Monthly Archives: June 2012

Rhino Skin

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Today’s column is brought to you by Kit Shannon, turn-of-the-century Los Angeles lawyer. ANGELS FLIGHT, the second novel in The Trials of Kit Shannon series, is now available for Kindleand Nook.

Nothing had prepared her for the hostility of a city gripped by prejudice . . .

But you have to be prepared for the slings and arrows of the writing life. These may come in the form of rejection letters, bad reviews, angry reader e-mails,  personal jabs from a family member, or any  number of other places.
           
To survive, you need to develop Rhino skin. You need an outer armor that takes the hits but doesn’t stop you. Here’s how you get it:
1. Let rejection, or criticism, hurt for a day, no more
It’s all right to take a hit and feel its full force. Don’t try to hide from the emotional impact. Give vent. Destroy a pillow if you must. But let go after half an hour or so. Determine to go immediately to #2.

2. Write
When my son fell off his two wheeler the first time out, I didn’t let him quit. I got him back on the bike and almost burst my lungs running with him. We repeated the process till he got it.
           
He did not like falling. But when he was back on the bike and peddling, he was not thinking about the fall. He was thinking about staying up for the next few feet.
           
Writing is like that. When you are down about your writing, pound out those words. Dennis Palumbo, in his book Writing From the Inside Out,says “Every hour you spend writing is an hour spent not fretting about your writing.”
           
A daily quota is tonic for your ache.
           
What you’ll find is wonderful: when your mind reflects back on the hurt, the wound won’t be as deep as it once was. And the more you do write, the more the hurt begins to fade. You won’t forget it, but it won’t debilitate you.

3. Review your career path
And that’s what you’re on. Do not think of yourself as someone trying to sell a novel. You are a writer, and that means you never quit.
           
Do you need to start another book? What will you do differently? What can you learn from the rejection or the critic that is of actual value to you? Learn that thing then write and forget the rest.

4. Reward yourself
For a writing job finished, for a quota met, for a manuscript completed, heck, for just about anything, treat yourself to something.
           
When I finish a manuscript I like to take a full day off and go on a literary goof. There are used bookstores in L.A. I like, so I’ll start there, browse the shelves, pick up that Cornell Woolrich I’ve been missing, or add to my collection of 50’s paperback originals.
           
I might just go to a park or the beach, put out a chair and read.
           
That night, I’ll take my wife to one of our favorite places for dinner. You simply have to enjoy the journey or what’s the point of it all?

5. Remind yourself
Two reminders to put inside your head.
           
The first is to remember that the greatest writers of all time have been rejected and, once published, slammed in a review.
Thomas Bailey Aldrich, writing in the Atlantic Monthly in 1892, said of Emily Dickinson, “An eccentric, dreamy, half-educated recluse in an out-of-the-way New England village—or anywhere else—cannot with impunity set at defiance the laws of gravitation and grammar. Oblivion lingers in the immediate neighborhood.”
           
Nothing of Mr. Aldrich, to my knowledge, remains in print.
           
An unnamed editor returned Tony Hillerman’s first Navajo detective manuscript to him, with a note: “If you insist on rewriting this, get rid of all that Indian stuff.”
           
When you get a rejection or bad review, remember you’re in very good company.
           
And then remind yourself constantly that you are a writer, because you write. There are many more people who do not write yet feel perfectly at ease sniping at those who do. When such a snipe comes your way, know that you are the one putting yourself on the line, opening a vein, walking the tightrope, singing a solo under hot lights. You are part of a courageous bunch who are all about doing. Teddy Roosevelt’s famous advice applies to writers:
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . . who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
Get in the arena. Go at your writing with all the devotion and love and enthusiasm you have. When the darts of rejection or criticism come your way, keep writing. You will stop them with Rhino skin, and keep right on charging ahead.

