Writers Read for Twain

By Amy MacKinnon

I had a sleep over last night. It's true. Deb Founder and author of Catching Genius and Matters of Faith Kristy Kiernan is right here (sorry, Gail, wish you could have been here).

Why you ask, did Kristy fly to the frigid north? In just a few hours, we're heading out to the Mark Twain House to do a fundraiser, Writers Read for Twain, and guess who'll be there: Jon Clinch, Tom Perrotta, Tasha Alexander, Stewart O'Nan, Phillip Lopate, Robert Hicks, Philip Beard, David Gates, Andy Carroll, and Arthur Philips. And little, ole me.

As my husband said over the breakfast table the other day, "Imagine? You're going to Mark Twain's house -- one of the greatest American writers -- as an author, to help Mark Twain."

******

Look what I just received:

I just finished "Tethered"...Dark, disturbing and I couldn't put it down! Great writing, great story and it will be on our recommends shelf at Fig Garden Bookstore in Fresno, California.

Thank you, Fig Garden!

Double gosh.

Where the Story Comes Alive

Posted by Lynne Griffin

Last week I finished a first draft of my second novel. Two days after writing the last line, I turned to the first chapter. I had planned to give the whole draft a rest, but about month or so ago, I read that Joyce Carol Oates writes the last chapter and the first chapter of her works-in-progress simultaneously, to ensure consistency of voice. I'm no Joyce, but I thought it made sense--knowing what I now know about my story ending--to plunge right into revision.

Many months ago, when my dear friends at the Writers' Group read my opening chapter, each member questioned whether or not the first chapter really was the first chapter. Guess what? It may have been the means by which I propelled my novel forward, getting words on the blank page, but once there was a full draft, one where major story lines were revealed and character transformations set down, it was clear to me it wasn't the true beginning of the story.

In previous posts, first drafts have been referred to as the journey of discovery draft. The first draft has also been compared to sculpting, while subsequent drafts compared to painting. At this year's Muse and the Marketplace conference, Lisa and I attended a brilliant workshop on revision given by Karl Iagnemma. By giving participants three versions of one of his fantastic short stories, Karl showed us his process, one he likens to using different types of sandpaper, as a framework for revision. He suggests beginning revisions on the broadest story level, then moving on to the scene level. Finally revising paragraphs, sentences, and words.

Hallie Ephron, in her terrific book, Writing and Selling your Mystery Novel, talks about flying high, what she calls big picture revision, and flying low, the little particulars in need of refinement.

The way I see it, there are three levels of work to be done in revision:

1. Reworking--This is the work of wholesale retooling of a part of the story.
   
2. Rewriting--Perhaps a chapter is partially moving the story forward, or exposing some of what readers need at a particular point in the story, but portions or parts need to be rewritten.
3. Refining--This is the final polishing that every manuscript needs. Though it's tempting to skip this step, either because of exhaustion related to 1 & 2 or belief that you've done all you can do to tell the story, this step makes all the difference in getting an agent's or editor's attention.

So I'm off to rewrite and refine my work-in-progress. Does anyone else have a model they use for the revision process. While some find it a daunting task, I think this is where the real magic of story telling happens. This is where the story comes alive.

Making a Literary Life Friday: Conference Highlights

Do you go to a conference thirsting for new content? Or is it your style to treat yourself to deep conversations with your writer friends, while savoring the chance to meet new people who truly understand what it means to live a literary life?

All four of us are just back from the Muse and the Marketplace conference, and it delivered a banquet of literary sustenance for writers, editors and agents. It ended several days ago, and we're still full of wonderful memories, epiphanies about writing, and conversations to recount. So here are our conference highlights.

Lisa Marnell
I could listen to Lois Lowry speak for hours and hours and hours. A true highlight for me this weekend was meeting a legend. She has written 35 books and, as amazing as this is, they vary enormously in style, content, and the age group for which they were written. I just finished reading Gathering Blue, sequel to The Giver - OMG!

Karl Iagnemma and Scott Heim were inspirations to me this weekend. To blog readers, it must come as no surprise that Michael Lowenthal gave me food for thought - Avoidance sits in its place beside my laptop this very moment. Michael's insights regarding the differences between commercial and literary fiction led me to ponder my reasons for writing: it's love of the craft and the journey, to be honest.

And bonding with Amy, Hannah, and Lynne, now THAT was a treat, too!

Amy MacKinnon
First and foremost, thanks to Chris Castellani, Whitney Scharer, and Sonya Larson for what may have been the best Muse ever! I left there crushing on too many people. For those of you about to query agents, may I recommend Dorian Karchmar, Collen Mohyde, Julie Barer, and Mitchell Waters? They are the ones I met and whose workshops I peeked in on. Smart, gracious, and very kind. Of course spending time with my lovely editor Sally Kim was a highlight. Did I mention how exciting it was to talk to Asya Muchnick about David Sedaris's upcoming book? Truly surreal.

The literati abounded! Julia Glass (a goddess to me; I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE will be out in October); Jonathan Franzen (you all read what he said at Harvard, didn't you?); Jenna Blum (beautiful, brilliant, and hilarious; she loves doing book clubs, if you're interested); Margot Livesey (it's Lynne's story, but I was there!); I hand sold Michael Lowenthal's CHARITY to several publishing types because he is one of the most brilliant writers of our time (please tell me you've read CG; no excuses, it's out in paperback), and I had the chance to spend time with another of my favorite, truly brilliant writers, Scott Heim, he of WE DISAPPEAR fame. We're all sort of crushing on him.

Of course I loved spending whole blocks of time with Hannah, Lisa, and Lynne. Can we do this again soon?

And while this has nothing to do with the Muse, I have to congratulate my dear friend, Hank Phillippi Ryan on receiving the prestigious Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Didn't I tell you her PRIME TIME series was delicious?

Oh, and my web site went live today. Check it out.

Hannah Roveto
As you can tell, it was quite the amazing weekend. First, it was so good to have all four of us in the same rooms at the same time! It was also a huge treat to spend time chatting with our long-time faves like Michael Lowenthal and Scott Heim, as well as newer faves like Jenna Blum and Paul Yoon. And a shout out to Trish Ryan!

