What Are the Guidelines for Formatting a Manuscript?

Happy After Christmas!

Following is the link to the guidelines for formatting a book manuscript before sending it to an agent.

Like film scripts, book manuscripts have formatting guidelines. So read up on them before sending out your book.

What Are the Guidelines for Formatting a Manuscript?
As an editor, I can tell you that queries and manuscript submissions (unfortunately) come in all shapes, sizes, fonts and (I'm not making this up) colors, making it a pain to sift through them. Sometimes the manuscript formatting has been so jarring that I've had to reject them without even looking at the overall idea-mainly because I couldn't find the pitch through the clutter. Editors generally prefer submissions of any kind to be neat and uniform, like an online contacts folder, so they can find exactly what they want as easily as possible. According to Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, here are the specific rules to formatting a manuscript you should adhere to before shipping your work off to potential agents and publishers. 
Read more ...

$ NEW LITERARY AGENTS 12 / 17 / 2014

Hi.

I just got this in the mail today. If you need an agent, try contacting these people.

Two New Agents Seeking Clients  Click on any name below to see the full mini-profile on the GLA Blog (with submission instructions). Good luck querying! 1. Heather Alexander of Pippin Properties Heather is seeking: Picture books, middle grade, YA, and literary graphic novels. Specifically quirky picture books with a strong emotional core, middle grade about a moment that changes a kid forever, and beautifully written YA. She enjoys contemporary, historical, funny, high stakes, gothic style horror, and magical realism, but not high fantasy, medieval, or time travel. She favors literary over commercial and as an agent, she is excited to develop new talent and help shape careers, which is what she loves to do best. 2. Dan Balow of Steve Laube Literary Agency Dan is seeking: Mostly nonfiction for the Christian market, but represents a select number of novelists working in Christian historical, contemporary, Biblical, and futuristic genres

Dear Readers,

Here's something from Script Magazine I got in my in box. i wanted to share it with you.

Letter from the Editor
	Jeanne Veillette Bowerman Online Editor ScriptMag.com

Our ScriptMag.com family of contributors have been pushing hard this week to bring you tons of new content to help your career, including story foundations, making scripts an enjoyable read and more! Check out our full list of contributors and follow them on Twitter too. 

The New Year is fast approaching. What better time than now to set new goals to challenge yourself. Screenwriters University has new online classes to help you get your story and careers to the next level. Whether you're a new writer or a seasoned one, you're sure to find something that fits your needs with their variety of classes. 

Now get reading and get writing! 

Jeanne Veillette BowermanScriptMag Editor

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook,
Pinterest, and Google+ 

Follow me on Twitter @jeannevb and meet other screenwriters by using the hashtags #screenwriting, #ScriptMag, and #scriptchat 

Dear Readers,

Here's something for you. It's about the main character. They are so important, you know.

**************************

Script Notes: Who Is Your Hero?
How does a script work structurally when there seems to be two central characters? Michael Tabb explains how to determine who is the hero.
Click to Continue

Dear Readers,

Following is a tutorial discussing the importance of self editing. Once you've developed this ability, you are on your way to becoming a successful writer.

**************************************************************************


Editing Skills That Will Make Your Manuscript Shine

SUE JOHNSON Writer's Digest Tutorials

Hi Everyone!

You can type the words "THE END," but are you really done with your manuscript? You know you have to polish and perfect it before you share it with editors and agents, but how? How do you know what to keep, what to chuck, and what's going to bore, or charm, the reader? You can learn to edit your own work, and here's where to start.

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to diagnosis the pitfalls of your own plot and pacing, the importance of the economy of language, and why more specific detail in your work can actually bore your reader to tears. You'll discover the importance of letting your book "marinate" after you type "THE END," and how to distinguish between the little voice inside that's self-doubt, and the little voice inside that's telling you where to revise. Through sample passages, both rough draft and revised, you'll see these editing skills at work.

Kate McKean works closely with her clients on editing their manuscripts before submission, so there's almost no editing pitfall she hasn't seen. Learn the secrets she's discovered after 10 years in the industry (and editing her own unpublished books herself, too!)

