Saturday Chit-Chat with Guest Blogger Diana Peterfreund
As you all know, I’m good friends with the amazing writer, Diana Peterfreund, who has guest blogged at Plotmonkeys before. The first two books of her Secret Society Girl novels, SECRET SOCIETY GIRL and UNDER THE ROSE are in bookstores now.
If you don’t know this, Diana herself has a very successful blog at Diana’s Diversions. She covers just about any topic under the sun–whatever interests her at the moment–but she sometimes talks about the writing business and writing craft. Honestly, I think all new writers should check the blog out regularly. There’s a lot to learn there!
I asked Diana if I could copy one of her blogs for re-run here, in case some of the Plotmonkey aspiring writers who come here on Saturday could be exposed to her brilliance. She agreed!
This is a post she made last month…Read on!
—————-
“Protect the Work”
I’ve been thinking a lot about this advice recently. It’s a favorite in my writing circles. Bad review making you question your skills as a storyteller? “Protect the work.” A lot of outside commitments eating into your writing time? “Protect the work.” Industry changes or news getting you down? “Protect the work.” (I think it’s Susan Elizabeth Philips’s mantra, but I may be wrong about that.)
Like all advice, it’s easier said than done. And like a lot of advice, it’s possible to convince yourself that you’re following it when there is nothing further from the truth.
What does it really mean? “Protect the work?”
It means ignoring bad reviews. Just because someone didn’t like a particular aspect of your book doesn’t mean you did it poorly. Nor does it mean it’s your job to fix that aspect. It’s their problem. I read on a blog the other day about a speech that writer James Rollins gave at Thrillerfest (pardon the hearsay, but the lesson is there, even in parable form): “He’d read the reviews for his first book and noticed that many of them commented on lack of characterization. So he was trying to work on the characterization. He submitted the manuscript to the editor, who saw some of the characterization attempts and asked him what he was doing. He told her, and she said that his great strength was making a book a page turner and to stop worrying about what the reviewers were finding wrong.” That’s protecting the work. Do what you do best. What one person hates about your work will be another person’s favorite part. Don’t try to be all things to all people, or you won’t please anyone.
It means finding a way around the industry “rules.” Ignore the rules, if that works for you. Or use them to your advantage. Or find a way to bend them to your will. But realize that the work comes first. What do you write? What do you write well? Those should be your first questions. After that should come the question of what the industry wants and how best to give it to them. You may not have an answer to that question. That’s okay. Because it’s more important to write something you love that the industry doesn’t know it wants yet, than to write something you don’t love — because, trust me, the industry won’t want that. They can smell it, and they stay away. Protect the work by putting it first, and then finding a way to bend it to the industry’s needs second. This is the best article I’ve ever read on the subject. It’s what the “branding” folks are always going on about. Find out what really speaks to you about your work. Chances are, you’ll find a way to fit it into the industry’s flavor-of-the-month.
It means taking the tough route for the sake of the book. Even if it means waiting a little while, or turning down a chance to do those revisions because it would mean turning your book into something you don’t want it to be. Not taking the contract because it would put your work in the hands of someone who doesn’t deserve to have it. Sticking it under the bed until you have the ability to do the premise justice. Take heart. You aren’t the first writer to do this, and you won’t be the last.
It means a dozen flavors of these things, but they all boil down to the same point:
PUT THE WRITING FIRST
Don’t write to market. Don’t write to sell. Don’t rush. Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t skimp on something that needs to be in a story because some reader blog has decided they hate this aspect. Don’t pay attention to reviewers who talk about how disappointed they’ll be if you decide to take your series in one direction. Don’t listen to an agent who says such-and-such is dead. Don’t listen to an editor who tells you you’ll never make it. Don’t listen to a critique group who tells you you “can’t” have XYZ in a story or it will never sell.
They are lying. They are all lying because if you put what you want in your story, if you put in your story what it needs, if you dig deep and write honestly and make it work, then you’ll find that it does — that people who claimed they’d “never” like XYZ in fact do, that a market that didn’t seem open to ABC in fact is, and that those reviewers/readers/agents/editors will actually surprise themselves.