Mameve Medwed was gracious and fascinating; she agreed to be interviewed for the blog, so look for that in about two weeks. Her writing "group" partner Elinor Lipman has also agreed, so once the whirlwind that is her new movie, Then She Found Me, slows to a Nor'easter, that will come your way as well. We met fabulous Anita Shreve, as well, and perhaps yet another interview will be forthcoming from that? Fingers crossed.

I was impressed when the agent who'd read my MS two years ago at the Manuscript Mart said I looked familiar. It's the little things, isn't it? Hearing I will be done this summer, and that not only is it complete, but stronger and better, she said to send it her way. Yay! The agents and editors were every bit as giving as the authors; one example was the Agent Idol sessions the geniuses at Grub set up: three agents on stage, one reader presents submitted pages of up to 250 words. Each agent would raise a hand if/when he or she would put the MS down. If two raised their hands, the reading stopped, and in each case, the agents explained why they would or wouldn't be interested in more. Kudos to the brave writers, for whom anonymity was beside the point. Your words out loud in front of agents in public? Formidable.

One other session attended not mentioned elsewhere: D.Y. Bechard's Vicious Intimacies, Mourning the of Monsters, was an unbelievable review and set of exercises in making antagonists -- and protagonists -- rich and round and intriguing. Check out his book Vandal Love for these insights in action.

And last, it was great fun just plain meeting other writers, no matter what stages their work has reached. To write is to live in your head, and to have the chance to hang with a couple hundred people who know what that means is invaluable. Thank you, Grub Street, for a great weekend!

Lynne Griffin
One of my highlights was spending some social time with my fantastic editor from St. Martin's, Hilary Teeman. It was a real treat to get to know her better.

I will always treasure my Margot Livesey moment. At a cocktail party, I introduced myself and thanked her for her wonderful blurb for LIFE WITHOUT SUMMER. She put one hand out to Amy, and her other to Hilary and said, "You two should really read this novel, it's wonderful." When we smiled and told her Amy was in my writers' group and Hilary was my editor she said, "Well then you know how great it is, don't you?"

I was really pleased with the job my panel did on sharing tips for promotion and publicity with our audience. I'm grateful to Janet Reid, Alison Bass, Jocelyn Kelley and Jenna Blum. Thanks for making a moderator's job so easy.

I took three fabulous workshops. I learned everything Lisa Scottoline knows. Learned to build characters with Julia Glass. And have now adopted a wonderful revision process outlined by Karl Iagnemma.


You'll be hearing so much more from all of us as the weeks progress. There is simply too much to share in one post. But I know I speak for all of us when I say one very special highlight was spending time with Scott Heim.


And if you haven't bought his book, We Disappear, yet, get thee to a bookstore. Haunting and lyrical, it is a beautiful novel.

Congratulations, Scott!

The Other Side of the Table

By Amy MacKinnon

I've been attending Grub Street's Muse and the Marketplace writers' conference since they began seven years ago. Seven years ago, I had only just started writing fiction while reporting and writing the occasional op-ed. It was after Jonathan Franzen said on Fresh Air that the days spent writing The Corrections were among the most fun of his life. I remember that first conference clearly, the workshops, the other writers desperate to learn the secret to getting published, and a memory I've kept close all of these years, a class taught by the author of Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden. In that workshop, he told us of his struggles to write that novel, that the most important part of this writing life is to never give up. I believed him and soldiered on.

Through the years, I've sat in the audience while on the other side of the table were the likes of author Margot Livesey, Little, Brown editor Asya Muchnick, and the great literati Julia Glass, Grace Paley, Charles Baxter. It was only a table. A six-foot by three aluminum job, made pretty by a starched tablecloth and dotted with crystal water goblets. To me, sitting on the other side, it might as well have been an ocean.

Last year, I decided I'd attended my last conference. I'd worked with my agent for over four months on my manuscript and revisions were at a standstill. My book would never be published after all. I found myself weeping through Mr. Baxter's speech appropriately titled, Losers. Was it a sign?

But it did get published and I did go this year. How could I not? Jonathan Franzen was giving the keynote, Julia Glass was teaching a workshop, the inestimable Lisa Scottoline too (she is fantastic!). Invited guests this year included the lovely Sally Kim, Asya Muchnick again, and Dorian Karchmar (we all loved her). But there was someone else sitting on the other side of the table alongside the others. Me.

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We'll give you all the good stuff that happened at the Muse in Friday's Making a Literary Life post. Promise. For now, let me say that when I arrived home from the Muse, there was a package waiting from my Orion editor, Sara O'Keeffe. It was my UK edition of TETHERED, copies of which she's handing out to every employee at the publishing house! This is what they'll see in England and my husband's home country of Australia. Unbelievable.

Reflections on the Muse

This is what Lisa posted last year after attending Grub Street's Muse & the Marketplace. Today, she's recovering from jet lag and will try to post her thoughts from this year's conference. One thing is for certain, everyone was thrilled to see her.

Posted by Lisa Marnell

Being Alone. That’s one of the things that draws me to writing. Some of the time, anyways. This past weekend, we in our writers' group enjoyed spending time at Grub Street's Muse & the Marketplace Conference. The comraderie, the sense of togetherness. The tangible evidence that this pursuit is not truly an alone journey. That was nice.

Meeting, seeing, chatting with the talented writers who spoke at the Muse. It’s inspiring. It’s humbling. It makes it seem possible. That could be me. That could be you. But when we leave, as we drive home alone or with a friend. We go back to our quiet, or not so quiet worlds. To the spaces where we work, where we plot, where we gather our thoughts and expend our energies.

Being alone is easier when you carry with you an understanding of Gregory Maguire’s approach to plotting which is so like your own. Or when you hear Michael Lowenthal’s deep voice resonate in your memory, sharing his insights, his inspirations. Being alone is easier when you aren’t alone.

