I’ve been mentoring a newbie author these last few months, helping her find her path to publication. Initially, I hesitated to accept the assignment. I wasn’t sure if the advice I had to share would have any practical value. I’m happy to report that my little bird is ready to fly. She’s taking her thriller manuscript, query letter, and elevator pitch to Sleuthfest agents this week.
So much
of what we writers do is figuring out the process as we blindly follow our
dreams. The publication world seems to be constantly undergoing rewrites,
reassignments, and renovation. Literary editors peel off the publishing houses
to become independent agents. Boutique small presses open and close like rare night
blooming flowers. Others launch with optimistic fanfare only to burn out in a
few short years when the owners finally grasp how much 24/7 involvement and dedication
it takes. The awards – Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, IPPY, Macavity, Shamus come and
go in their annual passage. Crime fiction conferences rotate across the country
like constellations in the night sky.
We
authors scramble to keep up, not only researching and writing this year’s new
book, but also doing the marketing and promotional heavy lifting. We develop interesting
and esoteric PowerPoint presentations to share with book clubs and library
patrons as we try to make or maintain that all too vital connection to our crime
fiction community and our mystery readership. We order business cards, build
Wix websites, and email newsletters all the while hoping for enough decent reviews to trip Amazon's and Goodread's unseen and almighty promotional algorithms. And
then we pause before clicking our wireless mouse, afraid to go look at the sales data and royalty payouts.
Is it worth
it?
For me,
the answer is: Yes. Sitting down every day to work on my manuscript is my
sacred time. It doesn’t matter if I’m drafting or editing. The joyous feeling I
get is the same.
My
newbie author asked me if I ever got tired of it. I have been doing this for
almost two decades. True, sometimes I get tired of sitting in my chair, but I
never tire of losing myself in the zone while searching for the perfect word or
turn of phrase. I adore it when I catch myself saying, “Yes, that’s it,” out loud.
Before my book gets published and goes public, I’m spending private time in my own private world. During those two or three hours each day, it’s between the book and me. Researching fascinating details and plumbing deep rabbit holes keeps my brain alert and engaged. The annual conferences give me a great reason to fearlessly travel to new cities and distant shores and revisit my writerly friends. After nearly twenty years, it’s so ingrained I can’t imagine what my reality would be like without my writing life.
How about
you? What drives you to enter the fictional world and write your
stories?
The same passion you describe.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Debra. I'm so glad to hear you say that. It is a passion. And passion adds the spice to life!
DeleteI've been mentoring a fledgling writer too and feel I've learned as much from her as she's learned from me. But it's so gratifying to see her expression on our Zoom calls shift from defeated to smiling and hopeful.
ReplyDeleteMartha, I can't image NOT writing. Publishing, on the other hand, can be thankless and demoralizing. Yet when a reader writes to tell you that your book got them through a rough time (from chemo to the pandemic), all the headaches are worth it.
Good morning, Annette. I agree. I didn't know how much I knew until I had to write it down and teach it. LOL. And it is an amazing feeling when a stranger comes up at a conference or book signing and tells you why they loved your book. It's like putting good magic into our world.
DeleteTwo things keep me in the writing business: learning new things and helping others. Even though I enjoy telling stories, if those key characteristics fail to remain, I suspect I'd turn to something else.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim - you're right. I believe helping others (in all things) is one key to a contented and happy life. The funny thing is, the more I give away, the more I seem to get.
DeleteMy drive has evolved a bit over the years. At first, it was all about escaping to be with my characters and having adventures vicariously through them. Now, it's mingled with the hope that my readers will continue to find as much joy in this next novel as they did the last one. But underneath that hope, there's still my desire to explore new worlds and just be with my words that keeps me afloat in this wild publishing industry.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah - my drive has evolved as well. I used to finish the book to see if I could do it. Then the stories dove deeper and my characters became more reality based. That's when my books really started connecting with readers. Doing the research and exploring new worlds is the icing on the cake!
DeleteI’d have to reiterate part of your penultimate sentence. “I can’t imagine what my life would be like without me writing my stories.” Well said, Martha.
ReplyDeleteHi Kait - whenever I occasionally contemplate giving up the the writing life this Eminem earwork starts playing in my head: "Because it feels so empty without me." LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVkUvmDQ3HY
DeleteI agree with Annette. Love the writing part, not the publishing. For the last few years, I've been mostly writing short stories, often in response to a submission call. Not much money in it, and of course I get my share of rejections, but the characters in my head get their stories told and sometimes distributed. For me, that covers the essentials.
ReplyDeleteI love short stories and I'm still working to develop them. It's not that they're any easier than a novel, they just seem more and more doable.
DeleteAnd there is a ready outlet (pretty much non-paying) for them, so they stand a good chance of actually being published.
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