Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights. ~Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, 19th century German philosopher While we like to think that the world is comprised of clear lines between good and evil, right and wrong, it is not. My opinion may differ from yours, with neither being totally right. The world just isn’t that clear and interpretive. This issue must clearly be considered in your writing. Any sort of writing. Whether fiction or nonfiction, memoir or magazine feature, you will find yourself having to depict something as the “right” way, either through the writer’s eye or the character’s. In fiction, or memoir since it’s written in a similar vein, the characters think they are right. The protagonist, the sidekick, the antagonist, or the guy who wanders on and off the screen, doesn’t matter who. . . think that what they say, do, or think is anchored in some sort of truth. Of course we cannot begin to know all sides of issues in our own lives, so our characters most assuredly do not have all the facts. . . or options. That is how conflict happens. That is how good More
Do You Read Your Reviews on Amazon?
/ 2021-06-25Some industry gurus say never read your book reviews. Maybe if you are selling tens of thousands of copies and the reviews come in too fast to read, sure. Put your assistant on the task to pick out those snippets you want to use in blurbs, in ads, and on covers. But for those without assistants, those still climbing hard in this business, and those still seeking sure footing, you may want to measure the pulse of things. I, for one, believe in reading reviews. Do I awaken each morning and rush to Amazon to see if there’s another review since I went to bed? No. But once or twice a week, I might slip in and read them, and this is why. 1) Out of respect for my readers. If they took the time to read my book, then took the time to post a review, I can darn well take the time to read their words in return. 2) To learn what DID NOT work. One has to learn to accept the scorching, stinging barbs of criticism in this business, and nothing tells you what didn’t work better than a person scorned because they bought your book and did not like it. Sometimes these More
Diversifying Your Writing Livelihood
/ 2021-06-19To earn money as a writer it helps if one can pivot from one genre to another—and then another. I’ve been writing for newspapers since I was 17 years old. Since then I’ve worked as a reporter/photographer on two daily newspapers and have written freelance stories for a large regional daily, for United Press International wire service as well as a host of trade and general interest magazines. I’ve done extensive curriculum writing and my lesson plans have been published by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Iowa and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Dept. of Education. Most have been paid assignments, some have not, but all have kept me polishing and improving my writing skills. I taught high school English on an Indian reservation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for 15 years. Many of my students struggled with reading and writing. This spurred me to earn my master’s degree in reading instruction. But one central issue remained. My students wanted to read a story about them, one that reflected their daily lives and the unique issues they faced. This led me to write Cady and the Bear Necklace. I typed out a rough draft and polished subsequent drafts at Highlights Foundation writing workshops More
The Proper Order of Editing
/ 2021-06-19If you’ve been around the profession for long, you realize that editing can make or break you and your work. Editing is not to be taken lightly, and sometimes, how you approach it matters in doing it well. We all know that you edit the big picture before you dive into the minutiae. Whether fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scriptwriting, or creative nonfiction, you step back and study how the work comes together and the message it delivers before you decide where the commas go. In other words, you look at this creation and decide if it’s a story worth telling. Collect beta reader and other editorial feedback, couple it with your own (after you’ve let it ferment for a little while so you read it with fresh eyes), and then decide what needs reworking. That’s what I call the big picture edits…the reworking. It doesn’t hurt to outline the work at this stage. Read through it and draw an outline. That’s right. Outline it after the fact. Give a sentence to each scene, then sit back and see if this story has the momentum, highs, lows, power, characters, and flow to make it worthy. Don’t be afraid to toss out a More
Becoming a Teacher/Author: Not a Typical Career
/ 2021-06-12I always wanted to be a teacher or a writer writing the great American novel or seeing my byline in magazines seemed like a dream job to me. But, because I also wanted stability, I became a teacher. And I loved it. Unfortunately, like 45 percent of teachers, I left the job. In my case, my three disabled children’s health issues pulled me home. Ironically, that is when I became a writer. I started as a freelancer, but my deadlines too often conflicted with my children’s health issues. It was simply too hard for me to concentrate on a plotline while sitting next to my desperately ill child in the hospital. Then I found Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT), and, like so many other educators, I found a non-typical way to be a writer. TPT is an online market where teachers and former teachers create materials for the education market. Materials can be for teachers, parents, or students in any subject from preschool to adult education and college. Writers retain their copyright and earn between 60-80 percent of the retail price of each item sold. In exchange, teacher-authors, as they’re called, get the marketing of TPT and access to a worldwide audience More
How My Non-Writing Experience Launched My Freelance Career and Led to a Lucrative Niche
