[authorme] PUBLISHING NEW WRITERS, JANUARY, 2006
- From: "Bruce Cook, AuthorMe.com" <cookcomm@xxxxxxx>
- To: authorme@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 04:58:41 -0800 (PST)
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In this issue...
PUBLISHING IN NON TRADITIONAL MEDIA, BY JANE NTEYAFAS
THE PROBLEMS OF WRITING IN AN INTERNET CAFÉ, BY
EHICHOYA EKOZILEN
NONFICTION IN FICTION WRITING, BY BRUCE L. COOK
LIFECYCLE OF A CHARACTER: CONCEPTION, BY SANDY TRITT
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============================================================
PUBLISHING IN NON TRADITIONAL MEDIA
BY JANE NTEYAFAS
J.K. Rowlings got plenty of them for Harry Potter.
Stephen King got a few for his book Carrie and at 7000
William Saroyan had the most. Agatha Christie, Hunter
S. Thompson, George Orwell, James Joyce, Gertrude
Stein also got their share. What are we referring to
here? We are referring to those notorious, humiliating
rejection letters from publishing houses. Stephen King
got so many that he used to nail them on a spike under
a timber in his bedroom.
Margaret Mitchell got rejection letters from 38
different publishers before anyone finally agreed to
publish her novel, Gone with the Wind. Beatrix Potter
got numerous rejection letters for The Tale of Peter
Rabbit until she finally decided to publish it
herself. Jane Austen, Pearl Buck and Edgar Allan Poe
and were once cruelly rejected by publishers. Even Dr.
Seuss and George Bernard Shaw were told to give up
writing.
A writer?s life is strife with numerous rejections,
harsh criticisms and long spans of loneliness. There
are countless stories of now famous writers who sent
out manuscripts to dozens of literary houses before
getting their first break. Any writer worth their
weight in gold knows that it is not an easy path and
prepares themselves for the rejection letters that
will mercilessly come their way. One of the rules is
not to give up and to keep trying. Being a writer
today is even harder than it was in the past because
of the focus that publishing houses are making on who
makes them money as in opposed to who writes good
material.
It seems that too many people want to become famous
writers. They cannot be blamed when one considers the
present day publishing house tactics. Many writers are
being told to basically get famous first before they
can be considered for publication by large noteworthy
publishing houses. Emerging writers are caught up in a
catch twenty two situation where they are not famous
enough and cannot get ?famous? enough because they are
not given the opportunity. It?s like university
students fresh out of school and being asked for
experience that they do not have.
While many publishing houses make noble claims that
they are looking for fresh new talent, their actions
speak louder than their words when they choose to go
with more well-known writers. They are not willing to
take the risk with new writers. A celebrity who has
never written a book in their life, and will probably
hire someone to write the book for them has more
chances of getting published than a writer who has
been writing for several years and has been published
in modest publications.
Being a writer in the traditional sense is changing
its meaning as many people, whether they are talented
or not, are leaping into the writing/publishing
industry. According to the online
encyclopedia-Wikepedia the term writer can apply to
anyone who creates a written work, but the word more
usually designates those who write creatively or
professionally, or those who have written in many
different forms.
Skilled writers demonstrate skills in using language
to portray ideas and images, whether producing fiction
or non-fiction. A writer may compose in many different
forms, including (but not limited to): poetry, prose,
music. Accordingly, a writer in specialist mode may
rank as a poet, novelist, composer, lyricist,
playwright, mythographer, journalist, film
scriptwriter, etc.
Whereas some critics are quick to minimize and
disparage writers who have been published in what they
call ?non-notable publications?, the traditional sense
of publishing is changing from the old Neanderthal
method with more writers taking control of their
writing careers. These critics are quick to jump on
the ?are they a somebody? Have I ever heard of them?
Since I have not heard of them, they must be a nobody?
bandwagon.
They are very quick to dismiss writers who have been
published in relatively unknown publications and wave
them off as poseurs. What they fail to understand is
that those writers have to start somewhere. What also
escapes them is the fact that the times are changing
and the writing/publishing industry is changing.
Generation X is a generation which continuously
challenges the status quo and if their voices are not
being heard, they will find ways of having them heard.
Another point they miss is the fact that one does not
have to be famous to be a writer. One can become
famous as a result of being a writer, but in the
pioneering stages most writers are relatively unknown.
Many so-called underground writers like African
Americans Omar Tyree (Flyy Girl) and Heru Ptah (a Hip
Hop Story) were selling their books in the 10,000?s
long before the media caught onto them and publishing
houses decided to invest in them. These two writers
had already created a sizable fan base long before
they became famous. True writers will write in any
medium and will continue to write whether they are on
the best sellers list or not. They will always write
whether they are published in notable venues or not.
If they have to self-publish, then they will. For them
these varied publishing venues are a means to an end.
If things were done the traditional way, there are an
extensive number of great writers who we would still
not know. If every person stuck to the formula and did
things the expected way we would not have heard of
African writers like Helon Habila (Nigeria) , Monica
Arac de Nyeko (Uganda), Jackee Budeste
Batanda(Uganda), Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya), Chika
Unigwe(Nigeria) and Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor (Kenya). As
hard as it is to get published in well-known journals
and publishing houses for the average writer, it is
doubly hard for the African writer. No writer faces
more obstacles than the African writer.
