Kevin M. Weeks is a writer and philanthropist. In 2006, he released a crime fiction series called The Street Life series. Book proceeds benefit the Stay Off the Streets Fund, a charitable fund to aid "at risk" teenagers who age out of foster care without a strong support structure. Read more at http://www.kevinmweeks.com.
We're proud to have him as one of our Author Sponsors for Killer Nashville 2010. Thanks, Kevin, for your support.
Killer Nashville: Hi, Kevin. Can you tell us a little bit about your books?
Kevin M. Weeks: I pen a collection of crime fiction novels titled The Street Life Series. The titles of the books follow a pattern format which is a traditional theme for many mystery novels. There are three published books in the series: (1) Is It Suicide or Murder? (2) Is It Passion or Revenge? and (3) Is It Rags or Riches? I am currently writing the fourth novel titled Is It Power or Envy?
In the series, the main character Teco Jackson travels across the globe; and readers witness how Teco responds as crime happens all around him. His innate crime solving skills become a major benefit to a multi-jurisdictional law enforcement team.
Killer Nashville: Sounds interesting! When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
Kevin M. Weeks: About 6 years ago, I was encouraging a group of young adult men and sharing several of my stories with them. As a result, they in turn persuaded me to become published. Hearing their reaction was the pivotal point in my wanting to become an author.
Killer Nashville: And what led you to the crime fiction genre?
Kevin M. Weeks: I believe that I have been blessed with an intuitive gift of writing coupled with a passion for studying and solving crimes.
Killer Nashville: You've said your work is a cross between Urban Fiction and Crime Literature. Could you elaborate?
Kevin M. Weeks: Urban Fiction is centered on the criminal act and survival side of life on the streets set under an urban backdrop. Take that urban fiction theme and add the detective investigation, evidence gathering along with determining motive; then you have my twist on crime fiction writing.
Why should this matter? It is my understanding that many crime fiction readers do not necessarily read urban fiction and vice versa, my goal is to bridge the gap between readerships. I want both genres to be enjoyable to all. Library Journal states, “Think of CBS’s 48 Hours Mystery set to a street lit riff.”
Killer Nashville: That's a great tag line--and an interesting concept. Of course, a compelling detective is one of the most important elements in bringing the concept to life. How did you come up with your protagonist? In what ways is your protagonist like you? In what ways is he different?
Kevin M. Weeks: I just conjured the protagonist and main character, Teco Jackson, up. Because he faces many of the dilemmas which I once faced in life, he is modeled after me. As an example, Teco was a transient person as I was when I was a young adult; and he is driven to succeed despite the odds as I am. Perhaps his suave personality and the smooth manner in which he attracts women are more over the top than mine. (laughing)
Killer Nashville: Obviously, your personal experiences contribute a lot to your books, but what kind of research do you do?
Kevin M. Weeks: Because I highlight a different city in each book, I research facts about a location in which others might not be aware. Also, I spend a great deal of time reading about police procedures and forensics. Not until I joined the Southeast chapter of the Mystery Writers of America (SEMWA) was I aware of the various writers’ police academies. I look forward to attending one in the near future.
Killer Nashville: How about other authors? Who are your favorites, and which have influenced you most?
Kevin M. Weeks: James Patterson has influenced me the most, from his book marketing (which was a case study by Harvard Business School) to his writing style.
Killer Nashville: Patterson is famous for his outlines. Would you say you're an outliner or a seat-of-the-pantser?
Kevin M. Weeks: Actually, I do a combination of both. I spend a great deal of time on my character sheets. However, once I develop a plot the rhythm of the writing begins.
Killer Nashville: What's your writing schedule like?
Kevin M. Weeks: Because I am a full-time author, my writing starts mid-morning and wraps up around 6pm or so.
Killer Nashville: What do you think you do best as a writer?
Kevin M. Weeks: While I write, I can see myself in the scene with the characters. As a result, the New York Book Festival and London Book Festival awarded me for my storytelling ability. So, bringing reality to the story is what I think that I do best as a writer.
Killer Nashville: Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication?
Kevin M. Weeks: The road to publication was a paved by spending a great deal of hours studying the publishing industry in order to best determine how I could positively contribute to the landscape of American Literature. I am encouraged that the best for me is yet to come.
Killer Nashville: You clearly love what you do. What's the most rewarding part of being an author?
