Writers in the Storm

Amy E. Reichert

Hi, my name is Amy and I’m a writer—a writer on a deadline. You can identify me by the slightly greasy hair piled on top of my head, coffee stains on my well-worn t-shirt, and yoga pants streaked with Cheetos dust. I keep irregular hours and have earned the circles under my eyes. My butt goes numb from so many hours of sitting and I can’t tell if my hands are stiff from so much typing or because arthritis is finally kicking in. My children are spending way too much of their summer break entertaining themselves with iPads and Just Dance 4, and right now all the neighborhood boys are in the basement making sounds like angry elephants. I should probably be concerned, but they’re leaving me alone and no one has shouted for an ambulance.

I don’t often know what day it is without looking at a calendar, but I do know my birthday is on Friday, a date that fills me with panic not because I’m aging (I’ll be 42 and proud of it), but because it means my deadline is almost here and I’m no where near done. This deadline is for my third novel, THE SIMPLICITY OF CIDER. I’m insanely excited about it and still haven’t reached the “I hate you” phase of drafting. I have a solid outline, thorough character sketches, and an enthusiastic editor cheering me on. It’s a dream scenario.

Even with the looming due date and clear path, I still have those days where I stare at the screen digging for the right phrase, clueless how to take a scene from point A to point B. I wander through the words—a babe lost in the woods. It sucks. But it’s not my first rodeo (truly, I’ve been to a real rodeo in Wyoming) and I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade.

Tip #1 - You are your own muse. Anyone waiting for some mystical inspiration will never finish a book. Inspiration is never going to strike if you aren’t already at the keyboard waiting for it. Okay, fine, sometimes it strikes while driving or in the shower (why is it always the shower? A place where no electronics or paper can go). Bottomline, if you aren’t already working one something, inspiration isn’t going to know where to find you. So get your butt in the chair and start typing.

Tip #2 - Revising is where the real writing happens. The first draft isn’t really writing, it’s word-vomiting ideas out of your brain and onto a plane where you can do something with them. If you can accept it will be horrible, drafting will go much more smoothly. Understand that you’ll then need to take that manuscript, smash it, and put it back together and this process might break you, but everything will be more beautiful in the end.

Tip #3 - Building on the idea that first drafts are always awful, now is the time to let your imagination go crazy and have a little fun. Try out the ideas you know your editor will make you cut later because you never know when you might discover pure gold. Want a unicorn assassin? Put it in. Want Chris Evans to propose to you? That’s chapter 11. Letting your brain explore different paths could uncover something exciting and different. It’s where all my rocking 80s flashbacks in LUCK, LOVE & LEMON PIE came from—I was brainstorming ridiculous ideas and a few of them stuck.

Tip #4 - Leave yourself notes—not encouragement “you can do it” notes, but jots about things you want to change. As I’m flushing out that first draft, I have ideas for what I want to change, and then I’m tempted to stop my forward momentum and go back to fix them. DO NOT DO THIS!! But, Amy, why not, you say? Well, dear reader, because your brain is popping like a bag of microwave popcorn, and if you open it too soon, you might not pop all the kernels. Forward momentum is everything, do not stop it. Instead, leave yourself a few notes about the ideas, maybe even a paragraph or two so when you go back to revise, that lovely idea is waiting for you.

Tip #5 - The only way out of the draft stage is through it. There is no short cut, there is no ladder to take you from square 28 to square 84, there is no special card that lets you pass Go and collect $200. So suck it up, buttercup and write.

What are your favorite tips and tricks for making to “The End?” Share them in the comments!

About Amy

Amy E. Reichert, author of THE COINCIDENCE OF COCONUT CAKE and LUCK, LOVE & LEMON PIE, loves to write stories that end well with characters you’d invite to dinner. A wife, mom, amateur chef, Fix-It Mistress, and cider enthusiast, she earned her MA in English Literature and serves on her local library’s board of directors. She’s a proud member of Tall Poppy Writers.

