The Writing Life

I'm reading James Scott Bell's The Art of War for Writers. I highly recommend the book. In Part 1: Reconnaissance - Section 5, Mr. Bell addresses the reality of a career in writing with this point:

Career Fiction Writers Must Be Aware of What a Successful Writing Life is Like.

We've all heard of "overnight" successes in the writing world. Brandon Sanders, and J.K. Rowling are often cited as examples of "overnight" success. J.K. Rowling has spoken about the numerous rejections she received before she sold the first Harry Potter book. Brandon Sanderson's "first" novel was the fourth he'd written. Brandon's post-college job was as a night clerk in a hotel, specifically so he could write. Both of these writers worked for years before they became "overnight" successes.

The average advance for a first novel from a traditional publisher is about $8,000. E-publishers often don't pay advances but give you a greater percentage of sale revenues. I'm going to use $6,000 for the advance because it makes my math easy. You don't get that $6,000 in a lump sum. You'll get $2,000 when you sign, another $2,000 when you turn in the finished manuscript, and the final $2,000 "on publication." It's likely to take 2-3 years before you get the full $6,000. But wait, you forgot someone. You probably didn't get the book contract without an agent. Your agent's going to take a percentage of the advance. After all, that's how she gets paid.

"Okay," you say. "The advance isn't great. An extra $2,00 a year over three years isn't enough to let me quit my day job. So, I'll retire on the royalties."

There's a few hitches here too. If you know the writing market, you know it takes time for a book to "earn out," meaning generate enough revenues of offset the advance and allow for the payment of royalties. Even when you "earn out" the house will keep your payment for up to 6 months against any returns.

I think in some ways it the realization that I'm still going to work at a day job for a long time while working on a writing career was easier for me since my base salary at the day job is significant. Even assuming an $6,000 advance from a traditional publisher, it would take a lot of new books under contracts to replace my day job's income. The numbers work a little better with an e-publisher since I'll get a percentage on each sale. But, keep in mind that on a $5.99 e-book, it takes a lot of sales to reach the $8,000 mark.

So, what's that mean?

Write more.

The best way to make a reasonable living off royalties, other than the break away novel, is to have a lot of books in print. Many successful writers have their names on over 100 books. Sometimes they wrote them, some were collaborations, and some were anthologies they edited. The only secret to "overnight success" is to work, and work hard, for years.

If you think this is bad news, sorry, but someone had to say it. For me, it gives me hope that I too can be an "overnight success."

The Science of Writing

On March 18, 2012, the New York Times published Your Brain on
Fiction by Annie Murphy Paul. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-neuroscience-of-your-brain-on-fiction. In that article, Ms. Paul discussed recent research suggesting that reading about an event often stimulates the same areas of the brain as experiencing it. As an example, Ms. Paul cites a 2006 study where researchers studied participants’ brain waves while reading words with strong odor associations, such as “perfume”, and “coffee”, and words without odor associations like “chair” or “key.” The olfactory cortex (the part of our brains that processes scent) was activated by the “smelly” words like “perfume” but not the odor neutral ones like “chair.”

Similarly, a study from February, 2012, demonstrated that clichés like “had a rough day” or descriptive phrase like “he had strong hands” were processed like any other words. However, the phrase “he had leathery hands” engaged the sensory cortex. Another study found that words of motion activated the motor cortex (which coordinates movement). Other studies have found that the regions of the brain used to understand a story substantially overlap with those we use for social interaction, and more avid readers seem better able to understand other people.

What does this mean for us as writers?

The right words matter.

A lot of writers instinctively knew there was a mind/reading connection. The imminent Mark Twain said: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Writers are told to use strong verbs and avoid clichés. Why? Because as science has borne out, the phrase “leathery hands” is more evocative than “strong hands.” Science bears this out. Evocative stories are memorable.

Each word in a story is a dot of paint. When combined in the best manner possible, the reader sees the whole image and not just a dot. Good fiction transports the reader. When her senses
are fully engaged, her brain makes no distinction between reading the story and participating in it. That's worth mentioning again: Our brains appear to make no distinction between reading an well written story and participating in it.

Ancient scribes slaved over detailed illustrations for religious texts. Early novels had artwork. Eventually the publishing houses stopped printing illustrated adult novels largely because of the cost. Picture books became the province of young children. This trend is changing. Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings has artwork at the beginning of each new chapter and some amazing maps. Scott Wegterfield’s middle grade series, Leviathan, is beautifully illustrated. Again, the map is remarkable. Both of these writers have shown that adult or near adult fiction can be profitable with illustrations. Their success makes it easier for the rest of us to press our case for illustrations. Kevin J. Anderson has novels with soundtracks, a trend that is growing. See, his interview on writing and music at: http://www.facebook.com/l/NAQEAf9GY/www.spinner.com/2012/03/02/books-on-tape-top-10-collabs-authors-musicans/.

New media like e-books expand our ability to make reading a multi-media experience. Smart writers are using this to their advantage. The old maxim “show not tell” still holds true. Science demonstrates that reading can fully engage our brain. As a writer, it is up to you to use this fact to
enrich your writing. Mark Twain was right (of course). The right word at the right time makes an indelible impression. By actively engaging the readers’ senses, you can transport them to another time and place, which is, after all, the reason they read.