Well this was fun and informative: I attended a presentation tonight (in Tampa, Florida) by Roberta Gately, Boston-based writer/nurse/humanitarian worker. (Not sure what order to put those in—she lists “nurse” first and “writer” last on her Web site, but I went to see her as a writer, so that is what I am putting first!)
She has published a couple of novels and has a creative non-fiction collection coming out in October: Footprints in the Dust. I have pre-ordered it. You will want to as well; it is about refugees around the world with whom she has worked.
She didn’t read from her work at this event, but talked (very articulately) about writing fiction and non-fiction as well as the mechanics of getting published.
The big diff between fiction and non-fiction, according to Gately: it is okay if the reader hates a character in your fiction, you made up that character. But if the reader doesn’t like the main character in your non-fiction, that is a problem: that is YOU!
Regarding publishing, she doesn’t recommend cold-calling Simon and Schuster (based on personal experience), but does encourage researching and vetting agents (find one who specializes in the genre of your writing; you may need a couple if you write children’s books AND romance novels).
And about her writing process, she said she often gets ideas, and great lines, when going about everyday tasks, like driving—then she looks forward to a traffic jam—the one person in Boston who can say that--so that she can jot down some notes.
Bonus knowledge she shared with us: It is fine to use brand names in your books, but note that “Dumpster” is a brand name, so it must be capitalized!
(And I see, based on a 2016 article in the Huffington Post that she is a fellow cancer survivor.)
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