comparing Your Book to a Best-Selling Work 100 57 Stalking 101 58 Buying In to the We-hey Attitude 102 59 Writing for the Market 104 60 Taking Any Deal 106 Part VIII: THe Publishing Business 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 Staying Home 108 Not Learning Patience 109 Not Sharing Your Knowledge and Expertise 110 Not Using Conferences Correctly 112 Not Staying Up-to-Date on the Business 114 Getting Scammed 116 Not Marketing Yourself and Your Book 118 Not Respecting Yourself as a Writer 120 Not Having a Professional Web Site 122 Quitting 124 Habits The solution: Start anywhere While the opening line, page, and Not Starting Why this is a mistake: If you don’t start you can never inish Completing any writing project, particularly a novel, is a daunting prospect Many people become frozen by the prospect Others keep waiting for the right time Some wait for the spark of inspiration Even experienced writers ind it is easier to anything other than actually write Many people say, “I’ve always wanted to write a novel/how-to book/ noniction narrative/a magazine article.” hey’re called wannabes Don’t be a wannabe 10 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes chapter of a book is critical, remember you can always change the opening upon rewriting So after doing the correct preparations (covered further on), pick the best possible start point at the moment and just begin writing he right time is now his minute he right time can be while sitting in the airport waiting for your light, which is where I’m writing this You provide not only the spark of inspiration, but also the fuel to sustain it You cannot look outward for these things No one else is going to make you write If you study successful writers, you will ind that many began writing at what appeared to be inopportune times—not when all the stars were lined up and things were perfect Often they began writing when the timing seemed the absolute worst his might actually be the best time to write If you wait for the perfect time, it will never come So You’ve just started reading a book about writing mistakes If you have always wanted to write but have never written what you want to, you’ve made the irst mistake and it’s easily correctable Open a blank Word document; grab a blank piece of paper and pencil (we’re not that perfect); open a vein and start bleeding onto the page Part I: Habits 11 The solution: Suck it up Keep those new ideas and exciting oth- Not Finishing Why this is a mistake: Kind of obvious, isn’t it? But starting a project is so much more interesting than slugging through the entire thing he middle section of any piece of writing, whether it be a novel, narrative noniction, a magazine article, even a short story, is almost always kind of hard to work on he excitement of generating the idea—the lure of the beginning, writing something new— isn’t there, and the lure of the inishing line is as far away as the shiver of the beginning It’s always easy to get sidetracked by a new idea while you’re in the midst of working on something It’s also easy for a writer to just about anything other than write Check e-mail, go out and walk the dog, laundry, take a nap, research, market—anything I’ve always said the hardest aspect of the job of being a writer is writing he Myers-Briggs personality test classiies people as either process oriented or result oriented If you are a process person, you might have a problem getting to the end of a project 12 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes er projects at bay For the professional writer who is under contract this is a bit easier because you know your paycheck hangs in the balance, but even then, I know many authors who have a hell of a time bringing a project in on deadline For the writer who isn’t under contract this isn’t quite the case But understand you won’t ever get that contract if you don’t inish a project If you are one of those people focused on the process and not the end result, igure out a system whereby you can reward yourself by getting to the end Make the end, make finishing, part of the process What I mean by this is that you not allow yourself to move on to another project, another process, until you finish whatever project you are currently working on he bottom line is simply forcing yourself to sit down and plug away at it Knocking out words regardless of how you feel A one-hundredthousand-word novel might take a year or several years, and then you just come to “he End” one day But it takes hundreds of days to get to “he End.” As a writer you have to put in those hundreds of days Part I: Habits 13 The solution: Be very particular with any group you decide to Misusing join It is very helpful if the group has at least one or two published and professional writers in it to give some guidance and to keep it on track A group must have rules to help its members avoid descent into unbridled hacking and slashing One rule to follow is that you cannot critique content, only style What this means is that whatever subject someone wants to write about is her business and not open for judgment by the group Another rule is to balance negative and positive comments Another rule is to be speciic about comments, to not ofer “I just don’t like it.” Why this is a mistake: Writing is a lonely profession Many Balance the amount of time you spend with a writer’s group against the amount of time you spend writing,with the majority toward