The Breakdown - Week of 6/22/20

Hello and welcome to another issue of “The Breakdown”! Before we get to the news, I wanted to share a comment with you from a reader who took a deeper dive into my prompt book on Kindle Unlimited.

“I've gone and read most of the prompts in your book and I found it very helpful! I don't know if this was part of how you thought the prompts would work, but these prompts have helped me get to know my characters way better! Thank you so much for this!” ~ Nick

That made me smile. 😊 I just love it when my prompts help other writers!

So, to that end, let me give you five more scene-specific writing prompts, drawn from  “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!)

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Prompts

As mentioned, these prompts are from my book, “What Would Your Character Do?” They’re designed to give you some momentum if you ever find yourself stuck in a scene. If these five prompts don’t work for you, hang tight! 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. Provide someone with an important clue

2. Call out to someone, inappropriately

3. Educate someone on a particular topic

4. Suddenly become aware of the time

5. Refuse to listen to someone in the midst of a discussion

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 articles)

Book Deals: Week of June 22, 2020

There’s not a whole lot of interesting news here, as far as trends are concerned. But I did want to highlight the way some of the editors talk about these acquired works. It helps to illustrate more about the art of “positioning” which is an important part of comping and pitching your work.

There’s Alma Katsu’s Red Widow, described as a thriller that follows two female CIA agents who become intertwined around a threat to the Russia Division. According to the acquiring editor, it’s “in the spirit of Homeland and The Americans.” Female CIA agents? Russian intelligence? Yep, those comps work. One thing to note: Katsu actually worked for the CIA. Even though this is fiction, agents and editors love that sort of connection…inside knowledge the author can leverage.

Also announced was the sale of June Hur’s The Red Palace. The book is a YA novel, set in 1750s Korea, that follows a 17-year-old nurse and 18-year-old police inspector trying to clear the crown prince’s name after a massacre at court. What I found interesting in that bit was: “Editor, Amy Bishop added that the book is based on a well-known story in Korea and among historical K-drama fans about Prince Sado.” So, not only does the story have an “inspired by real life events'“ hook to it, but it also identifies a key audience to whom the story will appeal.

Key lessons here: know your audience, beyond the basic demographics (beyond women, 18-32, for example) and position your work against current and relevant comps.

Board members resign from thriller writers association after harassment, racial criticisms

So, I haven’t been following this particular implosion; and while not a member of the Romance Writers of America at the time, I was familiar enough with their practices and certain issues that had bubbled to the surface, that when their implosion happened, I was saddened, but not surprised. In any event, the article has links to other controversies as well, in both the Poetry Foundation and the National Book Critics Circle, so it would be worth checking out if you want a broader understanding of the many kerfuffles happening in the book industry at the moment.

Now, let me state that I know there are some of you who will probably feel very uncomfortable with all of this upheaval and are tired of hearing about it. But, frankly, it was a long time coming. And I think it’s probably to your advantage to find a way to come to terms with it (note, I did not say “wholeheartedly accept it”), so that you can figure out how best to navigate the “new normal,” rather than cling to ideas that are, as we speak, crumbling at our feet. Look, I have no desire to get super-political in this newsletter, but I’m not going to proceed with blinders on either…and neither should you. :-)

Film Adaptation Of Timely YA Novel ‘I’m Not Dying With You Tonight’

I’ve seen this book around, and given the subject matter, I’m not surprised it was snapped up. The book follows two teen girls, one Black and one White, who have to confront their own assumptions about racial inequality as they rely on each other to get through the violent race riot that has set their city on fire with civil unrest.

Gabrielle Union Options All Boys Aren’t Blue for TV Show Celebrating 'Queer Black Experience'

I’m posting this piece because it illuminates how (per my piece below) you can portray “ownvoices” stories as an ally, if it’s clearly a story near and dear to your heart (i.e.; you know someone intimately in that population, and you’re an advocate for their cause, etc.) But, it’s still an area best left to those who live the experience (which this is as the author wrote it as a memoir.)

Sarah Pinsker’s ‘A Song For A New Day’ Novel In Works As TV Series

So, yeah, they say timing is everything and oh-boy-oh-boy, this story couldn’t be more timely. A Song for A New Day follows a young talent scout whose childhood was shaped by the isolation of both terror attacks and global pandemics, and her fraught relationship with an inspiring musician as they navigate a world where public gatherings are illegal and making human connections is more difficult than ever.

