FLASH FICTION
For new authors just starting out, or for those of you just looking to flex your writing muse muscles, there’s a quick and dirty way to get down by writing a story called flash fiction.
Since I just covered fan fiction, it hit me that this is another aspect of writing, one in which I’ve dabbled as well.
WHAT IS FLASH FICTION?
The actual definitions and parameters of flash fiction are all over the place, but to put it in some kind of nutshell, a flash fiction story is quick and dirty, to-the-point and usually ranges from 50 to 1,000 words. Some even measure it in characters, ala Twitter.
Flash fiction has been around as long as people have been rubbing charcoal on paper or etching grooves into stones. It’s been called from nothing to various names over the ages and just recently, probably in the past decade or so came around to the name flash fiction.
The point is that it’s a short burst of an idea without all the details. The best stories tell a tale with a beginning, a middle and an end. They give everything you need, to get the point across, but with no literary rambling at all! Lean and mean. Little to no development, just as Joe Friday says in Dragnet, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”
IT CAN BE QUITE A CHALLENGE
If you thought writing your regular novel or short story was tough, especially when you are trying to write lean and mean and getting to the point, try flash fiction!
The style of a flash story is that you have no room to ramble. If you don’t get to the point right away, you’ve busted the style and it’s no longer flash fiction. It’s a short story or even something else like a novelette.
Flash fiction is a great way to learn to write lean – cut out the extraneous material. If you do enough of these stories, you’ll start to learn what you need and don’t need to get your point across!
MY EXPERIENCES
When we first moved to Indiana back in 1999, the local paper in Gary, I think it was the Lake County something or other, had a contest for fifty-word short stories (hey, folks, it was free or I never would’ve entered). They could’ve very well called them flash fiction stories but at the time, the term didn’t exist, at least not around there, so it was just fifty-word short short stories. You could submit as many as you wanted, but the key was the fifty-word limit.
I wrote I think thirty-plus stories. I don’t even remember how it all came about, but I just sat down at the computer after work a couple of days in a row and spit them out, one after the other. Most of them were a bit longer and I had to edit them down. The trimming was tough, but I got them all within the fifty word limit. I then submitted the best twenty to the paper.
I didn’t win diddly, or even get an honorable mention in the paper. The ones I saw that won had me scratching my head. I can’t find any of those stories! I’ve looked every so often through my computer files and zip, nada. Oh well…I had a lot of fun and didn’t pay a thing, not even postage because I was able to submit them electronically.
On the other hand, I’ve written several short flash pieces of a couple hundred words when the must hit me. One of them I submitted to my writer’s group for a “guess who wrote this” thing they were doing a few years ago. It’s called The Word Factory. It was just one of those flash pieces that popped into my head.
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
Okay, flash fiction is often associated with contests. You all know how I feel about those! On the other hand, if you want to, and want to potentially throw away the bucks, why not?
Whether you write flash fiction for a contest, or just do it to hone your chops, I’ll tell you that it helped me tremendously.
How?
As many of you know, I’m not a literate type writer. I’m a genre writer – I like to get to the point! From flash fiction, I learned to get to the point! Even when writing novel-length stuff, I write to the point and don’t ramble. By doing that, my stories get a whole lot more done with fewer words. Not only that, I can describe people, places and things with better economy and not bore my readers to tears.
I’m not going to make fans with literary readers.
On the other hand, those that love genre fiction will appreciate me giving them just enough to draw them into the world. I’ll let them paint their own pictures with me guiding them.
Writing fan fiction taught me the economy of perfecting that technique.
Happy writing!
FAN FICTION
With my talk on H.P. Lovecraft, I brushed on the subject of fan fiction. Why to some authors or writers choose this path rather than something unique and totally their own?
MY OWN BRUSH WITH FAN FICTION
My very first attempt to write something on my own was fan fiction. Back in the day, in the barracks in Spain, with that old manual typewriter, I got through three quarters of a page of a Star Trek satire.
About ten years ago, I wrote a short fantasy story called Bog Roll Blues, based on a song by The Groundhogs. My interpretation of what bog roll was, and what I found out the term meant are an embarrassment for the ages, but at the time, the inspiration was pure and I thought the story was cool. Apparently the band got a kick out if it also, but maybe for the wrong reasons!
That, folks, was the sum of my fan fiction forays. That’s not to say I didn’t contemplate it from time to time, but I had too many of my own ideas to piggyback off other people’s inspiration.
WHY DO IT?
For some people, it’s a matter of being a super fan. If you’re inspired by something and have the urge to write, hey…follow your muse. Why not?
On the other hand, if it may present you with an avenue to break into a franchise, there you go.
How many of you remember the D&D craze back in the 80’s when there were dozens of books inspired by the Forgotten Realms series, for instance? If I remember right, they were basically fan fiction stories written by different authors and incorporated into that world, following a set of rules and all under the D&D umbrella so the creators would get their cut. I’m sure it broke some writers into the market. I have no idea which of those writers are still around from that craze. For all I know, they’re prominent in the fantasy world today. Do you know who they are?
NEEDING THAT SPARK
Here’s another situation for you. You want to write…learn to write, but don’t have your muse yet. However, you’re a huge fan of say…Twilight. You live and breathe Stephanie Meyer…or maybe Anne Rice. You eat up every vampire book that comes out. You don’t have your own story lined up, but you see maybe a continuation of the Twilight universe or some LeStat whatever. You can handle that.
Boom, there you go. A fan fiction piece.
Now comes the big problem for any fan fiction writer.
OKAY, YOU’VE WRITTEN YOUR GREAT FAN FICTION NOVEL, NOW WHAT?
Fan fiction can be a sticky deal. Since the only thing that’s yours is the story itself, but you don’t own the rights to the characters or whatever, you can’t do a thing with it until you get hold of the owners.
Uh oh.
Maybe you should’ve done your homework before you started.
Sometimes the “owners” don’t appreciate others infringing on their worlds.
If it’s an individual author, you’re more than likely to have trouble. If it’s a syndicate, there’s a chance you might be able to “join the team.” Sometimes, certain franchises are even set up for fan fiction.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU START!
