We no longer keep an on-site archive of writing quotations, but here's something better. Download Musings©, an excellent tip-of-the-day type program offering inspirational writing quotes and creative writing exercises. Musings is a free download, with free registration required to unlock the entire program. (Download is 1.7mb) Very well reviewed by several shareware sites.

Writing For Yourself First		Inspiration
The Wide World of E-Publishing		Fool-Proof Acceptance Test
Author Interview with Lisa Kelly		Does A Parent Have Time to Write A Book?
Promises		Writing For The Web
The Writer's Holiday Blues		Writing For Children--Child's Play?
Keeping 'em on the Street		Thinking Like A Writer
Critics--Choosing & Using them Wisely		Writing for the Web: Where to Get Article Ideas
How To Review Anything		Is Your Idea A Story?
Take Control of Your Time		Go Around The Mule
Throw Obstacles At Your Characters		What Is Copyright?
Choosing An Effective Title		Revealing Character
Can You Really Write A Book In 14 Days?		In Quest of An Elegant Writing Style

May 2001
Writing for the Web: Where to Get Article Ideas by Richard Lowe, Jr.

Part I

A friend and I were talking the other day about writing. He liked to write, but even so his biggest problem was finding things to write about. My friend was astounded at the volume of writing that I do - at least one article and something as many as six, per day. Where do I get all of the ideas from?

I, in turn, was astonished myself. Why on earth would anyone have any trouble finding things to write about? In fact, my main problem has been I have so much to write about that I often find myself locked in a silent battle over which subject should be put on paper first.

People find it even more amazing when I tell them I try very hard to only write about positive events and provide helpful articles. Only rarely will you find any of my writings containing criticism, complaints or, worst of all, whining. Occasionally I will write an article which recommends against purchasing a product, seeing a movie, reading a book or visiting a web site, but these are the exception.

The world is a huge, amazing, wondrous place. Things are going on around us all of the time. There is so much good to see and do all over the planet, so very many wonderful things going on all over the place, that it's easy to find something to communicate about if only you open your eyes and look.

One of my passions is the internet. I've written over 1,000 articles about all aspects of this massive communication medium. Much of this is taken from my 23 years of experience in the computer field, and the rest is from research, reading and, most of all, questions from other people.

Although much of my writing is about the internet, I also find time to communicate about many other subjects as well. These include relationships (marriage and romance), raising children, building a career, handling office politics, current events, hobbies and history. I have yet to find a subject which I don't have something useful to contribute to other people.

How do I find so much to write about? Let me tell you some of the ways: Many of my article ideas some from real life - For example, I have a long and happy marriage, so I like to write articles which help people with their relationships. I've also worked hard most of my life, as have most people, building a career, which is another area where I enjoy passing along tips to help others.

Question and answer sites - Sites like askme.com and askjeeves.com are perfect places to visit once in a while looking for ideas for articles. I visit and just scan the questions (and there are thousands of them), looking for anything which looks interesting. When I find something, I write an article.

Newsgroups - There are over 70,000 newsgroups. Most of these are worthless, but several thousand of them contain useful information and varied conversations. Lurk in any active newsgroup for a while and you should find something worthwhile to write about.

Yahoo and DMOZ - Visit any big directory site and you will find thousands of subjects to explore.

Egroups and Topica - There are thousands of email discussion lists available at these two sites. Sign up for a few and get articles ideas from them.

There are many other places to look for article ideas all over the internet. I tend to avoid looking at things like ezines, ebooks and web sites for article ideas. Why? Because when I look for article ideas I am not looking for answers.

What I tend to look for is questions. What kind of questions are people asking? Is there a question which begs some further analysis and a little more explanation than a simple sentence? It does not matter if someone else has already answered, as my primary purpose is not to provide raw information.

My primary purpose is to help people understand. You can find out raw information from any number of books or encyclopedias, but finding out how to clean up the clutter in your bedroom, well, that takes something different. That requires the experience and knowledge passed from someone who has had to go through the experience of cleaning many times, so many times that it has become easy.

Interestingly, I've found that television is not as worthwhile as one would expect for article ideas. Excluding a few reviews, I've found television to be a vast wasteland, void of anything but the most trivial or violent concepts in our society. The exceptions are, of course, channels such as Nova, History channel and Discovery.

