Where do you get your ideas?

I am often asked where I get the inspiration and ideas for my stories, especially considering that I am fortunate enough to have so many ideas from which to choose. This is the kind of question that is impossible to answer with a single sentence, because I never know when I might stumble upon an idea that could make a great book.  I tend to be the kind of person who asks a lot of “What if?” questions, and through these quandaries, my ideas are born.

But since that is a relatively meaningless answer, I thought I’d give you some specific examples of how some of my stories were born.

SOMETHING MISSING: Over dinner several years ago, a friend bemoaned the loss of one of her earrings. She opened her jewelry box and could only find one of the pair. I said, “What if someone broke into your house and stole your earring but left the other one behind so you wouldn’t suspect theft?”  As I gnawed on a dinner roll, I found myself trying to imagine the kind of person who would break into every home in America and steal just one earring from every woman’s jewelry box.

Although I didn’t know it at the time, that was the moment that Martin Railsback and his story were born.

UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO:  For a long time, I wanted to be a film director.  At one point I had the idea for a movie in which three less-than-savory characters steal a video camera from a family on vacation in New York City.  After watching the videotapes in the privacy of their cockroach-infested apartment, the trio realizes that the memories captured on the videotape mean more to the family than they could have ever imagined, and they decide to return the tapes to their owners. They watch the footage in order to glean clues as to the owner’s identity, and in doing so, they become uncommonly attached to the family as a result. This idea served as the basis for UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO.

However, I also dipped into my own life for major pieces of the plot, including:

The separation and divorce from my first wife in 2003.

The two months spent in fourth grade helping a friend plan his escape to an uncle’s house in the Midwest. Chris wanted to run away from home, something he had done before, and though he never made the journey that we planned in the back of the classroom, I often wondered what might have happened if Chris had run away from home and had disappeared in the process. How would I have felt knowing that I had a hand in my friend’s disappearance, and how might it have impacted the rest of my life?

This became a major plot point in the story.

CHICKEN SHACK (an unpublished manuscript): There was once a potato chip factory in my hometown of Blackstone, Massachusetts that produced a brand of potato chips called Blackstone Potato Chips. The factory closed years ago, and on a trip back to Blackstone, I noted that the factory was now a funeral home. “ Wouldn't it be great if they still sold potato chips and handled dead people at the same time?” I said to my wife as we drove by. A moment later, the idea of a funeral home that also sells fried chicken landed in my mind and CHICKEN SHACK was  born.

Once again, I dipped into my own personal life for other key elements to the story, including:

The disappearance of my brother, Jeremy, who I had not seen for more than five years after my mother died.

A public and, in the words of many attorneys, unprecedented attack on my character and reputation by an anonymous source several years ago.

My occasional forays into amusing and ultimately meaningless forms of vigilante justice, mostly as a teenager but occasionally as an adult.

MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND:  The manuscript that I am currently working on (please know that until a book is published, these are all working titles, CHICKEN SHACK included) began with a simple conversation with my student-teacher about an imaginary friend that I had as a child.  In the span of about four sentences, the idea for Budo and his story was born.  Ultimately, I may bring in elements from my own life into the story, or I may weave in an additional idea or two from my Ideas for Stories list, but being so early in the process (less than 5,000 words so far), that conversation on the playground of my school has been enough to get me going.

BETTY BOOP:  The idea for this manuscript, which I am tinkering with on the side, was born after reading about a 2009 law outlawing prostitution in the state of Rhode Island.  Prostitution was actually legal in Rhode Island between 1980 and 2009 because there was no specific statute to define the act and outlaw it, although associated activities, such as street solicitation, running a brothel, and pimping, were still illegal.  With the institution of the 2009 law, I found myself wondering what a prostitute in Rhode Island might do now that his or her previously legal means of earning a living were suddenly forbidden.  I came up with an solution for my theoretical prostitute, and that is the basis for this book.

Which story should I write next?

In the span of the last two days, I complete revisions on my manuscript (CHICKEN SHACK), sent it off to my agent and began a new book. 

Actually, I’ve started writing two new novels since finishing the initial draft of CHICKEN SHACK.  I’m thinking of one of them (BUDO) as my primary book (at least 2,000 words a day with a goal of being finished by September) and the other (BETTY BOOP) as something that I will tinker with when I need a break from the first.

I’m fortunate, so my agent says, in that I have many, many ideas for books.  Apparently there are quite a few outstanding writers in the world who have great difficulty coming up with an idea for their next novel.  While this may someday be the case for me, I currently have about ten ideas that I’m excited about writing, so it should be a while before I’m stuck without an idea. 

I was recently asked how the process of choosing the next idea happens and how much of a role my agent or editors plays in the process, so I thought that I’d address the question here, since I’m in that between-books moment right now. 

About a month ago, as I was wrapping up work on CHICKEN SHACK and beginning to think about my next book, I sent a list of six ideas for my next novel to my agent.  These ideas amounted to no more than a few sentences of description on what I thought the plot of the novel might be, though this is always subject to change since I have no idea where a book is going or how it will end until I actually get there.  For example, the description of SOMETHING MISSING might have read:

A thief steals things from homes that go unnoticed, and as he continues to steal from the same people over and over again, he becomes uncommonly attached to his victims. 