The Butterfly Effect

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One of the leading stories this week concerned the passing of Ray Bradbury. This is noteworthy considering that in the 1940s Bradbury was to a great extent consigned to the pulp magazines. I’d wear a legacy such as that like a badge of honor now, but back then it was anything but. So-called “serious” or “literary” authors did not frequent those types of publications. Bradbury kept plugging away and by the mid-1960s his novels and short stories were being studied in university courses. If you wanted to break a friend into the science-fiction genre, you did so by steering him over to the paperback section of a drug store and thrusting FAHRENHEIT 451 (“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of that. Did he write that?”) or THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES or THE ILLUSTRATED MAN into their hands. Bradbury has seen his work go from pulps to hardcover to paperbacks to yes, e-books. News comes that there is going to be a huge roll-out of his work in digital form, sooner rather than later. A few things were available at the time of this death; a sticking point that had kept more from being available had nothing to do with adversity to the technology; Bradbury simply did not want the libraries to be bypassed. Indeed, word comes down that in accordance with The Man’s wishes e-book versions will be available for lending from your local library as well.
Most folks talk about FAHRENHEIT 451 when they mention Bradbury. I’m going to talk about four short stories that have stuck in my mind for over fifty years. Every time we get a gullywasher around here, when the rain pours and pours for more than a day or so, I think of “The Long Rain” a gem of Bradbury’s from 1950. First published in a wonderful little periodical titled Planet Stories, the tale deals with three earthmen who are stranded on Venus in the midst of the torrential rains which at that time everyone thought enveloped the planet. A classic. “The Small Assassin” is one of the darkest stories that Bradbury, or anyone, ever wrote. I missed its original publication in 1946 in the pages of Dime Mystery(love that title) by a few years but I am sure it caused a stir. Read this story about a baby who may or may not be homicidal and see what you think about toys left on the stairs and pretty things. “Way in the Middle of the Air” was published in  Other Worlds in 1950 and became a part of the canon of  The Martian Chronicles. It was social commentary disguised as science fiction, telling the tale of the day that all of the black folks left the country and emigrated to Mars, and the surprising reaction from some quarters. While I have never forgotten this story since  the day that I read it, it, I had particular cause to recall it several years ago, during one of a series of visits to New Orleans.  I was staying on the east side of the city at that time and, purely by happenstance, went for two days without seeing a Caucasian face. It briefly crossed my mind that perhaps all of the white folks had left the country and I had somehow missed the memo. The story was still so vivid in my mind, some forty-odd years on, that I expected to see the rocket departing when I looked up in the sky. The most haunting of Bradbury’s stories for me personally, however, remains 1952’s “The Sound of Thunder.” It has been heavily anthologized, but first appeared in Collier’sin 1952. I as a rule don’t care for time travel stories, but this one is quite different,  a cautionary tale about the importance of following directions and staying on the path. The term “butterfly effect” was indirectly coined as a result of this story. If you haven’t read it, do so and see why.
Now it is your turn. What is your favorite Ray Bradbury novel, collection, or short story? Do you recall when you first read a Bradbury work? How did it affect you? And if you have never read any of Bradbury’s works, we’d like to know that, too.

Leave Your Warm-Up in the Gym

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By John Gilstrap

Week before last, I had the honor of serving on the staff of the Writing Away Retreat in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado, where we awoke to snow, only to have it melt in the 70-degree afternoon sunshine. 

Here’s how it works: Twenty writers (as many as 31, actually) gather in this massive mansion of a house just off Main Street, where they spend five days together in the most nurturing, creative environment that I have experienced outside of teaching I used to do at Virginia’s Governor’s School for the Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts.  Cicily Janus, the Retreat’s creator and hostess, is a gourmet chef who creates outstanding meals out of only fresh and natural foods.  We’re not talking granola and seeds here, folks, but rather fresh beef, fresh eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables.  Mac-n-cheese lunch day is a nearly religious experience.

As faculty—a position I shared with a number of other professional writers, editors and literary agents—my job was to critique 10,000-word submissions from the attending writers.  That accounted for a few hours of every day, and the rest of the time allowed me to write nearly thirty pages of HIGH TREASON, my Grave book for 2013.  I confess that it was a little intimidating to consider offering an honest critique and then dining and partying with the people on the other end, but I was thrilled to see that this was a group of realists, who understand that honest criticism is part of the writing journey.

As far as I can tell, no one ever turned on a television, unless it was in their private bedroom (this is a BIG house), and every attendee found the inspiration they needed to take the next step forward on their manuscript.  Folks, if given the opportunity to attend one of these events, I recommend that you pounce on the opportunity.  (I have no idea what people pay to attend, but when you factor in the four-star lodging and five-star food, I’m sure it’s worth the price.)  I will forever have fond memories of the alcohol-infused marathon 8-Ball tournament with Andre, Signe and Eric.  I’m sure I didn’t win, but I have no idea who did.