the latter Writer’s Groups writers lock to writer’s groups that meet in person every so often— or more so these days, online writer’s groups Elsewhere I’m going to talk about the importance of networking, and writer’s groups can be useful in that regard, but they can also be a negative inluence if used improperly In fact, if there are no professional writers in the group, a writer’s group can be a case of the blind leading the blind Sometimes (often in some bad groups), if egos are not controlled, the best writers are often torn down (either consciously, or more often, subconsciously) because they are a threat to the majority of the other writers in the room Also, people can waste valuable time getting critiqued and critiquing rather than writing For novel writers, a group can be troublesome in that a novel is a very large and timeconsuming project, and a group can have a hard time keeping track of such a large endeavor Also consider a small, tight group rather than a large group Make sure the group you are in is oriented toward your type of writing and not scattered When you go to writer’s conferences, consider the people you meet there as possible writing partners, or as people with whom you might form a small writing community, whether local or online If you are a member of a writer’s group, stop every so often and evaluate the efectiveness of the group with regard to your writing, both in terms of creativity and business-wise While the group might emotionally fulill some need you have, is it fulilling its true purpose? (For tips on starting your own writer’s group, see Appendix F of he Mini Market Book.) 14 Part I: Habits 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes 15 The solution: A writer’s job is to get something that is inside her own head into the reader’s head through the sole medium of the printed word hus the writer must focus on the words and the afect those words are going to have on the reader’s thoughts and emotions, particularly the latter Forgetting the Reader Why this is a mistake: he ultimate consumer of any form of writing is the reader Yet too often writers focus on people other than the reader he biggest mistake a writer can make is focusing on herself here’s no point in writing something down for someone else to read if the only person you care about is yourself Too often, writers end up telling their own story, thinly disguised as iction his is called the ictional memoir Readers have their own lives— lives that are of much more interest to them than someone else’s, unless that other person’s story is told in an exceptional manner or is of an extraordinary nature Sad to say, most people’s lives are not as interesting as they think they are 16 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes No matter what type of writing you are doing,you have to remember how that writing is received by the reader If you are a technical writer, consider how your information is being processed by the reader’s brain If you are writing an instruction manual, have several people read what you’ve written as they try to follow your instructions, and see if they can accomplish the task When writing iction, pretend you are the reader and that you know nothing about the story other than what you’ve read from the irst word of the irst sentence Are you hooked? Is there escalating conlict? Suspense? Are you engaged with the characters of the story? Do you want to know what happens next? Of course, you the author, care about what you’re writing he key is making the reader care Part I: Habits 17 The solution: Learn the rules Accept that, initially, you’re not go- Thinking You’re the Exception to the Rule Why this is a mistake: his is where things start to get sticky Too many beginning writers want to be artists before they learn the craft of writing hey think they can whatever they want because, after all, it’s “just writing.” hey go to the bookstore and see books published in which, for example, the author uses no punctuation So, they believe, there are no rules ing to be in a position to much rule breaking Accept that there are reasons there are rules Accept that those people who strange and bizarre things to draw attention to themselves, draw attention to themselves that they really don’t want to have Also accept that you don’t know the full story behind the successes of those people who broke the rules here is an inside story to everything, and when you get further into the business of writing, sometimes you learn that the rule-breakers were successful for reasons other than the apparent ones Whatever type of writing you want to be successful in, accept that you need to work your way up in the craft by learning the basics, the rules.Writing is like any other profession in this way Actually, there are rules here are rules as far as grammar and punctuation here are also rules to craft here are rules to the business And writers, especially those trying to break in, best not believe they are the exception to the rules (even though, as you will see shortly, there are indeed exceptions to every rule) here is a tendency for people to think most artists are overnight successes While there are some, they are the exception to the rule But you aren’t Not yet 18 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part I: Habits 19 Comparing Stalking Your to a Best-Selling Why this is a mistake: Who likes to be stalked? Agents and edi- Book Work Why this is a mistake: Some how-to-sell books and articles sug- gest that you compare your work to something that is easily recognizable and best-selling I’m not saying that doing so is absolutely wrong, but I am suggesting that it’s dangerous and potentially selfdefeating Agents and editors may have an immediate gut reaction and think, “No, your book isn’t as good.” hey are also going look for ways your work doesn’t measure up to the work you’re comparing it to And they will ind them, because, frankly, your work most likely isn’t going to be as good as the best-selling work In addition, the best-selling book or author is already out there selling, so why they need your book, which is supposedly just like it? The solution: Don’t directly compare your work If you’re going to this, perhaps say your work is in the vein of another book, and then explain how it is diferent If you know that a particular agent or editor works with a particular author, and you can mention this, you will show you’ve done your homework But compare in a way that shows how your work is diferent, not how your work is the same 100 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes tors certainly don’t, and neither authors Every editor and agent has at least one stalking story to tell Most are humorous, but some of them are scary And who hasn’t heard the infamous story of an overeager writer shoving her manuscript under the bathroom stall? here are levels to stalking Some people push too hard to try to sell themselves and their writing Socializing is an important aspect of conferences, but that doesn’t mean you stand there pitching over cocktails—no matter how tempting No one will want to come near you The solution: here are obvious times when it is inappropriate to pitch your writing, such as when an editor or agent is with a current client Don’t be overbearing Let other people talk about themselves Invite them in Let them ask you about your book Let the quality of your writing and your idea speak for itself If someone isn’t interested in it, let it go You can’t force your writing on an editor or agent Let a social situation be a social situation and don’t force it to become an awkward business one I always say the diference between being aggressive and obnoxious is that the aggressive person has a good manuscript and the obnoxious person has a bad manuscript hat’s not very helpful in that we all think we have a good manuscript, but the bottom line is not to hurt your good manuscript with obnoxious social behavior Part VII: Selling Your Work 101 Buying In to the We-They Attitude The solution: Instead of seeing agents and editors as the enemy, embrace them as allies Frankly, seeing them as enemies is profoundly self-defeating Everyone has the same goal: to publish good books When an agent or editor gets treated as a partner in the process, she tends to become less a gate-keeper and more of a facilitator Remember that agents and editors are people, too They’re just trying to their jobs in a difficult business Try to keep their perspective in mind when you approach them Doing so just might put you ahead of the pack Why this is a mistake: In any gathering of authors, sooner or later you pick up a we-they attitude, where authors seem to be on one side, and editors and agents and publishers seem to be on the other, as if the two groups were enemies locked in an eternal battle It’s almost as if would-be authors see agents and editors as allied to keep them from being published But this just isn’t the case— without authors, who would agents and editors publish? Publishers need writers, and the agents and editors know that and respect writers Well, most of them he majority of this we-they attitude seems to come from unpublished writers who see agents and editors, correctly to an extent, as the gate-keepers to the world of being published 102 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part VII: Selling Your Work 103 Writing for the Market Why this is a mistake: It’s already too late to write for today’s market Book-length publishing is a three-year-ahead business for a writer Even magazine writing requires quite a bit of lead time So what’s hot now might not be hot when you’re ready to start submitting In fact, it probably won’t be Many people try to ride the latest writing fad, which means you’ll be lost among the crowd Also, when you’re writing for the market, you’re probably not writing what is important to you, and this usually results in writing that’s shallow and not the best quality The solution: I was listening to a panel at a recent Romance Writ- tions seemed to be a variation of the same thing: “What’s hot?” and “What’s selling?” which is the same as “What are publishers buying?” I hear that a lot at conferences And I’m not slamming it But I’m not too thrilled with it either Because underneath it is the feeling that if someone said, “You know, vampire-lesbian-nun-slasher-paranormal novels where the hero is redeemed and becomes a monk at the end are really hot and selling,” there would be ten such books cranked out within two weeks of conference, whether or not those authors gave a damn about writing V-L-N-S-P monk redemption novels I think the questions of what’s hot and what’s selling come out of a degree of frustration with publishing (which is bad) and also a degree of business savvy (which is good) But that business savvy can be taken too far, and often is I wrote military techno-thrillers in the late 