This afternoon, I was lucky enough to speak with Jamie Mason, a local mystery author who has signed a TV deal for her work. I learned so much from her about getting published, tv or movie deals, outlining, writing complex characters with clear motivations and self revisions. Ms. Mason emphasized how important it is to read A LOT and “fill your head with the sound of words you like”, while not being afraid to put down books you’re not into. She also talked about how query letters are a way for agents to see you can write well and that you know how to follow directions. In her words, it’s “making sure you’re not a crazy person”. She gave me the writing prompt of going to local newspapers, finding the most interesting headline and writing about it without reading the article. Her general tip for making twists is “what’s bad in this situation and what would make it worse”. She suggests using personality indicators like the Emotional Thesaurus and reading up on psychology to further develop characters. Ms. Mason recommended forming a critique group to get opinions with honest feedback from people who know what you’re doing and if you’re actually doing it well. Her biggest piece of advice is “know going in that if this is something you love to do, you have to take care of yourself”. It’s important to separate yourself from your work because fans and haters are not loving or hating you. I really enjoyed this conversation.
