Why did you write Being the Strong Man A Woman Wants?
Many women are frustrated with men today. … To avoid being accused of being controlling, many men have gone to the other extreme. They think that by leaving leadership and decisions to the woman, they’re being sensitive, nice guys. I wrote Being the Strong Man A Woman Wants to share the insight and wisdom that fathers and other older male role-models used to teach younger men about being a man—insight on showing leadership, making decisions, and taking responsibility—traits which interestingly coincided with what I heard women complain is lacking in men today.

What was your favorite part of writing this book? The greatest challenge?
My favorite part is seeing how the book is making a difference in so many people’s lives. Women ask how they can get their husbands/boyfriends to read the book. Men ask why someone didn’t tell them this before. Divorced women comment that if their husbands had understood the truths in the book, their marriages would not have disintegrated.

The most interesting challenge was changing the way the book was promoted. At first I was talking to men—I’d tell them to read the book, “Don’t show it to your wife. Just do it. Things will be better.” What happened? Women buy a lot of the books and tell their husbands to read it. I now focus on publicizing the book to women and men.

How did you go about getting it published?
I was already working with a small press for my other books.

Why did you decide to sell foreign rights to your book? How did you go about doing so?
As a result of the book being displayed at Book Expo America, I was approached by publishers from several countries. I then decided to approach literary agents in other countries. I found names and contact information on the Internet. Translation rights have been sold to publishers in 15 countries in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. It shows that though cultures may be different, human nature is similar. (*More info on selling foreign rights at the end of the interview.)

How is this book different from your previous non-fiction books?
Being the Strong Man A Woman Wants is a story of a grandfather teaching his grandson insights about being a man. … It is a journey of personal growth. My earlier books are also about journeys, [but] in the outdoors—they are hiking and bicycling guides. Two popular ones are Great Country Walks Around Toronto and The Great Toronto Bicycling Guide.

How do you balance your public speaking career with writing?
Right now speaking to groups is a priority. The insight in this book is making a difference in many people’s relationships. One of the best ways to share it is speaking to groups—large and small. For writers who don’t have public speaking experience: Join Toastmasters. It can help you discover you’re a great speaker.

Advice for writers?
Be innovative. Think out of the box. Do something different. When I started writing Being the Strong Man A Woman Wants, it was to help me (and my friends) learn insights about being a man. I realized that all of us have been influenced by similar ideas and values. I wasn’t the only one looking for them. There may be many people who are looking to learn [from what] you are writing about.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
The importance of developing other communication skills, such as public speaking, impromptu speaking, how to persuade and influence others, how to put together a persuasive argument, and how to negotiate.

It’s also important to understand publishing contracts, learn the business side of writing and publishing, and participate in it.

*Selling Your Book’s Foreign Rights

1. Prepare an email that sells the book and include:
– Successes to date, including sales figures and other rights sales
– A short summary of the book and the table of contents
– Reviews and endorsements of the book
– Links to the book’s Web site, its page on Amazon.com, and radio and TV coverage
Offer to send a copy of the book and ask for the agent’s mailing address.

2. Research foreign rights agents. Good literary agents know the publishers in their markets.
– Consult the list of foreign rights agents in International Literary Market Place, available in the reference section of many libraries.
– Google “foreign rights agents” and “foreign rights.” Results will include publishers’ Web pages with names and contact information for their foreign rights agents.
– To find agents who specialize in a certain genre, such as children’s books, go to web sites of publishers of that genre and look at their list of foreign rights agents.

3. Send agents the email about your book.
– When you receive a positive response, send the book with hard copies of reviews and anything else agents can use to sell the book. Most foreign rights agents charge 10 percent commission on the advance and royalties.

4. Support your agents’ efforts:
– Send updates on other rights’ sales, reviews, and other media coverage for the agent to send to publishers.

5. When you get an offer: Negotiate the contract.
– Foreign rights contracts usually grant the publisher only the right to publish the book in its language. All other rights, such as serial rights, are usually retained. Ask your agent about withholding tax that is paid to that country’s government. It’s usually 10 to 15 percent.

What inspired you to first start writing?
I’ve always been passionate about writing. In fact, I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember. A few years ago, my mom was cleaning out the garage and came across my first attempt at a “novel,” a handwritten story—complete with illustrations and pages stapled together—about the Bobbsey Twins going to Ohio to solve the mystery of my dad’s missing tuxedo. I think I wrote it when I was 5 or 6!

How did you end up writing chick lit?
I wrote my first novel when I was 23, and chick lit was very much what I was reading at the time. But I think that as I’ve grown up in the genre, the genre itself has grown too. I’m very, very proud to write this type of fiction; I think it’s grown exponentially beyond the stigma it had a decade ago. The chick lit that is being published now is smart, funny, and heartfelt, and I think much of it speaks to the real issues women are confronting in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. I really enjoy delving deeply into issues and presenting fun, enjoyable stories with a nice, feel-good lesson.