In this 53-minute tutorial video, you'll learn:

• How to listen to and trust your gut when revising
• Why few readers care what color your character's hair is
• How you should not say in 12 words what you can say in 5
• The importance of distancing yourself from your work to gain perspective
• How to Kill Your Darlings and save your manuscript
• Why you can't just wait for an editor or agent to do all this work for you
• When your manuscript is really, really done (at least for now)

Preview: Editing Skills That Will Make Your Manuscript Shine >

Story Engineering Was: $17.99 Price: $9.89 BUY NOW

Mastering the Craft of Writing Was: $19.99 Price: $13.99 BUY NOW

If you need help with your book or script, feel free to try my services.

Edits / Proofread for Short Stories: $30.00

Treatments : $ 48.00 (2 - 3 pages; for scripts)

Edits/Proofread:  $48.00  (proofread for scripts)

Critique :  $58.00 ( for scripts)

Query Letters :  $28.00 (scripts/books): 

Synopsis :  $38.00 (script/books): 

Edits/ Proofread for Books:  $90.00

Critiques for Books:  $125.00

( If you are not able to pay in full, the payment for any service can be made on installment - divided in half. If you would like to use my service, let me know whether you need  to pay on installment or can pay in full. I am willing to be flexible.)

Some people request edits and critiques together. If a writer wants both, to me this says the writer is not completely confident his or her script is ready. So I  recommend getting the critique first. Use the critique to redo the script. Once the script is just right, then request the edit.

However, there are script, screenplay, writers who insist on having both an edit and critique together.  So I offer an edit and critique combo at discount.

Edit &Critique Combo Discount: $66.00   This is a discount savings of $40.00

All payments are received by Paypal. If you cannot make Paypal payments you may mail payments in the form of cashier checks or money orders. NO personal checks

If you are interested in my services feel free to contact me at
ahicks4298@q.com

Phone: (360) 696-4298

There's nothing like a good deal.



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Writing Resources: Creating Compelling Characters

Full Cast: Create Compelling Characters Character development is key to writing a screenplay that engages your audience from start to finish. Your characters should step off the page and come to life for your audience. In this collection, you'll find nine resources devoted to helping you create unforgettable, complex characters. With instruction on the main character archetypes to consider in your film and how your character arcs will affect your plot, you'll be ready to wow audiences with main and secondary characters that evoke emotions and, ultimately, sell your story. Learn how to create an unforgettable cast of characters! Save 84% and Receive Nine Character Development Resources

Order Today and Receive: How to Create a Badass Main Character In Any Genre ONDEMAND WEBINAROne of the most common problems in screenplays is a weak main character. The supporting characters may shine, but the protagonist feels thin, directionless, and often "dead" on the page. Learn how to create a compelling main character, give your story its center, core, and narrative force to drive the story forward. Cast of Characters MP4 VIDEOProfessional writers spend untold hours examining the backstory, motivations and relationships of protagonists, antagonists, and supporting cast alike. Learn the pros' methods for creating three-dimensional, unforgettable characters actors will want to play. Connecting with Characters MP4 VIDEOYou can't have a great plot without having amazing characters. Strong character development will evoke emotions in your audience whether you're writing a comedy, drama, or any other genre. Learn how to create great characters that cause your audience to connect in some way. Creating Dynamic Characters ONDEMAND WEBINARThis webinar discusses the techniques to craft dynamic characters to both serve your story and bring it to a new level. You'll receive a bullet list of items to aid you in creating your characters and their backstory. You'll learn how to dissect your characters in a way that serves both their evolution and helps you brainstorm plot points and conflicts. Creating Strong Female Characters ONDEMAND WEBINARThe webinar is designed to help writers of all levels re-examine their own perspective of male-female relationships, gender-specific characteristics, and women's roles in both society and literature/film. You will leave the webinar with a better understanding of why this is such a complicated issue and how to sort through those complexities. Writing the Character-Driven Screenplay: Alexander Payne Style ONDEMAND WEBINARUnderstanding our characters in relation to the story is crucial. The constant question we face as screenwriters is: How do we build our characters so their relationship to the story is inevitable? No matter what kind of scripts you write, what genre or size, the methods used by Alexander Payne to develop story through character can be useful to your writing process. 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters EBOOKEvery novelist, screenwriter, and storyteller faces the challenge of creating original and exciting characters. Recommended by Library Journal, 45 Master Characters explores the most common male and female archetypes, provides instructions for using them to create your own original characters. What Would Your Character Do? EBOOKNot just another dry, how-to instruction book, What Would Your Character Do? is the first interactive guide that encourages writers to get inside their characters' heads as they create them. Writing Scripts That Appeal to A-List Actors ONDEMAND WEBINARDuring thIS webinar, award-winning producer Glenn Benest will share insights into creating eye catching character arcs, help you devise dramatic entrances for your heroes and heroines and will provide other tips and techniques that you can instantly use in your screenplays.

