Query Letters: Got Legs?

At the end of a good query letter, the writer normally lists her qualifications for writing the piece. If you've written a book on a topic, you are automatically recognized as an expert. That alone gives you something to offer when you query a related piece. But for a novice writer, this can turn into a vicious cycle. When you don't have any experience, it can mean you get turned down. But how, then, do you acquire the experience you need? What qualifies you to write a magazine article? Certainly, a good grasp of the English language, tightly-honed personal editing skills, and the ability to communicate well through the written word qualify you to be a writer. But these qualities alone do not give you the knowledge to tackle every subject. Personal experience is always a plus, but what will really give your article legs to stand on?

Experts. An expert interview is sometimes a key difference between a devotional-style essay and an article. There are people out there who are experts in their various fields. They love to be interviewed, and they add substance to your article.

For example, if you have helped three children move into their college dorms over the past five years, you are certainly qualified to write something along the lines of: "She's Leaving Home: A Dormitory Supply Checklist for your College Freshman." But would that experience alone qualify you to write something like this: "She's Leaving Home: Preparing Your Family When Your Oldest Child goes to College"? No, probably not for an established magazine that pays its writers. Not unless you happen to be not only a writer, but also a family counselor or education specialist who is qualified by trade to speak on that topic. Find experts by looking for authors on amazon.com and contacting them through their websites. Look to your local area for people who are considered experts in your town. And start watching the local news! Not only will you get some article ideas, but you'll get to know who your local experts are.

Anecdotes. You may certainly use personal anecdotes to help fill out your article, but use the stories of friends and acquaintances, as well. If your best friend was crying on your shoulder the day her son went to college three states away, use her in your article: "Massachusetts mom, Debra Smith, remembers the day her oldest left home. . ." Then get a great quote from her to use.

A query letter will look as though you have a more appealing article behind it when you simply state, for example, that you have interviews lined up with so-and-so and that you will include the personal experiences of three families.

Does this sound like a lot of work? From my own experience, it has been! Getting interviews, researching, talking to people--that takes quite a bit of time and energy. How hard are you willing to work? The truth is, if you want to write for pay, then it is going to look like a job--because it is.

It is, btw, a job I love.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! ENJOY THE WEEKEND! I WILL CONCLUDE THIS SERIES ON QUERY LETTERS ON MONDAY, JULY 7.

Query Letters: Proofreading with Passion and Purpose

Ha! Today's title is a take-off on the title of my new book, Season of Change: Parenting Your Middle Schooler with Passion and Purpose. It is a shameless plug, but it is also, truthfully, the way you must proofread before submitting anything that will be read by a professional. Query letters should NOT contain any errors! When an editor gets tons of queries every day, a spelling error or a misplaced comma will send your letter straight to file 13! Why should she bother with taking a chance on a writer who is going to make her work as an editor that much more difficult?

Proofreeding is not easy, however, and here's why: Our eyes will fool us. We often read what is not there! We read, in fact, what we expect to be there. You may or may not have noticed that I purposely put an error in the first word of this paragraph! Check it out! And let me tell you, it is KILLING me to leave it there! (Oh, the things I do for y'all!) This is why one of the first rules of good writing is to set aside what you have written for a couple of hours, a day, or even several days before going back to clean it up. You will catch more goofs when you look at your work with fresh eyes. (Btw, spelling errors that are in the middle of words are the most difficult to catch!)


Here are some of my favorite proofreading tips!


Read your paper backwards. Reading your paper backwards enables you to slow down, look at each word individually, and be sure that it is spelled correctly.

Have a friend read over your work. Two sets of eyes are better than one!

Read your paper aloud. The egomaniac in you will love reading your own work out loud. Doing this will help you catch the goofs that spell check will miss. For example, one of my writing students recently misused the word "disgust" for "discussed." Spell check didn't catch it, and neither did he.


Finally, use the spell check feature on your computer. It's there, so use it! But use it with caution. Don't rely on it; it will let you down!


When it comes to query letters, your writing style is the editor's first impression of you. Be as passionate about checking for errors as you would be about your personal appearance before an important job interview. Consider spelling errors equivalent to lipstick on your teeth!

Happy proofreading!

Query Letters: Why Read the Magazine?

Before you query a magazine, you need to read it! Yes, it takes some time, but do you want to sell an article or not? Do your homework! Often, it is quite easy for an editor to tell if you have read her magazine--or if you have not. Here's what she knows that you need to know:


Know the readership. Be sure you know who the periodical is targeting as its readership. Obviously, you wouldn't pitch an article about cooking to Sports Illustrated. But you need to read the magazine to notice other details. For example, if you pitch an article about teenagers to ParentLife, you haven't read the magazine. ParentLife targets parents of children ages 0-12. Also, some parenting magazines are parent-driven, while others are child-driven. Read the magazine to know the slant of the articles.


Know the regulars. You may want to read more than one issue of the magazine in order to get a good feel for it. Regular features are usually written by contracted writers. Know who the regular contributors are so you don't pitch an article for a column that has already been contracted out for the next twelve months.


Know the recent topics. If a women's magazine just ran a story on how to protect a marriage from adultery and you query that same topic, your query goes nowhere, and you have wasted your time (not to mention the editor's time!). Read the magazine to know what has been published most recently.


