Private v. Public Stories: When to Hold Back

We’re talking about those old files, old stories, old passions that are hidden in your file drawer. Here are four manuscripts that should stay in your drawer.

Your first manuscript. No, you are not allowed to air your first attempts at writing fiction to the world. No. Don’t do it. Let your squeaks and squawks forever remain hidden.

The intensely personal mss that is “true to life.” As I talked about last week, it’s very hard to turn life into fiction. It’s especially hard when the life issue is a difficult, emotional one. Yes, write about those things; writing is a type of therapy for some. But before you try to sell it as fiction, be sure you’ve turned loose of the exact events, the exact language, the exact dialogue, the exact characters. You must loosen your grip and serve the needs of your Story. It’s so hard when the event is so emotional, but you must do this. Otherwise, sell it as a memoir, or turn it into a self-help book for others in the same situation. I’m not saying you can’t write about your life; I’m not saying you can’t publish something about strong, difficult events. But if you want this to be a novel, a piece of fiction, maybe it needs to just stay in your file drawer.

The mss your spouse/family hates. Your first critics are your family and for good reason. When you publish fiction, you enter the public arena and that means your family is dragged along, for better or worse. Just a warning: do this at your own risk.

Any mss that you can’t imagine with your name on it. You know that feeling of getting a new book and seeing your name on it? (Or at least you can imagine that feeling?) Can you also imagine seeing your name on a book and getting a sinking feeling? Any story or novel or nonfiction topic that will cause a sinking feeling in your gut–leave in your drawer. This could be because of the topic or the quality of the writing. Only put out your best, manuscripts for which you can stand tall and proclaim, “I wrote this.”

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Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

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A 5-part series.

How Valuable is Your File Drawer?

You are writing fiction and building a career. One of your valuable assets is your file drawer, your rejected stories. I have 2 four-drawer file cabinets full; plus, my flash includes many partial or complete manuscripts and ideas for stories that never made it to a hard copy to file. What do I do with all that effort in story telling, those past fragments that haven’t yet made it to print?

Appreciate the old stories for bringing you to this place. Writers develop skills as they practice writing, But often early manuscripts deal with the same ideas, emotions, themes, character types, plot types that you will deal with later in your career. The practice material in your drawers (or on your computer files/hopefully backed up on your flash drive) is valuable simply because it was practice material. You couldn’t be at your level of writing without all that practice.

Old stories can tell you who you were. I don’t know who said it first, but you should “pay attention to what you pay attention to.” Flipping through old files, re-reading old manuscripts tells you what you were paying attention to at different time. Think about why it interested you at the time and why your attention has turned to other things now. Does re-reading old stories bring back some of that passion and interest? Do you wonder why you stopped caring so passionately about that idea? Are you amazed at the topics you once wrote about? When you flip through, what catches your attention now? Knowing who you once were may be the thing that tells you who you will be tomorrow.

Wealth of ideas. Re-read your old story with an eye and ear toward ideas. It’s a great prewriting tool. Maybe something in the old files will:

• Spark a new story
• Spark a new character
• Spark a new plot or plot twist
• Make you fall in love again with a certain voice
• Make you fall in love again with a genre

Re-Purpose your old story.
We’ll talk about this more this week. For now, I”ll just say, those old files are valuable! Make sure you’ve backed up everything!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Stiff Competition for These Picture Book Topics

Dial editor, Liz Waniewski (ONE–es-key) spoke at the Arkansas SCBWI 2007 conference. For a couple months before the conference, she kept track of her slush pile picture book submissions by category. This resulted in my 2007 posting 12 Picture Book Topics to Avoid, one of the more popular posting in the 30 Days to a Stronger Picture Book series.

In December, 2008, I asked Liz if she might want to update the posting. She agreed and kept track of her submissions in January. The topics listed below are those which she sees over and over. She pointed out, “Just because I see these topics many times doesn’t mean you can’t write about it.” However, the competition is very stiff for picture books in these categories and your submission should really “stand out in today’s crowded marketplace.”

In comparing the 2007 and 2009 lists, you’ll see some overlap, such as . . .

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Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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UPDATE: See the 2009 List of Picture Book Topics to Avoid

Dial editor, Liz Waniewski (ONE–es-key) spoke at the Arkansas SCBWI 2007 conference. For a couple months before the conference, she kept track of her slush pile pb submissions by category. Here are the top 12 picturebook topics that she received–thus, the top 12 to avoid!

It’s not that these topics are taboo. Instead, they are so common that you must really rise above the competition to be accepted. Good examples of these topics are given, because we need to know our competition.

12 Picture Book Topics to Avoid

1. First Day at School 19 Girls and Me by Darcy Pattison. (Obviously–my book!)
2. Cleaning up your room Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon by Pat Cummings.
3. Tooth fairy The Bear’s Toothache by David McPhail. A Little Brown editor once commented that this book has been in print continuously for 20 years and is still a steady seller for them. She said she’d love to see books that address kid-friendly topics in such a unique way. NOT strictly a tooth fairy book, because the fairy is just implied at the end. Still–it’s a book about losing teeth and it’s competition if you write this kind of story.
4. Christmas/Halloween
5. Wanting a pet
6. Dealing with a disability (thus, message-driven)
7. “Hi! My name is. . . and I am (seven) years old!”
8. Visiting Grandma and Grandpa
9. New baby Favorites.
10. Barnyard stories (! She wasn’t sure why she was getting barnyard stories, but there they were! Rural nostalgia?) Farmer McPeeper and his Missing Milk Cows by Katy Duffield
11. Bedtime stories. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown.
12. Personal hygiene. Everyone Poops (My Body Science Series) by Taro Gomi

NEW TOPICS ADDED IN 2009

1. Monsters acting un-monster-like
2. Going Green
3. “I Love You” stories. You are My I Love You by Maryann Cusimano
4. Boredom
5. Baby Bird Learning to Fly

ACTION POINTS

Look for books that would compete with the topic you want to write about. Compare your idea with what’s already out there: How does your book differ? What makes it unique? Why should someone choose your book over those on your competition list?

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Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win