In this month's issue of Ask a New Author with we get some refreshingly honest advice on some tricky subject from our authors. Ellen Meeropol, Scott Sparling and Nichole Bernier first divy up advice about what happens when your main man (or woman) just lacks the luster they need to carry your story. And what about those writing groups - are they worth the time and effort. See what our authors have to say about that. Then, comes the delicate issues of writing across multiple genres and how that may or may not hamper your chances at getting published.
Don't forget - Send in your writing and publishing questions at askanewauthor@bookdivas.com for Ellen, Scott and Nichole and we will give the best question a Book Divas tshirt!
Now onto our questions of the month!
1. I am writing a story now and, I’m proud to say, I am pretty far along. However, I feel as if I have hit a roadblock with developing my main character. The events of the story are unfolding but I feel as though my main character has become a dud - and even unlikable. Any advice?
Ellen: It’s hard to give advice to another writer, since we have unique ways of approaching our work. What works for me when a character gets “stale” is to take that character out of the story for a while. I explore and expand the character, using what I think of as a monologue/rant. I freewrite from the character’s point of view in first-person, encouraging the character to rant about herself, her history, her fears and yearnings and first memories and pet peeves and what she really thinks, holding nothing back. Often this reveals things I didn’t know about my character and helps me write new layers. It doesn’t necessary make the character more likable to find out some of her dirty secrets, but it can develop the character and address the “dud” part. Good luck with your character!
Nichole: The likeability question is an interesting one. It’s okay for a character to be complex and flawed, but a reader should still be intrigued and rooting for them—a dud, not so much. When I had a sympathy problem with a character in my novel, I did what Ellen describes. I took out a fresh sheet of paper and wrote circles around what made her the person that she is. The bizarre way she broke her leg in high school. The high school boyfriend who broke her heart. The kind thing she did for an elderly man when no one was around. All sorts of things that are in character but never make it to the page, and spark something I can add to give her depth.
Scott: Unlikeable is actually okay with me. I didn’t like the killer in “No Country for Old Men,” but he was totally engaging. The things he did were despicable, but the character traits behind his actions were ones we admire: dedication, discipline, commitment to a goal, etc. Likeable or not, what counts is not what you do, but why.
Being a dud, on the other hand, is fatal. I’d ask myself what’s at stake for the character. What does she stand to lose? What has she already lost? What will she not tolerate losing? Whatever it is, put it at risk. When you say events are unfolding, I wonder if the character is too much in service to the plot. Try giving her the freedom to go off message, even if you have to re-imagine some plot elements. It could end up making everything stronger.
2. I’ve heard of writing workshops but I don’t really know if that is right for me. What are the pros and cons?
Ellen: This is such a good question and such a complicated one, because there are so many different kinds of writing workshops. Some meet weekly over a period of months; others meet daily for several hours over the course of a week or ten days, often as part of a writers conference. Some meet in person; others work online. Some are lead by professional writers and charge a fee; others are peer led and are free. Some focus on a particular craft issue while others are more general. Probably the biggest difference, however, is between workshops that are generative (meaning that participants get together and generate new work, sometimes using prompts, and then read it aloud to each other) and workshops that are manuscript-driven (where participants critique work written previously and usually shared ahead of time). So, if you’re interested in a writing workshop, figuring out the best match can be a challenge.
Some writers aren’t interested in writing workshops at all - of any type. But many of us find the the deadlines and the feedback extremely useful. I have had wonderful learning experiences in workshops at writing conferences like Bread Loaf and Sewanee, Stonecoast and Writers in Paradise. And since I write alone in my room, my ongoing writing group (a manuscript critique group that meets monthly to offer feedback on the work we submit ahead of time) provides me with a strong community of support and friendship. My group has been together, with some changes in participants, for eight or nine years. We have shared our disappointments with rejection, our gratitude when a group member has an insight into our work, our frustrations with the publishing world, our pleasure at finding the right image or the perfect narrative structure, and we have been midwives to each others’ publications - and that is pure joy.
What are the cons? It’s a lot of work, reading and critiquing other people’s manuscripts. And, finding the right people, the right type of group, the right time in your writing life can be a challenge. But for me, it’s definitely worth doing.
Nichole: Ellen said it so well that I have little to add. Just this: As much as you can pre-screen participants’ genres, writing styles and personalities, do. It pays off and avoids awkwardness and frustration in the future when you aren’t keen on either the person or the writing.
Scott: Pros: When they work, they’re great. Cons: They usually don’t work.
More seriously, you’re curious about writing workshops, so why not try one? A writers’ groups lead by a teacher will work if it’s the right teacher at the right time for you. You’ll know that after a few sessions. I lucked into one -- I thought I’d go for a couple months and ended up staying for years. If not for that group, I’d be posting on “Ask An Unpublished Writer.com.”
In less formal groups, where everyone is more or less equal, you can make lifelong friends and/or be sucked into a time-consuming vortex of petty drama. If the latter happens, at least you’ll have new material to write about.
3. Can I be taken seriously by the publishing world as both a poet and a novelist, or do I need to focus on one area to build my reputation?
Ellen: Certainly some authors have managed to succeed in more than one genre; Anne Michaels and Marge Piercy come immediately to mind. But my more cynical side responds that most of us are never taken seriously by the publishing world, so I feel that we should write what we love, what compels us, what we MUST write, no matter what the form.
Nichole: I’ve never heard of that being a problem. I’ve heard agents express hesitation about writers hurting their careers by going too broad and crossing many genres from book to book. But even that can be remedied with pen names.
Scott: I’m tempted to say this: Just be taken seriously by yourself, and let the rest follow. Why should we let the fickle, mercenary, trend-following, sushi-eating, ADHD-afflicted publishing world define us or shape our interests? (Note: If anyone from the publishing world is reading this, I completely disavow the preceding sentence. I’ll be whatever you want me to be. Honest.)
More seriously, it’s hard enough mastering either poetry or prose. So instead of an answer, here’s a different question in response: Do you need to focus on one or the other to hone your skills? If not -- if you find that working in one form sharpens the other -- then as Ellen says, follow what compels you.
Have you checked out our author's books? Ellen Meeropol's debut novel, House Arrest (Red Hen Press, Feb 2011), tells the story of a pregnant young cult member under house arrest and a by-the-rules home care nurse confront prejudice and the consequences of political activism. Scott Sparling's first novel, Wire to Wire (Tin House Books, June 2011), is a story of train-hopping, drug-dealing, glue-huffing, and love, with love being the most dangerous. The story is set in Northern Michigan in the late 1970s. And Nichole Bernier's first novel, THE UNFINISHED WORK OF ELIZABETH D, is about a woman who inherits the journals of a friend, and realizes she didn't know her friend nearly as well as she thought, including the truth about where she was going when she died. It will be published by Crown/Random House in early 2012.
