Five Tips for Unlocking Writer's Block

Every writer knows the feeling. You've put it in four-wheel drive, and your tires are still spinning. Mud flips through the air, coating your windshield, and oozes down your side mirror. You groan. It didn't look that deep. or that muddy. or that messy. But here you are -- out of cell range, close to midnight, all alone. What do you do?

1. Read the hilarious but empathetic chapter on writer's block in Anne Lamott's must-have book Bird by Bird. She begins with: There are few experiences as depressing as that anxious barren state known as writer's block, where you sit staring at your blank page like a cadaver, feeling your mind congeal, feeling your talent run down your leg and into your sock. At least you don't feel quite so alone.

2. Go for a walk. This sounds asinine, and it might not work for you. But I've found that extra oxygen to the brain can work wonders. I have a five-mile loop, myself, and by the time I've finished, I'm ready to roll. I don't always remember every brilliant line or detail that I cleverly crafted, but I've had the chance to reassure myself that I haven't lost it, this precious golem I keep on a string.

3. Listen to a podcast. Not any podcast, of course, but one that inspires the writer in you. My favorite are from Odyssey: the Fantasy Writing Workshop. (If you have money, time, and writing talent, apply for their 6-week writing workshop. It looks phenomenal.) They have such writing greats as Patricia A. McKillip, Rodman Philbrick, and Jeff VanderMeer doing their guest lecturing, as well as editors like Gardner Dozois.

4. If you're really stuck, consider taking a true breather and pick up Christopher Vogel's The Writer's Journey. When you need to hit reset, take time out and re-evaluate, step back and look at the big picture, this book can help remind you of the epic structures of storytelling. This doesn't mean you're betraying your craft or concocting a cookie-cutter novel. It just means that you acknowledge a greater theme that ties humanity together and you're interested in universal truths.

5. Slog through it. Sometimes the only way to conquer Writer's Block is to bulldoze your way through it. Keep typing. Keep writing. Keep your fingers moving. Force yourself to sit there and slog your way through it. Yes, it's painful. Yes, it's dirty. And, yes, you'll end up deleting most of it later on down the line. But, sometimes, it's the only way.

Sometimes you are the only one who can rescue you. You have to get out the shovel and the sandbags, and dig your way out, sprinkling down a layer of traction as you go. You'll be sweaty and muddy, but oh so exultant when your tires finally wrench free. Go forth and conquer.

Find a Literary Agent

Book finished? Revised four times? (Why is it that every time I talk with a "serious" writer they tell me, "I'm on my fourth revision"? Is four the magic number? Am I missing something? Have I lost out simply because I didn't do the requisite four?!) Have you toiled over your synopsis? Have you executed a finely turned query letter? Well, then, it's time to look for a literary agent. Good luck.

Actually, this post is not about finding the right literary agent. In fact, I think it's best to start with what this is not about.

• It's not a list of agents. You can find that anywhere. Try Guide to Literary Agents, either online or in book format.
• It's not a matching service. Zirdland is currently testing one, however, if that floats your boat.
• It's not a get-rich-quick scheme. But I do have a large tract of undeveloped land to sell if you're interested.

There is a ton of information out there about each of those items. (Read my previous posts, if you're bored. Truly.)

What I've discovered, however, is that there are literary agents out there blogging who are phenomonal writers in their own rights. Treasure troves of information, inspiration, and motivation, they provide real tips in a timely fashion. So, my advice is to find a literary agent who "speaks" to you; who blogs on topics near and dear to your heart; who is honest about the work and the glory. You don't even have to query her. You just have to listen.

My contribution to the blogging agent list: Nathan Bransford. I'm not only impressed with his prolific blogging, but also with his uncanny ability to blog on topics I'm currently needing. Or even on topics I didn't know I needed but found great use for. Check him out.

Are there agents you subscribe to? Do you find yourself checking one agent blog in particular simply because there's always a gem nested there? Have you ever queried an agent that you found via blog? Let me know if you've found the perfect agent blogger; I'm always looking to expand my horizons.

