Round 3: The Wonders of Another Killer Nashville
No matter how you do it and how you approach it, writing is a lonely job. Even authors who let AI write their books for them have to sit in a chair and produce words.
You can’t carry on a conversation with another person, and you can’t let yourself be distracted by your environment or other people. You don’t have to be surrounded by silence, but you have to think about that’s right for the story and right for you to be writing at the moment.
I recently learned that writing is also full of procrastination. For some of us who have written professionally for years, this isn’t a revelation. It’s more of a confirmation.
But, yes, apparently procrastination is a thing. As in many, many, many authors and would-be authors drown themselves in putting off what they should be doing.
Instead of working on a keyboard, they:
Check their social media accounts
Call friends
Text friends
Pay bills
Turn their attention to Netflix
Look out the window
Do laundry
Go for a walk
Go for a bike ride
Go for a drive
Prepare breakfast/lunch/dinner
Do a home repair
Take a nap
I could go on, but you see the picture. There’s literally nothing you can’t substitute for writing when, in fact, you should be writing.
Killer Nashville Motivates
Imagine, then, how joyful I was when the dog days of August rolled in and the calendar said it was time to drive to Killer Nashville! (Answer: very joyful.)
This was my third trip to Cool Springs, Tenn., for the mystery authors event. In Year 25, it did not disappoint.
And yet, I was surprised when organizer Clay Stafford asked for a show of hands from the audience of those people who were attending the event for the first time. At least one-third of the participants, maybe more, raised their hands.
At various points of the conference, a panel host or panelist gazed beyond the microphones to ask a similar question: How many of you are trying to publish your first book? Answer: Many people there. Lucky them. This was a good place to be.
Stafford has designed his killer conference around one central idea, that we can all learn from one another, no matter where we are on our publishing journey. In the months leading up to the annual August event, Authors who register are encouraged to take part in multiple ways, such as:
Entering a polished manuscript for the Claymore Awards, which honor the best unpublished books
Entering a published book for the Silver Falchion Awards, which commemorate the best in their genre
Volunteering to chair a multi-author panel
Stepping up to participate in a multi-author panel about one of many specific topics of craft, marketing or publishing
Pitching (and putting together) a solo or duo presentation on a topic in which they’re expert
If you get picked to give a presentation or be on an author panel, you’re part of the Killer Nashville “faculty.”
A message from Stafford goes out to the masses at the initial all-attendee session. There’s a lot of value in all the organized sessions over four days, but there’s more value available for those who welcome it. That value comes from networking.
Say hello to agents. Introduce yourself to editors and publishers. Talk to your fellow attendees. Connect with somebody. Make new friends. Find a writing or critique partner.
All of us have to find our way along this journey. Sometimes — many times — it’s a solo endeavor.
But there’s a bug in that approach. You can’t publish your best book without a team of people around you. You need someone to tell you that your story is valid and organized and that it hits all the right touchstones for the genre. You need a copy editor to help you polish. You need a proofreader to steer you away from dumb mistakes.
You need someone to design your cover. Maybe someone to format your finished manuscript for an agent, publisher or for Kindle. And that’s just the short list.
Multi-award-winning author Debra Goldstein speaks at Killer Nashville. Credit: David Ryan
Advice from The Judge
A multiple Killer Nashville attendee is Debra Goldstein, a recently retired judge. Goldstein is a productive and successful mystery author — and a former Silver Falchion winner. She started writing crime novels while working as a litigator, then as a judge, winning multiple awards.
This year, she delivered one of the keynote addresses in Nashville, one about the topic of how necessary it can be for an author to pivot along the path to success.
Goldstein is an example of one successful way to navigate this strange business. Yes, she writes award-winning short stories and novels. But she has also served in leadership positions for national author groups Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and the Guppies. This from a self-described introvert.
As for pivoting, Goldstein’s message was direct. Agents can come and go. Publisher can come and go. Genre popularity always comes and goes.
You might start writing a thriller and you think of yourself as a thriller author, but it turns out you’re writing a mystery — and you’re better in that genre. Take advantage and make the change.
Or, you have never written a short story before, never mind with the sole purpose of getting it published in a crime-writing magazine. But you might need that published story to help establish your writing bona fides. So, do that.
You might not have the confidence to sit (or stand) in front of a small audience and give your thoughts when asked at Killer Nashville. Do it.
Goldstein has pivoted in her career and recently has discovered the ultimate life pivot: how to carry on after your spouse dies. She moved from her longtime home in Alabama to Atlanta to be closer to family (and grandkids).
The Psychologist
For me, the most fascinating session was that of psychologist Brent Maguire, who took a group of authors through the reasons we procrastinate and how to fix that.
Dr. Maguire is a mystery novelist (six books so far), which gives him plenty of experience of staring at a keyboard and blank screen for longer than he should. He distilled a six-hour presentation to 45 minutes. (Yeah, it wasn’t long enough, and we all wanted way more information).
Long story short, Maguire gave us a handful of techniques to jolt us back into writing mode. But he also cautioned that sitting down to write for several hours is unrealistic. Our brains aren’t wired to be in writing mode for that long.
He doesn’t believe this is a “one-size fits all” approach, but: “Aim for 90 minutes,” he said. Take a break (or two), reset yourself and get back at it.
Work the process at the beginning of a writing session, which includes getting in the proper frame of mind and planning the session. At the end, review the session and celebrate any wins. “Any win is good!” he said. Also make a mental note of where to begin the next time around.
“The good news,” he said, “is that I’ll give you the secrets. The bad news is that for them to work, you have to do them.”
That’s not the only good news. Maguire wrote about the science and the techniques he espouses in his e-book: “Blueprint for Writers: A Science-Backed Guide To Creative Success.”
My notes from my time in Nashville were reinvigorating. They helped me procrastinate, in fact. Time’s up.
Time to sit down again and write.
