Questions

You have been writing poetry ever since that first task in your writing class when you were in school. You are familiar with the rules regarding writing poetry, correct? Are there regulations? Fine, if you recurrent the poetry debates across the Internet to the extent that a few do, you’d locate that there are lots of amateur poets who obstinately claim that there are no regulations for writing poetry and if anyone even recommends reading poems or manuscripts on poetry, lots of the amateur poets will create a suspicious front. In the opinion of many it seems to swing passionately towards the opposition. You have to be familiar with the regulations earlier than you break them; in any case that’s what it’s always said.

It is known that writing a verse in iambic pentameter is a skill that has been hidden in the crypts of the resurgence, but accepting it, together with the several other dying stopped forms of poetry, is a dominant tool as soon as writing that prosy current piece. Being a good poet demands a complicated understanding of the method in which language functions its limits into a reader’s sense of right and wrong. A poem is a medley of sounds, syncopations as well as imagery. All of the small remains of a poem ought to work mutually in a combined fashion to conclude in something new and refreshing.

Well regarding new and refreshing, you might be unsure how understanding such old features of poetry such as rhyme and meter might assist a modern poet craft new refreshing poems. It is all in relation to the sound and the novelty of it. Yet scientists rest on the shoulders of persons before them. You are not required to manage an ideal rhyme or a considered foot in a poem to be leaping from the motivation of Shakespeare’s sonnets, but including those rhymes and rhythms tottering in and out of the crumples in your brain will mail an incredibly subtle vibration of sound in the course of your personal pieces.

In summing up, study, study, study, know the regulations, and subsequently break the regulations. Decency helps you satisfy breaking them.

Here are a few references to assist you along the path:

-Manuscripts:

The performance of Poetry: by Robin Behn

Writing verse: by Robert Wallace as well as Michelle Boisseau

A Poetry Manual: by Mary Oliver

-Websites:

http://www.poetry-portal.com/poetry.htm

http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/poetry-explication.html

www.poetrymagic.co.uk

www.poetrylessons.org


- Alien

Before I was asked to step in as publisher for the romance imprint of a small press, I spent a considerable amount of time reviewing submissions for publication. Today, of course, I do even more of that, but now there is more at stake.

As a reader, I provided honest opinions on potential works for our house, and helped the publisher to determine which works suited our needs. Of those works, we pared the lot down further by determining which works did not require practical re-writes to fix the obvious errors in grammar, spelling, and structure.

As a publisher, this job becomes more important to me, because I have the final say regarding a submission’s fate. Naturally, when an author sends me a novel, I expect to receive the cleanest, best edited draft possible. For me to accept a manuscript that needs a lot of work, despite the quality of the plot and characterization, can be costly in the long run. Ultimately it is my dream, and arguably the dream of any publisher and editor, to receive manuscripts that require little work.

Does this mean I expect everybody to turn in To Kill A Mockingbird or Gone With the Wind caliber work on the first try? Of course not. Some of our best-selling authors needed quite a bit of work before they were sent out into the world. It is my hope, as I continue to read final drafts, that authors will be able to master a few elements of grammar and structure that may easily be missed.

Mind you, I have made these same mistakes myself, and with conditioning and the help of some great editors I am proud to say I am a better writer now than I was ten years ago.

What follows below is a brief listing of my personal top offenders, rules that may be easily abided to lessen a publisher’s frustration.

1) “That” and “Who” - This is more of a personal pet peeve than an actual grammatical error. Depending on which reports on style you read, it is acceptable to use “that” in place of “who” in certain circumstances. For example:

“Charlie was the one that referred me to the clinic,” said Shelley.

No doubt you have seen many instances of “that” used in this way. While not incorrect, it can be distracting for the anal retentive editor or publisher. In a perfect world, I would prefer to see the sentence read:

“Charlie was the one who referred me to the clinic,” said Shelley.

Or:

“That’s the guy who referred me to the clinic,” said Shelley.

As you reread your manuscript for errata, take the time to look for such instances. Strengthen your grammar and you may have a chance at strengthening your ability to write in an editor’s mind.

