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Writing Better--The Art of Polishing Your Work Until It Shines, Then Selling It to the Highest Bidder Nancy H. Rosenberg Work-in-Progress Read an Excerpt Introduction There are a lot of books on the market that can teach a person the basics of how to write. And there are a lot of books on the market that instruct in the traditional ways of being published. What is lacking, however, is a hands-on, reader-friendly book that gives beginning writers the tools they need to polish their work then send it out into the big scary world of editors and publishers in such a way that will give their work a good chance of being published. Most fledgling writers soon realize that the standard, well-written, charming query letter, sent with the requisite SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope), will eventually return, usually about three months later, with a humiliatingly terse form letter that in many cases has been reproduced to the point of being nearly illegible. (In many cases the rejection comes after the writer has already forgotten sending the query in the first place, so the form letter arrives unbidden, a stink bomb in the mailbox just waiting to assault the recipient with its pungent words of rejection.) This demoralizing dance is often all it takes to sap the willpower and enthusiasm from all but the most doggedly determined writers. There has to be a better way--and there is, for those who are willing to invest time in honing their skills and a bit of money in presenting a professional image. There are tools you can use to become a better writer, and secrets of the trade you can learn that will give your work an advantage over the competition. Knowing what editors want in advance, having highly honed skills and a willingness to go the extra mile can make all the difference in whether your work is published or whether it meets an ignominious end in the circular file. The process of having your work published is not easy, but it can be done. Think of the endeavor as being akin to building a house: If the foundation is good and strong then the house will go up smoothly. Once the house is built the foundation won't even be seen, but it's there nonetheless, doing its job, keeping footing firm and corners good and strong. This laying of the foundation can be painstaking work. In writing, hours of study and practice are required. But if you're willing to pay the price, then the rewards of publication can be yours. About the Market for Books on Writing There is a strong, consistent market for books on writing. From classics such as Zinsser's On Writing Well (now in its 25th anniversary edition) to Stephen King's On Writing (#356 on Amazon), the fact is that there are a lot of writers out there who buy books to hone their skills, and even more would-be writers who buy every book they can get their hands on in an effort to learn more about this mysterious, desirable craft. Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, a delightful book about the life of a writer, is the #7 book sold by Amazon in Portland, Maine. The Elements of Style, that classic by Strunk and White, is now in its 4th edition and is ranked an impressive #64 on Amazon. Simply, writers and would-be writers buy books. Writing Better--The Art of Polishing Your Work Until It Shines Then Selling It to the Highest Bidder, will appeal to both segments of the market. It will have additional sales appeal to writers' groups and continuing-education writing workshops. Based on the title, it will appeal to those who want to improve their writing skills as well as those who want to supplement their income by writing. Writing Better will have a broad appeal in a market composed of people who are already predisposed to buy books. Overview 1. Publishers Are Going To Publish Someone's Work--Why Not Yours? Realize that writing is competitive business, but quality writers are still in demand. Most editors deal with an unending stream of poorly written, inappropriate material sent in "over the transom" that bears no resemblance to what they typically publish. There are a lot of writers out there, but most of them don't have a clue. Many professional writers, on the other hand, are past the point of having to write for the embarrassingly low sums that many small magazines and papers can afford, so there it is: your window of opportunity. Visions of grandeur cloud the aspirations of many beginning writers, but the fact is that writing for the big magazines or book publishers is almost never done by amateurs. Your job, then, is to get your feet wet, dig in to this business, and after a while, with some experience and a sheaf of clips to your credit, you will no longer be considered an amateur. 2. The Process, or, How This Business Really Works Breaking in. The Catch-22: You need clips, or samples of previously published work, before most editors will even consider your ideas, but you can't get clips without an assignment. How to beat the system. One strategy: Offer to write for a local paper or magazine for free. You get the much-needed clips in return, and, if you do your job well, you'll be on your way toward establishing rapport with an editor. The key: Start small and be realistic. If you've never had a word published in your life, don't start out trying to break into Reader's Digest. Instead, find a small magazine that obviously needs help. Once you start looking you'll find them everywhere. Then, open your eyes and start noticing the wealth of material that surrounds you. I got the idea for my first article, which I wrote for Today's Dallas Woman, when I read an article in The Dallas Morning News about a 25-year-old man who adopted his drug-addicted sister's five children when she became unable to care for them. The young man had recently gotten married. I immediately wondered about his new bride and what she thought of this instant family, so looked her up in the phone book and gave her a call. At the other end of the line I found a charming, witty young woman who was in a difficult situation--by choice--and was truly making a difference in the lives of not one but five children. The editor loved the idea, and the story was a hit. I didn't realize it at the time, but I later saw that what I was