Justine's Writing Journal

Writers Digest offered a list of "Best Writing Articles of 2010" in their recent newsletter. Funny enough, this one was posted in 2008. Go figure. ;)

From Writers Digest - 17 Writing Secrets by Steven Goldsberry

1. Never save your best for last. Start with your best. Expend yourself immediately, then see what happens. The better you do at the beginning, the better you continue to do.

If you've spent much time reading about the craft, you've probably seen a lot of these "secrets" before. But it's a good compilation, and worth the read, even if only as a refresher.

How to Ensure 75% of Agents Will Request Your Material, by Marcus Sakey

Here's the key to writing queries: You're not actually selling the book.

I want to repeat that: You are not selling the book. In fact, you could write a highly successful query for a book that does not exist.

All you’re doing is seducing the agent. You want to get them interested enough that they ask to see your manuscript. That's it. It's like online dating. If you can write a charming e-mail, you might get a date; if you get a date, who knows where it could lead. But try to put all your history and baggage in that first message and you won't get any play. Instead, demonstrate that you're worth someone's time. That you are interesting, sincere, and respectful.

In a nutshell: "So instead of trying to convey the beautiful bleeding soul that is your novel, just show an agent you know how to tell a story. That’s what makes them willing to read your manuscript."

Last week I posted about villains. This week I link to a more general article with some interesting tips, including a couple of suggestions regarding protagonists.

From Janet Fitch, Ten Writing Tips That Can Help Almost Anyone:

7. Smarten up your protagonist

Your protagonist is your reader’s portal into the story. The more observant he or she can be, the more vivid will be the world you’re creating. They don’t have to be super-educated, they just have to be mentally active. Keep them looking, thinking, wondering, remembering..

So ... any words of wisdom you have or that you've read? If you could come up with one to five tips on writing, what would they be? What works best for you? On the flip side, have you read/heard tips that you think are a load of crap, or that just don't work for you?

Personally, I found that two books in particular are excellent.

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman.

Manuscript Makeover by Elizabeth Lyon.

Both of these get into the nitpicky details as well as the big-picture issues. I own both books and have referenced them a lot. No, not alot, but a lot. ;D