The passing of an early mentor

I graduated from Shortridge High School, the oldest high school in Indianapolis. I am proud of that, and the tradition of excellence that produced the likes of Richard Lugar, Indiana’s senior U.S. senator, and the late Kurt Vonnegut.

Another product of the school’s great tradition was Jean Grubb, class of 1920. Miss Grubb not only was a product of the school, she went on to teach at Shortridge. She died two weeks at age 106. At the time of her death, Miss Grubb was the oldest living Shortridge grad.

In the mid-1940s, years before I was born, Miss Grubb, who had a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern, was convinced to give up teaching math in addition to journalism and become the director of publications at Shortridge. It was a big deal. Like most schools, Shortridge had a yearbook. But like few in the country – only four others in the late 1960s – Shortridge had a daily student newspaper.

A daily newspaper. The Shortridge Daily Echo.

Miss Grubb was the faculty supervisor of the daily publication when Sen. Lugar wrote a column for the Thursday edition of the paper in the early 1950s and was still doing it years later when I wrote columns in my sophomore and junior years. As a senior, I was on the yearbook staff.

The Echo had a different staff of student editors and writers for each day so no student was overburdened.

In my second year of high school, a friend, Allen Carroll, and I wrote a gossip column called Spooe, under the byline of Chester and Chauncey. I was Chauncey. It was the first writing I ever had published. To this day it amazes me that none of my classmates ever figured out what Spooe meant until the end of the school year when we told them. Another friend, Kerry Kirch, and I wrote a column with a cartoon during my junior year.

I have lost touch with Allen but Kerry, who is now a published author, and I keep in contact.

I remember Miss Grubb as a great advisor, teacher and mentor. I perhaps wouldn’t be a writer today without her guidance so many years ago.

I last saw her last month at an all-school reunion for the rededication and opening of Shortridge as a high school. (It was closed in the 1980s and later reopened as a middle school.) The dedication was the day before her birthday. She was frail and in a wheelchair but was glad to be among so many of the students whose lives she had touched for so many years.

She was a great lady who loved teaching and writing, and who loved Shortridge.

Her family has my deepest sympathy and my gratitude.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

National Novel Writing Month

I’m really excited about National Novel Writing Month. I haven’t signed up yet but I have come up with a great new idea for a novel and I’m working to develop an outline.
I had another novel planned but this came to me recently and just stayed in my head over the weekend. I wish I could start it now. I have worked out most of the first part of the novel.
Since it will require a lot of quick writing and a lot less thinking, I want to fully develop as much as I can before Nov. 1, although I can’t start writing before then. And at the moment, I haven’t figured out the end. I need the end to make sure I am headed in the right direction.
But I am excited – and scared. It will be a challenge but, if it is a good idea, the challenge should be a rewarding experience.
Thanks for reading and keep writing.

I've been distracted

I know I have been away for a while. I have been distracted.

While I have gotten some writing done -- and I've done several paying projects -- most of my reading and intellectual attention has been focused on one subject -- prostate cancer. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this month.

It's a bummer. It really, really sucks. But it is what it is. Now I have decisions to made so I can get on with my life.

I debated for most of the month about whether to mention this in my blog. But since the purpose of the blog to chronicle my thoughts and actions as an aspiring writer and since this impacts me as a writer, I decided to mention it here for the first time.

I'm not going to discuss it much but as I go forward in treatment -- and I haven't decided yet which treatment to have -- I will discuss it as I believe it is relevant to my writing.

So there you have it.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

My favorite part

My critique group doesn't meet for several more weeks and my material to be submitted to the group isn't due for another 11 days. But I decided to get ahead of the curve, for once, and submitted 20 pages of THE DEATH OF ART last night.

It was not the next group of pages of DOA the group would otherwise have read. I submitted pages two months ago, when it was last my turn, but for some reason the file attachment couldn't be opened by other group members. I would have submitted those same pages this time except that I decided to jump ahead.

The pages I submitted included the scenes that I enjoy most from the book, including the first big surprise in the novel. I decided to jump ahead because I wanted to get the group's take on those pages before Bouchercon in October. While I will be looking around, hoping to make contact with an agent at that time, this book isn't what I will be shopping. But I wanted to feel confident in the writing and getting some impressions from this part should do the trick.

On another note, I have to go to the doctor today for an examine and I'd have more to write about but I have to leave. I will delete this part later if I have the time and add more impressions on writing. But until I do, thanks again for reading and ever, ever give up on writing and on getting published if that is your goal.

Have a good writing day!

A release form

I signed a release form today so that my short story, THE MISSING CD, can be published next year in BEDLAM AT THE BRICKYARD, the anthology my local Sisters in Crime chapter is putting out. In the story, a newspaper sports columnist is murdered while doing research into some possible misdeeds by a NASCAR team, and his girlfriend, TV anchorwoman, is forced to find some missing documents and discover his killer.

It's a little long at 6,500 words but it is a fun story. I am heading the marketing committee that is promoting the book.

Also this week, I printed out about 175 pages of my current novel for Angela to read. I planned on giving her another 25 plages or so but I was apparently running out of ink. Angela hasn't started reading, as far as I know, so haven't had any feedback yet.

I have been encouraging a relative -- actually, she is the wife of one of my wife's cousins -- to write a book, a mystery, really. She is in a reading group, which is good, and she told me several weeks ago she wanted to write what is known in the industry as a cozy. I think she'd be good at it once she got started.

I saw her briefly at a family event yesterdday but she hadn't started it yet. And maybe she won't ever start. But I hope she never looks back with regret.

I am surprised at how much knowledge I have on the industry and can provide to her. I can only imagine all the knowledge that I don't have that is out there.

I also last night answered a friend's questions regarding copyright. She wants to write a book of poetry and is worried about someone stealing her ideas. I told her it is prudent to be cautious and to establish ownership. But I also told her it is unlikely there are lots of people out there looking to steal material from an unknown, unpublished poet.

Well, that is all for now. I just wanted to write down a few thoughts. Have a good weekend and thanks for reading.

Keep writing.

Reading something into Obama's Book Bag

I just read an article online about what President Obama is reading while on his vacation in Massachusetts this week, and what can be learned about the man from his vacation reading. No much as far as I can tell.

There are five books, all by white men. But that is neither surprising nor alarming. (What is alarming is that he doesn't have one of my books. I'd send him the material to read. I have got to get him to read DEATH AT THE JUNGLE-BUNNY JOURNAL.) I can't discern anything about him from the list, which includes:

THE WAY HOME, a crime thriller set in Washington written by George Pelecanos.
LUSH LIFE by Richard Price. It is a story about race and class in Manhattan's Lower East Side.
Environmental revolution is covered in HOT, FLAT AND CROWDED by Tom Friedman.
Kent Harut's PLAINSONG.
And my favorite is JOHN ADAMS by David McCullough.

McCullough's book is the only one I have read, and also enjoyed. It was years ago when I was still living in Philadelphia. It was long before the HBO film series by the same title, which I also enjoyed.

If I were president, which I wanted to be when I was 17, what would I take? Probably much of what I took on vacation two weeks ago (except a book on writing). There was a mystery, a general fiction, one history, one on baseball and a book on writing.

The only one I finished that week was the mystery. (It was the 14th book on Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I need to get the 15th book.) The only one I didn't touch was on the one on history.

Reading is essential for a writer. What can be discerned by my vacation reading list? Probably no more than can be learned from the president's reading list.

Thanks for reading and don't give up on writing.

Sends those queries

I'm going on another major agent push. I need an agent and there are agents out there looking for new talent. Why not me?

The new Writer's Digest, which came in the mail while we were on vacation, lists 24 agents looking for new writers. I have all the resources for finding and researching agents, I just have to get back into it.

I haven't done a major query push for a while. I have lots of excuses for not having done it -- and many of the excuses are valid -- but in the end they are just excuses. And I know agents aren't going to come knocking on my door. I have to go out and find them.

So I have revamped my standard query letter and am ready to go.

The inspiration for all this was an author who was the guest speaker last Saturday at our local Sisters in Crime meeting. Her name is Madelyn Alt and she lives in northeast Indiana. She is a delightful person, a very good writer (judging from book excerpts on her website, which itself was also very good), and an inspirational speaker. She seemed to understand what I am going through because less than a decade ago, she was also going through it.

On another note, an author I met two years ago and whom I like a lot is coming to town. Hank Phillippi Ryan, a broadcast journalist in Boston who has now written three novels about an investigative broadcast journalist in Boston who solves murders, will be at The Mystery Company in two weeks and is going to Bouchercon in October. I really look forward to seeing her again.

So that's me for now. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Some helpful advice

I went to an author talk and book-signing this evening to hear a totally delightful author named Julie Kramer. She has two books out in a series -- STALKING SUSAN and MISSING MARK. And, like me, she is a journalist. She done quite well for herself, having gotten great reviews for her first book, published last year, and is now out promoting the second, published this summer.

I bought her first book, of course, and had it signed. And I plan to purchase the second book after I finish reading the first.

I asked a lot of questions afterwards and would have stayed to ask more except that the store was closing up shop. But she gave me a couple of very good pieces of advice -- one which I knew (and hadn't yet totally taken to heart) and one which is new to me and will probably prove to be very helpful.

