Basic Training - For the Unpubbed - Part 1
From Novice to Professional
Winning the First Sale War in 10 Strategic Steps
From the workshop Carly Phillips, Lori & Tony Karayianni aka Tori Carrington, and Harlequin Editor, Brenda Chin presented at the Romance Writers of America Conference, Chicago, 1999
Please note this workshop was presented when Harlequin Temptation was still being published (I wish it still was!) I’ve gone through to update but if I missed anything, that’s why. At the time, I’d sold in 1998 so this was when my first book, BRAZEN had just recently hit bookshelves. Also, this was written with series books in mind, but as I read through, the advice applies to single title as well.
This is for ASPIRING WRITERS – and remember if you want to write, you are an aspiring writer. All you need to do is believe in yourself, hold your head up high, and insist those around you believe in you too. Even if they don’t, as long as you protect your writing (I read this somewhere in a blog this week and can’t remember where, YOU ARE A WRITER!)
SO without further ado … PART 1.
(Part 2 will be next Saturday! I’ve asked Tony and Lori to stop by so if we’re lucky, they’ll be around to answer comments too. I’m out all day but I promise to come back late Sat. night and Sunday to answer questions!)
1. BASIC TRAINING… Fall in, aspiring writers! Oh, no, we’re not talking physically. We’re talking brain here, not brawn, a kind of boot camp for the mind—though we do recommend regular stretching of all muscles. As the paragraph title implies, this is where you need to brush up on the basics. Not sure if you remember the difference between a comma, a semi-colon or colon? Just what is an infinitive and why shouldn’t you split it? Do you think POV means privately-owned-vehicle? Is there a character in your head but you don’t know how to get him out? Does the word “synopsis” sound like little more than a fatal disease to you? (Okay, we can’t tell you learning how to write one will erase this gut reaction, but the effort will make hand-to-hand combat with one easier.) Must-read books that will help you answer these questions are: Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style; Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer; Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey; Debra Dixon’s GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict; and Elizabeth Sinclair’s The Dreaded Synopsis: A Writing and Plotting Guide. Read them.
2. GEAR UP... This is where you prove you’re serious. To yourself. Any good soldier needs barracks and suitable supplies. No, we’re not talking a pickle suit or literal artillery here. You need a special place that’s yours and yours alone where you can nurture your artistic self. No matter if it’s a corner in your bedroom, attic, or even basement, or a cushy room with a view, set up a desk. Buy a secondhand or top-of-the-line computer and printer or typewriter (no dot matrix here, boys and girls). Invest in and learn that word processing program that will spit out format perfect material (1″ margins all the way around, with simple headers listing book title, author name and page number in the upper left hand corner, and easily readable print with approximately 25 lines per page). Invest in your own dictionary-of-choice, thesaurus, copies of the already mentioned books and put them where they’re within reach. Now comes the fun part. Go ahead, make your local office supply store your new best friend. Buy that multi-pack of yellow notepads you could never justify buying before. Choose those colorful paperclips. Invest in those cute post-it notes—you’ll need them. Stock your special place with all those supplies that will make concentrating strictly on writing easier. And just like any good soldier needs care packages, keep a stash of feel-good food (i.e. chocolate) where only you can find it.
3. RECON (NAISSANCE)… Okay, you’re getting into fighting shape, but you’re not there yet. Now it’s time to scout out territory you’d like to conquer. Which publisher do you want to write for? Which series? Go out and buy books from that publisher. Revisit any “keepers” you have and analyze why they earned precious shelf space. Give due respect to established authors—in our own home line, … because it’s from us and them you’ll see what the publisher is buying from new authors now. Note which themes are especially popular. Attend conferences, listen to and meet with editors to learn what they’re looking for. Visit blogs and see what authors you enjoy are saying about what they write, how they write, Then remember everybody’s process is different. Create your own.
4. ARM YOURSELF… Right about now you feel you’ll choke if made to swallow one more style rule, or piece of advice on how to write your book . Now it’s time to arm yourself. No, no, no, we’re not talking actual implements of war here. Your most effective weapon in this battle is your work. Push your research books aside and give yourself over completely to the process of writing. Completely. Do your character sketches. Outline your plot. Set a schedule for yourself, whether it be an hour or two before the kids get up, or the entire day, write, write, write. No weekend warriors allowed here. Devote every moment you can to writing that book through to the end. Trust that everything you’ve studied is there, in your subconscious, guiding you, and ignore the internal editor for the time being. Pound out the first draft till the very end. Call this battle “the book attack,” holding no prisoners, allowing for no excuses. This is where you prove you’re capable of finishing a book. Everyone works differently, so this exercise is not to compare yourself to others. No, it’s a process to get to know yourself as a writer. Only when you’ve finished can you go back and revise, revise, revise, polishing your baby until it coos and shines, tempting an editor to pick it up.
