by Sunny Sabella
Deirdre, who has been writing since she was six, was Arts Editor of both her high school and college newspapers. She earned a BA in English from the University of New York at Buffalo. While a student, Deirdre sold her first freelance magazine article and won a citywide play-writing contest.
She worked for a series of trade magazines and wrote for the soap opera, "One Life To Live," where writing eighty page scripts every week were the norm.
During her twelve-year freelance career, Deirdre's work appeared in a variety of magazines and in 1998, her first non-fiction book was published.
In March 2003, BODY CHECK, Deirdre's first romance novel, was published. Her current novel, FAIR PLAY, is in stores now and she's working on her third book, scheduled for release in spring of 2005.
Curious how a best selling author feels about outlines, deadlines and editors? Find out and read the interview!
SS: One of the hottest topics is the process of writing a novel and whether or not one should plan everything out in detail. There are conflicting opinions, but the general consensus appears to be that many authors don't like to outline. As an established author, what are your opinions on this? Do you plot out every chapter before beginning the book, or does planning stifle the creative process?
DM: I think this is individual to every writer. There is not a right or wrong way. I write a "rough" outline to get a sense of where the story is going and how it will end, but that's it. I generally think about the scene before I write it and figure out whose POV it should come from. But for me, the fun and creativity lies in how you get the characters where you want them to go.
SS: Good characterization is essential to every novel. Your characters ooze personality, charm, and quirkiness and immediately encourage the reader to embrace them. Do you have any tips on how to develop great characters?
DM: Write characters that interest you. I write to entertain myself. My characters are real, have faults and annoying flaws. I also try to make them sound as natural as possible.
SS: Speaking of sound, where do you stand on writing dialect? For instance, let's say a character is from the Deep South, would you write out how he says his words?
DM: Instead of trying to spell out his word pronunciation using dialect, I'd simply state that he spoke with a southern twang. Writing out dialect is distracting.
SS: What has been the most difficult thing to cope with in your professional life as a writer?
DM: Two things come to mind. The first is uncertainty. Am I good enough? Will it sell? And the uncertainty doesn't go away no matter how many books you write.
The second is rejection. It took me many years to realize that editors were not rejecting me--they were rejecting my product. This is an important distinction for any writer. You can really drive yourself crazy with this stuff. The best thing you can do when rejected is just keep on and not give up.
Also, rejection can be caused by a whole host of reasons that most authors are not aware of. There are so many unknown factors. For instance, an author writes a novel where the heroine has flaming red hair. The editor, who picks up your manuscript, had a tumultuous fight that morning with his wife who also happens to have flaming red hair. He'll toss your manuscript in the rejection pile because he can't deal with that today. Or, maybe the story you're pitching is very similar to one they just purchased--but you have no way of knowing that.
SS: Both of your novels take place in the world of professional ice hockey. Did you meet with any unique obstacles because of this? I bet the research was fun. Please, please say you got to go undercover in the locker room?
DM: I was told countless times that romance with sports doesn't sell. However, with the success of Susan Elizabeth Phillips'[ three books centering on the Chicago Stars, a fictitious football team, and Rachel Gibson's first hockey romance, I had hopes my story would succeed too. My advice is to use the sports in subplots and not merely as window dressing.
I did get a tour of the NY Rangers locker room, but, unfortunately, none of the players were there at the time. (Laughs) I do have a friend who writes a sports column, and I picked her brain on subjects ranging from what type of food was in the "green room" to what color underwear the players wore.
SS: One of the biggest causes of writer's angst--which came first, the agent or the publisher? In your opinion, does a first time author need an agent, and if so, why? How did you come by your first agent--query letter or networking?
DM: My first agent dumped me. She said BODY CHECK was not marketable. I believed in my heart that she was wrong. I queried and did get my current agent who is wonderful. My biggest mistake with the first agent was not meeting with her in person prior to signing with her. I was very naive, and so excited to have an offer of representation that I didn't stop to think if we were compatible. When I hired my current agent, I met and talked to her before signing. This is very important.
I believe it helps having an agent, but it IS possible to succeed without one. People have done it. In my opinion, the big advantage to having an agent is it keeps your manuscript out of the slush pile.
SS: But I've heard from so many authors, including the members of my RWA chapter, that it's impossible to get an agent unless you're published.
DM: Not true. You can find an agent. Again, it's a matter of not giving up. You have to be tenacious to succeed as a writer. Think of it as being a terrier latching on to a plump, juicy ankle, and you simply refuse to let go until something breaks. Being published is a game of attrition. The more you keep plugging away at your writing and refuse to give up, the better your chances are. Eventually, something is going to happen.