Kevin M. Weeks: Hearing first hand from readers how my stories have impacted their lives. As an example, one reader wrote to me and said, “You inspire me in many ways that it’s still possible to pursue my dreams in the worst situations in life.” Accolades like this keep me going.
Killer Nashville: And the least enjoyable part?
Kevin M. Weeks: Overcoming those moments of writers block.
Killer Nashville: With three books under your belt and another in progress, you've obviously figured out how to beat that! You mentioned earlier that the accolades from readers keep you going. What about reviewers? What was the best review you ever got?
Kevin M. Weeks: Wow, I have received at least three: Two from Library Journal and one from The USA Book Review. They are posted on the homepage of my website at www.kevinmweeks.com. All of these book reviews confirm that I am on the right track in bridging the gap between urban fiction and crime fiction readers.
Killer Nashville: Any advice to give give to other aspiring authors?
Kevin M. Weeks: Once you start a book, don’t allow anything to hinder you from finishing it. Also realize that after your book is published, the work really begins.
Killer Nashville: Right. Many authors say marketing and promotion are harder than actually writing the book! What do you do to market your series?
Kevin M. Weeks: I have done a great deal from internet marketing, some national print ads, to cooperative marketing. Interviews like this one help tremendously. So, I want to say thank you.
Killer Nashville: What's the most interesting thing that's happened to you since becoming an author?
Kevin M. Weeks: As people asked more about my homeless background, I began to deflect questions from me towards the issues of “at risk” teens who turn 18 years old and wind up on the streets. This compelled me to establish a youth charity called the Stay Off The Streets Fund. Book proceeds benefit this fund.
Killer Nashville: If you could have three writing wishes, what would they be?
Kevin M. Weeks: One thing you learn as a writer is that Aladdin’s lamp is within you. So, I believe I am earning my way towards (1) becoming a globally known and recognized author, (2) having my books adapted for the stage, film, and/or television, and (3) becoming a motivational public speaker for youth around the world because the street life is a global issue.
Killer Nashville: Is there anything you'd like to discuss that I haven't mentioned?
Kevin M. Weeks: You have really covered everything well; and I thank you for the interview. Your readers can find out more about me at www.kevinmweeks.com. Also they can find out more about the Stay Off The Streets Fund by visiting www.stayoffthestreets.org. Peace, Kevin.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, November 2, 2009
Don Bruns Wins Best Mystery of the Year Award
First the Silver Falchion Award, now best mystery of the year from the Florida Writer's Association. And Best Mystery 2007 from Forword Magazine, and various other awards.
Awards are great, and when I hang them on the wall, it reminds me that I AM a writer. But I'm not sure that awards sell books. Actually, if I knew what sold books, I would be fabulously famous and fabulously wealthy. I am neither. I asked John Jakes about it one time. Jakes is famous for the Kent Family Chronicles and North And South, both series then turned into mini-series on ABC in the 70s. John says all things considered it's the luck of the draw. Two equally talented authors have the same chance of striking it rich.
I'm not sure if that's true anymore. I think that in some cases a writer is discovered, gets a mention in People Magazine, The New York Times or USA Today ( The Nanny Diaries) and the book takes off like a rocket. But if the book is good, a publisher can buy the success. He can spend thousands of dollars and have it placed at the entrance to airport bookstores, front case it at Borders and B&N, take out ads in major papers. This doesn't guarantee success, but it certainly puts the book in success's path. If the potential reader senses that this book is a big deal from all the placement and all the ads, they are much more likely to buy it.
I've talked to authors who make it to the top of the New York Times list, and every one tells me that the publisher spent enough to get it there. So, it doesn't bode well for those of us who have limited funds and smaller publishers. That's okay. We'll take the awards, and someday when we're finally rich and famous and maybe having other people write our books we'll look back at our wall filled with trophies and remember when.
The Florida Writer's Association awarded Stuff Dreams Are Made Of the best mystery of the year this week. I am truly thankful. Stuff To Spy For was just released. I would like to think I'm wrong. I'd really like to believe that an award will sell a book. I'd like to believe that because of this award, my book will sell like crazy. So let's try this. Everyone who reads this blog, go buy Stuff To Spy For ( a comic thriller. Publisher's Weekly says "laugh out loud funny.") Then buy a book for everyone on your gift list. Then write to everyone on your email list, write to every blog you subscribe to, and enlist their support in buying Stuff To Spy For. Get them to buy a copy for everyone on their list. Take a day off work and put the cover of my book on the side of your car. Drive up and down the streets of your city! Call Borders, your local library, your independent bookstore and demand that they order 20, 30 copies of Stuff To Spy For. Explain that Don Bruns is an AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, and he now deserves to sell a lot of books.
