Writing that (Almost) Perfect Poem Using Imagery

Well-written poems contain certain elements with imagery, imagination, and vision at the top of the list. Even knowing the complete list, though, does not mean every poem will have all the elements of image and discourse, rhythm, effective line breaks, figures of speech (also known as poetic devices), word music, and formal structures. In fact a good poem may have one or two as major strengths and perhaps some of the others to supplement and complement the major element or elements.

However, imagery is a major component of any poetry. Through words, our senses experience a vivid, sensuous reaction. We need to use more than visual images, even though they are the most found in writing. Well-written poetry evokes smell, touch, sound, and/or taste. In other words, “show, don’t tell” is a common rule of poetry writing.

One way to develop the ability to create imagery, creating pictures out of words, comes from developing our imaginations. If we can first learn how to “see” in our minds what we want to share, writing that mental image becomes easier. Playing with senses, scenes, moods, questions, concepts, and faces in our minds and with our words frees our imaginations and allows them to fly, to soar. Writing lists of words that go with an idea wanted in a poem gives us starting points and threads to weave into the image. This list should include words dealing with most of the senses, if not all. Using free association (writing words that pop into our minds) helps us to free ourselves from preconceptions, firing up our imagination.

Play with the ideas and words, creating a tapestry of words to tickle the minds and imaginations of readers. One thing we need to do, too, is keep our images concrete, not abstract. Saying something is beautiful doesn’t “show” us how or why it should be considered beautiful. Giving the item color, texture, shape, and other sensory details gives the reader an idea of what beauty is.

Poetry should appear differently on the page or computer screen than paragraphs of prose. We need to use the thoughts and “threads” to prepare our poems.

Once ideas are listed, played with, and arranged artfully, we need to put the fledgling poem aside for a few days. Later we can see the poem with fresh eyes and decide to polish some more or give it a public debut.

Vivian Gilbert Zabel taught writing for twenty-five years, honing her skills as she studied and taught. An author on Writers (http://www.Writing.Com/), her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/vzabel Her books, Hidden Lies and Other Stories, Walking the Earth, and The Base Stealers Club, can be found through book stores or Amazon.com.

Style & PolishingTips

Try not to use more than two commas in a sentence. It keeps you from saying too many things at one time. Also, it prevents the overuse of adjectives.

Be specific; avoid generalities (blue instead of colorful, Ford instead of car, and so on).
Vary lengths of your sentences and your paragraphs.

Arranging the elements of a series from short to long, from simple to compound, helps comprehension. For example:

-Place longer words at the end of the series. Example: Change "oranges and pears" to "pears and oranges."
-Place phrases at the end of the series. Example: "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" flows better than "liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and life."
-Place compound elements at the end of the series. Example: "He made the bed, mopped the floor, and washed the glasses, dishes and silverware" is far more readable than "He washed the glasses, dishes and silverware, made the bed and mopped the floor.

"Exceptions: When chronology dictates the order of a series (breakfast, lunch and dinner) — When familiarity dictates the order (peaches and cream).from Edit Yourself by Bruce Ross-Larson

In his essay "Politics and the English Language," George Orwell offered guidelines that are even more pertinent today:

-Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech you're used to seeing in print.
-Never use a long word where a short one will do.
-If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out.
-Never use the passive where you can use the active.
-Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

Avoid Creative Dialogue Tag Syndrome

"Just be like that," she pouted.
"Oh, come on," he groaned. "Not this again."
"You don't love me," she replied.
"Right," he snarled. "That's why I bought you an eight hundred dollar diamond."
"Here," she sobbed. "Just take it back. Take it."

Okay, what's wrong with our sample above (other than being melodramatic)? It's an ailment I like to call "Creative Dialogue Tag Syndrome" -- the writer relies on creative tags (pouted, groaned, replied, snarled, sobbed) so the reader will know how to interpret the dialogue. What's wrong with this? Let me count the things:

The reader must interpret the tag and evaluate if the dialogue agrees with the tag. At best, it disrupts the flow. At worst, the reader decides the two are contradictory and the writer loses credibility.
It is telling the reader how the words are said instead of showing.
If the dialogue is well-written and the accompanying action is well-chosen, it is redundant.
It is annoying

Consider, instead:

Shelly's lower lip quivered. "Just be like that."
Mike rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on," he said. "Not this again."
"You don't love me."
"Right," he said. "That's why I bought you an eight hundred dollar diamond."
"Here." She pulled off the ring and shoved it under his nose. "Just take it back," she said, her voice breaking. "Take it."

Okay, so nothing's going to help our melodrama too much, but let's still examine the techniques used. We scrapped every creative dialogue tag. Every one. We replaced each with one of four techniques:

- No tag at all. This allows the power of the words to stand alone. As long as we know who's speaking, no law says we must use a tag.
-Action. "Shelly's lower lip quivered" replaces "she pouted." It's more specific, it allows us to visualize Shelly, and it's showing, not telling.
-The prosaic "said." Yes, "said" is boring. It's overused. In fact, it is so boring and overused that it's invisible. Just like "the" and "a" and "his" and other parts of speech that are used several times on each page, "said" slides right past the reader and allows him to concentrate on what's important: the action and the dialogue.
-A combination of "said" and action. This is particularly effective when interrupting dialogue, as in the last sentence of the after example above.

While we are on the topic of dialogue tags, let's also talk about correct punctuation. If a tag is used (preferably "said," but an occasional "asked" or "repeated" is permitted), a comma separates the dialogue from the tag (see examples in sentences 2 and 4 above). If action only (no tag at all, as in the first sentence in the example) is used, it is considered a separate and complete sentence and should be punctuated as such. If it is necessary to interrupt a dialogue sentence, as in the last sentence in the above example, use the tag and action, thus allowing a comma instead of a period.

Note: "I love you," she smiled, is never correct. "Smiled" cannot be a tag; it is an action. Therefore, it can be written in one of two ways: "I love you," she said and smiled. - or - "I love you." She smiled.

If your dialogue contains a question, such as: "Who are you?" he asked, it is not necessary to punctuate with a question mark and use "asked" as a tag. This is personal choice and personally, I usually use the tag.

Dialogue is one of the most important tools a writer has to convey character and to build plot. Using it effectively means tagging it effectively. Read the before and after examples given here aloud. Hear the difference. Hear the redundancy. Hear the invisibility of the hardworking "said."
It will be the best friend you ever had.

(c) copyright 2001 by Sandy Tritt

How To Get Free Advertising

Word-of-mouth advertising may be the most productive way to spread the word about your titles – and it’s free. You can get people to talk about your titles constructively through the copy on your book’s rear cover, your publicity and communicating on the Internet.