The first is to be able to describe your novel in a single sentence. I know that but I have a hard time coming up with a single thought to express the entire work. Julie, who didn't outline her first novel ahead of time but did outline the second (mostly, apparently, because the editor insisted), came up with a single line for her novel BEFORE she wrote the manuscript and before she even knew who the killer was. I didn't do that.

In fact, now that I think of it, I don't even write the headline for my stories until after I have written it. I have a hard time thinking of my writing in such a simple, direct way. However, I do know I will have a hard time getting someone interested in my work without that simple, direct statement.

I came up with something back in March -- actually, my wife, the marketing diva, came up with it back in March -- and I am going to revisit that, re-familiarize myself with it and go forward with it to see how it works.

I gave Julie my card, which I'm sure she will promptly lose, and told her I will see her at Bouchercon in October and would have a sentence for her by then.

The other piece of advice was new to me but was also excellent. She said read the debut novel of my favorite successful authors to focus on why their characters intrigued me. What wonderful advice. My favorite novel is TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY. And while it was not John Le Carre's first novel, it was the first in a series. And I love the way he developed interesting characters that I cared about. It is very character-driven and, if he were trying to get his first novel published today, would probably have a hard because there is so much backstory and so little action. But it is still an excellent book. I read it every 18 months to two years or so.

And I have looked at Janet Evanovich's first Stephanie Plum novel. It is in first person and I write in third but there is something urgent about the way she introduces characters and plot quickly, even before you are totally aware of it.

I will have to give the entire idea of reading deovels some thought and, perhaps, will let you know how it goes.

Talking to a successful novelist has its ups and downs. The downside, of course, is the question of why I haven't made that jump yet. There is a certain envy going on there. But the upside is that someone has made it and so there is no reason to think I can't.

So I will stay positive and keep working. And so should you.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Racing anthology

As you know, I am in the Speed City chapter of Sisters in Crime, and SinC is publishing another racing anthology next year, BEDLAM AT THE BRICKYARD. For the anthology, I wrote a story (which is too long) and edited the fact inserts that will go between the stories.

Just yesterday I just got the first electronic printout of the anthology to look over. And for the first time I saw my name listed as an author. It was exciting. Just think! Me? A published author. Wow.

I just back from vacation and was busy with work all day today and haven't had the time to look over the printout yet but I hope to get to it by Friday, or at least by the weekend. I know I don't have to look over it all but I plan to read the entire 176 pages. After we send in any changes or corrections who have, the publisher will make the changes and then we will proof it again.

I am coming along slowly with the marketing committee and one member had to drop out yesterday due to health reasons. But we will muster on. I still want the plan in place my October so we can really push forward during Bouchercon.

Just think, in eight months I will no longer just be an aspiring novelist. I will be a published author and aspiring novelist. Sounds great to me.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

The perfect book (perhaps)

Tucked away in a small area the size of a walk-in closet on the east end of the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia is a wonderful seller of new and used books. I try to visit the site whenever I am in the Terminal Market, which is an expereince in and of itself. There are hundreds of volumes cramped into the bookseller's little space. And there are gems to be found, though it takes some effort.

There are some broad categories -- fiction, religion and the occult, African-American, history, poetry, classics, Civil War, to name a few. But the books don't seem to be arranged in any decernible manner. On one wall -- and all the walls are small -- I found D.H. Lawrence and Dan Brown, Alice Walker and Agatha Christie, T.S. Elliot and somene named Mervin X.

There are new books and old, used books. Everything seemed dusty and everything, judging from the many volumes I picked up and examined, was overpriced -- way overpriced!

Which is why I spent so much time weighing whether to buy one book, which at the moment is nearly a perfect book for me. It is THE ART OF RENOIR by Albert C. Barnes and Violette de Mazia. Published by the Barnes Foundation in the 1930s and undoubtedly out of print for my entire lifetime, the book I saw was an early edition but not a first edition. And the bookseller wanted $25.

Since I might be able to find a copy at the Foundation and if not, perhaps, somewhere online, I decided against buying it. And if nothing else, I can have someone go back to the Reading Terminal Market to get it.

In the book, Barnes analyzes Renoir paintings. And he should have some insight into the subject. The Barnes Foundation collection has more than 180 Renior paintings.

But it is particularly good for me at the moment as I continue writing my current novel, THE DEATH OF ART, which involves the murder of a woman who works at the Barnes. Even without that, it looked like a fascinating book that I might like to have just because.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Persistence

Reading Donald Maass is quite informative, and somewhat depressing. His book, WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, doesn't pull any punches. And frankly, it shouldn't. But that doesn't mean it is any easier to take.


Regardless of all the practical information -- and there is a lot -- the one overriding impression I have gotten so far is that you must be persistent -- persistent in working to improve your craft, persistent is advancing your craft and persistent in promoting your craft.

I wish there was a shortcut for that. But, of course, there isn't.

And in the end, persistence is the reason I started this blog and is the one piece of advice I want to continually offer to any readers who happen upon my postings, as well as to myself.

So thanks again, Donald Maass. Perhaps I will have the chance to thank you in person in October at Bouchercon in Indianapolis (and maybe have you sign my book).

Thanks for reading and don't give up on writing.

Purchasing another book

Amongst the e-mails I got today was one from Writer's Digest promoting an August discount for online courses. And the course this particular promotion was for is called "Writing the Breakout Novel." It starts in about two-and-a-half weeks and will use Donald Maass' bestselling book of the same as a guide.

Now I would love to take an online class. I would particularly like a course on writing a breakout novel. But money is money and I don't have a lot to spare. I have to be quite strategic in my spending. It's why I'm not in Tampa this week for NABJ's annual convention. And even with the $25 August discount, the course will still cost more than $300. That is more than I care to spend particularly when there are other options.

Since the course is based on Maass' book, it is cheaper to just buy the book and read it. It is a bestseller, as I mentioned before, and is available at Borders for $16.95. It is discounted to something like $11.99 at Amazon.com, but with the delay in getting the book -- I only have to drive two miles to the nearest Borders, which takes only minutes, as compared to several days for delivery from Amazon -- and the cost of shipping, it makes sense to just go buy the book.

But once I have the book, what then? The problem with self-improvement books is that they take time to read and have so much information it can be difficult to remember and condense it all. And I am impatient to get started on using the tools the book will provide.

There is an added problem, however, at least for me. It is the problem of reading and studying how to write a breakout novel and NOT actually writing the breakout novel. I have learned so much about publishing in the last two years but it hasn't seemed to have moved me any closer to getting an agent or in getting published. And that is frustrating. How will this book be any different for me?

Having said all that, after I finish this post I am off to Borders to buy Donald Maass' book. (I put it on hold for two days.) Maass will be at Bouchercon in October and is giving a workshop. Between the workshop and purchasing the book, I will have saved a lot more money than I would spend on taking an online course. And I will get to meet the author.

That's a bargain that is hard to beat.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Listening to music

I can't remember if I have written about this before but I love listening to music when I write. It puts me in the mood. Generally I go for instrumental music so that the vocals don't intrude and distract me. But there are some vocals I love to hear even when I write. They set a good mood without being distracting.

One of those selections is "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn. I love the song. It is imaginative and creative. And it makes me want to write better, to be better.

There are some art forms that inspire me to do better. Good writing is one, of course. Paintings, particularly Impressionism, can have that affect. But the thing that gets me going the most is music. The genius is so apparent, particularly for someone as thick as me.

So right now I am listening to "Walking" because it is a beautiful song. And it reminds me of my only visit to Memphis four years ago. I attended an NABJ regional convention and monitored a debate between candidates for president of NABJ.

But what was so wonderful about the trip is that I drove down to Memphis with a very special young college student whose name is a perfect description of her -- Special.

Though Special was attending college in suburban Indianapolis and I met her when I went there to talk to a group of communication students, she is from Memphis. And during the time I was there, Special and her mom drove me around one afternoon and showed me the sights. Graceland. The Lorraine Motel. The old Stax studio. Beale Street. We even went into Mississippi.

So when I listen to "Walking in Memphis" I think of the time I was walking in Memphis. The song touches me in some ways that others do not.

I feel inspired and write faster than normal. And right now, as I am working on finishing a first draft of THE DEATH OF ART, writing fast and getting it all down is the primary goal. Making it good is the goal of later drafts.

That is what music does for me. What does it do for you?

Thanks for reading. Listen to music and keep writing.

Research

While I am still working on THE DEATH OF ART, I know the novel I'd like to write in November for National Novel Writing Month. (I think the title will be IN SEARCH FOR A DRINK OF MILK or THE STRUGGLE FOR A DRINK OF MILK. I like the former but the latter better describes the situation the hero will face.) And, like with DOA, it will take some research.

So I have started researching my next novel.

The story involves racing and while I love racing and have a workman's knowledge and understanding of the sport, there is a lot a don't know or understand. I don't intend to be too technical in the novel -- it's a general read not genre fiction -- but to have credibilty, I need to have a better understanding of the technical aspects of racing than I currently have.

(The story is about the challenges a drive faces in returning to the sport following a devastating and near-fatal accident. And, given the sad news from Hungary from over the weekend, I now intend to pay particular attention to Felipe Massa's recovery from head injuries.)

