Q&A with Jessica Brody discussion

Have questions about writing or the publishing process? Post them here! (Sorry, for legal reasons I can't read anyone's manuscripts or writing samples.)

This is great, Jess! I really enjoyed when Alyson did this.

What was your inspiration for "My Life Undecided"?

Do you have a disciplined process (eg, certain number of hours or pages per day, etc) or do you write when the feeling hits you?

Hi Martha, Patricia and Jaime! Thanks for posting!

Patricia wrote: "What was your inspiration for "My Life Undecided"?"

Hi Patricia! MY LIFE UNDECIDED was one of those rare "aha moments!" that I'd often heard authors talk about but never experienced myself...until a few years ago. I was sitting on the couch with my husband, watching an ad for a reality show when I said, "Wouldn't it be cool if they combined American Idol and the Hills and you got to VOTE on what the members of the Hills did. Like who they went out with, whether or not they forgave their backstabbing best friends, etc." We both agreed logistically this wouldn't work as a reality show because they film the show months before it airs and from a production stand point, it would be too difficult. But I wasn't deterred! I stood up and said, "Fine, I'll just write it as a book." And I marched upstairs and wrote the first synopsis for My Life Undecided. I sent it to my editor that night and she wrote back and said she loved it and that I should write it. And so I did!

Jaime wrote: "Do you have a disciplined process (eg, certain number of hours or pages per day, etc) or do you write when the feeling hits you?"

I have a very disciplined writing process. Whether or not I follow it is another story! Haha! But seriously, yes, I write every day. And I try to always write in the same place. It keeps it routine. Otherwise, I don't think I'd ever finish a book! I actually recently wrote a fun blog post about my crazy "methods" called, "How to Trick Your Brain Into Writing." And I use these methods nearly every day! Here it is: http://jessicabrody.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-to-trick-your-brain-into-writing.html

Jaime wrote: "Do you have a disciplined process (eg, certain number of hours or pages per day, etc) or do you write when the feeling hits you?"

Oh! And yes, I try to write between 1000 and 2000 words a day. When the deadline is approaching, that number increases!

No wonder you're successful, then! Are you able to write amid distractions or do you need complete solitude?

And thank you for the link!

Jaime wrote: "No wonder you're successful, then! Are you able to write amid distractions or do you need complete solitude?

And thank you for the link!"

Hi Jamie! I can write amid distractions as long as I have my headphones in and my white noise track playing. I can't write if I can hear other sounds around me or listening to music. I end up focusing more on the lyrics than my own words!

Hello Jessica! :)
First of all, love Karma Club. I would go out and buy My Life Undecided, but I have no money. lol ;) I'm saving up and asked for it for my B-day. Anyway, on to my question! And this is mostly for me and my best friend, Jenni, since we're both inspired writers (though she wants her FULL career to be an author, while I want to focus more on photography). :)

Q: How did you get started as a writer? Like, how were you recognized to be able to be published, like... (I'm trying to find the right words, haha)... was it a hard, long process to go through? And what's your favorite part of this whole experience?

Thanks for the opportunity to ask!
-Alyssa L. :)

Alyssa wrote: "Hello Jessica! :)
First of all, love Karma Club. I would go out and buy My Life Undecided, but I have no money. lol ;) I'm saving up and asked for it for my B-day. Anyway, on to my question! And t..."

Hi Alyssa,

First of all, thanks for the compliments on the book! Good luck to you and Jenni on your writing/photography goals!

And now to your question:

The short answer is yes, it was very hard to get published. It took me about 5 years. I first had to get an agent and that's what took the longest. I had a previous book called, JUST JULIET, that I wrote but it never got published. Many agents liked the writing but didn't think there was enough "story." (And I can see now how right they were!) I eventually started a new novel, the one that would become THE FIDELITY FILES and was determined to jam pack it with story! After several more rejections from agents and several rewrites, I eventually found an agent who liked it and wanted to represent it. An agent's job is to show your book to publishers and try to get them to buy it. It took 5 years to finally find an agent and she actually sold the book to a publisher in 10 days! That's how fast it can happen once you have a good agent! So I like to say my "overnight success story" took five years. Haha!

I think my favorite part of the process was when my agent was sending the book out to publishers. It was totally nerve wracking and I don't think I slept a wink but it was also so exciting. My adrenaline was working overtime! Every day my agent would call and say things like, "The editor at Penguin is reading it and she says she likes it. Stay tuned." Or, "The editor at Random House likes it and is showing it to her boss this week to see if she can make an offer." It was probably the most exciting 10 days of my life!

Anyway, I hope this answers your question. If you want to read more about agents, I have a whole "For Writers" page on my website. Click here to check it out!

Thanks again for your question! And good luck!

XO
Jessica

How many drafts are you averaging per book now? Also curious as to how many beta readers you have or if you have any crit partners. :)