Finding The Right Teacher

By mutual agreement, a student and I recently parted. I was frustrated because, over the course of six months, there was no growth in her work; she was frustrated because, over the course of six months, she had not gotten famous.

I write because I love it and I need it. I have an insatiable need to hear (read) stories and to tell stories. While everyone has an individual process, I believe that the best work is done when you concentrate on the work – you limit your distractions and you completely enter the world of the piece. That doesn’t mean you let the children fall down the stairs or that you can only write in a mountain cabin with moose peering in the window. But I believe it means it is rare to create good work when you have the television on, your iPod plugged into your ear, your cell phone in the other ear, and you are IM’ing while you type a word here and there on your WIP.

Writing takes commitment, patience, talent, imagination and complete attention. It also means sitting down and putting words on paper on the days when you don’t feel like it. A day off is a good thing for everyone. A week off and you’ve lost the thread of the work. You have to remember to play, to experiment with new techniques. But you also have to approach it as work – a vocation as much as an inspiration.

That means focus and attention. It means putting the words on paper. It means finishing what you start. It means putting the completed draft away so that you can revisit it a few weeks later and read it as though it was written by someone else. You can only bring it to the best it can be if you gain a certain amount of objectivity. While I don’t believe you must murder all your darlings, to paraphrase a famous writing quote, I do believe you have to remove what doesn’t work even when it’s something to which you’re attached.

You’re a writer. Nothing you do is ever wasted. Everything is material.

Once it is the best you can make it, then you send it to your Trusted Readers. And then you go back and work on it some more.

THEN, you have something you can sell.

It is not the only way. There are many writers – some of them quite successful – who market more than they write. They’ve found an audience. They fit their niche and they succeed. More power to them. It’s a brutal business, and I certainly applaud anyone who finds a way to play the system.

However, their writing doesn’t move me. It doesn’t transport me the way a poem by Jane Augustine or a novel by Elizabeth Berg does. I can’t fall into it, experience the world and live the novel because it’s all brand-names and surface clichés. It’s like skimming the front page of a newspaper – you see if your eyes rest on any of the words, and then read a paragraph or two before skipping to the next bit.

Is that how you want your work read? And NOT remembered?

Process is individual. Goals are individual. What you need to do is sit down and figure out how you want your writing future to unfold. What sort of career do you want? Do you want to regularly hit the bestseller list? There’s nothing wrong with commercial, popular writing. But it takes a different kind of process than it does to write a quiet, internal novel or a book of poetry or a travel tome.

The right teacher can help point you down the path. The teacher can’t do the work for you, but can offer suggestions to make the journey easier. The wrong teacher can do irreparable harm.

Several years ago, I spent four days a week in writing classes. One was taught by a writer whose work I knew and liked; I ended up writing a draft of a mystery novel which later evolved into the serial Tapestry and is re-defining itself as a novel again. The other was taught by a short story writer whose work I never read. She insisted that if we did not write in the cadence of John Gardner or Raymond Carver, we didn’t know anything about short stories and shouldn’t write. She berated several of us for trying to experiment with character and story and theme and told us we didn’t know anything about writing and should quit.

I quit the class instead.

Several months later, I saw her newest book. I flipped through it, figuring perhaps I would understand her point of view if I read her work.

I couldn’t get past the first page. It was hollow, insincere, and a cheap imitation of her favorite writers. It wasn’t her voice – it was a retelling of someone else’s, but without the original sparkle.

I put the book back.

There were people in the first class who left feeling frustrated because they found they didn’t enjoy the process of writing a mystery novel. There were people in the second class who thrived, because the teacher’s beliefs on writing resonated with them. Unfortunately, I was not one of them.

My Recalcitrant Student admitted she wanted the fame and fortune part, but did not want to do the actual writing. I suggested that she find a teacher who worked more from the marketing angle – i.e., those who swear that, even without a track record, you can land a six figure deal on a query letter without a manuscript or a track record. If she can do it, good for her.

But we are not a good match.

On the flip side, I participate in the Abysnthe Muse mentoring program. The young woman with whom I’m working is never afraid to roll up her sleeves and get to work. And she takes suggestions and not only uses them, but makes a leap of the imagination, taking it farther and better than I could ever hope.

We are a good match.

The right teacher is as important as the right agent, the right editor, and the right reader. Finding those people takes time and patience. And a willingness to honestly end the relationship in as positive a way as possible when it does not work.

The Power of Words

The British Nazi historian, David Irving, will be spending Christmas and New Year behind the bars of a Viennese jail after being remanded for four weeks pending trial in January, for allegedly lying about the Holocaust.

Irving was arrested two weeks ago and has been charged with denying there were gas chambers at the Auschwitz death camp in speeches he made in Austria 16 years ago.

At the recent custody hearing the magistrate dismissed Mr Irving’s lawyer’s request for bail on the grounds he was a “flight risk” and that Britain might “refuse extradition back to Austria for trial”.

He is to be tried under a 1947 Austrian law banning Nazi revivalism and criminalising belittling or justifying the crimes of the Third Reich. Irving faces a jail term of one to ten years if found guilty.

Mr Irving intents to plead guilty, but also to declare his remorse and insist that he has changed his views on the Third Reich since he made the speeches back in 1989. Irving said “after researching the Russian archives in the 1990s, I’ve repented. I’ve no intention of repeating these views. I fully accept this [the holocaust], it’s a fact. The discussion on Auschwitz, the gas chambers and the Holocaust is finished – it’s useless to dispute it.”

Mr Irving’s case highlights a potent risk for any writer; the power mere words can have, no matter how long ago they were written.

Whatever the subject matter, every writer goes through the same process when they are writing about something that others may construe as being controversial or taboo.

In modern days, novelists still have difficulty introducing certain subject matters into their work, not just because it may be economically suicidal, but also because writing about something society finds hard to accept, means you are handing over a part of your soul to it, and that can be the problem.

For instance, I could never write about the subject of paedophilia. From a personal point of view it disgusts me and I would wish castration on anyone involved in such activities. Writing about it connects me to it on a level I would not want to go to. I would have to address it emotionally, attempt to understand it and then through my words, I would be emitting an opinion, however subtle. I simply could not do it.

When Mr Irving wrote those speeches about the Holocaust sixteen years ago, who knew what was going through his mind. Maybe he had a connection somehow, or maybe he was just interested from a historical point of view. But no matter how he came to his conclusions back then, his misguided views became greyed and he published his opinion, which he surely must have known would be highly controversial.

The subject of Mr. Irving’s right to a freedom of speech is naturally a concern, but not the point here. That’s for another article and it probably won’t concern Mr. Irving. I’m thinking Salmon Rushdie; victim or suicide in the cause of free speech? You see where I’m going with this.

The fact that Irving has since done more research and has changed his opinion doesn’t take away from the fact that his thoughts were made public. They were published and that is how he will be forever remembered. He said it, therefore the scar will remain forever no matter how he tries to remove it. Whether a jury will see it like that remains to be seen. He may end up paying a hefty price for his opinion expressed through the medium of literature.

In short, don’t write anything you might never want people to read some day.

Grab and Go at the Library

I sometimes use this approach to selecting books at the library. I walk through different sections and grab a book off the shelf at random. I don’t stop to look at what I’ve picked up; I just grab something and head for the circulation desk. The grab and go approach has introduced me to numerous authors, some have even landed on my Book Wish List. I’ve come across a few unappealing works using the method but I only invested a little time so it’s no big deal. It’s fun to walk through the bookstore and see all the names of authors I’ve tried at the library. Whether I liked the work or not, I recognize the author’s name. The next time you’re in the library, try the grab and go method. You may just find a treasure.

Give Thanks

Give Thanks for your talent and drive to write;

Give Thanks for the insatiable need humans have for stories;

Give Thanks for those who surround you and support you;

Give Thanks for being alive.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don’t Forget Your Roots

When Edinburgh was announced as the first City of Literature, many people assumed some money would be put into promoting the fact that the Scottish capital has a rich and diverse history in the world of literature.

All through history, writers have lived in and been fascinated by the city of Edinburgh; from greats such as Sir Walter Scott and Arthur Conan Doyle to JK Rowling and Ian Rankin. The world famous Edinburgh International Book Festival attracts thousands of readers and big name guest writers from all over the world each year.

Yet Edinburgh still suffers from a lack of political foresight. The Writers’ Museum in the Lawnmarket, provides access to the collections of Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns and you would imagine that one of its greatest sons, Robert Louis Stevenson, would also be remembered in such a way.

Some of the finest Stevenson artefacts, including photographs of his life in Scotland, France, California and Samoa, letters and a pair of the author’s boots, are kept under lock and key because there are not enough staff to attend them.

The museum is run by Edinburgh City Council, but the Stevenson collection has been closed for 75 per cent of the time in recent years because of staffing shortages. Stevenson fans are outraged that the Council allows this to happen, particularly while the city is at the centre of the world’s literary stage.

Their frustration is borne out of the mis-management of Edinburgh Council, when this summer it spent thousands of pounds of tax-payers money implementing road restrictions in the city centre, only to announce they were reversing them last week because they weren’t working.

Elaine Greig, Curator of the Writers’ Museum, said “Stevenson is by far the most popular writer with visitors. However, the Stevenson collection has always been kept in the basement and, as a consequence, is the first place to shut when staffing was low.”

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Lesley Hinds, promised to install extra staff at the museum following the complaints. She said: “I hope it will be more accessible and available than at the moment.”

The council said a receptionist had been deployed to the museum, allowing two attendants to staff all areas, and it hoped this would become permanent.

Ian Nimmo, Chairman of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club, said “One of the main conditions that the RLS Club agreed with the city when it handed over its collection for safe keeping, was that it would be on public view.”

“Too often, the Stevenson Room at the Writers’ Museum is closed and hundreds of visitors with a Stevenson interest are being turned away disappointed. As the City of Literature, Edinburgh must surely do better.”

Write What You Know

For my entire writing career, I’ve always heard “write what you know”. But what I really believe is this: Write what you want to know.

I haven’t really lived a very long life, so if I wrote what I knew, I’d put readers to sleep. I don’t know if elves, fairies, dragons or dwarves really exist. Or if there really is such a thing as magic, ghosts and angels. I’ve never killed anyone or used drugs or been involved in a sword fight. I’ve never time traveled to the past or the distant future. I’ve never been in a hurricane or a blizzard or even seen more than a foot of snow (I live in Texas).

But I write about all these things. I write about magic and dragons, blizzards and sword fights. Just because I’ve never seen or done these things, doesn’t mean I can’t write about them. Right?

It’s one part imagination and another part research and reading. Read voraciously. Everything you’re interested in and maybe things you don’t know you’re interested in. Part of being a writing is being inquisitive and learning.

So. Write what you know and what you WANT to know.

Writers’ Haven

Every time I see an empty commercial building, I dream of taking out a lease on it, or, better yet, purchasing it.

I have no desire to run a restaurant or a gift shop. But I harbor a fantasy of owning a Writers’ Haven. A place where writers could rent space cheaply (hourly, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly) or come and read or hang out in a café and be with other writers.

The bottom floor would have a sunny, well-lit, comfortable lobby where participants could wait for friends or make phone calls. A Welcome Desk would figure prominently, with a friendly but firm staff to take care of paperwork, and make sure that the rules were followed.

There wouldn’t be many rules. But they would include:

1) Respect others’ time, space, and quiet.
2) No cell phones. Zero tolerance policy. If your cell phone rings anywhere other than the lobby or the cafe, you are banned from the center for good. If you receive a vibrating call, you can only answer the call or return it in the lobby or café. You CANNOT answer it as you are walking out of the room, screeching at the top of your lungs.
3) No chewing gum or food in the writing and reading areas. There’s a place to eat and snack. Beverages are allowed.
4) No personal stereos or iPods. Even if you’ve got that plug in your ear, if I can hear it from here, it’s too damned loud.

The first floor would contain the café, which would have a variety of delicious foods – some filling comfort foods, some healthy foods, and wonderful treats like chocolate cake. And plenty of coffee. The aromas of fresh, seasonal food stimulate creativity. Readings and even short plays are staged there.

The second floor would be split into two sections. At the back of the building would be The Sanctuary. It would be designed along the lines of an English country house library, with many sorts of books, large wooden tables, comfortable chairs in which to sit and write, and comfortable chairs in which to sit and read. No computers allowed in the room. Only longhand. The doors to the rest of the building would be soundproofed and kept closed, and the staff (hopefully working on their own novels) assigned to the room would enforce the rules. It would smell like books.

The front section would be more relaxed and modern, with a series of large and small tables with computer hookups. Maybe even play music quietly. Tropical, slightly citrusy scents would fill the air, since citrus is a mood enhancer.

Writers’ groups could book either of the above for their meetings.

The third floor would contain a series of small, private rooms that writers could rent out, if they want office space.

This offers different levels of privacy and quiet, depending upon the creative process. And, it would be near enough to the center of the town so writers can take a break and walk around, and visit other businesses and restaurants in the area. Anyone who wished could come to the café. And yes, people can write in the café. They don’t have to write in one of the rooms.

It’s a pipe dream, but, when I get sick and tired of hearing the staff talk loudly on their cell phones in the public library, or have to deal with bone-crushing walkman noise on the train, I think about such a haven. And I smile.

A Place for Scottish Writers

Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, an Edinburgh bar located on the corner of Hanover Street and Rose Street, became famous for its association with local writers who would gather there to discuss ideas over a drink. It was the place to be for anyone who was anyone in the Scottish literary world.

That bar was Milne’s Bar and although the bards of old are gone, the pub still thrives as a city centre venue for drinkers. All that remains of the historic literary connection between the pub and its writing associates, are the plaques and framed poems and pictures scattered around all the walls of the below ground establishment.

Milne’s was the first choice pub for the cream of Scottish writers and poets who would gather to talk about literature and its place in the world. Literary characters such as Norman McCaig and Hugh MacDiarmid were well known faces in the bar.

Now, almost half a century on, a similar venue is emerging for the next generation of Scottish writers. It has a different outlook but the essence is the same; giving writers a chance to get together over a pint of a dram to talk about whatever the wind is carrying.

The Traverse Bar is the new venue for Scottish writers, and since its launch in September this year, it has already seen such luminaries as Ian Rankin, Valerie Gillies and Edinburgh International Book Festival director Catherine Lockerbie pass through the doors and order a bevvy.

The project has been organised by the same people behind Edinburgh’s Unesco World City of Literature status campaign. The literary events are held on the last Tuesday of every month and the venue has been billed as a “rallying point” for anyone in the city’s literary field.

The idea is to recreate the role played by Milne’s Bar back in the old days. Sophy Dale, project manager for Edinburgh City of Literature, said the events were aimed at writers, poets, publishers, booksellers and literary agents.

The first two “salons” evenings proved very popular, she said, with almost 150 people turning up. She said: “We decided to promote the idea of a literary salon and we would like it to grow organically. It’s not an attempt to recreate Milne’s Bar, but it’s a similar sort of thing. There’s very little formal aspect to it and we are just giving people the ‘push’ to get involved.

It’s a great way for people to find out about things that they are interested in and a chance to catch up and have a chat informally. The Traverse Bar seemed like the obvious choice.”

The organisers have their fingers crossed they wil be able to attract world famous writers such as JK Rowling and Alexander McCall Smith to future events. Having attended the second salon evening held on October 25, Rankin and Gillies said they would “definitely” be going back.

Rankin said “I don’t think emulating Milne’s Bar is possible or even relevant in the 21st century. You can’t imitate Milne’s because being a writer these days is a very different job from what it was back then. You don’t get the free time when you can just sit in bars and schmooze with everyone who turns up.

John Fowles (1926 – 2005)

British author, John Fowles, died at his home last week. The fiercely private author penned The French Lieutenant’s Woman, The Magus and The Collector among others. The former teacher was 79.

So . . . What’s in Your Library?

As fiction writers we all want to get the edge on our competition and there are a plethora of writing how-to books to help us gain any advantage.

So, how do you choose a book to help you get started. Well the first start would be a book on the basics – sentence structure, grammar and word tenses. Next would be a book relating to POV (Point of View) writing. I begin here because you have to know how to write (believe it or not, not everyone can write a book) and you have to know how to show the story (POV).

Some of the best books I know of for beginners are:

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
Write Tight by William Brohaugh
Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
On Writing by Stephen King

No need to spend any more money as these are the most crucial tools and there are hundreds of books out there. In fact in the forward of On Writing by Stephen King, he writes ” This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.” – Stephen King, On Writing, xvii, July 2002.

I’m sure some will have a different view but I believe The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman is one such useless book. I could get the same information from my twelve-year-old.

Okay, now you have your first draft completed. Now what? Well, you edit of course. A few books I refer to often in the editing process are:

Word Painting – A Guide to Writing More Descriptively by Rebecca McClannahan
Self Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
The Art and Craft of Poetry by Michael J. Bugeja

There are countless others, but these are the ones I use . . . and use often.

Utilize your local library if you don’t want to spend the money. If they don’t have them, they can get them for you.

After you’ve polished your manuscript you then need to find an agent who in turn will find you a publisher. Then the real work begins with marketing and promotion, your next book, more marketing and promotion, etc.

In short, the process really begins once you’ve typed THE END!