How to Be an Author: I’VE MADE A DECISION

Life is filled with decisions. Some people think by putting off a decision they avoid making a wrong decision. I learned a number of years ago that not making a decision is actually a decision. Both have consequences.

Every profession requires decision making. Plumbers have to decide what tool works best to repair a leaking faucet or unclog a drain. Baseball players must decide what weight and length bat will help them hit a ball traveling at ninety miles per hour. Doctors must decide what medicine or surgery will prolong a patient’s life. Teachers must decide whether a student is developmentally ready to succeed at the next lesson in the curriculum.

Like all these other professionals authors face numerous decisions every day. Many have to do with the writing process. Sit down and start writing or wait for inspiration to strike? Listen to music to develop the right mood or block out all sound to enhance concentration? Start with a main character or layout the plot first? Base the character on an actual person or create her out of thin air? Choose a real place for the setting or develop a world the reader has never experienced before? Decide an ending before starting or let the journey unfold in order to determine what the ending will be?

Certain decisions relate to the reading audience. Do I want my story to fit a broad spectrum of readers or be tailored to a specific taste or age group? Is the vocabulary I use appropriate for this genre? Are there other elements, such as foreshadowing, asides, multiple or singular point of view, metaphors, and other literary devices that my audience expects and appreciates? How long or short must the story be to maintain the audience’s attention?

A number of decisions involve the publishing process. Publish the manuscript myself or seek a professional publishing house. If the author decides to self-publish, then there are some fundamental questions? Digital only or paper, as well? What financial resources will be used to assure the book is delivered to the reader? How important is profit? Then, if the author decides to go the traditional route other questions arise. How do I select an agent? What attributes must the agent possess? Do I give my story a working title even though the publisher will likely change it based on what marketing and legal recommend? What commercial elements do I feature when I pitch my manuscript?

In the past couple weeks, I completed the second draft of a novel I’ve been working on the past two years. During this same time, I’ve taken steps to find representation by pitching my previous novel, Assimilation. While Assimilation has strong personal meaning, I believe my current project, which I gave the working title, Reputation, resonates concerns found in the present young adult population, as well as society in general. It is also my best writing to date. The decision I’ve reached is to pitch Reputation upon its completion in the next couple months.

Once I’ve finished the third draft, I will send copies to beta readers for feedback. I will also post a few chapters here on my blog for your enjoyment and comments. Then, I will complete a fourth draft, send it to a professional editor for copy edit, prepare my pitch, and target literary agents to represent it.

As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.