Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 63

How To Have More Confidence In Your Writing

Being a confident writer is so important. If you have confidence in your

writing you are so much more likely to want to continue to do it, to send it off to publishers or self-publish, to market it effectively, to talk about it and will generally feel happier and more satisfied in your work!

That all sounds rather lovely, doesn’t it? But unfortunately, for many writers, actually believing in themselves and being proud of their writing is nothing more than a pipe dream. Writers are often plagued with self-doubt and haunted by an inner critic, who loves to tell them they are not good enough.

So how can you take steps to build your writing confidence? Try this:

Learn about your craft

There are different ways you can learn about the craft of writing, and there is always more to learn. The more invested in your learning, the more you’ll feel your writing improve and you’ll know that you are doing everything you can to be the best writer you can be.

Read books

Reading is such an essential part of writing. The more you read, the more inspired you can become. Read as widely as possible. Read books you love, books that intrigue you, even read bad books from time to time. Read books for research, in your genre, outside of your genre, books you've never heard of, books by indie authors and all the classics. The more you read, the more you will fall in love with writing and remember why it’s what you enjoy most.

Subscribe to writing sites

Writing sites are packed full of great advice and getting handy tips delivered to your inbox, and useful updates about writing can be invaluable. So check out writing sites and subscribe to those that interest you the most.

Write as much as possible

We all know that the number one way to get better at anything is to practice it, and unsurprisingly this applies to your writing too. If you can write every day that’s great - if you can’t, no worries - just do what you can, but be ambitious. The more you write, the more your confidence will grow.

Get a mentor

Find someone who inspires you to write; it could be a famous author or just a fellow writer you know. Having someone to look up to will keep you going and remind you what it’s all about!

Submit your work

Don’t wait around to submit your work. Of course, you want to get it into the best possible shape before you do, but you’ll know deep, down when you are just putting it off. Submitting your work is a great way to build your confidence - even if you don’t get published, the fact that you have managed to do it is hugely commendable, and you should be proud.

Celebrate your accomplishments

Remembering to take time to appreciate what you are doing, and celebrate those wins - however small - is vital to any writer’s sense of self-worth. So do take the time to appreciate and celebrate what you are doing -it is pretty amazing after all.

Building your writing confidence is so important. Are you a confident writer? Share your tips with us here!

 

 

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How To Know When To Abandon A Writing Project

While starting any writing project can be exhilarating, there are times where after the initial burst of enthusiasm and excitement, your passion for the project begins to fade, it becomes more cumbersome to write, and you wonder whether you should abandon it altogether.

But is there really a good time to advise writers to quit their writing and start something new? Or do we need to work through these writing slumps as a natural part of the process to produce something fantastic?

Or, on the other hand, is there value in quitting? Not wasting your time, understanding when a project isn’t going anywhere, learning your lessons from it and moving onto bigger and better things?

Quitting can be good, it can free up your time, it can help you stop feeling guilty about avoiding work on a project you no longer care about, and it can teach you useful lessons about your writing self and what works for you, (and perhaps most importantly, what doesn’)t.

So how do you know it is time to quit? The best way to find out is by asking yourself the following questions:

Do you care about the story? Do you love the characters within it? Do you feel emotionally attached to it? Does it bring out strong emotions in you when you read particular scenes? Do you find that you are distracted by everything? Do you use any excuse to find something else to do other than write?

If you aren’t passionate about your writing, and if you don’t care about what happens to your characters, and every time you try to advance your story, it is like pulling teeth, you wasting your valuable time of this earth doing something you aren’t enjoying. You'll also find that even if you do manage to drag yourself kicking and screaming to the end, your readers will be less than impressed with the result. Because let’s face it, if you, the creator of the story, couldn’t care less whether your protagonist achieves their goal or fails, and wouldn’t give two hoots if they lived or died, you can hardly expect your readers to either.

