"Traveling is both an adventure and a humbling experience; all at once, a person is both brave and uncertain. It makes a person wonder if the life they are living is the one they set out to live. Is…"
The Real Work Begins the Moment You’re Finished
"So You Think You're Done?"
A Blog by Tania Zaverta Chance
The title of this blog describes what I soon came to realize after finishing my novel, SHEgo (Coming July 2010). To make matters worse, (I’ll tell you the whole truth) the work actually begins even sooner than that. There’s all the research that you’ll have to do to understand the industry, figuring out who’s who, how to write a pitch letter, determining where to send your manuscript, and all types of other things that you can’t even imagine and that I assure you will take several dozen hours of your time and energy in order to understand. One website that I found particularly convenient in having compiled this much needed information in one place was www.agentquery.com.
Writing itself was the easy part, especially if you remembered to:
o Use the same computer- so that you don’t become frustrated with different software versions re-formatting your work that, in turn, you’ll wind up repeatedly fixing as you weave together your final version.
o Save your work by date and time- so that you don’t waste time figuring out which file is the latest version of your manuscript, losing revisions, or endlessly right-clicking on files to figure out when they were created.
o Carry a voice recorder around- so that you avoid car accidents when driving down the road and reaching for a pen because you just thought up a perfect sentence that you just have to write down in that moment.
I wish I could tell you that this is all theoretical and that I didn’t have to learn these things the hard way. The tips (above) sound pretty simple, but don’t automatically come to the forefront of the mind when one is engaged in the creative process since these are all the mechanics of writing.
Let’s assume that you’ve survived the writing process (automobile accident included), and that you’ve figured out what the industry requires, and return to the topic of our title. Now is when your work begins! There are some things you should prepare yourself for:
o Edits, edits, and more edits!- Remember how much you loved everything you wrote? Well, keep reminding yourself of that feeling you had the moment you finished typing your last word because you may soon forget it. You will have to re-read, and re-work your manuscript so many times that even you may grow tired of your own words! Just remember, at this point, it is a labor of love that will be well worth your effort once the final galley is approved. My last point of advice around this topic is that even when you think your editor is crazy (s)he is usually right, so fix it!
o Talking Points- Knowing exactly what you meant when you wrote it and explaining what you meant to an objective and complete stranger are two totally different things. You will have to develop talking points to be able to explain your book in short sound bites that are succinct and sensible to a raw audience. Engaging in discussions with people who read your work proved to be helpful to me in formulating my talking points around SHEgo. Another practice that I found to be helpful was reading summaries of other books and listening to author interviews.
o Networking- Sorry! No matter how great your book undoubtedly is, it will not sell itself- - you don’t have all the answers and you will need the help of others to figure out how to sell it. Start by reaching out to other writers, join clubs & groups, and talk about your book to anyone who will listen. Yes, you will have to join social networks too, so you’ll have to overcome any fears of technology that you may have (or don’t yet know that you have once you start linking all of your pages together!) and get with the program. Get ready to create profiles, tweet, post on walls, and check messages a few times a day. It’s 2010, the world is plugged in- - you’re either in, or you’re out, you’ll want to be in!
In the end, you’ll make your offering to the world and will one day be offering your own tips to others. Hang in there!
About the Author: Dr. Tania Z. Chance is a native New Yorker who currently resides in America’s heartland. She holds a doctor of philosophy in education and is a recognized professional in her field. Her favorite past times are reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. She is currently marketing SHEgo and working on another novel. Chance operates an author's website at www.taniazavertachance.com
A Blog by Tania Zaverta Chance
The title of this blog describes what I soon came to realize after finishing my novel, SHEgo (Coming July 2010). To make matters worse, (I’ll tell you the whole truth) the work actually begins even sooner than that. There’s all the research that you’ll have to do to understand the industry, figuring out who’s who, how to write a pitch letter, determining where to send your manuscript, and all types of other things that you can’t even imagine and that I assure you will take several dozen hours of your time and energy in order to understand. One website that I found particularly convenient in having compiled this much needed information in one place was www.agentquery.com.
Writing itself was the easy part, especially if you remembered to:
o Use the same computer- so that you don’t become frustrated with different software versions re-formatting your work that, in turn, you’ll wind up repeatedly fixing as you weave together your final version.
o Save your work by date and time- so that you don’t waste time figuring out which file is the latest version of your manuscript, losing revisions, or endlessly right-clicking on files to figure out when they were created.
o Carry a voice recorder around- so that you avoid car accidents when driving down the road and reaching for a pen because you just thought up a perfect sentence that you just have to write down in that moment.
I wish I could tell you that this is all theoretical and that I didn’t have to learn these things the hard way. The tips (above) sound pretty simple, but don’t automatically come to the forefront of the mind when one is engaged in the creative process since these are all the mechanics of writing.
