Here's to a New Year of Writing!

There are two kinds of writers in the world. And no, I don't mean fiction writers and nonfiction writers, plotters and pantsers, or literary writers and commercial writers. I mean the writers who make New Year’s Resolutions and those who don't.

I fall in the first camp. With a vengeance. An inveterate list maker and planner, I view the new year as the Super Bowl of Goal Setting.

2017 is no exception. My calendar is already full of sales objectives (for my clients), events and conferences (for agency business), writing deadlines (for my publishers), and more. So many of the hard targets I aim for this year are related to these enterprises; hitting them is not an aspiration, it's an imperative.

But I know that freaking out about having too much to do in too little time will only sabotage any progress I hope to make—and kill the creativity I count on to keep me on track.

My New Year’s Resolutions are the ones critical to my creative process. They're the ones that I've proclaimed loudly and in technicolor in the one place I'm bound to visit more often than I should every day: my refrigerator.

That’s right. Last summer I painted the bottom half of my refrigerator with chalk paint, thinking it would prove an amusement for my grandchildren. But over time the space morphed into my own personal and professional planner.

This morning, in honor of the dawn of 2017, it reads: Breathe. Read. Write.

Breathe, because yoga is the fastest way for me to plug into my subconscious.

Read, because as Stephen King says, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write.”

Write, because real writers write. End of story.

Okay, so my kids will all tease me unmercifully when they see it, my non-writing friends will think it's weird, and my neighbors may view it as downright subversive, but I don’t care. It works, as least for me.

            So … what's on your refrigerator this year?

Note: If you're having trouble getting started, check out my new book, The Writer's Guide to Beginnings.

Yes, Virginia, the Beginning Does Matter

This morning I got an email from a writer that I found very disheartening. It went something like this:

Dear Paula,

I have written a great novel that I’d like to send to you in the hope of obtaining representation. Now I know that the first chapter doesn’t really work, but the rest of it is very good, and I know that you’ll love it if you read the entire manuscript. Does that really matter? Should I send it to you now or wait until I figure out how to fix the first chapter?

Best,

Aspiring Writer

At the risk of repeating myself: Yes, your story opening DOES matter. Because if the beginning doesn’t work, the rest doesn’t matter. The truth is that few readers—and even fewer agents and editors—will read past a poorly executed first chapter.  That’s why I do so many First Ten Pages Boot Camps and that’s why I’m writing a new book about story openings called BEGINNINGS:  How to Craft Story Openings That Impress Agents, Engage Editors, and Captivate Readers that Writers Digest Books will publish in the fall. Because I know how much the beginning matters—and I want to help as many writers get past that first hurdle in the novel-writing process as I can.

The First Page Sells the Book…

That’s what they say in publishing. So take the time to craft a first page, a first scene, a first chapter that engages readers—and keeps them reading.  Here’s a checklist designed to help you ensure that your first chapter:

•          What actually happens?

Too often the answer to this is, “not much.” Make something compelling happen!

•          Why will the reader care about/relate to the characters?

Readers want to fall in love with the protagonist at first sight.

•          How do you want the reader to feel? What have you done to evoke that feeling?

Art is meant to be an emotional experience, not simply an intellectual one. Make your readers feel something.

•          Have you used all the elements of fiction at your disposal—setting, plot, character, theme, etc.?

So many first pages fail to weave in all these elements—and you need them all to write fully realized scenes.

•          Have you chosen the right voice?

When the voice is right on, readers read on.

•          Does the dialogue ring true?

Bad dialogue kills the reading experience faster than most anything.

•          Are the story questions strong enough to keep the reader turning the pages?

Without story questions, there’s no story—just writing.

•          Is it clear what kind of story you’re telling?

Readers play favorites with genre; they want to know what kind of story they’re reading right away.

•          What makes this story different from others of its ilk?

You need to set your story apart from the brand-name competition in your genre—and the sooner the better.

•          Have you gotten the point of view right?

The misuse of point of view is one of the big reasons I pass on stories, even when everything else works.

•          Is the scene well-written and well-edited?

Professionalism counts.

If your story opening passes this checklist test, then you may be ready to shop your work.  Good luck—and happy querying!

Top Five Quotes from the New England Crime Bake

There’s nothing like a good writer’s conference to get your creative juices flowing. And the New England Crime Bake is one of the best, and one of my faves. This year I had the good luck to be invited to sit on a swell panel, as pictured above, with Hank Phillippi Ryan, Elizabeth George, Hallie Ephron, and Kathy Lynn Emerson.