However, there are also some other questions to ask yourself that may make you want to hang in there a little longer. Are you the best person to write the story? Is there an obvious fear that’s causing you to procrastinate? Are you susceptible to self-criticism that means you could be sabotaging your work and chances of success?

Make sure that you are aware of the kind of writer you are. If you find it difficult to get fully immersed in your projects because you are too critical or scared of rejection this is a different problem and one that you need to tackle head-on, rather than blaming your writing.

Only you can decipher whether what you are writing about genuinely matters to you. If it does, stick at it even when the going gets tough. If it doesn’t abandon that project right now and start working on something that you genuinely care about - your writing will get better, and your enjoyment of writing will increase too - so it’s a win-win!

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

The post How To Know When To Abandon A Writing Project appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

Your Step By Step Guide To Query Letter Writing

If you've finished and edited your novel and have decided to take the plunge and start sending it off to publishers, you need to understand how to write an effective query letter.

Query letter writing should not be taken lightly. This is your initial contact with an editor or agent, and if you don't take the time to write a well-thought out, interesting letter that not only follows their instructions but also shows off your book in the best light, you could be doing yourself a huge disservice, one that sees all your hard work go to waste.

So here is a step by step guide to help you!

Open on a high

First thing's first, make sure you have bothered to find out the best person to send your novel to, that you address them correctly (Ms/Mrs/Mr, etc.), and that you spell their name right. After that, your first line needs to capture their attention. Have you been published before? If so, start with that - it will impress them and immediately makes you seem more attractive than someone completely new. Mention any recognition you've received for your work.

Of course, for many of us, this is not possible. So failing that, try to find a personal connection or mention a mutual contact.

Alternatively, just let them know you are seeking representation. Keep it short and factual with the title of your book, genre, and word count.

Start your sales pitch

Don't be shy about giving your book some serious praise. If you sound uncertain or apologetic, a publisher isn't going to be persuaded, so make sure that you sell your book but know how to capture the essence in a few sentences at most. Think about what makes your book different from others, what is unique, what is the hook? You need to make the person who receives your letter want to find out more about the story, and you only have a few lines to do it, so take your time to make them count. It really is worth spending hours, if not day getting this right.

Dive into your synopsis

Now you get a little more room actually to explain your book in detail. Different agents and publishers will have specifics on how they want the synopsis to be presented to them and how long it should be. It should serve to get the agent or editor extremely interested in your book, so make sure you give them interesting characters, a fast-paced and gripping plot, and an understanding of what drives the plot forward, the sacrifices that must be made and the obstacles the protagonists must overcome to reach their goals.

Tell them about yourself

At the end of your query letter, you can inject a bit of personality, let them know about you, what your interests are, how long you've been writing for and any relevant experience and credentials you have. The word relevant is criticalcritical here. If it doesn't relate to your book then they won't want to know that you have an extensive stamp collection or love to spend lazy summer afternoons fly fishing.

Show off your knowledge

Remind them why they want your book by doing some market research. Tell the editor who is going to buy your novel and why. If you can show that you've bothered to find a market for your book, and identify successful titles that are comparable this can work in your favor - however, it might be worth avoiding comparing your work to mega-bestsellers, super obscure books or ones which simply aren't that similar.

Remember to personalize and proofread

It is essential that you proofread your letter and ensure that it is perfect from a grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting perspective. Also make sure that you personalize your message for each person you send it to, referencing their existing clients who you relate to can also earn you brownie points.

End professionally

End your query letter simply and sincerely. Don't go overboard or thank the editor too profusely in advance. Just sign off politely and say that you are looking forward to their response. Then the waiting begins!

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

The post Your Step By Step Guide To Query Letter Writing appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

The Importance of Finishing What You Start

For many writers, one of the hardest parts of the job is finishing what we start.

We often find ourselves suddenly with an incredible idea in our heads, one that makes us a little sweaty of palm, a bit breathless with excitement, and we can’t wait to start working on it. However, as we keep going, our enthusiasm dampens, we can’t figure out where to go next, or just other priorities and commitments get in the way which means that we never manage to get to the end of our writing project.

