Author, Author

 I'm making a nontraditional distinction between "writer" and "author."

When I last blogged three weeks ago, I celebrated the release of my debut novel, The Devil’s Kitchen. Since then, I've been writing very little. Instead, I've been busily forcing myself on audiences to talk about the book. It's been exhilarating. The process has left me thinking about the terms “writer” and “author.”

While acknowledging that the words are often treated as synonyms, dictionaries and the web distinguish the two. The line they draw gets squiggly. Most sources suggest that the key distinction lies with publication. All authors are writers, but only those writers who put their work into the public realm are authors. Using this definition, we might quarrel about the meaning of publication. 

Other definitions reserve the title of author exclusively for those who have published books. Sorry, short story crafters, a writer is all we can ever be.

A different definition focused on intention. It's an internal/external distinction. Writers are scribes who create content for others. Journalists and ghostwriters are perhaps the foremost examples. Authors, on the other hand, are internally driven. They create for themselves and the satisfaction they derive from the creative process. This one seemed a tad pompous. 

I'm sidestepping the debate. The last few weeks have left me thinking about another way to define the words. It’s a solo/social distinction.

As a writer, I sit alone at my keyboard. Sometimes, the dogs join me, but that's about it. I type. I edit. Occasionally, I talk to myself. "Writer" emphasizes the introverted side of my soul. The craft is a solitary activity. Remembering an admonition from Joyce Carol Oates that “constant interruptions are the destruction of imagination,” I block off time when I won’t be disturbed.

“Author,” conversely, is the public face of my writing. It’s me talking about my work in the hope that someone will give The Devil’s Kitchen a try. It's me, standing in a bookstore, giving a public reading, or sitting alongside mystery lovers at a book club talking about the characters’ paths. It's me attending conferences and signing books.

"Author" is my narrow, extroverted, social side. He is the promotional arm of book writing.

Just as there are guides for writers that propose effective ways to develop plot twists or characters, there are also a variety of resources offering advice on how to  inhabit the "author" persona. As a novice, I delved into a few of them and learned everything I needed to know.

The pen—The expert community strongly recommended gel ink as the best pen for book signing events. Rubber grips, with their ergonomic benefits, also received high marks.

The autograph—I found a surprising amount of advice about changing my signature for book signings. I was told that I needed enough swoosh to project style. I should strive for heightened legibility, yet with an economy of motion allowing for speed in a signing line. The blogosphere recommended practicing my signature. Too late, I’m afraid. I’ve been signing too much for too long. My default signature emerges unless I go slow and concentrate hard on my swooshy author script.

The reading—Here, things got controversial. Some sources recommended tabbing my book and reading directly from it. This approach flashes the cover to the audience and helps market. Other experts suggested printing the pages so an author can enlarge the font for easy reading. Printed pages in sleeves mean that the reader will not have to battle with a book's bound spine in a public forum. The debate raged.

Everyone agreed that authors practice their corporate reading and hone their style. Don't read as one normally would. Focus on enunciation and clarity over theatrics. Find your Goldilocks moment, the advice guides suggest—neither too long nor too short. Choose an excerpt with a stand-alone value that emotionally engages and reveals the essence of what the book is about. That asks a lot from a few short paragraphs.

The presence—Almost all the guides recommend that the author do something to ensure that the audience remembers the writer. Several suggested that authors consider coming in costume. I don’t have a National Park Service uniform, so I can’t dress like the main characters in my book. I still have my Boy Scout uniform in the back of the closet. The shirt is festooned with a variety of patches. Maybe that would work. I can promise that if I show up in my BSA shorts and neckerchief, I'd  give bookstore patrons something to talk about on the drive home. 

The recap: The guides I reviewed suggested that I change my pen, signature, voice, reading style, and clothes. Most, however, concluded by reminding me to be authentic.

I’m seizing on the last bit of advice. I’ll be attending Malice Domestic at the end of the week. I won’t be in costume. My signature will be the typical scrawl, and I will likely sound like I always have.

But I will remember to bring a gel ink pen. It proves I've learned something.

BSP: April has been a good month. In addition to the novel’s publication, the anthology Sleuths Just Wanna Have Fun with my story "A Placid Purloin" was released on April 14^th. Trouble in Texas, an anthology from Sisters in Crime North Dallas, dropped on April 15th. It includes my story, “Doggone.” Michael Bracken edited both anthologies. He blogged about them last week. 

Until next time.