So the next time you are trying to figure out something to write about for your own ezine, web site or ebook, just check out a newsgroup, elist or directory on a subject which you find interesting. Sooner or later, you will get an idea and you can start writing.

(continued below...)

---

Part II -- More Places to Get Ideas

There are many places all over the place to get article ideas. Part 1 of this series explored some of the locations on the internet. This part goes into some of the places you can find ideas outside of the web.

Libraries - Believe it or not, libraries still exist and are going string. In fact, there are dozens of libraries in just about every major cities, and most towns have at least one. Even the town where I grew up, Lake Arrowhead, California, had a small public library.

Libraries are great places to get ideas for articles. I like to just visit and wander up and down the isles, looking at titles, occasionally opening a book and flipping through the pages. It's rare that I don't walk away with at least one or two ideas which turn directly into articles.

Botanical Gardens - A few miles from my house is one of the best places on the planet - the Huntington Library. This is an awesome collection of art museums and displays which is not equaled anywhere in the world (at least in my humble opinion). One of the things that makes this magical place even more enjoyable is the surrounding botanical gardens.

The library gardens are divided up into different habitats, duplicating most of the major environments of the planet. I've spent many enjoyable hours wandering through the place, just looking at the plants and environments, getting dozens and dozens of article ideas.

Something about the gardens relaxes my mind and causes the thinking process to become calmer and more organized. Ideas just seem to float up to the surface, waiting for me to just pluck them up and convert them into articles.

Museums - Of course, museums are excellent places to get article ideas. I have the pleasure of living just a few miles from a number of excellent museums including La Brea tar pits (dinosaur and extinct animal articles), the Air And Space Museum (obvious), Museum of Science and Industry (technology articles), the Natural History Museum (thousands of article ideas just waiting to be found) and art museums galore.

I like to visit with a pad of paper and just wander up and down the corridors, just looking at things. Ideas pop into my head and I write them down. Quite a few of these become articles (and a few stories). Magazines - I skim over a dozen magazines every single day, looking for anything interesting. Sometimes I'll stop and read and article, but mostly I am looking for ideas for articles of my own.

I must stop here for a moment and discuss copyrights for a moment. The concept I present in these articles is how to find ideas for articles, not to copy or paraphrase other people's works. Anyone can do that, and by the way, it is illegal to "borrow" another person's work.

It is perfectly fine, however, to read an article and get an idea or two for your own. What I like to do is read an article or book and jot down a few ideas. I then let it lie for a few days, come back to it and write my own, completely original article.

For example, I read an article about raising children, and for some reason thought about how to protect plants from small kids. What a great idea for a story. So I wrote it down, and one day I'll write an article about it. So that's the secret. Just wander around looking at things. It doesn't matter where and it doesn't matter what you look at. Your mind will start working, and before long an idea will percolate to the surface. This may be followed by another and another.

A short disclaimer. If you are not used to this kind of creative process, please understand that it can be pretty frightening. Especially to some of the students produced by our modern education system, who have been conditioned to not have original thoughts anymore. Don't worry, that strange feeling you get when you visit a museum or a library is just your brain cells waking up from the long hibernation that began when you entered Kindergarten. It's not dangerous and once you get used to the feelings they can be quite intoxicating. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Copyright (C) Richard Lowe Jr. and Claudia Arevalo-Lowe, 1999-2001

Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets. This website includes over 1,000 free articles to improve your internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.
Web Site Address: http://www.internet-tips.net
Weekly newsletter: http://www.internet-tips.net/joinlist.htm
Daily Tips: mailto:internet-tips@GetResponse.com

Claudia Arevalo-Lowe is the webmistress of Internet Tips And Secrets and Surviving Asthma. Visit her site at http://survivingasthma.com

List of articles available for reprint: mailto:article-list@internet-tips.net

May 2001
Critics--Choosing & Using Them Wisely by Julie A. Serroul

Your Mom. Not your best critic, right? That depends on your definition of a good critic, and upon your relationship with your mother. When my mother reads my work, she is stunned by its utter brilliance. The characters, the setting, the story, right down to the individual words I ‘ve chosen--all brilliant. My mother is an avid reader, enjoying mystery and suspense/thrillers (especially medical or forensic) above all, but certainly up for some dabbling in other genres. Normally, such a well- and widely-read person enjoying my work so thoroughly would expand my ego to an obnoxious size. However, there’s nothing like a few form-letter rejections to pop and sizzle your ego-balloon.

