Archive for November, 2008

Screenwriting Your Way To Hollywood

Posted on Nov 29, 2008 05:27:05 PM

Throughout filmmaking history screenwriters have used many methods to achieve success in Hollywood. Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, 1989) easily gained access to Hollywood as the daughter of stage and screenwriting team Henry and Phoebe Ephron. Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, 1999) juggled many jobs and wrote for the T.V. series, “Get a Life,” before catching the attention of producer Steve Golin. Alan Ball (American Beauty 1999) chose a different path; he first worked as a theater producer and writer. Producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner invited him to Hollywood because they both saw the debut of Ball’s hit play, “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” at the Manhattan Class Company Theater.

While Hollywood screenwriters have their own success stories, they also share strong work ethics and know how to foster vital business connections. This article examines how current Hollywood screenwriters Dan Bucatinsky and Tim McCanlies learned from their predecessors’ habits and how they jumpstarted their writing careers.

Dan Bucatinsky is a talented and disciplined writer who broke into the Hollywood scene in 2001 with his romantic comedy, “All Over the Guy.” A 1987 graduate of Vassar College, Dan took advantage of his education and worked diligently to learn his craft and develop a unique style. His time spent writing countless papers, stories, and scripts in college attributed to his screenwriting excellence. When he returned to Vassar in 2004 to advise aspiring screenwriters Dan emphasized the importance of writing everyday.

“Even when I draw a blank, even when I don’t feel like working, even when nothing I put down on paper is any good…I force myself to write for at least a couple of hours everyday,” Dan revealed.

This discipline is a trademark of successful Hollywood screenwriters. According to Dan, a writer’s willingness to push himself can prove more significant than raw talent. There are many naturally gifted writers; what distinguishes a great writer from a good one is the technique they have gained through careful study and years of dedication.

Several helpful books exist for writers seeking guidance as they try to develop their skills, including, “Crafty Screenwriting” by Alex Epstein, “Adventures in the Screen Trade” by William Goldman, and “Secrets of Film Writing” by Tom Lazarus. Dan Bucatinsky and countless other screenwriters rely on these resources to craft innovative, creative screenplays. These resources can be bought at any bookstore or online at .StoryScribe.com (.storyscribe.com).

Like Dan Bucatinsky, Tim McCanlies (Iron Giant, Secondhand Lions, Dancer, Texas Pop. 81) gained attention for his artful writing. He nurtured his natural writing talent by practicing and revising scripts when he wasn’t working at odd jobs to support himself.

In 1979 he published his first novel, “Harlem,” and enrolled in the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College to further study writing techniques. While in school Tim simultaneously excelled in his classes and completed a screenplay based on his novel. His hard work paid off: college founder Gary Shusett noted Tim’s diligence, read the screenplay for Harlem, and helped to get the script optioned by Interscope.

In a recent interview Tim revealed that he still writes everyday and added that “the key to good writing is to focus on developing strong, interesting characters.” He stressed the importance of building up a writing resume, encouraging aspiring writers to embrace all learning opportunities including internships and jobs as assistant writers.

One of Tim’s early jobs was as an assistant writer for the 1987 film North Shore. An array of writing jobs and internships can be found online through websites like .mandy.com, .backstage.com, .hollywoodlitsales.com, .FreelanceWriting.com, and .CyberScreenwriter.com.

Tim urges beginning writers not to lose hope, saying that it took him more than six months to write and revise the screenplay for “Iron Giant” even with his strong educational background and years of professional writing experience.

As gifted, hard working writers, both Dan Bucatinsky and Tim McCanlies recognize the significance of contacts in Hollywood. Hollywood studios receive thousands of scripts each month. Of these thousands only a few hundred may make it from the mail room, past the intern’s desk, and into the executive’s office. In the rush to read and pass scripts through the hierarchy, Hollywood studios push many screenplays to the back burner or, worse yet, immediately discard screenplays without review. Some amazing screenplays end in the trashcan while many mediocre scripts are approved for production.

