Favorite Books on Crafting Fiction

Dusting off the cobwebs of this blog and hoping to keep it more active!

Over the years, I’ve found a number of books on the craft of fiction writing to be most helpful when I crave a creative boost or when I need a few reminders. Of course there’s the old standby, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, which I think everyone knows and is popular because it’s so good, especially if you feel like receiving a supportive and funny pep talk. And I know a lot of people like On Writing by Stephen King, and while I wasn’t particularly sold, it has many fans.

On this post I’m going to list a few books that may not be as well known, but are certainly worth looking at no matter what type of fiction you’re working on.

The Modern Library Writer’s Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction by Stephen Koch – I use this book in my Writing Novels About Women’s Lives class for Stanford’s Online Writer’s Studio. It’s good for both beginning fiction writers and those who are more advanced. It takes you through finding your story, shaping it, and revision as well as really nice advice on finding and inventing your own style. And I especially like it because the author comes off as both knowledgeable and supportive.

Hooked: Writing Fiction that Grabs Readers at Page One and never Lets Them Go by Les Edgerton – The title says it all. Many writers have problems with where to start their novel and this book covers everything about avoiding weak openings. It’s practical and informative. You might want to skip some of the examples, but there’s a lot in here that is quite helpful.

The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing – by Alice LaPlante – This is an ambitious and thorough book written by a well known writer and writing teacher. It takes on both fiction and creative non-fiction and important issues such as reading as a writer, why “show don’t tell” is such common advice (and why it’s not quite accurate), point of view, crafting effective dialogue, etc., etc. And it covers both short and long forms of fiction and non-fiction. There are many great exercises and excellent writing samples from esteemed writers that really prove their points. Well worth the high price tag.

Writers Workshop in a Book: The Squaw Valley Community of Writers on the Art of Fiction – Edited by Alan Cheuse and Lisa Alvarez – The Squaw Valley Writers Conference is well known and one well worth applying to (I attended twice!). This book has essays by writers such as Michael Chabon, Janet Fitch, Amy Tan, Anne Lamott and Diane Johnson, and covers a wide variety of topics from sense of place, historical fiction and how to make critique workshops work for you.

Lastly, I always recommend this book: The Resilient Writer: Tales of Rejection and Triumph from 23 Top Authors by Catherine Wald – These road-to-publication interviews with authors including M.J. Rose, Arthur Golden, Bret Easton Ellis, Amy Tan and Elinor Lipman, are inspirational and illuminating.

What books have helped you with your writing? Leave a comment and let us know!

Simon Cowell as Acquisitions Editor

One of my pleasures is watching American Idol. Notice I didn’t say guilty pleasures— I refuse to suffer guilt over any of my pleasures. At any rate, I’ve been watching the show since the very first season, and have rarely missed an episode. I don’t consider AI a reality show; it’s simply a singing contest, right out of Star Search or even the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. And one of the reasons I enjoy it is because I have participated in a number of singing competitions (albeit Japanese ones). Japan has always been a land of musical contests—my first trip to Tokyo was the result of winning a prize in a songwriting contest sponsored by a Japanese record label, where I was able to sing my song in the final competition (I ended up with the Best Spirit ranking, not the Grand Prix. Alas, I did not become Japanese Idol). Knowing first hand the pressure of performing under such circumstances allows me to relive this vicariously while watching Idol. I’m amazed at the poise of some of the very young contestants. It’s also exciting to see fresh new talent (I generally skip over the train wrecks, which don’t interest me).

