Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
Last week Mary led a tour via her blog posts of Your Publishing House, Inc., in which she gave you a peek inside the publishing house’s departments. As I read her posts, it occurred to me that we haven’t talked about what happens before the publisher enters the picture. So, to complete this portrait of your manuscript and how it becomes a book, I want to take a look at the part of the process I suspect many of you are moving your way through now–the time before a publisher enters the picture.
The first step might seem obvious, yet many a writer makes a misstep from the get-go: Find the right idea.
Last week I met with a potential new client. As we discussed her book idea and how she came to write it, she mentioned that she has loved writing since she was a little girl. She didn’t realize not everyone thought writing was a fun activity.
Eventually, it dawned on her that her love of words was a gift that not everyone possessed. She turned her mind to writing a novel when she was a young mother. “But that novel isn’t what I want to ever publish,” she explained to me. “It’s just a place where I started writing, and it didn’t take me long to see it wasn’t at the level I’d want it to be.”
Would that every writer had that kind of insight! The first manuscript you complete isn’t necessarily the one destined to be published. It’s probably a practice piece. (I know, that’s awful, isn’t it?)
Ronda paused after talking about the “practice” novel and said she didn’t know why it took her several decades to start to write her next book-length piece. I knew the answer and piped up: “You hadn’t lived the story yet.”
I’m not necessarily that perceptive; it’s just that Ronda’s book is an expression of what her life has become in those decades. It’s what she’s always longed to write, but first she had to live out certain events before she was ready to spill words onto the page. Now she’s ready to write the book she’s always longed in her heart to write.
So the first step toward being published is to find the right idea–or to be open to the right idea when it finds you, as happened to Ronda.
How do you know an idea is it?
- Your gut tells you this is it. Listen to your instincts.
- You see signs that, for society, the time is right. What ideas form today’s zeitgeist? Is the zeitgeist of-the-moment, or will it last long enough for you to write your book, find a publisher, and have the book release (often a two-year process)?
- When you tell others about your idea, their eyes light up, they’re engaged, they want to know more. (Test this with people besides your mother; sorry, she’s probably such a fan of yours, she’s not objective.)
- Play with the idea to see if it gains momentum in your imagination or stalls.
Now what about you? How many book-length manuscripts have you written?
If you think you’ve found the right idea for you, how did you know this was it?
What idea do you wish had been yours but someone beat you to it?
I’ve written five manuscripts. Three have potential to be published. One will definitely be published (even if it takes as long as it did for the lady you tweeted about last week). And two won’t be (my first two…no surprise). It’s a gut thing. I’ve read that the first novel is often autobiographical in many ways. I can see this being true.
I like to test my ideas with local book groups and other avid readers. It’s been a good gauge for me. I couldn’t agree more with the tip about seeing whether the idea gains momentum. If characters come more and more alive to me, I know I need to write their stories. When that unique twist or spark infiltrates my synapses, converging with my characters I know I’ve got something.
~ Wendy
“How many book-length manuscripts have you written?”
Only one so far, with the second about 20 percent done. Both novels, different genres. I’m also working on a short non-fiction manuscript (more than 50 percent done) I intend to e-self-publish.
“If you think you’ve found the right idea for you, how did you know this was it?”
I just know. The ideas for both of these novels, as well as the other twenty queued up waiting their turn, just don’t leave. I can’t turn them off.
“What idea do you wish had been yours but someone beat you to it?”
None that I’ve seen.
I am on my third novel. The first one that I wrote is complete and the sequel is nearing completion. I had to take a small break from it because I hadn’t found the right ending. It hit me this weekend (after outting it down for a month) and now I can finish it. The third one is 1/2 done now and I think that #3 might be it. I think the first two are great stories but I think that #3 might have better marketability and audience. When I tell my friends and people that I know at work and church about the book I am writing now their eyes light up and they say they would definately buy it. It seems catchy so I am hoping that beyond my group of friends the general public will someday agree!