Why does this happen?

Because when a script arrives with a cover letter of recommendation from an executive’s old professor, friend, co-worker, etc… it goes straight to the top of the studio’s “Read Me Now” list regardless of quality. This is the reality of the Hollywood system, however unfair it may seem to newcomers.

The smart screenwriter will accept this reality and make the most of his/her connections to ensure that their script lands in the “Read Me Now” list. Although mixers through organizations like the American Screenwriters Association and the Writers Guild of America are good places to make contacts, the schmoozing element of the business often requires some luck as well as hard work.

For example, Dan Bucatinsky was close friends with a woman named Lisa Kudrow when he was studying to become a writer at Vassar College. When Lisa became famous for her role in the popular television sitcom, “Friends,” she helped Dan achieve his Hollywood dream. She ensured the production of “All Over the Guy” by signing onto the film as an actress and recommended Dan as a writer to many Hollywood producers and directors. Dan and Lisa continue to collaborate on film projects, and he writes parts for her into his screenplays. When Dan speaks to students, he stresses making valuable friendships in college and urges students to view writing as a business as well as an art.

Tim McCanlies also credits much of his success to luck and connections. Without the support of Gary Shusett, an associate producer on the 1988 film “Moon Over Parador,” it is unlikely that Interscope would have read Tim’s unsolicited screenplay “Harlem,” let alone optioned it. Once Gary Shusett helped him get his foot in the door, Tim had the opportunity to make films with rising Hollywood stars like Brad Bird (Iron Giant 1999, The Incredibles 2004) who appreciated his work ethic and creativity. Tim’s career as a Hollywood screenwriter thrives today because of the connections he made and fostered as a young writer.

The key to breaking into Hollywood as a screenwriter is twofold: a willingness to write, study, and practice with consistency; and a talent to develop relationships with people in positions of power. There is not one right way to be a screenwriter, but these elements are significant to achieve success in Hollywood.

The Path Of Daggers Audio Book – Fantasy At Its Finest

Posted on Nov 27, 2008 04:59:54 PM

The Path of Daggers book, penned by the acclaimed author Robert Jordan, is a brilliant piece of work and is a great example of the fantasy category of book. As many of you know, not so long ago the fantasy genre had been the classification that many readers looked towards for new and unique subject matters presented in a most creative manner. This is partially what made the fantasy genre a very popular style that grew its dedicated reader base to many millions of people. To the non-initiated this was quite surprising, particularly because most newspaper book reviews ignored the massive growth in popularity of this type of book.

Unfortunately the fantasy genre’s popularity was also accompanied by a flood of low quality, poorly written works. This in turn hurt the appeal of the genre with many undecided buyers electing to steer clear of the fantasy style novels.

The standard of fantasy novels has been somewhat lifted with the release of The Path of Daggers. This is Jordan’s eighth book in his ‘Wheel of Time’ series and is a wonderful example of the fantasy genre at its finest. This amazing tale of all that is magical, interwoven with examples of finest swordsmanship, will prove to be truly enjoyable to all those readers who love this style of fictional writing.

The Path of Daggers Audio Book Version

For those readers who enjoy reading The Path of Daggers, there is another way to enjoy the novel and that is through listening to the audio version. The Path of Daggers audio book is available both online and in bookstores at very affordable price. The high quality recording and audio production is definitely a bonus and makes The Path of Daggers audio book a most enjoyable and entertaining product.

What is particularly appealing about The Path of Daggers audio book is that it is not in anyway a boorish reading of the material. Like many good example audio books The Path of Daggers Audio Book is a captivating production that will engage the imagination of the listener and transport them to a far away place. Without doubt The Path of Daggers audio book is a must have for all fans of Jordan’s work, as well as those who enjoy fantasy genre books in general.

