WORD: Read to a Friend

I am not the biggest fan of reading work aloud. I hate reading out loud, I don't have time to do it and have said so. But a late-night experience proved disastrous for my ego and fabulous for my novel, and I should eat my humble pie before it gets cold.
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My best friend was over and we were eating candy at 2 or 3 in the morning when I had the brilliant idea to read sections of my novel out to her. She was somewhat familiar with the story and I filled in whatever plot points we missed. And learned a few things.
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1. Stark writing, anyone? I'm a huge fan of both stark, to-the-point writing and writing a la E. Lockhart and John Green, full of witty repartee. Reading my novel out loud, I realized it failed to do either. There were so many distracting comments that served to make me feel smarter and the reader more confused.
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2. Funny bits are strange. She laughed at the parts I didn't think were especially funny. As in: my grand opinion of my own humor was way off. One of Jessica's authors recently posted about humor and voice (www.bookendslitagency.blogspot.com) and I recommend reading it.
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3. Don't think so much of yourself. I realized how much of my novel was pretentious, more like a girl writing for The New York Times rather than a girl writing a good book. Don't write for critics. Write for yourself, and then your friends, who don't put up with any bull and deserve a story as straightforward as a phone call.
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I have a lot of revising to do before my December 1st deadline, and I'm submitting three college applications today (eek!). But reading my novel aloud to a live human being helps a lot. If I read to myself, I'm not thinking as deeply as I should about what's wrong. So find a friend and subject them to some novel reading and promise to acknowledge them in the back of your book. I will.

WORD: Making It as a Teen Writer

by Gabrielle Linnell

I've noticed a disturbing trend in my publishing efforts. More and more markets, leads, sources and opportunities are coming not from my magazine subscriptions but from... my Google Reader.
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Weird.
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Yet, this is not surprising. The only way you will learn to swim is if you jump into a pool. The only way you will be published, and be published again and be published with pizazz, is if you immerse yourself in the publishing world. Because teens have problems with abstract thinking, here are 3 concrete ways to do so.
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1. Call your local writing organization and offer to speak. Sound intimidating? Probably is. If you've been published at least a few times, find out who runs the writing shows in your town and volunteer yourself as a teen panelist. I'm doing writing workshops at my library this year, which I am very excited about. It gives me credibility and something new to add to my query bios.
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2. Read writing blogs. I cannot stress this enough. Freelancers' blogs are best for market opportunities, agents' blogs for biz updates and querying advice, and fellow teen blogs for teen-specific markets and inspiration. If you need help getting started, check out the Best of the Blogs panel on the right. The internet has changed the isolation of the writing world into a constant networking opportunity. Use it!
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3. Get published everywhere (kind of.) Authors are always advised to get their name out any way they can. WriTeens need to identify (1) what kind of writing they want to do and (2) who will publish it. If you love short fiction, make a list of 3 nonpaying-but-reputable e-zines (with editors and domain names!) that publish short fiction and submit. After two months, make a new list of paying e-zines and work your way up. I review books for one teen magazine without compensation, but it's a way for me to break into book reviewing and to get free books.
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Swim with them fishies. The water is a very cool place.

Query Letters, Part Tres: Who You Be?

As a responsible WriTeen, I do not use proper outlets for my rebellious hormones and therefore stick to legal ways of trashing the establishment. In a new three-or-four-part series on query letters, here is Part Three first: the bio.

Writing Credentials. Without a doubt, this is the most important part of your bio. Where have you been published? When you start writing, you may not have been published anywhere and that is quite all right. Leave this part out if that's the case.

If you have been published, list fiction credentials for fiction queries and non-fic for non-fic. If you've been published 20+ times, pick the 6 biggest and most relevant names for your bio. For example:

I have been published more than twenty times, writing for Cusackipity, JohnCusackstan, Say Cusack-Thing, The Other Cusack, Martian Cusack and Cusack Life the John Way.

Other "Professional" Credentials. This applies to non-fic queries. If you're writing a doggie article, what is your experience with dogs? Do you write a doggie blog with good traffic? Have you been a dog walker for 5+ years? How much money have you made from dog grooming?