1) I’ve written zero book-length manuscripts. However, if you count the technical reports I’ve written then I’ve have written a few. I know what it is like to write, edit, and not go crazy over a thousand pages for release in six months time. And I am now doing it again though this time I’ll have about nine months.
2) Yes I have found the right idea to write about. It’s like you said “I’d hadn’t live the story yet”.
3) Dan Brown’s books about his Robert Langdon
character would of been something I wished I written about.
I have written one novel-length manuscript.
I’m pretty sure I have the “right” idea – and right now, it’s about 40% done.
Great post!
Lovely post, thanks.
I was about 75% finished with the first draft of my first MS when I put it on hold to write a women’s fiction MS that struck me like lightening three years ago and kept nagging at me despite my work on the first. It was definitely an IT idea, according to all four bullet points. Two years and three drafts later, I’m done.
I don’t know which would be considered the first since the true first I haven’t completed. I’m going to be picking up that one again soon and am excited to do so with the wisdom of the other MS behind me. It is a darker and more complex story and I feel prepared to handle it now.
Does it count if we’ve written the same book about five times? 😉
I’ve completed two manuscripts in a series and I’m about 1/3 of the way through the third. My very first version of the first ms is cringe-worthy. I only save it because my husband thinks I should remember where I started. I prefer not to think about it. 🙂
Janet,
Thank you for bringing this aspect of writing to the light!
My first attempt at writing a novel happened as a result of a Christian tool I had envisioned 18 years ago. Before I get into the first novel, I must first explain a little more about the tool. Why? To encourage those of you that want results now to not be discouraged. I spent 6 months researching and developing marketing ideas for telling the Easter story. For years, many people made their own home-made version. At that time nothing had ever been marketed. I even went so far as to find the person who originally came up the idea and I attained written permission to use her idea. About forty five years ago she first taught the Easter story using egg-shaped cardboard pieces. She had seen her idea grow in popularity and metamorphosis from its first medium.
In my mind the next step of the process was to discuss it with a Christian bookstore owner. The owner was excited. His research revealed that there had not been anything available and it would definitely sell. How exciting!! I finally found a winner. Well, I continued working on the project and low and behold six months or so after my conversation with the owner a well-known company was producing the very product I had pitched.
What did I do next? First, I thought the bookstore owner shared it with his connections (after all I was a wanna-be with no connections). I will never know. And living life full of mistrust and bitterness would only hurt me. But from that experience I realized that often God does place an inspired idea in a number of peoples’ hearts and minds. Why? Because many of us end up flaking out or the obstacles are too discouraging to follow through. God knows our tendencies so He must inspire a number of people in hopes that one or two actually do it.
Since God intends nothing to be wasted, I decided to use the information I gained to write my first novel, a historical novel dated 50 AD. About 1/3 way into it I went to a writers’ conference. There, I learned my idea was before its time. I decided to give it a rest and pour my creative energies elsewhere.
Then eleven years ago I felt inspired to write my second novel on a different topic which was related to the ministry I was involved in. I was so excited. And that began my journey into the reality of the publishing world. But I wasn’t emotionally prepared to deal with that aspect along with raising my children. So I shelfted my novel for a season. A year ago I shared the manuscript with a very critical free-lance editor. She was more excited about it then I had been for a long time. Now that my children are grown, I am back to revising and growing as a writer. I believe this novel is the one. As for the first novel, now would be the time due to the many changes in our culture. However, I recently discovered that everything had been lost. Fortunately, from my memory, I can still use aspects of it to incorporate into the present novel and its series.
As of yet, I’m unpublished. But I think we as writers’ know our manuscript is the right
1. If it is relevant to the church world or society.
2. If qualified, objective people value our manuscript.
3. If our motivation from God is pure, not self-driven.
4. If it is close to the top of our “bucket list.”
Sue Gollbach
Thanks to each of you for sharing your writing journey and how you knew your idea was the right one. It’s fascinating to see how tangled each creative attempt is with past efforts.
