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A Beginners Guide to Writing a Novel

madhanskumar — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:57:00 +0000

No one is born a novel writer. But do you believe that we all have the capability to be writers? Impossible as it may seem but the answer is yes! If we have the passion for it and if we strive to make it happen, novelwriting can be as easy as writing ABC. Writing is actually not a very complicated thing. It is just like drawing, painting, and even cooking. It is an art! Your imagination is all that it takes to get it started. What makes it hard is not writing itself but how people make it harder than it really is.

The first key to writing a novel is the ability to dream and imagine. Think back to when you were a little child and dreamed. Your imagination took you to places you’ve never been before. It made you do things you never thought you could do. Having superpowers… being in strange places… the conditions are limitless. Writing a novel is actually imagination translated into words. You close your eyes and let your thoughts drift while creating a web of consequential ideas. After which, you write them down on paper.

The second key to writing is formulating the premise of your novel. Let’s say you’d start with a huge asteroid moving about in space. Then suddenly it collided with another asteroid and instantly created an explosion. Some of the explosion’s debris fell down into the earth’s atmosphere. By accident a person comes in contact with it. These sequence of events could be your initial start in which you let your mind take hold of and run with to produce the succeeding events.

The third key would be creating a stream of spontaneous ideas. Once you have the initial idea, sink down into it and allow yourself to be completely absorbed. Let’s say after the person comes in contact with the asteroid debris, he gains supernatural powers! And then he notices some new changes in his being, not just physically but also emotionally and psychologically. This is where an avalanche of new ideas start coming in. You will notice that you are no longer directing your story but your story is directing you. That makes writing now so easy. You don’t need to analyze anything because the story now starts to play like a movie. All you have to do is put them into words as the story plays in your head.

Next, make sure you are able to retain your daydreaming and concentration as one event goes after another. This state is now called the “alpha state”. According to Judith Tramayne-Barth, this is the place between consciousness and sleep. Time stands still when you are in this state. Words keep coming to you until you start to feel pain in your legs and in your waist and then you suddenly flick consciousness and you become flabbergasted because you’ve not only written one or two pages but five or more without even knowing it!

The next key would be to practice flipping in and out of the “alpha state”. You can do this by rereading what you’ve written and internalizing it as if it was your first time. It might take you time, as much as hours or even days before you are able to go to your “alpha state” again but once you’re adept at going into the zone, it would only be a matter of minutes before you start writing a new dialogue.

So, you’ve finished your story! Now it’s time to do the final touch-ups. There is still one last thing that you need to do. Yea, you guessed it. You need to check the entire story again for spelling, punctuations, grammar, correct word usage and coherence. You might even need to revise it a few times before you are able to arrive with the final output. But don’t fret, it’s not much work really compared to writing the entire novel. What’s important is you now have your own novel, written by yourself, using your very own imagination. How much more proud could you get?

Rachelle Arlin Credo is an entrepreneur and relationship coach. She also works as an image consultant and part-time writer. Formerly a contributing scribe to The Freeman and Sunstar Daily – Philippines, she writes short stories, poems, essays, and tons of articles for Writers.net, Netterweb.com, Ideamarketers.com, Searchwarp.com, and Goarticles.com. For more info, mailto: raeshylle@yahoo.com.

A Freelancers Journey, Part One

madhanskumar — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:03:00 +0000

Today it begins.

I have always known I was a freelancer. The phrase my family uses to describe me is “not a nine-to-five-er.” That said, nine-to-five does carry some not-so-romantic but comforting benefits. Health insurance. Travel reimbursement. Gas mileage. A regular paycheck.

But alas, I’m the daughter and granddaughter of entrepreneurs, and I’m also of the “ownership society.”

I love to write. No such thing as retirement–writing is who I am. But with that ideal and that passion comes every writer’s downfall. Running a business. Getting paid.

We right-brained people with our horrendous filing cabinets and hard drives/Zip drives full of e-mails have to spend time organizing, like any businessperson. I had a conversation with a fellow writer/content provider in which we both confessed neither of us knew how to charge for our services. Although University of Southern California master of Professional Writing Program does give great training in the business side, most writing programs in my experience don’t teach marketing, recordkeeping, fee-charging, and work-for-hire contracts, let alone publishing contracts.