Your rear-cover copy
Testimonials on your rear cover can work in your favor, and there are people who can start people talking better than others. One is a commercial authority, a person who has demonstrated greater knowledge on a topic than the average consumer. In addition, celebrities have proven to stimulate positive feedback because their influence is attributed to prominence in another field. Connoisseurs have excellent credibility because of their authentic but nonprofessional opinion of the title or topic.

Similarly, the sharer of interest brings similar, credible significance to the topic. An expectant mother singing the praises of your book about pregnancy or the criminal investigator endorsing your murder mystery fit in this category. They are not experts, but are everyday people who have read the book and deem it interesting and informative.

Your press releases
One way to stimulate positive communication in your press releases is to give proof through your words and actions that you have your customers’ best interests in mind. For example, avoid the sense of urgency in your publicity. Avoid terms such as, "buy now or lose this offer forever." Make your message exciting, helpful and informative.

Use the shock-of-difference approach, describing your title from a different, more compelling angle or by offering a challenge (Can You Pass This Memory Test?). Involve the reader by using verbal play such as a sequence of words or sounds that provokes repetition through its rhythm or alliteration.

Advertising on the Internet
Perhaps the fastest way to stimulate word-of-mouth communication is over the Internet. First, actively participate on listserves, but remember that most moderated groups frown upon tactless commercialism. Instead, simply steer the discussions to your topic, reply to every question related to your topic and include a descriptive signature with your reply.

Secondly, motivate word-of-mouse advertising through the design of your web site. Create a site that is educational, simply designed, fast to load and easy to use. Provide better service, more timely information and advice so visitors can find answers to their questions. Give visitors inside information -- something new and unique -- and tell them to pass it on to others. Also, suggest that people bookmark your site so they form the habit of returning to it.

posted by Brian Jud http://blog.bookmarketing.com/

Advice to the Younger Fiction Writer

by Alex Keegan

I used to be a good club-level athlete, and a very good sprinter who never dedicated himself sufficiently to compete at the top level. Trying to offer advice to a young writer, is a bit like trying to give advice to a young athlete. Can I give any meaningful tips when I don't know if you're a sprinter, built for power, a miler, or a skinny-as-a- fish marathoner? For all I know, you might be a javelin thrower, and what's "young" anyway? A good rule of thumb used to be that forty was young for a good novelist!

But see my opening sentence? I might have made it to the fringes of National Class, but I lacked the dedication. Does that matter? Maybe not. I would have liked to have been a professional soccer player too, and I wouldn't have minded being a film star, but I wasn't cut out for either and I've had a full life (even if I've never bungee-jumped) and now I'm a writer and proud of it.

So point one, by young I mean under forty and not locked into a career you think is more important to you than writing -- and there are lots of great, giving, fulfilling jobs -- don't let all those romantics convince you otherwise. I'm a writer and I wouldn't give it up, but let me tell you as well as there being plenty more important jobs every one of them pays better! So if you're a young and aspiring writer (rather than an old aspiring writer), first ask yourself how serious you are.

Becoming a good writer of fiction takes a mass of work. You have to read and read and read: the good, the bad, the ugly and the eye-bleeding atrocious, then some more of the OK, and some more of the good, some more of the very good, the classics, the stuff you don't get first pass, (so read it again) and then you can go back and you'll see that the OK is pretty bad too.

It takes a minimum of three years' full time study, or 7-10 years of part-time study to get a university degree. Becoming a writer is harder! I think it was Ray Bradbury who said we need to write at least a million words just to make it to the foothills. Seems like a lot? Not really. 3,000 words a day for a year or 1,000 words a day for three years and you're home free. What d'you mean it sounds tough? It IS tough!

Presume that one million words is a real goal. Write 300 words a day, every day, never miss, and nine years from now, you'll be able to write. That is WRITE, that is, as someone once wrote, you will have eaten your technique, absorbed it until it's in your blood, so that HOW to express your thoughts will be semi-automatic.

Meanwhile you will have been walking, sleeping, eating, dreaming like a writer. Why? Because you find time EVERY day to write. Once you get into a daily writing habit (one page, come on, you can write ONE page, can't you?) you begin to see the world as a writer sees it, the ordinary inside the great, the tiny brilliances in the everyday. You begin to see with a writer's eyes. But only, ONLY if you commit to the idea of writing every day.

How to become a writer in one month.

Here is my definition of a writer. A writer is someone who on waking, always thinks, "Now how will I find the time today to write?" If you start writing every day and it becomes a habit, something which gets into your blood. If thirty days down the line the habit is set, then you're a writer, and you'll get there twice as fast as the six-day-a-week writer, ten times as fast as the weekdays only one. Exercise the writing muscles, exercise the soul, become pixel dependent.

The Ten Commandments.

Read them, follow them. Write about things that energise you, that make you buzz, get angry, get sad, emote over. Write about things with weight, meaning, a point. Don't be glib or trite, or clichéd, don't re-write Asimov or Chandler, write yourself, be brave, and while you're writing your million words, don't think you have to write LIKE anyone. You are a true original. Think originally. And when you want me to believe you, paint me pictures, let me see the pain without having it explained. Understand what the pundits mean by show not tell, or better, understand my own term, seduction not instruction. And if you don't understand it, work until you do.

Most importantly, forget plot, let characters do it for you. This always freaks the younger writer (especially since most are first attracted to the genres, such as Science Fiction, where ideas and plot appear more important. They're not. What people remember are people, situations, emotions, character, so be brave, imagine your characters, put them in a spot and let them get out of it.

Think about language, style, flow and lyricism. There are great writers with ordinary styles and there are "stylists" who bore the pants off us. Nevertheless, mastering how words work musically and phonetically as well as semantically can give you an extra level of power and set you apart. Learn about good dialogue, how it is NOT like real speech but artificially creates the illusion of everyday speech. Learn to hone dialogue and read great writers of dialogue -- I love Elmore Leonard for this.

And now an old piece of OK advice -- write at least fifty short stories before you embark on a novel, do exercises, snippets, try rewriting great short stories or novel openings, experiment with poetry, flash-fiction, writing to tough word-limits. Burn off the obvious, the commonplace, the too-closely autobiographical stuff early on. (Writing shorts does this). You will learn so much and still be creating pieces worth submitting.

Try to tell stories that illuminate life: be honest. Don't try to "be a writer," because that's the quickest way to dreadful purple prose and pretentiousness.