When you have met great writers, who have shared their journeys, you’re no longer alone. They are with you, completely, on some level as you work. So there you are, working at home, where you can write in your jammies, or bicycle shorts even. And you can’t do that at a writer’s conference. Or can you?

Be Bold

Amy is out today, but here's a recap of a post from last February.

By Amy MacKinnon

It was late October and I was nearing the end of my novel. Before I typed the first word of the story, I knew the ending, but as it evolved, I wanted the final pages to be somehow more. The problem was the scene I envisioned writing wasn’t something I thought the publishing world would find acceptable, certainly not for literary fiction. I should play it safe, I thought, go with understated, yet, touching.

About that time, Lynne and I attended a benefit for PEN New England, A Reading of Best American Short Stories. Though I wasn’t the Cinderella in this story, I still felt as though we were at the same ball. First there was the reception with publishing royalty. Giddy, Lynne and I chatted with some of our favorite authors: Tom Perrotta asked if we’d yet seen his film, Little Children; Ann Patchett regaled us with stories about her mother, Jeanne Ray; Michael Lowenthal told us a charming anecdote about Grace Paley; Scott Heim shared his angst about his third book; Mameve Medwed asked our opinion about the title of her latest book; Atul Gawande thanked me for gushing; and Paul Yoon accepted our compliments with grace and humbleness. I would have been content with that; I could have floated home. But there was more.

Soon we were ushered into the theater where Ann Patchett greeted the audience from the stage. Three stories were to be featured and as the editor of Best American Short Stories 2006, she chose to read Self-Reliance by Edith Pearlman. To be honest, I hadn’t yet gone through the collection and didn’t know what to expect.What followed was perhaps the most important lesson I’ve yet learned in my writing journey: Be bold. Her story is the most breathtakingly beautiful short story I’ve ever read. Yes, better than Alice Munro’s best. Edith Pearlman is bold. She is bold and elegant and brilliant and stunning, quiet and touching, but most of all bold.

A week later, I wrote the ending I wanted. After my writers’ group critiqued it, I then wrote Edith Pearlman to tell her how much her writing means to me. Let me share with you a portion of her reply:

“I'm delighted you enjoyed the story; and further delighted that it inspired you to be unafraid with your own work. In fact, boldness is something we can all use. That and endurance. You can't imagine how many times I revised that story. You make me feel that it was all worth doing.”

So writer friends, heed Edith Pearlman’s advice. Be bold. Endure. Will you?

Inside Outside

Posted by Lynne

When my daughter began college twelve weeks ago, she began meeting new people, making new friends. Friends I would learn about, but not meet for weeks.

She's exactly like me, Mom, we love the same music and we like all the same foods. Except she's taller and has long hair. And he is the funniest person; his sense of humor is dry and talks with an accent.

In order to picture in my mind's eye her new friends, I listened for details. I fit their names to their unique characteristics. When I finally met them, putting names with faces, they didn't look exactly as I'd imagined them, but that was okay. Think read the book, see the movie. Actors cast never look like the characters imagined. More often than not, you get used to them in the role eventually.

Character traits and details. Do you paint them from the outside in or the inside out? In a workshop all four members of the writers' group went to, given by the esteemed Margot Livesey, we learned that creating memorable characters involves helping a character stand out yet it doesn't matter where you start as long as you do both.

Sitting at the metal table with his hands folded was an officer with one of those spiky GQ haircuts and one day’s growth of beard; he looked almost excited to be there. Before we took our seats, he blurted out that he was the detective taking over the investigation.

He cut right to the chase without all the usual Wenonah Falls Police formality we’d come to know and hate.

“I don't mean to be rude. Or maybe I do," I said. "But Jack, you don’t look old enough to tie your shoes, never mind lead an investigation.”

The character described above was drawn with only a few physical descriptors and through his behavior. Outside in. I painted him young because I wanted him to care so deeply about solving a crime because he needed to prove himself. Inside out.

Characters in a novel should not be a jumble of different facial features, eye colors or statures. Traits, quirky and distinct, along with inner motivations set characters apart, making them your own. Making them stand out.

Here are a few of Ms. Livesey's other tips for creating memorable characters that have helped me enormously with character development.

• Good characters must have some failure or vice--bad characters some strength or virtue
• Every character should have something he or she shares with you--every character something he or she doesn't
• Give every character some attitude

What are your tips for creating memorable characters? Or who are your favorite characters from other novels that you look to for inspiration?

Making a Literary Life Friday: Fall Ball

We here at the Writers' Group are going at full throttle. Some of us are on book tour, some of us are doing final edits on novels, others are working on fourth drafts, and all of us are at different stages on new novels. Throw in a few author events, one or two parties, families, jobs, pets, volunteering, and -- phew! -- we're exhausted. Not that we're complaining, no, who could when given the opportunity to pursue a passion. Still, if anyone is offering us a writers' retreat with quiet rooms, free of phones and Internet service, we're there. Now that would be a ball!

Others having a ball this fall and to whom we extend huge congratulations are Kristy Kiernan and John Elder Robison. Kristy's much beloved novel, Catching Genius, was nominated for the Florida Book Award and John's memoir, Look Me In the Eye, was an Amazon Top Ten Book of the Year.

Lisa
Okay, my life is too intense, but in such a good way. I go from work I never imagined could be so wonderful, to a novel that's taken on a life of its own! My family is closer than ever; wild fires and moving three thousand miles from all of your friends can do that to a person.

Note: I will say YES! to an offer of a Vermont retreat in an old farmhouse on five plus acres with horses. I'm fussy, I know, but wouldn't that be nice?

Amy
Bone tired, I'd say, but in the best possible way. Last Friday night was an experiences those of us pursuing the literary life can appreciate. Lynne and I attended Grub Street's annual fundraiser, Taste of Grub, and we spent the night chatting away with the famous Anita Diamant (yes, the author of The Red Tent is actually flesh and blood), Andre Dubus III (Oprah loved House of Sand and Fog, as did the rest of America), Bret Anthony Johnston (as charming in person as he is on the page), and Pagan Kennedy (how does one remain so humble when one is the darling of the New York Times Review of Books?). Good news, I won Ms. Diamant's auction item, a tenth anniversary signed edition of The Red Tent.

