Sometimes The Detour Works

Have you ever been late for an appointment and as you rush down the road you see that sign on the right hand side that reads "detour ahead?" Each and every one of us releases a groan of agony when we see that sign. But, there are times when the detour works out in our favor. Maybe we will find a short cut, a new store or restaurant, or just a scenic route to cruise down.

Detours can happen in our writing just as they happen on the road. In most occasions our characters bring about this detour. Some of the professionals will argue that if your story is properly planned then this will not happen but I tend to disagree with this logic. Sure, we need to have the story mapped out in general terms but the creativity must be allowed room to maneuver which leads to....detours.

As much as our characters can dictate the direction of a story, plot and/or theme can as well. Case in point, I recently finished reading "From My Mama's Kitchen" by author Johnny Tan. Johnny planned for this book to be a "keepsake collection of my mom's recipes" but instead, at some point in time, it changes dramatically. His book focuses not on the recipes but instead on the life lessons learned and wisdom received from his mom while in the kitchen helping her with the meals.

How and why did this change happen? I'm not sure but I tend to think the change from everyday cookbook to a book paying respect to his mom was a brilliant one. The question now becomes, is it safe to change your story in midstream? The answer is no. It is difficult to change your story dramatically after you have started. However, if it makes for a better story then it should be done. Look at Johnny's example for a moment. He began with a cookbook. I'm sure it would have been a good one and fairly easy to pull together but he allowed his creativity room to move about. That movement allowed him to look much deeper at what those recipes meant to him and his life. By following this detour he wrote a book full of passion, respect and wisdom.

I can't say that each of our stories will turn out like this example but I am saying to not be afraid of those detours even if it is the theme or plot that is taking you down a different path. It may cause you to look much deeper at your topic, show you a whole new storyline or could simply lead to a dead end. We never know exactly where our stories will take us and this is the thrill and joy of writing.

Has your plot or theme changed direction on you? Did you follow or stay the course?

I have prepared a review for "From My Mama's Kitchen" that I will be posting in the coming days.

The Muse Conference and a Pitch

As I announced on Friday, I am participating in this year's Muse Conference. I'm really looking forward to it because of the quality and quantity of information (and hopefully contacts) I will gain during that week. I have begun downloading a lot of the handouts and documents loaded on the conference website which I plan to review and study soon. I'm sure that this will bring about many new and interesting topics for the New Author. Are any of you participating in this year's Muse Conference?

As I said, I'm looking forward to it but there is one aspect that really has my attention right now. You guessed it, the pitch session. On October 14th at 8:00 pm I will be waiting...not so patiently, for my number to be called. I am number three which is ironic because three seems to be a very good number for me. What am I doing to prepare for this moment?

Well, this all came about on a whim. Originally I had intended to skip the pitch sessions all together. That changed when a publishing company caught my eye. You see, I have many (about 5) projects waiting in the wings, however, they are all in different genres. This publisher handles all the genres I plan to write in. So I said what the heck...it couldn't hurt to try. The first step was to prepare a one hundred word pitch for my book and send it in to the moderator of the conference and then wait. Yep, I said wait...big fun. I heard back from her telling me she received my pitch and that I was one of over a thousand authors vying for 294 slots.

Imagine my excitement when I received the next e-mail that stated I had been awarded a slot! Yes, I got very excited but then I got focused because I had no idea how to prepare for a pitch. I began researching and reading about participating in a pitch and what is expected of the author. What I learned is that we have five minutes and one hundred words to sell our books to the publisher. Imagine stepping into an elevator and your favorite agent, author, or a representative from your favorite publisher is standing there. After they notice the nervous sweat on your brow they ask what your book is about. There you go, you have until the elevator stops to dazzle and amaze that person. The same holds true for a pitch.

There is a great deal of information to have ready when going into a pitch. It may come up but then again it may not. It's always best to be prepared just in case they ask for your marketing plan or author platform or experience (if any). What are they looking for? What do they really want? They want a really good story to publish. They want a book that will make them money. You, as the author, have one hundred words to prove to them that your book is the one they are looking for.

