Writing and Publishing News from

November 16, 2012

Your Author’s Library

Filed under: Authorship,Book Promotion — Patricia @ 5:54 am

What does your author’s library consist of? Do you purchase books using a system—you seek out books on certain aspects of writing, publishing and book promotion? Or do you pick up books as you see them. Most authors have multiple books on these topics. And this makes sense, since different authors have varied expertise and have had different experiences. Not only that, there are books for beginners and others that might be more suited to the seasoned author.

Most novelists’ libraries have several, if not dozens of books on writing fiction. And this is good—there are many theories and methods of presenting techniques. Every author, at any stage of the process, should have books on publishing. If you plan to publish the book you are writing, you need to be studying the publishing industry. This is usually number one on my to-do list for any author who decides he or she wants to write a book on any topic or in any genre. Of course, I recommend “Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author,” (Allworth Press, 2011). This is the revised and updated version of my “Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book,” (2007 and 2008).

I review books for authors, and I have not come across any other book that covers the industry and the author’s participation in it as completely and thoroughly as this one. (My reviews appear in SPAWNews each month. Subscribe FREE here: http://www.spawn.org and get a FREE ebooklet, “Promote Yourself! 25 Ways to Promote Your Book Whether You Are an Author, Artists or Small Publisher.”)

You need books on book promotion. I recommend that you delve into several books on book promotion throughout the course of writing the book and after–for as long as you want that book to sell. Certainly purchase three or four books on basic book promotion, plus books that specialize on Internet promotion, personal appearances, getting radio interviews and so forth. Those specialty books in areas you want to pursue or that you are a bit timid to pursue can be most valuable. Consider my book, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author,” (Allworth Press, 2012). This is an amazing basic book on book promotion. It is a revised, updated version of a book I wrote in 2000, “Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book.”

For a specialty book on using your personality to promote your book, you must consider my latest book—the one-of-a-kind book—”Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More,” (Allworth Press, 2012).

You might also purchase a book on writing a book proposal, if you feel you need one. I recommend writing a book proposal first—yes, before you write the book—in order to get your bearings within the publishing industry. (I will go into the reasons why—how you can expect a book proposal to increase your chances for publishing success in tomorrow’s blog.) I recommend, “Write the Perfect Book Proposal” by Jeff Herman and Deborah Levine Herman and “How to Write a Successful Book Proposal” by Patricia Fry. There are numerous others.

I also offer an online course on writing a book proposal. http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Authors should have a good style and grammar book at their elbow while writing and self-editing their books. For authors, it should be the “Chicago Manual of Style.” It is pricey, but worth the money.

All of these books are available at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. Patricia Fry’s books can also be purchased at http://www.matilijapress.com

November 13, 2012

Have You Joined a Speakers Bureau Lately?

Filed under: Authorship,Public Speaking — Patricia @ 5:14 am

There are speakers bureaus with many different agendas, purposes and programs. But the main focus of a speakers bureau is to provide opportunities for speakers as well as to provide speakers for various activities and events. Corporation and organization program directors often turn to speakers bureaus to locate appropriate speakers for their conferences, conventions and other events.

Most of us think of speakers bureaus as providing big name entertainers and accredited speakers who can attract large audiences and big bucks. And some do. But there are also many speakers bureaus that accommodate speakers and entertainers who don’t charge or who charge minimal fees.

While some speakers bureaus have serious criteria for their members and promote only the most accomplished speakers, others may form strictly as a courtesy. Many speakers bureaus focus on a type of entertainment or a theme—comedy, motivational, inspirational/spiritual, for example. Or they promote a certain topic. A speakers bureau might place only speakers who have something to say about water issues in the community, historic preservation, aviation, politics, and so forth.

The National Coalition for the Homeless sponsors speakers to go out and educate the public on homelessness. The Maine State Bar Association has a speakers bureau as does the Professional Womens International Organization, Southeastern Guide Dog Association and the Colorado Society of CPAs. Publishers have speakers bureaus for their authors, some museums have speakers bureaus and many Toastmaster districts have speakers bureaus for their members.

So, while some speakers bureaus are formed as a courtesy to speakers and program directors, others are designed to get word out about their agenda

If you are interested in public speaking, entertaining audiences, promoting your book through speaking engagements or helping to promote a cause, you might seek out a speakers bureau to help you get gigs. Just use your old friend Google, typing in keywords, “speakers bureau” and then the theme or your presentations or your city name, for example.

