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Blog postPlease click on link below to get this FREE story on RULES FOR WRITING A QUERY LETTER
Anne's RULES FOR WRITING A QUERY LETTER -
Blog postWords
Some of this blog post is a repeat from a 2015 Blog post, but it is important - too important to read quickly or only partially assimilate. If you read it before -- please read it again.
Find the right word—Find EXACTLY the right word:Your job as a writer is to find the exact words needed to tell your story well—to tell your story so your reader can see, hear, feel, even taste and smell your meaning, not only your words. The strongest words, with the cle -
Blog postSPECIAL WORDS --- and More Special Words --
You can often remove “the” from sentences without losing meaning. This goes back to naming things—using names to create images:Do a computer search for “the”—when you find “the tree,” “the store,” “the last car from the left,” try to eliminate “the” by naming each object.
There are times when using “that” in a sentence is critical to convey meaning, but it is another word you can often remove without losing meaning:Do a -
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Blog postCLEAN UP YOUR MANUSCRIPT
Run a search for connecting words such as and, but, or and because:
When you find one of these words, stop and re-read the sentence carefully, considering the possibility of changing the two connected clauses into separate sentences. An occasional over-long sentence is inevitable and fine, but variety is critical. You do not want to put your reader to sleep because you over-use the same sentence length and form.
Pay careful attention to th -
Blog postREMOVE THESE COMMON
LANGUAGE PROBLEMS
Do not let your language flow become stilted, awkward or too formal :
Read your work aloud—mark changes as you go and revise where necessary--then read it aloud again. Be certain your sentences and dialogue sound real—not exactly as we speak—our real conversation is full of oddities—stops and starts—and boring. Write your dialogue as you would like speech to sound. Your reader will decide to like or dislike your characters through re -
Blog postDevelop your characters personalities and values:
Use action and dialogue to help a reader get to know your characters. SHOW your characters taking appropriate action—reveal their thoughts.
If the character is evil, show him or her committing an evil act, do not simply tell your reader about it—make it happen in front of his or her eyes. If you want a character to be admired, let your reader see your character taking an admirable action.
Again, every reader comes to your -
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Blog postForeshadow your ending throughout your story:
Be careful not to completely surprise your reader with drastic, unheralded, unexplained twists and turns in your story. Most readers expect and enjoy plot twists but they must not be overly drastic.
Few serious readers want to know the end of your story too soon, but most like to be able to guess at a possible ending. Readers enjoy trying to figure out your plot as they read. It gives most of them great satisfaction when they can d -
Blog postEstablish place and time:
Always remember your partnership with your reader—he or she will bring a personal image of people, places and things to your story. It is your job as writer to offer enough specific information about your characters, your houses, rooms, cities or places to make them individual.
You must include enough detail to change or modify your reader’s images to suit the “place and people” you see in your story. Specific details will make it possible for your re -
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Blog postOpen your story by making something happen fast, and then keep something happening throughout.
Action—the guiding force of any story—is not only physical movement of some kind, it is often change and development in your character’s thoughts or emotions.
Give your reader something interesting and difficult to think about immediately—on the first page if possible. Introduce him or her to a character involved in sustained action and you will pique and keep his or her interest as y -
Blog postOpen your story by making something happen fast, and then keep something happening throughout.
Action—the guiding force of any story—is not only physical movement of some kind, it is often change and development in your character’s thoughts or emotions.
Give your reader something interesting and difficult to think about immediately—on the first page if possible. Introduce him or her to a character involved in sustained action and you will pique and keep his or her interest as y -
Blog postYour editor or agent probably has a list of problems to watch for as they read your work----
One, two or even five of the listed problems or errors may not make him or her reject your manuscript if it is otherwise readable because each professional reader, editor or agent is seeking an interesting, well-written, salable manuscript. Each professional reader has in his or her head a certain number of errors and omissions considered a personal limit. The number varies, but if this pers -
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Blog postI published From Writer to Author on Kindle the last week of February. This is my first try with an e-book and I was astonished at how easy it is. I plan to publish this book in paper through Amazon in June. My fiction was published by Avalon in hardcover. Amazon purchased all five of my books in 2012 and is gradually publishing them in paper and on Kindle.
From Writer to Author is an expanded version of the handout titled "Clean Up Your Writing" I give people who attend cl -
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Titles By A. H. Holt
