Q: I live outside the United States. Most queries require a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE), but if I put my own country’s stamp on the SASE, it won’t be valid when posted back from the United States. How does an international author get postage to have SASEs returned? —Bhaskar Majumdar

A: Don’t fret, as others have encountered the same problem. In fact, it became such an issue back in 1906, that the Universal Postal Union (UPU) gathered at a convention in Rome to discuss remedies. After hours of thinking, debating and, perhaps, thumb-wrestling, the International Reply Coupon (IRC) was born.

IRCs are green paper coupons that transfer funds in exchange for postage from other countries. According to the UPU, IRCs are exchangeable in all member countries for the minimum postage of a priority item or an unregistered airmail letter sent to a foreign country. Though they’re not
required to sell IRCs, most post offices do, and it’s mandatory for all posts of the UPU member countries to exchange the coupons.

When buying IRCs, you need to know the weight of the envelope being returned, that country’s postal rates and the current currency exchange rate (generally found in the newspaper). It’s always better to overestimate on the cost.

Another option, if you have a printer and sticker paper, is to visit USPS.com and print out your own postage. You can select the country and it'll allow you to print in the correct format. Again, you'll have to have enough postage on it to cover its weight, so overestimate its postage costs.

NOTE: Do you have any suggestions on postage options for international writers? Please share in the comments section below.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Q: I’ve written a personal essay for a magazine that invites its readers to submit “meaningful remembrances.” The submission guidelines state that submitted articles are welcome for review. Should I send a query letter or send the essay along with a cover letter? What format should I use?—Carla V. Britt

A: Cover letters generally accompany work already expected by the recipient. Since the magazine welcomes articles for review, an expanded cover letter will work best and be key in getting an editor to look at your essay.

While there are different opinions on how to handle cover letters, one approach is to model the first paragraph to the language on the back of a book cover. It summarizes your work and gives the editor/publisher/agent a crystal-clear picture of your story. In the subsequent paragraphs, include (briefly) your background, especially anything that would make you somewhat of an authority on the subject you’re writing about, and any extremely prestigious credits you may have. While your third-grade Mother’s Day essay may have won you first prize at school, it’s better to leave it off and include only notable published works and writing awards you’ve received from well-known organizations. Stylistically, business-letter format works best.

Many people confuse cover letters with query letters. A query letter is a sales pitch for something that hasn’t yet been contracted. You’re selling an idea for a piece. It can be less formal—more like an outline—and should hit on the major points you plan to cover. Many editors and publishers request that you send a query letter up front, so be sure to double-check the guidelines.

They don’t have the time to eye a manuscript without being briefed on its contents, so they use query letters and cover letters to speed up the process.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Q: Do you have any advice on overcoming writer's block? I am currently taking a course on this subject and wondered how professional writers deal with this common problem. —Jane Thomas

A: Writers have only three true enemies: time (or lack thereof), computer viruses and writer's block. Defeating the first two is easy—set a writing schedule and backup your work. But writer's block doesn't have a cut-and-dry solution. It's a chronic ailment that all writers deal with differently.

For some insight, I asked several prominent authors how they tackled this terrible disease:

"To overcome writer's block I try to imagine: What's the worst thing that can happen to my protagonist within the context of this story? Then I do it. Characters should have goals, and my job as the author is to make it difficult for them to reach those goals."—JA Konrath, author of Fuzzy Navel, the fifth novel in his Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series.

"After I’m done feeling sorry for myself, I return to the literature. I first learned to write by reading, so I figure I can relearn to write by doing the same thing."—Matt Rothschild, author of Dumbfounded.

"I use fear to overcome it. I remind myself that my income is contingent on the pages I produce, and if I don't write pages I don't get paid—my mortgage doesn't get paid, my utilities get cut off and pretty soon in my mind I can see myself living in an abandoned truck in an old bathrobe. When the only thing standing between me and that fate is the next paragraph, it comes out pretty quickly."—Hollis Gillespie, syndicated columnist and author of Trailer Trashed.

As for me, defeating writer's block is all about persistence. When I'm stuck, I either find a good writing prompt and take a stab at it, or spend an hour coming up with 10 writing prompts of my own. These exercises give me a nice mental workout and, typically, end my writing slumps. And if those fail, I read. Nothing is more inspiring than taking in another writer's finest work.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.