Professional Writing

The Caren Johnson Literary Agency had a great post last week. Actually, they have many great posts, but this one really struck home with me. It’s about an unprofessional query they received – the writer kept querying them with the same piece even though he’d been rejected each time. His reason for doing so? “Until I get a hit, I must submit.” Um...

It always amazes me how people don’t see writing as a professional thing. For the non-writers among us, I can understand a little. Only writers know how difficult it is to write well, just like only a doctor knows how stressful it is to have a patient’s life in his hands.

But for a writer to treat writing with such indifference is kind of...well...I find it insulting. I have worked really hard to get where I am with my craft, and he thinks that he can just submit the same piece over and over again in order to get published? The only consolation I have is that I know it’ll never happen for him because he’s not willing to grow or learn. And that is the one thing that writers MUST do.

With any office-like job, what do you do? Do you sit around with your feet up, cranking out the same mediocre work time and again, and then expect to be praised? Probably not. If you did, you’re likely to get a Conversation with your boss. So how can people think writers do this? Because we really don’t. We work just as hard as 9 to 5ers, in a depressingly negative environment. It's RARE to get a zing of inspiration, crank out the story in a matter of days or weeks, and then have it become a classic/best-seller/whatever. We have to work to get it right.

I guess this is a sore spot for me. My husband is supportive of my work, but I have other family members who are not. One has said more than once that I should just self-publish and be done with it. And he won’t see me as a writer until I’m published. Which is kind of sad, but not really my problem. I know what I want, and I know what I need to do in order to get it. His approval isn’t going to change anything, is it? :) I'm a Writer, and I know what it means to me to be a Writer. He doesn't.

On that note, I guess I have one more consolation with the ‘until I get a hit...’ person. He’s not really a Writer. He’s not willing to put in the work, learn the craft, explore, make mistakes, and then learn from them. He thinks he can crank something (anything) out, then have accolades and money dumped on him. Well, it doesn’t work that way.

Sadly, folks like him won’t seek out writing blogs like this one. Probably not even the Caren Johnson Agency’s blog. Instead, he'll just keep submitting. *sigh*

Winner of the March Book Giveaway...

So many entries!!

This is how I handled the drawing. I wrote everyone's names out next to a number - wrote down your name more than once if you were a follower or posted a link. Then, I used a random number generator to choose the winner.

And when I looked up the person assigned to that number, I just couldn't stop laughing. I mean, it's SO fitting! Because the winner is none other than the Queen of Zombies herself....

CARRIE HARRIS!

Carrie has been blogging about zombies since she started her blog, and obviously the powers that be felt she needed this book. So, congratulations Carrie! This is just too perfect. :)

Drop me a line at tabitha at tabithaolson dot com so I can get your address!

And, don't forget to stop by next saturday to see what I'm giving away in April. Here's a hint: there will be more than one book. :)

Spreading the Library Love

Jenn Hubbard charged anyone willing to participate in a Library Blog Challenge. Since I love libraries, I'm happy to oblige.

So, for every unique commenter on this post, I will donate $0.25 to the Chicago Public Library system. I'm afraid I'm not made of money, so I'll have to cap it at $100. And no commenting 100 times! If you want me to donate more, then spread the love by spreading the word. :)

From now until Saturday, March 28th at noon, I'll be accepting comments - which will benefit libraries!

If you want to participate, feel free! Send me your challenge, and I'll link to it. Now let's start spreading the love!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Plot Summary: Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man.

I don’t usually review adult fiction, unless it’s also a crossover to YA. THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN is adult fiction, and it’s not a YA crossover, which means I wouldn’t ordinarily review it. But, in this case, I have to make an exception.

I checked this out from the library, but now I need to pick up my own copy from the bookstore. It is amazing, heart-wrenching, joyful, funny, and will leaving you sobbing with a pile of tissue, yet feeling elated at the same time.

A story told from an animal’s perspective is usually pegged as a children’s book – one that no one will want to read. But this is definitely not one of those stories. Enzo’s personality and wit come across clearly, as well as his doggie ways. I found myself cheering him on many times, even though I knew some of the things he was doing would never come from a real dog. But that didn’t matter. And, through him, we feel an immense amount of sympathy for his owner, Denny, and all the things this poor man goes through.

There is car racing sprinkled throughout the story, but you don’t need to be a racing fan to enjoy this book. Nor do you need to be a dog lover. It’s just a story about the parallels between human life and racing, told from the perspective of someone who isn’t human.

