| |
| |
|
Writing Information |
|
|
|
Arouse Your Short Story And See It Published
Are you ready to abandon your short stories? Before you toss your newest story in the trash, revisit it using many of the same guidelines editors keep in mind when they review your work. If you follow these guidelines, you will be many steps closer to placing your short story in a well-known literary journal. You can make submissions on your own, or hire some help. Every story, on average, must be submitted to 100 markets before it is accepted. For short story authors, these numbers are sad, but true. Even the best stories must cover a lot of territory before they appear on the printed page. A reputable author's submission service may offer you more time to write while they take care of the submissions. Remember that a good submission service screens potential writers for quality work. They don't take everyone. Once your story has passed the following tests, it's time to send it out into the world. 1. Is there an opening hook that grabs the reader? Does it surprise/amuse/intrigue? Does it establish the mood of the story? 2. Are the characters interesting to read about? Are their interactions with each other believable? Are they properly motivated? Do they each have flaws as well as virtues? (Or vice-versa in Horror stories.) 3. Does each character have his or her own voice? Is dialogue flowing and natural, not stilted? Does the dialogue move the story along? 4. Are secondary characters, if any, vivid without overwhelming the main characters? Do they serve a useful purpose in the plot? Do they add interesting elements to the story? 5. Does the narrative show action, not just tell about it? Do descriptive passages evoke vivid mental images? Is the balance between narrative and dialogue appropriate for this work? 6. Is the emotional situation and/or appropriate level of tension set up between the characters? Is the conflict clearly presented? 7. Is the story paced so it holds the reader's attention? Are transitions smooth? (Does the action proceed logically?) Are flashback scenes and background information worked into the plot appropriately for fiction of this length? 8. Are facts, figures, locales, believable and/or correct? Are the language, actions, and attire of the characters appropriate for the time period and setting of the story? 9. Is the writing fresh, free of clichés? Does it show the author's own unique style? Are viewpoint changes clear and well handled? 10. Is the grammar correct? Is the spelling accurate? Is the manuscript professionally prepared? 11. Reveal your characters primarily through their actions, not by telling your reader about them. Keep in mind that good fiction reveals rather than explains. Your goal in each piece of fiction is to provide your reader with actual experience, not merely with concepts and outlines of events. 12. Read each of your drafts carefully, aloud. If you can't experience a scene as if you were living through it yourself, work on it some more. 13. Your ending must leave your readers satisfied-even if it is unhappy, unexpected, or inconclusive. Above all, your readers must feel the piece was worth their time and attention. Pay special attention to your final sentence, image and/or line of dialogue, because your readers certainly will. 14. Remember that stories over 4,000 words are very difficult to place. Building a list of publication credits in your cover letter will open new doors for your writing. In addition to your stories being well crafted, they must be submitted regularly and extensively. Beat the odds with strong writing COMBINED with a powerful and tenacious submission strategy. If you need help building a personal submission strategy, contact Writer's Relief, Inc. Their author's submission service has been around for more than ten years. You can find out more about Ronnie and Writer's Relief at http://www.wrelief.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Writing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Top Seven Ways to Select a Book Topic That Sells Authors need to write their book according to their target audiences' needs and wants. You can sell many more copies when you address these seven ways to select a topic that sells. Mind Mapping Your Journal Entries Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to save space and time when you journal. For those of you that aren't familiar with Mind Mapping, you can search in Google on the words or reading one of Tony Buzan's (the creator) books. Turbo Charge Your Career! Write And Produce Your Own Stage Play! Have you ever wondered how you can adapt your screenplay or novel into a stage play? Do you have a story that you yearn to see on stage? Or, maybe you're an actor frustrated by the barrage of fruitless auditions and dream of performing before a live audience. If so, writing and producing your own stage play just may be the ticket to turbo charging your career. 2nd Installment on Autobiography ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in any person was "the human condition." Malraux was interested not so much in people's personality but, rather, in their "particular relationship with the world. Write That Down! Compulsively Collecting Content for Your Writing Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one of the following things:Where did he get such great stories? Why can't I think of examples like that? How does she always develop amazing illustrations?The answer is: content.In writing, content is KING. How To Write Thank You Letters With Class When I first started tracking the information preferences of people visiting my Writing Help Central Web site I was surprised to find how many folks were seeking information on how to write thank you letters. In fact, "thank you letter" information and sample templates are the third ranked destinations at that Web site. Effective Collaboration - Working With Your Ghostwriter Using a ghostwriter to craft your free reprint articles and marketing materials is an excellent way to maximize your time and profit. The fastest and most effective way to find a freelance ghostwriter or editor is to post your writing projects on an on-line service like Freelance Work Exchange at http://tinyurl. Why Every Freelancer Should Have A Web Site "Do I send samples, a media kit, or just the query, postcard and/or sales letter?" As a freelancer, when you are trying to reach new clients or stay in touch with old ones, how to approach the contact can be a sticky, confusing, discombobulating journey. Having a web site can solve all of these situations. Writing for the Internet -- How To Give the Readers What They Want In this article you will find tips on: How to intrigue your readers from the very start-the most important part of your piece isn't the content, Once they're hooked-reel them in, How to keep them reading through the entire piece instead of scanning for information, Break it up!-How to keep their attention span from reaching its limits, and How to keep your readers from becoming distracted while reading your well crafted articles.Introduction If you're new at writing on the Super Information Highway you may be stumped as to what readers want. Authors-Stop Expensive Mistakes Before you Spend on Professional Services So many clients come to me as a book or marketing coach telling me how they spent and wasted a lot of money and time following different well-known gurus in the book and publicity fields. Debbie's Story A recent client, Debbie, already got her books printed--over 900 left to sell from the 1000 at too much cost. Knock-Out Writers Block: Listening To Your Inner Voice When I was young, I used to talk to myself. Long, drawn out, one-sided conversations. Become an Instant Author by Playing Well with Others You wrote a tips booklet. Maybe more than one. 7 Devastating Writing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Writing engaging articles and energizing ad copy takes more than just typing out what you want to say. By correcting these major mistakes, your copy will soar to newfound heights. Writers can Grow to be Comfortable with Criticism On my first newspaper assignment as a critic, I was well prepared to dish it out. I was less prepared to take it. Writing Tips For Novice Authors If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, "Do I have what it takes to become an author?"I believe that successful authors, those who actually write and finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short stories, and see it all the way to publication, have certain characteristics.Characteristics of Authors1. Top Ten Tips (Part 2) Golden Rules For New Writers - Things you need to know before you begin.Rules govern everything we do in life; even if those rules are of the unwritten kind we abide by them and expect other people to do the same. Top Ten Ways to Write Like a Pro Checklist Sure you can write, but can you write crisp, compelling copy thatezine publishers, related Web sites, and book audiences willclamor for? To sell well, your articles, reports, books, and copywriting need to pass the checklist below: 1.___Make your book or article title or headlines grab your reader by the collar. How to Build A Success Freelance Career (Part 2) Part 1 of this article discussed the experience you need to successfully build a freelance career. Here, I will outline other necessities. Do You Plot With Your Character In Mind? Creative Writing Tips -You are plotting the story. You write down what will happen, what problems will arise, what obstacles you will place so the character won't reach his goals immediately, what he's going to do to overcome these problems etc?So all these things will be happening to your character since it's his story we are telling. Getting Looked Over, Without Getting Overlooked: Writing for Scanners and Skimmers * Scanning and Skimming Practices *Whether you're writing e-mail messages or Web site sales letters, you need to know how to hold the attention of different types of readers. Even the readers that don't actually "read.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |