Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away called New York City, a Very Nice Man named Russell Galen wrote a clever essay about writing fiction. He titled this essay Astral Projection. While 1992 may seem a long time ago - especially to you younger earthlings - it barely moves the needle, in galactic terms. Russell Galen’s essay contains a universal truth, as big-bang-on today as it was in 1992.
Good writing interests me, which is why I find this piece of writing about writing so very interesting.
Russell Galen is the founder of the estimable (look that up, if you must) Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency, Inc., of New York. I’ll publish this essay in a couple of days, and thank Mr. Galen for allowing me to do so. In the meanwhile, let me yada-yada-yada.
I have many reasons for wanting to share Astral Projection with you. First: I suspect some of you are developing or established writers. If so, you can probably tell me how to write faster and better: I wrestle with words every day, and don’t always win.
Second: Galen’s #1 tip on writing a can’t-put-it-down novel has more to do with character identification and less to do with strong writing. There! That allows us weaselly writers to sigh with relief when we’ve waltzed with the wrong participle or neglected to use the subjunctive.
And third: I hope you’ll enjoy Galen’s clean, direct prose as much as I did. Writing, agenting, and publishing have seen some dark days, but I have the strong feeling the industry is bouncing back.
Reading opens you up to new worlds and new ideas. It helps develop critical thinking skills. It makes you smarter, and more understanding, and more empathetic, and more curious.
Friends unfamiliar with the process of book-writing (of which I’ve done a teensy bit, a millenium ago) always ask: “So when can I buy a copy of Blankety-Blank?” They’re always surprised to hear a writer’s job doesn’t end when the last page is done. Writers who seek a traditional publisher almost always need an agent. Finding that agent can be a long and tiring process.
Reading opens you up to new worlds and new ideas. It helps develop critical thinking skills. It makes you smarter, and more understanding, and more empathetic, and more curious.
Friends unfamiliar with the process of book-writing (of which I’ve done a teensy bit, a millenium ago) always ask: “So when can I buy a copy of Blankety-Blank?” They’re always surprised to hear a writer’s job doesn’t end when the last page is done. Writers who seek a traditional publisher almost always need an agent. Finding that agent can be a long and tiring process.
An agent who believes in the book (and in the writer) will try to match your manuscript with the best publisher for it. This challenging process can take a week, a month, a year - or longer. A good agent is like stardust. And for that agent, so’s a good writer.
The team of writer/agent/publisher/editor/artist works as hard as possible for just one person - you. Not only do we want you to love the book on which we’ve labored - we want you to spread the word!
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So that’s a self-serving, round-about way of introducing you to Russell Galen, whose reputation as a smart, caring agent precedes him. Galen says agents and editors generally read just 1% of developing writers’ novels from start to finish. Of those, he says, agents and editors prefer “strongly plotted manuscripts (that) force you to finish ... (over) better written manuscripts which lack a strong plot …”
BING! Time’s up! I’ll plunge straight into the meat of Russell Galen’s essay in a couple of days - and into what he calls “astral projection.” Doesn’t every writer want to write a better book? The universal truths in this essay could put you in that orbit.
BING! Time’s up! I’ll plunge straight into the meat of Russell Galen’s essay in a couple of days - and into what he calls “astral projection.” Doesn’t every writer want to write a better book? The universal truths in this essay could put you in that orbit.
© Nicole Parton, 2019