In other news, the truly impressive foreign rights team at Crown sold the French rights to my novel, Tethered. I'm going to New York next week to meet with my agent and publishing team; how best way to express to each of them my gratitude?

Hannah
This fall is lovely, and now the snap of cold -- at last -- and my PR work project of wrapping 25 gifts in gold and silver tissue and ribbons for editors and producers has me in a holiday mood. We have a firm No Holiday Videos or Music Until Thanksgiving rule in our home, which I am the first to enforce and the first to wish I didn't. Enjoying the anticipation can be half the fun, and to that end I am riding a wave of excitement and promise as well with the Group's work and in my own writing being read and being created. Although when that wave crashes at last, at some point, I would also like to be in that house in Vermont!

Lynne
My book tour continues with events mostly in New England up through the holidays. I can't say enough about the generosity of the staff at Inkwell Bookstore in Falmouth MA and the supportive staff and parents of the Apple Orchard Preschool in Brookline MA. It is humbling to meet so many parents with intentions of raising compassionate cooperative children. And so many willing to help me spread my proactive parenting message.

The Taste of Grub night was lovely. Toasting to other writers' success and chatting about writing--is there anything better? I head off to New York next week to meet my editor at St Martin's and have several events later in the week south of Boston. Life is busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Making A Literary Life Friday: Waxing Philosophic

This week merged the practical and the philosophical, preparing for summer's distractions and rationalizing them away in favor of writing. There are many wonderful reasons to stay focused as Mother Nature (sister of the Muse?) turns up the heat.

Grub Street is posting photos from the Muse and the Marketplace conference soon, and announcing new seasonal offerings. Parties are scheduled to support debuts (Hank Phillippi Ryan, writers from the Debs, Patry Francis, and the list goes on -- anything from those of you beyond our New England borders?).

Amy and Lynne had the pleasure of hearing Hank Phillippi Ryan speak about her experiences with editing her soon-to-be released novel, Prime Time. She nipped, tucked, tweaked and polished--and she showed other writers how to do the same.

For those who wonder if all these new reads and events are distractions, we say a good book and banter serve to inspire!

Lisa
The nourishment for my creative side is my job. Spend a day with me and I'm sure you'd agree that employment in an elementary school is the most valuable class in character; teachers and parents are never dull. But it's the day to day emotion of dealing with people's lives, frustrations, longings, worries that builds my pent up craving to write: watching a parent come to terms with a child's diagnosis of autism, hearing that a wonderful third grade teacher lost her battle with cancer two days ago. What came first? The writing or the need to write?

Amy
Speaking of Camus, do you writers out there ever wonder if the world you've created on the page is somehow more real than one you inhabit? If your characters live more fully than you? For me, I think it's safe to say even the corpses in my novel don't have quite the stunted social life I've had lately. Cooped in my office, intent on revisions, I'm losing track of the world around me, too focused on the one within. I think it's time for a little fresh air.

Hannah
Revisions proceed at their own pace, plus I got Margot Livesey's The Missing World out of the library. My daughter has a new homework sheet to mark off two assignments each week for math and literacy. One is simply to "take a book out of the library." Her eyes lit up as she decided she had taken out enough books the last visit to check off her homework for the rest of the year.

Lynne
I spent hours and days revising my novel. I took a well-deserved day off to shop for my daughter's graduation gift. The bag contained a few good summer reads for her and I to share. On my list--The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien and The Keep by Jennifer Egan.

Literary Events:
Tuesday, June 5 Buttonwood Books Coffee with the Authors featuring Claire Cook, David Gessner, and Hank Phillippi Ryan. Contact Buttonwood for tickets and reservations.

If Boston traffic makes you dizzy, come to Buttonwood Books on Thursday, June 7 at 7:00 pm to hear Books and Bloggers at Buttonwood Books featuring Patry Francis, Tish Cohen, and Jennifer McMahon.

If traffic isn't an issue, then mark your calendars because the Debs are coming to Boston! Friday, June 8th at Grub Street world headquarters we'll toast Jennifer McMahon, Tish Cohen, and Patry Francis while they read from their debut novels. This event will also feature a fun contest: each author will pick one name from a hat, and the winner will receive a free consultation with the author on their query letter and first manuscript page. RSVP: 617.695.0075 or sonya@grubstreet.org.

Making a Literary Life Friday: Perspective

Perspective isn't simply a matter of point-of-view, first or third, a way to tell a story within our writing, we must also carefully consider whose perspective matters when it's time to share pages. Whose opinion matters most: your writers' group, agent's, editor's, or do you listen to that voice that's been whispering to you all along? We'd like to hear.

Lisa
To me, what's most important is that voice inside me. Funny how outsiders are sometimes the ones to remind us to listen to that voice. This past weekend, I had the honor of interviewing Gregory Maguire, a truly brilliant but gentle and genuinely kind person. His body of work speaks for itself: Wicked, Son of a Witch, Lost, Mirror Mirror, True Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. Fantastic children's books. The list goes on.
That writer's voice inside me was singing after I spoke with Gregory. It chimed out and for once I was listening. "Let go and write! Write Sad. Write Happy. Write Magic. Write Odd.
Write!"
The article will be published in the summer quarterly issue of The Grub Street Rag.

Amy
The most important lesson I've learned over these past months is to trust that inner voice. The part of the writing process I expected to be the most difficult has indeed turned out to be the most frustrating: revising. This week, however, a break through, thanks in large part to Scott Heim. His advice was - and I'm paraphrasing -- to revise around the original idea, not away from it. It may sound convulted, he probably said it better, but it makes perfect sense to me. Also, HH LeCraw had invaluable advice about POV: make sure your reader isn't skimming through one character's chapters to get to another's. Obvious, perhaps, but how many writers have fallen victim to choosing favorites? Thanks to both of them, and most of all my amazing Writers' Group who always have the answers, I'm no longer lost.

