Riley Adams's Blog, page 199

What to Do When Your Writing Plan for the Day is Wrecked

Having some problems with Blogger today (surprise-surprise!) and am sorry about the lateness of this post.

I'm still doing a little visiting, y'all. :) Today I'm at the Stiletto Gang, talking a little about what I do when life gets in the way of my writing schedule. (Hint: it involves a Plan B!)

Hope you'll come by and join me!

Why My Agent is Still Needed

I've read a couple of excellent posts recently on whether agents are about to become extinct…and possible options for them, career-wise. They make for very interesting reading. One is by Anne R. Allen and the other is a PBS story.

Many agents are lawyers, though (mine is.) I worry a little less about her. :)

But I can definitely see this being a problem down the road for agents. I'm not sure how far "down the road" is. It could be a problem five years from now…it could be a problem next year.

For me, though, I need an agent. Still. Even in the current climate. I can't see that changing anytime in the near future. Here's why:

I'm traditionally published.

I don't understand many parts of my contract.

I hate keeping track of when I'm supposed to be paid. My agent hunts down checks and payments.

I hate keeping track of my foreign rights, e-rights, etc.

I don't enjoy negotiating contracts (I did it once, before my agent, and it made me feel very uncomfortable.)

My publishers require me to have an agent.

My agent pushes me to think about a long-term career plan, goals, and methods of getting there.

My agent haggles over money for me, during contract negotiations.

My agent acts as a first-reader for me before my manuscript is sent to my editor.

I like getting a tax statement at the end of the tax year (which my agent provides for me.)

I like the fact that my agent makes relationships with editors and finds writing leads for me. She's the reason I have the quilting mystery series. I can't be in New York, I don't have the opportunity to schmooze…wouldn't know how to schmooze if I had the opportunity (I'd be sitting on the sidelines, watching everybody, creating characters in my head while eating spinach dip.)

I like the fact that my agent runs interference for me. When I am talking with or emailing my editors, I'm just dealing with the creative side of the industry. I'm the fun one to work with. My agent is the one who presses for things on the business end….I don't have to be the bad guy. I don't want to be the bad guy.

Would I do the above if I had to? Of course I would. But I'm already writing books and promoting them. Those two things are full-time jobs in themselves.

At some point, will this change? Well….I just can't imagine that it won't change in the twenty plus years that I hope to still be in this business. It would be silly for me to think it won't change, with all the industry changes that have happened in the last year. But for right now, this is an arrangement that works really, really well for me. My plan is to continue what I'm doing with my editors, agent, and publishers, and to explore the e-publishing side on my own, in my own time.

What do you think is the future for agents? In your current situation, do you need one, like I do? Or are you able to work independently of literary agents?

Keeping Our Writing Focused

Right before school wrapped up for the summer, I volunteered in my daughter's 4th grade classroom. The children had all written stories and were sharing them with each other.

The writing that children in this age group (age 10) produce is really amazing. It's lively, the voice is usually very natural, and there are sparks of vibrant creativity even in the tamest story.

One thing that most of the young writers hadn't mastered, though, was narrative focus.

They'd go off on tangents that I would try to keep up with, expecting that the tangents were going to lead to an important point in the story…but, well, they didn't.

It's easy to say that lack of narrative focus is limited to child writers, but it's something I frequently run into as a writer.

That's because I'm making my plots up as I go along. And, as I go, I get these threads of ideas that I think might fit in somewhere—and I just dump them into the first draft and keep going.

I even put a note in the margin of the manuscript with Track Changes—Fix this later. I know I'm going off-subject, but there might be an idea there to explore…and I leave it in for the draft.

In editing, though, I have three choices for the tangent:

Cut it (too rambling, doesn't move the plot forward, doesn't add insight to a character). It could go into an extras file for another story or another book in the series.

Connect it to the rest of the scene or tie it into the theme, conflict, or other element of the story. Add transitions, if needed.

Move the tangent to another section of the manuscript where it makes more sense or ties into a different scene.

For me, the first draft is about sticking all that stuff in there, even though I know as I'm writing it that I'm going to have to figure out what to do with it later. I won't stray too far, and I usually will put a marker to myself in the margin to highlight my ramblings.

I wrote a book from a full outline for an editor recently—and I didn't go off my outline at all. Consequently, I found I needed to add a lot of words to make my target word count. I think my tangents do ultimately get put to good use in my books---and when I'm not making them, I have to brainstorm more in the second draft.

If you outline, does it prevent you from rambling? If you don't work from an outline and take detours from your main point, is it easy for you to fix later?