Win $1000 in Unpublished Novel Contest

That well-developed muscle where the intersection of cynicism and skepticism spasm sporadically is currently twitching. But I'm willing to ignore it for now, if you're willing to suspend your belief system(s) as well.

Zirdland (sponsor of That First Line writing contest these many years) is hosting a new contest for unpublished novels. They're unabashedly up-front about their motives: After 4 years of development, it’s ready. Zirdland’s Story Arc Angel and analysis tool is in beta test right now. You can help us by entering our new contest. All you need is a completed novel that is unpublished. (Self-published works are acceptable.) There's no entry fee.

Since we're all being up-front about our motives, here's my request:

1. Explore Zirdland. It's not entirely up and running, yet, but it looks promising. What do you think?

2. Consider the Arc Angel Story Analysis. Can software really do this?

3. Think about registering a copyright for your novel. It's only $35 - $45.

4. If you're comfortable with the premise, enter the contest.

5. Come back here and post your thoughts. Collective wisdom far outweighs my humble little ploddings, and I'd appreciate knowing your gut reactions.

Bottom line for the contest:

• No entry fee;
• $1000 for first prize;
• Enter as many times as you want;
• Enter variations of the same novel;
• You maintain all rights to your novel;
• Only excerpts of top three are posted on-line;
• Your win will be publicized (via a press release to literary journals, publications and our publisher/agent database)
• The Contest ends at midnight on 10/10/08. The winner will be the highest scoring entry at that time.
• Download a desktop widget so that you can track contest standings.

Oops, I almost forgot: they're sponsoring a screenwriting contest as well, which will open up as soon as the novel one is finished.

How to Publish Without an Agent

My advice is to secure an agent (see previous posts). However, it's still possible to see your book in print without the advice and guidance of one. Read on for tips.

It is possible to be your own literary agent. I don't personally know anyone who has gone that route, but I do know it's been done.

1. Search out publishing companies that accept unagented, unsolicited manuscripts. There are lots that say they do, but whether or not your manuscript receives more than a cursory glance is hard to determine.

• Heather Osborn an acquiring editor of Tor Books (imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC) is looking for paranormal romance or urban fantasy. She suggested Stacy Hague-Hill (Thanks to twinkiethekid for spelling advice) as someone actively looking for Science Fiction / Fantasy aquisitions.
• Check out Fleetwood Robbins, an editor at Wizards of the Coast, as well.
• Ace & ROC of Penguin Group will also accept direct queries from authors.

2. Do the research. Each of these publishing companies details specific guidelines for submitting your work. They're all different. Look up what they want, do a google search for an editor to send it to, and then personalize the query letter.

3. Find out what it takes to represent your own work. I would recommend Martin P. Levin's book Be Your Own Literary Agent: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Getting Published. While not the final word on the subject (chapter on contracts advises finding a lawyer or an agent) , it will still give you some tips on getting an editor to look at your work.

Are you someone who has gone the unagented route? What were your experiences? Did you find that getting published led you to an agent? Or did you decide to continue on alone?

Publish My Book: Steps You Can Take

Note: This posting is a continued conversation on the topic of Agents & Publishing.

So, what now? It's really a matter of choosing a course and following through. If you're determined to get published, you must commit to the following steps:

1. Write the best novel you can. I can't tell you how many people I talk to who have a great idea or have just written the first fifty pages. Stop talking and write. There's too much competition out there to simper over what you're going to do. Just do it.

2. Do the research. Who repesents your market? Who's accepting unsolicited manuscripts? There are so many good resources out there already (on-line: AgentQuery, Writer Beware, ForWriters, Writers Write & book form: Guide to Literary Agents, Literary Marketplace, Writer's Market to name a few), that I'm not going to repeat it all here.

