People believe that writing a novel is easy. How hard can it be, you ask? Very. It isn’t the writing so much as the rules of the genre, the tropes, learning the structure, and then learning publishing and marketing. I did not want to pursue this next career unless I could learn how the entire process works.
So here we are.
I have eighty-five (yes, that’s 85) reference books on writing, and that’s just on my Kindle, and that’s just on writing. I also have boxes of hard-cover reference books, dictionaries, thesauruses, and other writing manuals in storage that will be unpacked this summer and multiple stacks like the one above. Now, I’m adding books on publishing and marketing.
Part of this massive build-up in learning occurred, as it did for many others, during the pandemic. I decided to write full-time but was hesitant to put myself out in the world without proper credentials for writing. The most important credential in writing seems to be a degree and experience in journalism, or a Master of Fine Arts. I’m not a journalist, so I looked into an MFA.
As a lawyer, the “plaques and certificates” collected in law school that adorned our office “walls of glory” were the goal of most people I went to school with. I write legalese and long, long real estate legal descriptions, a practice that prevents normal people from reading because of needless and intentional complications. Because of the ancient sentence structure filled with tortuous words, I knew I had to learn to write all over again. So, I looked at writing degrees from a dozen schools across the U.S.
Do you know how expensive an MFA is in the United States? Each program was almost $50,000, and that was several years ago. Given their professional pursuits, I’ve been paying my children’s tuition for some time, and adding another bill into the mix is not possible.
Instead of another degree, I gave myself a much smaller budget and the same amount of time and decided to learn as much as possible. My self-made education included the following. Here’s my take on each.
Writing Groups
These can be perilous. Several groups did more harm than good. There are always good writers, but there can also be some unfortunate experiences here. Understand the background of the person telling you your issues before you take what they say seriously. We all have our biases.
A Book Coach
Camille Pagán was the catalyst that finally made my world move forward. She helped me examine my entire world, not just my writing.
Critique Groups
Remember the rule of three. If there are several comments on the same issue, there might be a problem. Some large online critique groups can be very helpful, but they take too much of my time for the value they offer.
Writing and Craft Classes and Seminars
Every class offers at least one useful thing. Many associations, such as the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, offer inexpensive, worthwhile classes. Other associations also do; you should spend time in your genre to check them out.
Conferences
These are mostly about networking. I get very little writing done, and they tend to be expensive and must be budgeted carefully.
Retreats
These have been more vacations than working sessions, for me, anyway. I tend to make new friends and network, but I’ve found that I don’t learn much in these lovely locations, nor do I get much writing done. Some of the more popular retreats have been the largest time wasters.
Association Meetings
I benefit from the association's online information but not much from the meetings.
More classes on publishing and marketing
I’m into publishing now. So much to learn.
Working with editors
This has been the best help. Working one-on-one with a person is well worth the time, especially when there is an opportunity for follow-up questions and a thorough discussion of an issue.
Pay attention to the person’s background, experience, qualifications, and, most importantly, the genre in which they specialize. I write suspense and thriller novels, so having a romance editor work with me is not helpful.
And anything else that I thought could teach me something about writing:
Snooping conversations in coffee shops and restaurants
Watching the reactions of people in bars to capture character movements
I love capturing what people say. I'm sorry if you’re a friend or family member. In my world, anything you tell me is fair game for a novel.
Was it successful? We’ll see over the next few years once my novels hit the world. Yes, I still have the words of Hank Philippi Ryan (“You just need to publish one book, Reta, not five”) and Camille Pagán (“Just put it out there”) pushing me onward.
Here are a few of the texts that were worth their cost and the reasons I found them invaluable:
Scrivener for Dummies by Gwen Hernandez. Gwen is a terrific teacher for Scrivener. I have used this software for years; her help has been invaluable.
The Emotional Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi (and their other volumes of emotional variations.) When I get stuck, it only takes a perusal of one of these books to get me moving forward.
Mastering Suspense Structure & Plot by Jane K. Cleland. I use Jane’s beat sheet to ensure my novels are plotted appropriately.
I Give You My Body by Diana Gabaldon (yes, the Outlander Diana Gabaldon). Why? I cannot write a love scene or a sex scene to save my soul. I needed help, and there was a book to help me.
The Breakout Novelist by Donald Maass. This book helped calm my initial fear of being a new writer. The descriptions are clear and helpful, and there is a companion workbook.
Then, in the mornings, I read anything by Julia Cameron when I need motivation. This is a great tool for emotional support when learning to be an artist of any type.
What has helped the most? Writing this weekly newsletter. Substack has been a positive, helpful environment. Is it perfect? No. (We are not going to discuss Nazis here, nor their business plan for making money.) It is a relaxing way for me to talk about traveling and work on my story-telling. Right now, when I’m unable to travel and forced by health conditions to have a little introspection, writing is a solace. I’m looking at my books and digging in harder on the writing.
Do you have any suggestions? What is your favorite writing book (okay, now give me something other than Anne Lamott or Stephen King, please)? Have you attended a workshop, conference, or other activity that greatly impacted your writing? Let me hear from you in the comments.
Whenever I ponder about an MFA, it always comes back to cost and how unaffordable it is. reminds me of the line that Good Will Hunting used when he told that one guy at Harvard that he could've saved himself a lot of money by paying the $1.50 in late fees at the library :)
I don't have any other resources to add here, just that reading what I enjoy and highlighting what I like about it tends to be as helpful as some of the how-to books but I will check out your suggestions.
Love Camille (of course), WFWA, and pretty much every other resource you mentioned. I'm also a fan of Save the Cat, the screenwriting version, Julia Cameron (The Artist's Way was life-changing for me many years ago), and Michael Hauge. His breakdown of story structure is brilliant but easy to understand. I did go the MFA route, and I treasure the time I spent doing that but I agree--not needed and expensive.