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Category : The Writing Craft
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Continue Reading "Erin’s Favorite Book…"Erin’s Favorite Book…
While Chip is vacationing in Hawaii, look for posts from the rest of the MacGregor Literary staff. Not surprisingly, “Favorite Books” is the topic of choice for our crowd of book lovers. Don’t be afraid to chime in with your thoughts on these top picks.
Erin Buterbaugh is our newest agent; her areas of interest include children’s, middle-grade, and YA fiction, as well as women’s fiction, suspense, and non-fiction.
Okay, first of all, I want everyone to appreciate the fact that I’m writing this blog entry at 12:49 a.m. the day it’s supposed to be posted, not because I put it off all week, but because that’s how crippling I found the task of picking my “favorite” book to blog on. Seriously. I’m one of those people who stand, helpless, for hours in the deodorant aisle, eyes glazed over, unable to cope with the four dozen choices before her, so you can imagine my complete apoplexy when attempting to pick out one favorite book from my overstuffed bookshelves. Suffice it to say, there was a lot of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Since I have more to do in the next three months than to create a system by which I compare every book I’ve ever read and definitively pick the favorite, I decided instead to narrow it down to my favorite book within a category, which I realize is a total cop-out, but one that I’ll hopefully get away with because I’m the new kid and everyone’s still being really nice to me. In honor of last Friday being Friday the 13th, I decided to go with my favorite ghost story. One of Poe’s, you ask? Nope. Well, then, perhaps Washington Irving’s THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW? Wrong again! My favorite ghost story comes from that well-known master of the supernatural thriller, Charles Dickens, and is entitled A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
(If you think I’m cheating
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Continue Reading "Shannon’s Favorite Book…"
Shannon’s Favorite Book…
While Chip is vacationing in Hawaii, look for posts from the rest of the MacGregor Literary staff. Not surprisingly, “Favorite Books” is the topic of choice for our crowd of book lovers. Don’t be afraid to chime in with your thoughts on these top picks.
Shannon Potelicki is the agency's International Rights Specialist. In this role, she handles MacGregor Literary's international deals and enables authors to maximize their income potential. She also serves as Chip's assistant and handles the ever-present slush pile.
I’ve long been convinced that Margaret Mitchell read my diary before she authored one of my favorite books, GONE WITH THE WIND. And yes, I realize this also means she discovered time travel and utilized it specifically to read MY diary. (Kudos to her, by the way, because even my brothers couldn’t find it under the… Nope, better keep that secret in case they’re still looking.) To understand my theory—as well as the reasons GWTW falls at the top of my list—you need only know the topics of my diary entries in junior high, when I first read the epic novel.
First, that sneaky Margaret Mitchell lured me in with my love for gigantic tomes. True confession: I was the weirdo who would go to the library specifically looking for the longest books. Mom’s rule was three books per trip (which didn’t happen nearly as often as I would have liked), and I wanted some bang for my library card. Margaret must have discovered this from the entry I wrote about an interaction with a librarian—I asked where they kept the “good stuff,” and she looked at me as if I was talking about drugs.
On one fateful trip, in the “good stuff” section, I spotted GWTW. The cover displayed Clark Gable and Vivienne Leigh on the brink of making out, just like the poster for the movie (which is fabulous in its
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Continue Reading "Sandra’s Favorite Book…"
Sandra’s Favorite Book…
While Chip is vacationing in Hawaii, look for posts from the rest of the MacGregor Literary staff. Not surprisingly, “Favorite Books” is the topic of choice for our crowd of book lovers. Don’t be afraid to chime in with your thoughts on these top picks.
Sandra Bishop is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary, Inc. and represents fiction and nonfiction authors in multiple genres and with varying levels of publication background. She was recently named Vice President of the agency.
When I was growing up, my grandmother always kept a copy of GONE WITH THE WIND by her chair. Always.
When she needed to put her feet up and rest from her work, she would grab it and read a passage—it rarely mattered where she’d left off. She didn’t use bookmarks. She’d just pick it up and “visit with Scarlett,” sometimes out loud.
I have a fondness and appreciation for the commercial success of Ms. Mitchell’s book, of course, but mostly my fondness is driven by how much the book reminds me of someone I loved dearly. I consider it one of my most fav-o-rite treasures, though I hesitate to leave it out in its condition. It lives on my bookshelf, its pages tattered and torn, and its cover made over with a scrap of wallpaper from Grandma’s last kitchen.
I’ve heard it said that if it were being sold today, it would never make it. Too much description. Pacing problems, etc. But that’s another blog post for another day, perhaps by someone who has read it more recently than have I.
I may not have inherited grandma’s everyday huger for tales of Tara, but I did retain her habit of reading a passage of a favorite book on occasion—just picking it up and thumbing to a random spot to read for a bit. It’s been awhile, though, since I’ve allowed myself the joy of stopping
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Continue Reading "What are some good resources for writers?"
What are some good resources for writers?
Dan wrote and said, "I hear you've taught a couple classes for colleges, and I know you do the occasional conference. For those of us who can't get to another state to hear you, what would be some resources you'd recommend for writers?"