For others, it can simply be the stress and anxiety or the fear of not being good enough that keeps us from seeing our writing through to the end, and no matter how much time and effort we’ve put into it, we can’t bring ourselves to finish.

As professional writers, it’s so important to finish what we start and to get over the roadblocks that prevent us from doing so. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Not being prepared

Asking yourself the right questions can help you be more prepared and therefore, confident in yourself and your work. Are you truly ready to write? How will you make the time? Have you researched your audience? Are you ready to edit and polish your work? Are you prepared for rejection?

Searching for perfection

Writers, by nature, are perfectionists. However, striving for perfection can be more damaging than helpful in the long run. It is essential to learn the difference between putting the appropriate amount of time and effort into your work to make it as good as possible and hoping to produce something flawless and perfect which is an impossibility for even the most experienced and successful writers amongst us. Once you can embrace your imperfections, and stop being so self-critical, you’ll stand a much better chance of finishing your book.

Worrying about what others think

While it is vital to keep your reader in mind if you want your book to be successful if you only care about what others think and worry about rejection or criticism you could end up scaring yourself away from finishing altogether.

You need to accept that criticism and rejection are part and parcel of the writing world, and write for yourself first and foremost. If you aren’t enjoying your writing, and if you are constantly fretting about other people’s opinions, you are far less likely to want to keep doing it.

The truth is, the very biggest obstacle known to finish what you start is yourself.

You have the power, you can do it, and the ability to overcome your fears, worries, and doubts is imperative.

Only you can hold yourself accountable and be honest about what is holding you back - once you can do that, you’ll be able to tackle those obstacles head-on, and move forward, editing closer and closer toward the finish line!

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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How To Write Your First Stage Play

Writing a play can be an incredibly rewarding task, though challenging too. A good play will not only tell a story but will also evoke a vast range of emotions in the reader, and you can strive to make your audience, laugh, cry, hold their breath, feel outraged, shocked, delighted and even fearful.

When writing a play, you get a more significant creative license than in other forms of writing. Being dramatic, and even over the top can help to portray your message more clearly, your characters can be larger than life, your dialogue and direction are critical.

Of course, writing a play comes with different challenges and limitations - setting, for example, can only take place within the confines of the stage - though this shouldn’t limit your imagination. You need to understand how to convey your story through dialogue and directive action, which can be tricky.

Follow these tips to get you started:

First focus on your plot

Working out your plot is an excellent place to start. Without a good story, you don’t have anything to work with. Map out your plotline first so you can see how the story will unravel.

Then choose a subplot

Look to the greats such as Shakespeare to understand the importance and brilliance of a good subplot. Your play should have a subplot running alongside the main story involving minor but exciting characters, and while this shouldn’t be the main focus, it should compliment or contrast with the main plot to bring added depth.

Decide on your structure

Most plays take place over three acts, though you can choose to deviate from this is you wish. Acts are then divided into scenes. You should write your scenes specifically for the stage setting, with the limited space that you have to work with. While it’s not impossible to have multiple locations, you do need to bear in mind how this will work, and if the situation keeps changing from scene to scene, this could end up being distracting. If a director can’t figure out how to make your play work, it will be less likely ever to make it to the stage. Simplicity can be key. If you can visualize how it will work, this can help ensure that you are on the right track.

Write with your audience in mind

When you get into the swing of things, it can be easy to forget that you’ll have a room full of people watching the action unfold. You need to consider how your audience will be able to take in the action and dialogue. Understanding who your audience might be, (i.e., the type of people you are hoping your play will appeal to) can also help with marketing and convincing a theatre to take it on.

Understand the layout

If you want your play to be taken seriously, you need to learn about formatting and layout to ensure your script looks professional. Take some time to learn how to do this properly to boost your chances of success.

