The Breakdown - Week of 5/25/20

Yep, we’re back! And by this point, I think y’all know the structure we’re working with here at “The Breakdown.” 

But before we get into that, I have one point of clarification I want to make about the vampire piece in last week’s newsletter, and this came up in a discussion with Rodney to whom the piece was dedicated. So, the takeaway from that piece was not don’t get your hopes up; you’ll never sell your vampire story. In fact, it’s much more optimistic than that. The takeaway, while it's not a “Vampires are hot again = Now my vampire story will sell!” type scenario. It’s more of a “Vampires are no longer kryptonite = My story now stands a chance!” kind of thing, which is not entirely bad. It just means that vampires are somewhat back in vogue again, but the bar is high…very high, so take that into account. Now, if you’re an indie author, you’ve got more room to write stories that could draft off of a well-known property, such as Twilight or Buffy, should there be a resurgence in their popularity. Just keep an eye on the trends and be ready to move…fast.

Okay, back to the format. So, going forward, it’ll be roughly:

• Five prompts to get your creative juices flowing, drawn from my book “What Would Your Character Do? - Writing Prompts to Help You Destroy Writer’s Block, Write Faster, and Write More” (up on Amazon and free in Kindle Unlimited!)

• News from both the publishing and entertainment industry, with some commentary.

• Any contests or opportunities I come across that might be interesting to you.

• Final thoughts.

But first…housekeeping.

There are only 12 spots left for a free six-months premium upgrade! This qualifies you for a chance at my Query / First Five Pages Workshop, which will only be for paying subscribers after the gift subscription ends.

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Prompts

As mentioned before, these prompts are from my book, “What Would Your Character Do?” If these five prompts don’t work for you, remember, the idea is not to be rigid about how a prompt is used, but to give your mind a "hook" or a "springboard" and use that to get back into the scene. You’ll get another five in a week, or you could just buy, or check out, the book to pick from over 500 more!

Okay, so let’s get started.

If you're stuck in a scene, try to have your character:

1. Remember a disturbing event

2. Comfort someone

3. Give in to a superstition

4. Take their anger out on someone unnecessarily

5. Tune someone out

Give those prompts some time to marinate, and if they’re not doing it for you, you’ll get five more next week!

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News

(Click title links for the source articles)

Book Deals: Week of May 25, 2020

I’ll try to remember to paste a link to the Publisher’s Weekly Deals list when I can—just to save you a trip. But, for the most part, I’m only going to comment when there are trends or acquisitions of interest.

Comics for a Mobile Generation

Okay, so this is a subject that is very, very dear to my heart! For those of you who don’t know, I write on a site called Wattpad. In the past, it’s been known for its teeny-bopper fare and fanfiction, but since one of those fanfiction stories became the highest grossing independent film of 2019, and the site has established a very clear vision of where they fit into the entertainment landscape, AND they scored a $51 million dollar investment in their most recent round, let’s just say, the game has changed. So anyway, I write on the site because I’d come up with this odd hybrid of a YA Urban Fantasy story that was part narrative fiction, part TV show; and honestly, I had no place else to put it. But I’m infinitely glad I did put it on there, and I’ll get more into that in the special premium post about the Wattpad Development Fund (yes, it’s coming…I promise! :-)

In any event, why I got so excited by this article is that it highlights other platforms, namely Webtoon and Tapas, and reinforces the growing reality that readers, especially younger readers, are much more open in their approach to consuming content and aren’t as wedded to traditional formats as past generations (to wit, the growing popularity of anime, graphic novels, and serialized stories.)

But what really resonated with me was this bit, from David Lee, Webtoon’s head of content for North America:

David Lee agrees, citing the importance of developing Webtoon readers and amateur creators into professionals. That’s why both Webtoon and Tapas are so eager to grow the user-generated content on their platforms. “More creators are seeing us as a legitimate option,” Lee said. “That will help us develop content for the upper end of our audience demographic, so they don’t age out of our platform.”

Sometimes, you have to think of your stories, your IP, as a long-term play. So, while it may not attract the kind of attention or success that you want when you first create it, there are more and more opportunities for your content to find an audience, a home, and a variety of creative lives going forward.

In Pandemic, Dystopian Fiction Loses Its Luster for Editors

Yes, I think the title of the article is probably true. But from what I’ve heard and seen, Indies are doing quite well with their dystopian stories. So, this opinion may be more a function of what readers want now, as opposed to what they might want in 18 months, which would explain the disconnect between what I’m hearing from traditional agents and editors and indie authors. Just something for you to consider.

Also, apparently, historical fiction and light escapist fare are doing quite well right now, as far as traditional publishing goes, so there’s that.

23 Respected Literary Journals and Magazines that Publish Creative Writing

This newsletter will focus mostly on genre & commercial fiction and stories, both because that’s what I know best and also because these are the sort of stories that are, more often than not, turned into other properties (film, TV, graphic novel, games). However, I don’t want to ignore those of you who write with a more literary bent, so dear readers, this is for you. :-)

The Lighthouse Options Young Adult Trilogy From Juno Dawson

Now, this bit of news probably has no direct applicability to the likes of you and me, as the author is quite established. However, if you’re interested in book-to-screen adaptations, it’s always good to understand what’s selling. I also like the fact that, in this particular case, the producers clearly articulated what they found so appealing about Juno Dawson’s work.

In a statement, The Lighthouse team said the novels create “a vibrant world where privilege and the upper reaches of society clash with the disadvantaged and the troubled.” They added: “Juno’s voice is intimate, provocative and insightful whilst dealing with difficult subjects such as addiction and identity. Her novels articulate the complexity of growing up in these peculiar and exciting times and are bursting with unforgettable characters and pin-sharp dialogue.”

This speaks to a unique angle, or more precisely, the unique selling proposition of the author’s works that drew the producers in, and it’s really something you should try to find in your own work as well. Purchasers of your work often want a story that resonates with the current zeitgeist, that has an element of relevancy to it so that they have something to talk about other than just the logistics of your story, something they can pitch when they need to position your story in the marketplace. Essentially, this relevancy gives them another hook or differentiator to use to help set your story apart from everything else out there and make it an easier sell.

Hulu Launches ‘Watch Party’ Test to Let You Stream Videos With Friends

This one’s just for “funsies.” I’m interested in this move towards trying to re-socialize entertainment viewing, outside of social media. I admit, for the right show or movie, this could be a lot of fun. It has an element of the Twitch-style, group chat multi-player game night about it. We’ll have to see how this one goes.

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Final Thoughts

I think if there is a theme to this edition, it would be innovate and/or elevate. Competition is fierce, folks, no matter what kind of writing you do. Outside of straight, “feed-the-beast” genre fiction, you really have to find that outstanding hook, or leverageable platform, or (and we’ll talk about this more, later) that unique selling proposition to your work and be able to articulate it clearly in order to create truly compelling pitches and queries in today’s highly competitive marketplace. Just something to think about.

And also, don’t be afraid to say “Hi!” in the comments or reply to this email and tell me more about you and your work. The better I can get to know you, the better I can serve you valuable insight and information in this newsletter.

Until next time!

~ Paula G.