The 5 Worst Things a Writer Can Say
huffingtonpost.com – Monday October 26, 2015
This past week, I launched my fifth novel, Chance Harbor, provoking a friend to exclaim, "Wow, you're popping out books like Tic Tacs, aren't you?"
She has a point. Six years ago, I hadn't even published one book. It took me a quarter century to land a traditional publishing deal, so nobody could be more surprised--or thrilled--than I am to see my books be born.
These days, I'm often approached by aspiring writers who want to know how I beat the odds. I'm always happy to chat with anyone about writing and publishing, but sometimes I hear writers say things that make me cringe. Here are some of the worst things writers have said to me lately:
Award-Winning Novelist Cecilia Galante Shares The Realities Of Writing As A Profession
forbes.com – Saturday October 24, 2015
As a writer of non-fiction and an experienced blogger, I see myself as someone with a strong grasp of ideas and of the written word. But when it comes to writing an enthralling novel that impacts our understanding of ourselves and our lives, now that’s a completely different animal.
My Writing Education: A Time Line
newyorker.com – Friday October 23, 2015
February 1986
Tobias Wolff calls my parents’ house in Amarillo, Texas, leaves a message: I’ve been admitted to the Syracuse Creative Writing Program. I call back, holding Back in the World in my hands. For what seems, in chagrined memory, like eighteen hours, I tell him all of my ideas about Art and list all the things that have been holding me back artistic-development-wise and possibly (God! Yikes!) ask if he ever listens to music while he writes. He’s kind and patient and doesn’t make me feel like an idiot. I do that myself, once I hang up.
Writing books is not a sane way to make a living
independent.co.uk – Saturday October 17, 2015
Since the beginning of the year I have been writing a book about Star Trek. Next September, it will be 50 years since the first episode (“The Man Trap”) was shown on American television, and although an anniversary isn't necessarily the best reason for a new book, observers of the publishing process will know that it's often a very good excuse. A couple of weeks ago I finished the book and sent it off by email, three and a half months after the original deadline, two and a half months after the renegotiated deadline and six weeks after the absolutely final deadline that could not be breached on pain of death. Douglas Adams's famous comment on the subject (“I love deadlines – I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by”) speaks to every writer in the world, alive or dead.
Reclusive novelist Dominic Cooper: what do writers do when the words no longer come?
newstatesman.com – Friday October 16, 2015
In 2013, a local paper reported on a strange script chiselled into a stone that had baffled not only historians but US code-breakers for decades. The mystery was solved when Cooper stepped forward and said that he was the secret poet.
Great books that publishers rejected – quiz
theguardian.com – Thursday October 15, 2015
Man Booker winner Marlon James says he was turned down 78 times before getting published, and his long search for recognition is not unique. Find out how much you know about the history of literary rebuffs with our quiz on the great rejected books.
The Therapeutic Value in the Process of Writing a Memoir
huffingtonpost.com – Wednesday October 14, 2015
Ever since my beloved brother's death by suicide I had held onto his diaries avidly protecting them, always maintaining some vague undefined hope that I would one day do 'something' with them. I didn't know it would take over twenty years and I didn't know that what began as an ode to my brother would morph into an unparalleled journey of healing for me.
Travis Heermann writing in a foreign universe
stuff.co.nz – Tuesday October 13, 2015
As the start of a promising writing career it left a lot to be desired. Travis Heermann, 45, from Nebraska in the US, got the first novel he wrote accepted by a literary agent in New York, who sold it to a publisher. Unfortunately the agent and the publisher were both crooks and he "never got a dime."
A manifesto for all writers
thebookseller.com – Monday October 12, 2015
"There are too many adjectives in publishing already," writes Carla Douglas, an editor based in Kingston, Ontario. "We need to bridge the self-pub/trad-pub divide" she tells us in her manifesto, "do away with these distinctions and let writers be writers." And as she develops her point here, note that Douglas is talking not only to the industry that surrounds such talent but also to the writers, themselves: "Focus on the writing, publish however you like, but publish well."
Steven Pinker: 'Many of the alleged rules of writing are actually superstitions'
theguardian.com – Tuesday October 6, 2015
People often ask me why I followed my 2011 book on the history of violence, The Better Angels of Our Nature, with a writing style manual. I like to say that after having written 800 pages on torture, rape, world war, and genocide, it was time to take on some really controversial topics like fused participles, dangling modifiers, and the serial comma.
Get the free newsletter | Submit a news item or article | Get Writers' News for your website
