Three unusual perspectives (and opportunities!) for writers
Some writing adages are repeated so often, we come to regard the advice as infallible. “Show don’t tell,” is my favorite—because I truly believe it makes the difference. But, well, of course you have to tell sometimes or you’ll end up in thick mud.
“Just keep the words coming”…”put down that lousy first draft”…”just write!”…You frequently hear variations on this theme too. Of course, in this case, it’s not the way I write—and now I feel vindicated. One of my very favorite contemporary authors not only agrees, he’s about to give a class on why not writing could be the best thing for your writing.
I’m all signed up. Sunday June 5th at 5pm PT. Come along and join me. Here’s Peter’s personal invitation. How can you resist?
Another old chestnut for writers on their publishing journey is “be grateful.” Nothing wrong with that, but in publishing as in life, this can make you just accept what you get. Sometimes you’ve got to speak up! (Cue plug for Mary Wrightly, So Politely.) Brian Weisfeld landed a three-book deal with Macmillan. Here he is giving a TED talk about why he came to author them.
It’s a great story. But what’s not in the TED talk, and what most impressed me, is when there were some troubling changes at Macmillan, Brian assessed their effects in terms of the partnership. Because a business partnership was how he saw the situation, not a gift of good fortune that he should be grateful for. And so he negotiated a separation, and now has a deal to add another three books to his franchise, The Startup Squad, with Penguin.
How many of us would have the guts and nous to do that? (It’s a British word. Rhymes with “mouse.” Definition here.) Well, Brian has generously offered to give us a private talk about his publishing journey and how to develop the mindset and skillset that has led to his autonomy and success. He’ll be Zoom-chatting with me about what he’s learnt from 5:30pm-7:00pm on Thursday, June 9th, with lots of time for Q&A. If you’d like to join us—it’s free—register here.
Topics I’ve already flagged for discussion, beyond how he gets his nous, are: how did he build an idea into something so much larger than a book? How did he meet and find all the people who’ve been vital to his success? And how did he become an author when, from the start, he was either not sure he could write, or sure he could not write? Could it be significant that right on his franchise landing page it says, “Show ‘em who’s boss”? Join us for what should be a lively conversation full of surprises.
The third adage is not an adage but a silo-ing. Novelists—and that’s what most of you reading this are—read, talk, and write novels. We think about the novel-writing craft, and seek to learn from other novel writers. Well, here’s someone who aims to turn that on its ear. Just as Save the Cat led to Save the Cat Writes a Novel, Marilyn R. Atlas believes that after years as a producer and literary manager in Hollywood, she knows what makes a character memorable—and how you conjure that on film can help immensely in conjuring it in a book.
Marilyn is, of course, my next guest for a Zoom chat from 5:30pm-7:00pm this Thursday, May 19th. Except, it won’t really be a Zoom chat. Marilyn is going to give a 70-minute Character Development class (she taught this for years for USC), and then we’ll have twenty minutes for Q&A and a discussion on how to cross that novel-to-screen divide. You can still register to join us. There is a small fee of $15.
I hope you’re excited by some of these opportunities to think a little outside the box. Whether it’s our writing rituals and habits, our professional nous (yes, I love that word!), or our approaches to craft, it can all use a little shake-up and fresh air now and then. After all, despite the temperatures, it’s spring!
On that note, I’m off to smell the roses. I hope our paths cross soon. For those who’d like to take another class with me, I’m teaching Be Your Own Developmental Editor for Stanford Continuing Studies this summer—6:30pm-9:20pm, six Tuesdays June 21st to July 26th. Registration opens on Monday. The last time this course was offered, it filled in a few days, so be swift!
Happy writing, everybody!
Shirin