Online Privacy and Narrative Distance in Genre Fiction

by Michael F. Stewart


I’m reading MIT press’ Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media, and in it is a quote from Roger Silverstone (RIP) regarding “proper distance” online:

“proper distance” emerges from the “search for enough knowledge and understanding of the other person or the other culture to enable responsibility and care. . . . We need to be close, but not too close, distant but not too distant.”

And it brought to mind one of the learnings I took from John Gardner’s book THE ART OF FICTION on writer’s craft. He speaks of “narrative distance”, which is the relative proximity which the author or narrator speaks to the reader. First person has a close narrative distance. Third Closed or Omniscient Third are further from the reader. The reader doesn’t get ‘inside the head’ of the protagonist. A lot of this depends on the ‘voice’ of the author as well.

All this to say that I’ve noted a very close narrative distance in today’s genre writing. First person is common place where this wasn’t the case even a decade ago, most thrillers were written in Third person. The author will often tell the reader the innermost thoughts of the protagonist.

Today, it is clear that what Silverstone calls “proper distance” online in terms of personal information sharing, status updates, location sharing, etc. is much closer than it was even ten years ago as well.

I wonder whether the online culture of sharing has changed the accepted norms of narrative distance in genre fiction?
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Michael F. Stewart is the author of several graphic novels published by Oxford University Press Canada. 24 BONES is his debut supernatural thriller. His next novel, HURAKAN, will be released in early 2010. He's also a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers. Michael lives and writes in Ottawa, Canada.

Three Things Writers Can Learn from Photographers

by Carolyn Kaufman


A few years ago I discovered I loved taking photos. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about the difference between a snapshot and a professional-looking photograph. Now, a lot of people (aspiring photographers as well as non-photographers) think that what makes a pro photo is the equipment, but in most cases, they’re wrong.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, photos with a $1200 dSLR camera and a $1700 Luxury lens will be almost indiscernible from those taken with a $150 point-and-shoot.

The same is true with writing. It doesn’t matter whether you write with a $200 fountain pen or a pencil worth less than a penny if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Here are a few keys to great photography – and what those keys can teach us as writers.

1. Keep the good stuff. Throw out or hide the rest.

Ever have a friend show you vacation photos? It’s boring. You see shot after shot of scenery, landmarks, and people you may not even know.

Yet you might be the kind of person who enjoys going to the art gallery to see great photos of scenery, landmarks, or people you probably don't know.

What’s the difference?

At the gallery, you only see the best stuff.

Even great photographers take bad shots. Lots of them, in most cases. What makes the photographer great is that he doesn’t share the bad pictures. He spends time going through each and every shot and throws out (or at least keeps private) the ones that aren’t fantastic.

You’ll write bad sentences. Lots of them, probably. In fact, I’d argue that sometimes we need to write bad prose in early drafts. Sometimes we’re not going to be satisfied until we’ve gotten those clichéd phrases, purple prose, and ridiculous dialogues out on paper. But that doesn’t mean you have to subject your readers to that stuff.

What will make you a great writer is learning to tell good writing from bad and only showing the good writing to other people. Granted, we often need crit partners to help us recognize problems, but nothing should go out to your crit partners until you’ve done the very best you could with the material.

Some people disagree with me and believe they should be able to send the roughest of the rough to their crit partners. But the rougher it is, the more time your crit partners are going to spend on things you could have fixed – typos, grammar, run-on sentences. That may mean they never give you the kind of criticism that’s hard to hear, but it also means you’ll never grow as a writer. So only show them your best work…and then listen to them to make it even better until you’re ready to send out only your best stuff to agents and publishers.

2. Capture the most important moments. Don’t bother sharing the ones that don’t matter.

I often spend hours at the zoo photographing the same animal. While I’m there, dozens of other people come through and take photos of the animal sleeping, facing the wrong direction, or half-hidden behind the objects around it. The average person doesn’t care – he got a picture of the animal and can say he was at the zoo, and that’s all that matters. But the photographer knows that nobody is going to pay for that kind of picture. Instead, she needs to capture and share the moments that show the animal’s personality and true nature.

Do the same thing in your writing. Don’t bother showing us your character getting out of bed, eating breakfast, or choosing her outfit for the day unless it shows us something important about her personality and nature.

3. Get in close and find out what’s behind the eyes.

The average person doesn’t get nearly as close to his or her subject as he should, while good photographer gets in close enough to not only see the subject’s eyes, but also the feelings behind them.

Don’t just show us what’s going on in the scene when you write. Show us how it affects your characters. What’s behind their eyes? How can you be sure the reader notices it?

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Carolyn Kaufman is a clinical psychologist and professor residing in Columbus, Ohio. Often quoted by the media as an expert resource, she is also one of the five authors of the QueryTracker Blog. Her book, The Writer's Guide to Psychology, teaches writers to incorporate psychology accurately into their fiction and will be released by Quill Driver Books in the fall of 2010.

