Welcome to 2011, Everyone! I hope the new year is treating you well.
I’d like to start off 2011 with the conclusion of my three part WMFH blog. Part 1 and Part 2 can be found by clicking previous or on the hyperlinks.
I’ve learned at lot during this WMFH foray that I knew-and-forgot or didn’t know at all. Here are the final two lessons.
Lesson 7: Ignore the word count.
Yes, I really did say that. But that’s not quite what I meant. I spent so much of my first draft phase concentrating on staying at 5k that I almost sabotaged my own success. I had a word limit of 5-6k, so I could have gone over without concern. But I let myself get wrapped up in the issue of keeping it on the nose that I couldn’t write the ending of my story. So, lesson here is “Write the story, then worry about the word count.” It is, after all, easier to cut than it is to add. Or so I’ve been told.
Lesson 8: Don’t break the NDA.
This isn’t really a lesson I’ve learned from this project. I picked it up from another project and the whole Wikileaks furor. If you’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement or a contract containing an NDA clause, you are bound by the promise you won’t publicly disseminate private info.
I’m surprised at the number of writers who ignore this, leaking information to outside sources because of carelessness, rage, or the “my best friend won’t share” mentality. NDA is NDA, regardless. And don’t think being careful will help. There are ways to figure out where the information came from. My day job is working in technology. I’ve seen people do amazing things to recover data and trace the data trail back to its source.
That’s not to say I’m anti-whistle-blower. There is a time and place for whistle-blowing, but that’s another subject. I won’t go into the politics. I will, however, say this. If you don’t want to be bound by an NDA, don’t sign one. It’s as simple as that. You may miss writing opportunities, but sometimes that’s a good thing. There are nightmare NDAs that go above and beyond industry standard. If you’re about to sign one and have concerns, see a lawyer. It’ll be worth the consulting fee, especially since some publishers have made major rights grabbing for non-WMFH works the past few years without the willingness to pay market price.
These are the lessons I learned and re-learned while writing a WMFH piece. If I retain this information properly, my next project should go much smoother. If anyone has any questions on “work for hire,” please let me know.