Let’s assume that you’ve survived the writing process (automobile accident included), and that you’ve figured out what the industry requires, and return to the topic of our title. Now is when your work begins! There are some things you should prepare yourself for:
o Edits, edits, and more edits!- Remember how much you loved everything you wrote? Well, keep reminding yourself of that feeling you had the moment you finished typing your last word because you may soon forget it. You will have to re-read, and re-work your manuscript so many times that even you may grow tired of your own words! Just remember, at this point, it is a labor of love that will be well worth your effort once the final galley is approved. My last point of advice around this topic is that even when you think your editor is crazy (s)he is usually right, so fix it!
o Talking Points- Knowing exactly what you meant when you wrote it and explaining what you meant to an objective and complete stranger are two totally different things. You will have to develop talking points to be able to explain your book in short sound bites that are succinct and sensible to a raw audience. Engaging in discussions with people who read your work proved to be helpful to me in formulating my talking points around SHEgo. Another practice that I found to be helpful was reading summaries of other books and listening to author interviews.
o Networking- Sorry! No matter how great your book undoubtedly is, it will not sell itself- - you don’t have all the answers and you will need the help of others to figure out how to sell it. Start by reaching out to other writers, join clubs & groups, and talk about your book to anyone who will listen. Yes, you will have to join social networks too, so you’ll have to overcome any fears of technology that you may have (or don’t yet know that you have once you start linking all of your pages together!) and get with the program. Get ready to create profiles, tweet, post on walls, and check messages a few times a day. It’s 2010, the world is plugged in- - you’re either in, or you’re out, you’ll want to be in!
In the end, you’ll make your offering to the world and will one day be offering your own tips to others. Hang in there!
About the Author: Dr. Tania Z. Chance is a native New Yorker who currently resides in America’s heartland. She holds a doctor of philosophy in education and is a recognized professional in her field. Her favorite past times are reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. She is currently marketing SHEgo and working on another novel. Chance operates an author's website at www.taniazavertachance.com
Comment
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Comment by Cecilee Haywood on October 6, 2010 at 6:41pm -
Wow, Tania! You hit the mark. You make it sound easy, but it's not. You're right. And many of your tips don't
immediately come to mind. This is very encouraging to me, since I was worried it was a bad thing to get sick of my own words as I was editing my story. Good to know it's normal.
Anyway, you have a great post here!
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Comment by Amber Guidara on October 5, 2010 at 10:46pm -
LOL! And people think that "just" writing a book is hard! Cheers, my dear, to "hanging in there"... white knuckles and all!! ~amber guidara
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Comment by Jan Nerenberg on September 28, 2010 at 9:36am -
Tip for shower writers - waterproof pen and a surveyer's pad/notebook (ask for it in your local book stationary store). They are waterproof and can hang on a hook or sit on a bench outside the shower but you can scribble your notes and then get back to your shower.
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Comment by Deborah J. Thompson on September 28, 2010 at 6:37am -
This is an EXCELLENT article with many helpful tips. You are so right about getting sick of your own words and carrying around a voice recorder (thankfully, my iphone has one built into it). And my husband actually taught me to save my work by date. He has a job where that is also crucial--such a simple tip, but such a valuable one!
Thanks for the reminder that an Editor is usually right. When we submit our work to be published (and purchased) by someone else, we must learn to surrender much of the control over our "baby". Just as a parent goes through the pain of a child's independence, we also struggle with how to adapt to our work's "new (improved?) form".
All of your tips are practical and beneficial to writers throughout the process. Talking points are helpful even as you write so that you can quickly convey the essence of your book to those who invariably ask what it is about.
Thank you so much for putting all these in one easy to reference format! Best of luck with your book--keep us posted on its progress.
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Comment by Jan Nerenberg on September 19, 2010 at 9:45pm
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Thanks for the friend invite. Just read James Mitchners' The Writer. It was great, one of the few books he's done where he sticks with the same characters throughout, but it was daunting to be see all that goes into book production once the original manuscript is accepted. And I loved your tips... I always date my manuscripts with the date I'm working on it (select all, copy, new page, paste, new date, and off I go). This way I never lose anything until I'm ready to "file 13" it.
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Comment by Sheana Ochoa on September 14, 2010 at 10:07am -
Tania, so glad you friended me. Just joined SheWrites. Kudos on publishing SHEgo!!!!! When you say save your docs by date and time do you mean name the document by time and date? I have the hardest time finding the most updated versions of my chapters.
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Comment by Kimberly Wesley on September 13, 2010 at 10:14am -
This is great advice! I understand that our labor of love goes far beyon writing so many words, but everything else taht we do afterwards that counts.
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Comment by Mary L. Tabor on September 13, 2010 at 6:15am -
You are a shot in the arm today for me as I have been in "promotion mode" since June 25 when my memoir (Re)Making Love: a sex after sixty story came out. I have been working every day on all these aspects you discuss and woke up this morning thinking, Goodness, I need a day off. But off I go again. This is a great blog and I'm glad to be here. I am @maryltabor on Twitter, am on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Tabor/125813534105239 and have a friend page as well: hope you'll join me on both and a blog at http://maryltabor.blogspot.com and a website: http://maryltabor.com and I'm teaching at GWU.
Today, you helped me find me get-up and go again! Thank you, Tania. Hope to see you in the other social media and am off to check out your novel!! Thanks for finding me. You've made my day.
Mary
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Comment by Elaine Weaver-Crepps, M.A. on September 12, 2010 at 5:16pm -
Dear Tania:
Great tips on how to begin writing my book! Thanks so much! The name of my book is Racism, Sexism, Police Brutality, Corruption and the Mafia in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It is a work of non-fiction. Good luck with SheGo! I have a personal message which I will direct to your website! Your new friend, Elaine
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Comment by Wendy Lawless on September 11, 2010 at 11:44am -
Hi Tania, Thanks for the friending! I am fairly new to SW as well. I will definitely check out your blog and book. I am in the process of trying to find an agent for my first book so I know I can learn from you, indeed from all the writers here. Bests, Wendy Lawless
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