Chief Editor M. Neff

The following are major pre-event assignments, readings, and guides (not including Part IV - Algonkian Novel Development Program) for Algonkian events, many of which are found on our NWOE sister site. Downloading, forwarding, or copying these assignments without the prior approval of Algonkian Writer Conferences is not permitted, however, routine utilization of the content in its extant form is permitted.

• Parts I, II, and II Pre-Event (includes eBook) 
• Execution of the Pitch Model
• Assignment Recap and Dramatic Act Structure
• The Necessity of Publisher's Marketplace
• Prep for Agent Query Process

NOTE: this is an information forum, not a response forum. Utilize the appropriate forums for posting necessary responses.

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PART I

Pre-event as follows. Part I of four parts. 

 

First, a seven short assignments forum that will persuade you to consider several crucial and foundational aspects of your commercial novel project. Consider them as a primer. Complete at your convenience and post the responses. Your responses to these assignments will be reviewed by faculty with an aim towards achieving a better understanding of your project and its current stage of development.

 

NOTE: We recommend writing down the answers in a separate file and then copying them into the forum to prevent any possible loss of data. 

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PART II

The second instance of pre-event necessity as follows. Read carefully and complete in the proper order as noted. You might become a bit astonished from time to time but push through. It all makes perfect sense. 

 

Now comes the kindle eBook, or if you prefer, the same booklet found here as a PDF. In either case, you must faithfully absorb everything beginning with the first chapter, “Writer Ego and the Imaginary Bob,” and continue through “Settings are 60%.” This is vital to your potential success. It places emphasis on all the crucial core elements of novel development and editing that *will* be discussed in formal sessions. 

 

If you arrive at an Algonkian event not knowing the difference between a plot point and a pinch point, you will be swimming upstream from the first day and thereby seriously disadvantage yourself. Avoiding the study of proper technique won’t get novels published much less developed in a manner both artful and professional. 

 

Okay, much to do! Is it ever enough? No, but don’t recoil or hesitate if portions of the e-Book fail to comport with what you’ve been told elsewhere (writer groups, conferences, chat boards, etc.) because the odds are extremely high that what you’ve been told is wrong, if not potentially ruinous.

 

Keep in mind, we all stand on the shoulders of those magnificent and capable authors who’ve preceded us.

 

And remember too, there are no great writers, only great rewriters.

 

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PART III

Quite often, after scoring well in a pitch session, the faculty person will ask us, “But can they write?” Premise and plot prod the necessary attention, but so many writers don’t cross the line because their actual prose narrative is not as competitive as it should be. Fact.

In response to this circumstance we’ve created an online forum that serves two purposes. First, to demonstrate the best methods and techniques that should rightfully be considered when it comes to the creation of competitive narrative regardless of genre. Second, to act as a place where editors and agents will see the quality of your work up close.

Use one of the two links above to get started asap. Simply open the topic linked above, read the guidelines and all the examples linked to Novel Writing on Edge, then edit your own opening hook accordingly. Once done, post at least 500 words by replying to the topic post. If you cannot include first pages at this time another good sample will suffice.

 

Btw, you should already have an Author Connect member login if you’ve opened and utilized the Part I assignment (Seven Assignments). If you have not, please do so at the first opportunity.

 

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Execution of the Pitch Model

 

Like so many other things, this is crucial to your success.  

 

Before you can sell a viable commercial novel to a publishing house, you must work towards the goal of writing a viable commercial novel while simultaneously learning how to artfully pitch it. You will have a minute to deliver the actual pitch, and if you think this is not enough time, think again. It is more than enough. The idea is to communicate clearly and hook your listener. Your pitch must include a SCENE SET (as necessary), a focus on your PROTAGONIST (tell it through their point of view), sufficient PLOT TENSION deriving from a PLOT POINT (an event/circumstance/action that significantly changes the course of the story), and finally, a wrap with a CLIFFHANGER.

 

So what's a cliffhanger? Regardless of the genre, literary or thriller or SF, the cliffhanger begs the ultimate question, and it’s always the same in one way or another: WILL BECKY SAVE THE FARM AND LIVE TO TELL THE STORY? Once done, you want the conference editor or agent to ask for more.

 

Please review the following guidance at Novel Writing on Edge where you’ll find two pitch models and further elaboration. You will be using this model at the Algonkian event:

 

https://www.novelwritingonedge.com/2013/11/algonkian-writers-conference-first-prep.html

 

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Assignment Recap and Dramatic Act Structure

 

By this time, you should have in your possession three main assignment mails, namely, Part I (Seven Assignments), Part II (Development eBook), and Part III (Prose Narrative Enhancement).  These assignments serve two purposes:  to enable you to conceive and write a more perfect novel, one that might actually sell; and secondly, to instill within you with a language and knowledge base that will make meetings with publishing and tv/film professionals far more productive.

 

Now, the following statement should sound familiar. If a member of the faculty asks you to define your first major plot point, inciting incident, or last major reversal before climax, you must comprehend the nature of these plot elements (for starters!), and deliver the response in a manner that demonstrates you are a professional. Amateurs *always* stick out, and they say “um” a lot, thereby failing to live up to our motto:

 

From the heart, but smart.

 

Besides displaying a high concept premise, the faculty also expect your genre or upmarket tale to be creatively developed using a certain approach and structure—one also utilized by screenplay writers—namely, the dramatic act structure. Whether the novel is a single, coherent plot line, or a parallel plot line with two major protagonists, the overall story progression manifests a readily identifiable endoskeleton, so to speak, i.e., an array of familiar points and notes along a story arc from beginning to end. There is more than one version of this, but they all achieve pretty much the same results: the Three Act, Nine Act, and the Six Act Two-Goal. A very good example can be found here.

 

The above is included with your assignments and its importance cannot be over stressed. One of THE biggest reasons novels by unpublished writers fail is because the author is not sufficiently adept at plotting. A novel with a great start but a “saggy middle” always results from an inadequate understanding of how plot must work in order to satisfy the needs and expectations of readers, agents, and editors. Quite often, writers will bring stories and pitches to the NY event that are nothing other than circumstances, sets, and characters mixed into a quasi-amorphous stew, whirlpooled into forced fusion like fragments of a television season.

 

A sign this is the case can almost always be found in the pitch itself.

 

Acquisition editors, experienced agents, and other professionals usually don’t expect to get much traction out of the usual writer conference, but our events always surprise them. We mean to keep it that way. Our reps are on the line, and the better you look, the better we look. The more subs requested, the more contracts cut, the more willing our faculty are likely to return. No question. We also love the publicity and energy generated when the contracts flow.

 

Btw, if the information above doesn’t square with what you’ve been told up until now, then choose the wise path of change.

 

Rewrite as necessary.

 

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The Necessity of Publisher's Marketplace

 

You are well advised to join Publisher’s Marketplace. Why? Because it lists recent sales by agents to publishers broken down by genre and provides a neat story-hook line (log line) for each sale that serves as a potential model for you. PM shows precisely what type of work is now being published in your chosen genre, thereby providing a comparison for your own work, and as a bonus, you learn the identities of productive “in the loop” agents (good to know regardless of circumstances).

 

All in all, if commercial publication is your goal, PM is invaluable. The search feature is efficient and fairly straightforward. Membership is around $20 per month, but well worth it.

 

The type of knowledge PM provides will give you a distinct edge over the competition.

 

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Prep for Querying Agents 

 

Though addressing the query-agent stage of your long, hard slog to becoming a published author might seem premature at this point, questions concerning this process nevertheless always arise at Algonkian events. Rather than await the next round of probes on this matter, we’ve decided to link you to the article below. It succinctly covers the critical prep steps you must take prior to sending anything like a query to a commercial agent (if and when it comes to that). Also, it effectively overrides the usual incomplete and/or foolish advice on this matter which currently infects the Internet like an electronic pox. With these answers already in hand, further questions at the conference, in theory, should be more informed, and therefore, the answers more productive.

 

 

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Love ya, Richard!

These bullets of advice for writers in all genres were taken from a review of the SFF author Brandon Sanderson on the video forum and they're worth repeating here for emphasis:

• The concept of "borrowing" or getting story ideas, entire structure, or themes from other books or films can't hurt and might actually lead to publication; but I maintain you step carefully. The concept may already be overdone, a stale trope.
• His advised method of transposing the "structure" of one type of genre novel onto another can be productive--reminiscent of Italian writers in the old days transposing Japanese samurai scripts into spaghetti westerns. Another good example is the transposing of BATTLE ROYALE into THE HUNGER GAMES (different genre? debatable). 
• Helpful to note plot points and/or scenes that successful stories have in common. 
• Concept of "interviewing" your character to learn about them, is a very good one. Ask them questions, get in their heads, role play.
• Asking what character wants and needs, and how they're different.
• Careful with choice of primary protagonist viewpoint. The story needs to be personal to the viewpoint character. 
• Partitioning a novel into three basic part: PROMISE, PROGRESS, PAYOFF. Yes, very basic, but helpful for new writers.
• Finally, his idea for "mind priming" before you hit the paper is a good one, e.g., you consider the ways in which you can make an important scene very visual and thrilling, and you roll it around in your head like a lozenge under the tongue. You savor it and play with it.

Authorial Misdemeanors - Agent Richard Curtis

There seems to be a law of nature that the quality of a manuscript declines in inverse proportion to the elaborateness of its package. When I receive a manuscript bound by brass screws with a plastic embossed cover, lovingly wrapped in chamois cloth, set in a velvet-lined cedar box, shrink-wrapped, packed in turn in a fireproof strongbox secured with iron bands, I am prepared to stake my career on the likelihood that this book is one colossal dud. 

 

From time to time an author will do something that causes me to scratch my head. I've compiled a list of these foibles and offer it here with a light heart. If you have perpetrated any of these transgressions I'll let you off this time without a fine, but don't let me see you in this courtroom again. I must say right off the bat that among the things authors do that irk me, delivering manuscripts late is not one of them.

 

Lateness is the medium in which agents live. 

 

We breathe late manuscripts and eat late checks and drink late contracts. And lateness in a creative person is certainly more understandable and forgivable than it is in a business organization. I have never known an author to be deliberately late with a book, but I have known many a publisher to be deliberately late with a check. What kills me, however, is authors who don't tell me they're going to be late. Publishers schedule books many months in advance, and in most cases are able to pull one out of the schedule if given sufficient notice. In most cases, too, a publisher will grant the author a reasonable extension of delivery date. If, however, out of embarrassment or some other reason (such as a moonlighting gig the agent doesn't know about), an author doesn't level with his agent, he will not only get himself into trouble, but his agent as well. 

 

An agent who knows the truth can go to bat for his client, make excuses, concoct a fib. But if an agent sincerely assures an editor that a book will be turned in in June because that's what his client told him, when the client knew all the time that there wasn't a chance in hell that he could make the deadline, the agent's credibility will be damaged. 

 

 I make very few inflexible rules for my clients, but this is one of them: no matter how embarrassing your reasons may be (one author's dog actually did eat his manuscript), I insist that you tell me the truth so that I can make proper excuses for you. (I, of course, have never lied on behalf of a client. What kind of agent would I be if I lied on behalf of a client?) Lying to your agent is a mortal sin, but authors commit many venial ones as well, and oddly enough, it is the latter variety that drives me absolutely up the wall. Take authors who misspell "Foreword," for instance. I strongly feel that anybody who turns in a manuscript containing a "Forward" deserves automatic shredding of his manuscript plus the first three fingers of his right hand. 

