Dear Friend, There are two small things you can do to turn your writing into words of power. It’s as simple as buttered bread yet as easy to miss as a speck in black tea. Change your verbs and nouns Forget adjectives, forget adverbs. They’re like chili on an Oz burger—too much, ouch. Take the verb walk, for instance. Substitute... saunter, stroll, stalk, swagger, pace, tread, stride, promenade, trek, hike, plod, trundle, toddle, rove, jaunt, peg on, proceed. **** The difference between a published manuscript and an unpublished manuscript it about ten drafts, so said a guru in the literary world. The editing process takes place with your left brain hemisphere, and it loves to argue with your right! So once the words are down, wait until you are sufficiently out of your creative brain and can come to your work with new eyes. The experts suggest six weeks later! Ensure formatting is consistent. The first paragraph in a creative work is flush left. The rest are usually 3 Em’s in. Your Header should contain the name of your work and page numbering. The Footer should say ‘mf’, short for ‘more follows’. Your title page should contain the genre in the LH corner, your name & address top right; the title is centred with ‘by’ & your name. Rights requested are in the bottom left and word count bottom right. *** The next thing you need to know is how to build a platform... To begin marketing your work, you must set the scene even before you begin writing it. You must be the expert in your field. So write magazine articles on your chosen subject. If writing fiction, find magazines that publish short stories. Study the techniques of short story writing. Check the Writer's Market under 'Markets' for Magazine articles listed by genre. Phone some authoritative people on your subject. Ask for an interview and include their ideas in your non-fiction article or book on the subject. Everyone, including academics, likes to get their name in print. When you do your proposal, these names will make editors pay attention. Put a notice on the student notice board at your local university asking for volunteers who are doing their thesis on the subject. Once you've published your first article, either get yourself on the committee of an organization important to your work or book yourself to speak on the subject. Local charity clubs such as women's groups, the P & C, Rotary and Lions are always looking for guest speakers. After your speaking engagement, see if the Chair of the meeting will write a testimonial for you. Make a flyer with your credit as an author and the testimonial. Get a web site in any way you can. Being in an association can often be a cheap way onto a web site on a member's register. Join the state writer's group where you'll find loads of up-to- date information on the latest markets. The membership is tax deductible. Before sending to the magazine, check the masthead for the name of the features editor. Address your query letter to this person by name or it may not reach him or her. Better still, phone. Start a blog.(See my blog for more tips.) Word TinkerQuote of the month Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much. (Oscar Wilde) |  Photo by Nathan Williams Biblical Research Get a research guide from your state library. Use a good bibliographic guide to the literature, e.g. ALA (American Library Association) Guide to reference books, Chicago, 1996. Walfords guide to reference material, London, Library Association, 1959- Bibliographies (lists of literature such as this list) Indexes e.g. Biography Index, H. W. Wilson, Quarterly, 1946- Abstracts, Commentaries, Concordances Bible Dictionaries & Bible Atlases e.g. The Oxford Bible atlas & for full-colour maps with descriptive text on the topography climate and archaeological finds, use Conatinas’ Historical descriptions of the countries of the Near East. Biographies e.g. H. Lockyer, All the women of the Bible, Zondervan, 1988. P. Calvocoressi, Who's who in the Bible, Viking Press, 1989. F.S. Mead, 250 Bible biographies, Barbour, 1987. Mead's is the most comprehensive. Calvocoressi gives an insight into how biblical personalities are portrayed in literature and the arts. Encyclopaedias e.g. Encyclopedia of world biography, Gale Research, 1998; The new standard Jewish encyclopedia. Facts on file, 1992. ** Then, when you have an overview of the character, you go into details with… Primary Sources including interviews, (e.g. Job) letters, ( eg. James, St. Paul's), diaries (many biblical books), literature (e.g. The song of Solomon, The psalms) and photographs, maps, (e.g. Of Bible lands). Check www.gutenberg.org* for concurrent original works, e.g. Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus (38AD), Cyropaedia by Xenophon (431 BC), The Histories by Herodotus (480BC). Websites Though the web is not regarded as a good source for research, I recommend these for primary sources:- Gutenberg.org, Christian Classics Ethereal Library (http//www.ccel.org) and Google Books (www.books.google.com), EEBO: http://eebo.chadwyck.com/marketing/about.htm (available via National Library). Online Journals: e.g. American oriental society, Currents in Biblical research. *** TO GET MORE WRITING TIPS... SUBSCRIBE TO WENDY"S SCRIBE NOTES USING THE CONTACT FORM:- http://www.scribeofspirit.com/subscribe.php
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