So I read last night that 70% of fiction never turns a profit and the average advance (especially for a first-time author) is between $10,000 – $20,000, rather than the larger, less common six figure numbers the media likes to quote. My response: so what?

I know it’s likely I’ll have to keep my day job for a while, but I’m okay with that. The reason I am doing this is because there is a series of stories in my head that have to be told, otherwise my characters won’t shut up and I won’t be happy. Don’t get me wrong, meteoric success is my plan, but there is no rule saying it will come with the first published book. Plenty of authors had several books published before a later one put them on the best seller list (Dan Brown, Alyson Noel, Suzanne Collins, just to name a few). But then again, JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer prove that once in a while, someone hits it right the first time. (And how many musicians and actors are on the same path? It only takes one golden opportunity to make it big.)

No matter which path my career takes, I’m dreaming big. To me, there is no point in doing anything else. So what if a six or seven-figure advance is unlikely and the NYT best seller list is very difficult to attain? My theory is if you start out expecting to be mediocre, that’s all you’ll ever be. Delusional or not, I’m planning on hitting it big with my first series, best sellers, foreign rights, movie deals and all. For me, there is no other way. It’s kind of like winning the lottery; it’s not statistically likely, but as long as you buy a ticket, you have a chance. If I don’t dream big, I may as well give up. And that’s something I won’t ever do.

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June 18, 2011Success

A Dream Come True: Meeting Alyson Noel

Nicole Evelinaalyson noel, author, writing 3 Comments

Alyson noel book signing

Those who know me won’t be the least bit surprised to learn that three hours before the book signing, I was already nervous and shaking. This was my first time to meet an author so I had no idea what to expect. I respect Alyson so much, for me it was like meeting a Hollywood celebrity. And we all know how well I handle that…I tend to forget how to speak or what my name is, but more on that later.

Tulips we gave Alyson Noel

Alyson started with a reading from the first chapter of Everlasting and then took questions from the audience of about 20 people. She talked about everything from her writing process and characters to a movie deal with Summit. As I mentioned in my last post, some of the things she said hit so close to home for me I almost burst into tears. I’m just glad I didn’t; that would have cemented my weirdo status.

alyson and niki

My reason in blogging about this, besides it being one of the coolest experiences of my life, is to say this is how you should treat your fans/readers. Alyson is incredibly friendly to her readers and genuinely wants to get to know them. Months before our meeting, we started corresponding on Twitter. I never thought that a NYT bestselling author would bother to reply to little ol’ me, but she did, again and again. She is an example of how I hope to behave when I have fans of my own someday.

It still kind of amazes me how much social media has opened up the world for authors. I remember being a pre-teen (we didn’t use the word ‘tween then, and I still don’t) and reading Sweet Valley Twins books wondering who the creator of this world was. At the time, there was no Internet, so the best you could do was maybe a photo and a mention of what city they lived in on the back of the book. That made authors this untouchable enigma, certainly not people you could relate to or aspire to be.

Now, I realize there are some writers out there today who have little or no online presence whatsoever and who don’t like to interact with fans. That’s their choice. But I don’t think it’s a good one. Your fans are your bread and butter, the ones who keep you relevant and marketable, so if you know what is good for you, you’ll be good to them. How much is up to you. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, email, meet-and-greets, all of these things forge very valuable connections between author and reader that keep both coming back for more. (Can you see my PR background shining through?)

As an as-of-yet unpublished writer, these connections and support are all the more important to me. I’ve gotten advice from published authors online and in person that I think of every single time I write. As I told Alyson, just knowing I have her support means the world to me. It’s what helps get me through the rough times in my day job, writers block and the daunting task of querying agents. Just knowing they went through all the same things, were succesful and are rooting for me (even if in only the smallest way) can mean the difference between persevering in making a dream come true and giving up.

So, thank you, Alyson (and all the others who have encouraged me along the way). I only hope I can return the favor someday.

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June 16, 2011About the Author, Writing process

Writing Process? No Thanks, I Have Characters in My Head

Nicole Evelinacharacters, writing 3 Comments

My characters are almost like children. They narrate, hold conversations, give me plot points and yell at each other in my head. And I know when a character wants attention. (It’s almost like having an annoying brother or sister poking at you.) Sometimes it’s amazing and other times it’s frustrating as can be. Especially when they start talking when I’m driving or in the shower, or anywhere else I can’t write down their running commentary. A few times they’ve been nice enough to repeat the entire scene later. Most of the time I just somehow remember it. Sometimes I even “see” the whole scene like I’m watching a movie. (When that happens, I know it’ll be a good one and likely will make it through all the editing.)

And then there are the characters themselves. No two are alike. Some reveal themselves slowly, in their own sweet time. Take Arthur. He’s very mysterious; getting him to reveal anything is like pulling teeth. And I think he likes it that way. Isolde, on the other hand, waltzed into my head complete and promptly informed me she wants her own novel (hence, book four). She pretty much took over and became a much more central character to my first book than I thought. Now in the second book, she pops in and out as she pleases. Still other characters don’t seem to come alive until I’ve found an actor or actress who both looks the part and has the talent to pull the character off – then watch out! There’s no stopping them once they get going.

All of this to say, I really don’t feel like I’m in control of my writing. It’s more like I’m channeling an outside wisdom or something. Sometimes when I write, right in the middle of a scene one of my characters will do something I never expected or don’t understand. I spent most of one scene literally saying out loud, “Okay, where are we going with this? What’s going on?” But by the time I finished writing the scene (with no premeditation on my part), it was not only really good, it became key to the plot.

I have an outline, note cards, a plan, all that traditional stuff, but that doesn’t mean my characters care. My first book went pretty much according to plan except for a scene here and there, but the second book is taking on a life of its own. Characters are showing up sooner than I expected, dying sooner than I planned or having different relationships than I thought they would. So much so that I had to sit down and re-outline the whole book once I was about a quarter of the way into writing it. The things I’ve already written stayed the same, but it was nearly impossible to try to match an old outline up to a new timeline.

And the even crazier thing is, I’m finding out I’m not alone. A few days ago I had the amazing privilege of meeting author Alyson Noel (future blog post to come on that). When asked how her Immortals books came about, she said her main character, Ever, came into her head with a story to tell. That’s exactly how my book series happened. Guinevere started talking in my head and demanded her story be told. Alyson also said she talks to her characters more than her husband. Sadly, I think I talk to my characters more than any actual people I know.

A few weeks ago, Dianne Sylvan, a writer I follow on Twitter (@dslyvan), said “Here’s something you should know about writers: we are not fully in control of the story we’re writing…If we’re doing our jobs, it’s like we’re possessed by our characters; we live in multiple worlds at once. It sounds woo-woo, but it’s true.” And that’s pretty much how it works for me. I’ve also read interviews where Sue Grafton has been asked what’s coming next and she answers, “I don’t know. Kinsey [her main character] hasn’t told me yet.” Even JK Rowling has said that Harry Potter pretty much walked fully formed into her head (much like Isolde did with me).

At least if I’m crazy, I know I’ll have some pretty good company (and some amazingly entertaining stories) in the loony bin. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go break up a fight between the voices in my head. With any luck, they’ll write the next chapter for me.

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