 

You would think I would not have to explain to professionals who make their livings with words that a foreword is a fore-word, a word that comes before the main text. But as the Forward-to-Foreword ratio on manuscripts submitted to my agency is about one out of three, I can see that the correct spelling cannot be stressed enough. It should be enough to remind you that "Foreword" is usually the very first word one's eyes fall upon when opening a manuscript. (I hesitate, however, to criticize writers for not knowing the difference between a foreword, a preface, and an introduction, since I don't understand it either.) 

 

Like many publishing people I am a fanatical believer in the importance of titles: a good or bad one can significantly affect the fate of a book.

 

The Forward-Foreword offense is part of a larger conspiracy to send agents to early graves. I am referring to authors who don't review their manuscripts before submitting them. An occasional, random typo is one thing, but when I realize that the author never bothered to reread his manuscript, have it vetted by a good speller, or run it through the spell-checker on his computer, a murderous rage comes over me and I am compelled to steal into the night to overturn garbage cans and scratch automobile fenders with my ring. 

 

Don't authors understand (I growl at alley cats as I kick them) that today's literary marketplace is so intensely competitive that a poorly spelled manuscript can lose somebody a sale? A subspecies of the above-mentioned type misspells critical words and names, and misspells them consistently, focusing a glaring light on his or her own carelessness. I remember a Biblical novel in which the word "Pharaoh'' was misspelled "Pharoah" throughout, and in a book that long, that's a lot of Pharoahs. I have often wondered why, if the word is pronounced fayro, lexicographers have chosen to place the a before the o. In fact, what is an a doing in the second syllable at all? 

 

Such speculations do not mitigate one's intense annoyance at having to correct such errors over and over again in saga-length manuscripts. Speaking of repetitious errors, I'm reminded of those authors who print the title of their book as a header on every page of manuscript. I don't know where this quaint custom arose. I suppose it has its origins in the paranoiac fantasy that part of a manuscript will inadvertently be separated from the rest in a publisher's office. Against this remote possibility must be weighed the not-so-remote one that the title you print on every page of your manuscript will be a lousy one. 

 

Like many publishing people I am a fanatical believer in the importance of titles: a good or bad one can significantly affect the fate of a book. All too often I'll get a good book with a bad title, and after kicking alternate titles around the author and I will agree on a new one. I'll then prepare a new title page only to discover that the discarded title appears on every page of the manuscript. Now what? I must now either go out with a badly titled book or have the entire manuscript reprinted just to knock the offending title off every page. Luckily, the advent of word processing makes it easier to run off modified manuscripts. 

 

Authors who submit their only copy of a manuscript are, to say the least, an intense source of curiosity to me. They brazenly challenge the immutable law guaranteeing that that manuscript will get lost in the mails.

 

Still, do us both a favor and leave the title off the header of every page. Nowadays manuscripts are submitted as email attachments. But many agents still prefer to read submissions in printed form. The peeve potential here is very high. On occasion an author will send me a manuscript ring-bound like a scientist's notebook. I ask myself what terrible thing I did to this person that he should avenge himself on me so cruelly. Am I supposed to read his manuscript standing up at a lectern, or remove the pages from the binding rings knowing that I will have to reassemble it when I am finished? I think it's time that writers understood something about literary agents: their standard reading posture is supine, head elevated sufficiently to glance at a baseball game or sitcom on television. 

 

Now that I've revealed this tightly guarded secret, perhaps you'll be more considerate and submit your manuscript unbound. And is it too much to ask while I'm at it that it be double spaced in 12-point font and printed on one side of the page only? And when you do post it, may I ask you not to have it bound or specially boxed or wrapped? Just a loose manuscript in a typing paper box wrapped and taped securely enough to get safely through the postal system. There seems to be a law of nature that the quality of a manuscript declines in inverse proportion to the elaborateness of its package. When I receive a manuscript bound by brass screws with a plastic embossed cover, lovingly wrapped in chamois cloth, set in a velvet-lined cedar box, shrink-wrapped, packed in turn in a fireproof strongbox secured with iron bands, I am prepared to stake my career on the likelihood that this book is one colossal dud. And in all likelihood it will be sent via Fedex or courier with the expectation of an overnight response. 

 

There is a particularly lukewarm place in my heart for foreign authors who are obliged to use typing paper of different dimensions - approximately ½ inch too long and ¼ inch too narrow - from the standard American 8½ by 11 inches. I realize how chauvinistic it must sound to deplore the paper that was probably good enough for Thomas Mann, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Graham Greene, but because agents usually place manuscripts in submission boxes to protect them and present them attractively, it drives us crazy to get a misshapen manuscript from the Continent requiring Procrustean measures to package the submission. 

 

 Authors who submit their only copy of a manuscript are, to say the least, an intense source of curiosity to me. They brazenly challenge the immutable law guaranteeing that that manuscript will get lost in the mails. The advent of computer document management and cheap photocopy services has stimulated a rise in lost manuscripts, for authors who used to type an original and carbon now type an original only and bring it to a photocopy shop, where another immutable law causes it to get mixed up with somebody's master's thesis. Again, computers make the question of lost manuscripts academic, but computers can crash. So keeping a hard copy is definitely a good idea. Then there are the authors who administer tests to their agents. Some try a cute trick of turning one page in their manuscript upside down. If the agent returns the manuscript with that one page still upside down, it proves he didn't read the manuscript page for page. 

 

Plainly, the evil that authors do may be categorized as Class B Misdemeanors, punishable by groans, rolling eyes, sighs of frustration, and indulgent smiles.

 

There are authors who quiz their agents about specific scenes and characters. A typical dialogue might sound like this: AUTHOR: Did you like my book? AGENT: Oh, yes, loved it, loved it. AUTHOR: Great. What did you think of my character Pflonk? AGENT: Pflonk? Terrific character. Nicely developed. AUTHOR: Hah! Gotcha! There was no such character in my book! 

 

I assure you that when it comes to an important book your agent reads your manuscript carefully. With so much riding on it, he has to. But most agents I know don't have time to read their clients' work page for page, nor do they need to in order to get a sense of its quality, organization, and pace. In fact, they don't even need to in order to sell it. With certain kinds of material, such as books in a series, a light once-over is enough to satisfy your agent that all is in order and the work follows the original outline.

 

Plainly, the evil that authors do may be categorized as Class B Misdemeanors, punishable by groans, rolling eyes, sighs of frustration, and indulgent smiles. I would like to think that you are as tolerant of your agent's foibles. Agents do have them. (I know this only from talking to authors). There is one extremely successful agent who likes to boast he's never read anything he's sold. And there's another who, every time he makes a big deal for a client, gloats, "That will pay for a new set of radials for my sports car," or, "Now I can put that new wing on my house." 

 

I consider myself truly fortunate in not being possessed of any personality traits that irritate others. Well, maybe one or two. All right, maybe a few more than that. Okay, okay, so I'm riddled with them. But at least I know how to spell "Foreword." 

 

Copyright © by Richard Curtis. All Rights Reserved.

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Are "brutal" reviewers really good for you? 

So what spurred this question? A friend recently said she had a "brutal critique partner" that could be relied on. It got me to thinking about brutal reviewers in my own experience who were worse than useless and actually destructive. 

We need to keep in mind that the better an ms becomes, the harder such "brutal" critics are forced to dig for critique at all costs, inevitably focusing on matters of taste, e.g, "I don't like that character's personality..." as opposed to "I think this point could be made clearer by doing XYZ." You could put 10 of these brutal negative types in a room and they would shred an unpublished novel to pieces in their own special way. But if the exact same novel were actually written by a commercial author favorite of theirs, they would not only praise it but compete with each other to deliver the most positive, in-depth insight into the work. Their blurbs would shower Amazon with five stars. Perhaps a "however" now and then, but nothing that would ever approach the brutality of decimating the ms they believed unpublished. 

Frankly, I've had experience with various coverage types in LA and fought huge battles with them over specific screenplays and manuscripts by writers known to me (two were clients) who they were attempting to annihilate, and I noticed, the more perfect the manuscript, the more vehement and extreme the critique. It was as if the good story and great prose infuriated them and made them all the more determined to find ways to chop at it. Of course, they made their living by using negativity as a substitute for authentic and insightful review, much like certain commercial book reviewers who go viciously negative in order to stand out in a crowd. 

When looking for feedback on a fantasy manuscript I wrote two years ago, I purposely sought out three writers who I knew would rip me a big one (for various reasons), and all three did, but there were no commonalities. I figured that reasonably intelligent writers straining hard to be negative would find an issue if it really existed. It was weird to watch them strive to be as negative as possible over essentially petty things. 

I once sent a very polished ms to some editors in Iowa who I trusted to put the final coat of paint on the top floor. Instead, they shredded the opening chapter of the ms in every inconceivable way. They strained to dissect sentences and nitpick "the real meaning" vs. the words actually used, and in a manner nothing short of bizarre. They even hated italics! Determined to be negative at all costs, the Iowa people didn't say one positive thing about any facet of the ms. When not provided their normal diet of necessary edits they simply picked and picked until they created a series of false negatives. The coverage people in LA, as I noted above, imitated this Iowa group. However, I couldn't help but notice the exact same editors, when courting a client for monetary reasons, fell over themselves being complimentary. Hmmmmmm... 
 

In conclusion, if you must use reviewers, search for balanced personalities and look for commonalities.

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Fiction is a funhouse mirror meant to reflect the best and worst of life... Wow!

Several times a year I'll receive an email from a memoir writer wanting to know if attending one of our writer events is worth it. The answer is always a mixed bag depending on several factors; however, for purposes of meaningful sample, I've decided to include a recent response to a concerned memoir writer who inquired about the potential of the Write to Pitch Conference to support her ambitions and assist in promoting her life story.

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Program Syllabus - Part I and II
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MODULE IV READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS

• Personality Types and The Counter Trait
• The Protagonist Transformational Arc
• Basics of Character Animation
• Sympathetic Character Factors in The Hook

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Personality Types and The Importance of Counter Trait

When it comes to sketching any or all of your major and minor characters in the novel, you might benefit from considering the basic personality types first. Let's look at a few of these (how many of you have met these people in the workplace?):

• The Ultra-Feminine (sexual, fussy, a princess)
• The Perpetual Victim (you gotta feel for her)
• The Feminist (she can do it better than he can, banner raiser)
• The Adventurer/Risk Taker (Ayn Rand meets Tarzan)
• The Stoic (rock faced, nearly unmovable, hiding something?)
• The Superstitious (the stars are not right, omens abound, ghosts knocking on door)
• The Classic Bad Boss (we all know this type)
• The Wise Leader (minus the bad traits of the classic bad boss)
• The Brown Noser (yes-man to boss, tyrant to underlings)
• The Temperamental Wiz (artist, creator, technical wiz, writer, etc.)
• The Martyr (sets themselves up to suffer, and basks in it)
• The Benevolent Monk (spiritual mentor, quick with bromides, herbalist on prozac)
• The Comic Relief (oaf, stumbler, comedian, etc.)
• The Eccentric (wide variety of quirky forms, e.g., Howard Hughes, Angelina Jolie)
• The Extrovert (show off, lively, outgoing, perhaps flamboyant)
• The Introvert or Loner (usually has a secret project underway, drinks alone)
• The Fearful (nervous perhaps, full of trepidation, doom)
• The Negative or Pessimist (looks for the dark cloud first)
• The Positive or Optimist (will only say something good, avoids critical evaluation)
• The Manipulator (they've been scheming all along, surprise!)
• The Passive-Aggressive (snippy, uncooperative, sabotaging)
• The Perfectionist (must be a loner or a leader to get along)
• The Mr. Personality (classic backslapping "Hail Fellow Well Met")
• The Ms. Personality (same as above sans backslapping, cheerleader in HS)
• The Problem Solver (give them a puzzle and step back)
• The Narcissist (oozing their agenda and desire like boiling hot syrup)

It's a relatively simple matter to use the categories above (and invent some of your own) to begin to sketch your characters, play with ideas, but first, you must consider the context, and before you do that, you must understand your story. Now, assuming the latter, let's pretend you are sketching a major sidekick character of some sort, and for their role in the story you wish them to be "The Eccentric" type above. Fine. Now you have a stereotype to work with. But wait! Let's throw a curve at the reader if possible, since that is always a great idea. You never want to be too predictable.