There’s a talent bell curve in any event like this, but I have to say that overall, I was highly impressed with the level of talent among the students.  Two stories in particular have what I think is tremendous commercial potential.

While strengths and weaknesses vary, though, nearly 100% of the submissions shared the same weakness: a first-chapter digression to backstory.  They’d launch with a terrific hook, they’d get some good momentum going, and then they’d slam on the brakes to tell me stuff that I really didn’t need to know.  The rationale was always the same: “I need the reader to understand where my character is coming from.”  Or some variation thereof.

No, they don’t the reader needs to be pulled along by compelling real-time, on-stage action.  Motivation can wait.  Motivation can always wait.

We all do it, folks.  very writer on the planet makes the same mistakes.  What separates the professionals from the hopefuls is the ruthless, critical eye that allows us to carve up our beloved creations with a dull machete.

Of the submissions I critiqued, a full 30% included the recommendation to kill the first chapter and start with the second.  In one case, I suggested that the book start on page 25.  It’s as if we address the daunting task of writing a book with 2,500 words of warm-up.  Twenty-five hundred words of tuning.  Rehearsal, maybe.  That’s fine.  Whatever gets the creative juices flowing.

And now that the juices are flowing, erase the rehearsal from your recording CD.

**

Okay, now there’s one bit of shameless self-promotion (as if I need to burden you with more of that).  I learned earlier this week that Threat Warning was nominated for a Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America.  It’s one of the big ones, and I’m totally jazzed.

First Page Critique: The Year of the SSSSSnake

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By Jordan Dane

My post series on self-publishing (post #2) will continue after this first-page critique. You know the drill. My comments on the flip side.


San Jose, California

Casey crouched behind the concrete block retaining wall and peered around the corner. Bright light shown from an industrial overhead light, illuminating the parking lot in back of the old computer parts shop.

Five men dressed in black t-shirts were loading long unmarked boxes into the back of an equally unmarked van. Three of them had guns tucked into the back waistband of their jeans. Guns. She squinted into the wash of flood light, but couldn’t make out the van’s plate.

Dammit. She was going to have to get closer. A job was a job, right? Brian had assured her it was a good one. Yeah, like he was at the top of her ’T for Trustworthy’ list. But he had said it paid well. In cash.

Still, guns. She blew out a breath. But cash. She nodded to herself. Get closer, check it out, then leave — fast — if… Yeah, if.

The shadows were ink black from the light, but sparse. She glanced at her Kawasaki leaning a few feet away. Not exactly a stealth cycle. On foot, then. She shifted her weight, ready to dart behind a huge SUV three rows over. They won’t see you. The light’s too bright. Stay low. No noise. She swallowed, hard. They won’t see you.

Her hip vibrated. She fell back, landing on her butt, scrabbling in the gravel to make sure she was out of sight behind the wall. She grabbed the phone and flipped it open. “What the fuck have you gotten me into, you slimy piece of shit?” she hissed in a harsh whisper. “They have guns, Brian. Guns.”


“Get out of here, little girl,” the voice on the phone said.

She went still, then checked the caller ID. Private caller. Not Brian. Shit. “Who the hell‘re you?”

“You’re in way over your head. Go home.”


Looks like Casey is in real trouble. And they’ve got GUNS! (Sorry mystery author, but I had to clear the italics. Blogger went weird on me.) Overall, there is a lot to like about this intro. I get a sense of action and Casey’s POV is fun to read. I’m intrigued enough to turn the page, for sure, but there are improvements that could be made to tighten the opener.

Casey crouched behind the concrete block retaining wall and peered around the corner. Bright light shown from an industrial overhead light, illuminating the parking lot in back of the old computer parts shop.

This opening line didn’t do anything for me. The only thing of value here is the name Casey being introduced and a quick reference to the setting being a parking lot behind a parts shop. The author clearly is trying to establish that Casey can see what’s going on (their guns) because of the overhead light. I’m also not sure why a last name for the character is not given. If we are in the head of the character, they would not refer to themselves in the 3rd person, but at the start of a book, this is the one area you can mention the name and readers expect it. Sure, the name could be introduced in conversation, but why not mention it in the intro. The details mentioned in the first two lines might work better if they were included in tightened paragraph 2, such as:

Possible rewrite – Casey crouched in the dark watching five men dressed in black. They were loading long unmarked boxes into the back of a van parked behind an old computer parts shop. Three of them had guns. Guns. From behind a retaining wall, she squinted into the wash of the flood light they worked under, but couldn’t make out the van’s plate.

