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A. When I teach writing classes, this subject comes up from time to time, and input from other writers in class indicates that everyone does it a little differently. But, most of them assemble the plot prior to writing anything, usually in the outline, and most writers tend to write within a particular genre, so they use the plot techniques associated with that genre. You might want to look for books that address plot in your particular genre to see if that can help you better organize your story lines.

A. Congratulations on completing your novel. I know that some writers believe you should never pay "reading" fees to editors, but I completely disagree. I rarely read manuscripts for authors, but when I do I charge for my time and expertise. If you need an expert opinion about the viability of your project, you have two options: pay a reading fee and get an expert evaluation of the work, or query it to publishers and hope that if one asks to read it that it will pass muster.

Q. I want to publish an online newsletter for a special interest group. Should I mail it to them or have them log on to read it? Should it be in the form of a PDF or an HTML insert into the body of an E-mail if I send it to them?

A. You will have to E-mail your readers either with the newsletter itself or with a reminder that they can now log on to your Web site to read the latest issue. Most people will not remember to log on without a reminder. The format (PDF or HTML) is just a matter of personal choice, but most of the newsletters I subscribe to are HTML in an E-mail.

Q. Two publishers want to print my article. Is there a right or wrong way to decide which one should do it?

A. I usually figure it's a matter of first come, first served. However, if they offered to publish at the same time, you should probably use your own judgment as to which publisher is best for you.

Q. I get all excited about writing a story, and then I lose interest. Is this a common problem? How do I get myself motivated to finish a story?

A. It is not unusual to drop some writing projects when they don't seem to be going where you want them to go, but if it happens all the time and you can't ever finish a story, that is a problem. Planning, organization, and self-discipline are at the heart of all writing projects. This is something I can't teach you to do. It takes practice. You have to force yourself to work on a story even if you aren't excited by it at the moment. Sometimes it's just a matter of figuring out where it went wrong so that you can get it back on track and recover the excitement for the story that you had initially.

Q. I am a first-time author and I am having problems finding a literary agent. They all want to charge me $500 and up just to read my manuscript. This doesn't make sense to me. What if they read it and don't like it? Then I would have to find another agent and pay another $500 to them!

A. Why do you need a literary agent at all? Why not learn to write a proper query letter and shop your own manuscript to book publishers? Don't go looking for an agent when there is rarely a need for one.

Q. Could you please show an example of the chart you described in writing class for creating the structure for a story or novel before you write the outline?

A. Here it is. You can have as many chapters, subplots, and characters as you like. Break down the chapters into whatever categories you need. You just write what you want to happen to them or in the plot(s) in the chart. It can also be used for non-fiction, especially if you have several things that might otherwise end up appearing in more than one chapter.

Q. I took one of your writing classes many years ago in southern California. I now write part-time about subjects related to the industry in which I work. So far, I have had more than 100 articles published. Now I find I am running out of things to say. Where do I go from here?

A. You can write a book, jump-starting it with your articles. You can see if some of your topics are relevant to other industries -- repackaging and reselling them. You can look at other things that are of interest to you, possibly things that are related to what you have written about, and write about them. I understand how hard this can be, because it was my dilemma when I first started writing in the 1970s.

Q. Do editors usually have specialties? I enjoy editing, but I don't want to keep doing some of the projects I've been getting, such as academic pieces.

A. Most editors do specialize in at least a few genres or certain topics. This enables them to more efficiently market their services to the writers and publishers of the kinds of works they most like to edit or the subject matter in which they are acknowledged experts.

Q. I am new to typesetting and I have a client who wants me to typeset her book of poems. I have trouble making them fit on the page and still look like she wants them to look (they are shaped like animals and plants and other things). Is there a trick to doing this?

A. Before you begin to typeset anything, you should always examine the work as a whole and make sure that the page size you and/or your client selected will match the work. That will solve this kind of problem before it begins. If the client demands a certain size page, then you can try to find a more suitable font or a better font size, or kern a line here or there to make it fit. 

