Writers, Writers Everywhere!

In case you haven't heard, it was a big week for writers in Manhattan this week. The ginormous Book Expo America was held at the Javits Center, overlapping with the Backspace Conference. I didn't participate in either of these events (I'd planned on going to one day of BEA, but, long story short, I had to spend the day getting my daughter tested for swine flu. It was negative. Yay.) but I did meet up with some writers I've met online and IRL. 

On Friday, I met AWer mikeland for coffee near Union Square. He critiqued one of my short stories and gave me fabulous feedback a few months back. We've been communicating online for a while, so it was great to see him in person. Much chatting of agents and the publishing industry ensued.

Last night, I went out for drinks with some other AWers (ClaudiaGray, NeuroFizz, Lara, and Sharonb423) and some Backspace attendees at the uber-writerly Algonquin Hotel Bar. (Pictured above. Notice all the booze on the table.) 

Then the hubs and I went out to dinner with the very fun Debbie and her husband, Chuck. Debbie was a conference queen this week, attending BOTH (and having great success, might I add.) I'm sure she'll be posting her pictures when she gets home.

Fun week! 

And if any of you come to NYC, please let me know. I loved talking shop.

So yeah….uh…hmmm

Today was the last day of the Pitch and Shop conference. I think the biggest overall takeaway, for me at least, is how differently people can react to the same thing.

We pitched four editors. The first really seemed enthusiastic about my pitch and wants to read my manuscript (hooray!). She didn’t have anything negative to say. The pitch, at least, totally clicked for her. She would be my dream editor, so let’s hope the writing does, too.

Two editors liked elements of my pitch, but when they asked further questions, it was obvious to me that I should have presented the same story in a completely different way.

With one editor, it was just so not her thing.

The funny thing is that I researched all four editors and had them pegged completely backwards. Based on the books the last woman edited, I thought it would be perfect for her. AND I thought the first editor wouldn’t be in to my kind of book at all.

So where do I stand now? I’m working on *two* versions of a query letter, at the recommendation of my workshop teacher. My “commercial version” is polished and ready. Now I need a more “literary version” in the hopes that I can be smart enough to match the right letter to the right agent. I’ve been told that my writing is literary and my plot screams commercial, so maybe two versions is the right way to go.

Ay yi yi...I'm all befuddled.

Finding the right comp

Two more pitches at the conference today. I’m getting more confident with each one, but the nervous energy in the hall as we wait is palpable. Today the dancer/ actors were trying out for Grease, so EVERYONE in the hall was anxiously waiting for a tryout.

So, Melanie asked in the comments yesterday about finding comparable books. Over on Absolute Write, it seems that evoking other authors in a query letter is taboo, but I have to say, it was HUGELY important at this conference. Maybe the difference is that we are pitching editors directly--I don’t know--but we spent a lot of time finding good ones in preparation for the pitch and several of the editors have commented about having them to market a book.

I am by no means an expert on the subject, but I can share with you what I learned:

--Make sure your comps match the tone of your pitch (or, I guess, letter.) My pitch was making my novel seem a bit more breezy than it is. Partially because of the setting, but partially because of my word choice. My comps at first were The Position by Meg Wolitzer (because of the whole multi-POV, family dynamic thing) and Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates because I’ve been told my novel is similar to that, but not quite as bleak. Revolutionary Road seemed to throw everyone. It’s a very literary, very dark book and my pitch just didn’t feel heavy. So I tweaked the pitch to be a bit more serious and switched both comps to sound like this:

In the style of The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer and Little Children by Tom Perotta, Up from Drowning explores the mother / daughter dynamic and idea of accepting the imperfections of the people we love.

Much better, and more clear.

--Don’t use a book everyone else would use (“It’s the new Harry Potter!” It’s just like the Da Vinci Code!”), but don’t use a book that no one knows, either. Try to pick a recent book that sold well.

--Be careful how you word why your novel compares. Use phrases like “With the honesty of ______.” Or “With the intimate voice of ____.” Think about HOW your novel compares and WHY you are using that book. It doesn’t have to be *just* like it. I’m not writing about an affair between a stay-at-home mom and a stay-at-home dad, but Tom Perotta writes about families well, and I have a similar style and pace. The Wolitzer book is set in Manhattan and is all about mothers, plus she uses more than one POV and touches on mother/daughter relationships.

--Actually read the book before you use it as a comp.

--Amazon is a great way to find comps. I looked up a book I thought might work, and magically Amazon suggested two more that actually worked better.

Brain. Fried.

