Posted in Upcoming Events on June 04, 2010 by Beth Daniels
IN SEARCH OF ADVENTURE, ROMANCE, and SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Posted in Upcoming Events on May 21, 2010 by Beth Daniels
SETTLE YOUR STETSON, YOUR PEACEMAKER,
AND SADDLE UP, PILGRIM. IT’S TIME TO TRAVEL BACK TO THE WILD WEST
Beth Daniels, aka Beth Henderson
There is nothing more iconic around the world as the figure of the American cowboy, particularly the 19th century one with his hat tipped forward against the sun, his Colt Peacemaker, or Colt 5-shot Navy pistol in a holster…the movies put them strapped to his thigh, the primary source photographs show them on the belt at his waist. He’s got a horse, a saddle, and a code.
Of course, in reality he was nothing like John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Randolph Scott, or any other western movie star of yesteryear. But think about the actors who have appeared in modern westerns: Kevin Kline and Danny Glover (SILVERADO), Tom Selleck (any Made-for-TV version of a Louis L’Amour story and QUIGLEY DOWN UNDER), Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan (SERAPHIM FALLS), Kevin Kostner (SILVERADO and DANCES WITH WOLVES), Mel Gibson (MAVERICK), Christian Bale and Russell Crowe (3:10 TO YUMA), and the man with the wonderful voice, Sam Elliott (also in a lot of L’Amour tales on TV). Every actor seems to want in on the Western game at some point in time.
You should, too!
Although the televised westerns have fallen by the wayside (except perhaps when set in outer space like FIREFLY, which had definite American West overtones), the genre itself hasn’t died.
Let’s put it another way. Not all of us want to have heroes in kilts waving claymores. Some of us like shoot outs, cattle rustling, gamblers in string ties with wickedly charming grins, outlaws, and shady ladies forced to walk only on the shady side of the street as they are allegedly (if you believe the posters for sale in Tombstone, Arizona) reported as doing.
There are a number of ways to write a novel set in the old American west today: the standard Western (usually a series), the stand-alone literary western, the historical Western romance (whether with R or G rated love scenes), the mystery series frequently with a Pinkerton or historical figure solving crimes and tracking villains, and the alternative history Western in the fantasy arena (Western Steampunk, if you will).
Some things don’t change though and those elements, as well as markets, are what GALLOPING OFF TO SEE THE ELEPHANT: SPINNING AN HISTORICAL SET IN THE AMERICAN WEST Workshop is all about. Hosted by Story Stew University and presented by moi, Beth Daniels, aka Beth Henderson, beginning June 14th, 2010.
How do I know what I’m talking about? Well, other than having grown up sharing my father’s love of westerns (he read and reread and reread all of L’Amour’s books and short stories), I’ve penned a few myself. Which do I like the best? Two of my six titles I really love – of course they are the most recent ones, too. AT TWILIGHT – 1868 Texas, a former Union officer turned vigilante with a posse after him, a widow on the run with her infant daughter, and a really long distance to travel with men on their trail. And, yeah, there’s a shoot out. LUCKY – 1877 Virginia City, Nevada to Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory on the eastbound train then on to Chicago. Weapons are fired more than once and cards are dealt underhandedly. Nefarious business all around.
Now, having laid my cards on the table, pardner, I hope to see you in the virtual classroom. Please check your Peacemakers, marked cards, and cheroots at the door. No spittoons available.
Beth Daniels, aka Beth Henderson
Posted in Upcoming Events on April 26, 2010 by Beth Daniels
I’m on my third life as a writer.
There was the first blush: selling nine different manuscripts to four different publishers in under three years. I wrote romantic-suspense, historical romance, and contemporary romantic comedy. Then the drought hit.
My second writing career began two years later, after I’d added a second divorce to my real life and a cross country move back home where I began working on my masters degree while living with Mom and Dad once more. The contracts began kicking in again with all but one of the previous publishing houses dropping away to be replaced by two new ones. This time I wrote historical romance, contemporary romantic comedy and YA contemporary romantic comedy. This lasted for five years with 14 manuscripts morphing into published books.