I also run the Cusack fan site, Where's John Now?, which receives 1.6 billion hits per day and was featured on Oprah. Entertainment Weekly called me the greatest living expert on this great actor, and said I probably "knew more about John than he did."

Tasteful, Funny Add-ons. Be careful. This is appropriate only if you can pull it off. You can add "extra" things if it's relevant, humorous and shows off your writing panache. Otherwise, stick to your big guns.

I have met John a total of one time, in which he stared at me and then asked me for a drink of water. I still have the cup.

If anyone actually is interested in learning more about John Cusack, please see Say Anything. It will break your heart and then mend it again. Sigh.

WORD: Top 3 Teen Mistakes

by Gabrielle Linnell

This summer I've blogged a lot about how to structure your time and schedule your life so that you have time to write and know who the fourth judge is on American Idol. This fall, I'll be writing more about everyone's favorite topic: how to get published.

I always put off reading The 38 Most Common Fiction Mistakes because it sounded so negative. I picked it up a few weeks ago and was totally shocked. Jack Bickham is right on the money. So what mistakes do teens make in getting published, and how can you avoid them?

Mistake #1: They hate editing.

This comes from a writer who hates to have anyone else edit her own work. Seriously, I hate it unless I'm getting paid. But this works out okay for me because I edit my work. Many teen writers don't edit. This includes:

- proofreading for grammar and spelling
- improving the story after writing it once
- tightening dialogue and points
- making stories shorter

How can you fix it? Start a habit of editing your own stuff as if it was written by your cheating, no-good, son/daughter-of-a-hooligan ex-Significant Other. Ooh! Don't you feel the anger mounting? Edit your stuff as if they wrote it. It will drastically improve.

Mistake #2: They don't research the magazines they submit to

You don't have to read every magazine or website you submit to, but you do have to know what type of submissions they accept, what style they prefer and what money they will pay you or not pay you for your work.

If you do this, your acceptance rate will shoot up and you'll be happier because you know what you're getting paid, what you're writing and how you write it.

Mistake #3: They don't experiment with other genres

We're teens. We are historically proven to be experimenters, usually with disastrous results. But the same people who try dubious plants in pipes and eating seven hamburgers in one sitting refuse to expand from fiction to nonfiction, from essays to articles or poetry to prose.

Try a little bit of everything. I never use to write nonfiction but it's 80-90% of what I publish now. So of course, I dabble in fiction to keep all my guns polished. Experiment! If you do, you'll learn what you like and don't like and you'll get published more often.

There are many mistakes you'll make in life, and most will help you out in the end. Just don't make these mistakes in your writing.

Gabrielle Linnell has made many mistakes and somehow come out without a police record (kidding, kidding.) She's been published about thirty-five times and is in love with school. The wedding will be announced shortly.

WORD: My Mantra, My Mission, My Super-Sized Daisy Dollop of Success

by Gabrielle Linnell

As I write this, I'm 2380 words from finishing a 50K first draft, due on September 1. YAY! You know what's even cooler? On or around July 18, I had 25,000 words that had taken six months to write. Long way, short time.

The reason this has worked is a combination of a realistic deadline, a mantra and a long-term vision into one place. I made this using principles from books like The Success Principles for Teens and Time to Write with help from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens and a little knowledge of reality TV.

WHAT GOES ON THE TOP OF THE PAGE: Your Mantra

I have a three-point mission statement when it comes to writing my books: I wrote a sentence about how I want to write, how I want to sell, and a promise to myself. If you're building a freelance career, this still applies. Make it cheesy, make it serious, make it personal.

I put my mantra on top of my goal/deadline list, so that I know why and how I am going there. Becoming successful means nothing to me if I don't enjoy and learn from the ride. I know this. So looking at my mantra every time I check my long term schedule is vital.

WHAT GOES ON THE REST OF IT: Your Long Term HD Goals

Everything is in high def now, as is your goal list. Since I'm working on a book, this list is made up of goals like: On September 1, I will finish a 50,000 word first draft. On October 15, I will revise, etc. I go on all the way to querying fifty agents about my book next winter and Spring.

