I met Stephanie Walker before she became Stephanie Walker. She was Stephanie Weinert, engaged to Bob Walker. We were both in the USC Master’s of Professional Writing program, struggling to keep up with deadlines, churning out plays, short stories, novel ideas. She was also planning a wedding. Over a year or two, I became good — Read More
Category: Publishing
Confessions of an unpublished novelist
Sometimes I think it would be liberating if all my old manuscript pages went up in flames. When I say, “I’m researching,” it’s just code for, “I’m not writing.” I go months “researching.” There are moments when my characters totally perplex me. Those moments are terrifying. If I want to bail on a social event, — Read More
Why do we write?
I’ve asked myself this question often, sometimes with a tone of calm curiosity, sometimes with absolute frustration. What I come back to time and time again is this: I just enjoy writing. When I was a kid, this basic fact was complicated by another fact: I was good at writing. With that came well-meaning people — Read More
ePublishing: Does it really “count”?
I used to think digital publishing was sort of a cheat, a way to get around the obstacles of traditional publishing for those who get sick of the multiplying rejection letters. It wasn’t “real” publishing, in my mind. After all, my dream was to see my book, with some big publishing house’s insignia on the — Read More
The book tour
I would guess that every writer glamorizes her future book tour. She imagines 4-star hotels, complimentary meals, limos ushering her from one destination to the next, each audience filled with adoring fans clamoring for autographs. I would also guess that any writer who has actually published a book and gone on a tour would laugh — Read More
Are you DONE yet?
When people ask, they don’t do so maliciously, but what the writer hears is impatience, criticism, and judgment. The question I’m referring to?: “So, how’s that book coming along?” Whenever I get this inquiry, a slew of AKAs run through my head: – What the hell is taking so long? – Is this the same — Read More
Most-rejected novelist dies
My mom sent me this article, saying she thought I would appreciate it. And I do. Here’s a guy, Dick Wimmer, whose first novel, Irish Wine, was rejected 162 freaking times over 25 freaking years before it was finally published in 1989. He laid claim to being history’s most-rejected novelist, with his closest competitor being — Read More
Great expectations
When I graduated from my writing program, I had them — great expectations. I thought, “Okay, I’ve taken all the relevant steps. I’ll submit my work, land an agent, get a book deal, see myself on a shelf at Barnes & Noble.” Done, done, and done. The universe said, “No, no, and no.” Actually, I — Read More
“What’s your book about?”
You would think I’d not only welcome this question, but love it. What writer doesn’t want the opportunity to go on and on about the story she’s writing? I’ll tell you what writer — me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy discussing my stories, but I have this childish fear of jinxing them if I talk — Read More
Family Guy: On How to Get Published
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Aow9Eevm8&fs=1&hl=en_US] Watch the hilarious full episode “Brian Writes a Bestseller” here.