How did you go about getting published?
I wrote my first novel, How to Sleep with a Movie Star, then I handed it over to my agent, whom I had signed with while trying to write a non-fiction book about how to survive your 20s. The non-fiction book never went anywhere, but my agent began shopping Movie Star around, and I was lucky enough that editor Amy Einhorn, who at the time was in charge of Warner Books’ new 5 Spot imprint, spotted it and decided to take a chance on me. I’ll be forever grateful to her for that.

What was your favorite thing about writing Italian for Beginners? The greatest challenge?
I really enjoyed reliving my own experiences in Rome (and Venice) while writing the novel. I also liked creating a world that opened up so many new possibilities for Cat, the main character. Perhaps the biggest challenge was trying to truly capture the magic of Rome, something that I found difficult to do with mere words. I hope that, in the end, I was able to do so!

What would you recommend for someone who wants to start writing fiction?
I would recommend reading as much as possible, across several different genres, not just the genre you intend to write in. Then, once you have an idea for a novel, I recommend reading a few of your favorite books in your intended genre, and outlining each of them to get an idea of structure and pacing. Once you’ve outlined a few books, try writing your own outline, following the same sort of pacing model. This outline will help give you a road map to writing your book.

You also teach and write articles, how do you balance everything?
Good question! I think I’m a bit of a workaholic, and my friends would probably tell you that often, I don’t do a great job of balancing everything. I work a lot of late nights and weekends. But on the flip side, I’m happiest when I’m busy.

How important is diversification for a writer?
I think that if the recent economic situation has taught writers anything, it’s that our profession isn’t always on 100 percent solid ground. I think that keeping up with a few different kinds of writing—writing novels and writing for magazines, for example—helps give you some job security. In addition, I think that when you’re doing different sorts of writing, your creativity is being fueled from numerous angles, which can only help.

Any similarities between short and long form? What are the big differences?
I don’t write a lot of short stories, but writing novels at about 90,000 words, and writing articles for People at about 500 words are as different as night and day. Plus, of course a novel is fictional, and a People-article is 100 percent factual. There’s very little overlap between the two forms, other than trying to get your point across concisely, without wasting words, while conveying the necessary emotion.

Any additional advice for writers?
My best advice for writers is probably the simplest: Just write. I think that it’s easy to continue putting off a writing project, citing a lack of time. But if you’re serious about writing a novel, figure out how to carve an hour or two out of each day that you can truly dedicate to your novel. Just an hour a day will be enough to complete a chapter a week, which means you should have a first draft done in about six months. And don’t judge yourself or second-guess yourself along the way. Just write! You can edit the heck out of your rough draft later.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
That writing a novel isn’t as daunting as one would think. Just break it down into manageable chunks—say a chapter a week—and it becomes a totally attainable goal.

(Photo Credit: Mathias Mullins)

When and why did you become a writer?
The funny thing is that I hated writing and all forms of creativity as I was growing up. Something, some time, must have shut me down, though I don’t remember now what that might have been. All I know is that I avoided writing and focused all my attention on math, where there was only one right answer.

In a sense, my Muse tricked me into becoming a writer. Or, rather, she pulled me along—“safe”-step by safe-step—until I was hooked.

It began in high school when I was volunteered to coordinate publicity for a school play and had to learn how to write press releases. That PR-related writing continued through college and into my first jobs out of university. From there I ultimately moved into newspaper and magazine work as a freelance writer and editor. It was during that period that a colleague somehow talked me into attending a creative-writing workshop.

Until then, my stereotyped view of writing workshops had involved public humiliation: You’d read what you’d written and would then be viciously critiqued. This workshop was nothing like that. It was nurturing, supportive, and creatively awakening.

My earliest creative writing focused on poetry. But within a few years of that life-changing workshop, I had begun work on the fantasy novel that would become The MoonQuest.

What are the top three ways writers can hone/enhance their creativity?
1. Recognize that there are no rules in creativity. Your page is blank for a reason. Creativity is not about formulas and repeating what’s been done before. It’s about invention and individuality. Be yourself and free yourself to express that individuality on the page—without second-guessing, self-criticism, or judgment.

2. Read. Anything good. Often. For fun. Don’t feel you need to analyze what you read. The more you read, the more you will absorb other authors’ techniques, successes, and failures. The more you read, the more you will intuitively know what works and what doesn’t—in their work and in your own.

3. Write. That’s what a writer does. It doesn’t matter what you write as long as you’re writing. And as long as you’re writing, you’ll be stretching your creative muscle and honing your craft.

What inspires you?
I believe that inspiration is present for us everywhere. We just need to keep our eyes—and hearts—open to see and feel it.