Each step of the way, I have and will continue to identify my daily little steps. For my first draft, I had to write 550 words a day to keep up. When I start revising, I'll probably use a page-per-day goal. I know when I start to query agents, I'll be working on two or three queries a week.

I need tunnel vision. I'm a product of the GPS culture, but it can help me get where I want to go without getting lost. Adapt this to suit your own needs, and check out Kelly Stone's chapter on WAPs if you want more help.

WHAT GOES INTO IT: Facing Insecurity and Embracing Success

Doesn't that sound cheesy?

Insecurity is almost inescapable, especially as a collegebound teen. I hate it, but I look at other teen writers and automatically double-check: Am I doing more than s/he is? Am I a better writer? Have I been published more? I look at potential friends as potential competition, and it's a horrible thing.

Do not worry that you only write 200 words a day. Do not feel bad because you've been published twice in smallville. Do not compare, unless you are attempting to learn from your peers. It will get you nowhere, and it will cheat you of enjoying the success you've found. That isn't cheesy at all.

Gabrielle Linnell has been published more than thirty times in national and international magazines. She cites Donald Trump in her artist's mantra, has seen Mamma Mia twice and is known to be an absolute dunce at anything involving circular objects in motion. She guest blogs every two weeks at http://www.orb28.blogspot.com/.

WORD: Bagel Markets and De-Rutting Yourself

by Gabrielle Linnell

How can you tell if you're in a rut? It might seem that we WriTeens are too young for ruts, but if you've been writing for six months it's possible. There are several warning signs for ruttiness.

Same pay. Have you been getting paid the same for more than three months? Have you not been getting paid for more than three months?

Same style. Have you been writing the same kind of article or short story? I write a lot of educational articles, and I have to watch it because I can easily get bored and then the writing quality decreases.

Same zine. Look: good relationships with editors (and multiple publications with the same zine) are very good things. But when you query The Big Glossy Magazine, you can't say you've been published in Beautiful, Beautiful and Beautiful. You must break out and write for other places, especially if the pay isn't great.

The best way to write yourself out of a rut is to find a new market. Have you been working only on fantasy short stories? Try an educational article on the Civil War. You can't un-rut yourself by writing the same kinds of articles.

I was in a bagel shop (buying bagels, of all things) when I noticed our little community newsletter. There was a new market beneath my fingertips! Look for freebie magazines in your grocery store, or neat websites that your friends visit. Markets are findable, if you're searchably inclined.

Gabrielle Linnell has written for Cobblestone, FACES, New Moon, Byline and other magazines. She is proud to say she's working on four articles, three of which are for brand new markets. She is not proud to say she is 4 days behind on the Novel.

WORD: Keeping Track of Submissions

by Gabrielle Linnell

After three years of freelancing, I've succumbed to Freelance Fake Deja Vu Syndrome. This strange neurosis shows itself when I stare at an essay or article and think... have I written this before? Or worse, have I submitted this before? Plagiarism against yourself is awkward. Once you start sending your work out to magazines, how do you keep track of them all?

Whatever system you use, always identify name of submission, name of magazine, name of editor sent to, date submitted and date (expected response.) Other stuff, such as notes from a rejection letter, type of submission or specific addresses/emails, is a good idea.

The Flashcard Way. Do you like 3D, non-computer organization? Invest in 3x5 flashcards and a box to hold them in. This way, you can literally pull out the card when you need to follow-up on a story or article.

Make Me a Table. I used this for about two years and it worked wonderfully. Set up a Microsoft Word document Table, with columns of all the required information and blanks for response dates, payment or editorial notes. The benefit of the blanks is that when you look over your submissions table, you can easily see who hasn't emailed you back.

Write It Down. My current system is on my "Writing Whiteboard" (a Microsoft Word document I have on my desktop that keeps track of all my projects.) I write it like this:
"The Origin of the Alphabet" for Dandy Andy at ABC MAGAZINE submitted 1.1.01. [Received, accepted, published] Fool around with different formats that make the most sense to you.

Even if you're only sending out a poem a month, don't trust your memory! There are one million benefits to keeping track of your submissions, so start or update today.

Gabrielle Linnell enjoys public speaking, reading Mark Haddon and watching The Apartment. Talk about funny writing!