If there is one negative aspect to The Path of Daggers Audio Book, it would be that generally the audio book version of the novel is an abridged one. That is, it is not a complete and uncut reading of the novel, but an edited version, We would however assure potential buyers that none of the major plot points are excluded so the story can still be easily followed. If you do want to read the entire story, you need to get your hands on a hard or soft back of the novel. Actually, the best deal would be to go to the book-sore or online and buy both a copy of the novel as well as The Path of Daggers audio book and you will be able to enjoy both versions of this excellent book.

How Poor In-house User Documents Cost You Twice & What To Do About It

Posted on Nov 27, 2008 03:58:21 PM

OVERVIEW

Many organizations produce in-house tools or modify commercially-available tools for their own use. These tools should get documented so they are of use to others in the organization.

If this documentation is not created or is poorly written, it costs you twice:

* The first cost (attributed to any poor user document) is the cost of answering the Users’ questions (technical support).

* The second cost, arises from the lost time of your employees trying to understand the poor User Document.

Psychological costs also affect both the external and the in-house User.

THE FIRST COST: TECHNICAL SUPPORT

This is the cost you incur whenever you produce poor (or no) User Documents. It arises for any User when he/she needs technical support. For external Users, the cost is your technical support staff, toll-free telephone lines, etc.

For internal Users the cost is the time spent by the developer or modifier of the tool to answer the questions of his/her fellow employee. This is an expensive technical support cost…these people are usually paid more than your technical support staff. Thus this first cost is even greater for poor in-house documentation than for shoddy documentation released to the public.

THE SECOND COST: USERS’ TIME AND RESOURCES

For Users outside your company, the second cost is assumed by the Users themselves or their employers. These confused Users are expending their company’s time: the time lost trying to get the product to work, and the time spent dealing with your technical support.

For your in-house Users, this cost is borne by your company. It is your employee–on your time– that is wasting your company resources trying to use an arcane product or document. Here is where your deficient in-house documentation costs you twice.

PSYCHOLOGICAL COSTS AFFECT ALL READERS

In addition to these time and monetary costs, there are the psychological costs wreaked by poor User Documentation.

For frustrated Users outside your company, your poor documentation results in a negative perception of your company and its products. This may result in loss of business.

For users inside your company, the psychological cost is decreased employee morale, as evidenced from these possible statements:

* Our company produced this junk?

* These people are not a sharp as I thought they were.

* If other employees can produce this confusing stuff, then I can work at that same level.

Thus the ill will outside your company can cost you future sales; the ill will inside your company can cost in decreased employee morale.

SOLUTION: INFORMAL REVIEWS

Once someone writes a User Document for an in-house tool, that document should be informally reviewed.

SELF-REVIEW

The author can perform the first review on his/her own.

Use your word processor’s spelling checker to correct common errors. You can use the word processor’s grammar checker, however most of these are inaccurate.

Before doing this review, let the document sit for a day or two. This will help you forget what you meant in your unclear writing. When you do the review and you find yourself asking “what did I mean here?” you will have found a place in the document that needs revision.

When doing the review, imagine you are user of the tool and reader of the document. Imagine the tasks that the tool user wants to do. Does the document enable the Reader to find what he/she needs? Is the writing accurate (correctly describes the tool), clear, and complete? Make the changes that would improve the document.

EXTERNAL REVIEW

Then, if possible, use an external reviewer (inside your company). To do this, the writer should:

1. Find a potential User of the tool. This should be someone who is not already familiar with the tool, and as similar to the target audience of the tool as reasonable.

2. Have that reviewer use the document to guide him/her in use of the tool. Solicit comments on the document. Note the suggested changes, additions, deletions, clarifications requested by the reviewer. Some questions to ask might include:

* Does the document tell you what you need to know?

* Is it easy to find what you need in the document?

* Does the document answer your questions? If not, what questions are unanswered?

* Is the document easy to follow? If not, where are the problem areas?