At the start of the next paragraph, there is an example of passive voice.
Passive-She was going to have to get closer.
Stronger-She had to get closer.

A job was a job, right? Brian had assured her it was a good one. Yeah, like he was at the top of her ’T for Trustworthy’ list. But he had said it paid well. In cash.

Although this is in Casey’s voice, it took me out of the action a bit, even though these lines are short. These lines made me wonder why she would do this job if she didn’t trust Brian. This reflects on her smarts too.

The author might have considered having Casey creep closer, out of her safety zone of the retaining wall and her bike, before she gets that creepy phone call from someone watching HER. Having said that, I would suggest that these lines be shortened to (if they apply): Brian promised her cash for the job, but how far could she trust another thief?

Still, guns. She blew out a breath. But cash. She nodded to herself. Get closer, check it out, then leave — fast — if… Yeah, if.

These lines are redundant (the guns and the cash) and don’t add anything. They TELL the reader what she wants to do, rather than SHOW them. The debate in her head reads a little choppy and is harder to follow. For me, it detracted from the action. I would rather SEE her getting closer with a build-up of tension before her cell vibrates.

The shadows were ink black from the light, but sparse. She glanced at her Kawasaki leaning a few feet away. Not exactly a stealth cycle. On foot, then. She shifted her weight, ready to dart behind a huge SUV three rows over. They won’t see you. The light’s too bright. Stay low. No noise. She swallowed, hard. They won’t see you.

The first line caused me to read it over. Shadows can’t be ink black with a light shining on them. I understand what the author meant, but this description made me reread it. Perhaps something like – Beyond the light, shadows were inky black.

This paragraph starts out with the shadows and how they won’t see her, but the Kawasaki lines interrupt this idea that is picked up at the end again. Casey’s thought process is out of sequence and leaps around as a result. How important is it to mention that she rode in on a Kawasaki (other than the chuckle factor)? Can that aspect wait until her getaway?

The Kawasaki made me chuckle and wonder what she was thinking. If she’s casing a place or doing anything in stealth, why ride in on a loud Kawasaki? And why even consider getting closer using her bike? (I’m guessing here, but is there a reason that the huge SUV is mentioned, like perhaps that a cop is on a stake out in that SUV and is the guy calling her at the end?)

Her hip vibrated.

This description pulled me out. Surely there is a better way to describe this. Her hip isn’t doing the vibrating. Her cell is.

She fell back, landing on her butt, scrabbling in the gravel to make sure she was out of sight behind the wall.

This sentence could be sharper. Something like – After landing on her butt, she scrambled and dove for cover.

She grabbed the phone and flipped it open. “What the fuck have you gotten me into, you slimy piece of shit?” she hissed in a harsh whisper. “They have guns, Brian. Guns.”

Using the F bomb on the first page has been mentioned before on TKZ as something to avoid. Although it doesn’t bother me, I do appreciate that other readers could be unnecessarily offended and this could detract from book sales and reviews. Something to consider.

I do love the fact that Casey gets a mysterious call from someone watching her at the end of this intro. Definitely makes the reader wonder what’s going on. I’d turn the page. How about you?

It takes a lot of guts to submit your work for critique. Kudos to the author. Having your work under a microscope on a blog for feedback, it is easy to comment on each line. I hope the suggestions made today strengthen your work. I always learn from these critique sessions. Thanks for your submission.

RAILS Critique

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RAILS: First Page Critique
Enoch grumbled through his mustache. His head jerked left and right, looking for a parking spot around Canaan Height’s town hall. Deputy Hollis Wolford stepped into the street, flashing the flat of his hand, slowing us to a stop.

“Head over to the church’s lot. Ain’t no parking here.”

Tobacco juice stained a corner of Hollis’s mouth, his finger barreling toward the Methodist church. I couldn’t help but focus on his lazy eye, the right one. When he looked toward the church, the eye drifted elsewhere.

“Have to wonder how he got into the sheriff’s department,” I said after we parked. I grabbed a fan, the one with Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. I didn’t expect it to help, being July and with hot-heads gathering at the hall.