Then the Dust Basin effect kicked in. The long dry spell. I managed to have two stories picked up during it but there was no momentum. I stagnated as much as my career.
Thus we reach the third life – the current one where I became more diversified and began looking at other genres, subgenres, at my strengths and weaknesses. Within one year I had two completed new manuscripts, was selling articles and had turned from being college faculty drumming English Comp into reluctant student’s heads to sharing my knowledge and experience in fiction writing via online workshops.
In other words, I’ve been reinventing myself over and over during the enrtire twenty years of my writing career.
If you’ve been in a slump or have enough rejection slips to paper every wall in your house and move on to doing the garage and shed as well…perhaps it’s time to do a bit of redefining of who you are as a writer.
Coming up in May – beginning the 17th, in fact – Story Stew University presents the CHANGING GENRES workshop. It deals with figuring out ways to change, alter, enhance, what-you-will, your writing career.
We’ll look at how working in one genre can put you in good stead with another one. At how diversified the subgenres are. Even at how what you read for enjoyment or even watch on TV or at the movies can be a guideline when it comes to seeing what else you could be writing or should be writing and what is not going to work as well for you.
I hope you’ll join me for CHANGING GENRES. The workshop runs for four weeks, ending June 12th. I’ll give you ideas and things to consider and a couple challenges along the way in the form of questions to answer to narrow things down and expand them, too.
Feedback is a given.
Beth Daniels
Aka Beth Henderson, J.B. Dane
Posted in General on April 25, 2010 by Jax Bubis
BEWARE THE ADJECTIVE TRAP
by the Grammar Divas: Annie Oortman and Darlene Buchholtz
Beware of adjectives? But they’re such nice words, you say. They describe things, paint scenes and help us write…well, in a writerly way, don’t they, Grammar Divas?
Not exactly.
Let’s Review
Adjectives are words that describe or limit a noun or pronoun. The most frequently used adjectives are the articles: a, an, the. Adjectives answer the questions what kind, how many, and which one:
blue sky
lively dialogue
five sticks of butter
Italian loafers
that SUV
sunken ship
most newspapers
complaining employee
the broken one
Although an adjective usually precedes the word it modifies, it may follow the noun in two situations:
1. Predicate adjective—the adjective is separated from the noun by a linking verb form (be, feel, seem, touch, sound, taste, become, see, look, etc.)
Paris is wonderful in the spring.
His accusation seems ridiculous.
2. For emphasis—a writer may wish to draw attention with description.
The house, dark and forbidding, was falling apart with neglect.
The police caught the man, purple with rage, before he could take hostages at the bank where he worked.
Easy enough. Now let’s add a few other thoughts to the mix:
1. Sometimes a word can function as either an adjective or a pronoun, primarily the indefinite pronouns, such as all, each, few, one, this, that, another, many, most, some, other, etc.
Adjective: The Coast Guard found both sailors a week after they were lost at sea.
Pronoun: The Coast Guard found both of them.
Adjective: Stephen King wrote these bestsellers.
Pronoun: Stephen King wrote these.
2. Sometimes nouns act as adjectives, too.
bank robber
cattle ranch
kitchen table
magazine article
mountain bike
sport car
3. Sometimes even –ly words act as adjectives.
daily exercise
friendly group
Why Adjectives Aren’t Always As Nice As They Seem
1. For one thing, we do not need five-dollar words to get the attention of our readers. Most often simple is best.
I couldn’t escape the pertinacious salesman.
Really? You’ve spent too much time in the thesaurus and taken your reader out of the story. The word obstinate, conveys the thought better!
2. A bigger mistake is what we call Adjective Overload Syndrome (AOS). In school, we were often told to look in the thesaurus to find more adjectives to improve the quality of our writing. But that is just plain wrong. Many of us now feel compelled to pretty up or overwrite our descriptions, thinking we are getting our point across better.
But this is one of those times when more is not better. We end up diluting our ideas when we give the nouns in a paragraph two or three modifiers each. Look how lost the details are in this example.
