THE WRITERS BUREAU
STUDENT STORIES
"My name’s Neil White, and I began The Writers Bureau Comprehensive Writing Course a few years ago. Life’s been quite something for me while I’ve been on the course, a journey in many ways. However, things are coming together now, so I thought I’d share my story with you.
I took to writing when I was young, and as encouragement some of my short stories were typed up for me by teachers back in my middle school years. I also took to computers young, so you’d think that a career was begging for me as I left school in the late 1980s.
But I was a drummer too, and it turned out that the draw of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll was too great to resist. So for me, much of the 1990s was spent in the backs of vans, with late nights, late mornings, and the whole world just passing by. When finally I came to settle down with my wife near the turn of the millennium, I was suddenly forced to work out how to do a proper job.
My thoughts turned back to writing. I’d seen the advert for The Writers Bureau over and again in magazines and newspapers, and often thought about contacting them. When finally I did, I couldn’t have been more thankful for it. I should have done it sooner.
The feedback from the start was invaluable, proving critical, positive and ultimately great for confidence. Soon, I began submitting my writing.
Because of my computer background it was natural that I looked to the Internet for work. I approached websites with submissions, and began to run my own blog. From these simple beginnings things developed, and now, a few years later, I’m delighted to say that I am the editor of a major computer technology educational website, with around 100,000 visitors a month. Though employing authors, I still write content, and now I’m also a full-time freelance website consultant helping others to get their own successes on the web.
Mixing knowledge of my interests with writing has clearly served me well, and I’m very glad that I looked to the Internet for sources of publication, something advised by The Writers Bureau. I hope others will remember that print isn’t the only medium looking for good writers – indeed, possibly the Internet has an even greater need! Besides, I think I stand to show that, for the aspiring author, the Internet can open up fantastic opportunities.
Thanks to everyone at The Writers Bureau. You really did help me to find my feet, and although things are still developing I am now happy to consider myself not only a writer, but also (somewhat surreally!) an editor and a webmaster. It’s not too far from the truth to say that sometimes I feel like I’m going to wake up soon, or that someone will find me out and suddenly yell, “But he’s a drummer!”
On the other hand, I’ve learned that people actually do like the way I write, and anyway, I’m not going to stop doing what I’m doing. Writing, communicating, and helping people where I can seems like a really great way to live life. If I can get paid to do it too, so much the better."
Neil White, UK
NB: I should say that I’d be more than happy to hear from any Writers Bureau students/graduates who can write on computing subjects. Rates of pay vary, but are usually £10-£15 an hour dependent on subject/author experience. (Subjects to be agreed beforehand, and there are style rules for the site. These will be supplied to the author prior to any piece being written.)
The website I’m the editor for is: www.pctechguide.com
Visit my website: www.nowpc.co.uk
Or email me:
neil@nowpc.co.uk
(My site is currently down for redevelopment,
but it will reappear as soon as the work is finished)
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If you would like a prospectus for the Comprehensive Course that Neil is studying, then email us here with your full name and postal address.
Or, why not share your success stories with others. Just send an email to ezeewriter@writersbureau.com with 'Success Story' in the subject line.
FREELANCE MARKET NEWS
an essential guide for freelance writers
For up-to-date market information, Freelance Market News is invaluable.
Issued 11 times a year it's packed with information on markets in Britain and around the globe, plus you get all the latest news and views on the publishing world.
Every subscription comes with FREE membership of The Association of Freelance Writers. Your membership also entitles you to discounts on books and competitions, a free appraisal worth £18 and a Membership Card which confirms your status as a Freelance Writer.
FREE sample markets are available to view at the website, along with more details about the magazine and how you can subscribe.
www.freelancemarketnews.com
IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF FMN:
BLOGGING & BLOOKS!
Building Fictional Characters
by Linda Acaster
Believable characters are the mainstay of every piece of fiction. Writers know this, but is it always heeded? How often have you taken short cuts with your characters? You know the sort of thing: your 60 cigarettes a day, overweight private investigator is spotted by his youthful target as he is being followed along the street. A chase ensues. Passers-by are sent reeling, your PI is attacked by a loose pitbull terrier but manages to shake it off; traffic is negotiated, fences climbed, parklands crossed. Your PI makes a magnificently timed rugby tackle to bring down the target, fastens the rogue's hands with his own trouser belt and in a half page of dramatic dialogue exhorts the felon to change his ways.
