Before You Write

By Patrika Vaughn

Writing a book is a lot like getting married. It is intensely personal, it calls for a big commitment, and it requires a sustained effort. And like marriage, it carries no guarantee of success. Books and marriages often fail for the same reasons. The most common reason is that the writer doesn’t know enough about the four essential components of a successful book. It may surprise you to know that the first and most important of these components is the Self.

Self -- Many writers get an idea and jump into writing about it, never giving any thought to the motive behind writing it. Yet why you want to write helps determine what you write.

The second component is:
the Subject -- Do you know enough about your topic to convey how your (or your character’s) experiences felt? Do you know enough to teach your readers what they want to know about the subject?

The third essential component is:
the Readers -- Are you clear about who you are writing this book for? Do you know the profile of the ideal reader of this book? The fourth component is, of course, the actual writing of the book. This includes the format, mechanics, style, tone, etc.

the Writing -- Do you know the writing techniques that will create and sustain reader interest in your book? If you have sufficient knowledge about your motives, your subject and your readers, you’ve already solved many of the most aggravating problems of writing. Successful writing requires a harmonious blend of writer, subject and reader. When this is achieved, an alchemy takes place. This alchemy informs the writing process, cutting through the common problems writers face. Once the alchemy is there, a writer can usually work swiftly and efficiently, avoiding many writing pitfalls and completing the book in less time than (s)he expected it to take. Achieving this alchemy depends on knowing a number of things about yourself, the writer, and your motives; about the subject to be written about, and knowing some essentials about the people you hope will read your book. Let’s take a look at each of them:

WHY YOU WANT TO WRITE:
Maybe you’ve always dreamed of achieving fame and fortune as an author. You’ve pictured yourself chatting with David Letterman or Jay Leno, or being interviewed on Good Morning, America. You see yourself autographing books for a long line of admiring readers or standing before large audiences, telling them about your book. Perhaps you see your book being made into a movie. Do you know what kind of book to write to turn this dream into a reality? Maybe you want to write as a means of self-actualization. You know you have things to say that others will find interesting but you’ve never taken the time to organize them into a meaningful text. Writing a book can create just the opportunity you need to organize your vast body of knowledge on a subject, or to explore your own psychological depths. Do you know who would be interested in reading this book? Or maybe you hope to gain immortality, to perpetuate yourself through your autobiography. Other reasons for writing an autobio graphy include creating a legacy for your family, to give children and grandchildren a sense of belonging and continuity. Your motive for writing a book might be to help others. You may have pioneered an experience (anything from a self-cure for cancer to rollerblading across the U.S.) or discovered a new or better way to do something. What you’ve done or learned could help others, and you want to write a book to share. Do you know who would welcome this information? Recording knowledge, experience or history is a valuable contribution. It can bring fame and fortune, help you self-actualize, advance your career or be a way to spend your spare time constructively.
Your book could provide an important teaching tool. It is important for you to know which of the above motives are your reasons for wanting to write, because your reasons are tightly connected to whether or not the kind of book you write will be a success.

WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE
First, what types of books are there? Books can be broken down into fiction or non-fiction. Fiction includes general, romance, Gothic and historical novels; westerns; mysteries; suspense and adventure stories; children’s books.

Nonfiction includes all factual books: how-to’s; cookbooks; books on history; art; travel, plus academic books on any area of knowledge. There are also hundreds of professional and trade journals which print articles in specific areas of interest.

These can be written in any of the following nonfiction forms: news, feature, analysis, how-to, opinion, speculation, interview, inspirational, evaluative, study, narrative, history, journal, observations, creative nonfiction, summary, list or satire.

Now, how can your motive influence the success of the kind of book you want to write? Well, consider these facts. According to the Writer’s Market, only 5% of writers earn over $80,000 a year. Your chances of attaining fame and fortune will be better, therefore, if you write the type of book that the greatest number of people want to read. It helps if it’s the kind of book that will translate well into film or video format.

The most popular kinds of fiction books are love stories and legal thrillers. The most popular non-fiction books are how-to’s, followed by books on health care; men/women relationships; business and management advise; spiritual and psychological works, and dieting. If your motive is self actualization or to help others, the popularity of your book will be a minimal factor for you.

You may already know that your book will appeal to only a limited market. Who over 40, for instance, will be interested in rollerblading across the United States? How many people will be interested in reading the history of your home town, or your opinions, evaluations, or your life story?

Perhaps your main motive is career advancement. Will this purpose be best served by targeting beginners in your field as your audience? Your peers? Those who have been in the field longer than you? Do you know what differences in approach are needed to write successfully for these three different markets? The same questions apply to those who want to write a book to help others. Who are these people? How much do you know about them? Is your reason for helping them to impress them, to encourage them or to inform them? These are all factors in determining the contents and style of your book. Now you need to know if you have what it takes to write that book.

IF YOU CAN WRITE
Do you have the time to write? Do you like to write? Are you an idea person? Do you have patience? Do you have the training to be a polished writer? Can you make the emotional commitment to the type of solitude and perseverance required to write your book? Don’t get discouraged if you’ve answered no to some of these questions. By following the step-by-step approach outlined in my book, you’ll find that a time commitment of as little as one hour a day can get the job done. The essential part is your emotional commitment. You’ve got to believe in your project and believe in yourself. You have to be convinced of the importance of writing this book. You have to commit to it, and the best way to do that is to make a contract with yourself. Your contract is your vow.

Decide on a time of day when you can consistently devote time to writing. Then assess how much time you can spend at it daily. Don’t overestimate. It’s important for you to write consistently each day, at the same time and if possible in the same location. If all you can realistically expect to devote to writing on a daily basis is fifteen minutes, then contract with yourself for fifteen minutes. Then, if it turns out that you can spend two hours at it on some days, consider that bonus time. Once you’re clear with yourself about when, where, and what time you can give to your writing, write a simple contract with yourself:

Here’s an example:
I am a writer, now engaged in the writing of a book about ___________.
I pledge to devote __________(minutes/ hours) to this project every day,from __________ (hour) to __________ (hour). Signed:
Dated:

Don’t over look this step. It seals your commitment to yourself to follow through on this project and solemnizes the importance of this task. It also formalizes exactly what part of your life you will carve out to make way for this accomplishment, and it commits you to getting into the habit of writing. Now inform your family, friends and associates that you will be unavailable at those times. It’s important that your writing time be uninterrupted. Other people will have to take it as seriously as you do, allowing you quality time for your work.

10 Ways to Beat Writers Block

by Tina Morgan

Writer's Block is the bane of every writer's existence. Even if you've never experienced it, it can make your toes curl and your stomach roll at the mere thought.The inability to form a cohesive sentence, or even think of something worthy of writing down, the strong belief that everything you write is rubbish, the eye-strain from hours of staring at a blank screen, deleting work that took hours to struggle through - all are symptoms of Writer's Block.

How do you know if you really have writer's block or if you're just in a small slump?

Ask yourself the following questions:

1) Have you panicked yet?

2) Did you try to force yourself to writer only to become extremely frustrated over the quality of slush you were creating?

3) Has it been more than five minutes since you wrote your last cohesive sentence?

4) Have you wept for the inability to write even an email?

5) Have you begged your friends to just 'shoot' you?

6) Have you almost talked yourself into the idea that taking a job as a check-out chick will be more rewarding than publishing career?

If you've answered no to any of those questions, you probably don't have writer's block. If you've answered YES! to all six, then you're probably not amused at this moment. You're stuck and you want some help. So let's examine the primary cause of writer's block.

Enlighten me, you say? Tell me know so I can address the problem, you beg?All right then. Let's get serious. The predominant cause of writer's block is self-doubt. That nagging little voice at the back of your mind that says everything you write is no good and this is a useless pastime, or job as the case may be.

The cause for this self-doubt may not even be writing related. It may be stress induced: sick relatives, loss of paying job, reprimand at work, broken automobile, unwanted pregnancy (yours, girlfriends, teenage daughter...) you get the picture.