Read more about speakers bureaus, how to locate them, how to work within them and specific bureaus you could contact in my latest book, Talk Up Your Book.

The thing is, personality should play a huge role in the promotion of your book and this book will show you how. It’s available at my website, http://www.matilijapress.com and at amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores.

November 7, 2012

Hope Clark Writes Novels From Experience

Filed under: Authorship,Fiction,Guest Blogger — Patricia @ 3:30 am

My name is C. Hope Clark and I have a Jekyll and Hyde persona in the writing world. By day I’m founder of FundsforWriters, a resource for writers which includes a website that’s been designated on the 101 Best Websites for Writers list by Writer’s Digest for 12 years, and newsletters that reach 40,000 readers. By night, I’m author of The Carolina Slade Mystery Series, published by Bell Bridge Books. The debut of the series, Lowcountry Bribe, came out in February 2012. Book Two, Tidewater Murder, comes out in early 2013. I speak across the US at writing conferences, writers’ clubs and book clubs about both FundsforWriters and mystery fiction.

I’ve written mysteries for 15 years, but it took 14 years to write the first one, find an agent, contract a publisher, and receive the book in my hands. I started writing mystery to exorcise a demon, so to speak. In my prior life, I worked for the federal government, with US Dept of Agriculture. A client offered me a bribe. The case went awry and left a very unpleasant taste in my mouth about the meaning of whistle-blowing, so I wrote a story about it. Unable to sell it as a quasi-memoir, I rewrote it as pure fiction, with many more twists and turns, recalling my case and adding a lot of “what if’s” until I found I LOVED writing mystery.

I inserted a love interest in the story, as most stories today must have, because in reality, I married the federal agent who arrived on the scene to investigate my bribery case. I get a lot of awwwwww’s when I tell audiences that story. Funny. It wasn’t all fun and games at the time!

I wanted to traditionally publish my fiction, as an item on my bucket list. It took 72 individually written queries to land the agent, and 18 months of pitching through her to find the contract. And I wouldn’t have done it any other way, because my writing grew phenomenally in that interim period. The delay in publishing made my writing stronger…much stronger. As a result, Lowcountry Bribe has garnered several awards.

Hope’s Writing Technique
My novels, and I’ve written three in the series, come partially from experiences of myself and my husband. I handled minor investigations with USDA and my husband was a federal agent, the real gun-totin’, badge sportin’ type. Between us, we had ample experience with those types of people that cross the line. I have a ball taking what I know and embellishing, mixing up, and making up layers of mystery for Carolina Slade.

Her name, by the way, was strategically selected. Carolina reminds the readers the story is in the Carolinas. Slade is a family name traced back to the late 1600s on my mother’s side. I combined my home and my family in this character, and I imagine my friends and family see glimpses of themselves in the stories. But for all the other character names, since they must be Southern in origin, I research two main places: 1) cemetery listings, and 2) websites of Southern cities where very Southern names appear on town councils and in various government positions. Old South usually has a hand in politics.

As for creating the stories, since I write a series, my characters come first, then a location, then a crime. In Lowcountry Bribe, the crime came first, obviously, with the characters close behind. But in the others, to maintain the theme of placing crimes in rural communities, I select venues with intriguing histories or agricultural backgrounds that could add flair to the story.

Lowcountry Bribe takes place in Charleston County, but specifically Edisto Island, an area not commonly seen in novels. Tidewater Murder takes place on St Helena Island, in Gullah country, full of intensely rich history.

In the actual writing of the story, I’m a pantser with a hint of outlining in my system. I outline three chapters, write them, edit them once, then outline three more. My characters have been known to take off on crazy tangents, so I don’t dare outline 33 chapters only to have the story take on a new flavor in chapter 5. And to edit, I park my behind usually on the back porch, if the weather is right, and pour my husband and I a bourbon as he grabs a cigar, and I read aloud to him. He’s a great technical advisor, and he hears mistakes pretty darn well for a guy who hates to read. He keeps my guns and legal matters correct, too.

Keeping Characters Straight
I don’t keep a file on characters. I feel I have to know them intimately to even start writing about them, so the info needs to be inherent in my head. When I first started writing I did some of what gurus suggest: writing biographies for characters. But today, I have a very large dry erase board on my wall divided in three categories. 1) one-line descriptions of each chapter as they evolve. 2) character names and 3-4 words about them. 3) Loose ends, which changes constantly as I identify red herrings and tie them up, as I drop clues and find ways to make them fit. That way I don’t forget what happened in Chapter 3 needs to be explained by the end of Chapter 33.

