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Authors,
Editors & Agents are the smartest and most clever people we know! Get
more informed with Writing Snacks' Blogroll. |
Workshops:
Gotham Writers' Summer Workshops: The University of Chicago
Graham School of General Studies
"Strong Story Starts: How to Leap of the slush pile"
Summer 2011
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Writing Snacks
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Improving
Your Craft
So you have been
around the ol’ block a few times on that laptop of yours and you still get lots of pen and pencil on your drafts from
critiques. What’s a writer to do? Savor these aspects of the writing craft to satisfy the hungry writer in you. Unlike
crunchy munchies, these writing bits and bites won’t give you cellulite!
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Articles
on Becoming a Better Writer
What's new for August:
10 Ways to Become a Better Writer from DegreeDirectory.org This
article is a MUST for any writer and packed full of pratical advice and helpful links. [Read On]
73 Ways to Become a Better
Writer by Mary Jaksch "Do you want to become a better writer? Silly question, eh. The
good news is that writing makes you a better writer. Just like practicing the piano makes you a better pianist, or riding a trail bike makes you a better
biker. A few weeks ago I asked a question on Write to Done: What Helps YOU Become a Better Writer? The suggestions the readers offered were so rich..." [Read More]
Become a Successful Blogger Now "The amazing thing about being
a blogger is that you become part of a quiet revolution that spans the world. Blogs have taken the power from traditional
publishers, and given it to ordinary people, like you and me. We are now free to create something that gives us recognition
and can provide an income. All you need is determination, a long-term plan, and know-how..." [Read More]
How to Write Write the Breakout Novel Part 4: Deeply Felt Theme by Sarah Davies
"...I’m saying that there needs to be something DEEPLY FELT in your story that will stay with your reader after
the last page is turned. Something that gives us a newly perceived truth about what it means to be human.." [Read More]
How to Write Write the Breakout Novel Part 5: A Vivid Setting by Sarah
Davies "...Not every story can – or should - be set around a palace or some other location of supreme
geographical or historical significance. But every story does need a setting that is imbued with emotion and such a strong
sense of place that your setting really becomes a character in its own right..." [Read More]
_____________________________________
How to
Write the Breakout Novel: Part 1- An Inspired Concept: by agent Sarah Davies with Greenhouse Literary "...What do I mean by ‘breakout novel’? Well, that’s my shorthand for saying –
the story that gets you a deal, that creates a buzz in the marketplace, that enables you to go on writing for a career; the
story that is passed from hand to hand..." [Read More]
How to Write the Breakout Novel: Part 2 - Larger-than-life characters
by agent Sarah Davies with Greenhouse Literary "...A major tip is to get to know your principle characters and
their backstories so well BEFORE YOU START TO WRITE that you don’t need to explain them, or invent them, as you go along.
Rather, you are so well acquainted with these people from the getgo that you can let them reveal themselves as you drip forth
in measured and varied ways their personalities and their pasts..." [Read More]
How to Write the Breakout Novel: Part 3 - A
high stakes plot by agent Sarah Davies with Greenhouse Literary "...A novel isn’t always like real
life. In real life things often meander along. Many of us don’t live hugely exciting lives. And yet – probably
many of us DO know what it feels like to have something happen that is completely game-changing. A dilemma that leads to a
forked path. A moral issue so tough to resolve that real anguish is involved. A question about who you love most and what
that is going to mean. A choice between complacency and courage, hesitation and action, growth or stagnation..." [Read More]
National Archives
Blog: a national treausure of information! http://www.archives.gov/
Spring
Cleaning for Manuscripts by Peggy J. Shaw "For several years now I've been doing book editing and manuscript
critiques for SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and I've noticed that aspiring writers tend
to make many of the same mistakes...Here are a few things to look for before turning your manuscript over to an editor or
publisher..." [Read More] Advice to Writers: TONS of great information on the writing craft.
Pen on Fire: Podcasts of the weekly radio show: Writers on Writing iwith Barbara DeMarco-Barrett n Orange County, California!
Writing with Writers: Scholastic has teamed with writers such as Jane
Yolan, Virginia Hamilton & Rodman Philbrick to create a banquet of information for kids and teachers about writing. An
exciting source of information! [Click Here!]
Hey, we LOVE this page: Writing Tips from Highlight's
authors at Chautauqua! [Click here]
Writing
Nonfiction for Kids? Break Out With a High-Concept Idea (Interview with Carla Killough McClafferty by
Darcy Pattison) "A high-concept
book is one that takes a universal theme and puts a fresh, original, creative twist on it. It can be explained
in two or three sentences and will leave you wanting to read the book; or in the case of writers, it may leave you wondering,
'Why didn’t I think of that?'..." Skip over to WOW! - that's Women On Writing for the interview. [Read More]
6 Ways to Make Your Book a Page Turner by Nancy Lamb "Evoke Curiosity: Begin your
chapter by provoking the reader's interest. Reveal a secret, generate a plot line, or..." [Read More] How
to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work "There are several ways to investigate whether a work is under copyright protection and, if so, the facts
of the copyright..." [Read More]
How to Find Out if a Copyright
was Renewed ed. by John Mark Ockerbloom "How
could I find out whether a book... has had its copyright renewed? Is there any method other than paying a copyright search
company?" [Read More] Resolve to Enrich Your Vocabulary This Year One of the best ways to improve your writing skills is to enrich your vocabulary.
