Research and the Historical Novel
All right. So, I’m gonna channel my best Mediocre White Man™ and write on this topic as if I know what the fuck I’m talking about. Ok, I mean, I kinda sorta know what I’m talking about. I’ve done research for a historical novel, and plan to do it again (like some kind of dummy). I’ve also written more than my fair share of research papers in college, and I work in libraries, so I have a decent set of research skills. But I feel I really need to clarify that I am talking about lowercase r research here. The sort of sprawling book-learning that one does for themself in order to become more knowledgable about a given topic. Not capital R Research that involves science and math and peer review. No amount of research for a novel is going to make me an actual expert on the subject. And…
Revision, Again.
Revision is a complex topic. It’s a complex part of the writing process! And that process is different for every person and every story. No lie, it’s that last bit that frustrates me most. WHY does it have to be different for every story? I’ve done this before, can’t I just slap the same methods and processes on it and call it a day? No?! Now, I’ve been on this precipice before. In the Valley of Death is not my first novel. Depending on how we define “novel” it’s my 6th or 8th novel-length work. And with those earlier projects, there were other, earlier, more youthful and naive and blissfully innocent posts about revision. You can read my most recent one, about Something Sulfurous (aka Tavi) here. Or you can go way back and read this one over on the old blog. Point is, I’ve been around this particular block…
On Querying
I figured it was time to shut up about this post and actually write it. Before we hoark down this meat and potatoes, allow me a few disclaimers/caveats: This is not your usual querying advice blog post. I’m here in the trenches with you. I have no tips and tricks for success, because I have yet to succeed in signing with an agent. That’ll be a different post someday. I’m not going to tell you how to write a query letter – there is an abundance of resources available online, all of them more legitmate than anything I might suggest. A quick google search will set you on the path. What I will tell you about is my experience querying in this odd post-pandemic, over-saturated landscape. Because it’s a different game than it was even in 2019, and a lot of the authors talking about signing and debuting got their…
You Wrote a Book… Now What?
Step 1: Celebrate that ish! You just did a thing SO. MANY. people dream about. How many times have we heard some version of, “I’d love to write a book someday”? Probably more than we can count. It takes remarkable committment and effort to work on the same project for months (maybe even years!) and actually finish it. Congratulations! Celebrate in whatever way is fulfilling for you — drinks, a special meal, a night out, or maybe just a little extra ice cream, as a treat. Now for the disclaimer: This is all merely suggestion. Try these various methods/ideas. Combine them, mix-and-match them. Experiment, until you find some variation that works for you. (This post also assumes that you’ve written a book length work with the intent to publish. If not, then just congratulate yourself and bask in the afterglow of creation, my friend.) Step 2: Put it away. No,…
On Writing Communities
When we think of writers, what do we picture? For many of us we see a cluttered desk in a home office, papers strewn every which way while a person sits staring at a computer screen with a permanent frown. The coffee on the desk has long gone cold, and this book isn’t writing itself. If you’re in my age bracket, you might actually just picture Johnny Depp from Secret Window. (Side Note: If I had a lakeside cabin with a cleaning service that I could run away to, I don’t think I’d be murdering anybody. That’s a sweet set up, mon frere.) The point is, when we think of the writing life, we picture a life of solitude, torment, and frequently alcoholism. I largely blame this on Ernest Hemingway, but I’m liable to blame just about any literary complaint on “Papa,” which is a topic for another post. Truthfully,…
Nanowrimo Prep 101
National Novel Writing Month (aka Nanowrimo) is right around the corner! If you’re thinking, “B., you write novels (and novellas and short stories and microfiction and and and) year-round! What’s so special about November?” You’re not wrong. But Nanowrimo almost feels like a celebration of novelling. It’s a hectic time of year when it’s so easy to put personal projects aside, and instead writers come together to take on the massive challenge of writing a novel in just one (short) month. In November there’s write-ins and sprints and parties, both locally and online. It’s a chance to work in tandem with like-minded folks that rarely seems to come up any other time of year. This might come as a shock to you, but writing can be a pretty lonesome activity. Any excuse to get together with some sort of writing activity is as good as gold to us. So, YAY…
Fall Musings
Is still doesn’t really feel like fall. It’s going to be in the high 80s today. The sky is clear and bright blue, and even the trees seem to be confused, their colors stalled between green and orange and red. I know it’s bad, that the weather shouldn’t be this summerlike in mid-October. This time last year I was on a fall hike with some friends and it was misty, foggy, and FREEZING. I loved every second of it. Yesterday I wore shorts. But the light is different. Thinner somehow. The earth’s rotation has put the sun at a different angle, one that says “Autumn.” The weather, and thus nature, just hasn’t caught up. This time of year is always one of transition. Summers are for revisions remember? Maybe I pump out a short story or two (or four!), but largely I spend the summer months finishing up manuscripts for…
What is a Literary Agent & Why I Want One
Good morning, Bloggarts. It occurred to me that some of my readers might not know what a literary agent is, why a writer would want/need one, and what the querying process looks like. Since I’ve jumped feet first into this stage of my writing career, let’s talk about it! What is a Literary Agent? A literary agent is someone who represents authors and their work to the editors at publishing houses. Publishing is a giant business with only four major players (Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Hachette, and HarperCollins). Each of these big companies have smaller “imprints” which typically focus on particular genres of work. And at all of these imprints are Acquiring Editors. People who read manuscripts to find books they want the imprint to buy and publish. But, very rarely will an acquiring editor look at an “unsolicited” manuscript. Meaning, a manuscript that isn’t sent to them by a…
State of the Author – 2022
I wrote a post like this last year, over on the old site. There hadn’t been much productivity in 2021. Posts were inconsistent, but the summer saw a sort of rejuvenation for me. I was thinking about writing for the first time in a long time and I was so damn excited about it, that I couldn’t help but take some time to look at the big picture of my work and feel good about it. Since it is officially the last half of the year, I thought it was high time to take a look at how I’m doing. Not just how I’m doing re: 2022 Goals, but what my story stats look like, what news has come out this year, and what projects I’ve finished, and what are still on the table. So let’s. First thing’s first, what is this year’s mantra? REACH This year’s intention is meant…
Thoughts on Revision
Good morning Bloggarts! As promised, now that I’m “done” with Tavi, I am back to discuss the revision process. I do want to note that I did write a very similar post on the old site back in August, although it also included pre-writing and drafting. So check it out if it’s of interest, otherwise, buckle up for a deep dive on revising novel length works. On Revision Historically, revision has been my least favorite part of the writing process. I (usually) love drafting. It’s the fun, adventurous part when I learn all the things about the world, the characters, and the plot. It’s a tapestry revealing itself one thread at a time. But revision? Revision is pulling those threads, cutting them, and reassembling them. Revision is a lot of work. It’s solving a puzzle that you designed and realizing you don’t know shit about making puzzles! (A/N: This is…