Hello, readers.

Here is something interesting, Approaches to forming the first chapter of a novel.

The first chapter is the most important part of a novel. It holds the heavy responsibility of hooking readers so they will develop a appetite for the story. The following article addresses this topic and offers some suggestions.

********

4 Approaches for the First Chapter of Your Novel
	Brian A. Klems Online Editor WritersDigest.com @BrianKlems

The following piece is by Jeff Gerke, whose Instructor of the Month bundle is on sale right now for one low price. Read the article and then check it out. Here's Jeff's advice on the different approaches to writing your first chapter. 

How, strategically speaking, should you begin your novel? When a reader reads your first chapter, what should she find?

There are four primary approaches for beginning a successful novel. Probably more, including some highly experimental ones, but these are the classic main four. Run your story idea through the filter of each of these and see if one of them feels right for your book.  Read more... 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Readers,

Thanksgiving is this week. It will be a time for eating, seeing relatives, and arguing over politics.

The weather is not at its best; so be careful traveling.

Keep your notebook open and pen ready in case you come across something interesting to use as writing material.

So have a Happy Thanksgiving, and be careful shopping on Black Friday.

Dear Readers,

I got something new in my inbox.

Check out the tutorial below on writing a memoir. It can help you condense that 800 page life story to a 250 to 300 page story that everyone would want to read.


Writing a Publishable Memoir:
 Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary    

SUE JOHNSON
Writer's Digest Tutorials

Hi Everyone! 

Many people think their life, or a specific experience in their life, would make a great book. The challenge is that even people with the most fascinating lives usually can't write down their experiences in a way that makes a great book. And yet, some of the most brilliant, riveting novels are about ordinary people in ordinary situations. So how do you translate your real life experiences-common or uncommon-into a brilliant story?

In this tutorial, Ivory Madison helps you develop your own roadmap to write, edit and market your memoir. There is a formula for all great stories, and Madison shares with you what every successful novelist knows about a successful story arc and how you can apply it to your memoir while staying true to your life story. She also shares her foolproof editing method, now used by many writing coaches at Stanford Business School. You'll discover how to determine if marketplace will respond favorably to a memoir like yours, and what to learn from the best-selling memoirs of all time.

Common questions and concerns about your memoir will be answered. Madison helps you navigate issues like what to do when your mother wants to read it, and whether people can sue you over your portrayal of them.

No matter what stage your memoir is at, this tutorial will not only provide you with the tools to transform your idea into a successful book, it will also offer the encouragement you need to follow through. This includes insights from the latest brain research explaining why writing about your past is a crucial tool for moving forward with your life in a positive way.

In this 61-minute tutorial video, you'll learn:

• How to build trust with readers by being completely honest
• How to find your authentic voice and let it shine through
• Tools to analyze your story so you know what's essential and what's superfluous
• How to write real-life scenes to be as riveting as your favorite fiction
• Why writing, editing, and marketing area separate activities and how to use this approach to get better results in all three stages of your project, plus a unique approach to necessary research
• What type of memoir you're writing from a publisher's perspective and if they will want to publish it, plus pitfalls to avoid if you plan to self-publish
• How to handle your inner critic, fear of embarrassment, and fear of not being believed

Preview: Writing a Publishable Memoir: Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary >

Writer's Digest Tutorials Members enjoy full access to all tutorials featured in this newsletter, as well as every tutorial on the tutorials site. Did you know that for only $199 you gain access to all Writer's Digest's writing tutorials for an entire year? That means you have access to all 188+ current tutorials and all the new tutorials created throughout the year. With the addition of at least one new tutorial every week you have access to a minimum of another 52 educational tutorials. Watch every video whenever you like, as often as you would like . . . and be the first to watch the new tutorial we post each week! 

Haven't taken advantage of the wisdom bestowed through the WD tutorials yet? Why not try it out today and see all that our WD tutorials have to offer! You can try WD Tutorials for only $25/month! You will enjoy instant access to 188+ tutorials, including at least one new tutorial added weekly. Also, there are many new tutorials still in development. Feel free to preview the many tutorials immediately available to you through the WD Tutorials site.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

~ Sue Johnson~

P.S. If you missed the last newsletter (or two), be sure to watch these new and featured tutorials:

10 Tips to Create Great Plots

Editing Skills That Will Make Your Manuscript Shine

Re-Creating Poetry: How to Revise Poems

Writing Scary: How to Use Pacing, Sentence Structure, and Word Choice to Scare the Pants Off Your Readers

Strategies for Character Development: Character-Based and Plot-Driven

Structuring Your Novel: Discover the Proven Blueprint for Creating Stories That Sell

Creating Poetry: How to Self-Prompt Poems

ORIGINAL CARTOON SERIES PILOT WANTED

TV Pilot Animation/Children/Family; 

Posted: 10/17/14 ;Location: LONDON ; DEFERRED PAY: [TBD] ;This post will expire: 01/14/15

Small animation house seeking pilots for a new kids cartoon series.

