A Writer's Educational Journey

I have pretty decent writing credentials: involved in four different magazine start-ups where I served as reporter, editor, and publisher. Author of eight non-fiction books, most notably The Edge Resume and Job Search Strategy, initially published in 1993, still in print (rights sold to another publisher in 1999) -- approximately 25,000 sold at $23.95.

And on a dark and stormy morning in the spring of 2000, I sat down to try fiction. Nothing as sensible as a short story, of course. I had a novel in me. I was sure of it.

Three months later, I finished the first draft of a manuscript that--unfortunately for me, in MANY ways--had an incredibly strong premise. My non-fiction agent was eager to read. I sent it off. She told me, reasonably kindly, that it stunk out loud. I didn't really believe it, so I shopped the manuscript via query letter to perhaps fifty potential fiction agents. The premise secured me several manuscript reads. (No small trick in today's publishing world.) But the conclusions were remarkably uniform: very weak in the craft of fiction.

With remarkable arrogance, in hindsight, I tried another novel. The results were the same. I actually started a third novel before the light truly dawned. I needed to study the craft. As a fiction writer, I was an amateur violin player surprised that the Boston Symphony wasn't eager to have me join up.

I went to work, frenetically: classes, seminars, books, critique groups, and finally a wonderful coach named Christine DeSmet of U of Wisconsin who helped me, page by page, on a paid basis.

The writing improved. My confidence improved. And in the period from mid 2003 to mid 2005, I recrafted and polished the original three novels and wrote a fourth.

Unfortunately, by that point, the NY writing scene had virtually closed itself to the first time writer. Without question my work was stronger. My premises were more compelling than in 2000. But my percentage "reads" plummeted. I decided to reconcile myself to the reality that today's publishing world is almost hostile to the new novelist.

I helped organize a start-up publishing enterprise called Beckett Highland Publishing, initially committed to presenting my four novels to the reading marketplace, but also committed to finding other writers whose work deserved to be discovered.

At this point, the novels are available for sale. My readership is growing slowly but steadily. Best of all, real readers who have no reason to blow smoke are calling the work first-rate fiction.

At this point, we're developing alternative marketing strategies for the initial four novels, while I begin work on a folder full of new projects.

So, that's the summary of how I got to this point -- also well told on www.BillCorbin.com. But, for the benefit of writers, I'll share in upcoming blogs the extent to which hard work as much as inspiration has been the key.