I can't go into specifics about spring settings or mechnical down force but I will have to know what they mean even if I don't bring them up. It's important -- crucial, really -- to have a solid grasp of knowledge on your subject before you write about it.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

The Joy of Writing

I have been really enjoying my writing lately. The plot in my story is going reasonably well and the writing is fun and almost easy.

I am talking about THE DEATH OF ART, of course. At this point in the story, the hero, Jason, is in the thick of things, and it's going to get worse. The guy who's been doing all the killing and who faked his own death to throw the authorities off his scent is going to start threatening our hero. And in addition to this professional challenge, Jason is having problems with the woman who would be his gal. I haven't decided how -- or whether -- I will resolve the personal conflict. It started in the first Jason Crown novel and has continued into this one. But I may want to keep it going for a while and leave the reader wondering -- in much the same way Janet Evanovich keeps us wondering who Stephanie will choose, Joe or Ranger.

The problem with Stephanie's character is that she hasn't grown, while all the characters around her have. I want to avoid that with Jason and Davida, so I might resolve that conflict sooner than later. (I will probably follow the lead in the Blackford Oakes series. Although Black's relationship with Sally wasn't that rocky, as I recall, it had strains. But he still married her.)

The interwining of the personal and the professional, I think, is what makes this story interesting -- that and the on-going real life controversy of the Barnes Foundation. The Barnes just make the perfect back drop for a murder mystery.

I am enjoying myself working at home at the desk in the guest room but I also must admit I look forward to the girls going back to school in the fall. Having them around so much in the middle of the day is quite distracting. Much more than with Pluto. But I still get work done, both the paying and non-paying kind.

Glad to have this laptop back and in reasonably good working order. (There is still a problem, however. In the middle of typing the cursor will jump for no reason at all to an earlier point. Just now it jumped back four lines with no warning. It suddenly appeared in the middle of the last sentence in that paragraph.)

Have a good week. Thanks for reading and keep writing.

More marketing

I am learning more and more about the ins and outs of book marketing and it is a difficult lesson.

While I am still working on my own novel, I am also chair of my local Sisters in Crime marketing committee and am charged with developing a marketing plan for the chapter and for our two anthologies, including the one being published next year.

I have several committee members and am getting help from my wife, a marketing guru herself. But developing plan and implementing it is proving to be a major task.

But we have a list of potential contacts and are preparing to send out our first press release before next weekend's Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis.

I will go into more details another time. But for now, it's time foe dinner.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Marketing

I am going to get my first taste of marketing first hand and very quickly. At our last Sisters in Crime meeting, we got several volunteers for a new marekting committee to handle the marketing and publicity of our upcoming anthology, BEDLAM AT THE BRICKYARD. And I was suckered into being the committee chair.

Now I have read tons and tons of stuff on book marketing, of course. Now I will have to try some of it out. I am taking this quite seriously. While in the last 21 months we have sold nearly two-thirds of the print run of our first anthology, RACING CAN BE MURDER, there wasn't a coordinated, aggressive effort to market the book.

I want to change that this time around.

First I want to develop a strategic plan to market the last anthology and in doing so raise some awareness of the next book, which will be published in May. I particularly want to have some initial plans in place and active by Oct. 1, which will be two weeks before thousands of mystery writers, readers and book industry people will be in town for Bouchercon 2009.

I plan to really promote our books and the chapter during the convention.

But that is just the start. We need to think outside the box and reach into areas we didn't think of before, or for some reason just didn't go into before. We might try some craft shows this fall and we are definitely using the Internet and the local women's media better this time around.

The point is to raise money for the chapter and raise some awareness of the authors in the book, me included. But the book won't sell itself. We have to do it. And once I have a better understanding of what works and what doesn't, I will know better how to promote my own book when I get published.

I'm nervous and, quite frankly, a little scared. But I am determined to do what I can to sell out all of our books -- both anthologies. I will try to remember to update you as things progress.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

The love of books

I was in the mall yesterday and a local book collector was among a series of vendors set up in the common area outside of Macys. I was going to Macys -- I needed a new belt -- and I wandered through the bookseller's area for a few minutes that lasted far longer than I originally intended.

It was because I love books, and old books in particular. There is something about having a book in you hands that is comforting and relaxing. Although I do enjoy audio books -- a fact that I would have denied a decade ago -- there is nothing better than having it in your hands. Even with technology, having a virtual library in my hands, such as a Kindle, would not be the same as holding an actual book.

For $7, I bought an original copy of William L. Shirer's book, BERLIN DIARY: THE JOURNAL OF A FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, 1934-1941. (The seven bucks was four dollars more than the original sale price of three dollars back in 1941 when it was published.) The book is wonderful, giving a day-by-day account of the changing events in Europe leading up to and just after the Second World War. Having majored in 20th Century European history in college, I love that stuff.

(And for those stupid enough to doubt the Nazis' systematic oppression, torture and murder of Jews, Shirer's third diary entry dated September 2, 1934, mentions someone showing him around Berlin and he writes, "Coming back, he pointed out a building where a year ago for days on end, he said, you could hear the yells of the Jews being tortured." That was only 18 months after Hitler took office and five years before the war. Even with poor intelligence, the Western powers had to have known about some of what the Nazis were doing to Jews, in particular, and other social, political and religious victims, in general.)

Though not on a par with sex, reading a good book can be as satisfying as getting a good night's sleep. But with the world changing so quickly because of the Internet, I wonder whether future generations will enjoy books in the same way I do. Yes, the information will still be there. But I fear what will be lost is the feel of it in the hand.

It makes me sad but I guess that's progress.

Thanks for reading me today. Go out and buy a good book. And don't give up on writing.

Going back into past material

I’m doing something I generally don’t like to do. Instead of just writing straight through to the end, then going back to make major changes in the text, I decided this week to go back to strengthen and braid more elements into the sub-plot in parts of the story already completed.

What works in terms of writing, re-writing and editing varies from writer to writer. Generally for me, going back into previously written material, particularly for major changes, is to be avoided. It serves as an excuse for not writing ahead and thus finishing the work. So what I do is make notes of changes I want and then refer to those notes when I start writing.

In both FIGHTING CHAOS and DEATH AT THE JUNGLE-BUNNY JOURNAL I made one big exception to the don’t-go-back rule. Before the halfway point in both those novels, I suddenly visualized the final scene in the books. Being pressed from inside my head, I jumped to the end and wrote the endings. Then I went back to where I was earlier in the book and continued writing until the beginning met up with the end.

That hasn’t happened yet in THE DEATH OF ART. I haven’t imagined the specific ending, although I am halfway through the novel. But I came to see that certain conflicts that will have to be resolved later are not being fully developed. So I jumped back to flesh out some earlier material.

The good part is that it has been exciting to revisit material I wrote months ago. And it helped to remind me why I liked it to begin with. I changed the name of a character whom I killed off and the name of a character who is going to meet a violent end later. But I want to finish back material as quickly as possible so as not to be bogged down in the earlier parts of the novel.

I will also admit that I am impatient for the ending. Various unfocused thoughts have been swirling around in my head for months but nothing has crystallized. Being only halfway, however, I still have plenty of time. I just don’t want to arrive at the ending and not have thought of one.

So that’s where I am at the moment. Still plugging along. And you should too.

Thanks for reading and get back to work.

First things first

While reading the current issue of Writer’s Digest, I was reminded of one of the most basic facts of life -- First things first. It is a simple concept and yet people in all sorts of situations get it wrong, writers included. (Not me, of course!)

And that is undoubtedly why Jerry D. Simmons brought it up in his WD article, “Your Step-by-step Guide to the Publishing Process.” What he was talking about was researching the publishing market by regularly going to the bookstore and browsing the aisles. As he says, “bookstores are laboratories for marketing and selling books.”

The closest large bookstore to my home is a Borders situated at the entrance of one of the largest malls in the city where I live. It is big and roomy, and with a number of comfortable places to sit and read quietly. But as an aspiring author, its size and diversity of offerings appeal to me less than a much, much smaller mystery bookstore about 20 minutes from home.

The owner of the mystery bookstore knows all about the market for mystery books because it is his bread and butter. Browsing his shelves and talking to him gives me a much better understanding of the market than visiting my local Borders or Barnes and Noble. Don’t get me wrong, I go to those other stores and check out the displays, and note how many books of a certain title are available and how they are placed.

But visiting the smaller store helps me better understand where my book would appear on a bookshelf, whether of a larger retailer or a smaller one. Since publishing is a business and the marketing of a book falls heavily on the author, you have to know your demographic.

I don’t think I impress potential agents enough of my knowledge of the market and where I fit in it. Informing an agent of my understanding of the market will be a major goal as I move forward.

If I am doing first things first and want to stand out from the crowd, I have to let someone know it.

Thanks for reading and don’t give up on writing.

Short stories

I was reading a newsletter from Sisters in Crime and near the end of one article the author mentioned something that Ray Bradbury sometimes recommended -- writing a short story once a week for a year. Now for me, that is one heck of a goal.

As a freelance journalist, I write for a living and thus I write a lot. But that isn't writing fiction. I don't make up what I write. I just report what I know and write it.

So, writing 52 short stories in a year would be nearly as hard for me as it would be for someone new to writing. I would have an advantage because I'd already have the discipline of sitting down in front of a computer regularly and typing. But that's probably it. The mindset is totally different.

