Writing Is More than Sitting Down with Paper and Pen

Writing is More than Sitting Down with Paper and Pen

by Pat Marcello

Presented at "Writer's Digest's World's Largest Writing Workshop" at Barnes & Noble, Sarasota, FL

October 2000

Author Garrison Keillor once told Writer’s Digest:

“Writers are some of the most important people in America today....It takes brains to write, and you can’t fake it. Anybody who can turn out a good short story is probably smarter than half the corporation executives in America, and a good deal more honest. It takes real skill and concentration for people like ourselves to keep up our humility.”

Of course, Mr. Keillor was kidding. We’re not always the smartest people on earth, and not all of us are honest. Yet, writing does take skill and concentration to succeed.

I’ve been freelancing full-time for about the last ten years. I’ve written six books, hundreds of articles and some short stories for magazines like Writer’s Digest, Wild West, Guideposts for Kids, and Calliope. I also teach around 400 students how to write for kids through the Institute of Children’s Literature. But I have no trouble keeping my humility. It took me four years to sell my first short story. I’m a person who works hard--no more, no less. You can do it, too.

What you must learn first is that writing professionally is much more than sitting down at your keyboard and starting to type. Even if you write the old-fashioned way with paper and pen, you can’t expect to churn out a bestseller without laying some groundwork first.

The slow way to begin--the way I started--is by reading. Read many, many books--good and bad--in all genres. Study how good authors create characters, lay down a plot, and make you sorry when the story is over. If you want to write nonfiction, notice the author’s focus or slant, organization, and style. Even bad writers can teach you what not to do. Read with a writer’s eye. But be careful. This can become addictive and it may be hard to pick up a book without being critical. I’m always finding mistakes in other people’s work.

After reading--read some more. This time, read books about the craft of writing. Study the elements of style--point of view; conflict; show, don’t tell; grammar and punctuation--until you know them.

Contrary to popular belief, most editors don’t edit much anymore. They acquire. They want to see a professional presentation. That means proper format, no misspellings, and that you’ve followed the rules of grammar and punctuation. If you’re too lazy to learn all that, allow me to give you some sound advice--give up.

You’ll also need to read books about the business of writing. Learn how to format a manuscript, how to target submissions properly, and how to network. Learn about writers’ organizations, where you can get support.

Writing is a very lonely and often confusing business, especially for new writers. Finding other writers who understand your pain, where others can’t, is often frustrating.

Reading books of inspiration, such as Anne LaMott’s Bird by Bird is great. Yet, you need to talk shop. The best source of support is human.

If you don’t have time to attend writer’s meetings in person, several Usenet groups, Usenet being part of the Internet (not the World Wide Web), were expressly organized for writers. My home and heart live in misc.writing, although some pronounce it misk.writing, because it’s spelled m-i-s-c.writing. Even now, some of those folks are here in person to smile when I make a mistake. Seriously, they’re some of the most intelligent, caring, and truly terrific people I know--in or out of cyberspace--and very generous with their acquired knowledge.

All questions, no matter how silly are answered, time and again. You may be directed to the misc.writing homepage or the “FAQ,” which means frequently asked questions, where many common questions are answered. Just don’t go into m.w, expecting feedback on your work. You’ll get an eyeful and come away professionally flamed, with your hair smoking.

Although newsgroups exist for posting of work, such as rec.arts.prose and alt.skunks (yes, I said skunks--it’s a long story, and a spin-off from a misc.writing disagreement), misc.writing isn’t one of those places. We like to talk about anything, including work, but we will not critique. Other newsgroups are misc.writing.screenplays, alt.writing, rec.arts.prose, and rec.arts.poetry. It’s best to go and hang out for a week or two before posting so you get accustomed to the territory.

Many individual writing sites exist to help writers on the World Wide Web, as well. My own site, “Write On!” at www.patmarcello.com has information for children’s writers and for all freelancers, such as “How to Write a Query Letter” and the Freelance Writing FAQs by another Writer’s Digest author--Marcia Yudkin, and this information is free! Unless, of course, you want to actually buy one of my books. It’s not required.

So, now you’ve gathered all your ammunition and you’ve studied your buns off. You begin to write and write and write. But how do you know if what you’ve written is any good?

Writing schools can help. I work for the Institute of Children’s Literature, which caters specifically to children’s writers. Students prepare their manuscripts according to set exercises in their manuals and send them off to ICL. ICL, in turn, sends them to me. I edit each manuscript, then write a personal letter of instruction, telling students what they did right and where they went wrong. ICL has an adult version--The Long Ridge Writers’ Group, as does Writer’s Digest Schools. Writer’s Digest has a new critique service, too. Writelinks at www.writelinks.com is another Internet site that offers critique as well as study through Friendly Pencil, Write, and Rewrite. You can also find classes at local colleges. Can you see how many different types of resources are available for folks who want to write?

Many areas have writers groups, where aspiring and veteran writers can share their work for critique. We’ll talk more about how critiquing works later. For now, I know of several groups in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) meets once a month at the Selby Library, and everyone, whether SCBWI members or not, are welcome to attend, as long as they’re interested in writing for kids. But there are also: Sarasota Fiction Writers (Peg Russell 371-5781), the Manatee Writers Guild (Romaine Wismer), and the Sarasota Literary Society.

So, now you have a completed, well-critiqued, polished manuscript. What are you going to do with it?

You’re probably familiar with Writer’s Market, but if you aren’t--get familiar with it. This year, it comes in two editions--regular and Internet. With the Internet edition, you get a year’s subscription to Writer’s Market Online,

which is a great feature, but specialized market guides are abound, too. There’s one for children’s writers, artists and photographer’s, and one specific to novel and short-story writers. Another guide is Jeff Herman’s Writer’s Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents, which is also full of good information and tips.

