The Selling Point

     I've always known that a book needs a selling point, something about it that grabs a reader's attention, an editor's attention. It's the hook, the infamous hook. Sometimes the idea can be difficult to grasp and hold onto. I get it...write a sentence, a paragraph, a page, that snares the imagination. Sometimes it takes something else to put things in perspective for me. I've been house hunting, which I've come to hate. The market is changing and my price range is highly competitive. A house I like usually already has an accepted offer, but as I trudge through real estate, new homes filter into the market. I've looked at some that were awful, some with potential, one I fell in love with (but someone else made his offer just a hair before I did!). I learned that homes need a selling point. The bedrooms might be a little on the small side, the kitchen might need to be updated, but the neighborhood and the fenced in backyard grabs my attention and I make an offer. What sells me on a home got me thinking about what sells a book. A book might not have the greatest prose, but the story rocks. Or a story is a little slow, but the characters make up for it. Nothing can be perfect to everyone. But there has to be something about the book that sells it. Know your selling point, your strength, and use it.

Telling Secrets

     Writing is like telling secrets, in a very slow, sort of manipulative way. As writers we should treat our readers like friends we wish to gossip with. We know something, details, a juicy spill we let our friends know in spicy chunks. At work the other night, and usually I'm not the type to gossip (I swear!), a coworker of mine had a story to tell me. Every time she began to talk we would get interrupted. I'd return to her and before she could get knee deep, another interruption! But, I kept returning because her tale had sparked my interest. The more she tried to tell me her story, the more it made me think about writing.

     As her audience I kept coming back, even though job duties kept calling. I knew she had something good to tell. As writers we want our readers to feel this way. We want them to keep coming back to our pages, edgy for our secrets. If we spill everything right up front, our readers might get full on our words and no longer be hungry for more. We have to play hard to get, remain mysterious, and tell our secrets like teasing kisses.

You never stop learning

     When I started writing I was teenager. I couldn't escape the ideas that brewed in my mind. I had to get them on paper. I had to write. It was an escape, an outlet from the small tragedies of adolescence. I didn't know much about prose, voice, plot structure, the different kinds of characters and all the other things writers have to worry about, especially in the editing phase. I didn't know the exact meaning of every element, but some came naturally. I suppose that's where talent came in.
     Once I made the crazy conscious decision, "I want to be a writer," I became more serious about structure and genre. I wanted to be a novelist. This happened in my early 20s. The stories building in my head became books (books I started, yet never finished). I don't know how many documents I had, notebooks filled with ideas, outlines, beginnings, character descriptions. There were several stacking up in the corner of my room, on my computer. I still have that today, but I'm a little more disciplined .
     Learning by mistake is definitely a main method of learning. As a novice writer I made a lot of mistakes. One of my first, and biggest, mistakes was prose. I think other writers can identify with this. My prose was rich, thick, stuffed fat with pretty words that sounded appetizing, to me anyways. The term is flowery prose, or purple prose. Some call it dirty prose. Learning about prose and how to keep it clean, how to choose the right words, wasn't the easiest transition. I wanted to write how I wanted. And I could, but if I want to sell my writing and have readers, I needed to scoop out the slush. I'm still learning about prose, how to tweak it to best fit my story, my characters, and my readers.
     I'm embarrassed to admit this one, but just a couple of years ago I learned what passive voice was. I posted the first chapter of my second novel on a critique site and my very FIRST line was written in passive voice. People were asking, "Why did you start out with passive voice?" Uhm....I don't know, because I didn't know it was. Well I learned. I learned it was a big no-no, unless used sparingly for certain emotional impact.
     Another way to keep learning is to read craft books. I like to read them once in awhile. Most of them say the same things, but in different ways. I recently read Nathan Bransford, How to Write a Novel. It was good, straight to the point. Plus it's nice to hear it from someone who not only writes but once worked as an Agent. Agents are the gatekeepers! One of my favorite craft books is called 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Character, by Victoria Schmidt. I love the way she uses ancient gods and goddesses to create character arcs. If you like craft books, especially ones pertaining to character development, it's definitely worth the buy!
      As writers we never stop learning. We never stop attempting to perfect our craft. It's a humble experience, especially when you think you know your stuff and another writer blows you out of the water. I've there, done that (not as the knowing writer). I know as I keep writing I will keep learning. I will keep making mistakes. One of my favorite ways to learn is from other writers, from their experiences. It's the main reason I started this blog, to share my experiences. I'd love to hear back from other writers on their learning experiences, whether you are just starting out, or been in the game since you can remember.