1980s hat was stupid business-savvy wise In the early and mid ’90s when those books came out, the military techno-thriller market collapsed Only two or three writers survived, and even a lot of the ones who had been best-sellers went under or had to ind new genres to write in But—I got published And I learned about writing Even though my career kind of sucked because I was in a not-hot ield But I was writing what I wanted to, and I think that’s why I got published Lawyer books were very hot then I imagine I could have written one of those But you know what? My lawyer book, if I’d written one simply because the market was hot, would have sucked and never gotten published It’s a vicious catch-22 Write what you really want to write, what you’re passionate about regardless of market ers of America event where participants were asking questions of a couple of agents and an editor from Harlequin And all the ques- 104 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part VII: Selling Your Work 105 Taking Any Deal Why this is a mistake: his is such a hard and crazy business that writers tend to take any deal a publisher ofers his is akin to taking the irst marriage proposal you receive from the irst stranger you meet You wouldn’t it in your personal life, and you shouldn’t it in your professional life And you know the “til death you part” thing? hat’s what it feels like sometimes Novice writers don’t understand that a bad deal is much worse than no deal When you sign a contract, you are locked in I know best-selling authors who have the yoke of a bad contract signed decades earlier still haunting them 106 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes The solution: his is where it’s helpful to have an agent But if you’re going it solo, remember to think long-term before you sign any deal Don’t get greedy Consider more than just the money Consider a contract in terms of your career as a writer, even if you have no career to speak of at the time Imagine that you do, and imagine what this contract will look like in ten years You have a negotiating position Many writers feel they don’t hey think that if they don’t sign the contract, the publisher will simply ofer the contract to someone else Perhaps the publisher will hen just igure that some other author will be stuck with the bad contract It’s a hard mindset to develop as a writer, but sooner or later, preferably sooner, you’ve got to start treating yourself with some respect, because if you don’t, no one else will I’ve found this particularly true when dealing with Hollywood You have to be prepared to walk away And you have to walk away when necessary Hard as it is to believe, no deal is better than a bad deal Part VII: Selling Your Work 107 The Publishing Business Staying Home Why this is a mistake: Writers tend to be introverts We like to sit by ourselves and create with words We’re not fond of crowds and gatherings of people In a perfect world, we would create our masterpieces, send them out, have a check sent to us, and never have to leave our house hat is also one of the biggest mistakes a writer can make Early in my career I used to actually boast that I had never met my agent or my editor face to face hat writing was a business you could conduct without faceto-face meetings It is, but not one you can conduct well in that manner Writers tend to over-rely on e-mail It has made us lazy And it was stupid of me to sit at home and not meet my agent and editors face to face The solution: It’s always better to put a face to a person It is Not Learning Patience Why this is a mistake: If you’re a type-A personality, publish- ing just might beat that out of you You can’t make anyone anything faster than they’re going to it Trying to push agents or editors to work faster than they’re planning on working can only earn you a negative image Calling every day to check on a submission isn’t a good idea In fact, it’s a terrible idea While the saying is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, in publishing it’s more likely the squeaky wheel gets tossed in the trash bin worth the expense and time to make the journey to sit down and have a lunch with your agent, even if there is no speciic business to be discussed I’ve heard it said there are six hundred people in the publishing business I think there are more than that, but the longer I’m in it, the more I keep seeing the same people again and again I also know that I’m still in publishing not just because I learned the craft, but also because I got out of the house and made personal contact with people I’ve gotten business deals because of some of these meetings And it’s not just going to meet editors and agents It’s also going to conferences, joining professional organizations, and even meeting other authors when they come through your town on their book tours Get out there! The solution: Let people their jobs Your job as the writer is to 108 Part VIII: The Publishing Business 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes write Let agents agent and editors edit hat isn’t to say you shouldn’t stay on top of things and check in, but don’t be excessive and irritating about it his also isn’t to say that when you get a window of opportunity you shouldn’t leap Every once in a while, something may appear If you have an excellent one-on-one meeting with an agent at a conference and she wants to see your manuscript, don’t wait a year before sending it in I