By all means smile at the clichés, but let's face a few facts here. Overweight and on 60 cigarettes a day, no-one short of a cartoon character is going to run 50 metres, never mind shake off pitbulls, climb fences and cross parklands. Have you ever tried to pull down someone with a rugby tackle? A mouthful of feet – guaranteed. And that half page of dialogue at the end of it all? If your overweight investigator has managed to get that far he is more liable to throw up or succumb to a coronary.
The telling phrase, of course, is cartoon character. The investigator is two dimensional, good for a quick wry smile but hardly the mainstay of a short story, never mind a novel. If the players in your fiction are not taken seriously by you, the writer, how do you expect your readers to? Characters need to be as close a facsimile as you can get to the people you meet in the street.
Who do you know the most about? Gold star for those who say 'myself'. Now for the tricky bit: do you know your true self? I would suggest that anyone who answers 'yes' is, perhaps unwittingly, lying to themselves.
From the moment we first draw breath barriers of one kind or another develop around us. Society in general demands a certain level of behaviour (stealing an envelope from your employer isn't regarded as stealing; stealing a week's takings is; killing your employer to steal the takings is a definite no-no). Our perceived position in that society also defines expected behaviour (not dropping our trousers in public), and our families set all sorts of sometimes absurd demarcation lines based on how they view their own barriers ('I didn't go to university, what good do you think it will do you?').
People on the street don't become complicated overnight, and the people in your fiction aren't found, fully clothed, under a gooseberry bush. They have past lives. They were born of parents. Who were those parents? What did they do? Where did they live? How did they react to their child? When were the apron strings cut? Why did the child leave home?
This set of questions needs to be asked about the person's childhood friends, teenage contemporaries, love affairs, marriage(s), work colleagues, neighbours, badminton partner, ad infinitum, until a point is reached in that person's life where he/she steps from under the gooseberry bush and on to the page. And not just asked, but written down and studied like an alibi to ensure that there are no loopholes. If that person knows how to defuse a bomb on page 47 of your novel, then he/she had better have had more than a passing acquaintance with the Royal Engineers, a terrorist group, or some other organisation equipped with the necessary expertise.
You, the writer, are the core of every person portrayed in your fiction. Male or female, rich or poor, beggar, thief, angel of mercy, serial killer, they are all you. Because each and every person is an extrapolated facet of yourself, there will be certain kinds of people with whom you will feel easier than others. This is only natural. Empathy does know bounds, no matter how great a writer you are.
So when you are scouting for a character to star in your forthcoming opus, pick someone reasonably close to home – not necessarily with the same life experiences, but someone whose hopes and fears are within hailing distance of your own. Then add copious amounts of the magic ingredient: What if...?
What if...? is the key that unlocks the shackles from a fiction writer's mind and is just as important as the Who, What, When, Where, How and Why.
What if your overweight investigator had been the only child of a chain-smoking unmarried mother who had consoled him with sticky buns while she scraped together a living? Is that why he is overweight? Did he initially become a PI in an attempt to find his father?
What if your investigator, the only child of an unmarried career woman, had enjoyed the companionship and love of a set of doting grandparents who had taken an interest in his hobbies. Would he have become an overweight, 60-a-day man? Would he have become a PI?
What if, as the only child of a widower, he had been at the centre of a psychological tug-of-love war between two sets of doting grandparents? Would he have grown up distrusting the motives of all adults? Did he become a PI as a subliminal reinforcement of his belief that he is right to distrust everyone he comes into contact with?
A little What if...? opens up all sorts of doors to the people you are auditioning for roles in your fiction. Write it all down. In the cold light of day some of your notes will be discarded, but among the dross will be the gems which make that person live on the page and in the minds of your readers.
AUTHOR'S BIO
Linda Acaster's published work includes over seventy short stories in genres as diverse as women’s, horror, crime, fantasy and SF, published in magazines in the UK, US and Europe, three historical novels, travel features and opinion pieces in the UK press, and an abundance of articles on the techniques of writing fiction. She contributes to Writers’ Forum and is compiling a non-fiction book based on those articles.
