randy obrien

I've written lots of queries with about a 99 percent rejection rate. My few successes have been with independent publishers who have open submissions year-round or have a small window when they accept submissions. Authorspublish.com is an excellent website for information on when these windows open. Agents also operate this way, so your response time will be short if you know someone in the business, a teacher, or a fellow writer of novels or screenplays in the same genre as yours who can give you advice or names of people they know or have met. Several free and pay-to-play websites have gathered agents' request and their availability to new clients. Discovering the next great writer is essential to their continued success, so don't waste their time if they specialize in two or three genres and your work doesn't fit into any of those. Manuscript Wish List and Querytracker are great resources. Screenplay writers have similar websites available. Some are subscription serv...

Wannabe writers need to know there are recognized plots of famous works that could help them find their way to success. Here are just a few.   Love conquers all: In this plot, two people from different backgrounds or circumstances fall in love and overcome any obstacles that stand in their way. The hero's journey: This plot follows the classic hero's journey, in which a hero embarks on a journey, faces challenges and enemies, and ultimately emerges victorious. Coming of age: This plot follows a young character as they navigate the challenges and changes of growing up and finding their place in the world. Overcoming adversity: This plot follows a character as they struggle to overcome a difficult situation or challenge, such as illness, poverty, or discrimination. The quest: This plot follows a character or group of characters as they embark on a journey to find something or achieve a goal. Rags to...

 You've studied, read, and found authors you like; now, it's time to get busy and start. I've found it helpful to produce a single word or sentence about the theme/question/issue before I get started. Some people decide what the story is about after they finish. It works either way, and the only way to find out what works for you is to try different methods. James Patterson, a very successful and productive best-selling author, claims that making a detailed outline for your novel is the best way to organize your thoughts and story. So do J.K. Rowling, E.L. Stein, and John Grisham. They're Plotters. Best-selling novelists Margaret Atwood, Pierce Brown, and Stephen King are writers who plop down in front of their keyboards and start typing. They're Pantsers, writing by the seat of their pants. Obviously, either method works, but only trial and error will determine what you like best. Also, if you're writing screenplays or television, it's vital that yo...

I like the idea of sometimes starting on page one with just an idea or a character, but these  questions might help with the  rewrite.  Who is it about? Is there a visual metaphor for a philosophical question to begin the story?  What do they want? Why can't they get it? What do they do about that? Why doesn't that work? How does it end?