2) “Suppose” - I see this one often. I don’t know if the constant misuse of this word is attributed to society, but I would tend to think so. We live in a fast-food age: everybody talks fast, moves fast, and unfortunately thinks too fast. Haste indeed makes waste, particularly if you are breezing through a story and not taking the time to self-edit. Suppose is one word that is often overlooked. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen this error:

“She was suppose to meet me here,” said Paul.

Maybe it’s because people write by ear, they write what they hear. People talk quickly, and voices slur. Supposed becomes suppose by default.

“She was supposed to meet me here,” said Paul. This is how you are supposed to write the sentence.

3) “It’s” and “Its” - It’s true. I wouldn’t be writing about this common error if is wasn’t, well, so common. Soundly trouncing you’re/your in the Top 10 All-Time Contraction Errors is this set of small words. Sadly, it can make for huge errata if it’s not handled early in your manuscript. To review:

It’s - a contraction, meaning “it is” - “It’s nice to see you,” said Marsha. “I think it’s going to be a wonderful day.”

Its - a possessive pronoun - “The dog is sick. I have its medication,” said George. “Poor thing lifted its head and could barely bark.”

A tricky set, but one worth a closer look in edits.

4) The Mirror Rule - This common error in fiction writing can be difficult to track, but rest assured it will be easier to spot as you improve your line editing skills. The Mirror Rule primarily concerns character description, in particular eye color. Consider this passage:

Paul clenched his fists, angry to think Sheila deceived him. “How could you do this to me?” Paul cried, his blue eyes flashing with anger.

Now, you can probably deduce that the passage is being told from Paul’s point of view, therefore the reader sees everything Paul sees. Therefore, it stands to reason that Paul cannot see his own eyes, and the sentence should not describe them. Logically, we would think that Paul knows what color his eyes are, but in this context the passage is considered in correct.

From Paul’s point of view, we can learn other attributes like shoe size or weight, but for the reader to learn eye color it will have to be from somebody else:

Sheila held her breath and tried not to cry. She had never seen Paul so angry before, and it showed in his flashing blue eyes.

This is a more proper way to get the visual across.

5) Just say “said”

I have probably seen every possible verb used to enhance dialogue. In one story alone, the heroine scowled, growled, purred, cooed, guffawed, snorted, cackled, chuckled, cried, wailed, moaned, groaned, smirked, smiled, laughed, wheezed, breathed, whispered, and howled. Then she came up for air and started from the top.

I do understand that authors will throw such verbiage in the mix to break the monotony of “he said, she said.” In some instances, using such a word can add emotion to a scene that a reader might otherwise not see. The words, too, can help develop quirks in a character that stretch throughout a story and enhance realism. That said, there is also such a thing as going overboard.

Novelist Elmore Leonard once wrote in a list of advice to writers to use only “said” when qualifying dialogue. I would tend to agree, though I am not adverse to the occasional guffaw. When the howling and scowling becomes too much and too distracting, though, it’s time to tone it down a bit.

6) Repeats

In order to make for smoother narrative, one thing I look out for when editing a manuscript is constant repetition of words within a short space. Consider this passage:

Sheila checked the hallway and found it was devoid of people. Where had everybody gone? She crept slowly to the last door and peered inside, seeing the classroom was also devoid of life.

Here, “devoid” is used twice in one short paragraph. Such a word is not wholly common in narrative to begin with, and to use it in this way can be a bit distracting to readers. Consider this alternative:

Sheila checked the hallway and found it was devoid of people. Where had everybody gone? She crept slowly to the last door and peered inside, seeing the classroom was also empty.

As you go over your manuscript, be sure to check for these instances. Sometimes writers tend to favor one word over another and use it to death. It is a practice that could be detrimental to your writing. Hopefully, though, an editor worth his salt can ease you into using a better variety of words.

While this should not be considered a definitive article on improving your manuscript for submission, these six tips will hopefully get you on the right track toward improved narrative and dialogue in your novel. The more improvements you make before submission, the better your chances of picking up an editor or publisher to work with you. Above all, keep writing!


