Writers write

I just received a rejection on a submission that has been out since early June. For some reason I had my hopes up for this one, and when I got the email and saw the 'just not right for us" phrase, I was disappointed.

But that didn't last. What I've read everywhere, is that, no matter what, writers write. And I've been writing. Hours and hours this week on edits for my book--including one plot change I'm excited about, as well as a new short story I just submitted.

Sitting around waiting for responses just doesn't work, and if you're not actively writing, then you're not a writer [at least if you're an amateur like me.] But I've been writing, the characters are anxious to keep the story moving forward and I can see a light at the end of the tunnel on this book.

Oh, and I have the spark of an idea for my next one...

Have a great weekend.
Geoff

What to write next?

I finished Into the Middle Distance way back in January, and since then I've been focused on the editing process. Which is nothing like the creative process. Writing the first draft of a book, even though I've only done it twice, is thrilling. There's nothing like it. I can't wait to start on my next one.

But there's the problem. I have no idea what my next book will be about. I'm not particularly worried, a story will come to me [I hope] and for now I really need to get the edits done...which is why, instead, I've been surfing the internet.

This morning I found something really helpful though. Erik Larson, author of In The Garden of Beasts--which I'm reading now--spoke about this exact topic in his blog.  He calls it "The Hunt" for the topic of his next book, and reading about his process calmed me down. If the author of multiple NY Times Bestsellers has no idea what to write about next, it's probably okay that I don't either. Luckily for me, I don't have agents or publicists sweating it out.

You should read his books--I can't wait to see where In the Garden of Beasts goes, but if you haven't read any of his books, I'd start with Devil in the White City. Then check out his blog, he's great, witty and informative--but don't stay over there--he's got to have thousands of followers--I have thirty-two, and I'll know if you leave me... 

Have a great day!

Geoff

Nook or Book?

I got a Nook for Christmas last year, and I love it. You can download a new book in seconds, so you're never without something to read. And it stores hundreds of titles and is easy to travel with.

 It hasn't taken over though. Sometimes you want to hold the actual book in your hands, and when you're done have it to display on the bookshelf. And you don't have to stop reading when a plane takes off or lands.

How about you? Have you bought a nook or a kindle yet? Or are you old-school? Please take the survey on the sidebar and let me know.

On Writing: More reviews

A few more award winning books I've recently read:

Lord of Misrule, by Jaimy Gordon won the National Book Award in 2010. Goodreads describes it as

"A brilliant novel that captures the dusty, dark, and beautiful world of small-time horse racing, where trainers, jockeys, grooms and grifters vie for what little luck is offered at a run-down West Virginia"

I found it very literary. And dark. Another fearless writer, Jaimy Gordon's character descriptions are intense. So are the sex scenes. These award winning authors don't hold back. Ever.

 

Let the Great World Spin, by Colum Mccann won the National Book Award in 2009.

"In the dawning light of a late-summer morning, the people of lower Manhattan stand hushed, staring up in disbelief at the Twin Towers. It is August 1974, and a mysterious tightrope walker is running, dancing, leaping between the towers, suspended a quarter mile above the ground."

A novel, based on true events, about a French tightrope walker who actually walked across the two towers. 9/11 was never far from my thoughts as I read this amazing story.

And finally, Empire Falls by Richard Russo. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2002.

"Richard Russo—from his first novel, Mohawk—has demonstrated a peerless affinity for the human tragicomedy, and with this stunning new novel he extends even further his claims on the small-town, blue-collar heart of the country."

This novel was so good, I went out and bought every book  by Russo, and there are a lot of them. He writes small town stories with such subtlety and skill, that you almost don't credit how great of a writer he actually is.

Richard Russo has become one of my favorite authors.

How about you? When you read a good book, do you start following that author--reading everything by them you can get your hands on?

On writing: A Visit from the Goon Squad

 If you're not already a member of Goodreads, I would highly recommend joining. It's a great place to organize your books, read reviews and connect with members with similar reading interests. If you decide to join, add me to your friend list.

Lately, I've been reading mostly award winning books. The latest won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction this year. The review from Goodreads for A Visit from the Goon Squad reads:

"Bennie is an aging former punk rocker and record executive. Sasha is the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Here Jennifer Egan brilliantly reveals their pasts, along with the inner lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs. With music pulsing on every page."