Other than that, I have no real formula. I hate it when formulas and organization get in the way of creativity. I organize heavily with FundsforWriters, but I free-wheel it with my fiction. If I wind up like Sue Grafton or Janet Evanovich, with a series that reaches 15 and 20 books, I’m sure I’ll have to create a monitoring system of some sort, but for now, it’s fun and games as I go.

Contact Hope Clark at http://www.chopeclark.com

November 3, 2012

13 Reasons Why You Should Join SPAWN

Filed under: Authorship,Resources — Patricia @ 4:07 am

I’m wo-maning a booth this weekend and will be introducing visitors to SPAWN. I’ll hand out our SPAWN Catalog of Members’ Books and Services. But I decided to also create a “take away” to give authors and freelance writers some good reasons for joining SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). I’m sharing them with you today.

1: Being a member of SPAWN will afford you the opportunity to network with others in the publishing business, such as fellow authors, publishers, freelance writers, working artists and so forth. We have an email discussion group where you can bring your questions, make announcements, share resources and so forth.

2: You will have access to not one, but two enewsletters. SPAWNews contains organization news and updates, member news and announcements and articles on the topics relevant to you and your work. SPAWNews is free for all subscribers.

3: Sign up for SPAWNews at www.spawn.org and receive a free ebooklet, “Promote Yourself! 25 Ways to Promote Your Work Whether You’re an Artist, Author or Small Publisher.”

4: Members also have access to the monthly SPAWN Market Update, which is a more hard-hitting newsletter including industry news and opportunities, information and resources for authors. We focus on markets for freelance writers and artists, finding publishers for authors seeking publication and mainly we focus on book promotion ideas and opportunities for published authors.

5: As a member, you can share news of your books or services in SPAWNews which reaches around 2,000 subscribers.

6: You will have the opportunity to write articles for SPAWNews that will bring additional attention to your writing projects and give you exposure among your peers.

7: You can have your book included in the SPAWN Catalog of Members’ Books and Services for a year at a low rate of $35. The catalog is online all year. Once a year, we print it out and distribute it at many events throughout the year, including the major Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. In 2013, it will also travel to the large Tucson Festival of Books.

8: You have the opportunity to have your book displayed at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for $55 or you can participate in selling your book from the SPAWN booth at this event.

9: Being a member of an established, international organization such as SPAWN is prestigious. It looks good on your resume, at your website, when you are seeking speaking engagements or on your book proposal.

10: As a member of SPAWN, you have access to audio recordings featuring interviews with 22 professionals and experts in the publishing field.

11: When you join SPAWN or renew your membership, you will receive a free ebook of your choice, including Mark Levine’s “The Fine Print of Self-Publishing,” and Patricia Fry’s “The Successful Author’s Handbook.”

12: No matter when you join SPAWN, you won’t miss a thing. You still have access to our archives of SPAWNews and the SPAWN Market Update, which includes years of information and resources.

13: The fee to join is only $65/year ($55 if you belong to one of our affiliates—see list at our website). Most members receive many times their membership fee back after using some of the resources we list, following an opportunity we mention or heeding a warning we issue, for example.

Join SPAWN here: http://www.spawn.org Click on “Join/Renew”
Question? Contact Patricia Fry at Patricia@spawn.org.

November 1, 2012

The Novelist’s Approach to Writing Fiction

Filed under: Announcements,Authorship,Fiction — Patricia @ 5:16 am

I have five novelists lined up to talk about their approach to writing fiction, why they write fiction—how they got started and so forth. Next week, November 5-9, I will post an interview with one author per day. I have three of the interviews in and boy are you in for a treat. You’re going to learn how novelists keep track of their characters—the techniques are creative and varied.

Ever wonder what inspires an author to write a novel and where his or her ideas come from? These five novelists will give us a peek into their inspiration and what keeps them going.
How do they name their characters? How do they get to know them? How is the story formed? You will be surprised by some of the methods these novelist use and where their ideas come from. One author tried to write a true story of something that happened in her life. No one was interested in publishing it, so she created a work of fiction and found a publisher.
Some authors design characters after real people.

How do you get the courage to write fiction and then present it to the public? One of my participating novelists wrote fiction rather secretly, entering a chapter here or a story there in contests. She kept winning contests and this gave her the courage and enticement to finally write seriously for publication.