On Sunday-best pink satin shoes, Katy tiptoed across the highly-polished, dark brown floor of the dining room ablaze with reflected light from a Waterford crystal chandelier. She snatched off the table her grandmother’s favorite demitasse cup and saucer, delicate bone china so old and thin Katy could almost see through it. But as she turned to flee, her foot tangled in the carved table leg. She lost her balance and her grip on the irreplaceable antique. The tinkling crash of early 19th century china echoed around the elegantly decorated room and came to rest in the chambers of her panicked heart.
Whew! Adjectives are swarming like gnats over a pond in August. This writer needs an adjective intervention.
Unconsciously, a writer draws attention to herself, not her characters and not the action, when she overwrites. She’s asking for a pat on the back: I’m a real writer now! Did you see that clever phrase I created? But readers are lifted out of the story if their focus shifts to the author.
News flash. Most commercial fiction editors believe over-done descriptions are information dumps that slow the pace of the story.
So, how can you relay all those nifty details you slammed into one paragraph without creating an information dump?
Boil your thoughts down to what’s essential. Strong verbs (action) and nouns (idea) give your writing power, not adjectives. Sprinkle the adjectives (only interesting details) into your action and dialogue rather than creating long narrative paragraphs. That way the reader won’t feel as though she’s plodded through wet concrete to get to the end of your scene.
With that in mind, let’s look at a revision of the paragraph we wrote about Katy and her grandmother’s antique china.
As Katy tried to tiptoe across the dining room floor, the tap-tap-tap of her Sunday-best shoes on the wood floor gave away her location. But maybe not-if Grandmother Crenshaw wasn’t wearing her hearing aids. The walls glittered with the reflected light from the crystals in the chandelier that hung over the table.
Seeing the holiday place settings already lined up at the chairs, Katy spun, wobbling on pink satin heels-her first pair of big girl shoes. She loved this room, loved surrounding herself with the favorite things of her grandmother. She ran her finger around the thin edge of a plate.
“Just this one time won’t hurt,” she whispered.
Katy took a deep breath, sure she could smell her grandmother’s floral perfume, then snatched up a demitasse cup and saucer. The delicate bone china was so old and thin, she could almost see through it.
“I’m only going to play like I’m having tea with my friends,” she reasoned, turning to flee with her treasure.
Her foot tangled with the table leg and she went down with a splat. Early 19th century china spilled out before her, splintering across the highly polished floor. The sound echoed around her.
Katy looked up into the shocked face of Grandmother Crenshaw.
“I never meant to break it!”
Strong verbs and nouns tell us the story now, not the adjectives. The adjectives help flush out the events as they should. But what is important is what Katy does and why. Description for its own sake is not evident as it was in the first paragraph.
Mark Twain said: “As to the adjective: when in doubt, strike it out.”
Having several adjectives strung together to convey understanding worked out great in that country song that described a guy who cheated on his girlfriend—you know the song about a “lying, cheating, cold, dead beating, two-timing, double dealing, mean, mistreating, loving heart.”*
And, you might get away with something similar for one of your characters to show an emotional state. But don’t write a long paragraph and don’t do it often.
Adjectives aren’t nice for other reasons.
3. Adjectives often do not add new ideas. Use adjectives primarily when they highlight something nouns cannot highlight.
The dirty street children of Mexico City gathered around the foreigners in the marketplace.
Street children is a strong noun implying homelessness and unclean living conditions. You do not need the word “dirty” to convey the idea.
However, if you wrote:
Polite street children in Mexico City gathered around the foreigners in the marketplace.
Now you have added an idea, polite, that is not implicit in the term street children.
4. Many adjectives have vague or imprecise meanings. Words such as nice, good, grand, disgusting–what do they really mean? And does nice mean the same exact thing to you as it does to me? No, because we put value judgments to such words. We may agree in general that Tom is a nice man. But what we expect from Tom because of being nice may be different than what you may expect from him.
If we look up synonyms for the word nice, we find: refined, charming, considerate, moral, mannerly.