Unless you’re just doing a writing exercise to hone your chops, I strongly suggest you investigate before you dive in and start writing fan fiction! You could put out a lot of effort to create a masterpiece novel, short story or whatever, only to have a team of lawyers descend on you with cease and desist orders!
Don’t waste your time.
SUMMARY
If you don’t have your own ideas, or you’re just a super fan and want to pay tribute, do your research before you begin. Make sure that you can follow your muse without getting your hopes dashed. It’ll save a lot of effort and disappointment.
Happy writing!
HP LOVECRAFT – THE 400LB GORILLA OF ICKY BUG
For those of you that write icky bug (horror), it almost goes without saying that you’re familiar with Howard Phillips Lovecraft, more commonly known as H.P. Lovecraft. His personal story is quite depressing and that probably helped lead to his prolific, if not disturbing themes. Whatever the case, unfortunately for him in life, his profound influences came long after his death. Today, he’s often quoted, written about, inspired by and out-and-out copied within the genre.
I’M NOT A PARTICULAR FAN
While I cannot say that I haven’t been indirectly influenced by his work, either through other authors or directly, I’ve never been crazy about his work. Why? I could never take his writing. Because his original writing reflected the style of the times, I couldn’t get through it. Even for the pulp writing of the depression era, which was the beginnings of what we’d call casting off the boundaries and chains of literary prose, it was still too arcane for my reading taste. If someone were to “clean it up” more or less, I might give it a shot.
Would I like the stories then? Maybe, maybe not. However…
MANY HORROR AUTHORS ARE INFLUENCED BY LOVECRAFT
Whether directly or indirectly, I’ve read numerous novels heavily influenced by some of his classic works. I know it because I’ve been slapped in the face with either hints if not direct dedications to “the master” by said authors. In some cases, that made me want to check out their influence, back in the day. I did, wasn’t impressed, and moved on.
It’s become sort of cliché to see the standard dedication to Lovecraft.
THE CULT OF LOVECRAFT
For a guy with only half a box of crayons upstairs (at least emotionally) to begin with, the guy certainly came out with a lot of great icky bug. However, the entity that gets the most attention and the monster that I see most often, the sacred cow, the one that has obtained the cult following, is…
Cthulhu.
Yup, if you’ve read anything above your ABC’s, I don’t care who you are, you’ve probably heard that name. You may not know who or what in the daylights that is, but you’ve probably heard that name. If you’re an icky bug writer worth your salt, you at least know Cthulhu.
NOT FOR EVERYONE
Folks, though I admire the man’s prolific output, and his many admirers, it’s just not my thing. You gotta’ give it to him, he’s a great influence. As I alluded to above, while I have no interest in the original, I have, however, enjoyed many of the influenced results. Some consciously and others subconsciously. On the other hand, I have no intention of jumping on the bandwagon and becoming a Lovecraft cultist. There are plenty of you out there to take up that call.
I prefer to follow my own path and have my own list of influences to call upon.
MANY INFLUENCES
We, as writers, have many influences. I’ve cited many since I started this web site. While I admire all of these writers and give credit where credit is due, I don’t copy any of them. I create my own. While I appreciate some people want to continue writing a world created by Lovecraft, I prefer to continue creating an amalgam of my own stuff. In a way, I consider the Lovecraft influenced writers doing fan fiction. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. They’re still unique and individual stories. However, they’re from a world created by someone else. Someone else’s starting point.
In a way, we’re all starting from someone else’s creation, when you come to think of it. Just not so blatant.
I recently finished a Chtulhu novel and enjoying it a lot. It was blatant HP Lovecraft. If it were me, I’d prefer to make up my own world, my own icky bugs and my own tales, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy someone else’s take on “The Master.”
Happy writing!
REDISCOVERING THE EXCITEMENT DURING EDITING
After writing a novel, or even a short story, many of us, based on recommendations I and many others have given, will shelve it for a time. Then after a while, weeks, months or more, we’ll look at it with fresh eyes. By doing this, we gain new perspective, see the story in a new light.
For those of you that do this, how many of you discover new pleasures, find new ways of enjoying what you wrote, feeling like you nailed it, at least for the most part? Do you get those Aha, I did it? moments as you go through the manuscript? Even though you might find issues here and there, do you find good spots where you did exactly what you wanted to do? Do you surprise yourself and nail something better than you remember?
DETAILS
We all tend to forget details. I know when I’ve shelved a manuscript for months, then get back to it, I’ll get to a place and think ahead because I realize I might have a problem. I’ll see a perceived hole that needs fixing. However, when I correct the issue, I realize I didn’t need to because the answer to my dilemma is already covered a few sentences or paragraphs later. Now I have to backtrack and undo that correction! Does that mean I shouldn’t tweak things? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on whether it’s reading wrong or just me thinking ahead to what I remember or what I want it to say.
On the other hand, stuff I forgot I wrote sometimes surprises me all over again. I’ll get to a part and discover it all over again. It’s almost like reading and re-writing it for the first time all over again…what’s that Yogi Berra saying, “Déjà vu all over again?”
I sometimes think, “Damn, not bad.”
At least, so far, I haven’t had many “oh crap” moments, not since I edited some of my older stuff back in the early 2000’s.
TWEAKING
Despite the excitement, there’s a never-ending desire to tweak. As an editor, however, I find that’s part of the fun. These “new” discoveries don’t dampen the excitement when I see what I wrote and find another way to make it even better.
Folks, I get excited all over again.
PLOT HOLES – THOSE UH OHS
During this remote read-through and edit after-the-fact, I’ve never had to make a major change, or scrap a story. However, there have been minor tweaks and adjustments. I alluded above that sometimes I thought I needed to make adjustments only to read a bit longer and find I’d already covered it. On the other hand, there were times I found a substantial hole, something I needed to fix. In one case, on the current story I’m editing, I have a note stuck to my desk for a piece of the puzzle I found that I need to address much later in the story. Without jumping way ahead to fix it, I want to discover that spot when I get to it, in weeks or months, at the rate I’m going. What will I discover? Have I already addressed it somewhere down the line, or will I need to tweak things when I get to that spot?
When the editor gets hold of the manuscript, I’m expecting a no forest-through-the-trees approach. I expect raw eyes to point out holes and things I cannot see because I’m too close. Will he or she trample all over my wow moments? Will I have to trash a thread or make a major change? So far that hasn’t happened, probably because I think so linear. Then again, we’ll find out when the time comes.