Consider, HOW can you make your eccentric different? Well the first thing to do is bestow a peculiar eccentricity upon them, one we haven't heard of before. Chelsea of Bridgehaven cannot eat her rice cereal in the morning until she listens to it pop with her old ear trumpet. Whatever. You get the idea. Next, WHAT IF you mixed the ECCENTRIC with another personality type, for example, the EXTROVERT. Now you have an eccentric extrovert. What would that be like? Chelsea of Bridgehaven, with much ado, invites her unlucky relatives staying overnight to listen to the pop-pop of rice cereal with her new gold-rimmed, black ebony ear trumpet. Well, you get the idea. Mixing stereotypes may help you to reform the stereotype into something a bit different. They may help you invent a counter trait.

What do we mean by counter trait? A trait or behavior of the character which seems, at the time, a bit out of character. The behavior or quirk surprises the reader. For example, the STOIC, after three gin and tonics, becomes an EXTROVERT show-off, or perhaps the known NEGATIVE personality interrupts a conversation wherein the participants are castrating male-female relationships to behave more like a POSITIVE or optimist, noting the beautiful and positive aspects of a good relationship.

This leads in a backdoor way to the pairing of conflicting emotions. What do we mean by this? In other words, let's say your major character possesses an ideal or overriding goal in their life, but something happens to create doubt. For much of her life, Judy Overstein has wanted to be an attorney, and while eating lunch in D.C. one day, happens to hear a table full of seasoned lawyers talking about how much they hate their lives. The classic seed of doubt is planted. She returns to her law school studies, fighting back the sudden doubt that now creeps into her spine. Before, she was confidently optimistic, but now that emotion and viewpoint competes with doubt and the viewpoints of others. What will she do?

What is your character's pair of conflicting emotions? Nothing like a good dose of internal conflict to keep us guessing.

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The Transformational Arc of Protagonist

While you're plotting your story you need to keep in mind the transformation of the protagonist, the phased development of their emotions and knowledge and values that takes place as the story evolves. But before you start mapping out your arc, realize that you cannot do so outside the context of your evolving plot line(s) and story elements. In other words, your plot line and protagonist transformational arc interweave as the dramatic tension rises and the complications, reversals, and stakes become defined.

Let's look at the flow below to see a UNIT OF TRANSFORMATIONAL CONFLICT (UTC) that takes place repeatedly during the evolution of the plot line:

PROTAGONIST STRUGGLES FOR PRIMARY GOAL => OBSTACLE PLACED => PRE-CONFLICT EMOTIONAL STATE => CONFLICT OCCURS => POST-CONFLICT EMOTIONAL STATE (MIGHT LATER RESULT EPIPHANY OR CHANGE IN PERCEPTION OR ATTITUDE ALTERATION)

How your protagonist responds to obstacles and conflict reveals their character, and if, with every UTC above, you reveal a little more change in the protagonist, a little more agony or resolve or confusion, then you are hard at work composing your transformational arc down to the last brush stroke. Indeed, you won't have the arc fully detailed until the story is done, but you can map the basics in a general way. Nevertheless, bottom line, it's your protagonist's response to conflict and dilemma and upcoming crisis that creates empathy with your readership.

Keep in mind these five A's as your protagonist reacts to the UTCs of the plot line:

• Awareness: Your character's consciousness that change or reinvention of oneself is necessary to respond to the conflict.
• Acceptance: Your character's emotional ability to let go of the old and move on to the new.
• Approach: Your character's creative exploration of strategic decisions; leading to and ending with their ultimate decision to act one way or another.
• Assemble: Planning and implementation of plan required to carry out their ultimate decision to act one way or another.
• Action: Acting one way or another in response to conflict.

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Basics of Animation, and Sherwood

Characters or story first? First of all, how can one possibly write an effective beginning unless one knows the tale? The story must be understood in its parts before the writer pens the opening narrative. Of course. And the characters must complement and fulfill.

Various opinions exist regarding author control over the impulsiveness of character. Some say characters should be saddled to carry the story forward, the final destination dependent on the characters themselves, i.e., throw the character dice and the story must follow. The effective author, however, fleshes characters with strength of story and nature while assuming the role of chessmaster, major and minor characters moving according to a greater scheme or plan, checking and mating one another as the story progresses, fitting seamlessly into the flow.

In the context of the novel, the animation of character occurs in two basic ways. It is either synergistically provoked, or story/conflict provoked--the latter by far making the strongest impression on the reader, for true depth of character is revealed only when the characters, narrator, antagonist or protagonist react to the major and minor complications, i.e., the conflict and/or difficult circumstance introduced by the story itself. In the The Great Gatsby, for example, Gatsby reacted to the manslaughter of Myrtle Wilson by accepting blame to protect Daisy, meeting his death because of it, while his nemesis, Tom Buchanan, reacted with cowardice and falseness. By their actions shall you know them!

Synergistically-provoked characterization refers to that complex synergy of manner, voice, appearance, attitude, reaction, anecdote, and whatever other elements the author applies to the character.

Sherwood Anderson was a master at quick and lively character animations of this kind, not only choosing unique characters but also involving them in anecdotes, social relationships, and other character reactions which aided greatly in portraying the character. Using these methods, Anderson was effectively able to render a character memorable despite the lack of powerful complication. For example, from Winesburg, Ohio we have Joe, portrayed by Anderson using the following methods:

• Backstory and description of what makes Joe special: he has lived with his mother, location of the house, father's occupation, a physical description, then an illustration of Joe's physical problem: "... one who walks upon his fellow men, inspiring fear because a fit may come upon him suddenly and blow him away into a strange uncanny physical state in which his eyes roll and his legs and arms jerk." Additionally, Joe would be "seized" with ideas, a need to change things for the better. This engages reader sympathy and concern.
• Physical aspects: Hands: "running a thin, nervous hand through his hair.
• Eyes: wide, rolling "with a strange absorbed light ..."
• Gait: rapid Smile: peculiar, glistening gold teeth; Manner: would excitedly pounce on people with his ideas and plans.
• Body: small, slight
• Short anecdote: Men are standing about discussing a local horse race when Joe bursts in on the scene and commences ranting on the subject of the local creek water. He finishes, turns around and goes about his business as if nothing had happened.
• Short Anecdote: Anderson moves back in time to recall an incident in which Joe had cornered George (the main character) and ranted and thrashed about the newspaper and how he could improve it if given the chance.
• Social Relationships: These balance out his eccentricity, make him well rounded for the reader's approval. Joe wanted to be a baseball coach, and the town approved. A baseball game is described, the excitable Joe urging his players on.
• Character revealed based on the reaction of others: Joe also has a love affair and must go to meet his girlfriend's relatives. The author notes their mean nature and the reader fears for Joe. Suspense is inherent at anticipation of the meeting; however, the relatives laugh, mesmerized by Joe's antics.

Sympathetic Character Factors in The Hook

If you've won a Pulitzer you might consider disregarding the advice in this section, but it's not advisable. Look at the percentage of novels on the shelf right now that concentrate on creating a character the reader will become concerned with without hesitation. Quite a few, yes? A novel hook with an interesting, unique, and sympathetic character will make agents sit up and take notice. This is vital to avoiding a rejection slip.

Examples of what we're talking about as follows. The name of the character in question follows the title and author. All of the factors listed appear in the first 10 to 15 pages.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Christopher John Francis Boone

• A first-person narrative from an autistic 15-year-old protagonist: "My name is Christopher John Francis Boone. I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057."
• He finds a dead dog with a garden fork sticking out of it and describes the scene in a detached, emotionless manner, until: "I had been hugging the dog for four minutes when I heard screaming." So this autistic child has a heroic capacity for caring and sympathy. He tells us he likes dogs because they are faithful and "they do not tell lies because they cannot talk." This gives us a sense that the character is moral--which becomes all the more poignant and sympathetic when he is unjustly accused by police of killing the dog.
• He decides to write a murder mystery about the incident. When his teacher Siobhan suggests that a murder mystery about a human might be more compelling, the boy protests that some dogs are cleverer and more interesting than some people. Steve, for example, who comes to the school on Thursdays, needs help to eat his food and could not even fetch a stick ... Thus the protagonist is revealed as a keen and objective observer of the world around him, and in hilarious fashion.

Summary

Talented and unique - Possesses a handicap - Shows compassion towards others - Possesses a moral sense - Undertakes a challenging task that requires brains and bravery

____________________________

The First Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Eddie

• Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. The protagonist is old and infirm, yet polite and optimistic.
• As a kid, he fought to protect his older brother. Scrappy, brave, and protective.
• He likes kids, and they like him. He gives them candy and makes animal figures for them from pipe cleaners. These children are not the offspring of relatives or friends. They are kids that know him from the amusement park where he works. It is hard not to be sympathetic toward someone who likes kids and is kind to them.
• He is generous. He gives his last two $20 bills to a dishwasher so the man can buy something for his wife.
• On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a girl from a falling cart.

Summary

Possesses a handicap - Protects the weak/shows courage - Generosity and compassion towards others - Brave and self-sacrificing

____________________________

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Lily Owen

• Anecdote: When Lily was four, she witnessed a fight between her mother and her father and intervened when she saw a gun in her mother's hand. In the scuffle of the fight, the gun went off; Lily was blamed for her mother's death.
• Anecdote: Lily awakens her father to see the spectacle of swarming bees in her room. When they arrive in her room the bees have vanished and her father, a mean and uncaring man, threatens to severely punish her if she ever again awakens him to anything less than finding the house in flames.
• Physical descriptions: Lily's hair is black, like her mother's, but is cowlicky and she looks unkempt because she's never had a woman in her life who could guide her in how to take proper care of herself. She's a fourteen-year old white girl, has almost no chin, but does have Sophia Loren eyes, even though this attribute isn't enough to get her noticed by even the loser-guys. She wears ill-fitting clothes she makes for herself in home ec. class at school because her father won't let her buy any new clothes.
• Personal Attributes: She's clever, imaginative and bright. The swarm of bees fascinates, rather than frightens her. One of her teachers tells her that she's very intelligent and she shouldn't settle for any career short of being a professor or writer. This sets her to reevaluating possibilities in her life because, prior to this, her highest aspiration had been to attend beauty school and become a hairdresser.