All of these choices are more specific than nice. Specific words give the writer control over what ideas the reader takes in. If you choose vague words, you lose your reader’s understanding as the story unfolds.
The Bottom Line
Use them sparingly. Don’t fall for their appealing niceness trap. You won’t create eloquence or a writerly style by having lots of adjectives. You won’t earn style points perusing the Thesaurus. Strive instead for clarity. Your reader will remember powerful scenes, not wordiness and mushy detail.
Want to Get Your Grammar On?
Grammar-crammer… who cares about how verb tenses; dangled, misplaced, and squinted modifiers; and that dreaded passive voice? You should! Most people would rather have a paper cut on the inside of their lip than learn better grammar. But good writing requires good grammar. Without it, you can’t really be sure your reader will understand the information you’re trying to convey, the story you’re trying to tell, and the mental picture you’re trying to paint. The Grammar Divas do something most “grammar-for-better-writing” books, courses, and websites don’t do—focus on grammar for fiction writing.
Join us this May for Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Grammar & Style But Didn’t Think It Really Mattered at Story Stew University. You’ll be glad you did.
Yours in grammar… Annie and Darlene.
*”Blame It On Your Heart,” Patty Loveless.
Look for an ongoing series of classes by our very own Grammar Divas and the Bachelor of Writing in Grammar & Style by the Grammar Divas. For more information on this program click HERE.
Posted in General on April 07, 2010 by Jax Bubis
So you’ve written your first book, polished it to sparkling perfection, and entered it into a few contests to get some feedback before beginning your agent search. Then the scores from the contests come back, a baffling mix of “love it!” and “hate it!” that leaves you scratching your head and looking for the common denominator. How is it possible that your novel isn’t setting the literary world on fire? Could it be that your manuscript contains one or more of the 15 most common problems new writers encounter along the journey to publication?
Are you dumping all your back story into the first five pages? Does your story begin in the wrong place? Do you know how point-of-view works? Have you never met a comma that didn’t vex you? If these challenges are holding you hostage in contests, you might not get the desired results when you begin submitting to agents and editors. But don’t despair! These issues can be addressed, and you can move forward with confidence that your manuscript is ready for prime time.
In my two-part class that begins on Monday, we’ll look at the most common challenges writers encounter that keep them from achieving their publication goals. For instance, does your voice match your genre? What does that even mean? Well, if you’re writing for the young adult market, for instance, you might want to find a young adult reader who can tell you if your language is current. I found out this week that saying “word” when you agree with someone is so last decade. I live with a soon-to-be fifteen-year-old who knows how kids talk. Unfortunately, I don’t write young adult. I probably should as I am living in a young adult laboratory at the moment!
How’s your blocking? Do your characters’ movements within a scene make sense? Are you forcing your readers out of your story to ask how he can possibly reach that from there? If your heroine is ripping your hero’s shirt off while he has his hand in her panties, your readers are going to say wait, how did she get that sleeve off without interrupting the goings on in her panties? You don’t want to force your readers out of the flow of the story by giving them reason to wonder how something is possible within the confines of a scene.
While we’re talking about panties, let’s consider purple prose. Throbbing members and steaming channels have no place in romance novels. There. I said it. If your love scenes are making readers, judges, agents, and editors go ewwwww, you might have a problem with purple prose. We can fix that with a few tweaks here and there that keep the emphasis on the emotion and the senses rather than the throbbing and steaming.
Whatever your challenge, identifying and owning it will save you time and trouble later. Check out View from the Judge’s Chair: What’s Holding You Back? Part 1 begins Monday the 12th here at Story Stew University. As part of the class, we’ll review your first chapter and help you identify and fix these common problems. Hope to see you there!
Posted in General on March 24, 2010 by Jax Bubis
Sol Stein in his excellent book Stein on Writing says "Success in writing dialogue is one of the most rewarding aspects of the writer's craft." In my experience, both as a reader and a writer, is that good dialogue is seamless. Bad dialogue is glaring. Nothing pops the reader out of the story, and sometimes out of the book entirely, than bad dialogue. So, let's look at some tips for creating great dialogue.