Or don't.
If you do, I thank you in advance!
Don Bruns/award winning author, waiting to be a best selling scribe.
Awards are great, and when I hang them on the wall, it reminds me that I AM a writer. But I'm not sure that awards sell books. Actually, if I knew what sold books, I would be fabulously famous and fabulously wealthy. I am neither. I asked John Jakes about it one time. Jakes is famous for the Kent Family Chronicles and North And South, both series then turned into mini-series on ABC in the 70s. John says all things considered it's the luck of the draw. Two equally talented authors have the same chance of striking it rich.
I'm not sure if that's true anymore. I think that in some cases a writer is discovered, gets a mention in People Magazine, The New York Times or USA Today ( The Nanny Diaries) and the book takes off like a rocket. But if the book is good, a publisher can buy the success. He can spend thousands of dollars and have it placed at the entrance to airport bookstores, front case it at Borders and B&N, take out ads in major papers. This doesn't guarantee success, but it certainly puts the book in success's path. If the potential reader senses that this book is a big deal from all the placement and all the ads, they are much more likely to buy it.
I've talked to authors who make it to the top of the New York Times list, and every one tells me that the publisher spent enough to get it there. So, it doesn't bode well for those of us who have limited funds and smaller publishers. That's okay. We'll take the awards, and someday when we're finally rich and famous and maybe having other people write our books we'll look back at our wall filled with trophies and remember when.
The Florida Writer's Association awarded Stuff Dreams Are Made Of the best mystery of the year this week. I am truly thankful. Stuff To Spy For was just released. I would like to think I'm wrong. I'd really like to believe that an award will sell a book. I'd like to believe that because of this award, my book will sell like crazy. So let's try this. Everyone who reads this blog, go buy Stuff To Spy For ( a comic thriller. Publisher's Weekly says "laugh out loud funny.") Then buy a book for everyone on your gift list. Then write to everyone on your email list, write to every blog you subscribe to, and enlist their support in buying Stuff To Spy For. Get them to buy a copy for everyone on their list. Take a day off work and put the cover of my book on the side of your car. Drive up and down the streets of your city! Call Borders, your local library, your independent bookstore and demand that they order 20, 30 copies of Stuff To Spy For. Explain that Don Bruns is an AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, and he now deserves to sell a lot of books.
Or don't.
If you do, I thank you in advance!
Don Bruns/award winning author, waiting to be a best selling scribe.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Big Wait
For the writers in the ranks of Killer Nashville attendees, we go for the info. We go for the networking. And we go to go.
The writing process is, sadly often, very much about the hurry-up-and-wait. We wait for the muse. We wait for Microsoft Word to load. We wait for the printer. We wait in line at the Post Office. We wait for the rejection. We wait for the acceptance.
So it feels good to move; to scurry from one session to the next; to throw our lunches down our throats to leave enough time for the floss and tongue scraper before our pitch sessions. The vitality of bustling offsets the dreaded ‘writer’s spread’ of the added hip girth gained from waiting around in our chairs.
Oh, but how we dive and roll when we work. Mystery, suspense, and thriller writers dodge bullets. We run after suspects. We tear though alleys and woods. We beat the hell out of people. Sometimes we kill, and sometimes we die, in our minds – just to know what it feels like, so we can write it right.
That’s what we do while we wait. Don’t let anyone tell you that’s not real work.
The writing process is, sadly often, very much about the hurry-up-and-wait. We wait for the muse. We wait for Microsoft Word to load. We wait for the printer. We wait in line at the Post Office. We wait for the rejection. We wait for the acceptance.
So it feels good to move; to scurry from one session to the next; to throw our lunches down our throats to leave enough time for the floss and tongue scraper before our pitch sessions. The vitality of bustling offsets the dreaded ‘writer’s spread’ of the added hip girth gained from waiting around in our chairs.
