Notes in the Margin

by Susan Johnston

Let’s face it — even the best writers face their fair share of rejection. It could be because that newspaper just assigned a similar story, or maybe the magazine already filled up that issue, or perhaps the editor is just having an unusually bad day… who knows? Rejection can be disappointing and downright heartbreaking if you agonize over it, but it needn’t keep you from achieving your publishing goals.

First, take heart in the fact that rejection is universal. Every writer has a tale of disappointment and despair, but the successful ones keep at it. Many of Louisa May Alcott’s stories were dismissed by her publisher for being too “sensational,” but Little Women has become a classic. Charles Scriber’s Sons rejected F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first two attempts before finally publishing This Side of Paradise. J.K. Rowling had to submit Harry Potter to more than a dozen publishing houses before her books found a home, and now the books have sold more than 300 million copies. You get the idea. Rejection is not a reflection of you or your writing ability, it’s just a fact of life.

After you’ve processed the initial disappointment, it’s time to evaluate whether your idea and query letter were targeted for the right editor at the right market. If you’re querying a beauty article, did you address your letter to the travel editor by mistake? Did you do your homework or did Magazine X just publish that very same article two months ago? If your response included any kind of feedback (like “not enough research” or “where’s the fresh slant?”), then you should rework your query for next time.

And don’t worry, there can and should be a next time. Have a plan B so you’ll know where to submit your idea next. As you’re brainstorming, make a list of all the publications that might be interested in your story. Obviously you’ll want to offer the idea to your top choice market first, but if Cosmopolitan passes, then you should be ready to send a slightly tweaked query out to Marie Claire or Glamour before you get bogged down by disappointment. If you’re querying by mail, have the envelope addressed and ready to go, because even if your query succeeds on your first attempt, you’ll want to try those other markets with new ideas.

If an editor takes the time to email you personally but says your idea isn’t a fit, don’t take it personally. Many people never get an answer or receive an automated “no thanks” to their query, so getting a personal email is a small (albeit bad-news-bringing) victory. Use this opportunity to thank them for their feedback and offer a few back-up ideas. For example, “I appreciate your getting back to me so quickly, and I wanted to offer you another idea for the magazine.” Or “I know you are very busy, so thank you for your response. Could you tell me what upcoming themes need more content that I could contribute?” At the very least, you now have the name and email address of an actual person, which could be a resource for future queries.

It’s also a good idea to stagger your submissions. If you have pieces in every stage of the submission and writing process, then you won’t come home one day to find a mailbox stuffed full of rejection letters. Plus, you’ll have other projects to focus on and keep you from getting too down on yourself. Keep track of where and when you’re querying in case you need to follow-up or submit to another magazine, but don’t get too hung up on the dates or numbers. Just as a watched pot never boils, it will seem as though you never get good news if you’re constantly refreshing your inbox. Give yourself permission to do other things, like going for a walk, treating yourself to some fro-yo, or curling up with a good book. You may even find an idea for your next query.

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Boston-based writer Susan Johnston is a two time National Scholastic Writing Award-winner. Her writing has appeared in Young Money magazine and Brookline magazine, and at DigsMagazine.com, RentalDecorating.com, and SavvyInsider.com. Read more at www.susan-johnston.com.

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

by Lori Widmer

I remember the first time I asked a fellow writer, “How can I figure out what to write about?” I got back the standard answer: “Write about what you know.” Uh, okay. Suppose I know very little? I mean, how many of us are experts in anything? I can crochet a nice chain, but does that qualify me to write a detailed article on how to crochet a three-piece suit? (And does anyone really want to crochet a three-piece suit, much less read an article about it?)

Of course not, which means that sage advice that shows up in nearly every book on writing misses the mark completely. Worse, it steers you in the wrong direction, which in the best case would be down the wrong path and in the worst case would be away from writing altogether. In fact, it’s the worst advice imaginable.

Here’s why.

The Pigeonhole
Writing about what you know means you’re not going to learn much more. Suppose you’ve done some rollerblading in your day, and your friends think you’re pretty good. Using our “write what you know” advice, you’re now pigeonholed into writing only about rollerblading. You cannot, and dare not, expand into other areas because you know nothing about it. Right? Of course not, but isn’t that exactly the advice you were given?

As a new writer, you should be doing the opposite. You need to be exploring new areas and finding new things that catch your attention. What have you always wanted to learn about but never had time for? Dog sledding? Retail buying? Backpacking? Pamela Anderson? Software and technology? It can be anything you read about that catches your attention or anything you’ve always wanted to know more about. Don’t worry about being an expert. All you need is a healthy curiosity and a list of experts to give credibility to your article.

Lack of Love
Writing about your passions is also pretty sad advice, but this one holds a bit more merit than writing about what you know. Still, it falls short by quite a bit in terms of really helping a new writer. That’s because it’s tough to nail down your passions and your specialties, especially if you think of it as something you should already love. That’s another reason why this advice doesn’t cut the mustard.

As a writer with over 15 years of experience, I’m hard pressed to give you a list (or even a line item) of things I’m passionate about that I could turn into a specialty or even an article. Sure, I could give you a detailed account of my trip to southern Utah, but that’s hardly a passion.

Instead, change your perspective a bit. Instead of labeling it a specialty or a passion, think of it as an interest in one area or another. For example, I may not be passionate about spending a week being baked alive in August under the intense Utah sun , but I do enjoy traveling to places away from the tourist traps. I have an interest in traveling to relatively untouched places.

The same applies to you. Suppose you enjoy learning about the latest software for your computer. You’re not necessarily living and breathing the technology craze, but you have some interest in what goes on in that market. That interest could translate easily into articles, reviews, weblogs and more.

