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10/23/00 07:01:11 PM Opening "Chat Log Den 10/23/00"
FRR Mallory WRTR: Hello everyone - we will be starting in just a few minutes
Deluge13: Even a well researched book could have mistakes, or points that
are debatble.
Sryope2: Hi all
Sryope2: Whose the guest tonight?
Kathi Smith 116: DLHaeger is the guest, I believe
FRR Mallory WRTR: Our guest tonight will be Diane Haeger
DLHaeger: I believe that would be me, Sryope <g>
DLHaeger: A pleasure to meet you.
Sryope2: Gena, I can't believe they're still arguing about you're nude
woman scene. LOL
Kathi Smith 116: Hi Diane, welcome
FRR Mallory WRTR: She is the author of Historical Novels
Sryope2: Hi Diane
Sryope2: nice to meet you too
DLHaeger: Thanks Kathi
Sryope2: welcome
FRR Mallory WRTR: and my spy tells me nicely reviewed Historical Romances
Kathi Smith 116: lol
JsmnStrm: Hi Diane
DLHaeger: Evening everyone. Lovely to be here.
FRR Mallory WRTR: We can start now if you like . . .
Sryope2: Is Paul making another delivery?
DLHaeger: Hmm... only one historical romance. The others were historical
novels and 2 contemps
DLHaeger: actually.
FRR Mallory WRTR: He is not on yet
Kathi Smith 116: Should we give it a few minutes for late-comers to wander
in?
FRR Mallory WRTR: I think we can manage open chat for a few <grins>
FRR Mallory WRTR: feel free to uhmmm plunder our guest
DLHaeger: This is fun just being informal. I'm ok with this.
JsmnStrm: How long you been writing, Diane?
Mod Gonne
DLHaeger: Plunder away! <g>
Sryope2: Diane, will you give us your titles and publishers?
DLHaeger: Jsmn, it feels like a century!
Kathi Smith 116: Oh goodie! We can pillage and plunder someone
FRR Mallory WRTR: Her current title is The Secret Wife of King George IV
The13thDoctor: hi everyone
DLHaeger: Actually, I sold my first book in 1993, and had taken 4 yrs to
write that.
JsmnStrm: Hi Doc..
HOST WRTR Dee
Sryope2: Is that about his morganic marriage?
DLHaeger: Sryope, if you don't mind a list!
HOST WRTR Dee: Hi all
FRR Mallory WRTR: (our fave Donna in new gear)
Sryope2: Please,
Sryope2: list
FRR Mallory WRTR: congrats
DLHaeger: I've been with Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and now St.
Martin's Press
HOST WRTR Dee: new hat, new hairdo
Sryope2: Wow sounds good to me
FRR Mallory WRTR: Diane - what are the biggest differences between your
FRR Mallory WRTR: publishing experiences
DLHaeger: Sryope, it is about his marriage to the Catholic widow Maria
Fitzherbert.
Sryope2: Why different publishers. Did you have a problem?
FRR Mallory WRTR: with the big houses?
Sryope2: Yes, I thought so
Kathi Smith 116: (What's a morganic marriage?)
DLHaeger: Hmm... have you got about a week?? <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR: lol
FRR Mallory WRTR: just the short version
DLHaeger: Each of them have been so different. I think mainly the
difference has been
Mod Gonne: (thanks for asking that, Kath)
Sryope2: A marriage that isn't recognized by the government so that
Sryope2: any heirs won't be recognized
DLHaeger: in terms of publishing philosophy. S&S was very geered toward
romance
Kathi Smith 116: lol Mod
Sryope2: and the spouse won't get a title
Deluge13
DLHaeger: and that really changed the focus of my career in a direction I
was not prepared to go...
FRR Mallory WRTR: ahh
DLHaeger: HC is more, or at least for me, a contemporary house with that
mind set.
FRR Mallory WRTR: you did mention that you only have one romance out
FRR Mallory WRTR: is it your preference to write less specifically toward a
genre?
The13thDoctor: How hard is it for a new writer to get published with a big
house?
Kathi Smith 116: So you're more of a mainstream writer than genre?
ChrisSarge
DLHaeger: Many authors end up changing houses if the direction each sees
for the writer is a different
DLHaeger: one. That has been the case for me. My only real romance was
HOST WRTR Dee: hi Chris
ChrisSarge: Hello
DLHaeger: a contractual obligation for S&S
Kathi Smith 116: (Thanks for the definition, Sryope)
Deluge13
DLHaeger: FRR, not particularly but I have discovered that straight romance
has not been
Sryope2: (Youre welcome)
DLHaeger: of great interest to me, and I don't think I am particularly good
at it.
DLHaeger: There are wonderful authors, however, who are.
FRR Mallory WRTR: what do you LIKE to write?
