Dave Barry on Writing, Editing, Publishing, and Judging the Erma Bombeck Contest

This past weekend I caught an in-depth interview with C-SPAN's Book TV, featuring Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Dave Barry, one of our nation's premiere humor writers.

As usual, Dave was funny and entertaining, but he also offered some helpful advice about writing, editing, publishing, and judging.

Listed below are some notes I jotted down to share.

On Writing:

* Little decisions make writing better, not the big stuff.

* Don’t quit, even if you’re not gifted.

* It’s a process that takes work and practice.

* He likes writing books more than columns.

* He writes every day, although maybe a couple days he won’t.

On Research:

* Wikipedia is a valuable, but highly inaccurate. Cheap and easy and fast and general.

* To nail down a fact, confirm with some other site.

On Editing:

* Dave knows what’s funny

* Depends on his respect for editor’s advice, generally doesn't do major rewrites.

* As long as you’re laughing, He's OK. Does it work? Does it make people laugh?

On Publishing:

There are two ways to get published and reviewed.

Self-publish  - he doesn't think is the way to go. Easy to do, pay money to do it, but almost impossible to get distributed and reviewed. Basically no quality control over content. Some may be successful, but not from his experience. 

Traditionally Way - Get an agent, might want rewrites, they get it to the publisher. If publisher decides they have a sales staff and promotional people and get a review.

On Judging:

Someone called into the show and mentioned he was going to judge the Erma Bombeck Contest, which got my attention because I know what a thrill it was for my essay to win that contest in 2012.

Dave knew Erma. She was one of those funny writers and funny persons.

Dave said he hates judging because he wants to be nice even if he doesn’t like it.

In the end, it comes down to what he finds amusing.

~~

You can watch Dave's complete interview by clicking here.

Why I Watch C-SPAN's Book TV: Brad Metzler, Gina Kolata, et al

Most weekends you'll find me tuned in to C-SPAN's Book TV to see what's going on with top nonfiction authors and books. I admit; it's an obsession. Usually I wait until my family is otherwise engaged so I won't have to listen to their groans or comments like, "Oh, no. She's at it again."

Actually, I'm used to their teasing, and on occasion you might even find one of them on the couch watching along with me.

Where else but Book TV can you watch Brad Metzler, best-selling thriller author and host of History's "Decoder" series, give a passionate talk to a group of children about stories, books, and writing?

In addition to being a thriller writer, Metzler is also author of a series of children's books about ordinary people who changed the world and who bring out "the greatness of us all." Two books in his children's series are I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln.

Yesterday, after being asked why he became a writer, Metzler contrasted the wrong and the right reasons for becoming a writer -- "the wrong reason is to achieve fame; the right reason is to tell stories." He went on to describe books as "the houses that he builds with his own hands" and great stories as "what could happen, not what did happen." He also thanked the adult readers present, and in Book TV land, for buying his thrillers because their support helps him write children's books. His words were humorous, humble, and inspiring.

Yesterday I also caught a rebroadcast of Brian Lamb's 2000 interview with author and journalist Gina Kolata on her book "Flu," about the 1918 great flu pandemic. Although the interview is 14-years old, it's still informative and fascinating.

Although I had heard about the 1918 flu pandemic before, yesterday I learned a lot of the details. It was the worst infectious disease in recorded history, with estimates of between 20 million-100 million deaths, and more than 99% of the people who died under age 65. Here's something to keep you up at night: Scientists believe it's not a question of if, but when, a flu like this will spread again.

What also made Kolata's talk about her "Flu" book interesting was it was more than facts and figures--there's the mystery of the search for the virus that caused the flu. Kolata mentioned visiting the U.S. Government's military warehouse (started by Abraham Lincoln) in Maryland where tissue samples and medical records are housed. Who knew this place existed?

The most emotional part of the interview was Kolata's reading of Thomas Wolfe's moving description of his brother Ben's death from the flu. Reportedly, his brother's death was Wolf's inspiration for "Look Homeward Angel."

She also spoke candidly about the competition to find viable tissue samples for research. One small group of dedicated scientists searched without fanfare and at personal expense. Another group, led by a female Canadian geographer, solicited and obtained millions from the U.S. government and corporate donations, and she was accompanied by a mob of media.

Can you guess which group was more successful?

Here's a hint: The contrasting approaches by the two groups of scientists reminded me of Brad Metzler's remark about the right and wrong reasons for writing. For both dedicated writers and dedicated scientists -- being successful is not about being famous.

I'll step off my soapbox now and get back other reasons why I think Book TV is so great: If I'm not able to watch on the weekend, I can catch up anytime on what I missed by watching a Podcast. And the Authors on Writing series is one of my favorite Book TV features.

Advice on Writing Good Prose

Last weekend I caught a program on Book TV that got me excited about writing.

