Time to Write

Describing Characters (the Elmore Leonard Way)

I am finally getting around to reading a book called The Tenacity of a Cockroach: Conversations with Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders, published by Three Rivers Press in 2002. That's probably when I bought it--I can buy books a lot faster than I can read them, and they disappear for a while but resurface eventually. Its kind of like the La Brea Tar Pits...

Anyway, one of the interviews is with Elmore Leonard, the great crime writer. The interviewer points out that Leonard tends to let his characters describe each other. Leonard says, "Right. That's important, because it not only describes the characters to some degree, but it also tells what the one describing thinks of him. Even the weather, for that matter. If somebody looks out the window in my book, he has an attitude about the weather."

Leonard also has a bit to say about hanging in there: "I was fortunate that I had stuck to what I wanted to do. Because in '66 or '67, when we sent out my first non-Western, The Big Bounce, it was rejected by everybody. Everybody in Hollywood rejected it. Anyone who cared to say anything said, 'Well, it's a downer. There's nobody you'd like to associate with.' The main character is a former burglar and a migrant worker. In the movie, of course, he turns out to be a returned Vietnam War vet."

Rejection: Even Jane Isn't Safe (And a Test for You)

It's a story that comes up every few years. A frustrated (rejected) writer types up a classic work of some kind, for instance the script of Casablanca, gives it a different title and maybe gives the main characters different names, and submits it to agents and publishers or producers.

Sure enough, it's not long before the rejections come rolling in. Usually one or two people recognize it and send back a sarcastic comment, but the vast majority don't recognize it and reject it, if they answer at all.

This time around, it was Jane Austen's turn.  David Lassman retyped the opening chapters of three Austen classics: Pride and Prejudice, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

The submissions were rejected with only one of 18 publishers and literary agents recognising the work. Penguin admitted that Lassman's submission may not actually have been read. Neil Blair at Christopher Little said Lassman had received a standard response.

So what do we learn from this? One: people who review material in the slush pile may not be all that well-read. Two: they work fast and give manuscripts no more than a quick glance to see whether they may be of interest.

You may say that even if they don't recognize it as Austen's work, shouldn't they see how brilliant it is? Not necessarily. They're looking for books that appeal to today's readers. When we know that a book is by Austen or Dickens or Shakespeare, we put it into a special category, we allow for the literary conventions of the time. Someone writing a historical novel today would not write in exactly the style of Austen or Dickens even if they could, and if they did it might well not appeal.

Still, if this stunt gives frustrated writers (that's most of us) a laugh and  the chance to cry, "I knew it!" then it's a good thing. Now here's a little test for you. Below is the opening of one of the three Austen novels he sent out (but keeping the original names). Would you have recognized it? If not, would you have thought it deserved to be published now?

No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her. Her father was a clergyman, without being neglected, or poor, and a very respectable man, though his name was Richard - and he had never been handsome. He had a considerable independence besides two good livings - and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters. Her mother was a woman of useful plain sense, with a good temper, and, what is more remarkable, with a good constitution. She had three sons before Catherine was born; and instead of dying in bringing the latter into the world, as anybody might expect, she still lived on - lived to have six children more - to see them growing up around her, and to enjoy excellent health herself.

Writer: If You're a Loner...

I've found that a lot of us writers are loners, or at least are perceived to be. On the excellent Talent Development Resources site, I found an interesting quote from the book, The Gifted Adult, written by Mary-Elaine Jacobson, PhD:

“To feel like an outsider, to constantly pressure yourself to hold back your gifts in order to fit in or avoid disapproval, to erroneously believe that you are overly sensitive, compulsively perfectionistic, and blindly driven, to live without knowing the basic truths about the core of your being - too often this is the life of every day geniuses who have been kept in the dark about who they are and misinformed about their differences.

“No one told them they cannot escape the fact that they will always be quantitatively, qualitatively, and motivationally different from most other people.

“Nor do they know that these very same things that are the basis of criticism are fundamental building blocks of excellence and advanced development”

That last paragraph is the good part. In your weaknesses you will find your strengths. For years I fought what I perceived as my weaknesses; it took a long time to learn that rather than trying to become something I'm not, it is smarter to make the most of what I am, and that the same things that can be considered weaknesses can be turned around into strengths.

This is also why in my Your Writing Coach book I included a chapter on getting support for your writing from your family and friends: the qualities that can make you a good writer may not be appreciated by the people around you. It's up to you to educate them and create a supportive atmosphere.

Writing: Never Too Late

Marina Lewycka wrote the surprise best-seller, A History of Tractors in Ukranian. To publicize the publication of her second novel, Two Caravans, she was interviewed in the (Irish) Independent. Here is part of that interview--one that should give heart to writers starting their careers later in life:

"I sometimes regret that I don't have more writing. It would have been nice if it had come earlier but maybe if I'd done this well when I was young it would have been all downhill thereafter. I suppose it is quite strange to go from picking peas in Lincolnshire as a young girl to sitting behind a computer writing novels, but you know I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was a privilege for me to have seen that life."

