The First 20,000 Words: Reflections on a Novel in Progress

Earlier this week, I crossed the 20,000 word mark on my novel in progress. If you're curious, that translates to roughly 80 double-spaced manuscript pages. Considering that the average mass-market genre paperback runs around 60,000 words (240 pages), this seems like an ideal place to pause and reflect on the journey so far. I'll repeat this exercise at the 40,000 word mark, and again upon completion of the first draft, in hopes of sharing some of what I've learned with you.

But first, let me make an admission: I fibbed to you in a previous blog entry. If you remember, I told you that this book is my first novel. Well, it's not. It's actually my third novel. Don't hit.

Yes, it's true: I wrote two novels in the late '90s, but no one ever saw them. Despite my best efforts, the end result of my wordsmithery was a pair of books so utterly horrendous that I immediately disowned them, threw holy water on the hard copies, and exorcised the digital files right off my hard drive. As far as I know, both books are gone forever, and believe me, that's no great loss. I claim no parentage of those earlier literary disasters, and this new project feels like a first novel all over again. So if you'll allow me to employ some Obi-Wan Kenobi logic, you'll see that what I told you was true... from a certain point of view. In every way that matters, this is a first novel.

Oh, by the way, since I haven't mentioned it, you may as well know that the book is a light-heated, comic-tinged mystery, in the style of Lawrence Block's The Burglar Who... series. My protagonist is an unorthodox private investigator named Clayton Gyler, who uses a bumbling facade to hide a shrewd, analytical mind. He constantly places his life, and the life of his staff, in danger. As a result, he must contend with a lot of employee turnover at his agency, which poses no end of problems for him. It's hard to be thorough when you have no one to help you.

The act of writing this book has been both easier and harder than I expected. Let me break it down as follows:

Easier. Writing this book has been easier than I expected because I have a great sense of the protagonist. I'm writing the book in the first person, and my viewpoint character, Clayton Gyler, is one I've lived with for a number of years: he starred in a couple of short stories I wrote in the mid-90s, entitled The Fine Print and (in a transparent homage to Lilian Jackson Braun) The Cat Who Couldn't Solve Mysteries. Because I am comfortable with this character, it's a pleasure to write about him, and to put words into his mouth.

Harder. On the other hand, writing this book has been harder than I expected because I made the (perhaps foolish) decision not to outline the story ahead of time. When I sat down and began pecking out the first chapter, I had no idea what the main conflict would be, or how I would arrive at the climax. Now that I'm approximately one-third of the way through the tale, I'm much more aware of my protagonist's goals, and the obstacles he will face on his way to achieving them. However, I already know several places in which I will need to revise the earlier chapters to plant clues and insert backstory.

This has made it difficult for me to show the book to anyone as I'm writing it. I had intended to share each new chapter with a small group of beta readers, but I quit doing this with the second chapter; I already knew changes would be required that would render the earlier version of the text unusable. I am keeping careful notes as I think of these changes, but I've opted not to backfill the text until I start the second draft. Otherwise I'd do nothing but rewrite the first 80 pages over and over from now until the end of time, and would never finish the book.

Write a complete draft, then worry about fixing it. That's my strategy.

Although not operating from an outline means I knew very little about my story when I began creating it, it allowed me the experience of operating in the same way as my protagonist: he, like me, is trying to get to the bottom of the mystery and doesn't know the solution ahead of time. As such, it feels very natural to write about his efforts to solve the case, because that's exactly what I'm doing too.

Also, Mr. Gyler has surprised me with his ingenuity on a few occasions, which he couldn't have done if I'd decided to adhere to a strict outline. I started writing a particular scene a few days ago, intending for it to play out in a certain way, but Clayton simply wouldn't cooperate. Instead, he devised a solution to a problem that was so different from what I'd expected that I actually laughed out loud.

Don't let me confuse you: Although my fingers were the ones tapping the keys, it was the character who came up with the solution, and he wouldn't take no for an answer. I let him have his way, and his rash actions turned what would otherwise have been a fairly prosaic scene into my favorite moment of the book so far. Allowing my characters the ability to overrule me--that's been the biggest delight of the process thus far.

