Nobody takes fiction writers seriously.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what I used to think. As a volunteer journalist and editor on a small non-profit press for more than ten years, I snorted at the suggestion I should write fiction. Why, if I wrote something as superficial as a novel, no one would ever buy my non-fiction books, which simmered happily on the back burner of my creative imagination. (Still do, actually.)<\/p>\n
Then our family income level dropped, and I had to go back to work. Standing for 6-8 hours behind a register in a retail chain clothing store has its charm, I\u2019m sure, but it was completely lost on me. After more than a year of dealing with thoughtless, sometimes even hostile customers on a daily basis, I revisited the idea of fiction. Maybe I could write a short story. I knew absolutely nothing about writing fiction or, more importantly, what it took to get my work to market; but if I could get one published, it would be a small income. Then I could write and publish others. Repeat as necessary. Really, how hard could it be?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re a writer, you\u2019re probably laughing your tuchis off right about now. How hard indeed.<\/p>\n
That little short story became the manuscript that ate New York. Running about 800,000 words, it would still be going if someone\u2014an agent at a writer\u2019s conference who, to her credit, did not laugh in my face when I quoted my word count\u2014hadn\u2019t stopped me. I\u2019ll talk more about that<\/em> in a later post.<\/p>\n My point is that the fiction bug infected me with its fiery allure and ardent expression, because let\u2019s face it; you can\u2019t write good fiction if you aren\u2019t passionate about what you\u2019re doing. My characters came alive in my mind, spoke often and loud about what \u201cthey\u201d wanted to happen, and endeared themselves to me almost as much as the \u201creal\u201d people in my life. I understand from other writers that this is common; fictional characters, especially protagonists and antagonists that drive the story, demand your focus. If you don\u2019t give them 100% of your attention, they can\u2019t fully manifest into three-dimensional beings that live and breathe in the reader\u2019s imagination. Who would buy a novel without that?<\/p>\n I sat down to write that \u201cshort story\u201d in 2008. Here it is, early in the year 2017. I\u2019m not yet published, but I\u2019m so much closer than I was, and what a ride it\u2019s been! Just as with any newbie, I devoured one book after another about story structure, publishing, and the art of writing in general. I sought advice from one advisor after another. I attended classes and conferences in an effort to find the \u201cright\u201d way to write. What I\u2019ve discovered so far is that everyone has an opinion, sometimes at opposite ends of the spectrum, and most of them insist theirs is the only \u201cright\u201d way.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve come to believe that ultimately it\u2019s up to the writer. As long as our methods work for us<\/strong>, and we\u2019re able to get our work out there to our readers, I\u2019m not sure it matters whether we follow methods of a writing guru or create our own path to success. Besides, with so many ways to publish these days, options are unlimited. I\u2019m currently trying the traditional route. We\u2019ll see where it goes.<\/p>\n But hey, like I said, I\u2019m new to this business, learning as I go. Who am I to say what will or won\u2019t work for you? (I\u2019m not even sure what works for me, yet.) I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll hear comments from both sides of the argument on that score. I will say that most agents I\u2019ve heard from tell me that publishing is a very subjective business, that what works for one agent or publisher won\u2019t work for another, and that you should keep trying and don\u2019t get discouraged.<\/p>\n Never give up, never surrender!<\/p>\n My adventures in writing have all proven educational; I don\u2019t look for that to change any time soon. Now that I have a website and am seriously querying and branching out in my writing endeavors, I want to journal about them here, so that you can follow along, if you wish. Keep in mind as you read that I am a new writer, and am writing from limited personal experience. Your mileage may vary, and I encourage you to share your own constructive or helpful input here in the comments.<\/p>\n So come along for the ride! I hope to share my discoveries so far, as well as my ongoing adventures into the realm of traditional publishing (as they occur) in coming posts. Stay with me, and we\u2019ll find out what happens together!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nobody takes fiction writers seriously. That\u2019s what I used to think. As a volunteer journalist and editor on a small non-profit press for more than ten years, I snorted at the suggestion I should write fiction. Why, if I wrote something as superficial as a novel, no one would ever buy my non-fiction books, which…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-posts"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n0kX-g","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":480,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/27\/nailing-the-target\/","url_meta":{"origin":16,"position":0},"title":"Nailing the Target","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"November 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bobby and I watched (finally) the 2014 movie Lucy last weekend. I saw the teaser online and thought, \u201cWhat the heck?\u201d The snippet blew me away so much I texted Bobby at once and said, \u201cWe have to watch this movie.\u201d Ever the obliging husband, he brought it home from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1169,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/26\/one-challenge-to-inclusive-fiction-in-a-diverse-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":16,"position":1},"title":"One Challenge to Inclusive Fiction in a Diverse World","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"November 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"In September of 2017, I blogged here about an idea for a transgender character, and how my initial inquiries to trans or genderfluid friends and contacts led me to reconsider that story as too stereotyped. Since then, I\u2019ve danced around the inclusion of non-binary characters in my fictional works. It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/FacePaint.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/FacePaint.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/FacePaint.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/FacePaint.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/FacePaint.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1125,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/29\/for-love-or-money-fueling-the-creative-fire\/","url_meta":{"origin":16,"position":2},"title":"For Love or Money: Fueling the Creative Fire","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"October 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I was looking over some writing tips on other people's blogs today when I came across a tip I've seen elsewhere, too: Don't try to write what you think will sell. Write what you want to read. Write what moves you. Write to understand the world around you. These words\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/electrocardiogram-2858693_1280.png?fit=1200%2C600&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1207,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/16\/an-obsessed-writers-ultimate-wish-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":16,"position":3},"title":"An Obsessed Writer\u2019s Ultimate Wish List","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"December 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Kris, How are things at the North Pole? I hope you and your Kringle S.O. in the red leggings and faux-fur lined cap are both well and ready for the imminent last-minute rush. Rudolph and all your other four-leggeds are healthy and rested? I\u2019m sure the elves have been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ChristmasElf.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ChristmasElf.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ChristmasElf.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ChristmasElf.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ChristmasElf.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1136,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/05\/a-surprising-truth-subtlety-makes-fiction-stronger\/","url_meta":{"origin":16,"position":4},"title":"A Surprising Truth\u2014Subtlety Makes Fiction Stronger","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"November 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently critiqued an excellent short story for a fellow Critter, a soft sci-fi piece with some hard sci-fi elements, which takes place on a distant world and has a \u2026 unique twist. From the moment I started reading it, I was hooked. The author doled out hints and clues\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/action-brutal-coerce-40721.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/action-brutal-coerce-40721.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/action-brutal-coerce-40721.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/action-brutal-coerce-40721.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/action-brutal-coerce-40721.jpg?fit=1200%2C999&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79,"url":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2017\/02\/05\/going-with-the-flow\/","url_meta":{"origin":16,"position":5},"title":"Going with the Flow","author":"DremaDeoraich","date":"February 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"As I said last week, my initial foray into writing fiction was flawed. In the science fiction market, the genre for my first novel, acceptable manuscript word count tops out at around 120K as a maximum for a first-time author; mine was greater than 800K and still going with no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/category\/blog-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16\/revisions\/17"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}