Category: Writing Wednesday

Today’s interview is the perfect one to get you over that Wednesday hump. Jennifer is funny, savvy, the founder of Not Your Mother’s Book Club, and agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc. And I’m lucky to have her as my agent too. 🙂

1. Describe your ideal client.

I like authors who are hard-working, who take their work seriously (but are fun about it!) and who are not precious about revising or reworking or throwing things that are not working away.  I don’t like divas.  I also don’t like surprises, and I really really don’t like wasting my time… but who does? So I very much appreciate authors who are good communicators.

2. The agent/client relationship should be a match for both. What are the right questions an author should ask to see if the compatibility is there?

I think that depends on what is important to YOU. But I’d probably start with: What did you like about my book? What do you think I need to change? How much revision would you ask me to do before we can submit? How do you envision the book, with what sort of publisher?  Do you want to know if I have ideas/suggestions for editors we might submit to?  How do you prefer to communicate, and how often? What happens if we don’t sell this book?  Can I see your agency agreement before I make a decision?  (And because for me it would be important that my agent be well-read in whatever my genre would be…) What do you consider comparative titles to mine? What are some of your favorite books in my genre?

3. What is the top mistake writers make?

Probably querying too soon, and/or having unrealistic expectations.

4. What made you want to be an agent?

I love books and authors, and am a real evangelist for my favorite books, but I don’t want to be a writer. And I am good at selling things, but I don’t want to be a door-to-door salesman. And I am good at arguing, but I don’t want to be a lawyer.  Soo…. it was a perfect fit!

5. And, if you weren’t an agent, you’d be…..?

A bookseller, I guess!  🙂  If I wasn’t in the book business at all, I would probably be a dramaturg or theatre producer, that is what I went to school for. If I couldn’t do that for whatever reason, I also would not mind working in a fabric or hobby shop, fine paper store, antique store or at a boutique florist. I like buttons and bows!  And I have pretty much zero skills that will translate to a post-apocolyptic world. Ah, well.

5. What’s your best advice for writers?

Read. A LOT. And don’t get too caught up in what other people are writing — you have to make your own path.

6. What kind of manuscript do you wish you had in your hands right now?

I would love some funny wonderful classic-feeling Middle Grade fiction, like THE PENDERWICKS or Andrew Clements. It is extremely hard to write. 

I would also like high-concept, unputdownable, truly stellar but highly commercial YA.  Wouldn’t everyone?

7. If you could create a donut flavor, what would it be?

Hm – I am not so into donuts. I like fleur de sel mini-cupcakes. MINI ONLY! I don’t like large cupcakes. I have an anti-messy-food policy.

8. Favorite book ever?

I could not possibly pick one. My favorite non-client books at the moment are THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson and HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford.

9. Favorite/least favorite aspect of agenting?

I love selling things, and I love making that call to a client that their book is going to be published!  

But, I sympathize with many writers, because I too am frustrated by the length of time we have to wait for things. As we all know, the publishing world is very slow, and it can be excruciating.

10. This question is all you. Anything you have always wanted to be asked but never were or just something you’re dying to share?

Not really. If you want to find out inane things about me daily, feel free to follow my twitter feed: @literaticat

Today’s Writing Wednesday segment is with Jennifer Brown, terrific Deb and author of Hate List (Little, Brown, September 2009). Despite deadlines and writing work galore, Jennifer had time to answer the questions below and then some. To find out more about Jennifer visit her at www.jenniferbrownya.com

1. Prior to Hate List, you were known for your humorous writing style. Was shifting from humor to serious difficult for you?

Not really. I actually began by writing serious stuff. I didn’t start writing a humor column until 2005, and had already been writing for 5 years at that time. Humor comes naturally to me, and I haven’t left it, but I really like to write on serious subjects. Doing both is a win-win!

