Greetings fellow wordsmiths,

Welcome to the first issue of E-zee writer with me, Shelley Bowers, as your new editor. I have taken over the reins at speed so, this month's issue is following the same format as previous issues and is still as packed full of useful information as ever. I may try to squeeze in some extra ideas over the next few months, I am sure you will find them useful!

This months' task is to remind you about the Writers Bureau Poetry and Short Story competition, which has opened its doors online. Details of the competition can be found on our website plus online entry is available and printable versions of the entry form. Further help is on hand in Freelance Market News, with articles on how to do well in competitions as well as how to avoid the pitfalls. So, get writing and good luck!

The expert advice this month comes from Heather Cooke, one of our tutors. She delves into the world of inspiration and where to find it with an interesting look at musically inspired work.

So, that's it for this month from me! Short and sweet I know, but I hope to expand a little more for next month (that is, in the newsletter department, not the inches on waist caused by too many Easter eggs!) 

Cheerio for now,

Shelley

E-zee Special Offer

Click here to see how you can save £25 on a Novel and Short Story Writing Course.

THE WRITERS BUREAU
STUDENT STORIES

"I don't think that it's an exaggeration to say the Writers' Bureau has transformed my life! Before starting the course I worked as a staff reporter and although I loved the job, the long hours culture didn't sit well with being a mum of two young children. I wanted to become freelance - but didn't have a clue how to go about it! "The Writers' Bureau has been invaluable in showing me how to research markets and look critically at my writing. My tutor, Carol, showed me the importance of scrutinizing my chosen markets and of writing tight pitches in a style that would suit the particular magazine. The course also kept my confidence up at low points. I made a great start to my freelance career (gaining my first commission on the very day my staff contract expired!) but then hit a dry patch. Carol was quick to pass on some great advice and I secured a number of commissions soley on the strength of her tips. "I think the cutting I am most proud of is the one called Second Novel Wobbles. Second Novel Wobbles appeared in The New Writer; the fee was nominal but being able to produce a "how to" article for other writers made me feel like a real professional!" Rebecca Blunt, Pontypridd

 

"Amazingly, after my tenth assignment, I published my very own business booklet, "Business Process Outsourcing". I am very proud to say that it is now used as a student reference book in tertiary institutions here in Singapore. "My very first pay check for my writing was $240! In addition, one of the tertiary institutions invited me to be their co-author for some more business booklets in the year 2008. They loved my comprehensive, tight-writing style. This is exhilarating! "However, this achievement would not be possible without The Writers Bureau's guidance. I am truly thankful to them. My tutors were extremely encouraging and helpful. Every assignment was returned with positive feedback and key improvement pointers. "Thank you very much, The Writers Bureau, Your programme is one of the most professional in the market that I have embarked on. One year into publishing, my total fees exceeded the course fee and I am still counting! It is definitely a worthy investment of my time and money." Lee Noi-Teo, Singapore

If you would like a prospectus for the Comprehensive course that Lee Noi-Teo and Rebecca are studying, then email us here with your full name and postal address.

Or, to 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 over £30 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:

COMPETITIONS, COMPETITIONS, COMPETITIONS!

Rock On!

Let's face it, we've all been there.  Staring at a blank screen or a pristine sheet of paper without a single idea in our heads.  Take heart - writers' block may drive you to other pursuits, which can in turn feed the writing bug.  Many of my ideas come to me when I'm "off duty" with my mp3 player.

Wearing my other hat as a church minister, it was when someone commented on how many of my sermons are based on music that I realised what was happening.  My love for bands as diverse as Metallica and Il Divo, Slipknot and The Feeling, had sparked off ideas for sermons and I often quoted their lyrics, to the amusement (or bemusement) of the congregation. 

How many times, I wondered, had the same thing happened with my writing?  Was this something I could exploit further?  Yes!

