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Imagine for a moment that you’re the editor of a well-known literary journal. Every day, hundreds of short stories cross your desk in a relentless stream, blurring together, melting into one huge pile of “no.” 

And then—BAM! A story out of left field strikes a chord deep within you. Now that’s something you might want to publish. It goes in the other pile, the much smaller and elusive batch of wonderful “yes.”

That’s a scene any writer would love to see play out starring their own short stories, but floating to the top of that river of submissions takes effort, persistence, and a couple of tricks up the sleeve. Here are a few ways to make your story stand out: 

1. Open with a bang. Unless he’s turned into a giant cockroach, starting your story with your main character waking up is as average as it gets. You have a small space in which to tell your story, so get straight to the point—try dropping the audience in medias res (right into the heart of the action), and get them excited for the ride.

2. Keep it short. Pack a punch in very few words. Throw away unnecessary frills. For more on this issue, read: Why Length Matters. 

3. Create larger-than-life characters. Dull characters make for dull short stories. While you want your characters to be relatable, you don’t want them to be ordinary. If they are dynamic, have their own unique voices, and approach their world in their own distinctive ways, there’s a good chance they’ll stick in a reader’s mind and so will your story.

4. Paint your world vividly. Whether it’s a bustling metropolis or the middle of the unforgiving Sahara, the setting in which your story takes place influences everything that happens within it. Don’t just plop your characters into a generic town—create your own world and reveal to the audience the intricacies therein.

5. Keep the stakes high. There’s a certain aspect of human nature that likes to experience intense situations vicariously. Never let the lifeline of your story run flat. Every decision your characters make should propel the story forward, keeping the plot taut and engaging. The higher the stakes, the bigger the catharsis your readers will experience when the conflict is resolved. 

As always, Writer’s Relief helps writers target their stories to the literary journal editors who are most likely to enjoy them. For more information about this process, please visit an overview of our services.

1. Get the look. If you want people to take you seriously, you’ve got to present yourself in a serious way. When making your submissions to agents and editors, skip the bright-colored paper, the “clever” query letter intros (editors get sick of them fast), the thumbnail image of your face on the manuscript. Just be brief, straightforward, and businesslike. Also, follow industry standard formatting and have your work proofread. Interestingly enough, it’s often the veteran writers who are more inclined to appreciate proofreading than the newbies—but that’s probably why they earn veteran status to begin with.

2. Write to the right people. The first mistake of making submissions is taking the “blanket” approach: wallpapering the whole country with your query and cover letters. A few well-placed and specific queries truly mean much more than 50 that are almost well-placed. Queries that are almost well-targeted will almost get you published. Do the research (or hire someone who will) to make your submissions matter. (NOTE: We’ve found that writers who take this seriously tend to be more successful. Submitting selectively is a sign of a writer who knows what she or he is about. Selective writers put so much love into their manuscripts that they won’t submit to just anyone. Selectiveness is a very good sign because it demonstrates the right attitude for success.)

3. Be the tortoise, not the hare. Make submissions part of your writing habit. Submitting your work in dribbles and drabs is NOT a strategy; it’s a crapshoot. Sustainable and steady wins the race. To a certain extent, submissions are a numbers game. When you submit more regularly, it’s likely you’ll get published more often and more regularly. And the more you build up your bio, the more likely you’ll be well-received. Don’t give up on a story just because twenty places rejected it. Plan to submit to at least 100 markets. AND create a schedule to lock yourself into making submissions. When you create a calendar for your submissions (and deadlines for your writing so that you can make submissions) you will see your publication rate increase.

4. Organization is your friend. Some people are naturally well-organized but others are not. To truly make the most of your submissions, you need to keep track of who read what, who liked what (and why), who rejected what (and why), who wants to see more work from you, and who acquired what rights. It is a TON of work (that’s why Writer’s Relief takes on this burden for our clients). When the acceptance letters start coming in, you’ll thank yourself for the extra effort.

5. Chin up! Last but not least, work to maintain a good attitude. Negative thinking, getting glum about rejections, and believing yourself less than worthy... It’s easy to fall into those traps. Positive thinking takes real work when you’re getting bombarded by rejections (and you WILL get bombarded—it’s part of the process). Start looking at your rejection letters as proof of your dedication, devotion, and all-around awesomeness. Attitude is often the only difference between a nobody and a rising star. Every rejection brings you closer to acceptance, so submit regularly and chip away at those numbers. If you’d like to stay positive and motivated, we’re willing to give you a free E-book, Rejoice in Rejection (details here). We know it will help!

If you’re not able to develop a submission strategy on your own, or you just don’t have the time and patience for it, do yourself a real favor and check out Writer’s Relief. We can take on as much or as little of the submission process as you like so that you can focus on what you love: writing.

At Writer’s Relief it’s our business to work with our clients to develop a submission strategy that 1) keeps them focused on writing, 2) eases the stress and frustration of the submission process, 3) circulates manuscripts regularly (with no spamming) to generate interest, and 4) targets the BEST literary agents and editors (those most likely to enjoy the writing in question).

For more tips on making strong submissions, visit:

How To Write Cover and Query Letters That Get Attention 

Why Length Matters When Submitting Your Stories And Poems For Publication

How To Build Up Your Writing Bio Super Fast

Seven Techniques You Must Know To Make Editors Notice Your Poetry

We’re approached by countless writers every year who want us to help them submit their short story collections to literary agents. The short story is a unique art form that many writers enjoy. But few writers ever truly understand how to get a collection of short stories published.

It takes talent to make short stories work. Some novelists begin their careers writing stories and working their way up to longer works (novels or memoirs). Other writers prefer to work in the short form and, eventually, find themselves with a stack of stories inches high, wondering, “Why not turn my short stories into a collection?”

Short stories are becoming increasingly popular, not only because they are mini works of art, but also because busy people have shorter attention spans. There are hundreds of literary magazines and journals looking to publish individual stories (and Writer’s Relief keeps tabs on all of them), but finding a home for a collection of short stories is no easy task.

Major publishers want novels because they sell and infrequently consider novellas or collections of short stories. Short story collections are harder to place because editors are unwilling to take chances on unknown writers; unless you’re Alice Munro or William Faulkner, you will find it considerably more difficult to sell your work. Publishers tend to do some marketing for their novels, and perhaps if the same marketing momentum were applied to short story collections, authors of short stories would stand a greater chance of landing a deal with the big boys.