As you can see, this description leaves out a great deal, but most of the meat of a story comes from the actual writing.  I had no idea that Martin would be obsessive-compulsive or socially awkward or develop a love interest until I started writing.  These things only emerged once I started pounding on the keyboard.  With all of my books and even my short stories, a description like the one above is all I ever have or need before I start working. 

I wrote six descriptions similar to this one and sent them off to Taryn.  A day or two later, she sent back the two ideas that she liked the best.  One was a novel very similar to the style of my previous work, featuring a quirky, misunderstood protagonist who misunderstands the world around him.  Since I have been successful with this type of story before, Taryn felt that this idea had a lot of potential.

The second was quite different from my previous work, a more fantastical story written in the first person that both intrigued and scared the hell out of me.  Taryn liked this idea a lot because it was the kind of book that would appeal to a wide audience, including the young adult market.  Adult-YA crossover books have been very successful as of late, and Taryn saw great potential in this book if it was written with both markets in mind.

My wife also read my list and chose the same two ideas as Taryn, so I took this as a good sign and assumed I had my winners.  I’ve since begun work on the second idea as I wait for feedback from Taryn on the revisions to CHICKEN SHACK, and though the first person narration is proving to be as challenging as I had expected, the story seems to be pouring out of me rather easily. 

I also starting tinkering with the least popular idea on my list, a book with a female protagonist who, in the estimation of most, would be difficult, if not impossible, to make likable.  Being a contrarian, I was probably drawn to this idea simply because so many people (and especially women) told me that it would not work.  I’ve written two chapters of this book so far, about 4,000 words in all, and I allowed Elysha and one other female friend read the chapters in order to get their initial reactions.

Both women grudgingly admitted that they liked the character and the story a lot.

So I’m spending at least six hours a day this summer working on BUDO unless CHICKEN SHACK comes back from Taryn with a request for further revision.  If I write 2,000 words a day, not an unrealistic goal and one I expect to surpass on many days, I should have the book done by the end of September.  Since my first three books each took about a year to write, this would be quick by my standards, but I’m never really had the opportunity to write fulltime before. 

My editor will not enter this process until it’s time to for publisher to make an offer on the manuscript.  While I know some writers and editors work closely on choosing the topic for the next book and developing the story, these tend to be authors with multi-book contracts, so the editor has a significant investment in what the author produces next.  Because I am still new to the game and working on a book-to-book basis, my editor works hard on the most recent manuscript once my publisher and I agree to terms, but in regards to the book I’m currently working on, she may ask me about the book out of curiosity but she doesn’t play any role in its actual creation.

That role currently belongs to Taryn and my small but important army of readers, about half a dozen in all, who will read my latest manuscript, chapter by chapter, and offer input.  These people are more important than Taryn or my editor could ever be.  They provide me with the immediate feedback that I crave and the commentary which helps to guide the narrative.

I owe my initial readers a great deal.

And so that is the process, at least so far.  With luck, Taryn will fall in love with the latest draft of CHICKEN SHACK, and once we decide on an actual title for the book, she will send it off to my editor at Doubleday Broadway, who will, with some luck, also fall in love with the manuscript and make me an offer I can’t resist.  And sometime in September, I will find myself needing to choose another idea again, and the process will start all over, most likely with a few new ideas added to the mix.

Too many ideas and not enough time to write them all is a problem, but it’s not a terrible problem to have.

Recognition for SOMETHING MISSING

SOMETHING MISSING has been nominated for the Salt Lake County Reader’s Choice Award.  It’s one of twenty-eight books nominated this year, based upon recommendations by staff and customers.  These books are purchased in multiples and placed on display at each Salt Lake County Library for a four-month period.  After reading any of the books on the Reader’s Choice list, customers may rate the books, and the book with the highest rating will be declared the winner! 

If you find yourself in Utah in the next four months, stuff that ballot box!

Possibly maybe potentially exciting. Someday. Maybe.

Both SOMETHING MISSING and UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO have been optioned to producers, one for film and the other for television. 

All this really means is that someone has paid me a not-enormous sum of money for the rights to try to put together a deal with a television or film studio.  This involves writing scripts, soliciting actors and directors, pitching their ideas to show runners, and the like.  If a television pilot or movie is eventually made, I get paid a more significant amount of money.

This week I received updates regarding both projects, and as always, they were laced with big named actors and producers and great potential.

After going through this process for more than two years with SOMETHING MISSING and six months with UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO, I’ve learned that these potentially exciting updates all say essentially the same thing:

Something great might happen someday.  Maybe.

I’ve learned to temper my excitement.

Martin is not obsessive compulsive. He's like me.

