That Compulsion Known as Writing

I spent the holiday with my family in Disney World. I can't tell you if it's the happiest place on earth, but on December 26, it might have been one of the coldest. I did get to go through the Haunted House twice, so that made ME a happy camper.

I wandered out of the spooky mansion, noticed this gypsy caravan, and took it for an omen. I choose to believe with all my heart that good times are ahead for me in my chosen profession.

See, I've always wanted to be an author--and I've always moved toward that goal.

I started writing "books" when I was seven. Back then I stapled together sheets of paper and decorated the covers. I wrote poetry inside.

I started winning awards for my work when I was in middle school. I started an authorized newspaper back in Griffith (IN) High School and nearly got kicked out of school for it. (The stupid journalism teacher was angry that my readership was higher than hers. Wonder where she is now. Who cares, right?) The next year I wrote a musical. Yes, you read that right. As a high school senior, I wrote a musical complete with songs, music and full three act script.

My friend Doug Brendel even helped with some of the lyrics. He survived, apparently unblemished. Doug is now a missionary who makes regular trips to Bellarus. Check him out: http://www.dougbrendel.com/

Doug and I and our third amigo, Bill LaDow, all became authors. Bill wrote a biography of racing giant Ray Nichels. Check it out: http://www.legendsofnascar.com/Ray_Nichels.htm

My point? Early on, I recognized in others that spark, that drive toward creativity. And when you hang with other authors, it rubs off. Oh, I don't think we ever sat around and said, "Gee, I'd like to write a book when I grow up." In fact, I know we didn't. But we saw in each other a different type of thinking, a way of processing the world that demanded we express ourselves.

When people find out that I'm an author, they often confide, "I'd like to write a book." Some even say, "I should write a book." Or even, "I could write a book."

I always try to answer their questions honestly. Or to encourage them. Most of them walk away unhappy. They want me to do more. One woman wrote last week and asked me to help her "make the connections I need to get published." A younger woman slipped me a note with her email address. "I need you to help me write my book," she said. "I've gotten it started, but I need help."

Sorry. It doesn't work like that. I sure wish it did, but it doesn't.

What I really should tell them is: Go lie down and hope the urge will pass.

It's a hard road, and there's no clear path. I don't think any two of my author friends has the same publication story. I think the road ahead will get murkier for the publishing industry. Almost all the names on the bestseller lists these days are authors who've been publishing for a while. "Guaranteed" bestsellers, if you will.

But as Nancy Pickard said at Bouchercon, the only part of this that we can control is our willingness to sit down and write. And when we write, we can only work as hard as possible to deliver the best possible story.

Clearly for me, this writing "thang" is a compulsion. It's how I survive. How I make sense (when I do make sense) of the world. It's something I can't live without.

Agatha Award for Short Stories

I'm reprinting a post here because I think it's important, and because I don't want anyone to miss out.

Cue: Drumroll...


Folks,
Malice Domestic is coming soon, and if you're going, then don't miss this opportunity to read the Agatha-nominated short stories--for free-- so you can cast an educated vote. All five of the stories are still up on the web for your reading pleasure.
Of course, even if you aren't going to Malice, we won't mind if you take a peek.
Five award-nominated short stories for free! How can you pass that up?
The links are...

"The Night Things Changed" by Dana Cameron, Wolfsbane & Mistletoe (Penguin Group) http://www.danacameron.com/2009/02/for-your-agatha-consideration.html

"Killing Time" by Jane Cleland, Alfred Hitchock Mystery Magazine -
November 2008
http://www.themysteryplace.com/ahmm/excerpts/excerpt4.aspx

"Dangerous Crossing" by Carla Coupe, Chesapeake Crimes 3 (Wildside
Press)
http://carlacoupe.com/DangerousCrossing.htm

"Skull and Cross-Examinations" by Toni L.P. Kelner, Ellery Queen
Mystery Magazine - February 2008
http://www.themysteryplace.com/eqmm/excerpts/excerpt4.aspx

"A Nice Old Guy" by Nancy Pickard, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine -
August 2008
http://www.themysteryplace.com/eqmm/excerpts/excerpt5.aspx

Don't put it off! After the Agathas are announced, they'll be coming down.

Toni
***
Toni L.P. Kelner
www.tonilpkelner.com

Busy, Busy Fall

Tonight, of course, is the fundraising virtual booksigning for the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue Group. I've been told books are selling briskly. To be involved, drop by my chatroom. Just go to my website, http://www.joannaslan.com/ and click the chatroom button in the lower right hand corner. I hope to have some of my author friends show up as guests. The chat begins at 6:30 p.m. CST

Boy, did I ever have fun last night.