You can access the full interview HERE. (By the way, for more clips, tips, and techniques relating to creativity, you can sign up for my free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin by request to [email protected] or sign up at my www.timetowrite.com  site.

How to Be Creative - Dan Wieden

Dan Wieden is an advertising superstar who came up with the "just do it" motto for Nike (which, by the way, he didn't think was anything special; he says "When it actually aired, it surprised everybody involved because it apparently spoke some truth that was larger than sport or advertising").

In an interview with the Independent, he mentions the need to keep your thinking fresh: "I think it's important that if you're going to be innovative, that there's not a process for everything. Sometimes it seems that if you're never lost you're never going to wind up anyplace new. It's only if you're willing to be completely fucked-up that you're going to do anything important."

Illustrating this principle is a mannequin in the foyer of the London offices of Wieden & Kennedy: he wears a pinstripe suit and traditional businessman shoes, but his head is a blender, and he carries a briefcase on which are the words, "Walk in Stupid Every Morning."

Weiden attributes his success to not compromising his creative instincts, saying, "In this business, you follow one of two masters: you either follow the muse or you follow the dollar."

Writing for Animation - John Lasseter

In another clip from "Sunday Morning Shootout" animation genius John Lasseter talks about the differences between creating an animated film and live action films, especially the fact that with animation you have only one chance to get it right. What I find especially interesting is how they test the films. I wonder whether we scriptwriters could do more of this kind of testing in the development process, not with animation but maybe with readings combined with storyboards. The clip is HERE. (By the way, I saw Ratatouille and it's brilliant.)

The Future of Television and the Internet According to Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban is a billionaire entrepreneur who often plays the contrarian card, and he's doing it again in his ideas about television. Most pundits say it's in terminal decline, he figures it's just going in a different direction. For a brief clip from him on "Sunday Morning Shootout", click HERE.

Would You Like to be an Associate Producer?

American wit Fred Allen once defined "associate producer" as the only person who will associate with a producer, but in fact that credit often goes to anyone who has facilitated the production of a film in any way. Now my colleague Chris Jones is offering anyone the chance to be an associate producer if they're willing to spend £50.

Chris is about to embark on the production of an ambitious short film called "Gone Fishing." The reason behind the effort: he's written an even more ambitious feature film script that has offers of financing, but the money people aren't sure Chris has had enough experience to direct it himself. For them, it would be easier just to buy the script and give it to a big-name director. Naturally, Chris would rather do it himself and is writing, directing and producing this short film to show what he can do--assuming he can raise a total of £15,000. There's no financial reward for the associate producers, but they will be invited to a premiere, get a DVD signed by the cast and crew, and get their names on the end credits.

I always admire people who decide to make things happen, so I'll be signing up (maybe I can convince him to list the associate producer credits in reverse alphabetical order...). If you'd like to find out more and maybe be a part of this effort, click Here.

An Amazing Storyteller (video)

Jonathan Harris is an amazing story collector, story teller, and technologist who presented two of his previous projects and one new one at the TED Conference in March. All three projects are innovative and delightful and can provide endless inspiration to writers of all kinds. The video is about 18 minutes long and I guarantee you'll find it fascinating.

Write for Blogs

I'm always interested in learning new ways to make my blog better, and a site that relates to this that I like is Glenn Abel's site, writeforblogs.com.

He gives lots of tips and insights that apply to writing in general, as well as writing blogs in particular.

One of his posts recently included a quote from the wonderful Brenda Euland, whose book, "If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence, and Spirit" I love and re-read once a year or so. She said:

“I learned that you should feel when writing, not like Lord Byron on a mountaintop, but like a child stringing beads in kindergarten --- happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another.”

By the way, I just looked her up in the Wikipedia, and it reveals that apparently poet Carl Sandberg called her book, "the best book ever written on how to write."

How to Piggyback onto a Successful Book

Here's an example of how to get rich by piggybacking onto something that is already successful: Ulysses Press, a California publisher, says they have 335,000 copies in print of "What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7?" (Let's hope they've sold most of those by now, because in a couple of weeks it won't be a very relevant title...).

The book was written by two young guys (one 17, the other 20), who created the Potter fansite, MuggleNet.com. The older one was originally turned down by an Ivy League university, but appealed that decision by sending them proof of the success of this business venture. They took him.