3. The writer should make changes as necessary.

If you cannot perform this “semiformal” review, then get anyone other than yourself to simply read the document, and make suggestions for improvement.

CAUTION

Make sure that the review process does not become an inhibition to those writing User Documentation for in-house Users. Stress a cooperative — not adversarial — mechanism whose result is quality work. Do not try to create the perfect User Document.

What Is Bum Marketing: How To Make Money With A $5 Budget

Posted on Nov 27, 2008 01:39:47 PM

Bum marketing is so called because even a bum can make money using this method. You need no outlay and can start with nothing. Absolutely zilch!

I had absolutely zilch because I had maxed out 7 credit cards. I used to laugh when I read about others doing that with just two, but I did it myself &ndash in spades! My only word to you would be very careful how you use PPC programs like Adwords because I wasn’t. But that’s another story.

I discovered bum marketing because if there is one thing I am good at, it is writing. Bum marketing involves finding a profitable niche, or one that could be profitable. It has to be something with a reasonable large following, and a reasonable number of topics attached to it. Like fly fishing or quilting, or something similar. Something that is followed by people you would expect to have money. You don’t want people flinching at paying $97 for a product related to their hobby or interest.

You then have to find some decent keywords. For bum marketing it doesn’t matter too much if there is competition for them, but not too general. Not ‘quilting’ but perhaps ‘hand quilting machines’ or ‘deep throat quilters’. Then get a website set up. You can get a cheap functional site for under $5 a month and then set up a website. A sales page for a product and a few pages with some content. If you can get it, register a domain name that is the same as, or relates to, one of the keywords you have chosen.

Write a few articles on the topic of your website, and use one for each of the web pages. Bum marketing is all about article writing. You should have one web page for each keyword you are using relating to your website. Find a few products to sell. If you have your own then great, but if not sell affiliate products.

Then write a few more articles and submit them to article directories. Each directory will allow you what is known as an ‘Author’s Resource Box’ in which you can say a little about yourself and provide a URL for people to click on for more information. The URL should lead to a page that relates to the topic of the article, and should ideally be a text link with the keyword or phrase that is the title of your web page. The text link should be hyperlinked to the page; what is termed an ‘active’ link’.

If the directory does not specifically provide a Resource Box, you can add that information after your article. It has to be included and will go with your article whenever it is copied and used. The article will not only bring you traffic, but also valuable links back to your web pages.

It is important that you continue to write and keep pumping out new articles. I like to write two every week and send them off to the top 25 directories. That’s all I have to do because most of the top 25 provide material to other directories, and before you know it your articles are all over the internet. That’s bum marketing.

As I said, even a bum with no money can do it. I know, because I was that bum at one time. I am no longer!

What Is Freelance Journalism?

Posted on Nov 27, 2008 11:37:12 AM

Freelance journalism is one of the more hectic forms of freelance writing. If you want to become a successful freelance journalist, you’ll need to be comfortable with spending much time hunting down stories, traveling from place to place, and writing under short deadlines. If you enjoy all of that, and if you’re interested in some of the best opportunities for personal creativity, then freelance journalism may be for you.

When we talk about freelance journalism, we need to distinguish between two types: newspaper journalism and magazine journalism. As a rule, newspaper journalism involves a much narrower range of subject matter than magazine journalism, significantly shorter articles, and a greater focus on form. Typical newspaper articles follow a hierarchical format: the most pertinent information first, the least pertinent last. For example, an article about a local parade would start with “The X Parade will travel down Main Street at 10:00 Saturday in support of Y,” while it might end with “Onlookers are advised to bring umbrellas.”

Additionally, writing as a newspaper journalist means that you need the ability to find out about the news. Often, a journalist’s day looks like this: the editor assigns the journalist an article topic at 6 AM. By 8 AM, the journalist is making phone calls to various parties related to the topic. For a story on rising gas prices, this may include CEOs of oil companies, local gas station owners, car owners (interviewed on the street or at gas stations), car manufacturers, and local policymakers. Journalists usually interview anyone with a meaningful connection to the topic, and who can provide some good, succinct quotes and information.