Having said that, nature is one of my most powerful inspirations. It’s not that I write about nature or that the natural world I experience finds a direct way into my writing (although it happens). It’s more about how certain natural settings touch me deeply and, thus, open me to the voice of my muse.

I’ve lived in some very inspiring places (and visited even more). Most of the first two drafts of my novel The MoonQuest, for example, were written in rural Nova Scotia, a profoundly mystical place. The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write was birthed when I lived in Hawaii. Sedona, Arizona, was the birthplace of The StarQuest, my in-progress MoonQuest sequel.

These days, I live in the high-desert foothills of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Although no Sandia topography has appeared in The StarQuest, I know that these mountains are part of the inspiration that is getting the book done. It’s the view I wake up to, and it’s the view I see from my desk.

Why did you choose to write in the fantasy genre?
I can’t say that I chose the fantasy genre. Like so much else in my life, it chose me … and I surrendered. The MoonQuest “happened” to me one evening when I was teaching a writing class and decided to do the exercise I had just presented. What emerged was the first draft of a novel I knew nothing about and had no conscious plan to write. (I told this story in more detail a while back on my New Earth Chronicles blog.

Are there certain elements that are “musts” for writing fantasy?
The only rule I believe in is that there are none. Whether in fantasy or any other genre, it’s important to write from your heart to the reader’s. If you do that, you’ll touch your reader deeply, regardless of your topic or genre.

How did “The Voice of the Muse” come about?
The Voice of the Muse was also not consciously planned. I wrote many of its inspirational vignettes originally for myself, longhand in my car, at a time when I was feeling stuck in my own writing. It was only a few years later, when The MoonQuest was with an agent, that it suddenly occurred to me that I might have enough material from those jottings to put into a book. I did, and an early version of The Voice of the Muse: Answering the Call to Write resulted.

Once The MoonQuest was out, I expanded that initial version of The Voice of the Muse by about one-third.

How was the writing process different from/similar to writing The MoonQuest?
Of course, there will always be differences between writing fiction and nonfiction. But in one major sense, both books were written identically: I didn’t plan either of them. Instead, by doing my best to stay in a place of creative openness, I was available when those initial writings sparked within me and I chose, as I said earlier, to surrender fully to them, relinquishing control to each book’s inherent (and superior) wisdom.

As for differences, I wrote The MoonQuest largely in sequence, while The Voice of the Muse came out in no particular order. The published version of The MoonQuest follows pretty much the same chronology as the first draft. With The Voice of the Muse, I had a stack of disconnected essays, vignettes, exercises, and writing tips. Through a process of intuition and discernment—what I sometimes call “listening to the completed book”—I was able to create order from the apparent chaos.

How did you go about getting your books published?
With a lot of patience! Ironically, one of the first agents I queried about The MoonQuest immediately wanted to see the complete manuscript—and loved it. Unfortunately, as much as she believed in it, she was never able to place it with a fantasy publisher. Nor was she able to find a home for that earlier, shorter version of The Voice of the Muse.

After several more rounds of mostly unanswered query letters to agents, I chose to create an independent publishing house of my own to produce The MoonQuest and, later, The Voice of the Muse book and its companion CD. Many people warned me against this path, but the praise and awards I’ve received for both books (and a movie deal in negotiation for The MoonQuest) has, I believe, proved me right and all those agents wrong!

Additional advice for writers?
Trust the story, even if you don’t yet know what it is. Trust your innate creativity. Take it word by word and allow your pen or the keyboard to spell out the story for you. Allow yourself to be the passenger on your creative journey, not the driver. … If you can begin to believe that your story always knows best, you’ll never go wrong.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started writing?
Everything! I still wish that. Seriously, writing for me is a constant journey of discovery and self-discovery. The only way to approach it is with that blank page I spoke of earlier. All these years later, I’m still a beginner, wishing I knew it all yet knowing that only from the emptiness of beginner’s mind can creation truly birth.

As we went through goals, we talked about things from Shakespeare to self-publishing. Also discussed: When it is alright to write for free (when it benefits the writer in the long- or short-term) and when it is not (whenever it lessens the value of a writer’s talent. People take you more seriously when you they pay you. If cash payment is not an option, then try to barter for services). Plus, the importance of quantity in words when you are on the first draft—self-editing as you write only slows down the process, and the bigger picture.

We heard poetry and prose written by: Laurie, Ally, Mason, Lindley, and Heather. Thanks for sharing! Such amazing talent in our group.

New Write On! Contest is coming soon. In the meantime, post your goals in the comments section below or on the Write On! Facebook Fan Page.

Until next time, Happy Writing!