Our lives affect our writing. That's an unalterable fact. Many American writers, and some out of the USA as well, expressed an inability to write after the Sept. 11th bombing of the World Trade Center. Traumatic world events such as this can cause a serious lack of inspiration.

The good news is that Writer's Block is almost always a temporary condition and is easily fixed!So how do you get the creative flow moving again?There are a few different approaches. While some suggestions are made with tongue-in-cheek, never underestimate the power of climbing a jungle gym to revive the weary spirit.

10 Ways to Beat Writer's Block

1) Watch a movie - new, old, humorous or sad - Many writers are visually stimulated and inspired.

2) Take a nap - lack of sleep is detrimental to motor skills as well as concentration, halting the flow of creativity as well as making it difficult to type or write.

3) Take Prozac - seriously - if you've been suffering from the symptoms of depression, talk to your doctor. There may be something he/she can do to help, be it medication or therapy. (of course, always check with your doctor before taking any medication)

4) Jog, take a walk, mow the grass, work out at the gym - physical exercise works wonders to reduce stress levels.

5) Let Calgon take you away - a relaxing shower of bath allows your subconscious time to mull over a character discrepancy or plot snag. (It's also rumored that massaging the scalp can release ideas from a cramped brain... okay, maybe not, but it will help relax you.)

6) Play on the jungle gym, crawl on the floor after your toddler for 20 minutes - not just for the exercise but also for down time from life's problems and to marvel in the joy of exploration.

7) Indulge in the goodie of your choice - hot fudge sundae, a box of Tim Tams (which I've heard are quite delicious but I'll have to visit my senior editor in Australia to try them), my favorite, a cup of Ghirardelli hot chocolate with whipped cream on top - you might want to go back to items 6 or 4 after you're done indulging. Too many goodies are hard on the waistline and wallet.

8) Take a break - do you 'have' to be writing right now? If you're not working on a deadline, walk away from the computer or the pen and paper for a few hours or days. You might need to distance yourself from the story in order to come back at it with a fresh perspective.

9) Work on something completely different. If your novel is Blocked, work on a short story for a while instead.

If your article is stilted, write a poem. The change in form will release you from the pressure of the prior exercise and who knows? You might even find you have another format to explore! Stimulate your brain with a new challenge

10) Use a different medium to express yourself - if you typically type on the computer, switch to pen and paper for a while. Sometimes the physical sensation of a pen in your hand can unleash those pent up words and ideas. There are a magnitude of new gels pens on the market, using a shiny ink on a dark paper may set your creative spirit soaring. (Warning... some writers find that pen buying is addictive. I know I need to buy stock in some of the pen manufacturing companies so I can make a little money off my obsession.)

If you usually write your stories longhand, consider working directly onto your computer. If you're like me, I can type faster than I write and I prefer to write on the computer because I can keep up with my train of thought better that way. This works well for free-flow writing but my computer work always needs more editing than my longhand. You've tried some or even all of these things and it's not helping?

Consider the "lighten up and laugh" method. This works very well for my co-author and me. When we get to the point of feeling so uninspired we could care less if we ever finish another story, we turn our project inside out. We make our characters do completely inappropriate things.

Say, having a devout Catholic nun dress in lingerie and participate in a raunchy dance contest, or making a macho male character cross dress and participate in a beauty pageant (complete with hairy legs in a bathing suit), or an animal rights activist stalk Toto through the merry old land of Oz with the intent of shooting him. Warped? Possibly. But by the time we've finished mangling our story and offending half of humanity, we're no longer taking ourselves so seriously that we can't write. And, of course, no one but us ever sees these "side-scenes" but us. (except maybe Lee!)

Laughter truly is the 'best' medicine. It's hard to wallow in self-doubt when you're giggling so hard you have tears in your eyes and your sides hurt.

On occasion humor fails us. Sometimes it's not the self-doubt but anger that stills our muse and quiets our pen. Pent up anger can be hard to see past (can cause stomach upset) and it's not always socially acceptable to release it in an adequate manner.

For some of us, expressing that anger through a scene or character tirade can be very cathartic. I have the highest respect for human life and I would never intentionally inflict physical or emotional harm to another person.

However.... having that same nun pack an Uzi into a congregation filled with pedophiles, murderers, abusive bosses or spouses, mouthy teenagers, annoying co-workers, cheating spouses, etc, is the safe way to go "postal".

(Just don't tell my boss at my paying job that I used that word. They frown on their employees perpetrating the myth that postal workers are more violent than other people.)

Should you feel guilty for venting your anger in a horrific act of written violence? No. If you're seriously contemplating following through on your ideas, then you need to seek professional help. (I'm not joking about this one.)

Self-doubt, depression, pain, loss, grief, illness, stress - all these negative emotions and experiences will affect our writing just as they affect all other aspects of our lives. Take a deep breath, assess the underlying problem to your writer's block and deal with that first. Once you do, you may find that your writer's block has been resolved.

Best of luck and happy writing.

© Copyright 2002 Tina Morgan

The Most Common Mistakes I See in Fiction Manuscripts--And What to Do About Them

by Jerry Gross © 1996
Editor of EDITORS ON EDITING

The following list is compiled from my more than forty years of being an acquisition, developmental and line editor--plus the experience I have gained from presenting my “Secrets of a Book Doctor's Practice” workshops at writers' conferences around the USA.

Manuscripts in General
Submitting a dirty, hard-to-read manuscript to an already overworked editor with tired eyes. (Would you go for an interview in a soiled, wrinkled suit or dress? Of course not! Remember, your proposal or manuscript is your “interview” with the editor. So if it looks good, you look good.)

FICTION MANUSCRIPTS
1. Failing to hook your reader's interest early--first paragraph!--and to keep that interest sustained. Many beginners start the story chronologically instead of at a peak point of dramatic interest--a crucial event or conversation.
2. Waiting too long to set the premise and conflict of the novel, and to introduce the reader to the protagonist and antagonist. Prolonged and excessive use of “descriptive writing” delays giving the reader someone to cheer and to hiss.
3. Not giving your characters believable motivations, actions and relationships. If you haven't fully developed characters before you start writing, those problems will be obvious to your editor.
4. Convincing and manipulating events instead of having the plot evolve from believable characters acting in credible ways.
5. Forgetting that where, when and how people make love in novels should reveal the psychological aspects of their relationship as well as their sexual tastes and preferences. Sometimes out of guilt or a craving for recklessness and risk taking, a couple might make love in a place where they know they may very well be discovered, thus endangering their affair-and even their lives. This is especially true in mystery and thriller writing. Love made in anger, or with tenderness, or in a manner forcing the other partner into unpleasant or objectionable acts give the sexual act or acts a tone and mood that goes beyond the mechanics of the act itself. For instance, if the two partners have had a fight, lovemaking might be done with hostility, or, as a loving, giving way of making up. Describe the mood and tone of the lovemaking.
6. Not bothering to convince the reader that the hero and the heroine have fallen in love--but merely saying that they do.
7. Permitting stilted dialogue to remain in a novel when merely reading the dialogue out loud, or hearing it played back on a tape recorder, could have forced you to make the dialogue sound more natural and believable.
8. Poor plotting that fails to give the novel, pace, shape, energy or interest. Poor plotting can be caused by overwhelming the reader with too many characters and too many conflicts too soon in the story--leaving the rest of the story thin in both character relationships and crucial events. The result is that the pacing is front-loaded and there's not enough drama or movement to keep the reader turning pages to find out what happens next. Plotting should be paced so that there is a steady appeal to, and satisfaction of the reader's curiosity about the people and events in the novel. It's like having a steady foot on the gas pedal to give a smooth ride.
9. Confusing the reader by not clearly indicating a change in time, locale or chronology of events. Simply inserting a transitional phrase such as “Two weeks later when John showed up at the office...” is one example of how this passage of time and locale can be indicated in a manuscript.
10. Refusing to describe characters, or to suggest their ages and individuality by giving them their own speech patterns, gestures, mannerisms, ways to walking and moving, etc.
11. Going for the unpredictable phrase or routine observation instead of relying on your own powers of observation and expression. Editors are turned off quickly by such clichés as:
“She was at the end of her rope. How could she ever pick up the pieces of her life?” Or “He looked in the mirror; his hair was thinning and his waist was thickening. His mid-life crisis was upon him!” Or “The clouds formed and reformed themselves like strange and wonderful faces and animals.”
12. Attempting to write in the style of a best-selling author instead of using your own authorial “voice.” For example, someone who relies heavily on describing the clothes someone wears to create character--in the manner of Tom Wolfe in BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES. Or uses brand names to establish a scene as does Stephen King in many of his novels.
13. Reducing the effectiveness of the story by blatantly poor spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc.
14. An apparent inability to target the audience for the story, thus muddying the effects and weakening the strengths of the story. The writer should write for the audience that reads a particular genre--mystery, romance, science-fiction, etc.--and not try to muddy the waters by diluting the features of a genre in a misbegotten attempt to reach a wider, “mainstream” audience. Be true to the form you are writing in and to the audience you are targeting.