Critiquing of your work by others is a valuable tool to help you craft your piece. The critics you choose and their method of critiquing, however, is something to examine carefully. The members of your writing group, other writers, and editors, will be more critical of your work than your mother or your friends. Helpful critiquers should be willing to dissect, analyze, and chew over every little sentence fragment, and make comments with fairness and objectivity. The ultimate goal of critiquing is improvement of your piece, not humiliation of your spirit. An excellent sample of questions and answers to be sought when examining a story or excerpt can be found in the Toolbox section of The Scriptorium entitled “Critique Sheet”.

You need this impartial critiquing, especially if you are just starting out, but it is helpful later as well. As for the critics themselves, it is important to keep in mind whether or not the individual in question reads and enjoys the genre or type of story that you have given them to critique before giving too much weight to their comments. Pay special attention to repeat criticism. If one individual among the critics you’ve selected doesn’t like a personality quirk in your main character, that’s one thing; it could be a personal preference only. If several of your critics are uncomfortable with it, however, then that bears some re-examination of your character.

All this having been said, my Mom is still one of my best critics. Why? Because her tears over the moving parts, laughter over the funny bits, and excitement over the action segments are like soothing bandages to my rejection letter wounds. The perfect panacea. No matter how many rejections you receive, it is still a depressing and painful experience. Your “Mom-Critic” doesn’t have to be your mother. It could be your husband/wife, father, sister/brother, or best friend (unless she’s also a writer/editor and quite capable of being impartial when necessary).

Carefully selected, impartial critics are essential to the improvement of your work. Your “Mom- Critic” is essential to the survival of your writer’s spirit, and I’d highly recommend one.

Thanks, Mom.

Copyright © 2001, Julie A. Serroul.

Julie A. Serroul is an associate editor at The Scriptorium and an aspiring speculative fiction writer. Several of her articles have appeared in The Scriptorium Webzine for Writers.

May 2001
Thinking Like A Writer by Sherry D. Ramsey

It's not uncommon to hear people talk about how much they'd like to be writers. It sounds like a dream job to them: being your own boss, working when and wherever you want to work, and of course, the fame, fortune, and recognition of being a best-selling author.

Strangely enough, they often don't mention wanting to actually write. These people don't comprehend the solitude of actual writing, sitting alone and staring at a flashing cursor on a blank screen, or the taunting emptiness of a sheet of paper. They can't fathom the frustration of having a really great story idea, or character, or scene in your head and having no clue what to do with it. They don't grasp the reality of the long line of rejection slips that lines the path to writing success.

But you, you who are reading this, you do understand all that. You know what it's like to want to write, to get those precious minutes or hours to actually sit down and sweat out the words and scenes and characters of the story that's rolling around in your head. You don't want to talk about it, you want to do it!

That's wonderful. But there's more to being a successful writer than just writing. There's being a writer.

If you want to be a successful writer, you have to think like a writer. You have to immerse yourself in "writerliness." You have to read--the kinds of things you want to write and everything else you can fit in, too. You have to devour books about writing, articles about writing, and industry news, and subscribe to newsletters and websites devoted to writing. You have to learn to critique writing-your own and that of others-in writing groups, personal or virtual workshops, or simply sitting at home. You have to attend book launches, author readings, workshops, seminars and writer's gatherings whenever possible. You have to find ways to meet, correspond with, and have discussions with other writers.

Why? Writing is a solitary pursuit for most of us. But the business of being a writer isn't solitary at all. Remember that writing is based on communication, the very antithesis of solitude. The knowledge, insight, help and enjoyment you can derive from being part of the writing community is so great that it doesn't even make sense to try and do it in isolation.

Oh, it's possible to be a reclusive writer. But it isn't nearly as much fun.

Copyright ©2001 by Sherry D. Ramsey. All rights reserved.

