Agent Friday: Betsy Lerner

Our blogging agent of the week is Betsy Lerner of the Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Agency, which happens to be the agency that represents Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. Lerner spent sixteen years working as an editor before moving into agenting, and from what I've read about her, she was legendary as an editor.

Thankfully, Betsy Lerner passes on a huge amount of information through her blog, and in her book The Forest for the Trees. In the book, Lerner shares the perspective of editors in the publication process, and gives tips on making your queries and submissions stronger.

She also offers advice on handling rejection, dealing with ediors, and what to do if you experience writer's block. The book was published ten years ago, but Lerner is working on revising the information for the current world of publishing, and the new version will be released in fall 2010.

Lerner's blog is a humorous peek into the life of a literary agent, with its associated victories and travails. Her irreverent blog sometimes reads like a memoir, but because of that, it's fascinating. A selection of blog posts I like:

The ups and downs of publishing.

What happens when an author really revises.

Lerner's own query letter for a new project.

The importance of a good title.

Links:

The website of the Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Agency.

Lerner's other book, Food and Loathing: A Life Measured Out in Calories.

The Power of Ten

Since today happens to be the tenth of June, let's celebrate by rounding up some excellent writing articles that each give ten pieces of advice. Nice bite-sized chunks.

Why do we like lists like these? Maybe because it seems more manageable than say, 37 things to remember. So here they are.

From Holt Uncensored, we have Ten Mistakes Writers Don't See (But Can Easily Fix When They Do).

Writer's Digest gives us an excellent list in 10 Disciplines for Fiction Writers.

Author and Editor Mary DeMuth spells out 10 Common Writing Mistakes she sees as she works with her writer-clients, and her wise take on What It Takes to Become a Master Writer.

On Wordpreneur, Steven Barnes, author of twenty novels, explains Writing 20 Novels (in 10 Easy Steps!).

Professor Old Silly gives us 10 Ways to Keep Your Prose Strong and Simple.

For those anticipating getting published in the future, new author Gina Holmes shares 10 Things You Can Do Now to Promote the Novel You Haven't Even Sold Yet.

And though it breaks my string of articles about the number ten, I think all the writing moms out there can appreciate the Routines for Writers post: Over 30 Ways to Keep Kids Busy So You Can Write.

Have you come across other writing posts with the power of ten? If so, feel free to post a link in the comments.

Writing Contests: How to Find Them

Recently, I listed 6 Ways to Win With Writing Contests. Today, I'll  show you where you can find some of the many contests there are to enter.

Writing contests are not created equal. There are mini-contests on individual blogs, regional and organization-sponsored contests, corporate and publishing contests, and contests in magazines and newspapers.

Look Local. When you're starting out, local contests are a great way to hone your skills, help you get used to the process of working under a deadline, and learn to follow guidelines. Because regional contests are not widely publicized, your chances are better, too.

Check your local newspapers and regional magazines. You can call the publication's office to find out what contests they run. Our newspaper hosts a Christmas writing contest every year.

Keep an eye out for contests hosted by businesses, including your local library. A nearby library recently ran a poetry contest, publishing the winners in booklets placed all over town. Ask your friends to let you know of writing contests they hear about.

Go with Groups. Would it surprise anyone that writer's organizations sponsor writing contests? Most of these groups do not require you to be a member in order to participate, however if there is an entry fee it might be slightly higher.

Local writer's groups will obviously give you a better chance than national groups, but don't let that stop you from submitting. Be aware that most national groups have regional chapters that host their own contests.

Check out a list of some of the national writer's associations in the United States. Here is a list of writing groups by state (although there are more regional groups than are listed here). I also found a list of associations in the UK.

No matter what genre you write, or what topics interest you, there is likely a writing group connected to it. Like the Cat Writer's Association, the Baseball Writer's Association, and the Garden Writers Association. Do an internet search for your topic or area to find more.

Corporate Contests. You may already know that Writer's Digest holds both monthly and yearly contests. But did you know that Amazon hosts a Breakthrough Novel contest?

Many companies dream up contests each year to promote their products. I remember one a few years ago from the cotton industry that solicited stories connected to cotton clothing.

Oodles Online. By far, the biggest source of contests is on the web. From small blog contests (several agents run these, like Rachelle Gardner's recent contest), to contests hosted by online or print magazines, and even publishing houses, you're sure to find something that's in line with what you write.

Where can you find these online contests? One way is to set up a Google Alert with your specific criteria. Google will email you whenever someone publishes a post with those words.

Sign up for C. Hope Clark's free newsletters, and check her blog once a week. She scours the web, so you don't have to.