offering to the editor was too good to be true: a willing writer who came up with an idea, researched it, wrote it unassisted and came in with the correct word count ahead of schedule. It was the beginning of a productive stint for both of us: she got well-written, well-researched copy, and I began to build a portfolio of clips that I could use when pitching stories to larger, more prestigious, and better-paying publications. How to approach a small magazine…. Another strategy: Find a column or regular feature in a magazine that you admire. Read the same column every month until you have a good feel for it--the tone and voice and typical composition of the piece. Count the words. And keep it in the back of your mind until you find a good idea for that column. Mull it over, take notes, sleep on it, and then wait for the Muse. When she arrives, write the piece with all your heart. You aren't writing in a void: you know your target, so you are writing with a mission. You've been training for this piece. You're writing with a specific goal in mind. Example: Cigar Aficionado. Another strategy: shorts. Most editors have a stable of competent writers that they rely on for regular feature articles, but they also have sections of the book where they use filler copy, or "shorts," and this can be an ideal way to break into the magazines of your choice. Find a magazine you like, study the sections--especially those that use shorts--and begin to sleuth. Local magazines, for example, often contain a section towards the front of the book that highlights upcoming local events. Now, if you happen to know that in four months the annual balloon festival will be coming to town (and if you just happen to have spectacular photos from last year's event, all the better), then make a few calls and find out the basics. You can look up last year's event online or at the library, find out whom to call, and write up a fact-filled, interesting short for this upcoming event and send it in. Similarly, travel and airline magazines often feature shorts for unique hotels and restaurants. Count the words, study the tone, visit a local hotel or restaurant that you think fits the bill, and send it in. Follow the format of the section you want to break into exactly: If each short includes an address, phone number, price range and whether or not it is wheelchair accessible, but sure to include this information in your initial submission. Also, note whether or not the shorts utilize direct quotes. Some do, some don't, but if you are targeting a publication that likes quotes, then by all means pick up that phone and get a quote. 3. The Tools You'll Need A word processor. Reams of blank paper and 9 x 12 clasp envelopes. Stacks of current magazines in which you dream of being published. A decent camera and some basic camera skills will greatly enhance your odds of being published, especially in the smaller publications, where good art is as hard to come by as good copy. A high-quality promotional photo of yourself is a nice touch but isn't necessary. Books you'll need: A current issue of The Writer's Market. The Elements of Style by Strunk & White. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. On Writing by Stephen King. When I'm in the middle of a writing project I make it a point to read from these books on writing every night before I go to bed. It keeps me focused, pumps new ideas into the well, and gives my subconscious a wealth of information to chew on while I'm asleep. Finally, the last and most important tool you'll need: practice. Writing is like painting or drawing: the more you do it, the better you'll get. Take classes, join writing groups, and read everything you can get your hands on. But take note: this reading is different. I don't mean pick up a John Grisham novel and fly through it like it's due back at the library in three hours. Instead, read carefully and studiously. Find an author whose work you enjoy and study his or her books with fervor. How does the book begin? Look at the first sentence. Why did the author choose that starting point to tell the story? Look at the verbs. Are they colorful and dramatic? How about the adjectives? Why do you think the author chose to describe the main character as "chiseled" and not "rugged"? Study the words, the sentence flow, the paragraph breaks, the chapters, the word choices, the subject matter. Do you think the author made up all the details about the characters in her book, or do you think they are based on people she knows? Read carefully and ask yourself questions as you go. You won't know the answers, but by reading consciously you'll become aware of layers in the books you love that you never before noticed. (By the way, this is the slowest reading method known to man. It will take you forever just to get through one book. Don't say I didn't warn you.) Now, about the practice part. Most freelance writers fall into one of two distinct camps: the group that writes for self-expression, and those who hope to actually earn money. A very few are able to do both, but, for the most part, those who write with an eventual income in mind soon realize that their personal stories can only take them so far. While writing memoirs brings immense personal satisfaction, rarely does it pay the bills. All of which it to say that writing in your journal does not count as writing practice. So what do I mean when I say you need to practice? This is what you need to do: 4. The Assignment Is Yours: What Your Editor Wants Flexibility. If an editor wants two interviews in a story, don't balk or ask if one will be enough. Instead, offer to get three. Reliability. If he needs the story in three weeks, get it to him in two. Size matters. The importance of sending in your article at the correct length. If the editor needs 800 words, don't think you'll earn extra points by sending in 900 or 1,200 or 1,500. You'll only make the editor's job harder. The idea is to send in camera-ready copy that doesn't need one word changed, and certainly not 500 words cut. Polish your work until is shines. The importance of letting your work "breathe." Write the piece then put it away and forget about it for a few days or--better--a few weeks. Once you dig your work back out again the errors will jump out at you. An added bonus: you will no longer be quite so close to the piece, so you can make judicious deletions that you previously would have been unwilling or unable to make. 10 Ways To Make Your Work Stand Out From All the Rest…. You Schmooze, You Lose. Most editors are too busy to have lunch with every writer wannabe. Instead of angling for a personal edge, get your foot in the door with a piece of stellar writing. Then you can begin to develop that all-important personal connection. 