Information-gathering goes on for most of the day, usually ending around evening. The journalist then works on the article, fact-checking where appropriate, before submitting it for publication sometime that night, with the deadline depending on the individual paper. Then the journalist is able to go to sleep–until 6 AM rolls around again, and the next article topic comes in.

More leeway is available with the larger “feature” articles. These appear in film sections, lifestyle sections, health sections or other less breaking-news-focused parts of the daily paper. Often newspapers publish these sections weekly, rather than daily, to save on printing costs.

For example, the film section may only appear on Fridays, the food section on Tuesdays, etc. The upshot of this is the freelance journalist has more time to research and to work on an excellent, well-rounded article. Using the same research methods (calling everyone connected to the topic, scheduling interviews, synthesizing succinct points from a large information pool), a feature writer constructs a more in-depth look at a given topic than a news writer can achieve in a short column of text.

Additionally, there’s occasionally more freedom in the choice of subject matter. Perhaps you know about an excellent local band in need of a profile? Maybe you volunteer in a community organization that does interesting work and deserves a write-up? How about writing an article on the health benefits of soybeans? A newspaper’s “features” section can be an excellent venue and a personal one, which can be rare in freelance writing. Additionally, feature articles don’t depend heavily on the hierarchical “news” format, making your job much easier (or harder, if you find it difficult to structure an article without set guidelines.)

Magazine journalism is similar to the “feature” style of newspaper journalism, albeit with much more generous word limits (and often more generous pay rates.) The downside is that a magazine may not have as many opportunities for publishing your work. The broader subject matter of a magazine may also result in topics that require more legwork and potential travel expenses (hopefully paid for by the magazine) than just a profile of a local policymaker. To be an effective magazine writer, you’ll need to look much harder for article ideas, but the payoff can be well worth it.

How do you scout out freelance journalism jobs? For newspapers, have some sample articles written, a good working knowledge of style guides (especially Associated Press style), and a willingness to work on whatever is available until the editor or publisher promotes you to working on more enjoyable assignments. For magazines, it’s best to research your articles and write them in advance; afterwards you can send query letters to the appropriate editors in hopes of becoming published. In either case, submission information is printed on the staff page of magazines and newspapers. You can also find submission information online at the publications’ web sites.

The career of a journalist isn’t for everyone. Whereas many freelance writing projects are about a predictable routine of research and writing, the variety and novelty of writing news and feature articles eschews all routine in favor of a constant flurry of ad hoc interviews, phone calls and general information-gathering. But to some people, this is far from a drawback. If you’re one of those people, start developing your portfolio now, get in touch with some editors (either by appointment or by query), and prepare yourself for a successful career in freelance journalism.

What Is Freelance Food Writing?

Posted on Nov 26, 2008 07:10:30 PM

If you have a good appetite and a way with words, food writing may be a career option to consider. Not only is doing research for food writing one of the more enjoyable tasks in freelance writing, but you’ll never be short of restaurant recommendations and potential free meals — though you may run short of well-fitting pants.

To become a successful freelance food writer, you’ll need to know how to describe food well. The key to description, at least in traditional literature, is to make focused, concrete comparisons. To see why, ask yourself which sentence you find more appealing: “It was the tastiest shrimp I’ve ever eaten,” or “The lime-pressed garlic shrimp, grilled over applewood, had a texture between the crunch of caramelized sugar and the soft resistance of a medium-rare salmon filet”?

