Set the Mood with a Playlist

Music and creativity are inexplicably linked. Both stimulate the brain, trigger emotions, and inspire people all over the world. A writing tip I discovered lately is to listen to music while you write. Compiling a writing playlist can help you get more writing done by putting you in the mood to put fingers to keyboard or pen to paper. William Shakespeare wrote, "If music be the food of love, play on." Good ol' Willy Shakes. He knew what was up.

My favorite resource for creating playlists is Grooveshark. It's easy to use and has an attractive interface and a massive collection of songs and artists. They have every song that I've ever looked up. For the sake of this post, I'll show you what the playlist for my latest novel looks like.

In this playlist, each one of the songs relates to the tone, characters, setting, or theme of the novel in some way. I have this music on in the background when I'm working on my novel. It helps me get into the writing zone, so to speak, so that I can make some serious progress.

What do you think? What kind of music do you listen to when you write?

From Daily Writing Tips: 34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer

Today's post comes from Daniel Scocco at Daily Writing Tips. You can find the article in context here. I highly recommend that everyone have a look at this awesome resource.

A couple of weeks ago we asked our readers to share their writing tips. The response was far beyond the initial expectations, and the quality of the tips included was amazing. Thanks for everyone who contributed.

Now, without further delay, the 34 writing tips that will make you a better writer!

1. Daniel
Pay attention to punctuation, especially to the correct use of commas and periods. These two punctuation marks regulate the flow of your thoughts, and they can make your text confusing even if the words are clear.

2. Thomas
Participate in NaNoWriMo, which challenges you to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. I noticed that my writing has definitely improved over the course of the book — and it’s not even finished yet.

3. Bill Harper
Try not to edit while you’re creating your first draft. Creating and editing are two separate processes using different sides of the brain, and if you try doing both at once you’ll lose. Make a deal with your internal editor that it will get the chance to rip your piece to shreds; it will just need to wait some time.

A really nice trick is to switch off your monitor when you’re typing. You can’t edit what you can’t see.

4. Jacinta 
In a sentence: write daily for 30 minutes minimum! It’s easy to notice the difference in a short time. Suddenly, ideas come to you and you think of other things to write. You experiment with styles and voices and words and the language becomes more familiar…

5. Ane Mulligan 
Learn the rules of good writing… then learn when and how to break them.

6. Pete Bollini
I sometimes write out 8 to 10 pages from the book of my favorite writer… in longhand. This helps me to get started and swing into the style I wish to write in.

7. Nilima Bhadbhade 
Be a good reader first.

8. Douglas Davis
While spell-checking programs serve as a good tool, they should not be relied
upon to detect all mistakes. Regardless of the length of the article, always read and review what you have written.

9. Kukusha
Learn to take criticism and seek it out at every opportunity. Don’t get upset even if you think the criticism is harsh, don’t be offended even if you think it’s wrong, and always thank those who take the time to offer it.

10. John England 
Right click on a word to use the thesaurus. Do it again on the new word and make the best use of your vocabulary.

11. Lillie Ammann
After editing the work on screen or in print, I like to read the text aloud. Awkward sentences and errors that slipped through earlier edits show up readily when reading out loud.

12. H Devaraja Rao
Avoid wordiness. Professor Strunk put it well: “a sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.”

13. David
Write as if you’re on deadline and have 500 words to make your point. Then do it again. And again.

14. Yvette
Sometimes I type in a large font to have the words and sentences bold before me.

Sometimes, in the middle of a document I will start a new topic on a fresh sheet to have that clean feeling. Then, I’ll cut and insert it into the larger document.

I wait until my paper is done before I examine my word usage and vocabulary choices. (And reading this column it has reminded me that no two words are ever exactly alike.) So at the end, I take time to examine my choice of words. I have a lot of fun selecting the exact words to pinpoint my thoughts or points.

15. Amit Goyal
To be a good writer is to start writing everyday. As Mark Twain said, “the secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

Try using new words. i.e avoid repeating words. this way we learn the usage of different words.
Do edit your previous articles.

Start with small paragraphs like writing an article for a Newspaper, and proceed from there.

16. John Dodds 
Remove as many adjectives as possible. Read Jack Finney’s tale, Cousin Len’s Wonderful Adjective Cellar for a fantastical tale about how a hack becomes a successful author with the help of a magical salt cellar that removes adjectives from his work.

