Kelly Owen on Writing

First Reader

2012-01-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

I love handing out a manuscript to one of my first readers, I look forward to their feedback, and I will admit, I'm always hoping for a few compliments. Hey, I'm only human.
The problem? I look forward to it a little too much and sometimes rush a piece out the door
when it's not ready.
It's so exciting to think something is done, (and by done, I mean I've rewritten and edited it at least twice) even when I know in my soul it's not.
For me, the only way to control this is do everything as if I'm going to hand it off, including printing it out, then set it aside for three days. After that, read the first twenty pages.
Sadly (and luckily) I usually find half a dozen mistakes (some major) and realize I need to read the whole thing.
Sorry, first reader, you'll just have to wait another couple of weeks.
But trust me, it will be worth it.

the persuit of perfection

2012-01-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading the second draft of my new novel, far too may errors.
It seems that perfection is illusive.

2011-12-31T09:33:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to all writers.

The Long and Short of It

2010-11-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

One of the bad habit/mistakes I occasionally fall into is trying to write short stories that are no more than scenes from a novel. While this can sometimes work, I've found that just as the best novels are not a series of short stories, short stories are not just a scene. They are complete in and of themselves. This is even true of flash fiction, where the challenge is to get an entire story into fewer than a thousand words.
To be successful at this, many writers practice by summarizing the entire story in one sentence. (This is good practice for novals as well.) It give the writer focus when editing, making it easier to throw out all the irrelevant details.

If John Can Do It....

2010-06-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

This morning I sat down to begin writing my next book and was struck by the fear that I couldn't do it, not again. After five books you'd think the terror of the blank page would, if no go away, at least be ameliorated to some degree. But no, there it was, the certainty that writing an entire novel was an impossible task. All those pages, all those characters, plot twist, scenes, where the hell would they come from? Certainly not me.
I remember John Steinbeck in Travels with Charly saying he knew he couldn't write a novel, but could write a page, and that was how he dealth with the impossible task.
So, here's to John, and writing one page.

Kill a Favorite

2009-09-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

To kill, or not to kill....
So you have this secondary character you really like, but the story dictates he/she has to die. What to do?
Ever run into this?
The first time it happened to me I thought I must be doing something wrong. After all, isn't the only indispensable character the protagonist? And who's story is this anyway? I'm the author, I decide who lives and dies, who's likable and who's not.
I've since learned it ain't so.
Sometimes a character is just that good. They are alive, real, impossible to ignore. I have to let them grow because anything else would be a lie.
So, back to the original question, live or let die? (Apologies to Paul M.)
I don't have the answer, except to say, "let the story dictate the outcome."
If the only way to get that satisfied feeling that the truth has been told is to kill a wonderful, likable character, then so be it.
On the other hand....

The Writer's Life and other Myths

2009-08-09T14:08:00.001-07:00

Many (most?) people believe that once a writer has published a book he's got it made. Money and fame, book tours, live by your own schedule, never have to punch the clock again.
How wrong they are.
Very few writers ever make enough on their writing alone to live the kind of wealth-filled life-style we all dream about. The truth is, only a small fraction of writers make their entire living from the income derived from writing.
People ask us, if your first two or three books don't make you a star, why keep writing? After all, it takes a lot of time to produce a book (though some don't look like it). You could make more putting in a couple of hours a day as a phone solicitor. Hell, you're used to rejections anyway.
The answer is, because we can't stop. We are addicts. Our drug is the written word, our needle the act of putting those words down. Even when we try to stop (and most of us have, out of disappointment and frustration) we can't. We feel empty. We wonder the house looking for something we've lost. We stand at the refrigerator hoping the nourishment we need is in there.
But the stories won't leave us alone. They follow us around, wake us in the night, interrupt our conversations.
So we go back. Back to the desk, the computer, the notebook, and we write.
And perhaps that is the best definition of the writer's life.

More on Book Covers

2009-08-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

Traditional? Wild? Bright colors? Soft tones? Picture placement? No picture at all? Title size? Title Placement? Author's name placement and size? Does it reflect the genre?