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Here's is an interesting read for you.

6 Lessons Hemingway (& Others) Can Teach Us About Being a Writer
	Brian A. Klems Online Editor WritersDigest.com @BrianKlems

It's hard to imagine Ernest Hemingway sitting down at his desk every morning to tweet and blog before, say, diving into a new chapter of The Sun Also Rises. ... Or is it? While such a revered author seems as if he would have been far above joining the social media scrum of pet photos and one-liners about Miley Cyrus' latest antics, he did have a good handle (for a mid-20th-century guy) on what we now call "self-branding." Hemingway-and many other writers known as much for their personas as for their books-knew how to present the kind of image that makes a lasting impression. It's not a stretch to envision exactly what we'd see on @papahem's Instagram (pics of him and F. Scott Fitzgerald tying one on at a Gertrude Stein party, perhaps?). And his famously terse style would have made him an ace on Twitter.

Here are six lessons Hemingway and the other all-time greats can teach us about the modern concept of personal branding.  Read more... 

We'll keep this short.  Enter the Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition for a chance at$3,000 and a trip to the 2015 Writer's Digest Conference, PLUS national exposure for your story! Click here to see the full prize list. Here's the bottom line. Keep your story under 1,500 words to qualify, and be sure to get your work to us by December 15! NEW-We have an exciting announcement about this year's competition. EVERY entrant receives a free pass to a special online webinar conducted by award-winning author Jacob Appel.

If you need help with your book or script, feel free to try my services.

Edits / Proofread for Short Stories: $30.00

Treatments : $ 48.00 (2 - 3 pages; for scripts)

Edits/Proofread:  $48.00  (proofread for scripts)

Critique :  $58.00 ( for scripts)

Query Letters :  $28.00 (scripts/books): 

Synopsis :  $38.00 (script/books): 

Edits/ Proofread for Books:  $90.00

Critiques for Books:  $125.00

( If you are not able to pay in full, the payment for any service can be made on installment - divided in half. If you would like to use my service, let me know whether you need  to pay on installment or can pay in full. I am willing to be flexible.)

Some people request edits and critiques together. If a writer wants both, to me this says the writer is not completely confident his or her script is ready. So I  recommend getting the critique first. Use the critique to redo the script. Once the script is just right, then request the edit.

However, there are script, screenplay, writers who insist on having both an edit and critique together.  So I offer an edit and critique combo at discount.

Edit &Critique Combo Discount: $66.00   This is a discount savings of $40.00

All payments are received by Paypal. If you cannot make Paypal payments you may mail payments in the form of cashier checks or money orders. NO personal checks

If you are interested in my services feel free to contact me at
ahicks4298@q.com

Phone: (360) 696-4298

There's nothing like a good deal.



Film script format, writing film scripts, screenwriting services, coverage service, screenplay formatting margins, screenplay writing, screenplay format example, Search terms: screenplays, screenwriting service, edit and critique service, writing screenplays, screenplay format, loglines, query letter, film scripts, movie scripts, screenplay format, screenplay synopsis, script synopsis, treatment, proofreading service for writers, novels, writing services, fiction writing, film script format, writing film scripts, screenwriting service, coverage service, screenplay critique service, screenplay format margins, screenplay writing, screenplay format example, free writing tutorials,   script consultant, screenwriting jobs, film production companies, writing short stories, writing novels, screenplay contest, short story contest, action, young adult fiction, query letter sample, query letter format,  query letter fiction, query letter nonfiction, professional treatments, thriller, horror, paranormal, romance, drama, 

Ever had a movie change your life?