I've said already, read, read, read, read, read, and we know we must write, write, write; but don't forget submissions! Submitting our work after it's had time to settle and then has been seriously reworked is one of the most overlooked essentials to becoming a writer. You write to be read. If you aren't writing to be read stop now and go do something else. To be read means getting published, and to get published you have to get rejected, and rejected and rejected, tens, hundreds even thousands of times.

Get used to rejections. They happen for many reasons. Don't instantly aim at the New Yorker, but then don't throw away a great piece on a tiny e-zine, either. Understand the market (i.e.,: READ the Magazines!) and aim a little higher than you ought (but not too much), working your way down and through your list of places -- there are thousands and for these check out The Novel & Short Story Writers Market, a Writer's Digest Publication (U.S. and International) and in the U.K., The Writers & Artist's Yearbook -- but most importantly do read the magazines to which you hope to submit your work.

And if you think it, write it. never hold back. It's not always easy to write some things but if you half-write, if you hold things back, it will show in your work. Be brave. Writers are brave.

Experience, do you need it?

The answer is NO, but it helps. Every day of our lives we are not just gaining experience but we are assimilating it through a more experienced set of senses. If you can fight in wars (and survive -- surviving is definitely useful) have a few broken hearts, make/have babies, suffer trauma, all these things and more can be deepening widening experiences which enrich your writing -- but so can reading and living quietly, so can learning to see and hear with the writer's sensibility.

What experience CAN teach us is that we are not the centre of the universe and that maybe the pictures of us skateboarding AREN'T vivid entertainment.

When we've read Solzenitzin and Henri Carriere our four hours in the slammer may not be so much after all… but then again if we are WRITERS (we write every day) we might be able to compare and contrast the Gulag with Sheriff Tomkins' cell and say something about perspective.

So don't give up the day job, just yet, but write every day, write honestly, read, read, read (never be without a book), rework, polish submit and keep submitting. Work until you see the world as a writer sees it. No matter what is happening around you, you see only "life to be absorbed". Then as the mugger screams in your face, note his dialogue and remember it. Think only, "Wow, great material! Look at the spittle on his chin, that funny tic he has, and isn't a .45 BIG and dark?"

Poetry - Finding Your Inspiration

A good poet is able to find the natural rhythms of everyday life and express them eloquently in words. But where do the ideas come from? There are thousands of poems out there about tired subjects like love and war; as a poet, your job is to find either a new and original take on these overused subjects or bring an original idea to life. Sometimes, however, the poetry muse takes a hike...and doesn’t return.

Here are just a few of the many ways to either discover or reclaim your wayward muse:
Look around you. Anything, anything at all can be the subject of a poem if dealt with in an original and creative matter.

Keep a notebook with you at all times and keep an eye on the people and places around you. The grocery store, the park, the bus—all can inspire new and creative ideas for poems. You might not necessarily write about what you see, but ideas may come to you in different settings.

Keep a notebook beside the bed for ideas that stem from dreams. Or write a poem about a dream you wish you’d had.

Keep a file of ideas—clippings, sketches, quotes—anything that may inspire a poem later on.

Writing prompts can often generate original thought. Try a "what if" scenario: What if children ruled the world? What if you woke up three feet taller?

Write about something "ugly" and make it beautiful through imagery.

Write a poem that consists solely of dialogue. Or create a poem from a list (I.e. The ten best pieces of advice I ever received).

Write a poem about someone from a distant place and time as if you were that person.
Write about an inanimate object—or from the object’s point of view. "Ode to a Paperclip" may not get you published, but it may spark creativity and original ideas.

Write from someone else’s point of view. Instead of yet another poem about Christmas, try writing about Christmas from the point of view of the homeless woman on the corner. Avoid using the word "Christmas" and rely on imagery instead.

Write about something you did NOT experience but wish you had (I.e. Woodstock) or an era in which you’d like to have lived.

Try writing passionately about something you passionately do NOT believe in—and make it convincing. Write about the joy of being a skinflint or how lovely it is to kill baby seals. Try this with or without the use of irony.

Go back to your childhood and write an apology in the form of a poem. Write a poem to someone you wish you had known or confront someone who did you wrong.

Scan newspaper or magazine headlines—write a poem about the woman who gave birth to six alien babies or the man who built a shrine to cockroaches. Take risks and experiment with the bizarre.

Take your personal demons and put them down on paper. If the subject is painful yet rings true, it will strike a chord with your readers. Don’t be afraid to tackle uncomfortable subjects.
Take on the cliches directly: try writing a good love poem without once using the word "love." Take it a step further and eliminate the words "joy," "desire," and "heart."

Read contemporary poets’ work. Read all you can. Identify what makes a poem call to you and analyze what makes you dislike other poems. Gain inspiration from others’ work.
Remember: all subject matter is worthy. A good poet need not have traveled the world or lived a life of tragedy. Look in your own metaphorical backyard for material.

Above all, keep writing, keep submitting, and write some more. The poems that result may not be worthy, but keep it up. It’s better to write a bad poem than to not write one at all. Eventually, even when your muse has flown the coop, the right poem will emerge.

E-Mail Query Tips

Don't begin your e-mail query by apologizing for intruding into the editor's e-mailbox. If you have confidence in your idea and if you're positive your proposed article will be of value to the editor's readers, demonstrate your confidence by being positive about your message and your idea, beginning with word one.

Submit Tuesday through Thursday — Mondays are typically hectic for editors, plus e-mail boxes are usually fuller. Fridays are too late in the week and too close to the weekend for e-mail to be handled promptly, so it's either deleted or put in a bottomless hold file.

Make your lead paragraph less than 40 words in length.

Make your entire query less than 200 words, or 5 short paragraphs maximum. Editors don't have time to scroll — especially when it's a query trying to sell them something they didn't ask for.

Short Story Tips

Why do some stories truly ring in the mind while others leave you with the feeling of 'what was the point?'. To make your short stories more effective, try to keep in mind these following points while writing:

1. Have a clear theme.

What is the story about? That doesn't mean what is the plot line, the sequence of events or the character's actions, it means what is the underlying message or statement behind the words. Get this right and your story will have more resonance in the minds of your readers.

2. An effective short story covers a very short time span.

It may be one single event that proves pivotal in the life of the character, and that event will illustrate the theme.

3. Don't have too many characters.

Each new character will bring a new dimension to the story, and for an effective short story too many diverse dimensions (or directions) will dilute the theme. Have only enough characters to effectively illustrate the theme.

4. Make every word count.

There is no room for unnecessary expansion in a short story. If each word is not working towards putting across the theme, delete it.