However more writers are taking the bulls by the
horns. In the face of rejection and obstacles many
writers have been forced to opt for self publishing
or/and getting published in venues that may not be
well known. If it were not for so called non-notable
online literature magazines like Authorme-from Cook
Communication, Open Wide Magazine, Kwani?, and G21Net
those writers would not even be known in the literary
world today. If it were not for the presence of
anthologies, many readers would have not discovered
certain writers. What is interesting is how many of
these African writers mentioned above have gone ahead
to win all kinds of literary prizes like the Caine
Prize for African Writing and Commonwealth Prize for
Best First Book, African Region, as well as
scholarships, publication deals, Writer-in-Residence
opportunities after the non-notable venues saw their
talent.
Helon Habila, a progressive, intelligent African
writer for example went from self-publishing a book
that he was forced to write at night-times under
candlelight (because of a broken generator) to winning
the Caine Prize for African Writing. He was later
published by Hamish Hamilton and received $15,000
prize money as well as a literary University
fellowship in England. Had he not taken that step, he
would probably still be receiving rejection slips.
It is clear that this is a generation which is tired
of having its voice continuously silenced. With the
advent of the internet many young writers are taking
advantage and creating opportunities for themselves.
Ezines, online magazines, blogs and self published
books are on the rise. Granted, some bad writers are
slipping through the cracks and being published too
but traditional publishers are also guilty of doing
the same thing.
For the many writers that may have otherwise felt like
they may have not had opportunities, the internet is
opening up doors. There is a growing number of people
who go to the internet to read, as in opposed to book
stores. In the process they are discovering writers
who traditional publishing houses have been rejecting
all along. So for unnoticed writers, there is hope in
the horizon. Once published somewhere, there is a
greater chance of being taken seriously as a writer.
. . . .
Jane Musoke-Nteyafas, poet/author/artist and
playwright, was born in Moscow, Russia and currently
resides in Toronto, Canada. She is the daughter of
retired diplomats. By the time she was 19, she spoke
French, English, Spanish, Danish, Luganda, and some
Russian and had lived in Russia, Uganda, France,
Denmark, Cuba and Canada. She won the Miss Africanada
beauty pageant 2000 in Toronto where she was also
named ?one of the new voices of Africa? after reciting
one of her poems.
In 2004 she was published in T-Dot Griots-An Anthology
of Toronto's Black storytellers and in February 2005
her art piece Namyenya was featured as the poster
piece for the Human Rights through Art-Black History
Month Exhibit. She is also a columnist for Bahiyah
Woman Magazine and is a fellow with the British
Council-Crossing Borders Writers Programme.
============================================================
THE PROBLEMS OF WRITING IN AN INTERNET CAFE
BY EHICHOYA EKOZILEN
Someone once said there are three things in the world
you cannot do anything about: death, airlines and
taxes. I have since added a fourth: cybercafés. Many
writers here don?t own computers and rely entirely on
cafés. Even for those of us who own PCs, Internet
connection is for God, so we still need the cafés.
Ninety percent of the cafés in Lagos are shut half the
time and render poor services almost all the time they
are open. The remaining ten percent render poor
services half the time. ?Our server is down? is
something you often hear at cafés. Most of them
operate more stations than the broadband services they
pay for is meant to cover and this makes the system
slow. Some default in payment and are promptly cut off
by their US-based providers. For some this is due to
difficulty in remitting money as it is extremely
difficult to use credit cards from Nigeria. Sometimes
the problem is double power failure; that is, from the
electricity company and from café generator. I once
spent an entire evening trying in vain to submit a
story to an editor meant to submit it to another
editor. It was two days to the day the final editor
was meant to receive it.
A problem often faced is cafés not accepting diskettes
because someone told them their systems would catch a
virus. For cafés which have no such rules, the one or
two systems designated for diskette users are usually
inadequate. Even those of us that now have flash
sticks sometimes get ambushed by some cafés running
Windows® 98 which is incompatible.
Once at my favourite café, I found that the six
systems designated for floppy disk users were taken
up. I sat down and waited. You learn to wait in this
business. When someone finally got up, another man
jumped in front of me, saying he had been waiting for
that system. He said not to worry, that he won?t be
five minutes. Five minutes became forty minutes as be
browsed away at pornography and sent erotic mails. By
the time I sat on the PC, it was ten minutes to the
café?s closing time.
The PC had no Microsoft Word. WordPad usually reads MS
Word files, but not today. That one said it could not
convert certain graphics in the file. A few minutes
later, three other systems became vacant. But none of
them would accept my diskette. By now the café
attendant was standing behind me, telling me they were
locking up. I left for home ? to return the following
day.
For writers who have no access to computers at home
and in the office and rely entirely on cybercafés to
do their writing, there is the problem of cost. Cafés
charge between N100 and N150 an hour. This may not be
much but it comes to a lot if you spend several hours
at the café. This is unsustainable if you are what is
called ?a poor struggling writer?. Many of us have
since discovered that typing keeps much faster pace
with your thought process than the use of pens. But
faced with this kind of problem, many go back to
writing in ink. If they cannot afford to take this out
for typing, they may chuck them in their cupboards and
forget about writing.