watched a TV show season inale the other night that had a lot of similarities to a series of books I have the rights to, and I immediately e-mailed my agent to see if there was something we could as cross-promotion Odds are nothing will come of it, but when opportunities present themselves, jump 109 Not Sharing Your Knowledge and Expertise placed Which is, of course, wrong Because any writing advice given, any knowledge shared, will be processed through another writer’s own experiences and craft and artistry and end up being something completely diferent The solution: Because writing is such an individual and lonely business, it can be easy to slip into a bunker mentality here is also a tendency in certain genres for writers to develop a good ol’ boy, incestuous network that keeps others on the outside his works all right for a chosen few, but not for most he reality is that the world of writing is so diverse that competition really doesn’t exist It’s best to share your knowledge and expertise with other writers and in turn learn what they have to share with you Why this is a mistake: People have a tendency to be afraid of losing out to others, and they sometimes sense they are competing in the workplace However, I have not found that to be true in publishing Yes, at one time Fabio did get a two-book deal from Avon at the same time I was rejected by Avon for a book, but I really don’t think it came down to them deciding between the two of us Okay, maybe it did, and his hair was better here are writers who feel protective of their work and their talent, whatever it might be hey feel that if they share it, somehow they are giving out gold bullion from a secret stockpile that cannot be re- 110 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part VIII: The Publishing Business 111 Not Using Conferences Correctly Why this is a mistake: Too many writers view conferences sim- ply as a place to sell their work hey march in with their cards printed up, with a stack of cover letters and synopses, and plan on going home with a book contract And 99.9 percent of those people go home very disappointed he odds of landing a book contract at a conference are miniscule Yes, you hear those urban publishing legends And that’s what they are: legends Writers also go to conferences focused too much on editors and agents and not enough on the writers on the faculty Too often editors and agents will sit on panels and spend the entire time telling you what they don’t want and how to make their jobs easier Writers also tend not to look left and right at the other attendees— overlooking a wealth of knowledge and networking possibilities 112 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes The solution: You should look at conferences primarily as learn- ing experiences Go to workshops based on whether the speaker has something you want Be open to learning something new If a speaker says something that bothers you, focus on it he more it bothers you, the more you should focus on it If it makes you very angry, write it down, because the odds are, it’s hitting your blind spot as a writer and touching on a truth you need to delve into to become better Treat the volunteers—and they are almost always volunteers running conferences—well Volunteer yourself hey are usually looking for someone to make runs to the airport to pick up presenters What better way to get some time alone with an editor, agent, or author? You also should view the informal conference time as very valuable networking time Make a list of everyone you make contact with, both professionally and personally You will be surprised who you will run in to again, even many years down the line Make notes about the people Unpublished people you chat with now will be on the best-seller lists years from now Perhaps you will be, too Part VIII: The Publishing Business 113 While I noted elsewhere that you shouldn’t necessarily write to the current market and you can’t predict the future market, you should still stay abreast of the market and the business Not Staying Up-to-Date on the Business Why this is a mistake: Like any other business, publishing is lu- id hings change I’ve seen authors and even agents get left behind in the business as the marketplace, technology, and even consumer tastes changed Too often writers work of of out-of-date templates A magazine writer, for example, has to see what a magazine wants now, not what it wanted a year ago, and, actually, what the trend for the future is, as the magazine is actually buying a half-year to a year out Publishers are buying books that they will be publishing years into the future 114 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Writers frequently feel like their job is simply to write, and the business end will sort itself out These writers end up getting sorted out of the business entirely The solution: Stay informed Subscribe to free e-newsletters like the one from Publishers Lunch (www.publisherslunch.com), and read industry publications like Publishers Weekly Conferences are also a good way to stay abreast of news inside your particular area of writing Networking, of course, is important, as noted elsewhere Online chat groups that are linked to your type of writing can be valuable as well (See Appendix I in he Mini Market Book for a list of helpful Web sites.) Part VIII: The Publishing Business 115 The solution: Caveat emptor were the watchwords in the Ro- Getting Scammed