5. Focus.

The best stories are the ones that follow a narrow subject line. What is the point of your story? Its point is its theme. It's tempting to digress, but in a 'short' you have to follow the straight and narrow otherwise you end up with either a novel beginning or a hodgepodge of ideas that add up to nothing.

The 4 Can't Miss Keys to Copyright

By Sophfronia Scott, "The Book Sistah"

Copyright is the writer's security blanket. It just makes you feel better to know your words are protected. I once knew a writer who was so scared his work would be stolen, he never sent it anywhere. Talk about counterproductive! But if you can understand these four simple copyright keys, you can rest easy and submit at will.

1. Create!
That's all you have to do to copyright something: write it. You don't have to publish it and you don't have to register it with the United States Copyright Office, although there are certain advantages to registration (see below). The moment a piece is written down, it automatically gains copyright and that copyright is owned by the author.

2. Give Notice.
That's when you put that little encircled "c" on the work. You can also use the word "Copyright", then your name and the year of first publication. For instance, this newsletter is "Copyright 2006 Sophfronia Scott". It tells the world that the work is protected so someone can't show up in court and claim they didn't know it was. Speaking of court...

3. Register Your Copyright.
Again, registering with the United States Copyright Office is really just a legality. You don't have to do it. But you do get a few benefits for the $30 fee that are worth considering.Registration makes your copyright a matter of public record and--get this--if you register and someone later infringes on your copyright and you take them to court, you will be able to sue for "statutory damages and attorney's fees". With an unregistered work you can only get an award of actual damages and profit. To learn more on how to register your literary work go to http://www.copyright.gov/register/literary.html.

4. Send Copies to the Library of Congress.
Once your book is published, you're required to send two copies to the Library of Congress. It's called a "mandatory deposit of published works". If your book is produced by a traditional publisher, the people there will do this for you, but if you are self publishing, keep in mind that you have to do this yourself. You have three months after publication. It doesn't hurt your copyright if you don't do it but, according to the Copyright Office, "failure to make the deposit can result in fines and other penalties." That's it! Pretty simple, really, but all the more reason why it should not become an artificial roadblock to your continuing and submitting your work. One last note: you can't copyright an idea. I have heard writers say they submitted a story or book proposal and someone else came out with a book just like it, so the agent/editor/writer must have stolen their idea. Well, not quite. It is highly likely that someone else just had the same idea. It does happen. And yes, it is possible for someone to steal your idea--just make REALLY sure that they have done so before you make the accusation.

© 2006 Sophfronia Scott

What Can You Do for Your Writing Style Now?

To a certain extent, your writing style -- the manner in which you express yourself -- evolves naturally over time, a combination of your personality, your reading choices, and to a certain extent, the decisions you make consciously while writing.

So what can you do to develop your writing style? Thinking about style too consciously can result in mannered, stilted prose, but there are some basic style rules to keep in mind as you begin to write:

Read to develop your writing style.

Read voraciously, and read broadly. Read the classics -- great literature is your best teacher -- but don't be afraid that genre fiction, or any kind of prose, will corrupt your writing style. I first read Raymond Chandler, for instance, after hearing Denis Johnson ("Jesus' Son") interrupt his own reading to note Chandler's influence on a certain line.

Though Johnson is by no means a hard-boiled detective novelist, Chandler's prose had obviously left its mark.

Write.

There's no substitute for simply writing as much as you can. In the beginning, don't worry so much about publishing; that can come later. Attempt different genres. Nonfiction and especially poetry have something to teach as well. Again, don't worry about influence in the beginning, and don't worry if what you're writing seems bad. Write because you love it, and trust that you'll grow into your style.

Use the words that come naturally to you.

Though you should strive to enlarge your vocabulary, stick to words you use in real life. If you're using a word only to sound impressive, you're likely to misuse it or use it awkwardly.

Be clear.

Your goal is to communicate. Make sure each sentence is as direct and simple as possible. You want to make it easy for your readers so that they have the pleasure of getting lost in your prose. Awkward writing takes readers out of the fictional dream you're working so hard to create.

Avoid stereotypes and cliches.

Though it's hard to avoid stereotypes altogether, struggle to craft original sentences, metaphors, and expressions. Think twice before going with the easiest turn of phrase unless anything else would sound unnatural.

Be concise.

Experiment with individual sentences, seeing if they can be rephrased to use fewer words. Don't say, "He walked across the sidewalk with the cracked cement to the field," when you can say, "He walked across the cracked sidewalk to the field," for instance. Or, for another example, don't say, "Make sure each sentence is composed as directly and as simply as possible," when you can say "Make sure each sentence is as direct and simple as possible."

Be precise.

Clear, detailed writing will bring your prose come to life. Struggle to find just the right words for your descriptions. If necessary, do a little research. There's great pleasure in knowing the name for things, and in using those names. Saying that "The grey-haired woman sat by the window tatting a doily," for instance, is more descriptive and more vivid than, "The old woman sat in the corner working on something." Precision is not a matter of filling a sentence with modifiers, however. It's a question of choosing the best, most accurate nouns and verbs.

Pay attention to word choice.

The English language has at least 250,000 words, more than "most comparable world languages," according to the folks at Oxford. Because English is such a mutt of a language, we have synonyms for any given word. Buy a good thesaurus and make the most of our rich linguistic heritage.

FOR THE SYNOPICALLY CHALLENGED

By Rosalyn Alsobrook

Just what is a synopsis?

A synopsis is that horrible-to-face condensation that tells your story to an editor in as few pages as possible. Keep it to a preferable 3-15 pages, depending on whether you plan a 280 or a 600 page manuscript. For EMERALD STORM, a historical romance saga which ended up being 770 manuscript pages, I wrote a 26 page synopsis. For "The Gift", a time-travel written in anthology form, the synopsis was barely 2 pages.

Synopses are always written so they can stand alone, but have a better "impact" if sent with sample chapters. By sample chapters I mean the first two or three--not the first, third, and tenth. Always start where the book itself starts and always give the ending. Editor's don't play guessing games. They don't have time.

In my synopses, I sometimes list the main characters and offer a very brief verbal sketch about each one, telling what relationship they have to the story. That keeps me from having to stop in the middle of the action to explain that this character is the evil-twin of the hero's ex-mother-in-law's older brother, or whatever. By including character sketches, I keep that sort of information easy-to-find at the front of the synopsis and don't have to repeat it in the text itself.

Many times, for extremely complicated stories, I also include a simple time-line to help simplify what pertinent events happened prior to the opening of the story, usually starting with the birthdates for hero and heroine and any main events pertinent to the story. That not only helps the editor in on the order of things, it helps ME keep "on track". And believe me, that is important to someone like me who is so easily "derailed".

