Tuesdays with Story

“Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” ~Mark Twain

Tuesdays With Story Writers Mail, May 27, 2010
By Carol Shay Hornung

Tuesday Night at the Bookstore

Patrick Tomlinson – wrote a very funny story about zombies being recruited to vote in Chicago. Everyone thought the dialogue was hilarious. There were opposing suggestions on whether or not the zombies should be described, including facial expressions. There was some discussion on whether the dialogue should be described with adverbs or if the dialogue should speak for itself.

Ann Potter – read from her memoir. Everyone was blown away by her writing and being able to channel a 12-year-old girl’s voice. One observation was that it reminded the person of the movie “A Christmas Story.” A suggestion was made to provide some description of how characters look, move their body when they are talking.

Holly Bonnicksen-Jones – didn’t read, but asked the group for suggestions as to how Liza should come to terms with what Taylor revealed to her. Suggestion to have her do some self-revelations through talking to a friend or sister. Then there was a strong debate over whether or how she should have closure with her ex-husband. Should she meet with him, write to him, or meet him to discuss what happened to their marriage.

Kim Simmons – read her science fiction story. The group agreed that it would be a good idea to provide a synopsis of the world she is creating so that the listeners can understand the story better. One observation was that the story needs to show how the characters impacted their physical surroundings.

Jen Wilcher – read her fan fiction story. One observation was to provide a little more context for the characters and stay true to the characters. Another observation was to not describe a character as Chewbacca, but as a sasquatch or some other more generic term.

Who’s Up Next

June 1st (1st and 3rd)
Amber Boudreau (chapter 14, YA novel)
Greg Spry (novella/part 1, Goodbye, Mars)
Clayton Gill (chapter 12, Fishing Derby)
Kim Simmons (chapters 22-23, James Hyde)
Jerry Peterson (chapter 10, For Want of a Hand)
Cathy Riddle (chapter 7, Beer Crimes)

June 8th (2nd & 4th)
Jack Frieburger (Path to Bray’s Head)
Kim Simmons
Terry Hoffman
Jen Wilcher

June 15 (1st & 3rd)
Kim Simmons (chapters 29-30, James Hyde)
Jen Wilcher (chapter 1 rewrite, Memories Awakened)
Judith McNeil (radio play, “South to Sunday”)
Nicole Rosario (???)
Millie Mader (chapter 18, Life on Hold)
Patrick Tomlinson (???).

July 6 (1st & 3rd)
Kim Simmons (chapters 31-32, James Hyde)
Jerry Peterson (chapter 11, For Want of a Hand)
Greg Spry (novella/part 2, Goodbye, Mars).

Good News from A Former Member
From: Leslie Huber
www.understandingyourancestors.com

I lived in Madison about four years ago and was a member of the group (Tuesdays with Story) for a couple of years. Some of the “old” members of the group will remember me. I wanted to let everyone know that my book, The Journey Takers, comes out this summer. It is the same book once called Generations: A Journey Through History that the group once edited many moons ago – and many versions ago too. The writing group there in Madison is in my acknowledgments!! (I had an email catastrophe a couple of months ago and lost all my email addresses of members I used to have – so this is my only means to contact anyone, but I really hope whoever gets this will pass my message along.)
I am driving from Massachusetts to California this July to promote the book – and I have a stop in Madison. I am speaking at the Sequoya branch of the Madison library on Thursday, July 8 at 7 p.m. I would love to see some members of the group. I would be happy to send a flyer or more information.

The Business Side of Publishing
From Nicholas Sparks’ website (for more insights, visit http://www.nicholassparks.com/ForWriters.asp?PageID=2 )

Advice for Finding an Agent
• 1 Write a great novel
• 2 Research literary agents
• 3 Write a great query letter

Step 1: Write a Great Novel
Make your novel the best you can make it. Make it original, with an exciting plot, great writing style, and interesting characters and settings. Don’t send it up if it just needs a little work, or if it’s rough, or if it’s not quite finished yet. Edit, edit, edit. With less than a 1% chance of getting an agent (based on the volume of query letters agents typically receive) sending up a book that isn’t your best work is foolish and lazy. (It goes without saying that your novel should have page numbers, correct punctuation, a lack of spelling errors, etc.)

Even though you may think you write better than the “brand-name” authors you read (and you may be better for all I know), remember that you’re not competing with them. They bring a built-in audience to the table and have sales that are guaranteed. And since publishing is a business — oh, that again! — your only hope is to offer the finest work you possibly can, when compared with other new writers, who also think their work is pretty good. (And again, their work just might be pretty good, too).