Today while tracking two possible freelance jobs (I’d like to give a plug to David Copeland’s Freelance Daily, http://freelancewriters.blogspot.com/, a terrific daily newsgroup with tons of freelance leads, also PayingWriterJobs, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PayingWriterJobs/, AbsoluteWriter, http://www.absolutewrite.com, Writers Weekly, http://www.writersweekly.com, and of course, my local paper, http://www.thedesertsun.com/), I found my e-mail inbox inundated with back and forth e-mails. While I admit my e-mail organization system resembles my filing system at times, I finally wised up.

On my computer, in Windows, I have a folder with subfolders for e-mail. I created a separate directory, “freelance”. Then I assigned every potential or actual freelance job its own folder with a client identifier number where appropriate and otherwise the name of the client/publication.

I also created a Work For Hire agreement today. My own–usually when I work with a publication I’m required to submit an invoice. However, a publication you have a relationship with is different from a client that doesn’t know you and vice versa. This is new ground for me. I’ve signed three book contracts, entered into three royalty agreements and two bona fide collaboration agreements, signed screenplay, magazine, fiction, and poetry release forms, sent more contest applications than I can count…but my own Work For Hire agreement…now I feel I’ve passed the “novice” mark and can proudly call myself a full-time freelancer. Freelance entrepreneur.

No.

Writer always works. To quote Harlan Ellison’s business card, “I write.”

But will I stay organized?

Continued next week…

Kristin Johnson is co-author of the "highly recommended" Midwest Book Review pick, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadable media kit is available at our Web site, http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com

A Perfect Day for Writers

madhanskumar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:30:00 +0000

In one of the exercises in my “Getting Started as a Freelance Writer” workshop, I ask participants to describe what a “perfect day” would be like for them.

The responses are frequently tender, wistful and unfailingly vivid. Those who’ve taken my course write about waking up first thing in the morning, refreshed and filled with anticipation for what their “perfect day” holds in store. They paint lush and lovely surroundings with their words, serve up exquisite foods, and spend endearing or romantic time with loved ones. They describe feelings of peace and deep contentment, so often lacking in their day to day realities.

But what invariably surprises me is that these writers seldom include time to write in their “perfect day” narratives. Nor do they mention that such a day would include the thrill of opening their mailboxes to find acceptance letters or checks for something they’ve written. What I had thought would be an exercise that would enable workshop participants to visualize writing as an integral part of their lives, generally turns out to have nothing to do with writing whatsoever.

Not that I’m criticizing–there are no right or wrong responses to these writing exercises. I simply wonder whether placing such a low priority–or none at all–on writing as part of one’s “perfect day” is a reason for lack of writing success. In other words, do people truly dream of being writers, or simply dream of what writing might bring them–fame, fortune, freedom–while skipping the process altogether?

The idea of being a published writer, or a six-figure income writer, is indeed glamorous. But make no mistake–writing is hard work for most of us. Rejections outpace acceptances, at least until we’re very well established. Making a more-than-decent living from stringing words together takes extensive persistence, diligence, dedication and chutzpah. Moreover, you’ve got to love doing it.

I do a lot of writing during my vacations from my day job. All of my “perfect days” include stints at the keyboard, or filling page after page in a paper notebook when I’m far from home. As a matter of fact, I am on vacation as I write this. It’s a stunning day outside, deliciously warm and gloriously sunny. I will venture out soon enough, to run errands and bask in the day’s beauty. But right now, in front of my PC, I am perfectly content, my fingers clicking along the keys, putting black words onto a white screen.

Certainly my own perfect day scenario would include a beautiful and peaceful setting, excellent cuisine, time with John and my family, and the freedom and energy to volunteer my services to a worthy cause. But I believe that a “perfect day” for all writers must include writing. If it doesn’t, how could it ever be perfect? And even in an imperfect world in an imperfect life, every day that I do at least a little bit of writing comes that much closer to perfection.

A Plan

madhanskumar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:08:00 +0000

All writers should use a plan whether written or reflected. This includes the initial idea, the content or main points, and the conclusion whether it is an article, a short story, a chapter, or a complete novel.

Let us look at the article. This starts with main idea that is engendered in the title. Then the content is considered: the main points that will make up the article. All that is left to do now is to fill in the details of each line of reasoning. Leave it for a few days before editing, revising, and rewriting. The article is done.

Similarly, the short story starts with the intent and then the character who has a desire or want that is stymied by some obstacle. As the character attempts to overcome the obstacle, more complications occur until defeat seems the only possibility, but defeat is turned into success or disaster, success if the short story is a comedy and disaster if it is a tragedy.

