Ask O?

Hi it’s me, Ocieanna! You may remember my Wednesday Grammar-O posts. I had to take a break from Seriously Write for a few months due to a cardiac arrest. (It’s a pretty dramatic story. You can learn more about it on my website, ocieanna.com.) Anyway, we decided to change up my Wednesdays a little bit. Rather than searching for the topics I hope you’ll find helpful, I’m talking about subjects you pick. That's right, I'll be answering your questions. So, be sure to write me a note in the comments section (or contact me privately through ocieanna.com) with all your writing questions—grammar (I can’t completely hang up my Grammar-O hat!), plotting, planning, prose, alliteration, characters, emotions, conflict, inspiration… I’ll do my best to answer them. Remember what my seventh-grade English teacher always said, “The only dumb question is the one not asked.”

Our first question comes from Jan from western Washington.

“What is the difference between writing a book people want to read and writing a book people want to re-read?”

The longer I pondered, the more I realized at the heart of this inquiry lies something deeper. This question explores the mystery of what makes a book rise above the masses on bookstore shelves to the status of classic. What makes a novel a “friend,” or a part of who you are, rather than just a book you once read?

That’s an enigma I can sink my brain into.

Now, I realize the answer may lie beyond anyone’s ability to answer. I mean, if I could simply pass along the ultimate secret to creating a classic, we’d all be writing books like, Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, or The Secret Garden. That would be awesome, but I’m not sure it’s realistic.

Despite the sad truth that I probably won’t deliver five easy steps to create an epic, the question did spark a thought I’d like to explore.

We can probably all agree that great achievements don’t happen by accident. Eric Liddell didn’t wake up one morning and win the gold medal for running the 400 meters. He trained diligently and with a purpose. Thomas Jefferson studied, wrote, and served in order to be ready to pen the Declaration of Independence. I’m sure you can think of other examples.

The same is true for great works of fiction. If we want to write novels to remember, we simply must set our minds and hearts to that purpose.

I met a woman the other day who said, “I don’t know how you authors do it. I could never write a book. You all must be crazy to work that hard.” I chuckled, but it may be true! Writing is not for the weak. We can’t come at this half-heartedly. We can’t think, Oh that plotline’s good enough or Do I really need to plunge deeper in my hero’s point of view? or I’ll just slip in one cliché. No one will notice. I can't imagine consciously thinking these things, but I do feel this way sometimes, especially when the writing road tilts uphill. I'm tired, and weary of the journey. Weak.

Recently, I read an article entitled, “In Search of Impossible Goodness.” The phrase caught my attention. Could it provide a hint to becoming the kind of author who will write the next classic? According to the article, impossible goodness is reached when excellence surprises us. When the level of service goes beyond satisfying and delights. It's more than we dreamed of or expected.

Yes, I think the authors who write books to re-read possess this kind of excellence, do you?

So how does this flesh itself out? Here’s what I’ve been trying.

Perhaps I’ve labored over my character until she’s basically layered, realistic, heroic, interesting, and likeable. That’s good, right? What we strive for. I’ve done my best. But characters that become our friends go beyond these basic qualities. Elizabeth Bennett exudes these, but with a level of perfection beyond the norm.

So once I’ve created the best character I can, the question I ask myself becomes, “How can she be even more layered, more realistic, more heroic, more interesting?” And I keep doing that until my deadline comes.

If we do this with each element of our novel: plot, setting, prose, character, etc.—well, we may not write a classic the first time--but we'll get closer to achieving that re-readable quality than if we just slumped around in mediocre-ville. And who knows, if you keep it up, perhaps one of your readers will say of your backlist title, “Huh, where’s that novel? I want to read it again.”

You can learn more about Ocieanna on her website: ocieanna.com

Courtesy

Hey readers, Annette here. We’re mixing things up this month on Seriously Write. You probably noticed (if you’ve peeked at Monday’s post this week) that Mondays are now Mixing-It-Up Mondays. Tuesdays will change in two weeks. Ocieanna’s officially back as of tomorrow! Yay! Thursdays are going to be a whole lot of fun! And Dawn is taking over Fridays.

So, for today, I thought I’d offer a quick post on courtesy.

You’ve probably heard the advice to send a thank-you note to agents or editors you meet at conferences. Good advice. This gets your name in front of them again. And if they recall your interaction, you’ve reinforced that “good feeling” from your meeting (providing you had a good experience). *wink*

So, what about editors or agents when you’ve interacted with them through a proposal via mail (email/snail mail, etc.)?

Depends on who you speak with, but as an acquisitions editor, I appreciate when I hear back from writers, even if I had to reject their project. I read recently of an editor not hearing back from an author after he went to bat for her with the committee. What she may not realize is that though she’s reeling from rejection, the editor has just labored with her for her project’s success. He’s just the messenger in this situation. He deserves gratitude for all the time he spent on “pushing” her project forward.

I know it’s one more email, and some editors and agents would probably prefer not to have one more inbox filler, but a thank-you helps build relationships. A kind, grateful word of appreciation encourages editors who don’t usually have the last say, and who work hard for authors, behind the scenes.

My recommendation: offer editors and agents the courtesy of a reply when you hear back from them. If the rejection is too painful at first, wait a day or two. Put yourself in their shoes. Be kind. They’re people with feelings and dreams and requirements on them too.