Enoch rushed me along the sidewalk. “C’mon, woman. We’re missing the Ol’ Time Bloomers Raiders.”

“Pshaw. They haven’t sung any new songs since John Polk passed two years ago.”

He steered me around a cluster of men milling near the door. “Airplane crashes killed many a great song writer. Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas,” he said.

A row of chairs showed two vacant seats. Helen Lipscomb sat in front of them. I took a deep breath before surging ahead. “At least John made a respectable exit. The others could learn from him.”

We clambered through a line of legs, offering “Excuse mes” and “Pardon mes.” Enoch settled in his seat as I leaned over and whispered in Helen’s ear.

“Who’s minding the restaurant?”

Perspiration beaded on her forehead. “Laurel. Thought you’d be here. Deloris’s running things. Hopefully, not into the ground.” Years of smoking gave her a raspy voice. She chuckled at her own joke, causing a coughing spasm.

“Fat chance. With this crowd here, your daughter’s probably sitting alone.”

Her nose sniffed the air. “They paint the hall recently?”

Paint cans and drop cloths gathered at the platform’s base, left by careless caretakers. I tilted my head in their direction. “As they say, ‘A good paint job covers a multitude of tales.’”

“If that’s true, more than the hall needs painting.”

My Critique
Overall, the author’s voice is unique and I can picture a western setting here. However, I need more thoughts and identity on the main character. Establish that the protagonist is a female right up front. I’d like to be in her head and learn her attitude toward this meeting. And what’s she wearing? Have her smooth down her dress or skirt or whatever.

Also, the setting isn’t clear. Is this modern day or the past? Western U.S.? You’ve established that it’s July, so that’s good.

Now for some particulars:
In the first paragraph, you have Enoch’s head jerking around and then looking for something. Change sentence to read: He jerked his head…

Then you change viewpoints with the Deputy. Start a new paragraph there.

Slowing us to a stop? Who’s us? The viewpoint character is unclear.
Better to read like this:

Enoch grumbled through his mustache. He jerked his head left and right, looking for a parking spot around Canaan Height’s town hall.

Deputy Hollis Wolford stepped into the street, flashing the flat of his hand, slowing us to a stop.
“Head over to the church’s lot. Ain’t no parking here.” Tobacco juice stained a corner of Hollis’s mouth, his finger barreling toward the Methodist church.

I couldn’t help but focus on his lazy eye, the right one. When he looked toward the church, the eye drifted elsewhere.

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I like the speaker (Relation to Enoch?) grabbing a fan and the references to July and the hot heads in the town hall. Oh, then we find out she’s a woman. Make this clear up front.

You don’t need the “he said” in the paragraph beginning with “He steered.” It’s clear who is speaking: “…Cowboy Copas,” he said.

Careless caretaker: Can you change the adjective?

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In general, it’s an interesting start but I think the action skips ahead a little too much with not enough setup regarding the protagonist or the location. Sometimes we’re a bit too eager to get to the action. In this case, I’d rather you slow down and show me more insights into who these people are and where they are.

Cruise With Your Muse: An Opportunity to Create

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By: Kathleen Pickering  http://www.kathleenpickering.com

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I believe networking is one of the most important writing business tools for authors. I’ve stressed this fact several times in previous discussions.

While TKZ is a mystery writers site, I make it a point to attend cross-genre conferences because we are ALL writers with something to teach each other.

Today, I’m here to suggest an excellent conference opportunity to add to your networking schedule—or to use as a jump off point if the conference world is new to you.

The Florida Romance Writer’s Cruise With Your Muse Conference, in my humble opinion, offers one of the most laid-back atmospheres to either get your feet wet in the writing industry or celebrate your writing career.

Blue Heaven-Key West

Adam Wilson playing ping-pong while the group awaits  table for breakfast at Blue Heaven in Key West.

 

22236_282690434155_700359155_3635882_220329_n[1]There is something about attending writing  workshops and mingling with authors, editors and agents aboard a beautiful ocean liner that sets the mood for relaxed, fun and productive results. Fellow Blogger, Nancy Cohen, who writes romance and mysteries has also attended this conference as a workshop presenter.

