Twitter Things
Posted by David Duhr in 
We’re pleased to note that our Professional Writers of Austin friends are off suspension at Twitter. An error on Twitter’s part, apparently. (Way to go, Twitter.)
This reminds me that we haven’t done a Twitter post in a while; our previous one listed a few follow recommendations, but we’ve met many good people in the past seven months, so it’s high time for an update.
Writers and editors (in Austin and beyond), consider following the following read more
Dysfunctional Family Lit 101
I thought I’d write about editing today, but Thanksgiving inspired me to write about “dysfunctional family lit.” Reading about someone else’s family, real or fictional, can feel cathartic when you’re dealing with your own.
Below is a list of my personal favorites from the genre, minus works by Jeffrey Eugenides and David Sedaris. They make almost every literary dysfunctional family list (Google search “dysfunctional family lit” and you’ll get plenty of results), whereas people often forget about pre-twentieth century authors who painted destructive family dynamics as anything but quirky.
The first three novels read more
Running Over Resolution Roadblocks: How to Set, Start, & Complete Your Writing Projects in 2012
According to our knowledgeable friend the Internet, only 8% of people are always successful in sticking to their New Year’s resolutions. We don’t all make them, but I do. Counted among my (wildly unsuccessful) New Year’s resolutions are: quit smoking (excuse me while I take a puff); be nicer to my mother (when she stops nagging, I’ll stop yelling); and, of course, write more. Some years I write more than others, but this has very little to do with what promises I did or did not make to myself at the stroke of midnight between December 31st and January 1st. Rather, the intensity of my literary output has to do with whether or not I put out … literarily, that is. This has nothing to do with New Year’s magic and everything to do with planning. Strategy, ladies and gentleman, is key.
And no one knows more about strategy than WBN friend and When I Grow Up Coach Michelle Ward. read more
Cage Match: Netflix vs. Lit Fix
I don’t read enough. It shames me to admit it, but it’s true. After a full workday which consists largely of reading manuscripts, the thought of more reading at 11 p.m. is as unappealing as … well … writing. But that’s a shameful blog post for another time.
It’s not that I never read. It’s that I don’t read as often as I’d like. How not often? Well, now you’re just being nosy. Let’s just say that, in the cage fight of my life, Netflix kicks reading’s ass 9 times out of 10.
The two natural results of my end-of-the-day laziness are: 1.) the books I want to read don’t get read, and 2.) I feel like a hypocritical fool.
“If you want to succeed at writing, you must read!” I scold WriteByNighters on a daily basis. Yet here I sit beside a pile of books that’s been here so long it has become furniture. This simply will not do. read more
The (First Draft) Hangover
Sometimes revising a draft feels as awkward as cleaning up a spilled drink when you’re drunk. You think to yourself, I’m in no shape to do a good job here. Every time I move I make things worse. But it’s gotta get done or else feelings of shame and self-loathing will consume you. Or maybe not, but you’ll end up with a sticky mess as a horrible reminder if you let it go.
I wonder–can revising ever feel as fluid and liberating as drafting? Or at least perversely enjoyable? I often find myself perpetually cringing in dismay while patching up content. My mental monologue goes something like this: Did I think I was being clever here? Why did I use “crimson” instead of plain old “red”? Useless information…non sequiter…typo…non sequiter…ah, I think I’d rather play a computer game right now…
Of course, thoughts like these are counterproductive, so as I revise my own manuscript I make a monumental effort to appreciate the process. In general, I still don’t like revising, but I found a few ways to make the hardest part bearable. read more
Some Announcements and Whatnot
Today feels like a great day for some shameless self-promo here on the ol’ WBN blog. Agreed?
How’d They Do That?!
Tonight our self-publishing series culminates with “How’d They Do It? Publishers Share Profitable Pointers.” Learn things like how a first-time fiction writer sold more than 5,000 books in its first four months on the market, and how the redesign of an existing book netted a 97% increase in a small publisher’s sales.
Should be a good one. Sign up here, and we’ll see y’all at 6:00.