The chapter of a novel follows a similar plan, but it is not as complete as the short story, since the tale or narrative must go on. The chapter is like one event in the short story with its aspiration, its impediment, its complication, and its achievement or downfall.

Even the novel follows a similar development. Novels can emphasize plot or character but in either case, the protagonist meets an antagonist that can be another human, an belief, or nature that encumber and frustrated him or her. The effort to overcome increases the difficulty rather than alleviate it, resulting in further complexity until a solution is found or the protagonist is overwhelmed.

Basically, all writing follows a similar scheme. Thus, only the details are different for each composition, be it an article, a short story, a chapter, or a novel.

Charles O. Goulet has a BA in history and a BEd in English literature. He has written several historical novels that are available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes and Noble, and many other bookstores.

His website is http://www.telusplanet.net/public/go1c
His blogsite is http://go1c.blogspot.com

A Series of Articles on Autobiography

madhanskumar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 12:37:00 +0000

ESSAYS ON AUTOBIOGRAPHY: NUMBER 1

Preamble:

Nearly seven years ago I wrote my first essay on the nature of autobiography. It was some two years after completing my initial draft, the first edition of my own autobiography. I am now working on the 5th edition of that autobiography some twenty years after the inception of this project. I trust this 5th edition will be the final one. I am overwhelmed with a sense of complexity, with feelings of indifference and with a vision of the magnitude of the task at hand. I think I could find the motivation to pursue this 5th edition if I could get a clear sense that the work I am doing in the field of autobiography. I certainly hope that this work will be of quite practical use to my fellow-man in the decades and even centuries ahead. This very notion seems presumptuous and this presumptuousness militates against the pursuit of the goals I began with when I set out to write this autobiography twenty years ago.

Since I find the study of autobiography more interesting that the writing of my own I continue writing these essays. Today I read an article on autobiography and what follows is based on that article. My intention is simply to write a summary of the relevant parts of that article with the long range aim of drawing these ideas together into some meaningful whole.

Even as a retired person with far less on my plate than during my thirty years of employment, life still takes me into corners of activity that keep me away from the kind of academic pursuits that this brief essay involves. My wife’s illness, my class in creative writing at the Seniors School, family duties and obligations of home and hearth however minimal, a necessary amount of physical activity to keep a sound mind in a sound body, fatigue after ten or eleven in the evening and an endless assortment of odds and ends have kept me from continuing this simple task. So it is, a day later I approach this essay with continuing enthusiasm.

Errors, omissions, even lies, are part of the fiction or imposture that is autobiography. The creative writer turns to autobiography out of some creative longing that can not be satisfied through fiction. Such a writer finds some peculiar closeness and intensity of effect. It is difficult, in writing autobiography, to keep history and fiction distinct. Nabokov says that the tracing of images into intricate harmonies is what autobiography does. Writers also try to repossess the realities of the past from what appears to be a sterile and fictive world to which he has sacrificed himself. The historiographical transaction that is autobiography does not contain the total freedom or imaginative response of, say, poetry or fiction. Unreliability is an inescapable condition of autobiography. The reader can watch the writer wrestle with truth.

It is important for the critic to understand the organizing principle or purpose behind the work. For the conscious shaping of a life, an informing purpose, exists behind the work. A voyage of genuine self-discovery is an essential component of such a work. This voyage takes place in a narrative past juxtaposed with a dramatic present. Confession, apology and memoir exist side by side as various contradictory and often unstable selves battle it out.

I have been married for 37 years. My wife is a Tasmanian, aged 58. We’ve had 3 children: ages in 2005 are 39, 35, and 28. I am 60, a Canadian who moved to Australia in 1971, and have written 3 books–all available on the internet. I retired from part-time teaching in 2004 and full-time teaching in 1999 after 30 years in classrooms. In addition, I have been a member of the Baha’i Faith for 45 years. Bio-data: 6ft, 225 lbs, eyes/hair-brown, Caucasian. See my website for more details at: http://bahaipioneering.bahaisite.com/ and go to any search engine and type: ‘Pioneering Over Four Epochs’ for additional writings.

A Simple Suggestion to Improve Your Article Marketing

madhanskumar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:58:00 +0000

Article marketing is becoming more and more popular, especially as marketers begin to see the impact and influence they can have from one well-written, well-timed, and well-placed article.