So at any rate, that's the view from 20,000 words. I'll continue to work on the book in the weeks to come, and I'll update you each time I break through a new 20,000 word barrier. Thanks for your interest and your support.

Happy writing!

-j.

Things I Wish I'd Known When Writing My First Novel [A Guest Post by Scott Nicholson]

NOTE FROM JOE: As I've previously discussed, I'm in the process of writing a novel. Although I've been publishing non-fiction professionally for almost fifteen years, my fiction endeavors have been limited. As such, I reached out to a few of my favorite writers and asked them for advice. Specifically, what have they learned that they'd wish they'd known when they began work on their first novel? I'll be bringing you some of their responses in the weeks to come, as a series of guest posts.


Today's entry is from the prolific Scott Nicholson, an icon of both traditional and indie publishing, and a huge advocate of the e-book revolution. In addition to penning the breakout horror novel The Red Church (which I can't recommend highly enough), Scott runs a terrific blog about writing and publishing. Here's what he had to say in response to my question. I trust you'll find it as helpful and inspiring as I did.  --Joe


Advice for Joe on the Writing of His First Novel
by Scott Nicholson

Joe, here’s the big difference from when I started writing 15 years ago:

I didn’t know writing was so dog-gone difficult.

I didn’t have the Internet and a billion writing blogs telling me how hard it was to get published, or how great the self-publishing era is. I had to subscribe to paper newsletters to keep up with market listings for the short story market, and go to the library or buy magazines to get lists of agents and publishers.

In a way, the lack of Internet made it really easy to focus. I had a certain number of hours available to me in the morning, and I could get lost in the story. There was no email to check, no hot market tip, no obligation to engage strangers in social media, no latest tech toy that was going to change the face of publishing forever, or at least for the next few weeks.

Don’t get me wrong: e-books are going to help a lot of writers meet their audience in ways that were never before possible. It’s going to be easier for most writers to make money, even if it still will be difficult. And I am very grateful to be here while it’s happening.

But I miss hammering out my stories on an old Selectric IBM typewriter with a clunky print wheel and a floppy disk drive. It was quite a feeling of accomplishment to roll those pages in one at a time and print them out, until there was a big stack beside me at a cost of about a dime a page, only to be boxed and mailed for $10 or $15 per submission. The very cost and inconvenience made shipping it off to a publisher a big enterprise, like launching a ship.

And, back then, most publishers would still look at your slush submission, so I could at least hold out hope that someone would read it, love it, and make an offer. (In fact, that’s how it happened to me). We weren’t aware that the odds of getting accepted were less than one in 100. Indeed, you could legitimately hope that every submission was the winning lottery ticket, instead of the mass email queries favored today, the policies of agents to “only respond if interested,” and with most larger publishers refusing to look at anything unless it was sent in by those same rude, aloof agents.

In the beginning, all I knew was to tell the story the best I could, read every book on the business and craft I could get my hands on, and keep up my leisure reading, which was never fully “leisure” because I was always aware of the wizard behind the curtains lining up words. I’d read something bold and be inspired to write something boldly. I’d read something tepid and hurl it across the room, positive that I could do better.

In the beginning, all I had was my imagination, my fingers, and my words. I was blissfully ignorant. I didn’t know what I was doing was impossible.

So I just did it anyway, without knowing any better.

If I had any advice for an aspiring writer today, aside from warning them away from all advice, it would be this: Ignore everything but the next sentence.

--
Scott Nicholson is the author of approximately 300-trillion books, short stories, and screenplays. His non-fiction works include The Indie Journey: Secrets to Writing Success, and the essay collection Write Good or Die, which he edited. 

The E-book Revolution: Does the Writing Still Matter?

It's impossible to discuss the state of modern publishing without mentioning the Amazon Kindle, the iPad, the Nook, and the many other handheld e-readers currently flooding the market. E-books have now surpassed hardcovers in numbers of sales, and liberal self-publishing programs through sites like Amazon, Smashwords, and others have allowed authors of all skill levels to release their words into the world, to sink or swim on their own merits, with no interference from editors, agents, or publishers.

