Deadlines and Word Count

“I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.” Douglas Adams (English author and dramatist)

I enjoy snappy little quotes, so I’m glad you all indulge me in sharing them. If you’ve not visited my blog on Thursdays, it’s a day set aside to encourage writers. 

So if you’re new, welcome to Writers’ Corner!

Do numbers matter? I suppose to a statistician they matter a great deal. To an artist or creative person? Not so much. The exception to this is when writers’ guidelines state a specific word count to adhere to or an editor gives a deadline for an assignment. 

If writers’ guidelines state 1,000 words, this is what they mean, not 1,100. Exceeding word count is a good way to get your manuscript tossed before it’s even read. Once you’ve developed a relationship with the editor, you might be able to ask for leniency in future articles. 

Case in point, six years ago I wrote a serial for my local newspaper. When I wrote the final installment, I asked for an extra 300-400 words to finish the story. The editor agreed. However, I never submit an article to a magazine over the limit. 

Even when you stay within the word count limit, you might be asked to cut words depending on the editorial needs of a specific magazine issue. 

My first published magazine article started as a 500-word Bible study on Proverbs 2:1-5.  The editor returned my submission with suggestions and said if I could cut it to 350 words, she’d take another look. Apparently, that was the available space in the particular issue she wanted to run the article. Cutting 150 words was difficult, but I did it, and she published the article. 

Not meeting a deadline is worse than exceeding word count. The editor/publisher has spent valuable time reading your submission and accepted it. Now they’re invested in you. They’ve given you a deadline because they have a deadline. 

Sometimes you hit a snag. Life happens. I spent this morning in the ophthalmologist’s office because my son got a metal speck lodged in his eye. He’s fine now. Fortunately, I had no deadlines looming today. 

In all relationships, communication is key. As soon as you become aware of a problem, contact the editor to see if there’s any flexibility. If not, then find a way to finish the assignment by the deadline.

Do you have an anecdote about getting published you’d like to share? Please leave it in the comments below so everyone can enjoy reading it. 

I want to take a moment to give a shout out to Wisdom of a Fool blogger who interviewed me for her inaugural newsletter. Click here to read it. It’s chock-full of interesting information and insight. 

Meanwhile, if you have writing questions or a suggestion for a future blog you’d like me to consider, please let me know. 

God bless,

Laura

Crafting A Story

I’m often asked two questions about writing: Where do you find ideas for stories or articles? And, how do you create an opening sentence/paragraph?

Whether fiction or non-fiction, story ideas surround you. Inspiration is best drawn from life. Yesterday’s blog post about the hummingbird in my garage is a good example. This summer, a devotion I wrote about spider webs and sin will appear on the Christian Devotions website.

Don’t overlook or discard even the simplest life experiences to create a basis for an article, devotion, or fiction character. Almost anything can be used as an analogy to a scriptural principle.

Are you raising a special needs child? Caring for an aging parent? These are relevant subjects in Christian publishing. How-to articles on topics such as home schooling or money saving tips for one income families are marketable.

It goes without saying, but I’ll say it, anyway—God provides many of my ideas. When I don’t have a clear-cut subject to write about, I pray and an idea comes. As you gain experience, the process becomes easier. Do I ever get writer’s block? Sure, but so far, prayer has fixed it.

One caveat to this is, if I start stressing about ideas, it’s often a sign I’m overcommitted and need to take a time out.  

As a new writer, I used to agonize about how to start an article or story. Now I just throw my ideas onto the page and see what appears—kind of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Then I can organize those thoughts into a cohesive piece.

For fiction, I learned the acronym CCR (conflict, conversation, revelation) at a writers’ conference. CCR can be used sometimes for non-fiction. Begin your article/story with one of these elements and the rest will flow.

Suppose you sit beside a couple in church, at the doctor’s office, or the DMV. (You’ll hear many interesting things there!) Fiction writing is similar. You’re eavesdropping on your characters’ lives. Build characters from these daily experiences, create plot points, and maybe even discover a conflict or conversation to open your story.

I previously blogged about hooking a reader from the opening sentence/paragraph of your WIP. It’s a must, if you don’t want an acquisitions editor to toss your article or manuscript into their slush or rejection pile. Here’s the example I wrote for the Hook 'Em post that also reflects CCR.

You said you wanted to be a father,” Katie wailed.

“But not like this. Not now.” Steve shifted, twisting the brim of his hat between his hands.

“If not now, when?”

His eyes narrowed. “After we bury your husband.”

She sniffed. “But he isn’t dead…yet.”

I opened with all three.

Revelation: Katie’s pregnant.

Conversation: dialogue between the two characters

Conflict: Steve doesn’t want to be a father. Katie’s husband is still alive. 

Just so you won’t think the worst of me (haha), here’s the second part of the conversation from Hook ‘Em:

Katie touched Steve’s arm. “You promised to take care of me.”

            “Fatherhood wasn’t part of the deal.”

            “I’ll be a widow by the end of the week.” Her hand tightened around his arm. “Tell me what I’m supposed to do.”

The baby’s father is likely the dying husband, though we don’t know that for sure. This leads me to a revelation—I don’t always know what my characters will do. They morph into whatever they choose sometimes. I follow basic Christian principles and won’t violate those, but otherwise, my characters do as they wish. 

Once you’ve established who your characters are, allow them to have a conversation that would naturally flow from their situation, even if you end up moving it to another part of the book or story. The important thing is simply start writing.

With non-fiction, consider your article’s objective and try to craft a sentence that hooks. At times I’ve been stuck and started writing what I knew would become the third or fourth paragraph, but it forced me to start. Write what you know, the facts, and craft the story around that. Try not to over think or engineer something profound. Start writing and the sentence you’re seeking will usually evolve.

A good hands-on writer’s workbook is the “Writers Advance! Bootcamp 2012 Marching Manual” available on Amazon. I attended the bootcamp in February. This was the first conference where I received my class handouts in a workbook format. It is chock-full of fiction and non-fiction worksheets and industry information like writing query letters, your author bio, social networking, writing as a ministry, editing, basic elements in a novel, plotting, and many other subjects.

Those who’ve followed me for any length of time know my motto: If you can’t attend a conference, good writing resources are the next best thing. 

Now, I want to hear about your writing this week. Do you have a solution for writer’s block? Share it in the comments below. Thanks!

So You Want To Be Published?

I’m working in a migraine fog this morning, so I’m a little late in getting this posted. Hope you’re all having a wonderful Thursday. The weather is simply gorgeous in South Carolina today.

If you’re a writer, you want to be published! No secret formula exists for publication, but certain things will improve and hasten your chances of seeing your name in print.

Topping the list is good writing. This means impeccable copy—your best work. Nothing else is acceptable. You can kiss your chances good-bye, if you don’t live by this market standard.

Your goals shouldn’t be set so high that only a book with your name on the cover adorning the shelves of Books a Million will satisfy. Start small. Even if you have an idea for a book, seek publication with magazine articles and short stories first.

An essential writing tool at this stage is Writer’s Market Guide or, for Christian writers, Christian Writer’s Market Guide. Both books are available in bookstores and online. Writer’s Market also publishes more targeted category guides for short stories and poems. These guides are published annually and can be obtained used for reasonable prices.

A magazine subscription to Writer’s Digest is a valuable resource. A subscription is reasonably priced, but if you don’t want to pay, their website has tons of articles archived to learn from.

Search for small magazines and online writing opportunities. If you’re a Christian writer, the Sunday School take home paper is an excellent break-in opportunity. These listings are in the guides above.

Don’t limit yourself to paying markets.

The objective is to get your name in print to build your credentials and improve your craft. We’ve discussed before that writing is more than talent. Even the most talented writer has to hone their skills. Smaller, non-paying markets are an excellent place to build your resume.

I can’t stress enough the value of attending writer’s conferences. For a new writer, the price may seem hard to justify to family members who try to reconcile the cost with your lack of income in the field. But it’s like attending college. The costs come first, the payoff later. Writer’s conferences jumpstart your writing career like nothing else. They often shorten the length of time to publication because of the opportunities to meet with agents, editors, and other writers who will form your network to get you there.

The bottom line is—there’s no secret or magic formula to getting published, except learning what you don’t know. Seems like a very basic concept, but when starting out, it’s the unknowns that work against you. The resources I’ve listed above will help.

Good, old-fashioned hard work and persevering in daily writing will get you published one day. Believe in yourself and the talent God blessed you with.

Please leave a comment, if you have a question you’d like answered or if you have a piece of advice to add to the above. I’d love to hear experiences about attending writer’s conferences, as well.