DLHaeger: Kathi, I think so, yes.
DLHaeger: I write mainly historicals now, based on true stories from
history but in a mainstream style
Sryope2: OOps You're
DLHaeger: I actually liked the 2 contemporary novels I wrote.
FRR Mallory WRTR: are they fiction or a blending ?
DLHaeger: They were both set in Scotland as HarperCollins rather fancied
the direction of authors like
DLHaeger: Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher
Dcudlbug
JsmnStrm: How much research goes into one of your books Diane?
DLHaeger: and were trying, at the time, to steer me in that direction.
DLHaeger: Jsmn... ugh! Too much sometimes!!! lol
DLHaeger: Seriously though, it just feels like that. I try very hard to get
it right.
JsmnStrm: Hate to hear that!
Mod Gonne: oh, but reasearch is good...
DLHaeger: To research every element I can....
SPultz: Hi all
Mod Gonne: and so is spelling.
FRR Mallory WRTR: what are you working on right now Diane?
DLHaeger: so that I bring to life not only the story of the characters but
the times in which they
DLHaeger: lived.
Kathi Smith 116: Once you're in with a publishing house, do they try to
call the shots on what you write?
DLHaeger: FRR, I feel a bit like a literary nomad these days, actually.
DLHaeger: I am now contracted to write another historical based on a story
set during the Civil War.
FRR Mallory WRTR: <--- thinks Diane is writing a closet Science Fiction <eg>
Gena HS
DLHaeger: Kathi, that has been my experience, most definitely.
CharMaclay
Sryope2: (Has someone started the log?)
The13thDoctor: <--- concurring with Mallory
DLHaeger: But I know many authors for whom that is not reality.
FRR Mallory WRTR: yes Sry - we have it
Kathi Smith 116: Do you have the freedom to say no, and stay with them?
DLHaeger: I think it depends on the sort of book you write and the strength
of those novels
DLHaeger: at the time in the marketplace.
Coco0609
DLHaeger: Kathi.... that's tough.
Coco0609: good evening all
DLHaeger: I think if I did that I would have to have a darned good idea of
my own to sell them on.
FRR Mallory WRTR: Our guest tonight is Historical Novel author Diane Haeger
DLHaeger: It's a very difficult market right now and numbers are very
important to editors and sales
FRR Mallory WRTR: we are not observing protocol at the moment
Racingsong
DLHaeger: forces.
DLHaeger: It has changed dramatically since I was first published.
Kathi Smith 116: What category was your first book in?
Sryope2: It's hard to realize that after you sell the first, you still
have to keep selling
DLHaeger: Courtesan, my first novel, was one that sold in spite of itself
basically.
DLHaeger: But publishers were much more willing back then to take risks, or
so I am
DLHaeger: regularly reminded! <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR: why do you think the market is tighter now?
DLHaeger: Kathi, my first was an historical based on a true story but S&S
marketed it as romance
DLHaeger: as that was the strongest market to garner new readers at the
time.
Mod Gonne: ...what is the fascination with Celtic cultures?
DLHaeger: It was quite a disappointment to me.
DLHaeger: Irving Stone had been something of a mentor to me and someone who
I had
DLHaeger: hoped to one day be compared with.
DLHaeger: FRR, ooh tough question...
Kathi Smith 116: I think publishing is like all other businesses, there
are cycles that go back and forth
DLHaeger: Many factors actually...
DLHaeger: People read less...
DLHaeger: They want shorter reads...
DLHaeger: Easier....
Sryope2: please list all your titles
DLHaeger: Courtesan, The Return, Angel Bride, Pieces of April, Beyond The
Glen...
DLHaeger: The Secret Wife of King George IV.
Kathi Smith 116: Are those actual factors, or just publishers
interpretations? I don't agree with people
DLHaeger: Kathi, I agree...
Kathi Smith 116: reading less now
DLHaeger: and it's very hard for us creative types to accept it as a
business.
Kathi Smith 116: or having less attention spans
DLHaeger: At least it has been for me.
FRR Mallory WRTR: I am reading more now
SPultz: Physic novels seem to be selling now
DLHaeger: Hooray for you!!! <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR: and I have noted that at least SF books are thicker
JeanM1926
FRR Mallory WRTR: than they were just a few years ago
The13thDoctor: i read more in the last year than i did from age 1 to age 20
Jackatbrun
DLHaeger: SP, there are definite genres that are very hot, that's
absolutely true...
CharMaclay
HOST WRTR Dee: Diane, how do you keep your ooommph going in your writing in
the middle of the book?
JeanM1926: Hi all!
DLHaeger: suspense... slasher books.... mysteries... legal thrillers...
Kathi Smith 116: oooh, good question, Dee!
DLHaeger: Dee, actually the middle is not as tough for me as the beginning.