* Characters only speak because they want something. Figure out what they want at that moment and put the appropriate words in their mouths. We think a lot of things. What actually makes it out of our mouths is important. I have an acquaintance who will say pretty harsh things - even nasty at times. Then, she'll giggle and say "Just joking."
* Dialogue is about what the character wants not about what the author wants. Be very careful that your dialogue isn't about the things that you need to convey to the reader. If you aren't careful, you'll end up with characters who speak "out of character" and incessant chatter. More about this in Part 2.
* I speak to further my goals - to get around an obstacle. I tailor my words according to the obstacle. If the obstacle is my spouse, then I will craft my words one way. My spouse knows me and I can't get away with as much with him. On the other hand, I know him as well, and know what pushes his buttons. If the obstacle is a complete stranger, I will be "winging it" so to speak, using the words and tone of voice that I hope will get me what I want. Maybe I need my supervisor to give me what I want. I will have to be a bit more sly. I will have to craft my words to make it something she wants as well.
* Don't use your dialogue as exposition. Example: "You know, Marie, I've been terribly upset since losing my job as a computer programmer, especially since I had that job for eighteen years and I was relying on my pension to take care of my mother who has cancer and has been living with me for three years." Okay, so that's an exaggeration. But you get my drift. If you need to convey information to your character, a messenger can be used. "My Lord, Wallace has sacked York." (Braveheart) It would be even better if the messenger, himself, is trying to get what he wants as well.
Jaxine Daniels is a multi-published romance author. She teaches writing workshops at writer's conferences around the country as well as online. She is director of Story Stew University, your online writers academy.
Posted in General on March 03, 2010 by Jax Bubis
Here are three more fun, quick ways to jumpstart your creativity.
- Write in a different spot, with a different medium. I know I may be way behind the times here, but I just discovered Moleskine notebooks. Wow, are they cool! I'm not sure my new Moleskine is right for writing a book, but it might be fine to get me started on a scene. Have you ever written a scene on a napkin. I have. How about a Big Chief pad? Do they even make those any more? I used to love the way a ball point pen writes on a Big Chief. Grab your pad and pen or your Alphasmart or laptop and head over to Denny's. Or the park. How about writing at the mall, or maybe the library. Getting out of your usual writing spot (even if you just move from your office to the kitchen, or to the lazy-boy) and changing your medium will stir things up a bit. You might even try dictating a scene into a tape recorder, as if you're telling the story by the campfire. Give it a try.
- Write in short bursts - set a timer. Thank you, Margie Lawson, for getting me hooked on timers. You can do anything for ten minutes. So if you're dreading writing, set a timer for ten minutes and play what-if. What if your protagonist got stuck in an elevator, in a snow storm, in a phone booth. Just write for ten minutes. You can do it. You might find that you have a real scene you can use, or at least a line of dialogue around which to build a scene.
- Watch a movie. Jot down great lines of dialogue. Analyze a scene over and over. Or just zone out for a little while and let yourself be entertained. Never be far from your notepad though.
Posted in General on February 05, 2010 by Jennifer Greene
Jax mentioned a number of ways to jumpstart your creativity. Love them. Just wanted to add some others....
--When I first create the heroine, I go shopping with her. If she's a redhead, 130 pounds, then I shop for clothes, colors, and styles she would wear. (Obviously, I'm shopping with a legal pad instead of money. :) But this is both fun and seriously helpful....I pick up details about her by working with those 'specifics.' Likewise, I love to pick out a perfume that the heroine would like...get a swatch of it on a piece of cloth or perfume stick, and bring it home, to remind you of her.
--I often pick out a song for the love story. Something I can play when I want to pick up the 'mood' between them, the 'uniqueness' of their love story.
--Food. Possibly not a great idea if you're trying to diet! But if I have any characters with an ethnic background, I experiment with some foods natural to them...e.g. Italian, Scottish, French, whatever. You may or may not use this in the story directly...but *you* know how you feel after a heavy or light or different meal of some kind. This can be part of how your characters ring true--by using details that are real and specific.
