How To Write A Book...
Original Post Date: Aug 17, 2022
How to write a book? I have no idea. Well, that is not really accurate. I do know how to write a book. I’ve actually written several, over and over again and a screen play. Submitted a few, studied literature in college and gone to multiple conference including heading out to LA all by myself to Publishing conferences and workshops, met with agents, had writing partners and been involved with writing groups.
Of course my improvement as a writer is no where near the time, energy and effort I have put in to being an artist with four years of Art School, art teaching fifteen and a few decades of honing my craft. How much study should be put in to one’s work is, well, a blog post in itself, but seems like these days, that can be at a minimum before one starts posting their “creations” up on social media and declaring their expertise on YouTube. I have manuscripts as old as my children, saved on multiple laptops that are probably at the same level of quality as some published books I have tried to read. But, equal in “polishing” I don’t think mine are ready to be published nor do I think some of those should have been either. With self publishing so accessible now, a scan through Amazon’s book offerings declares the bar is not set that high. But with traditional publishing house buy outs, agent shuffling and scandals in about every National writers association in the recent past, here is One and here is Another, the bar in Traditional Publishing is not that much higher. Today crap stories are pretty easily published just like crap art can easily be put up on social media, show up in a Pop Up galleries and with enough “hoopla” interest can be created and success can be had. I recognize that- sometimes bravado is enough for the sell.
I remember in 2008 listening to publishers from New York bemoan the duty of the “gatekeeper” to keep quality in literature, inferring that low quality was going to come from self publishing. Almost fifteen years later I think quality has gone down across the board. Chatting with an Art Director for a traditional children publishing department years ago, she confessed she often used clip art the night before covers were due for her middle grade book offerings. Sitting in workshops of those who were suppose to be professionals and realizing these people have never taken a class in design but now were selling book covers for those making their ways into self publishing or the writer who though with a master degree in writing, sketches out their book covers over a weekend- gaves me, with a degree in Art, the idea- if writers are winging all aspects of publishing why can’t I “wing it” from the other direction. Have no doubt how important the book cover design truly is.
Oh I could totally start designing “clip art” generic covers and sell them. Last time I checked a cover went for about $500 for a non exclusive publishing right. It could be fun- but I guess I just don’t want to. What I want is to keep making art- explore my collages HERE, but Lord willing and I do mean that after the last two years of pandemic, aging parents and renovating a house- that is another story- I want to publish my own books. They can’t be worse that what I have been reading? I want to have my own publishing company. I have ideas! So many ideas, almost fully developed stories thought out on paper, in word documents and in my head- worked out on very long road trips across the West.
Historical fictions, fantasies and even science fictions and non fiction. So many stories and ideas so little time.
Maybe perfectionism has held me back- but think four years of Art School critique is more too blame. A degree in Classic Art kind of installs a need to keep the bar high, least it did for me. Being shushed when presenting my art, not being allowed to explain it or have a reaction during art critiques isn’t helping either. I could go on but I wont. I think I have made my point. I am interested in making books that are the same quality as my art- or at least are the best I can do. Like all creative work, my work might not be everyone’s cup of tea and that is fine- art/literature by nature shouldn’t be, but don’t think anyone can argue I don’t know what I am doing as an artist. I want my books- right now nonexistent other than in my head- of the same quality.
Thus why the serial story idea.
noun
anything published, broadcast, etc., in short installments at regular intervals, as a novel appearing in successive issues of a magazine.
Magazine and serials were still somewhat of a thing when I was a kid, long, long before the internet which we got when my first born was a little girl and we listened to the screech of connecting to the world wide web when her dad brought his desk top computer, the whole thing, home from work for kicks. When I was a kid there was also a lot of serial cliffhanger TV shows on the three networks that offered the American home entertainment. With no way to access spoilers, we really felt the anticipation to find out what would happen next week, next month or after the dreaded between season break.
Also since I have decided to self publish, a twenty thousand word manuscript chunk to edit, polish, format and upload to Amazon seems less daunting. Plus I have a cool idea for a evolving cover.
Why a continuation of Peter Pan? Well, cause I have always hated that story. More on that later, but let’s say I have always been more interested in the stories of some lesser Neverland Characters and well, always wanted Peter Pan to get his due. Enough said about that.
So what is first? Well, I don’t know. I have outlined a three book series - divided each into five serials or segments. Outlined the story over and over again. Written a good chunk of the first episode of the first book. Do I publish a series one at a time…. probably not. Think I want to write, edit, polish a book at a time, then divide it into episodes to be published while I write the next book. An episode every two months- then the whole book available two months after that?
Why am I writing about this now- especially since so often I see proclamation that blog writing is dead. Well- writing service the need of the reader and of the writer and I need to document this and possible interact with those interested. The last two years have been lonely. I live in the middle of nowhere in the rural Southwest. Lots of inspiration, not a lot of artistic ponderings with others. I’ve tried to go other places and I think as an artist and not a writer I don’t fit in to writers groups. Heck- artist do not have groups, you ever noticed that. Artist don’t have day in the life videos- only a few compared to writers. No ArtistTube like AuthorTube on Youtube, though that group seems to be emploding. Artist are loners. We’re weird. I’m weird. After the recent crazy, I’m just embracing it and moving forward. I want to start publishing my books. I survived criticism from a Caldecott winning illustrator and the ex wife of the most well known children’s magazine in the country, I can survive the criticism of the self publishing industry. ( note: after much work- my illustration did go on to be published in the second most well know group of children’s magazines multiple times in the country and be featured in National Public Radios calendar, yes NPR has a calendar) Point is you got to start somewhere and I am starting with a serial continuation of Neverland's story… unless I pick up one of my other half a dozen manuscripts.
Post Script- I edit manuscripts a sight better than I polish blog posts- if I spent the time required to make these post “shinny” I would not have time to write many of them and do the required editing on my stories- or making art and that is just not acceptable. ..
How To Make A BookAugust 17, 2022