DLHaeger: I think the mountain looks much larger to me when I am facing it
than when I am in the
DLHaeger: middle of the climb.
DLHaeger: Usually, by the middle of a book...
DLHaeger: I am so into my characters and their story...
DLHaeger: that they propel me toward the finish.
JsmnStrm: Do you write more than one story at a time?
HOST WRTR Dee: nice..
DLHaeger: But now, for example, when I am in the early days of research and
I...
DLHaeger: don't "know" the characters as well as I will, I do feel a
detachment from
SPultz: a fiction story based on true life,,where is the best place to begin?
DLHaeger: the entire process, and having 2 small kids, it can definitely
tough to
DLHaeger: motivate myself some days!!!
SPultz: it is mostly about the 90's
DLHaeger: Jsmn... not these days, no. Being a mom, and all that entails and
trying to do the
DLHaeger: research for historicals based on true love affairs...
Jackatbrun: DL, how much time do you spend revising/rewriting?
DLHaeger: from history is pretty much a full time job.
JsmnStrm: I don't doubt it.
DLHaeger: Jack, lol, a lot!
HOST WRTR Dee: another good question.
FRR Mallory WRTR: SP's question is next
Deluge13: How do you do most of your research?
Gena HS
DLHaeger: I read a great quote once "The object of the first draft is not
to get it right...
DLHaeger: but to get it written."
HOST WRTR Paul
Kathi Smith 116: Where do you get your initial information that leads you
to the incidents you write about?
Jackatbrun: LOL... and ugh.
DLHaeger: and I pretty much stick to that. I do a lot of rewriting.
Jackatbrun: ?
DLHaeger: Pretty much right up until the time it goes to print actually.
The13thDoctor: Kathi, the best place is the local news
Sryope2: How do you decide how much to makeup about a real person
DLHaeger: Deluge, that has changed, for sure. I can do a lot more on the
internet now...
BobbiAVEC
FRR Mallory WRTR: Welcome to eWorld - our guest tonight is noted author
FRR Mallory WRTR: Diane Haegar - Historial Novels
DLHaeger: But there is still no substitute for actually going to the
country or state and
DLHaeger: being there for a while.
FRR Mallory WRTR: we are not on formal protocol but please wait for answers
DLHaeger: That was one thing I learned from the late Irving Stone.
FRR Mallory WRTR: before asking new questions
DLHaeger: He was a master of making the reader "live" with his characters.
Racingsong
DLHaeger: Sry, that can be tough. That has changed for me also...
DLHaeger: For example in Courtesan, my labor of love as I call it, I made
up very little.
DLHaeger: It took me 4 yrs to write and I was pretty much obsessed with
getting it right.
Jackatbrun: What does most of the revising entail? Story/plot lines or
characterization to fit
DLHaeger: But some stories are easier than others...
DLHaeger: Jack, mostly the details. I have been known to take out huge
chunks and move them....
DLHaeger: or take them all together, but as a rule I don't change plot
lines drastically once they are
DLHaeger: written. I am more of a "tinkerer", I think.
Kathi Smith 116: What leads you to the historical incident? I didn't know
George IV had a secret marriage...
Sryope2: So when and if do you make things up?
DLHaeger: Kathi, to answer yourquestion about how much to make up, I think
that really comes from wher
DLHaeger: e the holes in the true story lie...
DLHaeger: If I don't have a motivation for something I need to create
that...
DLHaeger: Jack, how so?
Jackatbrun: Aha!
DLHaeger: Kathi, now that's a good question!! It can be the bane of my
existence at times, finding a
DLHaeger: true story that will fit a fiction format!
DLHaeger: One that an editor will buy anyway!
The13thDoctor: Especially one that hasnt been overused
DLHaeger: True too!
FRR Mallory WRTR: or is well known
DLHaeger: I do look very hard for stories that have not been 'over' told.
SPultz: to start a fiction based on true life ,,,is it better to start from
present and work back?
DLHaeger: And that can be tough.
DLHaeger: Plus, it's rather important that if it doesn't have a happy
ending that at least it has a ..
The13thDoctor: An Example: the Arthurian Legend
DLHaeger: poignant conclusion, one that will satisfy readers and make
them...
DLHaeger: want to read more of your books. <g>
Jackatbrun: Ah, when the blood spurting from a chopped head writes a sonnet,
eh?
DLHaeger: So far I have been fairly fortunate finding subjects not terribly
well known in the U.S.
DLHaeger: Something like that <g>
DLHaeger: Doctor, I usually am drawn away from legend stories and more
toward ones with...
HOST WRTR Dee: do you think first of your plot, or start with characters
when you start a book?
FRR Mallory WRTR: Diane - how do you know where to begin a story?
DLHaeger: enough concrete detail to help me write 'their' story.