TOP TIPS
Do agents make a difference? Yes! If your book is handled by an agent it will increase your chances of success. For one thing, it will mean you dodge the horrors of the dreaded slush pile. Publishers trust the judgement of literary agents and will treat anything sent by them with special interest and care.
Agents certainly earn their 10 per cent commission. They have the contacts and inside knowledge of the business, and will offer you advice on honing your novel before it is submitted to a publisher. But, unfortunately, interesting an agent can be quite a trick in itself. So here are some tips on giving yourself the best possible chance of getting an agent.
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There is little point approaching an agent with short stories, poems or articles. They will only be interested in novels or non-fiction books – until you are famous!
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Use the list of Agents that you will find in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook, The Writers' Handbook or the equivalent book in your own country to check what kind of material each agent specialises in. There is no point sending a steamy novel to an agent who specialises in placing non-fiction books.
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If possible, in the UK, choose an agent who is a member of the Association of Authors' Agents (www.agentsassoc.co.uk) as they are committed to dealing with writers in a professional manner. Whether an agent is a member is shown in the Writers' and Artists' Yearbook.
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Should you pay a reading fee? Members of the Association of Authors' Agents don't request a reading fee. But quite a lot of reputable agents do – it covers the cost of reading the manuscripts. Before paying anything, try to check out the agent, using the Internet and word of mouth. There are bogus agents out there who only want your money and you'll get nothing in return. Never answer adverts placed by agents requesting writers to contact them. Real agents are inundated with writers – they don't need to advertise.
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Only send off a covering letter, synopsis of your book and two or three chapters. Don't send an entire book to an agent – unless of course it is a short children's book.
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But, do make sure that your book – especially if it is a novel – is finished before you approach an agent. If they are interested and want to see it immediately you could have problems and ruin your credibility if you can't send the rest of the book to them.
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It's important that what you send to them is perfect in execution and presentation. Don't finish your work and then immediately dash off the first few chapters to an agent. Let it settle and then check and re-check it until it is error free, tight and there are no typos. You'll probably only get one bite at the cherry so make sure you give yourself the best chance.
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Use the post to send your manuscript. It's not yet acceptable to clog up someone's inbox with hefty chapters from a novel. But don't be afraid to approach more than one agent at a time – otherwise, you could be waiting a lifetime before you get an acceptance.
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Take every opportunity to buttonhole published writers at conferences, courses and writing groups to see if they would be prepared to put in a good word with their agent on your behalf. Remember, often it's not what you know, but who you know!
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If you manage to sell your book direct to a publisher yourself it may be worth approaching an agent and asking them to take you on. It will prove that you have a track record and you will find, over the years, that it pays to have an agent. The 10-15 per cent that they take from your earnings will be well spent when you take into account the various rights that they might sell on your behalf, the royalties they collect and the hassle that they help you to avoid!
A truly beautiful site for anyone who enjoys poetry. Listen to great poets reading their own work – including Sylvia Plath, Stevie Smith, WH Auden....
www.bbc.co.uk/arts/poetry/outloud
"Your readers and students might be interested in a new online magazine and networking website for media, creative and showbiz talent called H ezine. Details of our free fortnightly email newsletter (which includes opportunities for writers, classifieds, events, features, etc) are also available online. Please see www.myhezine.com for more details."
Whether you're researching for an article or looking for inspiration from some of our greatest contemporary writers then look at this British Council sponsored site: www.contemporarywriters.com
And now for something completely different...! Finding the time, motivation and inspiration to write can sometimes be a struggle – especially if you work as well. So here is a little treat for when the flashing cursor on your computer screen starts to feel a little onerous. Enjoy! (Note: you will need Flash to view this site)
www.linerider.com/play.html
That brings us to the end of this month's issue. Next month, Vanessa Couchman tells you how to write for the Business Market.
As usual, if you've any suggestions or would like to comment on content then please contact Teresa at:
ezeewriter@writersbureau.com
And don't forget – if you've enjoyed this issue of E-zee Writer and found it useful, tell your friends about it so that they can subscribe too!
www.writersbureau.com/resources/ezewriter.htm
THE WRITERS BUREAU, SEVENDALE HOUSE, 7 DALE STREET,
MANCHESTER, M1 1JB, ENGLAND.
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