Before you protest about the number of successful anthologies on the market, be aware that anthologies are generally collections of stories by a number of different authors—collections appealing to those who are looking for a particular theme or subject matter. Anthologies of work by a single, unknown author are very difficult to sell.

Don’t let us thoroughly discourage you from trying to get your collection published—there are some things you can do to increase your chances.

Publish selected works. It’s easier to sell a collection if you’ve had at least a few short stories previously published in reputable literary journals. Submit individual stories to quality magazines on a regular basis, and with each publication credit, your credibility will increase. At Writer’s Relief we highly recommend that writers build their credits first rather than approaching agents with a collection of unpublished stories. National exposure in quality magazines is key to attracting an agent or editor’s attention.

Theme. It also helps if the stories have a common theme or subject to tie them together. James Herriot was a country vet, not an aspiring author, but his collection of stories had a cohesive theme, and the series is still popular today.

Go for a novel. Some agents recommend scrapping the whole idea of a collection and refashioning the collection into a novel. They might also recommend selling the collection as part of a two-book deal, with the story collection designed to generate interest in the second book, which would be an actual novel.

Win big. Enter as many short story writing competitions as possible. An award-winning story can land a publishing deal. It can also boost a writer’s self-confidence—always a bonus.

Market. Many writers get frustrated and end up self-publishing their work, especially if they’re simply looking for limited quantities to give to family and friends. But for a writer looking to sell a decent number of books and see his or her collection at the major bookstores, the marketing process can be a nightmare. When you self-publish, you are responsible for nearly all the marketing and publicity efforts.

Consider small presses. There are far more small presses than big publishing houses, and they tend to specialize in niche marketing. They also tend to publish out of love for the genre and may be more receptive to a short story collection if they love the quality of your work.

Get an agent. If you have an agent, your chances of selling a collection are better than for unagented writers. To be a writer who gets an agent for a short story collection, you’ll need a strong bio. Also it may help in your query letter to mention that you have a novel in the works.

Get schooled. Short story collections are far easier to sell when their authors have top-notch credentials: publication credits in quality magazines, awards, grants. Graduating from a quality MFA program is a plus as well.

To learn more, check out How To Write A Query Letter For A Short Story Collection. We help writers submit their individual stories for publication because we’ve found it’s the best way to help writers improve their bios (so that they can be competitive when approaching agents). If you would like Writer's Relief to help you submit your individual short stories for publication, or if you would like us to consider working with you on a collection, please give us a call!

Guest writer Suzan L. Wiener has had numerous articles, short stories, poems, and other shorter pieces published in major publications such as Cross & Quill, Verses, Impetus, FellowScript, etc. She also has her love poetry E-book up at http://72.249.118.251/taxonomy/term/83464, and her greeting cards have been published through several major greeting card companies.

On the Internet you need to start your story where the action is. That is most important. You need to build the conflict (action) to keep the editor and reader interested. The climax of your story must be credible. For instance: If you are writing a story for children, don’t have an adult solve the child’s problem. Have the child solve it. Otherwise the editor will lose interest.

I always do a plot outline when I write short stories. Here is a rough outline that I follow to help organize my story:

I. Major characters—
            List the main character(s)
II. Minor characters—
            List the minor character(s)
III. Complications (should always move the story forward)
IV. Subplot (if any)
V. Crisis (turning point)
VI. Resolution (end of story)

Below are several tips to help you get that most-welcomed acceptance.
 
1. Write about something you love—write from the heart and from experience.

2. Look for a new spin on an old concept. (There aren’t really any unique ideas anymore, but when a person can put a new spin on old idea, that makes it interesting.)

3. Don’t be afraid of lesser known e-zines. If you do a Google search for “fiction guidelines,” you will likely find many places you’ve never heard of before. Just always make sure any magazine that you submit to is open to your kind of story. (Writer’s Relief editor’s note: OR you can ask us for help identifying the best markets for your writing!)

4. Network. Having friends who also write fiction opens up a lot of new markets to you. Don’t be afraid to share markets. You might find that your friend has had a good experience with Internet markets, or you might pass your own information along.
 
If you follow the above rules, you will most likely see a publication acceptance in your inbox.

Writer's Relief editor's note: For more help with your short stories, check out this link: Short Story Checklist: Techniques for Getting Short Stories Published. Enjoy!  

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 

Guest write Cindy LaPenna is a writer and librarian from Pennsylvania. She is the author of Around Bangor, a pictorial history about the town where she grew up. Her articles and poetry were published in several newspapers and various Web sites.

Good writing always starts with a sentence or paragraph that hooks the reader and makes him or her want to read more. Listed below are several examples of how writers can begin works of both fiction and nonfiction.

With A Declarative Sentence
Cultivating a winter garden is an easy, natural way to lift your spirits.

Ask A Question (Note: Some literary agents feel this method is overused.)
Have you ever looked out the window on a winter day and wished you were basking in the sun on a Caribbean island?

Summarize
Beauty, relaxation, and stress-relief are some of the many benefits you'll experience from winter gardens.

Quotation
O, Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
—Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Ode to the West Wind”

Fragmentation
Short days. Long nights. Snow. Ice. Cold. It was a season John dreaded.

We used the winter theme for a reason, and that is to show that several techniques can work not only for different writings, but also for one particular story. One specific technique, fragmentation, for example, might add more interest or inject more sincerity into a story than asking a question or stating a fact.

Read each opening aloud, along with a paragraph or two of your story, to see which one sounds the best. The gist and content of a particular piece will help you determine which technique is best.

Some other commonly used openers are:

Shock ’Em
Danny had it all—charisma, power, and fame. No one knew that at the end of the day, he made his way home to sleep, alone, in the car he called home.

Descriptive
The tiny orange kitten sat on the sidewalk, crying for its mother, its fur wet and matted.

Factual
The childhood toys known as teddy bears are named after Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States.

Hypothetical
If you could change your life today, in any way you can imagine, what would it be like?

Use these techniques as guidelines, but add your own creativity, personality, and writing style. Keep the writing fresh and original and avoid clichéd language to keep your readers reading to the end.

Writing fiction from real-life experiences isn’t as easy as it sounds. Fiction writers—writers of short stories and novels—must know when to use real-life details and when those details don’t work well in prose. Putting your real life in writing can be inspiring, but it can be dangerous too.

