Writing is a way of life
Anything and everything you see as you go about your daily business can become, in Bill Vossler's words, “fodder for some writing.” For me, this constant awareness takes the form of a mental readiness to capture ideas that can be spun into articles.
Here's an example. A few years back, I was watching a children's TV program with my son here in Taiwan. The presenter was touring a new library in Taipei which had been designed to be exceptionally energy-efficient. The program was fascinating; I grabbed a pen and paper and started taking notes. Since then I've been writing about sustainable architecture in Taiwan, and I continue to delve into this field, which I find both intellectually engrossing and, in terms of article sales, quite lucrative.
Jan 12, 2012
Jan 10, 2012
A Veteran's Advice V
Read, read, read
I'm with Vossler on this one, too. As he puts it, “Read for pleasure, yes, but study what you read.” This is closely related to the mimicking habit mentioned above. Of course, not everything you enjoy reading will be applicable to the writing you're trying to sell. For example, I adore the novels of Martis Amis, but his pessimistic-comedic view of modern English life simply isn't relevant to my feature articles about Taiwan.
Read with a notebook close at hand, and not just to jot down new words (learned just the other day: muniment) and endearing phrases (recently I added “float your boat” to my palette; it's far more elegant than “yank your chain”). Reading will help you generate story ideas. Example: I've been reading about peak oil, and I'm starting to wonder what Taiwan is doing in the way of contingency planning.
I'm with Vossler on this one, too. As he puts it, “Read for pleasure, yes, but study what you read.” This is closely related to the mimicking habit mentioned above. Of course, not everything you enjoy reading will be applicable to the writing you're trying to sell. For example, I adore the novels of Martis Amis, but his pessimistic-comedic view of modern English life simply isn't relevant to my feature articles about Taiwan.
Read with a notebook close at hand, and not just to jot down new words (learned just the other day: muniment) and endearing phrases (recently I added “float your boat” to my palette; it's far more elegant than “yank your chain”). Reading will help you generate story ideas. Example: I've been reading about peak oil, and I'm starting to wonder what Taiwan is doing in the way of contingency planning.
Jan 8, 2012
A Veteran's Advice IV
Rewrite
Bill Vossler is absolutely correct. If I go through an article which I think I've finished, I often find tiny errors – and I always find superfluous words. However, when tinkering with your text, do bear in mind that the law of diminishing returns soon kicks in.
If you've completed the article ahead of deadline, it's often better to submit it to the editor right away, rather than fiddle with it until the very last minute. Many editors are grateful if work comes in ahead of time. I know this because editors have told me. Also, when I worked as a managing editor, items that came in early usually ended up looking especially good in the magazine because I'd had enough time to polish them, and to find appropriate images.
When rewriting, you need to be willing to cut whole sentences and sometimes entire paragraphs. This can hurt if you've put a lot of time and thought into them. Save these off-cuts; you might be able to use them in an article on the same topic that's longer or which takes a different tack.
Bill Vossler is absolutely correct. If I go through an article which I think I've finished, I often find tiny errors – and I always find superfluous words. However, when tinkering with your text, do bear in mind that the law of diminishing returns soon kicks in.
If you've completed the article ahead of deadline, it's often better to submit it to the editor right away, rather than fiddle with it until the very last minute. Many editors are grateful if work comes in ahead of time. I know this because editors have told me. Also, when I worked as a managing editor, items that came in early usually ended up looking especially good in the magazine because I'd had enough time to polish them, and to find appropriate images.
When rewriting, you need to be willing to cut whole sentences and sometimes entire paragraphs. This can hurt if you've put a lot of time and thought into them. Save these off-cuts; you might be able to use them in an article on the same topic that's longer or which takes a different tack.
Jan 6, 2012
A Veteran's Advice III
Mimic
“Imitate the writers you admire,” states Bill Vossler. Rather than mimicry, I've always thought of this as reverse engineering. If the beginning of an article is especially memorable, see how it can be adapted to serve your purposes. The same goes with an ending.
I devised the introduction for the Taoyuan City section of my Bradt guide after reading in an old Bangkok guidebook that modern-day visitors to Silom Road struggle to believe it used to be an area of rice fields and windmills. (Silom means “windmill.”) This is what I came up with:
It’s hard to picture Taoyuan as an orchard full of blossoming peach trees. Yet that’s how it looked two centuries ago, and that’s why this manufacturing center with almost 400,000 inhabitants has a name that strikes 21st-century visitors as perversely bucolic: táo (peach) yuán (garden)...
“Imitate the writers you admire,” states Bill Vossler. Rather than mimicry, I've always thought of this as reverse engineering. If the beginning of an article is especially memorable, see how it can be adapted to serve your purposes. The same goes with an ending.
I devised the introduction for the Taoyuan City section of my Bradt guide after reading in an old Bangkok guidebook that modern-day visitors to Silom Road struggle to believe it used to be an area of rice fields and windmills. (Silom means “windmill.”) This is what I came up with:
It’s hard to picture Taoyuan as an orchard full of blossoming peach trees. Yet that’s how it looked two centuries ago, and that’s why this manufacturing center with almost 400,000 inhabitants has a name that strikes 21st-century visitors as perversely bucolic: táo (peach) yuán (garden)...