Honestly, we’re all in this together.

Write on!

Seven Reasons the Committee Says No: Part I

Hey readers, it’s our inaugural Mixing-It-Up Monday. And it's Independence Day! Happy Fourth of July!

Let's launch our new Monday setup with a seasoned pro, shall we? This month’s series comes to us from Nick Harrison, acquisitions editor at Harvest House Publishers. He’s here to give us some advice on how to get our work through publishing committees. Read on!

Seven Reasons the Committee Says No*

by Nick Harrison

Recently I asked for blogging suggestions and there were a number of good responses. The one I’m picking today is Michael R.’s question: ‎“What are the top five reasons books get shut down in pub committee?”

First, for those just learning the ropes in publishing, “pub committee” is a publisher’s committee that decides which books to publish. Editors alone cannot make those decisions. Instead, when we editors see something we like and we believe is a good fit for our publishing house, we present it to the publisher’s committee and hope they’ll agree with our judgment and vote yes to publish the book. Right now, my batting average is about .600. That is, for every ten projects I pitch, approximately six get a yes and four get a no vote. Although it might vary a bit from publisher to publisher, the members of the committee include at least one person each from editorial, marketing, and sales. In our case, the president of the company is also on the committee.

Instead of the five reasons Michael asked for, I’m going to offer seven. They are, by the way, not in order. They all pretty much carry equal weight.

The author is unknown and the book will probably not make him or her known. Face it, most book buyers purchase books from authors they already know and like. Why will they want to try your book—if you’re unknown to them? Similarly, the retailer has only a certain number of inventory dollars with which to purchase his stock. If, say, this September new books are being released by Max Lucado, Karen Kingsbury, Joyce Meyer, Stormie Omartian, and you—what reason will the store owner have to order your book when he would be safer spending inventory dollars on the well-known authors? This is where the very worn term “platform” comes in. A platform is your way to promote your book, thus sending people to bookstores to ask for it. Are you on the radio? TV? Do you hold workshops and seminars about your topic? In short, how will your potential readers hear about you and know if you’re writing for them? By the way, this is an area where I, as a writer, am challenged. I don’t have a platform and in my book proposals, I have to find a way to overcome my lack of a platform.

Next Monday, Nick will return and share reasons two and three for why pub committees reject manuscripts. If our goal is to get beyond the pub board, this series is key. Learn more about Nick Harrison at his blog. 

~~~~

*Post originally appeared on Nick Harrison's blog. Used by permission.

Glory to God Alone by Ann Tatlock

How many of us have longed for the day when we’d walk into a Barnes and Noble and see our novel on a shelf? We’d feel like we’d made it. Right? (Dawn here.) I’m so pleased to have Ann Tatlock as our guest author this Fortifying Friday. I love her honesty and willingness to share her struggles before and after her own journey to publication. I found her words so helpful, and I think you will too!

Glory to God Alone

by Ann Tatlock

Thirteen years. That’s how long it took me to get published. And now I’ve been a published author for 13 years. In the 26 years of Before and After, my greatest struggle has remained the same: avoiding the temptation to define my worth by my writing.

That’s the spiritual danger inherent in any career we might have in this world, even if the work is devoted to furthering the Gospel of Christ. It’s a trap that spills over from our culture and I find myself wrapped up in it: even my “heavenly work” must succeed by worldly standards or else my life is meaningless.

As though by my accomplishments, I can become Someone of Value.

But there’s a problem with this sort of logic. Once you’re published, the temptation simply takes on new dimensions. It moves from If only I can get my novel published to a host of other targets: If only I can write a best-seller….If only I can win an award….If only my novel is made into a movie….

The if onlys are endless and the bar continues to rise and it’s only too easy never to reach a place of satisfaction. Oh, sometimes I feel like I’ve accomplished something. But the vast majority of the time I feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface of success.

Before I was published, I remember standing at a bookstore window, staring at the books on display inside. When it came to authors, I was literally and figuratively on the outside looking in. I thought I would never join their ranks; it seemed little more than a pipe dream. Lord, I thought, why did you give me the desire to write? Isn’t this a good thing that I want to do?

Yes, it’s a good thing. But it can be undertaken for bad reasons. It can even become an idol, if one isn’t careful.

I have to be constantly careful and remind myself of this: My talents is from God and for God. Period. To believe that the talent is there to feed my own sense of self-worth is to believe a lie.

God didn’t put the dream of writing in my heart so He could crush it. Neither did He put it in my heart so it would become an idol. He gave me both the dream and the talent so that, through my small stories, I can reflect the Grand Story of His love.

I will never find my worth in my work because it isn’t there. My worth as a person is found only in Christ. Now that I’m published, I’m the same person I was before I first picked up my pen to write. It’s both humbling and liberating to realize that I will never be either more than or less than this: a sinner saved by grace.

Soli Deo Gloria. Glory to God alone.

Ann Tatlock is the author of eight novels. Her newest book, Promises to Keep, was recently named among the Top Ten Historical Novels of the year by Booklist magazine. Ann lives with her husband, daughter, three Chihuahuas and a guinea pig on the side of a mountain in beautiful Western North Carolina. 

You can read more about Ann and her work at http://www.anntatlock.com/