But watching AI over these recent weeks as the show has been going through the motions of accumulating its Top 12 for the season (which turned out to be a Top 13), I realized another reason why I like it so much; it proves time and time again how subjective the music industry is and in turn also mirrors the experience writers have with the publishing industry. It’s very much like trying to get an agent for a book or a publishing deal—often there is no rhyme or reason as to why some books get chosen and others are left in the dust. Why, oh, why, viewers moaned, did Jasmine get picked over Jesse when the latter has such a better voice? Jasmine, as new-judge Kara DioGuardi likes to say, “has the whole package”— young, cute, and commercial (she was voted off by the public, however). Jesse was older, quirky, and probably wouldn’t be a big seller. Megan is quirky too, but she made the Top 13 because she’s blonde and beautiful. Bloggers are asking, have the judges been too easy on Scott because he’s blind? Maybe so, but what a hook: a curly-haired guy with an angelic face who doesn’t appear to be vision impaired.

Perhaps I find comfort in Simon Cowell's harshness since I've weathered so many rejections. For all the hype and glitz of AI, a lot of it mirrors real life, whether it be that not all dreams come true or that sometimes those that do don't turn out as planned, or the old adage, be careful what you wish for. As an AI contestant or anyone trying to make it the arts you have to be flexible enough to roll with the punches and possess the right doses of realism, optimism, and pessimism and develop a very thick skin.

San Francisco's Stacey's Book Store Closing

It was September 2007 and my debut novel, MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT, had just been released. Of course I was excited; to have a novel published by a real publisher, one that would actually be on a shelf in a bookstore, was a dream that had finally come true after many years of perseverance. Friends sighted MIDORI in various stores and excitedly told me the news.

“I saw it at Stacey’s!” a friend emailed and when I was in San Francisco one afternoon I decided to visit. Every article I’d read about book promotion said it was a good idea to go to bookstores and “sign stock on hand.” The bookstore would place a sticker that said, “Signed by the Author,” which could help sales. However, I entered Stacey’s feeling rather nervous. If they had only one copy would it be tacky to ask to sign it? Would they look at me and say, “Who are you?” And how disappointing it would be if there were actually no copies.

I approached the fiction section, looking for “T” when something familiar caught my eye. It was the bright blue and red cover of my book. I turned and saw that on a table, all its own, was a display of my book—with about a dozen copies. My heart leapt at the sight. “I’m the author of that book on display over there,” I said when I got to the counter. “Can I sign the copies?”

The woman smiled warmly. “Why of course. Thank you for coming in.”

Seeing my book on display and signing it at Stacey’s, a bookstore I’d wander in many times during my lunch breaks when I worked downtown at boring administrative temp jobs to finance my creative pursuits, is a memory I will always treasure. And now I read in my hometown paper, The San Francisco Chronicle, that Stacey’s, the same as the also wonderful Cody’s, is closing its doors for good. It’s the same old story—Borders, Barnes and Noble, buying books online, and bad economic times.

Stacey’s, I will miss you. Thanks for the memories.

A Mini MFA Program

A friend recently asked me about the Squaw Valley Writer’s Conference, which is held every summer in Northern California. He wanted to know why it was useful to me. Was it the interaction with the other attendees or meeting agents and published authors or something else? I think I benefited from it due to several things.

After having recently graduated with my MFA in Creative Writing I realize now that attending Squaw (I was there in 2000 and 2001) was a bit like being in an intensive, mini-MFA program. I was able to devote an entire week to concentrating on my writing and learning about the business. I was with the same group of writers for the daily workshops, but the leader changed each day. It could be an agent, an editor, or a published author. One day I was lucky enough to have Janet Fitch (White Oleander, Paint it Black) as my workshop leader. This was my first exposure to a workshop setting, but some of my colleagues were more experienced and I learned from them as well. Being with the same students the whole week created a feeling of community as did the accommodations, which involved sharing a house with three other women.

When not in workshop we were able to take other classes and attend lectures about craft and the business of writing and getting published. Attendees were also paired up with a one-on-one appointment with an agent, author, or editor who had read their work. It was invaluable to get such personal feedback.

I think that for me, though, one of the most important things was the feeling of accomplishment I felt when I got accepted to the conference. This is not the type of conference where anyone can go and schmooze with editors and agents. You are admitted based on the quality and potential of your writing. I didn’t get in on the first try, so when I made it the following year, it was gratifying and boosted my self-confidence.