I usually place the time line either directly after the very brief character sketches or at the very end of the synopsis. Placement depends on how important the information is in understanding the synopsis.

Quick and important warnings:
Don't bog your synopsis with a lot of unnecessary detail. You might want to make a "working synopsis" for yourself and in it you can store all those clever little ideas that occur while you work out the plot so you don't lose them, but keep the main synopsis, the one you mail to the editor, down to the bare essentials.

Use present tense. And use dialogue only when doing so will be shorter than explaining what was said and how and why. The whole concept is to be as brief as possible and if using dialogue cuts down on the wordage, use it, though sparingly.

Double space unless otherwise told. A few years ago line spacing didn't really matter but these days more and more editors are asking for double spaced synopses.

Proportional fonts are okay for synopses as long as they are easy to read, but I hear standard Courier is still the best choice for the manuscript itself.

Be sure that somewhere in that synopsis you have listed your heroine's goals and what in her life motivates her toward those goals. Same for the hero. Your two protagonists always have set goals and clear reasons for those goals. Neither the heroine nor the hero should be simply bumbling her or his way through life. Even the antagonist should have definite goals and motivations detailed in the synopsis. Also be clear in what ways the characters are changed by your story. All main characters should be changed in some way by the end. Even the antagonist, if you story has one, should change in some way--whether for the better or worse.

Make sure all the conflicts and complications are covered, especially the main conflict, that one main thing that stands directly in the way of your main characters reaching their goals. Don't forget to mention why the setting you've chosen is vital to your story. This is especially important if you write historical romance or historical time-travel.

You may indicate suspenseful or humorous scenes by labeling them just that: "In a short, humorous scene, the heroine enters the kitchen just as the hero is about to...."

When writing a synopsis for any romance, be clear as to the level of all sensual/sexual activity: "That kiss leads to a very sensual lovescene that is interrupted just as the hero...."
If you have a clever hook for the story, use it in the synopsis if possible.

Always keep in mind that your synopsis is a selling tool. Make it the very "best" selling tool it can be.

Writing query letters for fiction or poetry markets

Writing a query letter for fiction or poetry is a bit different from writing a query letter for a nonfiction piece.

Short Fiction and Poetry

In the case of short stories or poetry, you in general won't be writing many query letters; editors may be mildly annoyed at getting a query letter about a piece when their guidelines clearly state that writers should simply submit such pieces. Thus, you will write query letters in only a few circumstances:

You're writing to find out if the publication is currently accepting submissions; do this only if your market research has yielded conflicting information. This type of query should be short and to the point:

Dear (insert title and editor's last name here),Are you currently accepting materials for NAME OF PUBLICATION? I have a (5,000-word/50-line/whatever) (science fiction short story/poem/whatever) that I wish to submit. My work has appeared in (list relevant credits).Thank you,(your name here)(phone and email)

You're writing to find out if they're willing to look at a piece that falls outside their submissions guidelines (for instance, you might have a short story that's a few thousand words longer than what they say they'll take).

You're trying to get into an invitation-only anthology or chapbook.

In the latter two cases, you will be writing a letter similar to the one for the basic are-you-accepting-work? query above. There are a few things to keep in mind when writing such a query:

Make sure you've got the editor's title and name correct; this is basic, but to mess this up really hurts your chances. Not figuring out that Editor Pat Smith is female rather than male and then addressing her as "Mr. Smith" is a common mistake.

Do not try to summarize your poem or story. This is a huge turnoff for most editors. Give them the length and its genre and, if relevant, its topic.

Include your relevant publishing credits ("My fiction has appeared in publications such as NEAT-O STORIES, TALES OF THE UTTERLY FABULOUS, and EEK! IT'S FICTION"). Demonstrating that you are a published writer -- and therefore likely the author of competent, readable work -- will help your cause. If, say, you're an unpublished fiction writer but you've had poems published in magazines that run both fiction and poetry, you can sneakilly rephrase things ("My work has appeared in publications such as TALES OF THE UTTERLY FABULOUS and GRINDSTONE QUARTERLY"). If you are well-published, don't list the whole shebang; pick and choose which publications are likely most recognizable to the editor. A maximum listing of two or three lines is sufficient.

Don't include biographical information unless it's quite relevant to the piece you wish to submit (for instance, if you've written a thriller novellette based on the time you were held captive by guerillas in El Salvador)

If a better-published writer known to the editor has suggested you send your work to this market, by all means mention this. If you're trying to get into an invitation-only anthology, this is pretty much crucial: "(writer name) suggested I submit this piece to you."

Staying Motivated

It's hard to stay motivated. Any advice?

Get away from the place where the distractions are (television, sending/reading e-mail jokes to friends, computer games).

Take on different writing genres you think you couldn't do—step outside your comfort zone and write outside the box.

Go to writers' conferences ... for the contacts and the information.

Don't go into writing thinking, "I'm going to get big writing contracts from newspapers and magazines and get rich. Then I'll write a novel and publishing houses will fight over the rights to it." You have to lay the foundation before you can build the house and live in it.

Be a packrat; throw away nothing. You never know when something you wrote and never got published will be the perfect plot twist or big ending elsewhere.

How to make a portfolio

How to make a professional portfolio to increase your chances of publishing your articles.

If you are a writer looking for work, the most important tool in your arsenal will be your portfolio. Editors and publishers want to see examples of your work and what kinds of places you have published with before and they don’t want to get a stack of photocopied papers and folded up newspaper clippings. If you want to present your best side to a prospective editor or publisher, it is important to be professional, organized and thorough. If you want to be chosen out of the hundreds of other writers on the editors slush pile, you need to stand out and present yourself coherently and with style. The portfolio you create could make or break your next writing contract. Before you start, you’ll want to pick up some report folders, the kind with the sliding bracket on the edge are the easiest to put together, but you may find a loose leaf type folder even more professional looking and weighty enough to not get lost in a pile of envelopes.

Get about twenty good quality laser copies of any articles you have published in the past 3 years. If your article included color photos, have them copied in color. On the bottom of each copy, type the name of the publication it appeared in along with the date. Make sure you produce copies of ALL of your clips, not just the best ones. You want to build an arsenal of different types of writing so that when you are querying for a job, you will have a full artillery. Clips can include brochures, newspaper articles, nonfiction articles, poetry, fiction, advertising copy, anything that you have written that has been published. The more different kinds of examples you can assemble, the better.