Some marketers use an article distribution service like the Phantom Writers or iSnare, or distribution software like Jason Potash’s Article Announcer, but many marketers submit their articles manually, working from a list containing somewhere around 100 article sites they either created or were given.

While article marketing is perhaps the best low-cost or free way to market online, many marketers miss out on a key part-their resource box. Because many marketers are focused on keyword anchor links, they anchor their website link to certain keywords. For example, if I did this, I would write:

Jeremy M. Hoover helps you market your business by writing low-cost lead-generating and traffic-generating articles.

This works great for HTML submissions, but what happens when someone cuts and pastes your article to put on their site? Or what about sites that don’t accept HTML submissions? In either case, you can actually lose the hyperlink to your site, especially in the case where someone cuts-and-pastes.

One simple suggestion to fix this problem is this: Use both keyword anchor text links and a natural link to your website. Using my site as an example, again:

Jeremy M. Hoover helps you market your business by writing low-cost lead-generating and traffic-building articles. For more information, visit his site at www.jhooverwebcopy.com.

Including your website link both as keyword anchor text (which helps with search engine placement) and as a natural link will insure that your website link remains intact in your article, regardless of how someone comes across it.

To promote your business better, you should build a network of lead-generating, traffic-building articles. Jeremy M. Hoover will write these for you, at a very good cost. Order now at http://jhooverwebcopy.com.

A Single Technique

madhanskumar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:32:00 +0000

Writing is hard work, and like all hard work, one tries to avoid it if possible. Yet writers feel the urge to write, the need to write, and the inspiration to write, but these are not what produces. The writer must have a technique for writing.

Many writers use the approach of fantasizing. They imagine that their article, essay, short story, or novel will make them the great find of the literary world. They see themselves as being lionized by society with recognition and financial success, but that is not reality, and soon the incentive to write disappears so they produce little or nothing.

Others wait for inspiration, a vague, nebulous event which seldom happens. So they bide their time waiting for the muse to send them to the typewriter or keyboard. Sometimes Clio (the muse of history), Erato (the muse of lyric and amatory poetry), Euterpe (the muse of music), Terpsichore (the muse of choral song), or Thalia (the muse of comedy and bucolic poetry) do appear, but most often they do not, and again nothing is accomplished. Since the muse does not arrive, the would be writer does something else.

That something else takes the form of many other distraction. It can be meaningless chores about the office, the kitchen, the yard, any place but at the keyboard. It can be a telephone call, a visit to socialize with a friend, reading to pass the time , or studying the mail. Often the writer excuses this procrastination as necessary to mentally organize what is envisioned, but actually it is to avoid the disciplined task of authorship.

Only one technique is sure to bear fruit, that is to sit down at the typewriter or computer and to write. If at first nothing worthwhile issues, keeping at it will soon result in something acceptable. Usually when writing is difficult, upon review it is impossible to tell what was burdensome and what was effortless. The act of writing is a complex activity that is honed by practice, practice, and more practice, so sitting and writing is of utmost importance to any author.

Of all the techniques used, the most important is to sit down and write.

Charles O. Goulet has a BA in history and a BEd in English literature. He has written several historical novels that are available at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca. Barnes and Noble, and many other bookstores.

A Writers Glossary (Part One)

madhanskumar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 05:03:00 +0000

Find definitions from A to G!

~~~~~~~~~~~ A ~~~~~~~~~~~

About the Author -
usually a few paragraphs to one page that describes the author. Written in 3rd person. Used for books, book proposals and sometimes articles.

Advance -
The amount of money paid to a writer by a publisher before a book is published. The amount varies depending upon a variety of factors like: the publisher; the writer’s background; and the type of book. Advances are sometimes paid in installments as the writer works toward publication. The payments come from the projected royalties of the book.

Advertorial -
An article or copy created by a writer that is being paid for by an advertiser (or “advertiser driven”). This definition can be complicated because while they may pay well, a writer must protect herself ethically by making sure her work is marked as advertising in some way or making sure her name does not appear on it. It is also to your benefit to specify from the beginning how many rewrites you’re willing to do.

Agent -
a liason between a writer and their publisher or editor. They try to sell the manuscript to a publisher or editor and they usually take a 10-15% fee from the royalties and the advance.

All Rights or Work-for-Hire -
This means that the publication you’re writing a piece for owns your work once it is submitted to them. Unlike “First Rights” – this type of deal prevents you from ever reselling your work and/or making money on it other than the one time payment you receive from them.

Anthology -
a collection of short stories written by various authors, compiled in a journal or a book, or a gathering of works by one author.

Assignment -
an article the publisher or editor has assigned to a writer for an agreed upon fee.

Attachments -
clips attached to an e-mail query. -(2) -research, photos, or charts, usually attached to a nonfiction book.

~~~~~~~~~~ B ~~~~~~~~~~

Backlist -
Books that are still in print, but are not being published during the current season.

Bio –
A short paragraph, usually less than 100 words, that tells about the writer.

Biography -
A life story of someone other than the writer.

Blank Verse -
Nonrhyming poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter.

Boilerplate -
A standard contract. Most agents and/or authors make many changes on the boilerplate.

Business size envelope -
A #10 envelope which is the standard size for sending business correspondence.

Byline -
The line (usually printed below the title of a published article) that states the name of the writer and to credit her with writing the piece.

~~~~~~~~~~~ C ~~~~~~~~~~~

C.V. or curriculum vitae -
Simply put – your resume.

CC or Contributor’s copy -
This usually means a copy or copies of a book or magazine sent to a writer whose work appears in that publication. Sometimes publishers offer this as a form of compensation instead of monetary payment to a writer whose work they choose to publish.

Category Fiction -
Includes all types of fiction. See also genre.

Chapbook -
A small booklet of poetry, ballads, or tales.

Clean copy -
a manuscript free of wrinkles, smudges, cross-outs, and errors.

Clips -
Copies of a writer’s published work, usually taken from newspapers or magazines, which serve as samples for prospective editors.

Column Inch -
The amount of space in one column inch of typeset for newspapers.

Commercial novels -
A general term referring to novels designed to appeal to a large audience. Often broken into categories such as romance, mystery, western, etc. See genre.

Copyediting -
Editing a manuscript for printing style, punctuation, and grammar, but not for the subject matter.

Copyright -
A means to designate ownership, and protect an author’s work. Most publishers will copyright the text in the name of the author so that when the work goes out of print, all rights return to the author and the book can be sold to another publisher.

Cover Letter -
A short (usually one page) introduction letter usually sent with a manuscript to remind the editor that the manuscript was requested. A cover letter may also be sent with a book proposal. It is not the same as a query letter.

Creative Nonfiction -
Nonfiction in the 1st person, that uses creative language and an innovative approach to the subject.

~~~~~~~~~~ D ~~~~~~~~~~

DF –
An abbreviation for dark fiction usually meaning the genre of dark fantasy.

Derivative Work -
An alteration of a previous work by annotating, condensing, adapted, translated, abridged, etc… This must have the written permission of the copyright owner of the original work.

Desktop Publishing -
A publishing method for a personal computer that can illustrate, layout, print, design, and typeset for distribution.

Distributor -
A company that provides services to publishers like – warehousing, fullfillment and marketing to bookstores.

Dummy -
Mock-up of a book with that includes: page breaks; illustrations; and text.

~~~~~~~~~~~ E ~~~~~~~~~~~

Eclectic -
A variety of different genres or writing styles.

Editor -
Chooses articles or novels and edits writing.

Editing Service -
A company that offers to copyedit, rewrite or provide similar assistance (for a fee) to writers. Many organizations for writers supply information on the quality and legitimacy of such companies.

Electronic Rights -
The definition of electronic rights or Web rights is not clear-cut at this point. Many publishers feel they have electronic rights when they buy “First Rights.” Most freelance writers disagree. The courts are going back and forth on the definition of this term. If a publisher’s contract includes “electronic rights” – you may want to specify how long you give them permission to keep your work published on the Web and/or try to negotiate additional payment for giving them “electronic rights.”

Electronic Submission -
A submission of an article or book proposal, manuscript or similar work sent to the editor electronically (usually by e-mail or on computer disk).

Experimental Fiction -
A term that usually applies to fiction that can be defined as innovative in content or style.

E-zine -
A magazine published online.

~~~~~~~~~~ F ~~~~~~~~~~

Fair Use -
A portion of the copyright law stating small passages from copyrighted material may be used without the owner’s permission.

First Rights or First American Serial Rights -
This usually means the rights that you sell, even if you do a story on assignment. It means you give the publication the right to run your piece one time and then the rights come back to you. It is to your benefit to specify “First Rights” on your work as this allows you to resell your work after the initial publication.

Fanzine -
Usually refers to a publication produced by speculative fiction fans, which features fan-written stories about characters from popular published stories.

Feature -
An article about human interests instead of news. Used in magazines to describe a distinctive department or a lead article.

Filler -
A short item used to complete a magazine or newspaper page such as: short humor, an anecdote, a timeless news item or light verse.

First person point of view -
The author reports or narrates the story from his or her point of view.

Flash Fiction -
Very short fiction pieces that vary in length from 100 words to 1,000 words depending upon the genre.

Flat Fee -
Same as “work-for-hire.” The illustrator or author is paid a lump sum for their work, and gets no royalties.

Formulaic Fiction -
Fiction that tells a story following a pre-formatted formula.

Frontlist -
Books published in the current season and shown in the publisher’s current catalogue.

~~~~~~~~~~ G ~~~~~~~~~~~

Galleys –
The first typeset of a manuscript before it’s been divided.

Genre/Category -
A term used to classify a writer’s work according to its content. Some examples of different types of genres include – erotica, gothic, mystery, poetry, romance, science fiction, and western.

Ghost Writer-
A book, story, article, or speech that is based on another person’s experience or ideas. No byline given for the writer.

GL or Guidelines -
The publisher’s instructions for writers to follow in order to submit their work to that publication.

Gothic Novel -
A genre or category of fiction that usually has a pretty young woman, a castle or mansion, a menace, and a hero.

A Writers Glossary (Part Three)

madhanskumar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 03:46:00 +0000

Find definitions from Q to Z…

~~~~~~~~~~~ Q ~~~~~~~~~~~

Query -
A letter written by a writer asking an editor if she is interested in a piece on a certain topic. This is not the same as a cover letter. A Query introduces the idea, outlines your qualifications for writing it, and lists your previously published pieces.

~~~~~~~~~~~ R ~~~~~~~~~~~

Reader –
A person who reads unsolicited manuscripts for an editor, usually for the purpose of weeding out those manuscripts that are unwanted.

Reading Fee –
A charge to the author ostensibly for the purpose of defraying the cost of time spent reading the author’s manuscript or the hiring of readers. Too often, these charges may constitute the only business income or a significant portion thereof.

Royalty –
Payment by publisher that is an agreed upon percentage of the book’s earnings.

Royalty Publisher –
A publisher who pays the author.

RT -
Response time. Generally, the turnaround time required to hear back from a publisher based upon when the manuscript was submitted.

~~~~~~~~~~~ S ~~~~~~~~~~~

SASE -
A self-addressed, stamped envelope. SASEs are required if the author wishes to receive an answer from an editor. The SASE should be large enough and carry enough postage to return the manuscript if it is rejected. If the author doesn’t want the manuscript returned, a note to that effect should be included, but a letter-sized SASE is still required for the editor’s response. If the author requests any information from the editor, such as writer’s guidelines, an SASE should be enclosed.

Second Rights -
The rights you sell to a publication for your work that has already been published somewhere else.

SF/F/H -
Abbreviation for science fiction/fantasy/horror, generally used to indicate what genres the publication accepts as submissions.

Short Short -
Fiction under 1000 words.

Short Story -
Fiction under 10,000 words but usually less than 7,500. In Sci Fi it’s less tha 7,500 words. Check submission guidelines because they are individual for each publisher.

Side Bar -
Nonfiction such as extra info, tips, or hints that are put aside from the main article, usually for magazines. You may get extra pay if you can include this.

Simultaneous Submissions –
Submitting a work to several publishers at the same time. Some publishers accept simultaneous submissions, others will refuse to even look at them. The author should always state when a work is being submitted to more than one publisher.

Slipstream -
A story that describes a genre that does not fit into any one particular genre.

Slug line -
(1)a journalism term for the identifying tag of a story, (2)a line in a screenplay describing a new scene.

Slush Pile -
A stack of unsolicited manuscripts that have arrived at an editor or publisher’s office. These manuscripts will usually be read – unless the editor or publisher specifically states they will not read unsolicited works – but with less speed, interest, or enthusiasm than works submitted on spec or other request.

Sonnet -
A fourteen line poem, usually a lyric in iambic pentameter.

Speculative Humor -
Humorous fiction with a foundation of fantasy, horror, or science fiction.

