Author Daryl Sedore

Guest post by Brenda Sedore

It took me a long time to find my voice. I didn’t start writing with serious intention until I was in my mid twenties. Even then I had no idea of the type of writing I wanted to do or what I was good at. Haven’t we all been at that place? So, I started what I now realize was a seriously ambitious project; a Medieval novel.

I worked at it for a while. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t my best work either. I then started the first draft of my current novel. After writing at least two drafts, I put it aside and began a completely different style of book. It was more of a chick-lit novel, which was popular at the time. It wasn’t horrible either, in fact there are many parts that are excellent. But, it still wasn’t my voice and the passion wasn’t there for me.
I began another novel, this one more in the vein of my second novel and it was excellent right from the start. This one was in my voice. I realized that I couldn’t work on a second novel until my first one was complete. I know, it sounds like I was going crazy. What I was doing was exploring my writing. I was figuring out what inspired me. What type of writing did I enjoy?

I went back to The Ties that Wound, my second novel that I’d written a couple of drafts of. I hired an editor to help me shape up the book. She advised me to rewrite it. So, I began rewriting. I got about 40,000 words in and then my life fell apart. My husband and I got a divorce. So, the writing was shelved again for almost 2 years.

During that time I got together with a wonderful man, who is also a writer, and the owner of this blog. We worked through the things life threw at us and then we both began writing again. By the time I got back into it, everything had changed for me.

I spent twenty years with a man who kept me from being myself. It’s a long story, but it wasn’t until I left that I was able to expand into everything I am as a person. This, of course, affected my writing. I had to take some time to re-evaluate and get comfortable with my new style. The important thing to remember is that our writing will evolve as we do.

Up until recently I felt that I was more inclined to write non-fiction than fiction. I was still struggling to find my voice. It wasn’t until I opened up my half-rewritten novel, The Ties that Wound, that I realized I’d known my voice all the time. It was just that the style of writing I do best is the type that pulls everything out of me. It is scary to reveal that much of myself. Daryl has talked about this before. One of the reasons I was struggling was because of fear. What if I couldn’t deal with the subject matter in a sensitive enough way? Then I realized if it’s my voice, I will do a good job.

I recently read in the book, Finding Your Voice by Les Edgerton, a story about how he was reading letters from these prison inmates and how he found them so interesting and funny. They were imaginative and it caused him to think that he had found a niche. He then asked these inmates to write him a short story. What he got from them shocked him. The stories they wrote were nothing like their letters. They were boring, stilted and not in any way worth publishing. He realized then that as soon as someone tries to write for an audience, they clam up. They try for a certain “voice” rather than just being themselves. You need to write for yourself and no one else. If you “try” to write, it won’t come out right.

“We get so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves.”~Francis Duc de La

That’s the key. You are the only person who can “speak” in your voice. No one else can put words together quite like you. Hone your voice. Don’t be afraid to be you in your writing. It’s what will make you stand out among all the other talent out there.

“I need to stop questioning myself…right?” ~unknown

At our recent writers’ group meeting, we all read from our assigned stories. It was a summer memory of 400-500 words. I was amazed at the variety of stories that were shared, all in each unique voice. One assignment, vastly different results. That’s why there can be so many different books in the world. Daryl has written a very good blog post called “Writer’s Block is a Lie“. In it he says that writer’s block can happen when you don’t write in your voice. I have found the same thing for myself. When I write in my voice, the writing flows freely.

How do you find your voice? Start with writing something natural to you, such as a journal or a letter to a good friend. In that letter, tell them a story or relate a funny incident that happened to you. Then open your novel and try to write in the same voice. Let those unique words and ways of putting a sentence together come out in your fiction. It takes practice, but after a while it will become second nature. The only drawback is, you may have to rewrite your novel as you realize most of what you’ve written so far is weak compared to what you’ve written in your voice.

One practice I have, which has helped me the most, is to begin each writing session by writing, freehand, in my journal. This not only gets me into my voice, but also gets the writing muscles stretched and ready for a workout.

