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 Friday, October 30, 2009
No Time for A Novel in a Month? How About a Literary Journal Challenge?
They’re “The best of the mysterious, elusive things,” they're “A gateway to discovering your next favorite writer,” they can be “frequently dull, pretentious, willfully obscure,” they're “Vital to the survival of modern literature” and they're “Not read enough.”
Or at least that’s what the editors of some literary journals said in our roundup of which magazines agents are reading for new talent today (in the November/December 2009 issue of Writer’s Digest).
How do you feel about literary journals?
I’m a fan. Moreover, as prompt addicts know, short stories can be great boot camps for longer works. Thus, because of a hectic November schedule, instead of taking part in excellent NaNoWriMo this year*, I’m going to spend November focusing on editing my unruly current work-in-progress, and attempting to write and place a story or two in some of my old favorite journals.
Anyone care to join me? I say we go for it, then in December we can compare notes, share a toast/cry on one other’s shoulders, and toss back and forth ideas for what makes successful short stories. I’ll also try to rope a literary journal editor for a Q&A in the middle of the month so we can tap into what goes through their minds when combing the slush pile.
I’ll bid you a good weekend with what is perhaps the eternal top advice on submitting to any publication, one featured in the lit journal article. As Anne McPeak, managing editor of A Public Space said, “Familiarize yourself with the magazine to make sure your work is a good fit. There’s a lot of great writing out there, but not all of it is right for us.” (That might prevent you from getting a "WTF?" back from an editor, as I once did in college.)
And if you’re on Facebook, I just started a Promptly feed, and am in dire need of a few digital friends. Check it out!
*If you are taking part in NaNoWriMo, check out founder Chris Baty’s top five survival tips, which we ran in our InkWell section last year.
WRITING PROMPT: Paparazzi
Feel free to take the following prompt home or post your response (500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring) in the Comments section below. By posting, you’ll be automatically entered in our occasional around-the-office swag drawings.
You try to snap a discrete photo—but it just doesn’t work out that way.
Traditional Prompts
Friday, October 30, 2009 9:00:29 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
What Every Blogger Should Know (Plus Prompt)
Blogging. Some professional writers loathe it, regarding it as a cheapening of their art. Others adore it, and do it for the sheer love of the instant form. Some accept it as a necessary evil in a platform development often key to securing a book deal. Others do it for the joy of broadcasting themselves, for better or worse, to anyone, anywhere, on any subject.
No matter why we do it, though, everyone tends to have their share of quality posts, and an equal sampling (I admit with rosy cheeks) of, err, less than stellar offerings.
So what’s the secret formula? In the latest from the Top 20 Tips From WD in 2009 series, my favorite bits of advice from our pages this year, writer Dinty W. Moore has an idea.
No. 11: Avoid the Blog Rabies
“Good blogging, like any good writing, is not just foaming at the mouth. First drafts are not your best work, and the audience must be foremost in your mind.”
—Author and teacher Dinty W. Moore, as featured in our November/December 2009 issue.
As with many areas of the publishing world, the key seems to be the same, a constant of the art: Readers, readers, readers, always.
That said, do you blog? Why? Moreover, what do you think makes for a solid post?
And now, paranoid to write any more in light of Dinty’s advice dangling above, lest I froth in hypocrisy, I bid you an excellent Wednesday.
See you Friday!
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WRITING PROMPT: Self-Help Surprise
Feel free to take the following prompt home or post your response (500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring) in the Comments section below. By posting, you’ll be automatically entered in our occasional around-the-office swag drawings.
A self-help guru makes you an offer you can’t refuse, no matter how much you’d like to.
Top 20 Lessons From WD: 2009 | Traditional Prompts
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 5:24:34 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Tip and Prompt: How to Self-Publish the Right Way
After taking in forums and coliseums, oodles of trains and 13 different (incredible, highly sedative) servings of gelato in Italy, I’m back in Prompt action. A special thanks to Jessica for posting in the last week, and for all of your comments and stories.
