Research Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them – Part 2
Paula Morrow reveals even more ways to make sure your research is working for you and not against you when you submit to editors. Read on for her insider tips.
4 Research Perils and Prevention
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Research Can Take You to Shady Places Since most of my online behavior jumps between a handful of sites (mostly writing sites), I rarely come into contact with viruses or malware of…
Research Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them – Part 1 | IFW
Famed editor Paula Morrow brings us Research Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them because research is essential whether you write fiction or nonfiction. Expert tips ahead!
Four Unexpected Benefits of Research
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As a writer who regularly does extensive research, I’ve noticed some benefits to research as a lifestyle. Not only does quality research improve my writing, it often improves my life. Finding Answers…
Steps on the Research Road Part 2
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > In last week’s post, Steps on the Research Road Part 1, Joan Broerman and Marie-Therese Miller shared tips for using books, online searches, and databases to research topics for our fiction and nonfiction stories. This article is just…
Asking Questions
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > You know that tiring toddler stage where your child asks questions and never stops? Well, I never grew out of that stage. Introduce any topic about which I know nothing, and I’ll…
Steps on the Research Road Part 1
Quality research is vital whether you focus on books, articles, short stories, or novels. Enjoy these research tips from Joan Broerman and Marie-Therese Miller.
Needful Things: Revision Begins on Page One | IFW
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…
Winning Nonfiction: A Path for Revision
Nonfiction writing includes outlines, research, and many drafts. The revision process gives us the chance to polish the content, presentation, and style.
Guilty Secret: Revision is Not My Favorite Thing | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some people adore revision. They so talk excitedly about belching out their story in a rush of words and then relishing the time put into turning that rush into something a reader can love. I can admire that…
Revising: A Time to Fine-Tune Your Style
Facebook 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 more vibrant, meaningful, and distinctive. Fine-tuning…
Misunderstood Verbs
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…
Revising for a Strong Start
Facebook 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 aside stories with weak beginnings. It’s…
Three Steps to Writing Better Dialogue
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…
Do You Need to Cut?
Facebook 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 from an article or story and…
How to Get Published in a Magazine
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…
Scoring a Regular Freelancing Gig
Facebook 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 chances to become a regular freelancer.…
Top Ten Questions to Ask Before Submitting | IFW
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…
Mining Magazine Markets
Facebook 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 worked as managing editor of OfficePro…
Is This Real Writing?
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…