NOTABLE: July
What’s keeping your creative juices flowing lately?
This may or may not be a newsflash, but it’s always a shock: the writing the book part of publishing is barely half the production. To actually get the book out there is yet another full-time hustle. Currently, I’m in this process, and I’ve noticed this hybrid space—of authors publishing with small presses—isn’t chock full of guidebooks. In the seven years since my first memoir Hello American Lady Creature came out, I’ve forgotten almost as much as has changed. Since I have to re-learn what to do, I figured I’d share my discoveries over at Medium. Here’s a link to my page there if you want to bone up on topics like How to Write a Killer Book Title, or, Want Help with Your Logline? Or leave your top tips. Or requests. We’ll figure this thing out.
Side note, would you write a review of my book for Amazon or Goodreads? If so, I’ve got a limited number to give away. Sign up here to get advance notices about the book and possibly an ARC (advance reader copy).
What forthcoming book, you ask?
Blissful Thinking: A Memoir of Surviving the Wellness Revolution
After getting dumped over the telephone by her husband, the author set off to find her bliss, only to spend a decade bouncing between gurus in India, healers in NYC, and ultimately anyone with a pulse willing to diagnose her. Somehow happiness eludes her until finally she realizes she’s been asking the wrong question.
Where was this on Father’s Day?
Is there a Trekker in your life? Here’s a whole collection of usable household items inspired by the series’ set decor. Holidays will be here before you know it.
Inspiration alert
Talk about sticking with it when all seems lost. How many times have you run up against a wall? The story of this Olympic runner is a reminder, you’ve been training for these roadblocks every damn day.
Are you writing a script?
Stories should surprise and delight, but sometimes they fail. I’m not a big fan of writing to “beats” (moments that move the story forward, lamentably assigned page numbers), but this tool can help you diagnose where a story might be lagging.
The beat sheet calculator will take the number of pages in your script and spit out what should happen on which page. Again, not a fan of writing to fit this formula, but if your story isn’t lighting up hearts and minds, this can be a great tool to assess where you might be losing momentum, and point to what you might do about it.
If you are writing a script—
Not that I’ve created a pitch deck—the description of a project that’s used to sell a script—but it’s always good to look ahead.
I’m currently writing a pilot about a quirky family in Florida, and when the time comes, I’ll need to have a pitch in order. I took a class with Sundance Collab, and based on what I learned there, this guide to writing pitch decks is a useful starting point. As always, I’m all ears if you have another pointer.
And…
You can’t write about the topsy turvy world of book selling without referencing the phenom that is Fifty Shades of Grey, and, to that end, run across a good skewering. Enjoy.
Finally, for the intrepid readers among you, we’re escaping the heat and hurricanes for the cool environs of western New York. Hartley can’t wait!
Let’s get social! Instagram (more Hartley!), Twitter (uncensored), and Facebook (lots of recommendations).