Austin S. Camacho's Blog, page 20

Where Do You Get Your Ideas?

There is a handful of questions that every published author hears from time to time.  One of the most frequent is, “Where do you get your ideas?”  I usually give some smart aleck response like, “Over at Ideas-R-Us” or “Aisle 4 at Costco – cuz I need a lot of ideas.” If the actual question is, “Where do you get your ideas from?” I might say, “From behind the preposition at the end of that sentence.”  But today I’ll try to actually answer that query.

THE NEWS – Most of the ideas for  my crime novels and short stories come from newspapers and television newscasts.  Despite their efforts to be objective, reporters can’t help but present some theories about crimes they report on.  Whenever I hear that I like to play a “what if” game.  What if that isn’t what happened at all?  What if there’s a totally different motive? What if the witness (the arresting officer, the spouse) is lying?  Then I spin a story from that.  And it doesn’t have to be a crime story.  Sometimes a creative journalist will report on someone just doing something weird or unexplained.  I can make up a reason for the person to have base jumped from a city building or started a flash mob in the Metro that relates to a crime.

OTHER WRITERS – Sometimes another writer and I will brainstorm story ideas.  This can be a lot of fun, each reacting to the other’s plot points with a lively, “and then THIS might happen” or, “but at the same time, across town THIS is going on.”  We might leave that conversation with a clear story in mind, but the result is always that we go home and end up writing two very different stories that happen to take off from the same place.  This can even happen when I’m reading someone else’s story.  I might get to a point and say, “No no no… THAT’S not what happens next…” and then I’m off on a story all my own.

YOU – Story ideas often come up in unrelated conversations with friend and fans, and not even always in person.  For example, in trying to be both funny and provocative, I posted this on Facebook recently:

“Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...”

Well, it did turn out to be a conversation starter, but among the responses was a friend’s post with evidence that the low speed limit might actually help stop the bad guys.  It was a news story with this headline: Teens Chase Kidnapping Suspect on Bikes, save5-year old girl.  Two teenage boys are being hailed as heroes after they chased a car carrying a kidnapped girl… on their bicycles.  Depending on your audience it may or may not matter that the teens were African American and the little girl was white.  But really… with a little imagination I could pull half a dozen good stories out of that little report.  Couldn't you?

So that’s where I get MY story ideas.  How about you?  AND, if you’re a writer, what common questions do YOU get?

The Wind Up... And the Pitch!

Yesterday at the Books Alive! Writer’s conference I saw a large crowd of hopeful writers lined up to present their work to a roomful of agents in five-minute sessions. But before that, a panel of agents talked about how they would like to be pitched to.  A live pitch is not the same as a written submission, but like submission letters there are definite things agents prefer, and I took some notes about what those are.

 The agents all agreed that the writer should start with the raw data they need to decide if the book being pitched is one they want to work with.  For fiction that means the length, the genre, and the fact that it is complete.  For a nonfiction book agents want to know the author has written a solid proposal.
 After that, the agent wants to hear an elevator pitch.  And they don’t want you to read a prepared pitch to them.  They want you to talk to them, so that the pitch can develop into a conversation.  They don’t want all the details of the book, just a couple of minutes of the plot or idea, so they will have time to ask questions and discuss the book with you. One agent said that writers should lead with their strength in a pitch.  In other words, if you have a past publishing history mention it right away.  If the book is the result of a particular inspiration, say so up front.  If the plot is the strongest point you have to offer, rush straight to that. Writers were also advised to have comparison titles.  It’s good to say, “This book will appeal to the readers of [popular book.] and [popular book.]”  And if your nonfiction book would fill a hole in the marketplace that is important to share.  One agent cautioned fiction writers to only talk about the most important characters in their story.  If more than three character names are mentioned, the agent could get lost in the cast, and more importantly, you could give the agent the sense that the book isn’t sufficiently focused. One tip I thought was particularly valuable was that writers should avoid “basket words,” that is, words that might carry a lot of different meanings.  Don’t just say the heroine is beautiful – different people will have different pictures of beauty – but instead describe HOW she is beautiful. And if any agents, publishers or successful authors are reading this, how about sharing your ideas I may have missed.  What else can help new writers succeed in an agent pitch session?

