Life with No Regrets

What are the things that you regret in life?

Some of my regrets? Not taking piano lessons as a child, quitting violin in 8th grade, not going out for the tennis team in high school, not traveling more before I had children, working too much when my older children were little...

Most have to do with the things I was too timid to do or things I felt I didn't have the money to do. Fear held too much sway. I allowed myself to be limited. I rarely regret the things I did do, taking a risk--because invariably I learned along the way, even if through failure. I feel I've become a better person in the end.

The question I ask myself in decision making is this: "Will I regret not doing this later in life?" It helps push me when my cautious inner self says no. It urges me to keep going even when I'd rather sit still. It helps me be a better friend, I hope, because it reminds me to pick up the phone or write a letter.

I hope you're living your life with no regrets. It's never too late to start.
More later,
Traci

Jimmy Stewart and Chip Foose

Everyone loves Jimmy Stewart's Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life, right? I do enjoy the story, but I can't watch it without mentally editing the plotline. Donna Reed NEVER in a million years would've become the town librarian. Did the director ever take a look at her gorgeous face, sweet disposition? Give me a break. In my version she would've married their high school buddy in New York, the one with all the money and all the girls hanging around. Of course, he would've cheated on her and made her miserable. It was already perfectly set up in the story, yet the writer never pursued it. Mr. Potter never has his comeuppance; he STOLE money from the Savings and Loan, after all. I think that scrawny guy who hovers in the background should've ratted him out to the police, or at least to the bank examiner. Perhaps other, larger illegal actions could come into the open and the nasty Mr. Potter could get tossed in jail.

See what I mean. It's one of the hazards of being a fiction editor--any imperfections in a story become glaring. I'm bothered. It makes reading any fiction problematic, unless of course it's been well crafted/edited. Few books or films satisfy. I keep asking questions like "Why are you TELLING me this when you haven't SHOWN it by the characters' actions and reactions?" "Where did that motivation come from? It wasn't set up well." "Why did you foreshadow one thing and never give the reader their payoff?" "Cut the backstory and get on with the plot I'm dying for!" "Who is this character again? They all seem to meld together!" "When did this character's eye color change?"

I felt that the new Star Wars movies were merely an example of an author who was too fascinated by his own backstory--in this case less was more! And what was with the characters still in 1980's hairdos and garb? I adore Ewan MacGregor, but I think I'll stick to Big Fish whenever I want to see him. Then the problem with Big Fish was that the son was such a whiner about "the truth of his father's life" that I eventually found him irritating. You see what I mean? Even great stories like Big Fish cause me to trip.

But it's the same in any profession. Whenever we walk into a bookstore, my husband examines the elements of printing and binding of every book he touches. Chefs probably critique the cooking in every restaurant they visit. Chip Foose probably can't help but check out the flame jobs at every car show he appears at. It's just part of the territory.

Traci DePree

Ideas, Ideas--When an Agent (and a husband) Comes in Handy

I am a notecard user. Whenever I get an idea, whatever it may be--for a book, a blog, a character, a scene--I jot it down on a notecard.

This morning as I was trying to steer my way to producing new proposals for my agent and I to discuss, I discovered that I'd jotted down 22 different book or series ideas onto my little notecards. TWENTY-TWO! No wonder I was having a hard time narrowing down what to write next. My imagination has gone wild. The problem is each one sounds enticing to me. This is when I'm glad to have the help of my husband and agent--I rely on them to tell me what's lame and what holds promise.

You have to develop thick skin and have a loose grasp on your "little darlings" if you want to create the best novel possible. When I first started writing, my husband and I had several discussions that ended in tears--mine, not his--because I was too stubborn to see that what I had written could be better. After a little time, and usually soul searching, I came to see it from his perspective. My books are better for it.

It doesn't end after you've written a few books either--a good author always values the opinions of outside readers. I'm not saying that you should let every reader remold your book. No one has a better vision for what you want you book to be than you do, but readers can point out weaknesses.

As an editor, I've dealt with this issue many, many times. I get a great idea for how to "fix" a hole in the plot, but it's MY idea, not the author's. If the author doesn't take ownership of the idea it becomes the editor's book. It loses that flavor that makes it uniquely theirs. More often than not, the author will have an even better idea that works better with the overall story than I could ever concieve.

A few years ago I'd been editing a book about a character in the Witness Protection Program. There was no sense of impending doom, as I'd come to expect in other books of this genre, no bad guy returning to "get" the witness who'd gone under cover. I suggested the author boost this element, but her response was, "I don't want the cliche Witness Protection novel; I'm going for a more real life look at the issue." This was the heart of the story that only the author could know and hold onto. I was glad she pushed back because I would have been changing the very essence of her story. A good editor lets authors push back; the story will be better for it and it will help the author gain a deeper knowledge of what they want their story to be and where they aren't communicating clearly to their audience.

So, now to sift through my 22 books to see which one floats to the top.
More later,
Traci