When you don't have ties to a magazine, a good query may be the only way to get your E-foot in the door. The composition of your query should tell the editor who you are, how you write and your story idea.
I prefer to lead the query with a sample lede, or beginning of the potential story. It needs to be a wow! sentence or two, and short and clipped are best. Don't drag things out. If you have an amazing statistic that shows that gays and lesbians have a higher incidence of getting into media-related fields, for example, that might be your lede. Or you may have a particularly compelling source's story to start off your tale.
After you're done with the lead-in, write a quick paragraph about your rate of accuracy, your talent for working independently (no hand-holding) and your ability to deliver copy on time. These are three of editors' biggest sticking points.
Finish off with your experience in the subject or the field -- or your experience as a writer. Don't go on and on. A couple of sentences will suffice.
The query letter needs to be a snapshot of what you can and will do, so the shorter the better. Remember, the editor doesn't know you from Adam's house cat, so you're not going to get a lot of time.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Why a good query is your friend
If you want to get into magazine writing, a good query is your friend.
A query is a story proposal; a good query is tight and lively, giving the editor a glimpse into the kind of writing he or she can expect from you.
Needless to say, do your research. Know the magazine's writing style and choice in stories, and make sure you are familiar with their recent articles. There isn't much point in proposing a story idea that was done two months ago. And it makes you look a little silly.
Another must in preparation for writing a good query: Make sure you can deliver the story. Don't promise an angle that may not exist. Do a little research before sending off your letter/email.
Finally, make sure you know who to send the query to. You want the assigning editor -- not the copy editor and not the publisher. Calling the magazine is one easy way to get this information, but many magazines have the information online these days. Just poke around a little before shipping that email.
A query is a story proposal; a good query is tight and lively, giving the editor a glimpse into the kind of writing he or she can expect from you.
Needless to say, do your research. Know the magazine's writing style and choice in stories, and make sure you are familiar with their recent articles. There isn't much point in proposing a story idea that was done two months ago. And it makes you look a little silly.
Another must in preparation for writing a good query: Make sure you can deliver the story. Don't promise an angle that may not exist. Do a little research before sending off your letter/email.
Finally, make sure you know who to send the query to. You want the assigning editor -- not the copy editor and not the publisher. Calling the magazine is one easy way to get this information, but many magazines have the information online these days. Just poke around a little before shipping that email.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Colons
Not sure what to do with that key to the right of "l?"
Colons and semicolons trip up the best of writers. Other than the better known uses of a colon (dates, salutations, scriptures), there are basically three reasons for typing this underused form of punctuation:
Making a list. "John went to the store. He bought a number of items: eggs, bread and milk."
Amplification of a thought. "Janet felt strongly that a list was needed: Forgetting items was a specialty of John's." Another use (for headlines or titles): "Shopping: How to do it better."
Quote. Peter said: "Don't forget the cat food."
A personal preference: In general, when a clause that can qualify as a sentence follows the colon, make it upper case. When it is a phrase or list, make it lower case. However, you will sometimes see independent clauses lower case after a colon. And, of course, in a book title, the subtitle will usually be upper case.
Colons and semicolons trip up the best of writers. Other than the better known uses of a colon (dates, salutations, scriptures), there are basically three reasons for typing this underused form of punctuation:
Making a list. "John went to the store. He bought a number of items: eggs, bread and milk."
Amplification of a thought. "Janet felt strongly that a list was needed: Forgetting items was a specialty of John's." Another use (for headlines or titles): "Shopping: How to do it better."
Quote. Peter said: "Don't forget the cat food."
A personal preference: In general, when a clause that can qualify as a sentence follows the colon, make it upper case. When it is a phrase or list, make it lower case. However, you will sometimes see independent clauses lower case after a colon. And, of course, in a book title, the subtitle will usually be upper case.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Read it out loud
My sixth-grade son, George, has a terrible time with run-on sentences. I am teaching him the simplest tool available for catching the commas, semi-colons and periods -- read it out loud.