When I read Goon Squad I couldn't help but think that Jennifer Egan is a fearless writer. Each chapter has a different POV [point of view] and time. So one chapter might be set in the present, and the next goes back twenty years...very challenging for the reader, but I enjoyed it. You certainly don't get as attached as you might to the protagonist...mainly because it's hard to tell who it is.

Lord of Misrule, by Jaimy Gordon won the National Book Award in 2010. Goodreads describes it as

"A brilliant novel that captures the dusty, dark, and beautiful world of small-time horse racing, where trainers, jockeys, grooms and grifters vie for what little luck is offered at a run-down West Virginia"

I found it very literary. And dark. Another fearless writer, Jaimy Gordon's character descriptions are intense. So are the sex scenes. These award winning authors don't hold back. Ever.

I enjoyed this one more that Goon Squad.

Let the Great World Spin, by Colum Mccann won the National Book Award in 2009.

 

"In the dawning light of a late-summer morning, the people of lower Manhattan stand hushed, staring up in disbelief at the Twin Towers. It is August 1974, and a mysterious tightrope walker is running, dancing, leaping between the towers, suspended a quarter mile above the ground."

A novel, based on true events, about a French tightrope walker who actually walked across the two towers. 9/11 was never far from my thoughts as I read this amazing story.

And finally, Empire Falls by Richard Russo. It won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2002.

"Richard Russo—from his first novel, Mohawk—has demonstrated a peerless affinity for the human tragicomedy, and with this stunning new novel he extends even further his claims on the small-town, blue-collar heart of the country."

This novel was so good, I went out and bought every book  by Russo, and there are a lot of them. He writes small town stories with such subtlety and skill, that you almost don't credit how great of a writer he actually is.

Richard Russo has become one of my favorite authors.

How about you? When you read a good book, do you start following that author--reading everything by them you can get your hands on?

Writing Short Stories

The process I follow to write a novel has been very different from how I've written short stories. Every short story was written after waking up in the middle of the night, except for one, and that one was written in the waiting room at the hospital.

Where my books seem to come in fits and starts, the short stories seem to gush...I finish them in one sitting and can barely type as fast as I need to in order to get my thoughts down. And they haven't required much editing.

The Lobsterman is one example. I had been working on my first book, but woke up and wrote this story at 3 in the morning. I can't post it yet, as I have it submitted to The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition. They are expected to announce the winner next week in Key West--I'm not thinking I'll win, but an honorable mention would make my day...

...and help me when I get ready to query a novel again. Agents like to see publishing credits, even short stories or contests on submissions.It's a sign the writer is taking the craft seriously, and has been recognized for the effort.

I have three other stories out right now as well; hopefully I'll get an acceptance with one--you'll be the first to know. Wish me luck. 

Writing Minor Characters

In both of my books--in any book, I guess--there are many, sometimes scores of minor characters. They fill in the scene, serve a purpose to move the story along [in my books they often serve a beer to move the story along] and are generally kept under control. They know their lines, if they're lucky to get any, and they keep to the script...

I know this is a trend with me, and maybe it's just me, but in both of my books several minor characters have really tried to play a bigger role; speaking when they have no lines, walking into scenes they weren't meant to be in, etc.

That's okay, I think, I'll fix thier ass in the second draft.

Then my beta-readers get ahold of a draft, and instead of talking about the main character or the story line, they inevitably comment on this or that minor character [that didn't even exist before I started writing!] and how much they like them. How they make the book better, and how they hope the character plays a bigger role as the book goes on. All of my beta readers have done this. And usually with the same minor character.

Other--major--characters they shred with ease. Not likable, one-dimensional.  Where's this going  [you do realize I'm doing you a favor?]

 But, for some reason, there's an attachment to a minor character. And to be honest, I have it too.

In the second book, among others, it's Destina. Her real name is Tina, and she's a part-time bartender at the New Hampshire Inn Billy ends up at. However, her dancer name is Destiny, so Billy [who's wife is Tina] --who thought the topless bar was a sports bar [honest]-- blends it and calls her Destina. She's likable, funny and a bit dangerous for Billy, and for some reason I write her with ease.

So, instead of worrying that I need to get back on track, I try hard to just let the story go where it's headed, even when characters like Destina take it places I never thought of.

Editing update: just finished rewrite of chapter 11 out of 20 at Barnes & Noble [that other writer guy was there--he's always there...]: Full glass of cab as I start 12: hopefully Destina sticks to the original plot...

