Recently, I was reading a submission from a writer who wanted to appear in the FFW newsletter. I liked the article, was going over it with some comments when someone messaged me. I keep umpteen windows open at a time, and in the back and forth, I accidentally deleted the email. It was a month old, so there were literally thousands behind it, and my search wasn’t finding her name. And she referenced no website or email in her bio. At this point, any other editor would have moved on and forgotten about the submission. After all, there were many others competing for that same feature slot. But I Googled the woman’s Twitter account (the only address in the bio), and found her Facebook page which led me to her website and email (finally). No other editor would have bothered. When querying, put all your contact information in both the email and the piece submitted in case they get separated. Include your bio at the bottom of the piece. Do not assume an editor likes Twitter or Instagram. Do not assume they are on Facebook. Do not assume they will keep track of your email above the thousands of others More
Five Ways COVID Has Changed Professional Screenwriting
/ 2020-09-25I know, I know. We’re all sick of talking about COVID. It’s the pandemic that just won’t go away. Unfortunately, that may be doubly true for the world of professional screenwriting. The impact of COVID has, for better or worse, changed much of Hollywood’s old reality, and many of those changes look to be with us, if not permanently, for a very long time. As a writer who plans to work in the industry for the foreseeable future, you’ll find it beneficial to understand how those changes – whether good, bad or ugly – affect you so that you can adapt. A Virtual World Hollywood was already slowly moving toward a new norm of virtual meetings and collaborations, but the pandemic accelerated a change that would have taken years into one that took weeks. Almost overnight, Zoom became the de facto choice for story pitches and development meetings. Recent screenwriting software like Final Draft 11, Fade In and WriterDuet began boasting quarantine-defying features like real-time collaboration, which allow multiple writers to edit the same script simultaneously from two different places. Some software, like Celtx, is completely cloud-based, allowing access no matter where you’re sheltering. And we’re not talking just on More
Get Paid for the Job, Not the Hour
/ 2020-09-25On social media, many artists and writers fuss that the public doesn’t realize the hours and sweat that goes into a creation. I want to tell them to please hush. In doing so, they shift attention off the art itself and onto themselves. A reader doesn’t care how hard the story was to write. The reader only wants a good story. They want to feel the story touches them, affects them, or entertains them. They aren’t reading the story for the author. When we hire anyone, or purchase their services, we usually pay for the job. Think the landscaper or the surgeon. Then there are those who charge by the hour. Suddenly you are more concerned with how long it’s taking them to work, and, in the end, you are counting pennies instead of waiting to be pleased with the unveiling of completion. Some writers create a book in three months. Others in a year. Others longer. Do you really care as a reader? Does that make you in awe of those who write efficiently, or do you judge their work as shallow? Do you honor the one taking years or do you wonder if they just don’t care enough More
Should You Add an Ebook to Your Promotional Toolkit?
/ 2020-09-18Along with your blogs, social posts, author website, and newsletter, an ebook can be a powerful part of your promotional mix. Ebooks are a subtle-type selling, too, that lets you editorially showcase some of your experience and expertise, so readers start to associate you with a particular area. And despite the name, writing them is nothing like writing a book! Why write an ebook? They have several benefits: – They have more gravitas than a post, so can add depth and authority to your author brand – They are not difficult to do – With a bit of careful planning, you make your ebook content work extra hard for you – You can share an ebook in exchange for email addresses or other useful info What does an ebook look like? An ebook is often just an extended article, broken into sections. Format-wise, it’s a sort of glorified pdf, designed in a readable and often very visual book-like style. Some high-end ebooks will have extras like flippable formats and data visualisations – as here and here – but many just offer great copy and a simple crisp design, as with these writer examples. What do I write about? Your ebook might be a series of advice More
The Importance of a Recipe
/ 2020-09-18Recipes are directions, and in most cases, directions on how to create food. One of my relaxing pastimes is reading recipes, collecting them, and dissecting them on what makes them easy, unique, or particularly mouth-watering. I ponder how to alter them, improve them, add to make the flavor better. I imagine the type of setting I’d serve it at. I play with matching it with others. And I enjoy thinking which platter, bowl, or serving piece to use to show it off. A recipe that captures a reader is not just about the ingredients, like any story isn’t just about its components. So many people have come to me at conferences, saying how good a story they have. They are all about the plot or the research involved. One character or how it ends. I never hear about the whole. But when I ask them how much they have written, I usually get a brief version of “it isn’t written yet,” or “I’m mulling it over, but I know how it will read.” Or if part of it is written, it’s been ongoing for years. They often say they know where they are going, or are almost there. A recipe More
Five Reasons Your Magazine Pitches Get Rejected
