Questions I've Been Asked Pertaining to Writing & the Candid Answers: Part 1

I've been asked a variety of questions over the years. Some questions been asked multiple times, some are a little odd, some are simple and only people not involved in the publishing business would seek the answer.  So below are some of those questions with simple, detailed and honest answers.

Why don't you write a book about your family or how you grew up?

I get this question mostly from my family or those I grew up with.

Simple answer: 

No one cares about anyone else's lives unless they're celebrities or had a truly unique upbringing.

Detailed answer:

Frankly, I like writing plots from my imagination more. Although I believe my life story may have been a bit dysfunctional and entertaining to some (who doesn't think they're upbringing was dysfunctional?), I also believe some stories are best told to a therapist and not the public. Besides, who are we that anyone would care anyway?

I could write it for the family instead of publishing it for the public. Still a possibility is that the people included in the story won't appreciate how I represent them? This is the sole reason I don't create characters from true life friends and relatives.

Which brings me to …

Why don't you write a book about my life?

Simple answer:

We all have problems, secrets, and crazy things happen to us in our lives. Why are you so special?

Detailed answer:

See detailed answer above.

Why do you write about threesomes and sex?

Simple answer:

I enjoy writing about unconventional sexual relationships.  Also, what adult doesn't enjoy sex, even in fiction?

Detailed answer:  

Threesomes are a hot theme (hot as in spicy and popular) in erotica and erotic romances. There is a huge market for it which means there are lots and lots of people who enjoy reading ménages. It's sexy, fun and a great way to engage in your fantasies without consequences. I can say the same about fictional sex in general. It doesn't matter if I'm writing or reading about it, I'm entertained either way.

Why do you write about Caucasian characters?

I think this question is one that comes from ignorance. Or a person assuming you're supposed to stick to your own kind even creatively.

Simple answer:

My stories are primarily about people, and if those people happen to be diverse so be it. It not required that I write for a specific community even if I'm placed in that group. I write for the communities I choose to write for. And I enjoy being unique, unpredictable and eccentric.

Detailed answer:

The heroes in my stories usually take on physical traits and other characteristics that I'm attracted to. And who they're attracted to works well for that character, even if they're attracted to Caucasians, African Americans, other men, none or all the above.  It's part of why writing what you love works so well for me.

Why do you write about homosexual characters?

See answers to question above.

Later I will post part 2 which delves more into questions I receive about publishing. Are there questions that are not listed above that you would like the candid answer to?

Read More to Write Better

Sure we read fiction to escape reality or to be entertained. We read nonfiction to learn or to be inspired. We read for various reasons. However, did you know to be a better writer you have to read? Not just read, but read analytically.

Reading often and with an analytical eye will help you do the following:

Understand the three-act structure of storytelling

This one's fairly easy and something that does not necessarily have to be taught to you if you read fiction regularly.  The more you read the more you absorb the three-act structure of storytelling. I wouldn't be surprised to know a four year old could tell an adequate story in less than five sentences just by having someone read him a bedtime story every night.

The dinosaur lost his blanket. He travels the land for days in search of the blanket and spots it near the top of a volcano. He climbs up the mountainside, fighting lava monsters until he finally makes it to the blanket and takes it back. He safely returns to his mommy and daddy, and lives happily ever after.

As dull as that story is, it's still a complete story that contains the three act structure with Setup, Confrontation and Resolution. We understand this structure early and easily in stories just by reading and reading often.

Helps to study the market

Compare your books to other books by reading similar books in your genre with similar themes. It allows you to see how popular or appealing that genre and theme is, how your story compares to it in terms of uniqueness, and helps you discover overdone plots and overused characters and other clichés.

With that information you can write a book that stands out from the competition and produces buzz. You can also see the commonalities of your genre and understand why readers gravitate (or not) to those types of books so you can better provide reader satisfaction.

Helps to find your voice

When reading stories with similar themes as your own you  can analyze how other authors tell their stories and why you think their voice worked or didn't work for that book. Is it too dark? Fast paced with choppy sentences? Does it lack tone or emotion?

Finding out how the narrative voice fits with the book or not will help you see which style is best for your own story.

Helps to broaden your vocabulary and improve your grammar

We read many words while reading some of our favorite books and some are words we're not familiar with. We learn and memorize those words and add them to our vocabulary. With every story we read our vocabulary grows. The more words you know, the easier it is to write and be more descriptive.

We can be our own teachers at times and improve our grammar just by reading regularly. Seeing a word spelled a certain way, or with an apostrophe here or there becomes second nature to mimic that in our own writing.

