Writing to Be Published: A Writers Guide to Successful Writing Pt. 2

I have stated the fact I never planned on becoming a writer much less to try to write a short story or novel. But becoming I writer I am. I spend hours a day at the computer writing. Much of what I write is never seen but some is published on Associated Content. I'm more focused now and willing to try harder. I never thought I would want to write a short story. My focus and goal was to write a novel. I wanted to be another Stephen King or Koons or like any other famous writer.

I have to tell you I was clueless about the differences between writing a short story verses writing a novel. As always I turned to Michelle Devon - author, editor, and owner of Accentuate Writers Forum (the fastest growing writer's forum on the web today) for advice and guidance. In a previous article published here in Associated Content (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/748821/writing_to_be_published_a_writers_guide.html) I asked what makes up the field of writing, about the different places to write, and much more. Michelle was gracious enough to answer even more questions and ease my concerns about becoming a writer.

Writing is an art and not everyone can do art. At least that is what I always understood. Can anyone be a writer or does it take special requirements?

Michelle: "Well, I mean, you have to write and finish something and it has to be good enough someone can edit it and make it salable and a publisher has to want it.

Nowadays, with POD technology, just about anyone can have a book made by going with a vanity press or some of the less then desired publishers (and I use that word loosely, since many are just glorified printers, like PublishAmerica is), but it takes some real dedication and perseverance to be a traditionally published author.

I guess the only special requirement is a desire to succeed as a writer, or perhaps also a passion for it."

As I said I was clueless about writing a short story or a novel so I asked Michelle Devon what the difference between short story and novel writing was.

Michelle: "Shorts are hard for me. I'm too verbose. I like to make sure the reader knows every little detail until I've basically beat them over the head with detail. I have to edit much of that out of my novels. They are a good challenge for me though: to write only the essential parts of the plot, to narrow the story down to only the necessary elements with just enough descriptive so you 'get it' and not so much the word count is too high.

Characters are usually fewer in shorts than in novels, because the writer has to cut out extraneous folks. Description and narrative is reduced. It's really a skill to be able to tell a complete story -- beginning, middle, and end -- and still capture the reader's attention.

Novels are short stories expanded, with more detail, more characterization and more narrative. But that doesn't mean you write a novel the same way as a short with just 'more'. I think until you have written one of each, it's hard to see the differences in how you go about writing them."

I thought about this for a while and decided that because I was new at writing I would rather try a short story first. Since this time, I have completed one short story that I hope will soon be published. I also have hired Michelle Devon as my editor on that project.

When I started writing my short I started thinking of so many different things to add to it. I wanted to take it in many different directions, sometimes all at the same time. I had little to no focus on what I was doing. I really thought I wanted to try writing a short story first but it seemed I kept trying to do a novel. I needed more advice and focus so how does a person know what they are writing: short story or a novel?

Michelle: "Sometimes you can't until you start writing. I don't usually sit down and say, "Okay, I'm going to write a novel today," or "I'm going to write a short story today." Usually, I have an idea for a story I want to tell, and I start writing on it. If I find that more and more is coming to me, I get that excited flow of, "Oh, man, and I want to say this and this and this..." chances are I'm going to have a novel.

If, however, I am so excited to get to the plot twist quickly and feel that I want to 'just tell the story', then I'm probably going to have a short on my hands. Though for me, a short still means lots of editing out extraneous detail."

As I started to write my short I knew I would have a lot to learn about writing. For me the scariest things to write were dialog. I wasn't sure how much dialog was needed. I've read books that were pages upon pages of dialog and others that had very little dialog. But how important is dialog within a story and should it be dialog heavy?

Michelle: "No, a story should have just enough dialogue so you can feel the characters. If you find that you are telling your story through the dialogue, you're going to end up with characters like at the end of a bad villain movie, where the bad guy sums up the entire plot in a monologue, right before the good guy breaks free and spoils his plans. It's cheesy.

You narrative should tell your story and dialogue should be used only to further the plot, provide characterization, and enhance the story."

When I was in college my writing teacher told me - "show instead of tell". What does that mean?

Michelle: "This is a common mistake, usually when a writer is new to fiction writing and particularly when they come from non-fiction, web content and magazine print writing to fiction. Non-fiction is all about telling your reader something. Fiction is about showing them a story they can visualize in their head.

Sometimes, showing feels 'wordy' to writers and it seems easier to just tell what happened, but you really want to draw that picture.

