Keep Yourself Alive
January 1, 1970
May Newsletter from the desk of Karen BrichouxContents:
*News
*Article: Keep Yourself Alive
*What I’m Reading
News:
*See the article.
*If you would like to be added to my snail-mail mailing list to receive a postcard informing you of upcoming releases (this amounts to one postcard a year and is the only thing I will send you), send me your mailing address at email@karenbrichoux.com Please put “mailing list” in the subject line. The amount of spam lately is making it difficult to figure out what is legitimate e-mail (this goes for all e-mail). I try to always respond when I receive an e-mail (even if it takes a few days), so if you don’t get a reply, I probably didn’t get your e-mail.
*Article: Keep Yourself Alive
Any of you--and I’m dating myself--who are Queen fans will recognize the title as the first song on Queen’s first album (which is one of my two favorite Queen albums; the other is Queen II). I spent some time debating the efficacy of writing this newsletter. I figured that some people would think it was an attempt at gaining sympathy; others would see it as a whetstone for grinding an ax. Neither is true. I want it to be a glimpse into how writing is like any other job (filled with insecurity), while also allowing me talk about the value of surrounding yourself with people--real, famous, or imaginary--who are able to inspire you.
First, my publisher, New American Library, and I have decided to part ways. FALLING INTO THE WORLD will be my last women’s fiction novel. This is, frankly, somewhat terrifying. Before I became a published author, I had the naive belief that being published was the big goal. Reach that goal, and you were good to go. From there on out, it was only a matter of turning in manuscripts and watching your name move up the ranks to the best seller list.
It’s not quite like that. (Understatement.) Believe it or not, it’s actually easier to write books when you aren’t under pressure to produce something the publisher will not only like but will know what to do with. Publishing is a business. A creative business, yes, but it’s still a business. For both the publisher and the author. And sometimes, parting company is a necessity for one or both.
So, I’m striking out in a new direction and writing a book which I think better suits my voice and style. The book I’m working on is different from anything I’ve attempted before. My vision of the world and people won’t be different, but I want to be free to explore my naturally cynical and satirical voice within the framework of a story about humans and humanity, communities, and hope. I haven’t always been able to do that comfortably within the women’s fiction framework--a fact my publisher pointed out.
Do I have a publisher for this new book? No. And just like I did before I was published, I will find a job to pay the bills while I write the whole book (my writing style does not lend itself to proposals); then I’ll start beating a path to editors’ doors. I may even have to beat a path to agents’ doors, should my agent not like this new direction. But those are risks I’m going to have to take to follow this dream of continuing to publish on my own terms.
Which brings me back to Queen and the importance of surrounding myself with people who inspire me. While I’m writing, I like to listen to music written by people who have gone all out and stayed true to their particular vision. That usually has me reaching for CDs by Queen and Led Zeppelin. I’ve adopted them as unofficial mentors. Here are some lessons they’ve taught me:
* Be willing to wait for the right moment, even if it means delaying a release by three years.
* Protect your work at all costs.
* Refuse to take the industry’s word for what will and what won’t work. If everyone listened to what other people tell them won't work, there would be nothing new under the sun.
* Trust your instincts; trust your unique vision.
* Do whatever job is necessary--including selling used clothing at market fairs--to keep yourself alive while you follow your creative dreams, but don’t give up.
* Constantly feed the creative urge.
* Maintain some ambiguity.
* Never settle for less than you deserve.
* Never settle for less than your best creative work.
* Love your audience.
* Love the world around you. It’s an exciting place.
So, as the song says: “Keep yourself alive. It’ll take you all your time and money; honey, you’ll survive.”
In the meantime, newsletters may be a bit sporadic for the summer months; however, I’ll pick things back up in the fall.
Best,
Karen
*What I’m Reading:
THE TITIAN COMMITTEE by Iain Pears
GOLDEN AGE by Kenneth Grahame
SUMMERLAND by Michael Chabon
SELECTED SHORT STORIES by Kate Chopin
THIEF LORD by Cornelia Funke