Before you assemble your portfolio, you will want to work up a resume to include in the front of your package. Include any relevant credits you have accumulated no matter how obscurely related they may seem. Also include any information that really doesn’t have anything to do with writing at all. You never know when an editor is looking for an expert in a field you may have experience in to do an article. Even if your editor isn’t interested in your query, if he sees something in your resume that looks interesting, he may ask you to do an article pertaining to it.
You can tailor make your portfolio to suit the interests of any particular editor. If, for example, you are querying to a children’s magazine, include in the beginning of your portfolio any examples of writing you have done related to this field, followed by a few examples of other things you have published. It is always good to show versatility, even when working for a targeted audience. If possible, you should include a photo of yourself in your portfolio, sometimes magazines like to include photos of their authors and it also helps the editor to put a face to your writing, a big advantage!

Above all, make your portfolio user friendly and unpretentious. An editor can tell by your portfolio whether you will be difficult to work and you want to give the impression that you are easy going, though professional and talented. Portfolios add up to a big plus in your favor if you send them along with your query, you will be less likely to get ignored as a nice looking portfolio is tempting for editors to look through.

Writing query letters for fiction or poetry markets

Writing a query letter for fiction or poetry is a bit different from writing a query letter for a nonfiction piece.

Short Fiction and Poetry
In the case of short stories or poetry, you in general won't be writing many query letters; editors may be mildly annoyed at getting a query letter about a piece when their guidelines clearly state that writers should simply submit such pieces. Thus, you will write query letters in only a few circumstances:

You're writing to find out if the publication is currently accepting submissions; do this only if your market research has yielded conflicting information. This type of query should be short and to the point:

Dear (insert title and editor's last name here),Are you currently accepting materials for NAME OF PUBLICATION? I have a (5,000-word/50-line/whatever) (science fiction short story/poem/whatever) that I wish to submit. My work has appeared in (list relevant credits).Thank you,(your name here)(phone and email)

You're writing to find out if they're willing to look at a piece that falls outside their submissions guidelines (for instance, you might have a short story that's a few thousand words longer than what they say they'll take).

You're trying to get into an invitation-only anthology or chapbook.
In the latter two cases, you will be writing a letter similar to the one for the basic are-you-accepting-work? query above. There are a few things to keep in mind when writing such a query:

Make sure you've got the editor's title and name correct; this is basic, but to mess this up really hurts your chances. Not figuring out that Editor Pat Smith is female rather than male and then addressing her as "Mr. Smith" is a common mistake.

Do not try to summarize your poem or story. This is a huge turnoff for most editors. Give them the length and its genre and, if relevant, its topic.

Include your relevant publishing credits ("My fiction has appeared in publications such as NEAT-O STORIES, TALES OF THE UTTERLY FABULOUS, and EEK! IT'S FICTION").

Demonstrating that you are a published writer -- and therefore likely the author of competent, readable work -- will help your cause. If, say, you're an unpublished fiction writer but you've had poems published in magazines that run both fiction and poetry, you can sneakilly rephrase things ("My work has appeared in publications such as TALES OF THE UTTERLY FABULOUS and GRINDSTONE QUARTERLY"). If you are well-published, don't list the whole shebang; pick and choose which publications are likely most recognizable to the editor. A maximum listing of two or three lines is sufficient.

Don't include biographical information unless it's quite relevant to the piece you wish to submit (for instance, if you've written a thriller novellette based on the time you were held captive by guerillas in El Salvador)

If a better-published writer known to the editor has suggested you send your work to this market, by all means mention this. If you're trying to get into an invitation-only anthology, this is pretty much crucial: "(writer name) suggested I submit this piece to you."

Keep a businesslike tone. Don't try to be funny unless you are VERY sure of the editor's sense of humor. It's way too easy to inadvertently offend someone and have your attempt at humor backfire.

A lot of the above advice will equally apply to writing cover letters when you submit a story or poem to a publication.

Novels
Novel queries can be simple documents, or they can be complex works that will take you weeks to properly prepare. It all depends on what the publisher says he or she wants to see. If they say they want a query letter and the first chapter or three of the novel, that's essentially what you send.

Piquing their interest is crucial in getting them to ask to see the rest of your novel.
You will be summarizing the plot and character interactions of your novel. You will also want to include publishing credits and relevant biographical/expert knowledge. In short, your opening letter will be much like a query proposal for nonfiction.

Writing a novel synopsis is a complex topic worthy of its own article (which I'll cover sometime in the future).

The Five Golden Rules Of Publicity For Authors

By Katherine "Kat" Smith

The hard work, you think, is over. You've labored into many late nights writing your book, struggled to literally make sure every "i" is dotted and every "t" crossed. Your book -- your baby -- is all grown up now; completed and ready to set the world on fire.

Then, the cold, hard truth slaps you in the face like a winter chill. Like the proverbial tree falling in the woods with no one around, your book isn't going to make a sound -- or even be known about by anyone -- unless you get the word out. You could hire a publicist, but the often high-costs can be prohibitive, and perhaps most of your "book money" went to editing, design, layout and printing.

What to do?

Relax, set your ego aside, and set up a plan and course of action. Book promotion isn't rocket science; but it does involve a lot of hard work, persistence and some added touches of creativity. Here are some basic yet invaluable pointers for the bold author who has decided to go it alone in the wild world of book promotion.

Change positions with the media

The essence of book promotion is the utilization of the media to get the word out to the public about your book. Sure, producers, editors and journalists can be a gruff bunch, but the reality is they are literally swamped with books and press releases every day.

What you need to do is put yourself in the shoes of the media. If you were a feature editor at a paper or a producer of a talk show, what would interest you? Too often, amateur publicists simply believe that getting a book or press release into the right person's hands will do the trick. WRONG. You've got to think of an angle, hook, slant -- whatever you want to call it -- that will interest the right people.

Listen to talk radio.

Watch TV talk shows. Read the lifestyle and feature sections of newspapers. Read magazines. See what makes it; then create a press release that will make it happen for you.

Remember: No one ever interviews a book Getting on radio and TV talk shows is exciting, fun and can really jumpstart book sales. But if you think your book will get you on the air by itself, you're probably wrong. No one interviews a book ... they interview PEOPLE. Of course, the topic your book may be gets the attention of producers, but they need and want people who can be informative, entertaining and articulate. People make a show ... not books. When you're promoting a book, you're also promoting yourself. Remember this, practice this, and go for it!

Invest in useful resources

No self-promoting author can achieve success without a few essential resources. You need to know who to contact and how to contact them. Media directories are plentiful, and some are actually affordable. Shop around and get one. One of the most popular is the s eries of Bacon's media directories, but there are many available.

