Take Home Papers

Read Jeremiah 46-48

Jeremiah 46:14 "Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee."

Take home papers are what we get in Sunday School. They’re usually four pages of a variety of information.

Guidelines will tell whether the publisher is looking for fiction or nonfiction. Usually the stories are inspirational and help the reader carry on throughout the week.

Take home papers are not restricted to Sunday School distribution. Some publications are available for all church goers and have more pages—somewhere between the four of traditional take home papers but significantly fewer than Christian magazines.

Book Proposal

Read Jeremiah 43-45

Jeremiah 42:2 "And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)"

We send a book proposal to a publisher or agent to whet their appetites. If they like what we send, they may ask to see more and may offer a contract.

For a novel, they will want the book to be written first. Unless we already have a good fiction track record, no one is likely to take a chance on us being able to do what we say we will do in the proposal.

Nonfiction is different. It is possible to get a contract based on the proposal alone—we just need to be persuasive enough.

Revision

Read Jeremiah 40-42

Jeremiah 40:4 "And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go."

Revision needs to be ruthless. We can’t go into the revision process thinking our work only needs a little tweaking to be marketable.

It is possible, of course, but we need to be prepared to make tough choices. We may need to cut out whole sections of work that took us forever to write in the first place.

We will want to make good decisions based on what serves the manuscript, the readers, and the editors. Revision will only be as productive as we allow it to be.

Jeopardy

Read Jeremiah 37-39

Jeremiah 38:6 "Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire."

Our characters need to face real jeopardy. There should be real danger threatening them and their loved ones.

That jeopardy is what motivates them to act and moves the story forward. Otherwise, there is no reason for them to make any changes in their lives or in their character.

The danger doesn’t need to be physical, although that is the most identifiable jeopardy. Also the crisis benefits from having a time limit—it forces the characters to keep going until they succeed.

Plot Twist

Read Jeremiah 34-36

Jeremiah 34:11 "But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids."

When plotting, one event in a scene should cause the events in the following scene. The story best hangs together if there is a cause-effect relationship throughout the book.

But we want to be careful not to let our stories be too predictable. Our readers will become bored if they can anticipate everything in the story.

So we will want to add plot twists. These are things that occur in the story that are unexpected, but still carry the cause-effect plotline, taking the story in a different direction.

Work

Read Jeremiah 31-33

Jeremiah 31:16 "Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy."

Just as there is a holiday dedicated to work, there are markets for work. No matter what kind of work a person might do, chances are there is a magazine out there for them.

So no matter what a writer’s interest or expertise is, we can find a place for our manuscripts. Not only are there magazines dedicated to work, there are books out there, as well.

Readers are looking for information about everything from finding a job, to the latest news about a chosen field. Also, we can look at those who may not make their living working in a certain field—some make a hobby out of work.

Finance

Read Jeremiah 28-30

Jeremiah 28:10 "Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it."

Budgets, spending, balancing income and expenditures can weigh people down. Even business owners are not all well equipped to handle the financial side of their businesses.

Fortunately there are lots of magazines and books to help. That translates to lots of markets for writers who have an interest or expertise in finance.

But it’s crucial that the information be accurate and the advice tried and proven. It’s as easy for a writer to make a bad name for themselves by messing this up as it is to make a good reputation as one who knows what they’re talking about.

Grant Proposals

Read Jeremiah 25-27

Jeremiah 26:2 "Thus saith the Lord; Stand in the court of the Lord's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:"

Some companies need writers who can write persuasive grant proposals. The companies are more likely to be non-profit organizations, but research companies also look for grants.

Sometimes writers might need to write a grant proposal for themselves. If there is someone looking to give money away, there are those who want to be considered.

Grant proposals need to be clear and persuasive. Even more important writers need to follow the guidelines precisely so the proposal isn’t denied merely because of form.

Dreams

Read Jeremiah 22-24

Jeremiah 23:25 "I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed."

Editors don’t seem to like when a story begins with a dream. And readers get disgusted when a story ends up being nothing but someone’s dream.

But dreams can be useful plot points as a character’s subconscious struggles to bring out a repressed memory or when a character is struggling with decisions and a dream helps bring some clarity. We just have to use dreams carefully and fairly.

There are a few markets that might be interested in dreams. We will probably find more markets for the science side of dreams like the nature of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) rather than the interpretation of dreams.

Grand Gestures

Read Jeremiah 19-21

Jeremiah 19:10 "Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,"

A grand gesture is usually associated with romance. The couple had a falling out and now the guy needs to do something big to convince the girl he loves her.

Since it is popular, we will want to use the romantic grand gesture carefully. We don’t want our stories to be cliché.

However, other grand gestures are less popular. A person might need to do something outstanding to convince a client to invest in the company or buy the product and we can work those kinds of grand gestures into our stories.

Grief and Mourning

Read Jeremiah 16-18

Jeremiah 16:5 "For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even lovingkindness and mercies."

When someone has lost a loved one, they can usually find a support group to go to. Even people who have been diagnosed with a terminal disease have support groups for comfort.