I buy at least one market guide every year and read it like a good novel when I get it, too. You’ll be surprised what you can pick up, just by reading a market guide. I like to send resumes and pick up assignments. That way, I know for sure that the editor wants the article. We negotiate a fee, and I write. I NEVER write before the work is sold.

When you choose markets, begin by looking in the back of the book, if you’re writing a book. Find publishers suitable to the genre in which you’re writing. If you have a book about the Internet, find publishers of computer books. Be sure the subjects they publish include the Internet.

If you’re writing an article, go to the front of the book, and find magazines that publish material in your article’s focus. For instance, if you’re writing about women’s health, womens’ magazines might be a good place to start, but general interest magazines might work as well. You’ll have to read each potential publisher’s listing to find out.

The thing is, be sure they buy what you’re trying to sell. Then, send away for sample copies of each magazine, go to the library, or see if there’s an online version. Read the magazine and see if your style fits theirs. Believe me, publisher’s won’t change their ways for any of us, no matter how well we write. If you have an article about backpacking, send it to an outdoors-type magazine. Don’t try to sell it to AARP’s Modern Maturity, unless your focus is backpacking for seniors.

If you’re selling a book, find some books from companies who publish what you write and see if your style is similar to theirs. If you wrote a children’s book, don’t try to sell it to a publisher, who publishes only adult material. You’re wasting postage and that editor’s time. They won’t be anxious to see other submissions from you. Send for their catalogues, too, to get a full idea of the types of books they carry.

Yet, whether writing a book, a short story, or an article, always send for writer’s guidelines when available. They explain exactly what the publisher wants and how they want it. One nice thing about WD’s Internet edition is that you have access to thousands of markets without wasting a stamp. Waiting for guidelines to come back can take large chunks of your valuable time, too.

When you have all your ducks in a row, package your manuscript properly, including your cover letter and SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope), and let ‘em fly! If you’re sending full manuscripts, cost will probably determine how many you send out at one time. Don’t forget, unless you don’t want the manuscript back, you’ll need to send return postage as well. One 300-page manuscript can cost around $14.00 to mail one way. That’s $28 a pop. So, choose markets wisely and send to the publishers with highest potential first, if you must send the whole thing.

Query letters are another matter. A one-page query sells your idea to the editor. Today, most nonfiction editors prefer queries to full manuscripts, and even some fiction editors are going that route. It’s important to craft a good letter.

Since that’s another class, let me refer you to, in my opinion, the best book on queries--How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool. It’s the clearest book, and actually made me the uncrowned queen of queries. In fact, I recently finished a teaching article for the Institute on the topic. Since they distribute it world-wide to students, I’d say they think I give pretty good query, too. But my point’s not to boast. I learned how to do it by reading Collier’s book. You can, too.

So, back to our submission. When sending queries it’s rather inexpensive--33 cents for mailing and 33 cents for return. You may want to mail more than one. This is acceptable and expected in the business.

I recently interviewed Kimberly Cameron of Reece Halsey North in Tiburon, California for Writer’s Digest. She’s a big-time agent, who handles estates like those of Aldous Huxley, William Faulkner and Henry Miller. She’s also represented Vincent Bugliosi and Ralph Nader. I’m not telling you this to impress you, only to show that she’s a reliable source. Kimberly told me that sending simultaneous submissions is expected, and that it’s courteous to inform publishers they’re not the only ones viewing your work.

Some writers disagree, saying it hurts your chances, but I believe it’s the polite thing to do. What you do, of course, is up to you. I, however, have never experienced a problem, but I don’t usually sim-sub, either. I target my market as closely as I can and 99% of the time, the editor asks to see my work.

If an editor loves your book query, they may ask to see an outline, synopsis, and sample chapters or the full manuscript for fiction. For nonfiction, they’ll ask for a book proposal. Again, that’s another talk. How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen is probably the best darned book out there, and you might say it’s the proposal “bible.” I’ve also used this book many times over the years.

If you sent an article or short story query, the editor will ask for the full manuscript. They may also include a contract and a deadline, or they’ll call you and hash it out over the phone. That’s rather scary the first time, but remember, editors are just folks, doing a job. They aren’t gods.

Anyway, once all your queries, proposals, or manuscripts are in the mail, you face the hardest part of your task--waiting. Daily trips drag you to the mailbox, while hoping for some response. Then, one day, an envelope arrives. You’re tentative. What does it hold? Anxiety gets the better of you and you rip the envelope open, only to find a form letter, saying:

Dear Writer:

Thank you for your recent submission, but no thanks.

Don’t be discouraged!

Manuscripts are rejected for many reasons. Perhaps the publisher just ran something similar or maybe they’re overstocked with publishable work, or maybe the editor’s just having a bad hair day. You’ll never know.

Take mystery writer James Lee Burke’s advice:

“Allow yourself 36 hours between a rejection and a resubmission. You keep sending in your manuscripts until you finally click. It’s that simple.”

And it is. Send your babies off again and again and again, if necessary. I sent one manuscript fifteen times before American Cowboy bought the article in 1986, and I think I’ve had more compliments on it than on anything I’ve ever written. It’s on the Internet, too, and approved reading for schools in California.

James Lee Burke sent The Lost Get-Back Boogie out 103 times over 9 years before selling it and it was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. So, you see, there’s always hope. Sometimes, you just need to click with the right editor. But you’ll know when to stop submitting the same material.

You aren’t sitting around doing nothing all this time, you realize. You’re writing other things. You’re growing as a writer and you’re sending out more and more. Someday, something will click and you will look at your first paycheck and say, “I’m a real writer.” The truth is, you were a real writer all along, so try to be humble.