If so, you know that it is possible for someone to write a profound screenplay...

...and this Saturday, you're going to learn how you can write a movie that has a profound impact on audiences all over the world.

Take this class if:

• You want to DELIVER A MESSAGE,
• You want your movie to CHANGE THE WORLD, or
• You want to have a PROFOUND IMPACT on audiences.

You'll learn:

• 7 Steps to Writing Profound Screenplays.
• How to look beyond the Antagonist and Protagonist.
• Analysis of THE MATRIX using the Profound Model.

Saturday, December 7th, 2014, 12pm (noon) 
Pacific Standard Time

Your Presenter: Hal Croasmun has interviewed over 700 producers and helped over 250 writers make their first screenwriting deal.

FOLLOW WD ON TWITTER
One of the great things about technology is that writers can find helpful information in several different places, including Twitter. By the way, click here to learn how to use Twitter to boost your writing income. 

Follow the following Writer’s Digest personalities to boost your writing and publishing IQ:

• Brian Klems
• Chuck Sambuchino
• Jessica Strawser
• Robert Lee Brewer
• Adrienne Crezo

Of course, you should be following @WritersDigest too!

WRITER'S DIGEST BLOGS
WritersDigest.com is the top online resource for writers online-regardless of where they are in their writing journeys. The site offers a lot of great content, including continually updated posts from a variety of writing-related blogs. 

Here are a few recent posts:

• New Literary Agent Alert: Abby Saul of Browne & Miller Literary Associates
• 4 Approaches for the First Chapter of Your Novel
• How to Develop a Writing Plan
• WD Poetic Form Challenge: Erasure Poem

If you need help with your book or script, feel free to try my services.

Treatments : $ 48.00 (2 - 3 pages; for scripts)

Edits/Proofread:  $48.00  (proofread for scripts)

Critique :  $58.00 ( for scripts)

Query Letters :  $28.00 (scripts/books): 

Synopsis :  $38.00 (script/books): 

Edits/ Proofread for Books:  $90.00

Critiques for Books:  $125.00

Are you writing a Short Story?  Now  I offer service for Short story writers as for the other services, the fees are flat.

Edits / Proofread for Short Stories: $30.00

Critiques for Short Stories: $30.00

( If you are not able to pay in full, the payment for any service can be made on installment - divided in half. If you would like to use my service, let me know whether you need  to pay on installment or can pay in full. I am willing to be flexible.)

Some people request edits and critiques together. If a writer wants both, to me this says the writer is not completely confident his or her script is ready. So I  recommend getting the critique first. Use the critique to redo the script. Once the script is just right, then request the edit.

However, there are script, screenplay, writers who insist on having both an edit and critique together.  So I offer an edit and critique combo at discount.

Edit &Critique Combo Discount: $66.00   This is a discount savings of $40.00

All payments are received by Paypal. If you cannot make Paypal payments you may mail payments in the form of cashier checks or money orders. NO personal checks

If you are interested in my services feel free to contact me at
ahicks4298@q.com

Phone: (360) 696-4298

There's nothing like a good deal.



Film script format, writing film scripts, screenwriting services, coverage service, screenplay formatting margins, screenplay writing, screenplay format example, Search terms: screenplays, screenwriting service, edit and critique service, writing screenplays, screenplay format, loglines, query letter, film scripts, movie scripts, screenplay format, screenplay synopsis, script synopsis, treatment, proofreading service for writers, novels, writing services, fiction writing, film script format, writing film scripts, screenwriting service, coverage service, screenplay critique service, screenplay format margins, screenplay writing, screenplay format example, free writing tutorials,   script consultant, screenwriting jobs, film production companies, writing short stories, writing novels, screenplay contest, short story contest, action, young adult fiction, query letter sample, query letter format,  query letter fiction, query letter nonfiction, professional treatments, thriller, horror, paranormal, romance, drama,