Novelist Girl

   This past Thursday evening I went to a Writers' Workshop at the Roseau Library presented by fellow Wannaskan Almanac writer Kim Hruba. Catherine Stenzel, also an Almanac writer, rode along with me.
   Kim had gone to a writers conference last November in Kauai, Hawaii. She had published her first novel Elevator Girl in 2014 through a hybrid publishing outfit, a form of self-publishing with perks. Her book is available on Amazon. The 62 reviews give an average four star rating.
    Kim has been working on her second novel, Etiquette Girl for the past three years and says it's been slow going. Kim has five kids at home and is very involved in the Warroad community. Last year she convinced the McKnight Foundation to grant her enough money to attend a writers conference where she could get advice on her book and also pitch the book to literary agents.
   After much research, she chose the Kauai Writers' Conference held over five days last November. When you get a grant, you're expected to bring back what you've learned to your community, thus Thursday's workshop. Kim is doing a second workshop today in Warroad.
   Kim talked quite a bit about her sessions with NYC agent Jeff Kleinman, who makes a living from sales of a handful of successful books to the big publishers. Jeff was brutal as he reviewed the submissions of Kim and her fellow attendees. Kim said she got valuable advice for improving her novel and was gratified when Jeff told her she was only two drafts away from being ready for the big-time.
    There's over a million books published each year. This is good news for book lovers, if somewhat daunting. But it's even more daunting for writers since only a handful of these books will provide a good living for their authors. Kim will continue to write no matter what, but she would like validation in the form of royalty checks.
   There were several other aspiring writers at Thursday's workshop. I myself have no interest in jumping into the fiction shark pool, but Kim said several of the attendees were working on memoirs. I could see myself writing a memoir: "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life...etc."
   Kim says a memoir should start out at the great crisis of the hero's life, then reel it in and gradually lead up to the crisis again. I did not know that. "As I lowered myself into the reputedly dormant volcano, I heard an ominous rumbling from below, so I deleted the word 'reputedly,' which is good, since my agent told me to lose all the adverbs."
   Kim gave us copies of a handout she had received in Hawaii. It divided all fiction into three broad areas: Literary, Upmarket and Commercial. Literary is arty and award winning. The author keeps his or her day job. Upmarket is character driven. The writing is of a high quality, but the plot is juicy enough to provide the author with a comfortable living. Commercial is as the name implies, out to make a buck: Tom Clancy, Danielle Steele, and other well-known philanthropists.
   I could jazz up my memoir to make a million: "As I lowered myself into the volcano, my soon-to-be-ex girlfriend, Maia, sobbed from above, 'Dante, I know you're just going down there to meet Rumi, and I've got your Buck n' Bear Lynx 440C Tactical Folding pocket knife right here and I know how to use it.'"
   I bet agent Jeff would love it. Especially the knife bit.

   Thanks Kim for a fascinating look into the cut-throat world of publishing. I admire your perseverance. Good luck!

Writer Girl