January 2008

Writing Novel Proposals for Literary Agents and/or Editors

(Deanna Quinn)

If you are thinking of writing a novel, this very readable book is extremely helpful in guiding you through the publishing world. It offers you valuable information on the following (as paraphrased from the front flap/back cover):

• Which publishers offer the best odds of publishing your book

• How to locate the right literary agent

• The type of manuscript format agents and editors prefer

• How to write the query letter

• The kind of information you should include in a cover letter

• What chapters you provide with your proposal

• How to write a synopses, make a pitch, and deal with rejection :0)

• How to work with agents and editors

• Checklists, sidebars, and guidelines to ensure your complete every step of

Title: Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract: the complete guide to writing query, letters, synopses, and proposals for agents and editors

Authors: Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook

If interested in the book, there are 2 copies at the main branch of the Allen County Public Library. The book can also be found at amazon.com with the “Look Inside” feature.

February 2008

After my project changed from writing a novel proposal to writing a feature magazine article, my research changed too. To begin my project, I took the advice the public relations director at Manchester College and found a mentor (of sorts). A few weeks ago, I met with Rick Farrent who recently published his article "Fort Wayne After Dark" in Fort Wayne Magazine. The article focused on feature stories like the ones I would be writing for Manchester College. Here are a few tips Rick gave me for writing with color and detail for journalistic feature writing. These tips can also be useful for those of you writing fiction and creative nonfiction.

1. Begin with an explosive beginning.

2. Use quotes to add flavor and color

3. Put the reader in the place you are. Describe the atmosphere and tone.

4. When interviewing us two columns for notes. The first column is for the questions and answers. The second is for colorful details that you won't remember.

5. Ask questions that go beyond the topic. Find out who the person is beyond their profession.

6. Read Jon Franklin's Writing for Story.

7. For great descriptions read a book by Pat Conroy. (I'm currently reading Beach Music. It's great!)

Finding someone experienced in the type of writing or research you are doing is extemely helpful. They will have insight into your work that will not only help you get a good grade in this class, and help you on your project, but they will also be great tools for networking once school is done.

Here is preview of Jon Franklin's Writing for Story.* Don't think it's just for nonfiction writers. His techniques will help fiction writers as well.

Jon Franklin is the recipient of the first Pulitzer Prize ever given for a piece of feature writing. He has two Pulitzers.

In his book he give the "how to" of feature writer that helped him achieve this great award.

He teaches writers how to add color to factual pieces of writing by teaching them how to apply the literary techniques of complication/resolution, pace, foreshadowing, and flashback.

His book includes analysis of his two Pulitzer Prize winning features. This guide is also easy to read and engaging.

March 2008

For my class on Writing Studies, we are currently discussing the topic of audience and its importance to writing specifically for creative writing, rhetoric and composition, professional writing, and literacy studies. If you are like me, you've never really given much thought to audience before writing a paper (or after for that matter). You let the format and requirements take care of the issue of audience for you. But now that I'm beginning to think about a future career in journalism, my audience is going to change from my professor to... and that's what I don't know. It seems so obvious that audience would be important to a text. After all, that is why we write in the first place-- to produce an effect on an audience whether it is to inform, entertain, or persuade. And the idea of audience doesn't really seem to be that complicated, right? It's those people out there who will read what I write. But who are they? What background do they bring to the text? How will I fulfill their expectations? Below, I've posted some interesting articles on audience that will help each us understand how complex, ambiguous, and important audience is to writing.

Ede, Lisa and Andrea Lunsford. "Audience Addressed/Audience Invoked: The Role of Audience in Composition Theory and Pedagogy." College Composition and Communciation, 35.2 (1984), 155-171. (JSTOR)

Ong, Walter. "The Writer's Audience is Always Fiction." PMLA, 90 (1975): 9-21. (JSTOR)

Park, Douglas B. "The Meanings of 'Audience.'" College English, 44.3 (1982): 247-257. (JSTOR)

Porter, James E. "Audience." Encyclopedia of Rhetoric and Composition, 1996. (I have a copy if anyone would like to use it.)