When I have to make plot tweaks, major or minor, so far just minor, my discovery starts all over again. My adventure begins anew. I’m able to put a fresh spin on things yet retain the same excitement for what I started with while discovering new and thrilling tweaks to add to my story.
SUMMARY
Keep in mind that first and foremost, I write for me. Getting readers is second. My sincere hope is to find people who enjoy my stories as well, but if not, I had such a great time, I’ll be happy regardless. I love the process of writing and I hope it shows when others read my stuff. I hope you all feel the same way.
Happy writing!
ABSOLUTES
At the 2016 writer’s conference, our keynote speaker was Larry Brooks. One thing he said that stuck with me was that when we sometimes talk about certain things, some people tend to take them as gospel. He called that toxic thinking, or something like that because I’m paraphrasing. I agreed with what he intended and thought about it for a bit, brewed on the implications and thought about all the articles I’ve presented on writing.
There are some things like rules that to me are absolutes. However, there are other things that are techniques and styles that are not. I always make an effort to emphasize that when I’m presenting a technique, they in no way are absolutes. The last thing I want to do is create toxic ideas. My whole motivation is to help writers, not steer them on the wrong path!
We had some discussion about that Monday at the writer’s group and that was partly based on the keynote. One glaring example was Stephen King and his book On Writing. Since Larry Brooks talked about how some writer’s preach seat-of-the-pants writing versus outlining (I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer), many new writers get the impression they have to do it that way or they’re going to suck. Since I’ve never read On Writing, I can’t vouch for what King says. During Monday’s discussion, and maybe even from what Brooks alluded to it at the conference, what King seems to suggest or imply is that seat-of-the-pants is the only way to write. That’s an absolute. That’s toxic talk.
Whether King really says that or mitigates it with outlining I couldn’t say. However, at least two or more people in the past week seem to interpret the master author as preaching that steat-of-the-pants approach as the only real way to go.
ABSOLUTES
Writing rules of grammar are absolutes. Using proper nouns, verbs, sentences in proper form are absolutes.
I’m going off on a limb here and adding what Larry Brooks might call a poison thought. Some might call these writing styles. However, I call some of those styles just plain bad writing. When people have to suffer through that crap to get to that “great story,” I consider it an offense to the reading public.
Lazy writing. Sloppy writing and getting away with it. Using passive and tell and making little or no effort to clean it up. Self-publishing that mess or finding some editor that lets you get away with because you sell well it is a misdemeanor against readers! Go ahead and call that toxic thoughts. I don’t care. If you want to call those things your style, you’re full of it!
THE REAL NON-ABSOLUTES
There are many types of stories and writing styles I don’t personally like. Point of view is an example. I cannot stand first-person. Like many publishers and editors, I don’t like omniscient. I also cannot stand present-tense. I’ve made that plain often enough and gave my reasons why. However, that’s also a personal choice and if your muse takes you there, you have to go for it. I must also include mixing points of view. However, it must be done, separated by chapters or scenes if you’re going to switch points of view, and not within them, otherwise that’s right up in the absolute category of head hopping and lazy writing. Unfortunately, head-hopping goes right along with omniscient. While I consider it and absolute, it’s also a part of omniscient since there’s no real central character – it’s a cast of thousands, more or less. On the other hand, overuse of head-hopping in solid third-person fits in the absolute category above and is right back in lazy writing.
Another thing that is not an absolute is how you get from A to B. I’ve talked extensively about how I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer. All I need is A and B and everything else in-between is a total surprise, part of the adventure and keeps the creative spark going.
Folks, that’s what works for me and has for twenty-one years.
However…that’s just how my brain works. I do not recommend that for everyone!
Some of you are solid in the outline camp and I can’t stress enough: before you listen to someone and attempt a novel by the seat of the pants route, you might want to look into the outline process. Maybe that’s your muse. Don’t dismiss it just because I or Stephen King recommends it. I don’t recommend it for everyone. It just happens to work for me!
There are plenty of outlining classes available on line and in books and if that’s how your thought process work, for goodness sakes, use it!
Some of you might be a hybrid of seat-of-the-pants and outlining.
The key to either approach…and I can’t stress this enough, is that you have to know A and B before you start! You have to know A and B, and especially B.
If you start a story and have no idea where it’s going to end, you’re going to end up with an incomprehensible mess.
The caveat to that is as your writing and the story progresses, you might very well tweak that ending (B). As the story unfolds, things might come out that affect the end, give you second thoughts and cause you to refine that ending. It might be generally the same, but new ideas may enhance it.
SUMMARY
Folks, rules are absolutes, techniques are not. Rules are how you create something comprehensible that will not embarrass you, something others will likely publish. Techniques are how you get there. That’s entirely up to you.
Happy writing!
CONFERENCE SUMMARY 2016
SETTING UP
I arrived at 7:30 and the door was unlocked. I went inside and the tables in the hall leading to the ballroom were already there. I went into the main ballroom and the Sam’s Town hotel staff were still vacuuming the carpet and setting up the tables.
Soon, Alba Arango showed. She was in charge of the raffle prizes. Next came our club president, Gregory Kompes followed by vice president, Donald Riggio. It wasn’t long before we were unloading things from Gregory’s car and setting up. More people showed up, in the meantime and some stuffed the swag bags while I set up the stands for the scratch pads to go in each room. I then put the signs on each of the classroom doors, rooms 1-4 and the schedules. Then I went in and helped Alba set up the raffle prizes for the drawings Friday and Saturday.
During a lull around 9 or so, I went back to the car and got my ten copies of Treasure Of The Umbrunna for the bookstore, which was well on the way to being set up by Darlien Breeze, John Dohanich and Ariel Belanger.
From there, I took my spot at the registration desk with Donald Riggio and Loraine Erikson and we prepared for the flood of people to come through the door.
THURSDAY
Thursday went off pretty well with the expected minor glitches, which are to be expected of any event of this magnitude.
Loraine, Donald and I worked out the process to check in each attendee, give them their badge, swag bag, program booklet and initial raffle ticket. Things went well. We got flooded with questions about the agent pitches. All we could do was point to the next table where Audrey Balzart, our pitch coordinator had set up. She manned (or womanned) the table Thursday, then the next day moved down to the Silver City room where pitches took place on Friday and Saturday.