Focus on your characters

As with any other story, the creation of compelling, relatable, exciting characters is imperative to the success of your play and how well it will be received. Avoid stereotypes, focus on sharp dialogue, and make sure that the actions and words of your characters drive the plot forward.

So there you have it, the essential ingredients of writing a play revealed. Now all you have to do is get writing, and you could see your work on stage!

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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How To Use Line Editing To Transform Your Novel

Have you heard of a technique called line editing? Well, if you haven’t, now is the time to explore it. Line editing can be a fantastic method to use when editing your novel. Want to find out more about it? Read on!

What is line editing?

Line editing is the practice of holding your manuscript up to the light and examining it as a piece of art. It’s making sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors, but also checking the language itself, and changing anything that doesn’t flow, that isn’t creative or concise. Line editing is detailed and takes practice and patience, but by the time you are finished you should end up with a piece of work that is compelling, stylistically clever and ultimately appeals to your target audience.

What makes it different from other editing?

There are many different ways authors can choose to edit their books. Line editing focuses specifically on the minute detail, line by line. While proofreading may weed out errors and inconsistencies, line editing aims to perfect and polish the piece. Proofreading is more rigid and scientific; line editing is more creative and subjective. Similarly with copyediting, which has the aim of making your prose more readable, examining changes in tense, for example, or spelling out numbers- there is more technical work behind this type of editing, where the nature of line editing is to add flair, to ask ‘what makes this piece good and exciting and unique?’

So how can line editing help make your book great?

It will give your prose finesse.

Whether line editing yourself or employing the services of someone to do so, the result should be that your prose shines brightly. It examines your word choice, makes every word purposeful and precise, and removes any dreaded clichés.

It will remove any wasted words.

Line editing will ensure that each word in your story counts, that you don’t go off on tangents, that any pointless parts of the story are taken away. It ensures you don’t repeat words or say the same thing twice just in a different way. It cleans up the syntax and ensures that your sentences are short and punchy and to the point, as well as being creative and descriptive enough to draw your readers in.

It fills in the gaps.

Line editing can also ensure consistency both in how your characters behave and talk but also in terms of the overall plot. If something doesn’t sit right, or a character acts, well, out of character when there has been no build up of reason for them doing so, line editing can help to highlight this and allow the author to make changes before it is too late.

It checks mood and ensures the tone is right

The last thing you want is to write a heartbreaking scene that makes your readers smirk, or try to make them laugh but instead offend or upset them. Line editing can help ensure that the tone matches the mood and vice versa and that the atmosphere the author is trying to convey is spot on.

Should I hire a line editor?

While you can try to do line editing yourself, hiring a line editor can be a useful way for someone who isn’t close to your project to look at it in detail and help to highlight some of the issues that may be holding you back. It’s hard for authors, who are so close to their work, to scrutinize it as thoroughly as a professional would, so it is undoubtedly something looking into.

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

The post How To Use Line Editing To Transform Your Novel appeared first on Writer's Life.org.

How Come Your Books Never Get Reviews?

We’ve all been there, when we excitedly hit publish and see our book go alive, available to the public to buy, and then wait, and wait, and nothing happens.

Getting reviews for your book can be a tricky and time-consuming process. This can be extremely frustrating, but working hard to get reviews for your book can make a difference. We all know how important word of mouth marketing is, and many studies have proven that people are far more likely to consider buying something that comes highly recommended. So if you can build up a bank of reviews when a reader comes across your book, they will trust that it is well-written and enjoyable, and therefore be more moved to buy it themselves.

So why do authors find it hard to get book reviews?

In the media

If you are aiming to get your book reviewed by the press, you might end up disappointed. The US has around 175,000 books each year that are published by publishing houses. So even if you get a contract, you have to fight for your right to be reviewed in a major magazine or newspaper. Even a daily publication that has space to review a book each day (which is unlikely) could only consider 365 a year - so it’s a tiny fraction, and the most popular books are naturally reviewed over and over leaving even less space for newbies on the scene.