/ 2021-05-28If you had told me fifteen years ago that I would someday be writing about heart disease in apes and museum programming for teens – with no background in either one – I would have been skeptical. But that’s where writing for professional and trade organizations has led me, with rewards that include interesting stories, cool interviewees, a lot of new knowledge, good pay, and great clips. Here’s how you can do it, too. Use your non-writing experience to position yourself as an expert. Upon leaving college fundraising to become a freelance writer, I sent my first pitch to a professional journal I’d been reading for years: Currents, published by the Association for the Advancement and Support of Education. I pitched a humorous back page column about fundraiser resumes, and although the editor didn’t want it, she assigned me a new column called “Writing for Fundraisers,” which led to dozens of features and profiles. That success prompted me to send a letter of introduction to the editor of Advancing Philanthropy, published by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She became my first $1/word client, and I became a regular contributor for more than a decade. What associations are related to your More
How to Pitch a Magazine or Freelance Gig
/ 2021-05-28Sounds easy enough, but editors will tell you that very few writers pitch well. As a result, the few who do pitch well receive most of the work. That’s how repeat business is created . . . by following the guidelines, writing well, and treating the editor like gold. First, I am a firm believer that every writer can freelance. If you can write a book, you can write freelance work. Same goes for medical writers, journalists, mystery authors, poets, scriptwriters, curriculum writers, and more. Writers write, and there are always magazines, blogs, newsletters, newspapers, websites, classes, and publishers needing writers. The freelance writing business is on fire. But you have to make a good first impression, because like any opportunity in life, you only get one chance to initially look good. 1) Open with what you are pitching. 2) Hook the reader with why this product you are pitching is a perfect fit. 3) Prove who you are and why you are great for the job (here is where you use samples/links). 4) Say what you can do, when you can do it, and how it will be delivered. 5) Provide some sort of call to action (i.e., give More
The Monologue Market
/ 2021-05-22As with many industries across the country and around the world, theater was dealt a devastating blow with the escalation of COVID. With actors unable to rehearse plays, producers unable to fill their performance spaces and audiences deprived of live entertainment experiences, it seemed that it wasn’t just Broadway that would go dark indefinitely. While it hasn’t stopped my fellow playwrights from penning scripts during lockdown, it has changed how we’re channeling our creative energies to stay relevant. One such way to do this is by writing monologues — an aspect of playwriting that has long existed but, most recently, has achieved an exciting new level of viability. Solo performances can not only be used as audition pieces for demo reels but also produced as Zoom presentations, live-streaming, and socially distant tableaus. Are actors and directors gobbling them up? You bet! WHAT MAKES A GREAT MONOLOGUE? A monologue is a one-person show which needs neither sets, costumes nor props to deliver its point. It’s a story told in first person and spoken to the audience, spoken to an unseen listener or delivered as a soliloquy. Though monologues can tap any genre or historical period, the best ones are those whose More
Do You See Obstacle or Opportunity?
/ 2021-05-21This is a dilemma I’ve fought my entire life. I mean, consciously…seriously grappled with. In my earlier years, I decided nothing would get the best of me. I gave everything my all, and if I did not ace whatever it was, then I hadn’t tried hard enough. I saw life as nothing but challenge and opportunity, mastered simply by my personal choice of how deeply I was willing to invest myself. Then I had the inevitable crash-and-burn moments. Then the battle became me against me. I lost sight of the horizon. We can’t always win. However, we can’t pursue a goal without feeling possibility and hope that our dreams at least have a chance. Some people rely solely on hope, playing the odds that success will find them. Others go overboard fighting upstream, demanding they be successful . . . when maybe their goal isn’t the right one to be fighting. With age and experience comes wisdom, unless you find a brilliant mentor along the way who has already paid their dues. I know more of what I want to do today. I’m less likely to leap at every bright shiny thing, or every success method promise out there. Also, More
And the Winner Is…
/ 2021-05-15Entering contests is a no-brainer for me. I can directly attribute my entry into the realm of traditional publishing (albeit a small press) to winning a contest. Many authors could say the same. In 2012, I entered my unpublished manuscript, working title Probable Cause, in the Public Safety Writers Contest (PSWA). I won third place in the unpublished novel category. Re-named, By Force or Fear, I self-published it on Smashwords as an ebook, hoping to work up to a print version. Meanwhile, I mapped out the second book of the Nick and Meredith Mysteries (I’m a compulsive plotter). After months of writing, querying, submitting, and all-around frustration, I entered my novel in a contest at Oak Tree Publishing (OTP). Oak Tree had recently published an anthology for the PSWA. I was stunned when I won. First prize was publication of the winning book. I’d entered my second mystery, Intent to Hold, which had just won second place in unpublished novel category in the PSWA’s 2014 Writers’ Contest. My new publisher also agreed to publish the first novel. Why Enter Contests? They can provide a publishing contract or the cash to enable your dream indie publishing. (We all know editors don’t edit our work More