Next time you come up against a mental brick wall, give yourself some quality time with your favourite music.  Whether you have an mp3 player or a gramophone, whether you're into Mozart or Muse, the principles are the same.  Mozart and I are only on nodding terms, so I'll write about what I know (as we're always told) and focus on music I listen to regularly.  Band names, titles and lyrics can all provide ideas for articles, short stories, even novels. 

How?  The simplest way to answer that is to give you some examples. 

Titles

I'd already used The Feeling's catchy song Never be Lonely in a sermon about fellowship and community, and it reminded me I once sold some articles about making new friends.  That was years ago when the children were young, and I'd focused on how toddler groups and baby clinics are good places to meet new friends.  What about the other end of the age range?  What advice might help people retiring to the seaside, away from their roots or established social networks?

Metallica's song Holier Than Thou suggested a short story where an unpleasantly self-righteous character gets his come-uppance, while Snow Patrol's title You Could Be Happy sounded like a self-help article!

Il Divo's Time of Our Lives (and Green Day's Time of Your Life) both suggested articles on clocks, anniversaries and unusual holidays, as well as story ideas.

What ideas do the following titles give you, for stories or articles?

The Pretender (Foo Fighters)
Before I Forget (Slipknot)
X & Y (Coldplay)
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors (Editors)
Floods (Fightstar)
Smile Like You Mean It (Killers)

Lyrics

Sometimes the spark comes easily from a title.  However, it might be an intriguing lyric that sets you off.  Struck by a similar line in two very different songs, I wondered what each songwriter meant and found myself coming up with my own ideas.  The 30 Seconds to Mars song From Yesterday includes the line "On his face is a map of the world" while Suddenly I See from KT Tunstall claims that "her face is a map of the world".

Whatever it originally meant, it triggered an idea for an article on how travel broadens the mind, and a children's story about a boy of mixed race turning the tables on a bigoted bully.

Bullet for My Valentine have a song called Deliver Me From Evil, in which the line "I'm dying from the inside" suggested an article on the evil of depression.  Avenged Sevenfold's lyric "Come back to me - it's almost easy"  (Almost Easy) triggered off ideas for an article on marriage guidance and a romantic short story.

Try these for size:

"You and I must fight for our rights" (Knights of Cydonia, by Muse)
"I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness" (How to Save A Life, The Fray)
"Step outside - the summertime's in bloom" (Don't Look Back in Anger, Oasis)
 "Sometimes goodbye's the only way" (Shadow of the Day, Linkin Park)

Band names

As you'll have already spotted, many band names are intriguing, imaginative or both.  Leeds-based Kaiser Chiefs took their name from a South African football team a Leeds defender had previously played for.  Coupled with a news item I'd seen about youngsters playing football barefoot in a South African township, it triggered off ideas about the role of sport in that country, post-apartheid, and about football as a way to break down barriers between ethnic groups anywhere.

The hilariously named Scouting for Girls set me thinking about the shortage of adult leaders in all areas of the scouting movement, as well as a tongue-in-cheek guide for teenage boys on how to chat up the opposite sex.

Articles on evangelism were readily suggested by both Manic Street Preachers and Lostprophets; Iron Maiden triggered a piece about the young Margaret Thatcher, and Guns'n'Roses put me in mind of the then poet laureate Ted Hughes' funeral tribute to Princess Diana, the short poem ending: "Love is broken on the Cross, The Flower on the Gun."  In turn this could be the seed of an article on Poet Laureates' memorial poetry, or a story about a gardener who tends war graves.

What subjects, themes or plots do these band names suggest to you?  See where a little lateral thinking takes you!

Panic At the Disco
Dragonforce
Arctic Monkeys
Velvet Revolver
Counting Crows
Fall Out Boy
White Stripes
Feeder
One Night Only

Over to you!

Writers are always advised to keep a notebook close to hand, and it's certainly a good idea when listening to music.  How quickly those brilliant ideas vanish!

