Molly Cochran on the art of writing and the science of finishing, part 2

Taking a cue from Molly Cochran, whose Write Stuff session is “Finishing Your Novel,” I thought, what the heck? We should finish our interview. To that end…

Kathryn Craft: During the brainstorming process for your presentation topic, you put forth that selfishness can be an important attribute for attaining success in today’s publishing world. Why is that?

Molly Cochran: Correction. Not today’s world, and not the publishing world. Just the WORLD. Artists are SELFISH Yes, yes, yes! Oh, how women hate that word!

Actually, my original topic was “The Selfish Writer,” but you asked me to modify the title, since you feared the session's marketability; no one wants to think of him/and especially herself as selfish. But here’s the truth: Artists have to be selfish. We must be, because otherwise we would not be permitted to create art (and yes, your unimportant little novel which is constantly pre-empted by Junior’s Little League practice IS ART). Every one of us is told sooner or later to go get a real job. The fact is, writers have to respect their work enough to give it the attention it deserves. If you only write when there’s nothing better to do, then your work doesn’t mean enough to you. I hate to say it, but you really don’t deserve success.

What is success, anyway? Only an idiot would think it has to do with how much money you make, and if that’s all you care about, then I’m not even talking to you. This isn’t a job; it’s a lot more than that. I don’t even think of my work as coming from me, particularly. It’s bigger than me. It’s demanding. It’s hungry. It’s harsh. My choice to live as an artist constantly breaks my heart, wanting so much from me and sometimes giving me so little in return. But I’ve learned that I can’t be happy without writing. I don’t even think I can live without it.

So I don’t think that serving one’s talent — one’s art, or whatever you want to call it — is selfish. And if it is, I don’t care.

K: Your published works represent a range of genres, from nonfiction (DRESSING THIN) to fantasy (THE FOREVER KING trilogy, WORLD WITHOUT END) to spy novels such as the Amelia Pierce books written under the pseudonym Dev Stryker. What are you working on these days?

M: I have a book with my editor at Tor titled THE PAGAN TRAILER PARK, about a 50-year-old writer who, in an attempt to survive a divorce and the death of her only child, allows the main character in the book she’s writing to take over her life, with some surprising results.

I’ve also written something entirely new, a paranormal YA novel I call WONDERLAND, about a bright, articulate 16-year-old girl who finds herself in a town filled with witches who have all sorts of special abilities that both help and hinder her as she seeks to unravel the mystery of her mother’s suicide.

I use the term “YA” like I know what I’m talking about, but actually, I didn’t write WONDERLAND as anything except a story with a young narrator. The whole YA genre is weird and new to me. Different editors, different agents. I’ve written outlines for two sequels. I figure that after they’re completed, I’ll know whether or not I want to stay on this track.

As for the future, I’ve been working for some time — years, really, there’s so much research involved — on a novel based on the life of my Japanese grandfather. Every event in his life was shaped by women: his Samurai mother and grandmother, his affair with an Australian free-thinker, his first marriage, arranged by his parents and doomed to misery, the daughter that his mother gave away to a geisha house, his beautiful, aristocratic second wife who dies tragically, his housekeeper, who keeps his large family alive through WWII by using her wit and peasant resources, and his daughters, who have all sorts of adventures of their own. Lots of material there.

And as for the past: Some of you may know that I took rather a long hiatus from writing. I don’t know why. Instead of writing, I traveled, ruminated, wrote a lot of notes for projects I didn’t begin, felt bad about getting divorced, cooked, moved around a lot… wasted time.

I regret it. I can’t get that time back. But then, maybe I needed to take the time, too. I don’t know anything anymore, except that I missed writing. It kept me — I don’t want to say sane — connected. Connected to something beyond myself. I’m not religious. It wasn’t God. But it was something that I needed, and need every day.

So I’m writing again. Starting over, sort of. But don’t we all, always, with every book, start over from the beginning? That’s the nature of art, I think, and artists: Constantly reinventing the world and ourselves through this lonely, terrifying, fascinating journey of the mind. Our books are the notes we take. Sometimes people want to read them, to share our journey.

That is the whole point.

Thank you to Molly, all of our presenters, this year's blog contributors, and to the more than 2500 of you who made the inaugural year of ALL THE WRITE STUFF a success! This is the last planned pre-conference post. Not a bad idea to check in here before you leave for the conference for any last-minute announcements, but barring those, please return after the conference—I'll write one last wrap-up post. And, since our experiences will differ, please leave comments, lessons learned, and interesting vignettes about the conference to share with others!