Blake Snyder, screenwriter, mentor, and author of the Save the Cat!® series, died suddenly on August 4, 2009, of a pulmonary embolism. Blake loved helping writers. I feel fortunate to have interviewed him on behalf of Write On! just last month. Read the Q&A here: http://bit.ly/3M8TWr. A celebration of Blake’s life is being planned—details to come—and a memorial fund has already been set up. Details at www.blakesnyder.com.

NEWS

Congratulations to Chris Veeneman, August winner of an iScript, for posting goals on Write On! Online. Post your September goals on the Write On! Online Facebook Page, and be entered in the monthly drawing to win a FREE iScript.

Congratulations to poet Alemayehu T Alemayehu on his book Haiku, released on August 2.

Gregory Jacobs’ “Rude Crew” Videos are available on the Write On! Facebook page, as well as YouTube.

CJ Larson is singing in a new band called Greenlight (www.greenlightsound.com) and is performing at various venues this month. Also, CJ had an article that was first introduced at a Write On! meeting published in the current issue of Whole Life Times magazine this month. It’s on page 50.

Angel Murchison’s radio show “Destiny Moments with Angel Murchison” airs Friday afternoons in Albuquerque, NM at 2:30 mountain, 4:30 eastern, 3:30 central. For more info, go to www.mykkim.com.

Check out horror author and film producer Lia Scott Price’s new blog and Creative Writing Student Fund at http://liascottprice.blogspot.com. Price created the blog to help aspiring filmmakers and writers in the horror and sci fi genre.

Producer John Paul Rice had two very successful screenings of his film One Hour Fantasy Girl in Louisville, KY. The film is now available to rent or own on Amazon VOD.

Write On! Member Richard Rossi just signed a contract with Savant Books to publish his first novel, Stick Man. Congrats!

Deborah Reber (http://writeononline.com/2008/12/02/author-qa-deborah-reber-chill/) created and edited a series of teen-authored memoirs for HCI Books. The series—Louder Than Words—features three incredibly talented young women who penned their memoirs and are making their debuts as published authors.

Pamela Redmond Satran’s new book How Not To Act Old, based on her blog, was released last week. A novelist, non-fiction author, and journalist Pamela participated in a Write On! Q&A last April.

Paul Sinor sends regards from Florida, where he is currently teaching at the University of West Florida.

John West’s book—The Last Goodnights—has been adopted by two different UCLA classes, and is being considered by several other classes there, as well as other universities and colleges. Check out the Write On! interview with John.

The August StoryLink eZine theme is Humor Writing.

EVENTS

Write On! Breaking Through Writers Block will be on Saturday, August 15, starting at 1:30 pm, at The Learning Garden at Venice High School. The workshop will offer strategies for brainstorming, project management, and staying on track! Bring paper, pen, and your favorite excuses for procrastinating! Suggested donation $25! RSVP by August 14th. For details: check out StoryLink (http://www.storylink.com/event/writeonwritersblock) or the Write On! Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/writeononline). Or email writeononline@yahoo.com.

Great Kids Event: Author (and Write On! member) Elaina Redmond and Illustrator Scott Stewart (flying in from Tennessee) are launching their new children’s book, The Power of the Penny, at 1 pm on Saturday, August 15, at Barnes & Noble, The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive in Los Angeles. For more information, contact elainared@aol.com.

The next MedioBistro Mixer—a book release party for Kristin Harmel’s Italian for Beginners—and hosted by Michelle Thatcher, Beth Howard, and Debra Eckerling - will be at ECCO Lounge in Hollywood from 7pm – 9pm on August 19. For details and to RSVP: http://www.ersvp.com/reply/cocktailpartyla

The UCLA Writers Faire, presented by the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, will be on Sunday, August 30, from 11 am – 3 pm at the Young Hall Courtyard on the UCLA campus. The event includes 24 mini-panels and lectures on the art, craft, and business of writing. Admission is FREE. Parking on campus in Lot 2 is $10.

Meditation Thursday Nights at the Learning Garden. Gates open at 7 pm; Meditation begins promptly at 7:30 pm. Please dress in layers and bring a blanket and cushion to sit on. Meditation goes for about 40 minutes around a fire in the peaceful surroundings of the Garden. Donations go to the Learning Garden. For more information contact Camille at (310) 382-4323.

Want to hear your work read? AltScreenPlay meets on Thursdays 7:30 – 10 pm, at Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice, CA, and is moderated by Matt Byrnes, mbbyrnes@gmail.com. First reading starts at 8 pm; and readings begin in the order in which the author arrived. Bring 1-10 pages of your screenplay, and make enough copies for each role. No RSVP necessary. Feel free to sit in without bringing any material of your own. For more information: http://inscreenwriting.com.