Why Write Flash Fiction?

by Pamela Heffernan
Have you ever had a fleeting moment of inspiration? A brief story that calls for you to tell it, but you feel no desire to enhance it to a longer piece of fiction? Don't blow it off as an unusable idea just because you can't see it being a longer story. Write it, feel it, grow with it. This is flash fiction.

You're taking a snapshot of a longer story, using a moment in time. Often, it's the story that would have never been told, or included, in a longer piece of work. But that certainly doesn't make it any less enjoyable to read or important to write. Writing flash fiction gives you the chance to refine your attention to the finer mechanisms of a story - The parts that we, as writers, tend to forget about. It allows you to extract one moment and make it come to life. This can be a great building practice for your longer works. Working on flash really shows you how much you miss the little "unimportant" things when writing longer stories. Those little things still exist, we just tend to exclude them.

Due to its brevity, writing flash offers you many opportunities to develop different aspects of your writing style. This helps you practice the elements of surprise and suspense within your story. You don't have the worry of carrying the suspense on for pages and pages on end. You're providing the reader a quick read with all of the enjoyable story elements, plus you get to start working on another exciting piece of flash.

One thing you just have to love about flash is that it's the perfect style to explore your creativity and tell stories from an extremely different, even absurd, point of view. Where absurdity isn't always easy to accomplish in longer works, through fear of overdoing the comical aspects, flash allows you the chance work with humor without dragging it out.

Here's an example:
What about the feelings of a fire hydrant? Dogs find fire hydrants extremely compelling, therefore that poor fire hydrant sees more urine samples than the Doctor's clinic down the street. It's always out in bad weather. And worse of all, no one ever stops by just to offer some companionship. That poor fire hydrant must feel terribly alone and neglected.

Absurd? Yes. But fun. If we can't have fun writing, then what are we doing writing at all? We may as well be counting Mexican jumping beans. Ok that could be fun too, but…

The main thing to remember is to keep your reader guessing for as long as you can, hopefully right up to the end. In the case of the fire hydrant, give it voice, give it character, and let it show us its sad story. But ensure that your reader is shocked to find out at the end that they've pitied a fire hydrant for reasons only known to them. They will never look at a fire hydrant in the same light again.

Don't get me wrong, not all flash has to be absurd and end with a surprise tactic. As you write, you'll come up with your own techniques. But again, going back to enhancing your writing, it's much easier to practice the ever important element of surprise in a flash fiction story than a novel. You can work your way up to that and you'll find it much easier if you've practiced on a smaller scale first. You're giving your reader conflict, suspense, humor and resolution all in the blink of an eye. How can you not love that?

Let your creativity loose and you'll be amazed at the things that come from your mind. The most important thing of all when writing flash fiction - Have fun with it!

*Exercise: Your character remembers the day he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen."Write the story in 500 words or less. Market: SmokeLong Quarterly is a literary magazine dedicated to flash fiction.

"SmokeLong publishes flash fiction up to 1000 words. We have a special place in our hearts for the 400-700 word range but will give equal consideration to all pieces within the guidelines."http://www.smokelong.com/cover.asp

Creating Villians People Love to Hate

by Lee Masterson

Every story has a bad guy. There wouldn't be much conflict for your protagonist to overcome if there was no antagonist to stir the pot.

Yours might be the evil villain who opposes everything your hero (or heroine) does. He might be the treacherous double-agent from the past, or the psychotic evil scientist, or maybe just the "other woman" fighting for your hero's attention.

Who ever your villain is, making sure he is believable is far more difficult than simply creating a character who does bad things to hold up your protagonist's progress.

Your job here is to make your villains credible, logical, and believable, but not likeable. You want the reader to understand what they're doing that is such a negative thing for your hero. But it's more involved than just explaining their adverse actions. Your readers need to understand why the antagonist is doing what he does, and why he believes his actions are justified and rational.

Basically, you need your villains to be real, three-dimensional people. Unfortunately most "bad guys" are shown as being shallow, narrow-minded creatures whose only ambition is to be as evil as possible. This approach to an antagonist loses the respect of your reader for two reasons:

1 - You lose any emotional impact your story had if your readers can not completely believe the threat to your hero is real, or threatening enough. It also lowers the reader's esteem for the hero who they know can only beat this unthreatening villain.

2 - A completely evil character equates to a totally weak character to a reader. If your villain's only motivation is evil, this does not give him enough depth of character to become real in your reader's mind. Giving your bad guy only one driving motivator is not enough - especially if you choose a lightweight surface motivator like "evil" or "greed".

Think about when you created your protagonist. Most likely you created someone you admired, a character with strength and integrity. I'm guessing you took the time to get right inside your hero's head and understand what made him tick.Your villain is no different.

In order to be considered a worthy opponent, you must portray your antagonist honestly. You must be able to get inside his head, too, and learn what drives him to act the way he does.

Remember here that no one sees themselves as mean or evil or bitchy or insane or stupid. Your villain won't either. To him, his actions and his logic are perfectly justifiable. Show your readers this side of your villain's logic and you intensify your story's suspense factor. Show that your antagonist is quite capable of winning the battle and make sure that it seems as though the outcome of your plot is uncertain. That uncertainty doubles your suspense again, and gives you the perfect opportunity to showcase your hero's qualities as well, thus creating a stronger protagonist just by displaying the comparisons.

Put more simply, your villain has to be good about being a bad guy, but it forces your hero to be even better.Your readers will be turning page after page to find out if your hero is actually good enough to overcome the monster you forced them to care about, in a twisted kind of way.

Remember Silence of the Lambs?If you can actively portray your villain in his own Point Of View as being an intelligent, logical, complex creature with the capacity to be understanding and reasonable, who does what he does because his reasons are sound to him, then you are on your way to creating a pretty believable villain.

But when you can also show your villain's complex, devious, misguided nature from your hero's Point Of View, you know you've created a truly memorable bad guy, and you will have strengthened your protagonist's character and your plotline at the same time.
© Copyright Lee Masterson. All rights reserved

Writing to Write or Writing to Sell?

Once you’ve grown an idea, should you consider markets, lines, word count? \

Some authors stress that if you just write a great book, the book of your heart, it will sell. It’s true, single title and literary writers emerge from the slush pile every day, making blockbuster deals.

For most of us, it doesn’t happen that way.

That is unless you are the next Margaret Mitchell, Faulkner, or even Deborah Smith.
Wait a minute, Deborah Smith cut her teeth on category romance with several Loveswepts under her belt before she made her claim to fame. Write one of those formula books, you say?

Writing within restraints -- word limit, subject matter, content, etc. is not for everyone. It definitely challenges creativity but it improves your skills.