Although in my case I didn’t find an agent or editor (that came some years later), I know this has happened to some writers who attend Squaw. But my experience prepared me for my eventual entry into the publishing world as well as my MFA program and my overall journey as a writer. It was well worth doing and I highly recommend it.

Burying a Rejected Novel

Last week one of my Google Alerts led me to this amazing Web site, My Dream is Dead But I'm Not, where author Mary Patrick Kavanaugh described the funeral she was about to hold for her novel that, while agented, was rejected by sixteen major publishers. She even had blurbs from well-known authors (Lolly Winston, Adair Lara, Catherine Brady) and included praise from her rejectors, such as: "Ms. Kavanaugh is a talented writer with a fresh and unique voice…"—Crown Books, and "Ms. Kavanaugh is a laugh-out-loud hilarious writer, one who uses cutting humor to get at the heart of a situation. I understand why Lolly Winston is so excited by it…" —Riverhead Books. The Web site also invites people to celebrate and also bury their own dead dreams. Upon further investigation I found that Mary is an alum of the MFA program at University of San Francisco and graduated a few years before me. What a brilliant and creative publicity stunt, I thought. She also is selling the book on her site.

Mary did hold an actual funeral for her novel, Family Plots, at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, CA, this past Saturday. You can view a Web cam on the site.

Now we've found that the funeral for Mary's book has been mentioned in both The New Yorker and The Atlantic! Bravo to Mary for turning her tough rejections into such a creative idea. I know it's only a matter of time before she gets published.

Writing Tips from Nashville

Back in the day I fancied myself a songwriter. And a rock star. Needless to say, these aspirations didn’t come to fruition. Much later when I met my husband, our shared interest in music led us to collaborate on songwriting, but eventually his other interests and my moving on to writing prose caused us to drop that and concentrate on performing jazz standards for our musical fix. After all, these songs were a lot better than anything we could conjure up.

Fast forward to the present and now my husband is back into the throes of producing his own music and writing songs, mostly in the electronica/dance vein, something we both love. And he recently re-joined a songwriters association we had belonged to years ago where you could bring a demo in to be evaluated by a music biz person looking for hits. Back then they called them demo derbies and now they call them song screenings.

When we were on vacation in Southern California recently we found out that a country music song screening was taking place in Hollywood. On a whim we decided to go, just to see if these screenings were like the old demo derbies. My husband doesn’t write country music and had no demo to share, but it wasn’t necessary to have one to attend. A song plugger with his own publishing company based in Nashville was evaluating the songs. We sat in a large room with about a dozen hopefuls who had brought their demos and printed song lyrics for the evaluator to read along.

As the evening progressed I couldn’t help but be struck by how much this song screening resembled the many writing workshops I’d been in for the past two years in my MFA program and others before that. While some of the demos were quite polished with catchy melodies, the place where most fell apart was in the lyrics. They were often heartfelt but mundane, and too personal and vague to resonate with a listener. They needed to tell a story.

The evaluator explained how the songs had to have relatable characters, had to offer a story with which a listener could identify. They also needed dazzling imagery. And, of course all this along with a great musical hook—not an easy task. As he gently but very competently criticized the participants’ songs he also played examples of current country hits that fit these criteria. One was about a woman near death in a nursing home, reflecting on the love of her life; a faded rose in a vase was a memorable image. Another was an amusing story with a beginning, middle and end about a singing cowboy in a bar trying to woo a woman away from the rich banker man who was monopolizing her attention. Another tune was about a man who had recently lost his factory job in the United States to Mexico, now on his way south of the border to reclaim his job and earn some pesos. If you haven’t listened to country music for a while or ever, you might want to give it a shot; the good songs relay some pretty stellar, funny, or heartbreaking stories, often with a big dose of cleverness.

