If you aspire to be a
fiction writer and think all you have to do is sit down to your computer and create,
you will be very disappointed. Most writers eventually want to publish their
work. They want family, friends and others to read what they've created.
Here are some tips for
gaining attention in the fiction world:
1) Enter contests. The
first contest I entered was for a nonfiction piece. It was a national contest
sponsored by Reader's Digest
and McCalls Magazine. I won second place and I
received a note from the editor of Reader's Digest. We talked and one year later I published my
first written words as an original piece for Reader's Digest, receiving more
money than any advance on my later books.
This experience taught me
not to be shy in entering contests. My cozy mystery won first place in the
Malice Domestic Grants award for new writers. That boost motivated to keep
writing fiction. My nonfiction proposal won first place in the Harriet Austin
contest for nonfiction and was later to become my first published business
book.
Don't worry about winning
the contest, just get your name out there. Even the smaller contests are worth
entering. Imagine a query letter that begins with, "The Clock Strikes Midnight won
honorable mention in the Regional mystery writer's competition." That
sentence alone separates you from all the other query letters coming across a
publisher's desk.
2) Take classes and
re-write. I've leaned so much over the years. I thought I could write before I
began composing my novels. Unfortunately I knew little about fiction writing.
If you are like me and didn't major in creative writing in college, you might
need to invest some time and energy in studying the craft. I've taken classes
on everything from dialogue to plot development. I participated in
classes at writer's conferences and online. For me www.writersdigest.com offers the widest array of classes. Don't be too proud
to learn!
3) If an agent doesn't snap
up your creation, skip the agent and go to a small publishing house. With the
current publishing industry in such flux, it is becoming harder and harder for
new writers to break into publishing. Agents want a sure bet. They want someone
whose works they know they can sell (and make money). After all, they earn a
percentage on your royalties. The large publishing houses still rely on agented
manuscripts. So, where does that leave the new writer? Forget the agent and go
to smaller houses willing to take a risk with your new work. I used a search
driven website to help me sort through the small houses. www.duotrope.com There are others out there. Find the best one and go
from there. But, most of all do not give up. Write and re-write.
By Joan Curtis
“I write about
characters who remind me of myself at times and my sister at times, but never
fully so. My stories are told from a woman’s point of view. Characters drive my
writing and my reading.”
Having grown up
in the South with a mother from Westchester County New York, Joan has a unique
take on blending the southern traditions with the eye of a northerner. She spent most of her childhood in North Carolina and now resides in Georgia
Links: website:
http://www.joancurtis.com
Blog:
http://www.joancurtis.com/blog
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joanccurtisauthor
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/joancurtis
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