The phrase "Kindle millionaire" has been bandied about by the media, first derisively, and then with reverence. Many previously unknown writers, including John Locke and Amanda Hocking, have garnered headlines for selling obscene amounts of digital books, earning fortunes in the process (and, in the case of Hocking, a juicy $2 million, four book traditional publishing contract). Even mid-list authors like J.A. Konrath and Scott Nicholson have enjoyed rejuvenated sales thanks to e-publishing.

It's an exciting time for authors, with bold new distribution systems being introduced almost weekly. As I write these words, Amazon has offered many of its e-books for free rental at over 11,000 public libraries (including my own -- I just checked). And next week, Amazon is expected to announce its own sub-$250 tablet computer, a potential game changer for e-books.

But with all this talk about massive e-publishing fortunes, the mass acceptance of digital literature, and potential new revenue streams for writers, you know what I haven't heard much about?

The writing.

Hocking made headlines for her Kindle sales, but are her books any good? Beats me... no one wants to talk about that. Locke is the first self-published author in history to sell over a million Kindle e-books; you can find many articles analyzing his sales figures, but precious little discussion about the literary merits of his Donovan Creed mystery/thrillers.

What gives?

Yes, some authors are making huge money with e-books. But they are outliers, astonishing but rare success stories, sparked by a combination of hard work, excellent marketing, crowd-pleasing narratives (one assumes), and a certain amount of luck. Anyone who thinks that vomiting out sub-standard content and uploading it to Amazon will fund a lavish new lifestyle is going to be sorely disappointed.

I'm a technology buff, and I get it: the novelty of e-books is strong, and it's exciting to see what some authors have achieved without the backing of a corporate publisher. But let's not lose sight of the fact that e-books aren't widgets. They're books, even if they aren't printed on paper. Can't we discuss them the way we discuss other books? By talking about their strengths and weaknesses, rather than their sales figures and financial aspects?

If I were Locke or Hocking, I'd be insulted.

For the record, let me state that I'm a complete convert to e-books, and will probably never buy another paper book as long as I live. I absolutely love having adjustable font sizes and the ability to carry my entire book collection with me everywhere I go. But as with paper books, e-books are worthless to me if they're not well-written, regardless of how many copies they've sold.

I wish all these "journalists" would remember that too.

How about you? What do you think of digital publishing and the e-book boom? Are we living in a golden age of self-publishing, as some have claimed?

-j.

Surviving a Rejection Letter

So I got a rejection letter today for one of my short stories.

It's not a big deal. I've gotten plenty of them over the years, and this one rolled off my back without crushing my spirits, or initiating a crisis of faith in my writing ability.

As I prepared to send the manuscript off to the next market on my list, it suddenly struck me just how much my attitude towards rejection has changed over the years. I remember the early days of freelancing, when rejection letters would hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. The sense of failure I'd experience upon receiving such a letter could last for hours. Even if I received an acceptance letter from another publication on the very same day, I would disregard that victory in exchange for reveling in the failure.

Hey, I'm nothing if not dramatic.

Rejection letters aren't fun. How could they NOT discourage us? Heck, it's right there in the name: REJECTION letter. The term itself conjures up painful memories of getting turned down for dates, or being picked last for the school softball team. It's a letter specifically sent to inform you, a writer, a creator, a storyteller, that your work does not meet an arbitrary benchmark of quality.

Or at least that's how I felt back then.

However, having spent some time on the other side of the editor's desk in intervening years, I now realize something very valuable -- rejections aren't personal, and you shouldn't take them that way.

Don't let a rejection letter utterly derail you. The next time you receive a rejection letter, consider the following:

1. YOU aren't being rejected. ONE SPECIFIC PIECE of your work is being declined for publication at one particular time.

I once attended a science-fiction convention in which novelist Spider Robinson boasted that he had never received a rejection letter, which frustrated him greatly, because he dreamed of wallpapering his office with rejection letters from prestigious publications in order to impress girls.