Creating Fiction From Personal Experiences:

Life is a wealth of material for writers. Most fiction is autobiographical to some extent, as writers draw from their real-world experiences—a first kiss, graduation, birth, death, marriage, divorce, career changes, the assassination of JFK, the invention of Spam (both kinds). Sometimes a story is created from the tiniest real-life detail. You notice a little boy digging in the sand at the local playground, and this sparks an entire spin-off—a full-length novel about a man who makes a living digging wells. (Sounds boring but of course you’ll make sure there’s a clever hook, won’t you?)

Creating Fiction From Other People’s Experiences:

Grab a National Enquirer and take a look at the headlines. Surely, there’s something that calls to your creative side in “Man Captures Muck Monster” or “How to Make Millions with Beet Juice.” Or drift back to your childhood/adolescence, and think about someone you haven’t seen since. Did Mary Sue, the terribly shy, mistreated girl who never spoke, become a radio personality or a serial killer? There are many possibilities.

On-the-Job Training:

There are many well-known authors who have used their work backgrounds to create believable, technically correct fiction. John Grisham and Patricia Cornwell come to mind. Grisham made a name for himself writing legal thrillers based on his experiences as an attorney; Cornwell worked in a medical examiner’s office and turned this experience into a series of medical examiner thrillers. The inside knowledge these two authors possess contributed to their success and made their fiction believable.

Warnings About Writing Fiction Based On Real Life:

Consider this story: Once upon a time there was a man who was born, went to school, became a teacher, got married, had two children, and died at the age of 82. This man collected stamps, was afraid of flying, and once broke two ribs in a silly fraternity stunt back in college. During his lifetime, he helped his children and his students become better, more well-rounded people, which is a great accomplishment. But is it a novel?

Most fiction stems from real life, but if you think about the lives of ordinary people, there’s not usually a novel to be had. Real life is messy and complicated and doesn’t follow the rules of fiction; it’s also boring at times…mundane. The trick is to lift characters, events, tragedies, and triumphs from the pages of real life and create a new existence for them—using literary techniques and a good dose of creativity to make them more exciting, more interesting, more disturbing—more worthy of being read.

Just be careful that you’re being honest with the way you show real life in fiction. If you become too emotionally attached to turning your real-life story into fiction, you may lose sight of those elements that differentiate a smooth, well-crafted story from a real-life tale. Emotion can be a stumbling block if a writer isn’t flexible.

Also, sometimes a real-life story simply won’t “feel” real in writing. For example, a story about a jaded “loose cannon” Italian cop who solves mafia murders in New Jersey might be cliché and unbelievable—whether he’s real or not. When real life becomes too unbelievable for good fiction, writing nonfiction is often a better choice.

Disguising a real-life story as fiction doesn’t necessarily ensure that you’ll avoid lawsuits. In a previous article on creative nonfiction, we discussed the possible legal ramifications of using real people in your fiction. Exposing the school principal’s quirky bedroom habits is a risky proposition that could lead to a lawsuit. Better to model a character after the principal; as a writer, you can improve on his character to better suit your story, and no one will be humiliated or prevent your child from graduating elementary school. The same holds true for transplanting Cousin Ida into your fiction; she’s a true character in real life, but she’ll likely need some tweaking if she’s going to feature in a story.

Since and because. These are two little conjunctions that cause problems for some folks and represent yet another gray area in terms of accepted usage. Merriam-Webster lists because as a synonym for since and vice versa, but there are subtle differences.

Since is used in a temporal sense.

Since the weather changed, my allergies have improved. 

An easy way to test if since is appropriate is to substitute “from the time when.”

Since she was a toddler, music has been an important part of Cheryl’s life.

We have visited nearly every hobby shop in San Francisco since we moved to California.

When talking about cause and effect, use because. This leaves very little room for confusion, as the word itself spells out its purpose.               

Because of the new medication, my allergies have improved.

Also correct: Since I discovered this new medication, my allergies have improved.

Because we were missing so many ingredients, we had to find a new recipe.

Unfortunately, this does not clear things up completely.

According to more than one dictionary, since can also be used to mean because:

Since he emphasized how important it was, I ran right out and mailed it.

(I mailed something because it was important.)

Some folks insist that this is incorrect; and while it does lend itself to confusion (because would have made it more clear that this is a cause-and-effect situation), it is not necessarily incorrect. Some style guides insist on sticking to since for time-related usage, which helpfully removes any doubt. In most areas of creative writing, though, people have been happily using this construction for years and are unlikely to stop just because they’re told it’s wrong.

The author of this article is Keith Connes. He is at the 60-year point (give or take) in his burgeoning career as a professional writer. He started in radio, then became a TV-commercial writer for several major New York agencies. This enabled him to buy an airplane and morph into aviation writing. He’s now crafting more general articles, humor pieces, and short fiction and thinks he’ll stay put with those until he reaches the age of 100, which should be any day now.

Write a memoir. It doesn’t matter whether you are a beginning writer or a seasoned pro—or even if you don’t consider yourself to be a writer at all. Write a memoir to present the gift of your inner self to your family, friends, and perhaps a wider audience. You might publish only a few dozen copies for a very limited distribution, but then again, a really compelling story could become the propellant that launches your writing career.

A basic writer’s axiom advises you to “write what you know,” and what could be more familiar to you than an episode in your own life? And here’s what makes it so special: A memoir can give your loved ones a greater insight into who you are and how you got to be who you are—your thoughts, your feelings, your adventures through life, and the things you learned along the way. And you don’t have to wait until your sunset years; you can write a memoir at any age. You can do it now.

Let me be clear as to what I mean by “memoir.” Some people may think of the word “memoir” as meaning an autobiography. Well, yes, an autobiography is a very extensive memoir, taking in the entire life of the subject, but a memoir can also be just a small nugget of that person’s existence—a series of reminiscences or even a single recollection. So it’s not that daunting a task.

Even so, would your memoir really be that valuable to others? Well, think of somebody who is important to you—your mother, father, grandparent, friend—and even though you’ve known that person for years or decades, you sense that there are aspects of that person’s life that you don’t know about and wish you did. Not necessarily skeletons in the closet, but—well, wouldn’t it be fun to know that Grandma always wanted to be a trapeze artist but somehow never got around to it?

My best friend since high school was, for most of his adult life, a sales executive whose high-powered drive enabled him to found and manage several insurance companies. I thought I knew him pretty well, but I was astonished when he sent me a book of sensitive and lovely poetry that he had written! I saw an aspect of Frank I had never suspected, and my respect and admiration for him became even greater.