Book Festival - From the Inside

I have a quiet moment here at the Virginia Festival of the Book and thought I'd record some of my impressions. 

One point I want to make is that a book festival is not a conference or convention.  In this case, the entire Charlottesville community gets involved to simply celebrate the act of reading!  It is a warm, pleasant and decidedly NOT business-like atmosphere.  Right now I'm writing in one of the unoccupied panel rooms, thanks to the  kind assistance of Sara and Jenny, just two of the marvellously helpful volunteers who keep this thing running every year.

Last night I attended a nice little soiree at a local bookstore called Read It Again, Sam.  Authors scheduled to be on panels today gathered there for wine, cheese and war-stories.  It was nothing more, or less, than a chance for writers to chat in a peaceful environment. 

Afterward I enjoyed a panel called Friday Night Frights.  Ellen Crosby (a wonderful local author in her own right) moderated a lively discussion with best-sellers Dan Fesperman, John Gilstrap, Victoria Thompson and Lisa Scottoline.  The conversation wandered all over the map and the audience was wowwed.  Not many questions afterward, but this was a more academic and refined group than usually gathers at Cons.  They came to listen and learn from these great writers.

This morning kicked off with a brunch featuring Lisa Scottoline.  She was perhaps the best keynote speaker I have ever heard.  She had us roaring with laughter most of the time detailing her writing life.  Lisa says she loves book clubs because when she goes they spend ten minutes talking about her book and the rest of the time it's the kids, the jobs, the news, chocolate and wine.  The brunch was double fun for me because I was seated beside bookaholic Kathy B. Reel a blogger and reviewer with a big laugh and a sharp eye for good books. 

After watching Lisa Scottoline sign books for an endless line of fans (and BTW, she never sat down, but stood in front of her table and greeted each person with a handshake or hug before signing their book) I attended a great panel of mystery writers who are not so famous... yet. But be watching for Ellie Grant, Tracy Kiely, Nancy Martin and Jan Neuharth because based on what I heard today they will all reach the top!

MY panel isnt' until 4pm, and maybe I'll tell you about that later.  But I so often speak to you from here as a writer, or a publisher, that I wanted to take a chance to speak as a fan.  I am that too, you know.

The Calm Before…

I am a writer and a publisher but this weekend is being devoted to my real life.  For a couple of days it’s grocery shopping, spring cleaning and straightening the storage area downstairs.  It’s also a chance to just relax, play with the dog and watch some TV.

I’m taking advantage of this lull because it is the last quiet weekend I’ll see for a while.  That’s because the life of a writer and publisher is a public one that calls for a lot of promotion and personal activity.  For example:

  Next weekend beings Friday night in Charlottesville.  The Virginia Festival of the Book is a week-long celebration of the written word.  The Crime Wave section kicks off Friday evening at a small soiree for crime writers at a bookstore called Read It Again Sam. This is primarily a networking opportunity for me in my author hat.

Saturday is filled with panels on the various aspects of crime fiction.  I will be on one of those panels called “Futuristic? Paranormal? Creepy?” at 4:00 PM.  This is a great chance to speak directly to a room full of crime fiction fans and in fact the whole day I’ll enjoy the company of readers and writers of my genres.

I will spend the following Saturday at the Books Alive writers Conference in Bethesda, MD.  In addition to speaking to readers and writers about the Creatures, Crimes and Creativity literary convention and Intrigue Publishing, I will moderate a panel on self-publishing.

The next day it’s off to Dover DE, to join the other three writers who make up the Meet Myster Write team.  We, along with the Book Divas, will take over the 2nd & Charles Bookstore with the hope of drawing more readers and establishing a new fan base.

Saturday April 12, while everyone else in Washington DC is enjoying the Cherry Blossom festival, I will sign books as part of the Crime Authors Book Fair at the  National Museum of Crime and Punishment.  Being one of the half-dozen mystery writers presenting on the set where they shoot America’s Most Wanted should be excellent exposure for my author side.

The next day I’ll switch back to my publisher persona and talk up my company at the CityLit Book Festival.  The Intrigue Publishing crew will be at the Enoch Pratt Central Library in Baltimore.

Although I will have a great time at every one of those events, and those that follow throughout the year, I am very much enjoying the calm before that rush of activity.

When You Say Edit…

As Editorial Director of Intrigue Publishing it’s my responsibility to make sure every manuscript we publish is as good as it can be.  Of course, I don’t do all the editing myself, but I don’t think most writers understand the challenges involved in just hiring an editor.  To acquire the right services, I have to be able to describe just what I want an editor to do.  I have to be able to explain what I mean when I say “edit” and I thought you might like to know too.   

Let’s start with the easy stuff.  Proofreading is not editing, although I expect our proofreader to do more than simply correct grammar and spelling errors.  She watches for capitalization, punctuation and proper word use (fowl language is what chickens speak.  The writer meant FOUL language.)
Copy editing is a step beyond proofreading. Copy editing actually addresses the mechanics of style, looking for inconsistencies. A good copy editor will notice dialog from a dropout that sounds like a college graduate, or vice versa.  Stylistic editing is more about clarifying the writing. This would include eliminating or explaining jargon and smoothing the language. It’s similar to copy editing – in nonfiction work it’s often called line editing.
Once we love a book enough to want to publish it I generally handle copy and stylistic editing myself.  Then I return the manuscripts to the author to rewrite based on my input.  The heavy lifting, the work I bring in higher-level experts for, involves structural and developmental editing. The manuscript has to already be in a good, readable form before I can ask a pro for these services.
Substantive structural editing involves further clarifying the storyline, often reorganizing the manuscript’s structure. This is where you get the pacing right, smooth the flow, refine the dialogue, and maybe punch up character development. At this stage, suggested changes bring me to negotiating with the author.  We don’t want to destroy a writer’s style or voice, but the writer needs to really understand their story so they can make me understand why our recommendations are not for the best.
Again the author makes the actual changes and after some back and forth we have a manuscript we can all agree on.  However, after the rewriting, the book gets a final thorough proofreading. 
So now you know what I mean when I say a book is in the editing process.  This is not necessarily the way it works at any other publishing house, but it’s the series of hoops a book has to jump through to wear the Intrigue Publishing logo.

Keeping it Short

I think most fiction writers are naturally more comfortable with a particular length. But even those of us who are natural novelists should try their hands at short stories once in a while.

Writing short stories is a great way to learn to trim your prose, and writing tight can really benefit novel writing.  It can also help you master character descriptions too.  When you can only afford a paragraph to introduce each character you sharpen your skills for careful word selection.
In other words, writing short stories is great practice. In a short story you get to work through every phase of story writing: the hook, plot twists, character development, pacing, and wrapping up a strong ending.  And as a bonus, you get to make all the normal mistakes without losing weeks or months figuring out how to backtrack and fix them.
And the time element allows for faster feedback too.  Instead of spending a year writing a novel to get some feedback on how you drive a story to a strong conclusion, you can write a short story so in a fraction of the time you can get feedback on your writing.  And it’s a lot easier on your first readers to get through a short story and give you immediate feedback.
There are also commercial advantages.  Short stories can be an easy and inexpensive way for new readers to sample your writing style before they decide to dedicate the time required to read a novel.  That’s the main reason I posted three of my short stories on Amazon for 99 cents as The Reliable Witness. 
Like any form of writing, it pays to associate with others in the trade.  I’m not aware of any conference specifically for short story writers, you can join a gathering of some of the best by joining the Short Mystery Fiction Society.  The Society welcomes writers, editors, publishers, and readers to promote the creation, publication, and appreciation of the genre.  Membership is free. You just have to join their Yahoo Group - - to get access to their discussions and participate in the annual Derringer Awards.
So if you’ve been laboring away at a novel for a while, why not take a break and try writing something short and sweet?

The Other Side of Cons

Last week we talked about Love is Murder, a favorite fan/author gathering.  That's one type of writer's conference, but there is a very different animal that uses the same name.

Yesterday I was part of the faculty of the Bay To Ocean writers conference. This was not a gathering of fans watching their favorite writers present on panels.  This was a couple of hundred aspiring and emerging writers attending classes to improve their craft.

