Searching for an Agent

 

There are five major publishing houses in the United States. Within each of those publishing houses are many, many imprints, or subsidiary publishers. If you want to have a book published by any of these, you must go through a literary agent. With the very rare exception, major publishers will not deal with individual writers.

So, while I am awaiting comments from readers of my memoir, I am researching literary agents/agencies and their specific requirements. So far, I have created a spreadsheet of 28 agents or agencies that accept memoirs and that I think are approachable. I used a couple of websites to find these.

• AgentQuery.com 
• Association of Author’s Representatives 

I found the second resource to be the most useful.

Each time my search lead me to a specific agent or agency, I went directly to that website and researched some more. It had to feel like a good fit.

It is not important to find a local agent as submissions are handled electronically. Most agents seem to be on the East Coast, followed by the West Coast.

Quite a few of the agencies recommended reading How to Write a Book Proposal. I purchased the 5^th edition, which is by Jody Rein with Michael Larsen and am organizing files of general materials frequently requested by agents so I can pick and choose according to their specifications. For example, some of my file titles are Author Bio, Targeted Audience, What Makes My Book Stand Out from Others, and Chapter Summaries. Agency websites often have general information on book submissions as well.

While agencies usually require a great deal of information (I’m estimating 40-60 pages), I also need to be able to create some type of introduction that will convince the agent within the first paragraph or two that my submission is worth reading. I don’t mean that they want 40-60 pages of my actual memoir; instead, they mostly want support material to convince them it’s worth their time.

So, I will have my multiple general files on which to draw, but each agent seems to want something different, so I will regard my files as resources from which I can draw information. It will be important for me to read and fulfill the exact material required by each agent. This can be found on their individual websites.

Wish me luck. It is a lot of work, so I know I will have to remain dedicated to the process.

Organizing My Notes

I literally have boxes of notes related to my writing. These include old journals, slips of paper with ideas for themes, titles, characters, and story lines, along with pages of writing I have done for parts of a memoir and snippets of already written stories to weave into a novel. I am in the process of organizing all of this material into file folders, hoping that by doing so, I can figure out the best way to present the material in written form.

Rereading my old journals is the most difficult part. I used to sit in bed and write with a spiral notebook and pen, just before nodding off. I would allow myself about 15 minutes to do so. Unfortunately (or fortunately), I was never able to adhere to my self-imposed schedule. Usually, I wrote in my journal during difficult periods of my life. The process was a cathartic experience and often helped me to work out problems I was having at the time. Usually the 15 minutes I had allowed would morph into an hour or more. Finally, I had to stop because I wasn’t getting enough sleep. Now, when I read those journal entries, I find that they tear away at my heart. Those were difficult emotional times and I am reliving the experiences through the writing. This often leaves me feeling depressed. That’s the downside. The upside is that I realize it is actually good writing if it is able to upset me so much. I truly captured the feeling at the time. These emotions just might be good enough to insert into a piece of fiction. (I am not honest enough to put them into a memoir, as I don’t want to admit to some of the troubles I encountered.) When writing a novel, I think it would be difficult to evoke real emotion if one is not experiencing it at the time. Having these journal entries could be a real asset when creating a larger work.

One of my biggest writing problems is the quantity of ideas I have and material I have already created. I can’t seem to get my arms around it to put it into a meaningful form. I would love to hear how others have tackled the same problem.

I have a real need to write. Each morning I start by sending emails to friends and relatives. It’s a routine, much like brushing my teeth. The day is not complete without it. I start, meaning to just write a line or two, soon finding that I’ve written a much longer letter than intended. I would like to be able to take my love of writing and actually create a larger, more singular product.

Writer’s block is not my problem. Creating something meaningful with my writing is a problem. I am so inspired by the workshops that I attend at Lighthouse Writer’s Workshop, yet I have not found one workshop that addresses my problem. I would appreciate some help.

For now, I will continue organizing my notes, hoping that it will eventually all fall into place.

The UnWorkshop—Free Support and Writing Instruction

The last six months I have been preoccupied with selling my home and building a new one; therefore, my writing was put on hold. I miss it and am looking forward to getting back in the groove.