Well, you may not be a secret poet or even a wannabe trapeze artist, but aren’t there some unrevealed parts of you that you wouldn’t mind sharing but you haven’t gotten around to it, or maybe you’re just a little shy about it?

Write it down. Write your memoir. If it seems too daunting, you have a tape recorder—everybody has at least one. Go to a quiet place, turn the recorder on, and speak your thoughts. Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation—just talk. You can fix it later. If it would help get the thoughts flowing, sit down with someone you feel comfortable with and start chatting about a topic for your memoir. Can’t find enough quiet time? Do it in the car. Let others talk into their cell phones. What you’re doing is for posterity!

Regardless of where your memoir begins, it can take on a life of its own—because it is, after all, your own life.

Write your memoir. Do it for the ones you love, for yourself, and maybe for some great-great-grandchildren you will never know. But, through your memoir, they will get to know you.

Our great-grandparents might not understand, but many of us now wake up to our Yahoo! or MSN home page to get our daily news and celebrity gossip fix. While daily newspapers will continue to be an important part of our lives, there’s no denying the impact of having such an array of online reading material. According to many surveys, more and more people than ever before are using the Internet to read the news, access blogs, articles. Studies also show that people tend to access online journals more frequently than print journals. Again, print magazines and journals aren’t in danger of disappearing anytime soon, but the Internet offers an alternate source of reading material—material that is usually up-to-date, easily accessible, often free, and conveniently waiting for us in our own homes or on our laptops. And as we ease into the world of cyberspace, online magazines and literary journals are quickly earning prestige and increased readership.

Online Magazines and Journals

There is a proliferation of literary magazines popping up on the Internet, and this is changing the way literature reaches readers. Suddenly, literature is more accessible to the entire world, and E-zines are offering more selections to their readers. These online magazines are finding better ways to meet the needs of writers and their readers, becoming a defining force in literature.

Literary journals and E-zines usually publish poetry, short fiction, and essays and offer information about authors and book reviews. Much of the work is written by new writers, so beginning writers take note: The Internet offers greater opportunities than ever before to get your work published. It hosts a variety of smaller-niche publications that offer new writers a forum for their work, as well as a worldwide audience. This translates to more people seeing a writer’s work than ever before. And, as it should be, the goal of these E-zines is to feature the work of deserving writers, both experienced and inexperienced.

Suppose you’ve placed a short story in a respectable print journal. Your story will be in active circulation for a certain number of weeks, and then it will be moved to the archives. If your story appears in an online literary journal, it may be viewed by thousands, and when it is archived, a mere click of the mouse will bring it back to life. No trips to the back rooms of libraries. Plus, your story will be viewed by people all over the world who may not have access to work you’ve published in print. This long-term exposure is a definite advantage for the author. This may explain why many mid-list literary magazines are switching to both online AND print editions.

New writers who are looking to be published in a print magazine would do well to target the mid-list (or second-tier) literary magazines. Obviously, the very best placement for an author’s short fiction would be in first-tier magazines; but if this goal is unattainable, online publications are a great way for new writers to get those first credits.

The Internet also offers writers newsletters, chat rooms, and forums where they can network with fellow writers from all over the world. This is a great way to stay current and glean information about particular editors and agents or hear about new E-zines and what they are looking for.

Blogs (short for Web log) have been on the Internet since the early ’90s. Originally, blogs started as personal diaries online, but that has since evolved and expanded. Not only are blogs for personal use, but blogs are often vehicles for sharing and discussing specific subjects, such as travel, politics, entertainment, and, of course, creative writing. Some of these blogs for creative writers can serve as an online journal, publishing a new poem or short story on a daily basis. Other writer-friendly blogs, such as http://www.writersreliefblog.com, offer information and advice for improving one’s writing skills.

Editors/agents will consider your work published if it’s posted publicly on your blog. Avoid sharing your work until it’s already been published elsewhere, giving credit to where it was first printed. In addition to sharing already-published work, if you’re promoting a book you’ve written, you can have friends and loved ones comment with reviews, announce book readings/signings, etc. Start sharing your blog link—that is, the URL, the WWW to get to your blog—in your e-mails and other communications. The more people you have visiting your blog, the more likely people will spread the word. An added bonus is that your rankings in Internet searches will increase.

Dialogue can be tricky to write and, sometimes, tricky to punctuate. A few pointers:

I. It is standard form to give each speaker his or her own line of dialogue.

     "Brad, I’d like you to meet my sister, Joanne,” Jill said as they walked into the room. 
     “It’s nice to meet you, Joanne. Or may I call you Jo?” Brad said.
     “I go by Joanne, but you can call me anything you want,” Joanne answered with an impish grin.

Sometimes this rule can be broken.

     “Quick, grab the rope,” he yelled, but when he turned around, his partner quietly said, “It’s too late.”

II. Other times, a character’s dialogue continues for more than one paragraph. In this case, use an initial quotation mark for each paragraph, and insert a closing mark at the end of the final paragraph.

     Doug said, “Dialogue paragraph one.
     “Dialogue paragraph two.
     “Dialogue paragraph three.”

Now the reader knows that Doug is finished speaking, even though he’s rambled on for three paragraphs…

III. Never use quotation marks in a screenplay, where every line is dialogue.

IV. And, finally, do not use laughed, smiled, or grinned as speech tags. These should be used as separate sentences, as it is impossible to grin or laugh a sentence.

     “Oh, you think you’re so funny.” She grinned. “But you have mustard on your face.”

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

When the protagonist of your story pauses to think something, you need to set it apart somehow from the regular text and dialogue. There are a few different ways of setting characters' thoughts.

The most straightforward way to do this is to paraphrase the characters' thoughts into the narrative. For example:

When the brothers climbed up the riverbank, their school clothes coated with mud and filth, it occurred to them for the first time that their mom would be furious. Why hadn't they gone home first to change into play clothes? Oh well, they were already in trouble for being late for dinner, and they might as well get it over with. The trio trudged home reluctantly.

Another useful technique is to use italics, which is an effective tool when both thoughts and spoken dialogue are interspersed. This technique is becoming standard practice among publishers—and for good reason. The different type style makes it quite clear when a person is thinking versus speaking aloud:                                   

When the brothers climbed up the riverbank, their school clothes coated with mud and filth, it occurred to them for the first time that their mom would be furious. Why didn't we go home first to change into play clothes? Roger thought. "We're already in trouble for being late for dinner, so we might as well get it over with," he told his brothers, and the trio trudged home reluctantly.