One of the best things you can do for yourself as a writer is to attend a good writing conference. They have conferences all over the country, usually featuring experienced writers and publishing professionals. It's a great way to meet people, ask questions, and connect with others who are also trying to make it as writers. There's undoubtedly a GREAT conference happening somewhere close to you in the month, as the conference season kicks off (for example, I'm attending the Left Coast Crime conference in Sacramento in two weeks). You'll rarely regret investing in a good conference.
Another thing to consider is a critique group — a chance to sit down with a small group of fellow writers and compare notes, critique each others' work, and talk books. It offers you perspective from others, and it gets you talking writing with people — something many writers have discovered is hard to find. You can often connect to them online, and many local bookstores will help authors in the area come together in order to network and critique one another. A third resource is one of the online writing groups — one helpful such gatherings is the Yahoo group "The Writers View," but there are numerous others. Most of these groups discuss writing and publishing, and many have a panel of experts to bring some wisdom to the discussion.
If you're already involved in some of those things, let me suggest a writing course at your local college. It can be a lot of fun to take a literature course or participate in a creative writing class, and the instructors can often give new insight into your
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Continue Reading "What are some good resources for writers?"
What are some good resources for writers?
Dan wrote and said, "I hear you've taught a couple classes for colleges, and I know you do the occasional conference. For those of us who can't get to another state to hear you, what would be some resources you'd recommend for writers?"
One of the best things you can do for yourself as a writer is to attend a good writing conference. They have conferences all over the country, usually featuring experienced writers and publishing professionals. It's a great way to meet people, ask questions, and connect with others who are also trying to make it as writers. There's undoubtedly a GREAT conference happening somewhere close to you in the month, as the conference season kicks off (for example, I'm attending the Left Coast Crime conference in Sacramento in two weeks). You'll rarely regret investing in a good conference.
Another thing to consider is a critique group — a chance to sit down with a small group of fellow writers and compare notes, critique each others' work, and talk books. It offers you perspective from others, and it gets you talking writing with people — something many writers have discovered is hard to find. You can often connect to them online, and many local bookstores will help authors in the area come together in order to network and critique one another. A third resource is one of the online writing groups — one helpful such gatherings is the Yahoo group "The Writers View," but there are numerous others. Most of these groups discuss writing and publishing, and many have a panel of experts to bring some wisdom to the discussion.
If you're already involved in some of those things, let me suggest a writing course at your local college. It can be a lot of fun to take a literature course or participate in a creative writing class, and the instructors can often give new insight into your
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Continue Reading "And the winner of the "My Book Therapy" is…"
And the winner of the "My Book Therapy" is…
A Guest Post from Rachel Hauck of My Book Therapy
Hey everyone. I’m back with My Book Therapy Live. Thanks to all who commented on the blog for a chance to win.
I picked Amy Simpson because not only did she leave a funny comment, but several of you voted for her to win, too.
Amy shows great promise as a writer and many of the craft points I highlight in her piece are craft points I see in almost every book therapy I do. In fact, I learned from doing this therapy myself.
Leave a comment if you have a question or a thought to add. Amy, I applaud your work and your bravery to be the live therapy guinea pig. Also, for your willingness to learn!
Thanks to Chip, Sandra and Amanda for lending us this cyber space.
Rachel
And here is the winning entry, complete with Rachel's notes…
Log line: The only thing more dangerous than the man bent on taking her life, is
the risk of living and losing her heart to her sworn enemy.
I like this. It’s a bit awkward. And it kind of sounds like she’s going to fall in love with the man bent on taking her life.
So, maybe…
The only thing more dangerous for HEROINE than the man determined to take her life is falling in love with a man who might lose his.
Something like that. Gives a hint of the story problem and question, gives a window onto the journey, raises questions. Indicates a romantic suspense. Nice!
Chapter 1
“I’m all in.” Finn Carson shoved the heaping stack of poker chips to the center of the table, challenging anyone to cross him. The pocket aces in his possession were just about a sure thing, considering Ryker and Jones couldn’t bluff to save their lives and Wally, well, he could lift
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Continue Reading "Failing Forward – a guest blog by Alton Gansky"
Failing Forward – a guest blog by Alton Gansky
A 2010 issue of Wired magazine contains “The Master Planner,” an article/interview with Fred Brooks, an early computer programmer and former department head for IBM. Thirty-five years ago he wrote a small book, The Mythical Man-Month in which he argued against the idea that two programmers can achieve twice as much work as one in a month. This became known as “Brooks Law.” He has written another new book The Design of Design, a collection of essays dealing with leadership, hardware systems, and more.Two comments from the interview caught my attention; comments that deal with life and creativity. Author/editor Kevin Kelly brought up a statement Brooks made about some of his early work. Brooks called the IBM 360 OS “the worst computer programming language ever devised by anybody, anywhere.” When Kelly asked him about the frank self-appraisal, Brooks said:
"You can learn more from failure than success. In failure you’re forced to find out what part did not work. But in success you can believe everything you did was great, when in fact some parts may not have worked at all. Failure forces you to face reality.”