Check out the database on Duotrope Digest, a list of online magazines soliciting fiction and poetry. Many of these publications run contests, which are tracked on Duotrope Digest.

Most important of all, make sure to dedicate a calendar to your contest deadlines. Follow all instructions to the letter to increase your chances of impressing judges, and get writing.

Book Review: Disaster Status

What happens when an ER nurse breaks her neck? She turns to fiction, of course. Candace Calvert's life took a sharp turn when she suffered severe injuries in an equestrian accident. During her recovery, she wrote a story about her experience, which was published in Chicken Soup for the Nurse's soul. And she hasn't stopped writing since.

Disaster Status is the second book in Calvert's Mercy Hospital series. Here's the summary from Calvert's website:

Charge nurse Erin Quinn escaped personal turmoil to work at the peaceful California coast. But when a hazardous material spill places Pacific Mercy Hospital on disaster status and stresses staff, she’s put to the test. And thrown into conflict with the fire department’s handsome incident commander who thinks her strategy is out of line.

Fire Captain Scott McKenna has felt the toxic effects of tragedy; he’s learned to go strictly by the book to advance his career, heal his family, and protect his wounded heart. When he’s forced to team with the passionately determined ER charge nurse, sparks fly. As they work to save lives, can they handle the attraction kindled between them . . . without getting burned? 


My review: Candace Calvert knows the ER, and it shows. You'll be pulled in by the current medical terminology and the split-second decisions that emergency room professionals have to make, even when they're stressed, tired, and dealing with community-wide emergencies. I enjoyed the setting in Northern California, and the descriptions of the coast.


Erin Quinn and Scott McKenna each have secrets to hide, and painful experiences in their pasts that they'd rather not share. However, their respective jobs force them to work together, despite having opposing philosophies about how to help the community best. The romance angle of the book wasn't as gripping as I'd like it to be, but overall, I enjoyed the book.


To read an excerpt of Disaster Status, go here.


Check out Calvert's blog, RX Hope, here.


To see all my book reviews, click here.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Tyndale Publishers as part of their Tyndale Blog Network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Writer's Voice: What Is It Really?

Reviewers sound so enlightened when they say it, "This writer has a unique voice." But for emerging writers, it can be frustrating. They wonder, "What is voice, and how can I get one?"

The best explanation I've found is in the wonderful book Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Ignore. In it, author and writing teacher Elizabeth Lyon explains what many editors and agents find difficult to describe, since the words "style" and "voice" are often used to describe an author's writing.

A quote from Lyons:
"Style is based on "wordsmithing", choosing and tweaking words to create the desired effect and to fit a character and genre. Voice is the author's natural use of language to create authentic and original characters and unique storytelling. More simply stated, style is the outcome of voice, more so than vice versa."

Lyons gives several examples where different styles of writing about the same object sound vastly different. Picture an old rusted car. Now imagine three writers describing the same car. One writer is an inner-city gang member, another is a wealthy Englishman, and a third writer is you.

Will the specific vocabulary vary in the three descriptions? Quite a bit. Each voice will have a distinction of its own. (This is one reason writers rarely need to worry about someone "stealing" their idea. Even if someone nabbed a copy of your novel outline, your voice is what makes your story completely unique.)

I've collected a few good articles that will shed more light on the voice issue:

Agent Nathan Bransford explains How to Craft a Great Voice. (For more on Bransford, click here.)

Agent Rachelle Gardner tells what voice isn't, and what it is in The Writer's Voice, and she shares the difference between Craft, Story and Voice. (for more on Gardner, click here.)

Musician Heather Goodman gives three exercises for writers to use in finding their voice in A Musician Looks at Writing.

And lastly, amazing 16-year-old writer Tessa shows she's wise beyond her years with her prescription in Have You Lost Your Writing Voice? Excellent advice.

Agent Friday: Upstart Crow Literary

Upstart Crow Literary is a group of four agents who work together and share a blog. Have I mentioned lately how much I like agents who blog? Once you regularly read an agent blog, that agent is no longer a "mystery" to you, and you can more easily decide if they might be a good fit for you and your writing. And the side benefit is that you learn more about publishing in the process.

What things might you learn from Upstart Crow Literary?

Why a writer, even a contracted writer, needs to develop a lot of patience.

Whether or not to pitch your project as a series.

Does posting personal information on Facebook hurt a writing career?

Will an MFA help you or hurt your chances of securing an agent?

Simple instructions for how to write a book.

And how to write a one-sentence summary. (If you're motivated, work on your one-sentence summary, and enter it in agent Rachelle Gardner's contest today or tomorrow. Mine will be there.)