Summary

Brave and self-sacrificing - Victim of an antagonistic personality - Pitiable due to struggle to compensate for abusive antagonist - Possesses special gifts

____________________________

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Piscine Molitor Patel

• General Background: He was raised in Pondicherry, India, the small, formerly French-occupied section of India, at a zoo where his father was founder, owner, director, head of a staff of fifty-three, and which Piscine viewed as "paradise on earth." He was educated at the University of Toronto where he double-majored in religious studies and zoology.
• General Concern: The first two lines in the book, bring instant concern for him: "My suffering left me sad and gloomy," and goes on to say, "Academic study and the steady, mindful practice of religion slowly brought me back to life."
• Attitude toward Life: He has suffered a great deal in life, and reports and he has learned to adjust to the pain of being alive by accepting both the folly of success and the slight one feels when success slips from reach. He concludes that the reason death always hovers nearby is because of its love for life and we get the sense he loves life. He appreciates the abundance of resources he has access to and we're to assume this is a love cultivated through great deprivation.
• Personal Attributes: He's a hard-working, determined person who is very bright, very observant, and infinitely patient. He was the only one in his family who learned how to swim, but he was determined to learn because of his great respect for the man who wanted to teach him and who was responsible for his name, which he shares with a famous Paris swimming pool. He excelled in school and while gathering data for his degree in zoology, he concentrated on observing the sloth in its natural habitat because, "... its demeanour—calm, quiet and introspective—did something to soothe my shattered self."

Summary

Victim of "suffering" - He's a fighter - Introspective/observant/wise - Unique personality

____________________________

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Roxane Coss

• Special Attributes: Roxane is a gifted opera diva. She possesses a voice of crystalline clarity so richly textured everyone who hears her sing can instantly appreciate the wonder and beauty of her vocal talent. It matters little the background of the listener. They may have come to her performance with a well-trained ear or they may have no more understanding of music than can be gathered from a life spent slogging through the mud of a harsh jungle environment; they may have been listening to music all their long-lived lives, or they may be young children staying up past their bedtimes; they may be women, men or adolescents—no matter, gratitude for having heard her is universal among those who have had the privilege of hearing her perform.
• Reactions of Others: Men desire her. All of the men in attendance at the concert long to be included in the kiss given her in the dark by her accompanist. One of the most powerful businessmen in Japan has flown half-way around the world to be in her presence even as he dislikes traveling, dislikes celebrating his birthday and the occasion is his birthday, and dislikes being with large groups of people he doesn't know, which is the current venue. Over the five years that he's been aware of her talent, he has sought out her performances around the world. She obviously has a magnetic pull on people. Her accompanist willingly places himself as a shield between her and the invading guerrillas. Not until he is poked with guns does he relinquish his protective covering of her body.
• Physical Attributes: On the floor, her hair spread out around her in such a wondrous array, each terrorist makes a point of walking past her just to look at her beautiful hair. Her perfume is delicate yet intoxicating, again noticeable by the guerrilla soldiers even on this night when the air is pungent with the near-presence of death.
• Personal Attributes: She is generous with her talent and offers to sing in the dark before the assembled audience becomes aware of the horror of the circumstance they're in. As she lies on the floor, she removes the hairpins from her hair and places them on her stomach in case others can use them as weapons, giving us a sense that she is also a bit brave, another sympathetic character trait.

Summary

Unique talent/accomplished - Magnetic presence - Cherished by Others - Generous - Courageous

____________________________

Third Degree by Patterson and Gross

San Francisco Homicide Lieutenant Lindsay Boxer

• The protagonist is a successful woman in a traditionally male occupation (homicide detective), and she has earned the respect of her male colleagues.
• She owns a dog and talks to it as if it were a roommate. She uses her body to shield the dog from harm in a dangerous situation.
• She is brave; she goes into a burning building to save strangers. She risks her life to save a young child.

Summary

Successful - Gutsy - Loves Dogs - Risks Life to Save Others

___________________________________________________________

ASSIGNMENT:

• As with your antagonist, sketch your protagonist using all the categories above. Define them carefully, use anecdotes to illustrate their personality (make certain to have read WINESBURG OHIO before you do this). Pay special attention to the backstory. What is it? Where do they come from? What has their life been like before the story began? Also, note their "pairing of conflicting emotions" if appropriate. Not a bad idea, these conflicting emotions.
• Note at least five things in your first 10 to 15 pages that will make your protagonist (or a major character/narrator) sympathetic, interesting, and unique; and also note the context, i.e., what is happening in the scene(s) to make all this apparent. Show, don't tell.
• Note the "counter trait" for at least two of your major characters in your novel, and do so involving short anecdotes of 100 words or less.
• Note one UTC for your protagonist. Sketch it out based on the UTC flow, in 100 words or less.
• Referencing your story elements noted in Modules I and III, define the general nature of your protagonist character arc from beginning to end. Use the Six Act Two-Goal structure as an outline for separating your arc into segments. Your protagonist should endure at least seven general, though distinct, phases of emotional/intellectual change as the story goes forward.

___________________________________________________________

By Chris Stewart

As someone who organizes readings and a large literary arts festival with workshops, author appearances, and exhibitors, I have developed a list of writers who I will not work with again. And rest assured, I’m not the only one who does this.

Why? Because they didn’t follow directions. It’s that simple. Who's on it? Writers who acted like the organizer/staff were their personal assistant/manager. 

Take note of the following ways to avoid this blacklist and be a true professional!

KNOW YOUR OWN SCHEDULE

Double booking is such a big no-no we can’t believe you’re not aware of this already yourself. Whatever you have to do to make sure you know the days you are already booked: DO IT. Back out of our event at the last minute because you “forgot” you already had a gig? You’re on the list.

SEND THE REQUIRED INFORMATION

It should be no surprise to you that we need your bio and right away—possibly a short one and a long one. We also need a high resolution digital photo of the appropriate size with good lighting, not a selfie taken in the bathroom with your cell phone or with the light behind you. We need ordering information for your book. Possibly your dietary restrictions or lunch/dinner order. Special seating or parking needs. Have that at the ready to send right away. Don’t have them? Get them together and email them to yourself now so you will.

Have a publicity team? Great! They are usually more organized than authors. But pick only ONE person for us to work with.

SEND THE REQUIRED INFORMATION AS REQUESTED

If we ask for your short bio, we mean about 100 words. Not half a page, a full page, or two pages. Put your current, key publications, awards, job in there and include your website so people can find out more. You should not send a link to your website or write back “it’s on my website which is in my signature block.” You will be asked again to send the bio and if you again don’t comply, you won’t have a bio listed. Same with the photo and book order info. If we give you the format in which we want these and you send a link to your book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your publisher’s website you will be asked again, etc. If you're a "famous writer" we will chase you for the info but you'll go on the list.

MEET THE DEADLINE

When we tell you the deadline by which we need the information we are not picking a random date. We have a deadline for ordering your book and/or getting it to the host so he/she can read it before your reading or interview. We are collecting information to layout and send to the printer for marketing materials: brochures, programs, postcards. For posting on the website and social media.

Decided at the last minute you want to change or send your picture now that it’s too late? Yeah, no. Not changing the program which is already at the printer and would incur fees.

PUBLICIZE!

Organizers count on participants publicizing the event they are part of, which helps extend the organization’s reach and hopefully means high attendance on the day/evening. Post our event on your website, your Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr/wherever pages. Follow our social media pages and share info from them. Let people know about your part, but also share the info about other writers, exhibitors, etc. if it’s a larger event or festival.

DON’T EMAIL WITH 101 QUESTIONS

We are aware of our own schedule. We know when we want to release final details to authors, etc. Don't stalk us for weeks before asking where you’re parking, what building/room you’re in, or asking if your book has arrived yet. We will send out the logistics email when everything is finalized and in plenty of time.

Please don’t “check in.” If we wanted to check in we would have. Basic information is, by now, on the organization’s website: location, day, time, parking. Do your own homework until you hear from us. That’s what websites are for. If it’s a few days before and no email, check your spam folder, then call.

How a reading works or an interview or a Q&A is not rocket science. You shouldn’t need a minute by minute breakdown of what is expected.

BE ON TIME—NOT EARLY AND NOT LATE

On the day of the event, don’t show up two hours before your reading if you’re part of an event that runs for several hours, or a festival, wanting to check in or with questions. Check in at the appointed time—an hour before is best. Wait until the session before yours has started so it’s quieter and we can focus on you.

Don’t wander off to other sessions, to lunch, whatever, and not be there on time for the start of your event. Keep track of the time and return at least fifteen minutes before your part starts.

CHECK IN

Always check in! Otherwise, you are considered a “no show” and we are scrambling to figure out what to do without you, sending people to look for you, spending time calling/texting you when there are ten other things requiring our attention.

NO TEXTS/CALLS WITH QUESTIONS ON THE DAY

We simply do not have time to take your call. The ringer on our cell is mostly likely turned off. If you want to reach us because you’re going to be late due to traffic or a car breakdown, text us and give us your name and ETA. If there is a host for your session, text them as well. Don’t text us and ask us to tell them. We may not see them in time and guess what? We have ten other things requiring our attention. What? You don’t have their phone number? You know my response to that.

DON’T GO ROGUE

If we didn’t offer or ask about your tech needs then please don't email asking if you can show a short film the day before the event. Or even weeks before. Tech has already been decided. We’ve had the final walk-though. We would have to hire a tech person at the venue which is not in our budget. You also may not call the venue yourself and ask for them to do this for you. We have a contract with them and you are not part of it. Put whatever you want to show on your website and have people view it on their smartphones during or after the session.

STICK TO YOUR TIME LIMITS

We probably gave you a time limit for your reading or, if you’re a host of a reading/session at a festival for us, how long your session is. If you’re a writer, choose appropriate material and practice reading it to make sure you are just under your time. So if we said seven minutes that’s what you prepare. Not three minutes. Not nine minutes. Your running under/over screws up the schedule. Minutes add up.

If you’re a host, don’t run over. Manage/track your time. If the host of the session before you didn’t do that and their session ran into yours, let us know later (they will go on the list!), but that doesn’t mean you can do the same to the session’s host and authors after you.

STAY THE WHOLE TIME – PARTICIPATE!

Go to other sessions if you’re at a festival. Stay the whole evening if it’s a larger event/reading. Take pictures. Post on social media using the event hashtag and quote writers/speakers. Tag people. Share other people’s posts.

If you just do your part and leave you were not really a participant making a contribution to our event and community.

IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, BE GRACIOUS

Organizers are juggling more than you know depending on the size of the event: partners and their expectations, venues, catering, audio/visual recording, marketing, publicity, security, tech, tables, chairs, signage, exhibitors, book orders, the schedule, volunteers, parking, transportation/hotel for visiting writers, walk-throughs, last minute changes.

We are horrified that your name was spelled wrong or the parking lot was closed or someone else took your vegan lunchbox. We didn’t do it on purpose and we can’t fix it now. Don’t call/text us asking for restaurant recommendations or the nearest parking lot. These are all accessible to you via your own phone.

BOTTOM LINE

We are doing our best to make everyone comfortable and happy while dealing with the banner falling off of the front of the building, microphones with dead batteries, a famous writer needing directions over the phone instead of using their GPS, volunteers who didn’t show up, the session room that’s locked so no one can get in, obvious questions from people who could answer them by simply opening and reading the program or checking the map.

There are plenty of people ready to criticize every aspect of an event with massive amounts of know-it-all disdain. People who have never organized anything in their life but who think they’d be geniuses at it.  Don’t be that person. You have no idea what was discussed, promised by venue/partners/caterers/etc., not allowed or not available, or didn’t work on the day.

Be a help, not a hindrance. How? Remember that the event is not about you (unless you’re the headliner, in which case, still be gracious, not a diva). Do your homework. Do your prep. Bring your own water and a granola bar, just in case. Leave early, map out additional parking, check in, tweet about how much fun you’re having, smile.

We are excited to have you at our event! We think you’re fantastic! But be responsible for yourself. If you can’t be, hire someone who will be able to handle your needs/details or risk not being invited back and word getting around that you are not a professional or too much work.

Your call.

_______________________

Chris Stewart is Editor-in-Chief of Del Sol Press (@DelSolPressBks). Find tips, tools, information, and inspiration on her website: The Real Writer. 

