From the Editor's Desk
Hi and
welcome once again to Fiction Factor! And, as always,
welcome to our new subscribers.
Once again this issue is a little late. Instead of
posting this issue out to you, I spent much of yesterday
at the vet waiting for my puppy, Kaiser, to come out of
surgery. The silly pup managed to get his foot caught
under the fence while I was out doing some grocery
shopping. He ripped his leg open down to the tendon and
broke two toes, so there was an awful lot of blood in my
yard by the time I got home. He's home now and I'm
sitting on the floor with my laptop on one knee while I
write this and Kaiser's head resting on the other knee
while he sleeps off his anaesthetic.
I was asked the question last month 'What makes a writer
a 'real' writer?' The first answer to pop into my mind
was that a writer is someone who writes. A friend asked
me at a party we were at last month if she was considered
a 'real' writer if she wrote all the time, but hadn't had
anything published yet. Of course she's a writer. She's
just not a published writer - yet.
Our conversation was overheard by another friend, who
promptly pointed out that he only gets to read my work
when he goes digging for it or asks me directly for it.
That's not so surprising, considering he doesn't read
anything from the darker fiction genres in which prefer
to write, nor does he spend his time reading essays and
tutorials on finance or investing - which are my main
areas of focus.
Someone else chimed in to point out that perhaps I needed
to spend more time on self-promotion and a little less
time on actual writing. My partner decided to help and he
suggested that perhaps I should write more 'commercial
stuff' so it becomes more publicly visible to more
readers. Several other friends chimed in to offer
well-intentioned suggestions and opinions. Eventually I
extracted myself from the conversation to go and talk to
other writers about the actual act of writing and left
them to discuss self-promotional ideas among themselves.
The conversation got me thinking, though. I can
understand why some self-promotion is necessary for most
writers. After all, how will anyone ever read my work if
I don't tell people where to find it? Or is it better for
me to spend my days writing because there simply aren't
enough hours in a day to write down all the ideas I want
to get out of my head?
Do I lock myself in my home and bury myself in my
fiction-writing endeavors, writing book after book yet
never releasing them for the world to see? Or should I
aim at the opposite extreme, leap onto a soap box and
create a fictional larger-than-life public persona who
shouts out to the world about being a brilliant guru
who's made millions of dollars in this industry so you'd
better listen up? (don't laugh - I know people who do
each of these things regularly and haven't had a thing
published yet - or made millions!)
So how does a writer find the right balance of writing
and promotion?
I wish I knew the answer to that question. Personally I'm
quite happy to get paid for doing what I love. I get to
write what interests me. It's the perfect job! I don't
feel the need to push myself at everyone as though I was
a public figure and I'm earning an income from my writing
that is enough to make sure I don't have to go out and
work at a day job.
Writing and publishing are highly personalized
occupations. We all aim at what we do in different ways
with very different goals and ambitions in mind.
Shouldn't each writer should be able to strike a balance
that is right for that individual and not dictated by
what has or hasn't worked for someone else?
Enough of that - let's get into the writing stuff.
This issue Lee Masterson looks at ways to impress an
editor and ways to mark yourself as an amateur. Jessica
James looks at the secrets behind old-fashioned romance
novels and Laura Backes discusses the main difference
between writing for Middle Graders and Young Adults.
It's time now to grab a beverage of choice, sit back, and
enjoy this issue of Fiction Factor!
Lee Masterson
Editor-in-Chief
http://www.fictionfactor.com
Pop by and hi
to me on Facebook. I enjoy getting to know our readers! http://www.facebook.com/people/Lee-Masterson/1569278962
"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't
quit."
-- Richard Bach
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Clinic
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- Learn to write a GREAT novel from start to
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Lee Masterson
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How
to Impress an Editor - and How to Mark Yourself as an
Amateur
by Lee Masterson
Okay, I know I'm smashing a popular
misconception here but - Editors Really Are People!
Take a deep breath and recover for a moment - it was a
shattering revelation, after all. But it is the truth.
Editors go home to their families after work. They eat
and work and play and do all the things you do too. They
just happen to work for a publishing house or magazine in
which you would like to see your work published. They
have likes and dislikes and they have a job to do.
Publishers are in the business of selling their products
(books, magazines, e-books or whatever). They rely on
their editors to make wise purchasing decisions that will
ultimately create profits for their company. That doesn't
make them bad guys - it makes them busy professionals.
And the last thing a busy professional person wants to
see land on his or her desk is a vague note from a
self-marked amateur that probably won't make his boss the
profit he needs to make in order to pay his wages.
How to Impress an Editor - And How to Mark
Yourself as An Amateur
Pro - Put yourself in an editor's shoes.
Remember at all times that you are not the only person
corresponding or submitting to that editor on that day.
