Archive for the ‘Advice For Writers’ Category

We writers are creative souls. For the lucky ones, sentence construction comes effortlessly; the words just seem to tumble from the mind, one after the other, with no evidence of brain straining.

For others, while we love stringing words together, the process isn’t quite so smooth. That’s why anything we can do to aid the process is well worth doing! Creating the right working environment is a sensible place to begin. Getting this right can turbo boost productivity and unleash creative juices you didn’t know you had. Check out the ways I suggest you begin, below:

1. Decide which part of your house you would like to designate as your writing area. If you’re fortunate, you will be able to designate an entire room, perhaps an office, or a study. If your house isn’t so large, or if you are living in shared accommodation, then try and nab a particular corner of the house to undertake your writing.

Make sure you let the other residents know of your arrangement and if necessary ask their permission. If you have a family, tell your spouse and children that the area is out of bounds for everyone except you. Set boundaries. Make it clear how seriously you take your writing and chances are others will take it seriously too. If there’s no way you can write in a part of your house, then consider writing in the local library, coffee shop, or even your car. Anywhere you feel comfortable and where you are free from distractions.

2. Decide what steps to take to improve your writing area. If you have a whole room to yourself, consider colours which make you feel calm and relaxed. Paint the walls in those colours. Perhaps an odd plant or two would feed your imagination? How about smell and sound? If you find it easier working to music you might want a stereo in your space. What about the smell of lavender drifting from smouldering joss sticks?

Obviously if you’re writing in a coffee shop, or library, your options are limited, but maybe there’s a certain table you prefer sitting at, or a corner which doesn’t get so busy.

3. Clearing clutter. No matter what your tastes, working amongst piles of paperwork is a definite no-no. Keep your desk as neat and tidy as possible, free from random sheets of paper, or sporadic sticky notes. It would be well worth your while investing in some ‘in’ and ‘out’ trays from a stationary shop to keep everything in order.

Only allow the essentials to stay in your work space. What do you really need in order to write a book? Apart from a computer, a pen and a notepad are the only extras that spring to mind for me. Less clutter on your desk means less clutter in your mind. So free up your space for those ideas and words to continue flowing.

4. Distractions. Are your kids making a din in the other room? Are the zooms and beeps of rush hour traffic driving you crazy? Distractions can come in any shape or form, but the important thing to remember is not to blame them for your writers block. Instead look at your distractions as tools to help move your writing forward. If you find yourself irritated about a particular noise, use another, improved noise over the top.

Certain pieces of music, according to your taste, can help shift your mood and as such, your productivity. Choose a piece of music which makes you feel in resonance with the writing you are engaged in. For example, if you are writing a dramatic scene, select high-energy music to put you in the right mood and feeling. If you are writing a slow, or sad scene, perhaps listen to a classical piece. You’ll get to know what feels right for you, according to your personality.

I know some people who can’t write to music, but they must have the television or radio on in the background. Maybe the gentle sound of the sea ebbing and flowing might be a better bet for you? And have fun experimenting! After all if the writing process isn’t fun, then maybe it’s not for you.

5. Yourself. Those who work from home have a tendency to stumble out of bed somewhere around 10am, slouch on the sofa in front of brain-numbing chat programmes while eating breakfast, then at somewhere around midday, turn on the computer, finally ready to work. Many remain dressed in their pyjamas, or they throw on a pair of old tracksuit bottoms and a baggy top.

Personally I find that disciplining myself to get up at a sensible time by setting the alarm clock, really works. As soon as I get up I change into smart, yet comfortable clothes and I even apply my make-up and brush my hair. This helps me feel ready to face the day and work. The trouble with staying in sleep mode is that then you mentally stay in sleep mode too. And you can imagine how this blocks the flow of ideas and words. Again do whatever works best for you and discover the answer by good old-fashioned trial and error!  

Love & Light,

The Word Queen xxx

Goal setting is one of the secrets of any success in any achiever’s life. For writers goal setting helps to steer you in the right direction and take daily action. It’s a powerful tool when planning your book, writing your book, editing your book and preparing it to send to publishers and agents.

There’s a simple way to write your goals. Follow the steps below and your goals will be achieved faster than ever.