Dance With the One What Brung Ya?

by Jenny Bent


Years ago I heard a very famous and important author, one whom I respect so much, speak at a writers conference and I've never forgotten it. He talked a lot about loyalty. He had the same agent and the same editor for all of his career and not only was this very important to him, but he also felt it was an integral part of his success.

I think that's wonderful, and like I said, I remember it still. And his agent and his editor are both stellar and important members of the publishing community.

But there's a nagging voice inside my head which asks the following: what if he'd had different luck? What if he'd started with a different agent, an agent who was a lemon, or maybe even not a good fit? What then?

In a business where the personal and the professional are melded much more closely than in other industries, I think there is often an expectation of loyalty that perhaps is not so warranted. Publishers are often outraged if successful authors leave them: after all, they are the ones who made said author a huge success, they reason. They feel that the author has taken advantage, and used their hard work to leverage a better deal with another house.

Agents are often furious if clients decide to leave, using the same reasoning. They worked so hard to build an author, after all, and this is how they are repaid?

And some authors are angered if their agent or editor tells them it's time to part ways. They feel abandoned, rejected, dumped. It's been a close personal relationship, they've exchanged hopes, dreams, and baby pictures, and now they are being discarded? The agent after all reaped the benefits of their career for a long time and should stick with them.

And while I understand all these reactions, and they certainly have merit, I do see the other side, which I think is as follows:

This is a business and while loyalty plays a role it is not the only factor. Regardless of the friendships that are formed along the way, this is the way we all make a living. And if anyone: editor, agent, author, publisher, feels that it's time to make a decision which may be painful, but is ultimately necessary, if we are at the receiving end perhaps we should set aside our egos and recognize that it's not personal, it's professional. (I struggle with this myself, don't get me wrong.)

Having said that, I also say this: the fact that it is a professional decision does not mean that it shouldn't be carried out in a direct and kind way. The goal is to part friends. This is a nod to the personal side of this business, the side that means we are all so often friends as we all do our individual jobs.

So here's my conclusion. Be a loyal friend. Be a pragmatic businessperson. And meld them as much as you can: when you have to make tough business decisions, keep in mind that you are often dealing with a friend and act accordingly.

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Jenny Bent is a literary agent and founder of The Bent Agency. In her 15 years in the publishing industry, she has made a practice of making bestsellers - either by spotting new talent or developing careers for multi-published authors. Her list is varied and includes commercial fiction and nonfiction, literary fiction and memoir. All the books she represents speak to the heart in some way: they are linked by genuine emotion, inspiration and great writing and story-telling.

This article was originally posted on Jenny's blog, Bent on Books.

Business Cards for Writers

by Stacey Graham

After reading a an article on business cards for bloggers, it reminded me of the old box of cards I have stuck in my drawer. I have a holder in my purse, usually whipped out during the kids' sporting events for future playdates, but I have to be honest and say I rarely use them in a professional manner.

Now I love my design, but would I pass this out at conferences? Perhaps but more likely I'll get a new set made. Next time it will be less panache and more business-like (zzzzzzzzzzzzzz).

What to include on your shiny new writer business cards:

• Name (don't laugh, you'd be surprised how many want to slip in a pen name like "Stephen King." I tried that once, they told me I wasn't tall enough to be King but called me Stevie the rest of the night)

• Business name if applicable

• Email

• Website/blog

• Address/PO Box/phone

• Do you label yourself as a "writer" or "blogger" or just as "awesome"? Any label at all?

• Logo


More tips:


• Leave plenty of white space for contacts to write notes on

• Speaking of which, while black can be a great way to have your card stand out from the rest, it's terrible to write on. Do your contacts a favor and leave the dramatic cards in the box

• Use a good quality cardstock. I know it's tempting to pull the tabbies off cheap cards from Staples - the ones that actually make it through your printer in one piece - but resist and support your locally-owned print shop (good karma, people)

• Okay, okay. Axe the giant clip art even though it's pretty. Fine. Whatever. Let's consider this my "learner" card ;)

• Please, by all that is good and kind in this world, do not include a headshot of yourself. Aside from creepy, it makes me think you're selling someone's fixer upper.


What would you include/leave off your business card?

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Stacey Graham is a multi-tasking freelance writer and mother of five, living outside of Washington, D.C. Her short story, Eye of the Beholder, is featured in the first zombie romance anthology, Hungry For Your Love. Since the Undead are now a good luck charm, she's continuing the trend by writing on The Zombie Dating Guide. Please visit her blog to see what the lovelorn zombies have stumbled onto today.

What I Know

by J. A. Konrath


I've been blogging for almost five years, and I often get emailed questions that are already answered in my blog. On one hand, a newbie author discovering me is anxious to get answers, and often enthusiastically fires off questions to me without reading all 500 of my posts. On the other hand, anyone who wants to succeed in publishing needs to be in it for the long haul. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Reading all of my entries does a lot more than simply familiarizing you with my writing. It's an encapsulation of how this business works, and how one writer views it.

So it's worth it to the read old posts.

But it's almost 2010. We're in a technological tsunami. Instant gratification isn't fast enough for us.