Since this was my eleventh conference, I stayed mostly at the desk, only picking one class that interested me this day. In my case, it turned out the class wasn’t useful because it was redundant information. However, it might’ve been valuable for some of the other people in the room.
Since there were no meals that day, I met my wife at noon and went to the bowling alley for lunch. I came back and manned the registration table for most of the day. I took an occasional trip into the ballroom to hobnob with various people scattered about the tables, the bookstore or one of the vendor tables. Deborah Dorchak was there with her excellent fantasy series at one of the vendor tables as well as Toni Pacini with her brand new autobiographical book, which just came out, as well as her line of jewelry.
A third vendor table was taken up by some motivational group I’ve never heard of and the fourth table was empty because that vendor never made it in, for some reason.
The thing about vendors this year is that they were severely limited in space because none were allowed in the main hallway, like in years past. They did this to cut down on the the noise level and crowding. With only the registration desk and pitch desk there, not only was it less crowded, but the noise level was much less. The caveat was that only four vendors were able to reserve spots at the conference.
As for the registration desk, I was able to meet every faculty member, who happened to all show up on time this year. I also met almost every attendee, except for one or two who I missed while away from the desk.
Because I had a book in the bookstore, I stayed late for the meet and greet at the end of the day. Also, I was curious if any of the agents took the one genre I have no representation for at the moment. I stayed for the roundtable event long enough to get to the agent I’d targeted. He gave me a letdown that was kind of abrupt, though not quite rude. After that, I’d had a long day and bowed out of the rest of event. I’d have plenty of time to chat with the rest of the staff anyway.
FRIDAY
I arrived early, as usual and went to breakfast. I sat at my usual table, #4, to the right of the stage and waited for others to sit with me. Since we had almost a full house, I knew at least a few people would have to pick a seat at that table. They did!
I met and chatted with new people and some old friends along with a couple of the staff. This pattern worked through every meal both Friday and Saturday, never repeating, even though I sat in the same chair at table #4.
There were a couple of classes I was vaguely interested in, but I chose only one that looked like it had promise. Unfortunately, since it was about editing, it turns out the instructor was telling the audience almost word-for-word what I put here on my web site! In fact, I could mouth the words a second before she said them. She gave an excellent presentation, but I only stayed through half of it because after looking through the agenda, I saw subject matter right out of my web site posts.
Since there were people standing at the back of the room, I gave my seat to one of the ladies.
I never attended another session that day. There wasn’t anything I either couldn’t teach or was interested in.
Folks, that’s how many times I’ve been coming to these conferences. I still will gladly take a class to learn new things.
Everyone else packed the rooms, sometimes standing room only. I could tell this was one powerhouse of a good time for most everyone involved, especially from the expression and comments of attendees between sessions.
During both lunch and dinner, they had first-page reads. This is where a narrator reads first pages of novels, blind submitted by writers. An agent panel would listen and raise their hand at the moment they’d stop reading. If the narrator got through the whole thing without all the agents raising their hand, that might be a pretty good first page.
This year, the first page reads were all on Friday and they went off well, with lots of constructive feedback and none of it was nasty, which was how we’ve always stressed it. There were plenty of comments of how much people learned from those two sessions.
SATURDAY
I got in early, as usual and found Donald there already. Got breakfast and socialized a bit before sitting at the registration desk. We checked in the rest of the attendees. Like Friday, there were a few that were only for one day. Plus, we had the students that were only there for Saturday. Then, I wandered a bit, met more people and finally found a great class on media brands. This was the gold glass for me and the one I got the most out of. The instructor was great and made the whole day worth it. I attended one more class, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. Can’t win them all.
The rest of the day was similar to Friday, except I found out I sold one book! To me, that made my day. I brought the books in with absolutely no expectations. I discussed that with several people throughout the day. The most common comment was, “You only sold one book? Aren’t you disappointed?” My response was, “Are you kidding me? I sold a book! I found one potential new fan. That’s a win as far as I’m concerned.” I went on to explain that it’s not a matter of low expectations. It’s a matter of I started with nothing so I have to build my brand and my fan base, one book at a time. If I sell one book per event, that means one new potential fan who can spread the word to others. Rome wasn’t built in a day, to use a well-worn, but true cliché.
When dinner rolled around, I took my usual spot and after a few new people sat around the table, to my surprise, our keynote speaker, Larry Brooks plopped down next to me. We ate dinner and had a nice conversation as he went through his notes for his keynote address, which was, I have to say, very good.
It was with a note of sadness that I had to pack up the rest of my books, gather my stuff, say goodbye to everyone and head to the parking garage for the final time. The last thing I did before leaving was put in my early bird registration for next year. I can’t wait to come back again.
Happy writing!
KABAM 2016
Though I recently attended a book fair at the main wyberry in Las Vegas, KABAM was the first major book festival I’ve ever attended. KABAM is the Kingman book festival, held annually in Kingman, Arizona. It starts on Thursday and includes writing workshops held at various locations around town and culminates with the big vendor event in Metcalf Park. I initially screwed up the directions and put down Locomotive Park on my Amazon author page. When I was told how to get there, I didn’t realize there were two parks, one on the right and one on the left side of the street after going under the I-40 freeway. Oh well, live and learn.
I was able to get a table under my publisher’s umbrella with New Link Publishing. This gave me the advantage of being able to spend quality time with the bosses. I had an absolute great time talking shop, discussing future releases and other stuff I’m doing with the company.
The thing about working outside is you have to deal with the weather. The previous day, we had a major windstorm in Las Vegas. With Kingman being only 100 miles away, 106.2 miles, door-to-park to be exact, the weather wouldn’t be too much different, except probably a bit cooler since the town is about a thousand feet higher in elevation.
Yup, folks, it was a tad cooler, especially under the shade of a tent! True enough, the extremely high winds did die down like our local weathermen predicted. However, we were still plagued with the occasional zephyr that caused things to jump around. I was finally able to put my new Treasure Of The Umbrunna banner to use. However, it also acted like a sail and I had to tie it down to the tent to keep it from blowing away.
