Novelist John DeDakis Talks Fostering Creativity

We just have to ask—how is NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) going? Are you making progress? Have you uncovered some hidden gems? Have you encountered some stumbling blocks? Have you awakened a part of your creative genius that you didn’t know existed?

NaNoWriMo has a unique effect on all of us. For some, it’s a period of unbridled inspiration when their minds gush with poetic prose. For others, it’s a season of strain and push—an agonizing, uphill climb to get just one good story out. Whatever it is that you’re experiencing during NaNoWriMo 2016, we want you to know that you’re not alone. The Writer’s Center is here to motivate you!

To prove our point, we’re sharing these encouraging words from John DeDakis, one of our talented workshop leaders. DeDakis is an acclaimed novelist and author of Fast Track, Bluff, Troubled Water, and Bullet in the Chamber. Building on his experience as a CNN journalist, DeDakis’ novels assume an entertaining journalistic motif as they follow one character, reporter Lark Chadwick, through a maze of conflicts and Fourth Estate adventures.

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TWC: What inspired the story of your latest novel (and can you share a bit about the novel itself)?

JD: The idea for Bullet in the Chamber came to mind in the summer of 2011 when my son died of a heroin overdose. The bullet in a syringe image on the book cover underlines the Russian-roulette power of even one hit of heroin. His fictionalized story is a subplot for my latest Lark Chadwick mystery. In this story, it's Lark's first day as a White House Correspondent for the Associated Press. The Executive Mansion is attacked, the president is missing, the first lady's life is in danger, and Lark's personal life is falling apart when the man she loves disappears. It's a deadline-a-minute thriller about drugs, drones, and journalism.

TWC: How do you motivate yourself to keep writing?

JD: The motivation is hard-wired into me.  I must write.  I'm also an excellent procrastinator, but I've built that into my writing routine. When I'm ruminating, I'm still writing because I'm thinking about the story.  Eventually—inevitably—procrastination turns into progress at the keyboard.  Eventually.

TWC: What advice can you share with those participating in NaNoWriMo?

JD: Have fun with it.  And don't give up.

Need some ideas as your write your novel? Here’s a prompt and exercise by DeDakis to stir up the imagination and work your writer muscles:

SETTING: Midnight at an ATM

ACTION: Your protagonist is getting money out of the machine when he/she hears a noise from behind.

Now set your timer for fifteen minutes and write what happens next.

This is the 50/50 method for sparking creative ideas:  Fifty settings in which fifty things happen. It helps you get to know your characters and might even spark an entire novel.

No inspiring novelist will want to miss out on DeDakis’ next workshop, "From Novice to Novelist" at the Writer's Center in Bethesda on December 3. Click the link below to register: https://www.writer.org/online-workshops?=&nccsm=24

Sonic Memories

A collection of life essays by Cija Jefferson

By Mairin Rivett

Cija Jefferson, Baltimore resident and author, recently self-published her first book, Sonic Memories/and Other Essays. The inspiration for Cija’s collection of personal essays came from an assignment at the University of Baltimore's Creative Writing & Publishing Arts MFA program in which graduates were required to design and write a book. Although the collection began as a class project, Cija says that “the process of pulling essays and putting them together was very organic.” On the main floor of The Creative Arts Alliance for Cija’s book launch party, where I met Cija, chairs are set up facing a screen that has a slideshow of pictures from her life—her as a baby, she and her sister wearing matching dresses, her with a group of friends from college. It’s a surreal experience to see the characters from Cija’s essays suddenly come to life.

Cija initially planned to focus this collection on her post-college years when she lived in California. Her original working title for the book was, “Which Way Home.” However, guided by her mentors in the MFA program, Cija decided not settle on a fixed theme. Instead, she let her writing take her along for the ride. The result was a coming-of-age story told through a wide range of essays that span from her early years as a trouble-loving child, to her young-adult years when she struggled to find her place in the world, and ultimately, to the place she is today— where she says she’s beginning to let go of the negative voices in her head and pursue her true purpose in life: writing.

It’s hard to reconcile the outgoing, infectious, and confident Cija, who is standing across the room from me, with the timid girl in her essay, “The Whisper from Within.” In this piece she admits to purposefully waiting to tell her friends and family about a reading she was performing until the last minute—hoping, successfully, that if she told everyone at the last minute, no one would be able to show up. Although the reading in this essay occurred long before she completed Sonic Memories/and Other Essays, Cija admits that the nerves she felt that day are still very much present: “I still get butterflies when I step to the mic and share any of my work,” she says. “I've definitely gotten better about not allowing my nerves to take over, which is easier said than done—depending on the subject matter. Stories like ‘The Whisper From Within’ are tough to read aloud because the content strips away any artifice and reveals my fears and insecurities; it makes me feel exposed.”