Q. I see you giving guidelines about how long it takes to write a novel or a short story, but how long should it take to write the outline for a novel or a short story or an article?

A. I find that the outlining process takes me quite a while for a book-length manuscript -- usually about a week. Outlines for short stories range from about two hours to a day. For articles, I do less detailed outlines, and so they usually take me about half an hour at most. You get faster and better at outlining the more you do it.

Q. I have written a book about a subject that seems to be viewed by publishers as depressing and controversial, but I think it is an important subject that is not covered well elsewhere. How do you sell a publisher on such a difficult topic?

A. You look for ways to show the publisher why the book is needed (research your market, give them the statistics, etc.) and how the book will benefit the reader (what concrete solutions you have to offer). Those are the things to emphasize. If you can put a humorous spin on it, that might help too -- and there really is a humorous way to promote even the most depressing and controversial subjects.

Q. How long should it realistically take to write a novel? I've been working on mine for two years and I still have so much left to do.

A. It takes as long as it takes. It's different for every writer. If you work a full-time job and you're only writing a few hours a week, it will take you considerably longer than it would if you were working on your novel full-time. The novel itself also dictates how long it will take. Margaret Mitchell was a skilled writer and editor and she worked on her only novel, Gone With The Wind, for several years. But it was a big novel with lots of characters, she made many changes along the way, didn't write regularly, there was historic research involved, and she was typing it on a manual Remington typewriter! How you think, how well you write, the speed at which you type, etc., all factor in the overall completion time of any written work.

Q. Every time one of my articles is published there are a lot of changes made to my punctuation, especially the commas. I can't find a definitive answer to exactly when to use them. Do you have any suggestions?

A. Commas should be used to separate main clauses, long adverbial clauses, transitional words and expressions, and items in series. They should be used to introduce a direct quotation, to separate words to avoid ambiguity, and in terms of address and geographical names, among many other things. If you are writing regularly -- and it sounds like you are -- I suggest you get a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style, as that would fully answer any questions you might have about commas and all things grammatical.

Q. I read your article about submitting a manuscript, but I'm not clear about whether or not the  paragraphs should be indented? Also, should dialogue be indented or flush left?

A. If you are submitting a hardcopy printout for editing or review, you can indent or not indent, and dialogue can be indented or flush left. But, when you are submitting your final file for publication, everything should be flush left. In both cases, always use a ragged right margin (never full justified).

Q. I used my late grandmother's diaries and letters in writing my family history. Recently, I've been told some of her information is not true. Why would she lie? How do I find out the truth?

A. People don't necessarily lie, but they may be repeating what they heard incorrectly or only partially. Always look for as much recorded documentation as you can find, such as birth, death, marriage, and baptismal certificates; deeds; court proceedings; and newspaper clippings. I have encountered many erroneous stories in doing my own family history, and this is the only way I know to get to the truth.

Q. I am a writer and I notice that you write contracts. I've always been interested in legal writing. What do you recommend to break into that field?

A. I spent a few years editing for lawyers, and I took classes in legal writing and contract law. But you may want to consider becoming a paralegal instead. These days, I think that would provide you with a wider knowledge of the law, greater credibility as a legal writer, and a better chance at earning a living.

Q. The Web has so many writing opportunities, but the pay is low -- sometimes only 2 cents a word -- and the quality of the writing is poor. I am a very good writer and I'd like to write for the Web, but it seems impossible to make a living at such low pay. Your perspective?

A. I rarely write for e-zines or other Web sites. No money in it for one thing. I write fast, but $4 for a 200-word article doesn't work for me. As you mentioned, the quality of the writing is poor. I note that writing is often not even proofed, and I don't see much fact-checking being done at all. If you don't mind being associated with those types of writers and those kinds of Web sites, go for it, but I personally don't see the point. Magazines of the newsstand variety are so much more lucrative in the long run.

Q. I am new to editing and I'm editing a friend's manuscript. He uses "they" for a single person instead of writing "he/she" or "he or she," and I'm not sure if that is now considered appropriate. What do you say?