Hannah
The inner voice is most important. Other voices can be helpful; I find considered assessment useful because my inner voice also tends to have sudden, wonderful ideas that lead me astray. Jennifer Haigh prefers to work in solitude, she says, without a writers group's offerings. There are as many approaches as there are writers. Still, even when you produce a draft worth handing off to trusted readers or an agent, the question is whether you did stay true to that original vision. Is whatever prompted you to spend hours at the keyboard or with pen woven into the final pages? Only the inner voice can make that decision.

Lynne
I traveled to NY this week to meet with my publicity team at Penguin. Like a job interview, I had the task of shining a light on why my book would stand out among others on the bookstore shelves and why I’m the person to represent my ideas. Enthusiasm filled the room, and since Tuesday my head and heart. Looking back on this whole process, I’m so grateful that I believed in my book through the search for my brilliant agent and through the angst filled days I waited for word of the sale. It all came together on a sunny day in the city, where I sat around a conference table in a room that has heard the fate of many books, and I heard bright eager professionals discuss endless possibilities for mine. My perspective: that moment was worth waiting for.

Debuts: If you didn't pre-order, run to your nearest independent bookstore and get your copy of Tish Cohen's just released novel, "Town House." Don't wait for the movie. Did we mention rights were bought by Fox 2000 and Pulitzer-Tony-Golden Globe Award winner Doug Wright (Quills, Memoirs of a Geisha) wrote the screen play? Congratulations, Tish!

Upcoming Literary Events: Tickets are on sale now for Post Road Magazine's fundraiser. Join us on Thursday, May 17 at the Radcliffe Gymnasium in Cambridge as bestselling author Dennis Lehane reads from his latest book of short stories "Coronado." Hit the link for more information.

On Wednesday, May 23 Buttonwood Books in Cohasett is hosting New York Times bestselling author William Martin as he reads from his latest thriller, "The Lost Constitution" at the Hingham Public Library. Look for this, and the rest of the Buttonwood series, at their web site.

One Step Up

Posted by Lynne

The conference was wonderful for so many reasons. Like Hannah, I reveled in each sophisticated word uttered by Margot Livesey. I will treasure her response to a question I mustered the courage to ask.

I feel so lucky I had the chance to attend Michael Lowenthal's class called Astonish Me. In less than two hours, he showed the audience how writers in charge of their work can do daring things with characterization, point-of-view, setting, dialogue and even punctuation to astonish readers.

Like Amy, I unknowingly plunked myself down at the same brunch table as our illustrious keynote speaker, Charles Baxter. It wasn't until he leaned over to pour me a cup of coffee that I realized. As if he were a movie star, I said, "Thank you, but since you are the guest of honor, perhaps I should be pouring you a cup." To which he replied, "See if you feel the same way after my talk."

Days later, words absorbed over the weekend still come into sharp focus as I drive, or prepare a workshop, or make a lunch for my children. If pressed to answer the question, "What did you learn that will have the greatest impact on your writing career," it is simply this. I want and need to be surrounded by lovers of language.

If you follow this blog, you can understand why spending two consecutive days with Amy, Lisa and Hannah would be a delight under any circumstances. And I had the pleasure of spending time with my niece, Stephanie, a journalist and emerging fiction writer, too. Everywhere I turned, I saw writers whose work I treasure. Sue Miller. Suzanne Berne. Or agents or editors who represent writers I admire and read faithfully.

At the Saturday afternoon cocktail party, I realized that this room of people--novice to expert--knows what it's like to love writing above almost all other things. On a morning set aside for writing, they too, feel the cautious optimism that goes with hoping this will be a day to produce wonderful sentences, paragraphs, pages.

In his keynote, Charles Baxter told his spellbound audience that each of us is on a step. Even if we are standing on the first step, we have done something glorious. I'm a writer. I love being surrounded by writers. And after this year's Muse and the Marketplace conference, I am content to stand on my step, until it's time to lift a foot to take my place on the next one. It feels glorious.

Lost

I admit to feeling a bit lost this past weekend.

On Saturday at the Muse, several friends told me of their experiences with the Manuscript Mart. Weeks in advance they’d sent in 20 pages of their manuscripts to either an agent or editor from some of the most exclusive agencies and publishing houses – 20 pages to be vetted by the best in the business. The reports back from my friends were glowing: each had a request (though not everyone does), one of whom I overheard being talked about later by editors paired off in a corner. Oh, the buzz.

Later that morning, I ran into a woman, Liz Kahrs, who’s regularly attended our Grub Street South workshops. She’s the kind of woman who makes an impression – the good kind – laid-back with an easy-going charm. She had news. An excerpt of her novel was picked up by Huffington Post. Naturally I read it once I arrived home. It’s good, something to be proud of, with clever phrasing that immediately calls to mind crisp imagery. Quite a coup.

Oh, and you should have seen Lynne shine on the marketing panel! Sitting alongside author Hank Phillippi Ryan, as well as the director of publicity at Da Capo Press and PR goddess Lissa Warren, assistant director of publicity at Houghton Mifflin Taryn Roeder, and president of Newman Communications David Ratner, Lynne offered the perspective of an author’s responsibility to both her in-house publicist and to her book. It was a side of her, the masterful public persona, I’d not yet seen. Gracious and utterly impressive.

Sunday was much of the same. Scott Heim told me he’d made it over the hump with his revisions – I’d been worried since we last spoke in October. He appeared despondent then, as if he couldn’t live up to the expectations that follow an astonishing debut. But this past weekend, his face was clear, nearly serene, he was pleased with the work he’d done. “We Disappear” is due out in February. Another success, no doubt.

Along the way, everyone asked the same dreaded question of me, “How’s the book coming?” To be sure, they were simply being polite, but I had no answers for them. Worse, none for myself.

When we sat down to brunch on Sunday, despondency swelled within me. How could it not? Over there was Michael Lowenthal, right there Pauline Chen, Michael Mezzo straight ahead, and oh dear God, I’d sat at the wrong table, because across from me was the conference keynote speaker, Charles Baxter. I was indeed lost.

