I’ve Finished My Manuscript, Now What? Part 1

A few times each month, beginning writers contact me asking for directions, primarily, what to do after they finish their manuscripts. First of all, congratulations are in order. Finishing a manuscript is no small task. 

My initial reaction is to advise the writers to do nothing with the manuscript for a month or so, and in the meantime, begin another writing project and find a critique partner to read the manuscript and offer feedback.

After revising the manuscript and polishing it, make a submission list of appropriate publishers. If a publisher doesn’t accept unsolicited manuscripts or accepts only middle grade and young adult, sending a picture book will garner nothing but a rejection. The goal is to submit to a particular editor or agent. Writers need an individual who will love the work and promote it within the publishing house or literary agency.

Editors and what they are looking for in manuscripts can be found in  Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, a book that is sold or can be ordered at bookstores or online. Guide to Literary Agents is another source if you choose to go the agent route.

In my next blog, I’ll continue with more tips on marketing a manuscript.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

SPIDER, a literary magazine for children, features fresh and engaging literature, poems, articles, and activities for newly independent readers. Editors seek energetic, beautifully crafted submissions with strong “kid appeal” (an elusive yet recognizable quality, often tied to high-interest elements such as humor, adventure, and suspense).  

Submission guidelines at http://cricketmedia.com/spider-submission-guidelines

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. Check out her blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

Chapter Book Revision, cont'd.

At this point in my chapter book revision, I’m focusing on the first three chapters, since that’s what many agents/editors request. If they like the beginning, they may ask to see the entire manuscript. The first sentence, followed by the first paragraph, followed by the first chapter are the parts of a manuscript that have the greatest initial impact (first chapter = initial impact). If readers aren’t hooked in the first chapter, they often read no further. A great first chapter warrents further reading. A not-so-great one earns a rejection. The writing must stand out to the point it beats the competition, which is not an easy task to achieve, but IS achievable.

A lot happens in the first chapter. Here are revision checkpoints I’m homing in on:

 Introduce the hook. A hook is writing that snares  readers' interest and keeps them reading.

 

Introduce the characters. Begin with the main protagonist. My initial plan involved writing about an unreliable narrator, one who the reader could not depend on to tell the story in an unbiased way. The little boy didn’t get along with his neighbor so from his perspective, everything about the neighbor was negative. A few revisions later I still kept this aspect of the character’s personality. Then, after setting the story aside for months, I’ve decided to make the character narrating the story more reliable and the neighbor can come to life showing her positive and negative traits as the story unfolds. Setting this story aside to work on other projects allows me to be more objective in critiquing because I’m coming back to it with a fresh outlook, a policy I recommend for all writers.

I’ve revised the first three chapters until my fingers tingled, but Chapter 1 is missing the mark, still. What’s a writer to do? Revise, revise, revise. At this point I’ve rewritten the opening about thirty times. Yes, 30! There may be a 31. I’ll run it by my critique partner and find out.

In my next blog, I’ll provide more checkpoints for revision.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Hunger Mountain is a print journal of the arts. We publish fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, visual art, young adult and children’s writing, and literary miscellany. Our print issue comes out annually in the spring. Hunger Mountain hosts four annual writing contests, which are open to all writers: the Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize, the Ruth Stone Poetry Prize, the Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing, and the Hunger Mountain Creative Nonfiction Prize.  We also offer a paid Hunger Mountain Fellowship.

Submission guidelines at http://hungermtn.org/about-us/

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK.

Leave a message or check out my blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

New Year, Old Manuscripts

One of the best perks of being a full-time writer is the freedom to choose one’s own hours and space. A flexible work schedule is conducive to productivity, right? Yes, and no. This lack of structure can be conducive to lack of productivity. We have no one to answer to (excluding ourselves) and no accountability for what we accomplish in a particular period of time.

The solution for me is to set goals, those elusive targets that are attainable, measurable, and effective. And what better time than now when a brand spanking new year dawns.  

Last year, I set a goal of rewriting old material that had a budding future. No new material would percolate from me until I had exhausted the potential of manuscripts stored away in the dungeon of my computer. I reread numerous picture book manuscripts and a chapter book that looked promising. One-by-one, I began a revision and pitched each to my critique partner. (Thanks, Sandi!) 

My specific goal for each was to evaluate the marketability of the piece and to rewrite with a stronger voice and according to more current standards, such as shorter word count. Some of the buried manuscripts bore little similarity to the newly minted versions. 

By following this literary roadmap, I revamped each piece from beginning to end.

Attainable? Yes, I revised several.

Measurable? Yes, I garnered FOUR contracts.

Effective? Yes, times 4. 

My goal for this year is to revise more of my buried tales. (Are you ready, Sandi?) 

