Time to Write

The drawbacks to being obsessed with a writing goal

In his book "Obliquity," John Kay, former director of Oxford's Biz School, says a lot of time you get to a goal only by going after it indirectly. 

In business, he says, the best way to be profitable is not to try to be profitable. That is, if you focus on making money, you're likely not to pay so much attention to whether your customers are happy with the product or service and whether the working conditions are good. This might work in the short term, but it's poison in the long run.

What does that mean for writers and other creative people? To give an example in the realm of books, the writer determined to get onto the New York Times best-seller list probably will spend more time chasing trends than writing what he or she is passionate about. And the listing may go to somebody who writes a book that is unique and was written without any concern for best-seller lists.

I think it makes sense to have a goal, but then to get stuck in doing whatever you're doing and pay more attention to what's really happening than to whether it's totally compatible with the goal. 

Is it bringing you unanticipated happiness or unhappiness? 

Are there other opportunities cropping up that you'll miss if your eye is only on the original goal?

Is it having an effect on other people that is harmful to them or to your relationship to them?

I think obsession can lead to great achievements--but if you read the biographies of people who managed to achieve the goal with which they were obsessed, often they paid a heavy price in the other areas of their lives, such as health and relationships. Some may have considered that worth it, others may have regretted being quite so single-minded.

 

A great example of storytelling on the web (interview with John Chu)

Writer/Director John M. Chu was interviewed at Connected Creativity. In this video he talks about being caught up in development hell (3 years in which he didn't actually produce anything). It prompted him to do a dance video and turned it into an interactive project via YouTube. Yes, he knew celebrities and had some great resources to draw on, but even for those of us without those there are some interesting principles here about story telling, interactivity, mixing genres, and how to use the web.

One example of how digital filmmaking has changed the game: after the first weekend of release of his Justin Beiber film, he re-edited it not only to take into account the feedback from that early audience but even to include shots of people watching the first version of the film. Well worth your investment of 26 minutes.

 

 

Why your screenplay or novel's villain shouldn't be all bad

This is what Scott Rosenberg, writer of "Con Air" and "Gone in Sixty Seconds," among others, said  in an interview at kidinthefrontrow.com about writing bad guys:

 "As far as writing murderers, rapists, etc., I have always believed one has to find the humanity in even the most dreadful of characters. No one - not even Son Of Sam - is without a shred of decency; Ted Bundy had a mother who loved him at one point. If you can find an access point - a way to give make even the most unsympathetic of characters mildly sympathetic in places... Then you will have a fully dimensionalized villain."

I agree with that, and it's the opposite of what some writers do--they seem to think that the less human you make a villain, the scarier he will be.

I think the opposite--no "Dr No" will ever be as scary as couple Fred and Rosemarie West who (in real life) tortured and killed a series of young women in their neat little suburban home.

They looked just like the people you see in the supermarket every day, they had friends and relatives who loved them, yet they were capable of cruelty to a horrific degree. Now THAT'S scary.

 

Is this advertising, a scam, or something inbetween? (Writers be aware)

Larry Brooks tells the story of how he was invited onto the Lifetime Channel on their "author's corner" segment to talk about his novel, which was published by a small company a year ago. 

Exciting stuff! 

Until they mentioned that there was a licensing fee...of $5900. 

Huh? Licensing? Why not call it a vanity fee? Or just a plain old fee? 

And I wonder whether viewers are told that the authors interviewed have paid to be there? Probably there''s a bit of fine print that goes past at 120 mph.

Is illegal? No, you could consider it another form of advertising. But how many copies would you have to sell to cover that $5900 plus your travel and accommodation expenses? If you're on a contract with a publisher, it's likely you might clear a couple of dollars per copy. Let's say your outlay is a total of $7500. You'd have to sell an extra 3750 copies. Would that happen? Who knows? But Brooks cites a publisher who placed a client on a regional TV program (for free) and the result was that the author sold....seven copies.

