More Fiction Craft |  More Agent Talk |  Tough Truths |  Book Review Blogs |  The Literary Life |  Writer's Edge |  Conferences: Write to Market-NY Pitch-Algonkian 







INTERVIEW
OBSERVATIONS

"Any first time author can be made to look "fabulous" -- it's all about how an agent, author and publisher present the author. Every author has a background and a story, which can be told to the book- sellers and public in a boring way or a way that is spectacular."

  Barbara   Zitwer



"If an author is a terrific writer and has a voice or perspective or style that's not been seen before, there is a far greater chance it will have a place in the literary market. Though it's true that it can be tough to get a first book published, agents and editors are always looking for the next voice or story."

  Elise Capron



"Whatever you're doing in this business, whether you're an agent, editor, or writer, it's crucially important to keep on top of what's happening in the industry. Agents and editors are much more likely to take writers seriously if they can name other writers in their genre whose work they admire ..."

  W. Gottlieb



"The truth is that most publishing professionals needn't read further than that ... Judging a book in five sentences might sound like an outrageous idea. But it's really not."

  Noah Lukeman



 

Writers Talk Shop, Novel, and Conference
     Commentary by conference attendees

     Author Thierry Sagnier Talks To Michael Neff

Thierry was born in Paris, France, and moved to the US in his teens. He holds a BA in Philosophy from the Universitée de Caen. He attended Georgetown U and later worked for the Washington Post during the Watergate years. He is the a former Contributing Editor to Washingtonian magazine, and a columnist for Le Devoire (Canada) and La Suisse (Switzerland). Thierry is the author of three books: The IFO Report, Avon; Bike! Motorcycles and the People Who Ride Them, Harper & Row; and Washington by Night, Washingtonian Books. Currently he is the editor of Bank's World, published by the World Bank, as well as Editor of On the Edge.

______________

What worked for me was the involvement of all the people there. It wasn't like a couple of professionals were brought in to lecture us, which I probably would have found deadly boring. Instead, we had pros who gave brief talks, then blended in with us. That was great. And I liked the hands-on approach. You essentially said, "You guys are writers? Fine, write." And we did. I hadn't been challenged like that in a very long time and it was excellent.

- Thierry Sagnier
______________

MN: What made you want to write Montparnasse?  What was your inspiration?

TS: I've been writing since I was 12 years old. I've already had a lot of stuff published---a novel, a book on bikers, a tourist book … The project I am currently working on, Montparnasse--Nights in Paris, deals with Paris shortly after World War I. Artistically, Paris was the center of the universe then. It's a period of history that fascinates me. My grandparents and my uncle were part of it, along with Picasso, Modigliani, Cocteau, Coco Chanel, Hemingway, Edith Wharton and a host of others. Ho Chih Minh and Lenin were there too. As was Landru, the first documented serial killer in history. They're all in the book. I should probably add here that I was raised in Paris, that my mother was an artist, and my father was a reporter. It's almost as if I didn't have a choice but to write this book.

MN: Tres intriguing. Tell us more.

TS: All right, imagine this: It's 1919, and you're a young American couple, just married, and you're in Paris for your honeymoon. You've never been abroad, never really been east of Chicago. The husband—Frederick—hates it! Everything is foreign. The food is odd and smelly, the French appear aloof and don't speak his language, there are dogs riding in the taxis. And to make things even worse, his new wife Easter wants to be with are the dregs of Paris: the artists—loud, provocative, not particularly friendly. They smoke and drink too much and argue. They behave boorishly, have no manners, use drugs and steal the silverware… The only thing Frederick wants to do is go home. Easter, on the other hand, loves it! So she essentially blackmails him into staying in Paris for a few months, and they get involved in the lives of some of these geniuses, particularly Jean Cocteau, Picasso and Amadeo Modigliani. Picasso doesn't fare well in this book. I did a lot of research, and it seems he was not exactly a pleasant person to be around. Add to this Henri Desiré Landru, who killed and incinerated more than a dozen women and is on the loose.  

MN: What made you choose to attend the Algonkian conference? 

TS: I was stuck, hadn't done any serious writing for months, and a friend of mine--also a writer--suggested I attend a workshop to kickstart me. So I looked on the net and found that there were quite a few places that offered what I wanted, but when I researched the Algonkian conference, I recognized the name of a reporter I really respect. He'd been there and was highly complimentary, so that sealed it for me. The venue was great too—this glorious turn-of-the-century hotel in West Virginia..

MN: Do you feel Montparnasse is improved as a result? 

TS: Without a doubt. I got to talk about it to other writers, and their interest sparked my writing. I had to refine it, boil it down to its essentials in order to pitch it to a couple of agents, and that really helped; it forced me to look at what I was writing, and what I wanted to have as a finished product. The trouble with historical fiction—which is what Montparnasse is—is that there's too much. You get lost in the details of history. I had to refine the book, take stuff out that was fascinating, but had nothing to do with the subject. I built up the characters, and narrowed them down as well. Being with other writers, with Michael who led the conference, and with the agents he brought in, was an eye-opener.