The Nashville guy didn’t take any songs with him that night and it was clear why. Besides the music, it was all about the story. And these demos lacked that focus. And that’s something I had never thought about when I was writing songs. All the elements of a great short story are the key to great song lyrics as well. Write a story first, the song plugger said. See what develops. Then turn it into a song.

That song screening inspired my husband and me. Now we’re working on a few country songs and I’m back to attempting to write lyrics for the first time in years. They may not be ready for Nashville yet, but it’s always fun to write a story.

Vine Tata (Daddy’s Coming) - A Wise, Funny, and Poignant Play

Recently I had the chance to visit New York for the second time. It was not only a vacation, but a chance to finally meet my agent and editors in person. Up until now I’d only communicated with them via phone or email so it was a special treat to finally meet them face to face. The other special treat was to spend time with my friend Irina Eremia Bragin, and see a rehearsal of her play, Vine Tata (Daddy’s Coming), which runs from October 3 through October 19 at the Queens Theatre in the Park.

Irina and I have been friends since junior high school and spent many a rainy San Francisco afternoon holed up in her bedroom, taking multiple parts and reading aloud from plays, from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf to The Tempest. I was the frustrated performer, she the frustrated writer. Irina went on to get her PhD in English from UCLA and has won awards for her plays. She also penned a memoir, Subterranean Towers, parts of which have been published in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post Sunday Magazine, and Reader’s Digest. And I found my way to becoming a novelist and finally getting my MFA in Writing after years of futzing around with music.

My experience as a writer is only in the realm of book publishing: I know very little about the playwriting world. So it was fascinating to observe the process of a rehearsal of Vine Tata (Daddy’s Coming), where the playwright can see her characters come to life on the stage, and is able to give input to the director and even make changes to the script, all as part of the collaborative development process. I’ve heard stories about the film industry where the author of a book being adapted for a movie may be lucky enough to visit the film set once and, of course, the screenwriter (or more often screenwriters plus various screenplay doctors) are rarely welcome on set and seem to “disappear” once the movie is being made.

Vine Tata (Daddy’s Coming) is about a father, a former political prisoner in Communist Romania, who comes to visit the daughter he hasn’t seen in 25 years. He was forced to choose between his family and his principles and now she faces a surprisingly similar dilemma. Bringing together two separate worlds: a dungeon in Romania and a family kitchen in modern Los Angeles, this award-winning drama is about family and the strength to stand up for what you believe.

If you’re in New York in October I hope you won’t miss this moving and entertaining play!

Win a Signed Copy of MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT at Free Book Friday

You may win a free copy of MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT at an exciting new Web site called FREE BOOK FRIDAY. Created by best-selling author Jessica Brody (THE FIDELITY FILES - St. Martin's) the site features a new author each week, with info about their book, a chance to win a free signed copy, and an exclusive interview podcast. Each Friday winners are selected at random and announced on the site.

If you're a published author (all genres are welcome) contact Jessica on the Contact area of the site if you're interested. Or just stop by and sign up to win some free books!

Featured authors need only provide a minimum of two signed books and about 15-20 minutes of their time for a phone interview for the podcast.

All featured authors will receive:

• Prominent front page exposure for the entire week with information about their books, links to their websites, and any book trailers you want to feature

• A dedicated email marketing blast to all our subscribers promoting you and your book on FreeBookFriday.com

• An audio interview available to listen to on the site and added to our podcast on iTunes.

Hope to see you soon at Free Book Friday!

Cody's Has Closed

It’s sad news to hear that Cody’s, a longtime independent bookstore that had locations in Berkeley and San Francisco, has closed. My tour for “Midori by Moonlight” (my first book tour!) had a nice mix of events at both independent and chain bookstores and the appearance at Cody’s on Fourth Street last October was one of the highlights. Many friends came as well as people I didn’t know! I’d always loved the large San Francisco branch of Cody’s as well and had been excited when Hiroshi Kagawa of IBC Publishing in Japan had stepped in to buy the store when it was in trouble of closing in 2006. Kagawa gave it a reprieve but found he couldn’t go on once the rent on the Fourth Street store tripled, the SF branch had to be closed, and the new, smaller branch on Shattuck couldn’t make it.