Links:

Website - www.amyereichert.com

Twitter - www.twitter.com/aereichert

Facebook - www.facebook.com/amyereichert

Susan Spann

Copyright law can be confusing for authors, especially when it comes to issues like when (and whether) to register copyright in a manuscript, and what to do if you use a pseudonym. While authors need to understand the basics of copyright, myths and disinformation abound (especially on the Internet).

Today, let’s take a look at some popular myths (and truths) about copyright in novels and other creative works:

Myth #1: You have to register copyright as soon as you finish your manuscript.

False. Registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is not a legal requirement for copyright ownership. Copyright attaches to “qualifying works*” automatically at the time of their creation.

Copyright registration is intended to protect “published works” – so authors should make sure that their works are registered with the copyright office within 3 months after initial publication.

(*Short stories, novellas, novels, anthologies, poetry, and similar fiction and non-fiction works all generally qualify for copyright protection.)

Myth #2: A book is not “published” for copyright purposes if you give it away for free, or if you self-publish.

False. Under the Copyright Act, “publication” means “the distribution of copies . . . of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.”

The Copyright Act does not require that a work be “sold” and does not require any exchange of money (or profits) before the work can be considered “published.” Also, the law does not distinguish between self-published works and those published by a third-party publishing house. Published is published.

Myth #3: Copyright registration offers authors some very real benefits.

True! Copyright registration gives copyright holders some significant benefits under U.S. law. Among them:

• The right to sue infringers to stop infringement.
• The right to collect statutory damages (money, in amounts set by law) from infringers.
• The right to recover attorney fees against an infringer in a successful lawsuit.

Myth #4: If you don’t register the copyright before publication, you can never register at all.

False. To maximize your legal rights in your work, the copyright should be registered within 3 months after the initial publication date. However, authors (or publishers) can register the copyright in a qualifying work at any time.

You may lose some legal rights by filing more than three months after the initial publication date, but others (like the right to sue infringers) can be secured at any time by filing a proper copyright registration

Myth #5: Authors should protect themselves by registering copyright before querying agents or submitting their work to publishers.

False. (Unless the work is already published – which creates a different set of potential problems.) The registration trigger is publication, not queries.

Sometimes authors think they need to register copyright to protect the work from being stolen by unscrupulous agents or publishers. To this, I have one answer: Don’t query unscrupulous agents and publishers. Do your homework and approach only reputable industry professionals. Reputable agents (and publishers) don’t steal authors’ projects. It costs far less (and requires much less risk) to offer a contract.

Myth #6: Traditional publishers always register copyright on the author’s behalf.

False. Many do, but some do not. If you publish traditionally, your contract state, specifically, who will register the copyright. If the language isn't there, ask for the publisher to add it—and if you don't know what language to ask for, consult a publishing lawyer.

Myth #7: Registering copyright is difficult, expensive, and requires a lawyer.

False, False, and False. Most copyrights can be registered online at the U.S. Copyright Office website (www.copyright.gov), and registration normally costs less than $50. The website even has a step-by-step registration tutorial that walks authors through the process.

And there you have it...a whirlwind tour of common copyright registration myths and the truths behind them.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled summer fun.

About Susan

Susan Spann writes the Hiro Hattori Novels, featuring ninja detective Hiro Hattori and his Portuguese Jesuit sidekick, Father Mateo. The fourth book in the series, THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER, will release from Seventh Street Books in August 2016. Susan is the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2015 Writer of the Year, and a transactional attorney whose practice focuses on publishing and business law. When not writing or practicing law, she raises seahorses and rare corals in her marine aquarium. Find her online at http://www.SusanSpann.com, on Twitter (@SusanSpann), and on Facebook (SusanSpannAuthor).

