I’m very fortunate. First, the great and hilarious writer Ian Fergusonblurbed The High Road. Now, my ball hockey teammate, the amazing, Juno-winning, Blue Rodeo-founding, singer/songwriter Jim Cuddy, offers a wonderful THR blurb of his own. As I said, I’m one lucky writer. Both Ian’s and Jim’s contributions will appear somewhere on, or in, The High Road when it’s published in early September, 2010.
Here’s what Jim kindly wrote:
“It is a giant talent that can elicit so much fun from the dour world of backroom Canadian politics. Battling egos, smear campaigns, vigilante seniors and a dipsomaniac First Lady make for quite a romp up and down the Hill. MP Professor Angus McLintock, the never bending, free-thinking Scot, is the perfect foil for all that is inflated in the world of policy and polling. Doing battle with the prigs and prats that rule the halls of power has never been more enjoyable since…well, since The Best Laid Plans. Thought provoking and funny, here’s hoping there are more installments to come.”
Jim Cuddy, Blue Rodeo
And just to pre-empt any doubters that I play ball hockey, let alone with Jim Cuddy backing me up on the blue line, here’s our team photo.
That’s Jim in the back row in the middle. I’m on one knee, probably still gasping for air, to the right of the goalie. The other guy on the left of the goalie, who looks a little like me, okay, a lot like me, is my twin brother Tim.
There seems to be no end of little details to address as the new novel makes its way to publication in September. Today, after procrastinating for weeks, I was finally forced to undergo that often humiliating experience, at least for me, of having my photo taken. I need a new shot for the back of The High Road. Just to put it out there, I take terrible pictures. When I see myself in photographs, the words “Do I actually look like this?” often spring to my lips, in the faint hope that I’ll be told “No, no, no, this doesn’t look like you at all.” Yeah right. Anyway, my twin brother Tim is a great photographer, even when I am the subject. He took the photo that adorns the back of The Best Laid Plans and came over recently with his Canon camera to do the deed. After snapping about 2,300 shots in our backyard (okay, I’m kidding– sort of) and then working his magic in photoshop, we’ve finally decided on the author photo for The High Road. For what it’s worth, here’s the head shot that will appear on the back cover. Don’t ask me if I actually look like this. I really have no idea.
When it came time to invite prominent Canadians to read the manuscript of The High Road and provide what they call in the publishing biz, “blurbs,” I thought of approaching Ian. He could not have been more gracious and readily agreed.
I was a little nervous when I knew the manuscript was in his hands. But he knocked me for a loop earlier this week when his official “blurb” arrived. Here’s what he wrote:
“In a perfect world, the federal government would establish a Ministry of Humour and put Terry Fallis in charge of that department. THE HIGH ROAD is brilliantly written and hysterically funny. You are cautioned not to attempt to read it in a public setting, since you will laugh – audibly - to a disturbing degree and many people will find this annoying. Trust me on this. And if you, like myself, enjoy reading in bed, be prepared for spousal banishment. Apparently loud bursts of laughter make it difficult for your bed partner to fall asleep. Who knew, eh? Worth it, though. Terry Fallis manages to top his first novel THE BEST LAID PLANS with this relentlessly enjoyable follow-up. No small feat, since the original won the Stephen Leacock Medal . Do yourself a favour and pick up this book, find a quiet place to read it, and enjoy…you will laugh out loud on almost every single page.”
Ian Ferguson author of VILLAGE OF THE SMALL HOUSES
How cool is that? Douglas Gibson and the team at McClelland & Stewart will likely use a portion of it to appear on the back cover of The High Road. The early suggestion is:
“In a perfect world, the federal government would establish a Ministry of Humour and put Terry Fallis in charge of that department. THE HIGH ROAD is brilliantly written and hysterically funny. You will laugh out loud on almost every single page.”
Ian Ferguson author of VILLAGE OF THE SMALL HOUSES
I had to sit down after reading Ian’s kind words. I’m humbled and honoured that he would be so supportive. Here’s a shot of Ian and me at last year’s Leacock Luncheon in Orillia.
As I’ve noted several times already in this space, Robertson Davies is one of my literary heroes. His novels were among the first to show me that literary prose, compelling stories, and deeply developed characters could coexist with a heaping helping of humour. John Irving also helped enlighten me on that score. That Robertson Davies and I appear together on the list of Leacock Medal Winners (he in 1955, for Leaven of Malice) still sends a tremor through me when I think of it. In December 1995, shortly after his death, my wife and I attended Robertson Davies’ memorial service in Convocation Hall at the University of Toronto. It was the first time I’d ever laid eyes on Douglas Gibson, Davies’ longtime editor, and miraculously, now mine. Last night, some 14 years later, my wife and I attended Robertson Davies: The Peeled I at the wonderful Hart House Theatre, just across the quadrangle from Convocation Hall. It was a one man show featuring Reed Needles as RD. He bears a striking resemblance to the great writer. We thoroughly enjoyed the play. It only runs for a couple days, so if you’re a Davies fan and are anywhere near Toronto, check it out.
