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Writer's Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing
by Writers Digest (Editor)
Write Great Fiction - Plot & Structure
by James Scott BellThis is my favorite writing book. I once had a mentor who said reading my practice novel wore her out. I read a lot of books on structure, but none really worked until I read this one. Now I know why I wore her out and how to fix it.
10 Reasons You Might Not Be Published Yet
It seems like everyone in the world wants to be a published author. Not all of them want to write a book, but they want to have written a book--there is a difference. Following are twenty reasons some people who want to get published haven't yet. Do any of these apply to you?
1. You don't write. You'd think it would go without saying that if you want to get a book published, you have to actually sit down and write one...but apparently it does have to be said. When people ask me for advice on how to become a writer, it's the first thing I suggest. I ask them what the last thing is they've written just for fun--and most often, they haven't written a story or article since they left school. You cannot get an unwritten book published. Even if you think you aren't ready or don't have time, or don't have talent, sit down every day and write. If you write one page a day, taking Sundays off, you'll have a rough draft in a year. One page, once you have some practice, doesn't take very long.
2. You don't read. A friend asked me to read her manuscript and while there was a gem of a story in it, the manuscript didn't sound like a book. I offered to loan her a similar book so she could see how to approach it and she admitted she didn't read books. If you don't read books--the kinds of books you're trying to write and the most current ones, at that--you don't know what a modern book of that sort ought to read like. You'll learn as much about writing from reading ordinary books as you will from reading writing books. Oddly, the worse the book is, the more I learn. Half your scheduled writing time should be spent reading. If you don't love to read, you're in the wrong business.
3. You have terrible grammar, spelling, and punctuation. When I was in charge of hiring writers for several online content sites, I rejected the majority of manuscripts for poor grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I'm not talking about minor errors. I'm talking about entire articles with no capital letters or periods, grammar that makes your head spin, and spelling so bad I couldn't decipher it. When I'd explain why the writer was rejected, invariably the answer would be, "I don't need to know all that stuff. I just want to write books that make me rich." When you submit an article or novel, it had better be just about perfect or it will be rejected. Don't fall into the trap of thinking a publisher will edit it for you. They might (and they might not) but they expect you to fix the easy stuff yourself. Their editing is more about catching plot holes. They aren't interested in paying someone to fix the mechanics. It's your job to learn those things. A mechanic has to learn to fix cars before he is hired. A doctor has to learn surgery before he operates. You have to learn to write a readable sentence before you submit a manuscript.
4. You don't finish what you start. This one is my big downfall. I love starting new things, planning them out, getting them ready...and then I lose interest. However, no publisher is going to publish your unfinished book, so just get it done. Pick one of your unfinished projects--do not start a new one--and set a goal of one page a day until it's done. Usually, once you've done that page you'll just keep going, since the hard part is starting. Don't let yourself start a new project until you've finished this one. If I can do it, anyone can. I have a totally great idea for a children's novel I am not allowing myself to start until I finish the one I'm on.
5. You are afraid to submit the manuscript. I had to be pushed to do this. Guess what I found out? Rejection slips don't kill you. In fact, they are pretty much mandatory if you want to be accepted into the writer's club. Make a list of ten places you can send your manuscript and put them in order, starting with the place you want the most. When it comes back rejected, pop a fresh copy into a new envelope with a new cover letter (or email if the publication allows it) and cross the first place off your list. When you get to five rejections, add five more places to send it. It's easier to send it out if you don't have to think about where to send it. In addition, get another manuscript circulating or being written. Then you can just say, "No big deal. The new one is better, anyway". If you have ten manuscripts circulating, each rejection is less upsetting than if you only have one.
6. You're accepting too many opinions about your work. The more insecure I get about a project, the more people I show it to. Unfortunately, that usually only makes the insecurity worse and it will for you, also. If they hate it, you won't finish it--and it might be a great book once you've done the edits. First drafts are supposed to be awful--it's a rule. If your friends all give conflicting advice, you'll get confused. If your reviewer isn't a writer, chances are the advice is useless, anyway. Here's what I try to do with my projects: I have one mentor who gets to read everything. She knows how far she can push me without getting me discouraged and she knows me, so she knows what I am capable of if I try. She's also really good at the parts of writing I'm not good at, so she knows what I need to fix. She is a writer herself. Choose one mentor to work with--maybe someone who is also a writer so you can help each other--and only let that person see the manuscript. Or avoid showing it to anyone at all. If you join a writer's group, make sure you can handle it. Remember, friends will normally tell you what you want to hear (making them less helpful) and writer's groups might tell you more than you want to hear. The only opinion that matters is that of the editor who reads your work for possible publication.
7. You're submitting your work too soon. I know writers who finish a story or book and instantly pop it in the mail, or, if they self-publish, they throw it online. That's too soon. An manuscript needs to grow cold before it's sent out. An article or short story should be tucked away for a few days and a book should be tucked away longer than that. And you aren't sending out your first draft are you? You need to revise many, many times before sending it out. Be sure to print it and read it and to read it out loud. You'll be surprised what a difference both methods make.
8. You're submitting to the wrong places. Too many writers say, "This place pays the most, so that's where I'll send it." The best place to send your work is to a place that publishes material just like yours, but hasn't published an article exactly on your topic for at least a year. If you write about stay-at-home moms and send it to a magazine for working moms, you're asking to be rejected. If you send fiction to a place that only publishes non-fiction, you won't get accepted. If you send an informal article to a scholarly magazine, you'll prove you didn't research your market. Submit to the magazines you love to read or the publishers who publish your favorite books and write what they publish in the style of their current writers.
9. You give up too soon. A rejection letter isn't proof of a bad story--even if the editor says it is. Many famous books were rejected multiple times and many got nasty notes from editors. If you believe in your story, keep sending it out until you run out of markets. Then put it away for a few years until you've learned more about writing.
10. You're still "in school." Few people sit down to write a book and get it right without any study or effort. If you haven't written a million well-edited words since leaving school, you probably aren't ready yet. Read writing books, study good literature, find good mentors, and keep practicing. Writing is just like any other skill--you have to learn how to do it (it won't come naturally) and you have to practice. Don't give up--be patient with yourself. You'll get there if you work hard enough.
I keep a binder for every writing project. I print everything out and keep it here for safety and for when I want to read it over in a more comfortable place. I like those covers that let you put a picture into them. I use something related to the book--in this case, the building my book centers around.