If you'd like to know more about Upstart Crow Literary, check out their frequently asked questions. They also have a nice Writer's Toolbox page, with links to good resources.

Book Review: Plot & Structure

This week's book, Plot & Structure,  is getting quite dog-eared and marked up. Before I could write my review, I had to pry it from my daughter's hands (she's heading off to college, and majoring in creative writing). Needless to say, this book is not going with her. She'll have to get her own copy.

James Scott Bell is not only a prolific novelist (and former trial lawyer), but he has published three books on the craft of writing, all of which are in high demand. And for good reason.

Plot and Structure is a great book for those of us that like to learn visually. Full of diagrams, charts and illustrations, the reader can easily grasp the concepts Bell is explaining.

Figuring out how to take an idea and give it enough substance to carry a reader through 300 pages is not something we all learned in school. Bell explains how plot affects every aspect of a novel. He gives details on several different plotting systems, so you can find the one that works best for you.

Probably the most encouraging part of the entire book is Bell's introduction. He explains how he wasted ten years of his life because he had been told that writing could not be taught. Bell insists that writing can be taught, and that anyone who is motivated to learn can grow into a good writer. Fortunately, we have books by Bell to help us along.

James Scott Bell's website. Click on "Writer's Page" for links to writing articles by Bell. Click on the "News" page, where you can download an exerpt of Bell's latest book: The Art of War for Writers.

The Kill Zone: the blog where Bell posts on Sundays.

Write Your A** Off Day

If you're a fiction writer, you probably know about Nanowrimo, where you spend the month of November writing a novel. Chances are, you haven't tried it. Well, next Saturday, you can see if you have what it takes.

The New York Writer's Coalition has declared June 12, 2010, Write Your A** Off Day. It's quite simple. Write 3,000 words, which is about 10 pages, in one day.

Since you're only committing to one day of writing, instead of a month, it doesn't seem like such a huge task. And if you are successful, imagine how easy Nanowrimo will be, since you only have to write 1600 words a day.

If you live in the New York City area (which I don't anymore), you have the added bonus of a free breakfast and lunch, complete with workshops and an author talk by Nicholas Dawidoff. Find out more at the New York Writer's Coalition website.

If you, like me, can't jet to New York for the weekend, don't hesitate to take up the challenge and participate remotely. Find out more here and here. The registration to participate is free, and no matter where you live, if you writer your 3,000 words you can enter for a free private phone consultation with author Jennifer Belle.

So, is anyone going to join me?

How to Write a Memoir

It seems like everyone is doing it. Telling their story. Even David Archuleta has thrown his literary hat into the ring. And rumor has it that Lindsay Lohan is penning her story. If each of us has a story to tell, should each of us write a memoir?

There is a lot to think about when considering telling your life story, or even a portion of it. We all have significant things that happen to us--surviving an accident or deadly disease, adopting a child, recovering from addiction or dealing with a difficult childhood. Many of us also have had interesting lives--growing up during the Depression, living in an exotic country, having an unusual job or being married to a well-known person.

At some point in your life, you've probably heard these words: "You ought to write a book about what you've been through". The question is, should you really?

That doesn't mean you shouldn't write your story down. Just the act of recording and reading our own thoughts on personal experiences is valuable for working through the emotions involved and allowing the lessons to sink in. If appropriate, your written record can be shared with family members, or anyone who might benefit from the experiences you went through.

However, it is very difficult to convince publishers that your particular story might have a following among the masses. This doesn't mean you have no chance, just that you should be aware that it will take quite a bit of convincing.

Of course, if you're a celebrity, like Lohan, or have been highlighted in the news, you have a better chance. But don't give up completely.

Write your story, first for yourself. In the process, work through the emotions that telling your story evokes. Some have written their memoir too soon, when the emotions are too raw. They are too close to the pain (or whatever strong emotions it evokes), and dont have the perspective of looking back and realizing how they've been affected.

Share it, or parts of it with others. Whether through a blog, a newsletter, or even making a small number of copies for your family, you can "publish" your story and get feedback through others' reactions.

Join a critique group. No one's writing is fantastic with the first draft. Get together with other writers who can help you fine-tune your tale. They can help you explain more clearly, fill in holes you weren't aware of, and cheer for you as it comes together.

Below are some links to articles about memoir. I hope you find what you need to tell your story.

You may want to join the National Association of Memoir Writers, to find forums, articles, and other resources.

Memoir Do's and Dont's

Why it's difficult to find an agent for a memoir.

Frequently asked questions on Memoir.

Memoir writing for everyone.

Writing your memoir during retirement.