Sorry I haven't been checking in for the last few days. I've been spending my days at the Pitch & Shop conference here in NY and I come home just exhausted. Of course, it doesn't help that I seem to be catching a cold as well.

And yes, my husband has been doing a fabulous job picking up the kids and getting them where they need to be. Yay him. Now he just needs to get them to soccer and fencing and he's all finished.

At the conference yesterday, we broke into small groups based on genre and worked on our pitches. Then worked on our pitches some more. I think my butt is going to be completely flat and about three feet wide after this is over, because there is a lot of sitting and listening and working. Whatever it takes, I say, flat butt be damned if it the result is a strong pitch. Our teacher has been fantastic and really knows how to focus on the compelling part of a story to make it interesting.

So today I pitched my first editor, and it went very well. Surprisingly, she didn't have claws and fangs and she didn't say things like "Terrible!" and "What were you thinking?!" She was actually a nice person with good insight and suggestions. I'm feeling more confident after meeting her.

The conference is held in a dance/actor studio in midtown. I think people are trying out for Guys and Dolls and various other Broadway shows. Every once in awhile I take my flat butt out into the hall and see actors stretching and warming up their voices. During the pitch session today, we could hear la-la-LA-LA-la-la-la coming from another studio, and someone screaming like he'd been shot. Maybe I'll put on my jazz hands and go tryout, while I'm there and everything. Or maybe not.

Two more editors tomorrow, and one the day after.

Whew.

Nervous Nelly

My conference is starting tomorrow and what makes me the most nervous? The fact that my husband will be caring for my daughters for the next four days. And he's ENTIRELY capable of the job, my brain is well aware of this fact. He's wonderful and patient and able to pick them up from school on time and take them where they need to go. And with the stock market in its current shaky condition, I'm grateful that he's going to pitch in and help me with my schedule. How much have I made of this writing quest so far? Oh yeah, that's right...zero dollars.

I know this is probably more of a reflection on ME than it is on him. The girls will be thrilled that dad is picking them up from school. Other parents might wonder if he just got laid off, but that's okay. Everyone will be happy and healthy. Yet, I'm sure I'll be sitting at the conference, checking my watch around 3 pm, wondering if he got there. I'm ridiculous. The root of the problem is that I'm a control freak. Is there some sort of AA program or rehab for people like me?

My outfit is picked out and my messenger bag's all packed

Starting this Thursday, I'm attending the NYC Pitch & Shop Conference. So, I've been putting my pitch together, think about my hook, and simultaneously working on a synopsis that was requested by an agent. All this requires big-picture thinking, and as someone who is prone to getting bogged down in the details, it was quite a stretch for me.

It ended up being a good thing. I'm now thinking about my novel in a more precise way, and when people ask me what I'm writing about, I can tell them without too many "uhhs" or "umms." I have a background in marketing, so one would think a plan for selling would come easily, but it's tough when it's your own work and you've been obsessing over every little detail for the past year or more.

The first day of the conference is devoted to perfecting your pitch and making sure your novel has all the elements for commercial fiction. I've heard that the workshops can be tough and blunt, but that approach works for me. The 3 days that follow are devoted to pitching your story to editors. I'm slightly nervous there, but I think it will be fine.

I'll be sure to blog and tell you how it went!

Pitch It, Baby

As I mentioned before, I have recently signed up for a pitch conference here in New York in September. I'm just finishing up my edits now, so I've just started writing this sucker. 

In a pre-conference email, the good people of the NY Pitch and Shop conference have let me know that I'll need to have all these elements in my pitch: 

Hook

Scene Set

Major Complication 

Rising Action

Cliffhanger

I don't think I'll have a problem writing this up. It's the actual pitching that I might just flub.

Any tips for that? Shots of whiskey? Valium? 

What settles your nerves?

Getting that Agent

I'm linking to this great post by author and fellow AWer Adrienne Kress (aka Toothpaste) about the process of getting an agent. She did a fine, fine job summarizing the process, and this comes at a good time for me since I am thisclose to finishing my WIP, and currently researching agents and shining up my query and pitch. 

So thanks, Ms. Kress!

Just call me Conference Girl from now on

Apparently I can't get enough of conferences. Just as the Southampton Writers Conference was wrapping up, I decided to go ahead and apply for the NYC Pitch and Shop conference in September. While SWC was a craft workshop, and very beneficial, this one is for pitch sessions. With editors. Like, face to face. Yikes. 

So I received the email today that my synopsis was accepted and I can go ahead and send them my 500 bucks. I have no clue if that's a great thing or if they take every schmo who bothers to apply, but I DO know I have to get my ass in gear and finish this sucker now. 

It's okay. I work better under pressure.

I think.