============================================================
NONFICTION IN FICTION WRITING
BY BRUCE L. COOK
Particulars are important in fiction writing.
Therefore, I recommend writing from direct personal
experience or relevant nonfiction works.
For example, in his current story, ?Murphy?s Law,?
Valentine Umelo could have said, ?I took a disgusting
bus trip to Lagos.?
Consider, instead, his vivid description ? and I don?t
think this one came from reading a nonfiction book in
the university library!
?The bus is filled with fishmongers and market women.
The women have been spitting non-stop since the bus
took off. I now understand why that seat by the only
open window was left unoccupied. I had rushed to it,
thanking my stars, hoping to get fresh air to help
decongest my chest. Now all I get is spittle coloured
yellow and black with cola nut, bitter-cola and
tobacco dripping down my body. I dare not complain. It
is the worst offence to pick up a quarrel with a band
of market women. I pretend I am happy sitting by the
window, acting as a collecting bowl for spittle?.?
(Valentine Umelo, ?Murphy?s Law,? 2005)
But what about historical fiction ? for example, a
book about the Second World War? In writing chapter 5
of my Great American Novel (pardon the pun ? we?ve all
written at least one) I could have said ?The officer
tuned his radio.? Instead, I did my research about
radio in the Second World War. You tell me if you
think it helped!
?Boredom was his real enemy. During his duty hours he
would scan the radio bands, for that?s what he and
Watts were there for. But, even during the scans,
there was ample time to monkey with settings on the
Hammarlund Super-Pro 200 receiver. A fortnight earlier
he had begun fiddling with the Collins transmitting
unit and fashioning a new 30-meter array to string
from the lighthouse to the pole he had managed to
erect long ago. Now it was ready?.?
Now, as a caveat, I do not recommend that a writer
seek to experience everything he or she writes about.
For example, a writer should not commit a crime just
to understand the mindset of a criminal. In such
cases, it is best to interview someone who has had the
experience, or observe an actual arrest. Again,
personal caution is necessary.
Bring your experience into your fiction. Read
nonfiction books. But always keep in mind your
?journalistic? responsibility to represent truth
within the fictional framework you have created.
============================================================
LIFECYCLE OF A CHARACTER: CONCEPTION
BY SANDY TRITT
Conception is the initial spark, the idea that
originally causes us to want to create this character.
Sometimes it is generated by plot?we know a story we
want to tell and we need a character to tell it by.
Sometimes we see a setting?a country porch with a
dilapidated swing or an isolated island?which makes us
wonder what kind of person would live there. Sometimes
we run across a photograph that sparks our imagination
and we create a personality to go with the physical
features. Or sometimes we see a possession?an antique
spinning wheel or an outrageously expensive emerald
ring?and wonder the type of person who would own such
a thing. Whatever the cause, a character is conceived
by an idea.
During the conception phase, we assign basic physical
and emotional characteristics to our character. Now,
later, as our character begins to interact with his
environment, he may (and should) take on a life of his
own and he may adjust our perception of him. But, to
get us started, we will still go through the paces. A
reproducible Character Trait Chart is located in
Section 8. This gives us fundamental facts about our
character: Name? Age? Sex? Marital Status?
Occupation/Social Class? Physical Description? How
does he feel about himself? Who are his friends? How
intelligent or educated is he? What does he sound
like? Smell like? What is the very first thing you
notice about this character? And on and on.
Section 8 discusses how to fill out such a chart.
Remember that the importance of the different
components depends on the type of story your character
will live in. In a romance, for example, physical
description is important and must be detailed. In a
literary mainstream novel, it may not be necessary to
have any physical description at all (although I still
think the author needs to be able to visualize the
character, even if he doesn?t reveal all the details
to the reader). Also, in an action/adventure or
plot-driven story, character motivations and
backgrounds are far less important. However, the more
the writer knows about his character, the better he
can understand and portray his character, so try to
fill out the character trait chart as completely as
possible for every major character in your story. (How
much you reveal to your reader can be decided later.)
By now, you should have a pretty solid feel for the
character you are conceiving. Are you ready to give
birth to him?
(c) copyright 2002 by Sandy Tritt. All rights
reserved, except for those listed here. October be
reproduced for educational purposes (such as for
writer's workshops), as long as this copyright notice
and the url: http://tritt.wirefire.com are distributed
with the pages. For use in conferences or other uses
not mentioned here, please contact Sandy Tritt at
tritt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx for permission and additional
resources at no or limited charge.
Keep writing!
Sandy Tritt
Inspiration for Writers tritt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Keep writing!
Sandy Tritt
tritt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sandy's website:
http://tritt.wirefire.com
============================================================
Publishing New Writers, January, 2006 (No. 701)
Publisher: Cook Commm - Bruce L. Cook, P.O. Box 451,
Dundee, IL
60118 USA.
Submissions and comments to cookcomm@xxxxxxxx Links
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