I had a corner table facing a wide open area so I maintained a good spot for people to see me. The only caveat was that we were at the back of the main crowd, away from the sidewalk. It took a while for the people to find us.
There were a good many authors there, most with multiple books. That didn’t bother me, but my space looked a little sparse with only one title on my recently-acquired plastic display stand. This is the one I used at the wyberry event.
Just across the way was our own Deborah Dorchak and Wendy Kelly. Their fantasy series of shape-changer books are quite popular. If you’ll notice, my receipt book and bookmarks are weighted down by my business cards (the wind, again). I was able to give a few of those cards and bookmarks away. The cards have my web site on them and the bookmarks have the ISBN numbers of the paper and e-book on them. Also, notice the back of the book rack to the left. That book rack, which faced out the other direction had all the titles from the conventional side of the publisher. They also included three copies of my book, so I had double exposure.
Now, as for the crowd, just like the previous library event, everyone around me said this year, there weren’t very many people that showed up, not like in years’ past. Some authors showed disappointment while others were more philosophical.
For me, trying to get attention as people walked by was a challenge. A lot of them were other authors and had no interest in buying another author’s book. A vast majority were mothers with kids looking for young adult or kid’s books. Of the adults looking for books for themselves (actual customers), some were not interested in fantasy while others showed mild interest. I gave them a card if they’d take it.
As Jo, my publisher said, ask them if they read. You’d be surprised how many people show up at a book event and don’t read! About half the time it would be, “No, not really, I was just passing by to see what this was about.” Or, “My so and so reads, so I’m looking to see if I need to bring them back.” That could very well have been an excuse, but none of these people were carrying anything.
Whatever the case, only a few people actually bought anything, but they did buy some. Most authors I talked to sold at least one book. A few nothing, but a couple sold several and I imagine others might’ve sold a bunch. All I can say is that I may have made a fan and that’s all I can ask for. I gave out some cards and sparked some interest. I met new people, saw old friends and the most important thing, I got exposure.
Folks, I’m getting out there. Fred Rayworth and Meleena’s Adventures are in the mix.
When you have a book, it’s not going to set the world on fire overnight. It takes perseverance.
I had a great time and consider the trip a success.
Happy writing…and marketing!
PITCHING SUMMARY 2016
INTRO
Every year, I do at least one article about pitching prior to the Las Vegas Writer’s conference. Since each one is basically a repeat of the previous year, what I decided to do this time was take last year’s three articles and condense them (sort of) into one massive long article. This saves you going back into the archives. Those of you looking for insight from someone who’s had 100% effectiveness getting a foot in the door, regardless of the final outcome, you might find this info useful.
Also take note that what I present below doesn’t necessarily comply with the latest standard teachings. However, it works. Trust me on this, and no, that’s not a cliché. It’s the truth. It really works. Take that for what you will.
THE PITCH LETTER (QUERY LETTER)
Probably one of the hardest things an author has to write is the pitch letter. I’m reminded of the teen who doesn’t want to finish high school and comes up with the excuse, “Well Axl Rose of Guns N Roses never graduated, and look at him. He’s a big rock star millionaire.” Well, there’s ambition and dumb luck. He could just as easily have failed and never would’ve had anything to back himself up with. Mr. William Bruce Rose Jr. (his real name) might be the guy cleaning your pool while you’re making the big bucks because you went on to get a degree. Why I bring this up is that some authors think their story is so hot they won’t need to sell it. Agents will be knocking their door down to buy it from them. A pitch letter, or trying to pitch their story isn’t on their radar. They can skip the hard work because their story is so hot, luck (agents and publishers) will seek them out.
THE REAL WORLD
Unfortunately, that doesn’t often happen in the real world. The funny thing is that I actually did see it happen once at the very first writer’s conference I attended in 2005. There was this teenage kid pitching a story he hadn’t even completed. He didn’t have a proper query letter or even any writing samples, as I recall. Yet when he pitched his idea to one of the young adult agents, she signed him on the spot. To this day, I don’t know if anything ever came of that kid or his book (if he ever completed it), but it was one of those magic Axl Rose type moments where lightning strikes. I was there to witness it.
Do you think it’ll happen to you? Fat chance! You, my friend, are going to have to work for it like the rest of us, if the numbers bear out. So, suck it up and start reading.
NUTS AND BOLTS
The pitch letter, or as it’s more widely known, the query letter, is your way of getting the attention of an agent or publisher. It’s a way of tapping them on the shoulder and saying “Hey, I’ve got something to show you.”
Agents and publishers get literally hundreds, if not thousands of these letters per day/week/month. They’re always looking for the next best thing, something they can sell and from which they can make a ton of money. At the same time, they have to slog through all this crap. To get their attention, you need to be brief, to the point, no bull. Or as Jack Webb used to say in Dragnet, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”
TO THE POINT – FAST
It’s critical you keep to the point and be concise in a query letter. You’ve got just a few quick lines to blow their socks off, to pique their interest, to leave them wanting for more. By the time that agent or publisher reaches the end of that letter, they should know the story is a good fit for their agency, they should see that you have the chops to pull it off, and are intrigued by the premise, or pitch line. If you can do those three things, I can almost guarantee they’ll be asking for more.
FICTION VERSUS NON-FICTION
I need to tell you up front that this discussion is tailored to pitching fiction and not non-fiction. When it comes to queries, they’re two different animals. I’ve never pitched non-fiction and don’t have a clue how to do it, so if that’s what you’re after, sorry! They’re called proposals, by the way. However, the basic principles still apply. The only difference is in the format and content of the actual query letter. Everything else I’m telling you is the same.
WHAT NEXT?
Now that you’ve heard the inevitable (you’re going to have to do one), how are you going to go about it? The easy answer is to tell you to go to the bookstore or the wyberry (library) and stock up with literally (if that isn’t a metaphor) hundreds of books on writing query letters. Or, I could condense it all down for you and let you know what’s worked for me and what hasn’t. Keep in mind that you can come up with a generic letter, but trust me, you’ll have to modify it for each agent. Not only is it good to personalize each one, but many agents have their own ideas of what a query letter should contain. A generic query letter smacks of impersonalization. That, my friends, is a big red flag with a trash can bulls-eye right in the middle of it.
