Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest Aggie Villanueva. Aggie is a published author at Thomas Nelson before she was 30. She published Chase the Wind, and Rightfully Mine, both Thomas Nelson 1980s. Villanueva is also a critically acclaimed photographic artist represented by galleries nationwide, including Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ. She founded Visual Arts Junction blog Feb. 2009. By the end of the year it was voted #5 at Predators & Editors in the category “Writers’ Resource, Information & News Source” for 2009. Aggie is founder of Promotion á la Carte, author promotional services.

Good day Aggie and thanks for participating in our interview

Norm:

Please tell our readers a little bit about your personal and professional background.

Aggie:

I want to thank you for having me, Norm. It’s wonderful to chat here with you.

I live in the mountains of northern New Mexico in the foothill forests of the San Pedro Wilderness area, and surrounded on all sides by the Santa Fe National Forest. It’s understandable why, after moving to NM in 1996, it wasn’t long until my constant photo snapping took the next step into fine art photography.

I got the writing-for-publication bug when I was about 28. My first novel was published at Thomas Nelson when I was 29. I’ve been writing ever since, whether for publication or pleasure.

Norm:

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Aggie:

Those writers’ “voices” in my head would mock me asking, “Who do you think you are to try and be a writer?!” Who among us hasn’t heard those whispers?

I was taking a basic journalism course by mail (no on-line courses back then), and was at a church fellowship function where a guy, who heard I was taking this course, approached me. In a mocking voice he asked, “What? Do you think you’re going to be a writer or something?” Several people who heard him chuckled along with him. I just smiled.

But I was thinking, “Ya know, it’s one thing for my own voice to mock me, but this guy?” No, I didn’t consider myself a writer at that point, but that’s when I “became” a writer.

By the fifth journalism lesson I had to ask the institute if I could take a hiatus because I was under contract with Thomas Nelson to finish my novel. The writing institute said they didn’t think I needed the course any longer and gave me a refund instead. I guess that’s when I considered myself a real writer.

Norm:

Please tell us something about your most recent book The Rewritten Word: How to Sculpt Literary Art no Matter the Genre.

Aggie:

It’s a handbook, and its purpose is for an author to start with an article or story they feel is finished and ready for publication. Each chapter ends with a lesson so authors can rewrite it according to principles learned in that chapter, though it was “ready for publication” before reading the book. Repeat and rinse for each chapter’s lesson.

I realized this little pocket book tackles a huge subject, so attempted to teach tomes worth of rewriting knowledge by example instead of lots of explanation; wasting not a word. Even I was surprised how few words it took to get the lessons across, since one of my biggest writing sins is verbosity.

Then to further shave unneeded words, these lessons-by-example-of-conciseness are filled with more examples of published work where I propose how each could have been rewritten. Not that my way is written in stone, but I give my thoughts.

But this workbook is not how to produce en masse for submission to article directory engines, becoming an instant expert. That writing has its promotional place, but I’m talking about how to rewrite until your work shines as literary art, fact or fiction, print or electronic.

Why is producing literary art so important, or should be? Because of The Reader. Everything is for The Reader. One sentence of verbose rambling can drive The Reader away. Readers are not only intelligent, but busy; too busy to read 500 words when 200 would say it.

Some complain this busy lifestyle shackles the artistic bard within. On the contrary, it demands writers take the time to polish work to precise perfection. This crafting of every word creates literary art. It demands less of the readers' time, much more of our own. Perhaps that’s the root of our complaints.

In The Rewritten Word you’ll learn to chop everything that prevents your readers’ instantaneous comprehension and interest, even in fiction. Whittle away what buries the art of your words beneath pulp, no matter the topic, no matter the genre.

For years I edited and published newsletters for various organizations, back in the day when newsletters were actually printed out and we had to publish them through desktop publishing programs for formatting.

I spent a lot of time editing and teaching our contributors, and sending them to rewrite the articles. It was what I thought was really basic stuff – until I began editing some long-time published writers. They said they’d never heard some of this stuff, or had it put so succinctly, which is soooo opposite my major writing sin, which I already mentioned is verbosity.

Norm:

What does it mean to tell the truth? And what does it mean to tell stories in a work of non-fiction?

Aggie:

What a fun question. We all think we tell the truth, but the most we can muster is the truth as filtered through our own life experiences, which colors everything a different shade. Like the preachers and leaders giving their sermons. None of it is truth with a capitol “T.” it is, like ours, truth as they see it, scripture as they see it.

The Bible calls its scriptures a “Living” Word. That’s so true, because as each of us read it, its truths are of course filtered through our own life experiences and have meaning for us that they don’t to the person next to us, or across the globe.

This is why our writings, whether fiction, nonfiction, fiction based on fact, memoirs, etc. speak mostly to those who have similar life experiences to ours. Our stories are “living” to them, but may mean nothing to the person next to them, or across the globe.

Now, filtering the rest of your question “what does it mean to tell stories in a work of non-fiction” through my own life experiences, this refers to parables; examples of the truth to make a point, even if we make up the story to fit the point. To me this nonfiction technique is second only to humor in making your point memorable to the reader.

Norm:

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

In fiction: Making me forget I’m reading. Making me feel for seconds (or even better, minutes) at a time that I’m actually living it.

In nonfiction: Making me want more. That’s quite a feat with non-fiction, which most of us wish we could just finish and have learned what it’s teaching. I don’t mean that the nonfiction feels incomplete so you want the rest, but to leave us wanting more from this author about this subject. Now that’s a work of literary art.

Norm:

Do you recommend other writers find a niche or speciality?

Aggie:

That is all-important if we want to leave a mark. Discovering niche and style is the foundation of an artistic career, yet we all seem to have great problems uncovering just what is our own style and niche.

As a freelance writer I must have heard a thousand times, "write what you know." Why, I taught that myself in my writing workshops. I would expand that to "Write what you know and love."

That is comparatively easy. I just wrote about what I loved (translate that knew). We all gravitate easily towards what we know and love. And there is no other brain that can write what formulates in our own hearts and minds about those things we know and love.

I have a formula I used even to find my niche and style in photography: Niche + Style = your artistic career. Your niche is what you know. Your style is what you love. I’ve actually written a lot about this topic. You can read one at the Empty Easel.

Norm:

How have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?

Aggie:

The Internet is the only reason I have a writing career. I’ve explained where I live. Not even cell phones work here. You can’t even get local television stations without a satellite dish. First, the internet enables me to have a blog where I share what I learn about marketing writing with other authors. And speaking of marketing our work, the internet is exclusively where I do that.

And lastly, the internet enables me to conduct my business, Promotion a la Carte, where I in turn use the Web to publicize my clients’ work. Walt Disney was visionary when he sang about a small world. The other day, my Vice President Nanci Arvizu and I held a Skype conference call with a potential client in Germany. Because of the Web we are all within speaking distance of one another, free of charge.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and your books?

Aggie:

The Rewritten Word is for sale at Amazon: Click Here to Purchase the Paperback Edition of The Rewritten Word: How to Sculpt Literary Art, No Matter the Genre or The Kindle Edition of The Rewritten Word: How to Sculpt Literary Art, No Matter the Genre

It’s also for sale at the iPad Bookstore, Barnes & Noble, and Google Editions.

Norm:

What is next for Aggie Villanueva?

Aggie:

Hopefully more of the same. More time wandering my beloved mountains with my dogs and 60 pounds of photographic equipment; more how-to books, including how to market your writing, helping more clients through my author publicity company, Promotion à la Carte. Hopefully I’ll be seeing all of you around here for a long, long time.

Thanks so much for talking with me, Norm. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.