Call for submissions for Young Writers

Bazoof! General submissions are welcome from youth (ages 7-14) or their parents/caregivers. Stories are welcome from youth of any age. Some ideas of what you could send:

·         Letter

·         Short story (12 years and younger: 500 words or less; 13-18 years: 900 words or less; Doesn’t include any violence, fighting, not too scary, gruesome, or dark natured. Must be suitable for readers ages 8-12 years).

·         Poem

·         Craft idea

·         Drawings

·         Photo of your pet

·         Photo of you doing an activity you enjoy

·         Picture of a project that you made

·         Recipe

·         Game or puzzle

·         Jokes or riddles

·         Tell me about a sport you enjoy playing or a musical instrument

·         Or any other ideas you have!

Submission guidelines at http://www.bazoof.com/submit/ 

Call for submissions for Adult Writers:

Bumples is an interactive publisher for children ages 4-10

Submission guidelines at https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=bumples+submissions

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK.

Picture Book Savvy, Part 3

Picture book text keeps getting shorter. A couple of decades ago, the target number for most publishers was 1000+. Not today. In order to write a successful picture book for traditional markets, the action has to be distilled into as few words as possible. The story idea should be weighty to provide a narrative tale with a beginning/middle/ending, leave space for illustrations to tell part of the story, and connect with the audience in a positive way.  

Rhythm and cadence are essential, and word choice is the key. Follow your own voice by telling the story as only you can. Write in such a way that your unique storytelling rings throughout. That’s what will define your career. 

Editors are looking for fresh voices, stories that make them stop to reread a sentence and offer something to make them continue reading the next. They want to be enlightened, amused, enthralled, baffled by the actions or questions posed. This does not come from the first draft. Every story needs to be revised until its patina glimmers. 

Revision takes time. Give your manuscript some time off. Walk away and work on another story. This absence is vitally important in order to review your work later with fresh eyes.  

Hand your glimmering draft over to a set of new eyes. Find a critique partner who has read lots of books and who is a practicing writer. Feedback from an informed writer helps you understand what works and what does not. 

One of my dad’s favorite authors, Louis L'Amour, said it this way: Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.  

Call for submissions for Young Writers:

Hanging Loose Magazine welcomes high school submissions.

* Send all work to High School Editor, Hanging Loose, 231 Wyckoff Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Please also send us a note identifying yourself as a high school age writer, and telling us
your age, and be sure to include a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient return postage.
* Send 3 to 6 poems, or 1 to 3 short stories, or an equivalent combination of poetry and
prose. This enables us to get a good idea of what your work is like.
* All work should be neatly typed. High quality photocopies or readable computer-generated
hard copies are acceptable. A brief biographical statement is welcome. We are always interested in knowing how you found out about us, what school you attend, and so forth.Please Note: We prefer to receive submissions from young writers themselves, rather than from their teachers. We strongly discourage teachers from submitting samples of work from members of their classes. Similarly, we discourage teachers from asking students to submit their work as a class assignment. We prefer teachers to encourage students who take themselves seriously as writers to write us directly.

Hanging Loose has long been known for its special interest in new writers. We read manuscripts throughout the year and we look forward to reading yours.

Submission guidelines at http://hangingloosepress.com/submissions.html 

Call for submissions for Adult Writers:

Storytime Magazine. From spring 2017, we’ll be publishing one new short story in every Storytime issue, which will be credited to its author. If your story is selected, that’s your name and your creation in print forever – and beautifully illustrated to boot! Not only that, but you’ll be part of Storytime’s mission to keep short stories alive and to help children fall in love with reading for pleasure!

Submission guidelines at http://www.storytimemagazine.com/news/making-storytime/open-for-story-submissions/ 

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK.

Dealing with Rejection

Rejection hurts. That’s the simple truth. But if a writer garners contracts, s/he has to put up with rejections. I was asked to blog about ways to deal with rejection by several people, so here’s what I do. 

I moan to my critique partner, who understands completely because she, too, is a writer. (Hugs to you, Sandi.) Understanding that I’m not alone in the volume of rejected queries allows me to have more perspective. All writers receive rejections. 

Sometimes I mumble and gripe to my literary muses (two miniature schnauzers) that the editor didn’t “get” the story (but of course she “got” enough of it to understand it wasn’t right for the publisher). My reasoning can be a little warped when the rejections pour in, but the mental warp makes me feel better.  

I don’t fret beyond the day I receive the rejection. I move on with another project or send the rejected manuscript out to another editor. Remember, it only takes one editor to love the work and deem it contract worthy. Different editors have hugely different opinions about what is a great story. 

If a story is rejected several times, I store it away, temporarily. After a few months (sometimes, years) I reexamine the manuscript with fresh eyes. If my story seem to have merit, I rewrite and resubmit. (That’s what I’ve been doing the last few months and snatched a few contracts.) Sometimes the rewrite bears little resemblance to the original story. AMAZING GRACE began as a picture book (rejected). I rewrote it as a chapter book (rejected). After I rewrote it as a middle grade novel, it found a home with a publisher. 