- Kathryn Lively

I’ve written pleny of short stories and articles, and been published a number of times. I’ve also written many longer manuscripts, but none of them felt as exciting as the one I finished this past year. It’s the first that I really got involved in and loved, and the first that has attracted the attention of an agency. So, I consider it to be my first real book. While I edited it, I had wonderful ideas for a second book, but now that I’m writing it, all I can do is compare it to the first and worry that it won’t be as good. I’ve heard that writers have a hard time with second books, and I’d like some advice. What were your experiences, and what kept you going?
Please don’t answer this like the first person. It says “for novelists.” If you aren’t one, go somewhere else.
- Roald Ellsworth

If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, “Do I have what it takes to become an author?”

I believe that successful authors, those who actually write and finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short stories, and see it all the way to publication, have certain characteristics.

Characteristics of Authors

1. They like to sit for hours in front of a computer screen (or with pen and paper), typing (writing) away.

2. They think about their book, even when they’re not writing.

3. They are motivated to finish their book.

4. They are motivated to proofread, edit and revise their finished book until it is the best it can be.

5. They are motivated to publish their book.

6. Once they publish the first book, they are already working on the next one.

If you answered yes to anyone of the above, then you have a good chance of attaining your dreams of becoming an author. Don’t listen to those people who say it’s a competitive market out there. Don’t listen to those people who say they’ve written five books and haven’t had one published yet. And don’t listen to those people who send you back your manuscripts! Listen to yourself. Listen to that inner voice, the one that is whispering now. But wait until you get started. Once your book is written and published, that inner voice will be roaring! And the whole world will hear about it.

I know, I know. I tend to be the optimist. But we have so many pessimists in the book business, we sure need some more optimists around!

For you, the novice writer who would like to start writing that first book, the best way to begin is to start writing. Yes, just sit down and do it. Stop the other activities, the television, the reading, the shopping, the chatting on the telephone, and find the time to devote at least one hour a day to writing.

What’s one hour a day in the scheme of things? It comes and goes like this, poof! What do you have to show after an hour of television? A lazy yawn? If that same hour were spent on writing, then there would be a product in your hands, something that will be shared, hopefully, one day with others.

So, go ahead, shut the door to the rest of the world for one hour (or more) and make yourself comfortable in front of the computer screen (or pen and paper). Let’s take the first step to becoming an author.

How To Begin

Foundation

Just like a construction company which builds a foundation to a home, you also need to prepare a foundation for your career in writing. Don’t skip this step, it’s important.

Your “foundation” will consist of basic writing skills. Remember those English courses you took in high school and college? If you don’t remember anything from those courses, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea if you found your old English textbooks, dusted them off a bit, and looked through their pages to refresh your memory.

If you haven’t taken any courses in creative writing, you might consider signing up for one. Check with your local community college. They often offer weekend and evening classes, and sometimes even online classes. If you’re on a budget, then visit the public library and sign out books relevant to writing.

In addition, it would be very useful to join a writing group (online or in your local area) that critiques your work and gives you the opportunity to critique also. The group provides wonderful support and an avenue to sharpen your skills as you gain experience in writing, as well as exposure to other people’s writing. For example, Writing.com is a good example of an online resource that provides many opportunities to share your writing, and get your work rated and reviewed. If you want to join a critique or review group, it offers that also.

The second step to becoming an author, is to have the right tools.

Tools Needed

Besides a comfortable chair, plenty of lighting, and a quiet room, you will need a computer with a word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word), a printer, and plenty of paper.

Why a computer? First of all, publishers typically will request a copy of your files sent to them on a floppy disk. More importantly, working with a word processing program will aid you in many ways towards becoming a published author. It will provide the opportunity to save your work as a Word file, without having to use up tons of paper (as with a typewriter). This greatly aids you in keeping your work organized. It also gives you the flexibility to edit and re-edit large sections of your work quickly by allowing you to utilize the copy and paste functions.