Why this is a mistake: Many writers feel frustrated And des- perate hey look at other writers who get published and they tend not to see much diference between their own work and published authors’ work Frustrated and desperate people are easy targets for scammers here are plenty of people out there more than willing to relieve wannabe authors of their money Just consider some poetry contests, certain vanity presses, book doctors, fee-charging agents, and numerous other agencies all promising to help the writer gain the ever-elusive goal of publication man Empire, and they still ring true Let the buyer beware he irst thing I would really be leery of is anyone who promises to get you published Unless they lat out tell you up front that they are a vanity press, they are trying to pull some sort of ruse on you If you just want to see your name on a book jacket, then go to a self-publisher and it straight up here’s absolutely no reason to play a game with a fee-charging agent who gets a kickback, or a press that wafles on the point of whether they are a real publisher I always recommend getting references from whoever wants to take your money Talk to others who have used the service in question and see what level of satisfaction they have If the service is not willing to give you references—whatever the excuse—walk away he key to not getting scammed is knowing your goal and then comparing that to what is being ofered Don’t be in a rush and allow your emotions to overrule your good reason Put aside your frustration, no matter how hard that is to do, and avoid taking the easy road to publication Getting published, no matter what the format (magazine or book), is not easy Yes, there is a degree of luck involved, but there is also a large degree of craft and persistence, so focus on the factors you control, which are learning the craft and sticking to it It is difficult to tell the difference between those who can really help you and those who just want to take your money without Providing substantive aid in return 116 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part VIII: The Publishing Business 117 Not Marketing Yourself and Your Book You can use any of a number of techniques to market your book (See also the books written entirely on this topic.) • • • • Web site: An absolute must Blog: An inexpensive, but time-intensive endeavor Direct mailings: Probably not cost-efective for iction Media outlets: he best bang for your buck, time and cost wise But it can be very diicult to garner media interest for iction unless you have a unique hook hink about how many times you see iction writers on media However, there is a magazine out there for everything Talk radio is also good if you can igure out a reason a show would want to book you • Hand-selling: Very diicult unless you have the personality to it • Book signings: Not as fun as you think they are Mostly done to meet the booksellers • Controversy: Depends on whether you’re willing to sell your soul to the devil here is a balance, though, that needs to be struck between marketing your published book and writing your next book Why this is a mistake: Writers tend to think that promotion and marketing is the job of other people, and in a perfect world it would be Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world Sometimes you may ind you’re the only PR department your book has The solution: Promotion is the bane of a writer’s existence but also an absolute necessity Even if your publisher is 100 percent behind your book, you should still everything possible to promote it 118 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part VIII: The Publishing Business 119 Not Respecting Yourself as a Writer an A-Team leader in the Special Forces, and I can say that writing is overall more intense than any them because it is self-generated here really isn’t an outside pressure he only downtime I get as a writer is when I make a decision to have down time Still, even after hitting the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly best-sellers lists, I get sort of a blank stare when I tell people I’m a writer hey ask my name, and then comes the inevitable response: “Never heard of you.” Many people don’t think it’s that hard to be a writer hey see a book that they can read in a couple of hours and igure it can’t have been that diicult to knock out hey don’t understand it takes a year or more of bleeding onto the page to create it Ultimately, it’s up to you to respect yourself as an author and to draw your own boundaries If you write, you’re a writer To a certain degree, being published is a matter of luck, so don’t let that get you down Call yourself a writer and respect yourself Why this is a mistake: Some people almost seem apologetic when they say they’re writers Especially if they’re not yet published If you don’t respect yourself as a writer, who will? The solution: Writing is a strange job Most of the time we’re sit- ting around, staring of into space If someone wanders by, he thinks we’re doing nothing I’ve held several diferent jobs, including being 120 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part VIII: The Publishing Business 121 do-it-yourself kits available, there is an art to Web site design just like there is an art to writing, and if computers really aren’t your thing, it might be worth it to consult with those who know the art Not Having a Professional Consider the goal of your Web site What