I have literally failed my way to success. By success I mean making my living as a writer, which was my goal. Writers don’t make mega-bucks. Most newspaper salaries are similar to those of teachers and public servants unless you’re John Grisham or Stephen King. Some magazines pay fairly well by the word. "Fairly well" meaning anywhere from 10-25 cents.
Personalized rejections mean you’re almost there. Look for the wisdom behind the words. Why is this person returning my manuscript? Maybe it isn’t the work, but the market. It’s hard to think of your writing as a product, but that’s exactly what it is to publishers. And they’re (the publishers) the writer’s customers. Writers tend to think of readers as their customers but our first customer is the publisher. Impress editors, agents and/or publishers with a bang-up book proposal; short, sweet and to the point.
Many personalized rejections say, “show don’t tell.” If that’s not the same as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” then what the heck is it?
That’s what my Creative Yarnspinning (no, not knitting yarn!) course is about. Although I’ve given it to authors on line one-on-one and at local colleges, I’m going to be giving a lot if it away free on this site.
Why, you ask? In this economy, that’s just plain crazy. Well, I have a method to my madness. I figure if I give my writing tips away and you actually start to sell your material,then I’ll attract more visitors to my sites, and then maybe, (just maybe) I’ll sell a lot more books.
And (yes, dammit, you CAN start a graph with AND) of course, we writers are always looking to have our books made into movies or television specials. Enough said? So here goes. Consider this the intro to a six-lesson course that usually costs about $600 bucks.
At the end, you can judge if it was worth it for those who paid the $$$. But remember, you're getting it free. In the beginning, we'll be using my examples, but after awhile, when I start getting your feedback, we can work with your book chapter or short story (or whatever project you choose to send) and we'll make improving your work part of the class as we learn how to transfer our emotions to characters and set realistic scenes using the notoriously quoted but little understood “show don’t tell” method.
A lot of people want to be writers. You’re ahead of most of them. You see, most don’t actually like the writing part; sitting alone at a computer screen for hours on end. Those are the ones who just want to say "I have written”- sigh, look important, and draw a massive royalty check.
In reality- that's a bunch of BS. It doesn't work that way. The real writers I know (myself included of course) have stocked coolers in convenience stores, driven cabs and trucks, worked security (with or without ammo in their guns) and delivered babies and gone almost immediately back to work to keep the rest of the family from starving to death.
You (who are serious enough to be reading this) probably either love writing or feel compelled to write. That’s wonderful. It can also make you susceptible to plenty of scams. So let me give you one quick ground rule about scams that prey on beginning writers: If it sounds too good to be true, it always is! The lure of publication gleans thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands from unsuspecting authors through CONTESTS, BOOK DOCTORS and CRITIQUES.
“Just say no.” There’s a difference between a critique and real substantive editing. Everybody needs edited, whether by a professional or a friend. I wouldn’t think of sending out a piece without somebody at least checking over it; especially a book-length manuscript. A friend with a good command of English can be enough if you don’t want to pay a professional (like me- but hey, I'll be glad to read it; my rates are posted on my site!)
OK- Beginning next week we’ll being working the "show don’t tell" method instead of just talking about it. And after each article, feel free to write me at penny@pennyfletcher.com with your questions and comments. Eventually, I’ll even work with your examples here (which kinda’ gives you a short freebie-edit…)so, until then, use your internal movie camera wisely. Record the sights and smells around you. You’re going to need them!
Oh- did I warn you? Writing for a living can be a really wild ride!
Penny Fletcher is a veteran freelance writer with an extensive knowledge of newsrooms at both magazines and newspapers. She has has recorded the last ten years leading to the demise of newspapering as we know it as the background of her latest suspense fiction book, Soft News, which can be bought on line on her website, pennyfletcher.com; at Amazon; Barnes & Noble and Target. Testimonials of well-known (and beginning) authors for whom she has edited, as well as her many writing awards, are also available on her site.