1. Always write your goals in the present tense. If you write them in the future tense your subconscious will hold them in the future, always just a little way out of reach.
2. Set a realistic date to each goal. When would you like to have achieved it by? When are you likely to have achieved it by? You could always divide your goals into three different lists; short term goals, medium term goals and long term goals. My short term goals are always achievable within three to six months. My medium term goals are all achievable within 12 to 24 months and my long term goals anywhere from two to five years.
3. Try and add feeling to your goal and engage all the senses. The stronger passion and purpose your goal has, the more likely you are to achieve it.
4. Along with your goal, write down daily actions you can take to lead you towards achieving it.
5. Treat yourself when your goal has been accomplished and add this treat to the bottom of your goal so you don’t forget! The reward can be anything from a day at the spa, to the new Playstation game you have had your eye on. The bigger the goal, the bigger you should make the reward.

Finally don’t worry if the date you set arrives and you still haven’t accomplished your goal. It’s ok to move the goal posts so to speak and set a new date to aim for! If this happens don’t beat yourself up. Instead recognise that you are a lot closer towards reaching your goal than before and that’s something wonderful.

Love & Light,  

The Word Queen x

All authors, from those who are just starting off on their book-writing journey, right through to the more seasoned writers, have one thing in common; they all need manuscript editing services!

Manuscript editing services range from line editing, including spelling, punctuation and grammar, to a full critique of a book, or novel looking at aspects such as characterisation, sense of place, dialogue, pacing, structure, plot and marketability. Both fiction and non fiction works benefit from manuscript editing services in a similar way.

Since I began offering manuscript editing services via my position as The Word Queen I began to realise how much writers, both old and new, benefited from the guidance. And how imperative they are to lead writers on to the road to being offered a publishing deal, or landing a literary agent.

As a writer it’s incredibly difficult to edit and critique one’s own work. We literally become mentally super-glued to each word, each sentence, each character, each metaphor (no matter how ridiculous in some cases) and each dialogue exchange. When sometimes, in order for the book to work, they may need to go.

But don’t worry, I’m not totally ruthless when I’m engaged in my manuscript editing services. I always tell writers what needs changing in a positive, upbeat way. My ultimate goal is to improve the author’s manuscript so that it sparkles and shines to such a degree that a publisher or agent will snap it up faster than a croc’s mouth.

So if you need manuscript editing services and you want to ensure your book / novel is in tip top shape before you begin the submissions process, then send me an email on info@thewordqueen.com and I’ll give it a good going over…ooo errr missus!

I charge $250 per 20,000 words for an edit and critique or $200 per 20,000 words for solely an edit and I love what I do greater even than weeing in the sea in the middle of summer (and that takes some beating)

Love & Light

The Word Queen x

Before you begin planning your book you must spend some time considering the intended market. Your reader is the most precious asset. To escalate up the book charts, it must amaze your readers and have them wanting to read more of your work.

I’m always shocked at how many new writers set off on their book-writing journey and don’t stop to think about who will be reading the finished product. Before you begin writing answer this question:

Who are you writing this book for?

Is it just for you? Is it for your friends and family? Is it for your local community? Is it for the bookshelves? Is it for the whole world?

This isn’t a trick question. It’s simply to help you start thinking about your market. You might think, ‘but why do I have to think about my market already?! I haven’t even begun!’ Well, now is the perfect time to consider your market because this way you can sculpt the book to your market’s needs.

The worst thing that could happen is that you ignore this advice and you plough on with your book regardless. When you’ve finished it, you’ll no doubt send it out to publishers and agents in the hope of landing a book deal. Then the reality will hit home. You’ll receive rejection after rejection and now again one agent might be so kind as to suggest why your work was rejected. Time and time again you’ll hear ‘I don’t see how this book can be marketed. I don’t know who this book is for. I don’t know what genre your book falls within.’

Don’t allow agents and publishers to use this ammunition against you!

One piece of advice which I received years ago from a published writer was this:

‘A new writer writes for themselves, a published writer writes for their readers.’

This has remained with me ever since.

Now let’s now look at the steps to take to identify and determine your book’s market and genre.