About the book: Designed to help new writers find answers fast, The New Writer's Guide to Just About Everything features more than sixty sections, providing essential advice on topics like developing ideas, the craft of writing, techniques for editing, basic rules for submitting work, and a little bit of philosophy about writing. Learn more or order your copy today at Booklocker.com.

April 2001
Does a Parent Have Time to Write a Book? by Angela Giles Klocke

One of the biggest issues in writing as a parent is that projects must be short so that we can finish them before taking off after our children. I have found it easier myself. However, most writers have the desire to write a book and many of us will not be satisfied with waiting until all the children have grown up and moved out.

So how can a parent have time to write a whole novel? As one who is working on that now (two simultaneously, in fact), I have run into many obstacles but I have found ways to beat them. Granted, you may not finish your book in record time like a non-parent might, but you will finish it.

First of all, it is important to set up new rules with the family. They need to know that you are now working on a long-term project. This means that you won't be done this afternoon. Your time will be concentrated on this project for months and months, maybe even years (sorry.) It is vitally important that they understand your need for some alone time to write. Infants won't get it, of course, but older children can.

Next, if you can possibly find some space where you can set up shop away from the family, that is a great beginning. Not everyone has this luxury but take the time to think of what place might be out of the way that you haven't thought of before. Don't move into the laundry room unless you don't use it to do laundry. Otherwise, not only will you be distracted by noise, but someone will always suddenly inevitably have dirty clothes to put in there, thus interrupting you as usual.

I recently moved into my garage. It is enclosed and more private than my previous settings, a corner of the living room. I have the option of having the children play on their side while I am working if there is no one else home to watch them, or I can shut the door and have quiet to work.

If you can't move into a private room, at least try to move away from the traffic of daily home life. Don't set up near the television or where everyone has to pass. Perhaps you could even use a corner of your bedroom where you could lock everyone out of you need to.

What else can you do? You don't always need to write on your computer or typewriter. There still is such a thing as pen and paper and, many times, you might find it easier and better to draft on paper. Not only can you sometimes write more flowingly, but you CAN lock yourself away from it all a lot easier. I have found it harder than it sounds to set up the PC in the bathroom!

Since you are writing a book, you need to prioritize your time now. Television viewing is great, I do it, but if you have the choice of using that time to spend with your children or on your book, make the choice wisely. The biggest struggles you will face will be between writing and your family. Make sure both receive equal attention, not either one less than or more than. For in the end, when all is said and done, you will want to have both -- a finished, published book and a happy, supportive family. Otherwise, it's just not worth it.

On a final note, make sure you also have self-confidence. If you don't have it now, get it. You'll need it to work your way through an entire project like this while trying to be the best parent you can be. Don't ever talk down to yourself about either one of your important priorities - family and book. Again, if you do, one or both will suffer.

Now go write that book!

Copyright Angela Giles Klocke. All rights reserved.

This article previously appeared on Angela's Suite101.com site, Writing Help for Parents. Angela is the publisher of several online publications and is currently at work on a few of her own books. Visit her site at http://www.klockepresents.com

April 2001
Writing for the Web by Ann Silberman

Want to try your hand at writing for an online publication? While the pay scale for online articles is still lower than for print magazines, the web is catching up. Many sites now pay in the hundreds for a 750 word article. Aside from money, there are other rewards to online writing. You will see your article published far sooner than in a print magazine - and the response of an editor to a query is also typically quicker. This lack of waiting allows you to come up with more ideas and publish more articles, which quickly makes up for the pay differences. Researching the publication is a much simpler matter than with a print magazine since it's right at your fingertips - no more hours at the library.

You should be aware, however, that writing for the web requires far different skills than does writing for a magazine or newspaper. Research has shown that people who read articles online are less likely to spend a lot of time reading, the way they might a magazine article. Computer screens are tiring for the eyes and they read about 25% slower than paper. Readers are typically restless and less likely to read long articles, and they are more likely to scan for keywords, or skim the article. If the information the reader is seeking isn't readily apparent, another article is just a mouse click way. Each page has to compete with thousands - even millions - of other pages with similar information.