are you trying to achieve with it? Are you primarily promoting yourself, or your writing? he two are not necessarily the same thing For a while I was doing too much with my Web site, trying to promote my books, my speaking career, my teaching, etc When your message is too broad, it doesn’t get across So the irst thing is to decide what your goal is As with most other things, less is more here is often a desire to go with all the bells and whistles that can be loaded on a Web site these days, but think about how you feel when you hit a site that takes forever to load You want an opening page that is just that: a single page that requires little to no scrolling A good spin-of marketing tool from your Web site is an e-mail list you can use for a newsletter his is another very cost-efective marketing tool Web Site Why this is a mistake: A Web presence is a must for a writer Yet too many writers have none, or they consider it a secondary priority and put forth a presence that shows minimal interest or efort The solution: Your Web site is probably going to be the way most people get an impression of you, so it behooves you to put time, efort, and money into making sure it represents you well While there are 122 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part VIII: The Publishing Business 123 simply shrugged and said “Not enough ire,” and turned his back he young man was crushed and quit his career as a musician He went on to other things with his life Many years later he met that master at some other function and relayed this story he master was quite surprised and shrugged once more and said: “I tell everyone that If my simple words stopped you, you really didn’t have enough ire.” The solution: he only person who can stop you from being a writer is you Quitting Why this is a mistake: If you quit, then you’re rejecting your- self I’ve seen many people with a lot of talent simply pack up and go home hey quit I’ve seen others with perhaps less talent keep plugging away and eventually make it here’s the classic story of the young violinist who managed to wrangle an audition with the master he had always admired He went in and played his heart out When the young man was done, the master 124 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes So don’t quit You never know what’s going to happen Have a backup plan For instance, I failed as a solo writer several times, but had a backup writing career going under various pen names, so I was able to stay alive in the business I think a big mistake many novice writers make is thinking they have it made You never have it made Jenny and I are probably working harder than we ever have right now You’re never okay You’ve got to keep pushing Study the lives of those who have succeeded in the entertainment business, because writers are part of the entertainment business Watch Inside the Actors Studio and shows like that Get rid of the mindset of the overnight success If Don’t Look Down breaks out, I’ll be an overnight success after thirtythree books and sixteen years And even then I’ll still be at the beginning of really pushing it hard to make it even further In a way, I’ll have just begun But writing is a lot of fun also Sometimes we get too gloom and doom I’d rather be doing this than anything else Simply put, if you want to be a writer, never quit Keep writing Part VIII: The Publishing Business 125 More Great Titles From Writer’s Digest Books Chapter After Chapter: Discover the Dedication & Focus You Need to Write the Book of Your Dreams, by Heather Sellers Turn your passion for the craft of writing into the book you always knew you could write if you could just stay with it ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-425-5; hardcover, 256 pages, #Z0008 Writer’s Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing, edited by Michelle Ruberg, foreword by Ben Yagoda Discover new ways to brainstorm for article ideas; ind the right magazine for your work; and keep editors coming back for more! ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-334-0; paperback; 256 pages; #10970 Your First Novel: A Published Author and a Top Agent Share the Keys to Achieving Your Dream, by Ann Rittenberg and Laura Whitcomb, foreword by Dennis Lehane Master essential iction-writing techniques and develop an insider’s understanding of what it takes to get an agent and get published ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-388-3; paperback; 304 pages; #11009 Writing Metrical Poetry: Contemporary Lessons for Mastering Traditional Forms, by William Baer his book combines instruction from a recognized master of metrical poetry with examples from the work of today’s leading poets to provide an up-to-date guide to formal verse ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-415-6; paperback; 224 pages; #11032 You Can Write Children’s Books, by Tracey E Dills Whether you want to write picture books, chapter books, or even noniction, this book provides you with the writing techniques, insider tips, exercises, and submission guidelines you need to know to get your work into print ISBN-13: 978-0-89879-829-6; paperback; 128 pages; #10547 Beginning Writer’s Answer Book: 30th Anniversary Edition, edited by Jane Friedman Find the answers to more than 1,000 of the most commonly asked writing questions organized by speciic subject area and covering such topics as publishing jargon, market research, submission guidelines, and more ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-365-4; paperback; 336 pages; #10995 he a.m Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises hat Transform Your Fiction, by Brian Kiteley With unusual exercises designed to stimulate creativity, this book shows you how to push the boundaries of your iction writing to achieve unexpected results ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-351-7; paperback; 272 pages; #10980 hese and other Writer’s Digest titles are available at your local bookstore and from online suppliers www.writersdigest.com Cincinnati, Ohio [...]