The Writing Life

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Query Letter Do’s and Don’ts

The query letter is one of publishing’s necessary evils. Most people hate writing them, hate having to boil their projects down to a page, but in most cases it’s the only way to get your foot through the door with agents and editors. Like other agents, I receive thousands of these a year, and more [...]

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Anticipating Trends

When deciding what kind of novel to write, it’s not always smart to pick a genre that’s currently hot. By the time your novel is written and on submission to editors, that genre may have gone cold. Some genres appear to be eternally hot—vampire fiction, for instance—but everything cools off eventually. You’re always safer trying [...]

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10 New Year’s Resolutions for Novelists

I will decide on one genre of novel—the genre I most enjoy reading—and stick with it. I will study novels in this target genre to get a good idea of the kinds of stories they tell. I will work hard to come up with a story idea that fits my target genre yet is fresh [...]

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The Writers Conference Pitch

Most writers have attended writers conferences and met editors and agents there. That’s often the reason for going. Meetings can happen at cocktail hour or during brief one-on-0ne appointments, or pitch sessions, scheduled by the conference coordinators. A chat over wine and cheese is fine, but we always recommend taking advantage of these appointments. Their [...]

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Get a Fiction Makeover for National Novel Writing Month!

A Contest Sponsored by The Marshall Plan® In celebration of National Novel Writing Month (November 2010), Evan Marshall and Martha Jewett, leading literary agents and authors of The Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software and The Marshall Plan® for Novel Writing ebook, are sponsoring a contest for aspiring novelists. Send them a proposal for your novel for a chance [...]

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The Writer’s Bookshelf

If you’re like me, you treasure your writing bookshelf, the volumes that have survived the onset of the Internet and stand loyally by, ready to be perused or referred to. Below are some of the titles I treasure most. Are they on your shelf? If not, they’re worth checking out. The Chicago Manual of Style: [...]

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There’s Never Been A Better Time to Write A Novel

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Sure, publishing is feeling the crunch along with every other industry. But that doesn’t mean you should tell yourself there’s no point in working on your novel and put it aside until things get better. In fact, there’s never been a better time than now to get that manuscript out of the bottom drawer and [...]

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