I was part of the Fiskateers Chat, hosted by the remarkable Angela, who whipped folks into a true Fiska-Frenzy for Fiska-Fall doings. The conversation was fast-Fiska-paced, and my little fingers Fiska-flew over the keyboard trying to keep up. Check out Angela's stellar wrap-up at

http://www.fiskateers.com/blog/2008/10/28/tuesday-night-wrap-up/

I offered them the same thing I offer all of you--if you wish to use Paper, Scissors, Death as a bookclub selection, let me know. I'll come "visit" virtually or in person if possible. I'll send you signed bookplates to be adhered in your copies of PSD, so your book is personalized. I'll also send along bookmarks. I might ask for SASEs--which are Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelopes, so I don't go broke paying for postage!

Meanwhile, I'm prepping to go to Manhattan, Kansas, with a stop tomorrow night at St. Joseph, MO, where I'll teach making a "slam" album at the St. Joseph Library. I'll visit scrapbook stores in Columbia, MO, along the way. In Manhattan, on Saturday, around 9 a.m., I'll be giving a presentation at a coffee shop on scrapbooking and journaling and including your religion in your album. Then at 11 a.m., I'll go to the Ben Franklin store in Manhattan KS and teach slam books again until 1 p.m. From 5 to 5:45 p.m., I'm part of a discussion about pets in books--and author Marion Hill and I will give away a basket of pet items, plus her cookies.

I plan to set aside time to chat with my mentor and friend, Nancy Pickard. Her CASTS system for writing has dramatically improved my work.

And I'm on page 164 of 274 pages of Book #3. Whew. Keeping everything straight is a challenge.

Meanwhile, I offered the attached image to Camille Minichino (Margaret Grace) for our Killer Hobbies newsletter. Isn't it cute?

About Giving Away Your Book

In my last post, I mentioned that an overly enthusiastic author pushed a copy of his book into my hands at Love Is Murder.

I received a lot of comments about that…both here and in my personal email account.

So I need to be very clear: I wasn’t angry with him. No, he wasn’t a bad guy. He was a very nice man. And his book might be just fabulous. It was nicely done from what I could see.

I don’t blame him. I wasn’t writing about what he did to blame him. In fact, I identified with him. A lot.

See, Paper, Scissors, Death will be my eleventh published book. I still get really, really pumped about seeing my work in print. But along the way I’ve learned to temper my exuberance.

I’ve also noticed something else. When I think back to conferences I’ve attended, I realized that over the past year I’ve not only had people push their books into my hands, I’ve actually been given three books free by the authors. All the books were self-published. Does that mean the books are no good? Not at all. (This isn’t an A plus B equals C sort of thing.) Does it mean the authors were selling themselves short? I think so. I mean, something about these folks handing over their work devalued it. I guess the very act, while generous and well-meaning, gave me the message they didn’t trust me to seek out their work. Or to buy it. And maybe, just maybe, they were also telling me they weren’t sure their work was worth the price on the cover either.

So I tried to imagine a few of my favorite authors handing over copies of their books. (I conjured up images of Anne Perry and Nancy Pickard, both lovely women whose work I admire.) And I just couldn’t. In fact, last week when I met Leighton Gage, author of Blood of the Wicked, he mentioned his daughter wanted to give away a copy of his book. He told her, “Authors don’t give away their books.” There was this tone in his voice of fatherly advice and I really took it to heart. (Thanks, Leighton!)

But I truly do understand that urge. I used to be just like that guy at Love Is Murder. In fact, I was probably worse. I’d give away copies of my books at the merest hint anyone was interested. For example, a home repair guy was walking through our house. He noticed my scrapbooking supplies. He commented his wife likes to scrapbook. So I did the logical next thing…I gave him a book.

Duh. Do you think he discounted his work for that? No.

Finally, my husband took me aside. “I don’t give away Steinways,” David said.

“But this is a book. It’s not a Steinway,” I said.

“Joanna, you put yourself through college. You’ve worked for years as a writer. Your work has value. You need to stop giving stuff away. Give yourself a little credit,” David said.

He was right. I remembered something I learned at good old Ball State U during a psychology class. They found that therapists who charged indigent patients a buck for a session found their patients improved faster than those who did sessions for free. It’s just human nature. We value what we pay for.

So if you’re at a conference and you are carrying a copy of your book, resist RESIST resist the urge to press it into someone’s hands. And if the urge to give away your book hits you…go up to your room lie down, take two aspirins, and call your favorite bookseller in the morning. And if you see me doing it—give me a swift kick in the butt, okay?