So here's a blog post that distills the essence of what I've learned in this biz.


Luck Is Important

I say this all the time. In fact, I think it's the #1 factor in determining success in this business. But I've never specifically identified what luck is.

In essence: Getting someone within the industry with enough power and money to recognize they can make money from your work. That's luck. It involves having the right book, in the right place, at the right time. Too soon, too late, wrong person, not good enough--these all can minimize your luck. But hard work, paying attention, and being willing to roll with the punches and accept criticism can maximize your luck.

Still, at the end of the day, it always comes down to a roll of the dice. No one said it would be fair, easy, or fun. But if this is your dream, it is worthwhile to pursue it.

Why do I pursue it?

First, because I love to tell stories. I think it's a fundamental part of the human experience.

Second, because making a living doing something I love is the whole point of life.

Third, because I'm ensuring my little place in history. The most important thing I can do as a human being is be a good husband and father. And yet, who remembers husbands and fathers? How many can you name that you don't personally know?

But writers--everyone can name a dozen writers. That I'm able to reach people, and at the same time become immortal through my work; that speaks to to the essence of what I believe humanity is.

As a species, we love to create things. I'm doing my part and making my mark, in a way that makes me thrilled to be alive.


Understand The Industry

The publishing industry is broken. No doubt about it. Any business that allows returns, where a 50% sell-through is considered successful, where no one can figure out why things succeed or fail, is fundamentally flawed.

But the more you know about how things work, the better you can manipulate the system.

Good decision-making comes down to facts. The better informed you are, the likelier your decisions will be correct.

Listen. Ask questions. Follow examples. Experiment. Take chances. Stay alert.


The Harder You Try, The More Books You'll Sell

You will not become a bestseller by doing all the things I tell you to do, no matter how logical or well-informed I appear.

You will not become a bestseller through your blog, your touring, your speaking efforts, your internet efforts, or you social networks.

The only way you will become a bestseller is to have your books available, at a discount, in as many places as possible. And that's beyond your control.

That said, every little thing you do to sell your books can help your career.

Books sell one at a time. If you're the one that sells them, one at a time, its one more that probably would not have sold without your efforts.


The Race Is With Yourself

You can't ever compare yourself to any other writer. EVER. This isn't like the business world, where certain positions have a salary range. You can make $100 a year, or $5,000,000 a year, with no discernible difference in your output or your quality.

If you want to compare yourself to someone, compare yourself to yourself. Monitor your successes. Learn from your failures (and if you aren't failing, you aren't trying hard enough.) Try different things, make mistakes, grow, adapt, evolve.

Your peers are a tool you can use to better yourself. But they are NEVER something to aspire to.

Your only aspirations should be within your control. Which brings us to:


Set Achievable Goals

Goals should be within your power. In other words, anything that involves a yes or no from another human being isn't a goal, it's a dream.

You can and should dream, and dream big. But "I want to be a bestseller" isn't a goal. "I want to attend three writing conferences this year, polish my novel, and send queries to ten agents by November" is a goal.

Learn the difference. And don't forget to reward yourself when you reach those goals.


Love It

The term "tortured artist" is an oxymoron. Art is not food, clothing, or shelter. Art is what we do to express and entertain ourselves. If you slave over your writing, I recommend finding something more enjoyable to do. Life is too short, and too many bad things happen, to waste time making yourself miserable.

No one ever gets farmer's block. No one ever bitches about being too uninspired to wait tables.

If writing is so hard, perhaps you should find something easier.

This may seem to run contrary to:


Make Sacrifices

Nothing worthwhile in life is easy. Victory is sweetest when it's hard-won.

You shouldn't EVER believe you deserve anything, or that you're entitled to success. But if you want to reach your writing goals, it often involves giving up other things in order to focus on writing.

You need to love writing. In fact, you need to love it so much you're willing to give up other things that other people (perhaps even you) deem important.

How do you know if your love is strong enough and worth the sacrifice?

When you write THE END, if it isn't the coolest feeling in the world, perhaps you should consider a different career.

But if writing THE END is so fulfilling that it was worth giving up TV, sleep, food, sex, and surfing the internet, then you're in the right profession.


Get Used To Insecurity

As a writer, you'll have the biggest ego in the world, and no ego at all, at the same time.

Money will sometimes be plentiful, and sometimes be scarce.

You'll have major accomplishments, and major setbacks. Your mood will swing on a daily basis.

Some dreams will come true. Some will be murdered.

There are no guarantees.

This business is unstable, and being an artist, you're probably a bit unstable to begin with. These things can feed on each other. Doubt, insecurity, and depression, are all part of the career.

There will be long periods of waiting. Lots of them.

There will be challenges (and by that, I mean you'll get screwed.)

But you need to roll with the punches. Set-backs are opportunities to grow. Rejections are learning experiences. This is a business, and can't be taken personally.

If you go into this understanding you're in for an emotional roller coaster, you can handle the turns and dips much better.