Therefore, you have to use certain techniques to be an effective web writer:

Concise Writing: Web writing requires tightly written articles. There shouldn't be extraneous information or wordy explanations. Word count should be half of what it would be for a similar print article. Bulleted items are a good way of presenting key facts.

Style: The tone should be personal and conversational, and above all, direct and to the point. State your position immediately, then explain your reasoning later. Headlines are important, and the headline text has to stand on its own; often, a reader may choose to skip a section entirely. Break up long pieces of information by using hypertext.

Straight facts: Online readers don't want a bunch of hype, advertising or adjectives. No teasers to get readers to click somewhere else. No build up before getting to the point. Your readers want information, and they don't want to have to work for it.

Writing for the web can be very rewarding, but throw away the old rulebook. A different type of reading requires a different type of writing. When composing your first web article, remember these points, and you will be in demand.

Copyright ©2001 Ann Silberman. All rights reserved.

Ann Silberman has published numerous articles, both online and in print. She is the webmaster of a site for writers, AWritersLife.net, and she puts out a weekly newsletter designed to help freelance writers earn greater success. For more information, or to subscribe to the newsletter - see the site: http://www.awriterslife.net
AOL users click here

April 2001
Writing For Children--Child's Play? by Julie A. Serroul

Writing for children--what could be easier, right? I mean, it's not like you have to satisfy a more sophisticated adult audience. Children are simpler-minded creatures, they should be satisfied by simple little stories. There's no need to put much thought into plot complications, character development, or setting - there's barely any text, for goodness sake. How hard can it be? It's what you do if you lack the savvy to write for adults, isn't it?

All of the previous comments are common misconceptions, held by many writers and non-writers alike. It's been debated by numerous parties, and the consensus is that it's not as easy as it appears. Personally, I didn't need the debates to ascertain this. I have children and am surrounded by children in my life. They are extremely complex and varied little people. As well, today's child has been bombarded by planet-wide images and concepts via television and/or computers. Even pre-schoolers have definite and individual tastes about what is enough to keep them interested in the smaller world of books. Television pre- chews their entertainment. If they're going to have to sit still and concentrate for their enjoyment, it had better deliver.

I've never seriously considered attempting to write stories for children, but if an idea for one arises, I'm certainly not averse to trying my hand at it. My past efforts at drafting up something for my own kids, although enjoyed by them, probably do not hold enough general appeal to be marketable. They were written with my own children's tastes in mind, and although that process can undoubtedly produce quality work, it didn't in these cases. (My attempts at accompanying illustrations will never leave my home while I am alive.)

But what brought this issue back to the forefront for me, was one of my current projects. I am working on a writing workshop for Grades 5 and 6 children. It has proven most challenging to not only condense the material I want to cover into a period brief enough to hold their interest, but also to keep the concepts at a level comparable to their own, yet interesting enough to excite them about the world of writing. In discussing this with a teacher at the school, I discovered that she has faced similar challenges.

She teaches a class of mentally-challenged students at the school, and discovered over the years just how little there was of children's literature used in the school system appropriate for her own students. She therefore has undertaken the formidable task of re-writing the texts of classic fairy tales and other stories at an aptitude-appropriate level for her own students. This must be done in a way that maintains the important elements of the stories, but is exciting and compelling enough to absorb children with attention-deficit or other challenges. They, too, have certain demands and expectations of their literature. She has attacked this challenge with pleasure and joy, as well as experience in regard to what works for her students and what doesn't. Re-telling these tales with such a keen understanding of your audience, and then witnessing the impact on your readers first-hand--what could be more rewarding?

Sending your words forth into a world of adults who are individualistic in their reading needs and expectations, and who will, hopefully, take some pleasure in the stories you tell, is exciting. But telling stories to still-developing young minds, who may be impacted or influenced quite powerfully by your words- -well, as far as challenges go, it's not exactly child's play.

Copyright © 2001, Julie A. Serroul.

Julie A. Serroul is an associate editor at The Scriptorium and an aspiring speculative fiction writer. Several of her articles have appeared in The Scriptorium Webzine for Writers.

March 2001
Inspiration by Julie A. Serroul

As a writer I exist on the life-breath of inspiration. Occasionally, I seek it out from hidden places, but other times it wallops me in the back of my head. Sometimes it creeps in quietly, and most inconveniently, when I have no time to take advantage of it. But take advantage of it I must, because I am a writer.