If you enjoy shorter stories that aren’t as complicated, issue-oriented, or literary, then category romance may be the place for you. On the other hand, if you don’t enjoy category romance, forget writing it -- your readers will be able to tell if your heart is not in your story.

Advantages of selling single title

• 
  Longer word count gives you more creativity & freedom.
• 
  You can explore more difficult, complicated issues, themes, subplots.
• 
  You have a BIG book out.

Disadvantages

• 
  Time and money needed for promotion.
• 
  Smaller print run -- unless your publisher supports you with promotional dollars, you may reach a smaller audience.
• 
  In some cases, you may earn less than you would writing a category romance.

Advantages to Category

• 
  A built-in readership means your name gets introduced to thousands of readers.
• 
  Little or no money is needed for promotion.
• 
  You hone your skills in plotting, characterization, layering in subplots, editing, etc.
• 
  Sales and publishing credit earned helps move you into single title.
• 
  Satisfaction of breaking into print and making that first sale.
• 
  You build a reputation with editors, agents, booksellers, readers.

Disadvantages

• 
  Stories are more restrictive in content, word count, and language.
• 
  You may not get the notoriety of the “bigger author”.

Tips to make your story saleable

Read, study the markets, publishers’ guidelines, language, content, themes, story types, etc. at that house. Making this decision up front will help you plan and incorporate the elements to make it salable.

Use the hooks on the tip sheets.

Play off your own unique voice.

Come up with a different twist for a tried and true story line.

Read new authors -- a multi published author can push the envelope more.

Put your heart into every book.

How do you do that? By writing characters that are real, characters that the reader cares about.
Tips:
Give your character some trait, vulnerability, problem, fear, secret that you can relate to.
Show your character hurting and struggling.
Make your character care about something, give him a goal, then make him wait to achieve it, threaten it or take it away.
Put yourself into your character’s head and feel his emotions -- write the scene in first person to get inside his head.

Beginner - Don't Write That Novel!

By Alex Keegan

My usual advice to beginners is not to strike out for the Great American (or British) novel but instead to concentrate for a considerable time, maybe as much as a year, writing short stories and doing exercises. I'd like to try and carefully outline why I think this is a solid and justifiable ideal.

Beginning Writing -- Short Stories vs. The Novel

Writing short stories allows the writer to experiment and find himself. Beginners very rarely have their natural voice when they begin writing. By learning about themselves, through writing many separate pieces, they find those styles, points-of-view, viewpoints, and language that are more natural to them. Commonly, beginners try to write like those authors they admire or authors who have written books similar to the kind they hope to write. Often this style may not be the one best suited to the particular writer. It is also common to see beginners change styles WITHIN books.

Burn Off the Autobiographical Urge

A common failing with beginning writers is that they write too close to themselves, producing autobiographical or near-autobiographic al work. Though some great autobiographical novels have been written, most creative writing teachers are well aware that the autobiographical urge needs to be spent before the beginner learns that good writing needs to be generalisable. The writing of many short stories usually burns off this rarely desirable tendency and should some of the material be noticeably special it is still available as the basis for a longer work.

Variety of Experience

If students are writing a single novel, perhaps two in their first year, though this would be rare, they can, at the most, explore writing in two genres. If, on the other hand, students are writing, say, one short story a week they can try many many genres, styles, viewpoint s; they can explore the terse hard-boiled Ford/Hemingway approach, the lyrical styles of Laurie Lee or Dylan Thomas, John Irving, and many points in between. This is not the case if they are writing novels.

Beginners Get Used to Completing Tasks.

One major advantage of writing short stories to begin with is that the one or two thousand word task seems less intimidating than the novel and far more achieveable.

Quicker, Better Feedback.

It is easier to get proper feedback on a short story because it is a complete entity. Thus, by writing many shorts the student gets repeated feedback and learns more quickly about his strengths and weaknesses.

Easily Focussed Teaching/Learning.

A sympathetic teacher can design short story tasks to develop those areas seen as weakest. This is virtually impossible if the student is writing a novel.

More Meaningful Cross-criticism

Students writing short stories c a n be encouraged to exchange works and learn by cross-reviewing each other's work. Though this can be done with novel extracts, the story, by being complete, being finite, is more easy to judge. Further, where same-subject shorts are being exchanged, it is easier and clearer to understand how different approaches to the same intial subject alter the final work. With differently- titled novels, approach may well be obscured by subject matter.

Comparison and Identifying Voice and Style

In classes, getting students to produce shorts has the advantage of compare and contrast. This is obviously less easy with novels on often vastly different subjects. By creating a single subject task, the teacher has the advantage that all students are working in roughly the same area, and, since the initial subject matter is the same, s/he is more easily able to note the student's individual characteristic set against a constant.

Discipline

The discipline of the short story, the need to say as much as possible in a few words as possible is an excellent teacher. The ability to paint briefly is not wasted but makes the eventual novelist a better one. John Gardner was very keen to emphasise the usefulness of small focussed exercises in which the student could concentrate on selected areas of his art. Teachers can shape and point far easier when the target is an exercise or short story.

Less Waste, More Material

A wasted novel is for most beginners a wasted year. A wasted short story is typically a few days or a week. Though it is true that theoretically a student could write 52 consecutive wasted short stories, experience tells us otherwise, since, after every story, finite, complete, the student has usually learned something. In the case of the novel the student does not learn much until he has completed his long and arduous task and submits.

Nothing Wasted

Novels are rarely honed down to sh ort stories. The reverse is not true. Short stories have been made into novellas, short stories made into novels, and short stories have been made into films.

Short stories contain all the major elements of good writing.

Beginning, middle and end, dialogue, characterisation, conflict and change. It is easier to teach for example, the idea of premise/theme on a single short than on a novel. A student can be asked to write a 2,000 word short illustrating a proverb without ever referring to it or proving a statement such as "All men are pigs". It hardly needs saying that a teacher cannot realistically ask students to produce a novel to do the same.

Why Learn to Paint While Painting the Sistine Chapel?

Let us just imagine a student with a truly great idea for a novel; a story idea that might change the world or earn the writer fame and fortune. Why, why on earth would that writer embark on the great novel and IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING IT , l earn his skills? Why not first make sure of those skills before risking a great concept to inexperience? Every single word he writes before he embarks on the precious expansion of that wonderful idea makes it more likely he is a competent writer and less likely that the fabulous idea be wasted. Imagine if Michaelangelo had STARTED by trying to paint the Sistine Chapel!

I Can't Put it Down - How to Write Compelling Fiction

Fictionby Rob Parnell

How many times have you heard people say this about a book? Have you ever analyzed the books that people say this about?I have.

They all share one ‘secret’ in common.

Questions.Reading is not a passive exercise. Not to the brain, anyway.

As you read and take in the information on the page, the brain is trying to work out where the story is going, what significance certain actions might have. It’s also trying to work out puzzles and generally try to second-guess the plot.This is human nature.

It’s what makes reading an interactive experience--where you have a kind of relationship with the author for as long as you’re reading

Stories that don’t make the reader ask questions are unsatisfying to read, as are stories where the reader guesses the outcome.

Many writers forget this and write aimlessly in the hope that the reader will like their style and want to read on, no matter what.

This is not a strategy for success! In order to be in control of your story--and your reader, you, the writer should feed them questions.

This is not as difficult as it sounds.

First you need the major question--your book’s reason for being, if you like.

This is in essence the ‘theme’ of your novel summed up in one sentence.Questions like ‘Does money create happiness?’ or ‘Will good triumph over evil?’ You should subtly place this question in the mind of your reader quite early on in your book, so that the reader is already on a kind of quest for the truth.

Next you have chapter questions that are more specific to your characters. Like ‘Will Alex overcome his problems?’ or ‘Will Sally win the love of her father?’ This gives your reader a reason to read on--just to find out!

Then, you should have smaller questions at every point you can - at least one every 500 words.Here’s an example:‘Lucy went to see her father.

