INTRODUCTION

If this is not your first Red Sneaker book, or if you’ve attended Red Sneaker retreats or conventions, you can skip to Chapter One. If you’re new, let me take a moment to explain.

I’ve been telling stories for many years, doing almost every kind of writing imaginable. I’ve been speaking at workshops and conferences almost as long. Every time I step behind the podium I see long rows of talented people, still frustrated by the fact that they haven’t sold any books. Yes, the market is changing and agents are hard to find and self-publishing can be frustrating. But when aspiring writers work hard, put it out there, but still don’t succeed…there’s usually a reason. Too often enormous potential is lost due to a lack of fundamental knowledge. Sometimes a little guidance is all that stands between an unknown writer and a satisfying writing career.

Sometimes writing instructors and writing texts seem more interested in appearing literary than in providing useful information. Sometimes I think presenters do more to obfuscate the subject than to explain it. Perhaps they feel that if they make the writing process as mysterious as possible, it will make them sound profound—or perhaps they don’t understand the subject well themselves. Some of the best writers I know are not particularly good teachers, because they’ve never thought consciously about the process.

Hoping to be more useful, I formed the Red Sneaker Writing Center. Why Red Sneakers? Because I love my red sneakers. They’re practical, flexible, sturdy—and full of flair and fun. In other words, they’re exactly what writing instruction should be. Practical, dynamic, and designed to unleash the creative spirit, to give the imagination a platform for creating wondrous work.

I held the first Red Sneaker Writers conference in 2005. I invited the best speakers I knew, not only people who had published many books but people who could teach. Then I launched my small-group writing retreats—several intensive days working with a handful of aspiring writers. The retreats gave me the opportunity to read, edit, and work one-on-one with people so I could target their needs and make sure they got what would help them most. This approach worked well and I’m proud to say a substantial number of writers have graduated from my programs and placed work with major publishers. But of course, not everyone can attend a retreat.

This book, and the other books in this series, are designed to provide assistance to writers regardless of their location. The books are short, inexpensive, and targeted to specific areas where a writer might want help.

Let me see if I can anticipate your questions:

Why are these books so short? Because I’ve expunged the unnecessary and the unhelpful. I’ve pared it down to the essential information, useful ideas that can improve the quality of your writing. Too many instructional books are padded with excerpts and repetition to fill word counts required by book contracts. That’s not the Red Sneaker way.

Why are you writing several different books instead of one big book? I encourage writers to commit to writing every day and to maintain a consistent writing schedule. Sometimes reading about writing can be an excuse for not writing. You can read the Red Sneaker books without losing much time. In fact, each can be read in a single afternoon. Take one day off from your writing. Make notes as you read. See if that doesn’t trigger ideas for improving your work.

I bet it will. And the next day, you can get back to your work.

You reference other books as examples, but you rarely quote excerpts from books. Why?

Two reasons. First, I’m trying to keep these books brief. I will cite a book as an example, and if you want to look up a particular passage, it’s easy enough to do. You don’t need me to cut and paste it for you. Second, if I quote from materials currently under copyright protection, I have to pay a fee, which means I’d need to raise the price of the book. I don’t want to do that. I think you can grasp my points without reading copyrighted excerpts. Too often, in my opinion, excessive excerpting is done to pad the page count.

Why does each chapter end with exercises?

The exercises are a completely integrated and essential part of the book, designed to simulate what happens in my small-group writing retreats. Samuel Johnson was correct when he wrote: Scribendo disces scribere. Meaning: You learn to write by writing. These principles won’t be concretized in your brain until you put them into practice.

So get the full benefit from this book. Complete the exercises. If you were in my retreat, this would be your homework. I won’t be hovering over your shoulder as you read this book—but you should do the exercises anyway.

What else does the Red Sneaker Writers Center do?

We send out a free e-newsletter filled with writing advice, news, market analysis, and other items of interest. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, then please visit my website: http://www.williambernhardt.com/red_sneaker_wc/. We also have a free Red Sneaker phone app. Download it and you’ll be updated on all the latest news and you’ll get my weekly blog. I host an annual writing conference and I lead small-group writing retreats in various cities each year. The newsletter and app will provide dates and information about these programs. There will be future books in this series. And we help sponsor a bi-annual literary magazine called Conclave that would love to see you submit your poems, short fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Okay, enough of the warm-up act. Read this book. Then write your story. Follow your dreams. Never give up.

 

William Bernhardt