The13thDoctor: cool
DLHaeger: Dee, well, with the historicals, since they are based in fact, I
find the
DLHaeger: characters...
FRR Mallory WRTR: particularly one based in real life
DLHaeger: ones with fascinating stories...
JsmnStrm: Have you considered writing about ancient civilizations? Such as
egypt, etc?
DLHaeger: then I work the plot around that deciding how much or how little
of their...
DLHaeger: lives to use to help it fit a fiction format. Does that answer
that? I'm not sure.
HOST WRTR Dee: it sounds quite complex...do you do charts, outlines, etc.?
DLHaeger: Jsmn... you know, there are so many fascinating places and times
but editors ...
Clayiseditor
FRR Mallory WRTR: Hello Clay
DLHaeger: can be incredibly particular. My 1st novel, Courtesan, was French
Renaissance and I was told
FRR Mallory WRTR: Welcome to eWorld - Tonights guest is notable author
DLHaeger: ALL wrong for publishing.
FRR Mallory WRTR: Diane Haeger - Historical Novels
DLHaeger: I had a great Italian story and they wouldn't even read it.
DLHaeger: C'est la vie. <g>
Clayiseditor
FRR Mallory WRTR: we are using courtesy in the room tonight
HOST WRTR Dee: go figure, huh?
FRR Mallory WRTR: please wait for answers before asking new questions
DLHaeger: Charts and outlines a-plenty! You should see my office! Maps...
SPultz: are short stories in vogue?
DLHaeger: drawings or paintings of the characters...
DLHaeger: anything and everything to keep me on course!
DLHaeger: SP, I don't know about that. I haven't seen many for a while now.
But shorter formats are
DLHaeger: definitely preferred.
Kathi Smith 116: So you had more artistic freedom before signing on with
the big houses? Bummer
Sryope2: How short is short?
DLHaeger: My 1st book was 700 pages, I think. My last one was 425, by
request.
DLHaeger: Kathi, only in the sense that I wrote what I wanted for "me" not
to get it published.
FRR Mallory WRTR: is 425 about 125,000 words?
Sryope2: Too bad a good long book is a treat
DLHaeger: Now that I'm under contract it is more of a...shall I say, team
effort?
Jackatbrun: Did you return to the 700 page opus for another story?
DLHaeger: Hmm... FRR, you know I don't know the break-down specifically.
They just keep me to pages.
HOST WRTR Dee: GR8ice...I can't IM you on tonight's guest.
DLHaeger: Sry, I couldn't agree more! Plus if done correctly it gives the
author so much more...
ChrisSarge: ?
DLHaeger: of an opportunity to develop characters and relationships.
Gr8iceSk8s: one moment dee i will adjust that
FRR Mallory WRTR: Chris - go ahead
HOST WRTR Dee: thanks :-)
DLHaeger: My first book spanned 25 years and I heard people really felt
they knew the characters as ..
DLHaeger: grew and changed.
DLHaeger: Jack, do you mean did I write a sequel?
Gr8iceSk8s: : ) no problem
DLHaeger: Or did I use the remainder of it for a part II?
HOST WRTR Dee: you must have a very detailed mind, Diane!
Jackatbrun: No, if the larger work didn't get pubbed, did you find a way to
use the material anyway?
DLHaeger: If so, no. I cut 400 pages from Courtesan but it was still around
600pgs I think.
FRR Mallory WRTR: wow
HOST WRTR Dee: ditto
ChrisSarge: ?
DLHaeger: Dee, that's a nice way of putting it! lol Thanks!
The13thDoctor: yikes
FRR Mallory WRTR: Chris - please go ahead and ask your question
BobbiAVEC: Diane, you are obviously a very meticulous writer.
DLHaeger: Jack, oh. No, the 400pgs I cut are gone. They wouldn't fit
elsewhere, sadly.
ChrisSarge: How long does it take you to 1) Write a book
ChrisSarge: 2) rewrite it
DLHaeger: And that is painful to do, for sure. It was very hard as that
book really was,
ChrisSarge: ga
DLHaeger: as I said earlier, my labor or love.
DLHaeger: Bobbi, I try very hard to be that. It's important to me that
readers feel they have learned
Jackatbrun
Gr8iceSk8s: was that your favorite one to write diane/
DLHaeger: about a time and place, and about real people, and that they
trust it is pretty
DLHaeger: darned close to the truth.
DLHaeger: GR8 absolutely. I wish I could have written 5 sequels! The
characters
DLHaeger: just really touched me. Their story was very special, I think.
FRR Mallory WRTR: How long did writing Courtesan take you Diane?
Kathi Smith 116: Half the history I learned was from writers like Anya
Seton <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR: (that is Chris Sarge's question)
DLHaeger: Chris, it used to take 4 years, now I'm under contract for about
12 months.