Have you ever participated in a pitch session? What was your experience?

Welcome to the new New Author

You may not have noticed but I did a little cleaning around here. I think I scrubbed a little too hard because I washed away the old template completely. Well, that might not be the complete and honest truth. Actually the other template was beginning to show problems and acting up. I thought, since the one year anniversary of the site was coming up, that I would just do a major overhaul. What you see now is the result of that journey. I invite you all to take a look around and leave me feedback about the new layout. Some of the things carried over from the old layout and some did not. I would like to point out a few things such as the top link bar. I added links to some of the other social networks I am on and invite all of you to add me to your list of friends. Also, how do you like the new twitter update/join widget above this article? That was one of the things that drew me to this layout. I do need your opinion though; at the bottom of this article you will see cool buttons to the social networks like Digg, Twitter, and Facebook and so on. Beside that you will see the text 'caring is sharing.' This is part of the template and I can't decide if I like it or not. I like the 'read more' because it pulls the eyes so you will click on it and read the remainder of the article. I'm not done with this site as of yet but I have made good progress. Before I forget, I lost all the links on my old template (that being the main reason I did the overhaul). I don't want anyone thinking I deleted them on purpose because I did not. With that said if you would like to have your site added to the New Author blog roll please leave me a message. If you would like to add the New Author to your site...feel free and I really do appreciate it.

Now for some great, exciting, and wonderful news for this Friday; I have registered for the 2009 Muse conference. My courses are set and I'm ready to go. I believe I will have lots of material for articles for all of us when the conference is done. The great news...I was also awarded a slot during a pitch session with a senior editor from a publishing company! Yes, I am very excited and a little nervous. This, as you may have guessed, has me doing a lot of homework and research on pitch sessions and this publishing company. I plan to be as prepared as I possibly can be. Good or bad I will share the experience with you afterwards.

I will leave you now with a little something to help your mind ease into the weekend. With fall and winter on our doorstep do you find it easier to write as compared to spring and summer?

Happy writing and have a safe weekend.

What Is Passion?

Today is the one year anniversary of the New Author!!

After running an analysis on the site I discovered that over 2500 people are reading the New Author on a regular basis by e-mail or some other feed site. Of course there are all the followers here and the new visitors (which averages about 50 a day). I truly appreciate all of you, your feedback, and your enthusiasm. I am watching the number of followers now as I'm hopeful the New Author will be at 200 soon!! I consider this all a really great accomplishment.

Previously I mentioned doing something special for the one year anniversary. I still intend to do that, however; at the moment I am sitting in a hospital room looking over my son. We should be going home tomorrow at which time I can complete my plan for the New Author (hopefully). Today though we will be looking at a topic that we can all relate to...passion.

Authors often talk about writing with passion, you need passion to make it through the tough times, and passion to reach your goals. What exactly is passion? Is it hard work? Is it a motivational drive within each of us? Is it the quickening of our pulse when we start a project we are really excited about?

I believe passion is a little of all these things and then some. Where does passion come from? This, in my opinion, is a fairly simple question. Passion comes straight from the heart. As I was reading the book "From My Mama's Kitchen" I came across this:

"Thinking about something is just a simple thought, and it cannot become more then a thought unless it is acted on.

However, to have a vision of success is to have dreams and desires that always come from the heart. Therefore, it always has passion, and when passion is initiated, the mind will follow the heart and will always find a way to fulfill the passion."

These are thought provoking comments as it presents how the heart and mind interact in the human being. At one time I thought that passion and an idea where very similar to the chicken or the egg scenario but not anymore. I believe that passion can take the lead if strong enough.

What is passion? It's the strong feeling of excitement, encouragement, thrill and relaxed confidence all bundled together in one red package. The pen is mightier then the sword but passion in the heart can overcome any obstacle.

Again, I thank you all for an outstanding year and it is my hope that future years will be even better.

