In It for the Long Haul
In It for the Long Haul
By Julie Tollefson
Seventeen years ago, Anne Laughlin became a writer “almost overnight” when she asked herself one simple question: Can I write a novel at least as good as some of the ones I read? Now, eight books and more than a decade and a half in, she shares her perspective about the business and craft of building a sustained writing career.
1) Stoke the writing fire — At its core, the life of a writer revolves around, well, writing. If you don’t find joy in the process — if it doesn’t feel imperative to write — you’ll have a hard time achieving longevity in the business, Anne says.
“A writer must have the fire in the belly to write,” she says. “When you finish one project, you’re thinking of the next one, itching to get started. We all need breaks from writing, but it has to be your passion.”
2) Just do it — When Anne decided to give writing a try, the words flowed. “I found no difficulty in plotting a story from beginning to end and in bringing characters to life through dialogue,” she says. “I didn’t know enough to lack confidence.”
She sent her newly finished book, Sometimes Quickly, to Bold Strokes Books, at that time a new lesbian publishing company. “They sent it back, asking me to do a little work on it, but all I heard was, ‘We don’t want it.’ That was my over-sensitivity, a sure sign of a beginner.”
She submitted the manuscript to a smaller lesbian publisher, PD Publishing, which snapped it up and published it in 2008.
“It didn’t occur to me to try mainstream publishing at that time. I didn’t think I stood a chance of getting such an unabashedly lesbian book, complete with sex scenes, accepted by a straight press,” she says. “I still think the odds are against us. I think Big Five publishers have become more reliant on bestselling authors to sell books and more shy about taking risks on unknown authors.”
Still, she says, mainstream publishers have become more inclusive in recent years. “Four of the New York Times’ top ten crime novels last year were by queer authors, which is extraordinary,” she says.
3) Define what success means for you — Anne has witnessed enormous changes during her years as a published author, both in her writing and in the industry at large. Under those conditions, success can be an elusive concept to pin down. She's steadied her path by identifying the goals that are important to her and using that knowledge to guide her career.
“I define success for myself as having a career where my books reach my intended audience,” she says. “From the feedback I receive, I know they are appreciated for what they are — reflections of the human experience from a queer perspective.”
Anne has made her literary home with Bold Stroke Books, which serves the queer reading community and nurtures talented authors. Her one frustration is that, although she knows many straight people enjoy her novels, they aren’t as visible to a straight audience as books published by the bigger imprints.
4) Hone your craft — Anne says she knew nothing about writing when she challenged herself to produce a novel at least as good as some of those she was reading.
“I think I have the inherent gift of storytelling, but I didn’t even know the word ‘craft’ as it applied to writing,” she says.
Story Studio in Chicago introduced her to the art of setting, character, dialogue, and more. The school is also where she met two people — another student and an instructor — who have become mainstays in her life. The three formed a writing group and have supported each other for eight years.
“This writing group has been the single most important thing for the growth of my writing,” she says. “I can’t overstate its importance and suggest every writer get one. We meet every month and critique each other’s work in a thorough and serious manner. I usually have lots of revision to do after writing group meets to improve my manuscript based on their suggestions. We also talk about writing and the writing life, our triumphs and frustrations, and, because we’ve become good friends, whatever else comes up in conversation.
5) Make friends in the community — “I always imagined the writer's life to be solitary, and it’s definitely that when I’m writing,” Anne says. “But it’s more than that.”
She joined organizations like Mystery Writers of America (where she is now a national board member), Sisters in Crime, and Queer Crime Writers. She hangs out with writer friends at conferences like Saints and Sinners, Bouchercon, and the Golden Crown Literary Society. And connections she’s made by being part of the writing community have led to panel invitations, opportunities to appear on podcasts and radio shows, introductions to agents, and more.
Recently, Anne was invited to contribute to Crime Ink: Iconic, an anthology released by Bywater Books in September. Her story, “Swan Club,” joins those of 19 of the leading queer crime writers working today.
“My writer’s life is full and, frankly, sometimes too busy,” she says. “But I believe that by being better known, my books have a chance of selling better, and I have a chance of more fulfillment in my career as a writer.”