I’ve been in several conversations with several writers over the past few days and all are questioning their careers, the state of the industry, the words of critics, their future steps. And as I’ve listened and responded and tried my best to give advice, I keep hearing the same words over and over again in the back of my head. Protect the work. Protect what makes your writing your writing. Does that mean not signing the contract? Not making the revisions? Not going online? Does it mean regrouping? Retracing? Starting over? Accepting a setback? Well, no one said this would be easy.
Protect the work means to be honest about what you are writing. Be honest with yourself, with your audience, and with your story. Everything else comes later. Protect the work.
(Yes, this was another self-slap.)
—————————–
Julie again. Just want to point out to our newest writers that protecting the work is a habit you should make early on. The first person you have to protect the work from is yourself. If you want to write–if the dream is in you, then give the dream its due. Write. Carve out time for yourself. Don’t let other obligations or responsibilities take you away from pursuing that dream. How do you know if you’ll be successful until you try?!
If you have questions, feel free to ask. Diana promised to try and stop by and answer and I’ll do the same. Hopefully, the other Plotmonkeys might have something to add as well!
Diana, you ROCK.
Thank you! I was at the Emergency Vet all night with Buddy :doggie: b/c my vet took out his stitches yesterday but by 8 PM the entire incision was OPEN (blech!) 
And this hole in the wall place put staples in, kept me there for hours, AND declined my check!!!!! 
The good news is he seems fine. My daughter and I are just traumatized. :cry: So thanks for doing this, Diana. Our visitors who write are very lucky! 
Comment by Carly — August 11, 2007 @ 6:33 am
Very interesting , Diana.
Comment by Estella — August 11, 2007 @ 7:42 am
Carly - I’m so sorry you, your daughter and Buddy had to go through that!But I’m glad he’s OK now.
Diana - thanks for the tips. As I got to the end I started thinking about Allan Jackson and Toby Keith. 2 people who were told the’d never make it in country music. Man…if that’s “never making it” I sure hope I “never make it” as a writer!
Comment by Jodie — August 11, 2007 @ 7:59 am
Oh, Carly!!! Poor Buddy! I’m so sorry!:doggie: It just kills me to hear sad puppy stories!
Thanks, Jodie! I love those kind of stories. Someone told Toby Keith he’d never make it?
Comment by Diana — August 11, 2007 @ 9:22 am
So sorry about Buddy, Carly (and for the trauma–ugh!) Thanks so much for the interesting thoughts, Diana–not a writer, but definitely appreciate the craft you writers create!
Comment by Fedora — August 11, 2007 @ 9:40 am
Thank you, Diana. Excellent advice. And, I needed it today.
:-)
Comment by NinaP — August 11, 2007 @ 9:50 am
Diana - I saw an interview with Toby (I think it was a 60 Minutes thing they aired on CMT) and he said he went to Nashville and took a few of his songs to a record company. The guy listened to “Should Have Been a Cowboy” (the most played songs of the ’90s) and told Toby he had no song writing ability and he’d never make it.
Toby was on his way back to Nashville when a fan passed a tape on to someone else, who wanted to meet with Toby. Toby laughed and said the first guy was mowing grass somewhere now.
And I’ve never heard him tell the whole story himself, but I’ve heard Allan Jackson was rejected by every label in Nashville, a lot of the twice, and it was his wife who was finally able to make a connection for him.
Comment by Jodie — August 11, 2007 @ 10:36 am
Wow, Diana what great advice!!
I recently had someone tell me to treat my story as a child, to swaddle it, nurture it, and help it grow into what I wanted it to be, and like a new mom gets plenty of unsolicited advice so does an author…so just thank them and listen to your heart…
I guess what she was trying to tell me was to “Protect the work”
Carly, How scary for Buddy:cry: I hope he’s doing better.
Comment by Tina Martinesi — August 11, 2007 @ 10:53 am
Tina, the mothering metaphor is only good until you’ve finished your work. At that point, the baby turns 18, gets pimples, a bad attitude and needs “tough love” to be pushed out of the nest and into the big, bad publishing world.