While on vacation, I found myself in a random discussion with a French writer about the ups and downs of self-publishing, which leads to one of the things I mentioned to her—today’s installment of the Top 20 Tips From WD in 2009 series.
No. 12: Self-Publish Right
“Every book that’s self-published should look and read like it came from Random House. To reach that goal, every self-publisher must think like the big houses—and strive to even exceed their quality. Editing and design are not steps that can be skipped without exacting a significant price.”
—Reader Linda Lane, as featured in our March/April 2009 issue. (We’re also running a 40-80 percent discount in our digital store until the end of the month; if you missed it on newsstands, check the issue out here or in a library for a slew of great self-publishing know-how).
Looking ahead, I’ve also got an intriguing author Q&A about the ins and outs of creativity lined up for next Monday, and some gelato inspired prompts in the works for the coming weeks. Here, spawning by a conversation overheard on a train to Pisa, is today’s offering. Moreover, here’s to hoping the last week has treated you and your writing well.
WRITING PROMPT: Why?
Feel free to take the following prompt home or post your response (500
words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring) in the Comments section below:
“Why did you cut it all off?”
She stares out the window.
“Why?”
Top 20 Lessons From WD: 2009 | Traditional Prompts
Monday, October 26, 2009 4:56:43 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Real Secrets of Expert Authors
Which came first: The expert author or the book? It depends. Consider today's installment of Promptly’s Top 20 Lessons from WD in 2009 series:
#13: Your Enthusiasm Is Contagious
"People think you're an expert when you write a book; it gives you some authority, whether you deserve it or not. I took advantage of that. I became more of an expert after writing the book--not before writing the book--and then the credibility the book got me was worthwhile. You just find something you're passionate about and share it creatively and enthusiastically, and if it's viable, it's going to succeed." --Travel writer/radio and TV host Rick Steves, as interviewed in the July/August 2009 issue of WD.
I think it's the second half of what Rick's saying that's really key: If you're sharing something you're genuinely passionate about, that kind of authenticity is going to resonate with your audience in a way that only you can.
This, then, is the inspiration for today's prompt:
Writing Prompt:
As quickly as you can—without over-thinking it—make a list of five things you're an "expert" in. (It could be microbiology, it could be blogging, it could be finding a way to rationalize buying a $4 cup of coffee a day, or it could be talking your wife into letting you watch "just five more minutes" of the game.) Choose one and use it as the inspiration for a story—fiction or nonfiction, funny or serious—in 500 words or fewer.
We'd love it if you'd share your response in the comments field below!
And until next time, as Rick Steves would say, Keep On Writing.
Jessica
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On Twitter: @jessicastrawser / @writersdigest
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You're invited: Join the new WD community at http://writersdigest.ning.com
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 9:31:32 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Tip & Prompt: A Writer's Best Friends
What better way to kick a week off than with two of a writer’s best friends: a tip and a prompt?
Here, in continuation of Zac's countdown of his favorite tips from WD in 2009, is #14:
"Know the adage 'There's no such thing as bad publicity' isn't necessarily true. You can go too far. It's really popular--especially online--to strive for controversy in the hopes that attention of any kind will guarantee sales. Sometimes it works. But sometimes we just ain't that pretty when we're up on stage naked with the house lights on." --Marketing guru M.J. Rose, in the March/April 2009 issue of WD.
And now, onto the prompt! But first, speaking of prompts, did you know you can get a free e-book of 1,000 of them, The Writer's Book of Matches, via @WDoffers on Twitter? Simply follow @WDoffers for more info.
In honor of this great giveaway, today's prompt comes directly from The Writer’s Book of Matches. (If you like it, you’re in luck: there are 999 more where this came from!)
PROMPT
A man in a business suit, briefcase handcuffed to his wrist, stands on a quiet beach watching the sunrise.