ChrisSarge: Full time I presume.
BobbiAVEC: Does that put unwanted pressure on you Diane?
DLHaeger: Kathi, wonderful stories, I agree. I was honored that a reviewer
compared Courtesan to her
DLHaeger: style of writing.
HOST WRTR Dee: write and rewrite: how much time for initial draft and how
many re-writes?
DLHaeger: Chris, pretty darned much.
DLHaeger: Or as close to it as I can with 2 kids.
DLHaeger: Sometimes it's a real challenge, I'll tell you!
DLHaeger: Bobbi, at times, absolutely!
SPultz: do you write the entire book before you start to rewrite?
DLHaeger: But it keeps me in the game. Publishing is VERY competitive these
days
DLHaeger: and I need to keep up with it.
DLHaeger: Dee... hmm.. wow... about 4 months original, give or take, then
about 8 months...
DLHaeger: fill in details and revisions.
Gr8iceSk8s: do you write your drafts or do you do them soley on the computer?
HOST WRTR Dee: I think you are my hero...lol
DLHaeger: SP, pretty much, yes. As I said, I like to tinker with it, and if
I
DLHaeger: allow myself to go back too much I don't think I'd ever finish!
<g>
DLHaeger: Gr8 depends, actually. Courtesan was entirely long hand.. the
contemps for some...
SPultz: to write fiction based on true life is it better to start from
present and work back?
DLHaeger: reason were easier to do on the computer. George was a
combination.
DLHaeger: If I get to a creative sticking point with my keyboard I have
found that
BobbiAVEC: Do you pace yourself to have so much completed each month?
Gr8iceSk8s: that is really interesting
DLHaeger: the paper and pen usually can help me focus again...
DLHaeger: I have no idea why that is but it seems to be the case for
several writers I know.
DLHaeger: Tough on the wrists though! <g>
Gr8iceSk8s: i tend to find distractions when doing my writing on the computer
The13thDoctor: LOL
DLHaeger: Gr8, how is that?
Gr8iceSk8s: (such as the fact that i am in here now )
FRR Mallory WRTR: Diane - what do you think your writing weakness is?
SPultz: I also do most of my writing long hand and then use the computer
FRR Mallory WRTR: (we are not a distraction)
HOST WRTR Dee: lol Gr8ice
DLHaeger: LOL Oh, I totally understand that!!!!
Gr8iceSk8s: need computer with no I access : )
FRR Mallory WRTR: :::twinkles:::
The13thDoctor: Gr8, i found i had to get another puter JUST for writing
DLHaeger: FRR... wow, good question!
DLHaeger: One might be that I am drawn continually to stories that are less
than vastly
DLHaeger: marketable...
The13thDoctor: that wouldnt be a weakness IMO
DLHaeger: <g>
DLHaeger: Ok, I'm thinking!
DLHaeger: Perhaps the desire to be overly wordy.
DLHaeger: Yes, I think my editors would agree with that!
Sryope2: Do you have an agent? Are you pro or con agents?
DLHaeger: It's a constant work in progress to keep focused, concise...
FRR Mallory WRTR: what have you done to adjust your verbosity???
DLHaeger: and not include an over abundance of details.
DLHaeger: Sry, I have always had an agent and I don't know what I'd do
without her!
DLHaeger: It's difficult to surrender 10-15% of your sale but ...
DLHaeger: it has been my experience that the type of sale and the interest
at the
JsmnStrm: Was it hard to get an agent?
DLHaeger: publisher has been far greater
Gr8iceSk8s: details are wonderful
DLHaeger: with an agent than without.
DLHaeger: FRR... <g>....
DLHaeger: Edit myself daily!
FRR Mallory WRTR: lol
DLHaeger: Constantly... ruthlessly!
SPultz: How does one get an agent interested?
Sryope2: Who is your agent?
DLHaeger: Jsmn... I think so, yes. But there are so many out there...
BobbiAVEC: Good question SP.
DLHaeger: As I recall, I multiply submitted and got a few rejections and a
few interested letters back
HOST WRTR Paul: By the way, Gr8, I just emailed you.
DLHaeger: so it balanced out. I actually got to choose which was nice!
Jackatbrun
Gr8iceSk8s: ok paul
HOST WRTR Paul: Can't IM you so tried that way.
FRR Mallory WRTR: how did you make the choice Diane?
FRR Mallory WRTR: or based on what?
DLHaeger: I am with the Irene Goodman Agency in New York.
SPultz: where does one find a list of agents?
