My First Novel
Cheryl Ann Dawson (M) - a no-show moderator.
Mindy Klasky - The Glasswright's Apprentice, from Roc Books, a story of a girl whose family buys her way into the glasswright's guild, witnesses a murder and is accused of being a murderer. She must try to find the actual killer and clear her name.
Carol Berg - Transformation, a fantasy adventure published by Roc books. The story of a prince, heir to an empire, arrogant and a slave who has lost everything in the world to the prince, was at one time a sorcerer who protected the unknowing world from demons. He sees a demon in the court and he has to convince the prince that there is something going on. It is a character and adventure novel.
Joshua Mertz - Dark Futuristic Cyberpunk titled Echopunk, it all takes place at night with no ozone layer left. A street shark deals in illicit info, is asked to hide a 12-year-old boy and gets involved in corporate warfare and get in way over his head. He also finds out about his own past. Published by a small publishing company.
Janine Ellen Young - a Warner Aspect book, the story of a Prussian genius who designed a bridge, died, his son and his son's wife built the bridge. It's a true story that Janine took as the kernel of her story about building a star bridge - just released this week. Aliens send us the blueprints with messages encoded on viruses. The aliens live in a ring system. The virus comes to Earth and kills 4 billion people. The survivors have to decide how to build the bridge, whether they want to build the bridge, what to do when they meet the aliens, etc.
Hear panelists describe their experiences with their first novel. Instructional manual and horror story panel.
What was the hardest thing?
What was the easiest thing?
JEY: I am a very shy person. In order to sell something, you have to talk to people. I went to a writer's conference where I met my editor and my agent. I won three contests with the opening of the book, which gave me confidence. This book starts with an unlovable character. He is taken low rather than rising up in the world. The Song of the Beast. I pitched it and sold it, then talked to an agent and got her interested and sold three books.
MK: the most difficult thing was trying to get a prior book published for four years. I went back to writing and wrote Glasswright, sent it to my former agent and got a time to break up letter. I got signed up with Richard Curtis as a new agent and got the books sold within ten months.
Joshua: There are no literary agents on the west coast -- audience correction: there are two agents on the west coast (both in the audience). The book is about honor in the cyberpunk universe. It is the new dark fiction.
Janine: It is hard for me to be succinct and confident when talking to an agent or editor. I wrote five novels before the first one came out. Keep writing. The more you put out there the better. Writers are thieves and liars with big egos and low self-esteem. That's okay. There is pressure for you to put out the next book NOW and for it to be just as good as the last book NOW. I came up with proposals but people said we're not interested. It can paralyze a writer. Don't stop writing. That's what matters more than anything else.
Carol: I went to a writer's conference, not a workshop. A workshop is like a class on how to write. A conference is a convention where a bunch of writers get together to talk about writing. The conferences try to attract editor's and agents to their event and you can get a 10-minute meeting with an editor to pitch your book. They will give you feedback. I went to the Pikes Peak Writers Conference in Colorado Springs.
Online critique groups can help. You can read the crits in an email and take your time to think about them. I drove to a suburb and met with an in-person crit group for a year-and-a-half. I learned how the industry works and the group was invaluable.
Janine: I was in a writer's group. Once you have been published, you have contacts. This can come through a writer's group. You need people who are tough on you. You really do need an agent. Be friends with first novelists. It is always helpful to get their recommendation to the editor. Editors are overworked and underpaid and they do it out of love.
Carol: I wrote eight novels that are sitting at home that I have never shown to anyone. When I sold this one, they wanted a sequel within nine months, so I learned to work under a deadline. Getting words on paper is important. Keep writing and get people to read it.
M: Things move forward to quickly to go back and edit old stuff I once wrote. You get better at your craft the longer you work at it.
Joshua: I had two short stories published before I sold my novel. I wrote a lot of screen plays. It's easier to get struck by lightning than it is to sell a screen play. The prior works get you above water level.
Frank Lloyd Wright became famous when he was 80. Age is no issue. We often learn in a vacuum when we write. We have to learn how to craft our stories and then sell them.
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