Jan 5, 2012
A Veteran's Advice II
The second of Bill Vossler's six tips:
Study the markets
By this, Vossler means putting serious time and thought into analyzing what magazines and newspapers publish, and whether they're likely to accept contributions from outsiders. Many publications put all the information you need on their website; sometimes you'll need to request their guidelines for writers. This is where many would-be writers come a cropper; they spend valuable time crafting pieces which are unsuitable in terms of topic, way too long, or which overlap with recent articles or commissioned pieces in the pipeline. I know this because I've worked as an editor on a newspaper and a monthly magazine. Unless the writers' guidelines say that articles sent on spec are sometimes accepted, always communicate with the editor before investing time in the writing of an article. If you find yourself with time on your hands, use it to generate ideas and research promising topics.
Study the markets
By this, Vossler means putting serious time and thought into analyzing what magazines and newspapers publish, and whether they're likely to accept contributions from outsiders. Many publications put all the information you need on their website; sometimes you'll need to request their guidelines for writers. This is where many would-be writers come a cropper; they spend valuable time crafting pieces which are unsuitable in terms of topic, way too long, or which overlap with recent articles or commissioned pieces in the pipeline. I know this because I've worked as an editor on a newspaper and a monthly magazine. Unless the writers' guidelines say that articles sent on spec are sometimes accepted, always communicate with the editor before investing time in the writing of an article. If you find yourself with time on your hands, use it to generate ideas and research promising topics.
Jan 4, 2012
A Veteran's Advice I
In an article I downloaded years ago, but which seems to have since disappeared from the face of the Internet, American writer Bill Vossler spells out what he calls “Six simple secrets to writing success.”
He claims to have had well over 2,000 articles published, plus several books, so his advice is probably worth heeding. Over the two weeks, I'll post his six tips, together with my comments. Here's no. 1.
Write, write, and write some more
In his best-seller Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes the importance of practice. He goes on at length about the “10,000-hour rule,” asserting that only those with 10,000 hours of experience under their belts can expect to become masters at what they do.
That's equivalent to five years' working full time, and thinking about it that way may well discourage you. But if you're the kind of person who's always enjoyed writing well (I rarely found high school essays a chore, and when backpacking through India and Nepal in my early 20s I took great pleasure in composing long letters home) you've already clocked up a good many hours.
That's no reason to be complacent, however. Vossler urges would-be writers to write every day: “If you write you will improve your writing.” I agree with him. While I don't work on articles or books every day, I do use language with precision each day, be it editing, crafting emails to editors (people bound to notice if I make mistakes or write sloppily), or simply reading carefully the work of excellent writers.
He claims to have had well over 2,000 articles published, plus several books, so his advice is probably worth heeding. Over the two weeks, I'll post his six tips, together with my comments. Here's no. 1.
Write, write, and write some more
In his best-seller Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes the importance of practice. He goes on at length about the “10,000-hour rule,” asserting that only those with 10,000 hours of experience under their belts can expect to become masters at what they do.
That's equivalent to five years' working full time, and thinking about it that way may well discourage you. But if you're the kind of person who's always enjoyed writing well (I rarely found high school essays a chore, and when backpacking through India and Nepal in my early 20s I took great pleasure in composing long letters home) you've already clocked up a good many hours.
That's no reason to be complacent, however. Vossler urges would-be writers to write every day: “If you write you will improve your writing.” I agree with him. While I don't work on articles or books every day, I do use language with precision each day, be it editing, crafting emails to editors (people bound to notice if I make mistakes or write sloppily), or simply reading carefully the work of excellent writers.
Jan 1, 2012
The Smoking Pen
Why 'The Smoking Pen'?
It's a nickname given to me by an old friend, and recognition that I'm a productive member of my profession.
I make a living as a writer and editor. I've had three books published since 2001; I've sold more than 700 articles to magazines, newspapers and websites over the past 15 years; and I've edited thousands of booklets, articles and documents for clients which include government agencies. In the past two years, I've helped two previously-published writers improve their work and attain greater success.
So you want to be a writer?
I'm launching this blog because aspiring writers sometimes ask for my help. Through the blog I'm going to share some of what I learned along the way, but not everything. Whether you're a new writer trying to make your first sale, or already have a track record, I can offer tailor-made online tutoring as well as editing services. I can share my research methods, and teach you how to generate ideas and pitch them to editors.
To find out more, contact me at stevencolincrook (one word, no periods, no underscores) (at) gmail (dot) com.
It's a nickname given to me by an old friend, and recognition that I'm a productive member of my profession.
I make a living as a writer and editor. I've had three books published since 2001; I've sold more than 700 articles to magazines, newspapers and websites over the past 15 years; and I've edited thousands of booklets, articles and documents for clients which include government agencies. In the past two years, I've helped two previously-published writers improve their work and attain greater success.
So you want to be a writer?
I'm launching this blog because aspiring writers sometimes ask for my help. Through the blog I'm going to share some of what I learned along the way, but not everything. Whether you're a new writer trying to make your first sale, or already have a track record, I can offer tailor-made online tutoring as well as editing services. I can share my research methods, and teach you how to generate ideas and pitch them to editors.
To find out more, contact me at stevencolincrook (one word, no periods, no underscores) (at) gmail (dot) com.
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