Step 2: Research Literary Agents
Next, spend some time in the Writing/Publishing section of the bookstore. The more time, the better. The book I used and frequently recommend is Jeff Herman’s, The Insiders Guide to Book Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents. There are also “Writer’s Guides” and “Writer’s Market” type books which are equally popular. They list agents, offer addresses, explain how best to contact them and the steps needed to be taken. Follow the directions each agent lays out. To ignore their preferred method of handling queries is taking a risk.

Step 3: Write a Great Query Letter
This is the final step in getting an agent, since most agents won’t take unsolicited manuscripts. They want a query letter, and if they like the letter and the novel you describe, they’ll ask to see part or all of your manuscript. That’s all there is to it.
Above all, a query letter is a sales pitch and it is the single most important page an unpublished writer will ever write. It’s the first impression and will either open the door or close it. It’s that important, so don’t mess it up. Mine took seventeen drafts and two weeks to write.

A good query letter has a few rules. First, it should be no longer than one page. Your name, address and phone number should be on it. It should be typed and addressed to a particular agent, not an agency. And it should have all the information the agent needs to make a decision on whether or not to read the manuscript. That information can include:

• A description of previous writing experience.
• A quick summation of the story.
• Other books that are similar to yours, and why yours is better.
• The possible market for the book.
• A reason why you want to work with this particular agent.
• A sentence explaining that the book is complete, with a request to have it read.

The query letter I wrote was enticing enough to have 12 of out 25 agents ask to read part or all of the manuscript. With less than 1% odds, it was a very successful query letter, especially considering The Notebook was my first novel. To see a copy of my query letter, see Sample Query Letter.

(Please be aware that, though most of the information in the query letter was true, the truth was stretched at times. This caution regards the fourth paragraph only, and was done for the sake of brevity.)

A Web Site to check out . . . Book Trib (thanks, Jerry)

“BookTrib is a full service portal dedicated to bringing all the news, blog, sites, and information about books, writers, and readers under one link. One place to stay up-to-date about the world of books and everything related to them. If it’s about books, it’s on BookTrib. The first and only book-o-sphere. Read, watch, listen, and click to minute by minute updates from all over the web, find out about new releases, and contribute your own commentary. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If it’s getting blogged about or reported on it’s all here.” http://www.booktrib.com

Poetry from “The Writer’s Almanac” (thanks, Brandy)

“Confessions”
by Lowell Jaeger

I once shoplifted
a tin of Vienna sausages.
Crouched in the aisle
as if to study the syllables
of preservatives, tore off the lid,
pulled out a wiener and sucked it down.

I’ve cheated on exams.
Made love to foldouts.
Walked my paper route in a snowstorm after dark,
so I could steal down a particular alley
where through her gauze curtains, a lady
lounged with her nightgown undone.

I’ve thrown sticks at stray dogs.
Ignored the cat scratching to come inside.
Even in the rain.
Sat for idle hours in front of the TV, and not two feet away
the philodendrons for lack of a glass of water
gasped and expired.

So many excuses I’ve concocted to get by.
Called in sick when I was not. Grabbed credit
for happy accidents I had no hand in.
Pointed fingers
to pin the innocent with crimes
unmistakably mine.

I have failed
to learn from grievous error.
Repeated gossip.
Invented gossip. Held hands
in a circle of friends to rejoice
over the misfortune of strangers.
Pushed over tombstones.
Danced the devil’s jig.

Once, when I was barely old enough
to walk home on my own, I hid
behind an abandoned garage.
Counted sixteen windows.
Needed only four handfuls of stones
to break every one.

“Confessions” by Lowell Jaeger, from We. © Main Street Rag Publishing Company, 2010.

Newsletter duty roster:
May is up, so I’m turning things over to Jen Wilcher for the month of June!
Serving next:
July – Greg
August – Clayton
We will need someone in September and beyond – let us know if you’d like to volunteer!

Fifth Tuesday
Fifth Tuesday is set for Tuesday, June 29th, hosted by the 2nd and 4th at Terry Hoffman’s place. Directions and the writing challenge to follow . . !

The Last Word…Anu Garg Word of the Day

Ockham’s razor or Occam’s razor

PRONUNCIATION: (OK-ehmz RAY-zuhr)
MEANING: noun: The maxim that the simplest of explanations is more likely to be correct.
ETYMOLOGY: After William of Ockham (c. 1288-1348), a logician and theologian, who is credited with the idea.
NOTES: Ockham’s razor states that “entities should not be multiplied needlessly.” It’s also called the principle of parsimony. It’s the idea that other things being equal, among two theories the simpler one is preferable. Why razor? Because Ockham’s razor shaves away unnecessary assumptions. Ockham’s razor has applications in fields as diverse as medicine, religion, crime, and literature. Medical students are told, for example, “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.”

USAGE: “But not everyone in Washington is a believer in Occam’s razor, so all manner of other theories flourished.”

A DC Whodunit: Who Leaked And Why?; Reuters (UK); Sep 22, 2009.