Founding Mothers and imposters

Joan Johnston, Aleka Nakis, Heather Graham, Kathleen Pickering, Sally Fairchild and Tracy Hall after a skit honoring three of FRW’s founding mothers.

Attendees such as authors Heather Graham (who will attend the up-coming cruise), Alexandra Sokoloff, Joan Johnston, Sally Fairchild, Erin McCarthy (another up-coming 2013 attendee), Karen Kendall, as well as TOR editor Eric Raab, Simon & Shuster editor Adam Wilson, Harlequin editor Wanda Ottewell, and agents Lucy Childs and Lucienne Diver were just some of the contributors to previous conferences’ success. You will also note that several of the above named folks write and represent genres other than romance.

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After three years of conference networking, my career launched as the result of the last Florida Romance Writers Cruise With Your Muse Conference in 2011. I met my editor and agent on board. Networking with them in such a care-free environment helped us get to know each other better without the the stress of “performing.” In these two short years working with my agent and editor, I have signed contracts for four books and another novel is being shopped around as we speak.

I consider that excellent results from attending a Cruise!

Charlaine Harris fans will be thrilled to know that Charlaine is our Keynote Speaker for the next FRW Cruise.

charlaine harris

Charlaine is the New York Times Best Selling author of the Sookie Stackhouse urban fantasy series and HBO series, True Blood http://www.hbo.com/true-blood.

Charlaine possesses thirty years of knowledge and success in the writing industry. She will be sharing her insights with authors. Wouldn’t you just love some one-on-one time with her? And, I know she’s going to look hot in a balloon hat!

Visit Charlaine’s website for more details about her amazing career. (http://www.charlaineharris.com/)

Here is a photo from the last conference lunch on the wharf in Cozumel. It’s like a WHERE’S WALDO picture, but if you look closely you can spot  notable authors, editors and agents. (Another of these photos adorns the banner on my Facebook page. www.facebook.com/kathleenpickering)

kp5

So, I beg forgiveness for turning this blog into an advertisement for the FRW Cruise, but I so wholeheartedly endorse networking as a writing business tool, that I didn’t want to miss the chance to share this opportunity.

I will be on this Cruise. I hope to see you there!

Write on, my friends!

xox, Piks

Early Readers

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by Clare Langley-Hawthorne

Always on the lookout for some great new books for my twin boys to read, I was in two city bookstores last Friday when a depressing realization set in…As I scoured the shelves it became increasingly obvious how gender segregated these early readers seem to be. On the boys’ side were books like the Zac Powers and Jack Stalwart secret agents series, Boy vs. Beast and Battle Boy while on the girls’ side were the Rainbow Magic Fairy books, Ivy and Bean, Mermaid and Unicorn books. 


Although I know there are definitely cross-over books like The Magic Tree House books (which are, believe it, or not hard to find in Australia), the way the section was laid out made it clear that there were ‘boy books’ and ‘girl books’ and I had to wonder what kind of message this sent to kids (who are, after all, the readers of the future). 


Although  I’m not the sort who believes we should inflict some crazy gender neutrality on kids, it is kind of depressing that the majority of  ‘boy’ books are all about aliens, battles and secret agents while the girls books were all pink and cutesy with themes of flowers, fairies, unicorns and magic…I wonder as these kids grow up how this will affect their reading choices (which, to be fair, vastly improve as they get to  middle grade and teen books).


My boys think I should rectify the situation by writing some awesomely cool series aimed just for them (I only wish ideas came that easily!) but all I can do is try to mitigate the situation by opening their minds to a whole range of reading choices. I remember growing up that, though there were obviously some girl/boy-centric books, there were heaps of stories that appealed to everyone. Both my husband and I grew up on Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, Mystery and Adventure series and so when we talk about books that we loved as children we have lots of common ground. I just can’t believe twenty-odd years later, that the gap between what boys and girls read seems to have grown wider – at least among primary/elementary school kids. 


Perhaps part of the reason is the perception that it is hard to get boys to read and so publishers have been focusing on ‘cool’ themes to try and encourage boys to pick up a book. Nothing wrong with that…but I have to admit, as a parent, I would love to see books that have broader appeal. Not to mention that the actual writing itself is pedestrian. I fear that the early book market become little more than a production line pushing out a plethora of bland, badly written books.