Lately I've been coming across more and more ways that people are trying to squeeze money out of aspiring authors, and I find it pretty sickening. Yes, you do always have a choice but when people have spent years working on something that means a lot to them, it's not surprising that they'll leave their better judgment behind at times. (Brooks is a pro and didn't fall for it.)

Just to be clear, when you go on television or radio to talk about your book, it's a win-win deal and no money should change hands. They win because you will be entertaining or informative or both, you win because it's good exposure for your book.

(for friendly guidance in writing and marketing your book, get a copy of "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

 

Why GoDaddy Went

You probably didn't notice it, but as of today a little ad for GoDaddy web hosting disappeared from this site. The CEO of the company recently proudly posted a video of himself shooting an elephant and justified it by saying it had been bothering the villagers and their crops, and he'd shoot more elephants under the same circumstances . Well, there are other ways of dealing with problem elephants, as the World Wildlife Fund and Save the Elephants have pointed out. So the ad goes and so do my 100+ domain names. 

How a format became a breakthrough for this writer (a poet, even!)

Sometimes the key to success is what you write, sometimes it's the form it's in, sometimes it's both. Austin Kleon came up with a unique format for his poetry and it was published by Harper Perennial last year .

 His method: start with a page of the New York Times and black out the words he doesn't need. The New York Times said it's, "...like a cross between magnetic refrigerator poetry and enigmatic ransom notes, funny and zen-like, collages of found art..." 

The book, "Newspaper Blackout," includes contributions by readers of his blog and also a guide to creating your own newspaper blackout poetry.

Would these poems have found a major publisher if they'd been written the usual way? I doubt it. Not because they're bad but because the format gives them a hook that people write and talk about. 

Food for thought: what new format might increase the appeal of what you offer?

(Looking for clever, low-cost marketing strategies? Get my books, "Do Something Different," published by Virgin Books with a foreword by Sir Richard Branson, and "Marketing for Entrepreneurs," published by Pearson. Both from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

 

Will the worst book ever written become a movie?

Is this great or what? Back in 2005, to prove that some so-called publishers would accept anything, a group of pros came up with the absolute worst book they could, each writing a disjointed chapter full of mistakes, illogical action, unbelievable characters. They sent it in and Publish American accepted it, wanting to "give it the chance it deserves." When they exposed the hoax Publish America decided it was all a mistake but the book was published elsewhere (billing itself as "the worst book ever written"). 

Now there's a movement underway to turn it into a film featuring interviews with the authors and dramatizations from the book, Atlanta Nights. They are aiming to raise $25,000 dollars on kickstarter, the crowfunding site. So far they have about $6100 and there are 34 days left to go. $5000 gives you a walk-on part and makes you a producer. One dollar gets you access to exclusive blogs and behind the scenes footage. 

If you want read the book, it's available on several websites, including: http://critters.critique.org/sting/

Here's a little excerpt: 

    She went to the door, her hips swaying like palm trees in a Hawaiian hurricane.

    Bruce lied there in the bed, trying to recover his memory. All he could remember

was the screeching of tires', like a steam engine gone crazy, and then there was just all

that pain. Hell. Hell on wheels, that’s what it was, yeses.

I hope they make the film--it will help warn aspiring writers that there are charlatans out there trading on their dreams. If you want to chip in make it happen, go here: 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1603898280/atlanta-nights-the-movie

 

Seven things writers can learn from footballers (really)

I keep an eye on what's being written about creativity and I see it mentioned often in three contexts: the arts, business (as in "creativity and innovation") and, more surprisingly, sports, especially soccer.

 I'm not a big sports fan but this got me to thinking how players are creative and whether there's something the rest of us can learn from that. Three ideas came up:

 1. They base their actions on what is, not what they wish. Every moment they are analyzing the reality of the situation on the field. It doesn't throw them if that's different from what was planned or hoped for.

The lesson for writers: Keep an eye on how the business is changing and where the new opportunities are. Publishing (including self-publishing) is changing rapidly as are strategies for selling your work.