James Frey "How to Plot Like the Pros" workshop starts in 5 days!
Write Stuff 2010 starts in 6 days—see you there!

Molly Cochran on the art of writing and the science of finishing, Part 1

With thirty books to her name, including a number of bestselling and award-winning novels, Molly Cochran is a veteran writer. Yet after a recent break from her writing, she found that while starting a new novel may be like riding a bike—you can always remember how to get back on and point your nose in the right direction—she is ready to allow that finishing the journey takes some serious dedication, grit, and know-how. Kathryn Craft interviewed her about the genesis of her upcoming Write Stuff session. Here’s part one.

Kathryn Craft: Why did you decide on the topic “Finishing Your Novel”?

Molly Cochran:  I believe that novel writing is one of the most difficult things anyone can attempt. The ironic thing is, everyone except writers thinks it’s easy. Several dozen people have made this proposal to me: “Hey, I’ve got this GREAT idea for a book. I just need someone (me, presumably) to write down the words!”

Two facts: one, everybody has ideas. Two, it takes about three thousand ideas (give or take a thousand) to make a novel, and they all have to be relevant to the plot, intrinsically sensible, fit into the belief system of the work as a whole, grow out of a previous event or reaction, and lead to the next idea (which can be a plot point, character revelation, thematic element, or something else). What you end up with is a giant macramé of ideas that you have to construct solidly enough so that no holes show. The further along you go, the harder it gets to keep all the ideas working together, developing, growing, evolving into new, increasingly complex patterns.

This is why finishing a novel is so hard. When most people say they have an idea for a book, what they really have is an idea for the BEGINNNING of a book. Or a hook or twist for the END of a story. But it’s the MIDDLE where you meet the dragons. That’s the part that eats you.

But there are ways past the dragons. Most of them are technical, things you can do just by working hard, planning ahead, or being willing to try. Some are psychological, like the idea of embracing selfishness.

K: Why is it hard for writers — or people in general — to finish what they’ve started?

M:

1.     Lack of preparation.

2.     Lack of confidence.

           

Part of what I mean by “preparation” is knowing for sure that you want to do what you’re planning to do. At one conference where I held a workshop, someone presented an idea that was just too small for a novel. Remember, a novel is leisurely, exploratory, organic. It grows, so it needs room to grow. (Incidentally, I told the prospective author about my reservations regarding her story. She got angry and stomped out of the workshop. I don’t know if she ever finished her book, but I haven’t seen her name on the Times bestseller list).

Also, a novel takes a lot of time. I was astonished to read that Daphne du Maurier wrote the iconic Rebecca (voted Best Novel of the Century by the Mystery Writers of America) in “three or four months” (her words). Usually it takes a year or more, but even three months is a long time to spend doing something you really don’t want to do, or writing about something about which you’re not tremendously interested.

Another part of preparation is knowing what you’re going to write before you write it. I’m really tired of arguing in defense of outlines. All I can say is that I use them. Religiously. When I’m stuck, I outline. Outlines do not deter or lessen my creativity. Au contraire, I find I’m much freer intellectually and creatively if I’m not always worrying about what the next story point is going to be.

Lack of confidence is more amorphous, and therefore more difficult to alter. I don’t think I’m being a rabid feminist by saying that women suffer more in general from lack of confidence than men. I’m not going to posit all the reasons why that’s true, but one of them is the idea we have that women are born to serve. Our families, our elders, our husbands, and particularly our children. We live in a society in which children rule. Johnny needs to go to Little League, so of course Mom will take him. The novel she’s (secretly) working on can wait. It’s not important, anyway.

All I’ve got to say about that is that James Joyce made his family (wife, two kids) live in abject penury for 17 years while he wrote (and finished) Finnegans Wake.

But I’ve got a lot to say about selfishness.

…and Molly will continue dispensing her invaluable wisdom on this topic in our next blog post!


Days until the conference: 9!

The Inside Scoop on The Write Stuff: Part I

The 2010 Write Stuff Conference is coming up fast. Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group President Tori Bond caught up with Kathryn Craft, Conference Chair, and Tammy Burke, Conference Co-Chair, for some insider information about what’s new this year, tips about making the most of the conference, and some advice about networking with agents and editors at the conference.

Tori Bond: The Write Stuff conference usually runs Friday and Saturday but this year it starts on Thursday, March 25th and runs through Saturday the 27th. Can you tell us what’s happening on Thursday? What else is new this year?