Thanks so much to all my wonderful hosts for the Finger Lickin' Dead blog tour! I really appreciate it!
Download Finger Lickin' Dead on Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp
Mass market paperback: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N

Twitterific

Below are writing links that I've posted to Twitter in the past week.

Hope you'll enter this month's WKB giveaway for a chance to win the "Butt-in-Chair" writer productivity eBook by Jennifer Blanchard.
Two copies to give away! Enter the drawing

Finger Lickin' Dead released on the 7th. Hope you'll consider it if you enjoy mysteries, or know someone who does.Download it on Kindle: http://amzn.to/kh7MAp Mass market paperback: http://amzn.to/lfUE2N

SEO Basics for Bloggers & Beginners: http://bit.ly/kI1hFD

The importance of word count: http://bit.ly/l1C9u6 @JRVogt

Examples of crime fiction where readers may emphasize with the criminals: http://bit.ly/lobNYW @mkinberg

Creating a Dystopian Setting: http://bit.ly/iAyRRt @AngelaAckerman

Dear Mr. Keillor: Let the Writers Whine: http://bit.ly/iXmbAd

5 signs you must be querying: http://bit.ly/la4MxD

5 signs you must be querying: http://bit.ly/la4MxD

Overwhelmed by my tweets? Don't bookmark the links--search them: http://bit.ly/dYRayA

9 Ways to Market Your Book With No Money: http://bit.ly/jInzBJ

Working from Home? How to Stay Sane: http://bit.ly/kd7SoB

Small Press vs. Self-Publishing: http://bit.ly/kqLgTx

Signs that your manuscript is really ready: http://bit.ly/ius8ry

Should Writers Self Publish Short Stories? http://bit.ly/kk3Y50 @ajackwriting

If you have an agent, then why are *you* querying a publisher? http://bit.ly/mqm4uW

45 Ways to Blog as a Novelist: http://bit.ly/jIDtFR

5 Truths About Publishing: http://bit.ly/iZoL2C

The Conflict of Choice: http://bit.ly/jZi0hr

Real Life Diagnostics: Opening With the Funny: http://bit.ly/jmG4FM

Save Your Readers From Boredom: 5 Fool-Proof Preventatives: http://bit.ly/koN8XU

Book Marketing Methods That Don't Work: http://bit.ly/mFB4Yq

Are You Making These 5 Common Blogging Mistakes? http://bit.ly/mOxNpJ

Indies "vs" Trads: The elephant in the room: http://bit.ly/llNeVU

Can you begin with dialogue? http://bit.ly/jLiOgl

Successful Blog Comment Strategies: http://bit.ly/mkli9Y

Tips for pitching your book: http://bit.ly/mOWR7f

Thoughts on Kindle tags (there are no shortcuts): http://bit.ly/lBo2RU

Worldbuilding, part 5: The "Pigs in Space" principle: http://bit.ly/inpLjZ

The Charles Darwin Guide to Writing and Selling an Effective eBook: http://bit.ly/m0796w

The importance of your contact page: http://bit.ly/mCmNwY

Story vs. craft: http://bit.ly/kkSwnn

10 Commandments for Writers: http://bit.ly/jdXwd0

Pull out those old stories: http://bit.ly/jDUKmY @ElspethWrites

7 public speaking tips for writers: http://bit.ly/l9Hfb6 @authorterryo

The making of a character: http://bit.ly/jm75tR

Super powers for writers: http://bit.ly/k8D8P2 @alexjcavanaugh

What Star Trek Can Teach Us About Great Writing: http://bit.ly/kd5xuI

4 Ways to Get Your Family to Support Your Writing Career: http://bit.ly/mH5rzg

Confidence Zappers and Confidence Boosters: http://bit.ly/jT5ozs

Why writers are actually team players: http://bit.ly/j4YyPD

Conveying information about your character through appearance and mannerisms: http://bit.ly/jkCz58 @keligwyn

An agent on why publishing is so slow: http://bit.ly/k2Te79

Why 1 writer is keeping her day job: http://bit.ly/iEl8FF

The perfect pitch: http://bit.ly/kHIjDg

Old School Book Marketing Techniques for the Digital Age: http://bit.ly/jo4HBD

How to finish a series: http://bit.ly/iwNSmU @DeeScribe

Understanding Book Terminology: http://bit.ly/ldNhv2

Thanks to Dave at My Year on the Grill for a delicious review of my book (and my Peach Cobbler recipe) on his blog: http://bit.ly/k4KnRZ