Gr8iceSk8s: sorry ! i tend to fix ims on an asking basis LOL
DLHaeger: One gets an agent, I think, by going through Writer's Market,
looking for
FRR Mallory WRTR: Shirley - try looking for a book called the Writers
Market
FRR Mallory WRTR: or Literary Agents
DLHaeger: agents who are taking on new clients and then keying in on the
ones who
DLHaeger: like representing the sort of book you have written. Most have
specialties.
FRR Mallory WRTR: the Lit Agent book has more agents listed
JsmnStrm: Writer's guide to editors, publishers and agents
FRR Mallory WRTR: about 25 bucks at the bookstore
Jackatbrun: WRTR, which book is that?
JsmnStrm: Has a good listing..
DLHaeger: FRR, that may be true. It has been a while since I've looked.
FRR Mallory WRTR: Writers Guide to Book editors, publishers and Literary
Agents
DLHaeger: FRR, libraries have them too though, I think.
Jackatbrun: Jeff Herman
FRR Mallory WRTR: there are really two of them - one just for Literary
Agents
HOST WRTR Paul: Yes, any big Library--in the Reference section.
DLHaeger: FRR, how I picked my 1st agent had to do with the details I
mentioned, and then
FRR Mallory WRTR: I suggest one current
DLHaeger: I really wanted one based in NY.
HOST WRTR Paul: Loom in any big Library, in their Reference section.
HOST WRTR Paul: (look, too!)
HOST WRTR Dee: Is that important? Having an agent based in N.Y.?
FRR Mallory WRTR: DL - did you check their reputation in any way?
DLHaeger: FRR, I knew of several of their clients and thought if they would
have me, I'd be grateful..
DLHaeger: actually! <g>
DLHaeger: Dee, not to everyone...
FRR Mallory WRTR: what if you hadn't immediately recognized their name?
DLHaeger: My experience however has been that it is a bit easier for them
DLHaeger: to have relationships with editors, due to proximity, that can
get my stuff read
DLHaeger: faster and maybe more seriously.
SPultz: nite all,thank you DLHaeger for your visit
DLHaeger: but I'm sure there are great agents everywhere.
Gr8iceSk8s: Paul .... i sent a reply
FRR Mallory WRTR: how long did it take you to sell your first novel once
the agent had it?
HOST WRTR Dee: so, it is an edge...
DLHaeger: FRR... my you ARE full of great questions! <hehehe>
FRR Mallory WRTR: <grins>
DLHaeger: I don't know, to be honest...
HOST WRTR Dee: bye SHirley
FRR Mallory WRTR: Nighters Shirley***
DLHaeger: I think I would have been a bit more particular but as I recall,
they
Gr8iceSk8s: goodnight sp
DLHaeger: were very gung ho for Courtesan and had a real vision for selling
it.
SPultz
DLHaeger: That was certainly important to me.
JeanM1926: Bye, Shirley!
FRR Mallory WRTR: we have about 10 minutes left in chat <smiles>
DLHaeger: FRR, ah! If only they were all that easy!! My first one sold to
the first editor who read it
DLHaeger: acouple of weeks I think...
FRR Mallory WRTR: lol
The13thDoctor: first novels usually are the most important to a writer
BobbiAVEC: Diane, my husband wanted to know if you have ever done short
stories or poetry?
FRR Mallory WRTR: <---- has decided I hate you now <grins>
DLHaeger: But as I say, the rest of my career should be so smooth!!!
Sryope2: How many copies have you sold of each title?
DLHaeger: 13th, true, as the story of our hearts is usually the one that
gives us the
Gr8iceSk8s: wow hubby came up with a good question bobbi : ))
DLHaeger: strength to pursue the career.
DLHaeger: Sry... ugh! Couldn't tell you if my life depended on it! All my
books...
DLHaeger: have sold internationally, and I've gone into hardcover now so I
DLHaeger: am 'hoping' they're happy with my increase! <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR: lol
Jackatbrun: DL, who is YOUR favorite author?
FRR Mallory WRTR: we are all JEALOUS
HOST WRTR Dee: can I sit at your feet each day? lol
DLHaeger: Jack, tough!!! As I said earlier, Irving Stone was very special
to me... Anya Seton...
DLHaeger: but I love Maeve Binchy... Rosamunde Pilcher...
Jackatbrun: Dee, take your own word processor. Hers'll be busy.
Kathi Smith 116: <--not jealous, glad to hear success stories, gives me
hope
DLHaeger: Eileen Gouge...I'm kind of all over the map with that.
HOST WRTR Dee: I'll use my palm
BobbiAVEC: Kathi, you have that right.
HOST WRTR Dee: pilot
DLHaeger: Kathi, most days it doesn't feel like a success story, believe
me!!
DLHaeger: I'm still in there struggling, even after 7 sold books, I'm still
not anywhere near...
Jackatbrun: DL, none of us need to know that.
FRR Mallory WRTR: Diane - did your advances increase with each book?