Your Ambitions

How big do you want this book to become? Many people just want to write a book for their friends and family. I know my elderly neighbour did. I remember reading his book, which wasn’t written to a very professional standard. It was a confused mess of notes which didn’t make much sense to anyone who didn’t know him. There’s no way any publisher would have taken it on. But that was not his aim. He just wanted to get his memories down on paper, particularly the period of his life during the Second World War, in order to pass on to his grandchildren and a handful of friends. His memories meant something to him.

When you are writing a book for your family, or about your life in general be realistic about the outcome. I’m forever hearing people say, ‘my life would make a great story!’ That may well be the case. But will anyone else want to read about it? If you are serious about publishing your memoirs, then I recommend that you study successful autobiographies and take a memoir writing course.

But let’s say you’re a writer with a dream of getting published. You’ve written a novel and you want to see it in the bookshops. The next question to ask yourself is:

What Genre Is Your Book?

The answer to this question very much depends on who is going to be reading your book.

Imagine the bookshop in your local mall. You walk in and where do you see your book? Which genre / category is it in? Chick-lit? Sci-fi? Horror? Young Adult? If you can be clear about what ‘label’ your book has, then your job will be far easier when you try and sell it to agents and publishers.  

If you’re not sure about the genre, or if your book is a mixture of genres, I’d strongly advise you not to write it at all. Agents will be confused and your manuscript will be slung on the ‘no’ pile in a jiffy. It’s not about narrowing down your market. It’s all about the positioning.

When you walk into that agent’s office, you want to be prepared. If you have no knowledge of the other authors in your genre, then this doesn’t look good. What are they doing? What are they writing about? How do they connect with their readers? What can you model from them? I’m talking basics here – from word count, chapter length, number of characters, typical storylines, etc. And I’m also talking marketing strategies – do they have a blog for their book? Who is their ideal reader? How do they reach them?

So, choose a genre, research it thoroughly and model the most successful authors within this genre.

 The Market

Next, spend some time thinking about the impact you want to make on your market. 

What do you want to get out of your book on a personal level? How many copies do you want to sell? Which countries do you want to sell to? What TV shows do you want to appear on? What radio stations do you want to be interviewed for? Which bestseller lists do you want to top? How much money do you want to make and within what timeframe? Do you see it in the future as a film?

It’s ok to think big at this point. Someone once told me this:

‘Reach for the stars and you’ll at least hit the moon!’

Also, consider the ecological impact of your book. How does it serve humanity and the world on a grander level? Writing is not just about you. A good book is meant to be read by millions. A good book is about communicating your message to other people. 

Writing carries an element of responsibility. No one says writing a book is easy. If they do, don’t believe them. Writing a book takes courage, commitment, hard-work and patience…

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

As you are writing your book make sure you take the time to consider the layout and presentation. You can always go back and tidy it all up at the end, but it doesn’t hurt to bear in mind the main points while you are writing. Not only is it a good habit to get into, but it will also save time at the end.

Here are my tips for laying out and presenting your work:

1. Type your work directly into a good word processing programme. Microsoft Word is the standard one which almost all writers use.

2. Always use a font which is easy to read, such as Times New Roman, or Arial. Don’t make the writing too small, or too large. A point size such as 12 or 14 is perfect.

3. Include a title page at the beginning of your manuscript. This should include the following:

• The title of your book in a large point size, centred on the page.
• Your full name, address, email address and contact phone numbers on the bottom left hand corner of the page in a smaller font, point size 12 or 14.
• The word count of your book (which obviously you won’t know until you have finished writing it!)

4. Start each new chapter on a new page.

5. Double space your entire manuscript so that the lines aren’t one on top of the other.

6. Don’t include any images or fancy patterns on your manuscript. Keep it plain and professional looking.

7. Indent all paragraphs by hitting the tab key on your keyboard once. Do not indent the first paragraph of each chapter.

8. Start all new dialogue on a new line.

9. Include page numbers and a header and footer on each page. The header should include the title of your work and the footer the author’s name.
What Does A Book Layout Look Like?

Look at some examples of the genre you are writing in, and copy what looks good. There is a ‘standard’, but in practice every one is different!

