Writing Tips

By Sheila Lowe

Now that I’ve been published for the last twenty years in nonfiction and more than ten years in fiction, I’m often asked what advice I have for new writers. Here are a few bullet points I give them.

On Writing

• Write what you love and do the work to write a good book.
• Leave out most of the adverbs (“ly” words), they weaken your writing. Find strong verbs.
• Keep exclamation points to a minimum!!!
• Whether fiction or nonfiction, know your subject before you write about it.
• Join a critique group and get feedback before submitting. If three people give the same critique, even if you don’t agree, listen to them with an open mind.
• Hire a good independent editor and listen to him/her. Writing is a business and this is an important investment.
• Don’t show your work to your friends and relatives until it’s published. They want you to feel good and they don’t know how to tell you if it’s not good or how to fix it.
• Only submit your manuscript when you are positive you have done the very best you can.
• Attend writer’s conferences. Prepare a 15-second pitch to agents.
• Keep a record of who you’ve submitted to (a spreadsheet works well).
• Invest in a book on manuscript preparation (Authors 101 series).

Then, when you are ready to send your baby into the world:

Successful Query Letters
State who you are and why you are writing to the agent.

Quote anyone in the business who has seen your book and likes it.

Don’t be modest. Include professional experience and previous publications.

Send only a query letter, a synopsis and, only if invited, the first two or three chapters (or for nonfiction, an outline).
Keep your letter to one succinct page. If the agent wants more, they will ask for it.
In this case, snail mail is usually better than an email. Unsolicited emails usually end up in the trash.

Once it’s Sold
-Be prepared to market the book. The publisher won’t do it for you. Seriously.
-This is another investment. Hire a good publicist if you can.
-If you can’t hire a publicist, build up your social media presence, have a professional website, write a blog, order some bookmarks.
-BookBub is the best advertising you can get once you have a back list. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it.
-Give interviews, write articles, give talks if you are comfortable on the stage. If you are not comfortable with public speaking, join Toastmasters and learn how.
-You can get a good, low cost book trailer (30 seconds is good) on Fiverr.com

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Like her fictional character, Claudia Rose, Sheila Lowe is a real-life forensic handwriting examiner. She is the author of five nonfiction books on handwriting psychology, seven in the Forensic Handwriting Mysteries series, and two in the Beyond the Veil Mysteries, Sheila lives in Ventura, California. She frequently appears in the media when handwriting is in the news.

www.claudiaroseseries.com

The Dreaded Christmas Letter

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

Whether writing them or receiving them, there's an underlying dread associated with the traditional Christmas letter.  For those who write them, it's one more deadline to meet during an already busy time of year. For those who receive them, it can mean slogging through a lengthy recitation about people we haven't stayed in touch with, and a reminder of why.

Since you're a writer, you're determined not to let your letter be a yuletide yawner.  Here are 12 tips to make your Christmas letter a holiday classic.

1. Colored paper adds a festive touch. White is fine, but pastel green or pink paper gives things an extra splash of holiday magic.  If you're inclined, you can spend money on fancy decorative paper with holiday bordering, but keep in mind that it requires extra formatting and that the design eats up some of your wordage space.

2. Try to keep it to one page. While it's not a crime to continue on the flip side, you risk recipient apprehension before they even start reading. That said, many people are fine reading two pagers (including me).  Nonetheless, Christmas letter authorities advise one page.

3. Don't use a tiny font. You can't go wrong with a highly readable 12-point Arial or Times (11-point in a pinch).  Save any decorative fonts for a header if desired ("Holiday Greetings from the Addams Family").

4. Write in your voice. It's tempting to chronicle your year like a reporter, but your reader wants to hear from you, not Dan Rather. Share your news in a conversational style, first person.

5. Provide interesting updates about each member of the immediate family.  Be proud but not prideful.  "I was honored to be chosen Writer of the Millennia.  I hope I'm up to the challenge."   It's more okay to brag on others.  "Billy was voted MVP at his State Championship game."

6. Share feelings along with the facts. How did this or that affect you? What are you looking forward to? This adds humanity to your newsletter.