THREE THINGS
The most successful query/pitch letters contain three things: The slug line (or pitch), what the story is about, and a bit about yourself (what makes you qualified to write the story). Of course, you don’t write those things exactly. Remember, this is a letter to a person, not a machine. The key is that the letter should be brief, to the point and only contain relevant information. On top of that, it must be grammatically correct, contain no typos and something you might not always hear from others, it cannot contain any negatives or sarcasm.
Whatever you do, do not put yourself or others down! Do not use sarcasm! I must step back and say that if the sarcasm is part of the plot or storyline, that’s something else. If it’s about you or other authors, don’t use it!
DON’T GET CUTESY-POO
Another thing never to do, well, something that is extremely risky and 99% of the time doesn’t work, is to write the query letter in character. For example, I’m talking about your main character being a hard-bitten detective with a few screws loose upstairs. He or she writes the letter. It’s written on an old typewriter with a cigarette burn in one corner and coffee stains in another. The letter is folded wrong and you sign it with your character’s sloppy signature, typing your real name and address on the envelope. It’s cutesy-poo to-the-max, but most agents and publishers have been there and done that and can’t hit the trash can with it fast enough. Some may even respond with a nasty letter.
Or, a romance writer may send their query on frilly stationary soaked in perfume.
Play it straight. No gags, no gimmicks to get yourself noticed. I’ve had more agents tell me they get extremely annoyed by these tactics and put these authors on their ***t lists. Though you’ll hear the anecdotes where this method worked, once done, it’s cliché. Keep that in mind.
REPEAT
I repeat, it’s extremely important the letter have no typos or grammatical errors. When an agent gets hold of it, if they see you can’t even write out a single page without an error, what will a novel or short story look like?
What Not To Do in a query letter
In this first part, we’ll get down to some technical thingies. We’re going to go over what not to do. Then, I’ll show you one that’s worked.
NEGATIVITY
I mentioned never to use negativity, or put yourself down. Here are a few examples. Some are overt, while a few may be a bit more subtle.
I know you get lots of submissions, but before you throw mine in the slush pile, I’d appreciate if you’d give me a chance.
Ding ding ding! Red flag! You’re starting negative right out of the gate! Don’t even bring the subject up! In the first place, you should be starting with your slug line. Second, you’re giving the agent the perfect excuse to do just what you are hoping they won’t do.
I’ve been submitting to lots of agents, but was hoping you’d be the right one for my work.
Do I have to explain this one?
I’m a struggling writer and found your agency on line. I would like to present my character…
A little more subtle, but saying you are a struggling writer is not only a cliché, it’s a given and also a negative. No need to voice it. Scratch the first sentence.
Thank you for considering my work. I may not be the best writer in the world, but I know I’ve come up with a winner here.
You had him or her at the first sentence and blew it with the rest. Hack off that second sentence.
IRRELEVANT MATERIAL & FLUFF
Now for a little biography sample.
I’m an accomplished writer with high grades in English grammar in high school and college. I excelled at all of my term papers and almost had an article published in the alumni newsletter but due to budget constraints, the issue was never printed. I had a short story called The Flag printed in Mystery Journal for Fiberglas Press, 1989.
She’s a mystery writer. The only relevant credit is the last one. The rest of it is pure fluff and irrelevant. Trash it. Inflating a bio with irrelevant material is no way to win friends with an agent. If you only have one credit, so be it. In the good old days, it was okay to throw in the kitchen sink. Nowadays, agents don’t have time to slog through all this crap looking for gems. You’re better off to keep it tight and right. Besides, almosts don’t count.
BRAGGING, SARCASM
I’m sure you get lots of “great” stories at your agency, but now get ready for a real treat. XXX will blow you away.
Oh, please! Sarcasm, conceit, bragging, grammar problems, the list goes on.
One That Worked
Now I’m going to show you a pitch letter that worked. Below is the letter that I handed to the publisher that gave me the contract for my upcoming novel, Meleena’s Adventures – Treasure Of The Umbrunna. Keep in mind that I handed it to her at the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference and pitched to her in person. After I sold her on the idea, she had me send it along with the first 50 pages plus a synopsis, which was on the back of this letter.
I’ve included notes of explanation where appropriate, and left off the headers and dates and a photo, which is something (the photo) you shouldn’t put on a letter you are mailing out (though this is something up for argument with some authors and agents)! Also, I modified parts of it (left off the second paragraph) so as not to give away the actual plot in case anyone wants to read the book, which is out now.
Re: Meleena’s Adventures – Treasure Of The Umbrunna
Fantasy – 79,500 words
Pen name: Ray Brooks (I have since dumped this idea and went with my real name).
All she wanted was to get rich, but in the end, will she sacrifice all to help another? If she isn’t careful, people may start to think she’s a decent person. (This is the pitch line, the first thing I said to her after introducing myself.)
Meleena goes through life one picked pocket at a time. With a wild heart, she spends each night with a different man, and often wakes up in a strange place. When she goes after a valuable pearl hidden in a lost city called Slab, she figures this is the way to the easy life. An old magick user named Grel may hold the key to finding this pearl, and he insists she not go alone if she hopes to survive. Despite second thoughts and an aversion to working with others, she gathers a team and heads for the lost city. However, she’s not the only one after the pearl, and Meleena enters into a race to get there first. (This is the body of the text. It should be one paragraph, but I broke a rule and made it two short ones (the second one I left off here). It worked. They were condensed from the original. The whole point was that the entire letter had to fit on one page, letterhead, spacing, signature, credits, all of it. Keep it brief!)
I’m a member of the Henderson Writer’s Group in Henderson, Nevada. My short story, The House, appeared in the anthology Between the Pages, 2003. The Walk Home was published in the story collection Writer’s Bloc 2006, The Basement in Writer’s Bloc 2, 2008, and Fun In The Outland in First Voyage, 2008. (Remember, relevant writing credits, which should include a writer’s group, if you’re in one. Though none of these stories are actually fantasy, the chances of the publisher checking, or actually finding those books were pretty slim, so I took the chance. Turns out, many of those books were for sale at the conference! Also, the titles could mean anything, and at least they show I’m a prolific and published writer. Just make sure if you do this, you don’t put something down that is obviously not relevant. Also, note that the info is dated. I’ve since published quite a few more things that aren’t listed since this was written several years ago, plus one short story directly related to Meleena.)