The fundamental law of food writing is to make your reader wish that he or she had some of whatever delicious dish you’re writing about, to make the reader personally invested in the food. And there’s a strange quirk in the human mind: whenever we think about an object or activity, we activate the parts of our brain that turn on whenever we’re interacting with that object or engaged in that activity. In other words: if we think about throwing a baseball, the nerves in our arm twitch. Or, if we think about eating a thick steak, our stomach grumbles and our mouth waters. When you’re writing about food, you want to activate those same parts of the brain to make your reader feel that he or she is sharing in the experience of eating it. Words like “tasty,” “delicious,” or, worst of all, “really good,” won’t do anything for your reader’s emotions. Only words related to food — or words and images with strong emotional connotations — will really get your readers’ mouths watering.

Once you’ve written your articles, where do you market your food writing? If you live in a large city, you can write for a local newspaper or an alternative paper (i.e. the LA Weekly, the Austin Chronicle, etc.). Millions of people read these papers daily or weekly, and a good portion of those millions read the food section. When anyone in a major city needs to make restaurant reservations for a date, business dinner, party, or other social engagement, they look in the food section of the local paper for hot new restaurant reviews. Stay on top of restaurant openings and closings in your city. New restaurant openings can be your “bread and butter.” Local newspapers and online city guides are always wanting to print new restaurant reviews.

If you have a favorite local hangout that not many people know about, write an article on it. Submit your article with a proper query letter to a local newspaper. You might be the first one to write about the place, throwing needed business their way. In the end, you collect a decent paycheck from the newspaper, along with a published clip, a byline, and hopefully more work and referrals.

Another option is to write for magazines dedicated to food, dining, city nightlife, general lifestyles, or for the tourist market. If you plan to write for magazines, your choice of what to write about becomes much broader. You can write how-to articles, interview pieces, cookware reviews, and so on. If you plan to write for local tourism guides, your best bet is to write restaurant reviews. Tourists may not know about any of the well-known restaurants or diners in the area. Tourism guides provide insight and guidance to what’s hot and what’s not in the area. This means that there’s a steady flow of potential readers for your restaurant reviews and other food writing.

If you don’t live in a large city, it’s much more difficult to become a food writer. The mom n’ pop cafe downtown may have some of the best omelets you’ve ever tasted, but how are you supposed to sell an article if everyone in town already eats at that cafe every Friday night? Consider selling your articles to regional magazines. The Department of Transportation in several US states often publishes a monthly magazine about regional news. The editors of these magazines often look at local restaurant reviews as a source of human interest, or a way of boosting out-of-state tourism to non-traditional destinations.

Additionally, you might try writing sample copy for cookbooks, press releases for food suppliers, or ads for food companies. Companies and book publishers hire good food writers to help market anything from new varieties of pasta sauce to gourmet steak dishes. Even a nearby supermarket might be willing to pay for copy in weekly ad flyers.

Unfortunately for rural types, full-time food writing is more often than not an urban game. For urban types, food is one of the products that won’t ever stop being popular, especially when it’s offered as part of a good restaurant experience. Thus food writing means job security, and more importantly than that: it’s just outright enjoyable writing. So get to it!

How To Cultivate Greatness In Your Writing

Posted on Nov 25, 2008 09:51:06 PM

There’s a television commercial, I believe it’s for E-trade, that talks about how nobody wants to be an ordinary…fill in the blank. Supposedly we aspire to be better. Nobody wants to be an ordinary athlete, nobody wants to be an ordinary investor. A photo of Hemingway flashes across the screen and it says “nobody wants to be an ordinary writer”. That made me pause. I wasn’t so sure about that.

You see, I am struck by how often I hear from writers who want to know if their current project is worth the effort. Basically they want to know if they can sell it. There’s no passion behind their idea. No writing for the love of writing. They’re willing to abandon an idea based on my say so or someone else’s. Somehow I don’t think John Steinbeck, when he was writing East of Eden went around asking anyone if it was worth the effort. In fact, I am inspired by what a reviewer said of that novel when it was published. “A novel planned on the grandest possible scale…One of those occasions when a writer has aimed high and then summoned every ounce of energy, talent, seriousness, and passion of which he was capable…”

I keep that quote in front of me as I write my next novel. I hope I’m aiming high. I’d rather aim high and miss than aim low and be ordinary. I’d like to challenge you to aim for greatness in your next project. If you’re not sure how to do so, here are a few tips that may help.

