Writing is a
labor of love. It must be. Otherwise,
I wouldn't do it.
 |
| F. Paul Wilson. Author of: The Keep and Repairman Jack Series |
And that is why
I do this.
 |
| The late Jack Ketchum. Author of Right to Life |
For me, writing
a book usually takes about two years. This is balanced against a day job,
writing and selling short stories and spending time with my family. To date,
I’ve written three full-length novels,
two published and one in the pre-publication stage. I also have another
manuscript that is about 1/3 of the way into its first draft.
The process of
writing a book is a disciplined labor-intensive exercise. For me, the fun part
is always the first draft and certainly the best part of the process. This is
where you as a writer are an audience to the story you are creating. It is
shiny and new, like a movie unfolding before you, and there are so many avenues
you can take. After the first draft is complete, that’s where the real work
starts, and, for lack of a better phrase, it is where you start fine tuning
your story. From plot holes, character development, grammar, timeline, flow,
and on and on…
 |
| John Farris. Author of The Fury. |
John Farris the
author of THE FURY and WHEN MICHAEL CALLS said, “I don’t like rewrites, and I don’t do drafts.” Farris is an extremely successful writer, one who never
does book tours and who has had his work adapted not only to screen but has also stepped behind the camera
as a film director. The thing is, we can’t all be John Farris or Stephen King
or Robert R. McCammon.
Every writer
goes about their work a different way. So, when I’m asked questions like, “Where
do I start?” or “How hard is it to find a publisher?” And “How do I promote my
work?”, the answer is almost always the same. I get asked a bunch of other
questions, but I’ll leave it to these three
because they seem to be the most repetitive.
Where do I start?
If you want to write, the best place is to start at the beginning. I know that
sounds like a cop out, but that’s it. If you have an idea for a story or a novel,
you really have two ways to approach it. Write an outline or write the story.
Me personally, I’m
not an outline guy. Writing is already an enormous
job, so the idea of outlining a project before writing it is foreign to me.
That is not to say drafting is a bad
thing, many writers are very successful when it comes to this approach. An outline can be a useful tool when you are writing a story with
a shifting timeline. I just like to fly by the seat of my pants, or maybe I’m too lazy to add that to the
laundry list of things to do.
You’ve gotta figure that out for yourself and what works
best for you.
How hard is it
to find a publisher?
Well, if you’re
looking to sign on with one of the big ones, that’s a very tall order when you’re
an unknown. The big ones, like, Viking, Penguin, and Random House won’t even look at your work without an agent to
represent you, and that leads you to the
next issue. Finding an agent. Finding an agent is as tricky as finding a publisher. An agent is your salesman, so you’ve
gotta find someone that has credentials
in the publishing world, who not only supports
in your work but has the ear of the
publishing companies.
So, the answer
to that question, “It’s hard.”
Discouraged?
Welcome to the club.
The problem is,
people try to put the horse before the cart. They want the international
bestseller, the F.U. money, the movie deals, but they are naïve to the fact
that writers like Stephen King faced a world of rejection before they got that
big break. All writers go through this. King tossed his breakout novel, CARRIE,
in the
garbage, which was later retrieved by his wife, Tabitha. Before this, King
wrote scores of short stories to put a little money in his pocket while he
worked two jobs. One as a substitute teacher, the other at an industrial
laundry.
 |
| Stephen King started out just like everyone else. His success was not overnight. |
He was
discouraged, but he didn’t give up.
So, if you want
to write a book, perhaps you need to first try your hand at writing some short
works and attempt publishing with smaller publishers. There are small web-based
magazines who pay for shorts and small press publishers who publish anthologies
that will review submissions from newcomers to the craft. This is also an excellent way to hone your skills and build
a reputation. Heck, you can even make a few bucks. With every story you
publish, your portfolio will grow, and
along the way, you’ll learn something.
Promoting
yourself. Again, I go back to the horse before the buggy.
Whatever your
project, short story, novella, or novel, write the bloody thing first. If there
was a sure-fire plan to make someone an
international sensation, I’d already been
sitting on a beach with a cold drink in one hand and a book in the other.
So, if you
really want to write, get on with it.
And good luck.
M.J. Preston is the author of
THE EQUINOX, ACADIA EVENT
&
Soon to be published
HIGHWAYMAN