After a second cup of coffee, Charles Baxter took to the podium and gripping either side, announced the title of his speech, "Losers." When he began to speak, sharing his own sense of inadequacy and alienation, I realized it’s impossible to be lost when so many others are on the same journey, stumbling over the same obstacles of doubt and desire. Here was the master, and now he was reducing himself to comparisons of the likes of me.

When he finished, I waited until the others had their say and then approached. The only words that could find their way past the catch in my throat were thank you, as if I were a child who’d been separated from the hand that guided me through the crowd of unknowns and he the kind man who steered me back.

So today, and hopefully for a while yet, I’m found again.

Crushing

By Amy

My husband thinks I have a crush on Atul Gawande.

True, Dr. Gawande is breathlessly handsome. He’s a surgeon too, and my husband knows how I’ve always dreamed of being a trauma surgeon. A MacArthur Fellow, an assistant professor at Harvard University, husband to a beautiful woman. He is all of these things and more; Atul Gawande is one of the most perfect writers I’ve ever encountered.

I met him last October at PEN New England’s reception for Best American Short Stories 2006. Lynne and I went together, stood alone at first like groupies at a rock concert, pointing out the literati: Tom Perrotta, Ann Patchett, Michael Lowenthal, Scott Heim, Paul Yoon, Edith Pearlman, Mameve Medwed, and there, over by the bar, Atul Gawande. How my hands shook. I’d devoured his first book “Complications” three times over, his essays in the New Yorker and the New England Journal of Medicine, his first attempts at writing in Salon. I’d even sent him a charming note after reading his book and he wrote back, telling me about his work-in-progress, as if a surgeon, New Yorker staff writer, father of three didn’t have enough to do. Now he was standing across the room, a (cashmere?) scarf thrown carelessly around his shoulders. I spoke easily with the rest of the writers, but waited until Dr. Gawande was leaving before I had the nerve to gush to him.

Today I bought his second book, “Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance.” I didn’t expect to like it as much as “Complications,” but by page 3, I was in tears.

That’s how it is sometimes, isn’t it? There are writers who possess a certain voice on the page that entices and seduces, leaves us feeling as though we’ve shared an intimate moment. With Atul Gawande, his writing appears so effortless, casual and off-hand, yet he leaves his readers feeling as though he’s reached inside our bodies and wrung us through. I feel the same way when I read Gail Konop Baker’s columns on Literary Mama. There’s a frenetic energy there that bursts forth. My God, I actually burned my children’s dinner the other night rather than stop reading. She had me! Ever hear one of Maureen Corrigan’s book reviews on Fresh Air? Not only is it her actual voice that ensnares her listeners, it’s her writing. So few reviewers are as adept with the written word as she; whenever I hear her introduction, all activity around me must stop: the dishwasher, the clacking of the keyboard, even the children are silenced. She’s that good.

So how to be that good. Attention to craft, of course, careful reading across all genres, but mostly with care, I think. Each of these writers cares deeply, intently about their subject. Each word is carefully chosen, each sentence constructed, each and every paragraph ever so carefully designed with breaks in mind. I want to be that kind of writer.

No, it’s not that I’ve a crush on Atul Gawande, though it’s easy to understand my husband’s concern. It’s more that I want to be Atul Gawande.

Making a Literary Life Friday: Networking

Amy and Lynne had a great time at the Grub Street South program hosted by Buttonwood Books on Acquiring a Literary Agent. For more details on the talk, given by literary agent and Grub Street Writers founder, Eve Bridburg, see yesterdays post.

We can't say it too many times: network, and put positive energy into your writer, agent, editor relationships. Remember, you're nurturing a writing career.

Lisa
I'm putting the writing bar higher these days. I've been working on my novel. Working at work. Living the rest of my life. I can't wait for the Muse & the Marketplace Conference in early May in Boston!

Amy
I bought Jon Clinch's highly acclaimed debut novel Finn. His book, his entire concept, is a perfect example of what it is to be bold. In terms of networking, I urge each of you in and around New England to attend PEN New England's PEN Hemingway/Winship Awards this Sunday, April 1 at the JFK Museum in Boston. You'll come away both inspired by the speakers and agog over the writers you'll meet. If you haven't joined PEN yet, there are five across the country, please do so. You won't regret it.

Hannah
In anticipation of edits on Draft One (ten) from the group, I am preparing to sit at the computer for another few weeks, and as a "break," to finalize a query letter. How do I write thee, let me count the ways... Many thanks to everyone (a la Miss Snark, Jenny Bent, Kristin Nelson) who shares strong queries with the public!

Lynne
I met a freelance writer who is looking for an agent for her book; and I could learn more from her about querying major magazine markets. She and I have set up a meeting to share information. I continued to work on revisions to my novel. My business partner, aka my husband, and I worked on a detailed publicity plan for Negotiation Generation. I was in touch with Penguin's publicity department and found out all the ways they will work with me in my efforts. Chris Castellani, Artistic Director of Grub Street asked me to sit on a panel on promotion and publicity at this year's Muse Conference.

What One Agent Wants You To Know

Posted by Lynne

Buttonwood Bookstore hosted a Grub Street South evening talk for writers on acquiring a literary agent. This informative program was facilitated by Eve Bridburg, founder of Grub Street Writers and literary agent at Zachary, Schuster, Harmsworth in Boston.

Eve structured her remarks around the reality of work at a literary agency and in the world of publishing. There was something for everyone in her suggestions for approaching an agent and then developing a good working relationship with one.

She was generous with her advice on what writers need to do to secure the attention of a reputable agent, given the reality of the current volume of submissions. Whether you already have an agent or dream of landing one, Eve recommends that you always submit your best work. She strongly urges writers to network with other writers, agents and editors at writers' events like the upcoming Muse and the Marketplace Conference in Boston. There, Eve says, you can meet and connect with other writers with whom you may form a writers' group or lean on as trusted readers.

When it comes to querying agents, Eve reinforced what anyone who's done their homework already knows--do your research, follow submission guidelines, and write well. Again, only submit your best writing. Query letter and sample pages must sing; they have to stand out among the hundreds of submissions an agent receives each week.

