The formula for writing success
By Marcella Simmons
My dream to become a writer started many years ago when my children were
little; the desire lay dormant long before that and I had no clue how to
pursue my dream in those early years. I had no formal training and couldn't
afford it anyway. I didn't own a typewriter or word processor and wouldn't have
known how to use one if I had owned one. There was one thing I did for years
before any training or equipment was available to me though; in spite of the
things I didn't have... I kept a journal and wrote everyday using the tools
at hand: pen and paper. Stories were penned in notebooks, and kept with my
journal notebooks (stored in boxes in my closet for years), and are still
packed away in storage today.
These notebooks will never be used for anything except taking up space in my
storage shed, but I keep them in spite of everything because they were the
learning material that helped get me from point "a" to be point "b" in the
beginning of my writing career. I wouldn't have got here had it not been
for my determination to become a writer and the simple but essential
material (pen and paper) needed to get me here. I used every resource
available at the time and when new equipment became available I
utilised every possible avenue afforded me to get here. And I wrote... and
wrote... and wrote all the while.
My stories, poems and articles didn't always get published. In fact, I
rarely ever got paid for my writing except in copies in the early years of
my career. But that was payment in some small way – it was proof that I was
writing and getting published. And proof that I was learning "how" to become
a writer. My stories and articles weren't always that good, but over time
some of those same stories or articles that were published and paid for in
copies were rewritten and published elsewhere, and sometimes I would
receive a small check for my work.
Talent, creativity and inspiration certainly go hand and hand, and are very
important ingredients in the formula for success. These ingredients alone
won't get you there unless you take the time to learn how to be a writer,
how to market your material and gain the experience you learn through trial
and error and hard work. Learning how to write and how to market our work
are two important aspects that, as writers, we must learn. Success doesn't
happen overnight.
If you decide to write a book, and want it published, but you don't want to
search for a market for it, then there are other options like
self-publishing or vanity publishing. In my opinion, taking the easy road
out isn't the answer. This "key" won't open the door to success that the
real learning experience "key" opens for you. Personally, I chose not to
self-publish because I knew that through hard work and determination I'd
eventually get my book in the hands of the right publisher. My first novel,
Anywhere But There is available in ebook and print format through the
publisher at Itoh Press LLC, and on
Amazon and
Smashwords, and the second
novel Till Death Do Us Part will be available later this year.
If you're willing to take the time, and learn how to be a writer, the secret
of success is already in your hands – the road to success is the road we
choose for ourselves.
To search for a publisher, go to
www.firstwriter.com/publishers
Editor's pick: New
literary agent, publisher and magazine listings in April
New Magazine Listing
Publishes:
Essays; Fiction; Nonfiction; Poetry; Reviews;
Areas
include: Cookery; Short Stories;
Markets:
Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Publishes poetry, fiction,
creative nonfiction, book reviews, and art, related to food.
Send submissions by post with SAE in specific submission
windows. See website for more details.
https://www.firstwriter.com/magazines/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1949
New Publisher Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Nonfiction;
Areas include:
Autobiography; Culture; Current Affairs; Entertainment;
Literature; Philosophy; Psychology; Self-Help; Short
Stories; Women's Interests;
Markets: Adult;
Family; Youth;
Preferred styles: Commercial;
Literary; Mainstream; Niche; Popular; Positive
An American-based Publication
Company, founded in 2014. Our goal is to bring quality
literature to the public. Reading should be a passtime that
not only informs the mind but stirs the spirit and inspires
the heart. A good book is a treasured find. We want to
provide you memories you will share.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1952
New Literary Agency Listing
Handles:
Fiction; Nonfiction;
Areas: Adventure;
Archaeology; Biography; Crime; Culture; Fantasy; Gothic;
Historical; Sci-Fi; Sociology; Suspense; Thrillers;
Markets: Adult; Children's; Youth;
Treatments:
Commercial; Contemporary; Literary
Send submissions by email. See
website for specific agent interests and contact details.
https://www.firstwriter.com/Agents/agents_details.cgi?RecordNumber=1114
New Magazine Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Interviews; Nonfiction; Poetry; Reviews;
Areas include: Autobiography; Short Stories;
Markets: Adult; Literary
Publishes fiction, poetry,
creative nonfiction, memoirs, book reviews, and author
interviews. No fiction or poetry for young children, young
adult, fantasy, romance, sci-fi, or horror. Send submissions
by post with SASE and 25-75 word bio. No electronic
submissions.