Next week, I’ll look at other ways I deal with rejection. 

Call for submissions for Young and Adult Writers:

Submissions for Wee Tales and Refractions must be age appropriate for the journal (7 to 12 for Wee Tales, 13 and up for Refractions). If you have something more geared toward an adult market please still submit it for our next possible run of Deep Waters. General and Refractions short submissions should be between 1000 and 5000 words, Wee Tales submissions should be between 600 and 2000 words. Adult and teen writers are invited to submit. 

Submission guidelines at https://goldenfleecepress.com/refractions/

Value of a Critique Partner

Recently my critique buddy and I have been writing one-paragraph and one-page synopses of our manuscripts. We ship each synopsis back and forth for comments and suggestions. Trusted feedback from a reliable source is invaluable. A new set of eyes sees what I have missed and questions sentences that were not clearly stated or whether my choice of words/phrases/ideas actually works.

We writers are often bonded like glue to our words. Our feelings and sweat pour into the work, along with hours of research, dreams, desires, and sometimes tears. Emotionally, we are close to the words we write, sometimes too close. Days, weeks, months later, the words are printed and we hold the “baby” in our hands. It feels so right, so perfect, so ready to send out into the publishing world. Unfortunately, it probably is far from ready if your work is anything like mine. At that phase, the manuscript is ready for another set of eyes to read and evaluate. Constructive criticism is your secret weapon to write a more compelling and powerful story.

Before you write the first word, you may want to run your story idea by other writers to get feedback. Will it work better for a picture book, chapter book, middle grade, or young adult novel? Early feedback can help guide you in developing the plot and characters. So, if you don’t have a critique partner, do yourself a gigantic favor and find one.

Next week, I’ll discuss writing a synopsis.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

(I’m discontinuing Call for Submissions for Young Writers until September.)

Hanging Loose magazine welcomes high school submissions. As with other writers, we reply within three months, and high school authors whose work we publish receive the same small fee and two copies of the issue in which their work appears. We feel a special responsibility to those young writers who look to us not only for possible publication but sometimes also for editorial advice, which we are always happy to give when asked.
Our work as editors is of course time-consuming, but we feel a strong commitment to give as
much time and attention as possible to the work we receive from high school age writers. We urge writers of high school age to follow these guidelines, in order to help us respond to their work.

Submission guidelines at http://www.hangingloosepress.com/submissions.html

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

BALLOONS Lit. Journal (BLJ), an independent biannual online journal for children and young adults readers, invites well-crafted and mind-blowing submissions for our audience (12+). We would love to have new poems, fictions, artworks, etc. for our Issue 2. Typical pieces for kids will be unlikely to get through. Deadline info Deadline: June 15, 2015

Submission guidelines at www.balloons-lit-journal.com.

Critiques

2015 is still young and this is THE YEAR to find a critique partner or group if you have not already.

Writers at all stages of their careers benefit from new eyes reading their words. Feedback provides valuable information, especially if the feedback is from writers who understand what to look for in a manuscript. A critique should focus on a piece in two ways: the overall story and specific parts, also known as the big picture and the small picture.

Overall story evaluation includes character assessment: Are the character believable? Does each character have unique traits, such as speaking differently. Feedback I once received from an editor stated that two of my characters were too much alike. As I reviewed the manuscript, I had to agree. Until she pointed out the flaw in my writing, I had not noticed it.

The specific parts critique is a line-by-line evaluation that focuses on word choice, transitions, action verbs, grammar, etc.

Critique groups are basically large online groups, forums, and small personal groups. The large online groups offer critiques from writes at different stages of their careers. Some writers love this type of feedback. Go online and type “children’s writers critique group” and you’ll find lots of information and a variety of groups. With critique forums, you post your story on a forum and receive feedback. Of course, you will be expected to provide critiques for other writers, also. My critique group began with four members a few years ago. We are now down to two, but we provide more detailed feedback and more often, if needed, than if we were members of a large group.

If you prefer face-to-face contact with a critique group, you can find members locally. Go to the local bookstore, library, or college and post signs requesting a sign-up of the group. You’ll probably find several people in your community that want to participate.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Teen Lit. Our goal is to promote teen literacy locally and globally by building small libraries in schools and in a free medical clinic, and by sending newly-released teen literature worldwide to be reviewed by teens.

Submission guidelines at http://www.teenlit.com/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

BUZZY MAG is looking for original science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories up to 10,000 words. Thriller, suspense and paranormal tales that cross into traditional speculative fiction are welcome. Buzzy accepts submissions from both authors and literary agents. Make sure you short story is acceptable for a 15-year-old to read. We DO NOT ACCEPT pornography, child subject matter, racial propaganda or fan fiction. Payment is ten cents/word.

Submission guidelines at http://buzzymag.com/submissions/