Paw Prints

    We begin this February by marking the passing of a dear friend, writer, and leader:  Paul Meyers.  We wish his family peace and love.
    This issue is devoted to query letters and synopsis writing.  We’ll have a tie in with the February meeting.
    PAWS is proud to announce the creation of our own web site.  Though it is still under construction, I’ve added many links to places of interest for writers and some 1998 issues of Paw Prints.  Our address is:  https://members.tripod.com/PAWS_writing.  This address is case sensitive, so input it exactly as it is listed here.  Eventually, we will have all contest and workshop information on-line, member lists, links to member’s home pages, and membership information.
    The Executive Board decided to make the office of Web Master a presidential appointed position.  I’m proud to be the first Web Master for PAWS.  If you are interested in attending board meetings, they are open to all PAWS’ members.  You may not vote unless you hold an elected position, but you are welcome to contribute to discussion.
    As always, send any ideas or articles to me via e-mail at kellimcb@chickasaw.com or give them to me at the meeting.  Please note the new officers and their e-mail addresses in this issue.  If you have any ideas, contacts, or programs you’d like to see/give, send them to Pat.  Let’s make this year one where all of our members get involve and help strengthen our club.
     March articles are due March 5th.

    February - the traditional month of lovers.  Of Valentines.  Of roses.  Of chocolate. :)  And of course, the deadline for the OWFI writing contest.  Did you enter? I'd love to hear you're name called at the award's banquet.  This month's PAW Prints gives us a crash course in synopsis and query writing - an absolute must for the serious writer. The more I learn about the writing business, the more I realize how important these two articles are. Without a zinger of a query no editor is going to ask for our book.  And a synopsis devoid of voice and emotion indicates to the editor that our manuscript is just as dull.
    On a somber note, writing lost a good friend this month, former OWFI president and very nice guy, Paul Myers. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
    By the way, it was so exciting to see new faces at our January PAWS meeting and we hope they'll come again to share the joys and trials of writing life with us.  Until then, good writing.
 

     Want to increase your success rate with article queries?  Keep your query letters brief (no more than one single-spaced page), and follow this three-step template:
     1. Sell your topic.
     2. Sell your approach.
     3. Sell yourself.
     Each step should take up only one paragraph.

    This is a sample of a query letter, addressed to a fictitious editor at a fictitious magazine.  The subject is real (I've sold 26 articles about the castle).

    Kelli McBride will be our speaker at the February meeting.  She will be helping our members learn how to write a comprehensive query letter and synopsis that will grab an editor’s attention and help sell a manuscript.  This is a meeting you shouldn’t miss.
    Bring a copy of an old/current query letter and synopsis to workshop during the meeting.  Kelli will also provide additional handouts about this process.
     See you there.

    In submitting a manuscript to an editor for consideration you will need to include a synopsis of your story.  Writing one isn't difficult if you understand its structure and its purpose.

    Every time you submit a manuscript to an editor, whether it is finished or just a partial, you must send a synopsis along with it. The synopsis is as important as the completed chapters, since it presents your story from start to finish in a shortened narrative form that allows the editor to see what your story is about, how it is developed, how the conflicts and motivations unfold, and how the characters grow, develop, and interact as the story progresses.

    The synopsis is your #1 selling tool. For unpublished writers, a polished, professionally written synopsis is at least as important as the manuscript itself. Many editors -- though not all -- read the synopsis first to find out if the submission would be appropriate for their house or line. If the synopsis is sloppy, incomplete, confusing or amateurishly written, chances are the editor will decide not to bother reading the sample chapters.

    Every writer everywhere has had to write a query letter. They're the first introduction to an editor, your first sell. Knowing how to compose a query letter in order to make the best possible impression can sometimes be tricky. And that was my motivation for writing this article.
 

1.    Each pronoun agrees with their antecedent.
2.    Just between you and I, case is important.
3.    Verbs has to agree with their subject.
4.    Watch out for irregular verbs which has cropped into our language.
5.    Don't use no double negatives.
6.    A writer mustn't shift your point of view.
7.    When dangling, don't use participles.
8.    Join clauses good, like a conjunction should.
9.    Don't use a run-on sentence you got to punctuate it.
10.   About sentence fragments.
11.   In letters themes reports articles and stuff like that we use commas to
       keep a string of items apart.
12.   Don't use commas, which aren't necessary.
13.   Its important to use apostrophe's right.
14.   Don't abrev.
15.   Check to see if you any words out.
16.   In my opinion I think that an author when he is writing shouldn't get
       into the habit of making use of too many unnecessary words that he
       does not really need.
17.   And, of course, there's the old one: Never use a preposition to end a
       sentence with.
18.   Passive voice should be avoided.
19.   Check speling and punctuation
20.   Last but not least, lay off clichés.