You’ll need to know your rectos from your versos! Rectos are right hand pages and are odd numbered. Versos are the left-hand pages and are even numbered. The book always starts on a recto, and chapters always begin on a recto. (As with all things, break any of these rules if you have good reason).

If you go down the self publishing route you’ll need to create your own artwork and illustrations. Use clip-art, drawing programs, friends and whatever else comes to hand. Avoid colour, as it is very expensive. Be careful of copyright, as well, particularly photography. But we’ll discuss more about all this in a future book!

Getting the layout and presentation of your book right will impress agents and publishers and increase your chances of getting published. Take heed of the advice in this message and in the end you’ll be glad you did!

  Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

If you’re writing a book, or you’re thinking of doing so then there’s at least one daily exercise I’d suggest you engage in. Even if you don’t do any of the others I’ve ever suggested this one is golden. “So what is this mystery exercise…?”

Meditation!

Meditation stills the mind, and when this occurs all sorts of ideas are able to flow in. Writing is a hard craft and mentally fatiguing.

Getting into the habit of practising daily meditation can work wonders on taming that fatigue and purifying the ideas and knowledge that enter your head.

All you need to do is set aside a daily timeframe of say 15 minutes, get into a comfortable position (lying or sitting), then close your eyes and empty your mind of all thoughts. This is easier said than done for a beginner. You will find that all sorts of thoughts pop up and it can be very difficult not to dwell on them.

Fortunately there are many guided meditations out there, which make the process far simpler. Usually the person speaking helps you relax your body by having you focus on the various parts each in turn. Next they might lead you down a spiral staircase counting backwards from ten to one. But remember that all meditations vary. Some are set outside, maybe on the beach, in a boat upon a relaxing lake, or surrounded by the sounds of nature. Others might involve descending in an elevator, focussing on a bright white light, or feeling the suns energy radiate through your crown charka.

Meditation doesn’t have any core goal. Instead it is a technique, or a tool if you like. Writers use meditation to improve their writing, or to develop interesting ideas.

Meditating doesn’t have to mean sitting cross-legged in the middle of a field chanting mantras and looking like an oddball. Many people still believe that to meditate you have to be a zen monk, or some kind of spiritual master. But that is not the case. Anyone can meditate and writers who meditate tend to come up with better ideas, plus they are able to stay more focused on what really matters – getting their book written.

How To Meditate

Sit on the sofa, or on the floor if you prefer, and close your eyes. Inhale deeply through your nose and as you exhale through your mouth visualise and repeat the number three, three times. Repeat this once more, but as you exhale visualise and repeat the number two three times. And one more time, visualising and repeating the number one three times on the exhale. This should be enough to instigate the process of relaxation. Then simply still your mind and try to refrain from allowing thoughts to enter. At first you will find this very difficult. The trick is to build up the amount of time you spend meditating each day gradually.

Don’t expect to meditate for half an hour on your first attempt. If you can manage just five minutes at first, that’s perfect. Once you have mastered five minutes you can then aim for eight minutes and from there on, all the way up to half an hour. I’d recommend finding the time to meditate every single day until your book is fully written. The benefits meditation provides to us and our minds is simply amazing and since I started meditating two years ago, I now do so three times a day without fail.

Before meditating ask yourself a question you need the answer to about your book. Try to be specific as the real power of this exercise is in the question itself. For example, you might have the general idea for your book decided, but you are wondering how it is going to begin. Ask yourself this question ‘please reveal to me the best way of starting my book.’ There’s no need to say this question out loud. It’s fine to say it to yourself. Once you’ve asked the question try and forget about it. Don’t dwell on it or consciously search for the answer. The answer will come and probably when you least expect it. I have found that answers enter my head at the most unlikely of times, completely out of the blue. Cool hey?!

Happy meditating!

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

Do you have an Author’s mindset? If not then it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever get your book written and later published.

You see, the mind is an incredibly powerful part of us and whether we like to admit it or not, it determines our reality.

Whatever you see around you in your life right now…whether you’re rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy, surrounded by friends or lonely and miserable…you’ve created it at all. That’s right..YOU!

