Winning Nonfiction: A Path for Revision
Nonfiction writing includes outlines, research, and many drafts. The revision process gives us the chance to polish the content, presentation, and style.
Guilty Secret: Revision is Not My Favorite Thing | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some people adore revision. They so talk excitedly about belching out their story in a rush of words and then relishing the time put into turning that rush into something a reader can love. I can admire that…
Revising: A Time to Fine-Tune Your Style
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Making your writing more distinctive. As experienced writers know, revising involves more than changing word counts, fixing punctuation, or checking for accuracy. Revision is also the time —think “opportunity”—to make our writing more vibrant, meaningful, and distinctive. Fine-tuning…
Misunderstood Verbs
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Verbs are the powerhouse of the sentence. Because of that, understanding how verbs work will help you tremendously in the revision process. It’s only by knowing what verbs are all about that…
Revising for a Strong Start
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A checklist for hooking your reader. As the saying goes, we have one chance to make a first impression, and it’s the same with writing. Editors, agents, and readers tend to cast aside stories with weak beginnings. It’s…
Three Steps to Writing Better Dialogue
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Fiction, the kind accepted by children’s magazines and book publishers, relies on a careful balance of great action, strong setting and believable dialogue. Readers love dialogue. It lightens the page, making the…
Do You Need to Cut?
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A Revision Checklist Cutting words is a task most writers face during revisions. We may scrutinize each line and even each word to meet the publisher’s requirements. I’ve cut hundreds of words from an article or story and…
How to Get Published in a Magazine
Magazine writing differs from book writing in several ways. Reading one issue of a magazine can offer many useful insights. Let’s look at a few important ones.
Scoring a Regular Freelancing Gig
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Increasing your chances of becoming a regular freelancer Getting a one-off acceptance is always a cause for celebration. Getting offered a regular paying gig is even better. Learn ways to increase your chances to become a regular freelancer.…
Top Ten Questions to Ask Before Submitting | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The moment when you submit can be an interesting mix of exciting and terrifying. It’s easy to forget small details. So a good checklist can help. Before you send, make sure you…
Mining Magazine Markets
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Discovering markets you didn’t know existed From quarterlies about secretaries to periodicals about electricity, it seems there’s a magazine for everything. Expand where you sell your writing by mining obscure markets. I worked as managing editor of OfficePro…
Is This Real Writing?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writers tend to have trouble holding onto a positive self-image. We toil alone, usually with little or no cheering section. In fact, our writing can be seen as being a resented competitor…
Crafting the Perfect Pitch
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Tips for getting closer to yes! Editors are busy, often juggling multiple duties. That means it’s important to grab them with a quick, precise query letter. Learn what works and what doesn’t. Learn how to query even if…
Write Your Fiction Tight But Right
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One absolute need a fiction writer must have to create material for magazines is the ability to write to extremely short word counts. As this is also true of picture book writers,…
Research You Need to Do Before Querying
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Targeted submissions can lead to success. Before you even start to query a publication or an agent, it’s important to do research on what they’ve already written, their style and the person you need to sell your work…
Increasing Your Successes in Writing for Magazines
Writing for magazines can be challenging AND rewarding! You may even see your name in print far faster than with book publishing. Grab these tips for success!
5 Common Questions About Author Platform
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > From writers like you! A while back I sent out a one-question survey. Writers could submit any one question about author platform and marketing. I learned a ton from reading all the questions that were submitted, but there…
Overcoming Fear
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Talk about “platform” is pretty scary for a lot of writers. Many of us are not really all that social, so we’re not excited by the words “social media.” But really, isn’t…
Building Author Brand Engagement
You’ve defined your author brand and found your target market, now let’s dive into how to build engagement with your readers through your author platform.
Listening to More Voices
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Last week we looked as some good advice writers would give their past selves, their pre-publication self. And this week, we’ll see even more of these tidbits of advice. What kinds of…
