Practice Short Writing

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Thousands of new books are published every day. Two of my bestselling author friends released a new book over four weeks ago. I heard about the book and requested a review copy which they sent. I have read the book and I’m trying to find a few minutes to write my review. I checked Amazon and Goodreads  for this book and they have zero reviews. 

Why are these reviews important? It’s been proven that 98% of people who purchase a product online have read a review before they buy it. In general, book reviews are short articles and can be written in a brief amount of time. It’s an important skill to write a book review and every writer can learn this skill. In these articles, I’ve written a number of articles about book reviews (follow this link to easily find some of them). 

Another bestselling author friend hired me to write some profiles for a large project. As we spoke, she admitted that her skill was writing longer pieces of writing like books but not in the shorter profiles. This friend was placing limitations on her writing through her resistance to write the shorter pieces. When you write a short piece, you learn to write for a particular audience. You also gain the insight of which sentences are extra or fluff and can be easily eliminated. You improve as a writer and a commuicator through the continual practice and execution of these short articles.

After a recent writer’s conference, another writer reached out to me asking where she could publish her writing. I suggested magazine articles because they are short pieces and when published you can reach thousands of readers. As we exchanged emails, this author was a grief chaplain and wanted to know where to publish her writing. 

Without knowing it, this chaplain had a wealth of writing possibilities. As a former magazine editor, I know editors are actively looking for writers. It’s why they publish writer’s guidelines (use google to find them). I encouraged this author to use her Christian Writer’s Market Guide which had over 150 magazines in their listing. You need a current guide because a great deal of the information changes every year. Editors move and magazines close or new publications begin. The current guide gives you the best possible chance with your pitch. Some publications require a query letter (learn how to write one) while others want the full manuscript. 

The chaplain asked me what she could write? Almost every magazine will publish personal experience stories. This writer had a vast number of experiences that she could easily write into a 500 to 1200 word article. Yes, she would have to learn how to write a magazine article and how to properly format it and pitch it to the editor. Each of these skills can be easily learned. At the end of your articles, you have a simple statement like: Terry Whalin is the author of more than 60 books including 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed. (with a link to my book and website)

If you follow these simple steps, you get published. Then editors and literary agents will be more interested in your submissions because you move from an unpublished author into a professional writer. 

There are many types of short pieces that you can learn, practice and submit over and over including (but not limited to) book reviews, devotions, jokes, short filler pieces, magazine articles, quotes, and short social media posts. The possibilities and the opportunities are endless. 

My bottom-line emphasis in this article is that short pieces of writing is a valuable skill which can be learned and exercised over and over throughout your writing career. What am I missing here? Does it stir some ideas for your writing? Let me know in the comments below. 

Tweetable:

What is the value of writing short pieces? How can you expand your publishing efforts and reach more readers? This prolific author and editor gives the details and the reasons here.  (ClickToTweet)

New Podcasts:

In these articles, I’ve encouraged you to use PodMatch or some similar tool to book and record podcasts. Last week another podcast recording launched: 

Mike Wagner and I spoke about publishing expectations on The Mike Wagner Show. Listen at: https://bit.ly/4oniMkn

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Writing About Holidays

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

It's rarely discussed in the writing community but one of the most difficult type of writing for editors to find is tied to holiday themes. The good news is everyone has unique personal experiences during the holidays. Your opportunity as a writer is to capture the raw dialogue and unique elements, weave them into a story then submit them to print magazines. Print publications have a higher standard for their work than online (in general).

 

For example, when I was a magazine editor at Decision and our circulation was 1.8 million copies, we decided to do a February issue with a love theme (Valentine's Day). Personal experience stories which related to love combined with other crieria for our publication didn't naturally come unsolicited from authors. Instead, I had to create a list of authors and ask them to write what we needed. That experience and others at the magazine showed me the on-going need for holiday writing.

 

Your personal experience stories from holidays can be evergreen or an article which you can sell to many different magazines. Typically with a magazine article, you sell “first rights” which means after the article is published, the rights return to you. Then you can sell “reprint rights” to other publications. Depending on the publication, you can be paid more for a reprint right than the first rights. Each publication is different with different expectations. Make sure you read their submission guidelines before sending your article. In these guidelines the editor tells you exactly what they need. Many writers skip this important step in the submission process and then when their submission is rejected, they wonder why it didn't get accepted and published.

