Tips for new writers

Breaking into the writing industry seems easy – all you need to know is how to put a few paragraphs together. Right?

As thousands of struggling newbies across the planet will tell you, becoming a freelance writer is not easy. It’s one of the most difficult things you could do. Writing your article, essay, story or poem is just one aspect of the job. Getting an editor to read it, publish it and pay you for your words is what makes it challenging.

Editors receive hundreds of proposals for their publications. How do you make it through that pile?

Here are some tips to help you make that first sale:

Read the entire post here.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Book Review

I’ve just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. At 607 pages, it is not a ‘light’ read, but the pace moves pretty quickly. Harry’s final adventure sees him growing up and hot on the hunt for the Deathly Hallows. Full of twists, turns, romance and dying friends and enemies, it is not a book (anymore) for little children!

Read the rest here

Reading and Writing Lounge

My independent blog on the Digital-Folders network is now online. Please take a look. Comments and suggestions are welcome!

I *AM* busy

Really.

Between now and December, I’ve got 6 1500 word features to complete, a new writing blog to launch , one small trip and one big trip to undertake, plus go to work 20 hrs a week!

I’ve also launched my new website, joined Facebook (which can be highly distracting) and am continuing to send out those queries to reach KK’s challenge.

It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.

So if you don’t see me around for a while, you know why.

Keeping ideas safe

Because you never know when ideas strike, I’m a firm believer in having a notebook in every room of the house. So my kitchen, bedroom, living room and bathroom all have little notebooks or paper & pen in case I need it. This often comes in handy when you’re watching a pot boil and a rhyme falls into place, or if you’re in the loo and can’t go to your computer to jot down an idea.

I thought my various notebooks covered any exigencies but I had forgotten one area that is known to be idea-friendly – the bath.

I was lounging in a sea of bubbles thinking of nothing in particular when two great ideas plopped into my head. I was startled. Then dismayed. I could see the notebook on the bathroom cabinet nestled with almost-overdue library magazines. Getting out would mean dripping on the bathroom floor, an interrupted soak and unnecessary cleaning…so I stayed put (laziness won), repeating the ideas over and over in my head, willing myself not to forget.

I finished my bath sooner than expected. The ideas weighed heavier than the pleasure of the soak. I could always do that again, but the ideas once gone…

This got me thinking of possible solutions to the ideas-in-the-bath quandry. I once read of shower crayons that you can use to scribble on tiles, then wipe out. I think they’re meant for kids , but that would be a good solution. Anybody use these?

Writing for International Publications

It may not be humanly possible, but on some mornings you could wake up and think that you’ve run out of potential markets to write for.

If you’ve had such a morning, despair not! There’s hope for you yet.

If you’re tired of going through the magazines on your newsstand and or are inundated with rejections, why not look beyond your country’s border?

Outside of the UK, US and Canada lie a whole planet full of English speaking countries, most of which have publications looking for freelance writers to fill their pages and come up with fresh ideas for each issue of their newspaper or magazine. Take a map and point a finger at a random spot. Chances are that you will pick a country that has a high English speaking/reading population. Why not target those markets?

Writing for foreign markets is not as exotic as it sounds, however. The same rules often apply : queries, submissions, meeting deadlines and word-counts. You are still expected to show professionalism irrespective of whether you have been published there before or not.

What can you write about for foreign markets?
Well, how about travel articles? Your neck of the woods may seem boring to you, but to someone on another continent, it may well be an exotic destination on their top-ten list of places to see. Take advantage of the distance and keep the allure alive. Destination, travel and lifestyle pieces are always wanted.

Taking off from that idea, pick your speciality and take a spin on it. Like food? Why not dish out some quick regional recipes? For example, if you’re Indian, cash in on the wide appeal of spicy curries and show the world a new trick or two. Indian food is not only about curries; recipes that move away from the standard fare will also be welcome. Write about your country’s history, food, festivals and holidays.

Other ideas could include writing about events in your target market, profiling people in your target audience (how about profiles on expats living in your country?)

Finding an appropriate market
This should ideally be the first thing to do. For me, finding a market and then tailoring an idea to it is usually a sensible option. Occasionally, the reverse works. Pick the one that works for you.

The usual places to look for markets online are the online market listings. Thanks to the internet, it is not too hard to locate a newspaper or magazine in your target country. Most of these will also have an online edition which will give you a clue about their contents and style. When you can’t afford to import sample copies, study the online versions carefully instead.

Then, you can always ask friends and relatives to keep copies for you. Even better, find a friend on a writers forum to swap magazine copies.

For reference and more ideas, take a look at these articles :
A whole list of articles on International writing at Writing-World.com
Writing for International Markets by Raymond Wells
How to study a magazine you’ve never seen by Mridu Khullar

Rights of the Reader

Saw this poster at the Roald Dahl museum. It’s available for free download here. If you love books, print this out and put it up!

A peek into Roald Dahl’s writing life

I spent an inspiring few hours at the Roald Dahl museum this afternoon. Although I’ve read just a few of his books (and watched the film version of ‘Matilda’), I just realised that Dahl is more than just a writer for children.

Did you know that he was in the Airforce, but had to quit when his plane crashed and he suffered head injuries? His first story sold to Cosmopolitian in the early 1940s, when he was 26 or 27. He was still working with the RAF at the time and writing on the side. From that first sale, his successes were steady as big names bought his stories (Walt Disney, for example).

The museum itself is fun and for a writer, truly inspiring. Irrespective of whether you like his books, relate to children’s writing or care for chocolate, the museum will restore your faith in your passion for writing and give you hope for the future.

The rooms of the exhibits are littered with glimpses into his writing life. Copies of his letters to his mother, scraps of his stories, limericks and sketches on his favorite yellow lined writing pad give us an insight into how Dahl worked.

My favorite part, though, was the Idea room exhibit. While kids were encouraged to make new words, put color into postcards or check their grammar, I found a whole room devoted to writers and how they practice their craft. A television screen showed Dahl, JKR, Joanna Lumley and a whole host of writers talking about how they wrote, where they got their ideas from and tips for aspiring writers. The room had laminated sheets with such advice from various writters like Mark Haddon (Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time), Andrew Motion (Poet Laureate) and Jacqueline Wilson among others.

Most writers have an obsession with where they write and the eternal quest for the elusive ‘room of one’s own’. Dahl did have his own room – in fact his was a shed at the bottom of his garden, “my nest, my womb”, he called it. A simple, cluttered room, but one where he did his best writing.

Take a virtual tour of his writing room here.

My lesson from the trip: If he could sit in an old armchair (with a hole at the base so that his spine could rest, and a tube of cardboard to raise his writing board ‘with soft green billboard velvet’) and do a lot of productive writing, who am I to grumble about the lack of a writing room and use that as an excuse to procrastinate?

As inspiration and a reminder to stop grumbling and get on with the writing, I bought a little postcard with a painting of his writing hut.

Then I sat down and wrote for two hours.

If that’s the kind of inspiration a little museum can provide, then I should really visit more often!

Pictures coming soon.