This style is also popular with science fiction and horror writers, who use italics to show telepathic communication between characters. Some writers use quotation marks to set off thoughts, but this can get complicated, especially when thoughts and spoken dialogue are mixed. 

When the brothers climbed up the riverbank, their school clothes coated with mud and filth, it occurred to them for the first time that their mom would be furious. "Why didn't we go home first to change into play clothes?" Roger thought. "We're already in trouble for being late for dinner, so we might as well get it over with," he told his brothers, and the trio trudged home reluctantly.

There is nothing to differentiate between the spoken sentence and the thought. This can be avoided by using single quotation marks around the thought, but this is an awkward fix, and we don't recommend it.

When the brothers climbed up the riverbank, their school clothes coated with mud and filth, it occurred to them for the first time that their mom would be furious. 'Why didn't we go home first to change into play clothes?' Roger thought. "We're already in trouble for being late for dinner, so we might as well get it over with," he told his brothers, and the trio trudged home reluctantly.

If your character is thinking something to himself, it is redundant to say so.
 
Wow, that sure is a small car, the large man thought to himself.

But if he is thinking out loud, tell this to your reader. 

"Wow, that sure is a small car," the large man thought aloud. 

Finally, whichever style you choose to follow, make sure it stays consistent throughout your work, and make it easy for your reader to follow what your characters are thinking, as well as saying.

The word essay conjures up feelings of dread or boredom for many of us (think college applications, biology reports)—remember the plodding five-paragraph essay formula you learned to write in grade school? But the personal essay is a highly marketable piece of writing, and the material is as limitless as your own thoughts and experiences. Personal essay columns are one of the most popular columns in newspapers and magazines, providing a rich field for the aspiring writer.

Personal essays are a refreshing change from their stuffy cousin, the formal essay, because the personal essay is just that—personal. It's more chatty and friendly. You are speaking directly to your reader about anything from the death of a parent to a moment of beauty in your garden. From life-changing events to life's mundane moments, viewed from your own unique perspective, anything can be fodder for a gem of an essay, but here's the catch. You must offer a theme that a broader audience can relate to. Whether it's the current state of the nation or an epiphany gained while washing dirty socks, if your readers are nodding their heads and muttering, "Yeah, I know what you mean," you've reached them.

Today we can add "blogging" to this literary form, as people post journal-like entries online to be viewed by as many people as are interested. If the entries are interesting, concise, and well-written, with a somewhat universal theme, a collection of personal essays is born.

One of the differences between writing creative short fiction and personal essays is that in fiction, you must show, not tell. In the personal essay, you must both show AND tell. As the author of a personal essay, you are speaking directly to your reader. So, in a short story, you create a setting and characters and circumstances that, together, show or reveal to the reader that, for instance, a woman named Mary, a farmer's wife, is suffering from profound isolation and loneliness. In a personal essay, you tell the reader that your friend Mary is isolated and lonely in her role as a farmer's wife. You are allowed to comment and offer your opinion, and thus, you are present in the essay.

A few more tips:

Ideas. Brainstorm issues in your own life that are humorous, stressful, upsetting, or life-changing in a negative or positive way. These issues can be momentous (the impact of divorce or winning the lottery) or trivial (an insight into the plight of the elderly brought on by a half hour at the post office). There are no rules. If you find that any one subject generates a rush of writing, it's probably a good place to start. Keeping a journal handy to record pivotal moments or epiphanies can help capture your ideas as you go about your day.

The hook. Once you've started, just as in short stories, you should start off with a bang and get the reader's interest immediately, within the first sentence or paragraph. Some writers use humor, anecdotes, or quotes to get the reader's attention. Barbara Kingsolver, a master of the personal essay, has a collection of essays called High Tide in Tucson. Take a look at some of her classic opening lines:

June is the cruelest month in Tucson, especially when it lasts till the end of July.

A hermit crab lives in my house.

The babysitter surely thought I was having an affair.

A librarian named Miss Truman Richey snatched me from the jaws of ruin, and it's too late now to thank her.

Other masters of the personal essay include Alice Walker, Edward Hoagland, and James Baldwin. We suggest reading widely in this genre to fully immerse yourself in this style.

POV. Use the first-person active voice. You are the narrator and so you must do the "talking."  Also watch for using language that is too informal. The personal essay is more conversational than other literary forms, but you don't want it to read like a high school diary entry. "I saw this totally cool sculpture, and it was way awesome!!!"

Be concise. Word counts differ between publications, but one thing is consistent: tight and concise writing is the hallmark of a good personal essay. When editing, cut the fluff, be specific, and make each word count.

Connect. The personal essay is personal, but the message should be widely recognizable if you want to make a connection with your readers. The wider your target audience, the greater your chance of publication.

Personal essays are published in literary magazines, national magazines, trade journals, local and national newspapers, and anthologies, and they offer a great opportunity for writers. At Writer's Relief, we can develop a specific and organized submission process to help place your work once you've mastered the form. Have fun with it!

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

As with so many aspects of the writing world, formatting issues are a gray area, and writers struggle with the burning question: One space or two after closing punctuation?

When in doubt, creative writers often turn to the Chicago Manual of Style, whose official view is that there is no good reason to use two spaces after a period for work that is to be published. (Obviously, this rule does not apply to personal correspondence, notes, etc.)

In the days of typewriters, extra space was necessary to create a more defined space between sentences for the reader's eye. Typewriter fonts are monospaced, which means that all the letters take up the same amount of space, and most of us were taught in typing class to add that extra keystroke at the end of a sentence. But computerized fonts are proportionally spaced, and a single space is sufficient to provide a visible break. The exceptions are the fonts Courier and Monaco, which are monospaced, but it's probably best to switch to a font such as Times New Roman or Arial rather than using the double space.

So save yourself a keystroke; there's something to be said for efficiency.