Do you have a unique way to begin your writing session? For those of you who have found your voices, what tools, exercises or books helped you along the way?

Photo credit: dbdbrobot

Writers write. That’s it. Simple.

Motivation to write is at an all time high. More people write in 2010 than in any other era. Today, I want to address the people who are writing for publication. What motivates you? What brings you to your work in progress everyday? Do you write everyday?

As a writer, and yes, I call myself one; I’ve noticed that many writers need motivation. Actually, there’s a trend: writers who don’t need motivation are published authors. They’re the ones who have books on the shelves in your local bookstore. They’re the ones who write everyday.

I’m not saying writers with less discipline won’t get published, it’s just they need more of a shove to get their thoughts on paper and I’m looking to find out why that is.

Literature is an occupation in which you have to keep proving your talent to people who have none.

~Jules Renard

Donald Maass, a literary agent in New York, pointed out in his book, Fire in Fiction, that there are two kinds of writers: Status Seekers and Story Tellers.

Are you a status seeker? Do you want to tell everyone you’re a writer? Even if the piece you’ve written isn’t at its best, do you try and try again to get it published? When industry professionals explain why it isn’t ready, do you counter their claims with attitude? After that’s all done, did you go and self-publish? How many sold? To whom? Family and friends?

My point isn’t to berate. I simply want to know, are you a writer, or do you just call yourself one?

For storytellers, the game is different. I consider myself a storyteller. I am currently writing my fourth novel. I’ve written fifty short stories. I’ve been published in two different newspapers and I’ve won a number of contests. Recently, two different Anthologies have accepted three short stories, which will all be published early next year.

The reason for this is because I tell stories. I’ve got too many floating around, yearning for the empty page. I started writing the novel I’m currently querying in 2003. I’ve done four revisions with a professional freelance editor out of New York with countless drafts to make sure it’s just right.

Around 2006, in my seventh draft, I decided to hit the delete button and re-write the entire novel in my current voice. I felt each scene would be better served to write it fresh instead of constantly trying to tweak my two-year-old writing.

That’s over seven years of working on the same manuscript. The average writer gets their first deal after eleven years. I’ve still got a ways to go as I want my story told properly.

Are you a storyteller? Do you write because you love it? Are you passionate about it? If you are, then it’s not work. Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.

Tell me your story. How long have you been at it?

What are your successes?

What are your goals?

Are you a storyteller?

Are you a writer?

You can be both. Just don’t be status seekers.

We get so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves

~Francois Rochofoucauld

Photo credit: tibchris

Platform.

The idea itself is great. An author should have a platform. Let’s go one step further; an author needs a platform.

Platform can be described as where you as an author are self-promoting your name. Social media like Twitter, Facebook and a blog. Things you’ve published along with public speaking. The better your platform is, the better you’ll be exposing yourself and thereby exposing your new novel.

With all the push for platform lately I wonder if people are forgetting something.

You’ve got to be able to write too.

What makes a manuscript stand out? The writing, always the writing.

Let’s not forget that at the end of the day you’ve got to be able to write and deliver a killer manuscript. Platform has to be secondary here.

A literary agent on Twitter recently said, “My advice is to give yourself permission not to be on every Platform. Pick the one you like and use it really well. Different Platforms have different purposes. Use the tools differently. Twitter is not Facebook and vice versa. Don’t just talk about yourself all the time on your blog. Show you care about other people and they’ll come to you.”

Another agent said this, “I wish people would spend more time writing and less time blogging, Facebooking, and Twittering about. I think that the best thing you could possibly do for your career is to write an even more awesome next book. Not blog.”

What good is a platform for an author if you have nothing to sell?

Now, I’m not saying don’t have a platform. Please, take a breath. Glance back to the beginning of this post. I believe in a platform. I’m a participating member of a platform. I’m on Twitter and Facebook and I do a blog entry at least three times a week. I will always be an advocate of platforms.

I just want everyone to slow down for a second and realize that you not only need to write, but you’ve got to be able to write great. That needs to be first.

Don’t lose sight of the writing. Platforms are important, but writing is more important.