Last week I talked about my problem with Empty Story Nest Syndrome. Let’s not confuse ‘no WIP’ with ‘no story ideas’ though. That brings me to today’s topic -- story squirrels. You know, the “ouuuu, shiny” idea that tries to muscle out the others. See, in addition to suffering from ESNS, I’ve developed a rather disturbing case of story attention deficit.

So many ideas. So little brain space!

But I’m getting ahead of myself …

A couple of months ago I turned in a proposal to my agent. “Great,” she said, then told me to write another one. She wanted options. I can do options. There were three other ideas bubbling in my brain. So off I bounced to work on another proposal.

But characters are kinda like kids – they can be in the room with you for hours and never say a word, then the moment you get busy doing something else (like going to the toilet or relaxing in the tub) they have something super-urgent-important to share with you.

The characters in the first story weren’t very happy to be discarded and for the first couple of chapters, they kept trying to muscle out the new gang. They finally settled down when they realized I was still listening, even if only partially.

The new proposal was finally perking along, and I was doing a decent job of keeping both story ideas fresh in my mind but separate enough to allow me to keep writing.

Until I went on a trip. There I was, in the airport, minding my own business, waiting for my flight, when another story idea pulled in to the opposite concourse. And stayed with me for the next three hours, chattering up a storm.

Two weeks later, I’m reading about a workshop at a nearby museum, and before I could close the browser tab, yet another character was chatting me up.

Then a couple of weeks ago during a family road trip, I was staring out the window, enjoying the scenery and, wouldn’t you know it, a sparkly new idea was waving at me from a ratty old sign next to an abandoned farm house.

So now I'm up to five active story ideas. That’s a few too many squirrels having a tea party in my brain. And that’s when forward momentum starts resembling the Washington DC beltway during rush hour. Someone has to yield and someone has to merge (preferably without leaving behind some serious roadkill).

Anywhoo … You know those people who tell you to write down the ideas while they’re fresh, because you won’t necessarily remember later on? Yeah. Don’t you just hate when they’re right?!

But here’s my hiccup with that concept—my story ideas are shy creatures. Well, shy about being captured at the beginning stage. Trying to plot out the ideas usually results in sending them scattering back to the top branches of the trees.

When I had the luxury of working on one project at a time, that wasn’t a problem. I could let an idea scamper away, knowing that if it was a strong enough concept, it would pop back up eventually. Once you sell that first book, though, the landscape changes and the expectation is that you can sell on proposal. That means capturing the story squirrels before they make off with your nuts.

But how?

Some people can grab an idea and hash it out in full detail. I envy them. If you’re lucky enough to have this capability, do it! Immediately!! Whether it’s long hand notes about your characters and plot points or a flushed out outline, capture that story idea for when you can come back to work on it.

I, however, need marinating time. This is my marinating time …

I crochet. While my hands work, the story ideas ping around in my head. The repetitive motion of crocheting helps ground the ideas – as much as possible that is. Even if the characters are talking over each other at times, bits and pieces start falling into place.

Once I have the basics worked out, I write a pitch. Think back cover copy. That’s usually enough to trap the story squirrel for when it’s time to flush out the concept.

With a few of these written, I always have something to pull when my agent asks for more options.

btw, that pretty “ideas” notebook at the beginning of the post? That’s mine too. I jot down notes from articles I’ve read that may come in handy for lining a squirrel cage at some point.

Are you a one-story-at-a-time kind of writer or a story squirrel herder? How do you organize the story ideas when you’re not ready to write them yet?

About Orly

Orly Konig is an escapee from the corporate world, where she spent roughly sixteen (cough) years working in the space industry. Now she spends her days chatting up imaginary friends, drinking entirely too much coffee, and negotiating writing space around two over-fed cats. She is a co-founder and past president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and a member of the Tall Poppy Writers. She is rep’d by Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary Agency LLC.

Orly’s debut, The Memory of Hoofbeats, will be released by Forge in 2017.

You can find her on Twitter at @OrlyKonig, on Facebook at OrlyKonigAuthor, or on her website, www.orlykonig.com.