The atmosphere is just as warm and cordial at either kind of event, but whereas one set of cons is all for fun, the other, the Bay to Ocean set, puts the emphasis on learning. My role this year began with 30-minute individual meetings to critique work submitted by new writers.  I am always tense before these meetings, because I have to be honest about work that is often less than professional.  But new writers almost always appreciate being told exactly what they can do to make their work better.  I try to be encouraging with every writer, pointing  out what's good about their work before I get into the flaws and weaknesses.

After a lunch full of networking I sat before an audience with another talented author, Candice Porch, to discuss a challenging subject: bringing diversity to characters in fiction.  For an interactive hour, we spoke with the audience about using minority characters, how to distinguish them from mainstream white characters and what not to do if you want to avoid being hated by the reading public.

Finally I moved to the auditorium and gave a one-hour lecture on the use of conflict and suspense.  I have to admit that I  prefer the direct lecture on craft, and I'm happier at the podium by myself.  The audience was very welcoming and attentive - a good sign.  And I saved 15 minutes at the end for my favorite part of any class, when I open the floor to questions and the audience plays "stump the author," asking anything and everything they can think of.

I can't say that I love one kind of writers Con more than the other.  Both are great fun and both are necessary to a successful writing career.  Because in both cases, it's about being part of a writing community. 

Your Award Winning Novel

My company, Intrigue Publishing, was well represented at the Love is Murder Mystery Conference last weekend.  We took pitches from authors.  I sat on one panel and moderated another. We sponsored the newcomer’s breakfast and I moderated that too.  We worked the con the way I hope other small presses work our  Creatures, Crimes & Creativity con.  And our big win was that one of the books we published, “Girl Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie” won the Lovey Award for best horror/sci-fi/fantasy novel of the year.  The Lovey, voted on by Love is Murder attendees, is given in several categories. In today’s crowded marketplace winning an award is one way to distinguish a book and make it stand out.  Awards that are voted on by readers can carry a lot of weight with a specific audience. Like Love is Murder’s Lovey, the Agatha award is granted by the fans at the Malice Domestic conference. For authors and publishers who attend writers conferences, this can be a great extra benefit. There are also plenty of awards available to authors and publishers who don’t love Cons, although there is usually a price.  For example, the annual International Beverly Hills Book Awards is open for submissions through Feb. 15.  They consider cover and interior design, promotional text, aesthetic components and other factors that demonstrate outstanding presentation, in addition to the writing. They accept fiction and non-fiction books in a wide range of topics and categories including mystery, romance, business, self-help, memoirs and inspiration.

USA Regional Excellence Book Awards recognizes books that take readers into the heart of a “place.” If your book delivers the distinctive character  of a locale, say the glitz of Hollywood or the hustle and bustle of New York City, it is a perfect candidate for a USA REBA award.  Again, Sept. 15 is this year’s deadline.
And while the International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America restrict their awards to well-established publishers, that doesn’t mean all others are shut  out.  The National Indie Excellence® Awards (NIEA) was created to help establish self-publishing as a legitimate side of the publishing industry. You’ve got until March 31 to submit to them.  You could question the promotional value of book awards, but  there’s no denying the joy of such bragging rights.  So go see if your book can become an award winning.

A Blog About Blogs

As much as I hope you’re here every week looking for news I also hope this isn’t the only blog you read.  There are dozens of great ones out there.  Of course that raises a question: how do you decide which ones you should read?

