12 Secrets About Writing and Rules of the Read

On the Friday before the Tucson Festival of Books we were invited to attend a special event for young authors, the Fiesta CATS Friday (Creative Arts Teen Summit).  It was sponsored by the Fiesta Bowl. Students started the day at an author/illustrator panel that included Jason Reynolds and Amy Nichols.  The authors talked their journeys to publication and the obstacles they had to overcome.  Our students spent some quality time with Amy Nichols, author of Now That You Are Here.  Among other things she gave us her "12 Secrets About Writing", Emma Winn took notes during the presentation.

1. The secret to writing is WRITING. 
2.  "The writer is the person who stays in the room"  quoting Ron Carlson
3.  If you want to write, READ.
4. If you're not surprised while you are writing, the reader won't be either.
5.  Aim to the side of the target.  Don't attack something head-on.
6. You don't have to share the whole room, show what's important to your character.
7.  The magic happens in REVISION.
8.  It gets ugly before it gets beautiful.
9.  When in doubt cut.
10.  Love your characters at all times.
11.  There is always someone who is better than you.  Get over it.
12.  Finish!

Most of us are readers not writers.  As usual, I was over committed during the Tucson Festival of Books.  I picked up my author early in the morning and dropped her off for her first presentation.  I had a few minutes to kill before I escorted Pam Munoz Ryan and Cynthia Kadohata to their venue, so I stopped by the Arizona Daily Star tent to see the current attraction.  It was Julia Keller, a mystery author laying out her "Rules of the Read".  It was one of those serendipitous accidents that makes the festival a wonder to behold. I missed half of the presentation, but what I did hear was awesome.  Her rules apply to new readers and old hands alike.

She began with a quote "Paths of glory lead but to the grave" a line from a Thomas Gray poem.  I can only surmise that she was encouraging her audience to read what they want, not what they should read because time is short for all of us.

Next she explored the idea that you can get just as many facts from fiction as you can from non-fiction.  Julia Keller is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. She calls fiction, the shadow behind the facts. Fiction informed by fact is its own genre.  To read this genre you have to be more discerning, but it is a lot more fun to get your facts from historical fiction.

The experience of writing for a newspaper is very different than the solitary pursuits of the fiction writer. The author writes his book in solitude and a reader consumes the book in solitude.  Solitude is the bridge between a writer and a reader.

You can judge a book by its cover, most of the time.

That book that you've tried to read a couple times could be the right book but you are just trying  to read it at the wrong time.  It's not what you read, but when you read it.  I've heard authors reveal that they read certain books over and over, finding new inspiration, ideas and passion with each reading. 

Beware of genre - don't let it limit you.  It benefits Barnes and Noble to sell to you by genre because people tend to stick to the same type of book.  Read outside your comfort zone.

Argue passionately for the books you love.  You have Ms. Keller's permission to be a book snob, advocate for a book you love.

Make plans now to attend next year's Tucson Festival of Books.

An AZPM video segment about the CATS Fiesta Friday event.  Some of Salpointes own appear in the background.

Works Cited

"Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard: Stanza 9 Summary." Shmoop.com. Shmoop
     University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.

Keller, Julia. "Rules of the Read: 10 Essential Truths about Books and Life." Tucson
     Festival of Books. Arizona, Tucson. 14 Mar. 2015. Speech.

Nichols, Amy. "12 Secrets About Writing." Fiesta Cats Friday. University of Arizona,
     Tucson. 13 Mar. 2015. Lecture.

"Thomas A. Gray: Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard." Genius. Genius Media
     Group, Aug.2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. <http://genius.com/2138039/Thomas-gray-
     elegy-written-in-a-countrychurchyard/The-paths-of-glory-lead-but-to-the-grave>.