Scroll down and find an earlier blog entry titled Organizing and Managing Your Book Manuscript, where I talk about a very helpful class I took from Doug Kurtz at Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Doug provides an opportunity outside of Lighthouse Writers Workshop that is free to anyone who wants to participate. I tried it out for the first time earlier this month and will definitely participate in the future, whenever I am able. It is called the UnWorkshop and is held on the first and third Mondays of each month, from 6PM-7PM Mountain Time. Doug uses a teleseminar format, so anyone from anywhere can participate; all that is needed is a phone. The workshop is designed as a support group for writers of all levels. The session in which I participated was Writing Environment, Rituals, and Practices. You can listen to a recording of this session to decide if it is something that you would find helpful.

The one thing I have learned from all the classes, seminars, and books I have read about writing is that there is no one correct way to approach the subject. What works for one person may be quite different from what works for another person. As I listened to Doug’s teleseminar, I interpreted his points to fit my own particular style and needs. Here are my notes to myself. Once you listen to Doug’s talk, you may draw completely different conclusions for yourself.

1. While I have always had an office, my new home will have a room that is even more conducive to serious writing. This is a mindset as much as a physical configuration. In anticipation, I mentally picture myself in the room, sitting at the computer and writing.    
2. I am a very organized person, which I find helps me in all aspects of life, but I need to remember not to be so organized that the process takes up so much time it actually gets in the way of putting words on paper.
3. Some people are able to find short periods of time in which to write, but that does not work for me. To be efficient, I need large blocks of uninterrupted time where I can allow my thinking to “get in the zone.” Therefore, I need to create those large blocks of time. I need to turn off the phone, close email, and close Facebook. I cannot write with sounds in the background; therefore, no music or voices.
4. Each day I need to schedule a time to write, just as if it were an appointment. Because of other things going on in my life, it is not practical for me to schedule the same time each day; nevertheless, I need to find some block of time. Each night, I create a “to do” list for the next day. I will schedule my writing time as I create the list for the next day. That way, I can find the time period that will work best for me.
5. Different people find that they write best at different times of the day. The times that I know don’t work for me are first thing in the morning, late at night, and at meal times.
6. Caution to myself: Once I start writing it can be difficult for me to stop. It is best if I don’t schedule a time to write when I need to stop abruptly to go to an appointment.
7. I write best when there is organization and balance in my life. My house needs to be clean, and I need to have a regular schedule of exercise, piano practice, reading, and writing. 

I recommend that you sign up for Doug Kurtz’s UnWorkshops. If you are interested in tuning in to future sessions, sign up here. There is no cost, no obligation, and no spam.

Organizing and Managing Your Book Manuscript

I literally have boxes full of files of writing ideas and find the idea of organizing all that material into a novel to be daunting. Therefore, I am always searching for methods that might help me put all my ideas together.

When I wrote Raising a Gifted Child: A Parenting Success Handbook, I found it very challenging to keep my writing organized. I wanted to include a lot of information, but also didn’t want to repeat myself. I know that there are better methods than the one I used of keeping each chapter in a separate file.

Because of these dilemmas that I have faced and currently face, I am always looking for advice from others. Recently I took a three-hour class at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop titled The (not so) Dreaded Outline and taught by Doug Kurtz. It was helpful. I like to summarize the classes that I take on this blog both for my own use and, hopefully, others will find it useful as well.

In this workshop, a concept of outline was used that is far different from what I was taught in school, where we used Roman numerals, letters, numbers, etc. to plan in detail and in advance what would be written. Instead, Kurz taught the concept of outline as interactive and ever changing, going back and forth between a planning tool and a means to modify and validate the organization of spontaneous writing. This “new” organizational tool allows the writer to

• Plan the overall plot and individual scenes
• Check if writing that has already been done can be logically outlined to make certain it flows properly
• Go back and forth between the two, using the process to refine one’s writing

Kurtz builds his outline around the scenes of his story. He sees each scene as an arc, with a beginning and end.

Each scene (much like a brick in a wall), is integral to the story. These “bricks” are the “show me” parts of the story, held together by the “tell me” transitional material (much like mortar). As examples, Kurtz cited Virginia Wolf’s stories as heavy on mortar, while Dan Brown’s are heavy on bricks.