--Use triggers. When you have to be away from your story for a while, sometimes it can be tough to jump back into the mood and tone. Help yourself by using triggers--like the perfume or the lovesong. When I set a book in Georgia--believe it or not!--I had a bowl of red Georgia dirt on my desk. Okay, I admit this is a little kooky. :) But I'm suggesting--use your physical senses to ignite your imaginative sense. Smell, touch, sound, taste are all useful.
I'll bet we can all think of more ideas like this....
Posted in General on February 03, 2010 by Annie Oortman
Nobody likes grammar. Most would rather have a paper cut on the inside of their lip than contemplate verb tenses, unravel the intricacies between who and whom, or diagram a sentence. (If you have no idea what the last three words in that sentence mean, then you must be under thirty years old.)
However, good writing requires good grammar. Without it, you can’t really be sure your reader will understand the information you’re trying to convey, the story you’re trying to tell, and the mental picture you’re trying to paint. Which kind of defeats the purpose of fiction writing, right?
Conversely, good grammar doesn’t guarantee good writing. A grammatically correct sentence can still sound like crap. Good writing is that delicate balance all writers try to find between creativity and structure. Vision and grammar. A balance between knowing what you want to say to your readers and writing it in a customary and appropriate way to ensure they “see” what you’re “seeing.”
No Problem… I’ve Got Grammar Check
Until a software package is created that can read your mind (heaven help me if that ever comes to pass), a grammar checker will never be a substitute for a strong understanding of the subtle relationship between words and meaning.
Englishplus.com offers these really great examples of the limitations of grammar checkers.
Your name is Mary.
Your name is Mary?
Replace the period with a question mark and the entire tone is changed.
A parakeet is a blue bird.
A parakeet is not a bluebird.
Both sentences are correct, but notice the subtle change in meaning with the use of a compound word.
I think you are beautiful.
I think, you are beautiful.
Both sentences are correct, but the comma changes the tone of the statement. In the first, I is the subject and think is the verb. The speaker is declaring his true feelings. Most women would eat this up in a minute.
In the second, I think shows some hesitation or doubt about you are beautiful. This would probably cause a woman to smack the speaker upside the head.
Grammar involves meaning and intent. Only you know what you want your readers to grasp from your sentence. A grammar checker merely looks to see if the words are strung together in an acceptable manner.
Why Doesn’t Nora Roberts Follow the Rules?
Um… because she’s Nora Roberts.
Just kidding. What are rules if you don’t have somebody that breaks them now and then? Grammar is not a system of rules that should never be broken. (My apologies to any Grammar Nazis out there.) Remember the delicate balance between creativity and structure we talked about earlier? Sometimes that requires tossing the rules aside to ensure your readers grasp your meaning.
Here are the rules to breaking grammar rules:
1. Know the rules before you break them. It’s the difference between using poor grammar effectively or haphazardly.
2. Break the rules only if doing so ensures the meaning of your sentence is clear. Trading good grammar for poor only works if it ensures good writing.
3. Break the rules sparingly.
But What About Dialogue?
Dialogue is guided by your characters. Use good grammar until and/or unless doing so would take your character out of, well, character.
I understand… nobody likes grammar. But everybody loves good writing. So, if you want to be a good writer, you’re going to have to embrace-okay, that may be asking too much from some of you-you’re going to have to accept grammar as an integral part of creating fiction.
I’m sorry, but you do.--Annie Oortman
Posted in General on January 30, 2010 by Jax Bubis
NOTE FROM SSU: Sandy Blair will be teaching the course: Writing on the Fly: Plotting for the Pantser starting February 10th
No one enjoys crafting a query letter, but here are some tips, which might make the process a little less painful.
Basic Tips:
1. Use Courier New, 12 point, single spaced. (Many editors say they prefer reading Courier because it’s easier on the eyes, although they do read others. I say, “Make ‘em happy.”)
