Tips For Writers

Home Page with lots of additional info on the conference: http://home.earthlink.net/~mwgconference/index.html

CHERYL KLEIN—Opening
Submission process is like a dating match ( Finding the Perfect Publisher… www.cherylklein.com )

What she’s looking for:

1. Good writing—emotional effect in fiction
   
2. Truth—real people, emotions (believable, recognizable even in fantasy)
   
3. New or feels new: voice, hooks, idea

ELFRIEDA ABBE (Ed. at Writers Magazine)
Free Lance Writing
Get work done well and on time—this will enhance your standing with editors and ensure more assignments

3 Keys to Success as a Freelancer

• Persistence
  
• Resourcefulness
  
• Professionalism

Know your market
What types of articles, etc. are in a particular magazine
Who are the authors
Freelancer or staff
Who are the readers of the magazine
Good indication from the advertisements in the magazine

Also look at the website for more insight
Sometimes you can actually get demographics of readers (ex.: Family Circle: 18-49 yr-olds, married, home owners…)

• Set a goal for yourself—how many queries/interviews, etc. a week
  
• Use research to write additional stories/slants on the same topic
  
• Be ready with another idea for the magazine when you get a rejection
  
• If you don’t receive any feedback after 3-5 times, don’t send any more to that magazine

Many mags. take email queries—check guidelines &/or website

6 Ways to Make a Good Connection with an Editor

1. Get copy in on time (if for some reason can’t, call and explain)
   
2. Adhere to word count
   
3. Be ready to make revisions as requested
   
4. Follow-up on assignments
   
5. Pay attention to details: fact check, provide sources, make sure you have the correct spellings of names
   
6. Establish a relationship by staying in contact with editor/ inquiring what he needs (after 4-6 weeks it's ok to check on the status of a query if you haven’t heard back)

After story comes in, the project editor does the 1st edit, asks for rewrites, looks for holes or unanswered questions

Improving Writing Craft/Organization of the Article

• Provide a NUT GRAPH—a paragraph explaining the whole article at the beginning (a summary)
  
• Give background info
  
• 3-4 points (try to keep quotes of the same person together)
  
• Closing
  
• Kicker—leave with something to think about

Query—most important document
Always query—except for humor

• Hook
  
• Body (why is this subject important)
  
• How you will present the story
  
• Credentials that apply
  
• Follow up on reply—as noted earlier

Easier to break into various COLUMNS in mags. than into the main articles. Establish a relationship with editor/ show style and professionalism

SUSAN VAUGHT (YA author/fantasy) www.susanvaught.com

Synopsis— Definition of a synopsis: 1-3 pg short story with lots of punch & flow

• Voice—make sure your unique style of writing for the particular story you are summing up comes through in your synopsis
  
• Tell the synopsis in the form of a short story with a 3 pg. limit using all the elements of story arc
  
• What is the most important element of your story? Setting, characters, plot?
  Highlight it in the synopsis
  
• You can write the synopsis in 1st person if it works with particular story but it’s more usual to write it in 3rd
  
• You need to reveal the ending—but can maybe get away with just a hint of ending if wanting to create suspense—but usually an editor wants to know the ending to know if the story sounds like it works
  
• The synopsis should be a sample of your writing style and an explanation of the story.
  

• Dialogue can be used in the synopsis
  
• In Sci-Fi story the setting is considered a character thus an important part to highlight.
  If your story is written in a special form (diary, free verse, etc.) try to write synopsis in same format.
  
• In synopsis, you will have 3 Acts just like in story: I Set Up (dilemma) II Conflict
  III Climax
  
• Narrative NF like true crime story, etc. also important to show voice of story in synopsis
  Important in NF to interest the editor in the subject

Highlight these:

• Key element/novelty of the story
  
• Main character
  
• Antagonist
  
• 1-3 names of characters
  
• 1-2 place names

JUDY BURKE—Highlights Editor

Why Write For Magazines:
Friendly to beginning authors
Provide wide exposure (Highlights goes out to 2 million readers)
Potential for spinning off more stories from research
Quicker turn around on publication (usually)
Bridge to books
Wide variety of needs

How to Package & Market
Do homework: have written story/done research & then find the right magazine
Study mags./ absorb philosophy/mission—use market guides, web,
For NonFiction or Historical Fiction include a backup pkg—bibliography & copies of pertinent pages of sources, have experts review story for authenticity

Why Highlights requests ALL RIGHTS
Sometimes they use story, etc. in another Foundation printing
Often stories used in school tests (Highlight resells them & gives authors a % of sale)
Selling all rights doesn’t mean that author can’t write a new story using some of same research but putting a new spin on it

For STORIES she wants:
A fresh idea/voice
Protagonist MUST solve conflict
Use a specific setting (these are short stories limited to 2 pgs usually and 1-2 illus.)
Be quirky
Make it real—no perfect endings
NF should be lively and interesting/ use quotes, anecdotes, backups & reviews, primary sources whenever possible

Cover Letter—make it professional, positive, do homework, mention need if you have some inside info on what a particular editor is looking for

Polished Manuscript—send it in looking its very best, no typos, grammatical errors. This copy must be approved by numerous editors to make the cut.

If you get a request for a revision, they really liked it. Do the revisions and send it back in.

CHERYL KLEIN—Plot (Ideas from this presentation can be found at www.cherylklein.com “Muddles, Morals,and Making It Through…Plots…” )

• Story is what happens. The PLOT is the structure of the story—the bones
  
• She advises in the 1st draft to write the story and in the 2nd draft to enhance plot/structure/ make it work
  
• Explore the richness & complexity of emotions in real life

CHARACTERS —you will be able to establish sympathy from the reader for them if they are

• Good—morally (not necessarily all the time as in real life but trying)
  
• Appropriate—believable in their particular setting/time
  
• Lifelike—imperfect/flawed
  
• Consistent within the framework of their persona
  

WRITING

1. Start with character profile—detailed but you won’t reveal all of it in your story. You just need to know it.
   
2. Put in conflict to make the character grow
   
3. Follow character to his emotional conclusion
   
4. Revise—this allows you to get to know the character better, tighten the plot, focus the emotions

ERIN MURPHY: literary agent (interview: http://www.olswanger.com/murphy.shtml)

Voice
I’m sorry but I really didn’t take any notes on this one although it was an extremely interesting session. She discussed how elusive voice is but how important it is in a successful story. We read a few examples of voice that we liked in stories—OUT OF THE DUST was my example. I’m sure you can immediately think of books that you feel have a distinct and strong voice.

We also read from stories that the voice didn’t work—it seemed uninviting, forced, etc. This is difficult sometimes as the voice in one story may work for some and not for others. I would say the Newbery winners, in general, do have a distinct voice.

Voice is a writing element that warrants lots of studying and practice. Plus each story should have its own particular voice—although sometimes an author’s voice does carry over to a certain extent in many of his works.