His story got big laughs from the audience, but I don't believe it for a second. Remember: a person whose work appeals to everyone must have a bland writing style indeed.
Even two of the most successful novelists in history, JK Rowling and Stephen King, both received dozens of rejection letters from publishers who considered their work to be below substandard. And let's not forget that Decca Records turned down a band called The Beatles, believing that guitar groups were on their way out.

2. The rejection isn't always a reflection on the quality of your writing. Consider any of the following scenarios:

- You may have written a perfectly fine story that happens to ever-so-slightly resemble a different story the editor has already purchased, but which hasn't appeared in print yet. (Although this doesn't seem to affect Hollywood: how many similarly themed films open within weeks of each other? Remember Deep Impact and Armageddon? Or Dante's Peak and Volcano?)

- You may have written a first-rate private-eye story, but the editor, having read thirty of them this week, is momentarily burned out on the genre.

- Your story may have too much humor (or not enough!) to suit the editor's preference.

- You may have written the world's greatest western, but Publisher's Weekly just ran a story declaring the western dead.

- Maybe the magazine has purchased its allotment of fiction for the upcoming year, and has simply decided to reject all stories for the next six months to clear out the slush pile. (Yes, this happens.)

- Maybe you called your protagonist Walter, and the editor has an old boyfriend named Walter, and can't bear the fact that your protagonist doesn't die at the end of the story.

Hey, stranger things have happened. Editors are people too, and like all people, they can be extraordinarily illogical when it suits them.

The best thing to do? Send the piece right back out into the world. Do it today. Don't let the sun set on your rejection. Send your work to the next market on your list, and start crafting a new piece of writing if you haven't already done so.

What about you? How do you handle rejection? Leave a comment and let me know!

-j.

Birth of a Novel: A Conversation With the Writer I Used to Be

Good morning, Old Joe!

Eh? Who said that?

Me!

I'm afraid that doesn't help. Who, exactly, is "me"?

Don't you remember? It's me! Young Joe! The kid you used to be, before you got old and fat! The boy who dreams of growing up to be a writer!

Oh... uh, hello. Wow. This is a little awkward. Tell me, why are you in my head today, Young Joe?

I decided to travel to the future and see how my life's going to turn out! To see if we ever made good on that whole writing dream!

You know how to time travel?

Oh, sure! Remember, I'm a kid with a huge imagination. That's one of the reasons I want to be a writer when I grow up! I love telling stories!

Hmm... now that you mention it, I do seem to remember that about you. Or me. Whatever. I'm confused.

Nice brain you've got here, Old Joe. Although there seems to be a lot of dust lying around. It's almost like you don't use certain parts of your mind any more, especially the parts that are about playing and having fun! That's sad.

Well, it's a little different when you're a grown up, Young Joe.

Things aren't always gnarly, huh?

"Gnarly?" I haven't heard that word in years!

Well, remember, Old Joe, it's 1987 where I come from. But tell me, is my dream going to come true? Do I grow up to be a writer?

As a matter of fact, Young Joe, you do!

Hurray! I knew I could make it happen if I worked hard enough! Tell me, how did we get started? Did we write an awesome horror story about ninja robot skeletons?

Well... not exactly. It's kind of complicated. A while back, I wrote down the whole story of how I started my writing career. You can read it, if you want.

I'll do it later. For now, I want to hear all about the awesome things we write! I hope it's big epic stories with pirates! Or spaceships! Or vampires!

Eh... not so much, Young Joe. You see, I write non-fiction these days.

Non-fiction? You mean those boring books that don't have pictures? The kind of books I have to read for school reports?

Uh, yeah.

Oh. (*long pause*) Do you like writing that stuff?

Yes, I do. Clients hire me to write reports, manuals, grants, and other stuff like that. It's important work.

And they don't ever want you to write stories?

Well, no. I haven't done much fiction writing since high school. Not since I got Miss Rose's note.

Who's Miss Rose, Old Joe?

Oh, that's right! You haven't met her yet, Young Joe. She was my 11th grade English teacher. I told her that I wanted to be a professional writer when I grew up.

