Dream Killers

Dream Killers

I’m a bit tired of people stepping on dreams. I have a lot of dreams. Some are pretty attainable, and others are off the charts so rare that even I have to admit the odds are long.

But I still don’t want you to step on them.

My view on dreams is that if I’m not bothering anyone, haven’t compromised my real life existence to attain them, and in other ways am a responsible person, then the best thing to do is leave me go on my merry way.

Which brings me to the moral dilemma I face when giving panels on writing. People ask me, will this be published? What are the odds? What do you thnk?

Here’s what I think: the odds are long, we know that. The time spent on writing may never pay off, either financially or in published format, we know this also. So what? Should you give up? Stop writing? Choose not to start? Only you know if that’s right for you.

Of course, this answer never satisfies. When I say, “if you continue, diligently, for many years, taking courses, staying in the writing world, going to conferences and panels to pick up tips, you will be published.”

The next question I get is: “How many years?”

Answer: Depends.

This answer is not acceptable to many, either, but it’s true. Last week I watched “Biography” present George Clooney. By most standards, he’s a success in his field. The backstory was interesting. He landed in Hollywood in his early twenties. Did bit parts and recurring roles until he hit with “ER.” Time from landing in LA to ER: ten years give or take. Ten years to get a role that really pushed his career to the next level. That’s a long time. If I said ten years to a new writer, they’d likely get angry. “Ten years! But I want this manuscript to sell now, not ten years down the road.”

I imagine Clooney wanted to hit ten years earlier, too, but that wasn’t in the cards for him. From ER he took roles in movies that generated roller coaster reviews and average box office. Then came “The Perfect Storm.” Big hit, great reviews. Time from landing in LA to big hit—eighteen years, give or take.

So should the unpublished writer give it ten years to get published, another eight to hit huge, and be prepared to wait eighteen altogether? I’m not a fan of delusion, but in this case absolute truth is harsh. Even I, the tortoise of the hare and tortoise race, wince at eighteen years.

But I write because I have to. I love it. A few days without writing and I’m definitely headed into a downer mode. Best I just hit the computer for a couple of hours. I always feel better after. The only other option is to quit. Now, that’s a great option if it doesn’t really matter to you, but if you like writing, like creating characters, and like the creativity that goes along with it, then don’t quit.

Just trudge onward. Your turn will come.

Jamie Freveletti
Author
Running from the Devil
www.Jamiefreveletti.com

Character Studies--Sherlock Holmes

I’m sitting in Chicago, Illinois as I write this, and I assume it comes as no shock to anyone reading that our recent past governor has been impeached. What has come as a shock has been the ex governor’s response to his impeachment. Rather than retreat behind the locked front door of his house, he’s thrust himself onto the national stage, giving radio interviews and signing up for a celebrity reality show. His antics have been somewhat bizarre and clown-like. As writers we could learn from watching the scenario as it plays out. How many of us would have written the deposed, soon-to-be- indicted governor as reality show contestant? One writer who might have thought of that angle is the wonderful Carl Hiaasen, who lives in Florida, where the politics can often rival Chicago’s on the bizarre meter.
This came to mind one night as I was listening to Augie Aleksy, the owner of Centuries and Sleuths bookstore in Forest Park, read from a Sherlock Holmes story. He described Holmes, as he sat in a chair in his room firing a gun into the opposite wall, forming the letters “VR” (initials of the then queen, Victoria Regina) in bullet holes. I sat up straighter. Sherlock Holmes, the intellectual violin player and brilliant but maladjusted detective hammering bullets into his own bedroom wall? The image didn’t fit with my view of Holmes. Sure, I knew about the seven percent solution of cocaine he injected at odd times, but the image of Holmes leaning back in a chair and shooting the wall, bits of plaster spraying and the noise echoing in the room, brought to mind a dark genius, too dangerous to be near and whose anger ran very, very deep. There was none of the cool logic of the world class detective.
I had the same reaction that a student might have had upon discovering that their mild- mannered professor was actually Indiana Jones. I ran to the collected works of Conan Doyle and read for myself. Not only did Holmes fire into his wall, but he’d rammed a knife through his unanswered correspondence, affixing it in the center of his mantelpiece. This last image made me laugh. It spoke volumes about how Holmes viewed the intrusion of the outside world.
Reading this classic tale of an unforgettable literary character helped me view my own characters in a new light. I’m working on my third novel now. You can believe they will do the unexpected.