Every time George takes a breath while reading, I tell him to stop. What punctuation is needed there? Because that's what punctuation is...a breath when we speak. For now, we are sticking with the simple stuff. But, as he advances in his writing, he will learn to take advantage of dashes and ellipses.
And this tool is not just for middle-schoolers. When I was a newsroom editor, I would have the reporters read their copy out loud. It is a great way to catch typos and check for clarity. Remember this: If it doesn't sound right when you speak it, you need to change it.
Every time George takes a breath while reading, I tell him to stop. What punctuation is needed there? Because that's what punctuation is...a breath when we speak. For now, we are sticking with the simple stuff. But, as he advances in his writing, he will learn to take advantage of dashes and ellipses.
And this tool is not just for middle-schoolers. When I was a newsroom editor, I would have the reporters read their copy out loud. It is a great way to catch typos and check for clarity. Remember this: If it doesn't sound right when you speak it, you need to change it.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
The power of the spoken word
Remember when your sixth-grade English teacher told you not to start a sentence with "and?" She didn't know what she was talking about.
The spoken word came first. If we say it, we can write it. That's why it's "an hour," not "a hour." "A hour" is hard to say. So we don't say it. Therefore, we don't write it.
But that's with a caveat. If you want the reader to respect you, you have to follow some basic grammatical rules. And when you break a rule, make sure you know it and why. (See? I just started a sentence with "and." Now, that wasn't so painful, was it?)
My favorite sources own their language. They sometimes don't speak in complete sentences; they may not even follow grammatical rules; and they paint with their words. Below is an exchange I witnessed between Todd Staples, Texas' agriculture commissioner, and his dad, Cecil. Notice how you gain a window into the father's personality and the men's relationship:
A pond teems with bass and Todd reminisces about camping out here with his siblings. His parents still live in the house where he grew up, and the cattle low nearby.
“That’s a registered Angus,” Cecil says at one point, on a drive through the ranch. “He’s a pretty bull.”
What makes a pretty bull?
“Well, we don’t call bulls pretty,” says Todd.
“I do,” says the dad.
There’s no arguing with Cecil Staples. Well, there’s arguing. But, you’ll probably lose.
“He does all the talking, I do all the listening,” Todd jokes.
“It’s all right to disagree,” says Cecil. But: “I’m going to make a point.”
If you let the spoken word tell the tale, a lot of your work is done for you, whether it is in your voice or in another's voice.
Later this week, I'll talk about the easiest way to catch grammatical errors and sentence fragments. Guess what? It involves the spoken word.
The spoken word came first. If we say it, we can write it. That's why it's "an hour," not "a hour." "A hour" is hard to say. So we don't say it. Therefore, we don't write it.
But that's with a caveat. If you want the reader to respect you, you have to follow some basic grammatical rules. And when you break a rule, make sure you know it and why. (See? I just started a sentence with "and." Now, that wasn't so painful, was it?)
My favorite sources own their language. They sometimes don't speak in complete sentences; they may not even follow grammatical rules; and they paint with their words. Below is an exchange I witnessed between Todd Staples, Texas' agriculture commissioner, and his dad, Cecil. Notice how you gain a window into the father's personality and the men's relationship:
A pond teems with bass and Todd reminisces about camping out here with his siblings. His parents still live in the house where he grew up, and the cattle low nearby.
“That’s a registered Angus,” Cecil says at one point, on a drive through the ranch. “He’s a pretty bull.”
What makes a pretty bull?
“Well, we don’t call bulls pretty,” says Todd.
“I do,” says the dad.
There’s no arguing with Cecil Staples. Well, there’s arguing. But, you’ll probably lose.
“He does all the talking, I do all the listening,” Todd jokes.
“It’s all right to disagree,” says Cecil. But: “I’m going to make a point.”
If you let the spoken word tell the tale, a lot of your work is done for you, whether it is in your voice or in another's voice.
Later this week, I'll talk about the easiest way to catch grammatical errors and sentence fragments. Guess what? It involves the spoken word.
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