17. John Ireland
I set my writing aside and edit a day or two later with the aim of making it terse. It has trained me to be more conscious of brevity when writing for immediate distribution.

18. Jai 
Try to write in simple way. Express your views with most appropriate words.

19. Mark 
Read great writers for inspiration. If you read them enough, their excellent writing style will rub off onto your dazzling blog.

YOU ARE what you read (and write!).

20. Caroline
I watch my action tense and wordiness in sentences when I am writing my technical diddley.

For example, in a sentence where you say …”you will have to…” I replace it with “…you must…”, or “Click on the Go button to…” can be replaced with “Click Go to…”.

Think of words such as “enables”, instead of “allows you to” or “helps you to”.

If one word will work where three are, replace it! I always find these, where I slip into conversational as I am writing quickly, then go back and purge, purge, purge.

21. Akhil Tandulwadikar
Don’t shy away from adopting the good habits that other writers use.

Do not worry about the length of the article as long as it conveys the point. Of course, the fewer words you use, the better.

Start the article with a short sentence, not more than 8 words.

22. Julie Martinenza
Instead of adding tags (he said/she said) to every bit of dialogue, learn to identify the speaker by showing him/her in action. Example: “Pass that sweet-smelling turkey this way.” With knife in one hand and fork in the other, Sam looked eager to pounce.

23. Aaron Stroud 
Write often and to completion by following a realistic writing schedule.

24. Joanna Young
One that works for me every time is to focus on the positive intention behind my writing. What is it that I want to communicate, express, convey? By focusing on that, by getting into the state that I’m trying to express, I find that I stop worrying about the words – just let them tumble out of their own accord.

It’s a great strategy for beating writer’s block, or overcoming anxiety about a particular piece of writing, whether that’s composing a formal business letter, writing a piece from the heart, or guest blogging somewhere ‘big’…

25. Shelley Rodrigo
Use others writer’s sentences and paragraphs as models and then emulate the syntactic structure with your own content. I’ve learned more about grammar and punctuation that way.

26. Sylvia
Avoid long sentences.

27. Mike Feeney 
Learn the difference between me, myself and I. For example: “Contact Bob or myself if you have any questions.” I hear this very often!

28. Richard Scott 
When doing a long project, a novel, for instance, shut off your internal editor and just write.

Think of your first draft as a complex outline waiting to be expanded upon, and let the words flow.

29. David
Careful with unnecessary expressions. “At this point in time” came along during the Nixon congressional hearings. Too bad it didn’t go out with him. What about “on a daily basis?”

30. E. I. Sanchez 
For large documents, I use Word’s Speech feature to have the computer read the article back. This allows me to catch errors I have missed – especially missing words or words that ’sort of sound the same’ but are spelled differently (e.g. Front me instead of ‘From me’).

31. Cat
Either read the book “Writing Tools 50 Strategies for Every Writer”, by Roy Peter Clark, or read the Fifty Writing Tools: Quick List on his blog. Then join a writing group, or hire a writing coach.

32. Suemagoo 
Write the first draft spontaneously. Switch off your internal editor until it is time to review your first draft.

33. Lydia
If you’re writing fiction, it’s a great idea to have a plot. It will coordinate your thoughts and add consistency to the text.

34. Pedro
Edit your older articles and pieces. You will notice that great part of it will be crap, and it will allow you to refine your style and avoid mistakes that you used to make.

After reading this article, I was surprised that I hadn't heard of many of these tips. I plan to implement Bill Harper, Jacinta, Pete Bollini, Lillie Ammann, and Caroline's suggestions.

What do you think about these tips?

Make Something Every Day.

Getting Back into the Habit of Writing

I found this post a few days ago that really resonated with me. For the past month or so, I haven't been writing every day -- shocking, I know. But I am human. If you, like me, have been neglecting your daily writing routine, here are some tips that will help you start writing again.

More than two weeks ago, I finished up a one-act play–I did the final edit, hit the deadline, then heartily congratulated myself.

In the days leading up to the deadline, I was writing 3+ hours each day in order to get the thing done (yes, I procrastinated a bit).  Once the piece was complete, a short reprieve from writing seemed to be in order.  My current internship started the following day, and now that few days has grown into nearly 3 weeks.  Not cool.