MN: What did you find most effective about the pitch sessions at Algonkian?

TS: What I had to do was take this book I had been working on for years, and compress it into a two minute presentation. That's really hard! But also useful. I practiced the pitch on the other writers, listened to feedback, rewrote, pitched again. By the time I actually spoke with the two agents, I had an excellent notion of what I was trying to sell. And you know, it's interesting: one of the agents loved it; the other didn't find it particularly interesting… Both of them were really good at describing what the market is like out there, what editors are searching for.

MN: What did you find most effective about the Algonkian approach as a whole?

TS: Everyone wanted something different at the conference and if the discipline and organization hadn't held things together we would have we would have been all over the place like somebody dropping a ball of mercury on the floor! What worked for me was the involvement of all the people there. It wasn't like a couple of professionals were brought in to lecture us, which I probably would have found deadly boring. Instead, we had pros who gave brief talks, then blended in with us. That was great. And I liked the hands-on approach. You essentially said, "You guys are writers? Fine, write." And we did. I hadn't been challenged like that in a very long time and it was excellent.

MN: Where does Montparnasse go from here?

TS: It's trying to find a home. Actually, I'm trying to find an agent that will find it a home. It's just about done. I've finished the third—or maybe fourth—rewrite. There still some minor research to be done. I expect I'll go to Paris pretty soon to make sure I have the street addresses and names right, and to check out some settings. Most of the places I described are still there. I have to send a little time at the Librairie Nationale—the French equivalent of the Library of Congress—because I want to read some of the magazines of the time and that's the only place they're still available. But there are worse ways to spend my time.


About the interviewer:
Michael Neff is the creator and director of WebdelSol.Com and the Algonkian Writer Conferences.

Web del Sol/Algonkian Workshops
2020 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 443
Washington, D.C. 20006
info (at) algonkianconferences.com
Phone: 1-800-250-8290





 
 
WRITERS AND AUTHORS
TALK ABOUT
ALGONKIAN CONFERENCES


Interview with Algonkian attendee, author Julie Kaewert: "Because I was changing agents, I knew it was important to learn how to package the MS effectively ... When I saw the Seven Mountains Writers Conference on the website, it looked like just the thing. In fact, it far exceeded my expectations in every way."   Read More...


Interview with Algonkian attendee, author Kate Gallison: "One way to lengthen your life is to stretch it backwards, and so I read a lot of history. Early movies fascinate me. They were both like and unlike stage plays of the time, borrowing actors and melodramatic plots, but developing entirely new techniques for portraying dramatic action. "   Read More...


Interview with Algonkian attendee, Greg Haas: "I could tell a story about how the process works. Fiction gave me a chance to go where non-fiction wouldn't let me--inside the heads of people at both ends of the political food chain. The final inspiration came from a strange place Karl Rove spent a great deal of time."   Read More...


Interview with Algonkian attendee, Candy Somoza: "The preparation work got us thinking about the book in the store, how it got there, what makes it sell. While we read works and studied the writing, we also focused on the outside, so to speak, the marketing, and that was essential to prepare us."   Read More...


Interview with Algonkian attendee, Barbara Marquart: I also wanted to tell a story that celebrates the deep bond between mothers and daughters - the struggles we all face to transcend our circumstances, forgive each other's failures and accept each other's limitations in order to find peace.   Read More...


Interview with Algonkian attendee, author Thierry Sagnier: "I was stuck, hadn't done any serious writing for months, and a friend of mine--also a writer--suggested I attend a workshop to kickstart me. So I looked on the net and found that there were quite a few places that offered what I wanted, but when I researched the Algonkian conference, I recognized the name of a reporter I really respect. He'd been there and was highly complimentary, so that sealed it for me."   Read More...


Interview with Algonkian attendee, Rae Bryant: "After completing the first draft of Ficklestick's , I wanted professional guidance and a community of writers to help me marinate the work. It was important to me as a first time novelist to seek feedback before finalizing the intricacies. By retaining a sense of early process malleability, I was able to really hear criticisms and then incorporate skills learned. Algonkian provided the perfect setting."   Read More...


Interview with Algonkian attendee, Alex Keto: "I've been to handful of other conferences and decided that if you find yourself in a large room with someone almost out of eyesight in the front talking at you, the results are what you would expect: generic advice that doesn't really help."   Read More...


    Home |  Conferences: Write to Market-NY Pitch-Algonkian |  Frequently Asked Q |  Attendee Commentary |  AWC Faculty |  Conference Syllabus |  Contact 



Copyright, Algonkian Writer Conferences