UNCOMMON ADVICE FOR BEGINNING WRITERS BY DARA GIRARD

January 17, 2008 on 1:59 pm | In Writing Tips | No Comments

1) Convince yourself you want to do something else. If you don’t succeed, proceed to number 2.

2) Write what you don’t know. Write what interests you. Fiction is about emotion not personal experience–that is a memoir. Truth comes from emotion. Write with passion.
3) Embrace rejections. Not literally unless it makes you feel good. Understand that they are as inevitable as bad hair days, gum on your shoe, and taxes. You’re in the marketing business. Everyone will not buy your product, but eventually somebody will.
4) Procrastinate. You don’t need to write every day. On some days just be idle. Use these days to fill up your creativity well. Take a long leisurely walk, organize your cupboards, read, buy the stationary you’ll send to your fans, imagine a brilliant review and write it down, sketch your book cover with a blurb from an author you admire.
5) Write to make money. Poverty need not be a mandatory requirement of the writing life. Artistic expression is all well and good, but you need to eat. So write the books of your heart, but also understand the market and see if you can tailor some of your work to fit it. You can write your Great Novel on the side, but trust me it’s very difficult to be creative when you’re starving.
6) Skip the book and watch the movie. Especially, the movie versions of classic novels. The writing style has changed drastically in the past centuries. So writing like Charles Dickens or Henry James will not get you far in today’s market. However, don’t let it skip your notice that their books (or the rather movie versions of them) still capture contemporary movie audiences. Why? Because of the stories they tell.
Watching the movie of these books will help you learn how to develop your storytelling abilities. See what stands out, pay attention to what scenes linger in your mind, what dialogue makes you gasp or laugh out loud, what does the camera focus on? How does that enhance the tale? We live in an age where people are very visual; writing to that preference will help make your work successful.
7) Get into character. Use stick figures to lay out a scene, listen to the music a main character would listen to, wear a piece of clothing a character might like, write a diary enter for them. Photograph the area where your character lives; if your character comes from a different place, eat the regional foods they might eat. These activities will help you make your story and your characters come alive.
8) Laugh at yourself and the industry. Many authors like to offer dire warnings about the death of the mid-list, how publishers are consolidating, they bemoan the few options there are for new writers and how publishers promote only the lucky few. Yes, that’s true, but you can be a happy author despite the industry.
Unfortunately, too many writers take themselves too seriously. We’re a maudlin group despite available Prozac, alcohol and pills. It’s a crazy life. It’s supposed to be. We make up stories for a living! It’s a Peter Pan profession like dancing and acting. You want to emotionally strip yourself naked and have people applaud. Isn’t that bizarre?
So you can get discouraged, but you don’t need to be depressed. Stories are needed. They keep our cultures alive.
9) Don’t worry about promotion. If you haven’t written a word, don’t concern yourself with bookmarks, getting on national television, networking bookstores or the like. Anyone can sell an idea, find out if you can deliver.
10) Celebrate milestones that don’t seem to count. Contest losses (can’t win if you don’t enter) bad drafts (at least you finished) rejections (at least you’re in the game), $25 checks (at least you got paid to write), personal notes (someone read your work) and anything else that gets you closer to your publication goal.
Celebrate being a writer in every little way that you can. You deserve it.
© Copyright Dara Girard. All Rights Reserved

2008…

January 17, 2008 on 1:42 pm | In Writing Tips | No Comments

Okay we are 17 days into the new year and I’ve just gotten a chance to come back and visit.  While many of you may think I just forgot about this blog umm no the truth is I forgot the password and I am just getting around to getting it back and all.  So this year I plan on giving tips to new authors as well as providing information on the literary world.  From the strike in Hollywood till what’s good in the Big Apple.

Missy

Why does authors not share who their agents are?

July 28, 2007 on 2:58 pm | In General Information | No Comments

I am in a group that was discussing this subject and it is amazing to think what authors think. Personally as a agent I don’t mind my clients telling people who I am but I do request that if I tell my clients that my submissions are closed that they let others know. However, I think the reason that most people do not share who their agents are because it is a business if I tell you whom I deal with and my agent has been successful with pushing their novels why would they take food out of their family mouths by giving you the information on their successful careers. I am not saying that all authors feel the need to hide their information but for the most part most agents will tell you via their website who their clients are and if they don’t if you contact them they won’t hide their clients list. They want you to know that they are a reputable agency as well as they can do the job. So in all if you ask an author who their agent is and they do not tell you go buy their next book and I can guarantee you they will give thanks to their agent and then you can dig up the information yourself. Just remember the literary industry is just as cutthroat as any other industry everyone is trying to make their lives work and will not allow people to stand in their way they go after what they want as shall you.