I'd love it if you'd share your response in the comments field below!
Happy Writing,
Jessica
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On Twitter: @jessicastrawser / @writersdigest
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You're invited: Join the new WD community at http://writersdigest.ning.com
Monday, October 19, 2009 1:30:30 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Friday, October 16, 2009
Embracing the Possibilities
As Zac mentioned in his last post, I'll be stepping in here at Promptly--and trying to suppress my envy!--while he's out enjoying a much deserved vacation. I've heard some people say that it takes them several days to truly let go and transition into "vacation mode." Not me. My favorite feeling on vacation is the one you have right at the beginning, on day one, with the whole trip stretching out before you—all those possibilities. In a way, it's sort of like facing the blank page with that blend of uncertainty, expectation and excitement—you can hesitate, or you can dive right in and see where it leads you.
This, then, is the inspiration for today's prompt. What will be your inspiration for completing it?
Happy Writing,
Jessica
(On Twitter: @jessicastrawser / @writersdigest)
WRITING PROMPT
You consider the stranger’s odd request and decide to agree. What do you have to lose? And just like that, you’re not alone on your adventure.
Share your response in the comments field below!
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You’re invited: Join the new WD community on Ning! http://writersdigest.ning.com
Friday, October 16, 2009 2:55:42 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
What to Remember at Every Writing Conference
Writing conferences: They make us feel good because we’re taking proactive, positive steps toward our writerly goals, rather than sitting in front of the TV with a laptop and The Simpsons.
Thing is, once we get to the conference, we’re constantly analyzing: Do we stack up to this writer or that budding poet? Do we have what it takes to do what this speaker is suggesting? Will we ever be up there, rambling about our books while everyone dines on roast beef and pasta during the keynote address?
And, certainly last but not least: Are we writers?
Here is the latest in our Top 20 Lessons from WD in 2009 series.
No. 15: None of Your Business
“Don’t come to the Festival—or any writing conference—with the goal of finding out once and for all if you’re a writer. It’s a question that will only get in the way of your work. Leave it alone. It’s none of your business.”
—Iowa Summer Writing Festival Director Amy Margolis, as interviewed in our May/June 2009 issue.
My sister, who decided to up the sibling ante by attending law school, once told me that one of the cardinal rules in that realm is to never share, discuss or allude to one’s grades in the company of others. You just don’t do it.
Perhaps in the world of writing conferences, like any gathering of those prepping for a fiercely competitive marketplace, it’s best to turn off your overactive mind and just listen, absorb and learn.
Also, tonight I’m heading out for a vacation, and I’m turning over the blog keys for WD Editor Jessica Strawser to help out and be your Promptly maestro until I return. She’s a former book editor and has worked in different areas of the publishing world, so feel free to tap into her wisdom in the Comments section of the blog in the coming week. All told, she’s a great source of knowledge.
As for me, my family has a tendency to have awful luck on vacation—if you ever want a solid tale, come up to me and say, merely, “Out West; van on fire?”—so I’m hoping the following travel-minded prompt will ward off the spirits of bad travel and serve as an appropriate digital knocking on wood.
Here’s to you and your writing (and fireless vans),
Zachary
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WRITING PROMPT: Vacation From Vacation
Feel free to take the following prompt home or post your response (500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring) in the Comments section below:
With your cell phone and souvenirs in hand, your torn map falls to the ground.
“He wasn’t even supposed to be here,” you mutter.
And just like that, you need a vacation from your vacation.
Top 20 Lessons From WD: 2009 | Traditional Prompts
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 8:23:37 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Monday, October 12, 2009
Marketing Vs. Story: Which is King? (Plus, Craft the Ultimate Cliche)
Marketing, marketing, marketing. You hear it from writing books. You hear it from us. You hear it from conferences, published writers at readings and even unpublished writers hanging out on street corners. Sure, it’s important—if not crucial at times—but what should really take precedence when it gets down to the marrow of things? It’s something that’s easy to forget when you’re looking at the macro-view of a writing career.