Seek Out Good Teachers

Shooting for greatness can be a lot harder when you don’t have the guidance and support of a strong teacher or writing coach. A good teacher will see you as a person as well as a writer which helps them to know what you are truly capable of. A good teacher will know when to push you and when to hold back. Many years ago I had a teacher who discouraged me from starting a novel. I was new to understanding my powers as a writer and he feared that I wouldn’t be able to finish what I started and give up writing altogether. He was right. I probably wouldn’t have finished back then. I was too immature.

I picked that teacher because after hearing him speak I instinctively knew he had the pieces I was looking for then to establish myself as a writer. Likewise it may help you to assess where your writing stands and what you need to learn to get your work to the next level. Don’t be afraid to interview an instructor before you take a class to see if you can get what you’re looking for.

Complete One Project

You may have a zillion ideas in your head right now. Choose one and complete it. Why? Because you will learn so much from sticking with one project and bringing it to fruition, even if it doesn’t get published. You’ll learn how to work with ideas, you’ll learn what to do when you get stuck, you’ll learn more about your own writing habits and your strengths and weaknesses. Have you ever gone to a museum and seen the drawings that an artist makes as “studies” in preparation for a larger painting? This is kind of the same idea. Once you get to your larger canvas, you’ll be better prepared to write your masterpiece!

Set Big Goals for Your Next Project

Okay, next you have to think BIG. What kind of book would be challenging and exciting for you to write? A massive 4-volume biography of a historical figure? A 500-page Civil War epic that spans 3 generations? (And don’t say the Civil War has been done before! Check out E.L. Doctorow’s The March and see how new creativity can enliven an old idea.) How about a romance novel good enough to win a National Book Award? Whatever your shot at greatness will be, the only requirement is that it’s something that you will absolutely love writing. Otherwise you won’t want to keep going when the going gets tough.

Remember to bring originality to your ideas. I recently read a piece that was adequately written, but every single sentence and expression had already been said in songs and other works. That’s not always a bad thing, but this author had done nothing to make the work her own. This is the kind of thing that can cause a manuscript to be rejected and the writer would be totally baffled because she thought she had written well. It takes more than a pretty sentence for a work to be great.

Read Other Great Work

You will hear this A LOT from me as well as many editors and literary agents: if you’re going to be a great writer, you must read. Always read great writing so you will be reminded of what’s possible with the language. Good writing can become almost like a tune in your head and you’re programming yourself to play that tune when you get in front of your computer screen. Now that doesn’t mean you’ve got someone else’s voice in your head and you’re writing in a Stephen King or E.L. Doctorow persona! It does mean that you can read your work back to yourself and recognize when you’ve hit a wrong note. In reading you’ll also learn how authors work with big picture ideas and themes–the kind of stuff that adds layers of depth and interest to a book.

Disconnect from Thoughts of Money

I know making money is important, but it can also be a huge distraction. For now, unplug from that impulse that makes you want to think about how much you can sell this project for or whether you can sell the movie rights to it. There will be time enough for all that when you have finished your great work. Of course, sometimes thinking about the finish line can be what motivates you. Maybe having a copy of a big fat royalty check on your bulletin board keeps you going. That’s okay. But if you find yourself trying to sell the book before you’ve made any headway into the project, beware. What if you did sell it at that point? Then you’d be caught up in meeting a deadline and meeting expectations. Those aren’t exactly ideal conditions under which to deliver a pacesetting work.

One last note: Even if your book project is not meant for the general public–maybe you’re writing a book for your children, for instance–that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have similarly high standards. After all, whatever you create is going to go out there with your name on it. That fact alone can inspire you to make your book the best that it can be.