Writing trumps platform any day.

Spend time reading books on how to write. Check out Nathan Bransford’s post called, “What is the one book that every writer should read?” There are many titles to choose from in the comments sections. Titles fellow writers are recommending.

Which reminds me. I’m about to hit 100 followers. When I do I’m having a contest to celebrate. I’ll be giving away book on writing. Check back for details.

Being a writer isn’t just about writing anymore (maybe it never was). It’s about working for yourself. Not just being self-employed, but actually being the creator, the salesperson and the promoter of the product.

Years ago in the early 1990’s, I spent a considerable amount of time learning to be a Master Closer, which is someone who, during a sales presentation, is constantly closing the customer. In simpler terms, everything I said would be qualifying questions to make the sale.

You’re not just writing a piece of fiction or non fiction, you’re becoming an entrepreneur. Below, I examine how a salesperson sells and how a writer will do the same.

The only time success came before vision and work is in the dictionary

Sales Prospects; In sales you are out of business if you don’t have a prospect. With prospects, the professional salesperson has a chance. In sales you need to find and cultivate your potential customer. Prospecting can be a chore and at the same time it’s an exciting opportunity for success.

Writer Prospects; As a writer, literary agents are your prospects (most of the time). The traditional method of selling a novel involves finding the right agent for your work. You need to research which agency is accepting submissions. What are their guidelines and which agent in the agency would you submit to? Being and acting like a professional at all times is of utmost importance, just like a salesperson. Cavett Robert says, “You’ve got to circulate before you can percolate.”

Call Reluctance; Avoid anxiety. Sales people who struggle with call reluctance earn 80% less in commissions per year than those who overcome the problem. No matter how much time and effort salespeople invest in becoming a master closer, it will mean nothing if they have call reluctance.

Rejection Letter; Avoid anxiety and send out those queries. If 80% of salespeople make less commissions could be transferred to writers, then a lot of good novels aren’t being submitted. No matter how much effort you put in to your novel and how great a sale it’ll be, nothing will happen unless you get it in front of agents.

To be the winner you were born to be, you must plan to win; prepare to win; and expect to win. You seldom, if ever, get lucky sitting down

Ask, ask, ask; Research by Dr. Herb True of Notre Dame reveals that 46% of the salespeople he interviewed ask for the order once and then quit; 24% ask twice; 14% ask three times; 12% try a fourth time before stopping. That’s 96% of salespeople interviewed who stop after four tries. Yet it’s been proven that over 60% of all sales happen after the fifth attempt. That means that only 4% of all salespeople are getting the majority of the sales. (The best salespeople in the world are children; they never stop asking for what they want and they get it over 60% of the time.)

Submit, submit, submit; Based on how sales are made, manuscripts should be sent out time and again. A professionally handled, completed manuscript needs to get in front of an agent that would represent that particular piece. If or when it is rejected, move on and either fix what needs fixing or submit again. The point is to keep asking until you get the answer you desire.

We miss 100% of the agents we don’t query.

Here’s a small list of some of the mantras of a professional that we as salespeople took into the work force. The ones who were serious made it. The ones who weren’t, didn’t.

Talking is sharing, listening is caring. Hear the person out. Admit your mistakes. Be a class act; a sales professional has class. Integrity, honesty, and ethics pay off. Be honourable. Do the right thing. Commitment before ego. Respect Confidentiality. Keep your word. Be prepared. Be humble. Have no excuses.

All of the above worked in sales and can work for a writer. Yet there are people who solicit the wrong agent or use the wrong spelling of the agent’s name. Manuscripts are being submitted with errors. Last week an agent said that a self addressed stamped envelope came back to them. There’s somebody who doesn’t even know where they live.

I mean, come on people. This is ridiculous. I’m starting to feel sorry for literary agents here. And we writers wonder why they’re jaded. I’m happy when I see an agent at a conference that is open to meeting and/or signing new authors. It amazes me the kind of things agents see and yet they still move forward, looking for the next great story. They are salespeople, dealing with publishing houses. They’re professional (most of them, anyway).