For me, writing is a lot like exercise.  When I’m writing most days of the week, and making progress toward my goals, I feel great.  When I skip days–or weeks–I grow grumpy and lethargic.  Everything is terrible and I don’t know why.  By the time I figure out that my lack of exercise is causing my terrible mood, I’ve usually reached the point where I’ve lost all motivation to write ever again.  It is only through a combination of guilt and restlessness that I finally put on my sneakers and go for a run.

The first days getting back into a routine are rough but necessary.  Here are some things I do to create momentum in my writing life.

1. Forgive yourself.  Writerly guilt got you sitting at the desk; now forget about it so that you can immerse yourself in your story’s world.  Otherwise, your session will be plagued by the conviction that your writing is shit and so are you.


2. Set a concrete, measurable goal.  ”Write.” is not concrete enough to put on your to-do list.  Give yourself a word or page count goal (“I won’t get up from this chair until I’ve written 1,000 words.”), or tell yourself that you’ll write for the next hour.


3. Schedule it.  If you decided on a time goal, fit that block of time into your calendar, and write it down.  Don’t schedule anything else during that time.


4. Write somewhere else.  Writing somewhere you usually don’t can be an easy fix when a blank page seems daunting.  This could mean finding a park bench or coffee shop on the opposite side of the city, or it could be as simple as moving to the couch if you usually sit at a desk.


5. Write sometime else.  If you usually write before bed, try waking up early.  Make yourself a cup of coffee and write as the sun rises.  If you’re a morning writer, sleep in one morning, and stay up writing late that night.


6. Re-read.  Look through your previous writing beforehand to get yourself excited about what you’ve done in the past, and to get back in touch with your characters and setting, if it’s a longer piece.


7. Start Slow.  Ease into it by using your first writing sesh to brainstorm or outline.


8. Start Small.  Begin working on something bite-sized first, if you’ve been away a super long time–a character sketch, vignette, flash fiction.  Try a six-word story if you’re really struggling.


9. Minimize distractions.  Turn off the internet.  Don’t sit in the library with your friends and don’t sit in a busy coffee shop, unless those are environments that you’ve thrived in previously. Isolate yourself in a room without windows, if you must!


10. Tunes. Listen to music that fits the tone of your piece–this can help you get into the proper mindset, and the words may flow more easily.


11. Don’t censor.  You’re returning to writing, so your prose will not be very polished.  That’s what second (and third! and fourth!) drafts are for.  Focus on the quantity of words rather than the quality, or challenge yourself to write for fifteen minutes straight without taking a break (perhaps use a web app like Write Or Die).


12. Start writing now.  No really, like rightnow. Write the next sentence of the story you’ve been away from, or write the first sentence of a new one.  Then write another sentence.  And another.

As you can see, getting back into the habit of writing is mostly just about getting to work. There aren't really any tricks -- just sit down and start writing.

What do you think? What do you do for your writing routine?

The Merits of Reading and Writing Fanfiction

Whether you're a fan or a critic of Fifty Shades of Grey, there is no denying that the novel has a universal appeal. Fifty Shades of Grey was originally written as a work of Twilight fanfiction paying homage to the work of author Stephanie Meyer. E. L. James took her fanfiction, altered some names and book-specific details, and made a massive profit from her work. You may not be interested in reading or writing anything related to Twilight, but there are many other kinds of fanfiction out there. If you want to know why you should look into reading or writing fanfiction, let this blog post be your guide.

One of the greatest benefits of fanfiction is that it explores a wider range of issues than mainstream fiction. Fanfiction is noncommercial, so authors can write about whatever they want without fear that the subject matter will affect their book sales. The anonymity of fanfiction is another factor that allows authors to address whatever issues they want without worrying about being too controversial.

Another wonderful thing about fanfiction is that it is free. This case is one in which you get much more than what you pay for, however. No pay means that fanfiction writers aren't in it for the money. They're passionate about the craft. You could say that fanfiction is extremely cost-effective.

Fanfiction is also interactive. Thanks to the magic of the internet, readers can submit reviews and ratings for stories they enjoy. Writers receive the feedback and use it to improve their work. These reviews also serve as motivation to keep writing. You're more likely to finish a project if you know that people are interested.

If you want to write fanfiction, it's easy to get into. There are pre-established stories, characters, and settings - all you need to do is come up with a scenario. Fanfiction comes with preset fan bases. Everything is online - check out Fanfiction or Archive of Our Own to get started. Read a few stories first to get an idea for the format.