I will remember Cody’s with great fondness and thank the staff for the wonderful welcome they gave me at my event.

BACKSPACE WRITERS CONFERENCE 2008

For those looking for a writers conference coming up this summer, you should check out the Backspace Writers Conference, which will take place in the heart of the publishing biz world -- New York City -- and will boast many prominent speakers and panelists, including my wonderful editor at St. Martin's, Hilary Rubin Teeman.

Here's some more info:

The 2008 Backspace Writers Conference (August 7 & 8, Radisson Martinique, New York City) brings together literary agents, acquisitions editors, best-selling authors, and publishing professionals for a two-day, two-track program of workshops, panels, and networking in the heart of the publishing world.

In addition to keynote talks by Mark Tavani, a senior editor at Random House, and New York Times bestselling author Lee Child, program highlights include a conversation with Simon Lipskar and Mark Tavani on agents and editors working together, a marketing discussion by M.J. Rose, a workshop from independent editor Jerry Gross on finding and working with a reputable book doctor, a role-playing workshop from Jeff Kleinman: “Buy This Book!”, agent and editor panel discussions, and panels on the young adult market, short stories, memoir, nonfiction, crime fiction, erotica, children’s picture books, and more.

Attendance is limited to 200. $355 for Backspace members; $395 for non-members. In addition, Mystery Writers of America is offering their members a special discount. Register Now and come meet the people who can make a difference in your career!

Literary Agents: Richard Curtis, Simon Lipskar, Jeff Kleinman, Emmanuelle Alspaugh, Paige Wheeler, Laney Katz Becker, Jenny Bent, Maya Rock, Michael Bourret, Scott Hoffman, Ronnie Gramazio, Elisabeth Weed, Stephany Evans

Authors: M.J. Rose, Harry Hunsicker, Jason Pinter, Jackie Kessler, Heather Brewer, Gail Konop Baker, Laurel Corona, Lisa McMann, Jenny Gardiner, Danielle Younge-Ullman, Claudia Gray, Marlys Pearson, Jessica Keener, Elizabeth Letts, A.S. King, Robin Slick, Susan Henderson, Pam Jenoff, Trish Ryan, Leora Skolkin-Smith, Caroline Leavitt, Reed Farrel Coleman, Chris Grabenstein, William Powers

Editors and Other Publishing Professionals: Hilary Rubin Teeman (editor, St. Martin's), Charis Conn (contributing editor, Harper's Magazine), Kristen Weber (senior editor, New American Library), Bella Stander, Jerry Gross, Lauren Cerand, Eileen Winnick


"Backspace is relatively new but it's the real deal - which is amply proved both by the quality of discourse within and the truly amazing hit-rate its members have already achieved." – Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author

"I love being associated with you guys. Such a class act. Backspace is the pre-eminent writers organization because you guys have made it so. Always innovating, thinking outside the box, and just generally doing conferences bigger and better than they have been done before. I'm just honored to have been there from the start." – Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency

"I mention Backspace whenever I teach my writers' workshop around the country. The yearly Backspace conference is an invaluable resource. I've taught there and can’t say enough good things about the information, encouragement, and enthusiasm they provide." – David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author

From Attendees:

"I have never had such an excellent time at a conference! The presenters were uniformly accessible and pleasant. The overall mood was also excellent."

"The workshop was so well organized and run. Bravo to all of you who worked to pull together a truly remarkable event, well worth the price of admission!"

"The superlatives just flow whenever I try to describe my experience at the conference. I can't say enough or thank you enough. Superb. As I keep telling folks, it's impossible to convey what I took away from the experience, because the most valuable things are the intangibles."

"It was the best writing conference I've ever attended on all dimensions - the amount of new information, real contact with other writers and people in the industry, and the level of truth-telling made it stand out."