This bit of honesty is difficult for some to swallow. People in my profession are often insecure about their work and become defensive. Who can blame them? They work alone and try to create from nothing a piece of work that will entertain, educate, and please not only readers but a phalanx of editors, pub boards, professional reviewers, amateur reviewers, bookstore managers, and more. Sometimes writing for publication seems akin to baring one’s back for flogging. So, we become sensitive souls; tender in all the wrong places.
Writing, however, is a craft and an art, one which requires the writer to have the guts to commit to self-examination. You need to know this: I am the poster boy for insecurity. I always have been. I’ve felt that way in every career I’ve had–and I’ve had several of them. Yet I’ve learned that creative growth comes
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Continue Reading "Failing Forward – a guest blog by Alton Gansky"
Failing Forward – a guest blog by Alton Gansky
A 2010 issue of Wired magazine contains “The Master Planner,” an article/interview with Fred Brooks, an early computer programmer and former department head for IBM. Thirty-five years ago he wrote a small book, The Mythical Man-Month in which he argued against the idea that two programmers can achieve twice as much work as one in a month. This became known as “Brooks Law.” He has written another new book The Design of Design, a collection of essays dealing with leadership, hardware systems, and more.Two comments from the interview caught my attention; comments that deal with life and creativity. Author/editor Kevin Kelly brought up a statement Brooks made about some of his early work. Brooks called the IBM 360 OS “the worst computer programming language ever devised by anybody, anywhere.” When Kelly asked him about the frank self-appraisal, Brooks said:
"You can learn more from failure than success. In failure you’re forced to find out what part did not work. But in success you can believe everything you did was great, when in fact some parts may not have worked at all. Failure forces you to face reality.”
This bit of honesty is difficult for some to swallow. People in my profession are often insecure about their work and become defensive. Who can blame them? They work alone and try to create from nothing a piece of work that will entertain, educate, and please not only readers but a phalanx of editors, pub boards, professional reviewers, amateur reviewers, bookstore managers, and more. Sometimes writing for publication seems akin to baring one’s back for flogging. So, we become sensitive souls; tender in all the wrong places.
Writing, however, is a craft and an art, one which requires the writer to have the guts to commit to self-examination. You need to know this: I am the poster boy for insecurity. I always have been. I’ve felt that way in every career I’ve had–and I’ve had several of them. Yet I’ve learned that creative growth comes
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Continue Reading "More of "The Best Advice on Writing""
More of "The Best Advice on Writing"
Today's guest blogger is Russ Masterson, author of 40 Days Without Food. Russ never cared much about writing until one day, as a 20-year-old college student, he found himself stuck in a hotel room in Ghana, Africa, with a nasty rash and an urge to pick up the pen. After the birth of his writing dream, Russ went on to earn a degree from the University of Georgia. His first book released last year.What's the best advice I've received about writing? Two tips which I've found helpful:1. Keep writing. The only way to discover your voice and strengthen your skill is to write more. There’s no shortcut. You can talk and dream about writing, but at some point you have to get work done. Sit down and write. So you’ve received sixty-three rejection emails – feel like a failure for a few minutes, then sit down and write some more. This idea of rejection brings me to the second bit of advice…2. Glean your self-worth from somewhere more stable than that which you produce. When my first book was published, and the reader reviews began to appear on the Amazon sale page, the third review contained several negative comments about my writing. Initially I wanted to search for the lady’s home address, drive to her house, and jam her cat in the microwave. I decided that may not be prudent, so I lay in bed wondering if any of this is worth it—putting yourself out there for such a beating.I knew my value, or even giftedness, shouldn’t be judged by one person’s opinion, and even while remembering all the compliments from my agent and publisher and friends, I couldn’t shake that review. It sounds ridiculous, even shallow to write those words now, but it’s so easy to glean from approval, or even comparison, building an inner case for value.I wrote this in an -
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More notes on "the best writing advice…"
Diana Crosby wrote to say, "At a conference, Nora Roberts said, 'Give yourself permission to write crap. You can edit crap, but you can't edit a blank page.'"
Shirley Brosius noted, "The best writing advice I received came in the form of the book HOW TO WRITE FAST WHILE WRITING WELL, by David A. Fryxell. The way I apply his teaching as a newspaper writer is to mark topics in the margins while reading over notes from an interview. At the same time I look for a theme for the piece and a catchy lead. Then I create an outline. By the time I am ready to type the piece, I know in what order I will present the material. No need to keep rereading notes. I just write until finished, then polish. It is a great time saver."
And college writing prof Philip Patterson sent this: "Write what you know. I’ve been published in Christian self-help books, journalism textbooks (8 editions), devotional books, a 365 day Bible with applications for each day, and every time I was in my comfort zone. I am out of my element in novels, for instance, and my forays into that genre have only been exercises in frustration. I still try, because I believe in stretching as a writer, but all of us have a 'sweet spot' and the unpublished author should find it and stay in it until he or she gets a name doing that and then move one to other genres."
Thanks, everyone, for participating. Happy new year!