Novel Physics™: Volume Two
The Laurawrites.net Full Newsletter with vocabulary expanders, grammar tips, and writers' quotations.
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Quotes To Live By:
"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit."
-Richard Bach
I. Grammar Gazette Tip: "Their" and "There"
II. The Name Game
III. - Rejection?
IV. Subscribe to newsletter for Free Updates!
Read Our Previous Volumes: Volume One
"Every writer is a frustrated actor who recites his lines in the hidden auditorium of his skull." -Rod Serling
"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." -Gene Fowler
I. Grammar Gazette Tip: "There" and "Their"
There and their are very similiar. They sound the same and with the exception of an "i" are spelled much alike. Yet, they have very different meanings.
The Tip To Remember:
"There" denotes a place or event.
Examples:
"You can sit it there."
"We all met and had coffee there."
"Their bus was broken."
"Their clock was off by four minutes."
How Many Variations Can You Make With A Single Name?
Try this the next time you're stumped for names:
Hyacinth- Cinthie, Cynthie, Jackie, Jacky, Hyacintha, Hyacinthia, Jacintha, Jacinthe, Hyacinthe, Hyacinthie, Giacinta, and Jacinta.
Taken from: Name Your Baby, By Lareina Rule
III. Redundant Rejection?
A needless rejection is something that should never happen. Sadly, in the contemporary publishing industry, it’s a common event. These rejections are too often taken personally and interfere with even the most ambitious writer’s hopes.
They are often the result of poor research into the publishing companies. On occasion, it is a result of laziness or egotism. Whatever the reason, they are always avoidable.
Many writers are excited when they discover an agency or a publisher that is accepting work. Instead of researching the company or seeing the works they’ve published, they start preparing a query in hopes that they will be accepted. This rapid and chaotic process almost always results in a rejection or unexpected details the writer is unhappy with.
Points To Consider:
1. You aren’t the first person to see any announcement.
There’s no reason to rush or force yourself to create a query or submission package.
Chances are, many writers have prior knowledge before you. If it is a successful agency or publisher, they will most likely be receiving 25-50 queries a day from new writers regardless. Posting news of "seeking new writers," will only double, or even triple, the already heavy numbers.
Rushing through everything will only open hundreds of doors for mistakes and errors in your package.
2. If it is an agency, see who they represent!
Successful agents will blatantly promote their authors on their site. They will have a list of whom they represent and what works they’ve gotten results from. Pay attention to their genres of interest.
3. If it is a publisher, see what they’ve published!
Publishers will have lists of books they’ve accepted online. They should have summaries, titles, authors, and a place to order. Does their accepted books match the genre of your own?
4. Don’t let arrogance ruin your query.
Don’t believe that a romance publisher will just love your Science Fiction or Mystery so much they’ll immediately accept it. Don’t believe that a Horror publisher will accept a book of poetry.
No matter how good you think your work is, you must look at their record and their audience. They won’t jump genres, lose their targeted audience, and all the profits they are reaping from those sales for a publishing experiment. If an author is in this situation, they should prepare for a rejection.
5. Be A Professional.
Publishers and agents want error-free submissions. Don’t fall into the "comfort zone," and assume they’ll just correct it themselves. If you are a professional it will show in your work and this is something they know. If you treat it like a hobby, they will assume you merely write for a hobby. If you treat it like a valuable and disciplined business proposition, it will be regarded in a different light.
One of the most arrogant and damaging excuses to be a lazy writer is, "If they like my book, they’ll overlook the mistakes." They shouldn’t have to and they know it. There shouldn’t be any mistakes to begin with. This also applies to every other written work: short stories, poetry, non-fiction, reference, etc. Mistakes can make you look like a bad writer.
This is not to say you should agonize over every word, you shouldn’t lose sleep over writing. But you should stay informed of grammar and refresh your knowledge at least once a year. DO NOT rely on a spell-checker to check your writing, get ready to re-read your work again. Spellcheckers are nice, but shouldn’t be relied upon.
6. Research as much as possible!
Know the company. If you can’t find any information on them, write or email their offices. If they don’t have submission guidelines posted, ask for them. If they don’t have any concrete information on their site, ask. It is much better than receiving a needless rejection you could have prevented.
©2003, Laura Wright. All rights reserved.
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