april 2025 - Speaker Report

                                                   Wendelin Van Draanen and Mark Parsons (April 2025)

                                                                                    He Said, She Said

This married couple entertained us with a lively discussion of their writing processes. Both are published authors with the Big-5 (Knopf/Random House and Delacorte/Random House), and Wendelin’s book, Flipped, was made into a Warner Bros. feature film, directed by Rob Reiner. Her new historical fiction book, The Peach Rebellion, is set in California’s Central Valley circa 1947. Mark’s new novel, The 9:09 Project has received critical acclaim, including a starred review from Kirkus. 

On writing – 

She said: Self-impose deadlines and commit. Wendelin never starts writing until she knows where the story is going. She recognizes (and hopes) all sorts of things will happen along the way, but she needs to have an end goal in mind. 

He said: Mark is mostly concerned with the vibe or atmosphere of the book. That’s his “north star.” Vibe comes from a character’s attitude and contributes to creating a voice. It gives the pages a sense of personality. 

She said: If you suffer from a “saggy middle” (of your novel—nothing personal), it helps to read in your genre. Wendelin said she learned to plot by watching Seinfeld. She noticed there were always three “threads” that would tie together at the end. If the middle of your book drags, you may need another thread. A braid only holds together with three strands woven together. 

He said: Become a “finisher.” Until he finally finished his first manuscript, Mark didn’t know he could finish something. Even though it was never published (thankfully, he admitted), he taught himself to be a finisher, not a quitter. Finishing is how you get better at all aspects of writing a novel. 

On revising –

He said: The “old way,” is to write a first draft without editing. But consider editing stops along the way. Once you finish a manuscript, think of revision as a sort of fan fiction of your own novel. You get to play in the world you created. Start with the structure, then revise the smaller pieces, then dialogue, line editing, etc. 

She said: At first revision reminded her of school days when she felt she had done her best, but was asked to do better. But after writing (and revising) the first four of her books, she realized she was a much better writer by the fourth book, and became a fan of revision. Once finished, put it away for a while, then come back to it. You will see things you missed before. Make the pause part of the revision process.

He said: There’s no one way to write (Mark is both a plotter and a pantser depending…) It’s an art, not a science. Listen to your gut. If you’re glossing over a scene as you’re revising, so will your reader.

She said: When you cut a scene, throw it away. If that’s too scary, put it at the end of your manuscript and see if you really need it when you’re done. If you threw it away and you still need it, you will write it better the next time.

On publishing – 

She said: Both Wendelin and Mark have enjoyed traditional publishing. Yes, you have to acquire an agent for most traditional publishers, but there are some imprints that don’t require it. Dig a bit and research publishers. Jane Freedman is a well-known authority on publishing.

He said: More books are being acquired today than ever before. Publishers love debut authors. You are the “shiny new thing.” Don’t be discouraged. See Publishers Weekly for who’s looking for what. But don’t write to market, write to your heart, and then probe the market for that book.

She said: More people are making money off writers than writers are making money off writing. Beware those who take advantage of writers who don’t know how to do it. Research your agents and publishers. 

He said: You need two things to appeal to a publisher: 1. Have good stuff, and 2. Don’t have bad stuff. Good stuff comes alive through drafting, bad stuff is cleaned up through revision and editing. A “good” 400-page manuscript will make a “great” 300-page novel.