Categories: WRITING CRAFT

26 Feb 2010, Comments (2)

The Great Wait: What To Do After Submitting To Agents And Editors

Author: Lisa J. Michaels

I don’t stress out too much over cover or query letters, as I have surrounded myself with knowledgeable and helpful professional writers. I’m so lucky! They are always willing to review and make suggestions that will improve my chances. In turn, I pass on what I have learned to other writers who are unsure about the submission process. (more…)

Popularity: 57% [?]

Categories:
WRITING CRAFT, Waiting
Tags:
editing, post-submission, PUBLISHING, Waiting, Writing

9 Feb 2010, Comments (2)

YA Author Dawne Knobbe Speaks on Building Character at Flintridge Bookstore

Author: Cheryl

In celebration of her debut YA novel RUNAWAY STORM’s January 2010 publication author Dawne Knobbe gave a ‘Fun Workshop’ at Flintridge Bookstore and Coffee House in La Canada, CA on January 24th and it was fun! Dawne was wonderful. She shared her journey in getting her first novel written and published, followed by a workshop in developing character and story through conflict. (more…)

Popularity: 32% [?]

Categories:
SPOTLIGHT ON..., WRITING CRAFT
Tags:
character, dawne knobbe, flintridge bookstore, YA

7 Jan 2010, Comments (2)

A lovely rejection letter

Author: John Rea-Hedrick

Let’s face it, for any writer submitting their work for publication rejection letters are inevitable. However, it’s best to think of these letters in terms of what they really are – a part of the journey, not the end of the road. With that in mind, I’d like to share an experience of my own I recently had along the way.

Back in July of 2009 I entered one of my poems, Shizaru Undone, in the New Millennium Writings summer poetry contest. (Incidentally, NMW runs simultaneous contests for Fiction, Short Fiction and Non Fiction as well). Like many contest entrants I checked their website periodically (sometimes a bit obsessively) and eagerly watched my email for the contest results.

The following October I received the email from NMW indicating the poetry winner had been named. To my great disappointment, it wasn’t me. With hopes still high, I quickly scrolled down through the email to the Honorable Mentions to see if I’d made that list. Nope. Still not there. (more…)

Popularity: 77% [?]

Categories:
Rejection, WRITING CRAFT
Tags:
Rejection

5 Jan 2010, Comments (4)

Writing for Publication > Writing for Self?

Author: Michael L. Martin Jr.

If the music industry has taught us anything it’s that artists should be artists and the CEO’s should stick to CEO’ing. But, these days everybody and their grandmother must be a better marketer than their own marketing team. That’s fair. (sarcasm) But really, no one is going to be as passionate for the success of your product than you. It’s your baby. To most everyone else it’s just some smelly kid with cheese doodle fingers.

Yeah. Cute. Just don’t touch me.

If the business minded truly knew what customers wanted, every product would sell like cotton socks. Mainstream blockbusters wouldn’t exist because everything would be a blockbuster. And if the creative minded knew exactly what their audience wanted then they would have some kind of an audience, big or small, once they put themselves out into the ether.
(more…)

Popularity: 52% [?]

Categories:
WRITING CRAFT
Tags:
Subjectivity, Wednesday Writer, Writing For Publication, Writing For Yourself

27 Dec 2009, Comments (0)

Sending the Inner Editor on Vacation

Author: Ann Marie Gamble

Much advice about getting words on the page and finishing a manuscript will recommend at some point to “banish your inner critic!” If you’re critiquing or editing as you go, the theory goes, you’re also inhibiting your imaginative self, the parts that will come up with the fantastic ideas.

I’m an editor in my day job, and I do a lot of wrestling with the issue of ignoring the Inner Editor—at this house she’s paying the mortgage, so we don’t want her to go on permanent leave. Eventually, that’s who’s going to convert this shambling bramble pile of a first draft into a fabulous novel, so the trick is to be able to change gears, not banish entirely. Here are some concrete tricks and a bit of theorizing that I’ve used to help get in a creative groove.

First, some analysis: think a bit about what brings out your censorious side. What conditions does your critic like? These may be times of day, a room of your house, certain topics? Is critique a part of your job, part of a particular activity? At this level of combat, do your writing in the opposite of these conditions. If you do editing work in Word, write in Word Perfect. Edit at a desk? Write at a table, or on the sofa, or in a hammock. Until you get good at talking to your Inner Editor, practice avoidance. (more…)

Popularity: 27% [?]