Stanza -
A group of lines in a poem that form a thematic or metrical paragraph.

Sub-genre -
An additional categorization of a particular genre.

Submission Guidelines -
Guidelines given by the publisher or the editor for submitting manuscripts or queries to the publisher.

Subsidiary Rights -
Sales of your book by your agent or publisher to other outlets such as movie studios, foreign publishers, book clubs, or magazines. If the publisher sells these rights, proceeds are split with the author (usually 50/50). If the agent sell these rights, the author keeps all the proceeds except the agent’s commission.

Subsidy/Vanity Publisher –
A publisher that requires an author to pay for the publication of his or her work.

Synopsis -
A brief summary of a work. Depending on the length of the piece, the synopsis make be from one paragraph to several pages long. The synopsis is not the same as an outline, as it rarely carries elements such as chapter headings.

~~~~~~~~~~~ T ~~~~~~~~~~~

Tagline -
The identification of the speaker in dialogue. (For example: "She said")

Tearsheets -
Another word for Clips – or a copy of your work that has been published.

Trade book –
A paperback or hardcover book which usually covers a special interest, and is marketed directly to the layperson.

Trim Size -
The outer dimensions of the finished book.

~~~~~~~~~~~ U ~~~~~~~~~~~

Unsolicited Manuscript -
A manuscript send to an editor or publisher without it being requested. Unsolicited manuscripts normally end up on the slush pile.

~~~~~~~~~~~ V ~~~~~~~~~~~

Vanity Publisher -
A publisher that charges you to publish your book.

~~~~~~~~~~~ W ~~~~~~~~~~~

Work-for-hire -
A piece of writing that is written to an editor or publisher’s request and all rights to the work belong to the publication. The writer gives up the copyright to this work and can never receive additional income from it, even if it is resold.

~~~~~~~~~~~ Y ~~~~~~~~~~~

YA -
Young Adult -13 to 22, between 20,000 and 45,000 words.

YW -
Young Writer between the ages of 12 and 22.

A Writers Glossary (Part Two)

madhanskumar — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:21:00 +0000

Find definitions from H to P…

~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~

Haiku -
A three line, seventeen syllable poem, usually about nature.

Hardcover –
Hard cloth over cardboard bound book that includes a paper dust jacket.

Historical Fiction -
Fiction of any genre set in the past.

Home page -
First page of a document from the World Wide Web.

Hypertext -
Words in an electronic document that are linked to illustrations or other text, such as a related document or a definition.

~~~~~~~~~~~ I ~~~~~~~~~~~

Institutional Sales -
Trade and mass market books that are sold to libraries and schools.

Interactive Fiction -
Features multiple plots and endings. The reader determines the structure of the story by choosing from different alternatives at the end of each chapter.

Invasion of Privacy -
Writing about someone without their consent, even if it’s true.

~~~~~~~~~~~ K ~~~~~~~~~~~

Kicker -
Used in journalism for a short and snappy ending.

Kill Fee -
The amount of money a publication pays to a writer when an article they were assigned to write has been canceled. The amount is usually determined with the initial contract and varies depending upon factors like: the publisher’s guidelines; the length of the article; and the time spent researching the piece.

~~~~~~~~~~~ L ~~~~~~~~~~~

Lead Time -
The time between getting the article or query and publishing the article. This is very important for seasonal stories and articles.

Lede -
A journalism term for the beginning of a story.

List Royalty -
The amount paid based on a percentage of a book’s retail or ‘list’ price.

Literary Fiction -
A general category for nonformulaic, intellingent, and serious fiction.

Little/Literary -
A small publication created with the primary goal of providing literary writers a place to publish their work as opposed to making a profit. This type of publication generally has a low circulation and offer little or no pay, although writers may be compensated with contributors’ copies (free copies of the issue in which their work was published).

Logline -
One sentence description of a TV or screen play.

~~~~~~~~~~~ M ~~~~~~~~~~~

Magalog -
A mail order catalog that includes how-to articles about the items for sale.

Mainstream Fiction -
Uses more depth with background, characterization, etc., than genre novels which tend to be more narrowly focused.

Manuscript -
A writers document of screenplay, nonfiction book or novel.

Markets -
Writers markets for publishing poems, articles, short stories or books.

Market Research -
Uusually for nonfiction books to show a publisher there is a need for the proposed book.

Mass Market Publishers -
Publishers the produce paperback books inexpensively, in large quantities, titles fit current market needs, sell high volume in a short amount of time.

Memoir -
A narrative of a writer’s (or fictional narrator’s) family history or personal background.

Meter -
The regular patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.

Midlist -
These are mainstream books by unknown or new writers that are expected to have only limited sales.

Monograph -
A scholarly study that is documented and detailed about a single subject.

Multiple Submissions –
Sending more than one piece of work at a time. (Submissions made this way are usually fillers, greeting cards, poetry etc….)