Fanfiction is a great way for beginners to practice the craft of writing. You can post stories, get feedback, and gain a better understanding of your prowess as a writer. Readers and writers alike can benefit in many different ways from the world of fanfiction. So what are you waiting for? Get out there!

What do you think? How do you feel about fanfiction?

4 Unexpected Places to Find Writing Jobs

The world of freelance writing is a gratifying, albeit frustrating, career path to pursue. I've been getting paid to write for various websites for three years now. Not only do I get a little pocket change--freelance work also allows me to put my name out for other potential clients and employers to see. If you want to look into doing freelance work, here are four unexpected places to conduct your freelance writing job search.

1. Elance. Okay, maybe this site isn't extraordinary. It's standard fare for most freelancers. Still, Elance is a great place to start looking for work. Clients and employers post jobs for freelance writers to bid on. If your bid wins, you get the job. For each job you complete, your rating goes up, which could lead you to even more work.
   


2. Craigslist. Hear me out. Although Craigslist can be unsavory at times, it's still a decent source for tracking down freelance writing jobs. You can either post your resume or apply for one of the jobs in the writing/editing section. You never know what could happen.


3. Reddit. Once again, I can feel you shaking your head. I got my current job from Reddit. Post your resume to r/forhire or r/hiring and see what comes up.


4. Ed2010. This site is the writing world's best-kept secret. Ed is the only site with jobs and internships geared toward those who are serious about writing. Check it out.

These are just a few resources to get you started on your way to a career in freelance writing. Be persistent, patient, and passionate about looking for work, and you'll be hired in no time.

What do you think? How do you find freelance writing jobs?

Pen versus Keyboard: A Pros and Cons List

One of the most prevalent dilemmas in the world of writing involves the method used to compose novels, short stories, essays, blog posts, poems, and scripts. Should you write your project out on paper or type it up on your computer? Fitzgerald and Wilde didn’t have much of a choice. Stephen King most certainly has a computer, yet he chooses to draft his pieces by hand first. Some people judge other writers by the method they use to write their first drafts. In this article, I’ll be listing the pros and cons of writing longhand versus writing shorthand. It’s up to you to decide which method works better for you as a writer.

Let’s talk about good ol’ fashioned pen and paper. The majority opinion of writers everywhere is that writing longhand allows you some freedom for pretention. Practically-speaking, there are several things to consider about writing your first draft on paper. It increases your focus, removes a majority of Internet- and computer-based distractions, cannot crash or freeze or be lost as easily, and is much more thoughtful on the whole. At the same time, writing on paper is hard work, can be time-consuming, and is difficult to search through when looking for a specific passage or scene.

Typing your draft may seem like the better solution for most writers, but there are two sides to this idea. Writing on the computer allows you to edit as you go along, backup your work, save it to access remotely when away from your computer, write more quickly and easily, search documents with ease, and automatically calculate word count. Some problems with writing longhand include the possibility for distractions, losing data to crashes and freezes, and less planning and forethought.

I’m writing this article on the computer—not because it’s better, but because typing my work is easier for me. I type much faster than I write. I’ve written this article hoping that you’ll use it to make your own educated decision about which method to use. Ignore people who try to judge your talent as a writer based on whether you write or type your work. Those people are silly. Content matters more than method.

Immerse Your Readers in Your Setting

Imagine yourself in the middle of a meadow on a summer afternoon. Hear the soft buzz of the bumblebee, the rush of wind-blown grasses, and the trickle of a nearby stream. Feel the warmth of the sun on your face. Taste the tart sweetness of the lemonade you sip from the glass in your hands. Feel the chill of the ice in the glass as condensation slides down the sides of it. See the sky—impossibly blue, bright, and cloudless. Reach out to touch the smooth wooden railing of the front porch.

Come back to the present.

Were you in the meadow?

As writers, one of the hardest parts of our job is convincing our readers to dive into our stories. We want them to become fully immersed in the worlds we’ve created. We want them to see, hear, taste, touch, and smell the reality of what we’ve put on the paper. Characters, dialogue, and plot are important, but setting is what makes the prose come alive for the reader. You want to get your audience hooked? Develop a fully-dimensional setting.