Why Headlines Really Matter: http://bit.ly/jh48yW

How to Wake up to an Awesome Day: http://bit.ly/jOMGAu

Answering Questions About Your Writing Career (Cocktail Party Edition): http://bit.ly/lcVC4m

Why writing sex and violence is challenging: http://bit.ly/iZIyeH

The power-writing hour: http://bit.ly/mJ7QqL @storiestorm

Writers should make room for their natural talents: http://bit.ly/mUzNOS

How to Promote Your Blog Without Feeling Like a Sleazeball: http://bit.ly/l1lujS

9 Awesome Interviews with Creative Visionaries: http://bit.ly/iPufBn

How Much of Your Personal Life Should You Reveal Online? http://bit.ly/llicF3

An Agent on Selling Yourself, and Selling Yourself Short: http://bit.ly/keVZfv

It's not about the money? Really? An editor's thoughts: http://bit.ly/ksxfWh

Key Ingredient to a Solid Plot: http://bit.ly/miX7Qs @RoniLoren

How to Write Wrong, in 3 Easy Steps: http://bit.ly/kk5nJs

Book Beginnings--Waking Up to Go Somewhere: http://bit.ly/jbg0HR

Dialogue checklist: http://bit.ly/igOObi

How to speak publisher - C is for Contract: http://bit.ly/juubiY

How Cliched Is Your Writing? Take the Test: http://bit.ly/ldsAap

Tips for those troublesome book middles: http://bit.ly/lYzFXM @JaniceHardy

Where to find drama in your writing: http://bit.ly/j1fvnn

Worldbuilding, part 6: Finding your secret weapon: http://bit.ly/kI3re9

Where to find more words for your novel: http://bit.ly/ku0Rs4

Easy tip for getting to know your characters--spend the day with them: http://bit.ly/jB3B9Z @penguinusa

Making of an anthology--editorial rounds: http://bit.ly/krfcQK

Summer Camp for Writers http://bit.ly/k8YS3v @Kathy_Crowley

Do you blog as you? http://bit.ly/m0tPmp

Freelance Life: Scam Avoidance 101: http://bit.ly/mRhqnO

Literary blurb translation guide: http://bit.ly/l6AnOi

Note-taking and Writing Apps for iPhone and iPad: http://bit.ly/kK7ppr

4 things you should never stop doing: http://bit.ly/iWdias

Do Publishers Release eBooks Too Quickly? http://bit.ly/j9lkpA @GalleyCat

Ideas for writers that sit too much: http://bit.ly/jBM9PY

Published! Does it matter how? http://bit.ly/kCUrkm

Adding your book covers to Blogger: http://bit.ly/lgovse

Does a writer living outside L.A. have a chance of creating heat in Hollywood? http://bit.ly/ijyNaM

Social Media's Raging Storm: Follower Gathering: http://bit.ly/iUPNLr @debralynnlazar

3 Reasons Why Marketers Get No Respect: http://bit.ly/mOHGYf

Signs You Might Need a Confidence Adjustment: http://bit.ly/jK7WAX

How much do comic book writers make? http://bit.ly/kw7UtI

How to Keep Your Blog Active While Traveling: http://bit.ly/jtFkre

Can E-Books Save Barnes & Noble? http://rww.to/lgbRuW

An agent on revisions: http://bit.ly/iMLfyS

What Makes a Character Unlikable? http://bit.ly/j244eO @JamiGold

The Appeal Of The Small Town Setting: http://bit.ly/jt14Wp @thecreativepenn

Tips for Memoir Writing: http://bit.ly/lNZe66

Suspense: 10 Tips for Grabbing Your Reader: http://bit.ly/jF885c

An agent's conference pitch confessions: http://bit.ly/kaIgVk

Most Writing "Rules" Are Optional–These Rules of Professionalism Aren't: http://bit.ly/iDLsiC

Building a Better Novel Premise: http://bit.ly/iOELHL @4kidlit

Avoiding Viewpoint Mistakes: http://bit.ly/ihfWMa

Is your story worth saving? http://bit.ly/lH8cHb @JulieMusil

The modifier zone: http://bit.ly/kRBBDf

This Week's Fail Whale–The Emotional Tweeter: http://bit.ly/iCRYo8

An Agent on Mass Pitching Your Project To Editors and Agents: http://bit.ly/l6nxLg