Time to Play

It's Friday and I will be the first to tell you that it has been a long one. May I make a suggestion?

I suggest we take some time and relax. Don't we do that all the time? I don't know but we should.

To get the ball rolling I thought we could play a little game. The rules are simple, I will list some words and you give me the title of a book that, in your opinion, matches that word. For example, if I were to say journey the book title I think matches that word would be "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." Yes, I'm a fantasy fan but that is another article all together.

Are you ready to play? Here are the words:

Beautiful -

Struggle -

Twisted -

Heartbreaking -

Dreadful -

I'm very interested in reading your answers. Have fun, happy writing and have a safe weekend.

Just Thinking...

Have I fallen into that age old trap of taking on to many things? How do you know when you're doing too much and the things you are doing suffer because of it?

I seem to be in an analytical frame of mind at the moment. My wife hates when I do this because I tend to look at things until I study the smallest part of it. At times I believe it to be therapeutic and at other times I think I'm going crazy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining or complaining just... analyzing. At this moment in time I have a full time job, a novel I'm trying to get published, a side business, a blog to run, cub scouts, activities at church, a house to take care of, a child to raise and a wife to love. I bet, if I were to take a survey that many of you are right next to me in that boat. Do you ever feel like it is too much?

I love every one of the things in that list and thus I find it hard to give up on any of them. I have stated many times how much I enjoy this blog and everyone in the New Author community. The rest speak for themselves. What I find most interesting is that even though I am taking a break from writing while I query agents I can feel the pull of the next story. I have a deep need to write. It's almost like I have to remind myself to focus on finding an agent and the other things until I start writing again. I'm not going to be able to wait as long as I planned before I start the next story. The itch is just to intense.

Do you feel the same way? Do you feel like you have fallen into that trap? I am of the opinion that if we are doing the things we enjoy and have a passion for then doing to much is a problem we love to have. Will items on our to-do list suffer because we are doing to many things? Possibly, but I believe this is an ebb and flow situation as well. That's one of the benefits in this, once we complete one thing we move to the next or maybe we put one thing to the side for a little while and go to something different.

What does this article have to do with writing? Nothing really or maybe everything it depends on what you get from it. Actually, for me, this blog brought this line of thought to mind. You see, this blog will celebrate its one year anniversary soon and I'm attempting to plan something for that day. I find myself at a crossroads because on one hand I'm extremely thankful for all the followers, subscribers and awards the New Author has received and on the other...I want more. Does that make me selfish? I hope not, I want people to continue enjoying this blog and I want to have new people join our little space here in the cyber world. I want to continue making the New Author fresh, vibrant and full of energy. Why? When there is energy, there is life and I want the New Author full of life. You, the New Author community, are a huge part of this equation. I enjoy and welcome your comments and thoughts. They inject energy into this blog and build my excitement to no limits.

Okay, enough for my random, rambling thoughts. I have a question for you. Have you ever sat and thought about all the things you want to do or would like to do? If so, what are the top three?

A Scarier Step Then Before.

As you may have noticed, I did not post an article yesterday. That does not; however, mean I was sitting on my hands. Oh no, there was plenty going on behind the scenes...and still is. We are approaching a special time of year but I will write about that at a later date.

Today we will be looking at a topic that all writers think about and sometimes dream about. Before I get to the topic I would like to ask you - what's the scariest step an author can take after the manuscript is completed?

The answers are numerous for that question and many will have different opinions. In my opinion, attempting to find an agent is the scariest (and logical) step after completing a manuscript. Of course some would argue that getting your manuscript reviewed by an editor would be the scariest. They would have merit for that argument but an agent can get a manuscript under an editor’s nose quickly so they seem to be the bull’s eye on the dart board. I am also making the assumption that we want to be published through a publishing company and not self-published. Okay, I got a little off track there so back to the topic at hand.

What do we do to get an agent? We prepare a query letter and submit it like crazy. Ah, there's that word - query. Don't you just love that word...kinda like a root canal or subpoena? Love it or hate it we need to know it and many, if not all, of us do.

