Literary Late Bloomers Why writing later in life works: You have - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

It's Never Too Late Writing After 50

Literary Late Bloomers Why writing later in life works: • You have some mileage on you; dents in your fenders; perspective • You have time to write-if you make time to write • It’s on your bucket list • Your focus has changed from “survival mode” to “me time” • You want to leave a legacy

Charles Bukowski Born: 1920 Died: 1994 "I have one of two choices – stay in the post office and go crazy ... or stay out here and play at writer and starve. I have decided to starve.”

Laura Ingalls Wilder Born: 1867 Died: 1957 Little House in the Big Woods(1932) Farmer Boy (1933) Little House on the Prairie (1935) On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937) By t h e S hor e o f P l u m L a ke (1 939 ) [ The Long Winter (1940) Little Town on the Prairie (1941) These Happy Golden Years (1943) The Stock Market Crash of 1929 wiped the Wilders out. She was 62 years old.

Richard Adams Born: 1920 Died: 2016 • Watership Down (1972) He began writing in 1966; this was a story he made up on a cart trip with his two daughters. taking two years to complete it. In 1972, after four publishers and three writers' agencies turned down the manuscript, in was published. The book gained international acclaim almost immediately for reinvigorating anthropomorphic fiction with naturalism. Over the next few years Watership Down sold over a million copies worldwide. Shardik (1974) Nature Through the Seasons (1975) Th e T y g e r V o y a g e (1976 ) The Plague Dogs (1977) The Ship’s Cat (1977 Nature Day and Night (1978) The Girl in a Swing (1980)

Jose Saramago Born: 1922 Died: 2010 The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (1993) Baltasar and Bimunda (1987) Blindness (1997) All the Names (1999) Death with Interruptions (2008) The Double (2004) The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis (1991) Camões Prize (1995) Nobel Prize in Literature (1998) America Award (2004) When asked to describe his daily writing routine in 2009, Saramago responded, "I write two pages. And then I read and read and read."

Frank McCourt Born: 1930 Died: 2009 An g e l a ’ s As h es ( 1996 ) – Pu li t z e r Pr i z e f or B i o g r a ph y / A u t ob i o g r a ph y ‘Tis (1999) Teacher Man (2005) Angela and the Baby Jesus (2007) Couple of Blaggards (2011) The sky is the limit. You never have the same experience twice. When I first went up to see my editor, I was with my agent, and my editor said, 'Well, what have you been doing all these years?' And my agent said, 'He's been in recovery. From his childhood.'

Gwen Keane A native of the Northern Neck, Gwen is the author of Local Color . In it she tells stories about growing up in the Northern Neck in the 1950s and 1960s. Her first book – Swan Wait – is about mute swans.

Peggy Newcomb Peggy husband, John, wrote his memoir A Bunch of Plumbers. It is the behind-the-scenes story of NASA Langley and their critical role in the space race. When John died unexpectedly, Peggy completed his book talks, going to London on her many adventures.

Other over 50 authors who are here today: • Peter Stipe • Steve Crabill • Cindy Freeman • Susan Williamson • David Cariens • Gail Kenna • Judy Zummo • Sharon Canfield Dorsey • Ann Eichenmuller • Joyce Carr Stedelbauer

Getting Started

Decisions, Decisions! What you need to decide before you begin: 1. What is my goal in writing this book? 2. Who is the book for? 3. What is the purpose of the book?

Fiction #1 Pick a Genre Non- Memoir Fiction

#2 Two Kind of Writers Which one are you? A Flyer A Plotters

Flyers • Pros: Flyers have the freedom to take their novel in any direction they want. They have flexibility. They’re not stuck following an outline, so if they don’t like a character, they can simply kill him. If they don’t like the way their plot is going, they can change it. • Cons: However, having no plan, or very little plan, makes it easier to get stuck. And if they get stuck, they have to come up with a way to dig themselves out of writer’s block, rather than following an outline that leads them in the right direction. When this happens, Flyers often abandon old projects for new ones, leaving multiple unfinished novels in their wake.

Planners • Pros: Plotters, having planned out their novel ahead of time, know what’s going to happen before they write it. This makes it easier to bust writer’s block. It’s harder to get stuck when you know what’s going to happen next. Plotters also tend to get their novels written faster, or at least more smoothly. • Cons: Plotters are confined to their plans, meaning if they do get stuck or want to change somethi1ng, they often have to redo their whole outline. And I can tell you from experience, redoing an entire outline is not fun.

#3 Join a Critique Group Writing is a very lonely activity. We spend hours alone in our writing caves trying to put words on paper. We need the energy from other creative people. We also need the critique.

#4 Commit to two hours per day How to write 5,000 words a week Use the SHET method …a minimum of two hours each day for five days per week. • S it on chair First 60-minute period, read what you wrote • H ands over keyboard yesterday. • Correct, rewrite, revamp. • E ngage brain Second 60-minute period, write today’s 1,000 words. • T ype • Don’t worry about sentence structure, spelling, punctuation…just write.

#5 The 60,000 Word Goal If you follow #4, at the end of 12 weeks you will have a 60,000-word first draft. • Buy yourself a present! This is quite an accomplishment! • Put it away for one week and take a break. • At the end of that week, go back through your manuscript and revise it.

#6 Beta Readers (ARCs) Once you have completed step #5, send an electronic copy to three people and asked them to read it. Take their comments and revise your manuscript. Now, take the first chapter to your critique group. Take their comments and revise your manuscript.

Why You Need an Editor! #7 Decide what you want to do with your manuscript • Publish • Self-publish • Traditional Publisher • Hybrid • For my family and friends only • I’m done! Stick a fork in me!

I want to Self-publish! You will need an editor. (not your mama). You will need to format your book. Your will need a cover. You pay for your own ISBN ($100.00) You have 100% of the control over everything. You will get 100% of the royalties paid by the distributor (Amazon, B&N, your sales) I recommend CreateSpace for the novice. It will get you on Amazon!

I want to have someone else do it. (Traditional Publisher) 1. Visit the publisher’s website. It will have a submissions page. Read their instructions and follow them. 2. Send your product to them according to their instructions. Send it to as many publishers who accept simultaneous submissions. 3. Wait 4. Rejection slips are doors to other opportunities.

Traditional Publishers • Take responsibility for editing, proofing, artwork, interior formatting, ISBN, etc. • You have no control. • You get paid an average of $.75 to $1.50 per book. • A traditional publisher expects a return. • Unless you are a household name, do not expect marketing support.

Hybrid Publishers • A more inclusive submission process • Creative ownership • Creative Flexibility • Higher Royalties • Marketing and PR Support • An editorial team that works with you • Longer market time

Always Get an ARC Before Your Release Your Book. • Things always look different in print. • Final chance to proof your book. • Have several people read it. • Send changes back (if necessary). • Get another ARC until you are satisfied.

And Finally… Let Your Obstacle Become Your Passion

This presentation is dedicated to Elizabeth Stokes and John Newcomb.