When
you get an idea, write it down immediately. Keep a notebook handy for that
purpose. If you overhear an interesting phrase or an unusual use of a word, add
it to the notebook and allow a character to think those thoughts or use the
phrase in dialog to add distinctive voice to your story. Story ideas pop up
around us all the time. Make a habit to listen and look for possible plot ideas
or interesting characters traits. You never know who will say or do something
to make you think, laugh, wonder, or tease your imagination.
The
idea or comment you write may not work for the piece you are currently working on
but it may be perfect for a future project. If you fail to record
information, you are more likely to not remember it, and if you write it on a
scrap piece of paper, it may be lost. Get in the habit of collecting ideas for
writing and place them where they are easily accessible, such as a journal.
Sometimes
I hear song lyrics and I think “That’s just what my character would say.” I
have even pulled off the road to write in my journal.
A journal can
hold the inventory you turn to when you need the extra oomph for your
manuscript.
Call
for Submissions for Adult Writers:
Brigantine Media’s Publish or Perish
contest seeks authors who can help market their books.
Authors today must be more than
authors. They also must take an active role creating a market for their books
to have sales success.
We’ll let you in on a secret: today,
publishers choose book projects based partially or entirely on the author’s
ability to help in the sales process. We think it’s time to be honest about the
need for authors to be marketers, too.
> Criteria
Submit your
manuscript as well as your marketing ideas for the book. Entries
will be judged 50 percent on the book’s content and 50 percent on the marketing
plan for the book. Length limit: 150,000 words for the manuscript; 5,000
words for the marketing plan.
> Prize
The winner of the contest will
receive a publishing contract and a $2,000 cash advance against royalties. The
winner will receive the cash advance when he or she signs the publishing
contract. And since we think the winning author will have a successful book,
the winner agrees to give Brigantine Media right of first refusal on his or her
next two subsequent books.
> Cost
There is no cost to enter the Publish
or Perish contest!
> Important Dates
Entries will be accepted from April
15 through August 15, 2015.
The winner will be announced September 15, 2015.
The winner will be announced September 15, 2015.
Submission
guidelines at http://www.publishorperishcontest.com/the-contest
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