It’s the same story when it comes to writing your book. If you don’t BELIEVE that you’re capable of writing a book, or if you don’t BELIEVE you deserve to be a published-author and live the dream life that accompanies it, then guess what? You won’t!

You know that little saying that goes ‘seeing is believing’? Well we got it completely the wrong way around…It’s SUPPOSED to be, ‘believing is seeing’. In other words, what you believe in your subconscious mind, you’ll see come true in your reality.

That is why it’s essential to spend some time taking a look at your beliefs. What were you taught about success growing up? Did your parents encourage you to write, or did they nag you to ‘get a proper job’? Did your English teacher praise your creative writing? Or did he/she tell you that you’d never make it as a writer? These moments in childhood are what shape our beliefs in the here and now.

But it’s not too late. You can change them. The trick is pluck out the old weeds (the beliefs that no longer serve you and your writing dreams) and replace them with seeds which do. Over time – sometimes a month, or maybe 3 months – those seeds will then grow into the beautiful flowers that you deserve and you’ll have your first published book in your hand.

So here’s the million dollar question: What next? Well, I’m pleased to have the answer for you. An answer that I KNOW works. How do I know? Because I’ve tried and tested this many times and it ALWAYS works – it NEVER EVER fails.

Ok, ok I’ll get on with it…! Basically, you need to start a daily ‘process’ and you need to do this ‘process’ at least twice a day, although if you can manage three times, even better.

Here are the easy-to-follow steps (we all love steps don’t we?!)

1. You need to make a list of your negative beliefs and switch them into positive, affirmative statements, better known as ‘affirmations’. For example, if one of your negative beliefs happens to be:

“If I’m a successful author my family and friends will get jealous and they won’t want to speak to me anymore.”

Then you’d change that to:

“I’m a hugely successful, best-selling author and my friends and family are delighted to see me doing so well.”

Aim for three affirmations, or more if you happen to have more negative beliefs around your writing.

2. Record yourself saying these affirmations on to a mp3 player, or similar device. Repeat each affirmation at least five times.

3. Now comes the `process’ part. At least twice a day you must

a) meditate for at least 20 minutes. Sit or lie in a relaxed position, close your eyes and empty your mind of thoughts (look out for a future email about how to meditate)

b) spend 5 or 10 minutes envisaging youself as a best-selling author, doing book signings, travelling the globe, speaking to audiences, attending press interviews and photo shoots.

c) repeat your affirmations out loud at least five times each.

d) listen to your audio recording of affirmations.

e) think of a time in your life you’ve been wildly successful, really get into that moment again, turn up all your senses – really FEEL it.

f) now at the height of that feeling repeat your most important affirmation a few more times.

There, now that you have the recipe for success, it’s up to you to put into practise. Consider this. You wouldn’t go a whole day without brushing your teeth would you? Well just make this ‘success process’ as much a part of your routine as brushing your teeth and you’ll be at the top of the Amazon best-sellers list before you know it!

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

If you’re at the stage of writing your book where you’ve finished editing and proofreading and you’re ready to send it off to publishers and agents, then first you’ll need to put together a submissions package.

Unfortunately, not too many writers are familiar with the kind of information they should include in their submissions package, so today I’m going to let you know!

Along with your writing sample you should also prepare and send the following to prospective publishers and agents:

An introductory / query letter
A synopsis
A CV
An outline of the market
A book blurb

Introductory / Query Letter – This will most definitely be read so take the time to write a good one! Include such information as what kind of book you want to publish, whether you have completed the book or not and some details about your personality. One side of the page is plenty – any longer and you run the risk of boring the reader. And one last tip, begin your letter well, as the first 11 words are absolutely crucial.

Synopsis - If you have written a fiction book then share what kind of book it is and what genre it sits within. Do not describe the plot in chapter by chapter order. Instead, sum it up in a nutshell, without going into the back story. Like the covering letter aim for no more than one side of an A4 sheet of paper.

If you have written a non-fiction book say what the competition is and why your book is different. Include facts, figures and other interesting detail about the subject of your book.