He was angry that she was seeing Brad but she told him there was nothing he could do about it’Obviously this is flat and lifeless prose that invites no great speculation. How about this?‘Lucy stared at her father’s implacable face. When he was like this, she couldn’t gauge his feelings. She swallowed hard. If he was angry, she’d end up with nowhere to live.

‘I won’t stop seeing Brad,’ she said, not quite believing her own words.’You see the difference?In the second passage the reader is forced to ask three questions.

1. What’s her father thinking?

2. Will Lucy get kicked out?

3. Will she carry on seeing Brad?Rather than simply stating what your characters think and do, always try to leave an element of uncertainty in the reader’s mind as to what will happen next.

The trick is to get your reader asking questions constantly. Yes - on every page, so that there’s a compulsive need to turn the page, if only to find out the answers.

Good novelists do this unconsciously--they know it’s the best way to tell a story.Good crime novelists deliberately get you to ask all the WRONG questions so that their plot twists are far more effective.

People keep turning the page in best selling novels because they are in a constant state of limbo--ignorant of what’s coming next but eager to find out. In effect, it’s almost a state of agitation, even frustration that will keep a reader turning the page.

Has this happened to you?
It’s weird because you almost HATE what you’re reading—there are so many unanswered questions--but you just can’t put it down!

© Copyright 2005 Rob Parnell. All Rights Reserved

Twenty Rules for Writers

1. Have faith--not cynicism

2. Dare to dream

3. Take your mind off publication

4. Write for joy

5. Get the reader to turn the page

6. Forget politics (let your real politics shine through)

7. Forget intellect

8. Forget ego

9. Be a beginner

10. Accept change

11. Don't think your mind needs altering

12. Don't expect approval for telling the truth -(Parents, politicians, colleagues, friends, etc.)

13. Use everything

14. Remember that writing is Heroism

15. Let Sex (The Body, the physical world) in!

16. Forget critics

17. Tell your truth not the world's

18. Remember to be earth-bound

19. Remember to be wild!

20. Write for the child (in yourself and others)

There are no rules

Expert Writing Tips

by Vivian Gilbert Zabel

The following writing tips have become mine through study and usage, but they are based on techniques advocated by English textbooks, creative writing books, composition books, and various published authors and other experts in the field of writing.

The list of tips is broken into two parts: Things that should be done, and the things that should not be done.

DO the following:

1. Do use first or third person when writing. Second person should be used only when writing directions or in dialogue.

Example of third person: "Roger grabbed his suitcase off the rack."

Example of second person: "You grabbed your suitcase off the rack."

Example of first person: "I grabbed my suitcase off the rack."

2. Do experiment with a variety of sentence beginnings. The following list gives some different ways to begin a sentence:

Subject followed by adjective

Example: Curtains, lacy and white, ruffled in the breeze.

Adverb

Example: Lazily, the toy duck floated in the tub.

Prepositional phrase

Example: Behind the tree, the two boys giggled as they hid.

Subordinate adverbial clause

Example: When she saw the knife in his hand, she screamed.

Adjective

Example: Lively curls tumbled around her face.

Present participle

Example: Laughing, the man felt more relaxed than he had in a long time.

Past participle

Example: Frightened, the little girl started crying.

Infinitive

Example: To find the truth, Margery vowed she would search wherever needed.

Absolute phrase

Example: Her hands shaking from the cold, the woman dropped the valuable vase.

3. Do remember and use the seven C’s of composition:

Clarity - the writing is clear, lucid

Coherence - parts of the writing "stick" together, are connected

Completeness - no parts are missing, has a beginning, middle, and end

Conciseness - condensed, brief, no extra, unneeded padding

Concreteness - solid, united

Continuity - continues in sequence or order

Correctness - rightness, rectification of errors, revised without errors

4. Do use the writing process: brainstorm, organize, support; write rough draft, revise, rewrite until work is error-free and clearly communicates your ideas; do final write for publication, assignment, or posting.

5. Do use correct sentence structure (avoiding run-on sentences and sentence fragments) and a good variety of sentence types (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex).

Examples of run-on sentences:

The boy ran into the house and he called for his mother. (A comma after house would correct this sentence.)

The boy ran into the house, he called for his mother. (This run-on is also called a comma splice. To correct this error, a coordinating conjunction such as "and" must be added after the comma.)

Examples of sentence types:

Simple: The dog chased his tail but never caught it. (One set of subject and verb with a complete thought called an independent clause)

Compound: The dog chased his tail, and he caught it. (Two or more independent clauses, joined correctly)

Complex: With his hand held out in supplication, the man begged for help. {One independent clause - the man begged for help - and one or more dependent clauses [has subject and verb, but without a complete thought] - with his hand held out in supplication)

Compound-complex: With his hand held out in supplication, the man begged for help, but he never said a word. (Two or more independent clauses joined correctly and one or more dependent clauses)

6. Do use correct spelling and a variety of correctly used words (increase your vocabulary). Use spell check, dictionary, Google (search engine at http://www.google.com ) and a thesaurus. Check for words that sound the same but have different meanings so that the correct word is used. (Examples: it's and its; your and you're; their, there, and they're). Use synonyms for overused words, but be sure the synonym "fits" the way you use it in a sentence.

Spell all right correctly

All right is always two words, just as all wrong is two words.

Distinguish between which and that:

Which is used with non-necessary clauses. Example: The book, which sits on the table, has a red cover.

That is used with necessary clauses. Example: The book that I need has been taken from the library.

Distinguish between sit and set

Sit means to perch, to be situated, and it doesn't have a direct object.

Set means to place, and it has a direct object.

7. Do use correct pronouns and correct pronoun references. Also avoid using a vague “it.” It as a pronoun should refer to a singular noun or indefinite pronoun (such as anything) used previously and closely to the pronoun.

Example of incorrect pronoun usage: Does anyone have their paperwork completed? (Anyone is singular while their is plural.) To correct this sentence, we need to either use a plural antecedent or change their to his or her.

Example of vague "it": It was a beautiful day. Rewriting avoids the vague "it": The sun shone brightly creating a beautiful day. (The revision also avoids the use of a state-of-being verb and uses an action verb. It also tells the reader what "beautiful" means.)

8. Do use correct punctuation and capitalization, even in poetry. Links to free Web sites offering grammar and punctuation lessons, tips, and quizzes are given at the end of this article.

9. Do have correct subject / verb agreement.

Example of incorrect subject/verb agreement: One of the children have forgotten the date. (One is the subject.)

Example of correct subject/verb agreement: One of the children has forgotten the date.

10. Do have unity, coherence, and organization in all writing.

11. Do use correct sentence beginnings. Unless used in dialogue, certain words are not strong sentence starters. Coordinating conjunctions (such as and, nor, but, or), there, that, and this (unless used as adjectives before a subject) and well should be avoided.

12. Do make all work believable and understandable to the audience (your readers). You need to know to whom you are writing, who will be reading your work.

13. Do use active voice most of the time in writing. Passive voice is to be used seldom and only when it cannot be avoided, because passive voice many times destroys accountability.

In active voice, the subject is doing the acting. "The boy hit the ball."

In passive voice, the subject receives the action. "The ball was hit by the boy."

14. Do use vivid action verbs with few state-of-being verbs.

Example of state-of-being verb usage: Everyone is very happy about the birth of a baby.

Example of action verb: The birth of a baby delights everyone.

15. Do keep verb tenses consistent.

Example of inconsistent verb tense: I wanted to go with him to town, but he wants me to stay home and wash dishes.

Example of consistent verb tense: I wanted to to go with him to town, but he wanted me to stay home and wash dishes.

NOTE: In both sentences, "to wash" is understood.

16. Do write numbers under 100 as words. For journalistic articles only, write numbers under 10 as words.

17. Do reread final copy of material before posting or submitting. If any problems or errors exist, revise and correct.

18. Do practice to improve proofreading skills: read slowly and read aloud; examine each line; be aware of usual errors; check dictionary; have a friend check your writing; read the material backwards to catch spelling errors and see things you might miss because you've read it often.