Other advantages of using a computer word processing program is that it provides spell check capabilities, and also helps you count the number of words per page. In addition, when you want to spice up your vocabulary (For example, if you like to use the word “walk” often, and are getting tired of that word), place your cursor on the word “walk”, hit shift F7. It will give you a list of synonyms you can choose from - like stroll, amble, etc.).

The time saved by using a computer is very valuable. It gives you more time available to write! Of course, if you don’t have the above materials, don’t let that stop you from writing that book! Using a pen and paper is perfectly fine. Books were written with these two basic tools for centuries.

Let’s assume you are using a computer and a Word processing software. First of all, before you begin writing, form a subdirectory that you can add all your chapters to. Maybe you know the title of your book already. Fine, then form a subdirectory using the name of the title. After you finish writing that first chapter (oh joy!), just save it as Chapter 1 under the subdirectory. If you are writing a book of poetry, then you might want to save each poem as a separate file.

When I write my chapters for my novel, I format them in double space mode, with a Times New Roman 11 font. All the margins are at least one inch. This way it will be ready for manuscript submission.

Try not to add your page numbers until the very last revision. Page numbers constantly change when you’re revising, so wait until the end.

So you need to balance your time in writing that book, honing your writing skills, submitting your work along the way for others to critique, and promoting yourself. Can you do it? Of course you can!

The third step to becoming an author is:

What to Write

If you are planning to write a novel, it would help to know what general category your book is going to be in. Will it be in the romance, mystery, or science fiction category? If you don’t know, take some time and think about it. Read some books in those genres. Which books seem to attract you the most? It’s highly likely that you’ll be writing in the category that you like to read. My preference is romance because I read those types of books the most. Once you decide the category, then you are closer to writing that novel!

For poetry, you might start by writing a poem and submitting it to a poetry journal, or a poetry contest. Gain exposure for your poetry. Join a critique group so you can sharpen your poetry skills. A chapbook usually consists of about 25-35 poems. For a poetry book, you’ll need at least 60 pages of poetry, if not more.

Types of Novelists

I have found over time, that there are two types of novelists. The first type is the writer who prefers drawing up a proposal or plan of what they will write about. The second type prefers to write whatever comes into their mind at that moment.

You decide which writer you will be.

Type 1 Novelist

They begin by describing the characters, their names, personalities, and sometimes their motives. Then they decide when and where the setting will take place. When will it take place? If it takes place before the 1900’s, then it will be considered historical. Also, will the setting be in the country, in a city (which city?), in a house (whose house), on a cruise ship? That needs to be defined also.

Once those decisions are made, they write brief sketches of each chapter. It could be a page or two long. Once all this is done, then the real writing begins. If this method works for you, then feel free to use it. It may take some time, but you will become more confident about what you’ll write once you go through this initial process.

Type 2 Novelist

What if you’re the type of person who doesn’t want to spend all that time writing proposals and character sketches? What if you’re like me, who prefers to just write whatever comes into your head? Then do it! Sit down and start writing. Write anything.

As the story develops, something wonderful begins brewing in your mind. Something called creativity. I’ve caught myself hours after I finished writing a chapter, and I’ll be preparing dinner, or walking somewhere, and a scene from my novel will begin to unfold. It’s called creative problem solving. My mind is working to solve the problem that the writing presents it, even though I’m not actively writing. When I get those urges, I immediately stop what I’m doing and jot down my thoughts. It’s helped me many times, particularly when everything clicks together.

How Long Will It Take?

It took me almost two years to write and find a publisher for my first novel, Lipsi’s Daughter. For other people, it may take longer or shorter, depending on the amount of time they allow for writing and how many pages they are writing. I know of authors that took six, seven, up to twelve years to write their first book. I also know of a famous author who writes two novels a year!

So unless you begin writing that first page of your book, you’ll never know how long it’ll take you to write it. Go ahead, make that first step, and good luck!


- DEV DAAS

If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, “Do I have what it takes to become an author?”

I believe that successful authors, those who actually write and finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short stories, and see it all the way to publication, have certain characteristics.

Characteristics of Authors

1. They like to sit for hours in front of a computer screen (or with pen and paper), typing (writing) away.

2. They think about their book, even when they’re not writing.

3. They are motivated to finish their book.

4. They are motivated to proofread, edit and revise their finished book until it is the best it can be.

5. They are motivated to publish their book.

6. Once they publish the first book, they are already working on the next one.

If you answered yes to anyone of the above, then you have a good chance of attaining your dreams of becoming an author. Don’t listen to those people who say it’s a competitive market out there. Don’t listen to those people who say they’ve written five books and haven’t had one published yet. And don’t listen to those people who send you back your manuscripts! Listen to yourself. Listen to that inner voice, the one that is whispering now. But wait until you get started. Once your book is written and published, that inner voice will be roaring! And the whole world will hear about it.

I know, I know. I tend to be the optimist. But we have so many pessimists in the book business, we sure need some more optimists around!

For you, the novice writer who would like to start writing that first book, the best way to begin is to start writing. Yes, just sit down and do it. Stop the other activities, the television, the reading, the shopping, the chatting on the telephone, and find the time to devote at least one hour a day to writing.

What’s one hour a day in the scheme of things? It comes and goes like this, poof! What do you have to show after an hour of television? A lazy yawn? If that same hour were spent on writing, then there would be a product in your hands, something that will be shared, hopefully, one day with others.

So, go ahead, shut the door to the rest of the world for one hour (or more) and make yourself comfortable in front of the computer screen (or pen and paper). Let’s take the first step to becoming an author.

How To Begin

Foundation

Just like a construction company which builds a foundation to a home, you also need to prepare a foundation for your career in writing. Don’t skip this step, it’s important.

Your “foundation” will consist of basic writing skills. Remember those English courses you took in high school and college? If you don’t remember anything from those courses, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea if you found your old English textbooks, dusted them off a bit, and looked through their pages to refresh your memory.

If you haven’t taken any courses in creative writing, you might consider signing up for one. Check with your local community college. They often offer weekend and evening classes, and sometimes even online classes. If you’re on a budget, then visit the public library and sign out books relevant to writing.

In addition, it would be very useful to join a writing group (online or in your local area) that critiques your work and gives you the opportunity to critique also. The group provides wonderful support and an avenue to sharpen your skills as you gain experience in writing, as well as exposure to other people’s writing. For example, Writing.com is a good example of an online resource that provides many opportunities to share your writing, and get your work rated and reviewed. If you want to join a critique or review group, it offers that also.

The second step to becoming an author, is to have the right tools.

Tools Needed

Besides a comfortable chair, plenty of lighting, and a quiet room, you will need a computer with a word processing program (e.g., Microsoft Word), a printer, and plenty of paper.

Why a computer? First of all, publishers typically will request a copy of your files sent to them on a floppy disk. More importantly, working with a word processing program will aid you in many ways towards becoming a published author. It will provide the opportunity to save your work as a Word file, without having to use up tons of paper (as with a typewriter). This greatly aids you in keeping your work organized. It also gives you the flexibility to edit and re-edit large sections of your work quickly by allowing you to utilize the copy and paste functions.

Other advantages of using a computer word processing program is that it provides spell check capabilities, and also helps you count the number of words per page. In addition, when you want to spice up your vocabulary (For example, if you like to use the word “walk” often, and are getting tired of that word), place your cursor on the word “walk”, hit shift F7. It will give you a list of synonyms you can choose from - like stroll, amble, etc.).

The time saved by using a computer is very valuable. It gives you more time available to write! Of course, if you don’t have the above materials, don’t let that stop you from writing that book! Using a pen and paper is perfectly fine. Books were written with these two basic tools for centuries.

Let’s assume you are using a computer and a Word processing software. First of all, before you begin writing, form a subdirectory that you can add all your chapters to. Maybe you know the title of your book already. Fine, then form a subdirectory using the name of the title. After you finish writing that first chapter (oh joy!), just save it as Chapter 1 under the subdirectory. If you are writing a book of poetry, then you might want to save each poem as a separate file.

When I write my chapters for my novel, I format them in double space mode, with a Times New Roman 11 font. All the margins are at least one inch. This way it will be ready for manuscript submission.