Plus, more people should easily understand the difference between the words then and than if they read those words in a few sentences often. (A tiny peeve of mine).

Bad excuses NOT to read as a writer

• Afraid of stealing ideas from another book or author.

This is a poor excuse, in my opinion. True, there are few original ideas left (if any) but there are limitless ways of telling a story. You have a unique voice, style and creativity that it's nearly impossible for two people with the same idea to tell the exact same story.

• It takes away writing time.

If you're on a deadline, sure writing time is few.  However, plenty writers benefit when they read almost as much (if not more) than they write, for reasons stated above. 

So continue to write but remember to read and read often for entertainment, inspiration or whatever the reason, but especially if you want to improve as a writer.

Do you agree with my points? Do you have something to add that I may have missed?

Embracing Rejection Instead of Fearing It

All writers experience publisher/editor/agent rejection at one point in their writing careers, but serious writers learn to embrace that rejection and use it to improve their writing.

Here's how:

Don't let it hinder you

Just like that cutie in high school who never knew you existed. If only you could've built the courage to plop your food tray down on his table, slide in beside him and say, "Hi," things might've been different. Instead, fear held you down at the table in the corner with the rest of the unpopulars as you watched big busted Kyla sit down beside him and start up a giggle-laden conversation. What, just me?

Fear keeps you from trying because you're uncertain of the results. And the ultimate fear for writers is … what if they don't like my writing. And instead of finishing the novel, you put it on the backburner because if you finish it then you'll want to share it. And what if they think it sucks?

You want to get it published, but you're afraid of submitting it because you're writing sucks compared to other writers.  What if publishers think you have no business writing, even grocery lists?

They accepted and published your novel, but you're afraid to market it because reviewers and readers could be harsher than any editor. What if they hate your book so bad the only sales you get are from readers who buy your book for the satisfaction of watching the book burn ritualistic style and in your backyard, nonetheless?

Own up to the fact that you will be rejected one way or another, sooner or later, and make sure every time you ...

Learn from it

A (sort of) nice thing to take away from being rejected by a publisher, editor or agent is that sometimes you get a valued piece of written inscription known as a personalized rejection letter. Sometimes the editor will explain why the manuscript was rejected and sometimes will even give you pointers on how to improve it. Leaving you with the decision to fix it and move on (or resubmit) or move on to another publisher without making any changes at all. Whichever you choose, the point is … you're moving on (or revising and resubmitting) and trying again.

You may get rejection after rejection and no explanation for it. Which isn't unusual but if your work is continually getting rejected it's time to change your tactics.

• Rewrite the query letter. Sometimes tweaking the query letter is all it takes. Since the query is the first hint of your writing skills the editor encounters, it's important that it's just as polished as your manuscript.

• Have someone else look over the query letter and manuscript. Sometimes it's difficult for you to see your own mistakes and typos, or if something needs clarification.

• Double check and follow the submission guidelines. Make sure the publisher publishes similar books in your genre, are open for submissions, accepts from author or agent, etc.

• Be professional. No emoticons, text-like abbreviations or usage of slang in your query letter or any written correspondence between you and publisher/editor/agent.

• If all else fails … focus on writing your next novel. Don't spend too much time rewriting and submitting the same manuscript. Move on to your next novel which should be written better your last. You should keep learning your craft and improving.

Know it's not the end

Serious writers understand it's not the end of your writing career or the end of rejection. There will be more rejection letters just as long as you keep writing and submitting manuscripts. Rejection is a huge part of being a serious writer.

Imagine plopping your food tray down next to that cutie in high school and he turns to you with a look of disgust on his face. Your worst fear, right? Hey, you knew it could happen, at least you can say you tried and that you learned to never go that route again. (Next time you'll catch him at his locker after school.)

So embrace rejection instead of fearing it and use it to improve your writing.

Reasons Writing What You Love Works

As I write this, I have about a dozen books with my name on them and I love them all. I love some more than others. The titles I like most are the ones with subjects I enjoy writing about. The stories with an underlying theme or issue that's close to my heart. And I found I get thoughtful, more positive responses from readers when I write what I love. Below are some reasons why writing what you love can create better, more fulfilling writing.

1. It's easier to write what you're passionate about.

If you're passionate about marriage equality, if you have something to say about single parenting, or perhaps you're an animal activist and enjoy writing stories about similar characters, chances are you'll be able to easily get your story onto paper or screen.

