Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Our October focus is research. Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, research should be an integral part of your writing process. All of our October posts are adapted from IFW’s book Searching:…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One of the first things to keep in mind about readers in 2019 is that they are extremely busy. At every moment, a myriad of options lay before most of us. We…
Nonfiction writing includes outlines, research, and many drafts. The revision process gives us the chance to polish the content, presentation, and style.
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some people adore revision. Theyo talk excitedly about belching out their stry in a rush of words and then relishing the time put into turning that rush into something a reader can love.…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Making your writing more distinctive. As experienced writers know, revising involves more than changing word counts, fixing punctuation, or checking for accuracy. Revision is also the time —think “opportunity”—to make our writing…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Verbs are the powerhouse of the sentence. Because of that, understanding how verbs work will help you tremendously in the revision process. It’s only by knowing what verbs are all about that…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A checklist for hooking your reader. As the saying goes, we have one chance to make a first impression, and it’s the same with writing. Editors, agents, and readers tend to cast…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Fiction, the kind accepted by children’s magazines and book publishers, relies on a careful balance of great action, strong setting and believable dialogue. Readers love dialogue. It lightens the page, making the…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A Revision Checklist Cutting words is a task most writers face during revisions. We may scrutinize each line and even each word to meet the publisher’s requirements. I’ve cut hundreds of words…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Magazine writing differs from book writing in a number of ways, but one way is that you can learn so much about everything the magazine publishes from studying a sample. That’s not…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Increasing your chances of becoming a regular freelancer Getting a one-off acceptance is always a cause for celebration. Getting offered a regular paying gig is even better. Learn ways to increase your…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The moment when you submit can be an interesting mix of exciting and terrifying. It’s easy to forget small details. So a good checklist can help. Before you send, make sure you…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Discovering markets you didn’t know existed From quarterlies about secretaries to periodicals about electricity, it seems there’s a magazine for everything. Expand where you sell your writing by mining obscure markets. I…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writers tend to have trouble holding onto a positive self-image. We toil alone, usually with little or no cheering section. In fact, our writing can be seen as being a resented competitor…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Tips for getting closer to yes! Editors are busy, often juggling multiple duties. That means it’s important to grab them with a quick, precise query letter. Learn what works and what doesn’t.…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One absolute need a fiction writer must have to create material for magazines is the ability to write to extremely short word counts. As this is also true of picture book writers,…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Targeted submissions can lead to success. Before you even start to query a publication or an agent, it’s important to do research on what they’ve already written, their style and the person…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Magazine writing today can be challenging. Basically you’re throwing yourself into a highly competitive field that really doesn’t get all the respect it deserves. But magazine writing can also be incredibly rewarding.…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > From writers like you! A while back I sent out a one-question survey. Writers could submit any one question about author platform and marketing. I learned a ton from reading all the…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Talk about “platform” is pretty scary for a lot of writers. Many of us are not really all that social, so we’re not excited by the words “social media.” But really, isn’t…