2. How did Hate List come to you?

I think a lot of things came together at just the right time for me. I’d been bullied in school, and that had certainly been on my mind for a lot of years (I’ve never really understood what makes some people be so mean for no real reason). Also, as a parent, school shootings really frighten me. It’s shocking and terrifying to find out that the one safe place in the world for you to send your kids may not be so safe anymore. So these things are percolating around in my brain for… years… and, you know, so much of writing is just very mysterious. Things just sort of come together all at once and you didn’t even know all the parts and pieces were there until you look back. So, in that light, looking back, the inciting event for bringing all those parts and pieces together for me — as strange as this sounds — was the Nickelback song, “If Everyone Cared.” The song got stuck in my head one night while I was sleeping, and I woke up with these two characters in my head. I could “see” them so clearly. And their story was just… there. But if I’m being honest, it had been there for a long time. I just finally recognized it.

3. I always find it interesting to know an author’s writing process. How do you work? Do you get your characters first, the story, something else?

I’m a very character-driven sort of writer so, yes, I make sure I have the characters understood first. I usually begin with a little research, and do a ton of thinking about plot. Once I feel I have the basic plot idea in my head, I begin writing (long-hand) everything I know about the main characters (and sometimes even minor ones). I start with police blotter stuff, like age, weight, height, etc., then move on to family dynamics, motivation, and so forth. It’s really important to me to know my characters through and through or they won’t start “speaking to me.” If they don’t start “speaking,” everything just falls apart. Orson Scott Card’s book Characters and Viewpoints changed my writing life! I highly recommend it.

After I get my character information down, I just begin writing. I’m not a big outliner and I despise writing synopses. I like to just have my basic plot in mind and go with it. And I really like for my characters to change the plot themselves.

4. I was not surprised that I felt sympathy for Valerie in Hate List. However, I was surprised that I felt sympathy for Nick and saw him as a boy, not just a murderer. Did you understand him from the beginning? Was the Nick that evolved—the many facets of him—how you envisioned him from the start?

I understood him from the beginning, yes, but I didn’t write the good Nick stuff down at first. It wasn’t until my editor told me that the reader couldn’t just “take Val’s word for it” that Nick was a good guy that it really clicked with me. I’d sort of been treating him like a corpse, while in Valerie’s head he was still very much alive. I realized that, for readers to understand not only him and his motivation, but also to understand Val and her motivation, we needed to see him just being… normal sometimes. After I wrote the good Nick scenes, those turned out to be some of my favorite scenes in the book.

5. I love that you like board games. What is your favorite one?

I’m lucky in that I have a brother who is a major gamer, and is always going to these gaming conventions and always knows/has these games nobody’s ever heard of. They can be really fun. My favorite game at the moment is a card game called Once Upon a Time, where you play cards to build fairy tales. It’s a lot of fun! But there’s a game called Betrayal at the House on the Hill that we’ve played tons of times, and it would rank up there for me. And I love love love the game Ticket to Ride.

6. I’m not into playlists, but seems everyone else is. Are you? Does music inspire your characters?

I don’t think music really inspires my characters, no. But I will hear songs while I’m writing, or will think of songs that will make me go, “Omigosh, my character totally could relate to this song!” And I did create a Hate List playlist for my virtual launch party (http://jenniferbrown09.livejournal.com/5043.html ). That said, I’m a huge music lover, and I do like to have music playing in the background while I’m writing. The trouble is, I like to sing along, so I have to play foreign music that I don’t understand so I won’t get distracted.

7. I saw you have a book, PATCHED, coming out Spring 2011. Can you tell us about it? And I know you’re working on an adult book as well. Different genres, different styles. Is it hard to shift voices? Where else do you see your writing going?

PATCHED is about a girl involved in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend. I’m pretty superstitious about giving up too many details while I’m still working on a project, so I’ll leave it at that for now. Yes, I did just finish writing a light romantic adult story. It’s actually a story I began forever ago, before I started Hate List. And I’ve been adding little chapters here and there whenever I felt a need to lighten up. I want to say no, it’s not difficult to shift voices like that, but… well, we’ll see if this adult book sells. It may not be difficult to shift voices,  but that doesn’t mean I do it well… Hahaha! I actually really like to switch up genres, even if I don’t do them all well. It keeps me from getting too one-note, I think.

8. I really enjoyed your blog entry about introverts. Do you have a specific place you like to be alone or that fuels and reenergizes you?