As she reads excerpts of her essays at the book launch, Cija’s voice is loud and projects confidently. Wearing a chic white dress with her hair pulled back—an open and friendly smile on her face—Cija begins the reading by talking a little bit about the process of writing her book. Like many writers, the idea of publishing a full book initially seemed like a far-off, far-fetched dream. “I always thought of writing a book as some sort of lofty goal not made for mere mortals,” she says. “Honestly I don’t know that I would have ever attempted to self-publish a book, had it not been a program requirement.”

The process of self-publishing was long, and she admits there were many late nights and bouts of tears (mostly over the publishing software InDesign). In the end, however, Cija claims self-publishing proved to be infinitely worth the work. “This process taught me that I can self-publish without having to rely on templates…it’s like when people say driving a stick-shift gives you more control over [the car] than an automatic; self-publishing and designing your own work gives you more control over how the final product looks, and I’m really happy with what I’ve created.”

At 105 pages, Cija’s book is an emotional roller coaster. Separating humorous anecdotes from gut-wrenching pain by little more than a page or two, Cija’s book is a raw exploration of growing up, and on how the choices we make in an instant—looking back at a hospital bed or stealing a piece of candy from a local store, for example, have lasting impacts on us even years after the they are made.

The Writer's Toolbox: Your Writer Questions Answered

This week marks the return of First Person Plural at this blogspot location. Unfortunately, I was never satisfied with the current functionality of our Web site (when it comes to the blog). From here out, we'll stick to posting pieces solely at this address. So subscribe! And you'll get a daily post sent directly to your e-mail inbox.

Today we begin a new feature: We're encouraging anyone and everyone to post questions throughout The Writer’s Center’s various social media outlets (First Person Plural, Facebook, Twitter, post.master@writer.org.), and on a weekly basis we will choose a question to send to those we believe may insight into the answers (and today they are all workshop leaders). We will then post the responses every Thursday on First Person Plural. 

Today's question comes from a fan of ours on Facebook.

Question

I had a disastrous experience with a book publisher. What can I do to ensure that such a thing never happens to me again, short of never again trying to publish a book?

Answers

Barbara Esstman (co-editor of the anthology A More Perfect Union: Poems and Stories About the Modern Wedding, and has taught extensively in universities) says:

The Writer’s Center is a great resource center for discovering the good, sane agents/publishers and avoiding the scams and whackos.  Just ask around at a reading or in a workshop, or read First Person Plural. 

Research on your own, too.  Everybody in the world seems to have a Web site or blog; check agents’ or publishers’ track records on their own sites, or see if anyone is posting complaints against them.  See what books are out, like the one that ranks the self-publishing houses and warns you away from the bad ones.  Identify books similar to yours and send your manuscript to those agents and publishers.

Above all, don’t be so desperate to publish that you grovel. The worst experiences I’ve heard of from my students and editing clients involved writers who were so happy to have someone interested in their books that they sacrificed their creative control and common sense.  They re-wrote to please a prospective agent or editor in ways that were counter to their own vision of the book.  Or they were too patient in waiting for the Powers That Be to do what they’d promised.  Or they put up with typos and low standards.  The list goes on, but the source of all these abuses was reluctance on the part of the writers to disturb or delay the process that might result in publication. 

Diana M. Martin (extensive background in association, nonprofit, and corporation marketing, and has contributed to national and international publications) recommends:

Research each publisher very carefully beforehand so you know, through others' experiences, what to expect.  Get everything in writing and have your agent review the contract to make sure that there are no loose ends. Follow-up conversations with e-mails. Ask lots of questions so you can modify your expectations.

Nancy Naomi Carlson (associate editor for Tupelo Press) gives the following advice to poets:

Publishing, like dating, involves risk of disastrous experiences, but in my opinion is well worth the effort...especially when the outcome (eventually) exceeds your expectations.

There's no guarantee that you won't have a similar experience the next go-around, but here are a few "tips" that may make a successful outcome more likely:

1. Make sure there is a contract that spells out all particulars.

2. "Research" the publisher ---check out their books, talk to their authors, determine if they have a good track record on following through with commitments.

3. Be patient in these difficult economic times for publishers of books. Many are "hurting."

4. Have a back-up plan just "in case."