No Curiosity
The problem with both of these statements is they don’t inspire a writer’s curiosity. One of the toughest things we writers have to deal with is not writer’s block – it’s lack of solid ideas. If we stick to only what we know or are deeply passionate about, we’re going to run out of ideas fast.

Instead, get curious. Sometimes that curiosity can get you through the rough assignments. I remember my first days as a senior editor. I had to learn an entire industry that I found boring and confusing on the surface. I got curious in order to survive. That curiosity saved my career, and it did something better – it created a deep interest and appreciation for a specialty that I still write about today.

Write It All
So forget that advice that’s been hammered into your brain. It’s useless to you if you want to survive as a writer. Instead, follow this advice – write about anything that piques your curiosity. Write to find out about something or to answer a question you’ve always had. Write to understand a problem or to help find a solution. Write to learn and grow. Where you want to go will take you much farther than where you’ve been.

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Lori Widmer is a freelance writer and editor who has many interests and few marketable passions. She may be reached at lwbean@gmail.com.

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

The Right to Write
by Julia Cameron
Penguin Putnam
236 pages, 1998

reviewed by Hope Wilbanks

In The Right To Write, author Julia Cameron explores the writing life. She covers every imaginable topic, from bad writing and letting yourself write to being an open channel and beating procrastination.

The thing I love most about The Right To Write is that there is a constant “welcoming” theme. Cameron welcomes the writer to take the leap to begin. She welcomes writers to meet the page daily. She beckons writers to create a habitual practice of writing regardless of time or circumstance.

I’ve read this book twice, and each time I’ve taken away something different. When I pull this book from its shelf, I bring along a stack of Post-It notes with me to jot notes as I read. In fact, if you could see my copy right now, you’d see a colorful splash of those sticky pieces of paper peeking out from countless pages.

The first reading was like sitting down to a huge, thick steak, juices flowing and steam rising. I gleaned great inspiration from The Right To Write; so much so that it motivated me to sit down at my desk and start writing again after a long dry spell. The second time around was as if feasting on a dessert of hot fudge cake with piping hot fudge sauce melting pools of ice cream. It’s that good.

The chapter “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?” delves into a popular theory among writers: “disciplined” writing. I have personally struggled long and hard with the issue of perfection—writing at the perfect place, during the perfect time of day, “perfect” writing…period.

It’s easy to become trapped in a mindset of telling yourself that your writing must be “perfect” in some sense or fashion. Cameron suggests however, that writing is perfect in itself. There is no perfect way to do it. The key simply lies in writing. Or, to quote Cameron, “Writing is about making brain children. When it comes to conception, it can, but doesn’t need to be in missionary position.” This clear-cut, unpretentious statement opened my eyes to the simplicity of the writing process.

In another chapter called “Making It,” Cameron discusses every writer’s fear, the fear of not “making it” as a writer. I believe this single chapter was probably the most inspiring one to me the first time I read it. “Think of it like making a chair,” says Cameron. “You make a chair and someone buys it. You write something and someone buys it.” Every writer would be less stressed and enjoy writing more if we could embrace this ideal.

The Right To Write is food for a writer’s soul. Cameron has a special way of turning ordinary everyday occurrences into deep, spiritual learning lessons for writers. In this book, writers are invited to become rooted in the process and take ourselves seriously.

If you have reached a place where you feel like you just can’t write any longer, grab a copy of The Right To Write. You will be encouraged to begin again, to enjoy the process, and to write from your heart.

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Hope Wilbanks is an inspirational writer living in central Louisiana. She is the author of The Self-Empowered Woman and publisher of Cup of Hope Magazine.

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

Scrivener 1.0 (Mac OS X)
by Keith Blount
Literature & Latte
$34.99 (30-day free trial)

reviewed by Melissa Barton

Keeping research notes, outlines, and drafts of long documents organized in an ordinary word processor can be daunting and time-consuming for writers. Those who write and outline out of order or who have large amounts of research material to handle can be frustrated by flipping between multiple documents and keeping track of file versions. Since most of us aren’t programmers, we had to live with the limitations of word processors. Fortunately, Keith Blount had the same problem.

Blount designed Scrivener to organize his own writing, incorporating new features as suggested by users. Scrivener combines features of an outlining program and a word processor, with some other, less common functions. A basic tutorial comes with the program and gives an overview of most features. The program is very self-evident and easy to use, and the extensive help file is well written and clearly illustrated with screenshots.

Each Scrivener project collects documents, which can represent chapters, sections, and subsections, into a “draft.” The documents in the draft can be selected and rearranged via a menu on the left side of the screen. Below the draft is another menu for selected and organizing research. The main text viewer can be single or split to show different parts of the draft.

At the top of the screen are buttons for accessing the outliner (which is similar to OmniOutliner) and the corkboard, which shows virtual index cards corresponding to sections. These index cards have short summaries and can be easily rearranged. A notes field and color-coding for writing stage are attached to each section.

Although designed primarily with novelists and screenwriters in mind, Scrivener is also a good organizational tool for drafting nonfiction books, long academic papers, reports, and other complex documents. Since some typical word processor features, such as footnoting, are pretty bare bones or not supported, documents have to be exported to other programs for final formatting. The export process is straightforward and quick.

Scrivener won’t work for everyone’s creative process, and Blount suggests some alternatives for both Mac and Windows users. An earlier beta version of Scrivener, Scrivener Gold, is available for free, although it has fewer features than Scrivener 1.0. Scrivener is not available for Windows or earlier versions of Mac OS, but Blount plans to continue improving and updating the OS X version.

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Melissa Barton is a freelance science writer and editor based in Colorado. Her portfolio can be viewed online at http://www.rosettastones.net.

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