Why can’t writers be too?

Finish the manuscript and be professional about marketing it to the world.

No person was ever honoured for what he received. Honour has been the reward for what he gave

Entertainment Weekly wrote an article on Sinead O’Conner in mid March. While reading it, something struck me as odd. She was quoted in the piece saying, “I found fame a bit tricky. It hadn’t been my ambition to become a pop star.”

Now, I’m not sure I understand that line. I get the first part. A huge number of famous people have a “tricky” time with fame, as we have all seen in the media. But her line about not having ambition to become a pop star was probably not true. I don’t know her personally. I wouldn’t want to call her a liar. I’m just saying.

Beware of a half truth; you may have the wrong half

Is she saying she took her talent and auditioned, got great reviews and went on to sign a recording contract? Then she sang the songs in a studio, produced an album, approved the cover art and started the distribution process all to sell the albums with thoughts of not going anywhere with it? I guess her touring, doing concerts for thousands of fans and selling vast numbers of records was her efforts to not become even more popular.

I wouldn’t want to mention the number of other things she did in her drive to be noticed by the media (controversy sparks revenue) like tearing up a picture of the Pope on stage at a concert. Boy, did her popularity ever drop after that incident.

So here’s the question: Are you ready for fame? Are you even trying to be famous? Do you think you could handle it?

Let’s say your agent calls and explains to you that your second book has hit unprecedented numbers and that the publisher has opted to go for its third print run. How upset are you going to be?

“Oh, damn. Are you serious? Another print run? What gives? Hold up already. I didn’t want this. Who do they think they are?” You sit, shaking your head and mumble, “Another print run, sheesh.”

Does this describe you? If it does, then please stop writing that masterpiece. Stop trying to be so good.

On the other hand, if you think you’d be content or even elated with that kind of ‘another print run’ lifestyle, then continue writing.

I know I’m pretty excited about the possibility of selling thousands of novels.

Before I sign off to go write more of my third novel, I’d like to be clear. In my opinion, I’m not calling Sinead O’Conner a liar. I’m just saying the words she chose to use were not true.

I’m just saying.

Writing.com asked its Facebook members over the Easter weekend if they would share their writing goals for the coming week. I was amazed at the number of people talking about procrastination. Finding time was mentioned, along with a smaller amount of people with goals set for the days ahead.

If you really want to write, I mean seriously want to write, you’d find the time, or you’d make the time.

The thing to do with procrastination is to put it off until tomorrow.

Writing shouldn’t be something that pulls at your coattails all day. It shouldn’t be something to tackle and get done amid the excuses that arise. Writing should be a pleasure, something done with desire. (Or need, because the story voices in your head are chattering about). Apply finger tips to keys, start typing and share the story.

I’m starting to wonder about all the people who need to get writing. People who hold themselves back. Is that the kind of professional that an agent will want to work with? I mean, why write if the effort is so great? I’m not trying to discourage people. All I’m striving to understand is this need to push your self to write.

Most people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be

-Abraham Lincoln

So make up your mind and be happy about writing. Choose to write. Make time. Delete excuses. Procrastinate tomorrow.

I heard a literary agent once say at a conference that you shouldn’t be approaching an agent with a query until you’ve written at least a million words. That means you query when you’re on your second or third novel. That is a serious amount of writing. So why are people trying to find time to write?

Interviews with newly published authors ask when they found time to complete their novel. Many of them talk about writing around work schedules like at midnight, or during nap time for their little ones. One author said she had no time through the day or the evening so she’d set the alarm for 4:00am to allow two hours to write before having to go to work.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind

-William James

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not conveying the message to not write, nor am I roasting people that write slow or whenever they get around to it. I’m only suggesting that if writing is important to you and you want to move forward with it, then you need to take it more seriously. It’s about prioritizing, putting it in the right place in your life. This blog post is for the people who are interested in being published and paid for their work.

