Blogger: Mary Keeley
Location: Midwest Office IL
This has been a good morning. I had a productive conversation with a new client about her current WIP. Previous e-mails and phone calls had been beneficial, but we hadn’t figured out the best way for her to move forward with the project. (Use of the plural pronoun here is to emphasize that the client and agent are a team working toward the same goal of success for her book and her writing career.)
After reading the manuscript, I saw that she was blending two genres. In our phone call this morning, I offered evidence of another author’s success at doing that, but in my client’s manuscript I saw one direction far outweighing the other. That put my client at a fork in the road; would she be able to hear what I was saying? Which raises the question, would you be able to receive that sort of news?
I view such a moment as momentous: Will the writer embrace the idea of a change in direction?
At first my client didn’t see my perspective because her original view was within her comfort zone. Fortunately, she is quick to listen with an open mind. Together we identified the little incongruities in her story and genre and how this could affect her future brand. Next, as we talked through what was needed to resolve the issues, she realized she had to choose between two directions. Her comparison of the two options enabled her to see that the framework of her story provided—actually begged for—a deeper journey for the protagonists than she had envisioned. And the right direction became clear to her. The result: Her story will have characters many readers will relate to and will offer beautifully redemptive ministry to readers.
This was a case of a newer writer growing into the potential of her writing. It was a joy to see my client catch the larger vision that brought all the pieces together to make her story work. Success for writers is multi-pronged. In my client’s case, the outcome of this exercise in direction not only offers broader audience potential for her book and a more accurate vision for branding, but her reworked story also points the direction to true hope.
When have you been challenged to change your writing direction? What made you resistant to that possibility? How did you weigh the options?
In times of challenge within our industry, it’s good to celebrate moments of discovery that propel a writing career or a project forward. What are your aha! moments in your writing journey that we can celebrate? These inspiring stories are invigorating to a writer’s soul. I’m going to post a different reason to celebrate each day this week so be thinking back to your own large and small victories and be ready to share.
Mary, my husband and I are currently reading “One Month to Live” by Kerry and Chris Shook. It coincides with our small group study on Sunday nights, and we are being challenged in ways we’d not dreamed possible. We are focusing on ways to succumb to God’s will and living life to its fullest.
It truly is a “God thing” when we have one perceived vision, but He has another! For authors, I believe we have to avail ourselves to His direction in order to be the best we can be. The idea could be applicable to our writing–sometimes we have to be willing to embrace a new, uncharted course and catch a new vision. And my aha moment? Our Bible study is teaching me that stretching ourselves is really about an excercise in faith–be it in living life to its fullest, in our walk with Him, how we serve others, and even in the way we write.
I am unpublished, so the only thing driving my writing is my own desire. I lost that desire for a while a few weeks back. I talked to my husband about it and had a fine little pity party.
He listened kindly, and then he said, “Remember that all the time you’ve spent on it was time away from our son. You can quit if you like, but if you keep going, you’ll make that time you’ve spent worth something.”
That was enough to help me get over myself and get back on the horse.
Well, this is a little strange, since I’m not published and God only knows if I ever will be, but since this post is about finding direction…I had an aha moment that changed my direction and I believe it put me on the right road, even though it came several years ago and I’m still not published.
I wanted to write adventure books for mid-grade readers with boy protagonists. I loved reading those books. But I came to believe that I should be writing romance for teen girls. I didn’t like the idea at first, but it made too much sense to ignore it. I had once been a teen girl, after all, and I have some insight into the hearts of teen girls who are looking for significance in the arms of boys rather than in the love of Christ.
Fabulous article, Mary. I feel it’s important to be flexible, but still firm when it comes to your writing. Don’t fight every change, but definitely weigh the big changes.
It sounds like your client did a great job of considering the pros and cons, and her book will be better for it. I also like how you stressed you two are a team. That can make a world of difference when considering change.
I had an “aha! moment” when I finally figured out what the phrase “Christian world view” meant (why it eluded me is another story, so I won’t even go there). It seemed every time I turned around, that phrase was popping up. When it finally hit me that not only does a Christian perceive life differently than a non-believer, but things in life actually work out differently for them because of that perception…
I suddenly realized I had been wasting a lot of time trying to plaster on spiritual themes to plots that were geared more to whatever my current perception of the hottest secular market might be. Which were not appreciated in either the Christian or secular markets. That’s when it occurred to me that knowing God, how He answers prayer, and how He intervenes in people’s lives — well, writing a “true to THAT kind of life” story — would greatly change the outcome of my plots.
Then I saw how doing that could add an inspirational element to the stories (without all the plaster) and leave readers room to decide for themselves. And isn’t that just what God did with the world? Oh, my gosh — that’s a Christian world view! My writing really changed after that. It was like I had not only found my “niche,” I had found my stride. And, lo and behold…
I got a contract.
Excellent post, Mary. I like how you emphasized the team approach. There are strengths that each person brings to an agent-author partnership, and often the writer can get so close to their work that it becomes hard to see the big picture. Sometimes the other perspective is what’s needed to move forward. 🙂
I recently made the hard decision to rewrite portions of my 30,000 word work in progress. Better now than after I finished it! My crit partners were only resonating with one of my POV characters. I thought I needed two equal POVs, but I figured a way to really get into the one head and add a different element to the novel – journal entries written from the end of the story.
Now the story makes more sense. It’s easier to relate to both characters and it seems more interesting – at least, to me!
To stop and rewrite portions scared me, but I think the WIP will be all the better for it.
If I don’t keep learning as I go, I may as well just go home, right?
Great post and insight, Mary. I have yet to cross that bridge, but this helps me to see the wonderful things that can happen when a writer trusts and leans on the agent’s wisdom and experience.
I have recently joined a children’s writing group and am
loving it. Last month, comments on my first story were
quite encouraging. But yesterday’s meeting I received
needed constructive criticism on my second story in my
children’s picture book series. It was brought to my
attention that in this story, my main character was behaving
and speaking too much like an adult. I could only chuckle
because my daughter who is four, does speak and act like
a mini adult. I have to remember that most children don’t
speak in 6 word sentences on their second birthday like
she did. 🙂
Although I don’t see this in my other stories, I’ll have to
rewrite much of the dialogue in story # 2, making my main
character more childlike, but still a bit precocious. Thanks
for the great post!
When young I was besotted with the idea of writing romance because that was what I loved reading… Jane Eyre and so on but I did not disdain those fabulous love stories in comics. My aha moment came when, as a Novice in a religious order, I realized these young ladies were to give up the idea of a “happy ever after” ending to their lives… or so I thought. It was really then that writing or reading romance was no longer enough, I needed another dimension. I have been exploring that other dimension since then.
These are great stories about re-direction. Each one is unique, helpful, and inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
When I sent my first WIP to My Book Therapy for a review, I was advised to ditch the 3rd and 4th POV characters, add more conflict, chop off the first 5 chapters, and rewrite the entire full length MS. It took me about 2-3 months to work this out in my mind and decide if I was cheapening those characters. But, with much prayer, study, and hard work, I rewrote the entire book in a year, and I love it SO much more!
I think new writers need to accept the wisdom of those experienced in the business, but it takes a lot of flexibility. Great topic.
I received two morsels (okay, chunks) of constructive criticism during a recent writer’s conference. Trusted professionals who were not emotionally involved in my work suggested some changes to my WIP – a few minor and one major. After arguing in my head for a day or two, I realized that not only were these changes necessary, but they made the story come alive. Was it hard work to rewrite? Sure. Did I follow every suggestion they made? Not quite. But my writing career is made up of more than this one novel – and I need to be willing to work with a team.