 

As you experience different holidays, make some notes into your computer or journal so you capture the essence of the experience and the raw dialogue. Then use these experiences to write personal experience articles and even how-to articles. After writing your article, send it out into the marketplace. I encourage you to keep track of your submissions and if you don't hear from the editor in a period of weeks, send them a gentle follow-up note to make sure they got it. I use the word gentle because if you push these gatekeeper/ editors, then you will likely get the response you don't want—a “no, thank you” or “this isn't a fit for us.” 

 

Are you using your holiday experiences in your writing? Let me know in the comments below. 

 

Tweetable:

Writing about holidays can be a great source for your magazine articles according to this prolific editor and author. Get ideas and the details here. (ClickToTweet)

Does your fiction or nonfiction book have a business plan? Every type of book needs a proposal—even if you self-publish. Get this resource.

Something Every Writer Can Do

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I've always loved a good story—whether in the newspaper or a magazine or in a book. While I read some fiction, I've always been drawn to real stories. It's one of the reasons the majority of my own writing has been nonfiction. Whether you write them or not, many of us have interesting personal experiences. It could be in your family or a travel experience or any number of other things that you experience personally. It should not surprise you that one of the most common and popular type of magazine article is the personal experience article. If you look in the Christian Writer's Market Guide, a wide range of periodicals are actively looking for personal experience stories.

 

When you write these stories, they have to fit the magazine guidelines for length but they also have to contain the elements of any good story such as a grabber headline, an interesting opening, a solid middle and a conclusion which includes a takeaway point for the reader. Through the years, I've written a number of these types of magazine articles.

 

When I attend a writer's conference, I find many writers are focused on their book project whether a novel or nonfiction. Many of them have never considered the value of writing for magazines. In general you will reach more readers with your magazine article than you will reach with your book. It's relatively easy with a magazine article to reach 100,000 readers and if your book is going to sell 100,000 copies then that will be rare. Also magazine articles are a solid way to promote your book. This promotion happens in your bio at the end of the magaine article and is often limited to the name of your book and pointing to a website. I encourage writers to begin in the magazine area for the simple reason it is easier to learn the craft of writing working with a 1500 word article than a 50,000 or 100,000 word book manuscript.

 

When you write for magazines, you will need to read their guidelines and get familiar with the publication (even if you read their online articles). If the publication asks for a query, then learn to write a query and send the query letter. If the publication prefers complete articles, then write the full article on speculation and send it to the editor. I've written many articles on speculation which means uncertainty it will be published. I've also written numerous articles on assignment from the magazine. It's an important skill for writers to learn to write for magazines and some of those articles can be personal experience stories.

 

Here's something I do not see written about magazine writing: it's a choice which experiences and stories you decide to tell. I don't write about every personal experience. Some of them are too painful to relive and write about. To write a personal experience story, you have to relive the experience to capture those words and feelings. Some experiences are better left alone and that's a perfectly fine choice.

 

Do you write personal experience articles for magazines? Let me know your tips and insights in the comments below.

 

Tweetable:

There is a type of article every writer can write. Learn the details about something every writer can do from this prolific editor and author. (ClickToTweet)

Does your fiction or nonfiction book have a business plan? Every type of book needs a proposal—even if you self-publish. Get this resource.

Five Ways to Increase Your Holiday Writing

Book publishing is more of a marathon than a sprint.  The publishing world often moves slowly and deliberately to produce excellent product and launch them into the marketplace. This deliberate pace slows even more during November and December of each year. 

As we go through the holiday season of Thanksgiving then Christmas and New Year's Day, the internal activities in a publishing business take a different focus. This shift means you hear even less from editors and literary agents. The holidays can be a time to turn away from your writing and be involved in other activities.  In this article, I want to suggest five actions to increase your holiday writing.

1. Write personal experience stories. Everyone has “different” personal experiences during the holidays. I encourage you to be sensitive to the value of these stories. Decide to write them into your computer shortly after they occur. When you write include the sensory details like the objects, smells, taste and dialogue. Why? Almost every print magazine uses personal experience stories and plans pages for the holidays. Thanksgiving and the Christmas season give you opportunities that do not happen any other time of year. Writing this material near when it happens gives you the raw material to craft and submit stories which can be published. If you wait, the memories and details fade. Write these stories right away.

