A Step in the Write
Direction
August 5, 2013
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Update:
A somewhat busy week: Almost done with a 409-page editing
job; just have to read it over one more time; and finished a 147-page
proofing job. Then had a chance to send out four of my books to different
publishers…. Heard a song the other night by the Oak Ridge Boys that caused
me to think. Part of the words go like this: “Did I make a difference in
somebody's life?...When my race is run, when my song is sung, Will I have to
wonder, did I make a difference?” I remember a speaker at a writers’
conference once asking, “So you’ve sold ‘x’ amount of books and articles. The
question is, ‘Have you changed someone’s life?’” Good question for Christian
writers to ask themselves!
Thought for the
Day:
Mr. Meant To has a comrade,
And his name is Didn’t Do;
Have you ever chanced to meet them?
Did they ever call on you?
These two fellows live together
In the house of Never Win;
And I’m told that it is haunted
By the ghost of Might Have Been.
Laugh for the
Day:
An old farmer at an insurance company reported that his
barn burned down and wanted to collect cash for the loss. But the insurance
agent said they won’t give cash, but they would replace the old building with
a new one built in the same size and shape. The farmer then said, “If that’s
your policy, I want to cancel my insurance on my wife.”
Writers’ Tips:
Choosing a Title
After
typing your personal and manuscript information, center your title about
one-third down the page. Make it catchy enough to hook the editor, and then
the reader. Some writers say it doesn’t matter what title you put on your
manuscript, the editor will change it anyway. But if you come up with a good
title, a busy editor will gladly keep it. Plus, it will grab his attention
even if he changes it later.
In choosing
a title, you can use part of a Scripture verse or another quotation, the
title of a song, or a thought relating to the story’s theme. I used a phrase
from Scripture, “Such As I Have,” for a short story; for an article on
upholstery “The Great Cover-Up”; and for an article on water beds (back when
they were popular), I used the quotation, “Water, Water Everywhere, but Not a
Drop to Drink.”
I’ve found
that numbers also work well in titles. An article I wrote on buying the
perfect present called “Gifts That Make a Difference” never sold. But after I
changed the title to “100-Plus Gifts That Make a Difference,” I sold it
several times.
Someday
while you’re standing in a checkout line, take a look at the titles of
articles on the front of magazines. Do they tempt you to read the rest of the
article? One of my friends sold an article entitled “My Father Never Told Me
He Loved Me.” Wouldn’t you love to read on to see how this affected the
writer? Did it leave her angry, or did it make her determined to show more
love to her child?
Don’t use a
clever title just to attract your readers, and then give them an article that
doesn’t follow through with the theme. (For example, a splashy headline in a
tabloid about a health scare a popular singer was ashamed to admit turned out
to be only a weight problem.)
Another
hint is to tie your title in with the opening or closing paragraph of your
article, or both. A travel article on Yuma, Arizona, titled “Yuma, the
Swinging Gate,” begins with the thought that Yuma is the gateway into Arizona
for those coming from California and into California for Arizonians. After
describing the town’s history and then bringing the reader up-to-date on its
progress, the final paragraph repeats the opening thought by saying, “Yuma is
not only a gateway swinging into California and Arizona, but it also swings
into the past with pride and into the future with confidence.”
What’s in a
title? Plenty, if it catches the eye of an editor and leads to a sale.
Enjoy your week spreading
the
gospel through the printed
page!
Donna Clark Goodrich
dgood648@aol.com
www.thewritersfriend.net
http://donna-goodrich.blogspot.com
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