Open to all themes and characters. At this stage we are aiming at a young teen audience but are open to other avenues should the idea seem right.

Duration would ideally be between 15-22 minutes per episode.

If you think you are sitting on the next Simpsons or Spongebob we want to hear from you.

Submit: logline and synopsis 

 Posted by Tim Reynolds

SUBMIT TO THIS GIG

UP-AND-COMING EUROPEAN PRODUCTION COMPANY LOOKING FOR SCREENPLAYS

Feature/TV Pilot Action/Biography/Fantasy/Historical/Mystery/Suspense/Romance/Science Fiction

Posted: 10/21/14 ;DEFERRED PAY: [TBD] ; This post will expire: 01/18/15 ;

Peanutbutter Films is looking to enter the feature film market by storm and is looking for submissions.

Currently we have 1 feature in development and are looking to add more exciting projects to our slate!

We are looking for screenplays of any genre (fantasy preferred) that

1. can be produced on a limited budget
2. contains a limited amount of characters
3. contains few locations 

 We do not offer up-front payment, but we do offer deffered payment. When we make money, so do you.

Please submit:

1. Logline
2. Synopsis
3. Screenplay 

 Posted by Peanutbutter Films

SUBMIT TO THIS GIG

SHORT FILM SCRIPT NEEDED/ GRITTY MODERN NOIR

Short Action/Adventure/Crime/Mystery/Suspense/ThrillerPosted: 11/12/14 ; L

Location: LOS ANGELES ; UNPAID; This post will expire: 02/09/15 

I am a Los Angeles based filmmaker looking for a short film to produce and direct. Examples of my work can be seen at www.thomastrail.com

I've directed a few feature films in the past. Now it's mainly music videos and commercials. I need something new for the reel to present for episodic TV directing. 

I've looked for scripts on other sites, but I always get buried in submissions. Not many sync up with my style of filmmaking. So this time I'm going to get a bit more specific... Maybe this might be a shot in the dark, but you never know.

I'm looking for a short that is a gritty modern noir tale. I love twist endings. Something with some action, but not high budget. Small in scope but clever. Something that allows actors something to sink their teeth into as well as allows me to celebrate my directing style. 

I love the urban texture of Los Angeles as well as films that celebrate this - 'Drive' and 'Collateral' are a few examples (preferably not night shoots). I'm thinking of something that has interesting character dynamics such as the film 'Sexy Beast,' a touch of weirdness like David Lynch, and a sprinkling of 'The Twilight Zone.'

Please send me your logline and synopsis.

This is something that WILL get produced and made. I'm also open to something that can be expanded, though it's not entirely necessary (ex. something that could be extended to a TV show, web series, etc.). And one other thing - I need someone who is open to collaboration if I feel like there are areas that can be improved. 

Thank you in advance.

SUBMIT TO THIS GIG

Publishers Seeking Writers

Dear Readers,

Have any of you written a book and would like a chance to submit it directly to a publishing company?

Trying contacting the following publishing companies below.


3 BOOK PUBLISHERS LOOKING FOR WRITERS
WritersMarket.com lists hundreds of book publishers for writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, and more. Here are three open to submissions now:

• American Federation of Astrologers publishes 10-15 titles per year for astrologers. The ideal book length is 40,000 words. Potential authors can submit the entire manuscript.
• Highland Press Publishing publishes romance novels. Their editors say, "We buy what we like and what we believe readers are looking for." Prospective authors should query with a synopsis and sample chapters.
• New Horizon Press publishes 12 titles per year, featuring true stories of uncommon heroes, true crime, and more. Prospective authors should submit a proposal package that includes an outline, bio, 3 sample chapters, and marketing information.

(NOTE: If you're unable to access the listing, it means you either need to log in or sign up for WritersMarket.com first.) 

WritersMarket.com lists more than 8,000 publishing opportunities, including listings for contests, magazines, book publishers, literary agents, conferences, and more. Log in or sign up today to start submitting your work. 

Click to continue.

My world consists of books.

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.



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