Feed your writer's block: http://bit.ly/jIixyR

Ebook Sales Down? http://bit.ly/le4FYE

The 80/20 rule of Facebook marketing: http://bit.ly/l7TDbV

25 Things You Should Know About Writing A Novel (Or, "How The Lunatic Writes A Book"): http://bit.ly/j23IEK

Drawing the Transitions: http://bit.ly/lUoI18 @RavenRequiem13

Strategies for Promoting Multiple Sites via Social Media: http://bit.ly/k5j4VE

5 tips for writing a better "about me" page: http://bit.ly/jk31YO

Tips for getting your book reviewed: http://bit.ly/l2PZ5P

Embrace an indie publisher (Guardian): http://bit.ly/jtaIxC

How Modern Readers Find Books: http://bit.ly/kTsecI @camillelaguire

A librarian with ideas for solving the ebooks in libraries problem: http://bit.ly/iUfvib

Tips for your business cards: http://bit.ly/kcbr0v @spunkonastick

Tips for working with an artist on your book cover: http://bit.ly/jlXc4r

Writer's Knowledge Base -- Now 9000+ articles on : http://bit.ly/dYRayA

Fictional sleuths who use their disadvantages to their benefit: http://bit.ly/ju6QtZ @mkinberg

7 Habits of Highly Successful Bloggers: http://bit.ly/lkeZZn

Why Agents Don't Find Many Authors At Conferences: http://bit.ly/jRknGH

How to search and access online resources for writers: http://bit.ly/kAmAH3 @jamigold

Non fiction books based on case studies: http://bit.ly/io8VjA

Keep your agent in the loop: http://bit.ly/ma9KcB

Does Your Reader "See" What You "See?" http://bit.ly/jse6It

The ultimate guide to daily blogging challenges: http://bit.ly/ms1dxF

Contrived Coincidences: http://bit.ly/miAR4f @RoniLoren

Why Disconnectors Are Critical In Keeping Your Readers Awake: http://bit.ly/iA0VEx

Twitter Profile Mistakes Writers Should Avoid: http://bit.ly/iugtYB @galleycat

Listen to your gut: http://bit.ly/jOW4JR

How Much Time Should Writers Devote to Social Media? http://bit.ly/mmWCBa

4 Tips to Getting a Writing Mentor: http://bit.ly/jJo2Sk

The 30 Harshest Author-on-Author Insults In History: http://bit.ly/lUy74s

How short stories can help you grab an agent's attention: http://bit.ly/lqvAmc

Are Traditional Publishers Sitting on a Pot of Gold? http://bit.ly/l1KA0g

Give a Dry Blog New Life–The Power of Themes: http://bit.ly/k4LKCC

Maybe If I Had Those Boots: A List, Linda Carter, and Letting Go: http://bit.ly/irp37x @Christi_Craig

How to Find Your Stuff in Evernote: http://bit.ly/jkMGkx

5 reasons to switch to WordPress: http://bit.ly/iZ5X0q

33 Twitter Feeds to Follow (Poets &Writers): http://bit.ly/mt3Ozp

What Tolkien teaches us about conflict: http://bit.ly/ifjGWP @p2p_editor

Author Central on Amazon: http://bit.ly/kDbxns

How stats and numbers can rule writers' lives: http://bit.ly/lKGh2d

POV confusion? Some links to help: http://bit.ly/hJZD8n

Using Narrative Patterns: http://bit.ly/kjJPrR

Errors when writing emotions: http://bit.ly/lHpyDR @JulietteWade

Authors Ask Agents: What Are The Publishers Doing for Us? http://bit.ly/lCKb8V @pubperspectives

Resolution—Tying up the Ends: http://bit.ly/kb948k

10 Sites to Help You Name Your Fictional Location: http://bit.ly/khxYgN

6 tips for moving your story forward (even on the busy days): http://bit.ly/lCyS8R @penguinusa

Creativity Tweets of the Week — 6/24/11: http://bit.ly/juvHEB

How one writer crafted a query: http://bit.ly/mug41z @BTMargins

Developing your unique writing voice: http://bit.ly/m4wlul

An agent with some commonly confused words: http://bit.ly/jJHFI4

Best Articles This Week for Writers 6/24/11: http://bit.ly/lGK8hs @4KidLit

Amazon tagging--is the party over? http://bit.ly/kz2N9B

What Goes Into A Media Kit? http://bit.ly/iQTta6 @raquelbyrnes

5 Openings to Avoid: http://bit.ly/kMe5cu

Interesting link roundup on the Borders mess, thoughts on B&N's health, Amazon tablet, and more: http://bit.ly/iyu0Ab

