writing

Words

Photo by RogerMcLassus
Photo by RogerMcLassus

As I go forth into a writing career, I have decided to change up my blog a bit. Until now, it has been about Design, Photography and Writing–the three things I did somewhat equally with my time. Now, with my head either on the page, in a book, or in a library, Compositions will become about Writing, Reading and Research.

In the world of a writer these elements gather to create a composition. Readers and writers bring their own thoughts and expression to how stories are made, and research delves into how history shapes those perceptions. Here at Compositions I’ll share stories, writing tips and thoughts, and historic adventures. All at or around 250 words per post.

So as I begin again, let’s start with words. I recently watched this Ted Talk on What Makes a Word “Real”? It speaks to how/why words are added to our English language dictionaries and how our view of words has changed. Boy has it.

“Troll” was hanging out under bridges, warts and all. Now it means to “surf” the internet. Surf, not stream. “Streaming.” To have shows running on your computer while you eat Spam. Or delete spam. I say this with abandon. Although “abandon” in the 14th century meant to subdue. I’d say it sounds awful that so much has changed, but “awful” in the 13th century meant “inspiring wonder.”

What words have changed meaning for you? If you could add one word to the dictionary, what would it be?

Let That Banner Wave!

KarenAChase_AgentAmericanFlag

I have an agent!

About eight weeks ago I promised I would fly the Canadian flag and replace it with the US flag when I found an agent. I can scarcely believe it’s happened so quickly, but last week the joyous news came in. A call. Early morning. Area code 212. New York.

“Hi, this is Rebecca Gradinger with Fletcher and Company.” My ears thrummed. Once my composure returned I found Rebecca saying things all writers hope for. “I was reading it on the subway… I only got to page 100… I just had to call…”

However, it was not her praises that made me say yes. She was professional and warm. Thoughtful and engaging. She knows this business well, but she is also known for being nice. I said yes, because I feel like she is going to be someone to count on. With Rebecca and her assistant Jennifer in my corner, the next rounds are going to be less of a fight. More of a joy.

She’ll be here to help with editing, finding a publisher and more. Rebecca best describes the role of an agent in this post from Poets and Writers.

So, I have another enthusiastic partner in the building of my literary career. That’s only right for I did not get here alone. Freelance editors. Early readers. Researchers and historians. Other authors. Even finding Rebecca came with help. I was introduced by another historical fiction author, Kathleen Grissom (a Canadian). Rebecca (also Canadian) has been her trusted agent.

Isn’t that ironic? After six years writing about the American Revolution, among those helping me find a publisher are two other Canadians. So here is promise to them.

I will fly this American flag until we find a publisher, at which time that Canadian flag will go back out.

For now, let these stars and stripes wave! Carrying Independence and I have an agent.

. . . . . . . . .
Stay tuned for more posts about what comes next. How does a writer work with an agent? What is the process toward publication? I hope you’ll follow along. Sign up for the blog (in the right-hand column) and the tales will come right into your email.

A Dickens of an Agent Search

 

KarenChase_Dickens_Pages

I have decided that querying agents is a lot like reading Dickens.

First, you must enter the process knowing it is going to take some time. Our book club read David Copperfield last year. 1019 pages! I hope I have the patience of my friend who read that whole thing on her iphone.

Second, there are pages and pages of characters. And you don’t get to know much about them in the beginning. I query agents based on what I can find in Google searches and in websites like QueryTracker and AgentQuery. I have to be prudent and savvy. A couple of weeks ago I chose poorly. The rejection from the agent’s assistant said readers already know “what really happened to the Constitution.” Yeah… uhm… my book is about the Declaration.

Third, Dicken’s dialogue is polite, even when things are going poorly. So are my rejection emails. “We wish you luck with finding a home for this intriguing work.” That’s so nice, but it leaves me feeling like Oliver Twist. “Please, Sir, I want some more.”

Lastly, (and I hope this is true), a darn good ending is coming. I read Great Expectations many years ago, slogging through that thing for weeks. The ending left me stunned. The anticipation, and the unexpected ending with one person showing great character, made me rethink and appreciate all the writing that had come before.

So on I will go. Happily. I will revel in this moment. For this is the best of times. It is the worst of times.

Men’s Fiction Part III (of III): Why we (all) should read it

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I’m back for a final chat about men’s fiction with West Coast Don of MenReadingBooks.

Karen: It’s discussed on the website, The Art of Manliness, why men should read fiction. Another article from a couple years ago speculated why men weren’t reading novels anymore. Why should we, men and women, read men’s fiction? For compassion? For understanding? Why do you read fiction?

Don: It’s different for everyone. I really do read for fun. Given that I deal in real life human trauma, both emotional and the emotional impact of big physical traumas, I like stories in which there is usually a favorable outcome and where there is less ambiguity than in real life. “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, was both unfavorable and ambiguous.