When it is obvious to an editor that you are familiar with her magazine, you will write a better query letter and stand a much better chance of getting your foot in the door!


These are just a few tips. I hope they help!

Clean Desks and Query Letters

I spent the weekend cleaning off my desk, the schoolroom, and the surrounding area. I am a woman with a mission! It is always hard to dig my way out of the mess my procrastination leaves behind, but I love the feeling of getting everything back in shipshape!


This week I hope to be blogging about the makings of a good query letter! I have a stack of them from the She Speaks Conference, and I'll be meeting with my editor at ParentLife soon to hand over the ones I think warrant her attention.

Here are the topics I'll cover:

Why Read the Magazine?
Proofreading with Passion and Purpose
Got Legs?
A Day in the Life

Let me know if you have questions, and I'll try to make sure they get answered in one of my posts!

Trust the Coach

I am seething.


And as I grit my teeth, all the years I've spent watching Joyce Meyer bring these words to my mind:


"Be a Class Act!"

"Take the High Road!"


And it is so hard.


It's the championship game. And for whatever reason, my favorite player is not playing. He has started all season, but tonight--a night he has looked forward to, practiced for, and prayed over--he is not playing.


Do I trust the coach?
Do I trust him to make the right decisions?
Do I trust him to be fair?
Do I trust him to know what he is doing?


Well....hmmm.


No. I don't. Because this game just got real personal, and I do not understand why the coach is making the decisions he is making.


My tongue needs stitches from biting it so hard. I look over at my husband, who somehow manages to still convey the "Don't question the coach" look when I know he is biting his tongue, too.


You know there is a spiritual lesson here, don't you?


I can't trust the coach, but I can choose to trust The Coach. And ultimately, I guess every life lesson hinges on that point. When someone with a lower batting average takes my place in the lineup, I must still trust The Coach. Even though I've been diligent at practice, when I don't get to play, I can still trust The Coach. And when it looks real personal, and I do not understand the decisions the Lord--The Coach--is making over my life, I can still trust Him.


There are questions marks all over this post and, quite frankly, all over our faces around here tonight. There's no quickie way to tie this up. There's no "happy ending." There's really no "rest of the story." But I told my son that God takes all our disappointments and uses them for ministry. One day, he may comfort my grandson by telling him what happened tonight. And the truth is, THE COACH--the Lord of Hosts, Yahweh--well, He does know the truth, and He is fair. And somehow, when that has to be enough...

it is.

MY PICS AND MORE FROM SHE SPEAKS!

When I attend She Speaks!, I always take advantage of that time to also see my dear friends from Charlotte. Danya was born in Charlotte, and we spent three wonderful years there. Carmel Baptist was our church home, and the friendships we made there have been lifelong.
Pictured are (L to R) Kathy, Mary, me, and Loretta.

I believe the dinner we shared the night before She Speaks! was all part of God's plan for the weekend. My friend Mary is a missionary in Jerusalem. I had not seen her in several years, and she had a gift for me. It was a bottle of olive oil from the Holy Land. "God told me to get that for you," she said simply. "He said you would know what to do with it."


I don't know many Baptist girls that would know what to do with olive oil.


However, I was sure that God would let me know. I thought about my church and my home as possible targets of anointing, but I really didn't dwell on it because I was visiting with my friends. When we got back to the hotel, I was going to put my oil in my van for safekeeping. That's when the still small Voice announced that the oil was for the girls at the Next Generation conference. Of course! Isn't it just like God to be in the details, and to send that oil all the way from Jerusalem to tell 37 girls that they are set apart to live for Christ?


We had a special anointing service on Saturday night, and it was a blessed time. I had never done anything like that before, and who knows if it will ever happen again, but it was an absolutely precious time that was without question ordained by God. I am so thankful for it! I had been battling all weekend--under such spiritual attack with all kinds of mind games going on--but it was all because God had such definite plans and the enemy was sooooo not liking it! It was all worth it because God showed up, and He got the glory!

Below are a few pics of the hope of the next generation!

TO MY RICH

CAUTION: SUGAR OVERLOAD AHEAD

(BUT I MEAN EVERY WORD OF IT!)

Today we celebrate TWENTY years together.

I was NINETEEN years old when you took me out for the first time.

I was EIGHTEEN years old when we met and you made that comment about my hair. . .

SEVENTEEN years ago we found out we were pregnant, and so our family began!

The daughter you love is every bit of SIXTEEN.

FIFTEEN years ago we started thinking about homeschooling, investigating, researching, and talking to people who were already on that journey.

David will be FOURTEEN next month.

We've spent THIRTEEN years in Nashville.

Now, we've completed TWELVE years of homeschooling.

Our baby is ELEVEN.

We've survived TEN moves, and

NINE churches.

And speaking of survival, it's been EIGHT years since the accident that almost took you Home.

I get SEVEN days every week to spend with you, and you make each one special.

The year we met: nineteen eighty-SIX.

FIVE books, and not one would have been written without you.

FOUR loving, supportive, Christ-honoring parents between us.

THREE beautiful kids.

TWO hearts.

There is only ONE man for me--you.

I love you!