2. Create new proposals and query letters. It takes time to craft new pitches and proposals. Even if you are going to self-publish, you still need to create the business plan for your book or proposal. If you don't know how to write a query letter or proposal. Take this time to learn this valuable publishing skill. Get my Book Proposals That $ell and read it. Use this time wisely to grow your writing life.

3. Schedule time to write on a new project. Maybe you would like to write a new book or new ebook or create something to give to your email list.  If you don't have an email list, now is a great time to learn to create one. Consider getting my List Building Tycoon ebook. When the publishing world slows down, it is a great time to move full-speed ahead on your creative time. Write the time into your calendar and keep those commitments to move forward on the new effort.

4. Read magazines and books. During the holidays is an ideal time to read trade magazines and learn more about how publishing works. Or read that novel you've been wanting to tackle. The reading process will fill up your creative well so you have the overflow to draw on for your writing. 

5. Tackle a new skill. Maybe you know you need to improve in copywriting or Internet marketing or figure out how to be better and consistent with your social media. While you can't expect to be skilled at every aspect of publishing, you can take small steps to improve your skills during the holidays. Get a new software program and learn how to use it. As I point out in the first chapter of Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, there are many different types of writing opportunties. Keep growing as a writer and use this time. Download the free sample of Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and study the possibilities.

If you take active steps with your writing, you will use the holidays as a boost to your writing life. As you write throughout the holiday season, you will be way ahead of those people who shift into a different gear and leave their writing out of their life. If you have other ideas, leave them in the comments below and if I can help you in that journey, reach out to me. 

Tweetable:

Even during the holidays, Five Ideas To Propel Your Writing. (ClickToTweet)

Capture Your Personal Experiences

Excitement was in the air at our house. For the first time in years, our adult children gathered at our dining room table for Thanksgiving. Weeks of planning went into this event with multiple trips to the airport (as well as to the grocery store). Finally the big day arrived.

The food was excellent and everyone gathered at the table—except for one son-in-law who was present yet uttered some excuse that prevented him from sitting with the rest of us.

Yes a disappointment yet also an opportunity. We decided not to let this person ruin our joy and thankfulness and instead we learned to choose to celebrate the gathering of family and our time together.

My story needs more detail but does give you a real recent event in my family. Yet notice I don't just tell it for the sake of telling it. I draw you to a point or take away or a reason for the story. 

We've just gone through the holiday of Thanksgiving and I suspect many of you have had unique and interesting personal experiences. Are you writing these experiences down so you recall the dialogue, the feelings and the taste and smells? 

These experiences can be writing opportunities for magazine articles, an illustration for your nonfiction book or fodder for your work-in-progress novel. I encourage you to capture the details shortly after it happens so you can recall it. Maybe slip away to your keyboard and write the words when they are raw. Or you can add them to a journal so you remember them.

Almost every magazine uses personal experience stories—and in particular they are looking for articles connected to a holiday. Often magazines are working three to six months in the future. If you have these holiday stories, they can be used for next year's writing assignments.

One of the critical elements for any personal experience story is to lead the reader with the stories to a single point or take away. The take away can be your final paragraph or sentences.

Some of these experiences will have great joy while others will be a challenge or difficulty that you found the path to complete. As you find that path and write about it, you can help others who travel the same journey and experience the same emotions.

In this holiday season, I encourage you to look for these little stories and build them into your writing life. 

Capture the Experience While It's Fresh

The world felt small and connected last Friday. As a book publisher, I was on a call with a new author guiding a brief meeting to get his cover design started. I've led many of these sessions yet the timing and the connections were unique.

This author was in Tel Aviv, Israel. The designer was in Canada and I was in Phoenix. We took care of the business about his cover and the call was almost over.

Last Friday was Good Friday yet also the beginning of Passover. As we were speaking on the phone, he was driving through an Arab village on the way to celebrate Passover at his in-laws house.

We were speaking on a conference number and this author dialed in using Skype so there was a bit of a delay with his speaking but it worked. I felt connected to the world community and was amazed at the advances of technology to allow something that a few years ago could not be imagined.

Each of us have unique personal experiences in this journey called life. What steps are you taking to capture some of these experiences shortly after they happen?

Our personal experiences can be used in many different ways for our writing. I'm going to give you several of them:

1. Personal Experience magazine articles. Your personal stories can be used in many different types of publications. The category of personal experience articles is almost universal for the print magazine world. High circulation glossy publications use them as well as trade publications. I've written for both types of publications and you can too.