Yep. That's the word that describes how I felt watching Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd talk about their new book: Good Prose: the Art of Nonfiction - Stories and Advice from a Lifetime of Writing and Editing.

I'm always looking for new ways to think about writing, and what could be better than to listen to advice from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder and former executive editor of The Atlantic Richard Todd.

Although it was late at night and I was sleepy, I pulled out my handy-dandy black-and-white 2013 writing notebook and started writing. Here are some notes I jotted down:

Three forms of nonfiction:
- Essay
- Memoir
- Factual narrative

On Beginnings:
- Imagine the reader is intelligent and has knowledge not available to you.
- "There's a lot to be said for the quiet beginning." (e.g. "Call me Ishmael.")
- Invite the reader into a conversation
- Don't tell it all at once
- Trust yourself as a writer
- Trust the reader

Goal:
- Broader way of thinking
- Reveal the dramatic truth

Narrative of revelation:
- Problem unfolds
- Something is important or at stake
- Someone is learning something that transforms
- Most important conflict comes from within the character
- Without revelation, leaves one asking: "Is that all?"

Finding the story:
- Have an idea
- Let it blossom
- "Luck of the conception"
- "Grace descending"
- Chance encounter
- A story is not a subject
- Begins with character

Forget the cocktail party rule for summarizing your story: "It isn't always a bad sign when a potential story does not talk well."

Writing (after research):
- Don't commit too soon
- Seek to understand
- Don't delay too long
- Find a method that works
- Write in blocks to find connections
- Make mistakes early

Editing:
- Fall out of love with your words
- Let go of words that don't fit
- Leave something unsaid
- Help the reader to think
- Don't make it harder than necessary
- Read out loud
- Something that is good must go for the good of the whole
- Learn in revising

"A writer cannot hide from the sound of his voice."

"The best thing an editor can do is to help a writer to think."

That sums up most of what I wrote down.

Yesterday I visited our local library to check out Good Prose until I buy my own copy. Alas, the copy at the branch I visited had already been checked out.  Until my copy arrives, I'll rely on my notes.

So, any comments on Good Prose?

Traits of Successful Women Writers

One of my guilty pleasures on weekends is watching Book TV. Generally I wait until my hubby and grandkiddos are out and about or busy doing something else before I tune in. Otherwise I get groans from them because they want to watch something else.

Last night, after the late news was over and everyone else in the house was asleep, I switched to C-SPAN's Book TV and caught most of a presentation given by Marji Ross, President of Regnery Publishing. Last night's presentation was a broadcast of a talk she gave in November at the Heritage Foundation.

The title of Ross's presentation was "Seven Surprising Secrets of Best-Selling Female Authors...and How Your Future Happiness Might Depend on Them." Her talk really was a celebration of women in a positive way--not anti-male at all -- which I found uplifting. She spoke candidly about how she worked through the grief of losing her husband, how she is open and honest with her daughters, and how she is a champion for publishing books with a conservative slant.

The primary focus of her talk, however, wasn't on her conservative politics, but on what she has learned after years in the publishing industry about the traits that successful women writers share. I'm always trying to learn from others who are much more experienced and wiser than I am, so I grabbed a notebook and pen and took notes.

The following are the highlights of her talk--at least what I jotted down late last night -- about traits shared by successful women writers and publishers.

Successful women writers: 

* Understand the value of building relationships (vs networking). Networking has come to mean what can I get from you in exchange for giving you something I have, where building relationships is more long-term and personal.

* Like to communicate and share their experiences with others. More women belong to book clubs than men, for example.

* Know they need character to have integrity. They listen to their internal moral compass. Women remind society to stay on the right trail.

* Look for win-win solutions. Success is not finite; success breeds success.

* Know that little things matter, but they don’t lose sight of the big picture.

* Understand that service is strength. Serving others doesn't make a person weak; it can make them indispensable

* Celebrate differences between men and women.

Ross suggests women writers should:

* Be trustworthy and supportive.

* Embrace the success-breeds-success philosophy.

* Be problem solvers rather than just problem spotters.

* Volunteer to overcome depression and lonliness.

* Figure out what they believe in, write it down, and share it with their families. The act of writing down one's beliefs will help clarify them.

* Always bring a pen and paper (or iPad) to take notes.

* Be a person of character and live a life of integrity.

* Avoid chasing success only to leave happiness behind.

* Bring passion to your work.

* Be on a mission to reach people rather than just selling books. As you reach people, books will sell.

* Be an expert in something. Find your niche.

* Realize that books are changing their role in society. While e-books may continue to grow in popularity and sales, physical books will gain value as gifts.

As I re-read my notes this morning, I decided to share them with my readers. I agree with Ross that sharing experiences with others and building relationships is important, as well as is being supportive and embracing the success-breeds-success philosophy.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with her observations and suggestions? Are there any traits you would add?