This brings me to the main point of the day and also some exciting news. You already know that I completed my first novel and to go along with that I wrote my first ever query letter this weekend. Yesterday I was busy submitting that query letter to multiple agents. To crank up the excitement a little more, I have already received responses back from some of those agents. Before I get to their responses though I can tell you that the query letter actually fell in my lap. The main point of a query letter is to give the agent a short but concise description of your manuscript so they can gauge their interest. This is what fell in my lap. I was writing a friend of mine about the book and I included a summary which was about two sentences long. She wrote back and said "make the above sentences a little stronger and your query is almost done." I don't want to make it sound easy because I think I got a little lucky with that one but my intimate knowledge of the book came out quickly when telling her about it.

I'm sure many of you have sent out a query or ten to agents but I thought it would be interesting to share some of the responses I received. What can we learn from these? First, agents are not bad people (well, most aren't) and are encouraging. Second, even with rejection it is still a good feeling knowing they saw it and responded. It is very much like fishing; they nibble your line and take your bait time and time again. You get frustrated because you can't catch one but at the same time you are excited because, well....they like your bait.

I have removed the agent's name as I think that's only appropriate. As for the responses, here we go:

"Thank you for your recent e-mail and for reading my blog, I appreciate it. I regret to say that I don’t feel that I’m the most appropriate agent for your work. However, opinions vary considerably in this business, and I wish you the best of luck in your search for representation."

"Thank you so much for sending the Nelson Literary Agency your query. We’d like to apologize for the impersonal nature of this standard rejection letter. Rest assured that we do read every query letter carefully and, unfortunately, this project is not right for us. Because this business is so subjective and opinions vary widely, we recommend that you pursue other agents. After all, it just takes one "yes" to find the right match."

Notice how both responses are polite and offer encouragement? I have to be honest, I did not expect that. I expected a one sentence rejection (until I found the right agent) and that's it. This also gives a great example that we, as authors, need to be polite and positive when searching for an agent.

I will keep you posted on my adventurous agent search. What has your experience been with agents?

A Moment In Time

9/11 - I believe it is safe to say that everyone remembers what happened on this day. As we close out the week it is only befitting that we take a moment and reflect; not necessarily on the tragedy as much as on the strength of the human spirit.

For a moment in time the world saw the resolve of the United States as it was in days gone by when our fore-fathers fought and died for our freedom. They worked diligently penning the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Yes, we as a nation came together as one to show the world that we may be wounded but we are not down. For a moment in time there was no fussing about money, health care, left, right, taxes or stimulus plans. There was only unity. It is sad to think that it takes a tragedy to bring forth emotions and feelings like this. But it did.

For a moment in time the streets were lined with American flags and we as a nation banded together to help those in need during the aftermath.

Those flags have since been put away and we have had time to regroup. Life is back to what we call normal but I still hold firm the belief that the American spirit that was on display during this moment in time lies in wait for the time when it is needed again.

A tragedy occurred on this day and that cannot be questioned but what we saw for a moment in time after 9/11 is nothing short of the purest definition of who we are as a nation.

This day will never be forgotten and those that lost their lives and/or loved ones will never be forgotten.

Beware the Burn Out!

It's amazing how much one word can mean and impact our lives. Words like money and health are on every one's mind during this interesting time in our country. One word; however, has significance worldwide. That word is time. Most of the time we don't have enough of it and then there are times when it seems to drag on forever. We, as writers, must learn to be friends with time. We cannot master time as it will have its final say but we can get along with it. We do that by time management, organization and prioritizing our goals and projects.

Monday I received an e-mail from a member of the New Author community about this very topic. I decided to share that question with you and write a little about it. The e-mail read:

"Question for discussion: Does writing full time hurt other writing projects someone may have going on? I'm (hopefully) getting a full time medical writing gig and I wonder if it's possible to write all day at work, read and write for my book blog, and work on my memoir project."

