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Tip #1
If you're going to be a writer, you must be a reader first.
You can't sell a book if you don't know what the publishers are buying. Read at least one NEW RELEASE
every week from the genre in which you plan to submit your work.
Tip #2
Try not to create at the computer. Your
left-brain is going to want to edit. Grab a big yellow pad and a pencil, then find a serene spot. Turn on some
soft music, preferrably with no lyrics (this will keep your left-brain busy). Begin your story, or start where you left
off. Don't worry about spelling or grammer. Just get the words down as fast as you can. You can rewrite
all you want later. If you feel you have to write at the computer, the music is a must. If your left-brain isn't
kept occupied, it's going to interfere with the creative process.
Tip #3
The best
way to find a bonafide agent is to join a writers’ organization for your genre. Check the links page in this site and look under 'genre resources'. It lists most of the organizations. If you don’t see the one you want maybe you can
find it on your search engine.
Be
sure to join and attend the meetings. Most writers’ organizations have
‘chapters’ in your area. And they all have guest speakers who offer
really valuable information. This is also where you will meet genuine best-selling
authors, agents and editors. A word of advice.
Don’t try to ‘pitch’ your story idea at the meeting. The
agent or editor is usually bombarded by anxious, aspiring writers. When it’s
your turn to speak, do so in a professional manner. Tell them you realize how
busy they are, then ask them if you can just send a proposal (an outline and the first 3 chapters of your book). They will appreciate your thoughtfulness. And they may ask
about your story then and there. If so, tell them as briefly as possible. But most likely, they will ask you to send it.
That’s
your opening. When you send your work, write ‘requested material’
on the outside of your envelope, then in your cover letter, remind the agent/editor where you met them, and remind them that
they agreed to consider your proposal. Most agents and editors will look at your
work above the others because you belong to a writers’ organization. It
shows you’re serious about your craft.
Tip # 4
Be clear and concise when you write. Every sentence,
every scene, must be clearly and simply written. The reader can't 'read' your mind. Nor will you be able to sit
next to them and explain what you meant. Your words alone must accomplish that. Make your sentences sparkle, but
make them vivid, visible, and easy to understand.
Tip # 5
Punch up your first page. This is the first of your
work the editor or agent will read. Make it shine. Make it grab their attention. Make it powerful.
Tip #6
End your chapters with a 'hook'. If you want the reader to keep reading, you must
give them a reason to go on to the next chapter.
Have you
ever watched a soap opera? They always leave the viewer with a 'hook' to get them to tune in the next day.
A writer needs to do the same at the end of each chapter. If you can, make it impossible for them to put the book
down. But do not end your chapter in the middle of a scene. Finish the scene with a 'hook'.
For instance, in the last chapter I wrote, my hero (who had amnesia)
just realized he'd regained his memory. And that's where I left it. The scene was over, but, hopefully,
I left the reader dying to know what happens next.
Tip #7
Action and reaction. That's the driving force in your
story. When your character sees an action, he/she must react. Whether the action is something
traumatic, like witnessing a hit and run accident, or something as simple as a 'come-hither look', your character
must react. They would have thoughts, feelings, and sometimes even
physical reactions.
If the hero asks the heroine to marry him, she
won't immediately say yes or no. She would react to his words first, then answer
him.
If the heroine tells the hero she witnessed a murder and the
men who did it were chasing her, he wouldn't start questioning her immediately. He would react
to the danger she was in first, then start talking.
Every
action must have a reaction if you want your characters to breathe.
Tip
#8
Use your 5 senses. No matter what scene you'r writing,
you characters will: 1. Hear background sounds (children laughing,
dogs barking, an ocean wave crashing to shore). 2. Smell scents (a stable, bakery down
the street, or diesel fumes). 3. Touch things (the inside of their
pocket, the handle of a purse, the binding of a book). 4 See
activity around them (a car coming down the street, a street light flicker, an old man hobbling to a bench to sit down).
5. Taste things (a hot dog without mustard, the metallic tang of a tin cup, strong coffee).
We all have theses senses, and so do our characters. By using them, your characters become 'real'.
Tip #9
Watching movies is a great way to get a 'feel'
for the environment you're going to write about, whether it's a historical, a sci-fi, horror, or children's book. Watch movies about the subject and time-period
you're creating.
This Is An ABSOULTE MUST For New Writers
The 2009 Writer's Market Is Now Available
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