Amateur - Demand that you be given an
answer precisely 24 hours after you submit your work.
Call or email three times a day until you do get an
answer. Beg until he says yes, if he was stupid enough to
reject it.
Pro - Take the time do some homework.
Research the publications needs and wants. Read some back
issues and familiarize yourself with the editorial style.
Find out the name of the current editor, and address your
query directly to that person. Learn what the editor
likes and dislikes. Send exactly what that editor is
looking for.
Amateur - Send your query letter/email
to "Dear Editor". That will show that stupid
editor that her publication and her are not so important!
Perhaps even try "Dear Sir/Madam", for that
extra personalized feeling. It's only an anonymous
editor, after all.
Pro
- Briefly describe your work. See if you can keep it to
around twenty-five words. No more than a paragraph.
Estimate the word count - lots of emphasis on estimate.
An editor will not want to see "around 55,437
words" written on your query. Round the number off
to the nearest hundred. Keep your letter down to one page
in length. Editors are busy people. They will want to
know what you are offering as quickly as possible.
Amateur - Tell the editor how much your
grandma LOVED your story. Remind him again how good it
is, because your best friend said it made her cry. Throw
in another reminder of your brilliance and tell him
you're the next Stephen King.
Pro - Double- then triple-check your
work for spelling and grammar. Many editors won't read
past the query letter if it already shows signs of bad
usage of language.
Amateur - Run your story through the
computer spell checker, then send it out to as many
people as possible. Someone is bound to buy it then.
You can read the
online version of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/impress.html
 Outside the Square Fiction
Workshop
Written by award-winning author, Cheryl Wright,
this excellent ebook will show you how to boost
your fiction writing so that editors will beg you
for more.
Click here for more details: Fiction Workshop
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Secrets of Writing an
Old-Fashioned Romance Novel
By Jessica James
When I was doing research for my historical fiction
novel, Shades of Gray, it didn't take me long to fall in
love with the writing style of 19th century novelists.
What is it, I wondered, that made my heart race when the
hero finally won the heroine's hand? How did authors from
the 1800s make the plot so deeply romantic without the
use of sex? Why did a mere glance from the hero or a
smile from the heroine at the end of the book make a
satisfying ending?
As an aside, I began devouring old novels to get a feel
for the language and the cadence of sentences - but I
learned so much more. Manners, etiquette, lifestyle,
dress, were all discovered between the pages of old,
dusty novels, and helped immerse me in the Victorian era.
I am glad to have stumbled upon this method of research,
because, in addition to all of the topics mentioned
above, I learned two other important facets of life in
the 1800s: culture and tradition.
Culture and tradition
The morality, the virtues and the sacred principles that
our forefathers lived by are vastly different from how we
live today. We cannot transcribe 21st century values on
our historic characters' motives anymore than we can
re-write the historic past from whence they came.
More and more, Americans are longing for those days and
looking back to a time when the principles of honor and
honesty were sacred, and when both men and women were
judged on their moral conduct.
It is sad and disappointing to see authors who take real
historic figures and depict them with the lewd and vulgar
behavior of this century. It is a complete
misinterpretation and misrepresentation of historical
fact - and brings me to my next point.
It's called romance for a reason
If you look up the definition of romance - you'll find it
means fable, legend, saga, yarn. Indeed, in the middle
ages, romances were usually tales of courtly love,
chivalry and knighthood - most often involving a knight
caught in conflict between love and duty.
You can
read the rest of this article here: http://romance.fictionfactor.com/articles/secrets.html
Writer's
Announcements
Writers need
all the encouragement they can get, and we're happy to
help keep you motivated as well as offer a little bit of
promotion for you. If you have an announcement you'd like
to share about your writing successes or publications,
then let us know about it and we'll be happy to shout out
a big 'Woo Hoo' to our subscribers for you. You can
either leave us a message on the forum or you can send me a message on Facebook.
This week's Woo Hoo Announcement:
=> Congratulations to David Tocher,
who has had his short story 'Letters from a Dead World'
accepted into the Dreamspell Nightmares anthology with
L&L DreamSpell: http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellNightmares.htm
 Create A Plot
Clinic
Have you ever lost interest in your story only 20
pages from the start and not know how to get it
going again?
Best Selling Author of more than 30 novels, Holly
Lisle, can show you exactly how to structure your
story for maximum effect. Learn to fix problem
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From basic idea to publisher-ready manuscript,
learn how to write children's books that kids
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The Difference Between
Middle Grade and Young Adult
By Laura Backes
It's often difficult
for writers to know whether they're creating a middle
grade novel (ages 8-12), or a book for young adults (12
and up). Because many of the themes and situations are
similar for the two age groups, authors go by the age of
the main character: if the protagonist is under 12, it's
middle grade; over 12 means young adult. But the
differences are more complicated than that.