7. Share accomplishments, not acquisitions.  Would you really want to know what kind of car your cousin drives?

8. Avoid too much detail.  Long paragraphs equal audience repellent.  Write tight and you can get more subject matter in less space.

9. Be positive. The point is to spread holiday cheer, so try to keep bad news to a minimum. Update important things like a death in the family, but even then "We will miss Uncle Buck but are grateful for the wonderful memories we have" offers a silver lining.

10. Keep the topics appropriate for every recipient.  Hallmark recommends writing two letters, one for friends and family, and another for more casual acquaintances. (To me, they're lucky to get a card.)

 

11. End with a good thought, appreciation, an invitation, etc.  It's okay to get a little sentimental here.  It's Christmas.  You can also encourage communication by including your current address and phone number.

12. Sign it by hand.  Better yet, add a personalized line for each recipient.  "Miss you and hope to see you soon" takes an extra 15 seconds and is more cherished than the letter itself.

Whether you include your letter folded up in a Christmas card or send it in its own envelope, it's more likely to get an enthusiastic reception using these time-honored tips.  For an added touch, attractive return address labels are easy to print or cheap to have made, and don't forget holiday stamps from the post office.  

Which begs the question, couldn't you just send your Christmas letter via email?  Sure you could, but if you do it won't get hung on the refrigerator with care.

Three Reasons Writers Need a BFF

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


From Casper the Friendly Ghost to flying the friendly skies, from "You've Got a Friend" to "Friends are Friends Forever", everyone acknowledges the value of a good friendship.  But writers receive some unique, specific rewards from that coveted alliance.  Be a pal and check them out.

1. EXPOSITION 
In fiction, a writer's best friend can be the friend they give their protagonist.  Far from playing second fiddle in the story, a well-crafted companion can open the door for revealing interaction and dialogue. Instead of banging the audience over the head with facts, details conveyed comfortably in a conversation feel perfectly natural, and can even disguise their eventual importance to the story.

In Veronica Roth's blockbuster Divergent series, the first friend Tris makes when entering the intimidating new world she has chosen is Christina.  Roth cleverly chose to make Christina a "Candor", whose outspoken observations are a steady source of revelation and discovery.

2. ASSOCIATION
"No man is an island," said poet John Donne (whose name not only rhymes, but who gave us another famous saying in the same discourse, the one about for whom the bell tolls).  His point was, of course, that we are social creatures who need each other.  Those of us writers who thrive on creative isolation and would rather take a road trip to Alaska alone than attend a spouse's Christmas party may find it against the grain to do the people thing, but a good writers group is the ideal way to step off the island and get one's feet wet.

Communing one-on-one with others of the same intention is inspiring and eye-opening.  Besides sharing the contagious writing bug, the variety of fresh perspectives in a writers group is limited only by the the imaginations of the attendees.  If your group offers critique sessions, take advantage of them, and offer your own constructive criticism.  Friends don't let friends write junk.

To be an even steeper leaper into literacy, check out writers conferences. The many offered each year means there's one coming to a city near you.  An intensive weekend of focused enlightenment in the company of peers and professionals is something all serious writers should experience for themselves, and those who do it once will often become regular attendees. You'll find many of this year's conferences on the Southern Writers website at: 
http://www.southernwritersmagazine.com/2014-conferences.html 

3. COLLABORATION
If we're honest with ourselves, not all of us are meant to collaborate.  Depending on our personality type, we may indeed flourish in a literary partnership, or we may require the satisfaction of knowing every single word was our own.  But regardless of how we approach our prose, we are all collaborators in the sense that we learn from and echo each other.

One of my favorite collaborative teams is that of Lisa Wingate and Julie Cantrell. Highly-regarded authors in their own right, these longtime friends are an example of the support and productivity that like-minded wordsmiths can gain from one another.

Far from keeping this valuable gift all to themselves, they reach out to all writers via their Facebook page, The Writer's Jar, a place where you can take part in the writing conversation.  And we're very proud to announce that Julie and Lisa will now be allying with Southern Writers Magazine via a new feature debuting in the July issue, in which we get to eavesdrop on their private conversations with other leading authors.

As writers, we share the enviable mission of capturing the world as we see it and translating it for those who walk this earth with us. As C.S. Lewis said, "Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'"