https://www.firstwriter.com/magazines/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1952
New Publisher Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Poetry; Scripts;
Areas include: Drama;
Short Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred
styles: Literary
Publishes 1-2 chapbooks per year
of various genres (poetry, prose, drama, etc.). Always open
to proposals. Poetry chapbooks should consist of 18-30 poems
with a connecting theme or notion; fiction chapbooks should
be 32-72 pages and may be short story collections or one or
two longer works. Send proposal by email or by post with
SASE in first instance. See website for more details.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1955
New Magazine Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Short Stories;
Markets: Adult
Publishes poetry and fiction.
Send 3-5 poems and brief bio, or fiction up to 5,000 words
(can be collections of flash fiction or a single story),
using online submission system only. $3 fee.
https://www.firstwriter.com/magazines/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1955
New Publisher Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Nonfiction;
Areas include: Adventure;
Crime; Erotic; Fantasy; Historical; Horror; Mystery;
Romance; Sci-Fi;
Markets: Adult; Youth
Publishes LesbianGayBiTransQueer
general and genre fiction, and nonfiction. Accepts
unsolicited mss by email with one-page synopsis. See website
for full guidelines.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1951
New Publisher Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Nonfiction; Culture; Fantasy; Historical; Horror;
Sci-Fi;
Markets: Adult; Youth
Publishes vampire fiction and
nonfiction.
Fiction should be full-length novels
75,000 to 150,000 words in length. No short story
collections. Interested in dramatic fiction with a realistic
tone. All work must be entirely the author's work (not using
any elements of other, established worlds). No slayers,
hunters, etc.
Nonfiction of 50,000 words to 150,000
words exploring vampires in folklore, cultural tradition,
occult theory and as a modern social subgroup or
counter-culture are also sought.
Accepts approaches
by post or email. See website for full guidelines.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1956
New Magazine Listing
Publishes:
Essays; Fiction; Nonfiction;
Areas include: Short
Stories;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles:
Experimental; Literary; Traditional
Publishes the work of new or
established writers and can include short stories of any
length, reportage, essays or novel extracts from anywhere in
the world. Allows space for stories of different styles and
subjects to rub up against each other, featuring classic
slice-of-life alongside the experimental, the shocking and
strange. Submit by post with SAE and personal contact
details, or by email.
https://www.firstwriter.com/magazines/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1956
New Publisher Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Nonfiction;
Markets: Adult;
Preferred styles: Literary
Publishes adult literary fiction
and nonfiction. Send query with SAE, synopsis, and 50 double
spaced pages.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1957
New Publisher Listing
Publishes:
Fiction;
Areas include: Romance;
Markets:
Adult;
Preferred styles: Contemporary
Publishes contemporary romance.
Submissions by email only - see website for full guidelines.
https://www.firstwriter.com/publishers/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1958
New Magazine Listing
Publishes:
Fiction; Poetry;
Areas include: Fantasy; Horror;
Sci-Fi; Short Stories;
Markets: Adult
Publishes Science Fiction,
fantasy, and horror short stories up to 6,000 words and
poems up to 50 lines. Accepts submissions by post and by
email. See website for full guidelines.
https://www.firstwriter.com/magazines/details.cgi?RecordNumber=1959
This is just a small sample of the listings
delivered to subscribers' inboxes this month. To start
receiving your own daily updates, subscribe now at
www.firstwriter.com/subscribe
Articles from around the
web this month
Report shows book sales held steady in
2013 Even with slowing momentum for
e-books and no new blockbusters such as "Fifty Shades of
Grey," publishing held its own last year.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2594500/Report-shows-book-sales-held-steady-2013.html#ixzz2xlZytZT2
Writing a Book with Friends
 How
exactly do three people write one book all while living in
different places? With a lot of time. San Antonian James
Dennis and friends Brent Douglas and John Terry Davis spent
more than 20 years working on their first novel, trading off
chapters mostly with the goal of making one another laugh.