DLHaeger: a household name.
Gr8iceSk8s: palm pilots are great
DLHaeger: Or the NYTimes! <g>
DLHaeger: But goals are good!!
DLHaeger: Jack, LOL Sorry.
Coco0609
BobbiAVEC: Diane, with your determination, you can't help but get to your
goal.
DLHaeger: FRR... we should hope, right? <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR: well yes <grins>
FRR Mallory WRTR: <---- has plans on being a hack writer
Jackatbrun: DL, but it drives to a personal point: why does anyone write?
Money is low on the list.
FRR Mallory WRTR: all bucks and fluff
DLHaeger: Bobbi, well thank you very, very much! Hopefully historicals have
a new...
DLHaeger: life ahead of them yet!
The13thDoctor: Mallory, you AREnt a hack
DLHaeger: Fluff???
FRR Mallory WRTR: lol
FRR Mallory WRTR: shhhhh
Kathi Smith 116: Do you make enough (not to be nosy...really!) to live on
from writing?
FRR Mallory WRTR: yes, we are NOSY about money
Gr8iceSk8s: dl.... bobbi's husband asked earlier if you had written any poems
or short stories.....
Gr8iceSk8s: i am curious as well to know the answer
DLHaeger: Jack, true, in the scheme of things I suppose.... Because we feel
we
DLHaeger: have a story to tell that no one else can perhaps.
ChrisSarge: I like Kathy's question.
JsmnStrm: Good night ALL, Thanks Diane for your time, Later all!
Jackatbrun: Kathi, probably not in NY, but in Podunk...maybe. <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR: Nighters Jasmine***
JsmnStrm
DLHaeger: Sk8, ooh sorry. Poems, yes. I wrote a couple that became part of
Pieces of April actually.
DLHaeger: One of the characters was a poet and the editor used them.
FRR Mallory WRTR: cool
FRR Mallory WRTR: my poetry is really sorry
DLHaeger: FRR, so is mine usually, to be honest. That was more of a case, I
think of
DLHaeger: the character taking over enough to help me write it, if you know
what I mean...
DLHaeger: or is that too wierd sounding here?
FRR Mallory WRTR: :::nods:::
Kathi Smith 116: Not to us writers....lol
FRR Mallory WRTR: naw - we are used to our characters shoving us around
BobbiAVEC: That isn't weird.
DLHaeger: I always wonder about that whole notion but most writers I know
experience that sort
Gr8iceSk8s: not at all
HOST WRTR Dee: I have the bruises to prove it.
DLHaeger: of character take-over at some point.
Jackatbrun: Obstreperous $%%&# characters.
DLHaeger: It's the fun part for me, actually, when they start telling me
what to do with them!
Gr8iceSk8s: LOL jack
BobbiAVEC: Isn't that the point though To have characters that can be
believed?
DLHaeger: lol You guys are great!
FRR Mallory WRTR: see - we are ALL insane
Kathi Smith 116: That's when you know they're coming alive
FRR Mallory WRTR: hearing voices <grins>
Sryope2: Even Steven King talks about it in his new book On Writing
DLHaeger: FRR, true!!!
DLHaeger: Kathi, absolutely!
HOST WRTR Dee: that is the best part of writing, get outside your own skin,
and into a character's soul
Sryope2: Good book by the way
Gr8iceSk8s: well now FRR im a lefty so i am technically in my right mind
Jackatbrun: FRR, I am NOT insane. It jus appears so.
DLHaeger: And if they don't live for you, you can't expect them to live for
the reader, so I've
FRR Mallory WRTR: lol
DLHaeger: made my peace with the wierdity of how that sounds!
Sryope2: lol Gr8
FRR Mallory WRTR: well Diane Haeger - you have been a fabulous guest
FRR Mallory WRTR: technically we are nearing the end of our chat
The13thDoctor: I'm not insane. I'm just along for the ride
Sryope2: Thank you for comming
FRR Mallory WRTR: and you have survived the gauntlet of our chatroom
DLHaeger: Thank you all so much for having me. I've had a great time!
Sryope2: and speaking with us plebs
FRR Mallory WRTR: :::twinkles:::
HOST WRTR Dee: ::::::clapping enthusiastically::::::::
Kathi Smith 116: Great talk, Diane, thanks so much! I really enjoyed it
FRR Mallory WRTR: :::passes Diane the 'I SURVIVED eWORLD PIN'
BobbiAVEC: Bravo, Diane.
DLHaeger: FRR, not at all. You made me think, which is a good thing at this
hour of the night!
Jackatbrun: Thank YOU for your time.
The13thDoctor: ^5 Diane
HOST WRTR Paul: Yeah Diane!
DLHaeger: FRR, I will wear it proudly! <g>
Sryope2: Come back soon
HOST WRTR Paul: Wish I'd made it home sooner.