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Amen to this!

They just never go away and never learn. It's not about a commitment to good critique, it's about politics and egos.

Connie

I must say, utterly invaluable.

But here's the thing. With the same set of identical prompts, the AI and the human will turn out stories that differ in complexity and imagination, regardless of how "good" AI becomes.

Algonkian Writer Conferences reviews two of the most troll-heavy "reviews" ever encountered by its staff, or for that matter, humans still alive in the 21st century.

by Michael Neff

Algonkian Park in Northern Virginia might be described as a lush and calming act of forest rubbing shoulders with the Potomac River, and it was here, twenty-two years ago, that Algonkian Writer Conferences began with a small workshop of five writers. Since then, the grand majority of my own experiences with many hundreds of my fellow writers have been rewarding, and I can truthfully say I've played a productive role in assisting many to secure both agent and publisher contracts. However, during this same time, as Algonkian evolved with new faculty (both agents and publishing house editors) and fresh-rooted into New York and California, the relatively benign flow of interactions could be compromised on rare occasion by something unexpected, and quite frankly, a bit lunatic.

Below are a couple of meandering tales that unfortunately fit under the rubric of Algonkian Writer Conference reviews, and as such, are so incredibly bad I never would have believed them possible had I not lived them from first howl to final tantrum.

A Mad Hatter Out for Blood

Twelve years ago, in Marin County, I received a phone call at 3 AM on a weekday. Bleary and puzzled, I picked up the landline phone to hear the enraged voice of a popular author I knew in Faifax, Virginia. And what he said jolted me into a shocked awakening. "Who the f**k are they?" he began, yelling into the phone. "They're lying about me, about you... the bastards! Who the f**k are they?"

Since I had zero idea who or what had launched him screaming from the silo, I finally calmed him enough to extract an unexpected and jaw-dropping explanation. He'd set up a Google alert to inform him any time his name was indexed and published by the search engine, and that morning at 6 AM EST, an alert led him to a particular thread on a certain writer chat board (remaining nameless due to my reluctance to provide said board with thousands more visitors). 

And what did this disguised floating blip say that could have turned a mature and regarded literary author and full-time MFA professor into a mad hatter out for blood? 

Within only a few minutes of reading what an anonymous poster had said about him on this thread, he was persuaded to contact me. And what did this disguised floating blip say that could have turned a mature and regarded literary author and full-time MFA professor into a mad hatter out for blood? 

But first, a little scene set. 

Picture your browser window filled with a dull, grey-white background and blocks of typed narrative in a small black font. To the top left of each posted block, residing in its own narrow column, you see the icon and alleged name of the poster, plus info like date joined, etc. Typical chat board layout. Now, for the one in question. You zoom in on the icon and witness a bubbly vibrating fairy. To the right, you read the blocks of text this fidgeting blip as typed. You see "Algonkian Writer Conferences" and something about an upcoming reveal that "will finally tell the truth about this organization stocked with literary frauds and flying sock monkeys!" 

Flying sock monkeys?

It took over a year of investigation, but Algonkian staff discovered the identity of the primary abusers. They operated a competitor writer event in the northeast. No big surprise there. 

For starters, the primary instigator of this massive fraud, Michael Neff (who else?)--in order to make his workshops seem more credible--willfully assisted a local author and college professor to spread a huge lie about winning a certain national literary award for one of his books. Not only that, but the flying sock monkeys that ran Algonkian really didn't feature actual faculty. They were just "driven around in limousines" for a few hours, but never met with anyone. Also, our staff were "waiting at bus stops for dazed MFA grads" to arrive home so we could trick them into taking these workshops with limousine-lounging faculty.

I'm not kidding. Not a bit.

To make a long and ugly story short, the author noted above went on the chat board in question and began a roaring argument with the anonymous tribal members, most of whom resembled beasts or cyborgs. After a few days of wrangling and threats mixed with general acts of denigration and mockery on the part of all, the author finally produced evidence that indeed proved without doubt he had won said literary award, and no chicanery was involved in any way whatsoever. Despite his undeniable proof, the chat board owners refused to remove the post alleging his immoral act. 

Despite his undeniable proof, the chat board owners refused to remove the post alleging his immoral act. 

Following this, at least ten or so Algonkian writers who had learned of this ongoing farce via Facebook stormed the board and opened a new front to battle with the beasts and cyborgs. It must've lasted weeks, but at the conclusion, the chat board shills admitted no wrong and no mistakes. The accused were guilty, the evidence was irrelevant, and the lies multiplied even further. In truth, it was a precursor to the later cancel-culture mobs of Twitter. Regardless, the whole affair was exhausting, stupid, and pointless, only further serving to taint the integrity of the human race. 

It took over a year of investigation, but Algonkian staff discovered the identity of the primary abusers. They operated a competitor writer event in the northeast. No big surprise there. The surprise lay in the fact that the vibrating fantasy blip was actually a well-known editor at a major publishing house who loved playing a roving assassin on various chat boards, not just the one noted here. Also, one of the meanest of the board trolls who ran a close second to the aforementioned blip turned out to be a popular literary agent in New York who also ran a blog that worked 24/7 to insult and cancel everyone she didn't like. No surprise there either.

And still, not kidding. 

To this day, none of them have ever apologized for intentionally lying about that author or for my alleged involvement. Both of these accusations, and more, were acts of per se defamation and therefore legally actionable in civil court, but given the locations of the parties, the cost involved, and additional fallout issues involving the blip's publisher, we let it go. 

I've often regretted that decision.

______________    

The "Terrified One" Smears Far and Wide

Unlike the case above, this one manifested like ash fall on Pompey prior to inundation. It began with incessant phone calls and messages to staff over the course of several weeks from just one person who we finally determined would never be satisfied with reality as it presented itself. Did people at conference workshops sit in circles? Did they sit in half-circles? Did they stand? Sit? Why sitting? Why not a theater-seating kind of arrangement? Why not this? That? And on and on.

Then things got weird. 

Rejected and free of restraints, The Terrified One transmogrified into the hysterically raging one, and the world was her playground.

One of our staff people was trying to help this individual and reaching wit's end. Towards the conclusion of these interactions, the staff person was accused of "terrifying her" with her communications. I looked over the mails and saw absolutely nothing to indicate a hostile or "terrifying" attitude, only a weary human being attempting to help someone desperately striving to acquire a new victim culture medal.

A final email was sent by staff to The Terrified One: 

I offered to help you but you chose to become "terrified" though I did nothing to terrify you. Best to reconsider and perhaps some other time. It's not good to approach an event like this with fear and major doubts, and wondering whether or not people sit in circles, or whether you have to be a public speaker, etc. etc. It's just not worth it.

Effectively disallowed from attending the actual event (because we all knew that an appearance by this person would certainly result in even more complaints and self-martyrdom) The Terrified One transmogrified into a Nemesis with a holy mission. The fact of this wasn't a shock, however, the sheer relentlessness of the retribution could not have been predicted. Rejected and free of restraints, The Terrified One transmogrified into the hysterically raging one, and the world was her playground.

Nowadays, it's easier to quickly get a court order to force the social media source to divulge information about the user, thus enabling legal action, but back at the time, such action was far more laborious.

The rest is a footnote of a footnote in history. TTO posted screeds of rage, alleging all manner of nefarious intent (nearly identical to the absurdities noted above, thus hinting at direct inspiration) and preposterously conceived fraud on several chat boards, Facebook, Twitter, you name it. Various childish identities were employed over the course of weeks, but the source was obvious.

Nowadays, it's easier to quickly get a court order to force the social media source to divulge information about the user, thus enabling legal action, but back at the time, such action was far more laborious. Most of the offending revenge posts evaporated over time and one or two are left, rising and sinking in the SERPs depending on the nature of the algorithm. 

Damned if we did, and damned if we didn't.

_____

The New York Write to Pitch reviews, bullet by bullet, what makes the conference especially valuable to writers in terms of development, craft, and market guidance. See the NYWP e-Book below for an example.

This article covers the common symptoms of new and impatient novel writing. Algonkian Writer Conferences reviews this epidemic condition in a frank and direct manner.

How to prepare before sending queries to agents, e.g., utilize Publisher's Marketplace to intelligently narrow down the best possible candidates. Algonkian Writer Conferences reviews each step in turn.

Here is our take on the smartest way to go about it. As a bonus, you learn a lot of insider knowledge about the business (like who is in "the club" and who is not--see below) along the way. You might also come to the realization that your ms is not yet ready. Such illumination is always a positive thing.

1. Join Publisher's Marketplace and review it for at least a month (yes it costs a few bucks, but so what?).
2. Search out the deals made during the past two years in your specific genre (or specific sub-niche in your genre). Why? Because it will clearly define who is in the club. Every genre has a club composed of favored publishers and literary agencies. This data mining is going to take a few hours at least, but it's worth it.
3. Make certain the "deals" you review and mine are with major publishers, imprints, or well-regarded mid-sized presses. If your novel is more literary in nature, make certain the deals are at least with respected and traditional small presses. If you become desperate just to get your foot in the door, you might adjust expectations accordingly.
4. With data in hand you'll know the top agencies making the most sales, and the top agents in those agencies. Now, put the top agents on hold for the time being, but choose at least a dozen agencies working in your genre based on the criteria above. And if you haven't already, make double certain you haven't made one of these top seven mistakes.
5. Instead of the top agents, identify the "hungry agents" in these top agencies. Use other sources like MS Wish List if you must. Choose the agent minus a full belly, yes, but only those who have transcended their salad days. Why? Because they'll likely take more time with you, be more lenient, perhaps more open to your story idea, perhaps more willing to provide editorial notes? Perhaps? 
6. As for transcending salad days, make certain your picks have at least four to five sales to major publishers under their belts, and in this way, you'll know they've made their mark and are evolving, as opposed to showing signs of dropping out as so many do. It's a very high turnover business. VERY HIGH.
7. Once the above is done, especially if you have not already done so, review your list on MS Wish List just to verify you've nailed the best people.
8. When you query, note in the very beginning something like, "I saw you on Publisher's Marketplace..." because this will mark you as a professional.

________________

Once you've satisfied above, move on to writing the perfect query letter.

A few other slivers of advice:

• Trying to cold-query superpowered agencies like CAA is utter futility.
• Agents with clients on social media who twitter forth with gushing comments is meaningless. 
• Agents getting axed by grinders is equally meaningless. 
• Personalities are such fragile creations subject to taste and circumstance. Focus rather on the eight steps above. 

Thanks for these comments. Mental health of new writers... does it exist any more?

Good points!  Best darn Zombie Apocalypse ever.

Introduction to Pre-event Assignments 

The below seven assignments are vital to reaching an understanding of specific and critical core elements that go into the creation of a commercially viable genre novel or narrative non-fiction. Of course, there is more to it than this, as you will see, but here we have a good primer that assures we're literally all on the same page before the event begins.

You may return here as many times as you need to edit your topic post (login and click "edit"). Pay special attention to antagonists, setting, conflict and core wound hooks.

And btw, quiet novels do not sell. Keep that in mind and be aggressive with your work.

Michael Neff

Algonkian Conference Director

____________

After you've registered and logged in, create your reply to this topic (button top right). Please utilize only one reply for all of your responses so the forum topic will not become cluttered. Also, strongly suggest typing up your "reply" in a separate file then copying it over to your post before submitting. Not a good idea to lose what you've done!

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THE ACT OF STORY STATEMENT

Before you begin to consider or rewrite your story premise, you must develop a simple "story statement." In other words, what's the mission of your protagonist? The goal? What must be done?