SS: On your web page, your advice to aspiring authors is to simply write. My question is what is your personal writing schedule? What motivates you and does working with a deadline aid you?
DM: I've heard that, but I can't imagine doing it any other way. I have a friend who writes from start to finish without looking back, but I can't do that. One thing I do after finishing a chapter is to write a synopsis of that chapter to keep track. This works extremely well, especially when I'm working on Chapter Ten and I need to know what happened in Chapter Three.
Answering your question about what motivates me, getting paid is nice. So is dreaming of being on the NY Times Best Seller list someday.
Deadines do help me. I'm very good at coming up with a million reasons NOT to write. Having a deadline gives me that kick in the pants to keep working.
SS: Do you or have you ever belonged to a critique group? If not, do you have one person who reads over your material?
DM: No, I've never belonged to a critique group. However, my husband, a fellow writer, looks over everything I write. He's great when it comes to capturing the male point of view. It's very helpful to hear, "No guy would ever say that," especially when you write romance novels.
SS: How long did it take you to write your first novel from start to finish, and how many times was it rejected?
DM: BODY CHECK took me approximately ten months to one year to write. Writing a novel is a slow and painstaking process. I don't remember how many times it was rejected, but it was--a lot--by agents and editors alike. In fact, one agent told me BODY CHECK was "not something I would ever represent." That was devastating to hear and took me a long time to get over. Negative remarks like that are the sign of a bad agent. No person should ever tell you something like that. My advice to your readers is don't listen to them.
SS: Doing the rewrites -- excruciating or exhilarating?
DM: Both. When doing my own rewrites it's excruciating because I'm filled with self-doubt. Is it good enough? Is it bad? Am I saying this in the best, most descriptive way possible? Is the grammar sound? There is a story about Virginia Woolf, not sure if it's true or not, but as the story goes she supposedly spent hours agonizing over one comma. She'd put it in ... take it out ... put it back in ... you get the picture. As writers, our love affair with language can drive us to perfectionist extremes. I understand this kind of agonizing, but sometimes you just gotta let it go.
However, when I work on rewrites suggested by my editor, who is great, then it's exhilarating. Her suggestions--always good--make my story even better.
SS: You do so many non-writing activities in your personal life. How much, if any, have these outside interestes affected your work?
DM: My outside interests have affected my work tremendously. The myth that writing 24/7 makes a better author is way off base. You need time to let ideas percolate, to dream, to experiment. As far as my outside interests, hockey is one, of course. I love it and it shows in my novels. Music is another interest of mine. When I wrote my very first romance novel, which is locked away for a good reason, the hero was a rock star. I'm interested in different spiritual paths, which I've put into Gemma, a secondary character in FAIR PLAY and the heroine of my next novel. The more you learn about other topics, the richer your characters.
Two of the best books available about the craft of writing are On Writing by Stephen King and Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. I encourage all writers to read these two books, and if you're a fan of my work, head on over to my website, www.deirdremartin.com and enter the monthly contest. The prize this month is Bird By Bird. Good luck!
SS: You write the Italian-American character so well. How do I know? Because I'm FBI - Full Blooded Italian! Mannagia! Are you one of us?
DM: No, but I take that as the ultimate compliment. One of my aunts married an Italian-American and I was very close to my cousins. Sunday dinners at my aunt's house were always memorable. And I also have a vivid imagination.
SS: Marketing is a foreign concept to new authors. How did you market your two novels?
DM: For BODY CHECK, I gave out bookmarks at NY Rangers' games, at Islanders' games, and at AHL hockey games all over Western and Central New York. I also had a friend pass out bookmarks for me at Devils' games. Did it work? I don't know. But I don't think it hurt. For FAIR PLAY, I relied heavily on the mailing list I'd created from people who had visited my website and/or sent me emails telling me how much they enjoyed the first book. I sent out postcards letting them know when FAIR PLAY was going to hit the stores.
SS: Any other tips you'd like to leave us with?
DM: I think I was lucky when I started writing romantic fiction because I never knew the rules and regulations of the genre. Sometimes, the more you find out, the more frightened you become. I remember a friend of mine, terrified because an editor asked for a ten-page synopsis, but she only had six pages. I told her not to get so tripped on the rules. If you say what you have to say in a good six-page synopsis, the editor will read it anyway. It's quality that counts--not quantity.
One thing I learned from writing on a soap opera that helped me was, pull them into the next scene. If you can give them that Friday afternoon cliffhanger at the end of each chapter, chances are you'll have created a book that readers won't be able to put down.
And the best tip I could give your readers? Don't give up.