The ABCs of Anthologies Part One

Hi, Wanderers!

I've seriously loved keeping you all updated on the chaos that is my creative mind. And today, I've got a lot to say about...you guessed it! Anthologies!

The first thing I ever published was in an anthology. And the second. And the third. And the fourth. (If you can't tell, I think anthologies are super duper fune!) But something you maybe don't know about me is my favorite part of participating in an anthology project is LEADING one!

It can be a lot—a lot of stress, a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of fun. And there are SO MANY things to think about and organize when you're in charge of it all. I'm curretnly leading my second anthology, and I thought I'd let you all in on what my process has been looking like this time. (My method this time is a lot different this time than last time I wore the leader cap.)

So I sat down and thought about all the little details that became my responsibility the second I said, "I want to put together another anthology." And (shockingly) I was able to organize them into a list! I've assigned a different aspect of running an anthology its own letter of the alphabet. (Even though these different steps may or may not happen in this order.)

A- Authors

This part usually happens after I've figured out the theme, charity, and details a little bit. But I'm sure I'll lead an anthology where I have all the authors BEFORE I have the authors, it just hasn't happened yet. You would think this would be the scariest part of the whole process—because NOBODY likes to hear the word no when it comes to something as personal as this—but this part is honestly on of the easiest ones.

When I lead an anthology for the first time back in 2023, I asked a lot of really famous authors I adore to do it with me. And some of them said yes! I did get a lot of nos, but they were usually followed with, "If I wasn't already on contract for another project I'd JUMP at the chance!" This taught me that no isn't a bad word, and my mantra became, "No one ever died from being told no."

I won't lie, though, rejection hurts, and I have shed a tear or two when an author I really wanted to work with has told me no. But at the end of the day, the answer can never be yes if I never brave the possibility of being told no. So I reach out to as many authors as I think would be interested in my project as possible. Well, kind of. Usually, I have an idea of how many stories I want included in the project, and I actually stick pretty close to that number. But sometimes life happens and an author has to drop out. At this point I have to either reach out to more authors or ask one already involved in the project to double up.

This part can take forever—I'm talking months and months—or it can happen relatively quickly. Either way, I have to figure out the script I'm going to use to reach out, draft a welcome letter, and do a little research to find the perfect team to work with. Honestly, I practice my script on my writer besties (because they usually are already on board with the project anyway). And once I have all the kinks worked out, I start sending Instagram messages and email like I'm drowning, and they're air.

B- Brainstorm

Now, I'm writing these steps a little out of order here, but it's all the alphabet's fault! Anyway, this is the part where I sit down and think about what I want to write about. I ask myself several questions during this part:

• What genre do I want this project to be?

• Who are the readers I want to pick this book up?

• How many authors will I need?

• What the heck are my authors supposed to write about?

• What''s the word count?

• What things will I NOT accept in a story?

• Is there a specific theme I want the stories centered on?

• What prompt will I send to the authors participating?

These are probably only a few of the questions I ask myself, but you get the picture. Once I've got these questions rattling around in my idea center, I take some time to just let them marinate. Sometimes this takes days. Sometimes it's weeks or. months. I even have a few anthology ideas I've had in there for a few years.

Every anthology I've lead—and every one I've written for—has had different answers to these questions. And they've probably all had different questions too. But the bare minimum for my brainstorm sessions usually boil down to genre, theme, and prompt. The first anthology I lead had a common prompt: Christmas Dress. The one I'm working on now? Well, she's a little more eclectic! The prompt for my current anthology obsession is actually different for each author. I've chosen to donate the proceeds of this project to the National Parks Service, and each story is set in a different national park. It's been so fun!

C- Charity

And that brings me to one of the other things I think about right off the bat: charity. Because an anthology brings together the talent of so many different authors, it's not really practical to split the profits six, eight, or ten ways. Plus, writing for charity feels good, and I love that my work is doing some good in the world.

But how do I pick which charity to donate to when there are literally THOUSANDS of good one to choose from? The answer depends a lot on what I decided during the brainstorming stage. For my 2023 anthology, I chose to donate to a local to me charity that sent money to a girls' home in Uganda so Christmas dresses could be made for each girl there. For this one? I thought about the memories and experiences that have shaped me and the priorities I place front and center in my life. That brought me to national parks.

If you read my intro blog, you know I love nature! Beyond that, I love to hike and explore and experience the grandeur of the world around me, and there's really no better place to do that than a national park. Yellowstone (or Jellystone as my dad would say) was a place my family visited often when I was a kid, I fell in love with Zion's in high school, and I learned to adore Great Basin as a new mom.

I don't think I need to tell you that the most important factor for picking a charity is to passion. You've got to choose one you're passionate about or your apathy will show through in the finished product. (Really, this applies to both writing for and leading an anthology, but I have participated in anthologies for charities I'd never heard of too.)

D- Drafting

This part is maybe the most fun. Once you've decided to put together an anthology, braindstormed theme, genre, and audience, rounded up enough authors, and picked a charity, you're ready to start DRAFTING! This is the part where all of my fragmented idea nuggets and random characters come together. Sometimes my characters for these short stories jump into my mind fully formed with names, backstories, and big opinions, and sometimes I have to dig a little into my imagination to figure out who's going to star in my story.

Either way, I hit the page with enthusiasm, passion, and at least a little inspiration. (More is helpful, but this pantser can write based on just vibes if she needs to.) I like to weave in themes and morals I think my target audience will resonate with during this part. I craft a story that will echo in the minds of whoever I want to read the anthology forever. But mostly, I just have fun with it. Generally, I have to restart my short four of five times. I did write one in about two hours once though that was pretty much perfect the second it left my pen. (That's the exception, definitely not the rule.)

After I've fumbled with the vibes a bit, I usually find my stride and can knock out an entire short story (usually around 10k words) in a weekend if I have the time to block off for just writing. In reality, it usually takes me a week around my job, my kids, and any other stuff I might have going on at any given time.

Regardless of how long it takes me to get the first iteration of my idea down on paper, the next thing I do is let it sit. I need time away from my words to come back to them objectively.

I'll leave you here for now, because this post feels a little bit long. But rest assured I have a LOT more to say!