Tips to Help a Writer Move from Slush Pile to Sold!

by Patty Smith Hall @PattySmithHall

Before I was offered my first contract, I had a very unusual job. I worked for a major publishing house as a first reader. If you’re wondering what that is, it’s simple—I read manuscripts in the editor’s ‘slush’ pile and would give recommendations on whether it should be published or not, backing my suggestions with examples from the book. My job taught me things to avoid and is one of the primary reasons I’m published today. 

I’ll give you a short summary of what I learned, then we’ll go more in-depth in the months to come. 

What Writers Can Learn from the Slush Pile

• Conflict: No one likes a lot of conflict in their lives, but in books, it’s a different story. Without conflict, you don’t have a story. It’s as simple as that. Conflict in your book needs to be built just like your characters. You need to know the who, what, where, when and how behind the tensions in your book, and you need to figure out ways to use it to tear apart while bringing your hero/heroine together. It can’t tell you how many books I recommended rejecting because the problem could have been settled in one short conversation.

• Characters: You can’t write a book without knowing the people you’re writing about. It may seem weird thinking of your characters as living, breathing human beings, but through the course of the story, you need to feel that they are. Because you want your reader to feel as if they’re real, and the only way to do that is to get to know them. If you want to know how close you should be to your characters, I’m reminded of a girl in our writing group who asked us to pray for someone, only to remember they were the heroine in her book!

• Passive Writing: This was (and still is!) a huge problem in the manuscripts I read then as well as now in my position as an acquisition editor now. ‘Ing’ and ‘ly’ words slow the pacing down to a crawl and makes the reader work harder to get into the story. There are tons of writing tools and excellent reference books (Flip Dictionary is my favorite) to help alleviate passive writing. Use them and watch your writing hit a whole new level!

I’ll also cover POV problems, plotting and pacing as well as the age old ‘same, but different’ writers constantly hear from editors. AS I mentioned before, what I learned writing through slush piles prepared me for the day I was published, and I hope it will help you too. Stick with me over the next few months as we take a deep drive into what goes into a rejection, or a contract offer.

TWEETABLE

Tips to Help a Writer Move from Slush Pile to Sold! from @PattySmithHall on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Patty Smith Hall is a multi-published author, teacher and encourager to new writersjust starting their journey. A founding member of ACFW, she served on the national board and as a Genesis contest coordinator, and presided as president of her local chapter. As an acquisition editor for Winged Publications, she finds great joy in helping and encouraging others reach their publishing dreams. Married almost 40 years to Danny, she finds great joy in her family, friends, and her relationship with Jesus Christ. You can contact her at www.pattysmithhall.com.