Kathryn Craft: Expanded pre-conference activities this year required that we tack on Thursday as well. Our keynote, James N. Frey (HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD NOVEL) actually proposed it: we will offer a two-day workshop with James, "How to Plot Like the Pros," in which he will lead us through the collective plotting of a story in two 8 a.m.–5 p.m. sessions. We hear that former participants have loved it. Since the first conference activities on Friday begin at 6:30 p.m., conferees who choose to do so can participate in both without conflict. This will be a rare opportunity for East Coast writers to interact James, who lives in California, and has a reputation as one of the finest creative writing teachers in the country.

On Thursday night, we'll offer a special conference edition of The Writer's Cafe. This informal networking event will encourage conferees to get to know one another while talking about our favorite subject—writing. The 7:30-9:30 p.m. event is free, open to all conferees, and, if we're pitching work to agents or editors at the conference, we can practice our pitches on one another and gain feedback.

T: How many years has The Write Stuff conference been going on? Why do you feel it has been so successful for so many years?

K: This is the 17th year for GLVWG, which has held a conference in one form or another every year but one, I believe. There are so many reasons for its success—the opportunity to gain valuable face time with agents and editors, to learn more about the craft, to gain insight into the world of publishing, to keep up-to-date on new trends, to network, to refuel the muse—that maybe its very diversity of opportunity is the answer. There's something for everyone. We continue to find new ways to reach out to writers and meet their needs.

T: You’ve attended, and helped organize other writers conferences in the area. What do you feel makes The Write Stuff unique?

K: It's size—small enough for good interaction yet large enough to attract good speakers and agents—and the fact that rather than support a set agenda, we actually listen to the evolving needs of the writing community. A GLVWG member once told me that she had been coming to the conference for ten years and that it held nothing new for her (remember, Joan?). She may not realize it, but I took that comment on as a challenge. Yes, there are some topics we always see requested, like the agent panel or how to write a query letter. But in the years I've been involved with programming we've tried to find fresh approaches and new topics so that conferees both old and new will be stimulated. This is now my 10th Write Stuff conference and I have to admit, I'm going to have a devil of a time deciding which sessions to go to, which makes me glad conference recordings are available to our members!

T: I know that you strive to schedule workshops that have appeal for the widest range of writers. For example, can you talk about why a science fiction writer would be interested in attending the session, "How to Seduce Your Reader" given by romance writer Tracy MacNish?

K: GLVWG is made up of all kinds of writers and our presenters know that. Since we have three breakout rooms to play with, my approach has been to create a fiction track, a nonfiction track, and a business of publishing track so that specialists always have a session they might be drawn to. We do have genre writers heading the fiction sessions; you mentioned Tracy, who writes historical romance. Fiction writers who want to sell their books know that including a little sizzle goes a long way toward selling books. Tracy happens to have a specialty at this, and she can share techniques that can work in any kind of fiction. Our YA writer, Jordan Sonnenblick, creates great characters, so why not learn from the best? Bill Kent can break down the basics of writing action in a way someone who’s done it less may never have considered. When you go to a talk by someone who knows what they are talking about, someone who communicates effectively and with passion, you always take away something worthwhile. No matter the genre, good writing is good writing, and good storytelling is good storytelling.

T: What is your best tip for getting the most out of The Write Stuff conference?

K: The most obvious one is SIGN UP EARLY. You'll save yourself money through Early Bird discounts (discounts end Feb. 25), including Four Points Sheraton hotel rooms at an all-time low of $85/night, and you'll stand a good chance of getting your first choice for opportunities with limited enrollment.

Once you are on site at the conference, though, my advice is to play to your weaknesses. The conference is about opening yourself to new people and ideas and opportunities, after all. Many writers are introverts, so if talking to other writers scares you, use the conference to practice—again and again. Telling fellow writers about your project this year is great groundwork for pitching it to agents next year. If your specialty is creating an effective sense of time and place you might be drawn to Tracy's session on that topic—but maybe what you really need to hear is what a veteran like Molly Cochran has to say about actually finishing all those projects you've started. If you fear the way the internet is changing the publishing world yet still hope to succeed, make sure to attend David Wilk's session on the new rules and tools for writers. Stretch yourself in this way and you will see how quickly a little discomfort will translate into new inspiration.
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Besides her responsibilities as Conference Chair, Kathryn Craft is also a developmental editor at Writing-Partner.com, and writes literary women's fiction and memoir.  

Tori Bond is the President of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group and writes humorous women’s fiction.  

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More from Tori's interview, including responses from Co-Chair Tammy Burke, in our next post.