It can be hard to develop a believable character for your story. Most of us don’t have close relationships with dashing heroes or beautiful yet gutsy medical examiners named Desiree. This makes it tempting to take inspiration from people we actually know, and often the resulting characters are thinly disguised versions of ourselves or our friends and relatives. Your wacky Aunt Mabel may be familiar to you and a hoot at holiday get-togethers, but as anything more than a minor comic relief character, Aunt Mabel is going to be an unlikely heroine. It might be better to enlist the scary guy who lives down the street and develop a villain (or an unlikely hero) based on him. Sure, all you know about him is that he rides a loud motorcycle, and his biceps are frighteningly large and tattooed, but boring he’s not!

Successful writers usually develop a detailed character sketch and biography in advance, noting physical, as well as personality, traits. The greater the detail of the sketch, the greater dimension the character develops.

Think about your biker neighbor. You don’t know him, but you can assume that he probably isn’t the son of two college professors, he probably doesn’t attend the opera on a regular basis, and he isn’t likely to be meek and shy. It’s more realistic to assume he’s the son of working-class parents, prefers football to the opera, and he’s pretty brave and tough. And if we’re working on avoiding stereotypes (which is usually our goal), this character could surprise us and become our unlikely hero, despite the prison tats.

The personality needs to fit the fiction. If you’re looking for a hero to save the world from destruction, you can choose the dashing and dapper John Q. College Graduate with broad shoulders and a deep, calm voice, or the scruffy biker dude, who saves the day despite his looks. If you want Aunt Mabel to be the heroine of your novel, you better develop some interesting traits that would support her superhero ways—perhaps she’s not as frail and wobbly as she looks! Just don’t leave Aunt Mabel exactly the way she is in real life, or her character may fail to deliver.

The point is to get to know your characters and make them three-dimensional. Be familiar enough to be able to predict what each character would do if he or she were faced with a certain choice or put into a certain situation. Every person has a darker side or a secret. Give the warmhearted schoolteacher a secret vice, a bit of a temper, or a scandalous past. When you’re sketching your character, include a basic history, his/her dreams and ambitions, obstacles and hurdles, social status, and sexual and economic power. Also include physical characteristics, so that you can make sure Desiree stays a redhead throughout her adventures and Biker Dude’s tattoos stay on the correct shoulder.

The short story presents a different problem. There simply isn’t time or space to let the reader get to know your main character, so you have to present them with as much information as they need to know as succinctly and subtly as possible (show, don’t tell!). If it’s not relevant to the plot, we don’t need to know that the warmhearted schoolteacher is allergic to shellfish or has a degree in Russian literature. We might, however, need to know that she’s a closet smoker, addicted to chocolate truffles, and harbors a long-standing grudge with her sister. For the short story writer, it’s essential to have a fully developed character in mind; but rather than giving us a bulleted list of traits, let your character’s actions demonstrate who she is. Hold back a secret or two about your schoolteacher and surprise the reader.

As writers, we are asking our readers to visualize our characters and relate to them. We want our characters to be realistic so that our audience can connect to them—we want the reader to cheer them on as they surmount obstacles and shed a tear when they fall. Readers care about people, and a fantastic plot populated with bland or one-dimensional characters isn’t enough to hold their interest. Your audience should feel involved with your characters, so that they become vivid and real people. And this isn't easy. If you can get your readers to fall in love with and cheer for the scary biker dude, you can consider him a successful character.

The following guidelines can help you determine when to use capital letters (and when not to).

Capitalize the first word of a sentence, including the first word of a quoted sentence.

It wasn't easy to ignore him when he yelled, "Get a life, you weasel!"

Capitalize proper nouns.

Lake Michigan, State Street, Williams Welding Company, Jupiter, Pacific Ocean

Capitalize titles that precede the name. Do not capitalize if the title is a description that follows the person's name.

The best course was taught by Professor Leo Smith.

Leo Smith, one of the college's professors, edited the literary magazine.

Capitalize titles when used in address.

The stand is yours, Officer Higgins.

Is it possible, Doctor, that you made a mistake?

Capitalize family relationships only when used as proper names.

I went to visit Uncle Frank, but my other uncles couldn't go with me. I was able to convince Father to come with me, but my mother didn't feel well.

Do not capitalize directions unless they are part of a proper name or refer to a specific region.

Each week I travel a few miles south to West Yorkshire.

They're packing up and heading for the Southwest.

Capitalize the names of God, religious figures, and holy books. Do not capitalize the nonspecific use of the word "god."

She covered all her bases and sent up prayers to God, Buddha, and the Virgin Mary.

In some cultures, the worship of many gods is more common than monotheism.

Capitalize the days of the week, months, and holidays. Do not capitalize the seasons unless the season has been personified—and even then it's optional and sometimes considered old-fashioned.

We celebrate Thanksgiving in November, just as fall begins its transition into winter.

Suddenly, the icy breath of Winter chilled our skin.

Capitalize periods and events. Do not capitalize century numbers.

Great Depression

twentieth century

Capitalize political, social, military, and athletic groups.

Seattle Mariners

Republicans

Native Americans

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy

And one final tip. In creative writing, it's tempting to capitalize words that are important to your sentence, such as "love" or "justice." This is generally frowned upon.

Whether you’re submitting your work via postal mail or e-mail/online, it is important to have your computer files organized and properly named, so you can immediately identify what piece to submit and what you have previously sent.

Making Folders

Create a new folder in "My Documents." Name this folder "Creative Work." This folder can hold whatever genres you write, but you want to distinguish it from any academic work that you might write and from other non-creative writing folders.

Within the "Creative Work" folder, make at least three subfolders: Accepted, Drafts, Poetry (Short Stories, Essays, etc.; you want to make a separate folder for each genre that you write).

The Accepted folder will contain work accepted for publication. It’s imperative to keep all of your work, but you also don’t want to make a mistake and resubmit any previously accepted pieces. The Drafts folder can be the holding place for works in progress, brainstorm ideas, work that is in a state of being proofread, and earlier versions of a finished piece (in the event that you’re the type of writer who likes to save every draft). The genre folders will hold completed versions of your work.

Naming Your Files

Imagine that you’ve written a piece called "The Red Stone." You can drop the beginning articles and spaces when you’re naming a file, but we recommend saving the file with the name of your piece. Let’s say you’ve submitted the named file "RedStone" to 25 markets. As some responses come back, you decide that you want to revise "The Red Stone" for the next time you submit. Make a copy of the original "RedStone" file. Rename this file "RedStoneOLD." Back at your list of documents, you will now rename "RedStone" to "RedStoneNEW." It is in this NEW file you will make revisions. You want to maintain the same name formatting so that the two pieces sort together.