Try not to add your page numbers until the very last revision. Page numbers constantly change when you’re revising, so wait until the end.

Finally, another reason for having a computer is for Internet access. As a writer, you will have opportunities to submit your fiction online, such as http://www.Writing.com, or even your articles online for e-zines, such as http://www.articlecity.com. Any chance you can get to write online, do it. As long as it doesn’t take too much time away from your book. It’s also a free way of promoting yourself before the book is even published.

So you need to balance your time in writing that book, honing your writing skills, submitting your work along the way for others to critique, and promoting yourself. Can you do it? Of course you can!

The third step to becoming an author is:

What to Write

If you are planning to write a novel, it would help to know what general category your book is going to be in. Will it be in the romance, mystery, or science fiction category? If you don’t know, take some time and think about it. Read some books in those genres. Which books seem to attract you the most? It’s highly likely that you’ll be writing in the category that you like to read. My preference is romance because I read those types of books the most. Once you decide the category, then you are closer to writing that novel!

For poetry, you might start by writing a poem and submitting it to a poetry journal, or a poetry contest. Gain exposure for your poetry. Join a critique group so you can sharpen your poetry skills. A chapbook usually consists of about 25-35 poems. For a poetry book, you’ll need at least 60 pages of poetry, if not more.

Types of Novelists

I have found over time, that there are two types of novelists. The first type is the writer who prefers drawing up a proposal or plan of what they will write about. The second type prefers to write whatever comes into their mind at that moment.

You decide which writer you will be.

Type 1 Novelist

They begin by describing the characters, their names, personalities, and sometimes their motives. Then they decide when and where the setting will take place. When will it take place? If it takes place before the 1900’s, then it will be considered historical. Also, will the setting be in the country, in a city (which city?), in a house (whose house), on a cruise ship? That needs to be defined also.

Once those decisions are made, they write brief sketches of each chapter. It could be a page or two long. Once all this is done, then the real writing begins. If this method works for you, then feel free to use it. It may take some time, but you will become more confident about what you’ll write once you go through this initial process.

Type 2 Novelist

What if you’re the type of person who doesn’t want to spend all that time writing proposals and character sketches? What if you’re like me, who prefers to just write whatever comes into your head? Then do it! Sit down and start writing. Write anything.

As the story develops, something wonderful begins brewing in your mind. Something called creativity. I’ve caught myself hours after I finished writing a chapter, and I’ll be preparing dinner, or walking somewhere, and a scene from my novel will begin to unfold. It’s called creative problem solving. My mind is working to solve the problem that the writing presents it, even though I’m not actively writing. When I get those urges, I immediately stop what I’m doing and jot down my thoughts. It’s helped me many times, particularly when everything clicks together.

How Long Will It Take?

It took me almost two years to write and find a publisher for my first novel, Lipsi’s Daughter. For other people, it may take longer or shorter, depending on the amount of time they allow for writing and how many pages they are writing. I know of authors that took six, seven, up to twelve years to write their first book. I also know of a famous author who writes two novels a year!

So unless you begin writing that first page of your book, you’ll never know how long it’ll take you to write it. Go ahead, make that first step, and good luck!


- ParamS

It’s summertime in Australia and summertime in Australia means one thing - cricket! And if there ever was a “mental” sport, it’s cricket. I was watching a test match last week and one of Australia’s greatest ever players, and captains, passed the comment that once you get to state level cricket (the step beneath playing for the national team) the game is played almost entirely in the mind. That is, a player’s success or failure depends less on his physical talent with the bat or ball, than on their mental strength, attitude and aptitude for the highest level of the game.

This is not the first time I have heard this. I have heard it said that all sport played at the highest level is more than 90% a mental game. This means that what goes on inside the competitor’s head largely determines their success or failure.

Over the years I have studied the great storytellers, in an attempt to ascertain what sets them apart from others and sees their books sell in the millions, while tens of thousands of manuscripts never see the light of day. After hearing Ian Chappell’s comments on the cricket, I asked myself the question: What if writing too is a mind game?

