WRITING TIPS

These helpful hints were gathered from the "Q and A" portion of my monthly e-newsletter. You can sign up for my newsletter below or you can email your questions by clicking on my name above.

Q: How can I learn to write those killer verbs? I have a thesaurus, which I use, but I still need more help. I also read and write a great deal.

A: I understand where you're coming from... I feel your pain. Writing instructors repeatedly scream "load up on killer verbs or else!" But what do they mean?

I envision two different things whenever the term "killer verb" jumps at me. First of all, the killer verb (or "active verb") is a verb that immediately paints an image in the reader's mind. For instance, writing instructors SCREAM at us to load up on killer verbs instead of SAY that we should use killer verbs. The images are PAINTED in the mind instead of an image simply COMES to mind. Do these examples help you visualize more killer verbs?

Secondly, as writers we need to be wary of over-utilizing less active verbs and passive sentence constructs. In English, that translates to jettisoning the verb "to be" and all its variants as much as possible without sacrificing meaning. You'll notice I’m using "to be" in many sentences in this paragraph and that's okay. Our goal as writers is to communicate ideas in the most effective manner possible and sometimes a killer verb can cloud meaning.

To explain what I mean by passive sentence constructs, I’ll give you three examples.

Passive: The ball was thrown hard by the softball pitcher to first base.
Active: The softball pitcher threw the ball hard to first base.
Active with a killer verb: The softball pitcher torpedoed the ball toward first base.

Notice that with killer verbs you can eliminate adjectives. Thrown hard = torpedoed. The killer verb cuts down wordiness and clarifies meaning in one fell swoop.

So, after your first draft work through your writing line by line and transform less active verbs into killer verbs and then read the text out loud. Do you stumble anywhere? Has the meaning of a passage become confused? Is it the killer verb or is it the surrounding prose that causes you to stumble or become confused? Rewrite accordingly.

Strive for a variety of verbs in your prose. Don't overdose your reader on killer verbs. Less active verbs do have their uses. Remember, "The art of writing is in the rewrite." Be fearless and strike down any word that doesn't work with your unique writing style. Trust your instincts.

Q: I received an email from a business that says they are looking for "manuscripts of all kinds." They also mentioned that the costs of their "publishing services" are among the lowest around. What gives? I thought publishers were supposed to pay the author for his work, not the other way around.

A: Yes, you're right. A legitimate, royalty-paying publisher reads, accepts and edits manuscripts for publication and pays its authors whenever books are sold. What you received was probably an advertisement from a "vanity press" or perhaps a "subsidy press". With the advent of the Internet and cheap and easy desk-top PC publishing programs, the number of vanity/subsidy presses has swelled in recent years. (And so have publishing scams, unfortunately.)

To find out more about the different types of publishers out there (and those you should watch out for), check out this excellent writer's site: http://www.sfwa.org/beware/subsidypublishers.html

Should you ever pay someone to publish your manuscript? That's a call you have to make. Most vanity published books are not seen as "legitimate" in the eyes of most royalty-paying publishers and agents. You are not considered a "published author" by most writers organizations, either. And many vanity publishers have been sued out of business by irate authors when the company didn't live up to its agreements.

If you do decide to go with a vanity press to publish your manuscript, be sure to read all the fine print on the contract before you write them a check. Think about it: once they have your money in hand, what real incentive do they have to uphold their end of the deal?

Q: If you send your manuscript to the senior editor of a publishing house is she the only one who gets to read it? (A question from the Shades of Romance Online Conference chat.)

A: Probably not. Depending on the structure of the organization, my best guess is she’s only one of many who will have the opportunity to see your manuscript before she make her final decision.

Usually, “senior” editors have assistants who help with manuscript submissions and get the first look at them. This is most likely true even if your manuscript was requested by the editor at a conference or workshop. Your typical editor is a very a busy person and needs all the help she can get to whittle down her “slush pile”. If your manuscript isn’t exactly what she’s looking for in terms of style, tone or content her assistants will weed it out before it takes up too much of her valuable time.

But, if the first reader thinks your book has potential, she/he will pass it on to another more senior editor—possibly the person you submitted to. Then again, there’s no guarantee. By the time a book is accepted by a major publishing house, the manuscript has been read (or at least skimmed) by several more people in various departments such as marketing, art, business, etc. Everyone gets to put their two cents in about why (or why not) they think your story will sell. Of course the editor could very well adore your story, but everyone else around the boardroom table is against it. Being the professional she is, she’ll carefully weigh their opinions before making the final decision.

I know it sounds like an awful ordeal for your manuscript, but you should feel proud when you do receive an acceptance letter. Remember, it isn’t just one person at a particular publishing house who has faith in your work—it could very well be dozens!

If you have a question--any question, related to writing, romance writing, publishing or whatever--email me at cynthianna@hotmail.com. Results guaranteed or double your money back.

Copyright © 2007 by Cindy Appel, all rights reserved.

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