I am new to writing fiction. I wrote my first novel over the summer. It is with a publisher as we speak and I am working on the second one. It wasn’t until after I had written my first few drafts that I began to recognize character traits of real people in some of my characters. I guess we can’t help but be influenced by what we know, have experienced and who we know in our stories. So, perhaps you can learn a lot about someone by reading their fiction.

If you write fiction or are thinking about starting, don’t miss my fascinating interviews with five novelists all next week. You’ll meet quite a variety of authors with a wide range of techniques. The interviews will run Monday through Friday, November 5-9, 2012. Stop in. You are bound to learn something that will inspire you to move forward with your fiction project, that will bolster your confidence in your approach to fiction, that will help you to improve your methods. And you’ll be learning about some wonderful fiction novels along the way.

Good news! My latest book now shows up on your screen at amazon.com when you type in the title—Talk Up Your Book. There is just one book ahead of it and it is called, “The Boy’s Body Book, Everything You Need to Know for Growing Up You.” Hmmm. And this book relates how? Oh well, at least you can easily find the book you are seeking when you are ready to order the book that could change your life as an author. Talk Up Your Book by Patricia Fry (that’s me) is your key to selling more copies of your book through your personality. And personality is the best way to sell books. Order your copy today. This is the official publication date. So Happy Birthday Talk Up Your Book! And many happy sales!

The book is also available at http://www.matilijapress.com

Looking for a good book editor for your manuscript or help with your book proposal? Learn more about Patricia Fry here: http://www.patriciafry.com

Don’t try to publish without hiring an editor to fine-tune your manuscript. Don’t rely on the self-publishing company’s editing package. Hire your own independent editor with experience.

October 25, 2012

Changes for Authors

Filed under: Authorship — Patricia @ 12:23 pm

I apologize for being absent for a few days. I was enjoying a little R&R. I attempted to post a blog, but the wi fi where we stayed was not cooperating. So I am posting the one I wrote the second day of our brief vacation.

Changes. We all experience them. Some we ask for—seek out—create. Others just happen with or without our permission. One thing we have little or no control over is how we age. We can eat our veggies, exercise, learn how to handle our stress, see our physician regularly and so forth. But what about the pace at which we lose our hearing and sight, for example.

Sure we hear about vitamins and other properties that are thought to help protect these senses, but there are also heredity/genes, environmental issues and so forth working either for or against us.

I have a family background of hearing loss. It seems to be the kind that occurs with age. For quite a long time, I have noticed a diminishing capacity to hear clearly in certain situations. A few weeks ago, I was called to do jury duty. I was surprised to find that I seemed to be the only one who was struggling to hear everything the judge said. I raised my hand to explain my problem and the bailiff gave me a crude hearing apparatus to use. It made such a difference, that I decided it was time to get a hearing test.

Why does an author need to have sharp hearing? Why does anyone need to know what’s going on and being said in family, social and business situations?

As authors seeking some measure of success, we must go out and meet our public. Many of us speak to groups of people and those people want to talk to us. They have questions. They have stories. Authors typically take classes, sit in on seminars and lectures and socialize with other authors and colleagues. It is important that we can hear clearly in these situations.

I had a hearing test recently and learned that my friends and family have not necessarily been speaking more softly than usual. I discovered that some of those speakers and the authors I meet at conferences and so forth, are, for the most part, not swallowing their words and mumbling. I have nerve damage and am experiencing a hearing loss.

Last week I was fitted with hearing aids. This week, I attended a social event and am blown away by the fact that I can now hear people in one-on-one conversations even in a noisy room. I can hear what people across the room are saying when they speak to the group even in their normal tone of voice. I am extremely pleased with my new hearing ability and eager to meet you at an upcoming conference or book festival and actually hear the brilliant things you have to say.

If any of you are struggling to see or to hear, whether the problem is aging related or not, take my advice and get an eye test and/or a hearing test and consider using aids. You might be surprised at how comfortably this can put you back in the social or business game.

Stop faking it, making do, getting by in life when you could possibly be having a much more vivid experience.

October 6, 2012

Get Noticed and Sell More Books

Filed under: Authorship,Book Promotion — Patricia @ 4:14 am

I reviewed several books for SPAWNews this week. Note: I only review books for writers, artists and authors. One of those I reviewed is for editors. It’s Starting Your Career as a Freelance Editor—a Guide to Working with Authors, Books, Newsletters, Magazines, Websites, and More by Mary Embree. This 230-page book was published by Allworth Press this year.

If you are considering a career as an editor, I suggest you study it from cover to cover.