Research

July 25, 2007 on 3:51 am | In Writing Tips | No Comments

I do not know how many times as an agent I have stressed the importance of research. Not only does research allows you to gain information about the industry but also it gives you vital information. Many people get frustrated when I tell them something is wrong with their manuscript and once they fix it, they can resubmit it. Most of them think I am being unfair because I won’t tell them what’s wrong but firm belief is if I tell you how to do it you will never learn it because you will hold on to the information I give you instead of progressing as a author.  I think over time any author can take a story and make it strong and credible but you have to remember to take it through the editors so it’s nice and clean, make it marketable so any agent can look at it and go ahhh this fits into this market. When we can do that, it is easier for us to go oh let me call such and such because this book will be perfect for that house. However when we have to play the guessing game with your manuscript it takes away from our day making it difficult to do anything with your manuscript. So once again, I stress the importance of research. There are plenty of books out there to help you learn all of this stuff.

 

 

Stay tune in the coming weeks I am going to list a couple of websites that are helpful to readers and give great advice.

Tips on The Submission Process

July 23, 2007 on 2:59 pm | In Writing Tips | No Comments

As of lately I am starting to wonder if people can follow simple instructions. On my submissions, page it says do not send hard copies of manuscripts because the agency takes email submissions only and people still feel the need to send manuscripts via postal service. It is funny because usually when this happens, I sit there and wonder whom and why would a person send me three hundred plus pages when there is the internet but of course, some people have to do things their way.

Now lets talk about the formatting of manuscripts because lawd knows I’ve seen some interesting formatting styles and I am beginning to wonder who in God’s Green Earth taught these people this style. Please remember that manuscripts are to be submitted in Times New Roman or Courier New, 12 pt font, double space and one inch all the way around.

When writing your query letter do not get creative or choose to let that time be you being funny or having fun. Keep it professional and straight to the point.

While others can understand the requirements for some reason, they feel if they email it to me I will get it back to them ASAP and it is as I am super women and I can make things happen. Nope it does not work that way I have over seventy-five submissions daily and that will take time. No one has the right to demand anytime from anyone.

Another suggestion that I can offer never ever go to another agent and get to asking about the agent you submitted to. Not only is that totally unprofessional but it makes you look bad in that agent’s eyes and if the other agent there’s no guarantee that they may mention it to them and that means you have totally screwed yourself in two different situations. So be carefully what you do in this industry because the professionals run in a very tight net circle.

 

Introduction To The World of Blogging

July 23, 2007 on 3:07 am | In Writing Tips | No Comments

I want to thank everyone who believed in me when I announced I was going to launch my own literary agency while I know some people did not see it possible. However, I am happy to say after three years of planning I am here with ML Brown & Associates LLC and we are defiantly handling the market like a natural. It has truly been a great year so far kicking off the agency took a lot of hard work but I have to say it was well worth it. To start of the launch of the company I had reached out to friends who were writers and the houses love these guys within the first four months I had well over six manuscripts sold and more clients then I knew what to do with. The reason for this blog was to express my thanks to my clients as well as the literary world but to also give newbie’s information to help them out as they prepare to submit their manuscripts to vary agents and editors. The one thing that I can say that is the most vital piece of information is go to the conferences that are offer even if its to sit in a workshop or to mingle around. People enjoy meeting their fans as well as being around just readers but also as a writer it allows you to really see what its like and what it takes to succeed. Another piece of advice I offer to writers especially those writers who are new NEVER EVER yeah I put in caps because this is very important. Never go to these conferences attempting to solicit writers to read your work instead take your presentation folders and presented it to editors and if a writer asks you what your book is about you can hand them the folder and tell them its all in there. Networking is also important when there is not many literary events going on there are plenty of YAHOO! Groups that vary from writing to simply readers but it allow you to bounce your ideas off people who think like you. I continue to tell writers to use every piece of knowledge that is offered to them because it can be available tool later on.

Keep on the lookout for more tidbits of information to come.

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