Ideas are one thing; they are constantly arriving and evolving, and they are the roots of some very excellent stories. Inspiration, however, is another animal, or at least, a different incarnation of the same animal, and it chews at everyone differently. It may be that you take your inspiration straight up, on-the-rocks, fresh and instant. Or maybe you prefer to let it percolate, then quietly sip the powerful brew much later.

In any event, it is an irresistible itch, an unquenchable thirst, and a toothache that you can't keep your tongue from. It is at once delicious and tortuous. Enjoy it, whatever it is to you, but do not ignore it. It is a relentless, ardent lover that will passionately pursue you and endure much rejection, but, at some point, will turn abruptly and leave you cold.

Love it back and keep it interested. Because if you let the moment pass, like so much else in life, it is gone forever.

Copyright ©2001 by Julie A. Serroul. All rights reserved.

comments? criticisms? would you like to respond? email scriptorium@thescriptorium.net

Index | End of Page

This article is an excerpt from Meg Weaver's e-book, Writing for Magazines: Twelve New Things Writers Must Do Today To Make Money. You can order the book at Booklocker.com, and read a review in this month's reading department.

You have an idea for a terrific article and you think you have a magazine that would go wild about it. But perhaps your research turned up very little about the magazine; or perhaps you have tons of information, but you're still not sure of the fit. Is there a way to be absolutely, positively be sure that you're querying the right magazine?

There sure is. Let me introduce you to Meg's Foolproof Acceptance Test. If your idea passes this test, only the editor could know better if it's right for the magazine.

Divide a regular sheet of paper into three vertical columns. Of course, instead of a paper and, if you're comfortable with computers, you can use a table in your word processing program, or as I do, a spreadsheet program, to set this up.

Title the left column "Advertiser," the middle column "Message," and the right column " What is the likelihood that people interested in this ad would read my article?" As you work your way through the test, the answers to this questions are either "Great," "Medium," "Slim," or "None." And be honest.

Then take the latest issues of the magazines you want to query and open them randomly to five to ten advertising pages. (Don't peek to pre-select them.) In each column on your sheet of paper or on your computer screen, write down the name of the advertiser(s) in the first column, briefly describe the scene in the ad in the middle column, and, in the right-hand column, whether your article supports the advertisement.

Let me illustrate. Say you're an avid gardener and that you just finished a garden for your new house in the foothills with a wonderful view of the city in the valley below. Since your lot was on a slope you had to confer with a landscape architect about retaining walls, water runoff and soil composition. You learned about new techniques for designing gardens on hillside properties and being a writer, you decided to share your knowledge in a magazine article.

The first magazine that pops into your mind is Garden Design. It seems like an obvious choice, but you do your research and when you come to it's positioning you begin to wonder if this is really the right magazine to query. This is its editorial mission:

"GARDEN DESIGN is the first magazine to treat the garden as a state of mind as well as a place to be. Its mission is to explore the garden with a whole new generation of readers – people whose confident personal style and environmental fervor have led them to rediscover the satisfaction of their own backyards. Along the way, they have learned that every garden path opens up a world of adventure.

GARDEN DESIGN is about culture in every sense – growing, learning, and appreciation. It invites this new generation to celebrate the gardener as an artist and a philosopher, writer and photographer, traveler and collector, horticulturist and, of course, nurturer.

GARDEN DESIGN reveals all the exciting ways we live in outdoor rooms today. It defines a sophisticated yet comfortable garden style that works with nature's rich variety – and at the same time brings the spirit of the garden into our homes.

GARDEN DESIGN's voice is contemporary; it's look, bold and sensuous. Its pages reflects the ideas and issues, passion and just plain fun its readers experience whether they are out in the garden or simply thinking about it."

You're not sure. Words like: "…celebrate the gardener as artist and philosopher…," "Its pages reflect…passion…fun…" are not specific enough for a writer. You just can't make up your mind.

But instead of spending time working on a questionable query, you put your article through Meg's Foolproof Acceptance Test to make sure that you spend your energy on the right effort. Remember, your answers in the right-hand column should be "Great," "Medium," "Slim," or "None."