 2. They are flexible--they respond quickly to the current conditions. 

We may not care for the decline of physical books, for instance, but if we want to have our work reach people, we need to adapt to the changes that are taking place.

 3. They celebrate wins along the way. They go crazy when they score a goal--even though they may still be behind on points. 

Writers sometimes forget to celebrate the milestones they achieve.

4. They don't let setbacks stop them for long. OK, some of them have trouble with this and end up getting a red card, but the best ones let off a little steam and then get right back in the game.

In our game, rejection letters are one of main setbacks, and too often we let them get to us. Keep going, we're looking for that one publisher/producer who gets it.

5. They take advantage of luck

Sure, there's a lot of skill involved but sometimes a bit of luck comes into it, too--and good players know how to take advantage of it immediately if an opposing player slips, for instance.

Writers need to pay more attention to potential breaks that come their way. I've talked to writers who had an expression of interest from an agent, or a chance to meet a producer but didn't follow it up. In fact, I've done that myself.

6. They count on teamwork. 

 Although writing usually is a solitary activity, you also need to be able to get feedback from peers, information from others about agents, publishers, etc. and help promoting and marketing your work.

 7. They treat each game as a new challenge. The best teams don't let their last game's loss get them down nor last game's win make them cocky.

 Each new writing project is its own thing, too. Not selling the last one shouldn't bring us down, nor should we assume that if the last one was a success this one automatically will be, too.

(There are more strategies for writing well and successfully in "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other book sellers.)

 

How to be happy even though you're a writer

Marshall  and Kelly Goldsmith summarized what their friend found out about  happiness by interviewing a lot of elderly people, asking them the lessons of their lives. Three points came up:

1. Be happy NOW.

2. Appreciate your friends and family.

3. If you have a dream go for it.

 Here is how I think these apply to writing:

1. Be happy about the process of writing, don't make it dependent on getting published or produced, or getting good reviews, or making the best-seller list. Of course I hope my books and scripts will sell, but in the meantime I have a great time with my characters and the alternate realities they represent.

 2. Find a balance between writing time and family time. If you need to research something for your writing, get your kids to help you (they'll find information online much faster than you), or make a research trip into a family vacation. 

 3. Don't put off your writing dream. Tell your inner critic to take a vacation and start writing your novel, screenplay, poem, short story, or whatever you secretly would love to write. Too many people say they'll write when (when the kids are older, when we've fixed up the house, when I retire, etc.) but as they reach each of those stages they move the 'when' into the future. Let's face it, we all are going to run out of 'whens' someday. Better to make it 'now.'

(for guidance on how to be a writer, see "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

 

When you are your own boss, ACT like it!

When we write on spec, we don't have a boss to report to. That's great in one way--we have the freedom to do whatever we want. But sometimes that's the drawback, too--it's tempting to go off in too many different directions.

 One good strategy is to be your own boss--and act the way a boss does. At the start of a project, jot down what you expect it to be--how will it stand out, what qualities should it have, what essential elements, and so on, as if you were about to hire somebody else to do it for you.

 When you get lost in the swamp of the middle of the project, go back to those notes, they may help you find the way out.

 You can also have periodic reviews along the way, to assess how you're doing and what changes you might need to make in your process. Pretending to be a boss gives you some of the mental distance you require--have this "meeting" away from the desk where you're creating.

 Don't forget a review at the end. That's the time to formally think about what you did well, what you didn't do so well, and what you've learned in the process that you can apply to future projects. 

 It's likely you'll forget to do these unless you put them in your calendar, so why not do that now?

(You'll find lots of strategies for being more productive in my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

 

Do you need to upgrade your goals--or just step back?

Internet marketing and coaching guru Dan Bradbury says  he had an aha moment when someone told him why he was not being productive--why he was not doing what he knew he needed to. 

 The statement was that he wasn't being productive because he wasn't motivated.

 He wasn't motivated because his goals didn't inspire him.

His suggestion: if that's you, upgrade your goals.