I love libraries. I could live in a library. In fact, I think if I accidentally got locked in a library overnight, that would be the awesomest thing ever! When I want to work — and really get after it! — I go to the library. I can get away with ignoring my cell phone and sitting in a corner with my back to the room and not speaking to anyone for hours on end and it’s totally socially acceptable in a library! What’s not to love about that?!

9. Your book has been out almost four months now. Can you tell us a little about your debut year?

Ahh, the dreaded debut year! Um, scary? How about exhausting? Confusing? Exhilarating? Exciting? Touching? Very, very humbling? All of the above! One thing I’ve learned — no matter how long you’ve been doing this writing gig, you learn very quickly your debut year what a newbie you are! And the first month after your book’s release just flies by — it’s more work than you ever imagined possible!

10. What has been the best part of these debut months?

I’ve had some very touching moments this year that really reminded me why I do what I do, but two really stand out in my mind.

I have these silicone bracelets that say “AGENT OF CHANGE” on them, and I give them out to teens here and there. I usually give them out in twos — one for the student I’m giving it to, and the other for that student to give to someone who isn’t already their friend. I sent a bunch of these to a middle school group who was reading my book, and I later got a note from their teacher, thanking me and telling me that his students were currently working with administration to create their own “Agent of Change Club.” I thought that was awesome!

Another time, during a school visit and library event trip to another city, I got an impromptu request to visit an alternative school in the area. My schedule was full, but something told me that I really needed to make every effort to get to that school. So I did. And it turned out that I was the first and only author to EVER visit that school. And the students were so excited about it, after I left, they decided to create a student-led book group.

Makes me so proud to be part of that!

Today is Hump Day. Lots of people just call it Wednesday, but let’s admit we need something good to get us over this blah day in the middle of the week. Writing Wednesday is my little contribution to ending the midweek blahs. To kick it off, I have the fantastic Jay Asher, fellow ABLAer and author of THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, to help me out.

But what can I ask this guy who’s been asked EVERYTHING? That’s not a hyperbole either. I did my best, and while some questions are repeaters (but who doesn’t want to hear about his writing process?), I threw in a few original ones (or such is my opinion; Jay may think otherwise) into the mix. And if you still have unanswered questions, check out www.thirteenreasonswhy.com and www.jayasher.blogspot.com.

 

 

1. Since I am a child of the 1980s, I love that Hannah Baker leaves her instructions in a series of cassette tapes. How did you come up with this idea, and were you concerned that today’s teens may not be able to relate?

I had the idea to use cassettes as a storytelling device back when cassettes were a tad more up-to-date than they are now.  When I finally found the right story to tell with an audiotour structure, I did wonder whether cassettes were still appropriate.  I liked the visuals of Clay flipping the cassettes over and watching the spools wind the tape, but that wasn’t why I chose to stay with cassettes.  If I chose the most modern form of recording, the terminology used by my characters would be slightly outdated the moment the book was published (and get even more outdated as time went on).  So I used an older form of recording, cassette tapes, and had Clay wonder if he even has a way to play them: “No one listens to tapes anymore.”  My readers end up having the same reaction as my character, which keeps the story current.  In the end, outdated gadgets will always be outdated!

2. This is a great point, especially now when new technology and social networking sites seem to appear daily. Will referring to things such as texts, Twitter, IMs, etc. be something you’ll be mindful of in your books? Do you suggest authors work around this or just sprinkle these things into their novels with caution?

There are a lot of teen novels meant to be very of-the-moment.  Techno-speak, pop culture references, and slang can be found on every page.  And we need those books because there are plenty of readers who want those books.  If a certain type of technology is needed to further a scene, I’ll use it.  If my character needs to pull an iPhone 3GS out of her pocket, then she will.  But if I can get away with having her pull “a phone” out of her pocket, that’s what I’ll say because story is much more important to me than anything else.  In most cases, readers will fill in the details appropriately.  If I’ve done a good job establishing my character, the reader will visualize the exact type of phone my character would use, or what type of car she drives, or which musician she’s listening to, and my story gets to stay current a little longer.

