WRITING ADVICE How do I get started? 1) Write. It's as simple as that. The only way you'll be any good at it is to practice, practice, practice. Start a journal. Write in it every day. Write as often as possible. 2) Read. Read as much of the genre you wish to write in as you can, and a little outside of it as well. 3) Learn about the world around you. Maintain a constant curiosity about people, here and in other places, now and in the past. Start collecting 'experts' — friends, family and contacts who know useful things. I've questioned a doctor, a forensic assistant, a literacy teacher and a martial arts enthusiast in order to make my writing more believable. What should I do when stuck? 1) Try a writing warm-up. Write a conversation between two characters. Write about a character or event from an unexpected perspective, say, a history lesson told to a child, a character reminiscing many years later, etc. 2) Keep a writing diary. At the beginning of each writing session, write about what you intend to do, your doubts, what you're excited about, etc. Hopefully it'll get your mind focussed on the task ahead. 3) Have you been sitting writing for hours already? Take a break. Leave the desk. Stretch. Go for a walk. Do the dishes. It's amazing how a short rest can refresh the mind. Just don't be tempted to occupy your mind with something else, like reading or watching TV. 4) Do some research. This doesn't work for some people, becoming a distraction or excuse for procrastination instead. But I find a little research produces a lot of ideas. How do I maintain interest in my story idea? These days I have no trouble sticking to a book I’ve decided to write, but in the past I my interest in individual storylines would wax and wane. I would start writing one story, then lose interest or move on when inspiration led me in a different direction. When the Black Magician Trilogy story – or more precisely, the ending – came to me I had a moment of realisation. I just knew (don’t ask me how) I had something complete enough, and good enough, to dedicate myself to from start to finish. Looking back, I know I didn’t finish anything before this because a) I hadn’t yet found a story good enough, b) I didn’t have the time to finish something as demanding as a big fantasy story. Suddenly I had a story I believed in enough to quit full time work to write. I never considered the previous years of writing a waste, but valuable practice that had led me to a point where I could realise my Big Idea with at least some skill (though I did seek some extra training – see My Story.) I had it easy. There are plenty of authors who have written big chunky fantasy while holding down a full-time job, plenty who have families to look after. It takes unswerving determination and dedication. When you find a story worth writing, you’ll find the time, dedication and interest to write it. But in the meantime write as much as you can, exploring every idea you have, because when that Big Idea comes you’ll want to have the skills to do it justice. How do I plan out my story? Some writers like to plan, some like to leave themselves free to discover the story as they go along. I'm a planner. I like to write out a detailed outline, then I go through it and divide it into what I think will make good chapter, part and book divisions. I also like to put together a spreadsheet following the different main character's stories, so I can keep track of where the subplots diverge and meet. I take notes on the world I'm creating as I go, then stop now and then to expand on different subjects as I need to or inspiration comes. Everyone has different ways of working, and it can be as much fun discovering how you like to plan as it is writing the book. Any tips of worldbuilding? I have three rules (or maybe just guidelines) for fantasy worldbuilding: 1) Wherever possible, follow the laws of nature, physics, space & time, etc. 2) Whenever you deviate from the laws of nature, etc., make sure you have a fantasy explanation for it or it will just seem like you didn't do your research. 3) If you have a fantasy explanation for deviating from the laws of nature, physics, etc., don't go and spoil it by trying too hard to explain it scientifically. (In other words, if you have winged horses most readers will accept that they can fly. You don't need to invent a device to help them fly. Anti-gravity horseshoes are just going to give people visions of horses flying upside down, or spread-eagled.) Pay particular attention to detail when it comes to horses and military subjects. A lot of people who read fantasy also know a lot about both or either subjects, and if you don't get it right they will tease, bag, or annoy you forever more. On the other hand, if you do get it right, they'll love you to bits. There is no end to the subjects you can research. Geology, archaeology, psychology, animal husbandry, military arts, herbs and medicines, history, astrology, oceanography, and so on and so forth. There is a danger you'll spend too much time researching, but how much is too much? Only you can judge. If it takes you ten years to write a 100,000 word book because you're spending all your time researching ... maybe you're overdoing it. How do I improve my writing? 