5: The Six: Writing Groups and Breaking Into Publishing

Sara, Kimberly, Bree, Emily, Valynne, Brodi
(picture by Michelle Sallay Photography)

Tonight we heard from The Six, a long-standing writer’s group, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Two are published and poised to release their sophomore novels. Three are currently under contract. Four have agents. Five have finished at least one novel. All Six are made of awesome and chock full of advice for newbie authors about how their writing group works and how to break into publishing.

Over an hour and a half (yeah, we had a bit too much fun), The Six answered such burning questions as:

·         How did you know when your group had the right balance of crazy?

·         How do you critique (/rewrite) each other’s stories?

·         What do you do at writing retreats (besides writing)?

·         How do you ever get any writing done with 5 of your best friends around all the time?

·         Do you find threats or writing contests more motivational?

·         How do you approach scary-powerful agents and editors at writing conferences?

·         How many queries does it take to land an agent?

·         What is the appropriate wardrobe for receiving news of a book sale?

·         How many days should you wait before talking to your editor about their recent revision letter?

·         Can published authors still be fangirls?



The Six, in order from least to most crazy, are:

#6 Sara Bolton has a degree in journalism, years of professional editing experience, and has written and published hundreds of non-fiction articles and product advertisements in newspapers and magazines. She is currently working to finish her first novel, a YA Historical Fantasy that explores chivalry and knighthood from the perspective of a female knight.



#5 Kimberly Reid used to be an editor for the FRIEND magazine, and is the author of hundreds of articles published in the FRIEND, NEW ERA, ENSIGN, and LIAHONA magazines. Her picture book THE CHRISTMAS MEMORY QUILT won a Moonbeam Award in 2007. Her agent is currently submitting her first novel, a YA contemporary about a small town threatened with extinction after the death of a five-year-old.



#4 Valynne E. Maetani works professionally as a script editor for educational stories. She has worked as a film producer and has edited several screen plays, including MY LITTLE WAR IN JUAREZ, the winner of the 2010 Creative World Award. She has completed two novels and will soon be seeking representation for her latest book, THE ROTTEN ONES, an abnormal romance set amid horror flicks and bouts of petty espionage.

#3 Bree Despain is the author of the THE DARK DIVINE, in which Grace Divine, a pastor's daughter, must unravel the secrets behind her foster-brother's sudden return after a mysterious three year absence, and why her real brother wants her to have nothing to do with him. The second book in the trilogy, THE LOST SAINT, is scheduled for release on December 28, 2010. Her release party will be at The King’s English in Salt Lake City at 7pm that night.

#2 Emily Wing Smith is the author of THE WAY HE LIVED, which won the Utah Book Award in 2008. In her next book, BACK WHEN YOU WERE EASIER TO LOVE, Joy takes a road trip to visit her abruptly-departed, possibly-ex-boyfriend… with his former-best-friend riding shotgun. It is set for release on April 28, 2011. Emily will also be teaching a beginning YA class at the upcoming Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers on June 13-17, in Sandy, Utah.

#1 Brodi Ashton just sold her first book, EVERNEATH, to Balzer and Bray (Harpercollins). EVERNEATH tells the story of a girl who just spent six months or a hundred years (give or take) in a version of Hell, and now has six months to spend with her family and her boyfriend before going back… this time forever. It is set for publication in the Winter of 2012, with two more books in the series already contracted.

If you missed the call, you can listen to it below. (Turns out Brodi is quite technologically savvy, as well as being an awesome writer. Thanks, Brodi!)

You can also download the MP3.

4: Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta: Collaborating on a Novel

Kevin J. Anderson is an award-winning, international bestselling author of the new Dune series (with Brian Herbert), the Terra Incognita and Saga of Seven Suns series, X-Files, Star Wars, and numerous comics; he has published 100 books, with more than 20 million copies in print in 30 languages.

Rebecca Moesta (pronounced MESS-tuh) started writing in 1991 and, as a solo author, has written Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Little Things and three novels in the Junior Jedi Knights series.

Together, this husband / wife team has written the Crystal Doors trilogy, several movie novelizations, a novelization of the popular StarCraft computer game; and have worked on several other projects.

Kevin and Rebecca proved to us just how well they work together. You can tell from listening to them that they make quite the team.

Some of the high points of their advice:

• One of the biggest parts of the collaborating happens during the brainstorming process
• If your collaborator is good at the same things you are, why are you collaborating?
•  You have to trust your collaborator during edits--don't try to figure out what he/she changed--fix what you think still needs to be fixed and eventually the manuscript will be a great blend of your two voices.
• Be careful who you collaborate with--if it doesn't work out, you may need to scrap the project.
• And much more....

Also, Kevin and Rebecca announced that, until the end of the month, there will be a collaboration discount for the Superstars Writing Conference: sign up with a friend and you will save $200! (Total cost of $998.) Again, the Superstars of Writing include Kevin, Rebecca, David Farland, Brandon Sanderson, Eric Flint, and Sherrilyn Kenyon. It will be held on January 13-15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. There's still time to hint to your loved ones how much you would love that for Christmas....

If you missed the call, you can listen to it below:


Or, you can download the MP3.

3: David Farland: Writing the Basic Parts of the Story

1. Introducing setting, characters, and conflicts
2. Creating an inciting incident
3. The first try/fail cycle for the major conflict
4. Escalating to the second try/fail
5. Third Try/Fail
6. The climax (with its possible reversals)
7. The denouement

If you missed it, you can listen to the recording below:

For the first fifteen minutes, David answered callers' questions:

Or you can download the MP3.

David's advice on writing the Basic Parts of the Story was recorded separately (the final Q&A did not record--sorry!)

Or you can download the MP3.

2: Kevin J. Anderson's 11 Tips for Writing Productivity

Kevin J. Anderson is an award-winning, international bestselling author of the new Dune series (with Brian Herbert), the Terra Incognita and Saga of Seven Suns series, X-Files, Star Wars, and numerous comics; he has published 100 books, with more than 20 million copies in print in 30 languages.

After the call, Kevin spent several weeks blogging about these tips (though in a slightly different order). Follow the links to see his blog posts.

1. Shut up and Write!
2. Defy the Empty Page
3. Dare to be Bad (at first)
4. Work on Different Projects at the Same Time
5. Know the Difference Between Writing and Editing
6. Use Every Minute
7. Set Goals for Yourself—and Stick with them
8. Create the Best Writing Environment for Yourself
9. Think Outside the Keyboard
10. Get Inspired
11. Know When to Stop

If you missed it, you can listen to the recordings below:
In the first fifteen minutes, Kevin answered callers' questions:


Or you can download the MP3.

The main call with Kevin's 11 Tips was recorded separately (a little over an hour):


Or, you can download the MP3.

1: David Farland / Wolverton: Core Competencies

David's 8 Core Competencies:

1) Audience Analysis--writing for a broad audience, or writing to a deep audience.
2) Resonance--knowing what people like based upon what they've responded to before.
3) World Creation
4) Creating Fascinating Characters
5) Developing Powerful Conflicts
6) Touching Your Audience's Heart
7) Mastering Fundamentals such as narration, description, and dialog.
8) Putting together a complete story--from the opening, to the inciting incident, through the climax and denouement.

If you missed it, you can listen to the recording below:


You can also download the MP3.