Ways to incorporate your passion into your story are:

• Through conflict: Making your passion a critical part of the story (major conflict), a character's decision or battle (inner conflict), a character's past (backstory), etc.
• Dialogue: Several characters can debate about the subject.
• A character's belief on the subject: The subject is a major part of the character's upbringing or backstory that he's forced to explore and by the end has transformed.  

2. You're knowledgeable about the subject or are more willing to learn about the subject.

When you write what you love, you tend to know plenty about the subject and therefore are a sort of expert in that regard. Your knowledge will come in handy for crafting a true to life story and believable characters. If you aren't an expert on the subject, your love for that subject will persuade you to learn more about it. Or at least make research fun instead of daunting!

3. You put more effort into your project.

I find when I believe in the overall message of my story I spend an insane amount of time perfecting it. Enough is never enough when it comes to a project you really care about. You put your heart into creating the absolute best. You agonize over every minute detail.  You have to get it right.

4. You convey your passion and/or message to readers better.

You immerse yourself in your passion, it seems fitting to eagerly share what you've learned, and your desire shines through effortlessly. Almost like telling someone about the first time you rode a roller coaster or witnessed something truly amazing, you're delivery is engaging. When you write what you love, what you're passionate about, the reader could tell too. You help them understand why the subject is important to the writer, the characters, the plot, etc. Plus, you have fun writing it!

As a writer, are there other reasons you think writing what you love works? As a reader, do you think a writer's passion for a specific content, subject, or theme makes for better reading?

The Complicated Story Ending

The ending of your story should be just as engaging as the beginning hook. It should be emotionally satisfying, and tie up most if not all loose ends. If the book is part of a series, it still needs to stand on its own, and answer all major story questions.

Sound familiar?

These are the (unofficial) rules about story endings that all writers know or should know. We follow these rules to ensure a great ending to our story in the hopes that readers will stick around for the next book in the series, come back to read our next standalone title, or even pick up one of our backlisted ones.

Why Endings are Important.

The end of any book is important. The end is the last impression the reader has of our stories. It's the part of the story that is the freshest in their mind and which they rate and judge the book as a whole. A great ending is hard to write but necessary to attempt.

Although I know what makes a great ending I still struggle to execute it at times. I obsess over it, trying to perfect it.

Makings of a Great Story Ending:

• Twists and surprise endings: Surprising the reader with a revelation that was foreshadowed throughout the story. i.e. It was right under their noses the whole time.
• Theme: Tying in the overall theme or message of the book into the ending to add extra significance.
• Answer the major story question: Will they fall in love? Will they find the murderer? Will they ever learn to trust one another?
• Character change and growth: The main characters must begin the story a certain person and by the end of the story the character is a changed man or woman. The events in the story, the obstacles, the triumphs and failures all mold the character into a different person by the end.
• End at the end: Once the major story questions are answered and the character achieves the story goal then the story is over. Ending the story before questions are answered and characters change or long after can disappoint the reader.

Currently I attempt to rewrite the ending of my latest WIP and hope it all falls into place. Knowing how to write the perfect ending to your story doesn't make it any less complicated, in my opinion. However, my motto is: If it's too easy, you ain't doing it right.

Before the Darkness Progress

Currently, I am at 12,500 words in my latest WIP, Before the Darkness. The way the story is going I expect to finish it somewhere around 20k-30k words, although it can be longer. I can't seem to find the time to work on it as much as I want to. I hope this weekend I can write a big chunk of it because I want to finish it before the end of the year.

The elevator pitch:

After an asteroid strikes Earth, sending a wall of ash and other debris into the atmosphere, Elliot meets fellow survivor Adam and together they take advantage of the next few hours, learning to appreciate their second chance at life and live it to the fullest.

The problem:

The research.  Asteroids are tricky to write about, especially an asteroid impact with Earth. Even though the story focuses more on the inner conflict of the main characters, the impact is what sets the story in motion and contributes to the story's tension, adding suspense, raising the stakes and providing exterior conflict. Therefore, it's very important that the impact and the effects of impact are realistic.

I hope to finish the first draft before the end of the year. Hell, some writers can do it in thirty days. That would be nice!

Dreams and Storytelling

I have many story ideas and as crazy as it may sound, most of the ideas come to me in dreams. Recently, I had a crazy dream about traveling back in time and falling in love with a high school friend. The dream involved a train as transportation from present to past. Just add a few what-ifs to that scenario and we have ourselves a story. (Or a weird depiction of Back to the Future part three).

