Author Archives: BoamtiT14

The Thrill of Sharing

Writers Contribute to Our Common Knowledge

All writers are probably in some way dependent on the work of other writers, either for style, subject-matter expertise, technique, and so on. Nonfiction writers are dependent on others in a far more obvious way. We often quote other writers, use their research, or otherwise turn to them for information and background about our own subjects.

I am sometimes awed by the amount of work that some writers have given to their topics. Studies that took years to complete or assessments and surveys are so helpful, and yet are so time-consuming for the author(s). Even gathering data and going through it just to draw out statistics or numbers can take days or weeks, and I appreciate the dedication it takes to do it. We all know to give attribution for the information we take from others–with great gratitude–but it’s even better to be the giver.

Seeing your own work cited in someone else’s manuscript is a thrill. For one thing, you know someone has actually read what you’ve written, plus you know he or she thought it was important enough to use. What a compliment! I hope everyone can have that thrill; it’s a great reminder that all that effort is worth it.

Non-Monetary Rewards

Everyone Should Be This Happy at Work

Just as most employees aren’t CEOs or don’t make fantastic salaries, most writers do not appear on best seller lists or make tons of money. There can be a lot of heartache in writing simply because it is hard to make a living at it, to sell the pieces closest to your heart, and to look past all the rejection and non-responses to your queries. However, there are also some great rewards to writing that most other professions don’t offer.

First, you obviously get to do what you want for a living. Enjoying your work is an enormous gift which far too many people haven’t received. Unless you just luck into a lucrative writing job, you’re going to have to pursue your projects–alone–with lots of failures along the way. Unless you really love to write, it’s typically just not worth it. However, if you’re writing because you enjoy it, get excited about it, think about your projects all the time, can’t wait to get up in the morning to work on them–and that happens a lot with writers–you’re truly blessed.

Loving your job is important to loving your life, and we all want that . . . it’s a thought to hold onto when you face those bleak moments when you can’t seem to find “success” as society defines it. Consider why so many writers never actually retire but continue writing all their lives–maybe there’s success that can’t be measured by money.

Remember the Trivial

Man Reading a Newspaper, circa 1842

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you must become something of an expert in the time, place, and people involved in your narrative. This means knowing some of the intimate details that make a scene or time period come alive. For that, I believe you have to be concerned with the trivial.

I remember reading a novel set in the Victorian era that mentioned–in mere passing–that the butler had ironed the newspaper to set the ink so his master’s fingers wouldn’t stain. What a fascinating detail about the materials of the period, the duties of servants, the luxury available to the upper class, etc.,–and all in one small snippet. Every novel needs these kinds of details, but I think that much of nonfiction needs them even more.

Most nonfiction writers get hold of an idea or event that fascinates them, and hope to stir the same passion in their readers. To do that, readers must become invested in the lives and events of the people studied. Details bring people and time periods to life. Of course you need to make sure you don’t bog down readers with a lot of meaningless detail that does no more than show you’ve done your research. But as you do that research, be sure to grab the little things that might catch your attention. Does a newspaper recount a terrible local tragedy, city event, horrific weather? Does it have advertisements for local businesses or talk about land transfers or social events? These things make places come to life.

Though your narrative will undoubtedly focus on major–and important–issues and people, glimpses into the intimate are also powerful. Make sure you can give that to your readers, and weave these little details into the story. They’ll remember everything else so much better for your effort.

Feed Your Psyche

A Writer’s Digest Conference Pitch Slam in Los Angeles, 2013

My area of the country has been having unseasonably warm weather, but it is still winter, and still gray and gloomy outdoors. Though I feel professional writers ought to be able to suck it up and write whether they “feel” it or not, I have to say that days like these make it especially hard. As a matter of fact, the dead of winter is often when the isolation of a writer’s life hits hardest . . . what can someone who isn’t particularly (financially) successful do to get re-inspired?

Writers’ conferences and workshops are two great ways to step outside your routine, yet immerse yourself in your profession. If you can attend a local event–usually for a couple of hundred dollars at most–you’ll get a fresh jolt of excitement for the writing life. You’ll remember what attracted you to it, you’ll see examples of success that will inspire you, and you’ll be able to talk to people who understand you. What’s not to like? Plus, you can deduct the expense of attending!