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Fred B. Rayworth
There you go. An example, a visual aid, without giving away too much of the actual story, but hopefully, enticing you to read it. This example also gives you an idea of one way to successfully pitch to an agent.
THE SYNOPSIS
The synopsis is a breakdown of your story. It’s another form of an outline, but in complete sentences, no bullets and in present-tense. The purpose of the synopsis is to tell your complete story to the agent or publisher. Specifically, you need to outline the main character, the main conflict, and the resolution. Yes, you must tell the ending. The synopsis tells the complete story (I repeat), from beginning to end, in abbreviated form. The key is the length. For the pitch letter at a conference, and for some queries to agents, it should be one page. For some agent queries, it might be two to three pages. From there, where a full manuscript is requested, it could be three to ten pages, depending on the individual requirements of the agency. The key is to follow their instructions explicitly. As a general rule, stick to one page, unless told otherwise. One good thing about sticking to these rigid requirements is that it keeps your writing tight.
THE SYNOPSIS WILL SHOW FLAWS IN YOUR PLOTTING
A synopsis can be extremely hard to write properly. However, it can also be a very good way to reveal how well your story has been put together. It’s a good way to spot any red flags in flow and plot. When you break down your story into a few paragraphs, just to get the key plot elements, you’re going to see right away if it all holds together. If, at the end of your synopsis, you notice that the story doesn’t hold water, you may need to go back and do some rewriting!
BULLETS
One way to develop your synopsis is to start by describing each scene or chapter (if you have a lot) in one bullet sentence. Compile all of these bullets and look them over for the key patterns. If something looks extraneous, maybe it shouldn’t be there. Once you have that down, turn these bullets into sentences and then organized paragraphs so they flow together.
For me, I have the whole story in my head. In my creative process, I only know where I want to start and where I want to end, the middle is a total surprise. Once I get going and write it all down, it becomes locked in my head. As I edit it over and over again, the plot and all the details become locked in so when I sit down to write my synopsis, I already have the big picture going for me. I don’t have to bullet out each chapter. However, I don’t expect all of you out there to write or create the same way I do, so I’m throwing that bullet method out for you.
KEEP CHARACTER NAMES TO A MINIMUM
The key elements are that you introduce the main character and maybe their adversary by name only. Everyone else remains unnamed. They’re just anonymous characters as far as the synopsis is concerned. The first time you name these one or two characters, you put them in italics. From then on, they’re in regular font. Don’t get bogged down in unnecessary details such as naming a whole bunch of characters, names or places in the story. Don’t list time lines either, especially on a one-page synopsis! Describe the plot, describe what happens, describe what, where, when, why and how the character gets from point a to point b and what happens at the end. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you’re writing a two, three or more page synopsis, a few sentences per chapter might be appropriate unless you have eighty chapters. Again, if you do this, it should read almost like a short story. It should make sense on its own. If it doesn’t, you need to work on the plot some more before you try pitching it.
DON’T LET IT GO, SIGHT UNSEEN!
The final element to all of this, before you ever even think of turning it in to an agent or publisher: Get someone or several other people to read it first! There’s nothing like second sets of eyes to see what you can’t!
THE FACE TO FACE
LIKE A JOB INTERVIEW
I’ve always considered the pitch session as a job interview. That’s exactly what it is. The difference is that it’s a two way street. Not only will you be working for the agent and/or publisher, they’ll be working for you. When you get right down to it, you’re also interviewing them. The biggie right now though, is that the person you’re about to sit down with is holding all the cards. They have the power, the knowledge, and the abilities to take your hopes and dreams and turn them into a reality.
To make this less dramatic, you have a product and you’re looking for a manufacturer to produce, distribute and sell that product. You’re the inventor of said product. It’s your job to try to convince a manufacturer to take your product, refine it and produce it for mass consumption.
If you’re lucky enough to attend a good conference, you might have a scenario similar to what we have at the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference. I’m using this one as an example not only to once again plug it (it takes place 28-30 April), but also because I have intimate knowledge of how this conference works.
MILLING ABOUT
You’ll sign in, and for the price of admission, get to pick at least one agent appointment slot, maybe more, depending on the schedule and the number of people adding in names. From personal experience, I’ve never had a problem seeing any agent I’ve wanted to see. These appointments might be the first, second, or third day, first thing in the morning through the end of each day. Because of that, there’s a good chance that during any classes (seminars) you choose, during breaks, and during meals you might find yourself talking face-to-face with the very agent to which you’re going to be pitching your book. These are good times to get to know them, feel them out, find out what are their likes and dislikes. Get to know them as a person. You’re more than likely going to find them great people. Once in a while, you’ll find a total jerk. That’s happened to me a few times. I pitched to them anyway. Most of the jerks actually had me send them something and I got the expected results. One took two years to respond. I’d totally forgot about him, then out of the blue, I got a letter. “Not for me.”
As I alluded to above, the agent you’re pitching to might be teaching one of the classes (seminars) you signed up for. That’s another good way to get to know them and what they stand for, what they like and dislike, and how you might approach them. Meals are a good place to talk shop and hear the latest gossip in the publishing world. You can learn the trends and even find out what’s going on with your genre. That could help you slant your pitch when you sit down with them.
THE SIT DOWN
When it’s finally time for your pitch session, even though you may have met face-to-face before, sit down, shake their hand and introduce yourself. Then, when they ask you to tell them about your book, start out with your slug line. Those are the one or two sentences that introduce your story. From there, if you wrote them well, the agent should ask you to tell them more. That’s when you give them a brief, and I mean brief, synopsis including how the story ends.
Do not, and I mean do not ramble on and get off on tangents! Watch the agents’ body language. If their eyes start to wander or glaze over, you’ve lost them. You have to give them a one-two punch. You have to make them want more. When you sit down, your pitch letter, with the short synopsis on the back, should be slipped over to them first thing. They may glance at it, they may not. They may actually read it as they listen to your pitch. However, the chances are, they won’t actually take it. They’ll have you mail it to them. If that’s the case, make sure you revise the letter at the first paragraph to include that it was really nice to meet and talk with them at the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference bla bla bla (or whichever conference you attend). That paragraph is key, so that it puts a time and place on your meeting. Also at the bottom of the letter, make sure to include “I’ve attached … sample chapters and a … page synopsis per your request.”