5. Your Secret Weapon: Someone You Trust Who Can Proof Your Work Before You Send It Out It doesn't matter how good your editing skills are: when it comes to proofing your own work, it's impossible to do the job objectively. What you need is an unbiased eye, a reader who can point out your weaknesses (and strengths) and tell you the truth. If your works really stinks at this point, it's better to have a friend tell you so than an editor. How to find someone to help you edit your work. Join a writers' group. Online writers' groups are some of the best. Here are a few to try: … Also, join a book club at your local library. You may meet someone with credentials, and at the very least you will meet a whole roomful of people who love to read. Take a writing class and ask a fellow student there to help you critique your work, or read and critique each other's work. Once the class is over, you might even consider asking the instructor to help you on a continuing basis (for a small fee, of course). More ways to polish your work: the Ongoing Edit. Many books on writing advise against editing as you write. They tell you instead to get the basic story or article down and then go back and polish. While the basic idea behind this advice is sound (get the basic idea down quickly), I find that when I write I instinctively know when a word or phrase isn't quite right, isn't exactly the sentiment I want to convey, so I often mull over a word or phrase until I find exactly what it is I'm looking for. It slows down the writing process, but I often find, once I'm done, that the story or article requires very little editing or rewriting. (My first big sale, an essay for a regular column in Cigar Aficionado, was published exactly as I sent it in. It didn't require rewriting at all, but I wrote it slowly and carefully, polishing each word and phrase until it was just right.) There is no one right way to write, edit, or be published. Find a rhythm that works for you. Some professional writers suggest that beginners write for a few (or many) hours every day. This may work for you, or you may find that you do your best work on Sunday mornings once you've read the newspaper and had a cup of coffee. You may work best in the morning, or maybe you do your best work at 1 a.m., when the rest of the house is asleep. You may edit as you go or write in a rush and leave the editing for another time. Just as writing styles are different, so are editors, so what works with one may or may not fly with another. One may accept queries by e-mail; another may insist on snail mail. Here are some tips if your editor wants queries by e-mail: … Here are some tips if your editor prefers snail mail…. Establishing a connection before your query arrives. 6. Working the Market A really good way to lose money in this business is to write one article and sell it, write another article and sell it, write another article and sell it…. It's too time-consuming to write one really good article if it's only going to be published once. How to broaden your horizons. The art of choosing topics that can be reworked to fit a multitude of markets. For example, say you take a summer trip to the shore, and you'd really like to get a few articles out of the trip once you return home. You might do an overview-type of article for a travel magazine, a where-to-go and what-to-do-there-type of piece. You may notice that several upscale restaurants and shops have sprung up and consider doing a piece on the developing local tourism industry for a local magazine. Maybe you see lots of blueberry stands on your way to the shore: how about a short piece on the regional blueberry harvest that includes a few recipes? (You could send that one to women's magazines and cooking magazines.) Did you meet any colorful locals? How about an essay that describes the lack of individuality in the big cities as opposed to the eccentric flamboyance of their rural neighbors? The list is endless. If you do your homework right, take good-quality pictures, collect menus and pamphlets, and get the names and phone numbers of people you might want to interview later, you'll have all the tools you need once you return home to produce a sheaf of high-quality articles. A must: keep a file of article ideas on hand. When you run across an idea that you think might make a good article some day, clip it out or write it down and tuck it into your file. Another must: The all-important notebook. Keep it with you at all times. Write down article ideas, funny quotes you run across, great words you hear and want to remember, phrases or sentences you love. Write down funny things your kids say, or annoying things you overhear in line at the supermarket. Write down the bits and pieces of life around you that make you smile or frown or laugh out loud. Then, when you sit down to write, you can open your notebook and a whole slew of material will pour off the pages into your lap. 7. Common Mistakes Telling your life story in three pages. Writing everything in the first person. Unless you're an expert or incredibly gifted at essays, don't think that editors will care to hear your opinion. The odds are good that they won't. Writing without an appropriate target publication in mind. This strategy is akin to fishing in the bathtub. You may have all the right equipment, but you're fishing in the wrong spot. I'm sure you have a lovely essay about when your first child was born, but sending it to Better Homes and Gardens is just wasting everyone's time. If you have a touching birth story, a better strategy would be to find a monthly column that accepts reader essays in a parenting magazine, but you're not done yet. Study the column for a few months. Note the tone. Is it mushy? Thoughtful? Intense? Does it begin with an anecdote and end with a timeless truth? Count the words. Find the