In an attempt to find an answer to this question I turned to one of the pioneers of thinking, Edward de Bono, and found that his seminal work on the Six Thinking Hats® applies perfectly to the art and craft of writing. So here is my version of the Six Writing Hats.

White Hat - Facts and Figures

This is particularly important if you are writing articles or non-fiction of any sort. You must first do your research, collect all your data and organise the facts. For the fiction writer this is where you do your research on anything from location to the ins and out of different professions, to the history or biography of a person, people or place. I read once that Robert Ludlum studiously researched all his locations, drew maps and noted landmarks and interesting features of all the settings for his novels. This leant a sense of authenticity to all his work, and makes reading his books similar to watching, say Sex and the City (where New York was dubbed “the fifth lady”), or Sound of Music, where the landmarks of Salzburg featured so prominently you can still go to Austria and take the Sound of Music Tour. If you have based your novel in Paris or New York, or your main character is a lawyer or a stockbroker, it is imperative you get these details correct. Otherwise you will lose your reader before they’ve even started reading your story.

Red Hat - Emotions and Feelings

The most critical factor in reaching your readers is the ability to engage their emotions. When writing fiction, I advocate feeling the feelings of your characters while you write, as this brings the feelings through in your images; images your readers will identify and resonate with. A similar approach applies to writing articles. Are you wanting to make your readers laugh or cry? Are you seeking to evoke empathy for a cause or a person, or are you trying to scare your readers into taking some action, or jolt them into awareness of a problem? Emotions are the universal language. We all feel the same emotions - whether your spoken language is English, Greek, German or Spanish is irrelevant. Smiles are smiles and tears are tears. A great example of this is one of the stories in the movie Love Actually where an English man goes to Portugal to write a novel and his maid does not speak a word of English. They end up falling in love, and the only language they use throughout their courtship is the language of emotion. So when you write, I encourage you to write with emotion, whether it’s outrage or love, anger or joy, passion or resentment, it will come through to your readers. Emotional intelligence is something every writer must develop in themselves.

Black Hat - Cautious and Careful

The black hat is the tricky hat. It is absolutely essential, but it must be used very consciously and precisely and must be firmly tucked back into the cupboard once you’ve finished with it. I like to think of the black hat as the editor’s hat, quality control or the “voice of reason”. When you’ve brainstormed some great scenes, or come up with a fresh angle on your article, put on your black hat and ask: Does this really work? Better you ask yourself that before you go to all the trouble of creating, crafting and honing a piece of writing, submitting it and then being rejected. You can do that yourself. When you have your black hat on, step out of your creative self, and look at your work from the perspective of an editor or a publisher. Look for the holes in your work, look for the breaks in logic or flow. When writing a story you need to your black hat on after planning and before you start writing. Story has a logic to it. Don your black hat and you’ll save yourself a stack of time. Just remember to tuck your black hat away again before you start writing. Otherwise your inner critic will destroy anything you try to do.

Yellow Hat - Speculative and Positive

This is the very best hat to have on in your planning stages. When writing fiction your yellow hat will create those larger than life characters that are the centre of all good novels, simply by pushing them beyond all accepted limits. Remember it’s not what we would do when we are bound by the strictures of polite behaviour that creates great stories. It’s what we would do in our wildest fantasies that creates dynamic fiction. This hat also helps with developing strong premises and major ordeals, massive story climaxes and earth-shattering revelations. Don’t ever be afraid to push your story right out there. Always come up with three alternative scenarios for any given situation, pushing your character further and further every time. Then go for one more. The most outrageous, the furthest out option is usually the one you’ll end up using. If not, you can always pull it back in the editing. For the non-fiction writer, this is where you go for your fresh angle, look for new outcomes, raise new opinions and get your readers really thinking about your writing. Why would they want to read an opinion or an article identical to someone else’s? Really push your own opinions out onto a limb. That’s where you’ll get noticed.

