Outtakes 71

Read the Contract

by Cait Collins

I am appalled by the number of people who will affix their signatures to contracts and documents without reading them. Or if they read them, they do not understand all the terms. Instead of asking questions or requesting an attorney review the contract, they scribble their names on the dotted line. Bad move for anyone, but how does this impact a writer?

While I prefer to believe most people are honest in their business dealings, I know this is not always true. Think back a few years when writers would see an ad in a writers’ magazine representing a publisher. “Get your novel published today.” A friend of mine saw such an ad and gave me a copy. I followed the instructions and submitted my first novel. Several weeks passed before I received a letter of acceptance with the contract to follow. I was in heaven until I received the contract. Not only did I lose all my rights, I would be required to give first right of refusal to the publisher for all future works.  If I was unwilling to do the changes they requested, they would hire someone to do the rewrites. The real kicker was the “publisher” required me to pay $3,ooo.oo for the privilege of seeing my book in print. What a wake-up call! I keep that contract in my files to remind me to read the fine print.

Unfortunately there are unscrupulous agents, editors, publishers who prey on writers desperate to be published. They promise the moon, get the signed contract, but never follow through on the promises. How many promising authors have been burned and give up?  Trust your instincts. If you are uncomfortable with the submission requirements such as reader’s fees, or unreasonable time frames for response, back off. If after meeting an agent or editor, you have that funny feeling something’s not right, or you don’t click personality wise, make no promises. Request a business card and check out the agent or editor on predator websites or read references from other writers.

Reputable agents, editors, and publishers may present you with a good offer, but can you negotiate a better deal? What’s the harm in investigating the possibilities? And remember to ask questions. If you don’t understand clauses in the contract, have an intellectual properties, copyright, or literary attorney review the document. Remember this is a business. A few extra steps just might save you disappointment and problems in the long run.

Outtakes 70

It’s All in How You Look at It

By Cait Collins

I’ve developed a fondness for seek-and-find puzzles. I’m a wiz at find the word and hidden pictures as well as find the differences. I tell myself I work these to exercise my brain, but the truth is I enjoy the challenge. My favorite is hidden pictures. You have a large scene and a list of items hidden within the picture. Sometimes the search is easy, but then I hit a wall. I’ve checked the obvious portions of the frame, but do not find any of the hidden items. But when I rotate the page, I get a new perspective and am able to locate more of the objects.

Writing is similar to searching for the hidden objects. We come to a point in crafting a scene where the words don’t come. We write a sentence, delete it, and stare at the screen. Nothing comes. Maybe it’s time to rotate the scene.

Consider changing the point of view. The heroine reached her lowest point at the end of the previous chapter. She’s on her knees, and … And what? Instead of inserting the hero into the scene to save the day, relate the chapter from the eyes of the antagonist. What does he see? How does he react? Is there any sympathy for her suffering? What part has he played in bringing her to her knees? How can he use it to further his cause? The new perspective may bring out new insight into the characters and lead to different paths for the story.

What if the setting changed?  When I began writing HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW, I had not planned for the original Walker homestead to play a role in Kate’s story beyond the property being the location of the infamous pond. But when she returned to her childhood home, she remembered the good times. Up to this point, her focus was on the bad. The location change set up a turning point I had not anticipated. The chapter is one of my favorite parts of the story.

Think about other ways to rotate the page to punch up the tale. Introduce a character from the past. Throw in a surprise find. Unearth a secret. Even a minor change could be the very thing to propel the work to a higher plateau.

Outtakes 68

 Nothing Personal

By Cait Collins

My job requires me to write responses to our customers’ concerns, questions, and complaints. There are days when I hate the job. It’s not easy to tell a beneficiary the funds they were hoping to receive were surrendered before the owner died. Or try explaining the owner took loans from their contracts and did not pay them back; therefore the funds are depleted. Due to the legal and sensitive nature of our correspondence, nothing leaves the building without being reviewed by another member of our staff. There are days when every letter I’ve written comes back with corrections or requests for additional research. Some staff members have problems with the review process. Every correction is a personal affront.

As writers, we can be too sensitive regarding critiques. The purpose behind sharing our work with peers is to gain feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the piece. I’ve been with some groups that slash and burn. There’s nothing right with the novel or story. Trash it and start over. That approach is a personal attack. There is nothing professional in ripping every sentence apart. Good critique partners focus on both the good and the bad. Not everything can be smiley faces. Would you really want to submit a story containing holes in the plot or character inconsistencies to an agent or editor? Good critique is an asset not an attack. It’s good business.

The same goes for rejections from agents and editors. Good stories may not meet market requirements. The publishing house might have their quota of paranormal buys. The author receives a letter expressing regrets but the work does not meet their needs at this time. I’ve heard some suggest the editor didn’t like his story. Trust me there is not a hidden message here. It’s not an attack on the writer’s story or the author’s ability. It is a business decision.

