HOT OFF THE PRESS! We love to share our information with writers, and we’re happy to pass some of our INSIDER’S SECRETS along to you. Feel free to print these posts to use as a reference. Pass the links along to your writer friends. It’s packed with great information. DEADLINE-DATED lists of anthologies, theme issues, and contests are included at no charge!

In This Issue:

* *  What's a gerund? We'll explain in THE JOYS OF GERUNDS.

* * If you need help PREPARING YOUR MANUSCRIPT (formatting and/or proofreading), we can help you put your best foot forward. http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Manuscript-Proofreading-and-Formatting.aspx.

* * If you're a children's book author (or would like to be), we've included a short lesson on how to write age-appropriate text in READING LEVELS FOR CHILDREN.

* * Have fun learning some COMMON EXPRESSIONS AND THEIR ORIGINS.

* * LOTS OF HELP for CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHORS—100 CONTACTS and Everything You Need To Know To Submit Your Children’s Book. Click this link to get our insider's tips and tricks: http://www.WritersReliefBlog.com/post/For-Childrens-Book-Authors.aspx.  

* * RESEARCHING LITERARY MARKETS FOR YOUR WORK offers some valuable tips if you're a do-it-yourselfer.

* * You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming ANTHOLOGIES, SPECIAL-THEMED JOURNALS, and CONTESTS. Visit: http://WritersReliefBlog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx.

An important key to having your creative writing published is to use proper grammar. In this article you will come to better understand English grammar through one commonly used verb form: gerunds.

What is a gerund? Does the definition have something to do with Jer's errands? Well, if his legs are tired from all the running, then running is the gerund! Let us explain.

Quite simply, a gerund is a word that has -ing added to a base verb, which is the present participle of a verb. The difference is that gerunds are used as nouns. (Driving is required.) When the verb in the -ing form is used as a verb or an adjective, it is usually a present participle. (She was fishing for compliments.)

Reading, writing, and thinking are things you may do when you see this article. In fact, in that last sentence, we used a gerund phrase as the subject of the sentence.

Here are other examples of how gerunds function:

1. Object of a preposition: After brushing her teeth, she went to bed.
**Be careful not to dangle the gerund.
Right: After learning the specifics, he could make plans easily. (He learns.)
Wrong: After learning the specifics, plans were easily made. (Plans do not learn.)

2. Object of a verb: She loves singing in the shower.

3. Subject of a verb: Writing is a difficult task.

4. Subject complement with a linking verb: His errors were making him crazy.

5. Possessive noun: One of my pet peeves is hearing his singing to the radio.
Wrong: One of my pet peeves is hearing him singing to the radio.

6. In a passive sense (used after the verbs want, need, or require): This house needs cleaning.

7. After a preposition—if you use a verb after a preposition, you must use a gerund (no exceptions): Please sign the memo before leaving.

For more grammar lessons, see our articles: Subject-Verb Agreement Made Easy, How To (Not) Split Infinitives, Contraction Confusion, and Sentence Spoilers: Fragments And Run-On Sentences. For writing services, including proofreading, formatting, and submission strategies, visit Writer’s Relief online.

When writing for kids or young adults, it is important that you always have a specific age group in mind and that you know the vocabulary to describe your type of children’s book. Below you will find details about the word usage, content, and length of children’s books and young adult novels excerpted from our e-book, Insider’s Secrets: What You MUST Know To Submit Your Children’s Book.

Definitions Of Children’s Book Types By Age Group

Primary Age Books: Children ages 6 to 8, or 1st through 3rd grades. These children read picture books, easy-to-read books, and picture storybooks. Easy-reader books are meant for children to read alone, and sentences should average 5 to 6 words, with the maximum number of words being 10.

Elementary Level: Children ages 8 to 12, or 4th through 6th grades. These children read sentences of approximately 10 words, with the maximum number of words being 20. Most books written at this level range between 20,000 and 40,000 words.

High School Level: Children ages 13 to 17, or 7th through 12th grades. Very often younger children and 6th graders read books at this level. This level uses adult structure and vocabulary. Most books written at this level range between 25,000 and 55,000 words, but longer lengths are found.

List Of Types Of Children’s Books

Check the text of your children's manuscript to be certain that the words used are age appropriate. Using words that children do not understand is a common mistake among inexperienced writers looking to place their children’s books. For example, if you are submitting a young-reader book, choose words that children ages six to nine will understand. The information below will help you to choose your words (and topics) wisely.

Picture Books Definition
These books run from 50 to 1,500 words. Many children have a short attention span, so this length is appropriate. There are three categories of picture books:

1) Books for babies to three-year-olds. These books have very little text.

2) Books for toddlers to five-year-olds. These books are designed to be read aloud and at one sitting. They should have a happy ending. Length of sentences is about five to six words. These books should take no longer than 15 minutes to read.

3) Books for five- to eight-year-olds. These books contain a story. They should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The plot should be simple. These books may also be read aloud.

Picture Story Books Definition
These books are filled with illustrations but have a more complicated plot than picture books. The text drives the story. These books are written for five- to eight-year-olds. Picture stories have lots of action. These books are read to children, so the words used must be understandable to them.

Young Reader Books or Easy-To-Read Books Definition
These books run from 500 to 2,000 words, but 1,500 words is preferred. The children reading these books are six- to nine-year-olds. About 50 pages in length with only 40 or so pages of text. Sentences should contain approximately five words, with a few up to eight words. These books are created for children to read on their own.

Young Adult Novels Definition
These books are created for readers 12 to 18 years old. The protagonist should be a teenager and the plot significant to this age group.