"I thought the conference was absolutely fantastic. The informal atmosphere and seriousness of intent combined into an exciting, very useful, very enjoyable weekend of talks and panels. I learned so much, met so many wonderful people, and got a far stronger handle on how to market my work. Many, many thanks."

FROM POD TO WD

The June issue of Writer’s Digest magazine has a brief article plugging my novel, MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT. As any author knows, getting into a national print publication is not easy, so I am ecstatic for the coverage. And the only reason I got this coverage was because in 2000 I self-published a book through a new “print-on-demand” (POD) publisher called iUniverse, a novel called NO KIDDING. This was not a popular option—to publish your own book by what some call a “vanity press.” I often argued about this phrase, because in the music business, putting out your own CD by way of a distribution and reproduction service is often lauded, but doing that with a book somehow is a big no-no. At any rate, I had heard about author M.J. Rose who had self-published her book “Lip Service,” and had gotten picked up by a major publisher and was inspired by that. NO KIDDING had been turned down by a good number of literary agents, so I figured that maybe by self-publishing it, maybe it would get noticed by a “legit” publisher. So I went through the program at iUniverse, did some heavy online promotion, got the book on Amazon (no brick-and-mortar store would carry it) and I actually got some sales, some fan letters, and a few positive reviews. But still no agent was interested and no legit publisher. In 2002 I decided, what the heck, and entered the book in the Writer’s Digest Best Self-Published Book Awards. I didn’t win the grand prize, but ended up receiving an honorable mention in the Mainstream/Literary Fiction category, of which there was one award per category. I got a nice letter from WD and a certificate, but this subsequently did not seem to impress any literary agents.

Fast forward to Fall 2007 when I got my “debut” novel published by St. Martin’s, called MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT (actually the *fifth* novel I’d written). I contacted WD and basically said, “Remember me? I won a prize in your contest and now I have a published book!” They invited me to be a guest for a day on one of their online forums, which was a lot of fun, but afterwards I asked, “Would it be a possibility to get a mention in the print publication?” They said they’d try and, to my pleasant surprise, here is my article in the June issue. My Amazon numbers spiked and I started getting emails from all over.

Now, would I advise writers to self-pub through a POD now? For a novel, probably not. The climate is very different now from what it was in 2000, and the amount of writers self-publishing through POD has increased astronomically; there is way too much competition. But my message is to never give up and always look for innovative ways to get your work noticed. NO KIDDING never found a home with a legit publisher, but winning a prize in the contest gave me a confidence boost, which led to my pursuit of improving my craft, learning more about the business, and eventually getting a book contract. You’ll never know if you don’t try.

To MFA or Not to MFA?

In just about a month I’ll be finishing classes in my intensive two-year MFA in Writing program at the University of San Francisco. Then all that’s left to do is to complete the novel that will be my major project, due in early August, and I’ll graduate with my MFA. The time has flown by and I know I’m going to miss the intellectual stimulation and camaraderie of my fellow writers. I couldn’t have been happier with the program, which offers evening classes twice a week, on Tuesdays (writing workshop) and Wednesdays (seminar). I have learned so much about both craft and literature from wonderful instructors, who are passionate about writing and books.

So as an aspiring novelist should you go for an MFA? There are as many MFA programs out there as there are types of writers and it seems that both are increasing at breakneck speed. It seems now more than ever that everyone wants to write a novel, having been told countless times that everyone has a story in them.

An MFA won’t guarantee that you’ll sell your novel or that you’ll even be able to get a teaching job: it’s not the most practical degree in the world. Many programs combine the study of literature with the teaching of craft, giving students a well-rounded education. If you don’t need or want this, you may be better off having your novel critiqued by a manuscript consultant or teacher and not worry about getting a degree. However, I know there are students in my program who went in knowing they would have deadlines and that they would have their novel finished in two years and this was a big motivator for them; it would have been much harder to do it on their own.