Know When To Quit

The measure of a human being is what makes them finally give up. The stronger the person, the more they can take.

In my previous blog post, I said that you are the hero in the movie of your life. Act like it.

What do you want? Who do you want to be?

That dictates what you need to do.

Quitting, like admitting you're wrong, is one of the noblest things you can do in life. It says that you understand, and accept. It allows you to grow.

But if you want to conquer, quitting isn't an option. No one ever accomplished anything great by quitting.

Know your limitations. But also know your potential for greatness.


Be Cool

Gracious. Grateful. Easy going. Helpful. Fun. Giving. Thankful. Courteous. Honest.

In other words, be a nice person.

While "nice" doesn't mean "successful", it does mean you'll sleep better at night.

I believe a successful life is one where people miss you when you die.

As a writer, you have the potential for a great many people to miss you.

But not if you're a jerk.

There. Now you don't have to read 500 blog entries.

Happy New Year! See you in 2010!

I have a feeling it will be the best year ever...

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Joseph Andrew Konrath was born in Skokie, IL in 1970. He graduated from Columbia College in Chicago in 1992. His first novel, Whiskey Sour (2004), introduced Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels. Others in the series include Bloody Mary (2005), Rusty Nail (2006), Dirty Martini (2007), Fuzzy Navel (2008), and Cherry Bomb (2009). The books combine hair-raising scares and suspense with laugh out loud comedy.

Joe is also the editor of the hitman anthology These Guns For Hire (2006). His short stories have appeared in more than sixty magazines and collections, and his work has been translated into ten languages.

Under the name Jack Kilborn, Joe wrote the horror novel Afraid (2009).

Joe's been nominated for several awards, including the Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, Dagger, and Barry, and has won the Derringer, Bob Kellog, EQMM Reader's Choice, and two Lovie awards.

His blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, has had over 400,000 hits since 2005.

Joe is married, has three children and three dogs, and currently lives in a suburb of Chicago. He occasionally teaches writing and marketing at the College of Dupage.

You can reach Joe at joekonrath@comcast.net.

Book Groups and Your Book

by Kathleen Bolton


One of the fun things about having a book out is that random people will drift into your life and want to talk about Your Book. Through a series of e-mails, the coordinator of a mother-daughter book group invited me to speak at their meeting. This group had been meeting for over a year, had invited other local YA authors to speak, and in the way that working moms are, were highly organized about the whole thing. I brought my 13 year old daughter to the event.

It was a fantastic evening because a) they all read the book b) asked me a ton of questions about the writing and the story, and c) were mothers and daughters sharing the love of reading and books with each other. Since CONFESSIONS OF A FIRST DAUGHTER is a YA novel about the daughter of the president of the United States, who happens to be her mother, the book mapped onto the book club’s demographic to a T. The daughters loved the funny jokes and romantic elements of the book, while the moms were interested in my research about White House life and how real life mother/daughter tensions played out in the book.

I’d never considered it before, but reading groups are a great opportunity to promote your book. Not only do the members of the group read (and purchase) your book, but they can recommend your novel to others in their reader network, leading to more opportunities to speak and thus sell more books. And it’s never a bad time when you are among folks who want to talk about you and your writing. It’s local, grassroots marketing, and will lead to other promotional gigs. If booksignings and readings in big chain bookstores aren’t your thing, consider offering to speak at a book group.

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Kathleen Bolton is a professional writer and editor. Currently, she is a contracted writer for Working Partners, Ltd. Confessions of a First Daughter, the first title in a YA series about the misadventures of the U.S. President’s teen-aged daughter, was released Sept. 1 2009 by HarperCollins Publishing.

Originally posted on Writer Unboxed.

Why Didn't I Say Yes to Your Novel?

by Rachelle Gardner


When an agent or editor requests your partial or full manuscript, it's nerve wracking to wait and wonder, day after day, if they're reading it and whether they like it. If they finally decide not to offer representation, it hurts and you just want to know... why?

Most agents try to offer some kind of explanation if they're saying no to a requested manuscript. But giving this kind of feedback is sometimes more difficult than you might think. Each manuscript usually has some good points, and some not-so-good. Often we agonize over our decision. It's good, but is it good enough? I like it, but will others like it? Are the positives enough to overcome the negatives?

Before I try to analyze exactly what's going on with a manuscript, I try to experience it as a reader would. I pay attention to my my gut as I'm reading.

You know how sometimes you're reading a book and you don't want to put it down, and you're really frustrated that it's time to go make dinner or put the kids to bed, and you just want everyone to leave you alone so you can read your book? And whenever you're doing something else, you just want to be finished so you can get back to reading your book?

But other times you're reading a book, and it's easy to put down. You find yourself distracted. You go check your email, or see what's on TV. Or fall asleep. Not that you can really define anything bad about the book, it's simply not holding your attention. And when you have some time to read, you debate whether to go back to that book or not.

I have the same kinds of responses when I'm reading manuscripts, and I'm paying close attention to my responses. Do I want to keep reading? When I'm doing something else, am I eager to get back to reading the manuscript? If not, I will probably pass.