But it is an intriguing challenge, and it's one I'm considering. The first thing I'd need to do is establish a set time each week to write a short story. Then, working in advance, I'd want to think of and partially develop five or six short stories before I'd start writing. But even then, after one or two dozn stories, I predict I would be working week to week for at least six months. That would be a long haul.

That having been said, it is a worthy goal consider. I can't do it now but perhaps by some time in the fall I can seriously consider it.

I will try to let you know.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

What's in a name, Part IV

I love Writer’s Digest, as you already know. Each issue is terrific and I always think it can’t be topped. Then the next issue arrives and it tops the previous one.

This latest issue is no different. The main articles are on Publishing 101: Your publishing survival guide. And while I will mine a number of topics from this issue for my blog in the coming days and weeks, what I am focusing on today is on Page. 44.

I have brought this subject up before, several times, in fact. And I have tried to rely on my best artistic judgment on what is fundamentally a marketing issue. It is the title of my book.

The No. 7 point of the WD article that starts on Page 42 is: Stake a claim on your title before “they” can get at it.

Back in late January in a fit of caution, I decided to change the name of my novel from DEATH AT THE JUNGLE-BUNNY JOURNAL to A MURDEROUS DISPATCH. To accommodate the title, I even went back and changed the name of the newspaper in the novel from the Courier-Times to the Daily Dispatch. But the more I contemplate it, the more I believe the title change was wrong.

Patricia Holt, the writer of the WD article, stated upfront that “the title is your first opportunity to market the book . . . ” It can be risky and potentially controversial. But standing out is not a bad thing. Being timid is.

“If the title is so startling or catchy or provocative that it makes a person want to reach for the book and start reading, you have a beaut” of a title, Holt writes.

Jungle-bunny Journal does that. It pops. It stands out. It could be controversial but it is not a wallflower. It is not a title that will be ignored. So what does A MURDEROUS DISPATCH say? No much, other than the book is about a murder and the writer is redundant.

I still don’t know if, as a title, Jungle-bunny Journal will get me an agent or a publisher. I have no real evidence of it so far. But I have no evidence that Murderous Dispatch will either. So I’m going to do what I should have always been doing -- trusting my judgment.

I like DEATH AT THE JUNGLE-BUNNY JOURNAL. I always have. So, I’m going back to that until some publisher or their marketing guru convinces me otherwise.

Thanks for reading. Trust your judgment and don’t give up on writing.

The Death of Art

I had intended that my current project, THE DEATH OF ART, be finished by the end of last month. I didn't make that deadline. At the moment, I am hoping to finish the first draft before heading for a vacation in five weeks. it will be close.

The novel is coming along well, however. I continue to discover things about my characters and about the story. Although at the moment I am in a slow period, both in the writing and in the story, the story itself is unfolding well. I am editing and re-writing more as I go along, a departure from the past. And that is one of the reasons I haven't finished yet. But I can't let that be an excuse.

Once I finish, however, I may change a major event of the story. In doing so will present a real surprise to the book but I'm not sure it will work. I won't know that until I get to the end and I try it. I am willing to do whatever is necessary to improve the book.

On the publishing front, I still don't have an agent for A MURDEROUS DISPATCH and I'm going to start directly querying a select number of publishers. And I may change the name back to DEATH AT THE JUNGLE-BUNNY JOURNAL. I have a couple of publishers in name so I will have to decide something about the soon.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Making money on a book

So, I'm reading this book and it is one of the best books I have ever read. (Not really, but I like to say that.) I just discovered it. Actually, it was a gift from my sister-in-law. And it shows people can make money off of nearly any good idea.

It is by Christian Lander and it's called "Stuff White People Like." It's brilliant on several levels.

First and foremost, it is brilliant because it is funny and amusing and informative. There are some things black folks just can never understand about white folks. This examines that.

But secondly, the book fits a previously unknown market niche and thus Lander can make money on something as silly as "Stuff White People Like." I wish I had thought of it, although as a black person, I've been called a racist for writing it.

(Frankly, I don't think blacks can be racist but that is a discussion for some other blog. This blog is about writing.)

The book is just funny and enjoyable to read. And that, along with being informative, is what books should be about.

Another wonderful book I am reading is "As They See 'Em" by Bruce Weber.

Weber is a writer for the New York Times -- I think he is doing obits now -- and his book is a wonder tale about a virtually unthoughtabout aspect of the American pasttime -- baseball umpires. You hardly ever see or think of an ump until you disagree with them. They have no support among fans and little from baseball players, coaches and management. And yet, the game would be nearly impossible without them.

Over the weekend, I was watching two games and there were close calls in both. And in each call, the ump was right. They do their jobs and generally do them well. I plan to pay more attention to umps in the future.

Just like with Lander, Weber found a niche and wrote about it. The book is truly informative, full of terrific descriptive detail and handsome writing. It is an enjoyable breeze to read.

On NPR this afternoon, I heard part of an interview by the wonderful Philadelphia Daily News writer Dave Davies with the author of a new book on Sachel Paige. Dave, whom I knew in passing when I was back in Philly, was well-informed and asked all the right questions. The writer, who I think was named Larry Time (I will have to look that up) seemed to know the subject well, although there was a level of passion about Paige and the times in which he lived and played that I think the author didn't have. At least it seemed so. Perhaps if he were black he might have achieved that deeper passion. I don't know. But hopefully a thoughtful child -- not talking about either of mine, of course -- will give me the book for Father's Day.

That's it for now. Glad to be back. Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading.

I will update you on my novel in a later post.

In the meantime, don't give up on writing.

I'm not quite back

Still having someone working on my laptop. And I'm still writing so be patient with me. I will be back . . .

Computer woes

I'm still in the midst of computer problems. I will try to catch up on my postings a little later this month.

Thanks for checking in and keep writing.

Dan Brown

The publishing world has been abuzz since yesterday's announcement that Dan Brown, author of the 2003 mega-bestseller THE DA VINCI CODE, will publish his next book in September. Readers for years have been waiting for another book from Brown, a reclusive man, it all appears. Years ago the word on the street was that Brown's next project would be on the Freemasons.

DA VINCI was a runaway bestseller. It sold more than 80 million copies worldwide, was on the New York Times bestseller list for a staggering 144 weeks (which is nearly three years), including 54 weeks (more than a year) at No. 1. So it seems a little strange that the first printing of his new book, THE LOST SYMBOL, will have only five million copies.

From what I have been reading, the book, which will again have Robert Langdon as the protag, isn't about Freemasons but about something else entirely. But there is no telling. Certainly, at this moment, neither the publisher nor the author are saying.

I think DA VINCI was the best of the books Brown has written. It took me months and months to get through ANGELS AND DEMONS. And I read the others and found them boring.

Borders is offering a 40 percent discount on pre-orders. Everyone seems to have high expectations for the book and for what it can do for the publishing industry.

I am, of course, glad a new book is coming out. I just wish some of that good fortune would filter down to me. I don't have a thriller as riveting as DA VINCI, but it is interesting, fun and well-written. And I know now that Brown is coming out, publishers, editors and agents will be looking that much harder for the next blockbuster.

And there is no reason it can't be me. I just have to get my marketing together to find an agent. I feel I am stuck on Step 1 1/2. But I know I just have to keep at it.

Good luck, Dan. I look forward to reading your book.

As for the rest, thanks for reading me and don't give up on writing.

Computer woes, again

I have been having computer problems for the better part of five days and it still isn't resolved. But as soon as I have a reliable computer, I plan to post on writing a one-sentence pitch, using Angela's help in marketing, and not winning (another) contest.

But for now, thanks for reading and keep writing (if only, like me, it is in longhand).

ABNA, the semis

I saw today where my Internet friend Jarucia Jaycox Nirula advanced to the semi-final round of 100 in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.

Three cheers for her.

She is a great writer and deserves some success. And I pledged to help her in any way I could.

I haven't been reading the forums because they have gotten very nasty. Jarucia says it may calm down a bit now.

I don't share that optimism but I hope she is right.

Congrats again to Jarucia. When one of us gets through, it helps us all.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

#Agentfail

There's been a lot said and written in the last couple of weeks about #Agentfail and, as an extension, #Queryfail. But I want to direct my comments today on Agentfail.

I don't want to sound like a whiny-baby full of sour grapes. But I must be clear: I don't have an agent, although I have been looking for one for more than a year. That stretches over the completion of two novels.

There's more than enough room on both sides of the relationship for improvement. But since I'm not on the agent side, I am only going to address the concerns from the author side.

Some agents suck. The vast majority do not but some suck big time. Without naming names, the first agent I encountered was a dick-head. I sent an e-mail query because his guidelines matched up perfectly with what I had written. And he promised a reply in four to eight weeks.

I got a rejection in under 15 minute.

But in fairness (as I was to learn about agents), I did get a reply. And that is the No. 1 gripe authors who are querying agents have about agents. It's their "no-response-means-no" statements.

I loath that. I really do. I have sent out scores of queries and with roughly two-thirds I got no response. How unfair and uncivil.