I often receive emails from readers who tell me how much they enjoyed SOMETHING MISSING because of the sympathetic and honest portrayal of a character who is suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder. These same readers frequently ask how I managed to capture the condition so honestly and accurately. The question comes up a lot at my author appearances, too. My standard response goes something like this:

After finishing the book and passing out manuscripts to my friends, I began to get feedback, and this included many readers saying things like, “Wow!  Martin’s completely OCD. Huh?”

Or, “I love the OCD stuff. It adds a lot of humor to the book.”

At first I thought that these comments were aberrations. Then my agent pitched the book as a story about an obsessive-compulsive burglar.

In speaking with directors, show runners and writers from the film industry, I've heard the same thing. In fact, these people often compare Martin to Monk, the OCD detective from the cable television series of the same name.

My initial reaction to all these OCD-declarations was the same:

Martin’s not OCD. He’s like me.

I tried to explain to people that in developing Martin’s character and the way in which he approached his job, I simply attempted to envision how I would approach burglary if it were my chosen profession. Martin’s routines and rituals are not obsessive compulsive. They are logical and effective. They represent forethought, planning and a keen understanding of oneself.

In my mind, Martin’s quirks are my quirks. His philosophy is my philosophy.  His desire for an organized garage and a home of empty surfaces reflects my own desires for the same.

Martin’s not obsessive-compulsive, because if he were, I would be obsessive compulsive.

Instead, I like to think of myself as a high organized minimalist who utilizes routines in order to increase efficiency.

Unfortunately, I suspect that Martin might say the same thing about himself, and according to everyone but me, he is most definitely obsessive-compulsive.

My life

Carol Goldberg wrote a piece in last week’s Sunday Hartford Courant about upcoming books by Connecticut authors, and UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO was included on her list.

I’m honored to have my book included on the list and am grateful to Goldberg for her generous comments regarding it, but I am also amused by the aspects of my biography that people choose to highlight when writing pieces like this.  The fact that I was robbed at gunpoint when I was 23 has never seemed as important as it has since I was published.  From the moment that SOMETHING MISSING hit the bookstore shelves, people have become utterly fascinated by certain elements of my life story.  My two near-death experiences, my brief time spent homeless, my engagement to my wife, my arrest and subsequent trial for a crime I did not commit, the year I shared a room with a goat, and many stories from my childhood.

The list goes on and on.   

While attending a book club meeting last week, discussion of the novel took a backseat for quite a while in favor of questions about the robbery and my life in general.  While people were more than pleased to talk about certain elements from the book, they seemed equally interested in hearing about my life. 

If this something that most authors experience? 

While I’ve toyed with the idea of writing a memoir from time to time, I’m only 38-years old.  It’s hard to imagine that I have led an interesting-enough life at this point to justify writing a book about it. 

It’s even harder to imagine that my life is actually interesting enough for anyone to want to read about it.

But maybe everyone feels this way.  Perhaps a person’s life just seems less fascinating to the person living it. 

Then again, I’m a fiction writer.  I could just make a bunch of stuff up.

Names

The Facts of Life was a sitcom about four girls and their scraggly old headmistress, Mrs. Garrett. It was a painfully classic 80’s television programs that proselytized and preached lessons of morality to viewers each week. It’s also one of Elysha’s favorite childhood shows, so I hear about it from time to time.

We were chatting about the show the other day and it occurred to me how offensively stereotypical and stupid the names of the main characters were.

Blair Warner, the wealthy, snobbish socialite

Jo Polniaczek, the motorcycle-riding tomboy from Brooklyn

Tootie Ramsey, the African-American, roller skating gossip

Could these names be any more cliché, hackneyed and formulaic?

I have a hard time with names.  I think that naming a character is an important part of the writing process, yet I often have a hard time doing so.  Occasionally, a name will simply pop into my mind, ready-made and perfectly apropos, as did Martin’s name in SOMETHING MISSING.  But more often than not, I find myself scanning baby-naming websites and running through the names of friends and former students in my head, hoping that I will stumble across the perfect one.  This is how the protagonists of my second and third books, Milo and Wyatt, were named.  In both cases I was scanning lists of names online when I came upon these two, and almost instantly I knew that they were perfect for the character in question. 

Milo is a quirky, somewhat odd name that seemed to match my quirky and odd character quite well.  It’s also the name of the protagonist in THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, one of my wife’s favorite books, so I liked the homage that I was paying with the name choice.

Wyatt is a vigilante, a man who seeks his own unique and amusing brand of justice.  I wanted a name that was uncommon and no-nonsense, and Wyatt seemed to fit the bill.  I also liked how the name harkens back to Wyatt Earp, the famous Old West lawman who also dealt in his own brand of justice.  

Last names can be even trickier.  I have no recollection of how Martin Railsback received his last name.  Though it sounds a little silly, I think he was born with it.  The character of Martin was so completely and thoroughly downloaded to my brain that he came to me fully-formed, first and last name included.

Milo Slade received his last name from a movie poster that I saw on a Metro North train as I pecked away on my keyboard.  I liked the edginess and grit that a name like Slade possesses, and I specifically liked the way it’s juxtaposed to Milo’s first name and his overall character. 