What must this person create? Save? Restore? Accomplish? Defeat?... Defy the dictator of the city and her bury brother’s body (ANTIGONE)? Struggle for control over the asylum (ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST)? Do whatever it takes to recover lost love (THE GREAT GATSBY)? Save the farm and live to tell the story (COLD MOUNTAIN)? Find the wizard and a way home to Kansas (WIZARD OF OZ)? Note that all of these are books with strong antagonists who drive the plot line (see also "Core Wounds and Conflict Lines" below).

FIRST ASSIGNMENT: write your story statement. 

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THE ANTAGONIST PLOTS THE POINT

(Photo : Javert from "Les Misérables")

What are the odds of you having your manuscript published if the overall story and narrative fail to meet publisher demands for sufficient suspense, character concern, and conflict? Answer: none. You might therefore ask, what major factor makes for a quiet and dull manuscript brimming with insipid characters and a story that cascades from chapter to chapter with tens of thousands of words, all of them combining irresistibly to produce an audible thudding sound in the mind like a mallet hitting a side of cold beef? Answer: the unwillingness or inability of the writer to create a suitable antagonist who stirs and spices the plot hash.

Let's make it clear what we're talking about.

By "antagonist" we specifically refer to an actual fictional character, an embodiment of certain traits and motivations who plays a significant role in catalyzing and energizing plot line(s), or at bare minimum, in assisting to evolve the protagonist's character arc (and by default the story itself) by igniting complication(s) the protagonist, and possibly other characters, must face and solve (or fail to solve).

CONTINUE READING ENTIRE ARTICLE AT NWOE THEN RETURN HERE.

SECOND ASSIGNMENT: in 200 words or less, sketch the antagonist or antagonistic force in your story. Keep in mind their goals, their background, and the ways they react to the world about them.

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CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE

What is your breakout title? How important is a great title before you even become published? Very important! Quite often, agents and editors will get a feel for a work and even sense the marketing potential just from a title. A title has the ability to attract and condition the reader's attention. It can be magical or thud like a bag of wet chalk, so choose carefully. A poor title sends the clear message that what comes after will also be of poor quality.

Go to Amazon.Com and research a good share of titles in your genre, come up with options, write them down and let them simmer for at least 24 hours. Consider character or place names, settings, or a "label" that describes a major character, like THE ENGLISH PATIENT or THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST. Consider also images, objects, or metaphors in the novel that might help create a title, or perhaps a quotation from another source (poetry, the Bible, etc.) that thematically represents your story. Or how about a title that summarizes the whole story: THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP, etc.

Keep in mind that the difference between a mediocre title and a great title is the difference between THE DEAD GIRL'S SKELETON and THE LOVELY BONES, between TIME TO LOVE THAT CHOLERA and LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA between STRANGERS FROM WITHIN (Golding's original title) and LORD OF THE FLIES, between BEING LIGHT AND UNBEARABLE and THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING.

THIRD ASSIGNMENT: create a breakout title (list several options, not more than three, and revisit to edit as needed).

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DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES

Did you know that a high percentage of new novel writers don't fully understand their genre, much less comprehend comparables? When informing professionals about the nuances of your novel, whether by query letter or oral pitch, you must know your genre first, and provide smart comparables second. In other words, you need to transcend just a simple statement of genre (literary, mystery, thriller, romance, science fiction, etc.) by identifying and relating your novel more specifically to each publisher's or agent's area of expertise, and you accomplish this by wisely comparing your novel to contemporary published novels they will most likely recognize and appreciate--and it usually doesn't take more than two good comps to make your point.

Agents and publishing house editors always want to know the comps. There is more than one reason for this. First, it helps them understand your readership, and thus how to position your work for the market. Secondly, it demonstrates up front that you are a professional who understands your contemporary market, not just the classics. Very important! And finally, it serves as a tool to enable them to pitch your novel to the decision-makers in the business.

Most likely you will need to research your comps. If you're not sure how to begin, go to Amazon.Com, type in the title of a novel you believe very similar to yours, choose it, then scroll down the page to see Amazon's list of "Readers Also Bought This" and begin your search that way. Keep in mind that before you begin, you should know enough about your own novel to make the comparison in the first place!

By the way, beware of using comparables by overly popular and classic authors. If you compare your work to classic authors like H.G. Wells and Gabriel Marquez in the same breath you will risk being declared insane. If you compare your work to huge contemporary authors like Nick Hornby or Jodi Picoult or Nora Ephron or Dan Brown or J.K. Rowling, and so forth, you will not be laughed at, but you will also not be taken seriously since thousands of others compare their work to the same writers. Best to use two rising stars in your genre. If you can't do this, use only one classic or popular author and combine with a rising star. Choose carefully!

FOURTH ASSIGNMENT: - Read this NWOE article on comparables then return here.

- Develop two smart comparables for your novel. This is a good opportunity to immerse yourself in your chosen genre. Who compares to you? And why?

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CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT 

Conflict, tension, complication, drama--all basically related, and all going a long way to keeping the reader's eyes fixated on your story. These days, serving up a big manuscript of quiet is a sure path to damnation. You need tension on the page at all times, and the best way to accomplish this is to create conflict and complications in the plot and narrative. Consider "conflict" divided into three parts, all of which you MUST have present in the novel. First part, the primary dramatic conflict which drives through the work from beginning to end, from first major plot point to final reversal, and finally resolving with an important climax. Next, secondary conflicts or complications that take various social forms - anything from a vigorous love subplot to family issues to turmoil with fellow characters. Finally, those various inner conflicts and core wounds all important characters must endure and resolve as the story moves forward.

But now, back to the PRIMARY DRAMATIC CONFLICT. If you've taken care to consider your story description and your hook line, you should be able to identify your main conflict(s). Let's look at some basic information regarding the history of conflict in storytelling. Conflict was first described in ancient Greek literature as the agon, or central contest in tragedy. According to Aristotle, in order to hold the interest, the hero must have a single conflict. The agon, or act of conflict, involves the protagonist (the "first fighter" or "hero") and the antagonist corresponding to the villain (whatever form that takes). The outcome of the contest cannot be known in advance, and, according to later drama critics such as Plutarch, the hero's struggle should be ennobling. Is that always true these days? Not always, but let's move on.

Even in contemporary, non-dramatic literature, critics have observed that the agon is the central unit of the plot. The easier it is for the protagonist to triumph, the less value there is in the drama. In internal and external conflict alike, the antagonist must act upon the protagonist and must seem at first to overmatch him or her. The above defines classic drama that creates conflict with real stakes. You see it everywhere, to one degree or another, from classic contemporary westerns like THE SAVAGE BREED to a time-tested novel as literary as THE GREAT GATSBY. And of course, you need to have conflict or complications in nonfiction also, in some form, or you have a story that is too quiet.

For examples let's return to the story descriptions and create some HOOK LINES. Let's don't forget to consider the "core wound" of the protagonist. Please read this article at NWOE then return here.

• The Hand of Fatima by Ildefonso Falcones
• A young Moor torn between Islam and Christianity, scorned and tormented by both, struggles to bridge the two faiths by seeking common ground in the very nature of God.
• Summer's Sisters by Judy Blume
• After sharing a magical summer with a friend, a young woman must confront her friend's betrayal of her with the man she loved.
• The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
• As an apprentice mage seeks revenge on an elder magician who humiliated him, he unleashes a powerful Djinn who joins the mage to confront a danger that threatens their entire world.

Note that it is fairly easy to ascertain the stakes in each case above: a young woman's love and friendship, the entire world, and harmony between opposed religions. If you cannot make the stakes clear, the odds are you don't have any. Also, is the core wound obvious or implied?

FIFTH ASSIGNMENT: write your own hook line (logline) with conflict and core wound following the format above. Though you may not have one now, keep in mind this is a great developmental tool. In other words, you best begin focusing on this if you're serious about commercial publication.

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OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS

As noted above, consider "conflict" divided into three parts, all of which you should ideally have present. First, the primary conflict which drives through the core of the work from beginning to end and which zeniths with an important climax (falling action and denouement to follow). Next, secondary conflicts or complications which can take various social forms (anything from a vigorous love subplot to family issues to turmoil with fellow characters). Finally, those inner conflicts the major characters must endure and resolve. You must note the inner personal conflicts elsewhere in this profile, but make certain to note any important interpersonal conflicts within this particular category."

SIXTH ASSIGNMENT: sketch out the conditions for the inner conflict your protagonist will have. Why will they feel in turmoil? Conflicted? Anxious? Sketch out one hypothetical scenario in the story wherein this would be the case--consider the trigger and the reaction.

Next, likewise sketch a hypothetical scenario for the "secondary conflict" involving the social environment. Will this involve family? Friends? Associates? What is the nature of it?

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THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING

When considering your novel, whether taking place in a contemporary urban world or on a distant magical planet in Andromeda, you must first sketch the best overall setting and sub-settings for your story. Consider: the more unique and intriguing (or quirky) your setting, the more easily you're able to create energetic scenes, narrative, and overall story. A great setting maximizes opportunities for interesting characters, circumstances, and complications, and therefore makes your writing life so much easier. Imagination is truly your best friend when it comes to writing competitive fiction, and nothing provides a stronger foundation than a great setting. One of the best selling contemporary novels, THE HUNGER GAMES, is driven by the circumstances of the setting, and the characters are a product of that unique environment, the plot also.

But even if you're not writing SF/F, the choice of setting is just as important, perhaps even more so. If you must place your upmarket story in a sleepy little town in Maine winter, then choose a setting within that town that maximizes opportunities for verve and conflict, for example, a bed and breakfast stocked to the ceiling with odd characters who combine to create comical, suspenseful, dangerous or difficult complications or subplot reversals that the bewildered and sympathetic protagonist must endure and resolve while he or she is perhaps engaged in a bigger plot line: restarting an old love affair, reuniting with a family member, starting a new business, etc. And don't forget that non-gratuitous sex goes a long way, especially for American readers.

CONTINUE TO READ THIS ARTICLE THEN RETURN.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT: sketch out your setting in detail. What makes it interesting enough, scene by scene, to allow for uniqueness and cinema in your narrative and story? Please don't simply repeat what you already have which may well be too quiet. You can change it. That's why you're here! Start now. Imagination is your best friend, and be aggressive with it.

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Below are several links to part of an article or whole articles that we feel are the most valuable for memoir writers.

We have reviewed these and agree 110%.

MEMOIR WRITING - CHOOSE A SPECIFIC EVENT (good general primer)

How to Write a Memoir That People Care About | NY Book Editors

NYBOOKEDITORS.COM

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Are you thinking of writing a memoir but you're stuck? We've got the remedy. Check out our beginner's guide on writing an epic and engaging memoir.

MEMOIR MUST INCLUDE TRANSCENDENCE

WRITE IT LIKE A NOVEL

How to Write a Powerful Memoir in 5 Simple Steps

JERRYJENKINS.COM

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When it comes to writing a memoir, there are 5 things you need to focus on. If you do, your powerful story will have the best chance of impacting others.

MEMOIR ANECDOTES - HOW TO MAKE THEM SHINE

How to Write an Anecdote That Makes Your Nonfiction Come Alive

JERRYJENKINS.COM

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Knowing how to write an anecdote lets you utilize the power of story with your nonfiction and engage your reader from the first page.

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Another fundamental that makes a whole lot of sense, esp marketing wise.