Of course, I can usually identify why the manuscript isn't keeping my attention. Maybe it's just plain boring or the writing isn't good enough. Maybe it starts out strong but then falls apart. Maybe the characters aren't well-developed. Or the dialogue isn't working. Or it didn't feel original. Or any number of other problems. But for me, the yes or no starts in my gut. It's not scientific, but it's what I've got.

How about you? Are there areas of your life or work in which you have to rely on your instincts?

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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After 13 years in the publishing business, mostly in editorial, Rachelle Gardner moved to the other side of the desk. Since fall 2007 she's been an agent with WordServe Literary and offers standard representation in the general market, with Christian publishing as her area of special interest. Her blog, Rants & Ramblings On Life As a Literary Agent, is a chronicle of her journey as an agent, her thoughts on the industry, and plenty of useful information for writers.

Editing: How To Avoid Staring Into The Great Black Abyss

by Elana Johnson


Okay, so imagine you've finished the fifth draft of your amazing NYT bestseller. You've let some time go by. And now you're ready to edit the manuscript. Again. (*Note: for the purposes of this post, editing and revising are synonymous.)

You sit down, open the document, and...proceed to stare into the great black abyss like somehow your MS will edit itself. Oh, sure, maybe you're like me and you immediately click on gmail when something earth-shattering doesn't hit you about your novel. Or Farmville. Or Cafe World. Or a writing forum. Heck, maybe you even distract yourself with Hulu and Free Rice. And when you get really desperate, well, let's not go there.

I know (trust me, I KNOW) the thought of editing an entire manuscript is overwhelming. Daunting. Like climbing the mountain--again.

So today, I'm going to give you some pointers that have helped me tackle my 320-page manuscript, edit it, polish it, get it to betas and then out the door in less than 30 days. Strap yourselves in.

1. Set goals. Not only a "finish-by" goal date, but goals for what you want to accomplish in the edit. Does character A need more depth? Do you need to introduce the antag earlier so readers know who/what the MC is up against? Do you need stronger world-building? Faster pacing? A sub-plot that needs fleshing out? What are you trying to accomplish with the edit?

Know what these are. Don't freak out that there's SO MUCH that needs to be done. Just make a list.

2. Chunk your MS. It's much easier to wrap your mind around 100 pages rather than 350. So chunk your MS into manageable sections. I split mine into three distinct pieces and worked on them individually.

Okay, so you really haven't opened the document and started yet. This is all the "behind-the-scenes" stuff that you can do in a notebook or in your head. It usually takes me 2-3 days to make my list and chunk my MS. Take some time to do this. It helps things settle in your head before you actually start.

3. Read. That's right. Hopefully, it's been a while since you've read or worked on your MS. You'll be able to see things with fresh eyes this way. I printed the first chunk and sat down to read. Yes, I had a pen (it was black, not red) in my hand. During this reading phase, I was doing three things:

• Line-edits (for awkward phrasing, repeated words, word choice, paragraphing, funky formatting, etc. Everything looks new and different on paper. I strongly encourage printing the chunk and editing on paper.)

• Outlining (I don't outline before I write. So I create my outline as I edit a finished draft. I have a pad of small (2-inch by 2-inch) post-it notes next to me. After I finish reading a chapter, I write the main focus of that chapter on a post-it and place it neatly in my manila folder. Can't sum it up? Maybe you don't need that chapter. Every chapter must advance the plot. Even if you write from an outline, you can do this to see if you've really used every chapter, every scene to advance your plot. And hey, maybe your outline has changed.)

• Making Notes (I know my goals for the edit, so as I'm reading, I draw a star and make myself a note. Like, "Insert a memory about character B here." Or "This would be a great place to reflect on plot point G." Or "Introduce antag here by way of video." Or "More world-building/setting here." I don't actually write the insertions. I simply make notes of places where they could go.)

4. Transfer from paper to computer. Remember, this is only for the first chunk. For me, it was about 115 pages, and it took me about 3 days to read, line edit and make notes for the section. Then I finally opened my Word document and started with page one. I entered the line edits, written changes and deletions. When I got to spots where I had a note for new material, I wrote it. Everything is done with the "Track Changes" feature on, so I can see what I've done. Actually transferring the changes is easy. And since you have something tangible to do, you don't waste any time staring at the screen, wondering what to do and where to do it. Transferring only takes 1 day. Maybe longer if you have large sections to add/rewrite.

5. Rinse and repeat. After section one is transferred into the computer, print section two. Read, pen in hand, post-it's nearby, computer off. Transfer to manuscript. Print section three. Read, transfer. Since I only had three sections, I edited my entire novel in about 12 days. With the goal-making, I finished a round of (major) edits in two weeks.

(*Note #2: Some of you might stop here. If this is say, the second draft, and you're not ready to send to readers yet, you're done! In only 2 weeks. Leave the MS for a while, write something else maybe. Then come back and start with #1 with new goals for another edit.)