But what about non-media publicity resources? Book signings and speaking engagements are excellent ways to get books moving and create word-of-mouth awareness. A book such as The Book Seller's List -- a directory of book stores and other outlets -- puts the information right at your fingertips. Other books cover virtually every aspect of book promotion -- from direct mail and marketing to media coaching and radio interviewing skills.

Practice relentlessness

The reality of book publicity is ... you have to get used to being a salesperson. Make no mistake about it; you are selling something when you try to get the media interested in you or your book. Practice the art of persuasion while always keeping in mind what the media wants.

Any publicist will tell you that being relentless is paramount in book promotion. You have to walk the fine line between persistence and annoyan ce, being careful to not become "pushy," but persuasive. Don't stop with one phone call, email, fax or letter. Follow everything up, and then do it again and again.

Know the game

Think of book promotion as a very simple marketing game: If you give the media what they want -- good stories, solid information, controversial or provocative topics - they'll give you what you want -- print coverage or air time to get the word out about your book.


So many authors complain that they "sent 100 review copies out with fancy press kits … and no responses!" Perhaps the books and press kits didn't give the recipients what they need and want to do their jobs? Are you simply shoving a book in their face, or persuading them to take a look at the book because of a compelling angle or tie-in to a topic many people are interested in?

Anyone can send out books or press releases about a book, but the successful self-promoters lure the media in by enticing them with information that can help them do their job.

**Kat Smith is author of The Bookseller's List, and the co-host of ABC Radio Network's Solid Gold morning show. She is also an actress, model and internationally- published freelance writer. Her website can be found at: awomanofwords. com.

Finding A Publisher

by Robyn Opie

At Fiction Factor and Children's Fiction Factor, we frequently receive emails from writers asking us to recommend a publisher or publishers. It seems like a simple question. Ah, if only life were so simple!

The problem with most of these emails is that the author neglects to include pertinent details:
a) what they've written - novel, article, short story etc
b) the genre - horror, romance, thriller etc
c) fiction or non-fiction
d) length
e) and in the case of children's fiction, whether it's a picture book, easy reader, chapter book etc
f) where the author livesBut, even with these details, we're not in a position to recommend publishers.We provide FREE information to help people write a book or books. We provide FREE advice on how to get said book or books published. So why don't we recommend publishers?

Simply put, because the author of a book is the best person to find a publisher. The author of a book knows that book better than anyone. With little knowledge of the book, we can only guess about suitable publishers. What if we guess wrongly? After all, we really don't know anything about the book in question. We could be giving you bad advice. And, trust me when I say, the last thing we want to do is give you bad advice. We could be wasting your time. We could be costing you money.

So if we recommend publishers to you then we're not really being fair to you. We're not necessarily giving you and your book the best chance in the market place.Only you can do that, or a good agent if you have one.Now this doesn't mean that we want you all to send us your manuscripts to read so we can learn more about your novels. It doesn't mean that we want you to send us a synosis of your novels.It means that you, as the writer and manager of your career, are in the best position to find a suitable publisher. You know your book. You know what you want from a publisher and your career. You know what matters to you.What we can do, though, is give you advice on how to find a publisher or publishers.

So here's some more FREE advice to help you with your writing career.

1) Write your book.
When you're starting out, publishers want to see a finished product, or at least part of a finished product. They want to know that you're capable of writing the whole novel. So before you approach a publisher or, even research the market, write your novel.

2) Research the market.
First you need to know what sort of book you've written. Who is your reader? Males? Females? Both? What is the age of your audience? Is your book genre fiction? What genre? What about the length?Visit local book stores and look for books similar to your own in length and genre. You'll find the publisher's information easily, both on the cover and inside the book. Write down a list of the publishers you find that might be interested in work similar to your own.

3) Research the publishers.
I own a copy of The Australian Writer's Marketplace. You can buy Writer's Marketplace reference books for other countries as well, including the US and UK. (see book covers at the end of this article) You'll find details of many publishers in this reference resource. These details include their address, phone number, email address, website and submission requirements.

The Internet has made finding publishers a much easier task. If a publisher has a website, and most of them do, then visit the website. Research what they are publishing. And look for submission information. Firstly, do they accept unsolicited manuscripts? Your manuscript is unsolicited if a publisher or editor hasn't requested to read it. In other words, your manuscript is unsolicited if you're sending it to a publisher without their prior knowledge.

A lot of publishers inlcude submission guidelines on their websites, which can be downloaded with a minimum of fuss. Always read a publisher's guidelines and always follow their instructions. Give your manuscript the best chance. If guidelines aren't readily available on a publisher's website, then send them a polite and professional email asking for a copy of their guidelines.

The reason you conduct research on publishers before you submit a manuscript is to save you time and money. There's no point sending your horror novel to a publisher that only publishes romance novels. There's no point sending your children's picture book to a publisher that doesn't publish children's books or picture books. There's no point sending your unsolicited manuscript to a publisher that doesn't accept unsolicted manuscripts.

4) Be professional
When you deal with publishers or anyone associated with the publishing industry it pays to always be polite, friendly and professional. Publishers are looking for writers who can produce great novels and conduct themselves professionally. This includes submitting your work in a professional manner. A neatly formatted manuscript, accompanied by a well-written query letter will be more readily accepted than a hand-written, unedited story!You can find plenty of articles about query letters, manuscript submission and formatting here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/submission.html

5) Be Realistic
Biggest does not equal best! Almost every writer wants to see his or her own book up there on the New York Times Best Seller lists. But aiming your book at the biggest name publishing house you can locate is not always realistic - nor is it always the best possible publishing home for your precious work. In many cases, a smaller, more specialized publisher might have a better chance of placing your book in front of the right readers for your particular genre.

6) Research again!
Just because you may have found the name of a publisher willing to publish a book similar to your own does not necessarily mean they are still accepting submissions! Keep a close eye on websites that list publishers actively seeking manuscripts. Some of these even list publishers who are no longer accepting submissions, so you'll at least have some idea of where NOT to send your work.

Here are some links to help you find a publisher's website:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ozlit/austpub.html
http://www.publishers.asn.au/links.cfm?doc_id=35
http://www.publishers.ca/CNM_Index.wws
http://www.lights.com/publisher/alphabetic.html
http://www.publishers.org/member/members.cfmhttp://www.ukwebstart.com/listbookpubs.htmlhttp://www.booktrust.org.uk/publishers/pubindex.htmNaturally

there are many more websites on publishers that you can find for yourself by searching the Internet.You are in the driver's seat of your writing career. Take control and target your submissions to the best of your ability. And that means researching the market and researching publishers.