How to write a good party: http://bit.ly/msDJoN @dirtywhitecandy

How to make readers care: http://bit.ly/klX3L7 @lisagailgreen

A screenwriter on outlines, treatments, and numbered pages: http://bit.ly/jJWz7N

3 act structure, simplified: http://bit.ly/mMHId7

Secondary characters can bring out the best in a protagonist (or create conflict for them): http://bit.ly/ko7mnW @CamilleLaguire

What Does "Write What You Know" Mean to You? http://bit.ly/m6J0Gc

Our manuscript--keeping the love alive: http://bit.ly/jf1b1V @labanan

Should Bookstores Charge for Author Events? http://bit.ly/kYKwkJ @galleycat

An editor takes a look at the story structure of a popular TV series: http://bit.ly/j9XSAQ

Names & titles make a difference (famous characters & books that originally had other names): http://bit.ly/kvMXKw @lauramarcella

30 Blog Topics For Writers: http://bit.ly/jh1u3s

What sales reps for publishers do: http://bit.ly/jT3rye

Blocking out 'how we were raised' to make ourselves able to promote: http://bit.ly/kYu1hG

Trusting the reader: http://bit.ly/iUfWg1

Book Club Resources for Kids: http://bit.ly/k2Fe2G @GalleyCat

7 Stupid Mistakes Most People Make When Trying to Follow Their Passion: http://bit.ly/kl4fJM

5 Promotion Tips for the Shy Writer: http://bit.ly/lmDdfk @RoniLoren

What Your Cover Should Not Do: http://bit.ly/jE9iSE

5 Things More Important Than Talent: http://bit.ly/mtuc0U

How to shine at a writing conference: http://bit.ly/kukVuq

Better Queries Through Movie Trailers: http://bit.ly/iyv4ok

The screenwriters' trick for plotting: http://bit.ly/kogLaW

The Games We (Don't) Play: How Authors Stay Offline (PW): http://bit.ly/mbjiwb

How Do We Stay Content With Our Own Writing Journeys? http://bit.ly/js0nsc

Possible tax deductions for US writers: http://bit.ly/l421qy

It's all been done before: http://bit.ly/kD069B @lisagailgreen

Creating an author website? A run-down of the top 13 web hosts: http://bit.ly/ilQ6At

Getting that Story Down On Paper

Life has been pretty busy lately, so keeping focused on deadlines (I've got a July 1 deadline rapidly approaching) has become a priority for me.

I'm back on Penguin's blog today with 6 tips for moving your story forward (even on busy days.) And I've got a post that will run next week on what to do when our plans fall through. :)

Unfortunately, Penguin has their blog set so folks have to register to comment (I know….I've given them my possibly-unwelcome thoughts on that!) so I'll definitely answer comments back here or on Facebook if you'd like to leave them.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Strong Secondary Characters

Writer Camille LaGuire is running an interesting interview series on secondary characters for her blog, The Daring Novelist.

I love the idea, because supporting characters can really make a book, but they don't get a whole lot of attention.

Today, I'm at The Daring Novelist, talking a little about Cherry, a Memphis Barbeque secondary character who can be a scene-stealer. Hope you'll join me. :)

Finding Resources for Writers

When I first started out in earnest as a writer, there was no real organized community of writers online.

Fast forward over ten years later, and the online writing community has exploded with tons of advice and resources for writers—but how to organize the information to make it usable?

Hope you'll pop over to Jami Gold's blog for my post on the WKB. :)

Getting to Know Your Character and the Appeal of Small Town Settings

Today I'm on Penguin's blog, talking a little bit about an easy way you can get acquainted with your characters—by spending a whole day with them while doing your regular routine. (Just be careful…sometimes it's easy to get carried away!) Hope you'll pop by and join me.

I'm also on Joanna Penn's blog, The Creative Penn, talking a bit about the appeal of a small town setting (and why I choose it over and over again!) Thanks, y'all!

Getting to Know Your Character By Spending the Day With them

Today I'm on Penguin's blog, talking a little bit about an easy way you can get acquainted with your characters—by spending a whole day with them while doing your regular routine. (Just be careful…sometimes it's easy to get carried away!) Hope you'll pop by and join me.

Later today, I'll also be on Joanna Penn's blog, The Creative Penn, talking a bit about the appeal of a small town setting (and why I choose it over and over again!) I'll put the link up when it goes live. Thanks, y'all!

It's easy to lose focus in the middle of a book. Usually ...

It's easy to lose focus in the middle of a book. Usually that's when I start running out of steam—and realizing I still have a long way to go to wrap up my story.

Since I've frequently encountered the saggy middle problem, I've developed different techniques to help me approach it. Hope you'll join me today at Janice Hardy's blog for some tips.