The Crime Bake is a coming together of top writing and editing and publishing talent that can benefit writers of every genre, not just crime writing. And 2015 was no exception, thanks to the swell line-up of authors, agents, and editors, most notably Guest of Honor Elizabeth George.

Here are the top five quotes from this year’s Crime Bake, beginning and ending with the wise and wonderful Elizabeth George:

1.

“I am always looking for a sentence that will take me somewhere.”

--Elizabeth George, New York Times bestselling author

2.

“Hide the exposition.”

--Spencer Quinn, New York Times bestselling author

3.

“Writing well is writing well and it doesn’t matter what genre you choose.”

--Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author

4.

“I fly by the seat of my pants, and then hope and grope my way through.”

--Hallie Ephron, New York Times bestselling author

5.

“I write five pages a day, no matter how long it takes me.”

--Elizabeth George, New York Times bestselling author

Use code PMQHANDS for an extra 20% off of my new book, WRITING WITH QUIET HANDS:

http://www.writersdigestshop.com/writing-with-quiet-hands-paperback

NaNoWriMo Movie Night!

Only two more days before NaNoWriMo!

Get ready to make the most of the next month by having a NaNoWriMo movie night. Watch two or three films based on bestsellers in your genre. Make scene lists as you watch. Be sure to select movies that closely follow the plotlines of the novels on which they are based. Do this, and you’ll understand structure in a much deeper and comprehensive way. Most importantly, you’ll be preparing your sub-conscious for the storytelling marathon that is NaNoWriMo—and laying the plotting groundwork to pound out those pages.

So do yourself a favor, and have a NaNoWriMo Movie Night tonight! It's good for your plot, and a lot of fun—and the only NaNoWriMo homework that goes with popcorn.

For more plotting help, use code PLOTPM, good for an extra 20% off on purchases of your book in the WD shop through end of month. Here’s the link: http://www.writersdigestshop.com/plot-perfect

Train Your Brain to Write Better, Faster, Smarter!

For today's blog, I sat down with my pal and client, Susan Reynolds, to pick her brain about her new book, Fire Up Your Writing Brain: How to Use Proven Neuroscience to Become a More Creative, Productive, and Successful Writer. It's a classic every writer should have on his/her shelf: What writer doesn't want to write better, faster, smarter?

     1)  What inspired you to write this book?

I had written two previous books on neuroscience and found the breakthroughs happening in the field intriguing. Because I also love writing with a passion, I wanted to explore the ways writers could use these breakthroughs in neuroscience to become more creative, productive, and successful at their craft. We’ve learned, for example, that your brain has the capacity to develop new neurons throughout your lifetime, and it’s the connectivity—how your neuronal connections communicate—that matters most. Those are two things you can do to grow as a writer: develop new neurons related to writing (and whatever you’re writing about) and bolster connectivity by studying your craft and reading widely on the topic you’re writing about. What you want is to create a vast “small world network” of neurons that are specifically related to writing.

2) You say multitasking is bad for your writing brain. Why is that, and how do you recommend writers kick this habit in today's 24/7 world?

Multitaskers tend to be the staunchest defenders of this practice, proclaiming that they have no problem doing so; but, in reality, your brain can only focus on one task at a time. Even if you think you’re handling two at once, your brain is microscopically shifting from one task to the other, dividing its resources. It is a challenge to single-task in today’s hyper-connected world, but if you want your brain to bring all of its resources to the task of writing, then developing the discipline to turn off your phone, silence the ping that announces emails, and drastically limit distractions will provide your brain the ability to focus at the level needed to do your best work. I have an exercise for increasing concentration, which is done in stages, as research has shown that the more you focus and concentrate on one task (solving the plot puzzle, how best to portray your protagonist’s breakdown), the more your brain will shift into overdrive and deliver even more brainpower. Practicing mindfulness can also be very helpful, as increasing your brain’s ability to ignore distractions and focus solely on what’s happening in the moment bolsters your ability to concentrate while writing.

3) They say sitting is the new smoking--and you tell us in your book that exercise is good for your writing brain. What should writers do to enhance this body/brain connection?

Exercise is crucial to brain functioning and long-term brain health. Both your heart and your brain rely on blood flow and oxygen to function and studies have shown that regular exercise and remaining socially active are the two best salvos against developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. If you want your brain to function at peak capacity (and you do!), gift your brain at least ½ hour of exercise each day. Simple walking will make a difference. I also encourage “active sitting,” and provide ways you can combine writing with simple movements, like rolling a ball with your feet while you write. It’s also very wise to get up every hour and move around (throw in a load of laundry, wash your dishes, vacuum the floor, do a few yoga poses), and get plenty of sleep each night. Sleep is also crucial to brain health. Writing is a solitary, sitting-intensive profession, so you have to consciously counteract the negative effects of sitting.