Oh, but how we dive and roll when we work. Mystery, suspense, and thriller writers dodge bullets. We run after suspects. We tear though alleys and woods. We beat the hell out of people. Sometimes we kill, and sometimes we die, in our minds – just to know what it feels like, so we can write it right.
That’s what we do while we wait. Don’t let anyone tell you that’s not real work.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
2010 Killer Nashville Guest of Honor
By Beth Terrell
Every year, there's much speculation about who will be the Killer Nashville Guest of Honor, and every year, when Clay tells me who it is, I feel a burst of excitement--"Wow! That's amazing!"-- immediately followed by a trickle of anxiety--"Uh oh. How are we ever going to live up to that next year?"
But every year, somehow we do. Mary Higgins Clark was the very first Killer Nashville Guest of Honor, followed by Michael Connelly, Dr. Bill Bass, and J.A. Jance. To this list, it's my pleasure and honor to add the 2010 Guest of Honor . . .
(Drum roll, please . . . )
Jeffery Deaver.
Deaver is an award-winning author whose books have been on best-seller lists around the world. They've been translated into 25 languages and sold in 150 countries. Two have been made into movies (The Bone Collector, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, and A Maiden's Grave, starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin). Among Deaver's works are stand-alone thrillers (such as The Blue Nowhere, A Maiden's Grave and A Body Left Behind). His series characters include quadriplegic Lincoln Rhyme, whose keen mind and vast knowledge of forensics enable him to solve even the most difficult crimes from his hospital bed, and Kathryn Dance, an expert in kinesics--the interpretation of body language, such as facial expressions or gestures.
Deaver's attention to detail is legendary. He does extensive research on every book, and if he says x type of sand is only found in y area, you can pretty much take that to the bank. Lee Lofland, a well-respected expert in law enforcement procedures and investigative techniques, says Deaver's research is among the best he's seen. When asked how much time he devotes to research, Deaver says he devotes about eight months to researching and outlining a book.
Although Deaver describes his books as plot-driven, many have characterized them as psychological thrillers. In the Q&A on his website, Deaver says, "I explore the psychology of crime and crime detection in my books: the minds of the criminal and his hunters. I also try very hard to create characters--both heroes and villains--with psychological depth. In other words, the people who populate my books are more than caricatures. We inhabit their minds throughout most of the book."
If you like thrillers, forensics, or psychology, check out Jeffery Deaver. And please join us for Killer Nashville 2010. Registration will be opening soon.
I'll keep you posted!
Every year, there's much speculation about who will be the Killer Nashville Guest of Honor, and every year, when Clay tells me who it is, I feel a burst of excitement--"Wow! That's amazing!"-- immediately followed by a trickle of anxiety--"Uh oh. How are we ever going to live up to that next year?"
But every year, somehow we do. Mary Higgins Clark was the very first Killer Nashville Guest of Honor, followed by Michael Connelly, Dr. Bill Bass, and J.A. Jance. To this list, it's my pleasure and honor to add the 2010 Guest of Honor . . .
(Drum roll, please . . . )
Jeffery Deaver.
Deaver is an award-winning author whose books have been on best-seller lists around the world. They've been translated into 25 languages and sold in 150 countries. Two have been made into movies (The Bone Collector, starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, and A Maiden's Grave, starring James Garner and Marlee Matlin). Among Deaver's works are stand-alone thrillers (such as The Blue Nowhere, A Maiden's Grave and A Body Left Behind). His series characters include quadriplegic Lincoln Rhyme, whose keen mind and vast knowledge of forensics enable him to solve even the most difficult crimes from his hospital bed, and Kathryn Dance, an expert in kinesics--the interpretation of body language, such as facial expressions or gestures.
Deaver's attention to detail is legendary. He does extensive research on every book, and if he says x type of sand is only found in y area, you can pretty much take that to the bank. Lee Lofland, a well-respected expert in law enforcement procedures and investigative techniques, says Deaver's research is among the best he's seen. When asked how much time he devotes to research, Deaver says he devotes about eight months to researching and outlining a book.
Although Deaver describes his books as plot-driven, many have characterized them as psychological thrillers. In the Q&A on his website, Deaver says, "I explore the psychology of crime and crime detection in my books: the minds of the criminal and his hunters. I also try very hard to create characters--both heroes and villains--with psychological depth. In other words, the people who populate my books are more than caricatures. We inhabit their minds throughout most of the book."