(I was just reading the comments of a very good, popular and well-respected agent who said the "no-response-means-no" response is "rude and unprofessional, and a short-sighted business strategy." I'm going to write her to say I agree. But I will also mention I queried her last July 14 for "Death at the Jungle-bunny Journal" and I never got a response. Or more accurately,I got a "no-response-means-no" response.)

Agents can get hundreds of queries a week. That is truly a lot. So I know they are busy. But so am I. I took the time to write. As a human being I think I deserve at least the courtesy of a form letter reply, particularly since many agents apparently find a lot of time to Twitter.

My beautiful wife reminds me often that you can tell a person's priorities by the time they spend on something. If an agent spends a lot of time on Twitter complaining about authors -- some of which being undoubtedly legitimate -- and less time responding to queries, what does that say about what they think of authors. Not much, I venture. And if an agent doesn't care for authors, why be in the business?

It doesn't take much to set up a reply function on a computer to send a form letter reply. A reply would take less time than a Twitter. If agents did that, however, it would mean my record-setting 14-minute rejection would be broken, probably by as much as 10 minutes. I accept that. But at least it will be a reply.

I hate it when an agent says not to take a rejection personally. Excuse my language but that is bullshit. Writing, just like all art forms, is personal. And putting it out there is personal, whether to an agent, an editor, a publisher, a reviewer or the public. Art is nothing if not personal.

But I like something the late John Updike apparently said about writing and writers in a 2002 interview in the Writer's Digest.

"Don't be thin-skinned or easily discouraged because it's an odds-long proportion: all the arts are. Many are called, few are chosen, but it might be you," he said.

I hate it when agents contradict what their guidelines say. And I hate it when I'm on an agent's website and they talk about how busy they are. I personally don't give a damned how busy an agent is. I expect them to be busy. It's their job to be busy. They don't get paid unless they are busy.

But I am busy, too. It's just not an excuse to be uncivil, unprofessional and rude, which is truly the bottomline when it comes to both agents AND authors. Be professional.

Whenever I find an agent, I hope to have such a strong relationship with them that I would feel comfortable sending them an invitation to my youngest daughter's wedding, which, given that she is only 15, won't be for years. (She doesn't plan on getting married until she is 25.) But from beginning to end, the basis of the relationship will be professional. We may become friends but
we will always have a business partnership. I plan to treat them with respect and I expect the same in return.

So there you have it -- my take on #agentfail.

Now to get back to finding an agent . . .

Thanks for reading and don't give up on writing.

Not feeling the love. What are the options?

It's early in the year and I have already met some of my writing goals for the year. But this past month has had a lot of ups and downs, mostly downs.


On the up side:


My short story, THE MISSING CD, which was written for Sisters in Crime's racing anthology to be published next year, was edited and didn't need a lot of extra work by me.


THE DEATH OF ART is coming along nicely, although a little slower than I would like. If I keepmy head down and work hard, I could still finish in May.


I attended two mini-conferences and got a lot out of both.


I had my first pitch session with an editor and it went quite well, although she didn't request a mss. She liked the idea and my execution for as much as she could see from the synopsis. (And I learned how to spell synopsis. I don't have to look up the word anymore.) She just wasn't in the market for murder mysteries but she did take the synopsis (See! What'd I tell you?) back to New York with her and sent it to another editor who might be interested. Plus she passed along the name of another editor at Little, Brown and suggested I contact her. (There is a down side to this. See below.)


On the down side:


ABNA didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped and planned. I knew it was a crap shoot but I put a lot of emotional energy into it and I wasn't prepared for how badly I would feel for failing to make the quarterfinals.


I got three rejection letters and in another week or so I will conclude that another dozen unanswered queries -- those sent two months ago -- are also rejections.


I didn't get a writing fellowship for a two-day spring workshop. I was really hoping for that one.


Though she liked what she saw, the New York editor didn't take the mss and I haven't heard anything from anyone else at her company.




I got an e-mail this morning from a good friend in Virginia and it included a link to an article today on CNN. The article was on on-demanding publishing. And for the first time, I have seriously given thought to self-publishing. Or more specifically, going the print-on-demand route.


That presents several dilemmas.


Everyone in the publishing industry says a lot of good books by very good authors never make it to market through the traditional publishing route for a variety of reasons, and many of those reasons are outside the authors control. Many of those authors end up self-publishing. Thus, a self-published book isn't necessarily a poorly written book.


That having been said, there is still a stigma to self-publishing. You hear it, sense it, feel it inside the publishing industry and, to a lesser degree, in the reading public. Since anyone can write a book and get it published that way, industry insiders seem to contradict themselves and say that if a book were good enough to be published the traditional way, it would have been.


Another dilemma is the cost. The author bears most of the upfront costs. And while on-demand publishing is probably cheaper that self-publishing the old fashion way, it still isn't cheap and the costs come out of your own pockets.


But cost and stigma are not my major problem with going it alone. If I had the money, cost wouldn't be a problem and stigma can be overcome by writing a great book.


My problem, therefore, is one I would face whether I self-publish or go the traditional publishing route. The problem is marketing, promotions and publicity.

Books don't sell themselves. People, authors generally, sell them. And while I'm not very comfortable with self-promotion, I'd be willing to do it for the sake of the book. That has always been the case. Making calls to get publicity, working on a website, going on tour -- I would do all of that and more since that is what it would take.

If I go the traditional route, I would have some marketing help and probably some marketing money, if only a little. But with on-demand publishing, developing a marketing plan and implementing it would fall on me and I don't have the slightest idea where to start.

So that's what I am thinking about. I plan to discuss it with my wife, as well as with friends and a couple of fellow authors. But for now, it is an option and will remain only an option.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

The right voice

First, I have to admit that I love Lorelei King, and I have for some time. I first noticed her in one of my favorite movies, NOTTING HILL. It was a small role -- she was Anna Scott's publicist -- but I enjoyed every minute she was on the screen. She has a fantastic voice, clear and unrushed. It is a believeable voice, a reassuring voice.

And, sometimes, it is the wrong voice.

My birthday was last week and as a present my wife and daughters bought me an audio version of Janet Evanovich's FEARLESS FOURTEEN, which, I think, is the latest book in her Stephanie Plum series. And, as I have said numerous times, I love the series.

I first discovered Janet Evanovich a year ago while we were on Spring Break vacation with the children. During our 10-hour drive to Philadelphia, we listened to the audio version of the fifth book, which was read by Debi Mazar, another fine actress. I haven't heard but three or four Plum books and they were read by Mazar or Lori Petty, with those read by Mazar being the best. She sounds like she has been to New Jersey, let alone Trenton, where the Plum series originates.

Which brings me back to King. She has, as I have said, a great voice but it is all wrong for Stephanie Plum. King sounds like she is from somewhere Connecticut, not from a working class area of Trenton. (The Internet Movie Database says she was born in Pennsylvania and I think she has worked a lot in Britain.) I have been to Trenton numerous times and have some feeling for the place. King's voice doesn't put me in that place.

The publisher's (or whoever's) choice of King caught my attention and got me thinking a lot about how important it is to have the right voice reading your book. I am a long way from that ever being a question, of course, but I don't think it is too early to put the thought in the back of my head.

I have a cousin named Eric who has worked for years in radio. It is so funny hearing him on the radio and then talking to him on the phone or in person. But he has a very professional voice and it is the sort of voice I'm pick to read my novel for an audio tape.

To me, his is the right voice. There is an ethnic quality to his voice without beating you over the head with it. It is strong, forceful and commanding without being overpowering, all qualities I try to show in my writing in both A MURDEROUS DISPATCH and THE DEATH OF ART.

I have not mentioned any of this to Eric yet. But if I ever have the opportunity to have an audio book, he is the first person I will call, if only for some advice and direction. Because after listening to a couple of hours of the wonderful Lorelei King reading as Stephanie Plum, I am more convinced than ever of the importance of finding the right voice.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

NaNoWriMo

Yes, I know it's half a year away and I need to finish THE DEATH OF ART first, I have already started some initial research for the novel I hope to write in November during National Novel Writing Month. (I think that's the correct title.) It's going to be an overcoming adversity tale involving a race car driver. So, it will be my first venture into general fiction.

Plus, while I was returning home yesterday from a brief vacation, I listened to the first book in the Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I love that series. It is wonderfully written, witty, fast-moving and descriptive. And, of course, it is in first-person.

So, again, I am toying with writing my November book in first-person. It is limiting, I think, but will allow me to explore my hero's interworkings more closely. Writing in first-person will definitely be outside my comfort zone but I'm not certain that is a good thing in this instance. I have six months to decide, however.

Anyway, racing. The driver will have a horrible accident near the beginning of the book and will have to fight to regain his confidence, both physically and mentally. That will be the challenge. That challenge will be the bad guy in the book. My hero will face stiff competition and challenges from people but his greatest challenge will be himself.

I have been reading up on racing and racing cars, which I already love, and have contacted a former driver I used to know who works for a racing team in town. I am hoping he will be able to provide me with a lot of the technical aspects of racing. The story won't be that technical, since it will be targeted to a general audience, but I will need to be solidly grounded with a technical understanding of racing, racing cars and racing drivers.

So that is my current plan for something to do in November. But it will depend on whether I finish DOA. I first need to concentrate on that.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Feeling good

I am having the most wonderful birthday today. I am visiting a friend -- it's Spring Break for my youngest and we are on a family trip -- and I am alone, sitting with my laptop and feeling energetic.