I rarely cry when I read books, and this book made me cry. In a very good way. I enjoyed it on multiple levels – as a daughter, spouse, parent, and explorer of life. If you are any of these things, you’ll enjoy it too.

Interview with Carrie Ryan!

Carrie Ryan, author of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, has agreed to give us a fantastic interview! As with everything else on this website, the interview is more about the writing aspect of things. Sooooo, here's Carrie!

Tell us about your book.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a post-apocalypse romance about a young girl struggling against the strictures of her village and hoping that there’s a world beyond the fences and the forest surrounding them.

What was the inspiration behind your idea?
I’ve always been drawn to post-apocalypse stories and after reading two in 2006 I wanted more but couldn’t find any. So many people say you should write the book you’d want to read and so I thought about what I’d want to read and that’s what lead to The Forest of Hands and Teeth!

How many drafts did you go through?
I’m not even sure anymore how many drafts I went through! For a while I was saving each draft as a new document but I gave up eventually. I’d bet that I went through ten drafts if not more.

How many drafts did your editor go through with you?
I think we went through three or four rounds of edits. The first one was really broad – she sent me an email with about eight different points she wanted me to address. Each round we went through after that was more and more detailed so that in the end we were trying to figure out where to add contractions!

How long did it take to find your editor?
I was really lucky that it all happened pretty quickly! My agent sent the manuscript to a few editors on a Friday and my editor called Monday morning with an offer. She’s been awesome to work with.

How do you get to know your characters?
It’s funny, I get to know my characters through writing the book. Like, I’ll never know random details (like what color the character loves or what music they’d like) until it’s important to the story. So I definitely know them a lot better once the first draft is finished!

What was your favorite part of writing this book? Least favorite?
My favorite part were the moments when the words just flowed and I lost all track of time. The hardest parts were when I didn’t know what happened next and I was afraid of messing up the story.

How does it feel to have your first book on the shelves?
It feels like it’s happening to someone else! It’s just so surreal!!

How did you get into writing for kids?
I always loved reading YA novels – Christopher Pike is one of my favorites! I feel like because YA books are all shelved together that you can blend all different sub-genres and don’t have to follow the “rules” of each one. I really love that freedom and think it’s one of the reasons that there have been so many amazing YA books recently.

What are you working on now?
Right now I’m revising The Dead-Tossed Waves which is the sequel/companion to The Forest of Hands and Teeth and is coming out Spring 2010.

Do you work on one project at a time, or multiple?
So far I’ve only been able to work on one project at a time. It’s hard for me to switch gears between characters and worlds and I’m afraid my characters will end up sounding too similar.

Are you a paper person, or the computer-only-type?
Very definitely a computer-only person. I can’t hand write fast enough to keep up with the words.

What are your favorite reference books? And why?
I’m a huge fan of the dictionary and thesaurus. Because I get to make up everything else in my world I don’t have to consult too many reference books (yay!!)

Thanks, Carrie!! And congratulations on the release of your very first book!

To see more of what Carrie is up to, visit her website at CarrieRyan.com. To win a copy of THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, go here and leave a comment. The contest ends this saturday, and good luck to all who have entered so far!

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Plot Summary: Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family...

I was already a fan of Neil Gaiman before I picked up this book, and now I’m an even bigger fan. I mean, how many people could pull off a story of a boy being raised in a graveyard? Not many.

I had some trepidation about the subject, and the manner in which this boy came to the graveyard. But Mr. Gaiman handled it beautifully. Despite the underlying darkness, there are no gruesome details. No horrifying scenes. Just action, adventure, and a lot of sympathy for a boy named Nobody.

As with all my book discussions, there are SPOILERS below.

This whole book is told from Bod as a toddler to Bod as a teenager, through vignette type stories. We see Bod grow up, and are only given the most important details along the way: Scarlet, fading, the ghouls, etc. They all play a vital part in the end. I was fascinated by this strategy, because it reminded me of a series with an overall storyline.

This is also a multiple viewpoint story that doesn’t head-hop. We see the information we need to see while maintaining our connection to Bod, and we don’t migrate from head to head within a scene. The different viewpoints have a definite purpose, and are clearly laid out so the reader knows who is speaking at all times.

There were more telling phrases than I prefer (“Bod knew” or “Bod thought” etc), but it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story. In fact, I was both pleased and surprised that this book won the Newbery. It’s more plot-driven than character-driven, which doesn’t usually get recognized.

Overall, I loved it. And I think it’s a book that kids will love, too, though a warning that the story opens with murder might be in order. : )