One more thing, never ever force pitch your book in casual conversation. Don’t be pushy. That’s a great way to turn them off. However, if you’re talking at lunch, dinner or wherever, the subject of your writing comes up and the agent says, “Well, tell me about your book,” they’re inviting you in. Otherwise, leave the pitching for your appointment.
From here forward, all I can say is good luck, and happy writing!
WHEN A BOOK HITS THE SPOT
Most of the time, when I mine material for my articles and it comes from my reading material, it’s when I find things wrong with what I’m seeing. How about when things are right? What is it about when you read a book and love it? What are the things that resonate with you, that put that smile on your face when you close it after the last page? What makes you wish the story hadn’t ended?
I can’t speak for all of you. All I can do is speak not only for myself, but from anecdotal evidence from others I’ve polled throughout the years. As a reader and a writer, even though I initially write for myself, as I’ve honed my skills, I’ve always done it keeping in mind that others might want to read my stuff. I want to present it in the most palatable way possible. That means taking as many of the good things I see and incorporating them into what I write as possible.
CHARACTERS
One of the first things out of a lot of writer’s mouths, and a lot of readers, is characters. Those with a literary bent think it’s all about the characters and little else. In genre fiction, the characters are important but the plot drives things and the characters react to it. However, regardless of which way you go, all characters have to be interesting.
Some say the best characters are the ones the reader can relate to. To be honest, I say bull because that’s not the correct word. I don’t think I’ve ever read a genre fiction story with a character that was in any way shape or form anything like me. Ever. Not even close. Only in the vaguest terms could I relate to any character as in we’re both Americans? We might both be male. That’s about it. Does that mean now that I’ll hate all books now? Give me a break!
How about likability? Now that’s something I can relate to that has nothing to do with whether I’m similar to the character or not. A character may be completely different from me, which they always are, but can be quite likable. That’s someone I can care about and develop an emotional investment in. That’s worth something.
While I cannot specifically relate to any of the characters I read about, there may be some intangible thread there that makes any character relatable, in a way. Maybe the character has the same moral code as I do. Maybe he or she likes the same food I do, or the same movies or music. The other traits, personality, background and everything else can be completely alien, but there can be that one thing that writers and readers might call that “relatable” thing. I’d still prefer likable and I don’t have to relate to the character at all. I just have to like them.
The character can and should have a sense of humor. Even in the worst circumstances, a minor joke or a bit of irony is all it takes to show something to give the character a bit of variety.
I’m not into superheroes. I say that in the broadest terms, not just the comic book ones, but the protagonists, male or female that perform impossible feats. A balance of believable traits is just fine. When the author stretches things too far, I start to lose interest. The exception would be fantasy because in that genre, all bets are off. However, even then, the author has to stick with the rules of their own world.
When the character is well-balanced, I’m all in and that’s the first plus in any good book.
ATMOSPHERE
The atmosphere can be light, dark or in-between. However, the thing that makes a story interesting and that hits the spot for me and many people is a bit of variety. Even though the main theme could be dark for instance, if the entire story is dark and dreary with no light moments, that gets to be a bit much. The same for a light story with nothing serious. With no variety, the story takes on a kind of monotone feel to it.
The stories that always hit the spot for me have a little of both, regardless of the main theme.
PLOT
To me, there’s nothing worse than a plot with no twists. Going from point A to B in a straight line smacks of routine. Life usually doesn’t work that way and neither should any story. Seeing as how fiction exaggerates real life anyway, you want a story to exaggerate those plot lines as well.
However…wild and convoluted plot lines that are too busy and sub-plots that go nowhere only confuse things and leave lots of noise. They leave the final outcome fuzzy.
When the A to B has a good solid plot with plenty, but not too many twists and turns, and all of them are tied into the main plot and make sense, that’s gold.
WRITING STYLE – INCLUDING POINT OF VIEW
The writing style is a critical element to whether I’ll enjoy the substance. How the author conveys that story is very important.
First is point of view. For you all that have been reading me a while, you know that I only read third-person. If you’re okay with first-person or third-person omniscient, then POV isn’t an issue. To me, it’s a huge issue and before I’ll read any book, I always scan the pages first to determine whether the book is in the proper POV.
Tense. Some authors like to write in present tense. I despise that. I find present tense unreadable and will almost throw the book back on the shelf. If you are okay with that, fine. Not me.
Literary bent. Some authors like to ramble on. I hate that. When I look through the book and find solid words with no space, little dialogue and lots of half to whole page paragraphs, I know this author likes to ramble. To me, a great story is one where the author gets to the point. That means the story moves, the author takes just enough time to give adequate description and background to the places and characters so I, the reader can fill in my own blanks. Then they move on.
That, folks is gold!
OUTCOME
This is the point where it all comes together. The final outcome. No matter what comes before, no matter how good the rest of the book is, if the author disappoints with the final outcome, it negates the rest of it. The payoff is the whole point of spending all that emotional investment and time into this story, not to mention the money on the book!
I don’t read to get bummed out. I don’t read to see the hero die. I’m a glass is half full type person.
Some people love that emotional tug when the hero dies, for a good cause or for a doomed whatever.
I’m not one of them. When that happens, or when the hero or heroes (heroines) die for stupid reasons it pisses me off. I felt I’ve wasted my money and time. It completely ruins the experience. I’m not alone in this either.
However, like I said, there are those that love this kind of stuff. Stephen King is a big advocate and that’s one reason I usually avoid any book he endorses. I’ve been burned before!
To me, the hero, heroes or heroines must prevail in the end. If that happens, the story is gold. It hits the spot.
I just read a great book that had all of these elements. Sure, there were a few minor quirks, but overall, it was good to go. Lately, I haven’t had such a great streak because I’ve been trying a lot of new authors. Then again, that’s the point. My favorites can only put out so many books.
When I get one of those great books and it hits the spot, I really do close the book with a smile on my face, and a bit of sadness knowing the story had to end. I wish there was just a bit more. Now that’s a great book!
Happy writing!
The Worlds Of Fred Rayworth 