The way writers tag dialog is often evidence of how experienced they are. New writers frequently make dialog tags more complicated than they need to be. The classic example is the flagrant use of “said bookisms,” those awkward constructions reminiscent of Tom Swift. “I love Old Faithful,” she gushed. Such …
What to include in a book proposal
For the last several weeks, we’ve focused on getting ready for a conference. So you go to a conference, pitch your book, and the editor says, “That sounds like it has potential. Send me a proposal with your first 50 pages.” And your stomach caves in, because you don’t have …
When to use who or whom
English is complicated and can confuse the best of us. Many editors have dog-eared grammar manuals and style books with Post-It notes on the sections we have to double-check every time. One fine point that even experienced editors find hard to memorize is the distinction between who and whom. The …
How to pitch a book
When attending writers conferences, many people get extremely nervous about meeting with editors and agents. I know I certainly have. It’s understandable. The key to remaining calm when you pitch a book is realizing, first, that agents and editors are just regular folks doing their jobs, and second, that you …
Finding the right editors and agents to pitch
One of the most important reasons to attend a writers conference is the opportunity to meet directly with editors and agents to pitch your manuscript. It’s been my experience that pitching in person has a much greater success rate than sending query letters. By “success” I mean getting a request …
The power of small wins in writing a book
A friend on a writers’ e-mail list shared a link to this wonderful story about persistence: The Daffodil Principle It’s a lovely, inspirational story, but of course my first reaction — I suppose this is true for a lot of people — was to wonder whether such a beautiful garden …
How to Design a One-Sheet
Also called a pitch sheet, a one-sheet is basically an advertising flyer for your book. Many writers use them at conferences to help break the ice with agents and editors, as I mentioned in my post about what to bring to a writers conference. Designing a one-sheet is relatively easy. …
A Labor Day Infographic
Back in my newspaper days, Labor Day was one of a handful of company holidays. Sometimes we dreaded holidays, especially the Monday holidays, because that meant a “short week”—we had to produce the same number of pages in fewer days, which meant the price of a day off on Monday …
FWA’s Mid-Winter Conference West and Reading Festival
I will be on faculty for Florida Writers’ Association’s Mid-Winter Conference West and Reading Festival in Bradenton January 10-11, 2014. This two-day event features workshops for authors, publishers, and others; author interviews with agents and publishers; and the public reading festival. Writers will pay to register for workshops, but admission …
Fiction Q&A: The importance of a likeable protagonist
Q: How important is it that the main character be likable at the beginning of the book? A: It is very difficult to engage readers if your protagonist is unlikable. Difficult, but not impossible, as Scarlett O’Hara demonstrates.