Not only does Mary explain the ins and outs of the business, she tells how she got started as an editor. And, in chapter two, you’ll be treated to stories from four additional editors as they tell how they got started in this business. I’m one of those editors.

I’ve been thinking about all of the books I’ve written and all of those I’ve contributed to. I have 36 published books of my own, and I can only guess that I have provided material, quotes and/or testimonials for dozens more. These are books on authorship and publishing mostly. But I am also included in one fashion or another in books on grandparenting, spirituality, marketing, parenting, health/fitness as well as children’s books, a poetry book and even novels.

Once you have established yourself in your field or genre, you may be asked to participate in similar books by other authors. They will ask you for a testimonial, a quote or permission to use material from one of your books or ebooks. You’ll receive invitations to speak to groups and appear on radio shows and podcasts.

But this will happen only if you are putting yourself out there as an expert and/or can offer a fresh perspective in your field or genre, you are a good writer and you hire an editor before publishing and you are constantly reaching out to your audience, the media, etc.

There’s enormous competition for authors/speakers today in every field and genre. Those who are being noticed aren’t necessarily the best—but they are the ones making the most noise. If their work stands up to their hype, they will get the most prestigious invitations. Keep this in mind as you work on your novel or nonfiction books. If you ultimately want sales, you’ll have to be proactive in promoting yourself.

Let me ask you this, whether you are writing your book or you have a book in hand, what are you doing to get noticed? PLFry620@yahoo.com

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Some of you know that I offer free ebooks for authors from my Patricia Fry website. I offered “50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book.” Now I have “50 Ways to Promote Your Ebook.” I’m thinking about writing one on “50 Ways for Authors to Prepare for Success.” Good idea?

September 21, 2012

The Writer’s Obligation

Filed under: Authorship,Writing — Patricia @ 4:48 am

How often have you heard this advice: Write about what you know? And most people, I think, heed it. Some of us write about what we want to know. Well, if you’re writing articles for a living, for example, you will run out of topics and will have to seek out new ones. Right?

I’ve had people tell me it is stupid to write about what you know because anyone can do research. But I can tell you that I’ve done a whole lot of research even related to things I know well. Research is not just for those who are writing about something quite foreign to them. There are always aspects of topics we are familiar with that we need to look up or refresh our memory about.

Since I started dabbling in fiction, I’ve discovered how important it is to write about what you know in this medium, as well. Even though you are making up a story, it has to ring true to your readers. You can’t just go into a fantasy mode and create a world that doesn’t make sense—unless, of course, you are writing fantasy. Still, if there isn’t a thread of truth—logic—to it, readers will lose interest.

A romance should develop at some sort of believable pace. The killer needs to have a good motive for doing the bad deed. The emotions expressed by a character should be in proportion to the incident supposedly perpetuating them. Sure some people overreact to things—it’s okay to write a drama queen into your story. And there are situations where bizarre behavior is believable. But when we are creating a whole world full of characters, places and situations, readers need to feel that they are a part of it and they won’t if they can’t buy into this world emotionally or aren’t curious enough about it to keep reading.

There has to be a buy-in benefit for your readers. They keep reading either because they can relate, they’re hooked by the unfolding of events—the storyline, they want to know more about this sort of lifestyle or the nonfiction theme of the book or they are simply enjoying the reading experience you’re giving them.

I read through an entire book on my Kindle this week simply because I thought the beginning was so magnificently constructed. I re-read the opening page a couple of times because it was so clever. I did not enjoy the characters or the story beyond that. But kept reading in hopes that the story would fulfill me based on that great beginning. It never did. I was glad to be finished with it. I will note this author’s name and make sure not to order anymore of his books. So his clever opening did not do him any favors as an author, as far as I am concerned. If I were his publishing consultant, I would say, “GREAT job with your initial hook. Now, let’s work on your way of telling a story.” I would suggest that he pay closer attention to the reader’s experience and the writer’s obligation to the reader.

Do you take your obligation as a writer seriously? We all should. If we write fiction, we must cordially invite the reader into the story. For nonfiction, the reader must be able to navigate your how-to, informational or self-help book (for example) with ease.

Send comments to me at: PLFry620@yahoo.com

Check out my showroom of books:
http://www.matilijapress.com

Learn more about me and my work
http://www.patriciafry.com

September 19, 2012

Meetings With Clients

Filed under: Authorship,Writing — Patricia @ 5:11 am

Do you work with clients? More writers and authors do than ever before. But then there are more authors and would be authors than ever before. If you’ve worked with authors—as a book shepherd, editor, consultant or what-have-you—for very long, you’ve no doubt met all types of them with many different needs, projects, expectations and quirks.