By adding words that are richer and deeper in meaning, your work will take on a whole new hue.
Besides, studies show that adding to your vocabulary will make
you sexier. Don’t believe me? See what Ben Macintyre has to say in the Times. So bust out that Thesaurus and get sexy, at least on paper. The
Essential Why: by Mike Kabongo of the OnyxHawke Agency "People ask; What does it take to get published?
It takes a number of things. One is certainly, luck. It is almost certainly the smallest factor, but present. Finishing
a novel is another, and by finishing I don’t mean simply writing until you toss in “the end”, but polishing
the delivery, making vocabularies internally consistent and appropriately varied, making sure that rooms, cars and hair don’t change colors,..." [Read More]
10 Tips for Improving Your Writing Skills by David Wetzel
"...Regardless of when you write, the end result is the quality of the final product..." [Read More]
Better Writing - How to Improve Your Style by Scott H. Young "...Your style needs to be unique and it needs to be effective..." [Read More]
Ever take
caution under your fingertips when writing your manuscript? Or feel like your
imagination got tangled up in miles of kite string? Writing under a pseudonym just might give you the freedom
to find VOICE in your writing.
Read confused Donald E. Westlake, a prolific writer who denies schizophrenia:
"I've just completed another few months being Richard Stark, and a very pleasant time it was. Richard Stark is the name I write under when I'm not writing under the name above, which is the name I was
born with, and these days it is doubly pleasant for me to visit with Stark, because for 23 years he wouldn't answer my
calls..." [Read More]
17 Reasons Books Manuscripts are Rejected These
17 reasons book manuscripts are rejected are from a panel of editors, literary agents, andpublishers at the
Surrey International Writers’ Conference in British Columbia, Canada.
[Read More]
Intensely Focused Practice: from Slushpile.net. Follow Benjamin Franklin's approach to improve your writing.
"When we observe someone who has truly mastered their craft, whether it’s a writer, athlete, musician, or business
person, we tend to assume they achieved that level of mastery through a combination of two ways..." [Read More]
Tag, You’re It! How To Write Excellent Dialogue Tags: from KidLit.com, a blog by associate agent Mary Kole with Andrea Brown Literary Agency
"Dialogue tags are like clauses. If the actual
line of dialogue is the meat of the sentence, these little guys hang somewhere around or within it and add information. When
I’m reading manuscripts, I always note some dialogue tag issues. Here are some of the most common, so you can play along
at home and edit them out of your revision..." [Read More]
Write Rebus Stories for Children from WriteforChildren.suite101.com. "Teachers use rebus stories to teach
vocabulary and sentence structure. Children's magazines also publish rebus stories, and are a potential market for publication..."
[Read More]
To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme
from SmartWriters.com. "Please, no rhyming stories." I heard it at conferences.
I read it in the market guides. What? No rhyme! But I love to write in rhyme! What about all those..."
[Read More]
What Makes a Character?
from Mary Kole associate agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency. "Today in Revision-o-Rama, I want to talk about character.
What makes a good one? A publishable one?..." [Read
More]
Fix
Your Beginning from Mary Kole associate agent with Andrea Brown Literary
Agency.
"...The
first sentence of your novel. The first paragraph, the first scene. This will, in most cases, determine whether an agent reads
on or not. Whether an editor reads on or not. Whether a reader picks you book up, scans the jacket and then the first bit,
and buys it… or not. Before I tell you what to do, I will tell you what not to
do, in no particular order..." [Read More]
5 Tips
to Breathe New Life into Old Stories: If you’re like most writers, you have a drawer or file
on your computer full of unsold first attempts at writing. Most writers are glad these stories never saw the sunshine. After
all, how good were anyone’s first flourishes on paper? However,...[Read More]
Using Details for Characterization:
Make characters pop with consistent props and descriptions that live in the character's point of view.
Use details for more than just setting and plot. Unusual tidbits that you as the author notice give credibility to your writing
as the inside scoop into your story's characters...[Read More]
Nasty Writing Teacher: (Originally published in Once Upon a Time):
"How does Dad's re-marriage affect Bart, your protagonist? And why's that such an interesting big deal? Did you
ever ask yourself that?" Twila, my gray-streaked, frizzy writing instructor asked and shook her head...[Read More]
Grabbing
Attention: (Originally published in Once Upon a Time): Every once in a while those fortune cookies can have some pretty deep stuff. Think Zen koan. In fact I’ve carried
the following fortune in my purse for fifteen years...[Read More]
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Grammar
Snacks!