At first glance it seems that this person has had a lot land in their lap lately and they are wondering how to handle it and/or if one aspect will suffer. As new authors, I believe it is safe to say that we all find ourselves in a similar situation. Most of us have a full time job, a blog or website (maybe multiple blogs), and our writing project(s). This is the prime example of why we need to be organized and manage our time wisely. If we can set goals and accomplish them throughout the day then none of the above suffers or gets neglected. Of course this is easier said then done and, like writing, it takes practice but it is something we can control and accomplish.

There is a second issue within this e-mail; a more important issue, in my opinion, then time management. I believe this e-mail is asking if it is possible to write too much in a day’s time. I believe the person who wrote this e-mail is worried about burning out before the projects are completed. Burning out is a deep seated worry/fear we all harbor as we journey out into the world of writing. We start off with a great big head of steam but as the months drag on that steam starts to thin out. My thoughts on this question? It all depends on your level of passion. Yes I believe there are levels of passion in both life and what we do in life (including writing).

Let’s look at that e-mail again - "Question for discussion: Does writing full time hurt other writing projects someone may have going on? I'm (hopefully) getting a full time medical writing gig and I wonder if it's possible to write all day at work, read and write for my book blog, and work on my memoir project."

Before I go any further I want to point out that this person will get a lot of practice in different areas of writing which should be a benefit in regards to grammar, spelling and the learning of new words. With that said we now go back to the topic at hand.

I think it is safe to say we are all passionate about our career. If not then the chances of us staying in that position for long is not very good. Is that passion you fill for your job the same as the passion you feel for...your favorite television show or hobby or book? I would think not. This is an example of the levels of passion we have for things in our life.

When you have a job where you are writing all day you are passionate about what you are writing but to only a degree. When you are writing an article for your blog your passion grows because you are sharing your thoughts and opinions with friends and peers. However, when you are working on a manuscript that is truly coming from your heart - that is an extension of yourself. The passion you have for your manuscript trumps that of both job and blog combined. This passion will get you to the finish line. It will not allow you to stop until you are done. Will you get tired of physically writing? Probably. Will your mind feel like someone dropped a blender in it? Absolutely. Will you suffer from sleep deprivation? Most likely. But when all is said and done your passion will feed you. Why? Because you want to be a writer. You need to write because the story is flowing in your veins.

A word of caution though. That passion can lead to burn out as I mentioned before. There is only so much we, as human beings, can accomplish in a twenty four hour period. We must know our limits when writing as we do in so many other aspects of our lives.

I would humbly offer this advice to any and all that has a situation similar to that of the question above. When writing at work for work focus on the job at hand. Before writing your blog articles take a moment to calm your mind and focus on that article. Think of it as purging and restarting a program before you start a new file. Finally, before starting to write your manuscript for that day take a fair amount of time to unwind. Relax a little and allow your mind to regroup. When you feel refreshed and collected then switch your focus to your manuscript. This may help prevent both writer's block and burn out. Plus, it just may keep you sane.

How do you handle a work schedule, blog and writing a manuscript? How would you answer the question from the e-mail?

A Writer's Opinion On Writing a Query or Synopsis

You may recall that on Wednesday of last week I posted an article asking you for 'one phrase' that describes why it is so difficult to write a synopsis and/or query letter. I was not prepared for the responses that article received. Actually, I believe we can sum up all the comments in two words - dread and doubt. But we are here to get to the root of this thing so let’s take a closer look.

"Fear of success, fear of giving too much away, and fear of rejection" are all real and oftentimes expected responses when we talk about writing a query and a synopsis. Why is that? Well, let’s look at what a query and synopsis really are for a moment. They are not an instrument to gauge the interest of an agent or even to give the agent a summary of your novel. They are the vehicle to the next level. They are the means from getting to the oasis from the desert. It is understandable why we put so much weight on these two items. It is justly deserved. A deeper look at why we fear writing a query and synopsis is because we don't like the unknown. Will they like it? Is it good enough? The questions go on and on. Typically they don't start until after we have finished our novel and developing a list of potential agents.