While some want validation and handholding, others may desire information and all the tips you can share. Some need direction, others hope to get secrets to success. Some of them don’t know what they need. They may ask for a manuscript evaluation—they want you to tell them they’ve written a good story. But their manuscript might truly need serious editing—something they don’t want to pay for. Editing doesn’t come cheap, but the value can be well worth the expenditure.

Some potential clients don’t want to hear about book promotion or any other foreign or time-consuming endeavors. It’s up to the consultant to help the client understand the whole picture, but some of them simply don’t want to look at it.

I had someone call me a few weeks ago. He wondered how he got my business card. He didn’t know if someone gave it to him or if he picked it up somewhere. He wanted me to tell him how he got my card. I didn’t have a clue, especially since he said he’d had the card for a long time.

He asked if he could meet with me. He was in town for an hour or so—could we meet? I asked what he had in mind—how I could help him? He said, “Well, I think I want to start writing. I’d like to hear what you have to say about that.”

I explained to him that most of the time I can respond to questions via email and that I don’t generally meet with someone without knowing what they hope to gain from a meeting with me.

He said that he was just interested in maybe starting to write, that’s all. And he thought that if he saw me he would remember where he got my card. He asked me how I am with faces—if I might recognize him if I gave him my card. I mean, really????

I told him I wasn’t going to be able to meet with him that day. He said that next time he’s in town, he’ll call me.

Can you imagine? He was so curious about where he got my card that he wanted to meet with me to see if he recognized me and would then remember whether I handed it to him. Maybe he picked it up off of a public restroom floor, for all I know. I wonder if it occurred to him to follow the link on the card, go to my website and look at my photograph.

I generally screen people pretty carefully before I meet them and that is mainly in an attempt to save both of us time. Sometimes people are reluctant to tell me why they want to meet with me. I think that often they don’t know. They just hope that I will have some words of wisdom for them—something they actually want to hear (which isn’t always the truth). Sometimes they just want to tell me their ideas—talk to me about their project. I have one client who pays me an hourly fee to speak to me for exactly an hour by phone and he always uses that time to tell me what he’s been doing. When he lets me know the time is up, he is in exactly the same position he was when he called because he didn’t ask me for any advice or suggestions. He just talked.

Sometimes people want to talk to me about something I can’t really help them with. If they are upfront in their emails about what they want to discuss, I can let them know whether this is something I can help them with or not.

I love helping authors with their projects. And there is much I can offer in the form of editing their fiction or nonfiction manuscript, helping them with their query letters or book proposals, advising them with regard to promoting their book, for example. But there are some things I won’t discuss with them. I especially won’t meet with you just so you can see what I look like.

I have turned off my comments, but would still love to hear from you. Contact me here:

PLFry620@yahoo.com
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

September 18, 2012

Can I Write Fiction?

Filed under: Authorship,Editing — Patricia @ 4:51 am

Maybe you haven’t heard. After years of writing nonfiction, I’m working on my first novel. I’m already thinking about my audience. I hope it is you. But if you don’t appreciate a light mystery—if suspense makes you nervous, if you would rather not read anything even slightly romantic, and if too much adventure upsets you, you may not be my audience. If you don’t like reading about animals, learning some interesting things about them and getting to know some charming cats as well as some good and evil people enjoying life and in crisis, well you may not enjoy this book.

Some of you will read it because you know me or know who I am and are interested to see what I might come up with, especially in light of the fact that I can write nonfiction—“but can she write fiction?”

I realize that the pressure is on because this is a first novel, but also because I have a reputation as a writer. Can I uphold it to a degree in a new genre? Heck, I don’t even know the answer to these questions. I’d like to think I’m on the right track. But you, my audience, will let me know.

I can tell you that I have a whole lot more admiration for novelists and I envy you all of your years of writing fiction. I am having a blast. And I’m also finding that it is a lot work—takes a great deal of thought and planning and technique.

Today, I honor each and every one of you fiction writers—those who are in the trenches and writing your first novel as well as those who are promoting your twenty-first novel.

Send comments to me directly. I turned off my comments option because of the huge amount of spam and the small number of legitimate comments. I am always happy to hear from you, though. PLFry620@yahoo.com

I’ve been editing fiction as well as nonfiction for quite a while. If you are ready with your novel, contact me for a free estimate and sample edit.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

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