Category Archives: Writing and Researching

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.

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?

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.

Writing and Resolving

Have a Great 2017

As a new year approaches, I find that–like always–I will not be making any New Year’s resolutions. I’m firmly in the camp that believes failing at them is more discouraging than keeping them would be encouraging, so I don’t bother. However, writing resolutions are another matter.

If you’re writing for money, you have a business. It’s only sensible to have a business plan. You may not be able to write goals like: sell so many articles each month, earn “X” amount of money, or other similar wishes that writers have no control over. There’s not much you can do to make editors accept your proposals or give you go-aheads on your timetable–anyone who’s waited months for an acceptance on a book knows better than that. But you can create goals in areas where you do have a certain amount of control.

When I was a freelance magazine writer, I made it a goal to always have two dozen queries circulating. I had no problem generating article ideas, and I knew that I was bound to get a certain number of rejections. Editors aren’t always prompt, either, so I knew that the odds of my getting ten article go-aheads all at once were basically nil. The great thing about this goal, though, was that I always had a big dose of hope out there in the void where great ideas circulate and look for homes. No matter how many rejections I got, no matter how long it took for answers, I always knew that I had over 20 possibilities out there waiting on me.

I suggest that you take a look at your own writing dreams and start generating resolutions that will help you reach them. Make resolutions only in areas where the outcome is solely up to you. Just knowing that you have a plan you can execute can be enormously encouraging and motivating–and in this business, we need to do all that we can to keep the excitement stirred up.

Happy New Year!

Writing Advice that Misses the Mark

Attendees at an Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference

When I first began writing as a career, I turned for advice and inspiration to the many professional magazines available to writers. Though their practical content usually kept me motivated as I endured the pain of a creative career, I sometimes found their motivational material a bit over the top.

I remember reading solemn advice (or warnings) from successful writers along the lines of “writing has to be the most important thing in the world to you” or “you have to put writing first–before anything else.” One writer went so far as to say, “writing has to be as important to you as breathing.” This sounds good, but oh, it is such dangerous advice.

Unless you’re the one-in-a-million writer who hits the bestseller list, makes a lot of money, or at least becomes well-known, writing had better not be the most important thing in your life. When you try and try and try and get nothing but rejections or mediocre sales, you’d better have other, more important–more stable–aspects of life to fall back on. Just think: If you are one in 10,000 authors submitting to an editor who has slots for only 80 books that year, 9,920 hopeful writers are bound to be disappointed. (And you will probably be one of them.) If you pin your self-esteem and value only on what the world decides to give you, you will be unhappy and defeated much of the time.

No. Writing should be important to you, just as any job should be. You should strive to do your best, help yourself all you can, and enjoy the opportunities you make or receive. BUT, God, family, friends, and community are all more important. Your hobbies and other joyful activities matter just as much.

Do what you love, but keep your priorities straight.

Your Idea’s Next Step

An Inspiring Quote

I wrote in my last post that writers generally approach an editor/publisher with a nonfiction idea through a proposal. An advantage to the proposal process is that you don’t have to write the entire book. The disadvantage is that you have to expend enough time and money to do the research for the first few chapters out of pocket. If you can’t convince an editor that you know what you’re doing and can do it well, you aren’t going to get that contract. Unfortunately, it’s absolutely to your advantage to suck it up and do what it takes financially and time-wise to make the first three chapters sparkle.

You will want to avoid costly trips and/or buying a lot of books or other resources that you may eventually need if you get the contract, but you still need to show an editorial team that you know what you’re talking about and can handle the topic. That’s why thinking through the material you need to cover is so important–you’ll go on fewer unproductive tangents right from the start. When you have a structure and know what you’re going to discuss, you have an efficient road map for your research.

There’s no one way to conduct research or present information for all nonfiction, of course, but in a general way, here are some things to consider:

For original research or first-hand information, is there somewhere fairly close that you can visit to give a flavor of the type of research you’ll be doing?
Is there someone relevant that you can interview for your first chapters?
Are there studies or reports from reputable sources you can reference?
Are there clubs/associations/professional groups devoted to your topic that you can tap?
Is there anything strong enough in your own background to use as expertise?
Can you at least suggest the sources you’ll use when you actually write the book?

Your job at this point is to give an editor confidence that you’re familiar with the subject matter and know where to go to dig deeper. Combine that with two or three strong chapters, and you may have a book deal.

So You’ve Got an Idea

Sample Proposal Outline

Not many writers–or at least writers who aren’t already famous–will have a publisher approach them to write a book. The normal process is the other way around–the author approaches the publisher to see if his or her idea seems appropriate for that particular business. I don’t use the last word lightly, either. Publishers are as driven by the bottom line as any other business. That’s why you have to build a good case that your idea for a book is one that will make them money.

Most writers I know really, really dislike the business aspect of writing. We want to write, dream, research, and get our words out more than anything. With fiction (and I’ve written plenty of it!), sometimes it’s best to just jump in and get going, and then present your finished product to an editor. Nonfiction plays out a bit differently, and there are some distinct advantages and disadvantages to that.

With nonfiction, you seldom need to write an entire book to get a contract. Some conservative publishers want to see the whole work if you’re an unknown or have few credentials, but many times you can get a decision based on a proposal. Proposals have several elements: a quick synopsis of what your book is about, a list of chapters and two or three sample chapters, and a marketing section that shows you’ve thought this through and know where your book fits and what its competition will be. There’s still plenty of room for creativity, but you’re basically giving publishers (through an editor) enough information to see that there is a market for your book. One side benefit to all this work is that you will have to think through your topic all the way, and that will help you in the long run.

I will discuss the proposal process a bit more in my next post.