Start with sight. When you walk into a room, sight is the first sense activated in the brain. You notice what’s in front of you because it’s at eye level. The same should be true in your writing. If you want your audience to be in the desert with your characters, show them sand, cacti, and perhaps a snake. Once you develop sight, you can move on to the other senses.

Hearing should come next. What do you want your readers to hear? Rushing water? Crackling fire? The dull roar of a crowd? Whatever it is, be sure to describe it in as much detail as possible. Be unique. Find fresh ways to describe the soundscape of your setting to grab the audience’s attention. The readers will feel like they’re more involved in the story if they can see and hear what’s going on.

Smell is the sense with the closest ties to memory. A single scent can be powerful enough to take you back in time all the way to your childhood. For me, that scent is chlorine. I grew up in Florida surrounded by pools. The smell of chlorine is all it takes to bring my mind back to summers spent splashing around with my friends. Describe the smells inside your setting. Use sweet, fresh smells to evoke pleasant feelings and acrid, strong smells to evoke unpleasant ones. Smell can do a great deal in bringing out your setting.

Touch. How does your character interact with the setting? Give the reader the same experience. If he's petting a cat, let your reader feel the soft fur of the animal's back. If he's touched a hot stove, describe the sharp pain of the hot burner. Touch is a sensory detail that is often left out. I would encourage you to utilize it whenever and however you can.

Taste is arguably not as essential as the others, but nevertheless, it is worth mentioning. We are not constantly tasting things. The same is true for your character. If he is walking down the street and not eating or drinking anything, you don't need to tell us anything about taste. If he's digging in at an all-you-can-eat buffet, the reader is going to be much more interested in how everything tastes. Use taste when it makes sense to draw your readers in.

Utilizing the five senses is one way out of many to encourage your readers to dive into the world of your story. Sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch can make your setting come alive. Armed with this knowledge, you should be able to put your audience right where you want them--an encourage them to stay for longer than they'd had in mind.

Finding the Right Title

The most important aspect of writing a book is the writing, of course.

Once the first draft, second draft, and final draft are down, though, a writer's work is far from over. No matter how much or how little progress you've made on a piece of writing, the nagging title quandary is impossible to ignore. The title is what pushes readers away or pulls them in before they even put their hands on the book. It's the first impression that shapes the way your reader's frame the content of the novel.

Basically, it's a massive deal.

If you're having a hard time coming up with the title of your latest work, consider these tips.

1. Use a character's name. The name need not belong to the main character of the work, but that certainly helps. Examples: Dracula, Frankenstein, Moby Dick, Carrie, and Jane Eyre.

2. Use an important symbol or motif from the work. Make sure it's significant. Examples: The Bell Jar, The Grapes of Wrath, The Scarlet Letter, Pride and Prejudice, and The Glass Menagerie.

3. Use a quotation. You can pull one from the work itself or make an allusion to another literary work. Examples: Brave New World, A Time to Kill, Down to a Sunless Sea, Dying of the Light, and Things Fall Apart.

4. Use the main conflict. Don't give too much away. Examples: The Old Man and the Sea, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and Love in the Time of Cholera.

Choosing a fitting title is a difficult yet rewarding task for nearly every writer. Armed with this advice, you should be on your way to the title of your dreams.

Unexpected Sources for Writing Inspiration

When you write all the time, it's easy to feel like every concept in the universe has already been exhausted. I understand your pain. If you think your idea pump could use a good priming, you might want to start thinking outside the box. Here are a few unexpected sources of writing inspiration.

PostSecret is one of my favorite places to get story ideas. This website "is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard" (PostSecret). The secrets range from trivial to life-changing in significance and are accompanied by pictures that may or may not relate to the confession. When I want inspiration, I look here first. Sometimes you can get plot situations from here, but more often than not, you'll come away with at least some interesting character quirks.

You can also find ideas from magazine article titles. This method works better for creative nonfiction, but if you get creative, you can still apply it to your short stories and novels. I wrote a piece not too long ago titled "Five Ways to Make Him Stay" about a troubled marriage. The title came straight from Cosmopolitan. You can also get ideas from news headlines, which tends to be my preference.

Another excellent source for writing inspiration is the re-imagination of actual events--whether from your life or from someone else's. This method can also be very therapeutic.Take an encounter and turn it on its head. How could the event have happened differently? What could have been some of the consequences?

If you're still having troubles finding idea, consider this model to set up a story:

A _____ wants _____, but ____ gets in the way.