The author of the true, classic middle grade novel does
not worry about vocabulary choices or simple sentence
structure; once children are ready for these books they
are good readers. Middle grade novels are characterized
by the type of conflict encountered by the main
character. Children in the primary grades are still
focused inward, and the conflicts in their books reflect
that. While themes range from friendship to school
situations to relationships with siblings and peers,
characters are learning how they operate within their own
world. They are solidifying their own identity,
experiencing the physical and psychological changes of
puberty, taking on new responsibilities all within the
boundaries of their family, friends and neighborhood.
Yes, your character needs to grow and change during the
course of the book, but these changes are on the inside.
Middle grade readers are beginning to learn who they are,
what they think. Their books need to mirror their
personal experience.
Charlotte's Web, the classic middle grade novel by E.B.
White, is a perfect example. Wilbur the pig is threatened
by his world: he's worried that once he grows up, he'll
be sent to the butcher. And while his friend Charlotte
saves Wilbur from death, the book is really about the
meaning of true friendship and how Wilbur gains
confidence and self-esteem. This year's Newbery winner,
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg, is about four
children and their sixth grade teacher as they compete in
the regional Academic Bowl. But the competition is a
backdrop for the individual journeys each child takes on
the path to becoming a team, and how they help their
teacher find her own place in the world. The real victory
is how each of the five main characters goes through some
inner struggle during the book and ends up in a better
place.
Characters are also a key element to young adult novels,
but these books often have more complicated plots than
those for middle grade. Protagonists experience an
internal change, but this change is triggered by external
events and fits into a bigger picture. They begin to step
outside themselves and see how they influence, and are
influenc
You can see
the rest of this article here: http://children.fictionfactor.com/articles/differences.html
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~ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug
used by mankind." -- Rudyard Kipling ~
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of available courses here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/courses.html
How to Beat Writer's Block - and Have Fun Writing
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Block, re-connecting with your Muse, learn to get past
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Writing
Great Horror Novels!
Join this excellent course and learn what it takes to
write, publish and sell great horror novels! Limited
spaces available - be quick!
http://horror.fictionfactor.com/course.html (This link will take
you to Horror Factor)
Thriller Writing Course
Learn how some of the masters of the modern thriller get
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Michael Crichton, James Paterson, Patricia Cornwell and
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Romance Writing Course
Increase your chances of writing a great romance
manuscript and having it accepted for publication. Join
our romance course today and launch your romance writing
career!
http://romance.fictionfactor.com/course.html - (this link will take you to Romance Factor)
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in Under 28 Days
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 Create-A-Culture
Clinic
Have you ever wanted to create your own
realistic world? Best-selling author of more than
30 novels shows you how to create religions,
philosophies, governments and lifestyles that
will make your fiction story feel real!
Click here for more details: http://tinyurl.com/26uy95
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~ "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best
friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." ~
~ Groucho Marx ~
Paying Market Listings
You can find the complete
Market Index here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/markets.html
Happy Market Hunting!
(Disclaimer: Mention of a market/ contest in Fiction
Factor is not necessarily an endorsement. Check all
guidelines in full before submitting)
The Way of the Wizard
http://www.johnjosephadams.com/?p=1760
One-time print anthology by Prime Books. Your story
should be about a wizard, witch, sorcerer, sorceress or
any user of magic. Stories should be no longer than 5,000
words
Pay: 5 cents per word plus 50% of earnings plus
contributor copy.
Deadline: 31st March 2010
Submission Guidelines: http://www.johnjosephadams.com/?p=1760
Best Horror of the Year, Vol. 2
http://www.ralan.com/antho/listings/besthorror09.htm
Annual print anthology is seeking reprints of horror
that were published throughout 2009. All branches of
horror will be considered, from traditional-supernatural
to the borderline, including high-tech sf horror,
supernatural, psychological horror, dark thrillers.
Guidelines are quite specific. Please read guidelines in
full prior to submitting.
Deadline: 15th December 2009
Submission Guidelines: http://www.ralan.com/antho/listings/besthorror09.htm
Brio
Magazine
http://www.briomag.com/
Seeking
short fiction up to 2,000 words to suit teenaged girls.
Romance stories, sibling rivalry and situations faced
daily by teen girls are especially welcomed. Brio’s
target audience is teenaged girls from 12-15 and Brio
& Beyond’s target audience is older teenaged
girls from 16-19.
Both Brio and Brio & Beyond pay between 15 and 35
cents per word on acceptance.
Submission Guidelines: (downloadable) http://www.family.org/sharedassets/correspondence/pdfs/GeneralInformation/Brio_Writers_Guidelines.pdf
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