3. Do you carry around a voice recorder or notebook to keep track of your ideas?

After writing THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, in which a girl records the reasons why she decided to take her life, I think the sight of me walking around while talking into a voice recorder might be kind of…creepy.  Almost any time I leave my house, I have a notebook with me.  I mostly jot down ideas so I can stop obsessing about them, but I rarely return to those notes.  I think if a line of dialogue or a plot twist is meant to be included in a story, it’ll naturally be there when I sit down to write that scene.  If I try to force an idea into a manuscript simply because I once thought that idea was really creative, it probably won’t fit naturally with what I’ve already written.

4. Can you describe your writing process?

I’m still trying to find a process.  The only time I’ve ever truly become stuck while writing is when I tried working from an outline.  My process, I suppose, is to write whatever I’m excited about.  If that means I’m bouncing between three manuscripts at a time, then at least I know that each page I write is coming from a creative place and not from an attitude of forcing something just for the sake of writing.

5. Was having your book out in the world all you anticipated? What surprised you—for better or worse—about the publication process and beyond?

On the positive side, my book has sold beyond what I thought I could even cross my fingers and hope for.  I thought it had the potential to be a somewhat underground word-of-mouth success, but then it became a completely aboveground word-of-mouth success, spending over a year on the New York Times bestsellers list, being released in dozens of countries, and even becoming a high school play.  I didn’t think any of those things would happen.  The book has also personally meant more to people than I expected.  I expected to get letters saying the book made my readers want to treat each other with more respect, but I also have people tell me they wouldn’t be here had they not stumbled upon my story.  I feel truly blessed to hear both of those sentiments about something I wrote.

At the same time, certain types of criticism have been much harder to deal with than I expected.  I truly don’t mind if someone criticizes my writing or storytelling skills, but when they say my book is inappropriate for teens, it drives me crazy.  When I first began hearing the “inappropriate” word, it hurt me personally.  But now, it just upsets me for the sake of my readers.  I might get an e-mail from a teenager saying my book made them want to be a better person, or inspired them to ask for help, or to reach out to a hurting friend, and that same day I’ll read a review from an adult saying my book is totally inappropriate for teenagers.  I’ve come to realize that most people who say “inappropriate” actually mean “makes me uncomfortable to think that these things actually happen…so stop talking about it!”

6. The idea of one event changing the course of others or being the catalyst of something greater is something that has always resonated with me. For this reason, Butterfly Effect, is one of my favorite movies. Can you expand on that theme in THIRTEEN REASONS WHY—how it came to you? For example, did you know as you were writing that everything began with that first kiss, or is this something that came to you somewhere halfway in the story?

I didn’t think too much about that theme before I began writing the book. When the original concept came to me, Hannah was just going to talk about a bunch of things that happened to her.  I did make the decision at some point that there shouldn’t be one huge event that everyone (my readers or the characters in the book) could point to and say, “That’s why she did it.”  Making it a bunch of smaller events, where one event not occurring could’ve changed everything, highlights that butterfly effect the best.  And I loved that movie, too!

7. I read something disturbing about you on MySpace. It says—gulp—that you don’t like onions. True? Sweet ones and green ones alike?

Well, I guess I just learned something disturbing about you.  You like onions?  Gross!  And I have to correct something you said.  There’s no such thing as sweet onions, that’s a term made up by the onion lobbyists.  There’s only one type of onion currently available on the market: nasty onions.

8. What tips can you give writers, in general, and debut authors?

For beginning writers, your work will improve dramatically when you join a critique group.  Plus, it feels good to know that you’re helping writers improve their craft at the very same time that they’re helping you.  For any writer, beginning or professional, it’s always important to think about suspense.  Any book, no matter what genre, will be more intriguing with a little suspense.  For debut authors, keep your eyes open for creative opportunities to promote your book.  A book club in Alabama did some very creative things with their discussion of my book, and I then promoted those same ideas to other book clubs around the country.  Book clubs have been a huge factor in the success of THIRTEEN REASONS WHY.

9. What is ahead for you? What are you working on now? Can you tell us without having to kill us?

Actually, no.