2. Always check an agent’s or publisher’s web site for submission guidelines before querying. Some take e-queries. Others want hard copy. Some request only the letter, some request the first 50 pages, and others request a three chapter partial.
3. Be sure you have the correct spelling of last names and use a formal manner of address (i.e. Dear Ms. or Dear Mr...even if you’ve interviewed in person and they said at the time, “Call me Mary.”)
4. Be sure you have a current address. Editors and agents do move frequently.
5. Have someone proof your letter before mailing.
All query letters should be succinct and capable of capturing the reader’s attention immediately. Avoid rambling introductions and flowery verbiage.
Why: The recipient editor/agent is staring at a mountain of query letters and needs to get through them before her meeting.
What Are Editors Looking For? The Book, The Look and The Cook.
THE BOOK:
The first paragraph should simply state:
1. The manuscript title
2. The genre or sub-genre. Include the target line if known.
3. Approximate word count by computer word count (easiest and now acceptable) or calculated by multiplying 250 x the number of manuscript pages, that manuscript being written in Courier New, 12 point, double spaced with one inch margins.
4. What the story is about: The manuscript’s Universal Theme (i.e. Love concurs all, two wrongs never make a right, etc)
THE LOOK:
The second paragraph should highlight your High Concept, your TV blurb, “your story in a thimble,” told in only a few sentences.
Example:
Sparks fly when Women’s Rights activist Alley Murray goes on a much-needed vacation and she finds herself stranded on a deserted isle with the “King of the Conservatives,” radio talk show host Mike Fraser, a man who firmly believes a woman’s place is in the home after his wife left him and their two children for a co-worker. The lone survivors of a tourist helicopter crash, they have to overcome personal prejudices and join forces in order to survive...
THE COOK:
This 3d paragraph of your query letter should include:
1. Any books, short stories, or articles you’ve previously sold.
2. Any awards this manuscript has won.
3. Any significant non-writing awards you’ve won, (i.e. Iron Man Triathlon, Miss California, an Olympic Gold medal, whatever might capture the agent/editor’s imagination...*marketing.)
4. Any specific skill sets that make you particularly well-suited to write this story, (i.e. you’re a homicide detective and your submission is a Romantic Suspense.)
The Closing:
1. A brief thank you
2. Mention of the partial and the SASE you’ve enclosed.
Tip: Don’t bother to say that you hope that he/she enjoys the story. It’s not only a waste of precious space (you only have ONE page to tell all of the above) but the editors and agents already know that you’re not only “hoping” that they’ll like it but are praying like mad that they will.
Example:
Dear Ms. X
In my 1000,000 word contemporary Romance, Tell Me It’s Not True, sparks fly when Women’s Rights activist Alley Murray goes on a much-needed vacation and finds herself stranded on a deserted isle with the “King of the Conservatives,” radio talk show host Mike Fraser, a man who firmly believes a woman’s place is in the home after his wife left him and their two children for a co-worker.
The lone survivors of a tourist helicopter crash, they... etc.
Previous Sales: a romantic short story to Woman’s World, $500.
Member of RWA
Thank you for your time and consideration. SASE enclose with my three chapter partial.
Sincerely,
Author
Short and to the point.
And should you receive a rejection, take it in stride. Remember, your success isn’t solely dependent on your ability to write—-your “voice”--but on you getting the right manuscript on the right desk at the right time. What’s popular today may not be six months from now. Don’t chase trends. Write what you love to read and read what you like to write--so that you know “good” from “mediocre”--and do it from your heart.
Sandy
www.SandyBlair.net
Posted in General on January 23, 2010 by Jax Bubis
Story Stew University is so excited to have a new, in-depth program to offer our students.
BACHELOR OF WRITING IN GRAMMAR AND STYLE
Nobody likes grammar. Most would rather have a paper cut on the inside of their lip than contemplate verb tenses, unravel the intricacies between who and whom, or diagram a sentence. However, good writing requires good grammar. Without it, you can’t really be sure your reader will understand the information you’re trying to convey, the story you’re trying to tell, and the mental picture you’re trying to paint. Which kind of defeats the purpose of fiction writing, right?
