Real Writer Life Top 10

1. Check out this fantastic piece in The New Yorker on the land-based writing habits (and more) of Herman Melville. Melville felt he had all of Moby Dick in his head and just needed to write it down. By the way, if you’re writing fiction, I hope you know you already belong to the same club as Herman Melville.

2. Mystery writer Adrian McKinty had given up on writing fiction—even after winning major awards—when a friend convinced him he wasn’t done. Adrian had given up. He had moved on to other jobs. The Chain is on the New York Times bestseller list this week for the third week in a row. A movie is in the works. Adrian was recently featured on CBS News.

3. Susan Smith hasn’t published fiction in many years. Life got in the way. But that hasn’t stopped her from giving (and giving) to the writing community, especially Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. Now she’s getting back in the swing of writing fiction. And, of course, she’s still giving. Listen to the podcast chat.

4. I remember sitting over coffee with Linda Joffe Hull years ago when she was finally ready to give up on ever finding a publisher for The Swing of Things, which she had co-written with Keir Graff. Many (many!) rewrites later, The Swing of Things finally found a home. Now the writing team, known as Linda Keir, is getting ready to release their second novel, Drowning with Others, next month (it’s fantastic). And they have a home with Thomas & Mercer, part of the Amazon empire.

5. I have a mystery writer pal who has won awards, toured the country, and gained fans all over. She was recently dropped by her publisher (one of the big ones) but continues to finish the novel she was working on at the time she was unceremoniously dumped. It’s a terrific book with a character who does a specific job that I’ve never seen featured in fiction. It’s truly unique. I see great things ahead.

6. Rob Hart wrapped up writing the Ash McKenna mystery series—New Yorked, City of Rose, South Village, The Woman From Prague, and Potter’s Field, published by Polis Books. He won some spiffy awards. He also co-wrote Scott Free with James Patterson. Then he wrote something completely different. That book, The Warehouse, comes out this month and was optioned for film by Ron Howard. The book has already been picked up for publication in 21 countries. The Warehouse is a near-future thriller about what happens when Big Brother meets Big Business—and who will pay the ultimate price.

7. Lisa Halliday’s first novel came out last year. Asymmetry earned lots of literary buzz—for good reason. The writing is a lesson in forward motion. It’s also a lesson in easy dialogue, humor, and detail. First novel.

8. Read this thread on Twitter, kicked off by The American Scholar, about writers who weren’t published until “late” in life (after 35). Some fascinating responses.

9. Speaking of Twitter, follow Don Winslow (another writer who never gave up). Note how much he reaches back to help other writers. He has never forgotten his start. Inspiring.

10. Come to the Colorado Gold conference next month in Denver and keep your eye out. I bet somewhere in the mix is a Herman Melville, a Rob Hart, a Lisa Halliday, and an Adrian McKinty, too. If you’re writing, you might be pre-published, recently published, well published, or previously published. You’re on a continuum. The straight-line-up trajectory is rare. (Of course, if you publish your own work, you are in complete control.) If you’re writing, you’re in the club. Turn to your fellow conference-goer at Colorado Gold and ask “What do you write?” You never know. You just never know.