As I’ve done more and more research of this insane industry that is publishing, I’ve discovered, quite by accident, that I’ve done pretty much everything people suggest. I can’t recall where I read it but there is this quote I like. The only difference between a writer and a published writer is persistence, or something close to that. This is seen nowhere more than in the arts. So many writers spend their whole lives hoping what they have to say will be worth reading by others. That, of course, requires talent, agents, publishers, an audience, etc, etc.

It could be said that I’m on the “right path” to publishing a book. That could mean nothing of course, but if you look at the writer checklist (didn’t know there was one? Muahaha welcome to the crazy) then the argument could be made that if I stick with it I’m bound to sell a book. Let’s examine then, shall we?

1. Write a book – Indeed, this is an important step toward publishing. You could add plotting, creating characters, and all that if you’d like, but this is more or less the start. You have a finished book, what to do with it? This was the first thing I got right. Woo!

2. Set aside said book – My book was terrible. I loved it, don’t get me wrong, it was a great feeling to read it. But it was terrible and I put it away in a folder (where it’s still sitting). Hurray, I completed step two.

3. Writer another book using skills learned the first time – I happened to have another story to tell. You know, it was one of those “What a GREAT idea!” moments. Well skipping all the juicy bits, I wrote another book. I was on the right track and didn’t even know it at the time.

4. Edit, edit, edit, then get someone better to edit – I have the supreme pleasure, and the slight terror, of having a wife that is far better at editing than I am. After 4 drafts there was no page of my manuscript that didn’t have marks from top to bottom. You don’t need to research publishing to guess this step is important!

5. Discriminate against agents and test the waters – Yup, you heard me. Choose your top 10 agents then send your query to 5 others. Or better yet, attend a conference and try those agents first (which is what I did). You keep your top 10 list, you’ll see why in a second.

Send out those first 5 queries, wait patiently for your rejections, and hope for some tidbits as to why. My responses were dead on (that’s why they’re agents). “The prose is good and you do a fine job setting the scene (always take the compliments where you get them!), but I felt a bit removed from your main character, Colby.” That’s a direct quote from one, the others said the same, but not as clear. One good, detailed response out of 5 is GOOD luck. Now you know what’s missing and you know what these agent’s were looking for. Fix these things, then fix up your query to show other agents that you’re strong in that area (note: that’s show NOT tell). Most agents want at least a few pages. Make them stronger.

6. Write another book and keep submitting – Here is where you wait, and show your persistence. Almost every single published author has stories of rejections. Your book very well may not find an agent. Maybe the market isn’t ready for it. Maybe it’s not very good. Maybe you just aren’t ready for it. Write because you want to tell stories and each book you write will be better than the last. Patience and Persistence.

What do you think, agree or disagree? I’ve found it to be pretty accurate in the fantasy genre.

I mentioned yesterday that I thought TNS might be postponed until tomorrow. Considering the time, it’s best to assume that it has been. I can say that it is completely finished and reviewed. It is, at least, partly recorded as well.

I think this next scene demonstrates how much I’ve grown as a writer. While it did take me too long to write it, that is something I can practice and improve with time. What is impressive to me is the level of depth that comes into the story just by introducing one new character. I knew the sort of man I wanted him to be, but you can’t create truly in depth characters on a whim, and wise characters doubly so. There has be a lot of history there, a lot of things that made this person wise.

I do not want to reveal anything of course, so perhaps I will talk more about it after this story is through. I do believe it is one of the most interesting characters I’ve written so far. That is why these podcasts are so fascinating to me. Books take a long time to write, and an even longer time to edit (in my rather minor experience). But the stories for the podcast are pretty short, and they let me explore so many worlds and characters. Being able to share them with you guys is just icing on the cake.

I can’t say this is surprising. I’ve had so much going on lately that writing just hasn’t been happening. I don’t ever take NaNo too seriously, so no big. That makes me 3 for 5 on NaNo attempts. Still, not too shabby.

I am definitely working to get a TNS for you guys this week. Though it may come on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. See slacker real life excuse above for details… I love to write, but sometimes things just get in the way.

I am working on a number of posts about writing this week. So that is something to look forward to. Each of these will reflect my experiences in the last year going from a brilliant novel idea (yes, I am biased!) to a final edited manuscript seeking representation. First up will be a post on plotting your story. That first step that will decide what you’ll work on for the next year of your life! Rather important, if you ask me.

A number of published authors I’ve talked to say it doesn’t exist. I think that answer crushes a lot of people. You think things like “that’s why he’ll be successful and I won’t” and the like. That doesn’t do anybody any good.

I mention it because of my latest podcast scene. I usually write the rough draft in a day, this one took me 4! Well, that’s not exactly true, I wrote it today. The other 3  days were spent figuring out what I wanted to say. This is the root of writers block.

You have to figure out what is holding you back, and tackle that problem. The hard part is working through it. This is why a lot of people work on other projects when they come down with writers block. I don’t like that approach much, because I never want to go back to it later.

This time, the culprit was length. I try to keep these podcasts down to so many episodes (we don’t want to go over 10 for any one story). Basically, I wanted to rush it. I took notes for days trying to figure that out.

When I get it, I use charts where you put something in the middle of a page and work your ideas outward like a web. It helps me figure out what is well thought out and working, and what isn’t. Anyone use different methods?