In reality, only a few thousand books will get a review via mainstream media and most are likely to be non-fiction books, autobiographies or those by already well-established novelists.

What about bloggers?

There is a similar problem when trying to gain some traction for your book via book bloggers and websites. The most popular bloggers either have their own books to promote or are inundated with requests. To have the best chance of success, you need to put the work in. Read their blog, follow them on social media, share their stuff, make thoughtful comments. Build a relationship first before you ask, and you just might get lucky.

What about Goodreads and Amazon?

Naturally, it is easier to get people to review your book via Goodreads or Amazon and an individual who has liked your book can be encouraged to review it. Both Goodreads and Amazon allow you to do promotions or giveaways, and you can ask people for reviews in exchange. However, this can still prove to be a challenge, and Amazon particularly has strict rules about who can review your book and will remove any they think aren’t following their guidelines. However investing time and effort building up your reviews means the better encouraged new readers will be to buy, so it is well worth doing.

Reviews, the good and the bad

Getting reviews for your book can prove invaluable; however, the more you push for reviews, the more you put yourself at risk of getting some negative ones too. However, try not to be too phased if you end up with a bad review or two, it really won’t make much of a difference to your book sales if the majority are positive. Focus on the good ones and even use them when trying to promote your book elsewhere.

How do you try to get reviews for your books? Share your thoughts with us here!

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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How To Write A Book That Becomes A Movie

Dreaming of becoming a published author is one thing, but what about seeing your novel turned into a script and acted out on the big screen?

While it might be a pipedream, there is no reason why authors shouldn't think big, and in fact, there are some places out there calling for novelists to send them their books directly to see if they'd make good screenplays, so it might not be as big of a long shot as you would think.

However, not all books make great movies, and there are certain elements that your story should contain if you want to stand a chance of this happening.

So what does it take to write a book that becomes a movie? Let's take a look.

A fast-paced plot and a proper narrative arc

Your plot needs to be the driving force of your novel, it should be full of energy, of action and that the various events that occur throughout are well thought out, and correctly linked together. Your narrative arc is also essential - your story should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and the action should rise and intensify in an arc until the denouement and final conclusion.

Compelling characters and snappy dialogue

Your characters must be true to life, but also larger than life. They need to be exciting, relatable, full of tangible emotion, and ones that ignite a connection in the reader. We must genuinely care about them; we must love them or love to hate them, they must be three-dimensional, and remarkable even if what is to be remarked upon is their blandness, ugliness or despicableness (if that is the author's intention of course)!

A setting that is imaginative, and drives and emotional response

Being able to convey a visceral setting, rooting your story in a particular place at a specific time is also essential. Your setting is not just the background; it plays a massive role in the book and should be treated as such. The environment should correlate with the mood and atmosphere and be tied to the heart of the story.

The old favorite - show, don't tell

A book that translates well into a movie is one that gives readers room to interpret, to deduce meaning from your carefully chosen words, without explaining to them rigidly and extensively how they should be reacting, thinking or feeling at every moment. Don't spoon-feed your reader's information, use witty narrative, delightfully descriptive details and arresting imagery to gently direct them and make them notice what you want them to see and feel how you want them to feel without explicitly telling them so.

Remember, it is essential to be true to yourself and the story that you want to tell. Attempting to write a book purely so it may be turned into a movie will probably mean that you'll end up with a lousy book that no one is interested in reading anyway. If your dream is to see your story played out on the big screen, keep the above tips in mind when writing your novel to stand the very best chance of success.

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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How To Write An Enticing Synopsis

Writing an enticing synopsis is hugely important. If you want to get your book published, or sell it to a mass audience, your outline has to reveal just enough of what your story is about to intrigue the reader enough to want to know more.

Many authors, however, find synopsis writing hugely challenging, and no doubt getting it right can be tricky.

So what exactly is a synopsis?

A synopsis is a brief outline of your story. It gives an overview of your plot and introduces the reader to your characters and the world in which they live. Your synopsis should contain enough detail so that the person reading it can fully understand what your book is about and what happens in it, but not include every single event that occurs from beginning to end.