There are at least a dozen questions publishers ask when designing a cover, all of them intended to help the book stand out on the shelves. And the advertising department has more say than the author or editor!

In the case of the second book in the series, the cover for The Smiths of Ohr-Rey is more traditional than The Keep of Time, but the artist kept the same overall color, along with the composition of a central spire flanked by two smaller figures.

Title font and placement and background color were also kept consistent to keep the same overall feel of the cover.

Cover Art

2009-08-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

It is seldom that the writer has any say in the cover art for his/her book. The best most of us can expect is a sample mock up a couple of months before publication with at, "what do you think?" note. They really don't care what you think, but it does mean you have an editor who actually knows how to make the author feel involved. Unusually sensitive in this business.

However, once in a while the author is fortunate enough to not only be involved with the cover art, but can meet and talk with the artist. This was the situation for the cover of my second book, The Smiths of Ohr-Rey, book two in the Keep of Time series.

The artist, Susan Melrath, was fabulous to work with, bringing ideas about not only composition, but color and title placement to the discussion.

There was also the added joy of working and talking with another professional creative artist, sharing ideas, feelings, and struggles in a world where art is not often rewarded.

Nothing Like Another Rejection

2009-07-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

There's really nothing like a rejection to make a writer stop and re-evaluate what they're doing. Unfortunately, what happens to most of us is we confuse re-evaluation with self-flagellation. We spent hours/days/weeks telling ourselves we're not really writers, the work stinks, and we are bad people. (It's the last I enjoy watching my writer friends go through the most.)
And God help the fool who gives us platitudes about how, "even the best writers get rejections." Usually followed by a story about Steven King papering his walls with them.
So, what's a writer to do?
No platitudes here, but a suggestion.
Give yourself permission to feel like crap. Wallow in it. Yell a little.
But set a time limit. "I will feel like hell for...."
When time's up, go writing something. Anything.
Sometimes the magic works, and yes, sometimes it doesn't. But anything's better than the bottomless pit of despare.

Finding a First Reader

2009-07-23T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have been fortunate to find a few people I trust to act as First Readers for my work.
What do I think makes the perfect First Reader?
I like to have at least one or two non-writers, people who read widely for personal pleasure. They give me a good "read" on whether or not the story works without all the detailed criticism I get from my fellow writers.
One of challenges is finding people who give honest feedback without needing to grind their personal ax, or try to impress me with English 101 literary analysis.
Find someone who can tell you what worked, what confused or bored them, which characters stood out, and most importantly in popular fiction, was the ending satisfactory.
What I don't want is for them to say what a great writer I am, or how wonderful my writing is.
I wouldn't believe them anyway.

When to Write

2009-07-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

This last week I've been traveling across the United States taking the legendary road trip. I had promised myself I'd get started on the next book in the Keep of Time series. I deliberately set up a travel schedule that left me time each day to write. I had all the materials ready, my most inspirational writing books at hand, and.....
That's right, I didn't write.
Every writer I've ever talked to has had this problem in some form. We plan the perfect writing getaway and it doesn't work.
The answer? That, I think, is something each writer had to arrive at on their own. The only thing that works for me, is to write. No matter what, write. About anything. Anywhere. Anytime. But damn well write.

Letting go of a story

2009-07-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

Is it done?
Writers ask themselves this all the time. Even when something is in print, we want to change or edit something.
I know writers who rewrite the same work over and over. But at some point you have to let the work stand on its merits.
One of the few (and it seems like only a few) things I've learned is, it will never be perfect, only the best I can make it. Don't let fear keep you from submitting a work you know is as good as you can humanly make.
How do you know when you've reached that point?
Let me think about it.....

Hemingway

2009-07-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

While not intended as a book on writing, Hemingway's A Movable Feast has more insights into how to be a writer than most commercial books purporting to do just that. In various places he comments on the use (non-use, really) of adjectives and the writer's need to consistently work as his craft. A read (or re-read) of this book as a writer is well worth the time.