The individual scenes, when joined together, create the plot. A scene (usually a chapter) has the following characteristics:

• Setting
•  Emotion—this is what really helps the reader identify with characters and must always be included
• Moves the story along
• Develops both characters and conflicts, creating changes in the storyline
• Moves the story through “doors” that cannot be passed through again—just as we each make choices in life that are often impossible to change

Each scene arc with beginning, development, and ending, overlaps with the preceding and following arc. Since each scene contains new conflicts or changes, it sets up the succeeding arc with the necessity to respond to that conflict—thus, the overlap.

Conflict or tension may be a struggle within or with others. It is what drives the story and may be portrayed in several ways:

• Internal
• External
• Inter-personal

Each scene has a goal/desire or want/intention, with something standing in the way. It involves a complication or obstacle and is driven by action and emotion.

The plot has an overriding goal that is made up of many scenes, each with a sub-goal.

Kurtz uses the software Scrivener to outline, organize, and write his books. My research on the Internet found many positive reviews for Scrivener. While I have not yet purchased and downloaded the program (very reasonable cost), I have emailed the company a couple of times and have been very impressed with the quick response, which has been thorough and individual.

Using Scrivener, the writer is able to maintain several outlines for a story at once and can be organized according to individual needs.

Concepts to include in the outline for chapters/scenes might include

• Point of view—from which character’s point of view is this scene written?
• Setting—brief description
• Timeline—day, date, year, time of day
•  Summary
• Goal(s) of the character
•  Initial emotions
• Complications
• New emotions
• New goals—this sets up for the next scene
• Section to contain revision notes—what the writer needs to go back and fix later 

Notice that Kurtz does not use any Roman numerals, letters, numbers, etc. He does not plot out every little thing and the exact order in which it will happen; instead, he merely lists his objectives for each scene by category, and it does not need to be long and detailed. It just gives him an idea of where he is going and why.

Because the backstory (a literary device that provides history and background for the story) bubbles up into each scene, its pieces should have a separate outline. This is part of  the narrative summary or “mortar” of the story. Outline elements might include

• How will it be used as a transition device?
• Threads—little stories that wind through the bigger story
• Stakes—why does your character want/need something?

Scrivener also allows you to color code various sections if that would be helpful.

I think that the methods Kurtz uses will be helpful for me. I am still not sure if I will start with a big idea (plot) or if I will write many scenes and then see how I will weave them together. Learning about the methods that successful authors use has taught me one thing—there is no one correct way to construct a book. I appreciate seeing the many choices that are out there and then either picking one that will work for me or even creating an original organizational method of my own.

Struggling with Time

One of my greatest assets (and greatest challenges) is the number of things that interest me. I love to read, write, practice piano, exercise, participate in sports, travel, attend cultural events, cook, eat at fine restaurants, watch foreign movies, knit, garden, do research on just about anything, etc., etc. The list goes on and on. While I love having all of these interests, I also get frustrated because I have difficulty fitting them all into my life. Right now, I'm a bit frustrated that I have not progressed further with my writing.

Over the holidays, we were invited out for Christmas Eve dinner. At the end of the evening, I asked one of the guests what she likes to do for fun. To my surprise, she told me that she likes to write, has her whole book outlined, and is already on chapter five. How I wished we had started this conversation earlier in the evening! She said that she writes a couple of hours every morning. I was so inspired and returned home, trying to figure out how I could do the same.

My dilemma, however, goes beyond just finding the time. I also have difficulty focusing on one aspect of my writing at a time. As I stated in one of my earlier blogs, there are three types of writing I want to pursue

• reworking the 6 1/2 years of blogs that I wrote for Prufrock Press
• a memoir, using the format of thematic essays
• a novel

Now I think I would also like to write a cookbook and create a book telling about all the family heirlooms that I possess.

I realize that it is not an efficient use of time to want to reach out in so many different directions. I've never considered myself good at multi-tasking. Nevertheless, I have already started each of these projects. The challenge is going to be to finish at least one of them.

I would love to hear how others with busy schedules manage their time so that the writing gets done.