The insights Eve shared into a day in the life of an agent was compelling. Acquiring work, offering editorial feedback, proposal development, negotiating contracts--in short shepherding a project from inception to completion--is hard work. But wonderful and rewarding work, too.

I enjoyed the part of the program where Eve defined some of the new industry buzz words. She feels strongly that while it's a tough time for "quiet books" and literary fiction, she believes this will turn around. It's a good time to be a debut novelist, according to Eve. Publishers are all looking for the next brilliant voice in fiction. When asked to define the terms upmarket books and high concept projects, Eve said, agents know it when they see it. Upmarket manuscripts bridge commercial and literary fiction, while high concept novels have a more than compelling hook.

In the end, Eve says the writer's goal is to charm and seduce the agent into reading the work. Falling in love with the writing is required, since an agent will read and reread a manuscript to provide direction numerous times.

Feel free to post a question in the comments section of the blog. Perhaps Eve answered it during last night's program and I can pass along her insights. Already have an agent? What advice would you give someone looking to charm and seduce an agent into reading their work?

Making a Literary Life Friday: Community

Tuesday night, Amy (l) and Lynne (r) attended Patry Francis' workshop at Grub Street South at Buttonwood Books. As expected, the crowd loved her and lined up to buy her amazing book, The Liar's Diary. Thank you, Patry!

Lisa
Yay for trying to hone our craft. Although family obligations prevented me from attending Patry Francis's presentation at Buttonwood Books, I know Amy and Lynne found it valuable! I read a piece on Patry's literary journey and found it (and her) to be inspirational.

Amy
Good news for readers: Kristy Kiernan's debut, Catching Genius, will be released next week, March 6. Buy this book, you won't be disappointed. Also, I wrote charming notes to several writers and received charming notes in return. This is something Carolyn See recommends we writers do -- not with expectations of any sort -- simply to send good thoughts out into the world. So, in honor of Carolyn See, the patron goddess of writers, how about you head on over to her website and write her a charming note.

Hannah
I am brushing up my query and rereading Best American Short Stories 2006 edited by Ann Patchett; thanks to Amy for reminding us how fabulous it is! She cited Edith Pearlman's story; you can't miss Paul Yoon's lead-off piece, either. Or any of the others. Maybe next go-round I'll try the short story form, not because I will be faster at that, but because it is so gorgeous and challenging. I also have promised myself Best American Nonrequired Reading 2006, edited by Dave Eggers with the introduction by Matt Groening. How fun does that sound?

Lynne

I want to begin by saying thanks to Carolyn See. Our Making a Literary Life Friday posts inspire me to take little steps each week that are impacting my writing in wonderful ways. I'm so glad she's pleased we modeled our posts after her not-to-be-missed book. I sent out two charming notes this week and received a charming response. I keep each correspondance I write and receive in a separate email folder. On days when doubt runs high, I read the kind and encouraging words of writers who know how it feels to navigate this writing life. And I went to two programs. Patry's was a lot of fun. Hallie Ephron's workshop on character development was excellent. I've been tweaking character traits all week.

Literary Events:

Carolyn See, whose fabulous book is the inspiration for Friday's MLLF posts, is doing a reading at the Auditorium Library of Bucks County Community College on Friday, March 9, at 8 p.m. in Newton, PA. If anyone is down that way, make a point to see her and introduce yourselves!

Making a Literary Life: Seizing the Day

For anyone in the Boston area, the Writers Group has signed up en masse to attend Grub Street's Grub Gone Silly event on March 16. We will hear from Jonathan Ames, Kris Frieswick, and the ever-wise Leslie Talbot. Exactly what we need to look forward to after the drop in temperature, winds, snow, ice, slush... a bright spot on our calendars.

Lisa
Sigh. And sigh again. I'm back from the SCBWI conference, but a part of me is still there, basking in its inspirational moments.
Although unrelated, enjoy reading Grace Talusan's piece, My Father's Noose, in Brevity today. It's images are haunting and real. Starting a writing session by reading work of this quality is one way to improve your own writing.

Amy
I've started writing my next book. You understand, don't you? That sense of release when the characters come, when they confide their greatest fears, and then you confront your own: the blank page. Finally, the words are with me. Also, I'm working with several authors to arrange readings in the Boston area. I'll let all of you know when the dates are firm. As Therese Fowler blogged this week, it's important to support your fellow writers, and vital for you to get out there and network with them.

Hannah
I am very much looking forward to the lunchtime revision session with Hallie Ephron through Grub Street coming up on March 6. It will be nice to get into the big city and do some critical thinking.

Lynne
I outlined the additions and changes I will make as I tackle the second draft of my novel. With next week being a light work week, I am eager to get started. One character, in particular, is ready to tell her story in more detail. I read a gem of a book called, Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction, by Patricia Highsmith. Patricia's novel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and her short story, The Terapin, are not to be missed either. In keeping with our blog posts about reaching out to authors we admire, I wrote letters to two writers I've read recently. I simply wanted to offer my thanks to them for sharing their writing with the world. Can you imagine how nice it must feel to get a thank you note from a reader? If you live in Boston, you'll want to take advantage of all the great opportunities to connect and learn from other writers. Amy and Hannah mentioned Grub Gone Silly, and Hallie Ephron's revision workshop. Here are two more Boston opportunities:

Hallie Ephron, will speak about character development on February 24, at 3 pm at the Milton Public Library. And PEN-New England presents an Evening with Dave Eggars, author of The Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius on February 26, at 6:30pm in Cambridge.

Be Bold

By Amy

It was late October and I was nearing the end of my novel. Before I typed the first word of the story, I knew the ending, but as it evolved, I wanted the final pages to be somehow more. The problem was the scene I envisioned writing wasn’t something I thought the publishing world would find acceptable, certainly not for literary fiction. I should play it safe, I thought, go with understated, yet, touching.

