TIPS ABOUT NOVEL WRITING

Novel Writing

Keep these points in mind to include in your novel's first three pages:

1. Start with an important action. Unpublished writers do not have the luxury of building up to a conflict or other main event. Something must happen right away to hook the reader (here, the reader always means the editor or agent.)

2. Develop conflict. Things need to be stressful. If life is too easy for your characters, you will not hold the readers' attention.

3. Make promises--and keep them. Romance readers want romance; mystery readers expect a good puzzle, adventure lovers expect fast-paced action. Hint at things to come, then deliver. Everything must be resolved by the end of your novel, including the few little asides you might have introduced along the way. The lost dog found its home; the red herring was explained away; the secondary character's role was revealed, etc.

4. Introduce or foreshadow your main characters. Who the star(s) of your story is should be clear from the start. This also goes hand in hand with point of view. Decide before you start writing what viewpoint you will be using--first person, limited third person, multi-viewpoint, omniscient.

5. Develop a main character your reader can identify with, worry about, and root for. Let the reader know who the good guys are--and the bad guys.

6. Let the reader know up front what is at stake. What's the conflict, what stands to be lost?

7. Establish the setting. Let the reader know where we are, and when.

8. The beginning must foreshadow the conclusion. Your story is not a random series of events. All activities are carefully linked together. All plot elements must intertwine with one another. And you must know the ending of your novel before you begin it.

9. Set the pace. To some extent, the genre will dictate that for you. Historical romances are more leisurely, filled with description and flowery language; mysteries must go faster.

10. Don't digress. Everything mentioned in your book must have a reason for being there. If it doesn't advance the story line, it shouldn't be in your book. This includes dialogue for dialogue's sake, motives that are weak, description of irrelevant items or scenery, gratuitous red herrings, and plot twists that don't ultimately tie in.




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15 Tips for Writing News Releases

15 Tips for Writing

News Releases

By Richard Dalglish
Publication: JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone
Date: Tuesday, November 1 2005

Don’t let ill-conceived or poorly prepared news releases undermine your efforts to deliver your message to the public. An editor who has to wade through a mass of boilerplate before getting to the newsworthy bits might stop reading after the first paragraph—or the first sentence. Following.

• Use the “inverted pyramid” style. You’re not writing a mystery novel, so stifle your flair for suspense. Put the most important information in the first paragraph. That’s what reporters for daily newspapers do, and that should be your model for writing news releases. Remember, editors who are short on space—i.e., all of them—will cut stories, and they like to cut from the bottom up.

• Dispense with the “clever” lead you thought would grab the reader’s attention. The editor will cut it, so the reader won’t see it anyway.

• Remember the “five Ws.” Answer the questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? Answer them in the first paragraph, if not the first sentence. Provide details in succeeding paragraphs.

• Keep it simple. Use mostly short sentences and short paragraphs and stick to common words. Don’t embellish, and don’t write five paragraphs if you have two paragraphs of news. Don’t use too many adjectives and adverbs. Avoid superlatives. Make your writing clean, clear, and unambiguous.

• Use a conversational style. Read your news release out loud or have someone read it to you. If it sounds like Tom Brokaw reading a news story, it’s probably good to go. If it sounds like an essay, a sermon, a speech, or the musings of a New Age philosopher, throw it away and start over.

• Don’t send an ad disguised as a news release. Editors hate that. If you don’t have news, don’t send a news release.

• Don’t tell an editor that you advertise with his or her publication. Editors really hate that.

• Use the proper format. Use letterhead, white paper only, and double-space your copy; write a suggested title; include the name, phone number, and e-mail address of a contact person; include the date the release is sent and the earliest date it may be used. If it can be used anytime, write “For immediate release.” If it’s two pages, write “(more)” at the bottom of page one. At the end of the release, type “30” or “# # #.”

• Be accurate. If an editor prints your mistake and it comes back to haunt him, he’ll think twice before running your next release.

• Attend to grammar and punctuation. If an editor can’t trust your spelling, she might not trust your facts, either.

• Identify photos. For head shots, write the name of the subject on the back. For other photos, write a brief caption on the back, or number the photos and include captions with corresponding numbers in the release. If you want photos returned, say so and write your address on the back. If you provide digital art, write captions on the release, and identify the images they go with.

• For newspapers, address most releases to “City Editor.” But staff promotions, management hires, and award announcements go to the business editor. Releases sent to TV and radio stations go to the news editor. Releases for JCK go to the managing editor.

• Learn an editor’s preferences. Does he or she prefer to receive press releases via e-mail or regular mail? If e-mail is preferred, avoid nonstandard type treatments such as all-uppercase, underscoring, bold, italic, centering, tabs, color, etc.

• Strive for consistency. Get a copy of The Associated Press Stylebook and follow its guidelines. If your local newspaper has its own style guidelines, ask for a copy.

• Never use exclamation points. If you feel the urge to use one, resist it, throw the release away, review these tips, and begin again.