Terry Whalin replay

Here’s the replay of a very informative session on book proposals. As always Terry Whalin is a fountain of information.Click here to listen or right-click to download.

He was also telling about a great e-course that is 50 emails answering more questions on this topic. Click Here to learn more about Proprosal Secrets

Book Proposals class

On Wednesday night I’ll be interviewing agent Terry Whalin on book
proposals. Since my wrist is out of commission in a cast, I’ve
recorded a message for you. Turn up your speakers, and
click on this link:

http://audiopostcard-007.com/Y.asp?9772283X1166

This session will be of benefit to published and yet-to-be
published writers alike.

See you then!
Rosey Dow

Creating Your Journal

A journal isn’t expensive, but it will be a priceless asset to your writing career. Be careful and thorough in forming this lifeline. You’ll need the following materials:

 

o A 1-inch loose-leaf binder

o Clear tape

o Plastic page protectors

o A few sheets of blank paper for every section

o Dividers

**I make dividers using colorful card stock. Use a sheet of loose-leaf paper as a guide for the width and height of the divider. Trim along one side and form a tab for the title. After trimming, stick a long strip of clear tape down the opposite side and punch holes through the tape. This will keep the page from pulling out.

**Your binder will get lots of use, so all pages should be taped or placed in page protectors.

Sections of Your Journal

1) Description

2) Leads

3) Endings

4) Transitions

5) Emotion/Suspense

6) Characterization

7) Lingo

Names

9) Omission

10) Genre

11) Similes/Metaphors

12) Plot

13) Humor

14) Rhythm

15) Insight

16) Any Other Section You May Need

Preserve your flashes of genius and sudden inspiration under their appropriate sections. As with all journals, this is a living work that changes as you mature in your writing craft. Once you create one, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.

The Writers Journal

Journaling is the single most important way to capture ideas. For a writer, all the world is an idea mill. Simple tasks such as grocery shopping or visiting the drycleaner can generate fascinating character personalities and spark situation setups that will provide the building blocks for a story. A funny incident related to you by a friend or a tragedy experienced by a co-worker are all fair game for writing fodder.

When reading your favorite author, often a turn of phrase or quirky character may jump out at you. Jot these in your journal as well. Put them in quotations with the source, so you’ll know where they came from. These will be jumping-off points for future reference.

Whether it’s a small pad of paper in your pocket or 3 x 5 cards in the purse, a professional writer is never without the tools for jotting down those flashes of genius. Clippings from newspapers and even magazine photographs are also ripe fields for the writing mind. Slip your clippings into page protectors. From time to time, transfer your jotted notes into the journal. Take care in this process.

The neater and more organized your journal is, the easier it will be to use. I often type my ideas into my word processor and print them out, apply a strip of clear tape to the back edge, and punch holes for a page that won’t tear out with years of use. Sometimes, I find a clean sheet of paper already in my journal and write in pen. Find a method that is comfortable for you.