Part II

• Is the first major plot point that changes the course of action and begins the second act of this novel clearly defined? Can you state it? Keep in mind that the first major plot point begins the plot line noted above, i.e., the rising action of the story as a whole.
• Insofar as you know, does the story as presented to you display the mandatory tropes of the genre? If so, how? Be inclusive with your response. Demonstrate knowledge of your genre and its tropes. Does the author do anything to present or frame the tropes in a unique manner?
• Does the novel possess a setting and/or unique world that works to high-concept the novel, or at least make the story much more interesting and unique? If so, what features of this setting do you find unique or valuable to the story when compared to others? Do specific circumstances or characters evolve from the setting that make it valuable? If so, what or who are they?
• What novel(s) published in the last few years does this story most closely compare to? Why? This must be supportable with specifics and not general statements. Does it compare favorably? Is it sufficiently unique despite the comparison? If so, why?
• Why is this story, as presented, one that publishers will buy? To put it more simply, why is this story one that readers will pay to read? Respond to this with clarity and detail.

Narrative, Scenes and Style
How does the story read? Each one of the following bullet points must be addressed.

• Is the prose itself completely free of errors and ambiguity? Does the writer say more with less or is she/he wordy? Are the verbs sufficiently active or too much variation of "to be"? Also, is the writer good at description? Not sure? Ask them to provide examples of description of objects, events and people.
• Is the reader oriented spatially or do characters feel disembodied? If this narrative were film, would it make sense?
• Is the narrative sufficiently engaging? If yes, what makes it engaging? If no, what should be done to make it engaging? Be specific.
• Does the narrative include, as a whole, the three primary levels of conflict, i.e., internal, social, and plot related? If so, list them one at a time, and their context. If not, what should be done to include them?

 Part II

• Are the scenes set properly? Do they have a defined beginning, middle and end? Do we get a clear concept of who/what/where, etc?
• Does the prose itself evidence mastery of the form given the demands of the genre? If so, how? If not, why? What can be done to improve it?
• Does the narrative present situations, issues, circumstances, characters or plots that seem too predictable or stale from overuse? Or would you term the narrative more unpredictable and original, insofar as possible given the demands of the genre? 
• If more than one point of view, does the writer juggle the multiple POVs with skill? If so, how? If not, why not? Ask for more narrative samples as necessary.

Characters

The main thing here is to focus on the manner in which the characters reveal themselves in the course of the narrative, via dialogue and action.

• Do they feel real or simply two dimensional?
• Do we observe them at their best or worst in the course of performing an action?
• Is the author using show-don't-tell techniques to portray them or simply delivering exposition?
• Do you feel any sympathy or empathy towards them?
• Is there anything unique about them or do they feel overly stereotypical?

Barbara Zitwer specializes in discovering new writers from all over the world. They look for writers with original voices and who have commercial, international appeal, and also for books that have potential to be developed for film and television. Barbara Zitwer herself specializes in developing books and editing. She has written several books as well as the play, PAPER DOLL, about Jaqueline Susann, produced in regional theaters throughout the US. She has produced landmark films such as VAMPIRE'S KISS with Nicolas Cage, was Executive Producer on LAZARUS RISING with Columbia Tri-Star and Bernie Sofronski, and she executive produced THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB with Julia Roberts.

She began her career in publishing as an international scout and for 22 years has been attending book fairs in Frankfurt and London and cementing close international relationships. Her expertise is in working with new writers, editing and developing material and selling in the international market. She is known for discovering first time writers and working with translations and foreign writers. She is also known for quality popular, commercial fiction in the areas of women's fiction, satire, humor, mysteries and thrillers. 

BZ on Wikipedia  |   Truly Batshit - The Secret History of Vampire's Kiss, Craziest Cage Film

INTERVIEWED BY MICHAEL NEFF OF ALGONKIAN WRITER CONFERENCES

NEFF: Barbara, do you feel your agency differs in any way from other literary agencies. If so, how?

B: Yes, I specialize in discovering new writers from all over the world who have never been published before. And, I work very closely with each author I represent for the long haul - for years sometimes, while a book is being written. I take on authors who have written, maybe a five page proposal, and help them through the entire writing process both with development and editing, way before we even present the work to a publisher. I also work with writers from every country and sell books in foreign languages and really have become an international agent who is based in NYC. I sell more work and rights in the foreign market than America and often I sell books in the foreign market before America. I also deal directly in Hollywood, which is different than most. My agency has a film production division and so I have a personal experience with filmmaking, Hollywood studios and an inside track.

________ 

NEFF: Where do your tastes run? What types of work do you feel comfortable representing?

B: My forte is commercial fiction and narrative non fiction and I like writing that has a strong, unique voice and point of view. I am attracted to writers who tell bigger than life stories of ordinary people, if you know what I mean and who have a sense of humor, a wry way of writing. I like writing that is lean and might appear simple, yet is actually complex, metaphorical and has universal appeal. I am intrigued by unusual yet accessible stories from all over the world - work that can speak to someone in Ho Chi Minh City as well as St. Petersburg and NYC. I think the authors I represent do have international qualities and think in terms of issues and ideas that all people grapple with - one way or another - you can see that because I am successful at selling authors' foreign rights all over the world.

________

NEFF: In this tough fiction market, what criteria do you use to select manuscripts by first-time authors for possible representation?

B: Firstly, I read everything that comes in to my agency, myself - no one reads for me. I have an open mind to anything -- so, I might have some pre-conceived ideas of what I would take on, but then I simply fall in love - if I read and I fall in love with what I am reading - I will take on the author. That's my first and most important criteria. Then I have to think about, if the work is very literary and small such as Daniel Wagner's A MOVIE AND A BOOK, which I sold to Knopf, which editor would love this? What publisher will publish this book? If a book is very unusual and might have a small market and I love it, the biggest challenge is to find a powerful enough editor or publisher who will publish the work. Otherwise, I am always looking for a really smart thriller or mystery, women's fiction, literary fiction, narrative non fiction -- travel memoirs.

________

NEFF: What makes this market for first-time authors especially challenging?

B: Today, authors and/or agents have to create a hook( real or imagined- it's a marketing tool) , a platform- meaning - does anyone in the world or blogosphere know the author and if not, you must spin a first time author in a special way, package a book, do a marketing and sales pitch, create and tell the publishers how to sell the book, sometimes do mock-up of the cover-art, create a website and blog etc. Writers can also try and get reviewing jobs for major newspapers and magazine and review other books and get their name in print. Authors can try and sell short stories, write essays or pieces and get published. They can teach, attend writing workshops, go to literary functions and participate and MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL: Know and visit all the bookstores where you live and where your book will be sold. Make friends with the people who are going to put your book in someone's hand - bookselling is still a big word of mouth business.

In order to really succeed in selling books, it is essential for the author to become personally involved in the selling of it - there are exceptions to every rule today but most authors have websites, hire their own publicists and pay for their own authors' tours.

I, as the agent, have to help a writer, package themselves and their book and position it in the marketplace so that the publishers will say YES and they can go to their corporate board and other colleague in sales and marketing and publicity with a book that has many elements there already. It is very difficult today to just send a ms: unbound , double spaced, typed pages on numbered paper and say it's a great book. Every editor will ask - who wrote it? What do they do? What do they look like? Do they have a column, a website, are the movie rights sold and is the movie in production, etc. etc. etc.

Any first time author can be made to look "fabulous" -- it's all about how an agent, author and publisher present the author. Every author has a background and a story, which can be told to the booksellers and public in a boring way or a way that is spectacular. It all depends on who is "packaging" the author and how they are making something out of what the author's real life and experiences are. If the work is good, then that is what matters and the cosmetic presentation that publishers so desperately want is really easy to create. That's why GOD invented Madison Avenue and advertising! One just has to apply it to authors and their books today. No matter what book is considered - the pressure and insistence by publishers for "known quantities and already discovered work" makes it much more difficult. So, what I try and do is create a package, buzz, excitement, sometimes foreign sales, and a movie sale for a first time book and I get involved in helping in many ways to make a first time book stand out and be accepted.

________

NEFF: Many of us in the business think it horrible that a writer can spend many years on a project only to have it "rejected" by an intern whose job it is to "flush the slush" at the end of the day. Do you feel it is beneficial or hazardous for agencies and publishers to use young readers or interns to be the point guards on the pile?

B: Usually hazardous, most especially with agents... I read everything myself because only I can know what is good and only I have the vision to read 5 pages of something and talk to a writer and know that his/her book can be great and worth taking on. The same goes for editors and publishers, which is why I try to only work and submit to editors that I have relationships with and who personally read the books I send them. Again -- I don't represent quantity so I can read everything and work with authors...and when I submit a book - an editor can know that if I give it my stamp of approval, it is probably worth them looking at themselves. It is preferable if an agent works with the top tier of publishing executives and has long standing relationships so that their books are looked at quickly and with priority, not delegated to a first time intern. But sometimes, actually, again -there are first time editors low on the totem pole like David Gernet, who bought John Grisham's first book - the rest is history; he became the head of Doubleday and finally Grisham's agent. So, you never know... interns can discover something and make something happen too.

________

NEFF: If you represent a first-time author who is dropped by the publisher because he or she did not earn out on his or her first novel, what is the strategy at that point? Is this circumstance happening more often than ten years ago?

B: I would definitely take on a writer with a second book if I loved it. Just because their book didn't earn out , doesn't mean the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th or 5th book won't be a breakout bestseller. The truth here is that most books don't earn out. Most publishers earn their rent on one or two big books. The truth is that most first, second, and third books don't earn out. The issue is how much did the publisher pay for the book and how much did they lose. If a publisher bought a book for 5 million dollars and it sold 12 copies -- yeah, it will probably be difficult to sell book 2. On the other hand, another publisher might think: "Hey, publisher #1 paid 5 million so it must be good and they did a terrible job of publishing." So when the agent comes to them and agrees to sell book 2 for 1 million or even $300,000 to keep the authors career going, the new publisher might think book 2 is better and they are getting a big bargain.

So, the issues of earning out on a first book is not really a big issue frankly. It's something publishers say when they want a way out of doing an author's book. That's my opinion. Publishers will go to bat and continue publishing writers who never earn out because they love the work -- and they believe that one day this one author will break through. There are many many examples of writers like this.

________

NEFF: Who are your favorite contemporary authors? Who would you recommend to young writers as sources of inspiration?

B: I think we must find our own inspirations. What inspires each of us is very personal. But, Graham Greene is my favorite author and I never get tired of reading him, thinking of his characters and stories and imagining myself in one.

________

NEFF: What is the future for Barbara Zitwer?

B: BZ will hopefully find many, many new and exciting authors to represent from all over the world. She is developing the film producing arm of her work, and acting as a producer of some of her clients' books and also working on her own film projects. She is also developing and co-writing books with authors, which have originated from her own ideas. 

Introduction to Pre-event Assignments 

The below seven assignments are vital to reaching an understanding of specific and critical core elements that go into the creation of a commercially viable genre novel or narrative non-fiction. Of course, there is more to it than this, as you will see, but here we have a good primer that assures we're literally all on the same page before the event begins.

You may return here as many times as you need to edit your topic post (login and click "edit"). Pay special attention to antagonists, setting, conflict and core wound hooks.

And btw, quiet novels do not sell. Keep that in mind and be aggressive with your work.

Michael Neff

Algonkian Conference Director

____________

After you've registered and logged in, create your reply to this topic (button top right). Please utilize only one reply for all of your responses so the forum topic will not become cluttered. Also, strongly suggest typing up your "reply" in a separate file then copying it over to your post before submitting. Not a good idea to lose what you've done!

__________________________________________________________

THE ACT OF STORY STATEMENT

Before you begin to consider or rewrite your story premise, you must develop a simple "story statement." In other words, what's the mission of your protagonist? The goal? What must be done?