If rock and pop are not your scene, there's no need even to listen to it.  Names of bands, albums and tracks can easily be viewed on music retailers' websites:

www.amazon.co.uk
www.play.com
www.hmv.com

You can also consult music magazine sites:

www.kerrang.com
www.q4music.com
www.nme.com

Check out what's in the official charts:

www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart

Who knows, you might even get hooked!  Whatever you listen to, make sure you still enjoy it.  There's no need to feel guilty about it now, because you can think of it as working.  It can trigger all sorts of ideas, and it's certainly worked for me.  Er, it even inspired an article for E-Zee Writer on how writers can draw inspiration from listening to their favourite music...  Rock on!

AUTHOR'S BIO

TOP TIPS...

On Presenting A Perfect Manuscript

Good presentation can't replace talent and good writing but the appearance of your work can make an editor give it more attentive consideration.  Whereas a badly typed, poorly presented article may receive only cursory consideration, good presentation can definitely help you to sell your work

1. Use good quality A4 white paper (not coloured).  80g is ideal.
   
   

2. Use a plain font like Times New Roman, which is professional, easy to read and preferred by many editors.  Avoid fonts like Courier (which looks old fashioned) and most sans-serif fonts because they can be more difficult to read.  Never use fancy, cursive fonts - nothing is more off-putting for an editor.  A font size of 12 is usually about right as it is neither too big nor too small.
   
   

3. Manuscripts must be typed or word processed for submission to editors.  They will not accept hand-written manuscripts.  Alternatively, send work by email if the guidelines say that this is acceptable.  Most publications will accept work by email but check whether the editor wants work pasted into the body of the email or as an attachment.
   
   

4. Always use double line spacing and leave decent margins (usually an inch and a half - certainly not less than an inch) at the top, bottom and both sides of the page.  You should still use double spacing when you send work to a print-based magazine by email.  But if you are submitting to an ezine for publication on the web you can use single spacing.
   
   

5. If you chose to indent your work, leave between 5 and 10 spaces at the start of the first line of each new paragraph.  There is no need to use additional blank lines between paragraphs.  If you do not indent, and use block layout, then you should leave an extra line between paragraphs.
   
   

6. At the top left hand corner of the first sheet give your name, address, telephone number, email address and the date.  At the top right give your work a single word 'catchline' based on what the story is about.  For example, an angling story could have the catchline Hooked.  The first page would be Hooked 1 and subsequent pages Hooked 2, Hooked 3, and so on.  This helps to identify your work if the pages become separated.   Then, type the title of your article and your byline (name or pseudonym) in a central position across the page about a third of the way down.  Then start to type your article.
   
   

7. Always put mf or more follows at the bottom of each page.  On the final page type end or endit to show that it is finished.  Make sure you number each page.  Again, these measures should stop pages of your work going astray in the editorial office.
   
   

8. If you are sending your work by post always attach a cover sheet.  This looks professional and prevents the front page of your manuscript from getting grubby.  The cover sheet should have all your contact details on it, the date and what rights you are offering.  In the centre of the page you should give the title of the article, the word length of your manuscript and your name.  Remember, it is essential that you give the word length.
   
   

9. There is no excuse for obvious corrections on your manuscript.  Check your work carefully before you print it out to ensure that you have eliminated any typing, spelling or punctuation errors.
   
   

10. Finally, when sending work by post always include a sae - stamped, (self) addressed envelope - so that the editor can return it to you if they do not wish to use it.  Obviously, if you send work by email you save on this expense.

Now that you have reached the end of this edition you get to spy what's coming up next month.

We will be enlightened by Simon Whaley, another of our tutors, who will show you how to spot the differences between the readerships of magazines which appear to cover the same subjects. So how does a Dogs Monthly magazine reader differ from one who reads Dogs Today magazine? Once you've grasped the finer details, targeting your articles or short stories will become much easier.

As usual, if you've any suggestions or would like to comment on content then please contact Shelley 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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