WRITING TIPS

CUT IT OUT!
By Emily Jean Carroll

     Ouch! That really hurts.
     Cutting your wonderful words, that is.
     But in both fiction and nonfiction there is one spot that often needs cutting—sometimes completely.
     Take out an old manuscript, short story, essay or article. What does the first paragraph say? What does it tell your reader? Does it explain what is to come, what you’re going to tell the reader in the following paragraphs?
     Cut it out! You don’t need to tell the reader what you’re going to tell them. You need to start telling them what you want to tell them.

     Do some research. Read some first paragraphs in magazines. Do they start out with a bang, or do they dryly tell you, “This article is about shoes and I’m going to explain how shoes have evolved over the past centuries.”
     Probably not quite that dryly, but you may be surprised at the wasted introductory words in many top magazines, words you could skip and not miss a thing.
     As editor of a regional magazine and for a newsletter for writers for several years, I sliced many first paragraphs to the bones, and often did complete amputations. One amputation was on a marvelous article that began with some numbers on the distance between a small Indiana town and points around the world. This information had nothing to do with the article. Why was it there? The writer was warming up.
     As writers we some times have to “:warm up” to our subject. We put down an opening paragraph, some information, some words about what it is we want to say, superfluous words. The thing to look for in first warming up paragraphs are the words that tell what you plan to say. Cut ‘em out!
     An essay that crossed my desk caught the writer warming up with a paragraph about how, as a child, the writer had enjoyed going to the fair with her parents. Was the article about the fair? No. Was it about her childhood? No. It was about her parents, but not about an enjoyable trip to a fair. The writer was warming up to her subject and she took the reader along for the exercise.
     Do your exercising alone. Write that warm-up paragraph, then make sure it is necessary to the piece you’re writing. If it isn’t, cut it out!

WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
-- And Who Cares?
By Emily Jean Carroll

SO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK
ABOUT YOURSELF OR YOUR FAMILY.
WHY?

     Before you begin your book, you need to give some thought as to the reason for, the purpose of your book. Will it be for the entertainment of others, the enlightenment of yourself? Will it serve as an example for others, or will it be a means to set the record straight? Know the why and write to that end.
 

     WHAT PURPOSE WILL YOUR BOOK SERVE? What do you want to tell your readers? That you love being a mother? That you survived something really bad? That your marriage was great, or maybe it was terrible? Do you want to leave a message with your readers? What will the theme or focus of your book be?

     WHAT PART DO YOU WANT TO TELL? Your whole life? Your family life? Do you want to write about your school years, your marriage and children, your military service, your retirement? Maybe you want to focus on a particular event or a certain time period such as your recovery from an illness, or living through a stressful time.

     WHO WILL READ YOUR STORY? Will your book be for your family and friends, your community, your business associates or clients, your church or club members, the whole world?
 

     Consider these questions before you begin writing your book and know what you want to say and how you want to say it.
    Read other autobiographies. Which ones did you like and why? Where did they begin their stories? Did they begin at the end with their life written as a memory, or did they start at the beginning as if it were happening in the present? Did it proceed chronologically, or did it jump about in time?
     Keep these questions in mind as you write, but don’t sweat it. A first draft always needs to be rewritten and that is where you really sharpen the focus.

TIPS FOR WRITERS

1 - KNOW WHO YOUR READER WILL BE. Who is your target audience? Write for them.

2 - KNOW YOUR MARKET. Does the publication use the type of story or article you are submitting? Know the publication or at least check guidelines.

3 - NEVER STAPLE. Stapling a manuscript together makes it unhandy for an editor to read (and tags you as an amateur).

4 - FORGET FOLDERS. Editors aren’t impressed by folders—they are more apt to be annoyed by fancy packaging.

5 - LEAVE MARGINS. Although you may think you’ll save a sheet of paper by skimping on margins, the only things you’ll save is an editor’s eyesight—he or she probably won‘t read you manuscript at all.

6 - WIDE OPEN SPACES. Double spacing is also important for editing or making corrections. . . and getting your manuscript read.

7 - IDENTIFY. Your name goes on the first page, not at the end of a manuscript. Your complete address also belongs on the first page. The title and your last name along with the page number goes on each page thereafter.

8 - SASE. Asking for guidelines? Asking a question or sending a query about a manuscript you’d like to submit? Include a SASE or self-addressed postcard. ALWAYS.

9 - MANUSCRIPT LOST? If you don’t hear back about a manuscript within the time promised or within a reasonable time (4 to 5 months for some publications, longer for others) send a letter. Identify yourself, identify the manuscript. Inquire as to the status of your manuscript. Send a card or SASE for the reply.

10 - WHO’S THE BOSS? Never give the editor orders. Never tell the editor to “answer quick.” Never presume to tell the editor your story is “just right” for them, or that they can “bid” on your marvelous story, or that your poem deserves to be on a front page.

If these tips seem basic and needless, sit at an editor’s desk for a week or two.
You will see all of the above rules broken.