If you like thrillers, forensics, or psychology, check out Jeffery Deaver. And please join us for Killer Nashville 2010. Registration will be opening soon.
I'll keep you posted!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
And a Grand Time Was Had by All!
OK, except for the dead guy in the boiler room.
Another Killer Nashville has come and gone; too short, too soon.
Up first, thanks to all who attended. The variety and quality of the writers who attend are what makes KN so much fun, and so important for mystery writers.
Second, but first in my heart, a huge well done and thanks to the staff and all of the volunteers. It went like clockwork.
(As any good crime should, right?) :)
An amazingly long list of attendees got the chance to get some excellent advice from, and pitch their books to, three extraordinary publishing reps.
My thanks, and all of KillerNashville's thanks, for their endless patience, good humor, professionalism and openness, to:
Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency
Lucienne Diver, The Knight Agency, and
Maryglenn McCombs, Oceanview Publishing
The downside of being an attendee is that you miss some awesome presentations. (I had to leave the "Mind of a Psychopath" session halfway through. Now I'll never know if Dr. Benning was talking about me.)
To all of the presenters, from everyone at KillerNashville, our thanks for sharing your expertise and advice.
All of that and more is true of our very lovely and special guest, J. A. Jance. She was wonderful, heartwarming and enlightening. She even gave us a song. It was an excellent and memorable session.
This wouldn't be complete without a thank you to the dead guy in the boiler room, and to the guys from TBI- Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, who put him there. The crime scene this year was a scream.
Congratulations to all of this years winners and awardees:
There are a few dozen more people that we need to thank, and as we pull some pictures together (I hope), we'll follow up and thank them proper in later posts.
For now though, let me leave you with a bit of hope --
The last session this year ended just about 2:30 Sunday.
The planning session for next year started at 3:00.
See YOU in 2010.
Butch Wilson
www.tech4writers.net
and very proud to say
I was at KillerNashville, 2009.
Another Killer Nashville has come and gone; too short, too soon.
Up first, thanks to all who attended. The variety and quality of the writers who attend are what makes KN so much fun, and so important for mystery writers.
Second, but first in my heart, a huge well done and thanks to the staff and all of the volunteers. It went like clockwork.
(As any good crime should, right?) :)
An amazingly long list of attendees got the chance to get some excellent advice from, and pitch their books to, three extraordinary publishing reps.
My thanks, and all of KillerNashville's thanks, for their endless patience, good humor, professionalism and openness, to:
Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency
Lucienne Diver, The Knight Agency, and
Maryglenn McCombs, Oceanview Publishing
The downside of being an attendee is that you miss some awesome presentations. (I had to leave the "Mind of a Psychopath" session halfway through. Now I'll never know if Dr. Benning was talking about me.)
To all of the presenters, from everyone at KillerNashville, our thanks for sharing your expertise and advice.
All of that and more is true of our very lovely and special guest, J. A. Jance. She was wonderful, heartwarming and enlightening. She even gave us a song. It was an excellent and memorable session.
This wouldn't be complete without a thank you to the dead guy in the boiler room, and to the guys from TBI- Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, who put him there. The crime scene this year was a scream.
Congratulations to all of this years winners and awardees:
- Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award: Chester D.
- Killer
- SEMWA Magnolia Award: Elizabeth (Beth) Terrell
- Wolfmont doorprize basket: Kristin Lemons
There are a few dozen more people that we need to thank, and as we pull some pictures together (I hope), we'll follow up and thank them proper in later posts.
For now though, let me leave you with a bit of hope --
The last session this year ended just about 2:30 Sunday.
The planning session for next year started at 3:00.
See YOU in 2010.
Butch Wilson
www.tech4writers.net
and very proud to say
I was at KillerNashville, 2009.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Finding your "Wayback":
I'm looking forward to showing off a number of "cool tools" for writers at Killer Nashville. For this post, I have a couple of neat sites for helping writers "find their way back".
Don't get the reference? Don't worry about it. We'll get there in a bit.
Is Historical Accuracy important to you?
Such a tool I have for you --
A friend, who shall remain nameless because he's bigger than me, faster than me, and Uncle Sam once taught him to use weapons, is writing this story about Chicago a hundred years or so ago. He's got a shootout in the stockyards and a rough and tumble along the docks and his historical details are important to him. So, he didn't like it when someone pointed out that a third of his story was impossible, because it would have had to have taken place under water. "No Way!", says he. "Yes, way," says.. um... somebody else.