Abbreviated Latin Terms We see abbreviated
Latin terms in text, and depending on what we're writing, we may even use them. Here's a breakdown on the literal
meaning of some common Latin abbreviations and tips on how to use them properly in writing. [begin bulleted list] e.g.
-- Latin: exempli gratia. The English equivalent is "for example." In sentences, always offset this abbreviation
with commas. et al. -- Latin: et
alii, et aliae. It's used in source citations to indicate that the work cited is a collaboration of the
named author "and others." It saves lots of typing when you're citing scholarly works. etc. -- Means "and so forth." This term should be
spelled out in text as et cetera (Latin), not abbreviated. i.e. -- Latin: id est. The English equivalent is "that is." Always offset with
commas. NB -- Latin: nota bene.
It means "take notice." NB is always capitalized. [end bulleted list]
Past
Concern
"The time is long passed . . ." the columnist began. Whoops. "Passed" is a
past-tense verb with many uses. This isn't one of them.
"The time is long passed . . ."
the columnist began. Whoops. "Passed" is a past-tense verb with many uses. This isn't one of them.The correct word for the sentence above is "past,"
which can be an adjective, a noun and an adverb. If you're British and go in for "spilt," "burnt,"
and other words that seem misspelt (!), past may pass for passed. But passed can't pass for past. See the difference?
No? Consider this: Jenny passed her concerns on to
Jimmy, but Jimmy was past concern.
Form(atting) Those Thoughts You've written the great-American
novel, a Newbery shoe-in, or a story that might win that contest. Now you need to format those blasts of creativity into something
an editor will actually look at. Formatting seems tedious -- and sometimes mysterious. Is it really necessary? Well, yes. A properly formatted
manuscript tells the editor at a glance that you're a professional writer. That's worth a second glance, a quick scan,
and perhaps a thorough reading. Sloppy, cramped manuscripts get quick assignment to the recycle bin. Generally,
manuscripts must be double-spaced with 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font and 1-inch margins. Insert a header with your
last name and short manuscript title on the left side and page number on the right. Read a formatting manual -- like Formatting
and Submitting your Manuscript (Neff, Prues, editors of Writer's Market) -- and writer's guidelines for your targeted
publication for more specific information.
What's Your Style?
Two strangers meet at a writer's conference mingler. "So," one writer
asks the other, "what's your style?"
Maybe it's not the next great pick-up line, but when writing for any publication,
it's an important question to ask. The editorial style will determine how you express numbers, dates, acronyms, titles,
and how you cite sources, among other things. Writing in the appropriate style from the start will save time and effort on
revisions.
Some common styles include:
· AMA -- American Medical Association ·
AP -- Associated Press ·
APA -- American Psychological Association ·
CMS -- Chicago Manual of Style ·
CSE -- Council of Science Editors ·
MLA -- Modern Language Association ·
Turabian
Check out Fordham University Libraries for a more complete list of writing styles, guides and manuals.
Shifting Conventions, Part Two
Times change, and so do the conventions of written communication. Almost on the heels
of accepting that one space behind a period is the new norm, I decided to check on another convention from my high school
typing class: placing two spaces after the colon. According to an older MLA and a brand new AP style book, colons should be
followed by a single space.
Thumbs of
the world, rejoice! With the imposition of single-space conventions, you now receive equal treatment with three-knuckled digits.
Some things about the colon haven't
changed: If the entry following the colon is a complete, stand-alone sentence, the first letter should be capitalized. The
same is true if the first word after the colon is a proper noun, even if the entry is a phrase.
To have your grammar questions answered, email Heather Kolich: Heather@writingsnacks.com
Thumbs of the world, rejoice! With
the imposition of single-space conventions, you now receive equal treatment with three-knuckled digits.
Some things about the colon haven't changed: If
the entry following the colon is a complete, stand-alone sentence, the first letter should be capitalized. The same is true
if the first word after the colon is a proper noun, even if the entry is a phrase.
To
have your grammar questions answered, email Heather Kolich: Heather@writingsnacks.com
Encouragement
101
Whether your writing journey is a breezy skip or a
skinned knee crawl, you'll need to pluck your way through tons of information, truckloads of friendly competition, and
EEEEK...rejection! Yes, whether you're tong-tied in front of successful writers or you're already famous, rejection can
be a nasty reality.
Guard your heart and keep encouraging your creativity.
You
Have to Believe by literary agent Rachelle Gardener: "We all have dreams
of publication. We dream of sharing our words with others, whether they're words of story to entertain and inspire
people, or perhaps words of non-fiction in which we hope to share some truth that might help others live better lives.
Our dreams are constantly being threatened by the perceived reality of the difficult publishing industry..."
[Read More]
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