writing

ARTICLE POST: Two Types of Writers

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Writers write because they have something to share. Whether they get something back in return is entirely out of their control, so they should focus on what they can control, and that’s their writing.

Some writers will write for their reading audience. They want readers to like their stories (I mean, who doesn’t?) so they end up catering the plot to what they believe will bode well for their audience; books like this are referred to as commercial lit. These writers may twist the plot so that everything works out and nobody important dies and there is a happy ending.

Then, there are the writers who don’t really care whether the readers will like it or not. These writers focus on how they want the plot to progress. If they kill off a reader’s favorite character, so be it. If the heroine ends up dumping every guy and spends life alone at the end of a seven book series, that’s that. Readers can throw the book across the room or cry their eyes out, but that’s how this author wanted it and maybe it was their intention all along. Basically, these writers have a vision for their novel and that’s what they focus on during their entire writing process.

I’m not saying there is a right or wrong to either types of writer. I’m sure there are even some writers who fall somewhere in between the spectrum of the two. In the end, the writer needs to be passionate about his or her story for it to really touch those who are reading it. If readers can feel the passion and toils it took for a writer to complete their story, it’ll be a success whether it receives a 1-star review or a 5-star review.

Most writers don’t write to get rich. They actually assume they’ll be broke. And most writers never get rich off their writing. Even if their book is a literary goldmine, it’s all about the market, and the market is a fickle son of a b****. Writers can try to “read” the market and guess what the next big thing is going to be, but that’s like picking a needle out of a haystack, and finishing a novel is hard enough. First it was vampires, followed by risque erotica, and the current fad dystopian worlds. Who’s to say, maybe the next thing to blow the literary market off its feet will be talking animals who have humans as pets! (You read it here first!)

So, with a market that’s always flopping around as quick as readers turn a page in a book, writers need to focus on the one thing they can control, their writing. Write what you love and never lose your passion, because at the end of the day, whether ten people read it or 10,000 people read it, it’ll be a good day.

 

 

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ARTICLE POST: Writing Convention

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So I recently went to my first writing convention this past Saturday. It was a one-day affair and about an hour away from my home, so I wasn’t forced to dish out an obscene amount of money to attend it. At the convention, they allowed writers to purchase 10-min pitch times with agents. I decided I would pitch a new trilogy I started writing to two agents, Nephele Tempest and Sara Sciuto.

Before attending, I had no idea what to expect and I was ridiculously nervous about the pitch. I memorized my 1-2 minute blurb and ran it through my head repeatedly the night before, on the drive there, and even during the event. Both my pitches were scheduled early in the day, so I wasn’t pacing throughout the event.

My first pitch was to Sara Sciuto. She represents a variety of works ranging from picture books to young adult books. Which is perfect, because I have a young adult fantasy and a middle grade idea that I’ve been tinkering around with. The beginning of my pitch sounded rehearsed, but it became a more colloquial toward the end (at least I hope it did). She asked me a few questions about it and I answered with more in-depth explanations of the different fantasy concepts woven into it and she said she was intrigued! She handed me her business card and asked me to send the first 50-pgs of my manuscript. I was downright giddy at this point, but I still had about 5 minutes left from my 10 minutes. I didn’t want to just get up and waste half my time, so instead I asked her questions (because from the articles I read about pitches at writing conventions, that’s what you’re supposed to do). I asked her what other fantasy books she’s representing and what style of writing she most particularly enjoyed so I could get to know her better. Overall it was a successful pitch and if she does like my manuscript, I know I would really enjoy working with her!

My second pitch was with Nephele Tempest. By this time, my head was still bobbling from my first pitch, so I was a bit more relaxed and natural. Since I got Sara’s card and interest, I didn’t have all my eggs in one basket. (Of course I wanted it to be a success, who wouldn’t want the interest of two agents instead of one?) My second pitch was more natural and conversational and Nephele made a few ooh’s and ahh’s during it that made me smile. She was also very intrigued by it and gave me her business card to send her the first 50pgs of my manuscript as well. I was ecstatic.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if maybe the agents were just giving their cards to all the authors who pitched to them out of good measure since they went out of their way to pay for those short, precious 10 minutes, but it really didn’t matter to me. I felt that in a way, we skipped the first part of querying agents, the part that has them opening the initial email to read your query to ask for a longer sample. And to me, that’s worth every penny. Plus, now the agents are able to put a face to the query/manuscript, which humanizes the process. There’s no guarantee they’ll like my manuscript. They might have enjoyed the idea of it, but writing style is a whole other beast.

I’ve been working on finishing and refining my manuscript in order to send it to them. (Although, I did learn that an agent’s request for a longer sample has no deadline) Therefore, I’m trying not to rush myself because I really want to send my best work. But I have made a self-induced deadline of October 31 to get the first draft completed and the first 50-pgs refined to send out. I figure that I’ll have another 1-2 months after submitting the first 50-pgs to polish the rest of my manuscript while they read my longer sample.

I’m glad I registered for the Los Angeles Writing Workshop 2015 (#LAWW15). It was a very positive experience and I learned a lot. I think the only thing that I might have enjoyed would have been to connect with other writers more. Because the convention was so short, you didn’t really have much time to get to know that many people. I’m thinking it would be great to attend a writing retreat or even a longer writing convention in the future.

This is the first sentence of my new trilogy!

“A wish made was a price paid, and no power could undo it.”
-Death Life Taken

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