I'd add that sometimes all this requires is stepping back. Your goal isn't to write a chapter or five pages of a screenplay. It's to create something that will entertain, inform, or inspire people.

 For me, the best reward that's come from writing my book "Your Writing Coach" is the emails I get from time to time, from people all over the world, saying that it has reignited their passion to write. 

 As I was working on my new book, which involved a lot more research and documenting of sources than anything else I've done (which frankly isn't that much fun sometimes), I imagined this book having the same effect and getting emails or comments after a workshop or lecture that reading what classic authors had to say about writing was the spark somebody needed to get them writing again.

 So, yes, maybe you need a goal that will inspire you more, or maybe you just need to remember how the tasks you're doing today link to the bigger goals you already have. 

 (You might also find it useful to read my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

 

How to churn out best-sellers?

As you may have noticed, I'm always interested to see how people are selling books or courses on writing. I spotted one today, called "Secrets of Churning Out Best-Sellers."

 I like the idea of being prolific, but I'm not sure I'd be excited about "churning them out." But, hey, I'm up for learning how to write a best-seller. I assume the person who created this guide knows how to do it himself. Let's see what best-sellers he's written...

 Aha, here he says just five days after publication his book "Your Retirement Masterplan" zoomed up to the number ten spot out of 3142 competitive titles on Amazon.co.uk! (His exclamation mark.)

Oh. So for one day his book was number ten in a sub-category of books on retirement on Amazon.co.uk. Is that best-seller status? 

Let's see what other evidence he offers...His book "Starting Your Own Business" was listed by The Independent newspaper on July 17, 2001 as one of the Top Ten Business Books world wide. OK, that's good! But 2001? What happened to churning?

 Well, I did a bit of checking and actually he's written nine books, which isn't too shabby. Let's look at their rankings at Amazon.co.uk:

 317,855

106,304

311,000 (that's the best-selling retirement book)

2,884,643

482,463

101,940

910,908

1,190,260

3,215,179

Listen, a couple of my books have crappy Amazon rankings, too, and I'm not saying that his books don't have good content--for all I know they may be brilliant.

But what I am against is hype that promises that somebody has the "secret" of writing best sellers. Maybe Stephen King does, or James Patterson, but otherwise beware of people promising you can write best sellers with their "amazing new writing course even if you have never written anything before in your life."

If you believe that, I know this guy in Nigeria who has some money waiting for you.

(My book, "Your Writing Coach" does not have the secret of how to write a best seller. It will just help you write better. If that's enough, you can get a copy via Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

 

The secret of writing for boys

Getting boys to read seems to be a challenge and publishers are looking for children's books that will appeal to them, so it was interesting to read the comments of Margot Finke, who established herself as a children's writer with a seven-book series of rhyming facts about animals (the series is called "Wild and Wonderful). In an interview with D. A. Kentner for the GateHouse News Service, she said:

"My days as a teacher’s aide taught me that boys and reluctant readers need a wow factor. If not, you can forget about luring them away from texting, computer games and TV movies. Give them plots that share a young macho man’s humor, hobbies and sports interests. Or hook them, with the treacherous and mind-boggling culture shock of a different world: “Taconi and Claude – Double Trouble,” for instance."

Our son was a reluctant reader, and this fuelled my desire to write books that would hook boys and tomboys on reading. Many girls love adventure stories — I know I did. So they are the tomboys I am targeting along with the boys."

What kinds of books are these? She says, "Yes, I do have a dramatic follow up adventure for Taconi and Claude in the works, plus a ghost mystery set in Oregon. Another book has a reluctant grandson writing to his Aussie Grandmother, and soon becoming hooked on the tales she tells about growing up Down Under. I think my ghost story, with its boy-girl protagonists, will appeal to both boys and girls. Scary is always a WOW factor. The same with the Aussie Grandmother and her grandson: It definitely has boy/girl appeal."

I'm particularly interested in this because I'm about to launch into writing a Young Adult novel (an older target group than hers). I think the story has a wow factor, but we'll see...