It may happen an editor wants to publish "RedStoneNEW," but he or she wants you to retitle it to "The Brick-Red Stone." You, being the compliant writer, agree. In your files, you need to copy the file "RedStoneNEW" and paste the file in your folder. On a PC, the file should read "Copy of RedStoneNEW." On a Mac, the file should read "RedStoneNEW copy." Rename this file to "Brick-RedStoneWASRedStone." Next, rename the original "RedStoneNEW" file to "RedStoneNOWBrick-RedStone." By doing this, you’re able to see that "Brick-Red Stone" is the latest version, but you’re also able to maintain its previous versions. Since X Journal has accepted "The Brick-Red Stone," you now can move all of these versions into your Accepted folder.

On a PC, sort your files by the "List" view. Select a file to see the details of the file, which at the bottom of the screen. It will show the last date modified; that is, to say the last time you worked in that file. This is another way to be sure you are choosing the most current version to work with. On a Mac, choose the "list" view as well and highlight a file to see the last date modified and other information that opens to the right of the document.

This process of naming and saving files this way works well for prose and book writers who make postal and electronic submissions. However, if you’re a poet, there is more to the process.

Poets should keep each individual poem saved in its own file. It is easier to move poems individually and keep track of newest versions this way.

Organizing Poetry Submissions

E-mail/online submissions are a bit trickier for poets. Some outlets want the poems sent in one document as a DOC or RTF file. Other outlets want the poems sent individually via attachment. Then there are still others who simply prefer that your poems be pasted into the body of the e-mail with no formatting embedded. On a PC, the icons for a DOC and RTF file look the same. We recommend putting "rtf" at the end of the poem file names for RTF files so that you can easily identify RTF from DOC. On a Mac, you’re able to see the difference between these two files, so this isn’t applicable. Nevertheless, when you’re submitting via e-mail/online, always follow the guidelines of each individual journal.

It’s important to know that when you are making poetry submissions, literary journals and magazines only accept groups of poetry consisting of 3-6 titles. We suggest that you create subfolders with a group number to correspond with a specific group of poems. Once you’re happy with the way a particular group of poems reads together, keep these poems submitted and organized together in that group until you’re ready to totally revise and retitle (or retire; that is, to never submit it again) a particular poem in the group.

If you’re making poetry e-mail/online submissions and the journal requests that the poems be sent in one file, paste all the poems into one document, then save the file with the appropriate group name. You should also maintain a separate document called "Groups" that lists each set of poems by group.

We highly recommend this strategy since it will save you time and energy when it comes to tracking your submissions. If you mix and match poems with different groups, you’re more inclined to submit a poem to a journal that might have already seen it.

Back Up Your Files

A final note: It is crucial that you always save your work and create backups for your work. You can save your work onto floppy disks, zip disks, CDs, external backup drives, or flash drives. We personally recommend zip disks or flash drives because your work is less likely to get corrupted on these devices. Also, flash drives can be carried in your pocket when you travel or have a few minutes to work on someone else’s computer (with permission, of course.) In addition, there are also various Web storage sites that can hold your work for you for minimal prices a year.

At Writer’s Relief, our full-service clients benefit from having us be a hub for all their electronic files. We also track your submissions and responses, and we’re here to provide you submission strategy and acceptance advice. Our full-service clients have access to their own personal online database (for submission tracking purposes) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please call our offices toll free at (866) 405-3003 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the best plan for you.

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 

The past tense is fairly easy to comprehend. When we talk to our friends we use past, present, and future tenses with ease, but as writers we use other tenses to enhance our work and help explain the sequence of events to our readers. One of these is the past perfect tense, which is, in essence, a little more past than past. When used correctly, this tense tells the reader that we’re going back in time, even beyond the usual past tense that is employed in most fiction. Technically speaking, it is used to refer to a noncontinuous action in the past that was already completed by the time another action in the past took place.

The past perfect can be very useful in fiction writing because you can go back to a previous event without confusing your reader.

She had worried about her sister’s drug problem when their mother died and had taken steps to find a suitable rehab program. But her sister continued to push her away over the years, and eventually, Joann decided to step back from the problem and stay available should her sister need her. She knew how stubborn and independent Julie could be.

It can also be annoying if overdone. Once you’ve established that you’re going back in time, you can revert back to the simple past tense. In the above example, we reverted back to the past tense after "rehab program." The flashback had already been established, and there was no need to continue with the past perfect.

The past tense becomes the past perfect with the addition of the verb "to have."

Past: I wrote that poem.

Past perfect: I had written that poem.

The past perfect tense implies that I wrote that poem before something else happened, as in "I had written that poem before experiencing a broken heart." Another example:

Past: I wanted to learn more about Italy, so I called my friend Stephanie, who lived in Florence.

Stephanie was probably still in Florence at the time of the call.

Past perfect: I wanted to learn more about Italy, so I called my friend Stephanie, who had lived in Florence for several years.

Stephanie no longer lives in Florence.

If you’d like to test your skills, take a crack at our little quiz.

Thomas Edison invented/had invented the lightbulb.

They never owned/had never owned a dog before Samson padded into their lives.

By the time Mr. Johnson got home, his family ate/had already eaten dinner.

As soon as he spotted the guard, he ran/had run off.

When the music started, the teenagers started/had started to dance.

Andrew couldn’t open the door because he forgot/had forgotten his key.

Bobby has never been/had never been to a baseball game before that night.

If I knew/had known, I would have come by yesterday.

The women fell ill a short while after they ate/had eaten the crab salad.

My son already read/had already read that book before the movie came out.

Answers:

invented

had never owned

had already eaten

ran

started

had forgotten

had never been

had known

had eaten

had already read

by D.B. Pacini of www.astarrynightproductions.com, Writer's Relief Client

I serve as a writing mentor for teens and young adults. Fairly frequently, with the desire to be unique, a young person will intentionally spell a word differently than the generally accepted spelling. This is fine in special cases, but I feel it is unwise in most.  For example, if a character is portrayed as a street thug, I don't have a problem with him speaking in slang. If a character is portrayed as a country-folk person, "I'm gittin' ready to fix supper" works.