Milo is anything by edgy. 

Wyatt’s last name changed several times during the writing of the book, and I finally settled on Salem because I thought it sounded right for the funeral home that his family owns. 

Salem’s Funeral Home.  It had a nice ring to it. 

Elysha later pointed out that his last name also caused her to conjure images of the Salem Witch Trials and the ways in which Wyatt’s public persecution is similar to the persecution faced by the adolescent girls of Salem who were unjustly executed for witchcraft.  While I love this connection, it was sadly not a conscious decision on my part. 

Perhaps my unconscious was at work.

Then again, many of my naming decisions may have been made with the help of the unconscious parts of my mind. 

Martin’s first name, it has been pointed out to me by many people (including my former therapist) is quite similar to my own, and Martin and I have a great deal in common (though I didn’t realize it while I was writing the book).

Milo’s name, like mine, also starts with an M, and the last three letters of Wyatt’s name happen to be the same last three letters in Matt as well.

Again, all unconscious decisions on my part but creepy nonetheless. 

And naturally, my newest protagonist is named Betty Grape, a name that popped into my head as soon as I placed my hands on the keyboard.  And like my own name, Betty’s name possesses a double T. 

Weird.

But not as weird as naming your roller skating African American character Tootie. 

A lack of support

On a recent trip to Florida, I was visiting with some of my wife’s relatives.  Over lunch and dinner, they would inquire about my book, asking questions about plot and character, until finally Elysha’s grandmother told one of these relatives to buy the book.  “Don’t ask him what the book is about,” she said, irritation in her voice.  “He’s related to you.  Go buy his book!”

I appreciated her support, especially since I have a miserable time summarizing my books.  But as these people were asking about my book, I also wondered why they hadn’t bothered to read it, especially considering I am now related to them and they knew I was coming for a visit.  I mean, if my wife’s uncle had written a book on the history of the Russian ballet slipper, I would have at least given the book a skim prior to sitting down with lunch with him.

A few weeks ago I learned that a very good friend had also not read my book, and while I had a lot of fun pretending to be offended (I tried to un-friend her on Facebook via my phone), I was also a little surprised that someone so close to me hadn’t gotten around to reading it.  It’s not like I have a dozen novels from which to choose.  It’s my first book, and had a friend of mine published a book, I think I’d make damn sure to read it as quickly as possible.

It’s not that I was upset or offended by the lack of attention that these people had given to my book.  While I know people who have turned the process of being offended into a favorite past time, I can’t remember the last time that someone actually offended me.  I’m just a little surprised and a little mystified as to why they might not choose to read the book. 

But are my expectations unrealistic?  Is it perfectly acceptable for out-of-state relatives and close friends to not read my first novel? 

How do other authors feel when they discover that a close friend or family member has not read their book? 

Who am I?

I have been invited to join the International Association of Crime Writers. I received the invitation via an email from the North American branch today. 

One problem: I’m not a crime writer.

Yes, my first book contains certain elements tied to crime writing, but my second book, UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO, has nothing to do with crime.  Nor does my third.

It’s been interesting to see how readers, booksellers and other attempt to define me as a writer.  I guess with just one book in print thus far, they don’t have much to go on.

But I’ve also been referred to as a mystery writer, a suspense writer, and a humorist, and I don’t think that either of these monikers apply.  SOMETHING MISSING possesses some elements of mystery, and both books contain some humor (mostly unintentional), but I don’t think either could aptly be categorized as mystery, suspense or humor. 

This all leads me to wonder how an author like John Updike was categorized after his first book.  Not to imply that I am the next John Updike, but there are many, many writers like Updike and myself who just write stories.  He was a novelist, but he did not write suspense, humor, mystery, historical fiction, science fiction, horror etc.  He just wrote stories.

It would be interesting to research how readers, booksellers, reviewers, and others attempted to categorize writers like these based upon certain elements in their first few books.  Updike’s first book was THE POORHOUSE FAIR.  The plot summary from Amazon reads:

At the County Home for the Aged, the inmates, having shed their cares and responsibilities, live out their remaining years. On the day of the Poorhouse Fair the order is broken and the old people take charge. It is a day neither Conner, the poorhouse prefect, nor his charges will forget.

Sounds like it could be a Stephen King novel.  Doesn’t it? 

Updike as a horror writer?

I’ve ordered the book.  After reading it, I’ll do some digging and see if I can find out what the public thought of the book and the writer after his first offering.  Did they try to categorize him?  Fit him into some convenient box?  I’ll see what I can find out.

Another project.  Just what I needed. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A recap

I finished reading THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO last week, one of the most hyped books in recent memory, at least for me.  Many, many people urged me to read this book.