If you go visit the wonderful Mister David Rumsey, at David Rumsey's Historical Map Collection and search his collection for Chicago, you can see what Chicago looked like more than 100 years ago. Compare it to a walk around today and it's pretty interesting. Overlay it on today's map and you'll see places that are dry now, that weren't so dry then. (Come see me at KillerNashville and I'll show you how!)
The Wayback Machine --
Ever found the most interesting informaton on a website, then tried to find it a year later and it's gone? The Wayback Machine, or archive.org, may be able to help. Just enter the site address and click "Take Me Back". You can get a look at what a website looked like years ago, sometimes even what it looked like back when it was just a name and some kind of "placeholder" ad. (Ok, a little boring at that point. Skip ahead a few years.) It's the internet... archived.
The Wayback Machine also has some interesting collections of archived websites from the dates surrounding historic events (like 9-11) & one showing some of the "roots" of the World Wide Web. They're working on more, I'm told.
Now, not every page of every website is there. Often it is just the front page of a site. For example, this is the earliest incarnation of the JeffersonStarship.com website. Which is probably only of interest to you if you want to know when tickets went on sale for the Carnegie Hall concert in 1999 (August 16th, how about that?)
And if you'd made the show, you'd have heard "Find Your Way Back". (If you're at work, turn the speakers down. It gets loud.)
Ok, the circle's complete and I've subjected you to an 80's pop song. My work here is done.
See you in Nashville!
-- Hugh Wilson
I'm looking forward to showing off a number of "cool tools" for writers at Killer Nashville. For this post, I have a couple of neat sites for helping writers "find their way back".
Don't get the reference? Don't worry about it. We'll get there in a bit.
Is Historical Accuracy important to you?
Such a tool I have for you --
A friend, who shall remain nameless because he's bigger than me, faster than me, and Uncle Sam once taught him to use weapons, is writing this story about Chicago a hundred years or so ago. He's got a shootout in the stockyards and a rough and tumble along the docks and his historical details are important to him. So, he didn't like it when someone pointed out that a third of his story was impossible, because it would have had to have taken place under water. "No Way!", says he. "Yes, way," says.. um... somebody else.
If you go visit the wonderful Mister David Rumsey, at David Rumsey's Historical Map Collection and search his collection for Chicago, you can see what Chicago looked like more than 100 years ago. Compare it to a walk around today and it's pretty interesting. Overlay it on today's map and you'll see places that are dry now, that weren't so dry then. (Come see me at KillerNashville and I'll show you how!)
The Wayback Machine --
Ever found the most interesting informaton on a website, then tried to find it a year later and it's gone? The Wayback Machine, or archive.org, may be able to help. Just enter the site address and click "Take Me Back". You can get a look at what a website looked like years ago, sometimes even what it looked like back when it was just a name and some kind of "placeholder" ad. (Ok, a little boring at that point. Skip ahead a few years.) It's the internet... archived.
The Wayback Machine also has some interesting collections of archived websites from the dates surrounding historic events (like 9-11) & one showing some of the "roots" of the World Wide Web. They're working on more, I'm told.
Now, not every page of every website is there. Often it is just the front page of a site. For example, this is the earliest incarnation of the JeffersonStarship.com website. Which is probably only of interest to you if you want to know when tickets went on sale for the Carnegie Hall concert in 1999 (August 16th, how about that?)
And if you'd made the show, you'd have heard "Find Your Way Back". (If you're at work, turn the speakers down. It gets loud.)
Ok, the circle's complete and I've subjected you to an 80's pop song. My work here is done.
See you in Nashville!
-- Hugh Wilson
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
On Mentoring
The first thing you need to do is find out if you're any good. Writing is not as easily quantifiable as, say, pole-vaulting. A really long ruler will put a number to your abilities in a jiffy. Words on a screen (or on paper, if you've gone old school, or have enough confidence to risk the trees and ink) aren't strictly measurable.
The good news is that literary accomplishment comes in many flavors. The bad news is that literary accomplishment comes in many flavors. The difference between a crème brûlée and a cream-of-something-that-tastes-of-the-plastic-container-in-came-in is subject to opinion, at least to a degree. These opinions, if they were all written out, could fill many dozens of very dull libraries. You could always ask your mother, but in most cases, you'll just come back knowing that your mother loves you. If you're the sort of person who confuses maternal affection for valid currency, it could be a long road.