The Los Angeles Public Library now has a Screenwriters Workshop four Saturdays of the month at different branches, from 10:30 am – 12 pm, and every Sunday in the Farmers Market community room from 3 – 5 pm, hosted by Sasha Karova. Learn format and workshop original material (screenplays, 1/2 hour sitcom, and 1/2 hour and 1 hour episodic) with an open reading or read-through. Open reading is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please RSVP to WritersUnblock@aol.com.

Writers Boot Camp hosts networking breakfasts on Wednesdays each month: breakfast starts at 7:45 am, speakers begin at 8:30 am. Mention Write On! and receive the Write On! Breakfast rate of $15 (regular price is $25). Write On! members also receive a discount on enlistment in Writers Boot Camp. http://www.writersbootcamp.com/29distinction.asp. For more information and/or to rsvp to the business breakfast, contact Christine Baroumand at 800/800-1733 ext. 313, or christine@writersbootcamp.com.

WRITE ON!
Our September Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 9. Please have newsletter items to me by September 7.

Write On! Online Author Q&As are now every Tuesday and Friday. Check out the columns posted since the last newsletter:

Susan Doll, Elvis for Dummies

Filmmaker Justine Jacobs, Paper or Plastic?

Jennie Bentley, Spackled and Spooked
Barbara Ransom & Joel Harris, Smooshy Strawberries
Blake Snyder, Save the Cat®! Series
Animation Writer Brooks Wachtel
Sci Fi Writer Bruce Golden, Evergreen
Martha Burns, Belly Dance! Celebrating the Sacred Feminine
19-year-old Author Isabel Kaplan, Hancock Park

William Rabkin, Psych: Mind Over Magic

Published authors: Share your knowledge by participating in a Write On! Q&A. Email writeononline@yahoo.com for more information. Also, if you have previously participated in an Author Q&A, please keep us posted on current projects!

Also, read “Jen’s Gems … for the Healthy Writer: A Pain in the Neck” by Seattle-based movement and fitness coach Jennifer Waak.

FINAL NOTE

A new Write On! Contest is coming soon! Watch the website and Facebook Page for details!

When did you first catch the writing bug?
Back in the early 1990s, I had written a few Elvis books, which came out of the research I had done for my dissertation. But, I did not consider myself a writer. I just thought that this was a bit of good luck and so I continued my career in publishing as an editor, which I really enjoyed. When I was laid off from the publishing company (PIL), I worked as a freelance editor and project manager. To my dismay, freelance editors did not garner much respect but writers always did. Even if the writer was bad and the freelance editor good, the latter did not command the same respect. When the bulk of my clients no longer hired freelance editors (as soon as George W. Bush was elected), I decided I would pursue writing as a second job, rather than editing.

Why Elvis? How did you end up with a specialty in Elvis and pop culture?
I have an MA and a PhD in radio, television, film studies from Northwestern University. I did my dissertation on Elvis Presley and how his Southern background affected his entire career. When Publications International, Ltd. (PIL) found out that I was writing my dissertation on Elvis, they came to me to write a decent career-oriented coffee-table book about him. At the time (1989), there were few coffee-table books on Elvis with beautiful photos and a positive outlook on his music/films. The book, Elvis: A Tribute to His Life, did very well. So, I wrote a few more books for PIL, though I was technically working for them as an editor. It was an unusual arrangement with them but beneficial to me in the long term.

When I decided to pursue writing as second job, I began to write articles and reviews for any client who would hire me, just to get the experience so I could bill myself as a writer for hire. Though I am a film and pop culture historian, I took jobs writing biographies on anybody for the Encyclopedia Britannica Yearbooks; I even wrote articles for them on consumer goods and trends in business/retail. Ugh!

I also wrote on history subjects for a Facts on File reference book and found I really liked researching and writing about history. I contributed an article to a book called Ordinary Reactions to Extraordinary Events (about famous disasters). Eventually, as an experienced writer, I was able to focus on film and pop culture subjects. For a while, I wrote with a partner, and we were able to land a literary agent. We wrote a book called Florida on Film, which our agent was able to sell to the University Press of Florida. Then last year, I became a contributor to Turner Classic Movies’ blog. It is a paid position and you have to have a proven background in film to be considered. I am quite proud to be one of the Movie Morlocks (the name given to the TCM bloggers). This year, my agent helped me land the Elvis for Dummies gig.

Do you have a favorite little known Elvis-fact?

I have a couple. I like little-known stories that counter the mainstream image of him as some fat, drug-addled relic of the 1970s. One of my favorites is that in 1961, in one of his last concerts until 1969, Elvis gave a benefit performance to raise money for the U.S.S. Arizona memorial in Honolulu. Fund-raising efforts had stalled, and when Elvis stepped in, not only did he raise money, he raised awareness so that other groups and individuals chipped in. Without him, efforts would have dragged on for years, or completely stalled. I believe there is a plaque near the memorial somewhere thanking him.