ADVERTISER	MESSAGE	WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THIS AD WOULD READ MY ARTICLE?
Weber	Ad for top-of-the-line, restaurant-grade outdoor gas grill with warming racks and heavy-duty 14,000 BTU side burner. The headline is: "Grilling Should Be a Joy. Not a Test of Your Nerves."	Medium.
Calvin Klein	Eternity – Fragrances For Men and Women.	Read an article about soil? None.
Baccarat	Photo of man and a woman in a seductive pose. The man is holding a beautiful crystal bowl.	None.
Bermuda Tourist Board	Photo of a beach, surf, blue sky and turquoise water. The headline is "Could an Entire Island Be an Aphrodisiac?"	Well, at least they're interested in nature: Medium.
La Cornue, France	The Chateau 147 commercial-kitchen oven comes in fifteen hand-finished porcelain enamel colors and six different types of metal trim. Headline: Acclaimed by French Gourmets Since 1908.	Slim.
Stone Manor Lighting	Garden lights in the shape of flowers. The headline: Jewels for the Garden.	Medium.
Amdega	Elegant greenhouses and conservatories. The headline: Conservatories handmade in England since 1874 from the finest timber and glass.	Medium.
HotSpring Portable Spas	Photo of man and woman enjoying their spa. Headline: Out there, it's bumper-and- bumper, minute-to-minute, nose-to-nose. In here, it's heart-to-heart.	Slim.

If you look at your answers in the right-hand column, they are not very encouraging. In essence, the magazine's advertisers have turned thumbs down on your article and likely the editor would too. Either don't send a query or reslant your article to fit the magazine.

What about your other choice, Organic Gardening? If we put your article through Meg's Acceptance Test using this magazine, this is what we would get:

ADVERTISER	MESSAGE	WHAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD THAT PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THIS AD WOULD READ MY ARTICLE?
Vita-Mix Corporation	Photos of blenders full of vegetables and the headline: Cook, Freeze, Juice in 4 Easy Steps, and Clean Up Is a Snap!	Hmm, likes to make own food/would like making own soil? Probably. Answer: Medium.
ComposTumbler	People using product to make mulch.	A no-brainer! These people like to make their own soil. Great.
DR Chippers	Photo of wood chipper/shredder.	Medium.
Whole Foods Markets	Headline: Good stuff for you and the planet.	Medium.
Stokes Seeds	Ad for flower and vegetable seeds, tools, pots.	Great.
WormWigWam	Ad for worm composting.	Great.
HoffCo	Ad for Li'l Hoe soil tiller.	Great.

Medium, great, medium, medium, great, great, great. If you did have any doubts about Organic Gardening being the right magazine for your soil article, they should be gone by now. The advertisers just told you that you're right on. Go ahead and query. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

Keep in mind, however, that just because an article idea fails the advertising test doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Reslant your article, take it through the test again and if the reslant passes the test, you may soon be sending out a second query.

In the next chapter you will gather all your information and prepare an all-inclusive query that shows an editor you know what it takes to publish an article.

Copyright ©2000 by Meg Weaver. All rights reserved.
This article may not be reprinted or redistributed in any form without the express permission of the author.

About the Author: Having been published for the first time at 12 years old, Meg has had thousands of articles published on all five continents.

She has an electronic engineering degree and has worked in high-tech sales and marketing for thirty years before starting Wooden Horse Publishing as a news and market resource for article writers.

comments? criticisms? would you like to respond? email scriptorium@thescriptorium.net

Index | End of Page

home | editorial | on writing | creativity | reading | toolbox | articles | software | young writers | links
news | workshops | archives | submissions | advertise

The Scriptorium E-Zine for Writers
ISSN 1492-949X
Editor and Publisher: Sherry D. Ramsey, sherry@thescriptorium.net
Associate Editor: Julie A. Serroul, julie@thescriptorium.net
Site Design: Sherry D. Ramsey
Web Hosting courtesy of GRiM Software

All material copyright Sherry D. Ramsey unless otherwise noted.
Visit Sherry's author site, Dry Mars Heresy
Please report any viewing/navigation difficulties

---

This page hosted by

"Creativity tools for writers"