Allison’s Comments (group member since Jun 28, 2010)

Allison’s comments from the Q/A with Allison Winn Scotch on The One That I Want group.

Thanks so much, guys!!

Lara -

I've never participated in a writing contest, but if there is an agent/editor whom you REALLY want to get in front of, I could see how it could be valuable. That said, I'd probably put more time into a really expansive agent hunt, but again, if it's a reputable organization/contest, I don't see the downside.
Allison

LOL, Kiki. No. :) Still no.

Hi Carmela -

Ha! Yes, one of my quirks is that I almost always need to be chewing gum - Orbit Bubblemint is my preferred flavor. :) Isn't that weird? I can get by without it, but I really, really prefer to be chewing on it while writing.

Allison

Hi Diane and Pia -
I do this to a certain extent in that I revise the first 100 pages many more times than I do the last 200 pages. Because I write without an outline, it's important that I set up the framework of the novel correctly, as the second 2/3 of the book really are contingent on that framework, so I tinker with the first 100 pages a lot.

That said, I think there's a difference between making big changes (which are necessary for the plot in the second half of the book) and constantly tweaking because you're putting off finishing the book, which for many aspiring authors can be difficult. If you're just rewriting to improve the writing, I'd force yourself to let that go for the time being and chug through the rest of the novel. Set daily goals for yourself: even if it's 500 words a day, that HAS to be new writing. If you're genuinely reworking the plot in those first 100 pages, I think that's fine, but if you're doing it repeatedly, I'd take a step back and give yourself time to REALLY figure out the plot and what you want the book to say so that you don't have to keep going back in.

Ultimately, it's a lot easier to start a novel than to finish one, and (having been in your position before), the only way to finish it is...to finish it. You have to move past the need to rewrite those first chapters, knowing that you'll have plenty of time to do so once you've written the entire manuscript.

Pia - I was out in Seattle in June for a reading! Too bad! I'll probably head out again next year for my next book too.

Hope that helps!
Allison

Hi Melissa-
Thank you so much for your kind words! I've read a lot of Jennifer's work - yes, though for some reason just realized I haven't read GNT. But I am all for any sort of movie - magical realism or not - that speaks to intelligent women. And even more so, I'm all for more attention on books that speak to intelligent women too. I just KNOW that there are a lot of women out there who enjoy movies and books that go beyond your typical romantic comedy fluff, and I certainly aspire to that in my books, and hope that the movie hits this tone too. Does that answer your question? Hope so!

Carmela -
I have EPL on my must-read list before the movie comes out! So I can't speak personally to it yet. But glad to hear that it worked so well for you!
Allison

Carmela-

No one in particular inspired me - writing was just something I was always drawn to and good at, and after trying on a few different career hats, I fell into it as a freelancer when clients from another job asked me to work for them. I was able to transition to magazines and then to fiction. I was raised as an avid reader, and I'm sure this helped fuel my love of writing and books. I feel really fortunate to be doing this full-time.

Allison

Carmela - not as of now. :) But thank you!

Hi Pia,

I sent out query letters to agents - they're the gatekeepers to publishers. But you have to write the entire book first, at least for fiction, so I wrote a manuscript - and revised it several times - then emailed a bunch of agents after doing research on which ones I thought would be good matches. It takes a lot of perseverance, but it can be done!

Allison

Carmela -

I definitely get blocked sometimes and usually, I just try to push through it. When I'm in the thick of writing, I force myself to meet a minimum each day - usually about 1000 words. Even if it's total dreck, it's SOMETHING to work off of the next day. Some days, I literally stop at 999, and some days, once I get going, i find that I have more to say that I realized.

When things are really bad, I do step away for a few days. Sometimes, you just need breathing room. But I also think there's a danger in feeding that in that a few days can turn into a few weeks, and then you've abandoned the project and lose your momentum. So that's really not my ideal scenario, though I think there's value in stepping away, for sure, when the situation demands it.