What was the process of getting and working on a Dummies book?
I thought interpreting Elvis’s career or analyzing his cultural significance would be a perfect topic for a Dummies book. So, I asked my agent to approach them. Coincidentally, Wiley Publishing, Inc. (the Dummies publisher) was considering branching out into pop culture, and they wanted to begin with Elvis. But, they did not know where to find a writer. Then my proposal just landed in their lap via my agent.

What was your favorite part of writing Elvis for Dummies? The greatest challenge?
I relished the opportunity to explain/interpret Elvis’s career and significance to people who might not be fans. I don’t think his entire career has ever been objectively evaluated. Books are either questionable memoirs by people who worked for him, biographies by music historians who dismiss his film career, or fawning photo books that offer no perspective. I really think that as one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, he has been given short shrift. I am satisfied that I could address that.

The most challenging part was writing in their rigid format. In a Dummies book, the idea is that someone could pick up the book in the middle and read part of a chapter and learn something. Therefore, there is built-in repetition, yet you need to be careful of sounding repetitive. Each chapter begins with the conclusion—or the main point of the chapter—in case the reader doesn’t read the whole chapter. It was like writing backwards for me!

How do you balance the elements of your career?
It’s difficult. I wish I could make enough money as a writer to work only as a writer. Between my full-time job at Facets and writing or teaching, I continually work two jobs. If I don’t have a long-term writing job, I teach for a semester. I am very fortunate that both my jobs are in my field, so in a way I feel blessed. However, I work 7 days a week. Sometimes I work all day, then come home and write/research. A day off for me is when I only work one job on that day.

What are the similarities to the types of projects that you do? The differences?
I am lucky that almost all of my work is film or pop culture-related. I research and write about film for Facets—anything from DVD wraps to booklets inserted inside the DVDs to handouts for viewers who attend our cinematheque. Then I research and write about film for the Turner website, and for the occasional additional client. Currently, I am fact-checking a book on Hollywood lore and history for PIL.

Sometimes, I will research and write about something not related to film. For example, I co-wrote a little book, which I published on ghost stories from the area of West Virginia where my family is from. The stories were told to me by the old-timers of the area, and I researched the history behind them, and a partner and I wrote them up. The people of Tyler County, WV, were so happy that a couple of writers focused attention on their area that they have been incredibly supportive. That experience has meant a great deal to me, though I will never make much money from it.

Any tricks for keeping track of research?
Wish I knew some. I am very old-fashioned regarding research. I take notes on all sources, and the act of taking notes and organizing my thoughts forces me into a rough draft in my head of what I want to say. I keep most of my paper research in files, and I have used and re-used the information in them. Everyone keeps pressuring me to incorporate my computer into organizing my research, but the creative part of research is assessing it as you read the information. There is no short cut to doing that, and for me, my process of assessment occurs when I take notes by hand.

Advice for writers?
Stay away from the Internet!!! It’s the lazy way to research. It is a source, and a poor one at that, not a substitute for a library. Of course, some subjects fare better on the Internet than others; Internet sources on pop culture/film are generally unreliable and sometimes downright dismal. Even the IMDB is not faultless, especially with foreign and documentary films. I will give you an example, with the Hollywood book I am currently fact-checking, the writers had to list their sources at the end of each piece they contributed. Those writers who used only the Internet made 50 to 75% more mistakes than those who used book sources! That’s 50 to 75%!

What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
How valuable it is to have a literary agent.

Producer/director Justine Jacob— Paper or Plastic? and 2006′s Runners High—who is also an entertainment attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area, speaks with Write On! about storytelling, as well as documentary filmmaking. Jacob is currently in development on a new project about commitment, passion and food, and three individuals using chocolate to change the world.

How did you get involved doing documentaries?
I love telling stories and I’m fascinated by telling other people’s stories in a fun, compelling way. I started working on other people’s projects and decided to jump in and do my own instead of going to film school.

How did Paper or Plastic? come about? Why this subject?
Our executive producer, Oren [Jacob], was sitting with some friends talking about their first jobs. One said, “I was a grocery bagger, but never made it out of regionals.” Oren did a double take and learned all about the competition. He called me on the way home and said, this is going to be your next subject. I went to the Utah and California competitions and knew we had a story.

How is documentary similar to narrative filmmaking? How are they different?
They are both about telling compelling stories. period. They differ in that the in documentaries, it is limited to what you capture on film. You can’t write a different ending. How you tell the ending may differ, but you’re limited to certain footage. In some ways, that’s easier because you only have so many things you can do. On the other, it’s a huge challenge, because you have very little control over it.