Before that dream, I had a dream about being held in some kind of controlled and dangerous community against my will and desperately trying to help my lover escape to find help. In the dream I wore a mood ring that doubled as a looking glass that either showed me the present or predicted the future regarding my lover. Through the ring, I watched him find another community and instead of getting help, he forgot about me and fell in love with a woman from that community.

Now tell me I don’t have a vivid imagination even while sleeping.

Some of my best ideas come from my dreams. And a little FYI, my dreams are very vivid and detailed. Ask my husband, he gets new, exciting stories every morning thanks to my dreams. I’m so in tuned with my dreams, long ago I created a technique to remember every dream I have. I can even wake myself from a deep sleep during a nightmare. Occasionally, I can change the outcome of a dream or mold it to my liking with what’s called lucid dreaming.

I enjoy dreaming. It’s beneficial to me. It takes me to new worlds, allows me to experience new things, and it serves as an outlet or release for my pent-up emotion . . . kind of like creative writing.

I’ve been intrigued by dreams since I was a teenager. I’ve read handfuls of books on dreaming and interpreting dream symbols. My favorite was a dream dictionary. I don’t remember a thing I read but it was fun.

It can sound a little crazy but even Stephanie Myers admits that the idea for her bestseller Twilight came to her in a dream.

Interesting.

(Edited to delete nutty rambling.)

Every night I look forward to what the dream world has for me. I wonder what crazy ideas will come to me in the form of dreams so I can incorporate those ideas into interesting stories to share. Next time you’re looking for ideas for your next novel or short story try turning to your dreams for assistance.

Leslie Lee Sanders

10

Why Books Aren't Free & Writing is Hard Work

An imaginative, inventive person like me has an urge to see their imagination come to life. We spend many hours in solitude—total isolation—creating and birthing our ideas. The message behind our work is what motivates us. We’re eager to expose our creation to the world and to relay our messages through our art. This is what we live for.


And if we simply give away that which we put so much of our time and effort into ... we wouldn’t be financially able to support ourselves. Writing is work, hard work. And just like your job, you want compensation for your time and effort.


Writing is work but it’s also my art. It’s my imagination come to life. Without it I wouldn’t be able to express my views, my opinions, my likes and dislikes—myself. Writing is how I connect to the world and how I declare myself an individual. I feel what my characters feel—happiness, heartbreak, embarrassment, betrayal—and I get butterflies knowing that readers feel those same emotions when connecting with my characters. Along with my characters, I fall in love, I’m heated with hate, and I feel the thrill of doing something forbidden and so much more.


My writing helps me feel alive. More than alive.


But writing would be impossible to accomplish without the support of my readers. And as much as I enjoy sharing my creations with others, I equally understand that writing is a business. This is why books, even digital books, aren’t free. It’s hard work. Not many people understand this, IT’S HARD WORK. Writing as a profession is more difficult than the average hobbyist or dabbler would ever know.


What makes writing so hard?

• You must be enthusiastic to start a writing project.

• You must be driven to write every single day for hours at a time.

• You must be determined to actually finish your writing.

• You must plan, outline, and take notes. You must figure out what questions to ask, ask the questions, and then research the answers.

• You must set a goal and push yourself to accomplish that goal.

• You must read every day. Only great readers become great writers.

• You must challenge yourself. Push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

• You must hone your skills and develop your craft. You can never stop learning.

• You cannot be afraid to fail. You will be rejected, you will get negative feedback but you must have the confidence to learn from it, keep writing and keep moving forward.

• You have to have the strength to ignore self-doubts about yourself and your work.

• You must plot, plan, rewrite, and edit. Check spelling, grammar, characterization, plot, point of view, tenses, transitions, believability, dialogue, description, etc. You must write the blurb, write the full synopsis, write the query to send to the editor and plot, plan, rewrite and edit those as well.

• You must learn the skills to present your writing professionally and sell it along with your voice to editors and agents. Know your competition and your target audience, etc.

• You must market and promote, manage websites and social networking sites, blog and article write, leave comments and respond to comments, design (or get designed) promotional material; banners, bookmarks, website ads and book covers and book trailers. You must request reviews, interviews and guest blogs. And sooo much more.

So knowing this, I hope you understand why books aren’t free and why authors appreciate their readers’ support.


Appreciate the books you own and the writers who write them. Never share or upload digital books online. And out of courtesy, never ask an author for a free copy. If you do get a free copy cherish it because a lot of blood, sweat and tears went into making that book available to you.



Leslie Lee Sanders