Some of my thoughts (with a possible but vague spoiler) include:

• I haven’t been hooked on a story to this degree in a long, long time.
• As complex and nuanced as the story was, it was surprisingly easy to follow, even when days passed between readings. 
• Boy does Steig Larrson believe in the use of specific brand names in his work.  The reference to the Eudora email client brought me back to my first days on the Internet back in 1993, and references like this just kept on coming.  I have been both praised and criticized for a similar use of specificity of brand names in SOMETHING MISSING, but I don’t hold a candle to Larrson.
• The title of the book seemed strange to me.  The girl with the dragon tattoo, Lisbeth Salander, is a central figure to the story, but she is by no means the primary protagonist, nor does she even play a significant role in the story for the first half of the book.  And her dragon tattoo is just one of many.  Why the choice of title?
• Though I loved the book, the ending was a little too tidy for my taste.  There are two moments in the book when a “good guy” might be forced to kill a “bad guy” but in both cases, the punishment is conveniently doled out in other ways, thus keeping the hands of our “good guys” relatively pristine.  Bad guys receive their comeuppance, good guys, are rewarded for their nobility and intelligence, and things are essentially wrapped up in a neat bow in the final chapters.  Not the kind of ending that I ever enjoy. 
• The cover art was fantastic.

And yes, I plan on reading the sequel, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE soon.

How I found my literary agent

I spent this past week visiting the Lucy Robbins Welles Library in my hometown of Newington and the Portland Library in Portland, CT.  Both events were very well attended, and I had the chance to meet many readers who enjoyed SOMETHING MISSING and are anxious to get their hands on UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO. One of the most interesting comments made at both appearances came when I described the means by which I found my agent.  After being asked to describe the process, I explained that after finishing the book, I spent the summer identifying 200 potential literary agencies using the THE WRITER’S MARKET before winnowing the list down to the top 100.  From there, I began researching each literary agency, trying to identify the specific agent to whom my book would most appeal.

Using the Internet, I scoured the names of agents and then cross-referenced them on other websites for any information I could find that might tell me what their interests and preferences were.  For example, I identified Taryn, my agent, from more than half a dozen agents at her previous agency (she’s since gone on to start her own agency) using a number of factors.

First, she was young.  I knew I wanted to find someone who was new to the business and hungry.  At almost every agency, I addressed my query letter to one of the youngest agents on staff.

Second, I looked at the books that she had already worked on with other authors.  In Taryn’s case, there were two:  A book on compulsive hoarding and a book written by a woman who managed a solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in a rowboat.

Both books appealed to me.

I knew that my protagonist, Martin, was obsessive-compulsive and excessively methodical, and I thought that he might appeal to someone with an interest in and knowledge of compulsive hoarding.  The two seemed to fit together well, occupying the same space in a person’s mind.

I also liked the sound of a book about a woman rowing solo across an ocean.  Since so much of SOMETHING MISSING takes place in my protagonist's head, my manuscript was very light on dialogue, and I assumed that a book about a woman alone in the rowboat might also be dialogue-light.

Lastly, I liked the look of Taryn.  I found a photo of her online and thought that she looked like the kind of woman with whom I tend to be friends.  I know this is the least logical of my reasons for choosing her, but I believe that gut reactions are important.  I took one look at Taryn and thought that I might have a chance with her.

I followed this process for every one of the 100 queries I sent out that summer.  In many ways, it became a fulltime job for me.  It was two months of researching, tracking, analyzing, writing and assembling exactly what was requested by each agency.  A query letter and the first fifty pages to one agent, a query letter and the first three chapters to another, and a brief synopsis of the story to a third.  Each agency has its own specific requirements, and I catered each query letter to the agent I was addressing.

I described this process to the people who attended last week’s library events and received a similar reaction from both audiences:

People thought that my persistence, determination and attention to detail were remarkable.

I do not.

As I explained to one woman, I had just spent three years of my life committing 120,000 words to the blank page.  I had a story that I liked a lot, and I had always dreamed of becoming a published author.  Sending those letters in the manner that I did, maximizing my efforts in every way I knew possible, was simply a reasonable and practical approach to the challenge of finding an agent to represent my work.

To have done any less, I explained, would have been stupid.

Sadly, I have met many people who fail to work hard once their manuscript is complete.  A few months ago, I met a rather angry man who had sent out twelve query letters and had them all rejected.  I explained to him that I sent out 100 queries and was preparing to send 100 more when Taryn’s call finally came.  I told him that of the 100 queries, I received about 80 rejections, 10 non-responses, and 10 agents expressing some form of interest, albeit quite mild in most circumstances.  Ultimately it came down to about three agents who expressed some serious interest in the book, and Taryn’s call came on the last day of my summer vacation, which had been the target date that I had set for finding an agent.

I offered to help this angry man by offering some advice and proofreading his query letter, but he was hell-bent on having me walk his manuscript through the doors of Doubleday and plopping it on my editor’s desk.

If only it were that easy.

Ultimately I told the man that I would be happy to offer more advice once he sent out 88 more queries, thus matching my own total.  Not surprising, I have yet to hear from him.

When someone asks me for advice on finding a literary agent, I tell them this story, and more often than not, they tell me how they simply don’t have the time to undergo such a process.

Somehow, these people manage to find enough time to write a novel, an accomplishment in itself, but are unwilling to find the time to go the last mile.