5. CHARGE… You’ve given it your absolute best—nothing less will do—to prepare your book for outside eyes. Send it out. With a self-addressed, stamped envelope. To an editor. If you’re so moved, also enter a contest(s)——but the ultimate test of any manuscript is with an editor. Do your research, find out who the best editor is to approach, know what they want to see (do they want a query letter, sample chapters, synopsis?) then mail the same to her attention, addressing her by name. Include a self-addressed stamped postcard so the editor can let you know she’s received the material, and, worse case scenario, return your manuscript (dealing with a Canadian publisher? Send a check to cover return postage). Now, settle back in your foxhole to wait. That wait could take a year, or ten, and include countless manuscripts. In our case, it took twenty full manuscripts, five partials, and fifteen—yes I said fifteen—years before we could proudly walk out of that foxhole and call ourselves published authors.
6. BATTLE PLANS… Your Mission Should You Choose to Accept it: Now, to train you to how to break free from the ranks of the unpublished and let your work shine in front of your superiors. Like any good soldier, by this time you’ve followed the commands and have a completed manuscript to show for your trouble. Don’t scratch your head and wonder what comes next. The answer is simple. SUBMIT.
Now that your submission is out there, in the hands of the brass. What do you do next? Retreat to your bunker. Hole up, sit yourself down in front of the computer and start over. Another manuscript, another story. Why, you ask? Why bother when you’ll hear in a few weeks time and be on your way to the New York Times Bestseller list? You really are green, aren’t you? Publishing houses are backlogged, editors are inundated. Not only with manuscripts from the unpublished ranks, but with work from within the ranks as well.. If a publishing houses guidelines offer a three month response time, figure six and use the lag time productively. Finish another book.
Why? Because … and this is my most important piece of advice—GET YOUR NAME OUT THERE. At this point you know the market. But does the market know you? Editors admire persistence, and after awhile they’ll begin to remember your name. The only way to make that first sale is to complete manuscript after manuscript until that call comes. With each rejection an editor remembers you. You move closer to being published. And it’s a real morale booster to have more than one submission with a different publisher. If one incoming is rejected, it helps to know there’s another one waiting to sell. So keep writing, and finishing. As an unpublished author, you can’t sell a manuscript unless it’s complete.
***
Don’t forget to check back next Saturday for PART 2!
More writing articles for you at Carly’s Writer’s Nook!
I hope you’ve enjoyed the mini-workshop on Getting Published - We’re trying to give you new and fun things for your Saturdays. If you aren’t an aspiring writer, don’t worry. We’ll be bouncing back and forth with new things often!
Thanks Carly. Another great Saturday workshop for us unpubs who are working so hard towards publication.
Comment by Vicki — May 19, 2007 @ 7:22 am
Thanks Carly!! I read this on your website and have actually gone back to it a couple of times - it has great, encouraging information!! I’ve gotten through almost all of the articles on your website and have enjoyed each and everyone of them!
I’ve got a question that has come about because of the 3 Act Workshop. Do both the H/h HAVE to have some sort of internal conflict going on or does it just make for a stronger story?
In going through the steps and plotting out my next story I have tons of “issues” going on with the heroine, but my Hero doesn’t have a whole lot of garbage he’s dragging around. He’s determined to get her, and she’s not giving him much encouragement, but I wondered if he needs to have some past fears or “stuff” that he needs to deal with too. Is all of her’s enough? There’s lots of external roadblocks, is that enough?
Thanks for all your help. Julie, hope the pages have been redone to your satisfaction and that you’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - and that it’s not a freight train!!!
Carly, hope you’re day has been something wonderful and fun and that you’ve had a great one!
Hi Leslie and Janelle - just couldn’t leave you guys out! Hope you’re having a great weekend also!
Comment by Jodie — May 19, 2007 @ 9:19 am
Thanks so much Carly! I also read this on your website, along with your other articles and as an aspiring writer really appreciate your help and expertise. I often feel overwhelmed by everything it takes to get published and try to remind myself that it’s the writing I love - I just have to do it - and if one day I’m lucky enough to get published, then great.