Top 5 Mistakes Authors Make When Choosing a Publisher

Brent Sampson c. 2006

1) DO NOT CHOOSE SPEED OVER QUALITY
Avoid publishers that claim to publish in 24 hours. After the time it took to write your book, do you want it published right, or overnight? Avoid overnight publishers no matter what they charge because the only one looking at your book will be a computer. It should take between 6-15 weeks.

2) DO NOT BE FOOLED BY HIGH ROYALTY CLAIMS
A royalty is simply a percentage of another number. The actual dollars and cents you earn depends upon that second number. The truest royalty is a royalty based upon the retail price of your book. Many publishers use "net royalty" which is a royalty based upon their profit. To be sure, always confirm your profit in dollars and cents.

3) DO NOT SIGN YOUR RIGHTS AWAY
The main advantage to publishing alternatively with a on-demand publisher is that you keep all the rights to your work. The rights are valuable. Read the contract. Your rights should clearly stay with you.

4) DO NOT BE CONFUSED BY BULK DISCOUNTS
If a publisher normally offers discounts to an author who buys their own book in bulk, that tells you two things. 1) It tells you they are more concerned with selling to you than to other readers. 2) It tells you they are charging you too much for lower quantities. Do you really want to be forced to buy 100 books at a time just to get a fair price? "Bulk" discounts simply trick the author into buying more books than they need, which defeats the whole advantage of on-demand printing.

5) DO NOT BE TRICKED BY AUTHOR DISCOUNTS
As an author, your per-book price should be based upon the production cost of the book, not the retail price. No wonder publishers inflate their retail pricing. You should always receive a below-wholesale price, regardless of how many you buy. You will never make money if you have to buy your own book at wholesale from the publisher.

Brent Sampson is the President & CEO of Outskirts Press Publishing at http://www.outskirt spress.com and author of Self-Publishing Simplified (a free e-book is available at http://outskirtspre ss.com/publishin g)

How To Create A Character Profile

By The Lazy ScholarTM

One of the most important elements in a novel or short story is characterization: making the characters seem vivid, real, alive. One technique that many writers use with success is to create a character profile for the main characters in the novel. The purpose of a character profile is twofold:

to assist the writer in creating a character that is as lifelike as possible and to help with continuity issues in the story. In interviews many famous authors have stated that they came up with the basics of a character's personality and then they found that the character just "came alive" for them and ended up driving the story all on his own. But for the beginning writer, sometimes a more concrete approach is helpful.

That is where the character profile comes in -- it is simply a tool for organizing your thoughts about a certain character and keeping track of a particular character's idiosyncrasies and relationships. It can help flesh out a cardboard character and even make you think about facets of his or her personality that you had not considered before. Character profiles are especially helpful for novels which involve several main characters and for stories which use multiple points of view.

Character profiles are useful when writing in any genres. Depending on the genre in which you write, you will create additional sections on the Character Profile Worksheet. For example, fantasy writers can use the character profiles to keep track of factors such as magical abilities, family lineage, spells the character is under, and limitations on the character's power to ensure continuity in the action. For literary and mainstream novels, profiles are especially useful for keeping in mind motivations of the character -- hurts and disappointments in the past which may not be alluded to directly in the dialogue, but which nevertheless color everything the character thinks and feels. For example, someone who was abused as a child will most likely react differently in certain situations than someone who had a happy, loving childhood.

A Character Profile is also of great help during the rewrite stage of your novel. You can use the profile to ensure continuity in the character's actions. For example, if in draft 1 your heroine is just recovering from a nasty divorce and in draft 2 you've decided to make her a happily married mother of three, you will know to check every scene with dialogue about her marital status as well as scenes where the (now non-existent) dastardly ex-husband is mentioned. If you change an attribute of your character, be sure to update your Character Profile Worksheet right away.

Obviously, a character can develop over the course of the novel. The Worksheet provides a place for you to note that fact so that when you read over your final draft you can see if you achieved your particular character development goal for that character.

A Character Profile is just meant to be a guide where you can list facts and details to help you get to know your characters, especially if you get stuck on one character who doesn't quite seem real. Maybe he needs a new characteristic -- a hidden trauma, a fabulous skill or a deadly secret -- something that will make the character come alive for you. How detailed you want your character worksheets to be just depends on what works best for you.

So, next time you're stuck on characterization, pull out the Character Profile Worksheet and get to know someone new.

Character Profile Worksheet

Basic Statistics Name:

Age:

Nationality:

Socioeconomic Level as a child:

Socioeconomic Level as an adult:

Hometown:

Current Residence:

Occupation:

Income:

Talents/Skills:Salary:

Birth order:

Siblings (describe relationship) :

Spouse (describe relationship) :

Children (describe relationship) :

Grandparents (describe relationship) :

Grandchildren (describe relationship) :

Significant Others (describe relationship) :

Relationship skills:

Physical Characteristics:

Height:

Weight:

Race:

Eye Color:

Hair Color:

Glasses or contact lenses?

Skin color:

Shape of Face:

Distinguishing features:

How does he/she dress?

Mannerisms:

Habits: (smoking, drinking etc.)

Health:

Hobbies:

Favorite Sayings:

Speech patterns:Disabilities:

Style (Elegant, shabby etc.):

Greatest flaw:

Best quality:Intellectual/ Mental/Personality Attributes and Attitudes Educational

Background:Intelligence Level:

Any Mental Illnesses?

Learning Experiences:

Character's short-term goals in life:

Character's long-term goals in life:How does Character see himself/herself?

How does Character believe he/she is perceived by others?

How self-confident is the character?

Does the character seem ruled by emotion or logic or some combination thereof?

What would most embarass this character?

Emotional CharacteristicsStrengths/Weaknesse s:Introvert or Extrovert?

How does the character deal with anger?

With sadness?

With conflict?

With change?With loss?

What does the character want out of life?

What would the character like to change in his/her life?

What motivates this character?

What frightens this character?

What makes this character happy?

Is the character judgmental of others?I

s the character generous or stingy?

Is the character generally polite or rude?

Spiritual Characteristics

Does the character believe in God?

What are the character's spiritual beliefs?Is religion or spirituality a part of this character's life?If so, what role does it play?

How the Character is Involved in the Story Character's role in the novel (main character? hero? heroine? Romantic interest? etc.):Scene where character first appears:Relationships with other characters:

1. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).

2. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).

3. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).

4. Character's Name: -- (Describe relationship with this character and changes to relationship over the course of the novel).How character is different at the end of the novel from when the novel began:

Additional Notes on This Character: