Notes in the Margin

by Suzan L. Wiener

Have you ever wondered how some writers get editors to give their queries the go-ahead and have their articles accepted over and over, while others just founder in a hit-or-miss effort? What’s the secret? Knowing how to target your audience, and knowing exactly who you’re writing for.

Here are the tips I follow to help me break into a publication and have a better shot at it.

Know the publication backwards and forwards. Make sure they haven’t done the article recently. Editors can’t put a similar article in even if they like it a lot. Don’t be afraid to stretch your imagination.

Network with other writers to get ideas and find out what is going on in the writing world. Even if you haven’t done that a lot, it is a good idea to start. Never be shy when it comes to finding out information that will be invaluable to you. Website forums are a rich source of potential markets.

Have confidence in yourself as a writer. Hit the big markets like Ladies’ Home Journal, Elle, and Glamour. Remember, all they can say is no. If one editor doesn’t like it, perhaps another will.

Strive to give the editor something different that will make them sit up and take notice. Make your query/submission an eye-opener and they will have to buy it.

Pretend you actually have an assignment already, and work as though you are doing it as an employee in their company. This will give you more of an edge than someone who is writing an article without any target at all.

Don’t just send in one article. Try sending in submissions to various publications so you will have a much better chance of getting that most-wanted acceptance. You won’t spend time worrying about one article since you will be writing a lot.

It’s always easier to write about subjects with which you have some familiarity. That being said, there’s nothing to stop you from trying something new, provided that you’re willing to put in the time to do quality research. Nothing will turn an editor off faster than a writer who presents an article which contains facts that are known to be wrong or ideas that are misconstrued due to inadequate or faulty research.

Learn the language. Most subjects have key phrases that all readers understand. Look for them during your research. Using them correctly will help make you part of the “in” crowd in an editor’s mind.

By targeting your potential audience, you should be much more successful in your desire to be a full-time writer. You will save effort, and you won’t be wasting time and postage sending to markets which won’t be receptive to your work. Above all, never give up.

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Suzan L. Wiener has had numerous articles on writing, stories and shorter pieces published by many major publications such as Canadian Writer’s Journal, MetroSeven, The Writer’s Ezine, Verses, Complete Woman, Mature Living, Mature Years, Reader’s Digest, and the Saturday Evening Post.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

by Rachel Hartman

Do you find yourself sitting down to write an article and then having a difficult time getting started? To avoid typing and editing, do you often surf the ‘Net, play computer games, or constantly check e-mail? Are you having a hard time focusing on the task at hand?

Many writers, especially aspiring ones, struggle with the actual writing process. It can be difficult for a beginning writer to stare at a blank page and even more grueling to fill it. Allow me to share a technique that will help you combat your writing anxieties: I call it the 45:15 rule.

The basic concept of the 45:15 rule is to provide a working structure for your writing commitment. The first step is to set a timer and work for 45 minutes. This is followed by a 15-minute break. This cycle repeats itself for the number of hours that you choose to dedicate toward writing each day.

One of the biggest advantages of this process deals with organization. By allocating specific time periods to writing and to relaxing, you are establishing a structure in which to function. Even if you cringe at the thought of formal structural settings, consider this to be nothing more than a guideline for creativity. Your ideas will flow on to the page for 45 minutes, and then you can take 15 minutes to let your imagination recharge.

Another benefit from this technique is that it helps you become efficient. Before I started using this technique, I was easily distracted when trying to write. I would look at news on the Internet, answer all phone calls, and allow other tasks that I needed to do sneak into my thoughts. However, with the 45:15 structure, I am able to directly focus on my work for a straight 45 minutes. The other things to do can fit into the break time. Others that have incorporated this technique into their schedule report similar benefits. It improves focus and allows you to do more in less time.

Finally, be careful not to make your break time turn into a stress session! Use all or part of the 15 minutes to get away from the computer. Go outside and get some fresh air, do a few mindless chores, or simply grab your favorite beverage and stretch your legs. Enjoy the time and let your mind think about other topics, not the work you just left behind. When you sit down again at the computer, you will feel much more relaxed and ready to go.

If you are beginning to delve into the writing world or are struggling with the writing process, this method may be just what you need. Try it for two weeks and then reevaluate. Adjust it to fit your needs. The most important factor is not that you strictly follow the technique, but that you find something that routinely works well for you. Remember that slow progress is the key to true success and enjoy the journey, one 45-minute session at a time.

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Rachel Hartman is a freelance writer who has lived and traveled extensively in Mexico for the last seven years. Contact her via e-mail at rachelmhartman@gmail.com.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

by Jennifer Gomoll

It’s been said that brevity is the soul of wit. If you agree, writing one-liners may be the freelance opportunity for you.

Nearly every mall, card outlet, and gift shop sells novelties. Whether in-your-face buttons or get-off-my-butt bumper stickers, these items make people laugh. In many cases, they also make money — for freelancers. One-liners tend to go for at least $50, so if you have a quick wit, find out where the opportunities are! You can start by going to the stores that sell funny items, and check out the company names printed on the ones you like. Use a search engine to find them online, as well as other freelancer-friendly novelty companies. Don’t forget to look for t-shirt companies; snarky slogans printed across rebellious chests are big business these days.