I am looking forward to the next group of scenes in my novel, THE DEATH OF ART, and can hardly wait to get at them. So good stuff is going on.

I have gotten tons of good wishes from friends, family and colleagues today. It's why I love birthdays. People make much of you and, if you are lucky, will leave you alone to do stuff you like. Like write.

It's a good day.

Now if I can only figure out how to kill a guy off without too many clues. Some small clues would be good, though.

As you can see, I am in a playful mood and have been plying around with the fonts. But enuf of that, I gotta get back to work.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy my birthday and don't give up on writing.

A fellowship

I shipped off an e-mail to an editor at a publishing house earlier this week. I know, I know. They don't accept such e-mails from unagented, unpublished authors like me. But what did it cost me? Nothing, except the hours I anxiously spent pouring over my synopsis, and the guilt I felt for snapping at my wife for changing part of one paragraph.

So, like I said, not much cost. (Crap! I should have bought some flowers earlier this week.)

But I sent the e-mail because I had a slight in with the editor, whom I have never met. Another editor suggested I write her. I did. And now I wait. It's been a couple of days but it's only an e-mail. How long should it take?

I was excited that first day, checking my return e-mails several times. Nothing. And then today I faced the stark reality of querying. I may never know. She may never reply. And that, in itself, will be the reply. Rejection via silence.

Gosh, I hate this.

Also on Monday, I mailed off an application for a two-day writer's fellowship in early May. It is sponsored by the Midwest Writers Workshop. I got the application post marked on March 23, which was the deadline. I hope I get the fellowship.

The application required a one-page synopsis of a work in progress, plus roughly 1,000 words from the WIP. Those chosen must bring 20 pages of their work in progress and a laptop computer to the workshop session.

Since I already have more than 100 pages done and would be nearing the end of my novel by early May, that shouldn't be a problem.

I think THE DEATH OF ART has a strong storyline and good characters, but getting some expert help, particularly before the first draft is completed, would be good.

I also have sent out two queries this week. No rejections, however. Yet. I sent out a slew of queries in early and mid-February. I think I have only heard from one of them. Should be getting about that time, however.

I know an author from an online forum who got three rejections yesterday, including one from a query he wrote nearly a year ago. And it was insulting. Rough day for him.

I'm going on vacation soon. And so, if i can find the peace and quiet, I might get some writing done. Bad thing is that I will miss my Sisters in Crime meeting and the meeting with the critque group. It will be the first meeting I have missed since joining in January of last year.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading. And keep writing.

The passing of a writer, II

I had another topic in mind for today but I just heard, sadly, that a fellow writer died several days ago. Her name was Pamela B. Levinson.

http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/41619432.html

I didn't personally know Pam. We met through a writing group online. But I found her to be funny, kind and loving. Her online comments showed a witty, likeable person who loved writing and who was open to providing suggestions and getting them.

We talked about where she lived in Villanova, which is on Philadelphia's Main Line, and Kensington, where she worked in the city. (It's funny, really. The Main Line is the location of one of my favorite films, A PHILADELPHIA STORY, with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, and Kensington was the birth place of Dr. Albert Barnes, who is the subject of my current work-in-progress, THE DEATH OF ART.) Kensington and the Main Line can be as different as night and day. But she moved between both everyday.

She also moved between the analytical and the creative everyday, from the world of accounting, which her job required, to the creative, which her writing required.

Pam finished her first novel, IT'S ONLY WORDS. And though it is unpublished, portions of this wonderful piece can be found on CreateSpace.

She put a wonderful voice into the world. It is silent now. And it will be missed.

Thanks for reading. And like Pam Levinson, keep writing.

Another contest

Two years ago, I entered the annual writing competition sponsored by Writer's Digest, which, in my view, is one of the best magazines ever. After I updated it, I entered LOSS OF CONSORTIUM in the screenplay category. (CONSORTIUM is about a young woman who sues her husband's employer, which is a newspaper, for $50 million for the loss of conjugal rights.) It was a light romantic comedy. If ever produced, it would be good on Lifetime or another network marketed toward women.

I didn't win. However, I was awarded an honorable mention, which was better than I expected. I got a certificate.

CONSORTIUM was my first and only full-length screenplay.

I was in the middle of DEATH AT THE JUNGLE-BUNNY JOURNAL, which, of course, is now titled A MURDEROUS DISPATCH, last year at this time and didn't have time to enter the competition. But I decided to enter this year, although I am hip deep in THE DEATH OF ART (DOA).

I thought of entering a short story I originally wrote a number of years ago about a young mother who needed a break from her busy life. And while I can't remember where I put the story, or the short-film screenplay adaptation I did of the story, I remember enough of the story to start it over again.

But then, just last night, I came up with another idea. There are 10 categories in the competition and I can enter more than one. But I would certainly enter the memoirs/personal essay category.

There are a number of short personal essays I have written over the years about events in my life, particularly those involving my daughters. (Meeting six-year-old Jessie and her mother years ago in a Barcelona market. Riding the rails overnight between Paris and Luxembourg. Ericka's first trip to the doctor. Going to JFK for George. THREE TIMES. Ericka and Michelle's first flight alone. My first trip to the drugstore to get "supplies" for one of my daughters.)

But the story I am leaning toward is an expanded version of something I blogged about this month. My first pitch session. While I have written about those other things, the pitch session, and the details surrounding it, are the freshest in my mind. Plus I enjoy the story. The ending wasn't exactly what I wanted but, at a time when I was having a major battle with despair, it was uplifting.

So that is my plan. I could change my mind. The deadline isn't for nearly two months. And I have that funny story about when Angela and I misplaced one of the children for about 15 seconds. But the pitch session, if rewritten well, should do well. At least, that is my hope.

Now I have to get back to DOA.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

I'm out

I'm out!

A little sad, of course, but today is another day to get on with it, to remember how I felt after my pitch session and to keep writing.

An early start to the day

I'm up early today. It's March 16, the day the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarterfinalists are announced. It's been six weeks since I enttered the contest and the same amount of time since I have heard anything official from the organizers.

I have generally been pretty calm about the whole affair. I check the discussion boards and often comment. Judging from those who have been through this before, having a visibility on the boards will come in handy later in the contest. Writers who know you through the various forum threads offer a lot of help and support in marketing you.

I didn't hang out in the forums all day yesterday, although I commented once or twice. What I did for most of the day was continue with my normal life. I wrote some good stuff for "The Death of Art" and hung out with family.

I went to bed as normal but didn't sleep well. I kept waking up thinking about ABNA and that the results were coming in. I finally got up at 5, partly because it was time for my daughter to leave with a friend on a Spring Break trip to Virginia and partly because I wanted to check on the contest.

At 5, it was March 16 across all of the continental United States. So if the organizers planned to release the list at midnight Eastern, Central, Mountain or Pacific time on the March 16, the time was past. But nothing.

I now realize I am quite anxious about the contest. I want to succeed but have absolutely no idea whether I will. I have seen a like of writing by authors that was better than I originally believed. And the requirements to get to the quarterfinals rest on two separate skills judged by two separate groups of people.

In addition, I have found errors in my excerpt and in my manuscript -- embarrassing errors that should hurt me some time or another.

So I wait. I'm not ready for the disappointment if I don't make it but it truly won't be the worst thing in the world. I have agents to query and more novels to write.

(I just kissed my daughter good-bye and had to stop her of leaving the house WITHOUT her coat and her purse, which has all her money in it. I love her but she really is clueless.)

Thanks for reading. I will probably post again some time later in the day.

And until then, keep writing.

Random thoughts, again

I went to a mini-conference this morning -- it was only three hours long -- and came away with a renewed commitment to my writing. I love getting together with other writers and aspiring writers and trading ideas and the like.

I went over to the ABNA threads this afternoon while taking a break from writing and was amazed at how nutty people are being. One poor woman is leaving the threads but she assumes another woman votes 'no' to each post of the first woman. (At the bottom of each post, there is a question, yes or no, as to whether the reader believes that post contributes to the discussion. I can't imagine why anyone who vote no because if you don't like what someone says, you can choose not to read it.) Plus there is incredible anxiety over Monday.

Monday is the day ABNA should announce the 500 or so quarterfinalists. People seem stressed out to the max.

In both cases, I think people should just chill. Writing is highly personal but it is not as personal as a person's life. It is writing. You do it because you love it, because it is a part of you but it isn't the total of you. At least it is not the total of me. And I want to advance in the contest. I truly do. But I'm not losing one moment's sleep about it now nor will I after Monday, regardless of the outcome. The contest does not define me or my writing. Regardless of what happens, I will still be querying agents and publishers, writing my next novel and preparing for the novel I hope to write in November.

Life goes on.

So, after I drop off my daughter, the cheerleader, for the final basketball game of the season, I am going to get back to work on "The Death of Art." I have plotted out a number of future scenes and will probably send some time outlining them so that I don't forget them.

That's it for now. Didn't have much to say but there it is.

Thanks for reading and, like me, get back to writing.

Establishing a brand

I generally try not to mention another person by name in my blog, mostly because I generally haven't run it past them in advance. But there are other reasons.