I got my first rejection letter this week :cry: from Harlequin. Sent them a query letter and one page synopsis and their reply was encouraging - not just a form letter - but a negative nonetheless. (They seem like a really nice publishing house.)
So I have a question: Can I resubmit to them again after making changes to my story according to thier reasons for rejecting it? Or should I send them a query for my second manuscript so they see my name again on something different? And what if I send something to another area of Harlequin (I’m not positive I’ve targeted the right line)?
Or should I try another publisher all together? I started writing with Harlequin in mind (their word count guidelines the most influential) and just told the story that was in me rather than trying to conform exactly to thier requirements, thinking maybe there’s a little breathing room if the story is really good.
Ugh. I hope I made sense and didn’t ask too many questions. I so appreciate all the help you Plot Monkey’s give! And now at least I can get PRO status so that’s a step in the right direction, right?
Thank again and I hope everyone has a great weekend!
Comment by Robin — May 19, 2007 @ 11:06 am
Robin, congrats on the rejection–you’re on your way. Right of passage and all that.
As for resubmitting, it depends…did they ask you to resubmit after making revisions, because if they didn’t, I wouldn’t. Move on to something new.
As for Harlequin, I think it’s really important to take the word CONFORM out of your vocabulary. It’s not about conformity, it’s about giving the reader what they want. It’s about fulfilling expectations. Each line fulfills certain reader preferences and by meeting those preferences, you sell books. You’re not writing in a box…you’re writing around a particular expectation. For Blaze, it’s hot. There are so many ways that can be handled, there need not be a box.
I just realized my workshop on Targeting The Market isn’t up at my website and I don’t know why. Maybe I can put it together for the blog here as another Saturday workshop. I’ll look at it as soon as I’m done with this book.
Jodie, in a novella, it’s okay for only one character to have internal conflict, but in a novel, you really need both of them to have something going on. That said, the baggage doesn’t have to be from the character’s past. They can have an internal conflict about what is going on right now. Remember that GMC!
In my Marisela books, for instance, Frankie’s conflict was never about the past–not really. He’d put his past behind him. His internal conflict was about wanting Marisela in his life permanently and her not wanting to commit. Because he’d put his past behind him, he wanted to move forward. He felt like keeping just a physical relationship with Marisela was staying in the past and not allowing him to really live the life he wanted. That’s why they…(oh, it’s a spoiler…if you read the book DIRTY LITTLE LIES you know what happens in the end!) If I’d been able to write the next book, I would have changed their relationship around a bit. But either way, he had an internal conflict just as much as she did…even though the book isn’t technically a romance.
The lost scene is rebuilt, but I don’t think it’s as good as it was before. I’ll fix it in editing. I’m about 30 pages from the end of the book! Yeah!
Comment by Julie Leto — May 19, 2007 @ 12:31 pm
Yeay - go Julie, go Julie!
Your answer was exactly what I wanted to hear!!
I was afraid the internal conflict he got from her shutting him down every step of the way wasn’t going to be enough. There’s a lot going on with him, he is a pretty deep character that has surprised me as he’s evolved - not at all the shallow friend I thought he as going to be (he’s a friend to the hero in my current wip) - and so I’m not concerned about him being cardboard. I was just worried about him having too good of a life in the past.
I’m so excited about him that it’s helping to push me to get through my current wip so I can start on their story. I’ve been really stuck - for days - not sure how to get from A - C until I remembered something Carly had said one time about when she gets stuck its sometimes because she’s going at it from the wrong POV.
That was it - as soon as I came at it from his POV instead of hers it all fell into place. You guys are awesome!! Thanks for being so generous in sharing your time and knowledge with us!
Comment by Jodie — May 19, 2007 @ 12:49 pm
Thanks Julie! No, they didn’t ask for revisions so I will move on.
“It’s about giving the reader what they want” - thanks for that, I forget it sometimes and you’ve put the whole Harlequin thing in perspective. I would love to see your workshop on Targeting the Market.
I hope the last 30 pages go quickly - glad to hear your lost scene is rebuilt and I’m sure it’s great. And like Jodie said, thanks for being so generous!!