~~~~~~~~~~~ N ~~~~~~~~~~~

Net Price -
Sometimes called “wholesale price.” This is the money the publisher receives from each book sale after discounts are given to buyers or book stores. Some publishers base the royalty paid to the illustrator or author on net price.

Net royalty -
A royalty payment based on the amount a publisher receives from the sale of a book after returns, special sales discounts, and bookseller’s discounts.

New Age -
This used to be a ‘fringe’ topic that included occult and UFO phenomenon. Now, it includes general topics such as health, religion, or psychology, but emphasizes the alternative, spiritual, or mystical aspects.

Newbie -
A new writer.

Novel -
A fiction book for authors that is usually 40,000 to 60,000 words, Young Adults and contemporary Romance are less. Spy thrillers, historical, and generation books are often 80,000 to 100,000 words.

Novella -
Fiction that is more than 7,500 and less than 40,000 words but can vary with genre.

Novelization -
Usually a paperback that is made from the script of a movie. Also called a movie ‘tie-in’.

Nut graf -
A journalism term for the paragraph that contains the point of the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~ O ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Acceptance -
Payment is given to the author when the editor accepts the article.

On Spec –
When you write an article based on an editor’s expressed interest in your idea. But since the editor has not assigned the piece to you, she is under no obligation to accept your final work.

One Time Rights -
The publication buys the nonexclusive rights to publish the piece once. The author can sell the same article to other publications simultaneously.

On Publication -
Payment is given when the piece is published.

One-shot feature -
A single feature article for a syndicate to sell. The opposite of regular columns or article series.

Outline -
A writer’s own guide for their play or novel.

Over-the-transom -
The submission of unsolicited material by a freelance writer.

Overview -
The description of the nonfiction book or novel to a publisher is a couple of pages.

~~~~~~~~~~~ P ~~~~~~~~~~~

Package Sale -
An editor pays for photos and a manuscript as a ‘package’ with one check.

Page rate -
When a magazine pays at a fixed rate per published page, instead of per word.

Parallel submission -
Several different articles are written from one unit of research to send to similar magazines. This isn’t a simultaneous or multiple submission because it isn’t the same article.

Parody -
The imitation of a work for the purpose of making fun or ridiculing the work.

Payment on Acceptance -
The writer receives payment as soon as her work is accepted by the editor.

Payment on Publication -
The writer receives payment when her work is published.

PB -
Picture Book.

Pen Name -
A name that is not the writer’s legal name. When a writer wants to remain anonymous, her work is published using a pen name.

Permissions -
A fee paid by anyone who wants to reprint part of your book for various uses such as: another writer using more than 50 words from your book in a published article, teachers reproducing all or part of your story for class use (often the publisher will allow teachers to use the material for free). The publisher handles permissions for the author and usually splits the proceeds 50/50.

Personal Essay -
Usually about the writer’s life and written in the first person.

Photo feature -
The emphasis of the feature is on the photographs instead of the written material.

Pica -
Printer’s measure of type = 12 points, used to measure columns and photos.

Plagiarism -
Using the words and ideas of another writer as your own.

POD -
Print on Demand, publishing a book or books as they are demanded by the publisher.

Point of View -
First person, second person(you), or third person.

Potboiler -
Quick projects to bring in money or ‘keep the pot boiling’ with little effort or time involve, such as stories, short articles, how-to tips, or fillers like anecdotes.

POV -
Point of view.

Proof reading -
Thorough reading and correction of a manuscript’s typographical errors.

Proposal -
A summary of a proposed book, usually nonfiction that includes articles you have written (particularly on the proposed topic), 2-3 sample chapters, chapter-by-chapter outline, author information, marketing information, one page overview of the manuscript and a cover letter.

Prose Poem -
An open form poem whose long lines seem like prose.

Prospectus -
A description of an article or a book that is usually about a page long.

Public Domain -
Work that has never been copyrighted (or work that has had its copyright expire).