The ‘mystery’ of writing:
My friend Matt who reads this here blog and saw me speak at Hopkins last week sent along this article about the L.A. Times Festival of Books and the rediculously long lines at the “How Do I get an Agent?” panel. I was reminded of the talk I gave on Sunday at the Marin County chapter of the California Writers Club. For an hour I thought (immodestly) that I held the audience enrapt. I told then you don’t need an agent to succeed as a writer, you don’t need a publisher to say, “Yes it’s ok now to call yourself a writer.” You need to declare it for yourself, to work, work, work, at writing wherever you can, to belong to a literary community and to support that community with your efforts.
After I finished, a very nice woman raised her hand and said “I hear what you’re saying but that sounds like a lot of work. How do I get an agent?”
Friends, it is a lot of work. The other arts (musicians, painters, actors) accept this and do it anyway, whether or not they have any external validation. When was the last time you heard the bass player of your average bar band say “well, I’m not really a musician because an agent/label/whomever hasn’t discovered me yet.”
Aspiring writers labor under some absurd notion that those who have “made it” as writers, our Michael Chabons, our Ann Patchetts, are from some farwaway land, where the secrets of the trade are released from a golden box for all to share. But here on earth, the only recourse they feel they have is to mail piles of submissions to agents and publishers in hopes of being one of those lottery stories where a secretary likes the typeface on the title page, recommends it to their boss and tomorrow they’re being handed the National Book Award.
It’s a myth. Writing is work. Lots of it. A career’s worth. Those folks you see winning the awards and getting interviewed by Charlie Rose have been at it for years, often with no recognition, little money, and no publisher’s reassurance. And the sitting at your desk and crafting beautiful sentences is only the first half, just like composing music is only the first part of making it as a band.
How to be a writer is not a secret. You want to write, like for a living? Start small, zines, web sites, places that need content. Use those clips to work up, first to your local newspaper, then small magazines, then bigger papers, then national magazines. Read in public whereever they will let you. Get known in your community as a writer. Keep a mailing list. Make your admirers easy to read you and see you perform. Create a buzz around yourself and your work. This can all be done without agent, publisher, or anyone’s permission. Know who Neal Pollack is? He read his work is the men’s room and at the post office. He got arrested for disturbing the peace. Say what you want about his attitude. He’s got two books out already.
You wanna be a writer? Be active about it. Don’t wait for anyone’s permission. Get in there and work at it. You can do it. We all can. The only one stopping you is you.
Go to it. It’s a blast.
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20 Replies to “The ‘mystery’ of writing:”
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you’re doing a great job kevin!
thanks for the laugh (though i understand the seriousness of this post).
you’re doing a great job kevin!
thanks for the laugh (though i understand the seriousness of this post).
Thanks for the career guidance Kevin. I’ve always wanted to write. I was too young to think about making a living out of it. I just wanted to write, to inspire, to record, and to muse over. I still don’t know if I have the tenacity to make it my primary source of income, but at least now I know how.
Thanks for the career guidance Kevin. I’ve always wanted to write. I was too young to think about making a living out of it. I just wanted to write, to inspire, to record, and to muse over. I still don’t know if I have the tenacity to make it my primary source of income, but at least now I know how.
Not entirely related, but here in Houston most working musicians have about half a dozen agents that will call for various gigs, usually private functions. The only rule is you have to stick with whoever you said yes to first, regardless of what better comes along later. You end up with stacks of business cards you take to each gig, and you just have to be careful not to give out one for the wrong guy! Check out “rediculously” in your post.
Not entirely related, but here in Houston most working musicians have about half a dozen agents that will call for various gigs, usually private functions. The only rule is you have to stick with whoever you said yes to first, regardless of what better comes along later. You end up with stacks of business cards you take to each gig, and you just have to be careful not to give out one for the wrong guy! Check out “rediculously” in your post.
Did I mispell it? It wouldn’t be the first time. Right, I’m not saying that agents have no place in the arts and are unecessary. Agents serve a valuable function, from navagating the legal maze of publishing, to aiding in the construction and growth of a writer’s career. Also, most major publishing houses won’t even look at your manuscript without an agent. However, I’ve you’ve been writing and publishing for some time, if your work has a buzz built up around it, if you’ve nurtured your own audience, when your time comes to publish, the agent is largely a formality, someone who pushes the deal through. They are not the difference between literary success and failure.
Did I mispell it? It wouldn’t be the first time. Right, I’m not saying that agents have no place in the arts and are unecessary. Agents serve a valuable function, from navagating the legal maze of publishing, to aiding in the construction and growth of a writer’s career. Also, most major publishing houses won’t even look at your manuscript without an agent. However, I’ve you’ve been writing and publishing for some time, if your work has a buzz built up around it, if you’ve nurtured your own audience, when your time comes to publish, the agent is largely a formality, someone who pushes the deal through. They are not the difference between literary success and failure.
