How to Become an Author

Many people love to write. Many dream of becoming authors of some sort. Once you've taken up that dream yourself, and particularly if you've been published, you will find more and more people who confide in you - secretly or openly - their burning desire to write a book.

Most don't do more than dream of it. Most don't think to ask the hard questions or put in the long hours to chase after their dream. But if you've clicked on this post, you're different. You're one of those who is ready to embark on the challenging and rewarding path of a writer.

Recently I was interviewed by a student working on his senior paper. It was part of a larger project designed to help students map out their plans for the future. He wasn't really sure what he wanted to do with his life, maybe join the family trade of auto mechanicing. The one thing he was certain about was that he wanted to write. Preferably novels. He wanted to know the path I had taken and what suggestions I might have for him.

Later I realized this would be great info for the readers of this blog. Here's a recap of the highlights of what we discussed.

Education 

While a formal creative writing education at a university or an MFA (masters in fiction writing) program can be useful, neither are essential to becoming a successful writer. A different degree that offers other ways to support yourself and contribute to society can be just as meaningful, sometimes more. My degrees in Psychology and Health Education provide me with work opportunities as well as background knowledge that is useful in stories. 

Most best-selling writers that I know also have a regular career, as a lawyer, a pharmacist, or a teacher, or a coach. Keeping your toes in two different worlds will enrich your writing and help support you financially. Having said that, learning about writing and all the trappings of a writing career is vital to your success.

Conferences and Workshops

One of the best ways to learn about enhancing your writing skills is through attending conferences and workshops. You will find classes at just about every skill level and opportunities to have your work critiqued. Classes typically focus on craft, marketing, platform, editing, publishing, and even inspiration.

Conferences were one of the first places I received objective positive feedback that confirmed I was making progress toward my goal of becoming an author. There are often contests available with financial rewards and sometimes even the possibility of feedback about your writing, which is even more valuable. For more info, check out this Writing Conference Directory.

Inspiration 

People often ask me what inspired me to become a writer.  While each person's motivation and inspiration for choosing to write will be unique, there is a commonality between all writers I've known. It's the burning desire to write. I've loved writing since I was very young. 

But my life took me other places for many years. It wasn't until I was pregnant with my 5th child that I realized I needed an outlet for myself that was completely separate from my identities associated with family and other work. 

So I began writing again. The more I wrote, the more I wanted to write.

The reason I bring this is up is that it is never too early and never too late to begin the journey of a writer. For most writers, the passion for writing is what gets us started. It's a way to process life, filter our thoughts, manage our emotions, and maybe even escape the tedium (or horrors?) or every day life. The passion for writing may start us along the path, but commitment and consistency is what keeps us moving toward our goals. 

As W. Somerset Maugham has said, "I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp."

There is a saying in writing circles: Butt in the chair. In other words, sit down and start writing, for goodness sakes. Inspiration may strike in between writing sessions. That's what notebooks are for. Otherwise, it's very useful to have a regular writing time and stick to it, even if it's only an hour at 5 in the morning. 

Craft

One of the best ways to hone your craft is to read. Read, read, and read. Not just in your genre, either. You will learn more about writing and plotting as you study novels from a wide array of authors and genres. 

You can also learn specific on craft through studying books about writing. Here's some great ones: The Writers Journey, Hooked, and The Red Sneaker Writers Book Series.

There are also about a million different websites with advice on improving your writing skills. Here's a few of my favorites: Writer's Digest, Absolute Write, and Advanced Fiction Writing.

The very best way to improve your craft is (drumroll please....) to WRITE. The more you write, the more you will improve, in sentence structure, imagery, characterization, plotting and more. Look at it as spending your 10,000 hours to become an expert. And who wouldn't want to spend 10,000 hours writing, right? Well, maybe somebody. But to a writer, that sounds like a dream come true. 

Revision and Rejection

Okay, this is possibly one of the tough bumps along the road to becoming an author. You need to find people who will read and honestly critique your work. Preferably people who don't love you and feel an obligation to tell you how wonderful you are. How to find these people? We'll get to that in a minute.

But once you've found them, you need a really tough skin. You need to be able to take criticism and keep working. My husband told me, after about my millionth short story rejection, that I was a glutton for punishment. The thing is, you need to be persistent to reach any valuable goal. You also need to get your work out there and be prepared to be told it needs improvement. Be prepared to be rejected.

Resources to help you revise: Writer's Edit, 7 Strategies for Revising Your Novel, and The Creative Penn.

Resources for coping with rejection: NY Book Editors, Bulletproof Writer, and this rejection-relief map.

Networking 

One of the best ways to network with other writers is to join a writing group. Check your community  for a group. If you're unable to find anything local, here's a list of writing groups by state or region. 

You can also connect with other writers at conferences and workshops. Both are useful places to form your own group with likeminded writers. It's useful to have a range of interests and genres represented in your writing group as well as a range of skills. 

Your writing group can serve as a source of inspiration and also potential critique partners. You will also find you can refer each other to useful events and websites as well as get the word out about each other's work.