Face it we are all territorial concerning our creations. These are akin to our children. You wouldn’t tell a new mother her baby is ugly; therefore any negative reaction to a submission is personal. Please, please, please do not let this discourage you or cause hurt feelings. Accept the rejection as a learning experience and go on. Do not toss the rejected piece aside and quit writing. There are many agents and editors out there. You may not have hit the jackpot with the first person, but the next reader just might find a home for the story. Even multi-published authors don’t hit a home run every time. It’s important to develop a thicker skin and keep plugging along. After all, it’s not personal; it’s business.

Outtakes 62 Release

Highlighters, Red Pens, Sticky Notes, and Flags

By Cait Collins

There comes a time when every writer must step out of the author box and enter the editor arena. As difficult as creating the story might be, editing is, in my opinion, worse. As writers, we tend to become attached to work. We lose sight of the bigger picture. Every scene has special meaning, the characters are our children. Here’s the reality check. Failure to objectively review our stories and make critical edits lessens the chance of publication.

This is my formula for making the final edits on my novel. I print the entire work. Being a dinosaur, I work better with a printed copy than the computer screen. While the printer is cranking out the pages, I gather my supplies: yellow, blue, pink, and green highlighters, red pens, neon colored sticky notes, and sticky flags. I pour a glass of my favorite wine, gather up the pages of my novel, and curl up on the couch to read.

The first read is for the overall story. I highlight areas that might not contribute to the plot or storyline. Sticky notes are attached for research into customs, geology, history, legal issues, etc. Flags denote possible continuity issues such as name spellings, hair or eye color, time line problems. If the work has an awkward time frame or is too long, I will sketch a screenplay and treatment. These instruments help me to see where I can make cuts or adjustments in the novel. They also give me a second product to submit.

The next step is a chapter-by-chapter review of the notes from my critique group. I do not make corrections following each critique meeting. I’ve found I spend too much time editing the completed chapters and less time finishing the work. Once the novel is finished, I have a better idea of the necessary changes based on the notes. After reviewing a chapter, I will make the corrections in the computer work file. Finally, I do a final read for typo’s, grammar and punctuation errors, word echoes, and tense errors. Now I have a completed work ready for submission.

My method may seem tedious, but it works for me. It allows me to view the novel with an objective eye and submit a quality product. The point is that every writer must develop their own system for editing. There are no rights and wrongs. It’s simply a case of applying the seat to the chair and cutting, adjusting, and correcting. After all, editing is just another phase of the creative process.

Outtakes 61

I Believe

I love television and the movies. I’m a big fan of drama, but sometimes I just can’t believe some of the scenarios. For example, many veteran police officers state they’ve never drawn their weapons. Yet nearly every cop show has the lead characters drawing their guns before they identify themselves. How about the doctor and nurse who make goo-goo eyes at each other across the gurney as they rush a critical patient into the emergency room? As soon as the patient is stable, they dash off to the nearest empty exam room for a little R&R.

Then there’s the court room. I loved the way Jack McCoy (Law and Order) would badger a witness until the poor fool fell apart. He’d twist words, made inspired observations and judgments in an effort to trip up the witness. Now I’ve served on civil juries, criminal trials, and municipal procedures and never witnessed such actions. In fact if we were to follow policemen, doctors, and court proceedings, we would describe their normal activities as Boring. There’s a lot of hurry up and wait in these professions. It’s no wonder writers jazz it up a bit. If we were true to the jobs, no one would tune in to the television show, buy the movie ticket, or buy the book.

Getting the reader to suspend disbelief is a challenge. It requires the writer to first convince himself that it could happen. Then he must make the viewer or reader believe it. Careful crafting of the characters goes a long way to making the never happen believable. If we identify with the sheriff, if we can feel his concern for the victim, then we will buy the drawn weapon. A sleazy defense attorney makes us root for the victim and the victim’s family. A tired, overburdened ER doctor just might seek some comfort after trying to save a child injured in an auto accident, only to lose the battle. By focusing on the character’s motivation and both the sterling qualities and the less than admiral characteristics, the writer creates dramatic scenes that allow us to overlook the unrealistic and become involved in the story and the action. Every writer must develop this skill.

As for me, I’ll tune in to CSI New York and watch Mac’s team solve the crime in an hour even though I know it really takes weeks to get test results back. Then I’ll catch a rerun of Law and Order just to hear Lenny Briscoe’s wise cracks and watch his violations of civil rights. After that, I’ll put my feet up and accept the courtroom performances of the gangster’s lawyers as they lie, steal, bribe, and murder their way to an acquittal. I’ll enjoy every minute of it because, maybe, just maybe, it could happen that way.

Cait Collins