About that time, Lynne and I attended a benefit for PEN New England, A Reading of Best American Short Stories (in the interest of full disclosure, I work for Houghton Mifflin). Though I wasn’t the Cinderella in this story, I still felt as though we were at the same ball. First there was the reception with publishing royalty. Giddy, Lynne and I chatted with some of our favorite authors: Tom Perrotta asked if we’d yet seen his film, Little Children; Ann Patchett regaled us with stories about her mother, Jeanne Ray; Michael Lowenthal told us a charming anecdote about Grace Paley; Scott Heim shared his angst about his third book; Mameve Medwed asked our opinion about the title of her latest book; Atul Gawande thanked me for gushing; and Paul Yoon accepted our compliments with grace and humbleness. I would have been content with that; I could have floated home. But there was more.

Soon we were ushered into the theater where Ann Patchett greeted the audience from the stage. Three stories were to be featured and as the editor of Best American Short Stories 2006, she chose to read Self-Reliance by Edith Pearlman. To be honest, I hadn’t yet gone through the collection and didn’t know what to expect.

What followed was perhaps the most important lesson I’ve yet learned in my writing journey: Be bold. Her story is the most breathtakingly beautiful short story I’ve ever read. Yes, better than Alice Munro’s best. Edith Pearlman is bold. She is bold and elegant and brilliant and stunning, quiet and touching, but most of all bold.

A week later, I wrote the ending I wanted. After my writers’ group critiqued it, I then wrote Edith Pearlman to tell her how much her writing means to me. Let me share with you a portion of her reply:

“I'm delighted you enjoyed the story; and further delighted that it inspired you to be unafraid with your own work. In fact, boldness is something we can all use. That and endurance. You can't imagine how many times I revised that story. You make me feel that it was all worth doing.”

So writer friends, heed Edith Pearlman’s advice. Be bold. Endure. Will you?

Literary events are like dating

A line or two from Lynne

Going to a literary event is like going on a date. Perhaps you like dating or maybe you don't. Whether you care for the process or not, it must be done to meet your objective. If you want a literary life, there are key issues to consider when you prepare and participate in this ritual.

First, you'll need to consider what to wear. Think job interview meets artistic flair. I like professional, yet comfortable clothing. Amy suggests always wearing one accessory that allows you to stand out, such as a whimsical scarf or colorful brooch. Be yourself and do take your look seriously. You are trying to impress other people in a good way. And for goodness sake don't wear athletic clothing.

Your next matter to consider is whether you'll go it alone or go on a "group date." As you've gathered from reading Amy and Lisa's posts this week, there is great comfort in going with others. Hannah offers great tips should you need to go it alone.

If your literary event is a "blind date" do as much research ahead of time as you can. Read the organizations website, check out the blogs of those who've attended or give a former participant or presenter a phone call. Surely second dates, or events you've previously attended, are easier, but there's no reason your blind date with a literary event needs to be painful. Like everything related to writing and publishing, you simply need to do your research.

Which brings us to your "date expectations." Have you ever been on a date and before you finish your first drink you've decided he or she is the one or he or she is a lost cause? My best advice is don't rush to judgment. Literary events always offer something to move your literary life forward. They will only be as good as your attitude and what you bring to the table. You might chat with one special writer who validates your perspective on the process of writing or maybe you'll meet a writer who's own research about agents or editors rounds out your own.

Like a good date or not-so-good date, you're the one who gets to decide if the event was right for you. If so, attend another event by the sponsoring organization; maybe even become a member. If the event didn't create that lovin feeling, choose a different event to attend in the future.

Some of the best dating advice, given by mothers everywhere, applies to going to literary events, too. Get yourself out there. If you don't take a chance, you don't have a chance. You, too, can have a literary life, if you choose to get out there and meet the people who already live one.

Going Alone

By Hannah

You're reading a writers' group blog and the subject is going to events. You say, "I love the fellowship and support, but what if I don’t have a group and I have an event next week?” Well, okay, the chances of tossing together a group of like minds in seven days is slim, but you could always pretend you’re with us.

Amy, to start, has the most impressive knowledge of the business behind writing. I do homework before an event, but if Amy won't be there, I now do even more. Not just who's speaking, but details down to who's really running the event. What are their names; do they write, too? Do presenting authors, their agents, and/or their editors have blogs, and what materials are produced by the organization hosting the event? Minor details are conversation points, as when you ask the organizing assistant how to pronounce an author's name, and oh by the way, love that piece you wrote last week. Then you turn as the keynote speaker brushes by in the hallway, offer your hand and congratulate her on that "nice" deal you saw in Publishers Marketplace.

Lynne is the voice of calm and reason when walking into a sea of unfamiliar faces. Being with Lynne means that before you plunge through the door, you are prepared and have a plan. You've brought paper and pens, business cards, maybe a book, some mints or candies. You walk first, of course, to check-in, then take your materials and find a comfortable seat - not off to the side - where you can scope out the event and plan the next stage. Will the conference require you to move from room to room? Spend some time on reconnaissance and find where they are located. Is someone selling books or reviews? Page through them, buy one or two, ask questions. Get some tea. Find the restrooms. There's enough to do so that you will look comfortable, if not outright confident.

Lisa is the one who will take you out of yourself and your nervousness. Lisa will tell you that if you write, you have reason to be there, so enjoy yourself. With luck there may be one or two fellow writers whose antics demand attention, but if not, you have options. Strike up a conversation with someone wearing a beautiful scarf, or someone you decide looks particularly literary. Casually admire the view out the windows or read hotel plaques that tell you things like the Parker House hosted famous guests like Ruth and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and former kitchen employees included Emeril Lagasse, Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh. If you tell yourself to learn one new thing outside the seminar itself at each event, sweaty palms may become a thing of the past.

There's more to each of us, of course, and we all share these qualities, to different degrees in different situations. Which has lead to a revelation of sorts. You can attend events, or you can attend events well. The latter is an expertise, building on manageable skills that can be developed and strengthened. Is it more fun to go to events with a group? We think so. We enjoy each other’s company, and our four perspectives have unique value. But Group has taught us that even when we need to fly solo, we never really go it alone.