Well just like me you probably scan all your friend’s blogs often.  B. Swangin Webster’s “Books, Shoes & Writing  blog is always insightful, DB Corey has a gift for humor that keeps his blog interesting. Penny Clover Petersen always offers an interesting slice of life on “Making the Time to Write” And Christine Verstraete posts some unique thoughts on the GirlZombieAuthors blog. I like the variety, but sometimes I also want to follow the writings of people immersed in the topic I am most interested in.
If the life of a writer and publisher is of interest to you (and if not, why are you here?) then I can recommend the BookPublishing Insider . Steven Zacharius is not an author like all the folks above, but he is the Chairman, President and CEO of Kensington Publishing Corp.  Kensington is NOT Random House big, but it is I think the biggest publisher that can still claim small press cred. Steven knows what he’s talking about when the subject I publishing whether it’s about the quality of the product or the tricky business of survival in a very challenging business.  He likes to interact with other, smaller publishers and what he says always makes sense.  Of course he is opinionated, but he is open to the opinions of others and up for a lively debate as long as it stays civil.  Most recently he’s been a protracted discussion with J.A. Konrath, the patron saint of self-publishing. Just reading this one long entry is quite an education, but you really should back-track through the blog for earlier, equally valuable posts. 
For a different spin, I direct you to John Scalzi’s light hearted blog, Whatever . It is one of the longest-running blogs on the Web, and is about… well… whatever Scalzi feels like writing on.  Best known as a science fiction author, Scalzi serialized his science fiction novel Old Man’s Waron Whatever; it was subsequently published by Tor Books and later nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel.  Scalzi posts constantly, but to get the flavor of why it’s one of my favorites I suggest you drop back 16 posts (!!) to January 26th for the post called, “Every Award-Winning Book Sucks (For Someone)” in which he proves that negative reviews are part of the territory by listing excerpts of one star Amazon reviews of every single Hugo-winning novel of the last ten years.  Truly an education for the up and coming author.

So find the blogs that say what you need to hear.  These are two of mine. What blogs are must-reads for you?

C3 Conference Countdown

The Creatures, Crimes & Creativity conference is the Mid-Atlantic's literary event of the year.  But the con is almost 10 months away, so I am often asked why any reader or writer of genre fiction should be thinking about it now.  To respond I decided to put together a list of reasons in the form of a countdown, ala David Letterman.  The thing is, I couldn't bring it down to a top ten.  The best I could do was

Reason #17 to register the Creatures, Crimes & Creativityconference today: Attendees can enjoy 36 panels and presentations of interest to readers, fans and writers.

Reason #16 to register now for the Creatures, Crimes &Creativity conference: Every attendee will receive a goodie-bag filled with cool stuff, including our exclusive anthology filled with stories written by attending authors.

Reason #15 to register now for the C3 Conference: one lucky attendee will win a new Kindle Fire in our Twitter contest  - -#MdC3conference.

Reason #14 to register now for C3: one lucky attendee will win an Amazon gift certificate in our fun scavenger hunt.

Reason #13 to register right away: International best-selling thriller/fantasy author Eric VanLustbader will deliver a keynote address at Saturday’s dinner.  Come meet the author of The Ninja and the Jason Bourne series! 

Reason #12 to register now: International bestselling romantic suspense/sci-fi/fantasy author Rebecca York will deliver a keynote address at Friday’s dinner.

Reason #11 to register now: It's a chance to spend a 3-day weekend with fans and authors of mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal fiction. 

Reason #10 to register: The registration fee includes five meals: Friday’s dinner, 3 meals Saturday (Including the banquet dinner) and Sunday breakfast. Readers and writers dine side-by-side in a comfortable, informal atmosphere.

Reason #9 to register: Attendees are all invited to contribute to the C3 blog which posts their comments year round. Promote your books, or ask your fan questions, to all the C3 attendees.

Reason #8 to register: All attending authors are invited to submit a short story to the exclusive C3 Anthology which goes to every attendee.  This exclusive collector's item will never be sold in stores.

Reason #7 to register: Attending authors can sign up for agent pitch sessions.

Reason #6 to register: Mystery author Brad Parkswill be interviewed at Saturday’s lunch and will give a master class for authors.

Reason #5 to register: Paranormal/urban fantasy writer C.J. Ellisson will be interviewed at Sunday breakfast and will give a master class for authors.

Reason #4 to register: Published authors get to spend time with their fans, and to expose new readers to their writing by presenting on panels.

Reason #3 to register: Registered authors’ books will be available for sale in the on-site bookstore and there will be two giant book signings.

Reason #2: Attending authors will be pictured in the C3 program book and linked on the C3 web site.


AND the number one reason to register for the Creatures, Crimes &Creativity conference today: If you register now you save $40 with the Early Bird registration cost.
So... get to the C3 web site and REGISTER TODAY!