6. Send to readers. Now, this could be an entire post by itself. But I don't have time for that, so I'll just say to choose people who you A) trust and B) love and C) will read FAST. I mean, you only have 16 more days. I recommend recruiting a few (meaning: 2 or 3) readers who will critique as you finish chunks. So really, you could have stuff out with Beta readers after you transfer the first chunk. When they finish, send them the second, and so on. This way, you're not stalled at this point in the process, waiting for reads. You've been getting them back on shorter sections. Which is how you want to work anyway.

7. Go over crits, make changes. Add stuff, delete stuff, etc. This is just a polish. You've already done the major reconstruction. Now you're just smoothing over the edges, based on what your readers have said. If you have fast readers, you can probably get this done in a week or so. I think I had my chunks back and crits incorporated in about 8 days.

8. Leave it alone. Which means, leave it alone. Don't open it. Don't read it. You can think about it if you want. I didn't. 2 days. I actually did this immediately following the final transfer (step 5), while waiting for reads to come back on chunks. It doesn't matter when you do it, but it's vital. Seriously, leave it alone.

9. Send entire, repolished MS to trusted readers. These are NOT the same people who read the chunks. Different people. I had 4. I sent them the "final" MS as well as a list of my goals so they knew what I was trying to accomplish with the edit. (*Note, I did this because with one exception, my readers had already read my book, so I wanted them to know specifically what I was trying to do this time around.) Again, they need to be A) trusted B) loved and C) fast.

10. Final edits based on final reads.

11. Done!

This system worked for me. I managed to edit my 83,000-word novel, get reads, and polish it up in under 30 days. Hopefully, you've seen something in this list that can help you focus your energy into accomplishing an edit (no matter if it's your third draft or your, um, eighth) of your manuscript without falling into the great black abyss. What do you do that helps you get the editing done?

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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Elana Johnson writes for the QueryTracker blog when she's not authoring her own personal blog posts or her latest young adult novel. She is represented by Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates.

Win a Scholarship to the Backspace Writers Conference & Agent-Author Seminar in NYC!

by Colleen Lindsay
Reposted from The Swivet.

I am thrilled to announce that the good folks at Backspace (an incredible online writers community THAT YOU SHOULD JOIN IMMEDIATELY! GO! NOW!) have once again graciously agreed to donate two scholarships to their upcoming Backspace Writers Conference & Agent-Author Seminar, which will be held in New York City from May 27th through the 29th.


The Backspace Writers Conference (May 28th & 29th) is two days of panel discussions with literary agents, authors, and acquisitions editors, agent workshops, master classes taught by New York Times bestselling authors, and opening pages workshop critiques, PLUS a Friday evening booksigning and cocktail reception. The Backspace Agent-Author Seminar (May 27th) is an extra full day of small-group breakouts with sixteen of my agent colleagues (including Kristin Nelson, Elana Roth, Jason Ashlock, Paul Cirone, Brandi Bowles, Elizabeth Evans, Joanna Stampfel-Volpe and Diana Fox, to name just a few). It's a chance to have your query read and critiqued and to have agents see the first two pages of your novel. The conference itself is held at the Radisson-Martinique in Midtown Manhattan, walking distance from Penn Station and virtually every subway line in NYC. (If you were to pay for the conference & seminar yourself, by the way, it would be $750!)

Last year's scholarship winner, Lisa Iriarte, said:

The Fall 2009 Backspace Agent-Author Seminar was the most phenomenal conference I have ever attended. I was a winner of the previous scholarship contest and I now have representation. 



While I was there, I was impressed with the amount of personal and individual attention every attendee received on both query letters and opening pages. It's one thing to have someone try to explain what should go into queries and opening pages. It's another thing entirely to have professionals break down YOUR query and pages and tell you exactly what's wrong and right about them.



The mixers with agents were wonderfully informal and comfortable, nothing like nerve-wracking pitch sessions. They provided a great opportunity to network with agents and other writers.



I recommend this conference to all my writer friends and suggest they attend if they possibly can, whether they win the scholarship or not.

A special note from Backspace's Chris Graham & Karen Dionne to those wanting to enter the contest:

"Anyone who's interested in the conference - and especially the Agent-Author Seminar - but also wants to take part in the contest can register ahead of time. If you win, we'll promptly refund your money. Because space is limited at the AA Seminar, and it tends to sell-out early, we don't want people to miss out on it, while still being able to enter the contest. And as an added bonus, this year we're giving each of the winners a 1-year subscription to the Backspace Discussion Forums ($40/year), where they'll not only have access to all of the terrific information available, but they can also watch videos from our 2009 Writers Conference and Nov 2009 Agent-Author Seminar!"

So how do you enter? Pay attention:

First, three caveats:

1. You MUST have a finished novel that is ready to query. No exceptions.
2. The scholarship covers admission to the conference only, not travel or hotel expenses. If you're coming from outside the New York-area, bear this in mind.
3. The contest is open only to fiction (any genre, adult, YA or middle grade) and narrative non-fiction manuscripts.