3. Do the research part II. Think you're done? Not by half. Once you find a sizable agent list, research them. Visit their websites and find out exactly what they want. If they're looking to publish urban fantasy with a steampunk edge and you're writing high fantasy, look elsewhere. Tailor everything you do in your query to each specific agent. Yes, that means that you might be doing a great deal of editing and work. That's okay. That's your job.

4. Do the work. Write a darn good query letter. Again, this means doing your homework, discovering what a query letter is supposed to accomplish, and perfecting your work of art.

• Reminder: Different agents require different things. Look up their requirements on their website. They may ask for a query letter, a synopsis, or a chapter outline, an ounce of blood or DNA proof that you're not a child of the antichrist. Give it to them.
• Note: If agents have no unsolicted manuscripts written on their site, that simply means that you need to write an effective query letter. Don't strike them off your list.
  

5. Send off your queries in batches of ten (see previous post on this strategy).

6. Don't stop -- Keep writing. Just because you've written the next best thing since LiveScribe doesn't mean you rest on your laurels. Nope. Instead, you keep on a' truckin'. You write. After all, it's what you do.

Agents 201: Do I Need an Agent?

Part II of III on understanding the world of agents. The content for today's post has been gleaned from the ever-so-gracious Jody Conrad, author of When Goliath Doesn't Fall.

Are agents necessary? Having a reputable agent represent you is like having Coca-Cola represent your unknown, brown, chemical syrup. Without an agent's well-respected name representing you, the the chances of a publishing house seeing your brown liquid as anything but brown liquid are slippery at best.

Authors can get published without agents, it's just sometimes more difficult, especially for a first-time-author, to get the attention of a busy publishing house. It's easier for a publishing house to rely on the trusted name of an agent they already know sends them good referrals.

Agents do three things:
1. Help you get your foot in the door of the publishing world.
2. Negotiate the finer points of a book contract (i.e. % of advance, basket-accounting, etc).
3. Provide market tips and strategies, keep an eye out for further placing your work, and give general encouragement.

Why is it so hard to find an agent? All that said, agents are sometimes just as hard to 'win-over' as publishing houses. They have to really believe in your work to take you on because taking you on means they are endorsing your kind of writing which, in turn, reflects on them. Too, besides a percentage of your advance, they only get paid if your book does well; a risk for them. So, they weigh whether your writing is worth putting their time and effort into tweaking, representing, and pitching to publishing houses. In essence, their agency's name is on the line.

When you keep that in mind -- that an agent takes a risk by associating with you, an unknown -- it starts to put things in perspective. And a bit of perspective is like a twist of lemon: it keeps things real while giving you mouth-watering insight into the life of others.

Query Letter: Five Steps Toward Publishing

OK: I'm guilty of it myself. I've toiled hours over my query letter. I've perfected it. I've tweaked it. I've buffed it. In fact, my query letter is a work of art, right up there with coffee ice cream.

And then I've sat on it. For six months.

Next step? GUILT. If I'm not out there beating the bushes for an agent, then how will Ceilyn see the light of day? I'm certainly not going to be hit over the head and dragged off by the hair to some publishing cave. So I decide to send out the query letter.

Retrieving the somewhat squished and wrinkled pages is the easy part. Determining the agent is pretty simple, too. Head held high, I mail off my one query letter. I'm still awaiting the results.

So -- if you were wondering -- this is the wrong way to do it. If you've taken even one class in statistics, you'll know why. Elizabeth Lyon, author of The Sell Your Novel Toolkit, pleads with us writers to do it the right way, the kinder, gentler, smarter way, the Lyon way.

The Lyon Way:
1. After you've perfected your query letter, send it out to ten agents.

2. Keep track of how many agents request your manuscript. A successful query letter nets 30%, or three out of ten requests.

3. If "successful," send out individualized letters to scores more agents. Increase your odds.

4a. If your query nets you zero, then your query letter is a failure.

4b. This is the good news: you haven't been rejected; just your query letter.

5. Re-write your query letter. Repeat steps 1-5.

If you have successful query letter stories or even "don't do what I did" stories, please share them! Are there better methods out there? Must-read books on the subject?