Karen: I know for me, some of the men’s fiction allows me a true escape into another life. They’re adventurous. Wilbur Smith and his tales of South Africa and elephant hunts for instance.
Don: It is the vicarious thrill of adventure, and yet these stories–this men’s fiction–can still include human drama.

Karen: In the end, regardless of genre, male or female-focused, what is it we all hope to find in well-written fiction?
Don: Real life stories. I know I’m constantly drawn to them. I think, in the end, we all like to hear and read real human stories.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you missed our earlier discussions you can find Part I here, and Part II here.

If you’d like a comprehensive list of men’s fiction to read, The Art Of Manliness has that, as of course does MenReadingBooks. Please share your favorite titles, new and old that have been your best adventure stories in my comments below.

My favorite titles, written by  men or women, include the following. I include them because of their history, great writing or context, and their ability to inform not only my intellect by my character. Are they men’s fiction? Perhaps. (Just not when I read them.)

The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway
The Courtney series by Wilbur Smith
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Laguna by Barbara Kingsolver
The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore
Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
Shogun by James Clavell
The Odyssey by Homer
(Yes, I’ve actually read both of those last two. All. Of. The. Pages. Whew!)

Men’s Fiction Part II (of III): What makes it great?

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I’m back with West Coast Don of MenReadingBooks to continue our discussion of men’s fiction. Like all genres and books, there is good fiction, and there is bad.

Karen: What makes great men’s fiction great?
Don: The same as all fiction. I think it comes down to three things. Plot. Character development. Quality of the writing. If the author doesn’t handle those well, it’s weak.

Karen: If those apply to all fiction, what makes it great men’s fiction?
Don: I think with the third point–quality of writing–male authors focus on combining the right amount of complexity and timing. Too many twist and turns in the plot, and it’s a soap opera. The timing refers to when I’m fed information. I want details, but facts and background have to come at the right moment for the reader.

Karen: Does that mean that men’s fiction is fact-based or can it be literary?
Don: Definitely it can be simply literary. Ken Bruen is an amazing example. He writes crime set in Ireland in his Jack Taylor series. Great plot but his writing is so good. Again it goes back to quality, and reading him is a very literary experience. It’s prose. He doesn’t try to impress with vocabulary, but it’s not too elementary.

Next week, in the final Part III, we’ll chat about why men (and women) should read more fiction. If you missed it, here’s Part I of this series on what male fiction is and isn’t.

Readers: Is men’s fiction on your reading this summer? Who are some of your favorite male authors and why?

 

Men’s Fiction Part I (of III): What it is and isn’t

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Two factors recently made me wonder if fiction could be categorized into male and female.

First, two weeks ago James Franco’s summer reading list came out and he received some flack because it was almost entirely male authors. Second, based on a couple agent rejections, I’m worried how my historical fiction is being viewed–both as a female author and because of a male protagonist. Historical novels authored by women often have female leads and are targeted toward female readers. (Like The Other Boleyn Girl.) They are often represented by agents who also handle romance, not military non-fiction. In reality, my novel has more battles than bodice-ripping (think, Jeff Shaara), but would that alone make it male-focused fiction?

I am clearly not a dude. So in an effort to explore the topic, I spoke with Don Houts of the blog MenReadingBooks. In this three-part blog series, “West Coast Don” and I will talk about:
I: What men’s fiction is and isn’t.
II: What makes it great.
III: Why we (all) should read it.

WestCoastDon

MEN’S FICTION PART I: WHAT IT IS AND ISN’T

Karen: So, what would you consider men’s fiction?
Don: It’s easier to define what it’s not. It isn’t overly detailed about relationship stuff. That’s not to say it doesn’t include it, like in Kathryn Stockart’s The Help. But drilling down on relationships just isn’t the focus. Her story primarily captured the human experience of racism from different perspectives.

Karen: She is one of a handful of female authors included in a very long-list of male authors on your site.
Don: I would guess close to 90% of books that appeal to men, are written by men. But women like Louise Penny are in there. She’s an example of how women don’t need to write like they think a man would write in order to appeal to men. She has a feminine touch, yet she doesn’t try too hard. Her fiction is not brutal or grisly. Even male authors can overdo that.

Karen: Colleen McCullough with her factual-fiction about Julius Caesar might be considered male-fiction. Is that partly because of the genre? Or is it her historically accurate details?
Don: Often male fiction is historical. Or it’s crime. Thrillers. War. Some mystery. But again, it’s about the content. It’s about how artfully the amount of detail is handled. Academic books are often too dense. It doesn’t always have to, but men’s fiction tends to inform like non-fiction. Dan Brown is a good example of fiction that includes a large volume of data, but in a way that’s compelling.

Next week in Part II, Don and I will discuss what makes men’s fiction great.

In the meantime, readers, do you read what you would consider to be male fiction? If so, why do you think it’s male fiction? Or is there a distinction to you?

The Canadian Flag is Out

My Canadian flag, it stands on guard for thee.
My Canadian flag, it stands on guard for thee.