2. Personal stories in nonfiction books. Writing any nonfiction book involves a careful balance between personal stories and how-to information. Often I've included my personal experiences in my writing. I've also collaborated with more than a dozen different people. This experience has allowed me to write their personal experiences into these books. In those cases, I tell the stories through their viewpoint which is another spin on how to use personal experience.

3. Fodder for your short stories. Many novelists are focused on producing their complete novel. Yet it takes a lot of time to write a full novel. You can be practicing your storytelling craft and using your personal experiences as fodder for those stories through short stories. Many print magazines are actively looking for appropriate short stories. It's terrific exposure and experience for the writer. Some of that storytelling springs from your life experiences.

4. Fodder for your novel. Many novels are thinly-veiled personal experiences for the writer. It's a common statement that writers should write what you know. It's hard to make any fiction believable if you've never been to a location yet you can take those experiences and they can be the backdrop for the writing in your novel.

5. Stories for your blog. Your own stories can create some fascinating writing for your blog. As someone with over 1,000 searchable entries in my blog, I'm a big believer in writing your experiences in the blog. If you don't know how to monetize (make money) from your blog or maybe you aren't making enough money from your blog, I recommend you get my 31 Day Guide to Blogging for Bucks, then read it and take action on the many suggestions.

Some writers journal to capture their thoughts and feelings. Others open a computer file and write the raw emotions of a moment.

How do you seize the day and take advantage of your personal experiences? The key from my perspective is to take consistent action to gather these stories so you can use them in your writing.

Write A Memoir That Sells

Without fail, it happens at almost every writers conference.

Some writer will come to me with a memoir or personal experience book. I can see it in their eyes and expressions. They've already met with the literary agents and editors who have told them that they can't publish this type of writing. Discouraged with such pointed news, they want my advice about what they can do with their work.

Each of these writers has invested countless hours on their writing. Some of them have blogged their experiences while others have simply cranked the words into their computer. Their stories are driven with their desire to help others who can learn from their experiences.

Because I've been in the publishing industry for many years, I can see both sides of the situation. The editors have good reasons behind their reluctance. Many of these writers are inexperienced, unpublished with no visibility in the marketplace (readers or fans) yet they want to tell their story. Others are trying to write a book too soon in the normal cycle of events for an author.

I have a number of concrete action steps these writers can take to change their situation and produce a memoir that sells.

1. They need to practice their storytelling and writing craft through producing personal experience magazine articles. Many publications take personal experience stories. Look at the magazines which you see frequently. Study the publication and note the articles which are written in the first person and include personal experiences. Notice the big pattern of the story. These types of article are each driven to a single point or take away lesson for the reader. When you are published in magazines, it will give you publishing experience and more visibility in the marketplace. Also you will reach many more people with your shorter magazine articles than you will probably reach with your books.

2. These writers need to set up a blog to capture their raw writing and get it into the marketplace. The search engines like blogs and it's a place to build an audience and group of readers for your work—provided you do more than write the blog. You have to have a goal for your blog and write with a purpose. I suggest you get a copy of my risk-free guide, The 31 Day Guide to Blogging for Bucks because it will help you make money from your blog and also focus it.

3. A key to reaching the literary agents or editors is to have an excellent book proposal or pitch. Take my Write A Book Proposal online course or read my Book Proposals That Sell to help you learn more in this area.

4. Get more ideas and tips from this excellent article by Mary DeMuth in the June 2011 issue of The Writer called A Smart Approach to Memoir. For example, this article points out a National Association for Memoir Writers. While I was unfamiliar with this group, I know the power of organizations and from looking at their website, believe they have many solid resources to help your memoir writing.

5. Read memoirs on a regular basis. One of the questions that I regularly ask these memoir writers is, “Do you read memoirs?” To my surprise, they often answer that they do not. Just look at the memoir/ autobiography section in any bookstore or your local library and you will be surprised at the variety of books and topics in this category. These books do continue to sell on a regular basis.

Recently I read David and Nancy French's excellent book, Home and Away: A Story of a Family in a Time of War. The book is well-written and full of practical take away messages for every reader. It's the same type of material that I recommend you build into your own memoir. If you do, then you will write a memoir that sells.

Don't let the naysayers get to you. Memoir continues to sell and be published. You have to persist to find the right place for your writing.