There are a number of programs for working adults that include night courses or what is called “low-residency.” Low-residency MFA programs allow students to do the majority of their work online from home, with a couple of 10-day (or so) stints on-campus per year. This would give a student who lives in California, for example, the opportunity to study at a university in Vermont.

There are many resources on the Web regarding MFA programs. Tom Kealey has written a valuable guide called The Creative Writing MFA, which profiles fifty programs. The book has a useful companion blog as well.

Another source is Poets & Writers Magazine, which is filled with ads for MFA programs. Also, The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) is a great organization that offers The AWP Official Guide to Writing Programs as well as their stimulating magazine, The Writer’s Chronicle.

To all who are graduating soon with their MFAs or who have just been accepted to their dream program—congratulations!

Conferences for Writers

I just received a pamphlet in the mail entitled The Writer’s Summer for the Southampton Writers Conference sponsored by the Stony Brook Southampton MFA program in Writing and Literature. This reminded me that summer will be here soon and now is the time to start looking into writers conferences. Of course, there are conferences all year round and a great resource for finding them by location and month is the Shaw Guides. Poets & Writers magazine is also another good source for conferences.

How can a writers conference be helpful to an aspiring novelist? There are as many answers to that question as there are types of conferences. There are those that focus on hands-on workshops where you can get direct feedback on your writing, and others that emphasize the business side; meeting agents and editors and even having them read excerpts of your work. It is also valuable to network with other writers as well as to meet published authors and learn about their experience on the road to publication.

A writers conference that I found very helpful was the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, which I attended in 2001 and 2002. This conference, now in its 39th year, takes place every August in Northern California and includes workshops, lectures, panels, readings, and individual meetings with agents and editors. What I especially liked was that it required a writing sample as part of the application so the fact of getting accepted equalled encouragement of my writing goals. I felt that the price of the conference, including accommodations and some meals, was quite reasonable. I treasure the writer friends I met at Squaw through workshopping, socializing, and the shared housing.

Another conference I enjoyed was the San Diego State University Writers Conference, which is held every January. This is a more business-focused conference, though they do have some informal workshopping. What I liked was the opportunity to have agents and editors read an excerpt of my novel ahead of time and then be able to meet with them one-on-one for feedback. There were also interesting panels about all aspects of the publishing industry, from securing an agent to book contracts to royalties, with many to choose from.

Writing can make for a lonely existence and it’s great to be able to take some time out to network face-to-face with other writers. You can share your war stories and make some great friendships while getting valuable input on your writing career.

Is 2008 the Year You'll Get Published?

Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu is one way to say “Happy New Year” in Japanese. Literally it means something like, “Congratulations on the opening of the new year,” and I like to think that at this time we’re all open to new possibilities. For those who want 2008 to be the year they get their novel published, here is some info and resources I hope you’ll find helpful.

Before you send out your queries to agents, you should make sure that your manuscript is ready. In an illuminating series of articles in the latest issue of Poets & Writers magazine (Jan/Feb 2008) one agent says that the biggest mistake a writer can make is submitting a manuscript too soon. Do you have trusted readers who can critique your novel who will give you honest, constructive feedback? Have you considered hiring a manuscript consultant to look at your work? A good place to start might be researching writing teachers at your local colleges and universities who may offer such a service. And, you never know, some of your favorite authors may also do manuscript consultations on the side--check out their Web sites. If plot is one of your weak points, you may want to look into Blockbuster Plots.

As far as finding an agent, there are a couple of sites I recommend. One is AgentQuery.com, which offers loads of useful information on the process of querying agents. Another feature is the ability to search for agents who represent particular genres and styles of novels.

Publishers Marketplace is another great site. The first thing to do is to sign up for their Publisher’s Lunch and Deal Lunch e-mail newsletters. These are free and will give you industry news that is useful in finding what types of novels agents are selling. A paid subscription to the Web site will give you even more features, including your own Web page and the ability to search on agents and what they’ve sold over the last several years.

Good luck!