When it was finally finished, their first book, Thin Slice
of Life, won the Writers’ League of Texas’ award for Best
Mystery Manuscript before its publication. Their second
endeavor, LaSalle’s Ghost, was published last year. In both
novels, the authors bring a Gulf Coast flair to the crime
thriller genre using an interesting blend of mystery and
Texas-sized culture clashes. We sat down with Dennis before
his Saturday appearance at the San Antonio Book Festival to
find out what it’s like to write collaboratively.
http://www.sanantoniomag.com/SAM-Says/Spring-2014/Writing-a-Book-with-Friends
Tom Weldon: "Some say publishing is in
trouble. They are completely wrong"
 The
indie booksellers are shutting up shop, authors struggle to
make a living, and more than 60% of 18-to-30-year-olds would
rather watch a DVD than get their nose in a book. But as the
publishing world gathers at the annual London Book Fair this
week, one of the UK's leading publishers thinks the notion
of the book industry in crisis is just a cliched old story.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/apr/06/london-book-fair-penguin-random-house-tom-weldon
Jessica Craig To Leave United Agents And Join Pontas As
Literary Agent
The Pontas Literary & Film Agency, a Barcelona-based
international agency representing authors from all over
the world, is glad to announce that New Yorker and
Londoner Jessica Craig will be joining the team on
September 1st, 2014.
http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/53294
Indie Authors Seeking an Agent: Take Note! Q&A With
Literary Agents Jeff Kleinman and Michelle Brower (Part II
of III)
 If you're an Indie author looking for an agent, take note!
In this Part II of my interview with literary agents Jeff
Kleinman and Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management,
they open up about industry numbers that tend to grab
their attention by sharing the importance of Amazon
rankings, reviews, price points, and book sales.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heather-hummel/qa-with-literary-agents-j_b_5147606.html
Writing Sex Scenes for the Non-Genre Novelist
For mainstream, non-genre novelists, writing sex scenes
into a story line poses some serious questions. Unlike
pornography, which is intended to arouse sexual
excitement, literary novelists are concerned with insight,
revelation, pace and tone. They must consider whether any
extended graphic portrayal of sex is indigenous to
character and plot development, and not merely a
distracting detour offering the reader an erotic impulse.
It can also be a clear sign that the story is flagging and
that the author needs to reach for a kind of artificial
sweetener to jolt his reader alert.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/warren-adler/writing-sex-scenes-for-th_b_5112979.html
Writing Your Memoir? Ignore These Rules
It's your story. It's your life. You can write it your
way. You are the hero of your memoir, and you are in
charge of how you present your life to your readers.
Please write with passion and write with integrity.
Here are some usual writing guidelines that are not
necessary for memoirists to follow.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roberta-temes-phd/writing-your-memoir-ignor_b_5186793.html?utm_hp_ref=books&ir=Books
Writers' Trust introduces new $25K Canadian poetry prize
 The Writers' Trust of Canada has announced the creation of
a new $25,000 annual award for poetry.
The Latner
Writers' Trust Poetry Prize, sponsored by the Latner
Family Foundation and administered by the Writers' Trust,
will recognize a mid-career Canadian poet's "exceptional
body of work" and "hope of future contributions to
Canadian poetry," according to a press release issued on
Tuesday.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2014/04/writers-trust-introduces-new-25k-canadian-poetry-prize.html
What Compels an Agent to Sign an Author? Q&A With Literary
Agents Jeff Kleinman and Michelle Brower (Part III of III)
 In
this Part III of the series from my interview with
literary agents Jeff Kleinman and Michelle Brower of Folio
Literary Management; they continue to shed light on the
industry by discussing what compels them to sign an author
and how willing they are to edit.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heather-hummel/what-compells-an-agent-to_b_5199873.html
The science of writing SF
 So you want to write sci-fi, eh? Some claim that creative
writing cannot be taught, but it can certainly be learned.
And a good guide, be it a teacher or a handbook, can help
shave hundreds of hours from your learning process. Of
course the best sci-fi is just great writing by any
measure, so it behooves any young writer to look at the
best guides for general fiction writers. But sci-fi
writing brings its own special challenges, and has its own
canon of teachings to help overcome them.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/apr/25/science-writing-sf-guides-pointers-creative
Resources for
writers at firstwriter.com
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