The Rules:

1. One entry per person, please.
2. Print out your query letter plus the first two pages of your finished novel, the same two pages that you want to have critiqued at Backspace. The query letter should be single spaced; the two pages of your manuscript should be standard manuscript format: 12-point type and double-spaced. (Remember, only the first two pages, even if it ends mid-sentence.)
3. Mail your entries (yes, on paper, with a stamp - no email entries for this contest!) to my attention at FinePrint Literary Management, 240 W. 35th Street, Suite 500, New York, NY, 10001.
4. Your envelope MUST have the word BACKSPACE written prominently on the front so that I know it's a contest submission. Otherwise it will be recycled by the ever-efficient interns!
5. Although you are welcome to submit projects that you'd like us to consider for representation, do understand that your contest entries won't get a response. Only the two winners will be hearing back from us.
6. Don't include an SASE; it'll be a waste of a stamp. (See above.)
7. Don't call or email to follow up on your entry. Trust in the U.S. Post Office. They've been doing right by your mail for 150 years.
8. If you do call or email to follow up, your entry will be disqualified and a voudou priestess somewhere in the wilds of the Louisiana bayou will ensure that you get a nasty rash in an unspeakable place for at least a year.
9. Entries must be postmarked by Monday, March 1st. Entries received with a postmark later than March 1st will be disqualified.
10. The two winners will be announced the week of March 15th.

Thanks so much to the wonderful and supportive faculty at Backspace for making these scholarships possible. I'm sure the winners will put them to good use!

(And as if you needed any further incentive to enter the contest, consider this: last year, we had four winners for the Backspace Scholarship Contest; all four found representation through the Agent-Author Seminar!)

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Colleen Lindsay is a literary agent at Fine Print Literary and has more than twenty-five years combined experience in publishing and the book industry. She's primarily interested in all kinds of fiction. She likes quirky, edgy or offbeat fiction, both literary and commercial; women’s fiction; historical fiction; high-concept thrillers, mysteries and crime novels; queer fiction; and graphic novels. Colleen also has a particular expertise in fantasy, science fiction urban fantasy, paranormal romance and other speculative sub-genres and always welcomes a well-written SF/F novel. Additionally, Colleen is looking for YA, particularly multicultural YA, YA that tackles social taboos and other issues, and YA fantasy. She’s not interested in poetry, cozies, short stories, screenplays, or Christian fiction/non-fiction.

In non-fiction, she’s looking for strong narrative non-fiction, works of LGBT interest, pop culture and books dealing with Web 2.0 and non-traditional marketing; she also works closely with several book packagers to supply talented writers for work-for-hire projects.

The Key to Marketing Your Book: Time Well Spent

by Nathan Bransford


I was recently interviewed by Shelli over at Market My Words, and one of the questions had me stumped: what are the top three things every author should do to promote their work?


I stared at the question and stared at it and stared at it until I realized I could only think of one: every author should have some sort of Googlable web presence so that when someone sees your work or hears about you they have a way to contact you. This can be a website or a blog or a Facebook page... something, anything so that opportunity knows where to knock.

Beyond that, however, I think with so many marketing options available to authors in the era of the Internet there's sort of been a new expectation/conventional wisdom creeping up that the key to being a Good Hardworking Promoting Author is to blow out your blog, your Facebook page, your website, your Twitter feed, your Myspace page (still people there!), your Goodreads network, your Flickr account, and better yet, all of the above and by the way you need to set up your own author tour and try to get some media appearances going we'd love it if you placed some articles and stories and where's your book trailer oh also don't quit your day job and don't forget about your manuscript deadline and make sure the next book is incredible and amazing and could you spend some time with your family please?

Needless to say: unless you were born with more hours in the day than the rest of us, doing everything is not possible.

Nor is doing everything productive! If you don't have a passion for blogging it's going to show. Readers will notice and your blog will remain obscure. Not a newsflash: obscure blogs don't sell books. No one should be blogging (or Tweeting or Facebooking or etc.) for the sake of blogging (or Tweeting or Facebooking or etc.).

It takes time to make a good blog, a good Twitter feed, a good Facebook page, a good book trailer, etc., and if you dilute your time and try to do everything you might end up without a good anything.

Instead: do what you're best at. Don't make yourself miserable doing what you think you should be doing, do what you enjoy doing. Utilize your time where it's best spent:

- If you have a talent and passion for blogging: do that.
- If you enjoy Twitter and know the ins and outs: do that.
- If you are a great public speaker and love attending writers conferences: do that.
- If you have media connections and can utilize them: do that.
- If you love pounding the pavement and meeting with local bookstores to arrange signings and events: do that.
- If you are an amateur filmmaker on the side and have an idea for a killer book trailer: do that.
- If you think creatively and enjoy thinking of wacky publicity events: do that.
- If you are fabulously wealthy and you want to drop books from an airplane with $100 bills attached: do that, and please make sure to stop by San Francisco.

Mix and match as appropriate.