... writers cringe to hear this) the best preparation for whatever form of writing you do—whether novel, short story, or article—is to create a practice form of that writing, toss it in a drawer, and then move on to another For a novel writer, this is a particularly hard thing to hear Many of the mistakes listed here can be avoided prior to starting your writing 34 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part... agents and editors have to bite their tongues to keep from saying during their one-on-one sessions during conferences—most people’s life stories are not interesting enough to ill out a novel Unfortunately, too many people consider this to be a novel hey write a story about themselves and then think the rest of the world will 42 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part II: The Idea 43 The Story/Plot... a writing retreat, a writing conference, a mentor, whatever you can ind An MFA (master of ine arts) in creative writing is another possibility, although usually the focus in those programs is more on literary writing 24 Part I: Habits 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes 25 The solution: Write hat sounds simple, but writers will go to Waiting for the Mood to Strike Why this is a mistake: While writing. .. the value of studying those who have mastered the craft of writing hat’s all well and good, but sooner or later, you’re going to have to put your own stamp on your writing 32 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part II: The Idea 33 Not Doing Enough Work Prior to Starting Your Actual Writing Why this is a mistake: Too often writers jump into their project before doing the necessary groundwork, and... his, needless to say, is very unrealistic; the reader knows this isn’t a real character with real feelings 54 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes A fictional character can undergo an emotional change in one scene, but it has to be a natural emotional shift from A to B, not from A to D, to C, to X, to B Give your character a basic core emotion for each scene hen, if her emotions are going to change,... here is research to be done, marketing, making sure your business records are in order, teaching, conferences, notes to be put in order, presentations to be updated, outlines to be prepared for future books, previous books to be edited, etc 26 Part I: Habits 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes 27 Not Managing Your Time Correctly The solution: If you want to be a writer, you have to make writ- ing... at the local beach What a writer needs to do is prioritize her writing over distractions A writer needs to make a decision about where writing its in the big picture of her life, and then act upon that priority You can’t just say you want to be a writer; you have to live like you are a writer 28 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part I: Habits 29 Failing to Learn From the Masters Why this is a... new order will be established Novice writers often fail to create an inciting incident to get their story moving Too often, their characters just wake up one day and decide to change their lives or do things diferently on a whim his will strike astute readers as false and unrealistic Why? 48 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part III: The Story/Plot 49 The solution: Make things grow more diicult... are reading and what they want to read Why this is a mistake: Too often writers disconnect from the people on the other side of the writing (the readers); there’s a breakdown in efective communication Acquiring editors are extremely in tune with who their target audience is, so it behooves you, as the would-be writer, to keep this is mind 40 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part II: The Idea 41... do so much Sometimes starting writing too quickly can leave you with a project that can’t be saved and waste a lot of your time and energy It’s easier to pick the best point of view for your story before writing It’s easier to igure out your characters’ backstories and primary motivators before writing It’s easier to develop and understand the antagonist’s plan before writing Get the picture? The solution: ... on to another For a novel writer, this is a particularly hard thing to hear Many of the mistakes listed here can be avoided prior to starting your writing 34 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes. .. all stories have been done, it’s going to be diicult to stand out doing this 68 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes Part V: Characters 69 Using Contrived Conflict to Bring Your Characters Together... conferences, notes to be put in order, presentations to be updated, outlines to be prepared for future books, previous books to be edited, etc 26 Part I: Habits 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes