R. L. Stedman

Writer

Writing tips

So You Want to Be A Writer? Here’s What You Need to Do

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writer's notebook

So You Want to Be a Writer?

I began writing when I was about 6. I wasn’t particularly good, and my teachers seemed underwhelmed by my talent. But I loved writing, so I persevered. I entered competitions, wrote little short stories. Got nowhere. Then I stopped.

I trained to be a physical therapist – who needs to be a writer, anyway? – and began travelling the world. Much more exciting than getting rejection after rejection.

It was only when I became ill that I thought: what do I most want to do in the world. And the answer was: I want to write. So, the best writing advice I’ve ever had is the advice I told myself: if you really want to be a writer, then you have to write.

Which is what I did.

Keep Writing

About thirteen years ago I began a novella. I liked it, but no-one else did, so I got a lot of rejections. I kept writing. I wrote a couple of short stories, began another novel. Again: rejections. I did a couple of night school courses on writing. Crickets!

I volunteered to work on a trade magazine. I kept writing, and studied for a Certificate of Creative writing. And then, finally, a short story of mine was accepted! I was so excited!

Fast forward ten years: Now, I write pretty much every day. This includes blogging, journaling, creative first drafts, this interview. The words add up.

want to be a writer

Embrace the Fear

I’ve written six books. I’ve won three awards and have been shortlisted for a few more. I’ve had emails from folk all around the world who tell me my words have touched them.

Despite all this, I still feel as though I’m not very good. But I keep writing.

So, the best advice to any writer is: keep writing.

Keep Writing

How to Get Published

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How to Get Published –

How to Get Published

So you’ve got a story you’re aching to share?  Here’s a step by step guide to getting published.

This is the fifth post in a series called Options for Publishing. This series is based on a talk I did recently in Taranaki.

Before reading this post, I suggest you go back and read the other posts in this series, as they tie together. Here’s the links:

This is a long post; you can download the PDF here.

Here are the slides from the talk:

 

How to Get Published:

1. Write

Keep a journal, a diary or a blog. Write poetry. The more writing you do the better. Think of it like fitness training; you don’t build a muscle without exercising it.

2.  Read a lot

Read books from diverse genres. Read classic books, read contemporary novels. I prefer reading books that are ten + years old more than the latest blockbusters, because I find time sifts out a lot of dross. However, I know that’s not always the best idea if you’re trying to work out what the market wants, and writing styles are constantly evolving. But you can NOT write well if you do not read. Period.

3. Write for free

Writing for a wider audience is good discipline, and helps you to get used to criticism aka “feedback“. I edited a professional magazine; it taught me about deadlines, formatting and word redundancy. School or universities generally have magazines and often welcome contributors. If you’re in a community or church group you could either start or contribute to a magazine or blog.

4. Training

Doing a writing course is not essential, but it does help. There’s nothing like intensive tuition to improve the craft of writing. Personally, I wouldn’t suggest spending enormous amounts of money or time. Gaining a Masters in Creative Writing is expensive and may not be any more beneficial than say a twelve-week course at a polytechnic. I prefer face-to-face to online, but there’s nothing right or wrong. Just make sure you participate. You won’t learn if you do not do.

5. Develop networks

Often in this world it’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know. Talk to other writers. Join professional societies, like the New Zealand Society of Authors. Attend meetings. Read the magazines. Interact in forums. Talk to writers on twitter. Be helpful. Only one rule: Don’t be a dick.

If you write romance, or novels with a romantic theme I strongly recommend joining your national Romance Writers Association. RWAs are generally very commercially savvy and they’re highly internationally networked.

6. Go to conferences

In New Zealand there are very few writing conferences, alas, but if you’re in the States it’s a lot easier. Reason for conferences: you meet other writers (networking), you can have lessons in craft (training) and most usefully of all: you can often do cold reads or pitch agents/publishers. This can short-cut a lot of slush piles.

7. Submit to competitions

This was my break. Competitions are frequently listed in the forums of various professional organisations, and you’ll find more online. I suggest the smaller comps, as anything with thousands of entries are almost a lottery. But with some of the smaller ones, like the RWA ones, (another reason for joining), you’ll get feedback from the judges, and if you’re shortlisted, you may get your manuscript read by an agent or publisher.

8. Publish your own

The last four posts are my explanation of why this isn’t as crazy as it seems! There are pluses and minuses to publishing your own work, just as there are to using a publisher. These days, it’s more about understanding your options than recommending one particular path.

But whether or not you use a publisher to reach your audience, or you do it yourself, I would still follow steps 1 – 7 above.

How to Get Published

How to Submit to Agents/Publishers

If you decide that you don’t want the hassle of publishing your own work, then you’ll probably need someone to publish for you. Generally this involves an agent or a publisher. This is the classical approach, and until 2010 (ish) it was pretty much the only way to get your book published.

Warning: This can take a long, long time.

1. Write your book

2. Find out who the publishers and agents are that might be interested. You want to know who’s looking for new writers, what kind of work they want (no point in sending erotica to a children’s publisher, for example!), what format they want you to submit in. FOLLOW THIS!  Generally, this information will be on their websites.

Here’s what to do:

3. Make a list of who’s looking in your genre.

Be strategic – don’t submit to everyone at once. I’d start with 5 established agents with a great track record and 5 new ones who are hungry. Follow their submission instructions (have I said this before?!).

4. Send your submissions

  • Submissions generally consist of a query letter, a brief synopsis and, if requested, the first three chapters. This may vary, so again: check.
  • General rule of thumb seems to be that simultaneous submissions are okay to agents (that is, you it seems acceptable for you to submit to more than one agent at a time), but a definite no-no to publishers. If you are submitting to multiple agents at a time, I would let them know this; at the very least, it’s polite.
  • Here’s instructions on query letters and Marissa Meyer’s really good blog post on synopsis writing.
  • If an agent likes your work you’ll generally hear reasonably quickly. Publishers seem to take longer.
  • I allow 4 -6 weeks for an agent, and then I follow-up with an email.  If I still don’t hear anything I follow-up with another email advising I’m sending elsewhere. If you’ve submitted to a publisher you may  not hear anything for 4 – 6 months. Longer than that, and I usually send an email.
  • If you don’t get a good response to just a query submission, it might pay to rework your query letter.
  • Keep a spreadsheet of who you’ve submitted to, the date and the outcome.
  • Try not to get depressed. I know of writers who have submitted 1000 times before landing a deal!

If you want to short cut this process, enter competitions and go to conferences (see above!).

5. While you’re waiting, write another book. Or two. Or three…

An alternative approach:

Be famous or otherwise notorious!

Publishers and agents LOVE writers with an audience. If you’ve got a million followers on wattpad, SAY this. If you’ve got a huge youtube following, again: mention it in your pitch.

Options for publishing

What’s best?

This depends on your goals.

If you are desperate to see your book in book stores, you may be better to follow the classical approach of using an agent/publisher. Book stores tend to work through established channels, although there are signs this is changing. If you love literary fiction and you prefer to write richly textured novels, you may be better to approach traditional publishers. If critical acclaim and acceptance is important, again: a traditional model may be better.

However, if you’re just wanting to find people who want to read your work, if you write in a commercial genre with a huge readership (such as romance) and you’ve previously run a small business, my suggestion is self-publishing.

I say this because in the long run, you may be better off by finding your own route to market than by relying on a publisher third-party, who may or may not have the same goals as you. It’s also about the rights. Given that your copyright can last 50 + years, and that rights are constantly evolving, you may be better off in the long run to own the lot.

The good news: nowadays writers have options.

A Question of Rights

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What are Rights?

A Question of Rights

Copyright

Copyright is an automatic right generated by the development of an original work. Sometimes you see it written as ©

In New Zealand, copyright lasts for fifty years after an author’s death. In the United States, it’s SEVENTY years.

The copyright is owned by the creator, but he or she may allow another person to use their work. While the copyright remains in place, someone has to have permission to use it. In the publishing industry, permission is often called ‘licensing’, and permission is usually granted through a formal contract.

You may need to prove that you are the copyright holder. General practice among authors is to register their titles with the US Copyright Office. This is not essential, because copyright is automatic. But if you have a problem with your titles being pirated, this may help.

Copyright is a property right. You can’t hold an idea, like you can hold, for example, a house. Copyright is Intellectual Property; an intangible but valuable product. Sometimes “intellectual property” is shortened to simply “IP”.

There are other forms of intellectual property, like designs, patents and trademarks. This means if you’re writing a book, the front cover and the layout of the words (typesetting or formatting), which are design work, may belong to the publisher or cover designer. It also means you should check the licensing of any art you use in your cover. Don’t forget poetry or songs are also original work. So before using someone else’s ideas, make sure you have permission to do this.

You can find out more information at the NZ Intellectual Property Office (this is a really user-friendly site, and is worth a look even if you’re not based in New Zealand.)

If you want more information on rights, check out Joanna Penn’s podcast here.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this does not constitute legal advice. For legal advice, see a legal professional!

Rights in Space
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How are Rights Used?

Rights can be sliced and diced in many different ways. Here are some examples:

  • By format: digital, audio, print, radio, screenplay, braille.
  • By location: World, Asia, Europe, Australia. There is a new rights location, called simply Space! This may sound crazy. But remember: if your rights last for at least 50 years after your death, it’s very possible that people will be in space before your rights expire. I love the thought of astronauts listening to my books on audio!

What Does This Mean For Me?

You should think of your rights as assets. When you write a book, you are in effect creating something that could generate income not just for you, but for your children and your grandchildren.

You need to consider this, when you consider a contract from a publisher. You should ask yourself: Is the amount a publisher offers me more than the amount I may make from this book?

And you should also think: can I exploit these rights myself?

For me, I’m not so worried about having worldwide rights for A Necklace of Souls in say, Chinese. So if someone was to send me an interesting rights offer for Chinese worldwide rights, I could be interested.

However, if translation services go the way that is widely expected, it’s possible I might be better off holding onto translation rights and waiting for a few years.

Take The Long View

The value of your rights may increase as you produce more books. So don’t get discouraged early on. (This is something I am constantly telling myself!) Remember, too, that technology and platforms are constantly evolving, and that something you never dreamed of having a commercial value (like Space) may one day be a real possibility.

I guess at the end of the day it always takes time to create something of value — whether its a book or a house. But an asset is generally worth having!

Writing Spooky Stories for Children: Tingle, Not Terror

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Writing Spooky Stories for Children —

I love ghost stories! My parents never knew this, but I began reading Stephen King when I was ten years old — Carrie, progressing rapidly to The Shining, It (fantastic title) and The TommyKnockers. While I hate horror, and my kids say I’m a total wimp, I love the spine-tingling freakiness of a great ghost story.

And because a good ghost story is EXCITING, they are a great way to encourage kids to read.

Technique and Terror

While ghost stories are great at hooking kids into reading, writing them for children is surprisingly difficult. You have to keep the reader at the edge of their seat, but in no way do you want them traumatised. Writing a good ghost story requires breakneck pacing, comic relief to offset the bleak moments (and there’s no way you can avoid the bleak moments, it’s a ghost story) and characters and settings that are so extreme they’re almost a parody.

Think of The Addams Family, or Ghostbusters: scary, funny but never dull.

So when I learned that my wonderful editor, Sue Copsey, had just finished her first box set of horror books for kids — think RL Stine, but with a New Zealand twist — I grabbed the chance of an interview. I just had to ask this expert writer: ‘How do you do it?’

Here’s her replies. Hope you enjoy.

Sue Copsey
Sue Copsey

How to Write a Spooky Story

What makes a story spooky?

Spookiness in a story is mostly about creating an atmosphere: a waft of chilly air, the feeling of being watched, shadows, darkness, and of course the ever-reliable creaking front door, thunderstorms, and moaning wind!

