Wednesday, January 9, 2013

WRITERLY WISDOM: Tara Lazar



It's that time again!  Every Wednesday we will sneak a peek into the world of writing and publication.  I first met today's guest author last year during her world famous  PiBoIdMo event and I'm honored to call her my friend.  You can check out her blog at http://www.taralazar.com, or follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/taralazar.  Be sure to check out her debut children's book, The Monstore, which is schedule to be released June 2013.  Take it away Tara Lazar...





Writer Or Author?  The Choice Is Yours...

By Tara Lazar


Do you want to be a writer?

 

Great!

 

Grab a pen, tappity-tap a keyboard, spill words into a mic. Tell a story. Record it. Get it down.

 

You don’t have to write every day to be a writer—did you know that? Some writers insist on routine, but that doesn’t work for everyone. It certainly doesn’t work for this writer. Routine stifles my creativity. I like to keep my schedule open and flexible.

 

But then again, don’t wait for the muse to strike. Because sometimes she’ll be illusive and mysterious. She doesn’t work on your clock. You have to coax her out, or get along without her. So keep a notebook with you at all times, in case she pays you a split-second visit. Writing one or two words is still writing.

 

You see, to be a writer, there are no rules. No restrictions. Write whatever you please. Make it as long or as short as you want. Run-on sentences welcomed. Nothing is wrong when you’re writing for your own enjoyment. Anyone can do it. You can do it well—or not so well—and it doesn’t matter. The writing is for you.

 

But do you want to be an author?

 

Well, that’s when things change.

 

You shouldn’t sit down and write the first thing that comes to mind. Well, you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I did that for a couple years and learned that my ideas weren’t compelling enough. I didn’t think them through.

 

If you intend on selling what you write, you must develop a plan.

 

Understand the genre and market for which you’re writing. You must read. Become a student of the format you’ve chosen, because while there’s much advice touting “don’t pay attention to the rules”, there are indeed constraints.

 

What kind of constraints? When you’re writing for children, there are topic and length considerations. Today’s market won’t support a 2500-word picture book about a homeless man. Publishers prefer chapter books written by established authors. Middle grade novels don’t drone on for 100,000 words. Young adult novels don’t feature 11-year-old protagonists. (Yes, there are exceptions, but you catch my drift.)

 

Moreover, research your story idea before you dig in. Your concept might have already been done, and done well. You don’t want to spend months or years writing something that will never get picked up. Competition is fierce. You must be fresh, unique and marketable.

 

Being an author doesn’t mean you’re no longer writing for pleasure or writing for yourself, it means that there are other considerations besides you. Your audience now comes first.

 

And that’s the way it should be.

 

Some days I’m just a writer. I write and don’t worry about the topic or the format. It’s freeing. But I don’t expect those stories to sell. Heck, sometimes they’re not even stories! However, maybe in the future, if I develop a fan base, they’ll want to see my just-for-fun pieces. I could self-publish them or stick them on my website. Who knows? I never toss anything. Hold onto your words—they’re part of you.

 

Other days, I’m an author. I’ll revise a story based upon my agent or editor’s feedback. I don’t relinquish creative control, as is the misconception about traditional publishing, but I recognize when a suggestion would make my story better. Again, it’s not all about me. I have to set my ego aside and do what needs to be done to improve the tale, to entertain my reader. To sell the book.

 

And I get rejections. I don’t take them personally. You can’t because everyone gets them throughout their career, and you’d be one depressed doggie if you took them all to heart. I read them and consider what’s being said. Shall I incorporate the feedback into the next revision, or do I feel that the editor didn’t connect with the text? As an author, you’re bombarded with criticism at every step in the publishing process. You must develop a strong gut. Because it will be punched. Often.

 

So make a decision—do you want to be a writer or an author? Both have their rewards, but they are not the same thing.

 

And just remember, with hard work, you can be both!












Tara Lazar is a children’s book author, mother, foodie and boogeyman assassin (currently booked at 3am nightly).
Her debut picture bookTHE MONSTORE, will be opening in your town June 2013 from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK follows from Aladdin in 2014, with LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD skating your way via Random House Children’s in Fall 2014.
Tara is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.


31 comments:

  1. Yup. I want to be both. I AM both. Sometimes it's tough. But most of the time it's a blast.

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    1. Hi Genevieve!

      I guess after Jan 1st and the Chicken Soup For The Soul book, I can call myself both as well! I just want to be a wee bit BIGGER author...lol...

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  2. I don't stick to any writing schedule, just when the mood hits me. Sometimes I write, sometimes I edit my stuff, sometimes I'm editing another writer's stuff. At times, I'm hitting the keyboard at 3:00 a.m., sometimes at 8:00 p.m. Schedules don't work for me.

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    1. Hi Karen and welcome to my blog! I have a rather flexible schedule as well. Especially since I have such a highly demanding full time job so I grab writing moments early in the morning AND late at night...don't get much sleep but to me, it's certainly worth it!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  3. I couldn't agree more. Learning to listen to others feedback has helped take my writing to the next level.

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    1. In most cases I would agree but sometimes you have to follow your heart and say 'to hell with what they think'. My first manuscript was rejected due to me trying to anticipate what they were looking for, as opposed to me keeping true to my gut instinct. The areas in which I compromised were the areas considered 'weak'.

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    2. Hi Rena!

      I will be forever grateful to the feedback others have given me over this past year...I agree it has helped me in a million ways to become a stronger writer. But I also agree with my friend, JP, in the respect I must be true to myself when it comes to the "heart" of my stories. I can only be me and to change too much would be to turn my back on the person I am and then where would I be? Lost...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!


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  4. This was a great post, thank you, Donna and Tara! I appreciate the inspiration.