So why did she write you a note, Old Joe?

Well, she wrote a handwritten message on the title page of a short story I handed in for an assignment.

Was it a nice note?

Well... no, Young Joe. It wasn't.

What did it say?

You know what's funny, Young Joe? It's been over 20 years, and I can still remember it word for word. It said: "Joe, your ideas have merit, but your writing is flat. You aren't a natural storyteller. Stick to non-fiction from now on."

Wow. That must have hurt!

Yeah. It did, Young Joe. It really did. And I haven't written much fiction since then. Hardly any at all, in fact.

Wait a minute, Old Joe. Let me see if I've got this straight. You used to write fiction constantly, right?

Right.

And you gave it up almost overnight, even though you really enjoyed it?


Right.

All because one person said she didn't like your work?

Uh, yeah. I guess so. Sounds kinda lame when you put it that way.

It's beyond lame. I wish I wasn't just a voice in your head, Old Joe! I wish I was actually standing in front of you right now, so you could see how crestfallen I am. The fact that you would let the word of one woman destroy my dream like that! How could you do that to me? How could do that to yourself?

Wow... I'm sorry, Young Joe. You're right. Even though I've written and published a lot of non-fiction, I do miss writing fiction. I never should have given it up. What can I do to make it up to you?

I think you know what you need to do, Old Joe. If you really want to make it up to me, you have to write a novel.

A novel? Really?

Yes. You need to write a novel. And you need to start working on it right now. This week.

Well...

Come on, bub. You owe me. You've kept my dreams imprisoned for over 20 years. Let them out!

You know what? You're right, Young Joe. I'm going to do it. I'm going to write a novel.

Good! And make sure you tell other people that you're doing it, Old Joe! If other people know you're working on it, they can offer encouragement and support! They can give you all the things that your awful high school English teacher didn't provide.

Good idea! I think I'll post about it on my blog.

What the heck's a blog, Old Joe?

Oops. Uh... well, it's this thing I write on the Internet...

What's the Internet?

Never mind. All you need to know is that I'm going to do it. I'm going to share this conversation with some of my friends, okay? It will be my way of letting them know that I'm going to write a novel. And I'll keep them updated each week on my progress. Won't that be fun?

Oh wow, it sure will! Good luck, Old Joe! I better get back to my own time, and let you get to work on your new book.

Sounds good, Young Joe. Thanks for stopping by. And hey, I appreciate the kick in the rear.

It's what I do, Old Joe. It's what I do. 


-j.

Five Traits of a Dynamite Query Letter

Allow me to open this post with an apology.

I've been writing professionally for about 15 years, and I occasionally forget that some of my readers aren't quite as experienced. As such, I sometimes demonstrate my absent-mindedness by using terms with which you may not be familiar.

Case in point: several readers of my Coffee House Wordsmith Guide to Paying Writer's Markets and Resources e-book contacted me this week to ask for a clarification. What, exactly, do I mean when I suggest you "query" a publication prior to submitting your work?

Whoops, my bad.

Querying is industry shorthand. It simply means that a writer should contact the editor with a short description of his or her proposed article to determine if the editor is interested in seeing it. This works to everyone's advantage. If your idea is clearly wrong for the publication, the editor can inform you of this before you waste several hours working on an unsalable piece, and it allows the editor to spend less time reading lengthy articles he will ultimately end up not buying.

The downside is that the writer has a lot less opportunity to impress an editor with his or her prowess in a query letter. Instead of several thousands words of literary brilliance, an author has to sell the worth of his or her concept in only a few short paragraphs.

Here, then, are some guidelines for writing an impossible-to-ignore query letter:

1. Demonstrate that you've actually read the writer's guidelines. 

Almost every publication has a web page listing its writer's guidelines. These rules are there for a reason. Don't assume that the editor will be impressed if you attempt to violate them.

Don't ignore this advice! If the guidelines state that the publication wants articles between 2,000 and 3,000 words, don't propose a 7,000 word opus. This doesn't make you look like a hard-worker. It makes you look like someone who isn't interested in, or is incapable of, delivering what the editor has requested. Either way, you can kiss any chance of an assignment good-bye.