Anybody wanna babysit my kids for the next two months?

SWC--*sniff* It's over.

I did my reading yesterday (the flash fiction piece "Watching Harlem" on the left column if you are interested) and I was less nervous than I thought I would be. It was kind of a rush, actually. I think I was okay.

The readings went all day --9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.--and I was surprised at the overall quality of the work. Some people there were so talented. The day ended with the musical theatre people putting on a very funny performance about the conference set to the theme of "West Side Story" -- Poets vs. Playwrites. There was a quip about Billy Collins that had everyone laughing...I'll just leave it at that. 

We went out to dinner last night with about half of my novelist group and a poet. And my husband who works in finance. I've been to so many Wall Street dinners with him, now it was his chance to smile and nod and have no clue what we were talking about. I'm sad to see my new writer friends go.

Now I need to actually get back to writing.

SWC Nearing the End

I'm so sad my conference is nearly over. Another week would kill me since I can't possibly keep up with this pace, but I would die happy. Today was our last workshop with Meg Wolitzer and we had a goodbye lunch (complete with booze and a sing-along) on a classmate's bayfront deck. And it was a perfect day for it.

Tomorrow we are all reading our work in front of everyone at the conference--including Pulitzer Prize winners, National Book Award winners, and a Nobel laureate. No pressure.

So today I attended a lecture called Presenting Your Work. Here are some tips:

Advice Mom Might Give

--Drink plenty of water before you go on. Makes a huge difference.

--Rest (I'm hoping I can do that tonight with help from my little friend Cabernet.)

About that Tricky Microphone

It's awful when someone doesn't know how to speak into a mic. DON'T SPEAK DIRECTLY INTO IT. Point it at your adam's apple and speak OVER the mic. Much better. And if you have to adjust it, hold on to the mic holder, not the mic itself. 

What Is It I'm Reading Again?

--Know your material.

--Use at least 14 pt. type.

When You Get Up There

--Square off your stance

--Take a clear breath away from the mic. It settles yourself and your audience.

--Pause and make eye contact before you start your piece. 

--Play to your ideal audience. Don't doubt yourself before you go on. Think about those who support you and love your work. 

--Pacing: speak slowly. Give them time to absorb the words. 

And Finally...

--Receive their applause. Don't rush off the stage.

That last one will come in handy. I'm sure I'll have to hang out on stage for many, many shouts of Encore! More, please!

Yeah right.

SWC Day...oh, I don't even know anymore

My brain has swollen to three times its normal size with all the information on writing that has been shoved in it for the last few days. It's Thursday, right? I've lost track.

I've been too busy to update regularly, so here are some highlights:

Amy Hempel gave a craft lecture on Lunging at Vacancy, or, How to Recognize What's Right in Front of You. If you haven't read her short stories, do so. She has a very interesting approach. Instead of starting with a character or idea, she usually starts with language and evoking emotions with the sounds of words--the acoustically incorrect sentence is dead. Read aloud, people! Think about pairing off words that might otherwise never meet, or turn around the meaning of a mundane thing. Your take just might provide insight and clarity. 

Frank McCourt, Meg Wolitzer, Roger Rosenblatt, and Melissa Bank sat for a Q&A on novel writing today, urging us to write what is important. I know that the question "Why are you telling me this?" has caused me to rethink a few scenes in my WIP. The deeper truth is there, I think, but I just need to find a better way to bring it forward. (Hence the swelling of my brain.)

Oh, and I'm doing a reading on Saturday! Like in front of people and everything! Ack! 

SWC Day 6--Research

Yes, I know I skipped days 4 and 5, but in summary my piece was workshopped (well-received, might I add, and I got some very helpful feedback too) and I bagged some lectures to go to the beach. Not much has changed about me since high school in that regard. 

Today was another workshop with Meg Wolitzer to go over other people's work, but I do find that I learn something about my own writing even when discussing specifics of someone else's.

We also had a great lecture about research (one that I very nearly skipped!) from Catherine Creedon*, a research librarian at the Sag Harbor Library. Thank goodness I was a serious student today, because this lecture will directly impact my upcoming WIP. She spoke about the limitations of Google and provided us with a nifty little handout of other sources for research. I'll give you the Cliff Notes:

Regular Search Engine Stuff besides Google:

Clusty--this organizes the returns in clusters to refine your search

Dogpile--searches several search engines at once

SPUTTR--another good source

Reference Sites:

Best Information of the Net

Bartleby--this one was very cool. It has just about every reference book you can think of online, plus lots of fiction.

Librarian's Internet Index

Gutenberg Collection--another very cool site with thousands of whole books available to download. I'll use this a ton.