There's no one way to promote a book, and if there were a surefire way to get a book to take off and become a bestseller I would patent it and sell it to you for seven trillion dollars. Know your strengths, utilize your time well, and remember that at the end of the day the whims of fate and word of mouth are more powerful than any marketer.

Do what you can in the time you have. Just be smart about it.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

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Nathan Bransford is a literary agent with the San Francisco office of Curtis Brown Ltd. and the author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW, which will be published by Dial Books for Young Readers in 2011.

Originally posted on his blog.

Know Your Characters

by Megan Rebekah McBride

There are different types of characters in our books, and they each play an important role.

Background characters.
In real life, I would equate these to people I see at work but don't really know. I might see them come in and out of the lobby, I may even know their name, but that's often it. We'll exchange friendly smiles as we pass in the hall, but that's the extent of our relationships.


In our books, these characters need to be just as fleeting. They flit in and out of the novel so quick, or play such a minor role, that we don't need to know much about them. We don't need to know the full name, age, occupation and dream date for the doorman at the heroine's apartment building (unless he's her love interest, but then he wouldn't be a background character).

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

Intermediary characters
The real life comparison would be co-workers, neighbors, and maybe that blind date your great-aunt Gertrude set you up on last month. You learn details about these people, but you might be hard pressed to describe them to a police sketch artist if the need ever arose. I know our receptionist has a twin sister and she takes cream and sugar in her coffee. She wears slacks and skirts. I've never seen her in a dress. But I don't know if she hates dresses, or just doesn't have any appropriate for work.

In our books, these characters might be the same roles: a minor co-worker, a bad blind date, a random neighbor. We need a tiny taste of who they are, and that's it. Enough that we understand their role, but significant or personal details don't need to be revealed.

Recurring characters
These characters should be like the friends in your life. You know the jokes they tell all the time. You know the types of books they read, and their favorite movie quotes. You've probably seen them cry, or get angry, or get drunk. You can talk together, laugh, giggle and have tickle fights. You understand each other.

In our novels these are the friends, boyfriends or parents. People who play a prominent role, but we don't get an in-depth look into their thoughts or histories. They're not a POV character, even if they're in most scenes.

To me, these characters can make or break your book. They're also hard to nail. They should be unique and memorable, but not too strong. You don't want them overshadowing the main character, and if they do, maybe you haven't chosen the right narrator.

Finally, the most important one of all. Main character(s).
In real life, these are the people who you know so well, you can enter their house without knocking. If you're not on that level with your MC, then spend more time together and get there. You should know your main character as well as your immediate family, or a very old best friend. You've been through good and bad times together, you know the other's weaknesses and strengths. You've seen them in the morning before they shower or put on makeup. You can actually tell them when something makes them look fat (although this probably only works between girls, guys try this at your risk).

I've seen some recommendations and character worksheets that has the author answer questions about their character such as What's their favorite color? or What type of pets do they like? Those questions are fine, and they can definitely help you explore and develop your characters. But I've never felt they were deep enough for a main character. They barely scratch the surface.

So Susie prefers dogs. Big, guard dogs? Little, cuddly lapdogs? Why? Does she feel attached to her dogs like they're her children, and she takes them everywhere? Does she have to leave sticky notes by the front door to remind herself to walk the dogs before heading out to work? Does they sticky note have to be bright orange to attract her attention? If the dogs poop on the floor, does she throw it in the garbage can or flush it down the toilet? Does she scrub the floor after picking it up, or just leave it? Does she even pick it up at all, or wait a few days until company's coming over?

Learning these traits and idiosyncrasies will make your characters (and book!) shine.

Any other thoughts or suggestions for characters in our books?

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Megan Rebekah McBride lives (and writes) in Ocala, FL. A bookworm from birth, her love of writing stemmed from the joy of reading. She is working hard at polishing her first YA novel before launching it into the world of submissions. She can be found at meganrebekahblogs.blogspot.com.

Last Chance to Save BIG!

Today's February 1st, and that means it's the last chance to save big on the 2010 Backspace Writers Conference and Agent-Author Seminar. Register today (until midnight tonight) and save $120 off the cost of all three days.

Can't make a decision today, but still want to attend? Keep an eye on Colleen Lindsay's always-popular blog, The Swivet. Later this month, Colleen will announce the contest rules, offering 2 free scholarships for the winners. If last year's contest is any indication, the competition will be fierce (last year over 600 writers competed!), but the payoff means big savings: FREE registration!

If you're a Backspace Forum subscriber (or thinking about joining), we'll be announcing a contest this month, and the winner will also receive a scholarship to the upcoming May conference. Rules will be posted in the next couple of weeks, but we make no bones about it: we're going to make you work for it!

The conference agenda is set. We'll be adding more agents to the program. And, around mid-April we'll be announcing the assignments for the small group workshops, so don't forget to visit the conference website to keep abreast of all the latest news.

As always, if we can answer any questions, please don't ever hesitate to contact us:

Thanks, and good luck!

Christopher Graham
chrisg@bksp.org
732-267-6449

or contact Karen: karen@bksp.org