1) Do a writing course. Do a grammar course. No, it's not the editors job to fix your work. Given a choice between a good manuscript with bad grammar and one that's near-perfect, they'll take the one that's perfect every time. 2) Get people to read your work. Start with people you know: friends, family. Accept that most of the people you approach won't have the time or inclination, and some of those who agree to read it won't be any good at giving constructive criticism. Keep in the back of your mind the idea that this is as much a test of your readers as it is of your writing (but don't tell them this!). When you find good readers, treasure them. You may want to join a writers group in which members read and critique each other's work. There are ones that have face to face meetings, and ones that operate over the internet. The internet does eliminate the problems of distance and finding a time convenient to everyone, and also increases your chances that you will find a group dedicated to the genre you're interested in. 3) Have your manuscript assessed professionally. Your local writers centre may have a manuscript assessment service, but if it doesn't it should be able to refer you to an editor who does them. Publishers sometimes have preferred or recommended assessement services. Check their websites or call to find out. How do I get the most from criticism? Resist the urge to explain anything. If the reader misunderstands any aspect of your masterpiece, it's because you didn't explain that aspect well enough in your writing. Instead, write down what you felt the urge to explain, so that you remember to go back and rewrite so the misunderstanding does not happen again. (Unless, of course, the misunderstanding is deliberate.) There's nothing reassuring about a reader saying "I didn't understand it, but then I don't read this sort of thing anyway". Good, clear writing will make any genre or style accessible. I have a '90% is right: 10% can be dismissed" rule. Sometimes readers do make comments that are just plain wrong. For me, it was the reader who complained that, in the first chapter of The Magicians' Guild, the magicians were too powerful, when in the context of the story they were doing something relatively minor. Most of the time readers are on to something when they say something is wrong, however, even if they are wrong about the source of the problem. Will you read my manuscript/work? No. I just don't have the time. I no longer have time to run the illustration business I so enjoyed running in the past. I’m several months behind answering fanmail. I don’t even have time to update this website as often as I’d like to. Life’s all dealines deadlines deadlines now. The few hours of spare time I manage after writing my own books I jealously keep to myself... though I mostly spend it washing the dishes or cleaning the house. (sigh) I've just finished the last chapter, so can I send it to a publisher now? No. Put it aside, wait a few months, then read it again. A first draft is only 50% of the work. Expect a lot of polishing, rewriting, polishing, rewriting and more polishing. It's important to make sure your manuscript is as good as it can be before you give it to a manuscript accessment service, agent or publisher. You don't want to waste your money, and agents and publishers may be reluctant to reread a ms they've seen before, no matter how much you insist you've improved it. So give the entire ms to your readers. Make sure you include a reader who has never seen it before. Remember, once a reader knows the story, they won't notice as many plot or consistency errors on a second read. And good readers are hard to find, so you don't want to 'use them up' too quickly. This is where a manuscript assessment service can be very useful. They can give you a fresh view, and a professional one. You'll also need to write a synopsis. This is easier said than done. How do you explain the plot of your 600,000 word epic in just one and a half pages? (Very succinctly.) You'll spend an amazing amount of time slaving over half a page of text, but it's got to be done. I also recommend being able to sum up the book in a few words off the top of your head and at a moment's notice, while making it sound brilliant and exciting. How do know a publisher or agent won't steal my idea if I send it them? It's very tempting to answer this question with "You know, they can treat paranoia with drugs quite effectively these days", but the embarrassing truth is, most authors have worried about this at some point. Whatever you write is protected by copyright the moment you write it. I doubht any respectable publshing company or agent would ever copy an author’s ‘idea’ (so don’t send your ms to disreputable publishing companies or agents – do your research). Remember that crooks want to make a buck quickly and easily, and writing a book is not quick or easy. Of course, they may publish the book as it is, word for word, but that's kind of obvious and easy to prove. Ideas are a dime to dozen and nobody is going to believe yours is worth stealing unless your book has already been published and proven to be a success. Which kind of makes this question irrelevant. Also remember that it can be argued that there are no original ideas. It's highly unlikely that yours is as original as you hope. Someone has probably come up with it before. That doesn't mean there is no value to your work as a result. If you bring a fresh approach to the idea, write brilliantly (and don't mention your paranoia that someone will steal your idea), your book may appeal enough to a publisher to be contracted. I've observed that some ideas or concepts appear to cycle through the system. For example, a decade or so ago sf publishers in Australia were looking for books about witches. Publishers and my agent have also said to me that they get waves of manuscripts dealing with similar subjects as if something - an event or other creative work - has spurred a shift of attention and interest in the wider community, which is then reflected in the sorts of stories writers are producing. Keep this in mind, if it seems a lot of books dealing with your 'idea' are suddenly being released. It may just be that something that spurred you into finding your idea spurred a whole lot of other writers to think of it too. The chances they or the publisher 'stole' your idea is pretty slim in comparison. How do I submit my ms to a publisher or agent? Find out which publishers/agents are looking for the sort of book you've written , and check their website for submission instructions and who to address your ms to. If there are no submission instructions, call and ask for instructions. Don't send your ms to more than one publisher/agent at a time. This is known as the 'no simultaneous submissions' rule and, of course, you'll always end up hearing of writers who got away with breaking it. That doesn't mean you will, however. Publishers like manuscripts presented in a specific way. Follow their guidelines for font size, double spacing, page