There are a couple of writers in my family (one very successful childrens author, and one famous playwright) and yes, writing is a lot of work – all you say about being at it for years is right on. It’s a lot like commercial webdesign actually – I’ve seen so many companies who think they can set a website up themselves quickly, and yet design it well, and keep it updated and whatnot (as opposed to hiring a pro to do it for them).
All of them fail to realise that to be able to have a decent website that promotes properly, you have to know what you’re doing. You have to learn how the various web technologies work and how design works, and how to use tools to both design and code properly. It’s not a walk in the park – it’s hard work and it takes time.
By the way, this is an Ireland-centric point of you, your mileage may vary in other parts of the world…
There are a couple of writers in my family (one very successful childrens author, and one famous playwright) and yes, writing is a lot of work – all you say about being at it for years is right on. It’s a lot like commercial webdesign actually – I’ve seen so many companies who think they can set a website up themselves quickly, and yet design it well, and keep it updated and whatnot (as opposed to hiring a pro to do it for them).
All of them fail to realise that to be able to have a decent website that promotes properly, you have to know what you’re doing. You have to learn how the various web technologies work and how design works, and how to use tools to both design and code properly. It’s not a walk in the park – it’s hard work and it takes time.
By the way, this is an Ireland-centric point of you, your mileage may vary in other parts of the world…
You make a good point Tom. Time is key. In the case of writers, success is not determined by how lucky you get, what powerful person tips their hands towards our nacent book project. Editors, Agents, Publishers are all looking for writers who will be writing books for the rest of their lives, whom they can get 10-15-20 good books out of. To make that you, it takes time, effort, and much hard work.
You make a good point Tom. Time is key. In the case of writers, success is not determined by how lucky you get, what powerful person tips their hands towards our nacent book project. Editors, Agents, Publishers are all looking for writers who will be writing books for the rest of their lives, whom they can get 10-15-20 good books out of. To make that you, it takes time, effort, and much hard work.
So what’s the secret, then?
(just kidding)
So what’s the secret, then?
(just kidding)
as of this moment, the secret is getting your tiny squadron of admirers (that being you all) to put this post on Metafilter and to hail me as the only straight talker in the publishing world. Then hang around while I divvy up the perks of fame
Go to it 🙂
as of this moment, the secret is getting your tiny squadron of admirers (that being you all) to put this post on Metafilter and to hail me as the only straight talker in the publishing world. Then hang around while I divvy up the perks of fame
Go to it 🙂
Damn it! I was gonna comment:
“Ok, that’s great, but how do I get an agent?”
Matt kinda beat me to it. I hate when someone steps on my funny.
Anyway, I agree with ya one hundred percent. We (me and my friend Mike Stephens, both struggling writers) used to have a rule that said you were a writer if you’d been published somewhere, anywhere, in the last year, whether you got paid or not, and we used it more as an inspirational tool to make us keep writing than anything else. Now we have such peowerful independent publishing apparatus that the inspirational tool is almost useless. Now we have no more excuses to be cowardly or lazy, not to put our words out there and let the critics and fans fall where they may. I’ve always thought that as long as I keep doing it in some form, learn new ways to do it, read other people and be involved, as long as you continue the ENDEAVOR (my favorite word) you’ll get somewhere. And if you don’t, someday after you’re worm-food, someone will pull a bunch of crap out of an old box in your house, and fall in love, and you’ll end up a legend long after your death. It’s happened before, right?
So thanks, man, gonna spend a lot of time today writing ’cause of you.
Damn it! I was gonna comment:
“Ok, that’s great, but how do I get an agent?”
Matt kinda beat me to it. I hate when someone steps on my funny.
Anyway, I agree with ya one hundred percent. We (me and my friend Mike Stephens, both struggling writers) used to have a rule that said you were a writer if you’d been published somewhere, anywhere, in the last year, whether you got paid or not, and we used it more as an inspirational tool to make us keep writing than anything else. Now we have such peowerful independent publishing apparatus that the inspirational tool is almost useless. Now we have no more excuses to be cowardly or lazy, not to put our words out there and let the critics and fans fall where they may. I’ve always thought that as long as I keep doing it in some form, learn new ways to do it, read other people and be involved, as long as you continue the ENDEAVOR (my favorite word) you’ll get somewhere. And if you don’t, someday after you’re worm-food, someone will pull a bunch of crap out of an old box in your house, and fall in love, and you’ll end up a legend long after your death. It’s happened before, right?
So thanks, man, gonna spend a lot of time today writing ’cause of you.
sign me up for the perks.
sign me up for the perks.