NOTE - There’s a theme to all three of these acquisitions that I’ll touch on in my Final Thoughts.

Jessica Kingsley Publishers: Open to Proposals

This is a U.K. based nonfiction publisher that was merged into the Hachette UK family. Their focus seems to be on parenting, mental health, and self development, but I thought it was interesting that they mentioned an interest in graphic novels, aimed at kids, that touch on those topics as well.

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Opinion Piece

The Thorny Issue of Representation

There have been a few issues that have popped up in both publishing and entertainment news this week that speak to the time, but I’m only going to highlight two for this post.

Upcoming YA Novel 'Ember Days' Canceled by Author and

Jenny Slate Apologized For Voicing A Black Character On Netflix And Resigned From The Show

In the YA example, the white author wrote about Black Gullah culture and had a Gullah-descended protagonist. In the Netflix example, the white actor was providing the voice for a mixed-raced character on the animated show, Big Mouth. That character, Missy, is the only main character of color on the show.

In both cases, the author/actor proactively decided to withdraw from the work. It wasn’t a case of being hounded out; although obviously, both the current climate and social media played a role.

In both cases, I actually believe the author/artist did the right thing. Not because I don’t think a creator or artist can portray a character outside of their own race or culture. But I do think there’s a difference between portraying characters of different races that can, largely, be played by any race versus portraying characters whose race (or ethnic identity, or orientation, or physical condition) play a big part in defining that character and setting them apart.

It gets tricky because you want your characters to be diverse (and they should be diverse; we live in an incredibly diverse world!) And you also want to make sure that your character, in their totality, rings true. I think the gray area comes in when you begin to portray an experience that’s not one you’ve lived. At that point, you have to ask yourself, “As fascinated by this character and topic as I am, am I the best person to tell this story? Or, am I simply capitalizing on its popularity or uniqueness?”

I always write large, multicultural ensemble casts. That’s just my thing. And my characters are representative of most races, religions, and ethnicities (especially since many of them are mixed-race.) Now, while I do still have some trepidation about this, at times, I’m also a person of color, with immigrant parents, who grew up in an extremely racially and ethnically mixed family and social environment. Basically, I grew up in a mini-U.N. And, especially growing up as a Caribbean-American in Texas, I had more in common with my Chinese-American, Indian-American, and Latino-American friends than I did with my Black classmates. Essentially, there were a lot of shared experiences between us, and that’s what I routinely draw from.

Also, representation is so incredibly important to me, that I do willingly, but carefully, venture into including characters of different sexual orientations. Again, the main storylines are never really about that aspect of their life, but as fully fleshed out characters in the story, that aspect of their identity does come into play.

Oddly, though, while I feel comfortable writing male characters, I’m not sure that I am, nor will I ever be, comfortable writing non-binary characters, for example. To some degree, that’s a matter of exposure. I know some non-binary people, but not intimately. And so even if their gender wasn’t a major aspect of the story, I don’t know that I could do that character justice. Essentially, there are writers much better equipped to offer that particular representation than I am. And so my job becomes more to celebrate and support those writers, rather than to appropriate an identity as a character trait.

Does that all make sense? I don’t know…like I said, representation. It’s a thorny issue. What do you think?

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Final Thoughts

While I didn’t list each and every adaptation or option deal that I spotted this week (Hugh Howey had a big one), I did list those that shared a common theme—one you’ve heard me tout before. All three works are very, very timely. None were written to capitalize on immediate world events, but they all captured a certain zeitgeist and chose to focus a lens on them. No matter your genre, if you’re looking for ways that you can get more industry attention on your work, ask yourself how can you elevate the themes that your story touches upon to take a deeper look at issues that we’re grappling with today.

I have a horror story idea that takes an unflinching look at the potential dangers of artificial intelligence and a near-future sci-fi story that examines the changing nature of work and the costs when your livelihood is solely dependent on either the public via social media or institutions via indentured servitude. I’m working on both projects, but I can’t get them out fast enough to feel like I’m not missing out on a huge window of opportunity to explore very relevant and topical issues. I have other projects, but given that agents, editors, and producers are clamoring for stories with a deeper message or that tackle challenging societal questions, I need to light a fire under my ass and just find a way to get these projects done.

Do you have a story that captures the zeitgeist? Have you started working on it already? I would love to know how it’s going for you!

~ Paula G.