HOST WRTR Dee: thanks Diane...
FRR Mallory WRTR: we have truly appreciated your presence here tonight
HOST WRTR Paul: (will study the Log intensively.)
Dcudlbug: Brava! Brava!!
FRR Mallory WRTR: and would love to invite you back to join our little
Sryope2: Another truck break down Paul?
FRR Mallory WRTR: group again <smiles>
DLHaeger: Sry, I would love it. Thanks again everyone! Good night! <Please
do!>
Gr8iceSk8s: ::::::::: applauding :::::::::::
HOST WRTR Paul: Nah, just a wild goose chase 30 miles away.
FRR Mallory WRTR: we are now offcially on open chat
Jackatbrun
DLHaeger
BobbiAVEC: Diane, good seeing you again.
Sryope2: Goodnight all
HOST WRTR Dee: anytime you want to stop bye to chew the fat...do so...
Kathi Smith 116: I have some news
HOST WRTR Dee: Kathi...good news, I hope.
HOST WRTR Paul: Diane has left the building.
Kathi Smith 116: The short story I entered in the contest is going to be
published
HOST WRTR Paul: News, Kathi?
Sryope2: Waiting with baited breath
HOST WRTR Dee: FANTASTIC
Gr8iceSk8s: wow congrats!!!!!
HOST WRTR Paul: WOW!
Sryope2: Congratualations
The13thDoctor: ^5 Kathi
Gena HS: Good for you Kathi
Dcudlbug: You go, Girl!
GoldZilla
Sryope2: OOps congratulations
HOST WRTR Dee: :::::hugs and pecks on the cheek:::::::both cheeks
Kathi Smith 116: In a little quarterly no one's ever heard of, with a
circulation of about 2...but still
FRR Mallory WRTR: whooo oooo Kathi
Sryope2: What story, what mag
HOST WRTR Dee: you must be walking on air.
HOST WRTR Paul: Sry, you missed the 15th Contest.
Kathi Smith 116: I can officially call myself a published writer...as soon
as I lop off 300 words...ugh!
Gr8iceSk8s: i should be getting to sleep soon.... thanks so much !
HOST WRTR Dee: Is this group magic or what!!!!
HOST WRTR Paul: Just remove all the "e's" ;-)
Gr8iceSk8s: i shall return sometime soon
Sryope2: Night again
Kathi Smith 116: lol Paul
HOST WRTR Dee: remove anything that ends in LY
The13thDoctor: whens the 16th contest?
HOST WRTR Dee: bye Gr8ice
HOST WRTR Dee: those contests have been good luck for us
BobbiAVEC: Dee, Paul, very nice job with your interview of Diane.
Sryope2
HOST WRTR Paul: I'm thinking of scheduling it in January.
HOST WRTR Paul: That way we'll have the entire Holiday 2-week break to putter
around with our Entries.
HOST WRTR Dee: get, thanks, Bobbi....Mallory did the grunt work...
The13thDoctor: okay
CherishedMyths
HOST WRTR Paul: Ben Bova will be here in December. In between his deluge of
relatives! (He lives in Florida)
HOST WRTR Dee: Steel...nice job on the hosting...
FRR Mallory WRTR: thank you Donna <smiles>
Kathi Smith 116: Night all, thanks for the encouragement!
HOST WRTR Dee: Kathi...published writer!!!!
HOST WRTR Dee: sounds right to me.
Kathi Smith 116: Whoohoo
HOST WRTR Dee: night
Kathi Smith 116
The13thDoctor: nite everyone
The13thDoctor
HOST WRTR Dee: night Doc
CherishedMyths
Dcudlbug: Nite, All.
FRR Mallory WRTR: Nighters everyone***
Dcudlbug
HOST WRTR Dee: guess, I'll be taking off too...who is up next, Paul?
JeanM1926
HOST WRTR Paul: Thanks, new HOST Donna.
HOST WRTR Paul: And Mallory Moderator. :-)
HOST WRTR Dee: ooohhhh...me with new curls.
FRR Mallory WRTR: lol - well more like room mom tonight
FRR Mallory WRTR: our guest prefered it casual
FRR Mallory WRTR: which did make it interesting and fast
HOST WRTR Paul: No whips and chairs needed.
FRR Mallory WRTR: lol
FRR Mallory WRTR
HOST WRTR Dee: no, it went well, I thought
Deluge13
HOST WRTR Paul: Dale, did you gain a digit?
HOST WRTR Paul: Whoops, just missed him.
HOST WRTR Dee: I think he left...as will I...take care
HOST WRTR Dee
HOST WRTR Paul: See you alll. :-)
Mod Gonne
10/23/00 8:13:33 PM Closing "Chat Log 10/23/00"
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