But we are writers and will be looking for markets where we can reach lots of people with the comfort, support, and information the groups offer. People grieve for all kinds of reasons and most markets would be able to use a specially slanted article.

In fiction, our characters might be going through grief and mourning and we will show how they deal with the emotions and altered circumstances. We might even have characters that should be mourning but aren’t and the story will show why and how they deal with their societies’ expectations.

Conflict

Read Jeremiah 13-15

Jeremiah 13:14 "And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them."

A story without conflict is boring. It might be pleasant to live like that, but reading about an idyllic existence gets old soon.

The plot points will need major conflict—events that force characters to make decisions and changes and to take action. It doesn’t have to involve bombs or people with guns, but it should be plot altering.

Besides the major conflicts, each scene should have minor conflicts. They need to be big enough to move the story forward, but could be as small as a person not having milk for their cereal.

Characters

Read Jeremiah 10-12

Jeremiah 10:6 "Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might."

Characters have roles in stories. There’s the hero, the villain, the mentor, the shadow, the sidekick, the love interest, and more.

When writing a first draft it’s not critical to flesh out the characters more than the roles they play. Hopefully the act of writing the plot will show us more about what our characters are like.

However, before we submit our manuscript to any agents or publishers, we will want to make sure our characters are unique, interesting, and memorable and that they grow and change by the end of the book. That’s what will sell our stories to editors, agents, and especially to readers.

Banking

Read Jeremiah 7-9

Jeremiah 8:20 "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved."

When we are enjoying a period of prosperity, the wise among us will set money aside for when the harvest passes and the summer is over. To maximize our investments and minimize our risks, we will probably use a bank.

The banking industry has taken a lot of bad publicity recently. But there are still thriving banks and banking is still a viable industry.

An industry that needs information for leaders and employees. There are markets for those writers who have knowledge or interest in writing for banking magazines.

Fair Use Laws

Read Jeremiah 4-6

Jeremiah 5:24 "Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest."

There are times when we read something that affects us so deeply, we want to share it with others. As we write, we can’t help but let these wonderful words become part of our manuscript.

But we have to be careful that we are not stepping on the other writer’s toes. The fair use laws are in place so we can quote parts of another author’s work without getting into legal trouble.

We’ll also want to identify the other writer and the work that so inspired us. It’s good advertising for the other writer and will keep the integrity of our own work.

Police Procedurals

Read Jeremiah 1-3

 

Jeremiah 2:32 "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number."

 

Police procedural stories seem easy to write. With all the cop shows on television and at the movies, we think we are familiar with what goes on at the police department when they are investigating a crime.

 

But if we write police procedurals based only on that knowledge, our stories will suffer. Based on the other worlds we have researched, we know that sometimes we change facts to fit the story we are trying to tell.

 

Until we do the research for ourselves, we won’t know what facts other writers have changed. Even though most of the crime world stories seem very similar, those who actually are police folk, detectives, and other crime-stopping related folk will know we have been lax about the facts when we base our work on the fictional work of others.

Science

Read Isaiah 64-66

Isaiah 64:4 "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him."

Most of us won’t be on the cutting edge of writing science articles based on our research. But there are markets for writers who can understand science-speak and can interpret scientists’ breakthroughs for the rest of us.

Since science and research covers so many areas, any writer’s interests are bound to be represented. Scientists and researchers work in health, technology and even more mundane issues like cleaning.

Children’s markets are open to science and research. Writers might also team up with a scientist to write textbooks.

Bridal

Read Isaiah 61-63

Isaiah 62:5 "For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee."

It’s the biggest day in a woman’s life. It’s the culmination of a lifetime of planning.

And when her wedding date is set and she has to put all those plans into action, it can become overwhelming. Who could possibly know all the details that go into pulling off that dream wedding?

Professional wedding planners do, for one, and bridal magazines help get the information out. Bridal magazines cover not only the wedding, but also the honeymoon and life before, during, and after—plenty of niches for writers to fill.

Sin

Read Isaiah 58-60

Isaiah 59:12 "For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;"

Sin causes so many problems. If only he hadn’t cheated on his wife, or if only she hadn’t embezzled from the company, for instance.

It complicates our lives and is best avoided. But it is gold for plotting.

Characters who make wrong choices cause complications for themselves and that brings conflict and tension to our stories. But when a character sins, it increases conflict, tension, and the emotion of the plot. We just have to choose the sin carefully or assign it to a villain so our readers don’t lose their sympathy and empathy for our protagonist and toss our stories away in disgust.

Mysterious Ways

Read Isaiah 55-57

Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Sometimes the harder we try to get ideas, the more elusive those ideas are. Whether we’re trying to find something to write about, trying to find the next plot point in our story, or trying to get a first draft of an article down, we struggle with the muse.

Our imaginations are wonderful things, but they don’t always seem to work on cue. Those mysterious ways of successful writers don’t seem to work for us.

So sometimes we need a break to give our creative side a rest and stop beating ourselves up for being human, rather than machines. Often, once we get back to work, we might find that the break has coaxed our shy ideas back into our brains.

Character Growth

Read Isaiah 52-54

Isaiah 54:2 "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;"

When a story is accused of having characters that don’t grow, it might also be unsuccessful. Readers will probably not recommend it to others, if it ever gets to print in the first place.