    I am a writer trying to also be an author. Schedules stifle me, life's challenges interrupt me, but inspiration really is everywhere. Finding both time and energy to take advantage of that is my problem, and something I hope to master this year.

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    1. Hi Lynn and welcome to my blog! Perfecting our skills as a writer and author does not come from huge leaps but by taking small steps...and often...until our new strengths become a learned habit to carry us to publication...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  5. Wise words indeed. 'Hold onto your words' is perhaps the most significant. Some of my best recollections and the way I used them are lost in the recesses of my mind. I tend to think about the story when walking but often I have forgotten by the time I get home. I would recommend carrying a small recording device at all times.

    It worries me about distinguishing between a writer and an author though. Surely a writer is an author that hasn't been published. This shouldn't detract in any way from the validity of what is written. Again I am strange because I never had any aspirations of being an author (I was shoved!), but I needed to tell a story and was sick of repeating myself. Getting it in print seemed the only way to put it to rest.

    I'm lucky in the respect my expectations are low (in fact I have already exceeded them), and in the uncertain world of literary sales it must be difficult for those who hope to make a living out of writing. The hardest thing I found was writing to order. I set myself deadlines when I decided to publish the book but it was counterproductive. Forcing myself to write at times I simply wasn't in the mood for it, was a complete waste of time. Anything written in such periods was discarded or heavily edited.

    To me the only time to write is when I feel like it. I mostly write when something has angered me, made me happy, confused, or enlightened me. As a child, emotional outbursts were frowned upon, and perhaps this has now worked in my favour. Now I share my emotions through hammering at a keyboard, or writing a letter to the local press.

    To all those out there who want to be writers/authors, you have my deepest sympathy and I wish you all the luck in the world. The camaraderie amongst writers is uplifting and reminds me a little of golf. Golfers applaud each other when a good shot is made because it is man against course, not man against man. Writers are similar in that they each want the others to succeed, to get that hole in one.

    Refreshing.

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    1. That is correct, JP, and I will shove you again if I have to!

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    2. Hi JP! Too long your world has been overshadowed by the negativity of mankind...but now it's time come out into the sunshine and play with the rest of us...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  6. Great post, Tara and Donna! Thanks so much. I may have to be a writer today, scribbling on ATM receipts on the steering wheel (wait, did I say that? I meant of course that I would pull over and scribble, or at least wait for a stop sign :)) But tomorrow! AH, tomorrow...!

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    1. HI Susanna! Lol...you sound like me...grabbing those precious moments wherever you can but just be sure to keep an eye out for a flashing light in that rear view mirror...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  7. Thanks Tara and Donna for a great post. We are all writers and some are published authors but we all write because we have to. It is a need deeper than sleeping or eating. I guess it takes that special courage to submit that makes the grade different for us. :)

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    1. Hi Clare! I couldn't agree with you more...writing is obviously more important to me than sleeping at least because I'm up at all hours at this computer keyboard...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  8. Enjoyed reading this. Thanks for offering up your words of wisdom!

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    1. Hi Deborah and welcome to my blog! I'm glad you enjoyed Tara's post...if you get a chance, look around...you never know what else might be in my archives to inspire you...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  9. I am so glad you said not to toss anything. I had tossed a few things, and my art teacher friend told me to hang on to it all...that it shows my process and I need to keep the evidence for myself. So now I put my notebooks on a shelf. (And my stickies, etc!)

    Thanks for the post, Tara. As always, you make me think!

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  10. Oh...and thanks to you too, Donna! I appreciate you taking time to do this series!

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    1. Hi Penny!

      I'm really glad people are enjoying this series so far...I hope this will become a one-stop resource for all things writerly...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  11. Wow! What great advice Ms. Lazar! :D I love this series you have Ms. Martin! :)

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    1. Hi Erik!

      I'm hoping this series will be of a great help to writers such as yourself (and myself as well)...I have so many lovely posts lined up for the rest of the year so be sure and mark your calendar! ;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  12. Thanks for the post, Tara! I never really thought about the difference between being a writer or author that way! I guess I'm an author because, whatever I write - a poem, song parody or story, I always write it with a reader in mind. I never just write for myself - is that weird?

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    1. Hi Lori!

      I can really relate to Tara's post. For 40 years I was simply a writer. I wrote for myself and maybe an imaginary "audience" but also maybe not with the most serious intention of ever becoming published. Now, I still write to please myself, but I do so with a more concrete "audience" in mind and will polish my stories for THEIR satisfaction which makes me on the right path to becoming an author! ;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  13. The difference between writer and author has so many nuances. Some people say it's only the difference between being published or not. I like how you've distinguished the commitment, dedication and research requirements to be an author. Now...to put these into practice!

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    1. I agree completely...people call me author just because I've had a story published but it will take more than that for ME to call myself an author...like a book in my hand with my name on it...;~)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  14. This is so well put, Tara. Thank you! I'd not thought of the distinction in this way before. It's good to have our thought patterns joggled with new ideas.

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    1. Hi Beth!

      I'm glad Tara made the distinctions as well...sometimes it helps when someone else show the variations so newer writers can get a clearer picture.

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  15. I have been so anxious to read this post. Yay! Today is my day. Thanks, Tara. Now I know I don't have a split personality ;-) I'm a writer, I'm an author, I'm a writer, I'm an author . . . sometimes all in one day. You have offered great advice. It is so true. I agree with you also about not throwing anything out. Not only, as someone said, does it give you an opportunity to see your progress, it also gives an opportunity to go back to those stories and see them with improved eyes. This opens up the possibility of turning some of the old stores into ones that will sell. Thanks, Donna for this series.

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    1. You're welcome, Alayne, but I think the proper thanks should go to all the wonderful authors and writers who are generously providing their words of writerly wisdom for others to learn from!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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