Is a documentary actually written? If yes, how so?
In the type of documentaries that we do—verite and following individuals without providing a narrator—it doesn’t seem written, but the fact is, we go in with a pretty good road map of where we’re headed in general. Of course, it’s impossible to stay directly on course because life happens as you film and you need to go with where the story is, but you can have a general idea and continually re-write the map. Once you have the footage, there’s a constant struggle with the story and telling that in a compelling way. Although each word may not be written out, there’s a structure, an outline and paper edit that we go through. For example, we actually use flashcards and pictures on cards to map out the story as we go. We can do quite a bit of paper editing before we even get into the room which saves time and money and energy.

What storytelling components are involved in making a documentary?
The same as in fiction films—there needs to be someone/thing we care about, a change/challenge that occurs, a desire, an inciting incident, etc.

What was your favorite part of making Paper or Plastic? The greatest challenge?
I have two. My favorite parts were the traveling to all these wonderful places to meet these individuals. It was such a positive experience getting to see the different places across the US and being welcomed into these people’s lives. And second, the editing. I loved working with the material, finding the most compelling way to tell this story and workign with such talented folks to bring out the essence of what we were making.

The greatest challenge was technical—we filmed and cut on HD and it seemed that everything that could go wrong, went wrong technically—mostly in the edit room.

How has the film festival circuit benefited you and Paper or Plastic?
The festival circuit was great to premiere at Los Angeles Film Festival and start getting the word out about the film. We make films for an audience to see, not just to subject them to friends and family, and it’s a real joy to be in a festival audience especially of people who just love seeing films. The festivals we’ve gone to treat the filmmakers so well and we fell honored to be there.

What’s next?
We are working on getting our next film—Chocolate—funded, as well as a few short films we have in the works. We want to keep telling stories.

Advice for filmmakers and other creative professionals who want to get their work seen?
Keep putting it out there. Festivals are great, but not the end all and in fact they cost a lot of money. If you don’t get into festivals, put it out yourself, put it on iTunes, promote it yourself and find your audience. Don’t wait for others to tell you it’s OK to put your film out there—just do it. The social networking tools available these days are incredible. No one really knows what they’re doing, so don’t take expensive seminars. Look at a few films that are doing it well and follow what they do. And again, just do it.

What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
Phew—there’s a binder full of those things! Since I’m on the other end of both films now, I guess it would be how difficult distribution is, the options available, and to not wait for permission to distribute our films.

How did this book series come about?
I actually wrote a different book first. It’s called A Cutthroat Business, and will be released in June 2010. It is about a realtor who stumbles over a dead body in an empty house. The manuscript made it to an editor at Berkley Prime Crime, and although she didn’t feel it was right for them—they have a very narrow focus on what they call crafts and activities—she liked my writing. Once she realized that I have a background in real estate and renovation, she asked if I’d be interested in writing a series about a renovator for them. Something to take advantage of the interest in HGTV and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Something with tips for DIY projects, and maybe a hot handyman with tight jeans and power tools. I figured there were worse ways to break into publishing than what was then a three-book contract with Penguin, so I jumped at the chance.

What was your favorite part of writing Spackled and Spooked? The greatest challenge?
Spackled and Spooked was a pretty easy book to write, everything considered. Not that it’s ever easy to write any book, really, but I’ve certainly had a more difficult time with others. Fatal Fixer-Upper, the first in the series, was a horrible pain to get right. I had to completely rewrite it twice. By the time I started Spackled and Spooked, I’d gotten to know the characters and the setting and the whole set-up well enough to make for an easier time, besides which it’s a nicely linear, not too complicated story.

My biggest problem in writing anything fictional is usually plot, making the whole thing hang together and make sense, without giving away too much along the way. Part of the fun of reading a mystery—at least to me—is trying to figure out whodunnit before the revelation at the end, and to do that, there has to be enough information to be fair, but not so much that it gives the outcome away. It’s a fine balance, and one not always easy to achieve.

How did you get involved doing renovation?
My husband and I bought our first house in 2000. We were young and poor, so the house was small and cheap, and needed some updating. We were able to increase the value quite a lot just by making minor improvements. We sold it two years later at a nice profit, and bought another. And then we did it again. And again. By now, it’s been nine years, and we’re on our ninth house. … Old houses have so much character, such wonderful features, and it’s something like a calling, almost, to take a house that’s been neglected and abused and bring it back to vibrant life.

What was your experience getting you book(s) published?
I wrote the manuscript for A Cutthroat Business in about six months, and started querying agents with it. It took about four months and 40 queries (and some tweaking of the manuscript) before I had one. She started sending it to editors at publishing houses, and one of them offered me the opportunity to write the DIY-series. That was about six-months later. Fatal Fixer-Upper was released a year and a half after that, since I had to physically write it before the publishing process could start. Getting A Cutthroat Business signed for publication was a lot harder and more time consuming. We sent the manuscript to every publishing house we could think of, and everyone turned it down… until just before Christmas 2008, when it made it into the hands of the senior editor at a small independent publisher in New England. … The book will be published in June 2010.