My goal at book appearances like the ones I did last week is to present myself in as ordinary a fashion as possible.  I want aspiring writers to know that there is nothing special about the way in which I found my agent and ultimately got my books published.  It was good old fashioned hard work.

Nothing more.

Invariably, however, some member of the audience will raise a hand and attempt to refute my remarks as needlessly self-deprecating or silly, but I always do my best to swat those hands away.  If you’ve written a book and you think it’s good, do everything you can to get it published.  Send out 100 query letters, and be prepared to send out another 100 if needed.  Eventually, you might want to look into self-publishing, a means by which many authors are getting their work into the hands of readers today.

But please don’t spend months or years writing a book and then give up after twelve rejections.

Pressing on after hundreds of rejections demonstrates persistence.

To do any less demonstrates nothing more than a lack of desire.

Conformity

PSYBLOG recently posted an article about conformity, a topic that means a lot of me.  The protagonist in my current manuscript is something of a non-conformer, and according to one friend who I spoke to today, he and I could be brothers.

Conformity has never been my thing either. 

The item in the PSYBLOG’s list that I found most interesting was #6:

Social approval

People use conformity to ingratiate themselves with others.  Conforming also makes people feel better about themselves by bolstering self-confidence.  Some people have a greater need for liking from others so are more likely to conform.

Have you noticed that non-conformers are less likely to care what other people think of them?  Nonconformity and self-confidence go hand-in-hand.

This explained a lot, both about me and my protagonist.  Neither one of us have ever cared a great deal about what others think of us, and yes, this is probably born from a heightened, possibly overinflated sense of self-confidence.  But the result has been a lack of conformity. 

But what is not mentioned is how the willingness and ability to avoid conformity also builds self-confidence.  While it may be true that “conforming also makes people feel better about themselves by bolstering self-confidence,” I have also found that my willingness and ability to swim against the stream, stake out new ground, and avoid the tug of the masses has garnered me enormous amounts of self-confidence as well. 

For some people, knowing that they fit in breeds self-confidence. 

For me, knowing I don’t have to fit in does the same. 

And you know what?  That statement may lie at the heart of all my fiction.  I write about characters who don’t fit into the mainstream but have managed to find comfort, success and sometimes even joy in being themselves, regardless of their lack of conformity. 

Which has left me wondering:

Is my non-conformity also born from attention-seeking behavior? Are my divergent and occasionally controversial positions on family, cultural and societal norms, child-rearing, religion, education and other issues merely a means by which I can garner the interest of others?

Is all this braggadocio and non-conformity a hoax? A means to an end? Have I fooled myself into thinking that I am something that I am not?

Wouldn’t it sometimes be easier to conform?

Then I remembered that I was also the kid who decided to be a Yankees fan in a family, town, and state dominated by rabid, insane Red Sox fans.

I was the only boy in my school district to play the flute.

I was suspended during my freshman year of high school for inciting riot upon myself after passing out Seniors are Wimps flyers at the doors of my high school.

I was the first kid in my Boy Scout troop to perfect the art of campfire pizza.

For more than a year, I read books upside down just to annoy my teachers.

In my early twenties, I routinely bought girl’s sneakers, thinking they looked better and were more comfortable than guy’s sneakers.

Regardless of the origin or purpose, it would seem that my nonconformist streak has been hardwired in my brain for a long, long time.

The demise of the book tour and the rise of its replacement

The Los Angeles Times published a piece on how book tours have transformed over the years, and especially now in this economy. 

Author Carolyn Kellogg writes:

“As the business of publishing changes, book tours increasingly look like bad risks. ‘In 99.9% of cases," says Peter Miller, director of publicity at Bloomsbury USA, "you can't justify the costs through regular book sales.

Book tours used to be about local media. "You would go to these places to get reviews, interviews, TV and radio," Miller explains, but with print outlets closing down and cutting coverage and new technologies enabling long-distance video interviews, "it is becoming less important to do that kind of tour."

I’ve heard this sentiment echoed by at least two novelists who told me that they didn’t think their national book tours did much in terms of generating sales.  Instead, it would seem that well-placed, positive reviews, an adept use of digital media and some good old fashioned luck play more important roles in the success of a book.

Of course, writing a great book helps, too.

While a whirlwind national book tour sounds fun for someone like me who enjoys speaking to large groups of people, my obsession with my daughter and my desire to spend more time with her and my wife has me somewhat pleased that the book tours of the past have been scaled back.  As my publicist and I begin planning appearances for the release of UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO this summer, we’re limiting them to New England and New York.  While there are bookstores around the country who have inquired about my availability, the cost of such a book tour, in combination with my desire to remain close to home, have forced us to politely decline these requests. 

But in place of the old-fashioned book tour is the Internet.  This blog, in combination with my Twitter account, my Facebook page, my Flickr feed, and even the Android app that I designed to compile my online content have all helped me reach more readers in a week than your average book appearance.