Platform

A writer's platform is their public persona. It includes their online presence on social media, a blog or website, and their contributions to other websites. It can also include classes they teach and speaking engagements. It is basically a springboard for extending the reach of the books and stories they write and engaging with readers.

If you do not have a blog or website, consider starting one now. Considering creating social media pages dedicated to your work as an author. Bring readers along with you on your writers journey.

Resource: The Basics of Building a Writers Platform

Publishing

Finally, the fulfillment of your writing dream - publication. Actually, this is just another beginning. You'll now be doing marketing and discovering that you want to publish yet more stories or books. But who wants fulfilled dreams, right? Isn't the chasing of the dream the whole point?

But, I get ahead of myself. There are two basic ways to publish a novel, self-publishing and traditional publishing. Did I say two? Well, there's hybrid now, too. Where a traditional publisher handles the print books and you retain control over digital publishing. 

With self-publishing, you direct everything, from the writing of the book to the editing, title and cover creation, and the actual publication in print and digital form, usually through an online resource such as amazon. Since you manage it all, the royalty payments are much higher than with traditional publishing. However, your ability to market and distribute your book may not compare to that of a traditional publisher. 

To gain access to the big traditional publishers, you will need an agent. Smaller, regional or niche publishers can be approached directly. Your costs will be lower if you go with traditional publishers, but you will also have less control over your final product and will receive much lower percentages for your royalty payments. However, this can all be offset by the marketing expertise of the publishers and the increased sales. It's up to you to decide.

Resource: How to Get Your Book Published

What have been some of your biggest hurdles for writing and some of your most rewarding experiences?

Three Questions for Some Amazing #mglit Authors

Today, I'm stopping by Middle Grade Minded to share my new YouTube channel, "Three Questions," featuring interviews with some of my favorite creators. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with #mglit author Saadia Faruqi about her work as an interfaith activist, writing for MG vs. early readers and more!

You can also check out my interview with Traci Sorell. Cherokee Nation citizen and award-winning author Traci Sorell writes fiction and nonfiction books, short stories and poems for children. She discusses her work to center contemporary Cherokee stories, her experience co-writing INDIAN NO MORE and her upcoming biography of Mary Golda Ross.

Looking to celebrate spooky stories? I sat down just before Halloween with Lorien Lawrence (THE STITCHERS) and Josh Roberts (THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE). They discuss everything from the writing process to their real-life spooky experiences.

Other recent guests include Christina Li (CLUES TO THE UNIVERSE), Jacqueline West (BOOKS OF ELSEWHERE), Heidi Lang (WHISPERING PINES) and many more! For the writers out there, you will also find a growing section of videos on writing and publishing tips. To view all of the interviews, check out "Three Questions."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KIM VENTRELLA is the author of The Secret Life of Sam (Fall 2020, HarperCollins), Hello, Future Me (Aug. 2020, Scholastic), Bone Hollow and Skeleton Tree. Her works explore difficult topics with big doses of humor, whimsy and hope. Kim has held a variety of interesting jobs, including children’s librarian, scare actor, Peace Corps volunteer, French instructor and overnight staff person at a women’s shelter, but her favorite job title is author. She lives in Oklahoma City with her dog and co-writer, Hera. For the latest updates, find Kim online at https://kimventrella.com/ or follow Kim on Twitter and Instagram.

 

Interview with Jeff Rosen, author of CALEY CROSS AND THE HADEON DROP And GIVEAWAY!

I recently had a chance to read author Jeff Rosen's new middle grade novel, CALEY CROSS AND THE HADEON DROP.

Description:

Caley Cross has always known she's not a “normal” thirteen-year-old (her ability to create zombie animals was her first clue). Still, she never expected to be whisked off to a faraway world―Erinath―where she is Crown Princess and people have “baests” that live inside them, giving them fantastic, animal-like powers. Which would be cool, except that Caley’s baest turns out to be an ancient monster that can swallow planets. Despite this, Caley manages to make the first friends of her life, Neive Olander and Kipley Gorsebrooke. They help her navigate the Erinath Academy, where students train to compete in the annual―and deadly―Equidium contest, flying giant, dragonfly-like orocs. But to add to her usual (bad) luck, an evil “Watcher” known as Olpheist is seeking her, anxious to retrieve something that will make him immortal. The first in an epic fantasy series from Jeff Rosen that will keep readers laughing and on the edge of their seats.

The Interview

Hi Jeff! Great to read a book from a fellow Maritimer! Before we talk about the book, I need to ask: what made you decide to write a middle-grade novel?

First of all, thank you for the great questions. You actually read Caley Cross!  As a writer, the best thing a reader can do is read your book.   

Writers often get into a “genre” groove and generally stay in their creative lane.  Mine has been preschool series creation and comedy. But there were themes and thoughts swirling in my skull for a while I felt would be best expressed in a book for middle-grade readers. They experience books deeply and profoundly and are generally less cynical than adults. I felt the things I wanted to write about would resonate with them. When I began to work on Caley Cross and the Hadeon Drop, I was becoming increasingly distressed at some of our Homo sapiens shenanigans. For example, our relationship (often toxic) with the natural world, and specifically our treatment of animals who we regard as property. In Caley Cross, people have “baests” living inside them that give them fantastic animal-like powers. I tried to imagine a world where animals are our equal, and inform our behavior, and what would happen if they ever decided to get even. More of that in the next book!  I was also thinking about the rise of populism and totalitarianism and how it can insidiously creep into cultures. Plus, kids need a good laugh these days.