For example, when I say, "Nancy opened the door," you might picture a woman opening a door in your head. But what if I said instead, "Nancy sighed before she stood from the bed and then she took three tentative steps toward the door. Taking in another deep breath, she reached her hand out to touch the knob, feeling her heart beat rapidly in her chest. One bigger, deep breath and she managed to turn the knob at the same time she put a big fake smile on her face, and then she pulled the door open."

With the second example, you get a much clearer image in your head for the movie that plays along with reading it. That is what you want to do for the reader. That is showing."

This was a load off my mind. I could now start writing the story I wanted to do. After doing about two paragraphs I stopped. When I was in school we always did an outline for our essays and stuff. When writing a short story or novel is an outline important?

Michelle: "Depends. I am working on a science fiction novel right now that has several sub-plots and a conspiracy thrown into it with a lot of technical detail that sci-fi fans demand is accurate, so I'm having to do an outline and a timeline on this one to make sure I get it right.

I'm writing a romance novel right now. Gosh, I can't believe I'm writing a romance when I swore I never would. Anyway, I'm finding that the romance novel just unfolds naturally and there is no real need for an outline on this one.

I have another novel I'm working on, mainstream fiction, that I have a partial outline of what I kind of hope happens, but I'm not stuck on it.

I think that's the big thing--unless it's like I mentioned with my sci-fi novel, and outline is not necessary and could hurt the writer if the story starts to take off in a new direction and the writer is dead-set on, "I have to follow the outline." Uh, no you don't. It's your story and you don't have to do anything. If the characters take over and run with the plot, let them. That's usually the sign of a great story right there.

Again, it comes back to being flexible and not forcing yourself into anything that doesn't flow right."

As I progressed with my short story someone said I should write the ending first. I had never heard of doing that before so I asked Michelle. What about writing the ending first? Do you recommend starting from the end of the story and adding to it? Why or why not?

Michelle: "Again, up to the writer and the story. I had one story I wrote that I knew the ending, could see the scene of the ending in my head, and I had to figure out how the people got to that end. Sometimes, I think I know what the ending will be and the characters just take it a whole new direction.

I don't recommend anything except to write what feels right in the flow and do what works for you. Every writer is different. Try an outline and see if it works for you, but if it doesn't or it stalls you, then don't use outlines."

I continued with my writing and thought I was doing pretty well, until I realized I wasn't going anywhere with it. I was feeling lost and frustrated. I presented Michelle this question - If you've started a short story or novel only to later realize it wasn't going anywhere, what should you do with it? Delete it? Save it and re-work it later? Or finish it and then re-work it?

Michelle: "I learned the hard way to never, ever get rid of any writing. You never know when inspiration might strike. The very first book I ever managed to get published was one that I had started nearly 20 years ago and never finished. Had all sorts of stuff written in notebooks and spirals lingering and finally one night I put them all together in some cohesive form and the rest is now history. Never delete anything. You just never know."

Because Michelle Devon has been kind enough to answer my questions I thought maybe I should get some advance information about things. Becoming a writer is like anything else - You get better with practice.

I finished my short story and started thinking about getting it published. What steps should be taken when trying to get a story published?

Michelle: "Write the story. That's most important. Finish it. Then set it aside, and wait awhile. Then, edit the hell out of it. Then, edit it again. Just when you think it's perfect and ready to go, edit it one more time. Have someone else read it and edit it. Then edit it again.

I think you get the point. Perfect your manuscript. Make it as close to publish-ready as humanly possible, knowing the editor at the publishing company will rip it apart anyway. Then, you start looking for a publisher that buys/prints/sells your type of book. Then you read their submission guidelines and you follow them to the letter and submit a query or manuscript or whatever they call for.

Then, you wait. And wait. And wait."

If you're lucky, they'll ask you for more, accept the manuscript, offer you a contract and then you'll start the process of editing and approvals and on and on. If not, they'll reject your query or manuscript, hopefully provide a reason, and you move on to another publisher and try there.

Lather, rinse and repeat until you achieve the desired results."

Is a writing agent important? Why or why not?

Michelle: "Depends on what you want. Do you want to hit the NYT best seller's list and make a 6-figure advance from one book? If so, you probably need a literary agent that is reputable and works with the big houses to make that happen.

Is all you want to do is write and get a few books published with your name on it, or to get something on a bookstore shelf, and you want to make a bit of money but don't really care how much? Then a literary agent would just be a waste of your time and theirs.

I'm currently in the process of looking for an agent myself. I have used a talent and contracts attorney in the past, but that was more after the fact. Now, I want an agent who will actively help me pursue larger fiction publishing markets, both for readership and pay."

How do you obtain a writing agent if you need one?