And, Sue, thanks for the perspective that God lays an idea on various people’s hearts because not everyone will be able–or know how–to carry it to fruition.
I’m surprised we haven’t more, I-wish-I-had-thought-of writing __________ comments. Maybe everyone is too busy pursuing their own inspirations.
Wow, I love what you told your potential new client. “You haven’t lived your story yet.” Powerful words.
I’ve written two full-length novels and am starting a third. After my first one, I had several ideas floating around in my head and wasn’t sure where to go from there. I talked with one of your agency’s clients, Camy Tang, and she gave me great advice, telling me to explore different genres until I found what I love and feels true to my voice.
Considering most of the books on my shelf were fun romances (and my first completed manuscript was dark and sober), I decided to switch things up. Wow, what a difference! It was really FUN to write. The Amish piece was a natural extension of my upbringing, so I planted my heroine, a modern woman, in the middle of an Amish-centric town. I’d like to think it’s a fairly unique idea, but of course, “there is nothing new under the sun”. 🙂 I’ve seen some other fun Amish stories coming out lately and am so excited to see them meet with success.
As for the I-wish-I-had-thought-of question, I love the concept of Nicole O’Dell’s YA Scenarios series. Even though I don’t write YA, I could see those being such powerful stories for teen and tween girls.
What if you believe all of those things about your manuscript, but still can’t get an agent to read it?
I love this! Even as a published author, I have to ask myself these questions as I develop a new book idea. Will anyone want to read it? Does it have enough momentum to keep the reader rolling through the whole book?
Before I was published I wrote 7 novella length manuscripts, 1 full-length manuscript, and 1 really awful short historical (when i was 13). And while I really loved the story of the full-length manuscript, it was just plumb terribly written. But when the time came, I was able to rewrite much of it into my second book. I’m just glad I didn’t throw it out.
I wrote three full length books before I was 22. If you had told me at the time it was all to develop my craft and to find a voice I wouldn’t have typed another word and my Remington would have fluttered out the window chased by containers of White Out. I was convinced I was improving upon Tolkien’s and Dostoevsky’s bodies of work.
I think delusion does have a role to play in keeping us moving forward.
Definitely the eyes lighting up. Finishing a workshop and having people line up to talk about it more. The first time I gave the talk was to a standing room of over 70 people (overwhelmed!) and even though I did not have an exhibit table that year, people were seeking me out in the hallways all weekend. It was 3 weeks later at another conference that a Books & Such client heard about my topic and encouraged me to consider a book.
The “wow” idea to me is when as it develops, you think, “where did I read about this. Surely it is already out there somewhere.”
When you can’t find it, maybe it’s yours.
I don’t really get caught up in the “I wish I would have thought of that” idea. There are books which have influenced my writing and thoughts, but I see them more as launching pads towards new thoughts and ways to put ideas together. Never been big on the “if only’s”
Rich
Sarah, Camy was wise to suggest you try on different genres. I think it takes some experimenting to find where you belong. Writing is always work, but when it’s fun to work, that’s the best.
Gina, if you think you have the right idea, then a few possibilities are keeping agents from asking to see it: they don’t see a significant audience for the manuscript; your query doesn’t present the manuscript with sufficient sparkle; your idea isn’t as innovative as you might think; the writing in your query is lackluster.
Rich, how great that a Books & Such client encouraged you to steer in the direction your speaking audience was telling you they wanted you to go.
Thank you for these tips into pinpointing the right idea, Janet. I like this description you used: “When you tell others about your idea, their eyes light up, they’re engaged, they want to know more.”
With the manuscript I’m working on now, I didn’t intend to turn it into a book. The idea began to come together in the form of several articles that held a running, progressive them. As new ideas for new articles kept coming up, I would get that “eyes light up… want to know more” feeling of my own. Eventually, I realized, perhaps this could be book-length. I’m excited to pursue it (with hopeful determination, yet also with a realistic eye on the perseverance needed).