Green Hat - Creativity

Ah! The mother ship of all creative writers. To let your creative imagination run free, you must write with your green hat on. The words and images come up for you in your own unique way and you owe it to yourself to write them down just as they are, completely uncensored. You can don your black hat when it’s editing time. When you are writing, you are just writing, so allow all the research, the planning and ideas you’ve had to sink into your subconscious and just watch the magic emerge. If it happens to be a three headed pink monster with legs like a chicken, then so be it. Even if you’ve set out to write a serious crime/thriller. Your creative imagination knows best. Trust it.

Blue Hat - Control

I liken the blue hat to the planning process in writing. If the blue hat is the “ringmaster” in Edward de Bono’s model, then it is the story or article structure in writing. All good stories have an outline, at the very least a beginning, middle and end, as do all articles. And it’s well known that the best way to write a non-fiction book is to write out all your chapter headings, then your sub-headings and a short synopsis for each, then “fill in the blanks”. So the function of the blue hat in writing is to plan your work before you begin, and keep your eye on your plan as you go. If you begin to deviate from the plan, that’s fine, it’s simply time for a new plan. But always have your blue hat nearby to plonk on your head to keep control of where you are and where you’re going with your writing project.

It’s important to remember that as a writer you are not just a creative artist. You are also a project manager, an editor, a researcher, an analyst, a cheerleader and a daredevil. Keep your Six Writing Hats by your side and switch effortlessly from one role to the next to guarantee the success of your next writing project.


- Suzanne Harrison

The phrase is well worn, ‘Everyone has one book in them.’ Countless New Year resolutions fail because aspiring novelists fail to put pen to paper and too many conversations that start, “How’s that book you’ve been planning to write,” end in, “I haven’t got round to it yet.”

For many wannabe writers, the reasons for not putting pen to paper and at least starting the novel are legitimate. Time, inspiration, insufficient knowledge and lack of confidence are justifiable grounds for a lack of story - at least more often than not.

For the sizeable minority of less than exemplary reasons not to pen a new bestseller, I offer the following advice - don’t write.

That’s not the sort of advice you hear every day, but it’s quite legitimate. Writers tend to write because they either have a drive to get a story down on paper or for the love of the craft.

In any other aspect of life, people who make excuses don’t want to get their hands dirty. So why should writing be any different? Books on the subject come up with 1001 tips on how to overcome the inertia that so many would be authors suffer from. So let’s consider 1002 in some more detail.

Writing for the newcomer should be pleasurable. That’s regardless of how many pages have been committed to paper already. I expect there are a significant number of ’started but discarded’ manuscripts out there to add to the ‘yet to be written’ stories. If you can’t find the time or the inclination to write, then my advice is - don’t. It’s quite simple really.

Consider the person who knows they should go to the gym, but has a list of excuses why they can’t go today. The simple truth is that they would prefer to watch TV or read the paper than to exercise. They know that they ought to work out, but the desire not to is stronger.

And so it is with the aspiring writer. They may have a great idea but something is stopping them from switching on the laptop and starting to type. Again it might be TV or reading, but the bottom line is that these pastimes are more engaging than writing.

I could give you 1001 tips on how to overcome the obstacles to writing, but the reticent writer could think of 1002 reasons why it won’t work for them.

What I’m not saying is that these unforthcoming authors ought not to write. Nor am I saying they will never write. What I am saying is that, at this moment in time, they should listen to what their inner voice that is trying to tell them, in so many ways, that now is not a good time.

And if now is not a good time, then that’s OK. If later turns out to be the right time, they can write then. And if later isn’t right, then writing a novel just wasn’t to be.

The entire writing process can be hard work - even for seasoned writers. Many find editing a chore but carry on for the love of the craft. They couldn’t imagine doing anything other than writing. Until you find that point in your life, don’t waste any more New Year’s resolutions.

How will you know when the moment is right? As they say on all the best martial arts movies - you’ll just know. In simple terms, the desire to write will outweigh the reasons not to.


- Mark Walton

I have a friend who’s written a novel, and he wants to find a decent contest, so that he might have a shot at publication. If possible, can someone come up with a list of well-known, respected writing (preferably novel-writing) contests –ones aren’t scams and won’t exploit my friend’s good ideas–that will help him get his book out there?
- simslosh45