Recently a young writer wished to spell “skillfully” as “skilfully,” and I advised against it. She provided no reason for the spelling to her reader. She told me that it is an accepted spelling in the dictionary, so she wanted to use it. Although skilfully is indeed an accepted spelling alternate, it is not commonly used in literature, medical, or scholarly text. I believe that most readers will think skilfully is a misspelling and book editors will mark it as a misspelling. Unless this young writer has a specific reason for the unusual spelling, that is obvious to her reader, I think she should use the standard spelling.

When I intentionally use an unusual word, unique expression, or atypical spelling, I make sure that the reason is obvious. An excellent case in point is the current trendy expression: My bad. It is slang and is used to apologize for a mistake. Example: “Sorry, my bad! I forgot to tell you he called and left a message.” This relatively new expression is enjoying huge popularity. Consequently, it is used in a number of TV commercials and TV shows. Actors as young as kindergartners and as old as great-grandparents are saying it to the cameras.

Bottom-line point: We may use any words, expressions, and unusual spellings we wish if we do so wisely and if our readers can easily understand our reasons and our intentions.

We've all felt it. The blank look that creeps across our face as we stare at the computer screen. The utter lack of inspiration. The lack of fire. Sometimes we can't bring forth even a scrap of creative genius, and sometimes a once-inspiring idea suddenly goes stale. It's something that happens to every writer, and everyone has his/her own way of dealing with the problem. We've put together a few ideas we hope will help get the word party started.

Coming up with fresh ideas:

Change of scenery. Yes, we know. You hear this all the time, but if it works, it's worth a try. Jump on a bike, hop a train, pull on the sneakers, and go someplace different. It may be a new coffeehouse down the street, an unexplored neighborhood, even a tropical vacation, but the change of scenery may be just what you need to get a fresh perspective.

Eavesdrop. Blatantly and unabashedly eavesdrop on interesting conversations. Take notes. If nothing develops (and you don't get caught), at least you will have honed your dialogue skills.

Carry a notebook. Sometimes our best ideas strike out of the blue, so be prepared and carry a notebook to capture them. Take notes on things you observe, capture interesting characters you encounter on the subway, or record great one-liners you overhear. Sometimes even one word can evoke an entire scene as you review your notes later.

Read. It can be an author whose style you admire or Gerbils Monthly magazine. Read something that inspires you, or check out something you've never considered reading before. If you've always been too embarrassed to buy a cheesy tabloid, do so now with the confidence of a good excuse: we'll call it research. See what ideas are generated by the outrageous headlines, and get out of your own head for a while.

Take a class. Most writers spend an ungodly amount of time in front of a computer screen. Try taking a class that has nothing to do with writing, such as tai chi or cooking. You may meet some interesting people and develop new ideas from the setting. And you'll be more relaxed as you create the perfect souffle.

Free write. Sometimes the act of writing itself can get things started. Get a blank piece of paper and just start filling it up with whatever comes to mind. Be silly, shocking, or close your eyes and try to connect with the other side. Whatever it takes.

Give yourself a deadline. Generate a false sense of panic and tell yourself you have two hours to (fill in the blank). Sometimes working under pressure creates the best product, even if you know you won't be fired if you miss the deadline.

Revitalizing old ideas:

Take a break. If you've been like a puppy and have worried an idea half to death, take a break and work on something else. If the idea is worth salvaging, it will eventually come back to life. If it doesn't work after several breaks, it might be time to start over with something new.

A new angle. Research your idea from an entirely new perspective. Writing a short story about a farmer's disastrous harvest season? Try approaching it from a new angle, such as a farmer's daughter's joyful wedding in the middle of a disastrous harvest season. Want to write about dogs? Imagine your subject from different perspectives, such as dogs from a vet's point of view versus a child's point of view. Brainstorm all possible angles surrounding your idea, and see what develops. If you're unable to revive your passion for the once-hot idea, it may be time to scrap it, either temporarily or permanently. Our world provides a rich feast of ideas for the creative mind, and when the right concept comes along, you'll know it. And write it.

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 

As much as writing is a part of our soul, our personal expression, when we’re trying to sell our work, we must keep in mind that we’re writing for an audience. And today’s audience can be tough to please. As you read what you’ve written, consider possible ways your work can keep a reader interested and happy. Is the piece wordy, confusing, or filled with sexist language? Do you overuse certain words or phrases or bore the reader with too much jargon? It’s worth a second look to make sure you’re keeping your reader happy.

You’ve probably never read a novel in which pages and pages are devoted to tedious dialogue, and the reason is simple: chances are slim to none that such a book would get published.

"So, would you like to use our telephone?"

"Yes, please."

"I’ll find it for you."

"Thank you."

"Oh, here it is."

"Great."

"Do you need a phone book?"

"Yes, please."

At that moment, my companion keeled over dead. So I decided to go home and recuperate from the trauma.

The next day, I decided to go to the grocery store...

The trivial interchange above does not influence the plot or define the characters. It provides nothing but filler. And when a pivotal moment does occur, it is given but one full sentence, and we’re off again onto more inconsequential pursuits, like passing dishes at the dinner table, or ticking off items at the grocery store. It’s monotonous and meaningless.

Timing and plotting issues can ruin the flow of a story, and while these are the mistakes of a brand-new writer, it never hurts to review a few of the issues that may turn your reader off. After all, what reader wants to relive all the trivial moments of life? Don’t we pick up novels in the hopes of being transported? Riveted by new experiences and interesting characters? Removed from our mundane lives for a little while?

The above example may be extreme, but the point is simple: keep your reader in mind at all times. Have others read what you’ve written and consider their comments.

Here are some other things to avoid in your quest to make your reader a happy camper:

Wordiness

I, myself, have not decided what to do in the event that I don’t graduate this year. Perhaps I could utilize my parents’ connections to secure a job, like many individuals before me have done.

Today’s reading audience appreciates a straightforward, concise read. They’re busy, and they appreciate concise, economical language. Why use the word "utilize" when you can say "use"? Or "in the event of" when you can say "if"? And save the "myself" and "individuals" for police reports…

Sexually or racially biased language

The serving girl arrived with Cokes for the lady doctor and the Oriental gentleman.

Someone is bound to be offended by this sentence.

Shifting tenses

It had been awhile since Sarah saw Bruce, and she is in love with him. They will have been a couple for two years now if it weren’t for their three-month separation.

Confusing? Yes. Irritating? Extremely.

Comma splicing

There was a lovely fragrance in the air, she was so taken by the local flora that she vowed to make a stop at the garden center before leaving town.

Make these two separate sentences, or add a conjunction to join them. Please.

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