Writing the piece is only the first step of many. Victoria Strauss, said the average amount of time for authors to get their first book sold was just over 11 years. That’s right, 11 years. The definition of “average” means some books are published quicker, yet there just as many books that take longer than 11 years.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get writing. No excuses. We need to type.

Thinking is the hardest work there is which is the probable reason why so few engage in it

-Henry Ford

Where do you see yourself in a year? In three years? Are you published? Are you working on another novel? Doing a signing tour? And now examine where you are right now. What are you doing to make that possible? Are you giving it your best? Or are you self-sabotaging?

I once heard someone say, “While one person hesitates because they feel inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior. There is no traffic jam on the road to success.”

Keep writing. Allow no excuses. If you can’t find time, make time. Believe in yourself. People aren’t lazy; they just have impotent goals; which is to say their goals don’t inspire them. Get inspired or re-examine what you’re doing.

Your mind is a creative tool that you direct by the exercise of your will. Simply put, you are responsible for monitoring and choosing your thoughts so that they support the manifestation of the results you desire in your life

-Jack Canfield

I’ve been reading some fabulous books lately. I just finished “Queen of Bedlam” by Robert McCammon. What a ride this one was. The author is a wordsmith with great talent. I first started reading Mr. McCammon back in the late 1980′s and I have read everything he’s written. His new stuff is by far his best. Love it, love it, love it.

Also, check out www.bookreporter.com. I have found it to be great resource and a wonderful site to check out honest reviews on what people are reading in their “Word of Mouth” section.

Until next time…

I’m flipping through magazines on writing, jotting down notes and keeping a current understanding of the publishing industry up to date and on an ongoing basis. (Whoa; sentence might be too long)

Now and then (sometimes daily) I come across something that hits me. I read this yesterday and here it is;

Write like a shark. Keep writing. Don’t stop. Write every day. If the shark stops swimming, he dies. So write like a shark. If you stop and days go by, it might seem harder to get going again. So just keep going. Don’t stop. Even a little bit. Jot some notes if you’re short on time. Do morning pages with coffee. Write something before bed. Just write.

If you can’t think of the right word, type “TK” (meaning ‘to come’) or something like it. Later, do a search for TK and fill in the blanks. Just write.

Novelist Robert B. Parker is credited with saying, “I can’t edit a blank page.” Get the words down. Don’t be afraid to write a lousy first draft. Fix it later. Just write.

Until next time…keep writing. I gotta go and write.

All the Best

Daryl

I was reading a writer’s magazine this morning with my coffee and this line shot out at me; ”Telling a story is not about giving away information, but about withholding it.”

I found that to be so true. In the revision stages of my current novel, my editor in New York was always drilling into me how I gave too much away. (Although that was early in my career…lol) She showed me numerous ways I could take a certain amount of information and slice off the excess to have not only a honed piece of work, but also information I thought was needed was removed.

“Doesn’t the reader need to know that?” I would ask.

“Sure,” she would say. “But you can tell them that part later. It’ll make them read on to find out.”

Another thing I saw in this magazine was an article from Noah Lukeman. Great piece about complex characters. At the end there was a blurb about Noah and that he’s a literary agent in New York and how many books he’s written on writing. The reason I mention this is because of the free offer that was posted there.

He’s written an e-book titled “How to Write a Great Query”. He has made it available for writers at no cost at www.writeagreatquery.com

I checked it out. It’s free for a one time only download. I have yet to read all of it, but so far it looks awesome.

Keep writing…

All the best,

Daryl

We sat back and watched Zeitgeist last night. Quite the film regarding religion and the government. A bit of an eye-opener on some topics and yet it came across as a belief in a conspiracy theory which I find hard to swallow.

Taking everything in on a singular basis, the debate was spectacular. As a whole, it was like big brother is setting us up and is out to get us. If the latter is true than the makers of the film should be in hiding.

Anyone else watch this film?

We’re viewing part two tonight. I’ll cover some of it here tomorrow…

Back to writing full time by Monday morning. I’m just trying to get over the time difference and jet lag from our recent trip. It seems with each trip, as I age, they get harder to recover from.

All the Best,

Daryl