What must this person create? Save? Restore? Accomplish? Defeat?... Defy the dictator of the city and her bury brother’s body (ANTIGONE)? Struggle for control over the asylum (ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST)? Do whatever it takes to recover lost love (THE GREAT GATSBY)? Save the farm and live to tell the story (COLD MOUNTAIN)? Find the wizard and a way home to Kansas (WIZARD OF OZ)? Note that all of these are books with strong antagonists who drive the plot line (see also "Core Wounds and Conflict Lines" below).

FIRST ASSIGNMENT: write your story statement. 

___________________________________________________

THE ANTAGONIST PLOTS THE POINT

(Photo : Javert from "Les Misérables")

What are the odds of you having your manuscript published if the overall story and narrative fail to meet publisher demands for sufficient suspense, character concern, and conflict? Answer: none. You might therefore ask, what major factor makes for a quiet and dull manuscript brimming with insipid characters and a story that cascades from chapter to chapter with tens of thousands of words, all of them combining irresistibly to produce an audible thudding sound in the mind like a mallet hitting a side of cold beef? Answer: the unwillingness or inability of the writer to create a suitable antagonist who stirs and spices the plot hash.

Let's make it clear what we're talking about.

By "antagonist" we specifically refer to an actual fictional character, an embodiment of certain traits and motivations who plays a significant role in catalyzing and energizing plot line(s), or at bare minimum, in assisting to evolve the protagonist's character arc (and by default the story itself) by igniting complication(s) the protagonist, and possibly other characters, must face and solve (or fail to solve).

CONTINUE READING ENTIRE ARTICLE AT NWOE THEN RETURN HERE.

SECOND ASSIGNMENT: in 200 words or less, sketch the antagonist or antagonistic force in your story. Keep in mind their goals, their background, and the ways they react to the world about them.

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CONJURING YOUR BREAKOUT TITLE

What is your breakout title? How important is a great title before you even become published? Very important! Quite often, agents and editors will get a feel for a work and even sense the marketing potential just from a title. A title has the ability to attract and condition the reader's attention. It can be magical or thud like a bag of wet chalk, so choose carefully. A poor title sends the clear message that what comes after will also be of poor quality.

Go to Amazon.Com and research a good share of titles in your genre, come up with options, write them down and let them simmer for at least 24 hours. Consider character or place names, settings, or a "label" that describes a major character, like THE ENGLISH PATIENT or THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST. Consider also images, objects, or metaphors in the novel that might help create a title, or perhaps a quotation from another source (poetry, the Bible, etc.) that thematically represents your story. Or how about a title that summarizes the whole story: THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP, etc.

Keep in mind that the difference between a mediocre title and a great title is the difference between THE DEAD GIRL'S SKELETON and THE LOVELY BONES, between TIME TO LOVE THAT CHOLERA and LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA between STRANGERS FROM WITHIN (Golding's original title) and LORD OF THE FLIES, between BEING LIGHT AND UNBEARABLE and THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING.

THIRD ASSIGNMENT: create a breakout title (list several options, not more than three, and revisit to edit as needed).

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DECIDING YOUR GENRE AND APPROACHING COMPARABLES

Did you know that a high percentage of new novel writers don't fully understand their genre, much less comprehend comparables? When informing professionals about the nuances of your novel, whether by query letter or oral pitch, you must know your genre first, and provide smart comparables second. In other words, you need to transcend just a simple statement of genre (literary, mystery, thriller, romance, science fiction, etc.) by identifying and relating your novel more specifically to each publisher's or agent's area of expertise, and you accomplish this by wisely comparing your novel to contemporary published novels they will most likely recognize and appreciate--and it usually doesn't take more than two good comps to make your point.

Agents and publishing house editors always want to know the comps. There is more than one reason for this. First, it helps them understand your readership, and thus how to position your work for the market. Secondly, it demonstrates up front that you are a professional who understands your contemporary market, not just the classics. Very important! And finally, it serves as a tool to enable them to pitch your novel to the decision-makers in the business.

Most likely you will need to research your comps. If you're not sure how to begin, go to Amazon.Com, type in the title of a novel you believe very similar to yours, choose it, then scroll down the page to see Amazon's list of "Readers Also Bought This" and begin your search that way. Keep in mind that before you begin, you should know enough about your own novel to make the comparison in the first place!

By the way, beware of using comparables by overly popular and classic authors. If you compare your work to classic authors like H.G. Wells and Gabriel Marquez in the same breath you will risk being declared insane. If you compare your work to huge contemporary authors like Nick Hornby or Jodi Picoult or Nora Ephron or Dan Brown or J.K. Rowling, and so forth, you will not be laughed at, but you will also not be taken seriously since thousands of others compare their work to the same writers. Best to use two rising stars in your genre. If you can't do this, use only one classic or popular author and combine with a rising star. Choose carefully!

FOURTH ASSIGNMENT: - Read this NWOE article on comparables then return here.

- Develop two smart comparables for your novel. This is a good opportunity to immerse yourself in your chosen genre. Who compares to you? And why?

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CORE WOUND AND THE PRIMARY CONFLICT 

Conflict, tension, complication, drama--all basically related, and all going a long way to keeping the reader's eyes fixated on your story. These days, serving up a big manuscript of quiet is a sure path to damnation. You need tension on the page at all times, and the best way to accomplish this is to create conflict and complications in the plot and narrative. Consider "conflict" divided into three parts, all of which you MUST have present in the novel. First part, the primary dramatic conflict which drives through the work from beginning to end, from first major plot point to final reversal, and finally resolving with an important climax. Next, secondary conflicts or complications that take various social forms - anything from a vigorous love subplot to family issues to turmoil with fellow characters. Finally, those various inner conflicts and core wounds all important characters must endure and resolve as the story moves forward.

But now, back to the PRIMARY DRAMATIC CONFLICT. If you've taken care to consider your story description and your hook line, you should be able to identify your main conflict(s). Let's look at some basic information regarding the history of conflict in storytelling. Conflict was first described in ancient Greek literature as the agon, or central contest in tragedy. According to Aristotle, in order to hold the interest, the hero must have a single conflict. The agon, or act of conflict, involves the protagonist (the "first fighter" or "hero") and the antagonist corresponding to the villain (whatever form that takes). The outcome of the contest cannot be known in advance, and, according to later drama critics such as Plutarch, the hero's struggle should be ennobling. Is that always true these days? Not always, but let's move on.

Even in contemporary, non-dramatic literature, critics have observed that the agon is the central unit of the plot. The easier it is for the protagonist to triumph, the less value there is in the drama. In internal and external conflict alike, the antagonist must act upon the protagonist and must seem at first to overmatch him or her. The above defines classic drama that creates conflict with real stakes. You see it everywhere, to one degree or another, from classic contemporary westerns like THE SAVAGE BREED to a time-tested novel as literary as THE GREAT GATSBY. And of course, you need to have conflict or complications in nonfiction also, in some form, or you have a story that is too quiet.

For examples let's return to the story descriptions and create some HOOK LINES. Let's don't forget to consider the "core wound" of the protagonist. Please read this article at NWOE then return here.

• The Hand of Fatima by Ildefonso Falcones
• A young Moor torn between Islam and Christianity, scorned and tormented by both, struggles to bridge the two faiths by seeking common ground in the very nature of God.
• Summer's Sisters by Judy Blume
• After sharing a magical summer with a friend, a young woman must confront her friend's betrayal of her with the man she loved.
• The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
• As an apprentice mage seeks revenge on an elder magician who humiliated him, he unleashes a powerful Djinn who joins the mage to confront a danger that threatens their entire world.

Note that it is fairly easy to ascertain the stakes in each case above: a young woman's love and friendship, the entire world, and harmony between opposed religions. If you cannot make the stakes clear, the odds are you don't have any. Also, is the core wound obvious or implied?

FIFTH ASSIGNMENT: write your own hook line (logline) with conflict and core wound following the format above. Though you may not have one now, keep in mind this is a great developmental tool. In other words, you best begin focusing on this if you're serious about commercial publication.

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OTHER MATTERS OF CONFLICT: TWO MORE LEVELS

As noted above, consider "conflict" divided into three parts, all of which you should ideally have present. First, the primary conflict which drives through the core of the work from beginning to end and which zeniths with an important climax (falling action and denouement to follow). Next, secondary conflicts or complications which can take various social forms (anything from a vigorous love subplot to family issues to turmoil with fellow characters). Finally, those inner conflicts the major characters must endure and resolve. You must note the inner personal conflicts elsewhere in this profile, but make certain to note any important interpersonal conflicts within this particular category."

SIXTH ASSIGNMENT: sketch out the conditions for the inner conflict your protagonist will have. Why will they feel in turmoil? Conflicted? Anxious? Sketch out one hypothetical scenario in the story wherein this would be the case--consider the trigger and the reaction.

Next, likewise sketch a hypothetical scenario for the "secondary conflict" involving the social environment. Will this involve family? Friends? Associates? What is the nature of it?

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THE INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING

When considering your novel, whether taking place in a contemporary urban world or on a distant magical planet in Andromeda, you must first sketch the best overall setting and sub-settings for your story. Consider: the more unique and intriguing (or quirky) your setting, the more easily you're able to create energetic scenes, narrative, and overall story. A great setting maximizes opportunities for interesting characters, circumstances, and complications, and therefore makes your writing life so much easier. Imagination is truly your best friend when it comes to writing competitive fiction, and nothing provides a stronger foundation than a great setting. One of the best selling contemporary novels, THE HUNGER GAMES, is driven by the circumstances of the setting, and the characters are a product of that unique environment, the plot also.

But even if you're not writing SF/F, the choice of setting is just as important, perhaps even more so. If you must place your upmarket story in a sleepy little town in Maine winter, then choose a setting within that town that maximizes opportunities for verve and conflict, for example, a bed and breakfast stocked to the ceiling with odd characters who combine to create comical, suspenseful, dangerous or difficult complications or subplot reversals that the bewildered and sympathetic protagonist must endure and resolve while he or she is perhaps engaged in a bigger plot line: restarting an old love affair, reuniting with a family member, starting a new business, etc. And don't forget that non-gratuitous sex goes a long way, especially for American readers.

CONTINUE TO READ THIS ARTICLE THEN RETURN.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT: sketch out your setting in detail. What makes it interesting enough, scene by scene, to allow for uniqueness and cinema in your narrative and story? Please don't simply repeat what you already have which may well be too quiet. You can change it. That's why you're here! Start now. Imagination is your best friend, and be aggressive with it.

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Below are several links to part of an article or whole articles that we feel are the most valuable for memoir writers.

We have reviewed these and agree 110%.

MEMOIR WRITING - CHOOSE A SPECIFIC EVENT (good general primer)

How to Write a Memoir That People Care About | NY Book Editors

NYBOOKEDITORS.COM

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Are you thinking of writing a memoir but you're stuck? We've got the remedy. Check out our beginner's guide on writing an epic and engaging memoir.

MEMOIR MUST INCLUDE TRANSCENDENCE

WRITE IT LIKE A NOVEL

How to Write a Powerful Memoir in 5 Simple Steps

JERRYJENKINS.COM

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When it comes to writing a memoir, there are 5 things you need to focus on. If you do, your powerful story will have the best chance of impacting others.

MEMOIR ANECDOTES - HOW TO MAKE THEM SHINE

How to Write an Anecdote That Makes Your Nonfiction Come Alive

JERRYJENKINS.COM

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Knowing how to write an anecdote lets you utilize the power of story with your nonfiction and engage your reader from the first page.

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