Michelle: "Literary agents are difficult as or perhaps even more difficult to sign with than a publisher is. They will only want the best of the best, stuff they know for a fact they can sell to a publisher. You see, agents don't charge writers a fee, at least legitimate ones don't, unless or until they sell the book to a publisher. When they do, they take their fees out of the advance and royalties and send the rest on to the writer. So if they don't sell your book, they don't get paid. Because of that, they are picky about what they will take, and rightfully so.

You will need to query agents and have a manuscript ready to go in as close to print-ready condition as possible, and submit to them the same way you'd submit to a publisher.

Again, Preditors & Editors is a great place to start your agent search."

Once you have a writing agent will you keep that same agent for any future books you might publish?

Michelle: "That depends. Much like any talent agent, if the agent is not working for you, you have the right to look elsewhere. If you can get a better deal, lower percentage to pay, an agent that has better 'ins' with bigger publishers, etc, you might want to consider moving upward and onward after your contract with the first agent is up. It's really up to you and whether there are other agents that want to take you on.

I would say it's not common today for a writer to stay with just one agent for their entire career, and perhaps eventually a writer will no longer need an agent at all if their name can command big advances and royalties on their own. Still, using an agent takes a lot of the stress and paperwork and 'legalities' off the writer, something most writers are notoriously bad at.

Just be careful if you plan to continue a writing career that you are with an agent you feel comfortable with, who is charging you a good percentage, doesn't own you or your manuscripts, and has a good contract that you have had an attorney review. There are a lot of very reputable, wonderful agents out there, and then there is a lot of scum too. Know your stuff before you sign on any line."

How can you tell when you've written something that could be worth publishing?

Michelle: "You can't. I mean, I had this novel manuscript I wrote years ago that I personally thought was fantastic and my family and friends loved it.

I read it again a few months ago and wonder what the hell I was thinking by thinking it was any good.

There's no way to know you're good or not until or unless you polish it and submit it. The literary industry holds no punches. If it's not worth publishing, you won't get it published. Keep in mind, though, some of the best selling novels of all time were turned down tens or even hundreds of times before getting published too. Just read any feedback, constantly be tweaking, perfecting and improving, and just don't give up, ever."

How do you find publisher?

Michelle: "Again, Predators & Editors is a great place to start. They list publishers along with notes about them, recommended and not recommend and why, warnings, scams and more. Then you go to their website, read about them and decide if they work for your story or not. You can search on the internet and then look and see in writers' forums what other writers have said about them. You can go to a bookstore and pick up books you like and see who the publisher is. Decide if you want to submit directly or want an agent, and then start submitting. Just follow the submission guidelines to the letter and have a story worth selling and start plodding through submissions."

What different kinds of publishers are there?

Michelle: "There are as many different types of publishers as there are manuscripts. Small publishers. Mid-sized and large publishers. Niche publishers. Specialty publishers. Print On Demand publishers. Vanity presses. Imprints. Just so much it's almost overwhelming."

What about "vanity publisher"? (I think that's what their called) Should they ever be used to get published?

Michelle: "If that's what you want. I won't use one. Vanity presses print your book for a fee. You might or might not get royalties depending on how the publisher works. Usually, you pay a set fee, they print your book, and then you have to buy your book from them and can mark it up and sell it for more than you paid to have it printed, thus making a profit. Some vanity presses do that for you and call it a royalty payment, but it's really not.

If you don't want to go through the hassle of trying to get approved by a publisher (real publishers will never charge the author a fee, ever), then I would suggest going through the true self publishing route instead of using a vanity press. Get an imprint from some reputable POD place or become your own independent publisher and get your own ISBN batches and do all your own work and then get a printer. If you can't afford that, places like Lulu.com help authors self publish, sort of.

I'm not saying don't self publish. I am saying stay away from vanity presses. There is a difference, and one should research that difference and understand it thoroughly before venturing into printing a book. A real trade publisher will never charge you a penny to print your book and will give you at least a couple of free copies of your book. If a publisher asks you for money, for ANYTHING, find another publisher."

What is the most important piece of advice you could give to someone about trying to become a published author?

Michelle: "I like what Jack Canfield said about the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and I frequently quote him in an interview he did where he said, "We were rejected by at least 220 publishers before Health Communications accepted Chicken Soup for the Soul. Most people don't know that this book, which is now a kind of icon in publishing, was rejected by every major publisher in New York. The obvious lesson is perseverance. Don't give up if you really feel your dream and have a passion for it. That book was a calling. I was driven. It was truly a divine obsession."

That is what I would tell a writer. Don't give up. If you have a passion or an obsession for writing, or even just a dream to succeed with one book, then follow the dream and don't give up along the way."