DON’T do the following:

1. Don’t use second person unless giving directions or in dialogue.

Example of incorrect use of second person: The crowd moved toward the doors of the auditorium. You could see the panic starting to build.

Example of corrected sentences: The crowd moved toward the doors of the auditorium. Anyone watching could see the panic starting to build.

2. Don’t write a rough draft expecting someone else to edit or revise it for you. If the writing is yours, then you edit, revise, proofread, and rewrite before allowing someone else to edit or proofread.

3. Don’t switch verb tenses unless the time frame of your writing has changed.

Example of switching tenses: The young man looked at the steaming food as his stomach growls.

Correct tenses: The young man looked at the steaming food as his stomach growled.

4. Don’t use incorrect sentence structure or use short, choppy sentences (The only exception for using short, choppy sentences is when using briefly for effect).

5. Don’t misspell or misuse words. Use a thesaurus to find the "right" word to "fit" what you write. Avoid overusing words and phrases. Stay away from cliches.

6. Don’t use pronouns incorrectly.

7. Don’t use very many state-of-being verbs rather than vivid action verbs. State-of-being verbs can be used as helping verbs, but as helping verbs their purpose in a sentence is different.

Examples of helping verb: Mary was helping with the children. With her arm in a cast, Janene is fighting the urge to scratch.

Example of being used as a state-of-being verb: Mary is with the children. (Correction: Mary cares for the children.)

8. Don’t use passive voice often, only when necessary to achieve a desired effect.

9. Don’t start a sentence with well (unless in conversation), there, this, or that (other than as an adjective before a subject or in conversation), or with a coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or, nor. Once a writer know the rules, he may occasionally break them for effect.

10. Don’t use the word so as a conjunction (except in dialogue). Check to see if so that or therefore is what is needed instead. In more informal writing, the word so is sometimes used as a conjunction for effect. "So as to" should also be avoided.

11. Don’t continue to make the same mistakes time after time. Improve each and every time you write. Learn from your previous mistakes. Everyone can improve his writing IF he learns from his mistakes and from the mistakes of others. Writing is a skill that can be learned with work, practice, and improvement.

Using Body Language to Creat Believable Characters

by Lisa Hood
Have you ever had a "Gut" feeling about someone? You meet someone and a little voice says: "I like him" or "I don't trust her". Have you ever wondered why you formed that immediate opinion?

Body language plays a big role in intuition as it gives us messages about the other person that we can interpret at an intuitive level. We are always communicating verbally and nonverbally.
To make a good impression, it is important to understand that you are always communicating through body language, whether it is intentional or not. Studies done in the field indicate that:. 55% of the communication consists of body language, . 38% is expressed through tone of voice (paralanguage) and only . 7% is communicated through words.

(1)As a writer, you can use the body language of your character to convey a great deal of information. There are four types of body language to be aware of: facial expression, including eye contact, gestures, posture and space relationship.

1. Facial Expressions including eye contact - "Darwin believed that facial expressions of emotion are similar among humans, regardless of culture." However, researchers now believe "our non verbal language is partly instinctive, partly taught and partly imitative."

(1) There are some universal facial expressions; a smile, a frown, a scowl, however, there are many more nonverbal messages that are learned and may be unique to specific cultures.Eye contact is direct and powerful. The eyes are always talking. A poet and writer of 19th-century France wrote, `Eyes are so transparent, that through them, one sees the soul.' Nothing builds trust and rapport as effectively as eye contact.

(2) The use of eye contact varies significantly from culture to culture. In some regions, direct eye contact may be considered insulting or challenging. In the United States, direct eye contact is often considered a sign of trustworthiness. So, if your character is American, regular, attentive eye contact would convey honesty, straight forwardness and/or approachability. However, a hard, unblinking stare will send a much different message.

2. Gestures - can be used purposefully to emphasis meaning. Fidgeting shows boredom and restlessness. Pressing fingers together to form a steeple shows interests, assertiveness and determination. Touching the nose or rubbing eyes indicates discomfort, or it may even be a signal that your character is not being completely honest. A hand to the back of the neck may indicate withdrawal from a conversation.

3. Posture - The way people hold themselves gives important information. Body posture can be closed or open. Interested people always pay attention and lean forward. Leaning backwards demonstrates aloofness or rejection. A firm handshake will give the impression of assertiveness or honesty, too firm can seem arrogant or challenging. Folding arms across your chest or body is protective and will give the impression of a character who's closed, guarded and defensive. People with arms folded, legs crossed and bodies turned away are signaling that they are rejecting messages. People showing open hands, both feet planted on the ground are accepting. A head held straight up signals a neutral attitude. A head tilted to the side indicates interest. A head down is negative and judgmental.

4. Space - Dr. Edward T Hall, a professor of anthropology at Northwestern University, coined the phrase "Proxemics" to describe his theories about zones and territory and how we use them. There are four distinct zones in which most people operate, including: intimate distance, personal distance, social distance and public distance. The cultural influence on spatial relationships is significant. "How we guard our zones and how we aggress to other zones is an integral part of how we relate to other people."

(1)"The orientation of speakers and listeners: face-to-face, side to side, or back-to-back, can send powerful non-verbal messages. In a group situation, when the leader faces the group and turns toward the one who is speaking, this conveys strong attention. When two people are communicating, competitors are more likely to sit facing each other while collaborators are more likely to sit side-by-side. If one stands while the other is sitting, the standing person may be sending dominance signals, which can stifle free exchange of ideas."

(2)You now understand different types of body language and you may be able to incorporate body language into your writing to make your characters come alive on the page.

Character Profile

A character needs more than a name. They need a profile to connect them with a reader.

Character Profile
In order to bond a character with your reader, you will need to mold him with his own personal traits and flaws. No one likes to read about a mundane character who does nothing more than 'being there'.

A good example of several characteristic traits and profile is Harry Potter. Let's break him down:

*Harry is an orphan
This usually ignites a sense of motherly care for this type of character within a reader. Their instincts are to follow him and see how he develops.
*Harry has magical abilities
This element spawns the curiosity factor in a reader, glued to their seat to find out what Harry will use to escape capture.
*Harry wears glasses
This characteristic of not having 20/20 vision brings a more realistic side to him.
*Harry's immediate family members are cruel to him

This brings out emotions in a reader. Whenever a cruel gesture or remark is made towards Harry, the protective reader is glued to the book to find out how Harry will respond.
As you can see, giving your character distinct traits and a well thought of profile will only secure a reader's attention to your story.

The above are only a taste of what is involved in making up a profile. In this article, I'll begin with a few characteristic elements you will need to ponder in order to begin building your character.

Physical Traits:

Hair:
Long Short Wavy Straight Bald Black Blonde Auburn Spikey Oily Slicked back Ponytail

Skin Type:
Fair Dark Skinned Pale Pimples Clear complexion Oily skin Dry flakey skin Large pores wrinkles Laugh lines discolored skin Scars

Family background:
Orphan Divorced Married Single Broken home Siblings Only child Single parent Happy childhood Abusive family

Body Features:
Tall Short Fat Skinny Bony Obese Stoops Limps Amputated body parts Moustache Beard Clean shaven Hairy body Skin Disorder Irregular body shape

In order to get a better understanding of a thorough character profile to use with any genre story you may be writing, I want to ask you to look over some of your favorite books and try to figure out what exactly did that character possess that made you want to follow his/her story. By doing this, you'll begin to evaluate what does and does not make for a memorable book character.

Manuscript Format

by Chuck Rothman

Over the years, publishers have developed certain standards to make their jobs easier. Manuscript format is one of them, and something that often creates some heated discussion in various newsgroups. There are several points that you need to remember:

The standards are there for a reason. They are not arbitrary and are generally set up to make certain jobs easier.

It's not your job to design the manuscript. You supply the words; the publisher supplies the format.

