Susan Henderson's Blog, page 10

Chuck Sambuchino

Last month, I wrote a guest column for Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents blog. My column was called, At What Point Can You Call Yourself a Writer? and it sparked a conversation I wanted to bring back to LitPark. So today I've brought Chuck here take a crack at answering that same question, and I hope all of you will chime in with your own thoughts.

Thanks, and here's Chuck!

When Can You Call Yourself a Writer?

This is an important question in every writer's life. At what moment in time can you actually refer to yourself as a writer? But even the very question itself is deceiving. It's deceiving because there are actually two questions here. The first is: When can you look in the mirror and call yourself a writer? The second is: When can you call yourself a writer in front of several complete strangers at a party?

When Can You Call Yourself a Writer in Private?

Now. Absolutely right now. Tell yourself in the mirror before you brush your teeth then again when you're driving home from work. Say it so many times you get exasperated looks from your spouse. Heck, get business cards printed, too. I remember reading somewhere that Robert De Niro will sometimes repeat his lines dozens of times before filming a scene, in an effort to make himself fully believe what he's saying. That's your goal: Say it, then say it again until you believe it.

When you call yourself a writer, it drives home the fact that this is real. It's serious. We're no longer talking about some vague ambition. You're a professional writer who is going to produce content, be that novels or nonfiction books or articles or whatever. Go ahead and say it right now: "I am a writer."

When Can You Call Yourself a Writer in Public?

Well now. This is a different matter altogether. I remember the first time I called myself a writer in public. I was 21. I was still in school, and my only writing credits up to that point were campus news articles and getting a few plays produced. But at that point in my life, I knew I would be a writer. My sister and I were in a mechanic's garage listening to some guy explain everything that was wrong with the family car. When the mechanic asked me what I did, I replied, "I'm a writer." My sister immediately snickered at the remark and even said, "…Nice." That was my first taste of how people react when I said my occupation out loud.

I can boil it down to this: You should not say, in public, that you're a writer until you are fully prepared to answer the question that will boomerang back you 10 times out of 10—and that question is: What do you write? I don't care if you are at a book party in Manhattan or a hole-in-the-wall bar in the Yukon. When you say you are a writer, they will always—always—ask "What do you write?" and then when you answer, they will follow that up with "Anything I might have read?"

The most important thing to remember when answering this question is to respond quickly and concisely. Even if your credits are insignificant, if you answer with clarity and speed, it conveys confidence.  Try this:

"What do you do?"

"I'm a writer."

"Oh, cool. What do you write?"

"Articles, mostly. Working on a novel."

"Articles—great. Anything I might have read?"

"Just some stuff for some online websites. Nothing major, but I'm working on it."

It isn't impressive, but it's confident. The writer is in control. It comes off poorly when, upon being asked what they write, a writer stammers incoherently, then answers the question by basically saying "I'm not really sure yet, and to tell you the truth, I may just have no clue altogether! Hahaha!" So if you don't feel like you can confidently answer the question, or are embarrassed to say aloud that you haven't been published, think twice before mentioning your writerly aspirations at a soiree.

The constant to both questions I raise here is confidence.  Tell yourself repeatedly that you're a writer to build up confidence and raise the stakes. Then, upon stating your occupation at a mechanic's garage or a Hollywood mansion, answer people's questions with confidence and come off like a professional.

(This column is a supplement to Susan Henderson's guest column on Chuck's blog addressing this same topic: At what point can you call yourself a writer?)

*

Chuck Sambuchino is an editor and a writer. He works for Writer's Digest Books and edits GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS (guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog) as well as CHILDREN'S WRITER'S & ILLUSTRATOR'S MARKET.

His humor book, HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK (gnomeattack.com), was released in Sept. 2010 and has been featured by Reader's Digest, AOL News, and The Huffington Post.

Besides that, he is a produced playwright, magazine freelancer, husband, cover band guitarist, chocolate chip cookie fiend, and owner of a flabby-yet-lovable dog named Graham.