If there aren’t any writer’s guidelines on a company’s website, write or email a request for them. Request a catalog, if one isn’t available for download online. Study each company’s needs carefully. What topics do they cover? Is the humor racy or “clean”? What kind of people buy their stuff? Which subjects have been done to death, and which might they like to see more of?

If you’re having trouble drafting slogans, try one of these five basic formulas. (These sample one-liners may not be all that hilarious, but you’ll get the idea.)

1. What’s bad / what’s good. Here’s where you turn a frown upside down. For example: “Broke but happy.” “I sold my soul but I got a great trade-in.”

2. Start with a cliche, end with a twist. Think of something you’ve heard a million times before, then warp it, such as: “He who laughs, lasts.”

3. Define a word. Write something you won’t find in Webster’s dictionary: “Chocolate: nature’s Prozac.”

4. Short description. Who is the t-shirt or button wearer? What words define him or her? “Drama Queen.” “Geek Goddess.” “Whipping Boy.”

5. Snide response. You want to say “Back off, Bucko!” to that guy at the bar who won’t stop pestering you. Someone’s in your face about your lifestyle choices. Politics got you down. What do you want to say? “Sorry, I don’t date outside my species.” “My sign? It’s STOP.” “Nice rant, Geraldo.”

Don’t be surprised if it takes a while for good ones to come to you. Sometimes it helps to simply start writing a list of topics until one grabs you. This is only the first draft stage, so don’t worry too much about the wording or “flow” of your slogans. Get the general ideas out on paper first. If they sound awkward, re-word them several different ways. Put them aside. Later, read them again and decide whether your ideas need more work.

A few things to remember: a button, sticker, or t-shirt is meant to be read and understood in a matter of seconds. Keep it brief. Read your slogan out loud. Does it sound smooth or clunky? If you saw it at a shop, would you plunk down money for it? Get feedback from friends and writing buddies, preferably ones who have a sense of humor that differs from yours. What do they think? Remember, timeliness is an issue. Do you think your slogan will still be relevant a year from now? If it sounds like something you may have heard before, run your slogan through a search engine. It’s already on a t-shirt? Darn! Try again.

When you have a list of your best one-liners ready, it’s time to send them out. In what format should you submit? Ask the company. Whether they want an email, hardcopy list, or (ugh) an individual index card for each idea, that’s what you must do, else risk instant rejection. Sticklers!

Sent out your slogans? Good. Time to play the waiting game. Twiddle your thumbs, or write more funnies: just be prepared to wait months for a response. If the acquisitions editor likes one or more of your ideas, the company will usually test market with its vendors. This means that shop owners and others who buy novelties to sell will read the slogans and give them a yea or a nay. Enough yeas, and your check will be in the mail. Nays, and a rejection slip is coming your way. Don’t feel too bad if it does; novelty companies use very few of the thousands of ideas they receive each year. Not to worry; rejection is a good topic for writing more one-liners!

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Jennifer Gomoll is a freelance writer from Chicago. She has sold work to a variety of novelty companies, greeting card publishers, magazines and websites, and currently writes reviews for NewPages.com.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

If You Want to Write
by Brenda Ueland
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1997
179 pages, $11.95

reviewed by Karen Fisher-Alaniz

Brenda Ueland’s book, If You Want to Write, is not just for aspiring writers. It is aimed at anyone who has within them a yearning to create. Ueland taught writing at colleges and universities. She wrote more than 5 million words in her lifetime. But the accomplishment she was most proud of, was teaching ordinary people to write, at her local YMCA. The book is sprinkled with examples of her students’ accomplishments and their struggles to achieve them.

And Ueland has no qualms about stating what is true, that she is a great writer and a magnificent teacher. She quotes William Blake, “He who knows not his own genius has none.”

Chapter titles include “Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say”; “Be careless, reckless! Be a lion, be a pirate, when you write”; and “Why you are not to be discouraged, annihilated, by rejection slips.” But my personal favorite is the chapter “Why women who do too much housework should neglect it for their writing.”

Why is that my favorite? This book was originally published in 1938 by a woman who dared to wear pants and get her hair cut short at a barber shop. I am inspired by the fact that she was telling women, still under social pressures to keep their ankles covered, to forget their housework and pluck away at a typewriter instead. Her lessons, her wisdom are both timeless and timely. She was indeed a renaissance woman.

If You Want to Write is subtitled, A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit. Many pages contain long footnotes, more like after-thoughts. I often found those even more compelling than the text itself. Ueland leads by word and by example, giving us confidence to follow her, when she says to, “…work from now until you die, with real love and imagination and intelligence, at your writing… If you do that, out of the mountains that you write some mole hills will be published.”

And so…dirty dishes sit in my sink and mounds of laundry on the floor as I pluck away! Oh what joy to neglect my housework.

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Karen Fisher-Alaniz recently finished transcribing more than 400 pages of letters her father wrote during World War II. She is currently writing a book based on the secret life he led as a code breaker during the war. Contact her at karenlalaniz@hotmail.com.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.