Whether you want to take all the classes to earn a degree in Grammar and Style or simply wish to brush up on certain areas, jump right in… the grammar water is fine!
The first class in this program starts April 1st. Register early as I'm thinking it will fill up fast. We'll have the rest of the classes for the year on the schedule within a few days.
For more information about the entire program click HERE
Posted in Writing Tips on January 09, 2010 by Jax Bubis
Here are some more fun, quick ideas to jumpstart your creativity.
* Try something completely foreign to you. Go play bingo. Talk to strangers. Ride in a hearse or on a horse. Go by the Harley Davidson store and pretend you're interested in buying a bike. Go to the opera. Learn sign language. Blindfold yourself for the morning. Listen to rap music. Listen to talk radio. I picked up a book the other day at B&N on the sale table: 2,001 Things to Do Before You Die. Not only is it a great idea book to get you out of a rut, it's a treasure house of situations, goals or nightmares for your characters.
* Write from a prompt. There are tons of writing prompts on the web and even books of prompts. If you just can't get into your WIP (work in progress), take fifteen minutes to write from a prompt. You might find a great scene unfold before your eyes.
* Read a book out of genre or, if you haven't done so for a while, read a book on writing. If you're a romance writer, pick up a Harlan Coben novel. Not as big a stretch as a Harlan Coben reader picking up a romance novel, is it? Hey suspense writers, you might be surprised! Dig through your boxes and find On Writing by King, or Write Away by Elizabeth George or any number of great books on writing. Or maybe THE writing bible - Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer. I find that I brainstorm well when I'm reading other things. So, I keep an index card handy to capture those thoughts.
I hope you'll find these tips useful and thought provoking.
If something gets you thinking or if you have a topic you'd like to see here, feel free to email me.
Jaxine Bubis, a.k.a Jaxine Daniels is a multi-published romance author. She teaches writing workshops at writer's conferences around the country and online at Story Stew University. She is an expert author at Ezine Articles as well. Visit her Ezine Articles here. She also teaches authors a fun and economical way to market their books at Begin the Buzz.
Visit her website at JaxineDaniels.com Email Jax at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Posted in Writing Tips on December 31, 2009 by Jax Bubis
As writers, we sometimes get bogged down. Our internal editor keeps us in analysis paralysis. If we can't come up with the perfect idea, we just get stuck. Or if we're in the middle of a story, and we can't see what's coming next, or just can't get that scene to work, we feel like we're being sucked into quicksand.
So what to do, what to do?
Here are four quick ideas to jumpstart your creativity:
* Write in the opposite "person". If you're used to writing in first person, switch to third and vice versa. This works especially well when you're stuck in third person. By switching to first person, you will be writing from inside your character. I've found that I learned a lot about what was really going on in a scene by writing in first person.
* Write a flash fiction. Flash fiction is short, short fiction. Some sources say fiction under 1000 words, but the predominant definition is fiction under 500 words. Flash fiction forces you to make every word count. The nice thing for our purposes here, though, is that there's no long-term commitment. It's a quicky way to get yourself going when you're stuck.
* Write a fanfiction. What is fanfiction, you ask? Take your favorite television show and write a story. Fanfic is huge on the net. There's actually some very good writing out there. The delightful thing about fanfic is that the characters are already created for you and you already know them.
* Write a scene in screenplay format. This limits you and it frees you. In screenplay format, you write dialogue and action. No thoughts, no real POV in the traditional novel-writing sense. Just you looking through the lens and writing what you see and hear happening.
I hope you'll find these tips useful and thought provoking. If something gets you thinking or if you have a topic you'd like to see here, feel free to email me.
Jaxine Bubis, a.k.a Jaxine Daniels is a multi-published romance author. She teaches writing workshops at writer's conferences around the country and online at Story Stew University. She is an expert author at Ezine Articles as well. Visit her Ezine Articles here. She also teaches authors a fun and economical way to market their books at Begin the Buzz.
Visit her website at JaxineDaniels.com Email Jax at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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