Nope. Nope. Nope. I
don't have one. No "trunk novel." Unless, um, you count one that
never got past six chapters and an incredibly elaborate outline.
You do count it?
Okay, then, the story. And it's a tale of innocence
and experience, of great expectations, of hilarity and naiveté and big-time
reality checks. And, finally, of education and knowledge and lessons learned
for a lifetime.
All
from 6 chapters and an outline?
Yup.
I've
always wanted to write mysteries, ever since I was a little girl, but I just
never had a good idea. Which, as you know. is a big problem.
One day, in
19....94? or even before that....I got one. A good idea. I would write a mystery about GOLF,
featuring the first female golf pro at an exclusive local golf course,
and she would solve a sort of eco-murder-mystery on the golf course having
to do with herbicides and miscarriages. (As a TV reporter, I
had covered the trial that turned out to be "A Civil Action" so
I was full of research knowledge and lots of cool jargon.)
So
I started. And whoa, I decided I was a natural. It as fun, the story was
flowing, it all made sense. To me.
What
I didn't know: I had clearly never heard the phrase
"point of view." I mean, I'd heard it, but had no concept that in a
good book, the POV has to be consistent. So when I tell you I head-hopped
paragraph to paragraph, that is only in retrospect, because back then I
didn't know that's what I was doing.
But
no--wait. I read somewhere you were supposed to have an outline. NO problem, I
thought. I can do that. So I wrote an incredibly specific chapter by
chapter description of what was going to happen, and that only served to make
me even more certain that I would soon be a wildly successful author. I
thought--who wouldn't love this?
I sent the chapters and the outline to two agents. And waited for the good news. This was--1994, remember. Maybe--before that. Actually, come to think of it, it might have been 1989. Hmm. I wrote it on a typewriter, I remember.
Meanwhile,
I sent the manuscript to my father, who is retired from the foreign service
now, but used to be the music critic for the Chicago Daily News, and has
written two well-published non-fiction books on American music.
He's
the nicest person in the world, and infinitely loving. He called, and
said--"Honey? I read your stuff. And, uh--" And I am quoting
precisely now: "There's this thing called 'voice,'" he said.
"And you don't have it."
Which
was--a bummer. But I figured, what does he know? He doesn't read this kind of
book.
A
few weeks later, I got my replies from the agents.
One's
letter said, paraphrasing: Wow, this is a great plot, and we love the idea
of the female golf pro. But we are sorry to say your writing is just not
up to par. (Oh, they didn’t actually say "up to par," I'm
sure. But how could I resist? And that's what they meant.) And they
rejected it.
The
other agent said: "Wow, you are a terrific writer! But this plot just
doesn't cut it."
I
was so flummoxed and disappointed, I just--stopped.
Years
later, more than ten years later, when I started writing again, I knew enough
to know that I didn't know anything. I was still a complete novice, writing
PRIME TIME, but I worked and learned and got advice and read books about
writing, took classes and went to conferences and joined Sisters in
Crime and MWA. And revised, revised, revised.
I
pulled out GREENSKEEPER, recently, wondering if there was anything I could
steal for my next book. Or anything I could learn. And there was. I
learned exactly what NOT to do!
And what
could be more valuable than that?
What did you learn from your mistakes?
***Breaking news: You can win a Kindle, a Nook or $100 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice! Click here for details!
What did you learn from your mistakes?
***Breaking news: You can win a Kindle, a Nook or $100 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice! Click here for details!