A. I say that trying to write in non-sexist language is difficult without using "they." Since language is always evolving and changing based on what is used in everyday speech, I consider the use of "they" to be acceptable. I think it is especially necessary if "he/she" or "he or she" is used so extensively that it affects the overall readability.

Q. I have written about 50 poems that I would like to have someone critique for me. Do you offer that kind of service?

A. No, not anymore. I recommend that you have your friends and fellow writers read your work and give you their feedback. It will be as good and as helpful as anything I might contribute.

Q. Can I re-sell a short story? I have several that have been published, but I didn't get paid much, and I'd like to make some money for all the time it took me to write them.

A. You can re-sell a short story if you sell to publications that don't have overlapping readerships. You can also re-sell a story by re-writing or re-framing it for a specific audience or word length restriction.

Q. I am confused about what constitutes libel. If I write a negative opinion about someone, is it libel?

A. You can write whatever you want about anyone as long as it is not deliberately and intentionally false or mere speculation being passed off as truth. However, in the long run, I don't really think writing negative things about people is particularly professional for any writer. For example, if you want to prove a point about something questionable or wrong that a politician has done, let the facts do the talking. Mudslinging is always the mark of a rank amateur.

Q. When I re-sell an article to another magazine, exactly how much do I have to change it for it to be sufficiently different for the second magazine to buy it?

A. If there is a significant overlapping readership, they probably won't buy it no matter how much you change it. But if the overlap is minimal, then you should change the style of the article to meet the second magazine's, and you should also change your examples and possibly interview other experts, or remove any information that doesn't pertain exactly to the second magazine's readers.

Q. Is there a rule of thumb for how long a romance novel should be? Words? Number of chapters?

A. In general, any book is considered a novel if it is over about 40-50,000 words. Less and it is a novella. Most romance novels, aside from the Diana Gabaldon-type epics, are closer in size to novellas. Chapter lengths are determined by their content -- what you have to say in them -- not by how many should be in a book of any particular size.

Q.  When changing viewpoint in a book, can you just change it from one chapter to the next, or is it better to divide the book into sections?

A. Either is fine. Your story should dictate which will work best.

Q. How long should it take a person to write a 1,000-word article? It took me a whole day to write it and at 12 cents a word that's secretarial wages.

A. No two articles take the same amount of time, but a whole day is excessive in any case. I'm assuming you're new to the writing business. You probably either need to learn to type faster, or research more efficiently, or interview people more quickly. An article of that size should take about 3 to 4 hours tops.

Q. How do I know if two magazines have an overlapping circulation? I want to sell them the same article, with minor changes, but I don't want to step on anyone's toes.

A. Contact each publication or visit their Web sites and find out who their readers are. Most magazines provide demographics and other circulation details to their potential advertisers, so you should be able to obtain enough information to determine if overlap exists.

Q. Two years ago, I wrote and self-published two related books which I now realize was a mistake, since I don't have time to sell them. Now I'm looking for a royalty publisher for a third book on the same subject. Should I mention the first two books?

A. I would not only mention them, I would include them as part of the query for the third book. In other words, I would query the three as a series of related books.

Q. I am looking for a publisher for my book, and I want to know if I should use my pen name when I query or my own name.

A. Always use your own name when you query. You can specify the use of a pen name when you get a publisher.

Q. I see that you write lyrics, and I have written some lyrics too, but I have trouble making the  rhythm or meter come out correctly. Your lyrics seem to flow and yet I can't even see the meter or the structure or even the rhyme in some of them. Can you please explain this?

A. When you write lyrics and don't have a composer handing you a tune to go with them, you have to create some kind of "dummy" melody for them -- or pick some obscure song from the past to use as a framework for your words. That melody will help you see how your words will "sound" when sung as opposed to how they "read" when merely spoken. You will most often need some kind of rhyming structure (AABA, ABAB, etc.) but even that is flexible to some extent, and the rhyme does not need to be exact as long as it is close. The rhythm and meter can vary to some degree, because sustaining a syllable (a note) when sung can carry you through those kinds of variations. That said, once you work with a composer, you will probably have to make some adjustments to the words to suit their melody.