Jamie Freveletti
Author
Running from the Devil
http://www.jamiefreveletti.com/

A Great Week in the Life of A Debut Author

I think this week ranks as one of my great weeks. Three wonderful things happened to me.

First, the Independent Booksellers of America voted Running from the Devil a “Notable Book” for May! Although I’d been informed about this earlier, I admit I didn’t quite believe it until I was able to check the link at Indiebound.org. http://www.indiebound.org/indie-next-list?edition=200905
And there it was.
I immediately wanted to throw a big kiss out to every one, because I know just how dedicated they are to all things literary. What a thrill. On May 1st, in honor of “Buy Indie” day, I went to my local independent, the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square, Chicago, to attend a signing and buy a book. (Free Range Kids, Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry). Had a great time and Lenore Skenazy is a riot.

Second, the running apparel company, Sugoi, offered to provide running apparel and to host a book trailer on their site! I’m an avid runner, and wear running clothes of all shapes and sizes, but the piece of clothing by Sugoi that I loved before the trailer was actually not for running at all, but for biking. It’s a biking skirt, with the padded seat needed for cycling hidden under the perfect skirt. You can bike all day and not have to look like Lance Armstrong preparing for the Tour de France. Excellent.

When their running clothes came I soon found two new favorites. The book trailer shoot was grueling, but the clothes hung in there. I spent part of today looking at a final edit, and I am struck by how well everything looked on camera.

The third wonderful thing was the ability to work with creative people in other mediums. The director of my shoot worked tirelessly to get just the right shots, the photographer managed to capture the highlights of the shoot in candid behind the scenes shots, and the musician and I discussed the soundtrack today. I can’t wait to see the finished product. You can find a blog about Day 1 of the shoot on my website, http://www.jamiefreveletti.com/blog/book-trailer-shoot-day-1 as well as photos on my HarperCollins author page http://www.Harpercollins.com/authors/34458/index.aspx I’ll blog about Day 2 shortly.

What a week!

Jamie Freveletti
Running from the Devil
May 5, 2009

Pitching An Agent Part II-The Screeching Halt

Okay, here I go again being upbeat about the agent pitching process and rejection. Last week I wrote about my take on the painful pitching process. This week I would like to write about another aspect that I see only too often-what I call the “screeching halt.” It’s when the writer gets a detailed rejection from an agent, and then never contacts that agent again.
Whenever an unpublished writer explains this scenario to me, and it’s more often than you would imagine, I usually respond with “Huh? That’s it? You get a letter explaining what didn’t work and you don’t follow up? What’s up with that?”
It is at this stage that the writer begins speaking in slow, measured tones, as if I am deaf and not quite getting the gist of the conversation. The writer says something usually along the lines of, “Um, I just said he rejected me. He doesn’t like it. End of story.”
This response on the part of the writer baffles me to no end. I understand it in regards to form rejections, those are not worth a follow up, you're best just moving on, but a one page typewritten letter with specific critiques? That's quite different. Here’s this hardworking agent, snowed under with piles of paper all around, who could have easily hit the “no” form letter and lighten his load, but instead takes the time to give some feedback, and what does he get? Nothing. No “Thanks, I’ll think about what you said,” no, “How about I rewrite those sections and you take another look?” or even just, “Thanks for your time, I love it the way it is, but should anything change I’ll take another look with your thoughts in mind.”
Detailed rejection letters are gold. They are often some of the first words from a professional in the industry about a new writer’s manuscript. You may not like them, you may not agree with them, but you should, at the very least, acknowledge them with gratitude. And my guess is, if you’re like me and strive to read the words with an open mind, you just may find some of them are correct. And if you do, just revise it, write a letter to the agent explaining that you took their words to heart, and ask to resubmit. Nine times out of ten they’ll say yes, reread it, and with any luck you’ll be on your way!
Another suggestion: if the detailed rejection comes right before Agentfest, and you know that agent will be attending, do your very best to acknowlege their work in person. It always helps to put a face with a name. A handshake and a "thanks for the letter. I'm looking the manuscript over with an eye toward your suggestions. May I send it again when I'm finished?" That's what Thrillerfest is about, meeting and greeting. It's a lot of fun.
I'd be interested to hear views from other authors and agents on this subject. Specifically, if you're an author who's been rejected initially, did you ever resubmit with success? If an agent, do you accept resubmissions? Am I leading the unpublished astray here? Thanks in advance!