A synopsis is different from the book blurb that you might put if you were self-publishing on Amazon, for example. Where the blurb needs to be short and intriguing, a synopsis has a more practical purpose, and while it still needs to be well written and engaging, it is more informative and usually lengthier too.

Agents and publishers have different precise requirements for how what they want a synopsis to contain, so it is essential that you read these through on a case by case basis before submission.

What should a good synopsis contain?

A synopsis describes your characters

A synopsis will contain character descriptions for each of your main characters, and what happens to them during the story. The reader will want to know about the character arc, what happens to them, and how their character developed and changes over time.

A synopsis breaks down the story scene by scene

In your synopsis, you should be able to briefly explain your story in terms of the main scenes, showing how the action unfolds and why the reader will want to keep on turning those pages. Your synopsis needs to reveal what happens at each stage of the story, including how it ends. You might not want to explain this, seeing it as a ‘spoiler.’ However, this is the kind of information that agents and publishers want to know.

Knowing what to leave in and out of your synopsis can be troubling. After all, in your mind, everything that happens in your novel is necessary and advances the story in some way - but you have to be selective.

Try to keep the purpose of the synopsis in mind. It is functional. It is aimed at a literary professional. It helps them to understand the context of the story. That’s not to say you shouldn’t intend to write your synopsis in as engaging a way as possible. However try taking the story to the midpoint quickly, they want to know what catalyzes the action and how that action leads to the conclusion. Leave out the fluff, focus on the challenges, the big moments, the drivers, and demonstrate how these link together to deliver a coherent, exciting story that’s going to entice a large readership.

Remember, your synopsis is not your book. You need to trim the fat as much as possible, steer clear of any digressions and remember to include your spoilers - this is what will make agents and publishers excited about selling your book after all.

So there you have it, by following this guide to writing synopses you can ensure you make yours as effective and enticing as possible - good luck!

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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Quick Tips For New Freelance Writers

If you are just starting out as a freelance writer, it can be useful to consider how you’ll go about winning and writing articles and building up a client list so you have steady work coming in.

Freelance writing can be a tough industry to get into, and while there is plenty of work available out there, it can be challenging finding writing gigs that actually interest you, and that pay you decently for it.

So what can you do to start right and ensure your freelance writing career goes from strength to strength? Follow these useful tips:

Pitch daily

If you want to be a successful freelance writer, you need to have a steady flow of work, and therefore income. You aren't going to win every pitch that you go for, and one of the perils of being a freelance writer is that you are rarely guaranteed ongoing work and contracts could be terminated when you are least expecting it! So to ensure that you can pay the bills you should be trying to pitch every day - if you end up with more offers than you can handle it’s certainly better than the other way around!

Write a Blog

A blog can be useful to freelance writers in many ways. Keeping up a regular blog means that you have a portfolio of work you can refer clients to, which is great if you are just starting out and don’t have a lot of published work yet. It can also make sure that you write regularly this keeping your skills honed and ready for when you do win a pitch and generally just makes you look more professional too!

Have solid goals

Everyone has to start somewhere, and while you might not be making the most money or doing the work you truly enjoy at the beginning, you need to have a plan of how to get there. You are your own boss so you need to be responsible for your own progress and working your way up the career ladder, so make sure you set goals of what you want to achieve and when.

Keep learning

When it comes t writing there is always more to learn. Don’t be afraid to experiment, to take on jobs that you aren't sure you’ll like and keep practicing and learning about the craft. It helps to familiarise yourself with marketing and social media best practices too.

Keep at it!

Remember, you are new to this and so you can’t expect to be winning the big money pitches or writing about your dream topics right away. But if you are willing t put the time in and make an effort to improve, you’ll soon get to where you want to be!

By following the above tips you can ensure that you build your freelance writing career and slowly but surely will be able to pitch and win bigger and better jobs! Good luck!

Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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