Here's how the site describes the book: "As anticipation of the final Harry Potter book intensifies, a debate is raging among fans about what's in store for Harry and the rest of the gang at Hogwarts. In this book, the experts at MuggleNet.com present a wide range of hard facts and bold predictions about the most popular storylines, favorite characters, and final outcome of the Harry Potter saga. Drawing on their intimate knowledge of the previous six books, as well as tips and suggestions made by millions of MuggleNet.com fans (not to mention a personal interview with J.K. Rowling), the authors offer answers to the burning questions of Harry Potter readers everywhere: Will Hogwarts School be open for Harry's final year and will Harry even be in attendance? Will Harry's quest for the remaining Horcruxes be rewarded? Where do Severus Snape's true loyalties lie? And, most importantly, will Harry survive the final battle with Lord Voldemort?"

By the way, the very busy and professional site looks like the authors have had a lot of cooperation from the publisher and from Warner Brothers--of course, anything that fuels interest and participation will be good for Harry. By now, most publishers and film companies have learned that it's far better to cooperate with fan sites and publications than to fight them.

Deadline Writers vs. Habitual Writers

On the site, interviewinghollywood.com, there is an interview with writer/actor/director Carl Gottlieb (he wrote the screenplay of "Jaws," among others).

For his observations about the two types of writers and how they work, click here.

For his ideas about creating characters, click here. (I was particularly interested in his comments about the characters who appear in his dreams and his instant knowledge of their backstories--it ties in very well with my theory that you can tap into your right brain to discover characters rather than having to strain your left brain to create them--more about this another time!)

Writers in Newcastle (and I Meet the Giant)

Thanks to the hard work of Deborah Court and her friends and colleagues, and the Seven Stories children's literature centre, we had a great "Writing Breakthrough Day" in Newcastle last Saturday. I was impressed with the enthusiasm, talent and determination of this varied group of writers. I also had the chance to take a quick tour of the Seven Stories centre, which has an exhibition of the work of illustrator Quentin Blake (most closely associated with Roald Dahl's books although of course his career encompasses much more than that). At their Big Friendly Giant exhibit, I finally met someone taller than me (as you'll see in the photo). I look forward to the possibility of doing more workshops Up North.

The Facts about Self-Publishing

I listened recently to a podcast interview with a fellow who had very strong opinions about self-publishing...most of them wrong. I wrote a reply that the podcast host is going to read in her next installment, but I thought I'd also share a few of the points here:

1) His statement: Mainstream publishers look down on self-published books and won't consider acquiring them. Fact: If you can show that you have sold a lot of copies of a book you have self-published, mainstream publishers will be happy to acquire it--after all, you have demonstrated that there is a market for the book. (That's not to say it's easy to sell lots of self-published books, but it can be and has been done.)

2) His statement: It's expensive and difficult to create an online publication, because you have to buy and learn Dreamweaver or similar software, learn HTML, etc. Fact: Most website hosts offer you templates that allow you to create a site without learning HTML or any other software, and the hosting costs for a simple site are under $10/month. Even easier (and free, if you don't mind ads) are blogs like this one. Because I don't want ads on the site, I pay for an upgrade, which costs $9 a month.

3) His statement: Print on demand publishing requires a big upfront fee. Fact: While there are some print on demand publisher who charge large upfront fees, there are also services, such as lulu.com, that have no set-up fee and no minimum order. Your profit margin on print on demand books generally is not great if you are pricing a book to compete with those published traditionally, but this method allows you to do small print runs (as little as one book) which can be great for testing the market appeal of a book. Also, if the information you are offering is of great interest to a small, specialist group, you can set a high price for the book.

By the way, there was an interesting article in The Guardian recently about Moo cards (small calling cards that can incorporate an image you have on Flikr) and lulu.com. Lulu.com's founder, Bob Young, says, "We are printing about 200,000 books a month, and that number is growing by about 10% a month."  He reveals that their average print run is "less than two." They have expanded into individualized music CDs, DVDs, calendars and artwork.

Getting a Book Deal

In her Brazen Careerist blog, Boston Globe columnist Penelope Trunk posted some advice on how to get a good book deal from a publisher, based on your blog. Her points, however, apply equally to any book proposal and a couple of them stand out (and may be counter-intuitive). Here they are, with my comments:

* "If you're in a niche, make it a big one."

Sometimes writers with a non-fiction book idea tell me, excitedly, "There's no book out on the subject!" thinking this means they have the field all to themselves. However, publishers are more likely to assume that there IS no field, no interest in that topic because it's too narrow or specialist. Of course, the opposite also is true--never say, "This book will appeal to everybody" because that suggests you really haven't thought carefully about the market for your book. No book appeals to everybody.

* "Have a big audience but say they are old rather than young."

This may be one of the few instances where it's better to claim appeal to an older group, because older people buy more books than younger ones. My guess is that this gap in buying patterns will only become larger.

She also revealed that for her own book, she got a list of agents and only contacted those who said they were not open to new clients, on the basis that these were likely to be the most successful ones. As she knew, very few agents will turn down a new client if it looks like that client could earn a lot of money. She also started with names at the back end of the alphabet because most writers probably would start at the beginning and her choices probably get less mail.