This model is the one I use for most of my stories. My most recent short story, "Teacup," looks something like this:

A creative writing professor wants to have a romantic relationship with a pretty girl, but the fact that she's a student gets in the way.

This format is very basic, but it can be surprisingly helpful. The same is true of the preceding methods. The next time your mental well is running dry, poke around one of these unconventional sources of inspiration.

The Art (Not Science) of Chapter Breaks

One of the most popular questions I get from other writers involves the idea of chapter breaks. Many writers feel like there is a certain industry standard dictating where, when, and how a person is supposed to break a chapter. This notion is ludicrous. 

In this post, we'll discuss the concept of scenes, the "right" time to break, and where and how to pull off a successful chapter break.

In the writing world, scene is a term that gets thrown around without much explanation. A scene is simply the smallest meaningful unit of a work of prose such as a novel or a short story. 

While most writers craft chapters containing several scenes, there is nothing wrong with devoting an entire chapter to a single scene as long as that scene contains a clear conflict with a beginning, a middle, and an end. The conflict should be introduced at the beginning, deepened in the middle, and solved or further complicated at the end. The best way to look at scenes is by considering them as miniature short stories. Practice developing well-crafted scenes.

Now that we have an idea of scenes, we can talk about the notion of a "right" time to break a chapter. There is no such thing. I don't know where such an idea got started, but it's only a myth. When it comes to ending one chapter and moving onto the next, you should go with what feels natural. As long as you're consistent, your readers won't mind.

When it comes down to it, the best advice I can give you for breaking chapters is to go with your gut. You know the story and you have an idea of the flow. Another tip I have is to insert a chapter break where a commercial would go if your novel were a show or a movie on television. Commercial breaks create suspense and keep the audience tuned in to see what happens next. When you're ready to move on to the next chapter, lead in with a bit of dialogue, reflection, or action that creates curiosity for what comes next.

Writing scenes and breaking chapters isn't all that difficult. With a bit of practice, hard work, and instinct, you'll be breaking with the best of them.

How do you break your chapters? Do you prefer them to be long or short?

4 Nonfiction Books Every Writer Should Read

When it comes to writing well, one of the best tips I can give you from improving your work is to read books about writing, especially by authors who have been successful. There are many nonfiction books about writing, but these four are the best of the best. If you want to get better at the art of writing, read these books.

On Writing by Stephen King is the absolute best. Part memoir, part master class, this book is one of the greatest things I've read, period. In addition to the basic elements of craft and technique, King also offers a crash course on grammar. King's book serves as excellent inspiration and motivation as well. Every writer should read this book.

Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird is a step-by-step guide on how to write and how to manage the writer’s life, based on personal experience. She shares what it takes to be a writer with a unique voice that is both honest and funny.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. is the most indispensable writing resources on the market to date. Strunk's best advice is to "Omit Needless Words," but there are plenty other topics addressed inside the book. Overall, this book offers guidelines for effective and convincing writing.

Zen in the Art of Writing by the late Ray Bradbury is guaranteed to make you think about what it's like to write for a living. In addition to offering practical tips, Bradbury also celebrates the act of writing. According to him the success of a write depends mostly on how well the writer knows his or her own life. This book is definitely worth sitting down with.

These books will not only entertain you, but also improve your capability as a writer. If you haven't read any of them, do it right now. You'll be thrilled that you did.

What do you think? What books did I miss?

Writing Cover Letters for Literary Journals

In the modern era of self-publishing, the notion of writing a cover letter may be a foreign one to you. Most literary journals and magazines that allow submissions expect you to submit a cover letter along with your short story, poem, or essay. The cover letter serves as an introduction of your work as well as your identity as a writer. It can bridge the gap between publication and rejection. Writing a cover letter is one of the most important things you can learn to do correctly. Here's a handy guide to insure your next cover letter receives the attention your hard work deserves.

I've prepared a sample cover letter to give you an idea of the finished product:

Kelly Wright
Fiction Editor
Feature Story Magazine
123 Lane Street
Anytown, State, Zip

Dear Kelly Wright,

Please find enclosed my short story “Glue.”

I live in suburban Georgia, where I work as a student and a freelance writer.

I enjoy reading Feature Story Magazine and am hopeful that you’ll find my story to be a good fit.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Briana Morgan

We can break this letter down into several different points for emulation.

