7 books, 11M copies later, Emily Giffin has some advice
New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin knew a legal career wasn't her calling, but she didn't confirm that hunch until after finishing law school and starting her career in litigation.
"I was constantly devising a plan to exit, to get out of that culture," Giffin explained.
13 years after leaving the legal field, Giffin has a corner on the click lit market, with more than 11 million copies of her seven novels in print worldwide, including her most recent The One and Only.
She already had success turning her first published novel, Something Borrowed into a Hollywood film. Giffin is hopeful the screenplay she just completed on her second novel, Something Blue will have the same fate next year.
In the meantime, Giffin's 8th novel is starting to take shape.
"I've only written about 10,000 words, but the characters are becoming very real in my mind--and I'm finally getting excited about the story," she said. "The beginning is always the hardest!"
Since tackling a large writing project can be daunting, we asked Giffin to share her wisdom:
A lot of people dream of writing a novel, what's your advice?
Don't let the idea of a novel overwhelm or intimidate you so much that you are too afraid to begin. It's like training for a marathon. Nobody gets out there and runs twenty-six miles on their first effort. It takes daily training and discipline and desire. There's no real magic to writing a novel or one method that works for all—it's just a question of attacking the project sentence by paragraph by page by chapter.
Tell us about workflow. What's your strategy when writing?
I never outline my novels before I write. I have a vague sense of beginning, middle and end, but for me, it is a very organic, character-driven process. As I get to know my characters, and the relationships between them form, the plot evolves accordingly. Although this method of writing can be inefficient, and I sometimes have to scrap whole chapters if I don't like the direction the story is unfolding, I love being surprised in the writing process.
What do you do when you develop writer's block?
Unfortunately, writer's block inevitably comes with the territory in this profession, and pretty much every day is filled with at least a few moments of frustration in which I'm staring at a blank screen. To me, writing is about overcoming those moments, fighting through them, getting to the other side. I wish I had more encouraging advice but, really, the only way to get past writer's block is to write your way through it. Ultimately, if you're diligent and patient, the tide will turn.
What's the best way to 'shop' your work?
Publishing is such a finicky, subjective business and there is no secret formula for shopping around a novel, much less a strategy for guaranteed success. It can seem daunting at the beginning but just remember this: to get published you only need to have two individuals really connect with your story, your agent and your editor. I always had this sense that when you submitted a manuscript to a publisher, there were dozens of people critiquing your work when really it's just that one editor who is reading it. That's a comforting thing to remember if you get those rejection letters—it's not a consensus opinion or some blanket indictment of your work. You just have to believe in your work and your story, and keep writing.
When is it time to share your writing with others? And who should you share the writing/stories with?
I actually have a very tight circle of early readers (including my mother, sister and best friend) who I'll often turn to for input throughout the writing process. I'm sure every writer does this differently but, for me, hearing their feedback has great value, especially as I'm working my way through the nuances of each characters' unique personality traits and relationships.
What's the biggest mistake you've made during your writing career?
It's funny you should ask this because I firmly believe the biggest mistakes I've made in my career - and the biggest mistakes anyone can make, for that matter - all revolve around dwelling on negative events of the past. So, as part of my resolve to not repeat such mistakes, I will conveniently avoid answering this question!
Melissa Long is an Emmy-award winning anchor/reporter with Gannett's WXIA-TV in Atlanta. Her 'Women in Charge' segment offers advice and inspiration. We do not receive any financial compensation for recommending any product, company or website.
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