You don't have to stick to the format except in the final version. If you prefer something else in your drafts, fine. It's simple to change the font once you're printing out the final version.
The wrong format or font won't destroy your chances; it may not even hurt. It a question of whether you're willing to take the chance that you're writing is good enough to overcome the difficulties you'll cause by not doing things properly.

As a personal aside, I've noticed the people who fight hardest against the standard format usually end up using Times Roman instead -- which, on most computers, is the default font that comes up automatically. Hard to believe they've put much thought into their choice.
That stated, here are the rules for standard format:

Manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, on one side of the paper, with wide enough margins (min. 1-in.) for the editor to make notations.

Fonts (and here's where the fights occur): The preference is for monospaced fonts -- fonts where all letters are the same width.

The most commonly used monospaced font is Courier; the most commonly preferred size is 12 points (also called 10 pitch -- 10 characters to the inch). This is a hangover from the days before computers, when most typewriters used what was known as "Pica" type -- essentially 12 point Courier. It is also acceptable to use a 10-point monospaced font like Prestige Elite -- again, a hangover from typewriter days, when you could buy "Elite" typewriters that used 10-point (12 pitch-- I know, it's confusing) Prestige.

The actual font is less important (as long as it's large and dark enough) as the fact that it must be monospaced; proportional fonts screw up word counts.

No fancy formatting within the manuscript. Indent each paragraph five spaces (1/2 in.).

Indicate italics by underlining (do not use italics; they are easily missed). Indicate boldface by drawing a wavy line beneath the text and writing "bf" in a circle in the margin. Do not hyphenate words (the typesetter will include the hyphen so the word might read "Schenec-tady"). Do not right justify the text (you may like it, but it's harder to read -- especially on long paragraphs -- and it messes up word counts).

Indicate a blank line by placing a # in the center of the line. The # indicates space to a typesetter.

At the top of the first page, type your name (the one you want them to write the checks out to) and address at the upper left corner. Type the word count at the upper right corner Skip down to the middle of the page. Type the title of the story, centered (optionally: ALL CAPS).

Go down a line. Type "by Your Name" (if you want to use a pen name, type it here; the check will be sent to the name at the upper left). Go down another line and begin the story.

Don't put on a Copyright notice. It's unnecessary. You also don't have to indicate the rights offered. Most magazines tell you what they're buying; if you don't like it, don't submit to them.

Don't write "Approximately" by the word count. Editors know the word count is approximate.
On each additional page, put your last name and the page number in the upper right corner: Name/2 You can also include a keyword from the title of the story: Name/Keyword/2, but this is optional -- it's rare that you have two manuscripts in a position when they can be mixed up, and if at the last minute you decide to retitle your novel, you only have to change the title page instead of printing out the entire thing with the correct keyword.
At the end of the story, center the word "end".

What Every Writer Needs to Know About Titles

by Julie K. Cohen

"Just use any title. It's only a working title. The editor will change it anyway."

How many times have we read or made similar comments ourselves? Unfortunately, too many freelance writers fail to recognize the role the title plays in the success, or failure, of an article's acceptance.

Function of the Title: Catching the Editor's Eye

Perhaps the only part of your email query an editor will read is what's written in your subject line. That should include the word "query" followed by the title. And that is why the title needs to grab the editor's attention, not scream, "old news, boring, inappropriate" or even "this writer doesn't know what he's doing".

So the first and perhaps the most important function a title will have is catching the editor's eye and piquing his curiosity, at least long enough for him to open your email and read your query. But let's be realistic. If you use the hottest words du jour simply to get the editor's attention, you're violating, not building, his trust in you. The moment the editor reads your title, he forms an expectation about your article. This leads us to the second and third function of the title -- establishing the article's approach and content.

The Approach

There are many approaches to writing an article. Below are a few examples of titles and the approaches they foreshadow, or at least the approaches the editor will expect based on the titles alone.

Title: "The top ten ways to grow an orchid" -- the editor expects to see a numbered list of the top ten ways to grown an orchid.

Title: "How the evolution of irises parallels that of man" -- the editor expects to see the histories of both the iris and man being compared, over time.

Title: "How to grow irises without light" -- the editor expects to see a step-by-step process typical of a how-to article.

Title: "Expert advice on growing orchids" -- the editor expects to see at least one true expert referenced in the article.

Regardless of the approach you plan to use in your article, your title should convey that approach. If you state "top ten" in your title, then you must deliver the top ten items or reasons in your article. Use this opportunity to build the editor's trust and confidence in your writing and your ability to deliver what you promise.

The Content

Describing the article's content is the most straightforward function of your title. If you list dogs in your title, then the editor knows the article is about dogs. Just remember to make your title as specific as possible. Instead of the "The Top Ten Shampoos for Your Pet", write "The Top Ten Shampoos for Your Dog", unless the article focuses on shampoos that can be used for more than one species.

Creating Eye-Catching Titles

Now that you understand the role the title plays, you face the question of how to create an attention-grabbing title. Assuming you already have your article idea, outline or even a written article in hand, follow these steps for creating your eye-catching title:
Brainstorm titles using only one to three keywords. Don't look at the magazine, paper or website you are targeting -- not yet. Just brainstorm.

Next, review the titles from the publications you are targeting. Get a feel for the various approaches conveyed by those titles.

Circle the titles on your list that are similar in approach to the published titles.You may still have a long list at this point, but that's fine. Choosing a title is often as much of a weeding-out process as a creative one. As long as the remaining titles are in line with the published ones, you're on the right path.

Of the circled titles, eliminate the ones that don't have a hook (see below).

The Hook

A hook is the unusual, the out of place, the extraordinary -- anything that catches a person's eye. To create the hook, consider these methods:

* Use an Unusual Angle. The pet magazine editor who sees dozens of article proposals about which dog fence is best and why will likely notice this title, "The medical downside of invisible fences, to dog and owner." The author has found an unusual angle. The title "Are invisible fences harmful?" could be used for the same article, but it doesn't provide the same insight or generate the same excitement as the first title. If you have an unusual angle, use it.

* Combine Contrasting Words. Focus on combining words that don't normally appear together. For example, how often do you read "Alligator caught in elevator", "Are conjoined triplets possible?", or "Three-legged horse wins race". The odder the combination of words, the more likely they will catch an editor's attention.

Find what is unusual about your article, and you will find your hook. Or better yet, use contrasting words to create that hook. Regardless of the method you use, make your title stand out from the competition.

Assessing the Message

By using the four steps above, you have fine-tuned your list from fifteen to maybe five. You have what you believe are eye-catching titles that are in line with the publication you're targeting. Only one title is perfect for your article, but which one? To find out, you need to assess the message each title delivers.

When I was writing my query to pitch this article, I came up with the following titles by brainstorming off one key word ("title").

What's In A Title?

Choosing the Best Title: Just How Important A Title Can Be

10 Things you Can Tell From a Title

Telling Titles
Titles That Sell
Killer Titles
Eye-Catching Titles
Choosing Titles that Sell
The Dos and Don't of Titles
Why Some Titles Grab An Editor's Attention and Others Don't
What's In A Title? Everything
What Every Writer Needs To Know About Titles
The Difference Between Working and Final Titles
Why "Working Titles" Are Dangerous
Are We Too Cavalier About Choosing Titles?

Once I reviewed titles of published articles on Writing-World.com, I found numbers 5, 8, 9, 10 and 12 were most similar in style or approach to the ones I had reviewed. But each title delivered a different message.

"Titles That Sell" implied a list of sure-fire titles, but I needed a title that reflected the process of creating and choosing the best title. That brought me to "Choosing Titles That Sell". Closer, but I wanted to help my reader create his titles, not choose from a pre-existing list. This isn't really a dos and don't article, either, so I passed on "The Dos and Don'ts of Titles". The scope of this article was broader, encompassing the explanation of what a title is, or rather, the function it serves in pitching a proposal. As for "Why Some Titles Grab An Editor's Attention and Others Don't", this title reflects a comparison approach as opposed to the overview approach I had planned to use.