2. The editor has a name. Use it.

Nothing says "form letter" faster than a generic salutation like "Dear Editor," or "Dear Sir or Madam," or, worst of all, the horrible "To Whom It May Concern." Look up the editor's name, then do him or her the small courtesy of using it.

Just about any paying publication will have a masthead (credit block) somewhere on its website, which should list the editor's name. If you don't see a masthead on the front page, look for an "About Us" or "Staff Listing" page. Use the editor's last name as part of your salutation (i.e., "Dear Mr. Edwards:").

A word of warning, however: be very careful in regards to gender. If the editor's first name is Jennifer or Franklin, you can probably guess the gender. But other names are not so obvious. Is Shannon a male or female? How about Dana? Or Pat? Better not to inadvertently cause offense by guessing incorrectly.

In such cases, you're better served by employing "Dear Editor [Last Name]," as your salutation, rather than using Mr. or Ms. But don't use "Dear Editor" by itself, except as a last resort. It looks impersonal, and implies that you don't value the editor enough to bother looking up his or her name.

Note: never address an editor by her first name ("Dear Jennifer,") unless she invites you (in subsequent correspondence) to do so.

3. Verify that the editor hasn't quit, or been replaced, since the last time you contacted the publication.

Editors come and go without warning in the publishing world, especially in this unfortunate era of rapid downsizing. Even if you've corresponded with the editor in recent months, always verify that he or she is still steering the ship when sending a new query.

4. Demonstrate that you're familiar with the types of stories or articles that the publication features.

Nothing hardens an editor's heart faster than a query letter which indicates that a prospective writer has never read the publication in question. Don't send a raunchy piece of fiction to a Christian-themed literary magazine, or an article about delicious meat-based dishes to a magazine that caters to vegetarians. (Don't laugh, these sorts of things happen all the time.)

Don't feel ashamed to include a mention in your query about a previous piece that you read and enjoyed in the publication.

5. Explain why you should get the assignment to write this particular article.

List your qualifications beyond simple writing experience. If you have an interesting history with your proposed subject, share it! (i.e., if you're proposing an article on the history of sci-fi television, don't be afraid to mention all those Star Trek conventions you've attended over the years). Depending on the assignment, you may find that passion will impress an editor far more than experience.

What about you? What are your tips and tricks for writing a good query letter? Leave a comment and let me know!

-j.

Now Available: The Fall 2011 Edition of TCHW Guide!

Hello folks!

Don't worry, I won't keep you long today.

I just wanted to let you know that the Fall 2011 edition of my free e-book, The Coffee House Wordsmith Guide to Paying Writer's Markets and Resources, is now available. In fact, it's already been sent out (in PDF format) to all of the awesome folks on my mailing list.

(You have signed up for the mailing list, right? You do know that subscribers get five additional paying writer's markets sent to them each and every Saturday, right? You are aware that this is all free, right? Sign up now! See that box over on the right side of the screen? Just enter your e-mail address and hit "submit.")

But hey, I understand that PDF isn't everyone's favorite file type. As such, I'm happy to report that the book is now available from Smashwords in several other formats, including HTML, ePub, and Kindle.

And yes, it's still free.

Please tell all your friends! Heck, share the book with them. I mean it! E-mail it, torrent it, upload it, FTP it... spread it far and wide! And if you find the book useful, I hope you'll take the time to leave a review for it on Smashwords.

I hope the book will be available through Apple's bookstore within the next week or so. I'll let you know.

Download The Coffee House Wordsmith Guide to Paying Writer's Markets and Resources from Smashwords!

And yes, I've already started work on the Winter edition. Look for it shortly after Thanksgiving.

Happy Labor Day Weekend to my fellow Americans! I plan to spend Monday weeping over the death of summer, and comforting my kids, who would rather move to Jupiter than go back to school this week.

Ah, the joys of dramatic posturing. I'm sure they learned it from me.

-j.

P.S. Thanks to everyone who commented on my recent post about writer's block. I'll try to respond to everyone over the holiday weekend.