For me, I found a mentor and writing coach online on a writer's website. The two most important things to consider when trusting your ego and your words to another writer are these: that he (or she) be a better writer than you, and that he understands what you're trying to accomplish. In my case, it wouldn't have done much good to seek advice from a children's fantasty writer. But it's the first point that's crucial, and tricky. If you're lucky enough to find someone truly talented, who is willing and able to guide your writerly evolution, it can change your life.
Here's a quick rundown of the pros of electronic tutelage:
-contact with someone who knows what the hell you're talking about (This may seem terribly basic, but believe me, in a real life full of normal people, someone who understands the demands of constant day-dreaming is gold.)
-negative reinforcement (Go ahead, see how quickly you stop mistyping 'your' for 'you're' after being mocked for it a few hundred times. You'll still do it anyway, but you'll learn to be more careful.)
-a thick skin
-perspective (You always know what you meant. The test is, did it come across in the words you chose and the order you put them in? My mentor and I have a rule - if you have to justify a passage after criticism, it probably just needs to be rewritten.)
-patience (My writing advisor is 4,000 miles away and keeps ridiculous hours. As available as he makes himself and as generous as he's been with his time, I still have learned to better handle the itch of "did you read it yet?! How 'bout now?"
-the thrill of approval when you've gotten it right (There's nothing quite like applause from someone you deeply admire.)
The only downside, as I see it, is in the usual shortcomings of email. Specifically, tone can get lost. Electronic misunderstandings can really screw up a good day. Any frustration or hurt feelings sustained in the critique process would happen anyway, because inevitably, you'll get it wrong. A lot. And someone is going to point it out. Wiping the tears from your eyes while making rude gestures at your computer monitor in the privacy of your own home lets you keep your reputation of civility. So go ahead, get mad. He can't see or hear you.
But if you're becoming a better writer, then make sure you thank him where he can see it.
The good news is that literary accomplishment comes in many flavors. The bad news is that literary accomplishment comes in many flavors. The difference between a crème brûlée and a cream-of-something-that-tastes-of-the-plastic-container-in-came-in is subject to opinion, at least to a degree. These opinions, if they were all written out, could fill many dozens of very dull libraries. You could always ask your mother, but in most cases, you'll just come back knowing that your mother loves you. If you're the sort of person who confuses maternal affection for valid currency, it could be a long road.
For me, I found a mentor and writing coach online on a writer's website. The two most important things to consider when trusting your ego and your words to another writer are these: that he (or she) be a better writer than you, and that he understands what you're trying to accomplish. In my case, it wouldn't have done much good to seek advice from a children's fantasty writer. But it's the first point that's crucial, and tricky. If you're lucky enough to find someone truly talented, who is willing and able to guide your writerly evolution, it can change your life.
Here's a quick rundown of the pros of electronic tutelage:
-contact with someone who knows what the hell you're talking about (This may seem terribly basic, but believe me, in a real life full of normal people, someone who understands the demands of constant day-dreaming is gold.)
-negative reinforcement (Go ahead, see how quickly you stop mistyping 'your' for 'you're' after being mocked for it a few hundred times. You'll still do it anyway, but you'll learn to be more careful.)
-a thick skin
-perspective (You always know what you meant. The test is, did it come across in the words you chose and the order you put them in? My mentor and I have a rule - if you have to justify a passage after criticism, it probably just needs to be rewritten.)
-patience (My writing advisor is 4,000 miles away and keeps ridiculous hours. As available as he makes himself and as generous as he's been with his time, I still have learned to better handle the itch of "did you read it yet?! How 'bout now?"
-the thrill of approval when you've gotten it right (There's nothing quite like applause from someone you deeply admire.)
The only downside, as I see it, is in the usual shortcomings of email. Specifically, tone can get lost. Electronic misunderstandings can really screw up a good day. Any frustration or hurt feelings sustained in the critique process would happen anyway, because inevitably, you'll get it wrong. A lot. And someone is going to point it out. Wiping the tears from your eyes while making rude gestures at your computer monitor in the privacy of your own home lets you keep your reputation of civility. So go ahead, get mad. He can't see or hear you.
But if you're becoming a better writer, then make sure you thank him where he can see it.
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