I feel like there are so many amazing children’s picture books and then there is this huge gap until middle-grade or young adult books (where I think there are some fabulous things going on). Should I be worried that by the time my boys reach that point they will think that books are divided (like clothes) on gender lines (blue for boys, pink for girls…)?


So what do you think? Is reading in these early years getting more gender specific? Is anyone else depressed when they look at books aimed for 6-10 year olds?  



The Most Important Characteristic Every Writer Needs

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James Scott Bell
@jamesscottbell

There are three things that are required for success as a writer: talent, luck, discipline … Discipline is the one that you have to focus on controlling, and you just have to hope and trust in the other two.
—Michael Chabon


Some time ago I waxed lyrical on the two things every novel needs. Today I’d like to focus on the writer, and the single most important characteristic for success: Self-discipline.
That’s right. Even more than talent. Talent is overrated. The ability to get tough, stick with it and produce words beats lazy literary giftedness every time.
That’s why you need your own inner drill sergeant. He has four areas of concentration.


1. Motivation
Desire drives discipline. Mega bestselling writer Phyllis Whitney once said, “You must want it enough. Enough to take all the rejections, enough to pay the price of disappointment and discouragement while you are learning. Like any other artist you must learn your craft—then you can add all the genius you like.”
You’ve got to go into this with the thought that nothing will stop you. And you’ve got to get yourself pumped up to do your work, which is producing the words.
One way to do this is with visual motivators. When I first started I got a coffee mug with WRITER written on it. I looked at it every day.
Another kind of visual is a “model of possibility.” I found a picture of Stephen King that did that for me.

There’s a guy working at his job, his dog under his chair, his office stuffed with books and papers, sitting back with his feet on the desk, editing a manuscript. That’s what I wanted to be doing. I put this picture in a frame and set it in my office where I could see it every day. 
Find your own visual motivators. Create some. It’s not hard to do, and they’ll get your blood flowing.
2. Action
The whole idea of motivation is to get you to take action. If you take action every day toward your goals you begin to feel unstoppable. Let’s say you decide to write 300 words a day, 6 days a week. Maybe that’s all you can manage because of your job or other life priorities. So you do it, and after a month you’ve acquired the habit. You keep this up and in a year you’ll have a book. Keep that up over 20 years and you’ll have 20 books, which is not a bad output at all.
If you have not set a weekly writing quota, do so now. What can you realistically accomplish in a week? I’ll wait.
Good. Now, up that by 10%. Push yourself toward that goal each and every week.
3. Assessment
At various times, just like any business would, you need to step back and assess where you are and where you need to improve. At different stages of my career I would look at where I was in the craft and find weak spots. For example, a few books in I knew I’d become a good plotter, but decided my character work needed improvement. So I designed a self-study program. I gathered a bunch of novels with memorable characters and read them with an eye toward studying what the authors did. I took from my shelf of writing books those that dealt with characters and re-studied key sections. Every time I learned something I would write a scene using that tip or technique.

4. Time Management
Finally, you must learn to manage time. That’s your real currency. When you are holding down a job or chasing kids around the house, finding writing time can be a challenge. But you can if you do three simple things:
a. Plan in advance (use Sunday to plan a week ahead, with a calendar in front of you)
b. Write it down (fill in your calendar with all your obligations, then block out times you can write)
c. Prioritize (learn to ignore those matters that are not important or urgent. Watching the Kardashians is not as important as finishing your novel)
The best book on the subject I ever read is now sadly out of print: How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein (but you can pick up a used copy via Amazon’s used book sellers. You can have one for under $5. Well worth it).
So how are you doing on your self-discipline? Are you producing words on a regular basis? Or do I have to make you drop and give me twenty?

ME AND HORSES ON THE OUTER BANKS ALL WEEK. DEAR GOD

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John Ramsey Miller


I’ve been at the very ass end of the NC Outer Banks since last Saturday with a web connection that is only slightly better than it was when Wilber, or (was it) Orville was lifting off at Kitty Hawk, right up the road a few miles.  I’m typing with my mouth held at a 20 degree angle and outside the wind is blowing 30 knots with thunder booming.  A beach ball just flew by the windows doing fifty miles per. I saw an airplane pulling a banner this morning and it was going backward.