I always say that the average writer (and by that, I mean the lone freelancer off by her/himself day after day plugging away on various projects) needs to get with other writers every so often for sanity’s sake. If you’re fortunate enough to meet with a writer’s group (such as a monthly critique group), that can be enough. If you can’t do that for one reason or another, you really must try, try, try, to hit a conference once a year. You’ll be amazed at the uplift in energy you’ll get from it!

More to Learn

This Book Was Published in 2016

You might think there would be little to add to many historical topics, since nothing new is going to turn up on something that people have already researched for a couple of hundred years, right? That may be true, but researchers do find new information about the past more often than you might think. For instance, historians writing a book about Cambridge (Massachusetts) were intrigued to find a note on a map from the 1870s that said “Tomb,” near Walker Street. They traced land titles and eventually found out that a little settlement called Lewisville off Garden Street had been founded by freed slaves in the late 18th/early 19th centuries. No one previously knew about this settlement or its inhabitants.

Old documents continue to be unearthed, or people make connections that had eluded earlier researchers. In my own case, I’ve seen that as more newspapers, journals, and other documents are digitized, I can find information through the internet that would have been the equivalent of searching for a needle–not in a haystack–but in the entire hay field.

What I’m saying is that if you find a topic intriguing, don’t give it up just because several books or articles have already been written about it. Check to see when the research stopped. If all the information out there is even as recent as 10 or 20 years old, there may be new information available which can add to the story.

Internet Research . . . Is it Enough, Part 2

Internet Research Can Be Faulty at Times

In my last post, I gave reasons why internet searches may not be the best way to find people to interview for an article or book, background information for a personal project, and so on. What might you do, instead?

For one thing, perhaps go old-school and find (on the internet!) the professional organization for your topic. Contact it and explain your needs; people there may be able to suggest members who are experts in the exact area you need to discuss, who are doing interesting studies or fieldwork you may be able to mention, or who have developed a new theory or slant on your topic. Similarly, you can look at the organization’s last or upcoming conference agenda to find the names of speakers and the kind of information they’re presenting. Conference sessions usually present something new and interesting or not generally known–and editors love that.

You may want to contact a university with a good program related to your topic. Most of the time its teaching staff will be working on relevant projects or have specialized knowledge that again, will be new and fresh for your readership. How about a research group? This is a great way to find out what’s going on now and/or what the current concerns are in the field. Look at professional papers that have been recently written on your topic; either the author or co-writers could be good people to contact. Research papers usually list team members or cite other papers and expertise tapped for the project. Those sources could also be great.

My point is this: If someone or something is easy for you to find on the internet, it will be easy for 10,000 other writers to find. If you want to stand out, tap more than the “same old” sources, and give your editor and readers information that not everyone else is going to find,.

Internet Research . . . Is It Enough?

Libraries Once Held The Only Readily Accessible Information for Most People

I became a writer before the internet existed, so I remember how hard it could be to dig up information on almost anything you wanted to write about. I wrote a lot of freelance articles, and to find an expert, I usually had to go to the library first. There, I’d browse through a Directory of Associations–and there seems to be an association for everything–so I could find the appropriate professional organization for whatever I wanted to discuss. I’d get the phone number, contact the group, and find someone suitable to interview.

Nowadays, of course, writers can meet this simple need by a quick search on the internet. This is a great way to find people, of course, but it may or may not always be the way to find the best people.Here’s why I say this:

First, some experts who are truly leaders in their field or very well known may be almost impossible for the average freelancer to access: An interview with Steven Hawking for a small educational magazine will probably be impossible. Second, some people who are out there to promote their business (and there’s nothing wrong with that) will be glad to speak to you; however, they can become a “go-to” expert simply because they’re available. You get only their perspective, and readers can get tired of seeing the same person constantly interviewed. (A lot of other writers will also be using them.) Third, you may find someone on the internet who has the initiative/funds/contacts to set up a web site, use a publicist, and so on, who isn’t actually the best person to speak with on your topic–he or she is just the one you can find.

These points are enough, but there are likely several other valid reasons to not always rely on the internet to source people–or your facts. In my next post, I’ll talk about what you may want to consider, instead.

Stepping Out, Part Two

It’s Easy to Find Inviting Paths

As I said in my last post, writers find it easy to either get sidetracked by unproductive projects, or refuse to try anything new because they’re tired of not seeing results for their efforts. I offered several questions to ask yourself in deciding whether or not to bother. The one I didn’t discuss is: How did this project come to my attention?