As for the “wish-I-had-written” ideas, I prefer not to spend too much time harping on those either. Though, there is one picture book (a second genre I’m learning) that I LOVE and think it’s an innovative idea full of fun (and options for a series) – “The Quiet Book” by Deborah Underwood.
Janet,
Thanks so much for posting on this topic! I’m currently working on my third novel, and it is funny how you develop a sort of gut reaction to ideas the more practice you get. I’ve only been writing book-length fiction for a little over a year (though I’ve studied writing for years), and I already feel I’ve grown so much in my ability to discern what works and what doesn’t. The novel I’m currently working on certainly has a WOW! factor stronger than my other two.
The best way I’ve learned to distinguish a great idea from a good one is to read fiction in my genre of interest (I.e. everything Denise Hunter has ever written) and learn from what works within that particular text.
Looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on these topics!
Ashley Clark
I wrote my first book at age 20, and entered it in a student novel contest at UCLA. Five hundred pages and it lost to a fellow who only had an opening chapter, and then self-destructed before he could finish his book. But I learned a lot, both from the writing and watching what happened to the victor. My second book was mostly for me, to work through my mid-life crisis.
I now have five ideas, two solos and a trilogy. I need to write them, simply because they won’t let go of me. I’ve carried them around so long, I owe it to myself (and my wife) to get them written.
The first idea someone beat me to was Gore Vidal’s 1876. In high school, I did a long research paper on the Hayes-Tilden election and realized what a wonderful novel it would make. I’ve been in a funk ever since Vidal got to it first. The second one is still one of my five. I was mulling a literary Rapture story when LEFT BEHIND came out I decided to let the dust settle and start with the story I showed you part of at Mt. Hermon. I have made a point of not reading LEFT BEHIND, just as I never read 1876.
When I first started writing I listened to what editors “wanted” or what was “hot” at the moment and tried to come up with something that fit. It didn’t work well at all and I have bits of ideas and manuscripts littered all over my hard drive like cherry blossoms after a rainstorm.
When I came upon the WWII idea for From Dust and Ashes (based on a true story), I realized it was something I’d want to read. I love Bodie Thoene and my idea was one I would want to buy if I saw it on the bookshelf.
Over the years I’ve written different genres beyond WWII, but I find myself drawn to the same elements–authentic, inspired by true events, and character driven. (My characters are my strongest part, even in my novels that have detail, intense plots.)
I feel it takes writing for a while to find what fits. I’m glad I didn’t give up after all those misadventures!
Well, I find books all the time, with brilliant twists I wish I’d come up with. I wish I’d thought of Artemis Fowl–it was so fresh with its LEP Recon officers, I thought. Eoin Colfer is so inventive. I also would have loved to have come up with an idea like When You Reach Me. I’ve loved a lot of books, but those are the two with ideas that I thought were really fresh. I also wish I’d dreamed up Jonathan Rogers’ feechie folk. I love those people.
I have one manuscript that I am confident will sell. I think this because of how publishing professionals have reacted.
Before I wrote the book, I tested out the idea by entering it into contests. When it won several contests and got a full request from the first agent to see chapters (Michael Stearns, no less), I knew it was a story worth writing.
…so if I’m in consultation with a published writer at a writer’s conference and his eyes light up when I explain my idea, that’s a good sign, right?
Thanks for your insight; it is most helpful.
I’ve written two and a half manuscripts. The first was junk, the second feels like “it” and the third definitely has potential. People’s eyes do light up when I give them the basic premise (and not just my mother’s). But I’m learning that timing is everything. I trust that if God put it on my heart to write then He has a reason. Of course, I’m hoping its publication . . . but we’ll see. Thanks for helping us think through what we’re writing!
Well, I find myself right in the muddley-middle of plotting my 2nd novel. I have pages of ideas and I think I’ve lit upon a great idea at last. But I’ve set it on the shelf for a few days because it’s going to be difficult. I want to make sure I’m up to it before I dive in head first. And I want to make sure I’m still excited about it. Like that new toy you opened at Christmas – if it’s still fun on Valentine’s Day, Mom and Dad did well.