(For help writing your book for children or for adults, see my book, "Your Writing Coach" published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline retailers.)

 

Spring Clean Your Writing (and don't give up)

Spring traditionally is a time for people to do a purging of stuff they don't use anymore. Maybe it's a good idea to do that with writing, but instead of throwing it out, I suggest finding one partly-finished project that you've had hanging around for a while and committing to finishing it.

 This was inspired by reading about Jaimy Gordon and her novel "Lord of Misrule." An article in the Kansas City Star says:

 A year ago, the draft for Jaimy Gordon’s novel “Lord of Misrule” was tucked away in her home in Kalamazoo, Mich.

“I just sat on it,” she says. “I didn’t even look at the book from 2005 until the summer of 2010.”

But her longtime friend and publisher Bruce McPherson pushed her to finally finish the book. He sent her a 10-year-old draft that gave her a new perspective, once she revisited it.

“I cried a couple times,” she says. “I thought, maybe I’ve really got something here.”

What she had turned out to be the winner of the 2010 National Book Award for fiction.

With a writing career that has spanned almost 40 years, included three other novels and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Gordon, who will be in Kansas City on Tuesday, was taking stock of her life last year.

“I had never had a really big book,” she says. “I was looking at the down slope, thinking, have things really panned out? What happened to my plans to make my fortune on writing? Who’s going to look after me in my old age? Who’s going to care about my books? Who’s going to care about me?”

Her previous books had been relegated to “underground” status because they sold poorly and featured eccentric themes like dystopian parallel universes and mentally unstable lesbians at summer camp.

Once she had finished her edits, McPherson upped the print count from 2,000 to 8,000 and nominated it for the National Book Award, a prize that has gone to such names as Faulkner, Updike and Oates.

Two days after its official publication date, Gordon walked onto a New York City stage to accept the National Book Award for fiction.

Vintage Books recently released “Lord of Misrule” in paperback and plans to re-release her 1999 novel, “Bogeywoman,” in the fall.

After four decades, her payoff has finally come.

“The god of my life is the god of irony,” she says. “I only got lucky when I had given up.”

I think the god of a lot of our lives is the god of irony. Wouldn't it be ironic if this version of Spring Cleaning became the summer of your writing life?

(For help writing your novel see my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon and other online and offline booksellers.)

 

Charlie Sheen: the solution

Apparently Charlie Sheen's tour is off to a terrible start. Here's the problem, Charlie: even though some people may think you made up your own dialogue on your sitcom, you didn't--remember? You had writers. Ooops. But, being a recovering sitcom writer myself, I am ready to offer Charlie the solution. It's a new show that I am ready to roll out of my metaphorical typewriter for a low six-figure sum:

Here's Charlie!

Lovable scamp Charlie Sheen is sitting around at home, having quit his job at the 7-11 because of disagreements with his supervisor, Chuck. Having spent all his money, Charlie has to move in with curmudgeonly dad, Martin. Older brother Emilio is visiting as well, so it's a cramped household with both sons dismayed by the *%&! their dad says. 

 In the first episode, Chuck's next door neighbor, struggling life coach Drew Pinsky, suggests that Charlie make a video to get rid of his anger but not to show it to anybody. Unfortunately, Emilio thinks it's the video of his birthday party and uploads it to YouTube!

On the video, Charlie vents his rage at everybody including his Dad, his brother, Chuck, and even little Jon, his ex-co-worker at the 7-11. They all show up outside his bedroom and demand that he come out and face the music. But Charlie pretends he was on drugs when he made the video and promises never to do crack again. They all hug, and the show ends with Charlie delivering a message to the kids of America--don't do drugs, they can mess up your life--as we can see by the crazy way the family dog acts after accidentally eating the rest of Charlie's stash!

 NEXT WEEK: Charlie finds out his Dad has invited Chuck, Charlie's Jewish ex-boss, over for dinner. To get even for Chuck's bullying at work, Charlie changes the menu from chicken to pork! 

(Nice to know I haven't lost my touch...)