What is the importance of mixing things (ideas, topics, genres: home renovation and murder) up when writing fiction?
As someone who writes a series, I have to keep certain things the same in all the books. Readers come to them expecting familiarity, and that’s what I have to deliver. At the same time, each book has to be different from the others, because no one likes to read the same story over and over again. My books are set up so that my main character Avery Baker and her sidekick, handyman Derek Ellis, renovate a different house in each book. There are fresh dead bodies in each, too, but there is also always a “history mystery,” a riddle from the past that is somehow connected to the current house or plot.

In a broader sense, too much mixing of things, especially genres, makes a manuscript a hard-sell. My genre is cozy mystery, which lately has come to be synonymous with cutesy, crafty mysteries about scrapbookers, knitters, petsitters, and bakers. The genre sells well, and for someone who wants to write in it, it’s important to stay within certain parameters.

The same thing goes for other genres, as well, of course. They’ve all got their guidelines, and for a reason. For most writers hoping to be published, writing within the lines is the best way to go. Cross-genre is hard to sell, because editors are going to have a hard time imagining where to market it. That said, it’s important to come up with a new twist on what is sought. For instance, there are tons of culinary mysteries out there in cozy-land, but culinary is a hot subject, so a fresh approach will likely work. Something like putting together culinary and pets into a dog bakery, for instance.

How much of your books are based on personal experiences? You know, other than the mystery part.
Hah! All the renovating and house-related stuff, I guess. I’ve wielded my fair share of hammers, sanders, and paint brushes. I spent a half dozen years living in New York City in my early twenties, and. although I wasn’t born there, like Avery, I can relate to her feelings of being stuck on the outer edge of the back-beyond once she gets to Maine. When I moved from New York to a much smaller place in the South, it took a long time for me to get used to the slower pace and the fact that I couldn’t have whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

Oh, and Derek looks quite a lot like my husband, too.

What factors specific to the mystery genre do writers need to know?
It’s good to keep up with what are the ‘in’ genres (within mystery) at any given time. For a while, while Janet Evanovich and Stephanie Plum were the hottest thing out there—not that they’re not hot right now—everyone wanted to write the next Stephanie Plum. The market got flooded with Stephanie Plum clones, and readers overdosed on the sassy heroine and the hot, mysterious love interest. These days, historical mysteries seem to be very popular, and there are a lot of historical series being picked up by publishing companies. Along with, of course, the ever popular thriller and romantic suspense.

That doesn’t mean you should sit down and write what is popular right now, though, because by the time you’re finished writing it, it may not be popular anymore.

Additional advice for writers?
Read a lot. Anything, really; not just the stuff in your genre. Good writing is good writing wherever you find it. And then write a lot. AIC—ass in chair—every day, or as often as you can manage. It may seem like some people are born with the ability to string words together in a way that’ll make you weep with joy, but writing is a craft, and as such can be learned, or at least developed. If you read a lot, syntax and flow and rhythm will just sort of seep into your brain without much conscious effort, and you’ll be a better writer for it. And that’s without actually analyzing what you read, which is very helpful if you’re able to do it. Picking it apart rather ruins the enjoyment of a good book, but it’s helpful in developing craft.

Secondly, learn as much as you can about the business of publishing. These days, even the most brilliant writer doesn’t stand a chance unless he or she knows how to play the game and can navigate the ins and outs of the process.

What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your career?
I wish I would have figured out much sooner how the business of writing and publishing works. I got my first rejection letter eight or nine years ago, at a time when I thought I might want to write romance novels, mainly because someone had told me it was ‘easy’ to get published in romance. (Break for cynical laughter here.) So I wrote a synopsis—not a book, just the synopsis—and sent it off to New York. A couple of weeks later, I received a two-page personalized letter from an editor at Harlequin outlining everything that was wrong with my “book” and detailing what she thought I might do to improve it. These days, I know that this is code for, “Fix this and send it back to me,” but then I hadn’t a clue, so I put it in a drawer and never looked at it again. I even stopped writing for several years after that, because I obviously didn’t have what it takes: I’d gotten rejected, and in a genre where it was ‘easy’ to get published! It’s galling to realize that if I’d known then what I know now, I might have gotten published years ago. It just goes to show the importance of doing research on the business you’re hoping to enter.

Some suggestions: Take an improv or dance class, choose a place you’ve been wanting to explore – and walk there, try surfing. You can also post about an adventure you just had over the weekend.

One week left to submit. Posts are due next Monday, August 10. The winning post will receive The Write Environment DVD interview with Entourage creator Doug Ellin and have their story in the August Write On! Newsletter.

Questions, email writeononline@yahoo.com.Happy Writing!