An idea I wish I had thought of . . . Possession by AS Byatt.
What great comments. One thought I’m garnering as I read is that sometimes we come up with a fabulous idea, but our writing skills might not be able to match it yet. That’s when supreme patience has to be exhibited, and you need to apply yourself by developing your skills, as your great idea awaits you. That might mean writing some interim pieces to hone the skills.
Brian, you had a fabulous idea when you were in high school, but it’s highly unlikely it could have turned out as you envisioned.
I’m an author of four Christian children’s picture books and stumbled upon Dawn Stephens who wrote ‘Little Pot’. It would have been a perfect subject matter for me, as it was about the Potter making a pot for a specific use.
I’m also a potter and could see myself talking to children about the book while I threw pots on a wheel.
It’s also been an idea for a long time to do an adult book that speaks to, how throwing pots relates to the scriptures and us as vessels. The thought that it would be too small of a market holds me back.
Just completed book #6 and think I’m finally hitting my stride. It’s all about story and emotions and impelling your reader forward, page after page, until at the end you both fall back on the couch together and sigh or cry or hold hands while you think it through.
As for ideas I wish I’d had first–perhaps Karen Kingsbury’s Beyond the Clouds, or some of Jodi Piccoult’s books.
I wrote a non-fiction book that is currently in the Women of Faith contest. I am working on my first novel. I never tried a novel before a year ago because my writing was still growing. I realize now that had I tried to write a novel in my twenties it would lack any power.
Thanks for presenting a clear analytical look at the beginning phase of the writing process. I really appreciate your insight and hints. Everyone’s comments are also very encouraging and helpful.
I’m finishing a manuscript and have a notebook full of untested ideas.
I wish I’d thought about writing a “Bonnet Book” twenty years ago when an Amish family purchased my Grandpa’s farm in Missouri. Each time we visit, they have always welcomed us and let us wander around reminiscing. It didn’t occur to me there might be story material right there on my Grandpa’s farm.
“What great comments. One thought I’m garnering as I read is that sometimes we come up with a fabulous idea, but our writing skills might not be able to match it yet. That’s when supreme patience has to be exhibited, and you need to apply yourself by developing your skills, as your great idea awaits you. That might mean writing some interim pieces to hone the skills.”
Janet, I loved this post & your comment above. I am working on my first & the struggle I’m having is
A. Gettin stuck at the end of a scene
BUT more than that
B. Its a great idea & I’ve had others agree but I feel like my beginner skills aren’t living up to the depth my idea could have. I’ve been trying to find stronger plot lines & think I may possibly have to many characters.
I may need to set it aside. Or I could work it out & then when I’m more skilled revise it? I’m not quite sure yet. Which is better
I hope the first full-length manuscript will find a home one day, but it’s definitely not ready right now. This is a book loosely based on the lives of me and my sisters, but there is a great deal of fiction added in. I co-wrote it with my sister. It felt so good to type “The End” in 2006.
When I talked to friends and neighbors about it, they were eager to see the finished product, but we struggled with the edits, and then my sister moved out of state. I’m not sure what the future holds for the mansucript, but I do believe with polishing it could be successful. We had a prequel and a sequel planned, which I would also like to work on, but for now I am concentrating on the kid’s market.
Cheryl
I completed step three in this process by accident,at a brunch where I saw prominent man who is an acquaintance’s eyes light up as he said, “What a great idea for a novel!”.
It sealed the deal for me.
It will be my second book, my first is in the editing process and is non-fiction.
I have been journaling for a long time and decided my life needed some kick to it or my kids would never read it. The tales turned into stories I would tell people and when people started telling me “View Master” gave them goose bumps, I could tell it was worth developing. When I could tell some people were crying, I realized that was the biggest compiment a writer could get.
I’ve written a couple of other books about my kids growing up and adventure stories about my sunday school class. They were fun but writting about memories we all had is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.
Thanks for your insight
Steve