And for those of you who can’t make it, we’ll have audio files available soon. (And we have audio files available already for the first two, “Self-Publishing For Profit” and “Book Design That Gets the Buzz.” Get ‘em here.)
1-800-AWE-SOME
We’d also like to announce an exciting new teleseminar, “Running Over Resolution Roadblocks: How to Set, Start, & Complete Your Writing Projects in 2012.” I think that title says it all, no? The dial-in seminar will be hosted by Michelle Ward, everybody’s favorite When I Grow Up Coach, and takes place on December 6th at 6:00 Central. read more
A Mid-Month Defense Of NaNoWriMo By A Novelist Too Busy To Write One
National Novel Writing Month, the frenzied writing of a 50,000-word novel in November, inspires thousands to write together, and some to post advice. It also inspires criticism from a few who have done it, failed to do it, or declined to do it; and it even elicits a few takedowns from the publishing industry.
The shot heard round the NaNoWriMo world in 2010 was this column in Salon, Laura Miller’s examination of everything wrong with NaNoWriMo. Miller makes the especially strange claim that NaNo is a waste of time because writers don’t need to work together or seek encouragement. Thus typeth the wine-and-cheese-stained fingers of success, implying that writers who need other writers are not real writers.
NaNo novels have a negative impact on an industry that already publishes many imperfect books, they say, and the flood of manuscripts overwhelms and depresses those who have to read these novels. read more
Drawn Into Writing
In school, I was one of those annoying overachievers who excelled at almost everything she tried (except sports, but that’s a blog post for a different day). I did well in all my non-P.E. classes. I was a pretty good cellist. And everyone knew I loved to write.
But I was terrible at art. Whenever I’d try to draw something, I’d quickly give up, overwhelmed and frustrated that I couldn’t make the images on the paper look like the images in my head.
A few years ago, my friend Pat told me she was teaching a class at the Austin Museum of Art called Draw Your Dog. She assured me that it was for all skill levels, and that I’d have fun. So, even though I could barely sketch a stick figure, I signed up for the class. read more
From the Vault
If you’ve come here today looking for a new installment of First Drafts, then you’re S.O.L., as our Jenna is still recuperating from her travails. So instead, we’re going way, way back in the archives to November 12th, 2009, to reprint a post from Justine called “Workshop Tips.” Because the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Workshop Tips
The beginning stages of a writing project, path or career can be frustrating. The desire to improve is strong, but the process is slow. Writing is like any other artform—music, fine art, etc.—in that practice and determination are the only means to the end: becoming truly great at what you do. read more
The Outcasts: Chapter One (Part II)
(Yesterday we featured original work from WBN client Jennifer Cowhill, the first half of the first chapter of her novel The Outcasts. Today we present the second half of the chapter, for your reading pleasure.)
The Outcasts: Chapter One (con’t)
As the elf boy rounded the tree, he glanced back once and smiled at the duplicated elf. For years he had been bothering Gordon with his deep yearning for a brother to befriend and spend time with, and his surrogate father finally agreed to clone him. The doctor used samples of Bill’s hair and skin as well as a collection of potions to form the body, then they planted it in the Healing Tree to make the clone come alive. It was a long and complicated process that was often frowned upon, but it was the closest that Bill would ever get to having a blood relative—he was orphaned as a baby and taken in by Gordon at a very young age, so he had never known his real family. His surrogate father took care of him best he could, but Bill yearned deeply for a family member to explore Tokitel with, and Gordon could not be outside in the sunlight without running the risk of burning to death. Bill’s only thought was having a sibling, so his father finally decided to make him one. The clone took three years to grow, but it was only a matter of time before all the hard work paid off.
Bill retraced the path back home while the Healing tree disappeared in the distance. He sprang over the creek where the elf and wolf children played together under the watchful eye of their parents. The elf boy could not help but pause briefly to glance back at the sweet serenity of loving parents and the relationship they shared with their offspring. It saddened Bill to look at scenes like this and be reminded that he never had such a life. As much as he loved Gordon as a parent, they never did much together aside from talking and mixing potions in the darkness of the cave.