right editor on the masthead. And then, when the time is right, sit down and write. Once you're finished, put it away for a few weeks. Once your mind has been on other things for a while, bring out the essay, dust it off, and give it a sturdy rewrite. Then show it to your trusted friend. Give it another polish. Count the words. Now, think back through your mental file of pictures. Do you happen to have a wonderful, colorful, close-up shot that complements your essay beautifully? Get a copy made and send it in. It can't hurt. Now, before you get all excited about sending your birth story to Parents or Child, here's a huge tip: women's magazines--parenting magazines in particular--receive thousands of submissions. Millions. The competition is really stiff in these markets, and as a result those magazines have the luxury of cherry-picking among authors, many of whom are well-known or at least well-established in one field or another. Why publish a charming, witty essay by a stay-at-home mom when they can publish a charming, witty essay by Cindy Crawford? You get the picture. Instead, look for less-well-known publications, and this is where your current issue of Writer's Market will prove to be invaluable. You can still work on finding a home for that wonderful childbirth essay, but the odds will be dramatically improved if you target The Family Digest instead of Family Life. (The Family Digest pays about .05/word, while Family Life pays $1/word. Guess where the competition will be sending their work?) 8. The Big Question: Do You Need an Agent? Pros and cons of agent representation. Pros: A professional is out there schlepping your work. Agents know the editors at the large publishing houses--at least they do in theory, anyway. And they know the ins and outs of contracts and contract negotiation, which can be a huge plus if you're a writer and not an attorney. Cons: Long-term contracts are often required. Having an agent is no guarantee that a publishing house will want to publish your work. And, finding an agent is a bit like finding a plastic surgeon: There's no problem if your agent turns out to be stellar, but it can be a drag if you find your agent's work to be less than satisfactory. Agents require substantial fees--usually 15 percent. And, the reality is often that you can sell your work as well as anyone. It has been said that it's more difficult to get an agent than an editor. And, while many of the big-name publishing houses only look at agented work, the reality is that there are literally hundreds of publishing houses out there who will be more than happy to consider your work, with or without an agent. Looking out after your own best interest: agents know when a writer is being taken advantage of, but many writers don't know the business end of publishing well enough to know the rules of the game. If you do land a big fish and are offered a publishing contract, it may be well worth the dollars you'll spend to find an attorney with a knowledge of the publishing industry and have him or her spend an hour or two looking over your contract. You don't need an agent to tell you when a publishing house isn't being quite fair. Basic advances and royalty rates. What to expect. What's fair, what's not. 9. For the Love of the Game Understanding that successful writers usually achieve success not because they want to see their name in lights, but because they love what they do. If you give a wannabe writer a word processor and a telephone and then leave him alone, the wannabe will pick up the phone and call his friend, his wife or his mother to talk about all the great writing he's going to do. If you give the same tools to a real writer, he will immediately unplug the phone and sit down to write, thankful for the solitude and a spare moment in which to practice his craft. There is an addicting quality to writing. How to nurture the writer within. If you want to write, it is important to carve some time and space out of your hectic life, to create an environment that is conducive to the writer's life. How to hone your observational skills. The beauty of "being a writer" is that it allows you to mentally escape from whatever circumstances surround you. Stuck by a bore at a cocktail party? A writer can mine the experience for material. All of a sudden you are given a freedom to ask more probing questions, to observe places and people and the things they say with an interest and an intensity that has a way of heightening the experience. "This," you can say to yourself, "is what a bore says and does at a cocktail party." All of a sudden you begin to notice the way he ends every sentence with "and, um…"--a sort of verbal placeholder that prevents anyone else from getting a word in edgewise. (You have to be careful, though, when engaging in this type of mental information-gathering. Someone can say something particularly rich--not meaning to be funny at all--and you'll have to stifle the urge to laugh.) Excerpt Most fledgling writers soon realize that the standard, well-written, charming query letter, sent with the requisite SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope), will eventually return, usually about three months later, with a humiliatingly terse form letter that in many cases has been reproduced to the point of being nearly illegible. (In many cases the rejection comes after the writer has already forgotten sending the query in the first place, so the form letter arrives unbidden, a stink bomb in the mailbox just waiting to assault the recipient with its pungent words of rejection.) This demoralizing dance is often all it takes to sap the willpower and enthusiasm from all but the most doggedly determined writers. There has to be a better way--and there is, for those who are willing to invest time in honing their skills and a bit of money in presenting a professional image. There are tools you can use to become a better writer, and secrets of the trade you can learn that will give your work an advantage over the competition. Knowing what editors want in advance, having highly honed skills and a willingness to go the extra mile can make all the difference in whether your work is published or whether it meets an ignominious end in the circular file. |
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