The Query process

In order to get a book published the traditional way, an author needs to have an agent. The way agents "interview" authors begins with a query letter, and they recieve thousands of them. This letter is like a resume for your book, and authors spend hours working on them.  If an agent is intrigued by your query they may request a partial [usually three chapters] or the full manuscript. For Life as Opinion I had 18 versions of my query. Here's one of them.

Dear Ms. --------

Blaine Buchanan and his brother Boyd are late and it’s getting dark.  Afraid of their mother’s abusive boyfriend, they hurry along the train tracks―but what if one of them were to get hurt?  Then they’d have an excuse for being so late.   

Recently discharged from the army, Blaine is drawn to the Connecticut coast of his youth.  He buys a lobster boat from an old fisherman with a connection to his past.  Soon he meets Samantha and is immediately attracted to her and they eventually begin to date.  The healing powers of the open ocean and perhaps love give him a newfound sense of belonging. 

Blaine must come to terms with his unspoken secret before losing Sam and the new life he has created.  A sudden recall to the military and serious injuries in Afghanistan leave him doubting that happiness was ever his fate.  His return to Mystic brings a sacrifice that delivers a long deserved redemption from the abiding power of the past. 

An upmarket commercial novel, Life as Opinion is complete at 70,000 words. I believe Life as Opinion will have appeal to fans of Mark Mills and Nicholas Sparks, and have included the first ten pages for your review.  I am currently working on my second novel.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

As I discussed in an earlier post, I probably queried with my first novel too soon--before it was completely polished, which apparently is a common mistake. I'm not making that mistake with Into the Middle Distance, and when I'm done, and published, I plan to go back to Life as Opinion and try again, and then, if the query intrigued you, you'll get to meet Blaine and Sam.

Writing and Reading

I read an article recently on the reading habits of writers. Without realizing it I've been following the trend: I read about a book a week, and usually in the genre that I write [except for me, I love literary fiction...but I'm not that good. If I'm lucky my books will get classified as "upmarket mainstream fiction" and if not then they will be simply called "commercial fiction."]

Reading reenergizes a writer. Getting lost in a great book replaces staring at a blank screen. But you're never that far from your own book. An idea pops into your head, or the solution to a scene you're struggling with comes to you while you're mowing the lawn.  Some of my favorite books that I've read and plan to read. By genre:

   Historical Fiction: Amagansett, by Mark Mills. This book is in my top ten. I've read it three times and would also classify it as literary. The author's skill at description and character development is matched by the slow build of the murder mystery.
To read: Historical Non-Fiction:In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson. A true story about a new ambassador and his family struggling to understand Hitler's Germany. This author, who also wrote Devil in the White City tells true stories so well that they read like fiction.


 Literary Fiction: In The Blue Light of African Dreams, by Paul Watkins. I credit Paul Watkins for my love of literary fiction. Probably 20 years ago I found this book on the shelf at a library in Orlando, finished it that night, and then tracked down everything else he ever wrote. This book is an adventure set in World War II Africa.

 Nonfiction, True Crime: A Death In Belmont, by Sebastian Junger. This book is scary true. Author Sebastian Junger [The Perfect Storm] tells of his childhood memories of the Boston Strangler.

 Literary Fiction: House of Sand and Fog, By Andre Dubus III. My father died a year and a half ago. As I walked to the bridge at the marsh to scatter his ashes, a beat up old volkswagon van pulled up, and Andre Dubus stepped out and joined us to pay his respects. This man is a hero to me and responsible for me believing I might be able to write. More on him in future blogs. House of Sand and Fog was nominated for three Academy Awards as a movie starring Ben Kingsley. It's riveting....but the book is better.

More book recommedations in future blogs. If you decide to read, or have read any of these, please leave comments. What are your favorite books? Genre?

On Writing: How my story got hijacked

With both of my books, I knew the ending before I started writing, and I had some key story elements in mind, and was excited to get it all down on paper. This is going to be great, I'd think, and start writing. That's when it would all fall apart.

I blame the characters.

They rarely [never] comply.
 It's as if you write their physical description, drop them down into some setting and  situation, and they just look up at you and say, "See what you got me into. I'll take it from here."

To a fairly new writer, this was a bit of a shock.  I mean, it's my story, I know where it's supposed to be going. Shit, [sorry Morgan] I'm the one typing...But it never fails that a character takes off and starts acting a certain way or doing things even I didn't see coming. Which is fine, even really cool, actually. ....except, I need character A to be in such-and such a place at a certain time or my next main story element falls apart.