Here’s the photo of Robertson Davies that hangs in our third floor library, supervising my writing. Whenever I hit a dry spell or am struggling with a sentence, I look up at this photo for inspiration. Then I get back at it…
The essays in defence of the Canada Also Reads shortlisted books started yesterday. Two essays each day are posted on the National Post’s Afterword blog. This afternoon, Andy Maize’s defence of The Best Laid Plans appeared. Andy Maize, co-founder and lead singer/songwriter with The Skydiggers has written a wonderful piece in support of TBLP. I love it and I’m grateful for the time, thought and care Andy clearly took in composing his essay. But it’s not over yet. On Monday, March 8th, starting a 1:00 p.m., the National Post and Afterword blog will host an online chat with all of the panelists and authors. Should be fun. Then, Canadians will be able to vote online for the Canada Also Reads winner. Here’s hoping all of you loyal readers of this humble blog will cast your vote for TBLP when the time comes.
Quill & Quire has assembled on its blog some quotations from several authors capturing a selection of writing rules. Not sure how I made the list but Q&Q is clearly excerpting the Canada Also Reads piece the finalists were asked to submit last week for the National Post’s Afterword blog. I’m delighted to be there amidst some wonderful writers and their sage advice.
Taking a cue from the Guardian’s Rules for Writers series in the U.K., Brad Frenette, at the National Post and its Afterword blog, asked the authors of the eight shortlisted books for Canada Also Reads to submit their own fiction writing rules. My contribution, hastily considered and created to meet the National Post’s deadline, appeared on the Afterword blog this morning. Who am I to be cooking up writing rules anyway. But I always try to do what I’m told.
So, here are my ten rules, such as they are:
Very few rules apply to all writers. Every writer is different, so only observe these rules if they happen to work for you. If they don’t, make up your own rules to break.
Create a quiet, comfortable space for writing. Then, write there often. If that’s too regimented, carry a notebook and try writing wherever you find yourself, whether it’s Starbucks or the JiffyLube when your car is up on the hoist. As well, write in stretches of at least four hours so that you can get into a groove and not feel rushed or forced by the clock. If you don’t have four hours anywhere in your life, try writing in short snippets and see if that works.
I’m an “outliner” so I favour investing the time up front to map out a story in considerable detail. For writers with a fulltime job and not enough spare time for writing (like me!), I find you can maximize efficiency if you know what happens and where you’re going in each chapter. If that doesn’t work, try starting with a blank page and follow where your story leads you. This seems to work for many writers, though it’s a foreign concept to me.
Read. I don’t know many great writers who aren’t also great readers. Although I do know lots of readers who aren’t writers. What was my point again? Oh yes. Reading is professional development for writers. In other careers, people go to conferences and take courses. Writers read. (Having said that, I’ve spoken at a few writers conferences and will be teaching a course in the fall, so what do I know?)
Worry less about finding an agent or publisher, and more about your manuscript. (I know, I know, easy for me to say.) But most agents will tell you it’s really all about writing. Landing an agent and/or publisher will be easier if your manuscript is as good as it can be.
When your manuscript is finished, for the first time, let it sit for a couple of weeks before you return to it. Time inflicts distance and perspective, which almost always inform and aid editing.
Read your writing aloud. You’d be surprised how often I rearrange a sentence or choose a different word after hearing my writing, rather just looking at it. It was one of the benefits of podcasting my first novel before it was ever a book.
Print out your manuscript-in-progress once in a while. It’s easier to read it, and the growing stack of paper provides a sense of progress and satisfaction that can help you through the home stretch.
Visualize the scenes you’re writing as if you’re a movie director. This will add realism to your words, and help you decide what to describe and what not to. If it helps, go ahead and cast major stars as the main characters so you can see them in your mind.
I know this seems like a drag and may appear to contradict Rule #5 above, but when your book is written, commit as much effort to promoting your book as you did to writing it. Build an audience by using the online tools to which we all now have ready access, like podcasting and blogging. Offer to do readings at libraries and book clubs. Enter your book in competitions and awards. Sit on panels. Get out there, even if it’s uncomfortable. Publishers like it when you do this because you sell more books. And, you get better at it with practice. You might even come to enjoy it. I know I have.
I’m really looking forward to speaking at the Waterloo Public Library (McCormick Branch) tonight. The branch’s book club has been reading TBLP. As I’ve noted before on this blog, I’m happy to speak about TBLP pretty well anywhere, and to anyone, but it’s particularly enjoyable to be amidst a group of book lovers who have read the novel. The discussion is usually deeper and more interesting. Plus, I had such a wonderful time in Waterloo last fall when I attended the Words Worth Booksbook club, that I’m very pleased to be going back this evening. Here’s hoping the snow holds off until I get there!
Okay, so now it’s really official. The cover is out there on the M&S website and in online retailers. As well, I’ve just received the “proofs” of the novel, as it will appear in book form. A few copies of the “proofs” will be bound and sent to our list of reviewers from whom we hope to secure positive “blurbs.” So the publishing process continues apace. My next task is to have a new author photo taken by my twin brother Tim, who is quite accomplished with a camera, and send it in to M&S. I take terrible photos so I’m not looking forward to this but it has to be done.
It may be because it usually takes me about an hour to tell the tale of what I often call my unorthodox journey to the published land, but I’ve fielded many requests for a brief and visual overview of the odyssey. “Put something on YouTube!” is a regular refrain at readings. So, in a spasm of self-indulgence, there now is such an offering. This is really just an animated PowerPoint presentation we pulled together against the backdrop of Jon Schmidt’s great piece of music, Winter Serenade (which, incidentally, opens and closes each episode of the podcast version of TBLP).
My thanks to Mike Edgell who helped turn it into a video.
Welcome to terryfallis.com where award-winning novelist Terry Fallis blogs about his writing life and podcasts his first novel, The Best Laid Plans, winner of the 2008 Stephen Leacock Award for Humour.
