How to Get Published

by John Bowers

No matter what genre you prefer, the best novels (unless they are comedies) have one thing in common: drama.

To write drama, you must be dramatic.  To be dramatic, you must use exactly the right words, every time. As I said in my last article, anyone can string subjects and verbs together, but to be remembered, your writing must be memorable.  Nothing is more memorable (in my opinion, anyway) than drama.

The Right Words

I have two favorite kinds of drama: personal relationships and action.  Today we’ll talk about action, since it’s the easier of the two and easily the most fun to write. (more…)

by Al Kalar Word processors are great. Make a mistake, just back up and correct it. Want to move a scene to a new place in your book, just “cut” it out and “paste” it in its new home. Those of us who grew up with typewriters really appreciate these features. But did you know that your word processor is more than just a glorified typewriter? It has hidden potentials that I wish everyone would use (since it would make my job a lot easier). (more…)

by John Bowers

A few years ago I was reading a James Patterson novel and having a jolly old time.  I was deeply immersed in the mystery, which led the protagonist to Southern California and through a number of towns I have visited.  Every single city was correctly indentified, until the narrative mentioned Bakersville!

Bakersville?  Bakersville? There is no such city in California.  But there is a Bakersfield, which is obviously what Patterson meant.  (How the error got past his editors, I’ll never know…except they probably live in Manhattan and think California is part of the Gobi Desert). (more…)

by Marti Talbott

A good summary is targeted directly at the reader and it is important to remember that the reader wants to know only one thing - what is the book about. Not paying attention to this most important element can spell disaster. Here is an example of a summary that is sure to fail:

“I spent a year writing this book and I know you will love it. It’s exciting, filled with action and well written. It’s the story of a girl and boy who fall in love under dire circumstances. First they have a hard time meeting, then they hate each other, and then they fall in love. I know you will enjoy reading my book.”

Here’s why this summary is doomed to fail. (more…)