4) You talk about rewarding your writing brain. How does that work?

Two things neuroscientists have discovered are that your brain actively seeks to please you and it responds to rewards. When you feel good, your brain releases and bathes itself in what are called the feel-good chemicals—dopamine, endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin, and others—which is so pleasurable for your brain that it eagerly awaits new opportunities to repeat this experience. Thus, if you cue up reasonable expectations around writing and then reward your brain after each writing session—by pausing to feel good about what you’ve accomplished, and/or by doing something that will awaken your brain’s reward center (going for a walk, savoring a chocolate, enjoying a glass of wine with your beloved, ordering a pair of earrings you’ve been coveting, or something that creates pleasure for you)—your brain will release the feel-good chemicals. It will then seek, anticipate, and enjoy opportunities to repeat that experience. The goal is to “hard-wire” pleasure with writing, which will make writing sessions something both your mind and your brain desire and enjoy.

5) After writing this book, what did you change about your own writing life?

Meditation provides remarkable advantages in prepping your brain for writing sessions, as does brainstorming, and journaling about what you want to write the next day before going to sleep, so I’ve begun doing all of those activities far more often. I’m also far more vigilant about moving around once an hour, and deep breathing to increase circulation and focus. The one major change, however, has been in valuing my own work. Instead of berating myself or feeling frustrated for not accomplishing what I’d hoped to accomplish in a daily writing session, I have replaced those thoughts with positive thoughts and reward my brain by creating positive affirmations (and buying that pair of gold earrings I wanted when I completed edits on the book). It’s a simple perspective tweak that really helps hardwire pleasure to writing, which should be every writer’s goal. 

Amen to that!

For more on Susan, follow her blog on http://fireupyourwritingbrain.com.

Top Ten Things You Should Never Say to an Agent

1.         I’m calling to tell you about my story.

Don’t query by phone. Or text. Email queries, referrals, and conferences are the best ways to approach an agent. But you should check an agent’s website for submission and query guidelines, and follow those to the letter.

2.         Dear Sir/Madam,

This tells me immediately that you have no idea who I am or what I represent.

3.         Dear Paula Munier,

This tells me immediately that you know how to do a mail merge, but not that you know how to write. For more, see #1.

4.         Dear Paul,

This tells me immediately that you have no idea who I am or what I represent, right down to my name and gender. It also tells me that I can expect a careless manuscript full of typos, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies.

5.         I know you don’t represent “insert genre I don’t represent here,” but mine is different.

Most agents specialize for a reason: Namely, they know what they can sell, and what they can’t. Why would you approach an agent who doesn’t sell what you need selling?

6.         You can sell my 210,000-word story as one big novel or seven 30,000-word books in an epic series.

Ignoring word-count guidelines is the quickest way to discourage any professional from reading your work.  If you don’t know the word-count guidelines for your genre, look it up.

7.         All my beta readers love it.

This is almost the same thing as saying that your mother loves it. For all I know, it could actually be the same thing, as your mother may very well number among your beta readers. This means less than nothing to me, unless your mother and indeed all of your beta readers are bestselling authors in your genre. In which case, you have most definitely buried the lead.

8.         I’ve attached my full manuscript as a word doc.

Agents have overflowing inboxes. And attachments can be computer viruses waiting to happen.  Do not include any attachments in your queries unless specifically requested to do so.

9.         I’ve attached my entire manuscript as a pdf.

Microsoft Word documents are the industry standard. Submitting a pdf screams paranoid aspiring amateur author and/or (perhaps justifiably) paranoid screenwriter turned novelist. Neither (necessarily) inspires confidence.

10.      Here’s my book on a flash drive for you.

Save your time and money. Flash drives may be lighter than hard copies, but they are just as likely to get lost or tossed.

Post Script: It goes without saying—but it happens often enough that I’m going to say it—that you should never insult the publishing professionals you meet on your quest to get published, agents included.  It’s a small world, and what goes around comes around. I’m just sayin.’

Top Ten Reasons Your Story Isn't Selling

1)      Not enough happens.

2)      There’s nothing unique enough about your premise, plot, or protagonist to set your story apart from what's already out there.

3)      The prose is dense and inaccessible.

4)      Your story is not grounded in setting.

5)      The protagonist is not likable or admirable and readers can’t relate to him/her.

6)      You don’t show, you tell.

7)      The beginning is too slow, the middle is too boring, and the ending is too rushed.

8)      The dialogue doesn’t sound like real people.

9)       The story is not told in a strong voice.

10)   The protagonist does not drive the action and/or change enough over the course of the story.