/ 2020-09-11So you’ve written your hundredth magazine pitch only to be rejected again. This is where most writers quit, but smart authors know that a successful pitch goes beyond a clean essay and a flashy idea. You need content that not only compels the editor to inquire for more but also provides a definitive point of view that will appeal to readers for years to come. But in pursuit of this delicate balance, many writers unknowingly commit a series of sins that equal rejection before the editor finishes the first sentence. Here are five of the most common mistakes. You don’t do your research. Review the tone and style of each publication on your wish list. How long are the articles? Are submissions limited to certain subjects? Familiarize yourself with the magazine’s content, and discover if they’ve already published articles similar to your pitch. One way to do this is to Google search their website using “site: publication.com [plus your pitch’s keywords].” This should bring up any material already written about the topic so that you don’t rehash old ground. You don’t know your audience. For example, if you’re crafting a pitch for Bustle, they look for lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and More
You Cannot Write for Everyone
/ 2020-09-05If you sit down in a pizza place and order sushi, neither you nor the manager will be happy. The manager hasn’t served your needs, and you stay hungry. . . unless you decide to settle for pizza. But what are the odds that your craving for sushi will be satisfied with pepperoni and cheese? Switch that scenario to writing. You flip into a magazine site on Southern gardens, hoping to to sell a piece about rural Montana. The editor loses precious minutes they can never get back by simply opening the email, and all but throws the proposal against the wall. You, however, hope that this editor might know another editor who could use the piece. In reality, odds are you alienated that editor abusing their time. You write a book on primary school-aged child development then pitch it to a press that handles purely fiction. The editor has lost precious time in their day by opening your proposal. You were refused (assuming you received an answer at all). The editor is thinking “What the heck was that author thinking?” The author is thinking “Maybe they know somebody who wants my book. After all, it’s for children.” First of More
How to Deal with a Bad Payer Without Giving In to Anger
/ 2020-08-28Some months ago, I finally, finally received a modest payment for a couple of articles I’d written for a well-known outlet. It took me almost a year from submitting the first piece to getting paid, and the whole process involved endless emails, chasing different people, lots of silence, and false dawns – a great deal of frustration and wasted time. The irony is that the venue in question prides itself on being a resource for writers! Many a time I would stew on the situation, planning sarcastic emails in which I deplored the publisher’s hypocrisy, bemoaned the complacency and the inaction of the editors involved, threatened to demand that my articles be taken down, and imagined myself broadcasting the whole sorry saga all over social media. In the end, I did none of these things. I managed to refrain from selecting the nuclear option, and eventually the payment came through. The identity of this payer is not important – I’ve had several such experiences over the years, and it’s often the very biggest companies that are the worst at paying. But what was interesting for me here was learning how to deal with a bad payer that I still very More
How to Run a Short Story Competition
/ 2020-08-21Writers love competitions. There’s the creative stimulus of an interesting prompt, the promise of kudos, validation if you do well, and, of course, publication and prizes. Running your own competition is fun, too. It can develop your network and author brand, and may lead to other offers of work such as reviewing or webinars. Best of all, anyone can start one, and it’s pretty easy to do. Here are a few pointers. Goals. Competitions are great for building your profile, supporting other writers, and networking. Better to focus on goals like these, rather than money-making or direct sales. Partner. Your competition will need the oxygen of publicity and the reach of a ready audience, so look to your network for a partner with a mutual interest. A publisher or magazine might offer some goodies, as well as the all-important reward of publication. If you have a blog or a website that could publish the winning stories, well and good, but the bigger the platform, the better. Judges. You may choose to be the judge of the competition, especially if tying it in with a new book of yours, but a panel of two or three judges, especially if they have More
Start Local and Move Out
/ 2020-08-21We’re stuck at home and sick of Zoom. How do we tell the world we are open for business as commercial or freelance writers or editors? We start at home and work out from there. Meaning, we start with who knows us, who lives near us, and who understands where we come from. This is an election year. People need copy for websites, social media, speeches, and advertisements. Start with your local school board, mayoral, or town council candidates. Let them know you are a hometown person, and you like what you see. Offer your services. Offer to write something for them, then after that, offer to write for pay. Do a remarkable job for them, and the campaign manager will remember you for other candidates. . . maybe in this, the same election cycle. There’s a lot of virtual learning out there. Offer your school district, schools, or teachers to write whatever they need, of course, knowing the platform from which they will teach. If the district isn’t interested, contact homeschooling and online entities. You can discuss potions ranging from writing curriculum to tutoring students in writing and English. With all these hybrid and virtual educational configurations going on, More