Comment by Robin — May 19, 2007 @ 1:14 pm
Plotmonkeys, you give this reader, no writing for me, a healthy respect for all authors. It doesn’t seem like it would be very difficult but the more I learn about writing a book the more I realize that it is a difficult job. Thank heavens there are a lot of talented people out there writing books for all of us that are avid readers. :love2:
Julie, I’m glad your writing is coming together. Keep up the good work.
Everyone have a great weekend.
Comment by Donna M — May 19, 2007 @ 1:24 pm
Jodie - you asked: < <’ve got a question that has come about because of the 3 Act Workshop. Do both the H/h HAVE to have some sort of internal conflict going on or does it just make for a stronger story?>>
Answer: what Julie said. I know that sometimes I read a book that I love that feels like one character only has internal conflict and why can’t the other just go after what they want in my books? And the truth is, you lose something in the story. You lose depth and you lose character. BUT that doesn’t mean both characters have to drag around such heavy baggage that you are banging the reader over the head with it page after page. There is a delicate balance and it’s tough to find!
My characters tend to have past stuff going on but in HOT PROPERTY, neither have heavy duty pasts, just present junk going on, and something in the heroine’s past that makes the hero’s celebrity / press freak her out. Julie’s an expert at giving good conflict without delving into the past. I am not. I usually build character based on past history. Each to his own. Julie’s books are amazing done her way!
Good luck and I hope this helped!
Comment by Carly — May 19, 2007 @ 9:48 pm
Robin, HUGS on the rejection. Ugh. But as they say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger and I PROMISE you this is true!
You asked: <>
Definitely query Harlequin on manuscript 2. Mention they just read ms. one and thank them for their time in that letter. Use the rejection letter’s comments to tweak manuscript # 1 if appropriate and yes query another pub house! I’m not up on the current policy on sending/querying same ms. to another Harlequin line, I’m sorry. The policy changes back and forth over the years!
AND THEN YOU ASKED: <>
NEVER conform, as Julie said. You can tell the story of your heart and write a better story than what is currently “hot” at the moment. So I’d query another house where appropriate. Harlequin isn’t asking for conformity, they are asking for what they call the Harlequin Promise - the happy ending. The way you get there is uniquely you. If it fits their particular line or they can work with it, they will. Brenda is an expert at that …
GOOD LUCK!
Comment by Carly — May 19, 2007 @ 9:53 pm
Jodie you said: < < Your answer was exactly what I wanted to hear!!
I was afraid the internal conflict he got from her shutting him down every step of the way wasn’t going to be enough. < <'
MAKE SURE that you don't get repetetive in what happens btw hero and heroine so reader gets annoyed by what she's reading and frustrated at the character's inability to grow each time she shuts him down. This is the hardest part about one stronger internal conflict than another. I'm sure you can do it!
AND YOU SAID: <<’ve been really stuck - for days - not sure how to get from A - C until I remembered something Carly had said one time about when she gets stuck its sometimes because she’s going at it from the wrong POV. That was it - as soon as I came at it from his POV instead of hers it all fell into place. You guys are awesome!! >>
WELL WOO HOOO! I hope it didn’t take weeks for you to figure out as it sometimes does for me.
Comment by Carly — May 19, 2007 @ 9:56 pm
Thanks Carly–this sounds like it’ll be a great series! =)
Comment by Erica R — May 19, 2007 @ 10:44 pm
Thanks so much Carly! I really appreciate your advice and guidance!
Comment by Robin — May 20, 2007 @ 3:13 am
Thanks so much for the help and answers. I understand what you’re saying and I think I’ve got it going in the right direction. I say, “she shuts him down” and for the most part she does, but she also shows that she’s softening toward him and she can see that he’s not like…she just has to work past her fear.
Do we have Hot Property yet? (thinking out loud, I’m off to your website to find out because if so, how’d I miss it?)
Comment by Jodie — May 20, 2007 @ 9:30 am
Karen, thanks so much for the heads up on posting the Basic Training workshop here. I was so glad to see the first part still holds water. A little on the brief side (I know, I know), but hey. If one person gets use out of it, then our time was well spent.
Well, it looks like Jodie and Robin already received sound and sage advice, so we’ll just add this..
and pop up now and again throughout the week.
Thanks, Plot Monkeys!!! Not just for being such talented writers, but for being special friends. (Yikes, why did Mr. Rogers just come to mind? RIP)
xoxo
Lori & Tony aka Tori Carrington
http://www.toricarrington.net * http://www.sofiemetro.com
Comment by Lori & Tony — May 21, 2007 @ 6:26 pm