UP FROM THE BLUE goes on sale today!

It's finally happened! My book is on sale today! Thank you if you can help spread the word!

Here's the pretty cover, including the very cool, purple spine:

Here's a fuzzy shot of the back cover:

And here's how you can help give this book wings: If you like it, post a review on Amazon or GoodReads. Talk about it on Twitter, FaceBook, or on your blog. Talk it up at your local library, bookstore or book club. And if you don't like my book, please do these things for one you do like. Word of mouth...

Question of the Month: Launch

Launch: To set in motion; to introduce to the public or to a market; to give someone a start. It's a brand new season. What are you setting in motion? Starting a new book? Applying for writer grants? Sending out a short story? Rekindling your marriage? Collecting new recipes? Let's hear about something you're about to launch, even the smallest thing.

September 21st marks the launch of my novel. The book launch is a group effort between me, HarperCollins, and any of you who'd like to join us...

Question of the Month: Makeover

Tell me about you and a makeover. It could be about a drastic haircut, a house renovation, a life change, or something you're still only considering.

*

Much has happened since my last blog post—Holland, Australia, and New Zealand bought foreign rights for UP FROM THE BLUE, and I've been busy doing interviews, all airing closer to the book launch in September. I also had two big makeovers, one planned and one very much unplanned.

Let's talk about the planned makeover first. You've probably...

Question of the Month: Library

Tell me a story about you and the library.

I loved my little, underfunded library when I was a kid. It was always a thrill to see which picture books were pulled from the shelves and set up along the window sill. I found many of my favorites this way: Georgie the Ghost, Whistle for Willie, The Little House.

When I had kids of my own, I discovered the true glory of the library. Though our house was filled with books, everything I bought for them represented my taste. But when we went to the...

LitPark Announcement: BEA Signing and Party News!

A quick announcement that Book Expo America (BEA) is just around the corner, and I would love to see you there.

I'll be signing galleys of UP FROM THE BLUE at Table 29, 10:30-11:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 26. That means, even though the book doesn't come out until September, you can get an early copy. I hope you'll stop by!

[Sorry, I'm just posting the pretty invitation now. I wasn't allowed to advertise it because we had to keep the number of guests within the fire code. But isn't that a pretty i...

Question of the Month: Renew

Tell me about an experience that renewed your spirit, your energy, or your belief in yourself.

And if we're talking of renewal, I have to tell you about my trip to Canada last month with three amazing writers. We left our homes feeling strung out, stalled with our current writing projects, and nervous about our careers in general. Not anymore. In just a few days, we were completely transformed.

We became confident, focused, and productive.

I love the picture up above because the snow was...

Question of the Month: Fair

Tell me a story of you at the fair. What did you eat? What caught your attention? Did you ever get separated from your group? Did you win a prize? Did you raise your hand when the hypnotist called for volunteers? I want to hear all about it.

Speaking of fairs, I'm starting to learn more about what happens to books just before they're published, and one of those things is that they are carted to The London Book Fair in April. The hope is that your book creates a pre-publication buzz and nabs...

Question of the Month: Complete

Tell me something you've completed that you're proud of, or that shows what you're made of. Whether it's a poem, a quilt, a garden, or a restored car, I want to hear about it!

Oh, by the way…

I now have a title and a cover. You can even pre-order my book at Amazon.

It's starting to feel real!

One last thing: I'm so happy to announce that you can now buy my friend, Darlin' Neal's new book, RATTLESNAKES AND THE MOON. Darlin' and I have been critiquing each other's stories for years, and she's an...

Question of the Month: Joy

My sister-in-law sent this to me, and I figured some of you could relate…

So we all know the misery of the business, but today I want to ask you about the flip side. After all, how many people do you know who follow their passions as much as writers do? So tell me, what about writing (or the ritual you have around writing) is a real joy?

Recently, Jordan Rosenfeld (author, radio host, and Writer's Digest editor) interviewed me about the process of revision, and we talked about both the misery a...