Jamie Freveletti
Running from the Devil
May 5th
www.jamiefreveletti.com

Pitching an agent at Thrillerfest: The Good, (and Perhaps not so Good) News. Part I.

I spent last week in sunny Florida, talking to a film maker who is also an unpublished writer. He’s working on a third revision of his novel, and we were discussing the process of pitching the finished work to an agent. I told him about the “elevator pitch” where one distills one’s entire novel into one or two sentences. He shook his head and shuddered as he drove the car, because he’d been forced to engage in that process to pitch some of the screenplays he’d written. (Apparently he was successful, because a documentary film was produced based upon his screenplay). It got me to thinking about how to pitch an agent, and what goes through one’s mind while doing it.

First, the good news: in my opinion, the agent wants to be able to say "yes." I realize this is not everyone’s opinion of the agents’ intent, and perhaps not yours.

“Sure” you say. “I’ve written sixty-four agents and not one has said yes.”

Okay, I agree, it can get discouraging, but let me tell you a story I heard from an extremely reliable source–my mother. My mother is an actress in movies. Successful movies, with Jim Carrey, Kevin Spacey, you name it- (her stage name is Judy Clayton). Along with the successes has come an endless series of rejections for an equally endless number of reasons. All bug her to a certain extent, but she continues going to auditions, because if she doesn’t audition she will never get a role- it’s that simple.

Once she sat behind a casting director while he conducted the casting for a major motion picture. As the various actors came before him to audition, she heard the Casting Director mutter under his breath: “Come on, you can do it. Okay, a little less motion, more depth, that’s good.” He was rooting for every actor, despite the fact that he knew only one could get the job and he’d have to reject the rest. She said it helped her to realize that Casting Directors, some famed for appearing outwardly unmoved, were sweating right along with the actors, and that it wasn’t the actor that was being rejected, just his or her suitability for the role.

I think it’s the same for literary agents. She (or he) wants to say yes and represent your story to a publisher. As you sit down, imagine her muttering “come on, you can do it,” while listening to your pitch. Keeping this idea in the forefront of your mind while pitching may help you get through that initial nervous stage. At least it did for me when I was engaged in the pitching process.

Now for the bad news, which is not news at all for most of us who have been on the writer’s side of the pitching desk: She may end up rejecting the manuscript. However, if she does, it is likely for a myriad of reasons, none of which may have anything to do with the merit of the work itself. Like the casting director, she may have a list of criteria in her head for the manuscripts that she wants to take on, and this one doesn’t match that personalized list. Fortunately, at Thrillerfest, there are a large number of agents attending the Agentfest portion of the conference. If one says no, just move on to the next and to the next, until you get the role of published writer. We’ve all been there, and we’ll all be rooting for you!

Jamie Freveletti
Running from the Devil--May 5th
http://www.jamiefreveletti.com/

Having a Blast at ThrillerFest

I’ve attended every Thrillfest since the beginning, and I’ve had a great time at each one. The energy at the first, in Phoenix, was off the charts. Thrillfest had the coolest vibe in the hottest climate. Every time we stepped outside we were blasted with blowtorch heat, but once inside the party continued. I’m a runner, and every day I’d stagger outside at dawn in an attempt to beat the sun. Not only was it still ridiculously hot, but a serial killer was shooting joggers in Phoenix at that time (I’m a fiction writer, but I swear I’m not making this up), and the knowledge that he was out there imbued me with real motivation to run as fast as I could.

New York as a venue is more expensive, it’s true, but publisher and agent attendance is higher, which offsets some of the cost. The conference is loaded with industry professionals, and it’s an excellent way to make new connections or renew some old ones. I met my agent, editor, and publicist at Thrillfest- a real trifecta!

New York as a venue also provides its own brand of fun. I think the writers took the hotel by surprise the first year there. We’d congregate in the bar after the day’s panels, and one waiter was stuck navigating a gauntlet of thirsty authors. A group of us decided to give the poor guy a break and headed out to a cigar bar in the village. We had a blast that night.

Each year Thrillfest hosts a debut authors breakfast. I made sure to be there, no matter how late I was up the night before. I’d attend each one, listening to those who were realizing their dream to be published. Hearing others who were debut gave me the inspiration to keep going forward. I’m debut this year, which is a blast. My novel, Running from the Devil, launches in May and I can’t wait to attend that breakfast.

I’m looking forward to connecting with old friends, meeting new ones, and just having a good time!

Jamie Freveletti
Running from the Devil
http://www.jamiefreveletti.com/