"What is my story about really? I'm a crappy letter writer. Here we go again." Doubt can be crippling and can also lead to fear. Doubt is an interesting aspect of the human Psyche. Why? It is odd how and when doubt creeps into our minds. Did you doubt the story you wrote? No because you wrote it. Did you doubt the idea that you can write? No because you are writing. Do you doubt your ability to write a query and/or synopsis about the novel you just wrote? Yes. There's the kicker right there. Once the words query and synopsis are injected into the conversation doubt is soon to follow.

I believe we need to strip the importance from these two words for a moment by calling them something else. I know, I just wrote that they deserve their weight but not when it's a detriment to our goal and ability to pursue our dreams. I bet you're thinking "that won't work. It's still a synopsis and query." Let’s look at a few examples and see if this will work or not. For example, I asked you for one phrase answering the question 'why is it so difficult to write a query/synopsis?' There are countless reasons why but if you look back at the comments each are concise and target exactly what you are feeling. One phrase to express what you are feeling. That is a synopsis because, I believe, multiple thoughts and feelings came to mind. Another example? When friends ask you about your book how do you answer them? With a synopsis. When you run a new book idea by your friend or loved one with a follow up of 'what do you think?' That's a query.

I know these things Brian but I still can't write a synopsis or query that's good enough for an agent. Really? Are you sure about that? In my opinion you doubt yourself again. You just wrote a 50,000 to 100,000 word novel. You can do it because you have intimate knowledge of the novel. As one comment read "It's like trying to list the attributes of and your hopes/dreams for, your child in a few scant paragraphs addressed to the person who decides whether he gets to live or not." That's exactly why you can. If someone came up to you and ask about your son or daughter you would be bursting at the seams with pride as you listed off the highlights. The same is true with your novel.

When we decide we want to be a published author fear has no room anymore in our hearts and minds. Doubt is evicted from our subconscious. When it is time to write that query and/or synopsis there is no need for dread because we have the tools and the knowledge to prepare both. No one, other then the agents you submit to, will read either one. We are not bragging or patting ourselves on the back. We are writing with pride what our creation is all about as our voice highlights the best features.

Is it hard? Absolutely but everything worth fighting for is tough. We should always remember though that we have the ability and tools to get the job done. Ask for help if need be. Ask others (trusted friends) to read your book and give you a description of it. Take those descriptions and merge them into your synopsis. As for queries - keep it simple, much like a cover letter for your resume.

Don't forget your voice and your style because when it is all said and done the proof is in the pudding and the pudding is your novel.

Earlier this week a fellow member of the New Author community had the honor and privilege to have a badge made from his idea and suggestion. You know, he can tell it better then I can so instead of me taking away his thunder lets click over to Eric's site and read about it HERE.

The badge is to the left and I am honored to be one of the first recipients of this as I am a fan of Batman. What I also found to be a huge compliment was why Eric decided to hand me this award -

"Brian - Although his site is not dark at all, he is a fully-fledged knight."

I have to admit...that is a pretty strong compliment in my book. Well, now it's time for me to follow the instructions and hand this badge out to some of our fellow friends and peers here in cyberland. Here we go:

Angie Ledbetter - A loyal friend to those who get to know here and she has a secret weapon....spicy Cajun food!

The Prodigal Tourist - Anybody who gets a publishing contract is a hero to all of us here.

Kingdom Writer - The strength of will and true faith of a hero is on display here.

There you go. Have a good weekend everyone and happy writing. As for your comments from Wednesday's article...those are great and I will be using them next week.

One Phrase

The last time I did this we had a lot of fun so I'm going to give it another try. This time instead of one word I'm looking for one phrase. Just the same as before, I intend to use these phrases in an article I am working on. The question is this:

Why is it so difficult to write a query/synopsis?

With that said, let the phrases fly!

Thank you (in advance) for your comments.