Targeting the MarketDeciding which title is best often depends on the targeted market. In my case, I ultimately chose "What Every Writer Needs to Know About Titles" because I wanted to give the editor a sense that this was an all-encompassing guide to titles. This was especially important because I reviewed the site I was targeting and didn't find any other articles on titles. If I had, I would have specialized in strategies or dos and don'ts -- particular aspects of the broader topic.

Now keep in mind that the process of choosing the best title has nothing to do with whether that title will ultimately appear with your article. That may change at the editor's discretion. Your goal is to create a title that piques your editor's interest while accurately conveying your article's content and approach.

As it turns out, the editor for this article never changed the title. But even if she had, that would have been okay. My original title did the job I had intended -- it grabbed the editor's attention and helped get this article published.

Copyright © 2005 by Julie K. Cohen

Setting Goals for Your Writing Career

by Lee Masterson

"By failing to plan, you are planning to fail" - Ben Franklin

True success - in every field - begins with a plan. I do not mean the plan to actually WRITE your book. That step forms only a portion of the total process required in creating publishing success. I mean the plan to get your book to the stage where you originally imagined you wanted it to reach.

Goals and plans are important for almost every aspect of your life. Your writing career should be no different.

The problem with goals is that many of the best plans fall by the wayside. People get distracted, better plans are made, easier plans are found or circumstances change.

The simple truth is, if you want to succeed, you should devise a plan that suits you and stick to it. You can always revise a plan as you go, or add to it or amend it, but as long as you stick to your basic plan, you will reach your goal.

Your plan should be a blueprint of your goals and desires and should contain several realistic steps required to help you to achieve the end result.

So, the first step in creating your goals should be: know your end result.

The 'end result' is not the point where you stop selling books, or quit writing books. It is simply being able to pinpoint where the desired outcome of your efforts should be. Imagine ordering a plane ticket without an end destination in mind. The booking officer will need to know where you want to go before the necessary steps can be taken to get you there.

By recognizing the desired outcome of your goal, you can begin to put in place the necessary steps that will help to create the desired effect.

How to Find Your End Result

No two goals are alike.

Some writers are happy to give their books away to friends and family or as promotional tools to increase name recognition. Others want to see plenty of sales generated to increase their chances of a bigger audience with the next book. Still others yearn for the six-figure advances that some popular authors can command.

No matter what your desired end result for your book is, the most important thing to realize is that you do have a destination in mind.

Although it will be the first goal you create, this destination will form the final step in your own blueprint to publishing success.Know Your Starting PointObviously, in order to know where you're going, you'll need to know what your starting point is.

Be honest with yourself during this step.

Only include actual publication credits you've had to date. Include any writing projects you currently have under way. Add any intended projects you hope to work on when time becomes available. It doesn't matter if you have never had anything published before - even the biggest writers began somewhere.

If you currently have a "day-job", include this factor into your starting point. Working long hours at another job can take away precious time for writing and promoting your work, but remaining at work can mean that you will continue to bring in a steady income until your books reach a point of being able to provide an alternate income.

The point is to acknowledge your current position and then take steps to alter your position so that it more accurately reflects on where you want to end up.

Logical Steps

Getting from where you are now to where you wish to end involves creating a sequence of logical steps designed to get you there. Think carefully about the steps you wish to include. Everything you devise here should be created with the goal of reaching your end result in mind. If the action does not move your goal further toward completion, then ask yourself if it is really necessary.

Be fair with yourself. Include only baby steps that you know can be realistically met. Be a little wary of setting huge steps - with baby steps, you still have the opportunity to monitor your progress along the way. If your path seems a little skewed, or the results are not turning out the way you planned, you can still amend your goals and continue.

Only you can decide what steps to put into achieving your own end result.

Implement Your Plan

Once you have set out your starting point and your finishing point, you will realize that there is an awfully large gap in the middle of the two. This step of your plan is where you put together the necessary ways to get you from your starting point to your end result.The implementation stage should contain several steps, each moving your career and your book's sales further ahead.

• These steps could include:
  Time management
• Research
• Creative Writing
• Editing and Revising
• Publication
• Marketing
• Sales
• Promotions
• Deadlines

The single greatest step in this phase is to write your book. Publication, marketing, sales, promotions, book signings - these are all steps that should follow the actual writing process, as none of these things can happen until that book is written.

Set yourself an estimated deadline to achieve each step of your plan. This may put added pressure on you, but it may also offer you the opportunity to complete tasks in a much quicker time span.

Arrange your plan to reflect the order in which you believe will be the most efficient way to attain your own end result. Include any outside factors that you believe can contribute to your books' success.

Monitor Your Plan

No plan goes exactly according to schedule. Plans can be altered or modified, circumstances can change, priorities can shift. Anything can happen to throw you from your path to success.

This is where monitoring of your plan becomes important.

By acknowledging each situation as it arises, you can amend your plan suitably so that you can work around the obstacle and still reach your end result.

It does not mean that you have failed in any way if you do not reach your goal in the original time-span allotted. It simply means that it is time to adjust those goals accordingly and keep working toward them.

Revisit Your Goals

As you reach each goal you've set for yourself, it is important to revisit your original goals and begin to outline new ones.By setting a small, realistic goal and then reaching that end result, you will learn that immediately setting another goal that takes your career another step further will be easily manageable.

However, do not be tempted to set your goals at impossible heights. Do not give in to the temptation to set your end result as "Write more books than Stephen King". Instead, focus on the first goal you wish to achieve - in most cases, complete just one book and get that published.

Then, when you have achieved that goal, go ahead and revisit your plans to include several more titles.

Set yourself tasks that you can handle realistically.

Applying Your Goals

These same rules for setting goals can be applied to almost any situation in which you might find yourself . Let's assume that your first Goal is to actually sit down and write your book. These Goal outlines can still be effective in helping you to achieve your desired end result.

Find Your End Result: Obviously, the end result here is a completed manuscript. Not-so-obviously, the end result you might be looking for is a plot that is neatly concluded into a satisfying finish.

"... and they lived happily ever after

"Know Your Starting Point:
Page one is where the action starts. However, not every book begins with action. Where does your story start? Do you know where the logical beginning should be? Have you created a great opening 'hook' to lure your reader further into the pages?"Once upon a time, Jane was arrested for the murder of her husband...

"Logical Steps:
A lot can happen between the beginning and the end. Create a series of brief outlines to help keep you focused on the path you want your plot to take. Knowing ahead of time where each section is supposed to end can be a handy way of monitoring whether your progress is on track or not.
"... The arresting Sergeant saw things in the clues that led him to believe that Jane was innocent, and together they set out to find the real killer."

"...in the meantime, they fall madly in love..."

Implement Your Plan: This is where you apply your bottom to the seat, take a pen in hand and fill in the blank sections between your starting point and your end result, using your logical steps as a guide.No matter what your end result is, and no matter what your ultimate goals are, there will always be a section that involves you setting out to fill in the blank sections from starting point and end result.

Monitor Your Plan:
There are times when better options present themselves. There are also times when life intrudes on even the best-made plans, and you are forced to amend them. If your plan seems to be straying from its path, ask yourself if the change is for the better, or for the worse. Will you still be able to reach the original end result? Is it time to alter the end result to something more beneficial?
"... sneaky Jane took advantage of the Sergeant's love to cover up her secret guilt and made sure that the clues all pointed to him as being the murderer.

Now they no longer live happily ever after. Jane does, but the Sergeant lives miserably behind bars.

"Revisit Your Goals:
What happens once your goals are met? Do you stop, sit back and rest on your laurels? No way! This is where you revisit those goals. Create a Book Two. Write a goal-outline to get Book One published. Write goals for the marketing and promotion of your first novel. Set higher limits for yourself to reach.

No matter what your situation is, setting realistic goals will help to keep your career on track, and make advancing a reality instead of a dream.

© Copyright Lee Masterson. All rights reserved.