But how do we get our characters to grow in a story? It’s as simple as showing a problem, a hangup, a quirk that they start the story with and then showing how they act in the opposite way by the end.

For instance, a person who is afraid of the dark ends up going into a dark cave to confront the villain in order to save the innocent. Our job is to make the transformation believable—using the story arc and the plot points to show how and why the character grows.

Art

Read Isaiah 49-51

Isaiah 49:16 "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

Art can be found in most every medium. Paintings, sculptures, architecture, and even tattoos are art to someone.

There are plenty of markets for writers with interest or expertise in art. Some of the markets are blatantly about art and other markets are more subtle—for instance, doing a travel piece that includes information about art museums or the architecture of a destination.

There are also markets for textbooks about art. Some will be for students learning about art and others will be how-to books about one specialty of art.

Resumes

Read Isaiah 46-48

Isaiah 46:10 "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"

A writer’s resume is different from traditional resumes. Writers list what they have written and for whom in hopes of getting a writing gig.

Traditional resumes are also trying to land a job. If we are writing a resume for someone, we’ll want to start with identifying information and the job seeker’s goals.

In the midst of listing our client’s skills and experience declaring the end from the beginning, the most important thing will be to make sure the position's key words are there. So many companies receive so many resumes and job applications that often machines are the first to weed through the information and having those key words will help our clients get to the next step.

Don't Treat Characters as if They Were Real

Read Isaiah 43-45

Isaiah 43:2 "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."

We want to live peaceful, healthy, happy, love-filled lives and we want the same for our families and loved ones. We have the power to give our characters the blissful lives we want.

But if we do, we’ll never get any readers because we’ll never get our stories past an acquisions editor. Even our faithful fan club made up of our families and loved ones will get bored by trouble-free stories.

So we can’t treat our characters as if they were real. We have to throw trouble, conflict, suffering, and pain for them to overcome at them in order for our stories to be interesting.

Choices

Read Isaiah 40-42

Isaiah 40:31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

A writer’s life is bombarded with choices. We decide what we want to write and for whom.

We make word choices and plot choices. We decide the direction our piece will go in, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.

We limit our choices by what our readers and editors want to read for our publish-hopeful manuscripts. But when marketing is off the table, we can really let our choices fly.

Statistics

Read Isaiah 37-39

Isaiah 37:12 "Have the gods of the nations delivered them which my fathers have destroyed, as Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden which were in Telassar?"

Statistics can be frightening. Sometimes they are used for that very purpose—to warn people.

The math of statistics can give our creative side a headache, but it can make our logical side very happy. It can also make editors very happy.

Some articles and even books need statistics to prove a point. We will want to be careful where we find our statistics to make sure they are from a reputable source, and be careful how we use them, because statistics can sometimes be manipulated to mean anything or nothing.

Fantasy

Read Isaiah 34-36

Isaiah 34:7 "And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness."

Fantasy stories seem to mostly take place in the distant past. Characters may use unusual and powerful weapons, but those weapons are described as crude, rather than high-tech, like we find in science fiction.

If we want to write fantasy we will be writing fiction. There are markets for short stories and for books.

But there are also markets for video game fantasy writers. Many of the video games worlds are fantasy genre worlds.

Adventure

Read Isaiah 31-33

Isaiah 33:16 "He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."

Adventure is usually considered to appeal to men. Whether you want to write fiction or nonfiction, men will be a possible readership.

But children also want to read about adventure. When we read writer’s guidelines, we will find adventure listed in the guidelines for books and short stories.

If we love adventure, we can find ways to pitch adventure-related articles for the childrens’ magazines—things like safety or camping. Women’s markets are also open to certain adventure-related stories and articles.

Reports

Read Isaiah 28-30

Isaiah 28:10 "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:"

Smart businesses keep up with reports. Even police folk have to write reports.

We are unlikely going to be hired by the police department to write up their incidence reports, but we may find plenty of businesses to write for. We will want to make sure we know the specifics of what our client is looking for.

Some reports will need to be detailed and technical, depending on who the intended readers of the report will be. If it’s for the stockholders the business may want the report to be more reader-friendly and less technical.

Death

Read Isaiah 25-27

Isaiah 25:8 "He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it."

Everyone is touched by death, but the experiences vary. Some are facing their own death, others have lost someone they loved.

Death is not limited to people and pets. Whatever loss someone experiences, a foreclosure, a job loss, etc., they may find themselves going through the stages of grief.

So nearly every market has some way writers can slant a pitch for the readers’ loss experiences. Even fiction can involve death and grief for our characters.

Drama

Read Isaiah 22-24

Isaiah 22:4 "Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people."

Drama is serious. When we read or watch a drama, we know the characters are going to go through horrible experiences or through a trauma so deep, we will wonder if they will ever recover.

A dramatic person can be funny. We might write about a person who overreacts to everything and who acts in sweeping gestures, much to the amusement of the other characters and readers.

We can use drama in our nonfiction, as well. We might write an essay about something traumatic that happened to us and how we are getting through it, or an interview or historical piece about what someone else endured.