For example (and for obvious reasons), I tried hard in my post two days ago about my pitch session not to identify the editor. I didn't mention her name, give any description of her physical appearance or mention where she worked.

But this posting today is different. I am going to mention a name -- Jenn Stark.

I briefly met Jenn at a writers conference on Saturday. A writer herself, Jenn conducted one of the morning sessions, having us all fill out a questionnaire as the session went along.

Jenn is a wonderfully energetic woman, funny and engaging. She enters a room and gets your attention, even at a distance, although she is particularly captivating up close.

But what impressed me most about Jenn Stark is that she is passionate about one thing -- branding. For writers to become authors whose work separates them from others is through establishing their own brand.

A writer's brand must be short and resonate with the reader. When a reader sees it, they must immediately know who it is. On her website, which, by the way is, www.jennstark.com or www.knowyourbrand.com , you see her slogan is Dark, romantic, urban fantasy. It immediately describes the type of writing she does and identifies her.

She challenged us with, "If someone asked you 'So, what do you write?' RIGHT NOW. What would you say?"

The exercise helped me think about how to separate what I write from what others write and then to think about how to market that brand.

I haven't come up with a brand or a slogan yet -- something I can stick on pencils or pens -- but at least I am working on it.

Thanks, Jenn.

And thank you for reading and keep writing.

Pitch session -- Some good news, some bad news

I got up from the table at the conference luncheon Saturday at 12:30 and went outside. I was anxious -- nervous, really, to the point of shaking out of my skin. I had nearly 40 minutes before my session with the editor at a New York publishing house and I wanted to calm down, clear my head and focus. I walked out to the hotel parking lot and got into the front seat of my car.

By 1, I had gone over my synopsis again. I had totally reworked it again the night before, staying up until 3 a.m. I was tired when I went to bed and it showed because, OH MY GOSH!, with only minutes to go before my meeting I found a misspelling in the FIRST PARAGRAPH, another one on the last page and a dropped word on the final page. I debated whether to use a black pen to correct them or hope she wouldn't notice. I opted for the black pen. It might appear unprofessional but it was better than having her think I was stupid.

So, as I was walking back into the hotel, I didn't think things could be worse except that I had developed gas after lunch and felt like the Hindenburg. It was difficult to contemplate feeling less comfortable going into an important meeting.

At exactly 1:09, I sat down with a very pleasant woman who had a firm handshake. There was little chit-chat. I had only 10 minutes.

Instead of having me give her a one-minute oral pitch, which I expected and had practiced over and over again in the mirror, she wanted the synopsis first. She read it straightaway and she was reading closely.

The editor gave a short, pleasant grunt at the point in the synopsis where I reveal a surprise. And there was a larger grunt near the very end when I reveal another surprise. She read it all. Every word.

She looked up and I quickly realized I wouldn't have to give the oral. My written words would have to do the work.

The good news came first.

She liked it. The story was interesting and the writing -- at least in the synopsis -- was good, she said. She liked the main characters and loved that I included good secondary characters. The plot had twists and turns and the synopsis was fun to read.

She didn't offer a single negative comment. Not one.

But there was bad news.

She edits general fiction but, in this case, general fiction doesn't include mysteries. Her parent company has a couple of major suspense/thriller writers but she wasn't looking for mysteries. She suggested I contact an editor in another division who might be interested in my novel.

Time was up. Just before I rose, she asked to keep the synopsis, I gave her my card and I took one of hers. With one final handshake, it was over.

I left a little sad that she didn't ask for the complete manuscript but overall I was actually pleased with the outcome. She liked it. She seemed to understand the story. And -- for the first time, I felt -- someone in the publishing industry gave thoughtful consideration to my novel.

It was over and I calmly left, returning to another room to hear another speaker at the writers conference I was attending. I had moved only slightly on the road to becoming a published novelist but my ego was intact.

And, thankfully, my situation-induced gas was gone.

After weeks of fighting back despair and feeling hopeless and discouraged at times, I knew I had been given a fair shake. I wrote her a "thank you" e-mail Saturday night. And today, I am back at work.

There is another novel to write.

Thanks for reading and don't ever, ever give up writing.

Synopsis

I have my first pitch session with the editor of a major publishing house on Saturday and until today I wasn't particularly nervous or anxious about it. Now, I can barely hold myself together. I'm on pins and needles.

I wrote a synopsis for "A Murderous Dispatch," which is what I am pitching, and a fellow writer politely said it was a mess. Workable but a mess. It has all the elements there but it is slow. It doesn't impress as a piece of writing.

I believe i can correct that. I just have to remember what excites me about the story.

A fellow local SinC member said I should make it as good as I can but that the oral presentation is where I have to nail it. The editor won't have a lot of time to read the synopsis anyway.

So I feel caught and unprepared for perhaps the most important 10-minute meeting I have ever had as a writer, certainly as a fiction writer. What do I say to break out of the crowd? What will ring true to her? What is it about my story, my novel, that will resonate in her mind?

I don't have the exact answer to those questions. And I'm not sure I will ever have the answers. But I know the story, I have lived the story for more than a year. I feel passionate about it. It's a good read.

So I just need to relax, say what I know in a clear and concise way and leave her wanting more.

I can do that!

(Oh my gosh, I had better practice all day tomorrow!!!!!)

Thanks for reading. Wish me luck and don't give up on writing.

Random thoughts

I had a good Sisters in Crime meeting today. Our speaker was an arson investigator. Arson, apparently, is one of the hardest crimes to solve, although arson itself is relatively easy to detect. Most arsonists use methods to start fires which leave clues for investigators. Finding the arsonists, however, is a totally different issue.

I have been out of college for too long. I mentioned today about not having heard of the Chicago Manuel on Style and someone mentioned it is often the style used in graduate school work. While I was at Purdue, I took at least one graduate level course and it was in history, which was my major. But I don't remember that style. But I must have known at the time. The history class was on doing historical research.

Since it has been such a large part of my professional life for so long, wire service style, and in this case, AP style, is what is foremost in my mind. And when I stray from it, I generally know it and do so consciously.

I bought business cards today that read MB Dabney, freelance writer. On all my cards until now, I have used my full name. I debated whether to put Michael in quotes but decided against it.

I don't have a lot to say today, except that I am my more conscious of what I write here and how I write it. Since hardly anyone reads this, I thought it mattered little. For months, the last person to post a coment was my dear friend Seth.

But then I got two comments within a week, both from writers. Both offered great advice. But I didn't know we were even reading me and both referred to my posting two weeks ago on being discouraged.

This morning, I typed my blog address into my search engine and the only hit was for my discouragement posting. Now anyone of six billion people on the planet can know of how I felt that day and that I must be a hack writer. (I wrote a disclaimer to have posting but left it as it was.)

So it reminded me of something I always said as an editor to reporters working under me. Never write something on the computer you don't want to be published. I will keep that in mind. If I post something, I have to assume the world will see it, not just me.

I didn't have much to say today but thanks for reading. And keep writing.

A good day

I had a good day today. I felt like a writer. Not that I don't feel like a writer most of the time but today was a particularly productive day.

I reread the writing of two authors in my critique group who are due for critiques. And while haven't yet written the critiques, which are due tomorrow, I feel I have them well in hand. I sent out several e-mails to Sisters in Crime members regarding tomorrow's meeting and I feel am ready for tomorrow's meeting. It will be my first as secretary. Better take a couple of sharpened pencils. (I like taking notes in pencil.)

I got an e-mail regarding a two-day mini-conference in May that has a fellowship for new authors with works in progress. The deadline for applying for a fellowship in mid-March and requires roughly 1,000 words of a work in progress and a one-page synopsis. So, I took the first chapter of "The Death of Art," which is 2,300 words without the ending with the guy in the BMW. And I cut that chapter down to a mere 1,085 words without destroying it. I will eventually use most of the material I cut but it was good to edit it and see it was still good.

I started to seriously work on the three- to -five-page synopsis I need for my pitch session next Saturday. I already have some of it and I am expanding it and it is going reasonably well. I decided I just need to relax and tell the story. Everything else will work itself out.

I got two good freelance jobs today, including one that could lead to some on-going work.

And finally, I got a rejection e-mail today. But it was kind and considerate, and it didn't upset me too much. Really, it didn't upset me at all. I sent back a quick thank you and marked the agent off my list.

So it was, overall, a good day to be a writer and a good day to be alive.

Thanks for reading. Have a good day and don't give up on writing.

Deadlines

I was reading an Amazon thread by ABNA authors today on the subject of deadlines. The question was, Do you have self-imposed deadlines on your writing? As is generally the case, the answers varied. But as for me, no. I generally don't self-impose a deadline on my fiction.

I don't like to be held to a deadline if I don't have to be. I know I lack discipline, that I sometimes don't press myself hard enough. Right now is one of those times. But I think my fiction, the novels in particular, get written in the 'fullness of time.' So why impose something that isn't needed.

I am at a place in "The Death of Art" that is slow, probably boring, and undoubtedly won't make it in later drafts. So I am writing slowly. I have only written about 2,000 words this week. And I'm having a hard time motivating myself to write more or to write faster. But I know the time will come when I will do both. I just have to get past this slow, dry period.