It’s time for the latest in the Top 20 Lessons from WD in 2009.
No. 16: Story, Story, Story
“Keep the focus on the writing and the story. All the advertising, marketing and promotion in the world are meaningless unless you’ve got a tale people want to read.”
—Author Rhodi Hawk (A Twisted Ladder), as featured in our March/April 2009 issue.
Marketing or story: Which do you think should take precedence?
To complement Hawk’s point, as James Patterson emphasized in that issue, “If it’s commercial fiction that you want to write, it’s story, story, story. You’ve got to get a story where if you tell it to somebody in a paragraph, they’ll go, ‘tell me more.’ And then when you start to write it, they continue to want to read more. And if you don’t, it won’t work.”
In honor of Hawk, Patterson and Story, Story, Story, take today’s prompt and try to decode what makes a truly awful story: Write the most hilariously cliché scene you can. How might analyzing the ins and outs of a tired, tried and true yarn lead you to purge your writing demons and craft a more original story next time?
WRITING PROMPT: Crafting a Cliché
Feel free to take the following prompt home or post your response (500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring) in the Comments section below:
Write the most cliché story you can, working as many unbearably overdone elements into the scene as possible.
Top 20 Lessons From WD: 2009 | Traditional Prompts
Monday, October 12, 2009 7:33:19 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Friday, October 09, 2009
The Secret to Surviving First Publication (Plus, Get Your Fiction in WD!)
There it sits: everything you’ve wanted, in one hub. Everything you’ve dreamed, in bouts of caffeinated madness. Important-looking editors bustle back and forth within, but you’re stuck on the outside of your new publishing house, peering in through double-buffed windows, eyes wide.
How do you set foot in that hallowed place?
As it turns out, it’s just another rung in a ladder. And like every rung in every ladder, you merely have to know how to climb it.
And to do that, you have to …
(Today we continue our Top 20 Lessons from WD in 2009.)
No. 17: Ask. Ask!
“The moral of the story is not to tremble in awe at the entrance doors of the publisher. Ask, ask, ask, even if you don’t know what to ask. Ask them what you should be asking. Ask for a publishing schedule; ask what you can help with; ask for their publicity plan so that you can compare it with yours. Start your publicity plan long before you’ve finished the book, long before it’s published.”
--Author and WD reader Jeanette Salerno, as featured in our July/August 2009 Publishing 101 package.
Have an excellent weekend, and consider taking a crack at our magazine’s Your Story prompt. In 750 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring, post your stories in the comments section of my blog, and they’ll be entered in the contest, or e-mail them to yourstorycontest@fwmedia.com. (There’s only one entry allowed per person, and you have until the Nov. 10 deadline.) Should your story win and you posted it here, I’ll contact you for your name and mailing address when the time comes. Good luck!
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WRITING PROMPT: Your Story Contest No. 22
Suffering from a mid-life crisis, a 50-year-old businessman quits his job and goes on a quest to “get the band back together.”
—From The Writer’s Book of Matches by the staff of fresh boiled peanuts: a literary journal
Top 20 Lessons From WD: 2009 | Traditional Prompts | Your Story Prompts
Friday, October 09, 2009 2:58:02 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Top 20 Lessons from WD: On Rejection
Hi writers,
Thanks to everyone who stopped by Monday to read or chat with bestseller Dianna Love. And, of course, I’d also like to extend a Promptly Thank You to Dianna for sharing her prompts and insights.
As promised, we’ll be giving away copies of Dianna’s Break Into Fiction to two random commenters. Jacqui Lyonelle and Lisa: Can you e-mail your addresses to me at writersdigest [at] fwmedia [dot] com, Attn: Zachary Petit, and I’ll make sure they find their way to Dianna?
Also, have you ever wallowed in endless rejections? How do you deal with it? (I ask this as I shiver and edit my first work of long-form fiction, bracing myself for the querying process to come.) Today we continue the Top 20 Lessons from WD in 2009 series.
No. 18: Right and Wrong
“It took 80 queries before the most perceptive agent in the world took me off his slush pile. Then it was a score of editorial rejections and nearly a year before my agent had lunch with the right editor at the right time. To deal with rejection, you have to believe you’re right and they’re wrong.”
—Ira Rosofsky (Nasty, Brutish & Long), as interviewed in our March/April issue.
Moreover, as literary agent Scott Hoffman wrote in our September issue, don’t get “even a little bit discouraged until you’ve received 50—maybe even 100—rejections on the project in question.”
For more tips, stay tuned—No. 17 is on its way Friday.
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WRITING PROMPT: Dreamy
Feel free to take the following prompt home or post your response (500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring) in the Comments section below:
Take your latest dream, no matter what, and work it into a scene in a story you're currently writing or editing.
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Also, the website for Digital Book World has launched. Check out our new industry insider event geared toward helping consumer book publishers and their trading partners assess the challenges—and opportunities—presented by the digital age.
Top 20 Lessons From WD: 2009 | Traditional Prompts
Wednesday, October 07, 2009 5:31:09 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Monday, October 05, 2009
Special Q&A: Creativity Secrets from Bestseller Dianna Love (and free books!)
Hey writers,
Today is an excellent day at Promptly, as we welcome New York Times bestselling writer Dianna Love, a RITA-award winner and co-author of Break Into Fiction and a popular thriller series with Sherrilyn Kenyon (Whispered Lies). When not standing dumbfounded in front of dollar-gobbling slot machines, I met Dianna in Las Vegas, where we were both teaching at a writing conference.
Going along with Promptly’s goal of boosting creativity with writing prompts and exercises, I checked in with Dianna about breaking block, plotters, pantsers and other topics, and she even provided us with today’s regular prompts.
Check out her advice below, and feel free to weigh in (post in the Comments section of the blog) with your thoughts, any questions you might have for Dianna, or a response to her prompt. On Wednesday we’ll randomly select two commenters to receive copies of Dianna’s new book, Break Into Fiction: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells. So don’t be shy: Chime in! Dianna will be dropping by to respond to your questions about the writing world, and having heard her speak in the past, I know she's an excellent source of industry and craft knowledge.
For more on Dianna, catch up with her at authordiannalove.com, or on Twitter: @diannalove.
In your writing, what slows you down the most on a daily basis?
Now that I’m published, I have so much more to do than “just write,” but the writing must come first. My time gets eaten by anything from answering e-mails (some take a lot of time and I get over 100 a day) to working on promo opportunities to interacting with my publisher on an upcoming marketing campaign or edits to dealing with nonwriting related issues (you know … life :).
How do you tackle it?
Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. I keep lists going all the time. I schedule things to be done by a certain day and try to get to anything early that I can. I set my “personal deadlines” for writing ahead of those my publisher is depending upon, so that if I run late, it’s on my schedule, which means the books are still on time. I’ve just finished a very difficult run of days for the past month and have three days to “catch up” on everything else while the next book is with a cold reader. That means those three days have to be productive, not spent taking a leisurely break.
What best drives your creativity?
Riding my motorcycle feeds my muse. I ride a BMW 1150 RT through scenic back roads to give my mind a chance to breathe. I often come back with a scene or even the basis for a new plot.
What tips do you have for overcoming writer’s block?
I used to wonder why some writers got terribly blocked until I started developing the Power Plotting workshop Mary Buckham and I created in our Break Into Fiction™ program. We figured out the reason most people get “stuck” on a story is because they don’t know where it’s going next. This is especially true for pantsers, or seat-of-the-pants writers, because their process is to just sit down and write. BUT that does not mean a pantser should learn how to plot. That is not their process. Pantsers need a way to fix problems or get unstuck in a way that works with their process. That’s why we created the questions in our Break Into Fiction program that show a plotter how to develop a story in advance, and show a pantser how to break out of a mental log jam or how to fix a book during revision.
What’s the best craft advice you can offer?
Do not EVER let anyone change your writing process. Find what works for you and go with it.
Some writers cannot write if the book has been plotted. Some writers cannot put a word down unless they have everything plotted out. Some I call “hybrids,” because that’s what I am. I like to write a chapter when I start seeing the opening in my mind, and get a feel for the characters. Then I sit down and plot. I don’t go to the extremes of some plotters, but I create complex stories with strong subplots and everything has to hit at the right time for the climax to be powerful. For me, that’s a very freeing process, but if I had to follow someone else’s process it wouldn’t work. Write a couple books to figure out your process.
What’s the best publishing advice you’ve ever received?
To be careful not to let promo and marketing opportunities bankrupt your time.
Writing mantra:
Nothing is worth more than today. That is a Goethe quote and it has been in my office since I started my first business at 17.
(photo courtesy of authordiannalove.com)
WRITING PROMPTS: Courtesy of Dianna Love
Below are five opening lines for a scene. The first three are in third person, the fourth is in first person and the fifth can be either one. You can change the point of view from third to first or first to third. There are no names, so you pick the characters. Write the first scene that comes to mind. Don’t worry about being correct on anything—just write and have fun.
He opened his eyes and slowly took in his surroundings, searching for one thing that looked familiar.
If she didn’t make the last ridge before the portal closed in the next 15 seconds, she’d end up losing her bounty and getting blood on her new solar boots.
He appreciated having a choice, but generally he was given at least one option that allowed for a chance to walk away alive even if he had to sacrifice dignity.
My mouth fell open in shock at the gangly man carrying a cardboard box, not believing he would dare to enter my real estate office again.
A palomino horse trotted into the yard sans rider, daisies braided into the mane and a sword hanging from a leather loop on the saddle.
Q&As | Traditional Prompts
Monday, October 05, 2009 3:45:38 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Friday, October 02, 2009
Top 20 Lessons From WD Mag in 2009: Steve Berry
Hey writers,
Wasted and lost writing time: We all worry (if not obsess) over it. As it turns out, we’re not alone. It’s time for the next installment in our Top 20 Lessons From WD Magazine in 2009 series.
No. 19: Heed the Voice
“I didn’t write my first word until I was 35 years old. I wasted about 10 years before that, when the little voice in my head was screaming for me to write. All writers have a little voice in their head that drives them forward. Listen to it.”
—Bestseller Steve Berry (The Amber Room, The Templar Legacy), as interviewed in “Springboards to Success,” from our May/June 2009 issue.
Literary food for thought: How long did you wait—or are you still waiting? What's the key to kicking yourself into gear?
Have an excellent weekend, and enjoy the prompt below from the brand new issue of Writer’s Digest magazine (currently shipping to subscribers, and on newsstands Oct. 13—it features Time Traveler’s Wife author Audrey Niffenegger, alongside a cover package loaded with info about writing short, from personal essays and freelancing to literary journals).
And don’t forget to stop by Promptly Monday, too—bestseller Dianna Love will be sharing her take on the creative process, as well as offering prompts and perhaps a free copy or two of her new book, Break Into Fiction. In addition to a posted Q&A, Dianna will be dropping by to interact with anyone who’d like to chat about creativity, the business of publishing, or anything else that may cross one’s writerly mind.
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WRITING PROMPT: Breaking Down
Funny, sad, or stirring, feel free to take the following prompt home or post your response (500 words or fewer) in the Comments section below:
A Tire blows out as you’re in the car with someone on the verge of his or her own breakdown. Stuck in a small town, you’re about to do something you haven’t done in years.
InkWell Prompts | Top 20 Lessons From WD: 2009 | Traditional Prompts
Friday, October 02, 2009 8:08:29 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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