Writing Dialogue for Your Novel

By Lanee’ Blunt

Dialogue is important when writing a novel and is a subtle writing device that the writer can use. It has the ability to authenticate and build what you are saying. Dialogue when written correctly will add depth to your characters and move fiction forward.

Express Insights

It can be used for giving insight into a character. Dialogue when used properly helps you describe situations sometimes better than description and exposition. The character’s speech will carry more impact than if the writer narrated the scene. Sometimes the character can explain it better than the writer, so don’t step in the way.

Believable

You have spent a lot of time setting up the character and the setting. The dialogue can make or break the novel. Always stay in character and they must speak in a manner determined by their educational, economic and ethnic origins. In real life, if a nurse is going home after her long shift and saying goodnight to her patient, she may say, “Yo, its Friday night time to party!” That may be her true way of speaking every day to her patients. In fiction writing—most nurses are more believable if they say, “I’ll see you Monday, Mrs. Simms.” In fiction you must use dialogue that is compatible with the education level of the character.

Dialogue is used to affirm the believability of the character and offers information that furthers the situation of the story.

Reference:

Leonard Bishop; Dare to Be a Great Writer; Writer’s Digest

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Guidelines for Getting Your Fiction Published

By Lanee’ Blunt

Getting your fiction published is challenging. It is different from looking for a non-fiction publisher because you cannot sell fiction with just an outline and a query. After you have written your story you should consider submitting it for publication. One of the best feelings is to see your story in print in a magazine. Most new writer’s find the submitting process a little overwhelming, and often want to give up after receiving rejection letters.

Know Your Market
It is useless to submit your fiction to a magazine that does not accept fiction, or to submit your romance story to a mystery magazine. You will receive a rejection letter if you don’t know what the magazine publishes. “If you’re not at all sure where to send your story, your first step should be a trip to the library,” according to Laurie Henry. Spend a day browsing through magazines paying attention to stories that are similar to yours.

Research
Write down the name, the address, and fiction editors of magazines that you want to appear in. Read the stories in the magazine paying close attention to point of view, the protagonist, and look at some of the ads. You can get a good idea of the readership by noticing the ads.

Create a Target List
Start with the highest paying magazine first and send them your story. Make sure that you give them a chance to accept the story or turn it down before you send the story out again. Send the story to the second best, and then the next best until the story is accepted. Keep track of submissions by creating a market list, for example you will list where the story was sent, the editor’s name, and the reply, if accepted or rejected.

Reference:
Laurie Henry; Submitting Your Short Story-The Waiting Game; Handbook of Short Story Writing; Writer’s Digest

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Book Proposal Format

By Lanee’ Blunt

Write your book proposal--
Mihow

A book proposal format is very straight forward. You don’t need fancy fonts or color paper. Most publishing houses want to see only a proposal and not the full manuscript until they request it.  If your book proposal is accepted you will be contacted by the editor for more.

Author’s Biography

Write a biography about yourself. Include your published works; where and when you were published. You can write something interesting about yourself.

Abstract or Query Letter

The query letter is two pages long. Tell what the book is about. Sell your idea to the editor. Make the query strong by making the idea come alive and compelling. You should convince the editor that not only will the book be interesting but it should also be profitable. Include the date that they can expect the book if it’s accepted.

Synopsis

An outline is the same as a synopsis. The synopsis gives you more room to explain what the book is really about. Write a summary of what the book is about. Here you want the editor to read your synopsis and think this book should really be written.

Table of contents will let the editor know how you are going to organize the book. Write the table of contents as full as you can but try not to add anything that you may not be able or can’t provide.

Include a resource sheet. Tell the editor where you will be getting your facts, and quotes. Tell the editor where you will be getting all of the written sources that you will be using to write the book: surveys, articles, other books, case studies and reports. Include author, title, publisher, and date of publication and a note on how you will be using this information.

Reference:

Gordon Burgett; Sell & Resell your Magazine Articles; Writer’s Digest Books

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