At least I actually have someone to take care of me, Bill told himself as he turned away from the creek and started toward the oak tree. read more
The Outcasts: Chapter One
(The following novel excerpt comes to us from Jennifer Cowhill, a WBN private instruction client in Palm City, Florida. While completing a novel is impressive all on its own, the fact that 16-year-old Jennifer composed this 30,000-word manuscript in only two months is simply mind-boggling. And guess what? It’s good. Really good. But don’t take our word for it. Dive in and decide for yourself.)
The Outcasts: Chapter One
“Father, how is my clone doing?”
Gordon glanced up from his nearly finished potion at his adopted son’s voice echoing through the cave. “Well, I haven’t visited him yet today,” he replied. “And since the sun is out, I can’t go check on him now.”
The sound of shuffling feet ricocheted off the cave walls as the elf boy approached the vampire and sat beside him on the floor, the flickering light from the tiny candles making his skin glow. “But he’s almost finished, isn’t he? Shouldn’t you check on him more often in case the time comes?”
“I suppose,” the doctor agreed as he dropped the last of the herbs into the glass vial and capped it. “But if we will be checking on the clone more frequently, I will need you to do it.” He held the finished potion out to his son and instructed: “Take this potion to the Healing Tree and feed it to him. But Bill, promise me you’ll stay out of trouble.”
Bill’s eyes lit up with excitement; he never thought he’d be able to visit his clone by himself. “I promise,” he replied with a wide grin. read more
Taking Risks as a Publisher
I was recently invited to talk about Anomalous with a publishing class for undergraduates, along with Sandra Allen the non-fiction editor for Wag’s Revue. My husband, Matt Landry, who is our web developer, came along to help me talk about the vision, and that’s something that both Sandra and I talked about in a surprisingly similar manner.
Sandra and her co-editors started their journal to meet what they perceived was a need for legitimately literary online venues for publishing. She herself said they just didn’t know about many of the good online journals out there at the time, and so had a polemical start with their Manifesto, which more or less said (in 2009, mind you) that there were no great online literary journals. She laughed about it, but said it did get them some publicity at least, from people who took issue with their claim. read more
Are You Hiring a Ghostwriter or a Slave?
My professional website, Buttontapper.com, contains a contact form that allows potential clients to email me with questions, queries and requests for my rates. Unfortunately, I also get all manner of tire-kickers wasting my time with emails that have clearly not been well thought out before pressing “Send.” For instance, the latest was from a chap looking for a ghostwriter, who sent me an email something like this:
Dear Laura,
I would like you to read my 7,000-word manuscript, which mainly consists of gobbledygook, stock dialog, flat characters, and an incomprehensible plot line read more
Just in Time For the Holidays
Right now, my cat is missing and I have second-degree burns from a kitchen accident on a third of my right hand. As they say in the vernacular, “FML.” I’m also in the rat race to find a second part-time job. I had better luck when I was an inexperienced teen getting a job than I do now. I’m sorely tempted to reactivate my WoW account and spend some hours (days) in Azeroth with the Beatles’ later stuff playing in a loop and a bottle of gin by my side. read more
What We Talk About When We Talk About NaNoWriMo
The start of November brings several things to Austin: cooler temperatures (finally), discounted Halloween candy, and National Novel Writing Month. While I love the first two, my personal feelings on NaNoWriMo are mixed. On one hand, I think that us writer-ly types should strive to write as much as possible every month, not just during November. Plus, revising a book takes a lot more time than writing one, at least for me. (Maybe December, January, and February should be the Quarter of National Novel Revising Months, or QuatroNaNoReMo.)
But I also know first-hand that NaNoWriMo can be fun and productive, whether you approach it as a one-time experience or the launching pad for a longer-term project. However, with that fun comes a lot of work. It’s a marathon. And you don’t want to lose steam (i.e., lose confidence in your story, your writing abilities, or even yourself) before the finish line.
Below are a few of my favorite writing tips. When I follow them, I feel like I’ve written the best material I can today, which makes me hopeful about the writing I can do tomorrow. read more
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