You feasted on turkey. You squeezed in some pie. You washed an army’s worth of dishes. You napped through watched football or the dog show or old movies on cable. And today you begin the race to the holiday finish line. So it’s time to make a list. Which writing-related gifts are you hoping for [...]
Over the river, and through the wood,
trot fast my dapple gray!
Spring over the ground like a hunting-hound!
For ’tis Thanksgiving Day. …
Over the river, and through the wood-
now Grandmothers cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!
From the poem “A Boy’s Thanksgiving,” published in 1844
by Lydia Maria Child, journalist, writer [...]
London. Michaelmas term lately over, and the Lord Chancellor sitting in Lincoln’s Inn Hall. Implacable November weather. As much mud in the streets, as if the waters had but newly retired from the face of the earth, and it would not be wonderful to meet a Megalosaurus forty feet long or so, waddling like an [...]
Friday night I sat in a sold-out theater to see Twilight, the movie based on the first novel in Stephenie Meyer’s stunningly successful YA vampire series. What I took away from my hours at the cineplex is this: Fiction is as vital as it has ever been. Despite the oft-announced, much bemoaned “fact” that the [...]
You sent the query and now you’re checking your inbox every 20 minutes–if you can wait that long. So what should you do now?
Take a Deep Breath. Walk away from the computer. But don’t go too far. Editors are usually prompt in responding to queries. They realize that your idea has a shelf life, and [...]
After getting to know the magazine, coming up with a great story idea and drafting your query, you’re almost convinced you’ve got a sure thing on your hands. But before you press send, check for these rookie mistakes.
Hey, Love UR Mag
Though query letters are almost always sent electronically, they’re not a casual e-mail to a [...]
You’ve done your homework, and now you’re ready to write your one-page pitch. But how? Here’s a breakdown of the sections of a query letter, using as an example a query that landed me a feature article in Poets & Writers magazine (Nov/Dec 2007).
Greet the Right Person
“Dear Madam/Sir” isn’t nearly as effective as “Dear James [...]
You’ve read your magazine backward, looked at the ads, read the submission guidelines and now you’re… stuck. What to pitch? These tips will help you develop a story idea to pitch in your query.
Start small. If you’re pitching to a magazine for the first time, don’t start by pitching a full-length feature article. Start by [...]
This is the first in a series of posts on querying magazines.
When you’re getting ready to pitch an idea for an article, it’s time to do your homework. Even if you subscribe to the magazine you’re about to query, you need need to look at it with a fresh eye. To learn what you need [...]
Before starting this blog, I gave serious consideration to whether an audience of writers would hold it against me if I accepted advertising. I came to the following conclusions: If I’m going to take the time to write this blog, I owe it to myself and my family to earn money at it. And if [...]