Jstor--search academic articles from scholarly journals

Specialized Sites:

US Government Photos

Flikr

IMDb

PodScope--search videos and podcasts

CyberCemetery--archive dead government web pages

Wayback Machine--archive dead non-governmental web pages

And, of course there is Wiki, but you all know that it should only be used as a starting point, right? 

Go forth and research!

*Let's make a librarian happy and cite sources here. Thanks Catherine Creedon. 

SWC Day 3--Dark Comical Sex

I'm going to regret posting that title. Some pervert is going Google "sex" and stumble upon my blog, only to find a bunch of stuff about writing. How very disappointing. Sorry. 

So. Today's morning lecture was on the topic of writing sex, and much nervous giggling and tittering ensued the first few minutes. Elizabeth Benedict lectured (author of The Joy of Writing Sex) on what makes for a really interesting sex scene that's not just full of heaving bosoms and panting. She says that a good sex scene is always about sex and something else--it's the conflict of what they want and how that motivates their behavior that makes for good reading. The relationship between the two people (or three, or...whatever) is key to originality. She also said we need to turn off the sensors about what other people will think (I know that's an issue for me. My mother might read it! Ack!) and just write the scene. She also said a bunch of other useful stuff, ss here's her website: www.elizabethbenedict.com.

After lunch, the cartoonist Gahan Wilson spoke about dark humor and how being playful with the grotesque can help people cope with tragedy and turn it into something that can be handled. As someone who is prone to bursts of inappropriate laughter, I agree. 

Then literary agent Chris Calhoun answered questions about the agent/author relationship. Some of the stuff you might already know, like how to write a query letter, and if you don't, please see the list at the left and click on Nathan Bransford. He's a lit agent who blogs and he has some very useful information on this topic. (And here's a tip about Chris Calhoun: he strongly prefers snail mail.)

Homework time again. 

SWC Day 2

Today started with a workshop with Meg Wolitzer and a room full of 12 writers and wannabe writers sizing each other up. Seems like a fairly diverse group of people--some published, some not. Feigning braveness, I volunteered to have my piece put up for workshop first. I've been in a couple of workshops before, so while I know my submission needs a lot of work, I'm not too nervous about having people comment. Meg seems like a very giving teacher, and she reminded me of one my former Gotham teachers (and fellow AWer.)

Next was a lecture on dramatic action by Alan Alda. I have to confess that I haven't read any of his books, but wow, what an intelligent guy. I picked up his book to add it to my stack. He spoke about forward motion in writing, and how every line has to earn its keep to propel the story along. Not so much of a lover of narrative exposition (but really, who is? Still, it did get me thinking about some parts of my WIP that might drag.)

Tonight's reading was from Meg Wolitzer from The Ten Year Nap and Amy Hempel from The Collected Stories. Both women have very different styles of writing, but they couldn't have been more entertaining. 

Off to do my homework....

Southampton Writer's Conference -- Day 1

So after much fretting about my writer's conference ("What if I'm the oldest one there?" "Who will I sit by at dinner?"  "What should I wear?") I went to the first day. Well, first evening. And it was fine. Answers: I wasn't, some other nice writers, and a cute little sundress. Tonight was orientation and a cookout.

It's a full (12 day!) schedule, starting with tonight's reading by nobel prize winning poet Derek Walcott. He writes about his native St. Lucia and his words were so vivid and beautiful--like brushstrokes across a canvas. 

My workshop starts tomorrow at 10 am with Meg Wolitzer. I've already met some of the people in my group and it seems like a diverse and interesting crowd.  

Wish me luck.

Telling Those Men in My Head to Bite Me

I’m not normally a person who lacks confidence. I mean, at all. It’s an unfortunate by-product of being an only child. We tend to believe we are much greater than what’s actually true. I have the opposite problem from most: my chutzpah gets me into situations that it turns out I can’t handle. Like the time I traveled to India by myself and nearly got into a fistfight with a soldier on an overnight train to Bihar. (Hey! He was trying to steal my bunk.)

But lately I’ve been nervous (ok, freaking out) about an upcoming Writer’s Conference I’m attending. When I sent off my writing sample, I was excited about the prospect of going to the workshops, attending the lectures, networking, all that stuff. One of my favorite novelists is teaching and it gives me a chance to stalk her all around campus.

Now all I can think about is being That Poor Woman Who Can’t Write For Shit. Am I going to be out of my league? Will I run crying from the room after harsh critiques? Go home! Losah!

Ok, maybe it won’t be that bad. But still.

Any words of wisdom? How do you deal with those voices in your head?