Spookiness is very different to full-on horror, which I wouldn’t want any child of mine reading. While horror can send you screaming from the room, spooky will have you looking over your shoulder. It’s all about the suggestion of something. It’s … Shh? What was that? Something’s not quite right, something’s making your spine tingle.

 

Why do you write ghost stories? 

I guess most authors write the sort of thing they like to read, and I’ve always been a fan of ghost stories. As a child, there was something delicious about being tucked up in bed reading a scary story by torchlight. I grew up in England, where every village has its myths and spooks, and I was fascinated by the history behind haunted spots. Places like old battlefields, ruins and deserted WWII airfields have such an atmosphere. Is this just because we know what happened there, or is there some sort of echo that we pick up on? I like to explore these ideas through writing.

There’s so much scope in writing ghost stories for children. I can include history, mystery and adventure, as well as the creepy stuff. Generally, I’m keen on finding ways of teaching history that will grab children’s interest. For example, most kids probably have little interest in the Otago Gold Rush (the theme of The Ghosts of Moonlight Creek), but weave that information into a story about a lost golden nugget and a ghostly gold miner, and they might learn some history without even being aware of it.

 

Have you ever seen a real ghost?

Maybe! It was on my wedding night (yes, you may make your smutty joke here). It had of course been a long day with a certain amount of champagne, and I was possibly tired-and-emotional enough to be hallucinating, but I’m still pretty sure the figure silhouetted in the bedroom doorway wasn’t imagined (the door flew open and shut in a matter of seconds). And when I discovered the next day that the hotel was notorious for spooky goings-on, then I thought, maybe …

 

How do you make sure your stories are exciting but not too scary for kids?

I aim to give the reader a little thrill rather than a nightmare. One reviewer said my stories have ‘just the right amount of tingle for the spine’. To make them exciting I keep the pace fast – I want the reader to keep turning the pages. Today’s kids have such short attention spans and soon get bored if there’s nothing much happening, and I’m very aware of this as I write – I’m competing with apps and computer games for kids’ time. And I won’t give up; I really really want kids to keep reading!

As far as ‘not too scary’ goes, out of all the ghosts in my books (a total of seven spooks in three books so far), only one turns out to be nasty. The others are benign. I didn’t initially plan it that way, but no matter how I tried to write them, my ghosts wanted to be lost souls trying to right past wrongs, or sending warnings, and for that they needed the help of my hero, Joe, who has the ability to see ghosts.

spooky stories
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What are some things you’ve learned through writing ghost stories?

As a writer, the most important lesson I’ve learned is how to slash and burn my text to keep the pace moving along. My first in the ghost story series (originally published in 2011) was full of surplus words, and I recently re-edited it to fix it. After three books I think I’ve nailed it – I’m now a demon with the red pen (OK, the delete button, but red pen sounds better). I’ve also learned how to get plenty of tension into a story – how to keep the reader turning those pages.

On the factual side, because my books are set in interesting and historical New Zealand locations, I’ve learned a lot about my lovely adopted country, and have greatly enjoyed my ‘research’ trips J

 

What advice do you have for people wanting to write for children? 

Start by reading a wide variety of children’s books – picture books, chapter books, novels – so you can recognize what makes a great kids’ read. Don’t assume that writing for children is easier than writing for adults. Many authors will tell you it’s harder! If you haven’t grabbed them by the end of page 1, you’re doomed. If you have kids of your own, try and put your finger on why they like certain books and not others. Then learn the craft of writing. Even if you have talent and ideas by the bucketload, you still need to learn what makes a story work, how to write a great character, how to nail your beginning and ending, and how to write text for the age level you’re aiming at – not too many difficult words, for example. Don’t send off your first draft to a publisher or agent. Get feedback – attend workshops and join writing groups, and draft and redraft until everyone is telling you, ‘It’s there – submit!’

 

Where can people find you?

My website is at www.suecopsey.com. It’s a mish-mash of information on my books and editing services, and spooky stuff for kids, like jokes, a colouring-in, and a list of the most haunted places in NZ.

 

What are you working on next?

I’m having a break from spooks; I’m a short way into a middle-grade fantasy. Against all advice (publishers don’t want books set in New Zealand, apparently – fools!), I AM making it a New Zealand book, because I want Kiwi kids, as well as the rest of the world, to know what a unique and unusual place this is. I have some vague, hopelessly optimistic idea that in making them aware of how awesome it is, and how lucky they are to live here, the next generation might be inspired to protect New Zealand to a greater degree than my own is failing to do. For an author, there is so much scope here – vast areas of mountain and forest wilderness, full of strange animals found nowhere else in the world. Weird birds, prehistoric reptiles, strange sea creatures … wait, did I say fantasy? Actually, this is our reality! I won’t say any more, I’m only a couple of chapters in but the rest of it is there in my head, waiting for me to find the words. I’m excited about it, can you tell?

 

Spooky Stories
Spooky Spine-Tinglers

About Sue:

Sue Copsey is an award-winning writer of spooky adventure stories for older children. Her 2015 title The Ghosts of Tarawera was  a Notable Book Award. As well as children’s fiction, Sue has produced many non-fiction books, including the UK Times Educational Supplement award winner Children Just Like Me, and Our Children Aotearoa, which also won a Notable Book Award. Sue has two children and lives in Auckland, where she edits AMAZING books (sorry Sue, just had to put that in!)

How to Write a Picture Book

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Picture Book
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Want To Write A Picture Book?

There’s so few words in a picture book, surely it should be easy? Well, NO. Fewer words = every word counts. You cannot pad in a picture book.

Picture Books are Important Books

Picture books introduce kids to words and rhyme and the idea of sitting still. Often they become classics, enjoyed through generations.

Picture Books are fun for adults, too. I loved reading stories to my kids; it was fascinating to see what they noticed in the pictures and to hear their commentary on the story.

My boys are teenagers now, but they still remember some of the books we’d read together, and they can still recite the rhymes!

How to Write A Picture Book

I’ve never written a picture book, so I’ve no idea where to start. But I’m writing this post because I’m off to give a series of talks shortly in Taranaki* . As part of my preparation I reached out to Chrissy Metge, picture book writer at Duckling Publishing.

Chrissy has an intriguing background in screen animation, and has worked on major projects like The Jungle Book and Fast and Furious 7. She definitely understands words and visuals. She’s written four picture books now, about Max and His Big Imagination, and they’re fun, beautifully illustrated stories.

* I’m judging the Ronald Hugh Morrison Literary Awards in 2017. Want to know more about these awards? Click here
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Chrissy Metge’s Big Imagination

Chrissy Metge and her picture books

Tell me a bit about you. What made you want to begin to write?
I did creative writing at school and loved it! Because of the movie and animation industry I work in, I am always around great ideas and creative people so have had many ideas of my own.

I always wanted to write my own kids books and when my son was born six weeks early I had time at the beginning — so I began to write them down! 🙂

Are the stories about Max’s adventure based on real-life events?
They are inspired from true events. My nephew Max inspired the first two books and my son inspired the latest one.

How does Max feel about being in a book?
He thinks its pretty cool!

What things did you have to consider when writing a picture book?
It’s a huge learning curve! When I did the first book I had FIVE print proofs done before I was happy. Looking at it on the screen is not the same when you hold the printed copy in your hands 🙂

You have to think of composition, make sure it’s not too busy. You don’t want things too close to the top or bottom of the page. Everything has to be easy to see and read.

You’ve got an amazing background in film and TV. What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on in your Day Job?
Oh that’s a hard one! I think to this day it is still Dawn of the Planet of the Apes — I had the most beautiful dedicated team. Also the Fast and Furious 7 — they were just blown away by what we achieved.

How does your Day Job help with your writing – what skills and/or qualifications have you found useful in your writing career?
I can see the images in my head and can convey to people what I see. For my day job it’s all about helping the director and artist’s vision become a reality. That’s helped so much in getting what I see to paper :).

You published your own picture books through Duckling Publishing. Why did you decide to run the process yourself?
I think the publishing industry in New Zealand is limited. They may only see a few books a year and you may not hear anything for six months. I believe in my books and I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to get them out there for the public to decide.

What’s been the highs of managing the process for yourself?
So immensely satisfying to see the books you have published in the hands of kids and in book shops and that they are loved! Plus, I have compete control of the whole process.

What have you learned?
Face-to-face is always best, I love going to markets to get feedback listening to kids and adults.

What advice would you give to other people thinking of writing a picture book?
Go for it! You never know until you try! Make sure you get an editor.

What advice would you give to people thinking of publishing their own work?
Do lots of research, sign up to Indie groups on Facebook and listen to lots of podcasts, also don’t give up!

What do you think Max will do next?
I have written books 4 and 5, I am so excited about book 4! Lots of adventure and imagination — that’s for sure!

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Want to know more about Chrissy? Check out this interview on TV’s The Cafe or read more at Duckling Publishing.

How to Improve Your Writing

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How to Improve Your Writing —

Improve your writing
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This is an amazing guest post by Susan Day (Astro’s Adventures Book Club), an Australian writer. Susan got in touch with me via Twitter, and offered to do a blog post. Well, of course, I jumped at the opportunity. I think you’ll see why..

Writing is a solitary occupation where we authors spend most of our time drawing ideas deep from a well of creativity. We do this on our own, hunched over keyboards while consuming vast amounts of coffee. Well, I do

Why writers need to have their work checked

Being a writer is hard work, and getting published is a daunting task as difficult as climbing any steep mountain.

However, it is important that all writers learn to ask for help and act upon on it at every step of the process. Our manuscripts and books are products of a great deal of energy and thought. They are our “babies”, and mean the world to us. It is natural instinct that we would want to protect them from criticism.

However, no writer produces the most perfect book from the first go. Writing is a skill that needs to be honed and shaped, regardless of how talented you are.

Who should writers ask advice from?

I believe you should ask for help from people you trust. By this, I don’t mean people who are going to protect your feelings like your parents; people who are supposed to love everything you do.

You need to ask for advice from someone who you know will tell you the truth without malice or prejudice. You need to know how to make your plot more exciting and your characters more interesting, for example. You need someone who doesn’t have a vested interest in your feelings to teach you how to become a better writer.

Having said that, if someone is rude to you about your work, ignore them. They may be acting on their own base feelings of jealousy or lack of self-confidence.

Taking criticism wisely

Only a fool believes they know everything. One of the greatest methods I have employed to develop my writing skills was to listen to others’ ideas of how I could improve my stories.

After seven years of writing I still send a manuscript to just about anyone who is willing to critique it. That way it will be seen by a wide variety of different people. These range from experts who have made a career out of proof reading and editing, to other authors, to grandparents who are in my niche market. This last group is especially important because they’ll tell me if they would be happy to share my book with their grandchildren.

Whoever is reading my manuscript gets told the same thing. I beg them to look for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, lulls in the plot or things that just don’t make sense. I’m not looking for a pat on the back. What I need to know is how to make my book great before it hits the shelf. After all, there is nothing worse than a reader emailing you a list of errors they found in your book. I would rather know what I need to do to improve it before it was published rather than afterwards.

I am also gracious, and always thank them. I appreciate anyone who has taken time out of their busy day to read my work.

In my honest opinion, those writers who ask for help and listen to criticisms, are those who are going to make their dreams of becoming a published author a reality sooner rather than later.

About the author – Susan Day

Susan Day is a children’s author and writer.

Susan Day

Her blog, Astro’s Adventures Book Club, is full of ideas and tips for grandparents who want to build a strong relationship with their grandchildren. In particular, Susan specializes in helping grandparents share their love of books with their grandchildren. Susan is currently writing a book titled, The Top 10 Things Happy Grandparents Never Regret Doing!

Susan lives in country Australia with four dogs, three boss cats, three rescue guinea pigs, and an errant kangaroo. And, apart from blogging, writing and reading; she loves drinking coffee, painting and learning to box.