This week alone (and eight months after the release of SOMETHING MISSING), I was contacted by seven different readers, three booksellers, three librarians requesting appearances, and two bloggers, one of whom I am sending a galley of UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO to so she can review the book and conduct an author interview. She loved SOMETHING MISSING and has been kind enough to say (more than once) that the book did not receive enough attention from the blogosphere upon its release.  She wants to change that for my next book (provided she likes it, of course) and I’m thrilled to help her in any way possible.  

I also picked up half a dozen Twitter followers this week (including two booksellers) became friends with three new readers on Facebook, and was invited to attend two different book club meetings about my book.    

All of this in one week, and this week was not unusual. 

Compared to the book tours that have been described to me, this week was much more successful in terms of reaching out to readers and building a brand. 

Sure, it would have been nice to appear on The Today Show or Oprah (are you listening, Ms. Winfrey?), and yes, I would love to travel the country someday, meeting with scores of readers and talking about my book and the process of writing.  But at the same time, I also love coming home each afternoon to my wife, my daughter, my pets, and the all-too-short evenings that I spend writing.

For now, a local book tour and a strong online presence is just find by me.

Kudos for SOMETHING MISSING

Eight months after its release and it’s still nice to read a good review of SOMETHING MISSING by someone who is encouraging fellow readers to give it a whirl.

My own Android app, plus SOMETHING MISSING on the iPhone

In the latest digital news related to SOMETHING MISSING and my writing in general, there are now applications available to iPhone and Android users who might be interested:

First, and most exciting, my wife and I designed an Android app that compiles all of my online content into one, easy –to-access location.  My blogs, my Twitter feed, my Flickr feed and more can all be accessed through this app, entitled Matthew Dicks.  

Easy to remember.

I don’t have an Android phone, so I’ve only been able to view the app through the design software, so if you happen to download the app, which is free, please let me know what you think.  Changes are still possible if you find any bugs.  

The iPhone version of this app should be ready in about two weeks.  It’s already been designed and submitted, but Apple’s approval process is considerably longer than Android. 

But if you have an iPhone and are dying for some of my content, the digital version of SOMETHING MISSING is currently available as an app for your iPhone.  You can purchase it in the iTunes music store or through CNET or Applolicious.

I’m sort of a CNET geek, so I was pretty excited when I saw that the book could be purchased through their website.

Another bestseller list!

Still not the New York Times bestseller list, but SOMETHING MISSING was number 4 on last week’s bestseller list for Market Block Books in Troy, NY, alongside such heavyweights as THE ELEGRANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. 

Very good company.  

Earlier in the month, I made the best seller list at a Seattle book shop, which makes it two bestseller lists in the month of February. 

Isn’t that at least as good as one week on the Times bestseller list?

Genius name recognition

I spent much of the morning at the Apple Store with a very competent employee at The Genius Bar attempted to diagnose the problem with my iPhone.

I’ve spent a great deal of time at The Genius Bar with a variety of iPhone issues over the years and have come to one conclusion:

Whenever possible, find the least competent “genius” to assist you.  Competent employees are willing to spend hours working on your phone, diagnosing problems and attempting various solutions.  Less competent employees simply give you a new phone and move on. 

Despite a lengthy and protracted procedure which ultimately resulted in giving me a new phone, today’s visit was especially nice because I had my first experience with authorial name recognition. 

When you schedule a visit to The Genius Bar, you provide the store with your full name.  When I arrived this morning, I was checked in by one employee and then assigned to my genius.  As my genius began to examine my phone, a shorter, rounder genius approached and asked if I was “the Matthew Dicks who wrote SOMETHING MISSING?” 

After overcoming a moment of reverse-star-struck-nerdity, I told him I was.  He said hat he had noticed my name on the list of appointments and figured that since the book is set locally (even mentioning the mall in which we were standing), I was probably the author.

We had a brief by remarkably satisfying conversation about the book and then he was off to assist an eight-year-old with her iPod Touch while her clueless parents responded to his technical questions by pointing at their child, shaking their heads and throwing their hands up in bewilderment.

I lost almost three hours of my life in that store today, but I left feeling pretty damn good. 

It’s amazing what a single reader can do for you.

Hudson recommends SOMETHING MISSING

It never gets old.

Walking through Fort Lauderdale International Airport, we walk by a Hudson Booksellers.  On the front table, in one of the best locations possible in terms of visibility, I spotted SOMETHING MISSING on their “Hudson Recommends” table.

There have been many thrilling aspects to publishing my first novel.  Spotting my book out in the wild like this is one of them, and to see it positioned so prominently, more than six months after publication, makes it even more thrilling.

SOMETHING MISSING: The large print version

The large print version of SOMETHING MISSING was just released last month, in case you’re interested in owning every version of the book.

It was chosen as a Thorndike Reviewer’s Choice book and had a nice write-up in the relatively unknown but still very appreciated Juneau Empire, even though the writer, Kathy Ward, manages to call the book charming, odd, funny and creepy all within a single paragraph.

Quite a list of superlatives. 

Here is her review:

"Something Missing," by Matthew Dicks.