Hi-Lo Books Definition
These books run from 400 to 1,200 words. They are considered high interest, low reading level. These books are created for slow readers. They contain a lot of action. Sentence length is about 11 words. The ratio of all children’s books published is about 60% fiction and 40% nonfiction.

If you found this information helpful, check out our e-book Insider’s Secrets: What You MUST Know To Submit Your Children’s Book.

Some idioms and expressions have unusual histories. Idioms are often archaic, and the literal meaning sometimes has little to do with the meaning of the phrase as it is used today. It's fun to learn about origins of common phrases. Below are a few idioms and their unlikely beginnings.

Getting sacked (to be dismissed from a job)
“Getting sacked” likely comes from tradesmen who carried their tools in a bag or sack. When they were released from a job, they may have been told to “get the sack.” Other variations of this phrase include “get the bag” and “get the empty.”

Raining cats and dogs (to rain extremely hard)
In 1651 Henry Vaughn used the phrase “Dogs and Cats rain’d in the showre.” In 1652 Richard Brome used the phrase “It shall raine… Dogs and Polecates.” Most likely this phrase derives from the notion that cats and dogs are noisy, just like a hard rainstorm.

Spill the beans (to reveal a secret)
Ancient Greece is often cited as the origin of this phrase; however, the words were first printed in The Stevens Point Journal in 1908. Most likely, “spill the beans” derives from a 13th century phrase, “spill blood,” meaning “to let out.”

Know the ropes (to understand how to do something)
This phrase most likely has a seafaring origin. The first time the phrase was printed was in 1840 in Richard Dana Jr.’s Two Years Before The Mast. Another possible origin comes from theater terminology. In 1850 J. Timon used the phrase “learned the ropes” in the Opera Goer. In both cases an experienced sailor or set manager would have to literally “know the ropes.”

Cut to the chase (to get to the point)
We can thank Hollywood for this phrase. After filming a dramatic scene, the director would call for the action (or chase) scene. This phrase was first recorded in the 1927 novel Hollywood Girl, by J.P. McEvoy.

Pipe dream (an unrealistic desire)
This phrase originated in American slang during the 1890s. Smoking opium was known to cause hallucinations and fantasies (dreams).

Pie in the sky (the promise of better things to come)
This phrase was coined by Joe Hill in 1911. As a leading member of the radical labor party, The Industrial Workers of the World, Hill wrote songs to promote the group’s political position. The phrase first appeared in the song “The Preacher and the Slave,” which mocked the Salvation Army hymn “In the Sweet Bye and Bye.”

Put a sock in it (to quiet down)
This British phrase was first recorded in 1919 in The Athenaeum. It may have had to do with the practice of softening the volume of a gramophone by using a sock.

To learn more about language and its modern uses, see Web Slang, The Purist Debate, and Sniglet.

Writer's Relief is constantly updating our database with information on thousands of literary agents, literary magazines, and editors; so we know how difficult and time-consuming the research can be! We cross-check our information using public sources (Web sites, market books, guidelines, etc.), AND we keep track of agents' and editors' personal preferences based on their handwritten notes to our clients. By signing up for our services, you too can take advantage of our hard work!

But if you're a do-it-yourself type, here is what you'll need to know to research the best literary agents and editors for your writing.

Most writers want to have their work published in a literary journal, sharing in the same magazines that have published such luminaries as Robert Frost, Billy Collins, D. H. Lawrence, Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allen Poe, Guy de Maupassant, and others. The difficulty, however, lies in determining which magazines might be the best places to send your work. Your submission strategy will change depending on the genre, style, and subject of your creative writing. Writer’s Relief uses many of the following techniques to successfully find homes for their clients’ work.

Market books are a good place to start. These are large, soft-covered books which include thousands of listings of publication outlets, including literary journals and magazines. The most popular ones are Writer’s Market, Poet’s Market, Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, and The International Directory of Little Magazines & Small Presses. These books contain a wealth of information that may be useful to you in your search.

It is important to understand that these market books for writers are to be used as guides, and oftentimes, information is out of date before publication. However, these books contain much concrete information you can use to build a list of your favorite magazines. When researching literary magazines, be sure to verify the address and submission guidelines, including reading dates and length limit for work.

Most literary magazines have Web sites also, but as with the listings in market books, the information may be out of date. Check to see if the guidelines page contains dated information, and look to see when their most recent issue was available. Many Web sites will now allow you to submit your creative writing online.

Another way to research information is to write directly to the magazine and request submission guidelines. This is a necessary step, particularly if there is no Web site available. Additionally, once you send your work to a journal and the editor responds, it is important to check the information on the response slip. Double-check the address, editors’ names, and other guideline information against the information in your records. This way, you’ll be set for the next round of submissions.

More Tips For Researching Literary Magazines
Subscribe to The Writer’s Relief Newsflash for information about the writing process and links for literary magazines. Visit a full-service bookstore and purchase some literary magazines. Choose a few of your favorites and subscribe to them. Support the literary community. Read and learn what kind of writing is getting published and choose markets that suit your style of writing. Keep good records of your research information and update it as it changes. Organization is the key to this part of the process, and once you have the basics, keep submitting your work. Don’t give up! Remember that persistence is the key to getting published.

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF WRITING CONTESTS and ANTHOLOGIES! You won’t find a better list anywhere (AND IT’S FREE!) of upcoming anthologies, special-themed journals, and contests. Find it by visiting:
http://www.writersreliefblog.com/post/Anthologies-Contests.aspx