I’m not a beach person. I don’t like the taste of salt water, the sounds of the surf, or the sand in my teeth.  I’ve been reading non-stop, surrounded by family all lobster red from doing beachy things day after day.  Oh, and we weathered a tropical storm (Beryl?) that drove rain into the windows of our 15 bedroom house (we have 35 family members here and all are top flight people I dearly love). We have a huge media room but none of us knows can get anything to show on the projector dealy. Well, cartoons for the kids. Self-defense dictates that cartoons are playing somewhere in this house at all times. We had like thirty cases of wine, lots of scotchy type liquids and cigars. It’s all about gone, and we’re driving out  tomorrow. No roads out here. You 4-wheel up and down the beach and then go over the right dunes to0 get to your house. Trucks by the hundred all day and night. And wild horses on the beach and beside the houses eating the flower beds to the sand. The Spanish dropped the horses off by running their ships into the reefs or some such. Some of the beasts truly look that old, and probably still have galleon splinters in the withers.

I downloaded a bunch of books last week before I . I got the six-book WOOL series by a guy named Hugh Howey who lives in Boone, NC. After I read those, I bought his MOLLY FYDE Bern Saga of four books. I’m hooked on this guy’s work. Seriously, this guy’s worlds are as real as the one out your door. Maybe realer. Someone told me yesterday that the WOOL series has been purchased for a film series by a hot shot bunch jealous of the HUNGER GAMES success. I can see it. Both series from a self-published author, whose books will knock socks off at ten miles. I’ve been stuck to my Kindle in a silo world in Georgia and in outer space. I suggest you read the first WOOL book (get the first five for $3.99) and I defy you to stop at the first.

My dog sitter called to tell me that a fox or a possum got into the aviary/roost and killed all of my chickens, including Rusty, my rooster. Our five chickens were four years old and hardly laying any more, but we enjoyed watching them not lay eggs anymore, kick dead leaves, and peck at the ground. When I get back I’m going fox hunting.

So anyway I’m just here to tell you all that I’m not doing a blog this week. and why.  LOOK AT THE HORSES!!!

Launch Week

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By John Gilstrap

Okay, I’ll start with the apology.  When my editor told me that last week was the launch of the front-of-store displays for Damage Control, she was mistaken.  In reality, all of the promotional stuff starts next Monday with the launch of a post card to the 1,744 people on my mailing list, followed up the next day (the actual launch day) with a mass mailing of the same post card to Kensington’s 15,000-plus-person list.

If you’d like to be added to the list, send me an email to john at johngilstrap dot com and I’ll make sure that happens.  If you want to be removed from the list, there’s a link to that effect on anything you might receive from me.

Forgive me if I seem overly opportunistic, but I’d like to talk to day about what readers can do to most favorably impact the careers and livelihoods of the authors they like.  Obviously, buying books is an important first step, but it goes further than that.

Buy on or before the launch date.  More and more, the book industry is governed by the numbers.  If a book sells well in its first days, it is guaranteed to have a long life in the marketplace.  If it doesn’t, life becomes difficult.  It’s not just about the money that a book earns.  In fact the absolute value of the revenue generated is less important than the velocity with which it is generated.  Thus, if there’s an author out there whose book you know you will ultimately buy, you can have a far greater impact on the writer’s career if you pre-order or order in the first week than you can if you wait even two or three weeks after release.

Tell people about your purchase.  Even with the retraction of the paper book market and the death of the corner bookstores, word-of-mouth continues to be the number-one source of sales for books.  Your post on Twitter or Facebook or Amazon or Barnes & Noble makes a huge difference.  And if you don’t like one of my books, please spell my name correctly: G-R-I-S-H-A-M.

Tell your local bookseller.  If you’re a merchant, and you’ve got a couple thousand products on your shelves, there’s no way that you can be truly familiar with more than a few.  When you hear from a satisfied customer, that voice resonates loudly.  This is particularly important for authors who are relatively new in their careers.

If you don’t find a book on the shelves, ask the bookseller to order it.  Again, for the first- or second-timer whose books are rarely ordered again after the two or three original copies are sold, these requests literally translate to the life or death of their careers.

Utilize social media.  This is an area where I’m still learning my way around the basics.  If an author you like tweets something you think is interesting, re-tweet it.  Forward it via email.  Like it on Facebook.

Write to authors.  It’s a lonely world when you tell stories to your screen, and then launch them into the ether.  It’s always nice to know that there are real people out there on the other end of the writing equation.

So, what have I missed?