Query Letter for MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT

Every writer knows that a good query letter is crucial in getting a manuscript read by an agent, which is the first step in getting an offer for representation. This is the query I sent for MIDORI BY MOONLIGHT. This letter elicited a lot of requests from agents for the full manuscript and eventually I did sign with an agent who ended up getting me a two-book deal with St. Martin’s. In brackets are my explanatory comments of why I constructed it the way I did.

Dear Agent:

I am currently seeking representation for Midori By Moonlight, a novel starring the Japanese Bridget Jones.

[This opening sentence is short and sweet and to the point. By using the Bridget Jones reference it gives the agent an idea of what kind of book this is.]

Thirty-year-old Midori Saito’s dreams are all about to come true. A strong independent streak has always made her feel like a stranger in a strange land in her native Japan, but now she’s embarking on a new life in San Francisco. She’s about to marry Kevin, the perfect American man—six feet tall, with curly hair the color of marmalade. Unlike a Japanese guy who’d demand she be a housewife, Kevin doesn’t mind if Midori follows her dream of becoming a master pastry chef. Her life is turning out as exquisitely as a Caramelized Apple Tart with Crème Fraiche, until Kevin dumps her at their engagement party in favor of his blonde, ex-fiancée, whom Midori never even knew existed.

Now Midori is not only on her own—with just a smattering of fractured English in her repertoire—she’s entered the U.S. on a fiancée visa that will expire in sixty days. Unable to face the humiliation of telling her parents she’s been dumped, and not wanting to give up on her American dream, Midori realizes she’s “up the creek without a saddle.” Her only hope is new acquaintance Shinji, 30, who long ago escaped Japan after a family tragedy, is a successful San Francisco graphic artist and amateur moon gazer, and who lets her share his apartment as a platonic roommate.

Soon Midori finds herself working at an under-the-table hostess job at an unsavory Japanese karaoke bar, making (and eating) way too many desserts, meeting a charming and handsome chef with his own restaurant who may be too good to be true, and trying to uncover the secret behind a mysterious bar hostess who looks strangely familiar. But Midori’s willing to endure almost anything to hang on to her American dream, and she just might find that the love she’s been searching for far and wide is a whole lot closer than she thinks.

[This was my take on a “blurb” that would appear on the back of a book. It’s a bit long for that and the style is slightly different, but I wanted to cover all the salient plot points without going into a full-blown synopsis. I made various food references to give the flavor of the book. Looking at the back of the book or by clicking on the Books section on the Web site you can see how this description was changed and shortened on the published book.]

I am the author of two children’s non-fiction books published by KidHaven Press (Famous People: Christina Aguilera and Wonders of the World: Niagara Falls), have had short stories published in several literary journals, and currently work as a freelance writer and editor. I attended the Squaw Valley Writers' Conference in 2001 and 2002, and my self-published novel, No Kidding was a winner in the Writer's Digest 2002 Best Self-Published Book Awards in the Mainstream/Literary Fiction category.

[Sometimes it is advised to only offer relevant publishing history, e.g. other fiction. By including my non-fiction books, I felt I was showing an agent that I had real-world publishing experience, even though these books are not novels. I included a reference to the Squaw Valley Writers’ Conference because it is a well-known conference and one where you need to submit a writing sample in order to get accepted, otherwise I would not have included conferences I attended. I mentioned NO KIDDING, my self-published book, because it won an award. However, it’s not necessary to have any other writing credits—don’t worry if you don’t have any.]

I am Caucasian-American—my Japanese last name comes by way of my husband who was born and raised in Osaka. I have lived in Japan and traveled there many times, the first time as a winner in a songwriting contest sponsored by Japan Victor Records. I also speak conversational Japanese and have placed in a number of Japanese singing contests and performed on TV in Japan.

[It is often advised not to give any personal information in a query letter. This personal information, I felt, was relevant to the subject-matter of my book and showed that I had a background in the Japanese language and culture.]

Thank you for your consideration.
---Wendy Nelson Tokunaga