 For Authors: September 16, 2009 Issue [#3277] |
  For Authors
This week: Edited by: Cubby~Ready for the New Year!  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
Hello, everyone! Welcome to this edition of the For Authors newsletter.  This week's topic is focused on tips for nonfiction writing, but first off, I'd like to share a few quotes with you. Enjoy!
Quotes:
Like stones, words are laborious and unforgiving, and the fitting of them together, like the fitting of stones, demands great patience and strength of purpose and particular skill.
~ Edmund Morrison
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Our admiration of fine writing will always be in proportion to its real difficulty and its apparent ease.
~ Charles Caleb Colton
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Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.
~ Joseph Pulitzer |
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Nonfiction Writing Tips
 Nonfiction today needs not only to be informative, but interesting. Cold, hard facts may be hard to focus on for the multi-task reader, or one who tends to daydream easily. To make an article entertaining, the writer might consider adding a creative twist to his or her work. Fewer are the days of academic writing in short, informative articles.
Third Person point of view is preferred in most instances. First or Second Person in more serious articles can come across as flippant, or too casual. Third Person keeps a comfortable distance between the reader and author, giving balance to the writing style. It also enables clear statements without the risk of personal opinion. Third Person POV should be written as if it were being reported to the reader. Writers should keep in mind:
 First Person: I, We
Second Person: You (and Understood You, meaning "You" is assumed but not written)
Third Person: He, She, They, It
Although the author's reference source(s) for nonfiction books must be stated, many magazines don't ask for references. A writer should always be sure to check though, just in case! And writers should always keep a record of their resources either way, for legal reasons. If a published writer is ever questioned about where he or she found certain information, they should always be able to account for it.
Like fiction, articles should have a beginning, middle, and conclusion. Many writers begin an article with either a question or a quote. A nonfiction piece should begin broad, gradually narrowing to its end with a satisfying finish.
 Articles beginning with questions, many times end with a comment from the author stating he or she hopes the reader's questions have been answered. A link or book title may also be suggested for additional reading on the topic.
Articles beginning with quotes will often end with a comment relating to the given quote. The article itself should at least relate to the quote.
The middle of an article should include eye-catching margin changes to help break up the page such as lists, numbered questions, bulleted examples, etc. A change in font, text size, or color may also give life to a page, but writers should be wary of overdoing it.
These are only a few tips to consider when writing an article. Anyone who is serious about publishing, should always, always, always proofread their work before sending out a manuscript! Also, writers should make sure they study the market before sending anything out. Editors will not waste valuable time on a piece that has not been polished nor fits the needs of that particular publishing house. 
 Now for a fun prompt... (or not so fun...  ) Find something you recently read or wrote in First Person and change it to Third Person. 
May you have an inspiring week and...
Keep on Writing!
Cubby ") |
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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~FEEDBACK~
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Ladyoz 
Thanks for a great newsletter! This is one area in which many new writers fall flat when submitting. Great job!
~ Thanks!
diamond_hoop
Your example of what not to put in a cover letter was a HOOT! This is one area where it truly is best to adhere closely to industry standards, and not to be too cute by half. Those darned agents and editors are sticklers for procedure, so we should save our creativity for our manuscripts, and keep the cover/query letters strictly professional.
~ You got it!
Adriana Noir
Awesome! I am so bookmarking this for future use. Cover letters and queries are definitely something I could use all the pointers I can get on! Great job.
~ Thank you!
Veritas
Thanks for this weeks issue on how to write a cover letter, I'll be saving it for future reference if I ever decide to send anything to publishers!
~unicornsong
~ You are very welcome.
Fyn 
Yet another excellent and helpful newsletter, Cubby! Saving this one in its own new folder!
~ Thanks, Fyn!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zeke 
Regarding cover letters, a friend of mine who is a submissions editor for a sci-fi magazine said once that if a letter starts by telling the editor what he/she should do and what their responsibilites are, the submission will be recycled without reading.
Zeke
~ Ha! I can certainly believe that. Those editors have ba-zillions of manuscripts to read and I'm sure they have a weeding process that doesn't even make it to the manuscript at times. That is why it is so important to give off a great impression in your cover letter. Thanks for your response!
sarahreed
Thank you so much for going over how to do a cover letter. It is something that I have not had much practice doing and I don't want to get it wrong! I'm making sure to save this newsletter to reference later.
~ Sometimes I think the cover letter is scarier to send out than the manuscript! It's like reading a book by its cover.... Its cover letter! 
bookgraham
Hey there
What a brilliant newsletter!
Thank you for that!
~ My pleasure!
NanoWriMo2018 Into the Earth
Excellent NL. Thanks, Cubby
~ Thanks...
 Thank you, everyone, for all the wonderful feedback you send in!
As always...
Have a wonderful week!
AND KEEP ON WRITING!!!
Cubby ")
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