I do impose a deadline when I am near the end, usually when I estimate I am one or two weeks from the end. It's hard to tell because when I finish I am at a point near the end, not at the end. For example, the last words I wrote in the first draft of "A Murderous Dispatch" were on Page 227, not on the last page of the novel, which ended on Page 244. I had already written the final 17 pages.

So it is a little hard to determine when I am about to finish because it isn't at the end.

That having been said, when I impose that ending deadline, I usually end up finishing with only a half hour left. It's an odd thing. I go right up to the end of the deadline but not over it.

So, I know this is a boring posting but it is one of the things on my mind at the moment. I will use deadlines if I need them to focus me on finishing.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading. And get back to writing.

Writing style, and an embarrassment

I was reading my Writer's Digest today and I learned something, which, of course, is a good thing. There is something called "The Chicago Manual of Style."

As I have mentioned before, I am a member of a critique group in my local chapter of Sisters in Crime and have been reading material from the other members for the last 10 months. Also, since entering the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest, I have been reading excerpts written by other entrants. And I have been amazed at the style other people use. In many cases, it is very different from what I am used to, particularly when it comes to numbers and when to write them out and when to use numerals.

I am used to AP style. As a journalist, wire service style is the standard in the newspaper industry. Yes, it can vary a little from paper to paper. For example, at The Philadelphia Tribune, which is a Black newspaper, the word black is always capitalized when it refers to African Americans. But the basic style remains the same.

Since I had never heard of the Chicago Manual style, I haven't used it, although apparently it is used in the book industry. So I will have to investigate what it is, how to get a copy of what the style is and perhaps get a copy of the style book. Apparently, according to the article in WD, editors and publishers also recognize AP style but it must not be the first style used.

The most important thing mentioned in WD is that whatever style is used, it should be consistent. And that I agree with.

And on to another subject, when I logged in today, I noticed I got a comment from my last posting. It wasn't one of my best because I was angry and frustrated at the time I wrote it. But what does it matter? Only me (or is it I?) and a couple of my friends ever read this blog.

But I was totally bowed over to see it was from writer Chris Roerden. How in the world did she ever hear of this blog? And why in the world did she have to read that one? I felt so embarrassed. She must think I am a hack. (She wouldn't be the first.)

And I would go back and edit that posting but I may not. Mostly I want to remember what I was thinking and how I was thinking when I look back on my postings. The way it is is probably the best indication of that. But if other people start reading it . . .

Thanks for tuning in Chris. I look forward to meeting you at the convention in October.

Thanks to everyone else for reading and don't give up on writing.

Discouragement

Note: I am tempted to edit this, something I didn't do when it was originally written. I was angry and frustrated that day, and this posting shows that in how it's written. But I want it to reflect who I am and how I am feeling on any particular day so there are no corrections here. mbd, 2/23/09

I am feeling discouraged today, thought not for any perticular reason. I have my new Writer's Digest, which generally cheers me, but not today.

I am struck yet again by how enormous the task is of getting published and then of getting noticed so that you can sell books. Even in a good economy, which isn't the case at the moment, getting published is difficult.

On one of the ABNA threads yesterday, another aspiring writer compiled a list of some three dozen agents whom he had cross-referenced in Publisher's Marketplace for being the best in helping debut authors and who had gotten the best overall deals for mystery, crime, thriller and suspense writers. Some I didn't know, such as Deidre Knight, while others I was afraid to query, such as David Gernert (who has represented John Grisham).

But others I have queried and none have sent a response. What am I, chopped liver? I write well, my book ideas are good and original. Why is this so hard for me?

I have sent out five queries in the last week, and plan more today and tomorrow. I know I can't give up hope but sometimes, like now, it just seems so hard.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

The hump

There is a point when I am writing a novel when I reach a hump. It is the point when the pure excitement of the project faces the realitiy of the enormity of it. It's usually around 18,000 words when I begin to think,"Oh my gosh, how in the world am I ever going to reach 80,000 words?"

It is a point where a good bit of discipline and a good work ethic would help. I have little of either and, unfortunately, I have reached the hump. A little early this time -- I'm at 16,000 words in "The Death of Art" -- but it's here.

To make matters worse, I am feeling insecure about "A Murderous Dispatch" material I sent to ABNA.

I was just on one of the Amazon discussion boards and an author who made the semis last year, re-worked the novel and entered it again this year is pulling out because she found an agent AND a publisher. I went back and read her pitch from last year and it really was good. Far more informative and engaging than what I wrote this year. You could really tell how her life experiences living in Central America helped her in writing her book.

I am always happy when a new author gets published. It is such a long hard road and it inspires me. But it also makes me afraid I will never achieve the same level of success. (Seems like I'm having it both ways, doesn't it?)

It's a beautiful day outside and I have both some writing and querying to do but all I feel like doing is getting back in bed and pulling up the covers.

But I will just have to focus on writing. I know what is coming next and it is exciting. I just have to motivate myself. Plus I need to work on those queries.

So I will be going. Thanks for reading. And don't give up.

Discussion boards

There is something I have long known; I'm not good on discussion boards and forums.

The problem with such networking is that, for me, it is addictive. I get on, I read and read and read, commenting here and there, and don't get any work done. Or don't get as much done.

That's what's beginning to happen with me on the ABNA boards. I am looking and looking for comments, whether they are helpful or useful or not, and spending more time doing it.

I am doing more reading about writing and doing less writing.

It's the same with other social networking sites, such as My Space and Facebook. I have less than 30 friends on Facebook and it is still hard for me to keep up with them all. If I tried, all I would be doing is reading.

Connecting with other authors is very important and I take it seriously. And discussion boards is a way of connecting to a broad range of people and their ideas. My writing today is better than it was last year at this time because I have talked with and listened to other writers. But in the end, I still have to write and not let other aspects of the job of writing get in the way.

I have to find a balance when it comes to taking part in discussion boards. Otherwise, I will only dream of being a published author instead of doing what is necessary to become a published author.

Just a thought . . .

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

A new friend . . . and ABNA

I have a new friend. She is an author, I think on the West Coast, and we have communicated several times in the last day and a half. I won't mention her name here because I haven't asked her about it yet. But she has been quite helpful with my pitch for ABNA.

Being insecure about my pitch, I sent it to her and she offered a couple of very useful suggestions which I used. They greatly improved my pitch and made it shsorter at the same time. it was great.

Today there has been a lot of discussion on the merits of taking part in ABNA. When I last looked more than an hour ago, there were nearly 120 comments today on Nathan Bransford's blog on ABNA. Nathan opened up the discussion but said he wouldn't comment directly in the contest.

Any comments he'd have would be suspect because he, as an agent, has a vested interest in contests such as ABNAs failing. The winner gets a publishing contract without input from an agent, and some of the quarter- semi- and top-10 finalists could decide to self-publish using CreateSpace (an ABNA sponsor) or some other platform, again cutting out agents.

But what amazes me -- and my new friend, by the way -- is all the non-sensical arguments some writers used to justify their reasons for not entering. Who cares? Enter or not. You don't need to justify.

Plus there is little down side to entering. The requirements for entering are things you have to do to query an agent. You have slightly better odds with ABNA but not much. It's all still a subjective crap shoot.

Anyway, as I told my new author friend, I am in the contest and happy with my decision. I may or may not get much out of it but regardless of the result I don't lose anything. I'm still an aspiring author without an agent or a publishing contract. The contest just give me another path to success.

Finally, I did some outlining and writing for "The Death of Art." I think it will be my best work to date. And if I work hard and write a lot, I could have the first draft finished by my birthday. That's ambigious but it's doable. I at least want to have more than half of it completed by the time I have my appointment with the acquisition editor next month. That way I can show her I have a completed novel and considerable progress on a sequel. I hope that will give me a leg up.

Thanks for reading and don't ever give up on writing.

ABNA

I was online on Sunday night for a couple of hours as the minutes ticked away toward midnight. And I found a large community of writers also online waiting, waiting, waiting until the open submission period started for the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest (ABNA).

In thread after thread on ABNA's community forums, writers were asking questions, offering answers, helpful advice, worrying and just sweating bullets until the contest began. One thread called "I've entered" started soon after midnight. The first post was at about six minutes after the hour and quickly filled within minutes with authors who had already entered.

The contest runs for one week, or until there are 10,000 entries, which ever comes first. While I didn't want to tarry, I didn't want to drive myself crazy just to get my entry in quickly. So, I waited until yesterday afternoon to finish one final edit of a portion of the novel, which is now called,"A Murderous Dispatch," then a final rewrite of the pitch and book description. For me that made sense. I didn't stress too much.

In the contest, judges will look at the pitches, rate them and cut the entries down to 2,000. Then they will read the excerpts of those 2,000 to determine some 500 quarterfinalists. Those who make the quarterfinals won't be notified until about March 16. Until them, none of us will hear a thing.

The guidelines for the pitch, which was limited to 300 words, were vague and in threads throughout the day today there were many writers -- some entered, some not -- still discussing its requirements. But with the entire contest, my feeling has always been that I do the best I can and don't sweat the rest. Advancing in the contest could jumpstart a career but we aren't brain surgeons. We are writers. None of this is life or death.

So now I wait. But as I wait, it's backto querying agents and writing "The Death of Art." Reagrdless of the outcome of the contest, life goes on. And so does work.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.