CV - Don’t just print off the CV that you used to apply for your latest job. Most of the information in it won’t be relevant to writing and getting your book published. Rewrite your CV focussing on your strengths of character and any writing achievements, or press interviews that you have experienced. Publishers seek authors who are willing to get stuck into the promotion of their book and who possess the necessary traits to make a good job of it.

Outline Of The Market – Again stick to one side of an A4 sheet of paper for this. Include what kind of book you have written, your qualifications to write it, how the book differs to others focused around the same subject and the kind of person you believe will purchase your book.

Book Blurb - This is the writing on the back of a book, which usually propels readers into making a decision about whether to buy your book or not. It should tempt the reader into wanting to know more immediately, without giving away how the book ends.

Once you have all this ready, then begin sending off your manuscript excerpt and supporting documents to relevant publishers and agents. Good luck!

And remember, if you are having trouble putting together your submissions package, or you’d like me to do it on your behalf, then I offer the full service, including a list of 30 relevant publishers and agents to approach, for a fee of $200 / 150€ / 135GBP.

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

Nowadays more and more authors are sharing their pre-published work with strangers across the world via the internet. It’s all very well taking this step to get feedback from fellow writers, but how do you know that some other ‘writer’ in some other corner of the globe, won’t copy your characters, your storyline, or even your whole manuscript?

In short, you don’t! That’s why it’s important to get your work copyrighted. The best place to do this is through The Copyright Registration Service

Any original creative work which has been recorded in some way may be registered through the CRS. This includes textual material such as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, reference, scripts, screenplays, etc…

So why bother? Well, if you have written a book, you need to protect it from being copied, stolen, or subject to unauthorised use. To do this, you need to prove that you are the rightful owner of the book. If someone else publishes your writing under their name, they will be assumed to be the rightful copyright-holder, unless you can prove otherwise.

Registering your work through the CRS provides independent third-party verification of your ownership of your work, helping to protect your rights and avoid lengthy and/or unsuccessful legal proceedings.

Your work can be registered online by clicking here.

Don’t run the risk of your work being copied by word thieves. Protect it now!

Love & Light

The Word Queen xx

As writers, that day when we hear our first book is going to be published is a milestone moment. Finally, after years, or sometimes even decades of wishing and hoping, our dreams come true.

I decided I was going to get a book published ever since the tender age of five. At that point in my life I’d just written my first novel called The Black Cat. I even made it a front cover and drew a cute little illustration on each page. I’ve kept that self-made book ever since and when I read it now I can’t help but laugh ….Most of the words revolve around what food the characters ate that day!

So I’ve come a long way since my first attempt. Following that I penned a 13-part series of children’s stories, which I rewrote at the age of 17 in a serious quest to find a publisher. I found an agent at that time, but sadly no publishing deal ever came off. It was easy to feel disheartened, and for perhaps the third or fourth time, I pushed the idea of becoming a published author to the back of my mind.

But it was one of those dreams that just kept on popping up. Every time I felt that burning need to be the best and most expansive version of myself (and we all have those moments I believe) the author goal always outdid any other ideas ten to one.

And so I kept on trying. I rewrote the children’s stories for a third time and sent them to around 50 different publishers. The closest I got to a deal was one publisher’s letter which read ‘our panel reached a majority decision to publish your book, but unfortunately not a unanamous decision.’ To say I felt devasted is an understatement.

Luckily, writing always played a role in my life anyway, as throughout a 12-year period I worked as a local newspaper reporter, copywriter and magazine editor.

It wasn’t until 2004 when I moved to Spain and decided to write an account of my adventure and experiences, that I finally struck the gold I’d been seeking since childhood!

I named the book Sol Searching, A Fun-Filled Tale Of A Modern Girl’s Move To The Costa Del Sol and within six months I’d found a publisher. A few months later I had my first ever published book in my hands, and boy did it feel good.

My goal now is to help other writers like you to get their work published. I know first-hand that it’s a goal well worth fighting for. As an author your reputation accelerates to new levels and all kinds of doors begin to open.

So please don’t give up…The truth is, you’re already an author, you just need to tune into it and allow it to manifest in your reality.

Think back to your first book and just at how far you’ve come since then. Now do you think you can do it? Of course you do!

Love & Light, The Word Queen xx