Writing and The Internet You said there were exceptions...? Is feedback good? What About Writing Courses? Should I Get An Agent? So How Do I Get An Agent? Pitfalls Manuscript Format and Covering Letters Magazines Accepting Submissions Writing and The Internet The first and most important thing any writer looking for advice on the internet should know is: DO NOT POST YOUR WORK HERE. Well, that's a little bit stricter than perhaps necessary, but it's best to start with this as the rule, and then look for exceptions. The reason why you should avoid putting your stuff on the internet is that it technically counts as publishing, and this is how publishers will view it. It seems tempting to display your works to the world in such an easy fashion, but remember, nobody is paying you to do it, and it won't look impressive on a CV or 'backcatalog' if all the works you list were published on your home page. The majority of publishers will ONLY accept first rights on your works, if you're an unknown. Of course, if you're Stephen King you have more leeway, but let's face it, Stephen King doesn't have to look around on the internet for tips.Very occasionally something gets scooped up from the net and is showered with fame, but this is very rare, and is more common amongst non-fiction works and internet cartoons. It's simply not worth the risk. You said there were exceptions...? Well, if you just want to experiment or practice, it is, of course, fine to put work on the net that you don't ever care if it gets published or not. This can particularly useful if you want feedback in order to improve your style and technique. There are a number of good writing groups out on the net, such as The Online Writing Workshop for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror but be careful to make sure that you retain all rights to your work when you join. There are better and worse groups - if you can check them out before joining, do so. The site I've linked to now charges - in general, I'd say don't give up the chance to publish your work properly for a writing group that's gonna charge you. But really, a much better option, if you want feedback, is to find a group, or a number of trusted friends, who are willing to look over your work if you email it to them. Is feedback good? Yes and no. There are different camps on this. Marion Zimmer Bradley argues that your should "trust only professional criticism", which is all well and good if you can get it. However, if you've not been published and you don't happen to have any editor friends it can be a bit difficult to know who is legit and who is a con artist out of those offering to edit your work for you. A professional IS more likely to know what makes writing successful, and they're more likely to see the obvious pitfalls, but one thing is true of both professional, and unprofessional criticism: it will be biased in however small or great a way towards the individual's tastes. The advantage of getting people you know to read your work is that you may be better able to judge what is a comment individual to them. The main function of informal groups is encouragement. THE most important thing a writer has to do is sit down and write. But the blank page an be intimidating, and the support of friends, or a deadline by which to have work to share can be helpful. Remember, though, just because your best mate says it's brilliant doesn't mean you don't have to keep an eye out for faults; and just because the nasty editor says it's crap, doesn't mean your writing has no merit, and will never have any. Feedback is above all advice, and your job is to strike the balance: maintain your faith in your work - but don't get too cocky. What About Writing Courses? Stephen King did crap on the writing course he did in College. Of course, that doesn't mean anything by itself, but the general consensus amongst published authors appears to be that they waste your time and money. Here I will agree with Marion Zimmer Bradley: "if the writer is a good-selling professional he should be selling, not teaching, and if he isn't, he has nothing to teach you". Again this isn't a hard and fast rule (the York University courses and lectures are always run by professional writers who generally only stay for a term and are usually only there on the back of some success). In any case, I don't think writing is something that can be taught, though it can be learnt. No one can teach you your style. At best they can set you assignments, give you advice about pitfalls, and maybe give you contacts if you get friendly with them. In the end, though, if your work gets to an editor, it will still only be accepted or rejected on its merit, and one shouldn't over-estimate the power of an established author to shove another person's work under their editor's nose. Personally, I would recommend setting your own assignments, and maybe joining a group like York Writers or Creative Ink, where assignments and writing games are regular features. The internet, and books like the Writers and Artists' Yearbook can provide further information on the pitfalls of writing, and standard manuscript form, as can books written by authors you like and respect. I particularly recommend On Writing, by Stephen King. Should I Get An Agent? In a nutshell? Yes. But any agent you get before you have anything published won't be worth squat. A problem, no? If poetry's your thing, I'm afraid I really don't know much about the area. However, if you want to publish novels, I can tell you this, in the major publishers, your work may not even reach an editor's eyes if you don't have an agent. I had a work placement for a while with Bloomsbury, and as a writer, it was humbling. Even assistant editors recieve mountains of manuscripts from agents, which they barely have time to read on top of the editing they have to do. The unsolicited work was handed directly to work experience lackies like myself. I was there four weeks, and I didn't see one piece of work worth passing on to my supervisor - I did pass some on anyway, but they were uniformly rejected. This wasn't just bad work, you understand (although most of it was attrocious), but if it was unsolicited it really had to be something uncommonly original and brilliant for it even to be worth the assistant editor considering. So How Do I Get An Agent? Well, magazine's are often more willing to accept unsolicited work, in fact, many of them like to pride themselves on helping new writers along, and discovering the next big thing. Always check if the magazine in question is accepting submissions before sending off. Never send off more than one submission to the same magazine at the same time. Don't send of the same story to more than one magazine at a time (imagine - Oh dream! - two editors accept, one will be v. offended if you turn them down). Make sure your story is suited to that magazine (if possible read the mag first, otherwise at least check the writer's guidlelines - often availible on the internet). If, having done all this, you have a few short stories or articles under your belt, you'll look much more attractive to the agents you apply to, and you're more likely to get one worthy of you. If short stories, poems, or non-fiction pieces really aren't your style, though, don't loose heart. Always TRY for the top. Send your novel off to the top publishers - perhaps yours WILL be the outstandingly original piece of unsolicited work that gets into an editor's hands and impresses them - and if that fails, smaller publishers are more flexible, and generally more eager for new authors. Don't be ashamed of starting small - a foot in the door is just that, and you can use it to get an agent if you don't already have one. DO NOT go in for vanity publishing - if they ask you to pay, that's what it is, and no editor or agent will be impressed by a book list you paid to get printed. If you're looking for reputable agents and publishers, the Writers and Artists' Yearbook is a good place to start. Pitfalls I mentioned these earlier, but you may have noticed a certain lack of advice on my part. I have my opinions about what does, and does not work in writing, but to be honest, there's better advice out there written by people who HAVE been published. Reading writing books by people you respect is probably one of the better ways to get advice of this kind, but I also highly recommend this web page, by author Vonda N. McIntyre Manuscript Format and Covering Letters Really much more important than you might think. once more, I will leave most of this to the people I learned from. But a few notes from my experience in publishing: - If you made the mistake of using vanity publishing, for God's sake don't send a bound copy of the book you had published that way. It DOESN'T look more professional, it just highlights your mistake and reminds the publisher that they will not be getting first dibbs. Send the first three chapters, and a brief covering letter. - I also want to highlight the point that Vonda makes - fancy, non-standard format or paper will NOT gain you marks, it will annoy the copy editor and demonstrate your inexperience. Crappy as it may look, use courier font for the even letter spacing that the editor is accustmed to looking at and judging word counts from. - If you're unknown and have little to show the editor but your story, make it look clean and professional, and they'll be more likely to treat you like a professional. By far the most useful, informative, accurate, and comprehensive guide to Manuscript format I have come across is Vonda McIntyre's, which is availible from her website both in PDF and ordinary online formats. The first is recommended for printing, but the second features some effects not acheived in the PDF copy. Cover Me - I'm Going In, by John Floyd focuses more on the covering letter, but also contains other good advice about how to, and how not to impress an editor. Finally, Marion Zimmer Bradley's home page has all sorts of information for the aspiring writer, though if you come across contradictions, I would go with the information provided by John and Vonda, as it is more likely to be up to date. And these words of advice from Andy Cox, editor of The Third Alternative, on covering letters: "It should be brief... but I personally like to know a little bit about the writer -- where you've been published before, if you've never been published before, if this is your first ever story, anything else that might be relevant or interesting or amusing. Only things in a covering letter I don't read are explanations or synopses of the story -- as Andrew says, the story should speak for itself, and you don't want to give an editor an excuse not to read it. But don't worry too much about it, you won't be judged by your CL, really it's just to introduce yourself and your story." Magazines Accepting Submissions Many magazines now have websites that you can go to for information. The TTA Press are an exemplary example. Now publishing two of the most successful British based SF&F magazines: The Third Alternative and Interzone the TTA Press have an extensive and easy to use website, which has details on all their magazines, and a message forum which includes a great deal of information and advice about the market, and writing for TTA, as well as an opportuinity to talk to the editors and other readers about the magazines. TTA also publishes Crimewave, and The Fix (a review of fiction publishing magazines) as well as occasional books. Other major magazines now accepting submissions include Analog and Fantasy and Science Fiction. these are both American magazines, though, and if you include an SAE with your submission, you will also need to include an international reply coupon, rather than just a stamp. The most extensive lisitings of markets and contests I've come across is Ralan's Speculative Fiction and Humour Webstravaganza, although Lynda Lotman's webiste also is highly useful for extensive listings of paying markets in SF&F, and Horror around the world. Just follow the link, and scroll down to see the A-Z.
			What is all this arty-farty stuff? Take me back to the front page, that at least looked vaguely sensible.