Hurry Up & Wait!

This frustrating phrase is never more true than in the publishing industry.



I once wrote an article about a 44 year old woman. To be fair, I was warned by my editor not to include anything that would time-stamp the material. The finished article was immediately approved for publication by the magazine. We waited 9 months to see it hit the stands. Upon reviewing it I noticed that my words had been changed to read 'a woman in her forties'. I guess even my editor wasn't sure when it would run.


Now I wait with one of my full manuscripts in the hands of what I believe is my dream-team literary agency.

I wait as they read every word. Interpret every space of white. For seasoned pros much of it is instinct, I'm sure, but they all use a similar rating system, if you will: Originality. Setting. Characters. Dialogue. Plot. Oh yeah, and quality of writing, too. Go figger!



This isn't exactly true in non-fiction books where you can pre-sell on an outline, assuming you have a strong platform. I've considered writing a non-fiction but I don't think it's for me. I like to lie and make shit up.

Oh, one more thing, I have a potty mouth that translates, I think rather well, to the written page. There are rules on that, too. More, later.




"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug." ___Mark Twain

Show, Don't Tell!

This blog is about a writer’s life. Mine, in particular.
Today I’m stumbling. Not writer’s block. Social etiquette.
Today I speak for writers one and all!
Have you ever asked your professor how much money he earned last year? How about your favorite grocery clerk? Your clergyman? Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief?
Why, oh why, does everyone want to know how much money a writer makes? Are they planning on writing the next great world-class novel, becoming an agent, or competing in the freelance market? Maybe they just want us to pick up the lunch tab.
They want to know if we are serious writers. When they see us out and about they deduce we're not working and therefore writing must be a hobby. If they don’t see us out and about they assume we’ve become recluses. Does The Shining come to mind?

I think Burton Rascoe, famous for his quotes with good reason, said it best.
“What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he’s staring out of the window.”

Hard to get paid by the hour for that.

Thank my lucky stars my husband understands. And it can't be easy!

BTW, I shop at Walmart and Neiman Marcus.

The 'M' Word

OK, guys, chill out! I'm not talking Marriage here. 'M' is for marketing.

But writers protest. 'Not me, I'm an artiste. Marketing is so bourgeois. Boring. Bothersome.'
Move over, ego. Get humble, get real, and get busy!

Everybody has something to sell. Shrinks sell hours with a lick, a promise, and serious pharmaceuticals. Garbage men sell out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Churches sell redemption.
The fact isn't going away. If you're going to succeed you need to sell. The sticky icky part is that you're selling your talent, true or imagined. That annoying little detail quickly rises to the top of the quicksand of procrastination.

I published an article on an extraordinarily successful living artist. An oxymoron at its finest. “Obviously he’s a huge talent," says a collector. "He doesn't hesitate to promote his work"..."in this competitive market you can’t sit around and wait to be discovered." Full article link below.

Is it beyond your comfort zone, this marketing? Probably. Johnny Mathis sings it best in my all-time favorite song, Arianne. '...what a writer has to feel like when suddenly he's discovered he's been read.' To listen to the lyrics see link below.

We are our commodity. Some will embrace our driven souls. Some will scoff. All will know we're up at bat!

My pitch today? I'm tweeting a character interview. Find me on Twitter @ lalacorriere.


http://www.tucsonlifestyle.com/index.php?category=Home%20and%20Garden&ref=HG_RegionalArtisan_Nov07&src=gendocs



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiOEOETObTs

Let's Get Cereus!

I get a lot of advice from sage publishing industry gurus. Some tell us writers to find our own unique voice. Others say to get commercial. Write stuff that pisses people off. Write stuff that shocks people. Write stuff that pisses people off and shocks them.
A highly touted New York agent once told me he loved my writing but wasn’t sold on the story. His equal in California said she loved my story but wasn’t ‘swept away’ by my writing. Same manuscript. What do I do? Write in a conforming genre to please agent number one, or change my writing voice to appease agent number two?
Get serious! I’m taking my lead from nature. Roses are aromatic long bloomers on the bush, but wilt quickly when cut. Growers found success in producing a rose with a wider, stronger stem, but the manipulation had its price. The roses were no longer fragrant.

Tonight is pure magic in the Sonoran Desert. It’s the Night Bloom. Occurring only one night each year, the magnificent Night Blooming Cereus Cactus unfolds and puts on its show. Tomorrow, except for the efforts of gifted photographers and inspired artists’ hands, their beauty is gone for another year. What keeps us longing for this fleeting beauty, and why do we tend the plant so carefully for a year when we know its gift is so short-lived?
I think the Night Bloom writes its own story, and it tells us that story in its own special way.

So what do I do about agent number one and agent number two? I’m cereusly thinking about cloning them together.

The New Web is Up!

My new website is up. There are a few WYSIWYG glitches but frankly I'm sick of being a computer-tech-wanna-be and back to my writing, where I can better manipulate my outcomes.



I do hope you'll check me out at http://www.lalacorriere.com/



Memorial Day has come and gone and we're off and running toward a wonderful, and oh yes, hot desert summer.

I wonder how many people REMEMBER today.

How many still have the Christmas spirit?

The Master of Suspex?

It's pretty easy word-math.

Suspense. That's what I write.
Suspects. That's that list of possible bad boys. And girls.
Sex. That's what I write and my husband has fun editing.

=

SUSPEX!

My Letter of Recommendation

As promised, I'd like to share the letter of recommendation I received from my former literary agent. I'm hoping to find THE BEST agent representing suspense/romantic elements!

Lala

~ MENZA-BARRON ~
The Claudia Menza & Manie Barron Agency
511 avenue of the americas, #51, NEW YORK, NY 10011
(212) 889-6850
manie@menzabarron.com

April 21, 2009


To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to recommend to you author Lala Corriere.

In this challenging economy I have decided to streamline my author representation by focusing on my areas of expertise, African American and literary authors.

Unfortunately I have authors who do not fit this profile. Ms. Corriere is one of those talents. She writes romantic suspense. Editors I work with have likened her writing to that of Sue Grafton and Janet Evanovich. Ms. Corriere has also earned the respect and a highly favorable quote from Sidney Sheldon.

I urge you to take a serious look at Ms. Corriere’s compelling writing. I feel certain there is a place in this market for her talent.

Ms. Corriere has record of the editors and comments on the submissions I made on her behalf. This will serve as notice to you that our mutual author/agent representation is no longer valid.


Sincerely,
Manie Barron
Menza Barron Agency