Just remember that for future reference!
Comment by Julie Leto — August 11, 2007 @ 10:56 am
Thank you for posting this Julie…the advice is a great one…I often find that I sometimes second guess myself whenever someone says something about what I write…it used to stop me in my tracks and then I started to doubt my abilities, whether it was poetry or short story writing…to this day, I have not attempted a novel because I think that I am still suffering from what people say…I know, I need to look past that….”protect the work” will be in my mind from now on, whenever I attempt a full length novel…I need to get my confidence back in that regard…
I have seen Diana’s books, but I never checked them out…I will on your recommendation now…after reading what she wrote, she sounds like the kind of author I would be interesting as well…
Have a Happy Saturday…
P.S. waiting patiently for Regan’s story….
Comment by Paula R. — August 11, 2007 @ 11:50 am
lmao Julie
….I’ll be sure to remember that!!!
Comment by Tina Martinesi — August 11, 2007 @ 12:00 pm
Great article, Diana! This is a topic that never hurts to be repeated from time to time — because we tend to forget about protecting our work when other things intrude. It’s a great reminder!
Big hugs to Buddy! Poor guy!
Comment by Janelle — August 11, 2007 @ 12:24 pm
Thanks Julie and Diana!
This was a great article and as an aspiring writer, the words really made me feel good about my journey. I will be sure to think “protect the work” whenever I’m having doubts. Every day that I just get to write, get to sit down and be with my characters and tell their story, is a good day. And if I string those all along and years from now I’m happy because I’ve gotten to do something that brought me joy, regardless of if I’m published or not, then how can I not smile?
BTW- Diana, I just bought both your books last week and am looking forward to reading them. And Julie, I noticed that your the spotlight author at Romance Divas - will you be doing a workshop there?
Carly, I hope you, your daughter and Buddy are having a better day today. Take care!
Thanks again for these Saturday blogs! Happy weekend everyone.
Comment by Robin — August 11, 2007 @ 1:13 pm
Carly,
So sorry to hear about Buddy. Poor baby. Give him a kiss for me. Sorry you guys had to sit so long and wait too. That’s always nerve racking.
Diana, thank you for your posting. I’ve heard SEP talk about protecting the work and it is hard to do. Now if I can just figure out how to do it for myself! :o
Cher
Comment by Cher — August 11, 2007 @ 2:01 pm
Carly, I’m glad Buddy is going to be okay. I hope your daughter & Buddy and you too recover today from such a bad night. :love2:
Every time I read more about writing a book & getting published it makes me glad I’m a reader! However, it is very interesting learning what it takes to write a book and keep writing once you become published.
Thanks Diana, for dropping into the Plotmonkeys blog again.
Everyone have a good weekend.
Take care,
Donna M
Comment by Donna M — August 11, 2007 @ 2:43 pm
I am doing the Romance Divas workshop! I’ll be doing the plotting workshop that I already did on Plotmonkeys, though. I’m doing it the last week of August. I may add something else as well…depends on how things go in the next week.
Paula, you will love Diana’s books. They’re awesome!
Comment by Julie Leto — August 11, 2007 @ 4:38 pm
I’ll be sure to check it out Julie!
Comment by Robin — August 11, 2007 @ 7:08 pm
What great advice! Thanks for taking the time to share.
Comment by Yolanda — August 11, 2007 @ 9:03 pm
Thank you! Thank you! I needed this article today. I just had a long talk with a friend about how frustrated I have been with my lack of time for writing and ironically her advice was basically “Protect the Work”.
BTW Carly, I hope Buddy is better.
Comment by Patty L. — August 11, 2007 @ 10:35 pm
Poor Buddy! Poor Family! I hope everyone is on the road to recovery from the trauma.
I needed this piece of advice. The biggest thing I have to protect the work from is myself.
Thanks, as always, for providing us with great motivation and advice!
Comment by Lynn Matherly — August 11, 2007 @ 11:24 pm