I'm not above begging.
 [Yes, each character becomes extremely real to me--and hopefully will to you when we get this book deal done]. Begging never works. I just end up looking like a nut [except to the other writer in the corner...he gets it] muttering to myself in Barnes & Noble.

Or pouting.
 I'll walk away from the computer with a "now what are you gonna do" attitude, eventually wandering back after browsing some book I could be reading, guilty that I left these people I love [yes love. You can't spend this much time with them and not love them] in literaray lingo...sort of the same as when you read a book and stop in a key scene and come back to it later, leaving your poor characters frozen holding the gun, about to kiss, or whatever...

Anyway, I eventually give up and just start typing, thinking,  fine, let's see where this goes...and you know, it always goes somewhere great. The problem of the story works itself out, and the character gets to do what they were going to do anyway...which is how it should be, because, at the end of the day, it's their story, and if I sit back and watch, magic just might happen....

More on begging....
If you are enjoying my posts, please pass the link on....which, for now, is the only way to get to my site: referral.  If I can build hits and followers I may show up on a google search some day when an agent comes looking for me...as for now, I gave up looking for myself on page five of Google Search yesterday, [Yeah, I googled myself...] after my buddy Rob said he'd be happy to support The Geoff Gardner Memorial Bowling Tournament that popped up.

Write, Rewrite, Rejected...Repeat

A few of my friends, on hearing about my blog have asked where they can get my first book. And that's just it; you can't. Life as Opinion [before that it was called Mystic Shove] was turned down 48 times by agents before I moved on. Four of them requested partials [three chapters] and three asked for the full manuscript; all eventually turning it down: "Loved it, but couldn't sell it in this market..." was the best feedback I got.

And they were right. It wasn't ready. Not even close.[Still isn't actually....]

The good news was, right before getting my final rejection I started writing my second book, and sure enough, the shit day Billy Connelly was having made me feel not too bad about myself [yeah, I created his shitty day, but he did the rest; more on that another time]. Many aspiring writers go the self-publishing route after rejection, and you can't blame them. Nowadays you can upload your novel on Kindle in twelve minutes [so I've heard], and who knows, maybe it will sell. The problem is, for me anyway, I want to put my very best out there, so if the people who do this for a living say a book isn't ready, then it isn't.  [Ask me again in three years if I'm still not published...]

So, when I finished Into the Middle Distance, I didn't rush out and start sending it to every agent in the big apple. Instead, I put it aside, took a few weeks off and then dug in and started editing. First I reread it again from front to back, skipping simple typos, and focusing instead on flow and story line, finding things like Billy going to bed on a Friday night and waking up on a Tuesday morning. That was six months ago. Since then I've been rewriting the entire book, from scratch...word by word, page by page...it's hell. As of now, I'm halfway done. Finished chapter ten last night [might need to recheck it as I was getting pretty deep into the cabernet at that point...]. Once I've finished that, I'll reread it in one sitting [God Save the Queen]  and then send it to my new editor [Thanks Deborah!] as well as to a few of my beta-readers [you know who you are-thank you].
And then we'll see. Thanks for everyone's support.
Geoff

On Writing

Now that I've announced my love of writing, I guess I need to talk about it. My first book --Life as Opinion--started as a short story. I was in New York, on a recruiting trip. We were on the train up to Poughkeepsie, along the Hudson River, headed to the CIA. A NY Post was left in the next seat and I started reading, eventually coming across this short article about a retired man, who, after seeing a [stolen] van speeding down the parking lot of a Wal Mart towards his wife [who was pushing the empty buggy] dove, shoving her out of the way just it time. But not for him. He was killed, and the follow up story--interviewing neighbors, etc. was amazing. Besides being a great neighbor, father and friend, it turned out that the man had also been a war hero in Korea, even saving some of his soldiers by risking his own life.
I couldn't stop thinking about this man and what he did, and in a foggy way, it reminded me of something from my childhood....something similar, but not good....and there it was...the bookmarks for my story.
At first it was three pages, then fifteen, and eventually [three years later] 250...



 

Published

After 5 years of mostly secretive writing, my short story, Should Have was accepted for the April edition of Flash Fiction Magazine.  So, with that, I've decided to quit my job [that got overruled] and begin a blog, announcing to the world [okay to the 3 or 4 people that find this] my intentions to take it to the next level and get a novel published.