I don't really solicit other opinions, other than brainstorming occasionally maybe with my agent whose opinion I trust, because I've found that I have to really CONNECT with an idea, and even if it's the most brilliant idea in the world, If I don't love it - and if it's not organic to me - I can't write well about it. i've tried that a few times, so I know of what I speak. :)

Thanks for the great questions!
Allison

LOL, Jen B! You can wait for it to come to On Demand or DVD. :)

Carmela - I read a lot and thus, have a lot of favorite authors, so it's hard for me to choose just one. Laura Dave is a dear friend, and I think she's an amazing writer. I also love Elin Hilderbrand's newest and will read anything Amanda Eyre Ward puts out. I'm also Jonathan Tropper's biggest fan - I'm actually off to do an event with him right now, but that's not why I'm saying that! I have been a fan of his for YEARS, and really think that he just keeps getting better and better. Finally, I often recommend Good Grief by Lolly Winston - and I've only heard good things from the people I've suggested it to.

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks so much for reading all of them! I do entertain the idea, definitely, especially because Time of My Life is being adapted by The Weinstein Company. When I was writing it, I always envisioned Keri Russell because I'm such a huge Felicity fan, but the producers and I have come up with about eight different names, all of whom I think would be GREAT - from Anne Hathaway to Reese Witherspoon - and really, I'd be thrilled with any of them.

With The One That I Want, I actually didn't write with anyone in mind, but recently, I've thought that Amy Adams might make a good Tilly. :)

Allison

Hi Julia,

Thank you so much for the kind words about The Dept! It's very near and dear to my heart, so I appreciate it.

I was a freelance magazine writer for half a decade before I got the itch to try fiction. It was really a situation of being a little bored and wanting to attempt to flex a different muscle. My first manuscript grew from a real life experience as many first ms do. I wrote it and it landed me an agent, but frankly, it was pretty awful, so it never sold. But I got some nice comments about my writing, so I kept going, and when I was dealing with a personal situation involving cancer, I used my writing as a way to cope with my emotions, as I think many writers do. Which leads into your next question: where do I get my ideas...they really stem from my own life and my friends' lives and what I observe in general about our culture and women and motherhood and all of that. With Time of My Life, for example, I've listened to enough conversations and had enough internal dialogue that I understood Jillian's tug of "what if."

As far as constructing plot/characters, that is something that I've learned on the job. I think there is nothing better than actually writing - and then, as I noted above to Heather - figuring out where you're going wrong and how to write BETTER - to help steer you toward publication. Every book I write gets a little easier (in terms of knowing what I'm doing, not in terms of blood, sweat and tears), and that's not anything I came into this process knowing. It's just what you pick up as you go.

I think classes/seminars are really helpful if you don't have any other experience, definitely! As I said, because I was a freelancer, I had a very vague idea of how to go about it, and I, personally, didn't take classes, but I know a lot of people who did and who found it helpful. If you're interested in it, why not? You don't have anything to lose!

Good luck with it and thanks for the questions!
Allison

Hi Heather, thanks for the questions!

I do take time - about two to three months - in between books to clear my head. I've found that if I don't, I really don't write the next one well. I struggled to let go of Jillian and Time of My Life in general, and as a result, the first 100 pages of my first draft of the One That I Want were fairly tortuous to write. :) So I don't do that anymore.

I think my books are a combination of character and plot, but initially, the big concept is probably plot. That said, it's hard for me to designate that alone because when I conceive an idea, it's always tied to to my protagonist. So, for example, with The One, it was about a woman who sees into the future, yes, (the plot), but it's also very specifically about this woman who has an overly optimistic view of how life works (the character). I can't have one without the other. But since what I write is defined as "high-concept," and high-concept is generally thought to be driven by plot, I'll go with plot. :)

I get feedback from my editor and agent as I go. Once I've polished my first draft, I may send it to a very dear writer friend like Laura Dave, but mostly, my editor and agent guide me. I really value their feedback and listen to their advice and criticisms closely. I often say that I need a fresh set of eyes after each draft to help steer me away from where I'm going wrong, so I always welcome constructive criticism. Even if you don't have an agent/editor, I urge writers to find trusted readers, as they're an invaluable part of the process.

Thanks again for asking!
Allison

Hey guys! I just wanted to say that, of course, you're free to start new threads about anything you might want to ask. I think this q/a officially kicks off today, so just wanted to say hello and that I'll be checking back to answer your questions. Thanks!

Hi Marisa,

Thanks for the questions! Here you go:

1) Yes - I do spend a significant amount of energy on my first big rewrite because a lot of what happens in the second half the book doesn't align with what I originally wrote in the first half! So, it's really going back and adjusting the first 150-200 pages - I often don't really know what the book will be truly about until the second half. So yes, a lot of revision is involved.

2) No, I don't know the ending, as I alluded to above. I may have a very vague idea of where I hope the characters end up, but - and I realize this may sound hokey - I let them lead and feel like the most organic way for the book to unfold is to just kind of follow them where they want to go. That it's my job to put obstacles in their way, and then similarly my job to just record how they react to it. Because of that, certainly, books have unfolded in ways I wouldn't have anticipated.

3) I work on about a 9-10 month schedule. Six months for a first draft, 3-4 months for revision, and then I take time to reboot before starting over. No, this is a full-time job for me - I'm very lucky in that way.

4) Hearing from readers when something I've written has resonated with them. Not every book is going to work for every person: I get that, and as an author, you have to get that, but when you hear from a reader that you positively impacted her life or caused her to rethink something about a situation, there is nothing more gratifying.

5) Yes, almost always. It's a weird mix of being really sick of them and having also fallen in love with them. This was especially true of Jillian in TIme of My Life - I had a very difficult time letting her go and really struggled to start my next book because of it.

Thanks again for the questions!
Allison

Hi Vera,

Thanks for the questions and nice to see you here!

1) Yes - I wrote a manuscript before I was ever published that got me an agent but never sold to a publisher. Thank goodness! In hindsight, it was TERRIBLE. :) My dad recently suggested that I revisit it, and I was like, "NO WAY, I'd never want anyone to read that again!" I also wrote 150 pages of a book in between The Dept of Lost and Found and Time of My Life that I abandoned because I wasn't feeling it enough.

2) Yes! I'm a big fan of trying on a few hats before you find the one that fits. So, I worked in PR after college, then quit after 8 months because I really wanted to pursue my dream of becoming an actress. I was doing pretty well at it - commercials, NYC plays, and had moved to LA - when a friend called with an interesting idea for an internet company. It intrigued me enough that I moved back to NYC to help launch it. I did a lot of the writing for the site/our partners, and that helped me segue into writing gigs when we sold the company. From there, it was magazines, and then finally, novels.

3) I'm wrapping up the second draft of my next book which will be out next summer. It's called The Memory of Us, and it's about a 32-year old woman who survives a plane crash, only to lose her memory in the process. She then has to piece her life back together by what other people tell her about herself, and has to figure out what is their truth and what is hers. I'm really enjoying it. I'd say that it falls somewhere, in terms of tone, in between TOML and TWTIW.

Hi Jamie - I'm the author of the book, along with a few previous others. Goodreads announced that I'll be here to answer questions next week.

The idea for The One That I Want partially stemmed out of my last book, Time of My Life. I wanted to take that one and flip it on its head: what happens when you think you have a perfect life and suddenly, it's totally upended on you? How do you put the pieces back together. CAN you put the pieces back together. The idea of the flashforwards really came about as a way to firmly shake up Tilly, my protagonist. At the start of the book, she's a very complacent character, and these flashforwards propel her to take action that she otherwise wouldn't have taken. They were VERY hard for me to write, but ultimately necessary for the story.

I get a lot of questions about how I write my books, and I'm never shy to say that The One That I Want was the most difficult for me to write. It went through about seven drafts! I'm a pantser, so I don't outline - I just start with a concept and go from there. If anyone has more specific questions, feel free to ask 'em!