Q. I joined a writer's group but I'm afraid to talk much about my writing because I don't want anyone to steal my ideas. How can I get around this?

A. It is highly unlikely that anyone is going to steal your ideas. They've probably got more ideas than they can possibly work on as it is. I'm always happy to talk to anyone about any ideas I have. If they can take one and run with it, I say go for it. I've got another thousand or so ideas -- they're a dime a dozen and every writer should be able to come up with at least one per minute.

Q. How long should my query letter be? What should it contain?

A. I recommend no longer than a single page. Editors are busy people who are swamped with queries. Say what you need to using as few carefully-selected words as possible to illustrate what you are querying. Keep your paragraphs short. Start with an introduction to the work, expand on it in the second paragraph, state your credentials for writing this work in the third paragraph, mention any photos or illustrations or sidebars that you intend to include or have done to accompany your writing in the fourth paragraph, and then write a closing paragraph thanking the editor for their time, noting that you are sending a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE), and that you are hoping to hear from them soon.

Q. What is a kill fee and how does it work?

A. A kill fee is what is paid to a writer when their article is not published. Not all magazines pay a kill fee, so you have to check their writers guidelines to see if they do. The fees vary but are usually nominal fees that are roughly equivalent to about 10% or 20% of the fee that would have been paid had the article been published.

Q. How much can I excerpt from a published work for use in an article?

A. Well, obviously the amount you excerpt should not exceed the amount of content that you write yourself. But beyond that, it is a matter of how critical the excerpts are, and whether you need to excerpt large amounts of text to make your point. For example, do you need to excerpt entire paragraphs, or just a sentence or two. There is no rule about this, but for the reader's sake, try to use only what is truly essential.

Q. I sold an article idea to a magazine. After I researched and wrote the piece, the focus of it changed and the editor rejected it. I spent a lot of time on that article -- it's 4,500 words. What now?

A. Sell it somewhere else. In the future, always do your research before you query.

Q. My writing interests lean towards social issues and the environment. I'm not an expert in those fields, but I want to educate people on what I consider to be very important topics. How do I establish my credibility in those areas?

A. By always writing extremely well-researched articles that include meaningful quotes from experts in their fields, and by tackling timely topics and making them read with the enthusiasm that you have for your subject matter.

Q. About a year ago I started a magazine. I published four issues (quarterly) and I'm having problems getting decent articles and I'm ending up rewriting and editing everything. I get lots of queries but the writing in the articles is awful. Is it my technical subject matter or what?

A. It can be subject matter. You didn't say exactly what your subject was, but I have edited articles for a lot of technical magazines over the years -- even for my own publications -- and they do tend to have the worst writers, people who are true experts on a subject but no real writing ability at all. If that sounds like your problem, it is probably what you should expect, and you will just need to be doing a lot of editing and rewriting to ensure your publication's credibility.

Q. I have written a couple of novels and they have been published. I am now working on a novel that I hope will be the first of a three-book deal for me. I want to model my heroine after someone I know personally. Can I do this? She is not famous or anything.

A. If she is recognizable to anyone at all or if there is even the slightest chance that she may be offended or damaged in any way by using her personality as a character, I highly recommend that you visit an attorney and make a written agreement between the two of you stating the way in which the character will be defined in the novel, and stating that she agrees to this and will not sue you for damages, or has to approve a novel before submission, or whatever she wants and your attorney recommends.

Q. I just started writing commercial copy about six months ago. I have had three jobs so far. I  have now been asked to write a "lifestyle" TV commercial for a product, and I'm unclear as to exactly what that means.

A. Lifestyle commercials are not centered so much on the product itself as they are on the people who use the product and the kind of lifestyle those people enjoy. In a lifestyle commercial you would write things that showcase the people using the product or how they feel after they use the product, rather than talking about how the product is made or what's in it or how it compares to others like it, or what it costs, etc.

Q. I am a first-time writer. I was going to self-publish my book because it seemed impossible to f