Hello again readers. I’ve missed you!

Summer is here and the Canadian Flag is out. Yes, Canada Day is just around the corner on July 1st, but it’s not the only reason this flag waves.

My historical novel about the Declaration of Independence is edited and I’ve begun the work of pitching suitable agents (more on this in the coming weeks). Friends and family have graciously begun inquiring about the process.

“Get an agent, yet? How about now? Now?”

Not only did a receive a rejection 1 hour and 35 minutes after submitting my first query, I know there are more to come. Even famous writers get them. Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, revealed to More Magazine that she was rejected a whopping 60 times. 6-0!

Rejections are part of the process. I’m not trying to sell this book to agents and publishers, I’m trying to connect with the one agent who sees the potential in it as much as I do. Given that agents respond between 24 hours and 8 weeks, the process is unpredictable.

My friend and neighbor (another Karen), suggested I put out a sign so she didn’t have to keep asking. Brilliant!

The Canadian Flag will fly while I am still submitting to agents and publishers. Once I receive an offer on my 1776 historical novel, I’ll put out the American Flag. (Funny, right?)

I, too, look forward to seeing it wave over the home of the brave.

 

 

 

 

Editor Master

Last time on Compositions, I wrote about searching for a new editor. After I queried several developmental editors, it became clear that my novel didn’t need massive plot and character work. So I ended up selecting a woman from right here in Richmond to help me line edit and clean it up a bit. Kris Spisak of K.S. Writing, who edits at all levels, agreed to work on the book with me from a copyedit standpoint. I must brag about her here, even at the risk of her becoming so busy she won’t have time for me either.

What I got back from Kris was gloriously beyond simple punctuation and grammar remarks. She gave thoughtful suggestions on word choices for specific characters. She highlighted where to insert “show-don’t-tell.” (Sometimes I failed to show someone’s jaw clenching, and merely said they were angry.) She pointed out where I used clichés instead of my unique voice, and where I repeated phrases unecessarily. She wrote in comments like “cool” or “well done” when I did things right, so I could also learn from my own good work. It is nothing short of a mini masters class in creative writing.

Because of her new edits, and the polishing required on the rest of the manuscript, Compositions will quiet for a few weeks. I have serious work to do, and in the end I want to show you the novel rather than just tell you about it.

In the meantime, if you’re in the Richmond area and want to attend an actual masters writing class, there is one in my neighborhood. Sign up with James River Writers online and the event is tomorrow (Friday).

April Master Class Poster

Editor Wanted

EditorSearching

Last week a freelance editor who I have been working with for over a year, delivered bad news. She could no longer work with me because of larger projects with tight deadlines from publishers. I was nearing the end of editing, expecting a review of my rewrites on the first 50-100 pages only. It felt like I was getting divorced right before retirement.

I don’t blame her–the work was better I am sure. But now the two weeks I had scheduled for her review, had become a week of interviewing new editors. Most asked to see the first 20–50 pages to provide estimates, and to gauge the quality. (They are all developmental editors looking for plot, characters development, POV, etc.). So I sent it and moped around waiting.

Then a funny thing happened.

The responses from the new editors–all of them entirely unfamiliar with my writing or story–came in. Glowing. One said she was hooked from the beginning of chapter one. Another replied, “I think your premise is ingenious, and your execution–from what I’ve seen so far–is remarkable. You are a dedicated, diligent, and detailed writer.”

I don’t say all this to brag (okay, maybe a teeny bit). I say this, because that setback  proved to be one of the best things for me.

Now I understand what my characters experience. Sometimes our stories take us to unexpected places. Perhaps it is through this adventure we find out who we truly are, and where we are going. Door closed, window opened.

Ready, Set, Read…

WarandPeace_KarenAChase

On March 21st, a new speed-reading app could help you read 1000 words/minute. Spritz allows your eyes to stay stationary, while the words stream one at a time, just slightly left of center. The sample app in an online article took me from reading 100 words a minute (slower than I normally read) to 500 words a minute in just a few seconds, with remarkable comprehension. Spritz has significant science about how we read behind the technology, but let’s talk about this from the reader and author perspective.

Readers: The trouble with being human is having one pair of eyes and too many books. When I add in research for historical novels, my pleasure reading drops considerably. I love paper books. I have a Kindle. I read online. The words are more important than the vehicle. If this new vehicle can help me read War & Peace (over 300,000 words) in about 5 hours, I say is buckle up and let’s go.

Authors: Does this add extra burden to authors to produce books at a faster rate, if readers can plow through them at a faster rate? Perhaps. If readers can tell in the first 50 pages whether a novel is good or not, they’ll decide to soldier on through War and Peace in fewer than 10 seconds. Do I wish there was a write-faster app? Youbetchya. But for now, authors be strong. This app isn’t permission to produce quantity over quality. Story trumps speed, and soon readers will learn that faster than ever before.

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