numbering, etc. Include a stamped self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage to return the ms. Or you can instruct them to recycle the ms, and include a letter-sized stamped self-addressed envelope for their reply. (Hint: include a stamped-self addressed postcard with your ms and ask that they drop it in the post as soon as the ms arrives. Then you'll know if it has been lost in the mail.) Include a cover letter. Keep it brief. Find out what their response time is. When that time is up, ring them. Be polite. If they have not read your ms yet, ask when you should enquire again. After six months, call to tell them you are withdrawing your ms, and send it to someone else. Should I use an agent? Are you the sort of person who knows the publishing industry intimately and understands contracts, can drive a hard bargain, has the time and money to spend wooing publishers here and overseas , and can cope with funky overseas tax rules? Unless you can say yes to all of the above, you should at least consider using an agent. I've submitted my masterpiece to every agent and publisher under the sun, and all I have is a pile of rejection slips. What should I do? Keep writing. Nobody gets published by giving up. Remember, you do this because you love it. Never stop to wait for an answer. Work on something else. While one masterpiece is out there, write another, and another, and another. I've got a publisher! What's next? Drink copious amounts of champagne. Gloat. You've worked hard. You deserve to spend at least a week being smug and self-satisfied. Then put your feet back on the ground. The work isn't over yet. That thick skin you developed when your friends critiqued your manuscript, and publisher after publisher rejected early versions of your manuscript, will come in handy. The cover and blurb. No matter how talented you, your partner/relative/friend or favourite artist is, they won't get to do the cover. This is another one of those rules which other writers somehow get away with breaking. That said, you do get some input on the cover. How much seems to depend on whether you do actually run an illustration business (like me), are pushy (like me), and can argue persuasively (like me... well, I'm assuming so). The publisher does prefer it if you like the cover. Having an author cringe every time they see their book at a signing or other public event isn't going to do much for sales. Editing. When the edited ms of The Magicians' Guild turned up the editors comments began with "... this is the most polished ms I've ever worked on". With considerably swelled head, I flicked through the ms and it was literally covered in corrections. You could almost hear the whistle of escaping air as my ego deflated. But the corrections were easy. It was the 'Author Queries' that had me mystified and frustrated in turns. I'd never worked with an editor before - well, not as a writer. They have an interesting way of pointing out when a sentence doesn't make sense that I have to admit didn't make sense to me at first. Only after I'd interrogated an editor friend about her craft did I begin to work out what was going on. Bio and photo. These are the sorts of things people forget to ask for until the last moment. Write your bio and aquire a photo as soon as you have a contract. Keep your bio updated, and make sure you like the photo enough that you don't freeze in horror whenever it's blown up and posted everywhere for some public event. Your web site. Have one ready by the release date. They're a great place to send those people who ask for the same old writing tips. : ) Fan emails. Answer them for as long as you can. These are people who enjoyed your writing so much they actually wrote to you. But if you're lucky and your work becomes really popular, you may find answering fanmail is taking so much time it's preventing you from writing. You may, like me, be forced to find other ways to tackle it. Be prepared for a few mean or rude emails. People are vastly different and varied in taste and tact. You can't expect to please everyone, and occasionally you'll encounter some complete loony who does not like your book and decides you wrote it that way deliberately in order to ruin their day. Also, file the emails from people who find mistakes in the same place, because each time your book is reprinted you can make corrections. The launch. If this is your first book, chances are a launch won't happen unless you arrange it yourself. But if you do, the publisher should come on board with invitations, posters and maybe even some money for nibbles and drinks. Reviews, conventions, interviews. There are very few forums for review of sf books in Australia, and most are published only a few times a year, so you may not see a review of your book for months, even a year. If you're not familiar with the inner workings of fandom, the way conventions are run in Australia can be mystifying. But finding out can be a lot of fun. Radio interviews seem to be the most common form of publicity. They, too, can be a lot of fun. Terrifying, but fun. I'm gonna be rich... aren't I? You might want to reassess your definition of 'rich'. Rich in boosted self-confidence. Rich in creative validation. But definitely not a Bill Gates sort of rich. But that's okay. If you get this far, you're writing for the love of it anyway. Just don't give up your day job. I'm gonna be famous... aren't I? C'mon. You're a fantasy writer. Nobody's ever going to recognise you on the street. You'll always be able to shop in the supermarket without being hassled. If you're expecting to be interviewed on Rove, or be invited to drive in the Grand Prix celebrity race, you're going to be very disappointed. But there is hope. Some Aussie fantasy writers have been interviewed on daytime TV. And occasionally there'll be a feature article in a major newspaper. Australia today; the world tomorrow! Right? Actually, if you're published in Australia the chances are high that you will eventually be published overseas. We Aussies have an advantage, you see. We can approach the US market with a track record of good sales, and with books that are already written and edited.