• Find out the editor's full name, and use it in your salutation


• Your cover letter doesn't need to grab the editor's attention. Your work should be strong enough to speak for itself


• Pay attention to spelling and grammar rules--the way you handle punctuation says a lot about your writing chops


• A cover letter isn't the same as a query, so you shouldn't summarize your work


• When submitting fiction or poetry, you don't need to connect the work to your personal experience


• There's no reason to mention whether you've been published or not


• It's okay to add some information about yourself, but keep it short and avoid trying to prove how interesting you are

To write a great cover letter, check your spelling and grammar, do your research, and trim the fat wherever possible. Follow the example. You can do it, I promise. Remember these rules, take some risks, and don't give up. Good luck!

The Nifty 350

In a previous post, we discussed the importance of daily writing. Like athletes, we writers need to exercise our creative muscles in order to improve our performance. You don't have to write much, but you need to write something.

I write at least 350 words each and every day, no matter how tightly my schedule is packed. Even if I don't get anything down past the 350, I feel accomplished. 350 for 365 days ends up to be 127,750 words--which is nothing to sneeze at, if you ask me.

I refer to this technique as "the nifty 350." I'm not sure who coined this term, but I'm going to borrow it. Basically, before your day has time to completely derail your creative consciousness, you sit down with your notebook or laptop and hammer out at least 350 words. That's all there is to it.

You may write more than 350 words. Those morning pages may be the initial spark for a dozen more pages. The only rule is that you have to put down your nifty 350. And it'll pay off--I can promise you that.

Plotting Smarter with Freytag's Pyramid

I am not one of those writers who outlines everything. I despise outlines. I feel like it's more work to write a decent outline than it is to hammer out fifteen pages in an hour. I thought I would never grow to appreciate outlining--until I learned all about Freytag's Pyramid.

Freytag's Pyramid, for those of you who are a little confused, is a pattern used to display the conflict progression in a story. Most of you have seen it before, even if you didn't know what it was called. The pyramid looks like this:

It's fine if that picture doesn't do it for you. It doesn't do it for me, either. Let me explain what all those words mean for the sake of your novel or short story.

1. Exposition. This term refers to the start of a story. The exposition lets reader's get a sense of the setting, characters, atmosphere, and sometimes even the conflict of a piece. In order to move from the exposition, there must be some kind of inciting incident that presents the protagonist with a problem to solve.


2. Rising action. This part of the plot revolves around complications. Obstacles from the antagonist, minor characters, or other elements such as nature prevent the protagonist from reaching his or her goals. More conflicts arise, and tension mounts.


3. Climax. The point of highest drama in a literary work. Everything that has been simmering under the surface comes to a head during the climax. It is also referred to as the "turning point" because it changes everything for the protagonist--for better or worse.


4. Falling Action. The danger has passed, the climax ends, and the main conflict begins to wrap itself up.


5. Denouement. Also called the resolution, the denouement refers to the end of the piece, after all the loose ends have been tied up into a bow. Side conflicts are resolved and the characters in the story return to their normal lives, somehow different than they were at the exposition.

See? Geometry can be exciting, even to fiction writers. But how can you use Freytag's Pyramid as a plotting tool? This is a loose outline I compiled using this technique:

1. Sharon Prince is a struggling actress searching for work in New York City. She's been living in Manhattan for a couple of months, and she has yet to find a job. When the rent for her apartment goes up, she realizes she has to become a waitress.


2. Sharon waits tables at a diner in Times Square. She doesn't get paid much, but at least she's making money. A customer leaves her a massive tip one night. She thinks she will finally be able to make rent.


3. On her back back to the apartment, Sharon accidentally leaves her wallet on the subway. She's sure someone has stolen it. She breaks down crying on the front stoop of her building.


4. A man from the subway approaches Sharon and tries to comfort her. He hands her the wallet she thought had been stolen. He tells her that she is too pretty to cry. She tells him what's happening. He suggests she attend a casting call taking place the next morning.


5. Sharon gives the guy her number and skips up the steps. She pays her rent and returns to her apartment to practice her audition.

As you can see, this outline is rough, but it should be enough to get my point across. The great thing about Freytag's Pyramid is that it allows you to get the sense of security from the outline while allowing for some breathing room. The next time you want to plot your story, experiment with this simple technique.