Do you see only four rolls of toilet paper on the shelf instead of five? Think you had a package of spaghetti that now you can't find? Misplace a vase you haven't used since last Valentine's Day? Maybe you've been burgled by Martin Railsback. He's the twitchy, voyeuristic hero of this odd and charming story of a career criminal who analyses his target families exhaustively and only takes what he think his "clients" won't notice: a roll of toilet paper here, a can of diced tomatoes there, a pair of never-worn earrings... until one day he accidentally ruins a client's toothbrush and feels compelled to replace it. That's the turning point, when Martin's neurotic rules change to allow him to become a guardian angel of sorts. Funny and creepy, after reading this you'll be checking your refrigerator for missing salad dressing.

Ten minutes at a time

“What the writer needs is an empty day ahead.”  CATHERINE DRINKER BOWEN

I saw this quote in my Twitter feed recently and thought, “No, No! No!”

A couple weeks ago, I was in Vermont with a handful of other authors, speaking about our books and writing.  During the question-and-answer session, an audience  member asked about when we write.  Specifically, do we write on a regular schedule, or do we write in bursts of creativity?  It’s a question commonly asked by readers, but it was the first time I had the opportunity to listen to other writers answer it.  In our group of five, at least three of the authors work on their craft fulltime, describing long mornings in which their writing takes place, followed by leisurely lunches and afternoons of writing and revision.  They travel to writer’s retreats for weeks at a time, work in offices away from the hustle and bustle of home and are otherwise unencumbered by the demands of other employers.

As I listened to them describe the lives as fulltime writers, I suddenly felt the need to leap from my wobbly chair and silence them.  Though I was indescribably envious of their ability to spend their days writing, this envy had nothing to do with my desire to stop them from speaking.  Instead, this desire was born from a need to protect the audience from the most common misconception of writing.

It’s been my experience that the most widespread reason for people not writing is a lack of time.  Prospective-authors envision writing as requiring three hour blocks of uninterrupted silence in the middle of the day.  With a family and a fulltime job, most people cannot find a way to carve out this kind of time from their already busy schedules. 

I understand this dilemma well.  As a teacher, I work fulltime, leaving the house around 7:00 every morning and arriving home after work and a stop at the gym around 5:00 every afternoon.  I also own a mobile DJ company and entertain at about thirty weddings a year.  Each of these weddings require me to meet with clients at least once before the actual wedding, taking more time away from writing.  As a secular minister, I even marry people at some of these weddings, necessitating even more meetings.  And I have a couple other irons in the fire as well in terms of business. In short, I’m a busy guy.

I also have a one-year-old daughter who keeps me quite busy, and I still make time to play golf, poker and basketball with friends quite regularly.  I’m a member of a book club and read a lot, and I own a dog who I walk twice a day.

As I said, I’m a busy guy.

Finding a three-hour, uninterrupted block of time for writing is rarely possible in my life.  Hell, even an hour is sometimes impossible to find.  Yet I’ve written two novels and am about to finish my third, all in the span on about four years.

How have I accomplished this?

By writing whenever and wherever I can.  Oftentimes this means writing for incredibly short periods of time: ten to twenty minutes in many cases.  But I never allow the length of time available to me to be an excuse not to write. 

I write in the morning, between walking the dog and leaving for work (as I’m doing right now).  I write during my lunch break.  I write for ten minutes while my wife is finishing dinner.  I write for the forty-five minutes that my daughter is still napping.  I write for fifteen minutes while waiting for a meeting to begin.  I write for twenty minutes while waiting for a wedding to begin.  I write in waiting rooms, train stations, hotel lobbies, McDonald’s restaurants and highway rest areas.

Wherever I can, and whenever I can, I cobble the time together to write my stories. 

Would I like to write fulltime?  Of course.  In addition to my fiction, I have a cartload of other projects that I’d love to be working on.  But for now, I stick to fiction because that is what pays the bills and allows my wife to stay home with our daughter.  Perhaps someday in the future, I will have the same opportunities as my fellow Vermont writers, but until I do, ten minutes here, an hour there, and the occasional lunch break will have to do, as it should for you.

If you have ever dreamed of writing and cannot find the time, make the time.  Cobble together little bits of your day, writing a paragraph or even a sentence at a time if necessary.

No excuses. 

Long days, spacious offices and lovely, seaside views are wonderful, but Stephen King began his career beside a washing machine and John Grisham wrote his first novel on a legal pad while eating.  I wrote mine on a laptop that I drag with me wherever I go.  SOMETHING MISSING was written at the kitchen table, in the teacher’s lunch room, and on planes and trains.  I wrote while waiting to be married, while on my honeymoon and every day in before and after. 

I was working on my second book, UNEXPECTEDLY, MILO, between my wife’s contractions during the birth of our daughter.

So please don’t start believing that the scene must be perfectly set before you begin scribbling with your pencil or pounding at the keys.  Let the world be your office, and make the time that you have count. 

Write for ten minutes if that’s all that you have.  Write one sentence a day if necessary.  But please don’t wait for the ideal writing situation.  Most ideal situations are the product of years of less-than-ideal situations.