 

CALEY CROSS AND THE HADEON DROP is pure fantasy adventure. Did you read a lot of fantasy growing up, and if yes, what were your favourites? 

Oh, yeah. I devoured books. I lived inside of Tolkien, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Vonnegut, Shakespeare, Hardy Boys...  and Mad magazine. Also, my actual life was mostly fantasy. For example, when I was 5, I was living (mostly alone) above a lingerie shop in Montreal. My bedroom had bars on the window and was full of headless mannequins. I roamed the streets, without adult supervision, bought a dog with stolen money, ate frozen dinners I cooked for myself, threw parties no one came to, and never went to school. Like an animal! That’s probably a story for another interview...

 

In the time-honoured tradition of putting our main characters in the worst situations ever, you start the book off with Caley living with The Gunch. How fun was it to write that character?  

Naming her was the most fun!  When I thought of “Edwina Gunch” I smiled for a whole day. All self-respecting villains need a good name; The White Witch, Voldemort, Uriah Heep, Long John Silver, Satan, Trump...  Anyway, the Gunch runs “The Gunch Home for Wayward Waifs” which is basically a government-funded orphan sweatshop where Caley lives at the start of the book. The Gunch is phenomenally cheap, vain, and cruel. She once used Caley’s arm as a pin-cushion and feeds her seed she makes her steal from the neighbor’s bird feeder. But Caley is not a totally innocent victim. She is a bit of a zombie-raiser and seems basically to be haunting/slowly driving the Gunch insane. It was also fun creating mildly sadistic scenarios between the two... some based loosely on my own life. Maybe “fun” is the wrong word. Therapeutic? 

 

Caley’s powers are, to say the least, interesting! Did you always know what kind of powers she ought to have and what made you pick the ability to raise things from the dead? (which, by the way, is deliciously creepy).

It’s strange because very early on, I knew Caley could raise dead animals. I didn’t know why or what the source of her power was, and it only revealed itself to me months into writing. (*Hint: the clue is in the title.) Caley Cross also has a planet-swallowing monster living inside her... which makes her someone you probably don’t want to cross (pardon the pun.) Why dead animals? Part of it was inspired by my horror over how we treat living animals. Caley feels animal's pain deeply, and part of the power she possesses is to bring them back... to resurrect them... but only the ones who have been mistreated. And they kind of exact their revenge.  So her ability can be seen as positive or negative, depending on how it affects others; bad for people like the Gunch, not so bad for zombie animals (although debatable.) How Caley sees her power and utilizes it becomes a central conflict in the series; the struggle to identify herself as either good... or evil! 

 

The world-building in the book is top-notch. Do you think that your work in television and your career as a visual artist gives you a leg up when writing scenes and adding detail? I could totally see the characters!

Love this question! It was more challenging than I thought it would be, to be totally honest. In TV and film writing you use a kind of shorthand to describe characters and settings. It’s as lean as possible. Nobody wants to read a bunch of boring description in a script. The shorthand works in visual mediums because as a creator you can then oversee the artists and directors and the whole filming process to express your vision. It isn’t enough info for a book reader. Some of the early editorial feedback was that readers felt I tended to write less than was necessary to really get a good feel for the environments and characters. So this was a big learning curve for me.

 

I love the idea that every character has a monster inside them (isn’t that true!). Are you willing to share what yours is?

Hmmmm....  I suppose it’s a vampire poodle. We actually have a vampire poodle, named Vlad. Here is a photo of him with a recent victim. As you can see, all light is sucked into him. Please to enjoy. He biiiiiites!

 

 

There’s a lot of drama and danger AND a lot of humour. How did you balance that in telling the story?

Honestly, it was not that difficult because that is exactly the makeup of my inner life (drama/danger/humor). I write what I know.  I have always felt there isn’t enough humor in MG books – they can be quite dry and earnest. Caley Cross has a very sardonic, bleak outlook, but also a kind of gallows humor  – that’s the way she has survived. (She and I have a few things in common.)  I wanted the book to largely be a comedy, but the drama and danger kept creeping in.  You can’t control your creations!

 

I'm not going to give away any of the plot, but I will say that CALEY CROSS AND THE HADEON DROP feels like the love child of HARRY POTTER, THE GOLDEN COMPASS, and STAR WARS! When can we expect the next CALEY book to drop?

That is exactly how I would describe the book!  (With a bit of Monty Python thrown in.) As for the next installment, I am working on it...

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions for our Middle-Grade Minded Blog readers, Jeff!

You are most welcome. It’s been my absolute pleasure!

 

Follow the adventure @ http://caleycross.com/

And art stuff at http://jeffrosenart.com/

Want a chance to win a copy of CALEY CROSS AND THE HADEON DROP? Leave a comment below before November 9th at midnight and you'll be entered for a chance to win! Good luck!