If someone called you up and asked you to do it, if someone recommended you for the job, or if you seemingly have no hurdles to overcome to get it, then go for it. Maybe it won’t ultimately work out, but if the opportunity came to you rather than you having to search it out (the more typical route), it’s probably worth trying.

Unfortunately, there’s still room for failure. That’s what happened to me when a producer asked me to write a screenplay based on my book, Vanished in Hiawatha: The Untold Story of the Canton Asylum for Insane Indians. I was intrigued by the possibility, but had never written a screenplay before. The man convinced me that with screenwriting software, I could manage, so I gave it a shot.

He was right, in a way. The software made some of the most frustrating aspects of just getting the story down much easier. However, no one should expect their first effort at a new genre to be wonderful, and mine wasn’t. The screenplay was given to a director who very kindly gave me a fairly detailed critique, and I realized I could be going through umpteen iterations before I got the story down in a way that would satisfy any underwriters. I wanted to pursue it, but because I’d already given quite a bit of time to it and didn’t have any kind of guarantee, I decided to let it go.

My takeaway? I took advantage of an exciting opportunity, I learned a new skill, and I looked at my story in a whole new way. I’m better off for having tried screenwriting, I think, even if nothing came of it. And who knows, letting my story percolate in a different way may pay off yet. We’ll see.

Stepping Out

Writing Frustration

One of the drawbacks to writing as a career is that you put so much effort into it–and not always with any result–that you don’t want to waste your time on projects that aren’t going to pay off. This is absolutely an intelligent way to feel, since it’s easy to get sidetracked with attractive tangents that others are enthusiastic about or that simply appeal to you for one reason or another. You can waste your time on “fun” stuff when the writing that you tend to actually sell goes by the wayside. Let’s face it, we all have a limited amount of time to spend on unproductive things.

But, what happens when you get too locked into that mindset? You may actually miss opportunities that could pay off in a big way, or at least pay off in some way. How do you decide whether or not you’re just chasing one more mirage, or really should put time and effort into an iffy avenue?

One of the best ways I’ve found is to consider how you came upon the idea. Have you just heard/read on the web/seen a success with this type of project? Are you just wishing you could follow that path as well, without really feeling a passion for it or seeing a potential market which is easier to reach than your own? Do you have the qualifications or credentials you need to pursue this new project? Your rational answers ought to guide you.

–But, sometimes it’s hard to be rational. Most writers have been in this spot, and so I offer two questions to ask yourself before going out on a financial or time-and-energy limb. First, do I really, really want to do it? If you’re passionate about something, it’s almost always worth trying it out, just to see where it takes you. Second, how did the idea hit me?

I’m going to say more about this on my next post.

Thinking it Through

There’s Always Room for One More if You Have a Different Angle

Since I’ve just sent out a book proposal, I’m reminded of all the work that creating one involves. There’s the actual cover letter, which is very similar to a query in that it tries to grab an editor or agent’s interest with a quick overview of the project. Then there’s the table of contents with its chapter synopses, sample chapter, and so on–whatever a particular place asks to see. One other essential is your market analysis.

This particular step really ought to be done before you tackle much else. If there’s no market for your book, why bother writing it unless you have a very focused niche and are willing to self-publish it? If you’re writing for a mass audience, you need to convince the powers that be that your book will stand out among similar titles. (And, I will say right here that most people will not be inventing a new genre–competition exists!)

This can be a heart-rending process if you realize that your own book idea does not really differ all that much from what’s already out there. If every relevant book on your topic is out of print or more than ten years old, you may indeed be able to make a case that it’s time for a new look at the topic, even if your take on it won’t differ too much from the past. But, in most cases this won’t be true. Bottom line? Unless your book is going to include material others aren’t offering, why would a publisher want to take it on? This kind of information doesn’t have to be earth-shaking, just something no one else has covered or covered well. Is there new research available? Are you going to approach the material from a different angle? Have you found new sources of information that no one else has used? Are you going to be easier to understand in some way?

Anyone perusing titles in a bookstore or online can see that there’s room for several books on any one topic. Your job is to make yours different enough that you can demonstrate an unmet need in an audience with a past history of paying for information on the topic.