Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan here to encourage you to wear your 2 hats as a writer — work on the craft and your platform at the same time.  Pursue more and more resources . . . by visiting my website and this blog on a regular basis.  If you are not in the vicinity of the events I blog about . . . please look at the names of the people who are referenced in my posts, go to their websites by clicking on the links I provide or your keying their names in a search engine.  The people  I blog about will lead you to their colleagues, and so on.  More ways to build your platform?  See the exercises in Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days.  I can help you polish your manuscript and coach you on platform-building – click here.

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Coach Teresa says: “You can write any genre that hooks you. Just write.”

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Just recently I remembered that in a college English class, the teacher gave us this assignment… to write about any book or story we had read in class. She had said: “No rules. Just give me a 3-page paper.”  I didn’t want to write a summary or a book report, so, I wrote a monologue (a speech–what I would have said if I were Othello on Judgment Day). The teacher gave me a B and wrote next to it “Creative.”

That was three decades ago.

Since then . . . I have:

• taken a 10-week course “Writing Children’s Literature” and have written 2 children’s stories; someday I’ll publish them. [ rewards: learned how to craft a story for any age group; formed a critique group with 3 classmates--we met twice each month for 10 years ]

• taking my counselor’s recommendation to read Maxine Hong Kingston’s memoir

• received an award for my fiction [ rewards: joined California Writers Club which opened my networking world ]

• found my agent for my novel Love Made of Heart and she landed a contract for me with Kensington Publishing Corp. New York [ rewards: being represented by respected experts in the book industry and receiving advance praise from celebrated authors before publication of my novel]

• written and delivered keynote speeches for Denim Day and Take Back the Night during Sexual-Violence-Awareness-Month on behalf of the folks at Community Violence Solutions [ rewards: making my name synonymous with subject matters I write about; speaking out for folks who cannot speak for themselves;  ]

• writing President’s Message for monthly newsletter of California Writers Club-San Francisco Peninsula Branch [ rewards: building my name as writing-career-coach and advocate for writers  ]

• sold my signature article “The Perfect Pitch” to Writer’s Digest [ rewards:  gaining recognition as an expert on how to pitch to agents, acquisition editors and publishers ]

• submitting short pieces and getting published in San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Chronicle [ rewards: making my name visible to general readership ]

• started my own publishing company and launched my workbook Build Your Name Beat the Game which a year later became Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days [ rewards: being Coach Teresa who provides a 22-day program for writers to make their names synonymous with issues they write about ]

• on January 8, 2012 when I presented “Writing-Career-Make-Over with Coach Teresa” at California Writers Club– Redwood Branch, I heard that  Linda Loveland Reid was sponsoring the 3rd annual Redwood Writers Playwriting Contest.  The entries had to be 10-minute pieces.  Hmm… I would like to write a 10-minute play.  So, the following week . . . I wrote the play in 30 minutes, but, it took several weeks to rewrite (after receiving critique from Lynn Scott).  Answer Me Now (a 10-minute monologue) is about a middle-aged woman asking her dead mom a question. [ rewards: I will get to hang out with directors, actors, producers, set designers, theater folks and theater supporters ]

Playwright Teresa LeYung-Ryan and Creator of Redwood Writers Play Contest & Festival / Playwright / Novelist Linda Loveland Reid. Thank you, Linda!

Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: "Thank you, Elisa Sasa Southard, for going to awards ceremony with me even though you have so much to do after having led Washington D.C. and New York City tours for students!"

Thank you, Sasa!  I’m on Cloud Nine and I plan to stay there/here . . .  long after the performances at the Redwood Writers Play Festival of  June 29, 30 and July 1, 2012.

The 4 shows will be at the 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, CA:

June 29, Friday at 8pm; June 30, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm; and July 1, Sunday at 2pm.  Tickets will be on sale starting May 1st, 2012.  $16 per person.

the 9 contest winners: Elaine Maikovska, Harry Reid, Jean Wong, Amanda McTigue, Nancy Lockard Gallop, Malena Eljumaily, Elizabeth VanPatten, Teresa LeYung-Ryan; Gene Griffith was not at awards ceremony

Again, thank you, Linda Loveland Reid, contest judges Lennie Dean, Natasha Carter-Yim, Michael Fontaine (who couldn’t attend the awards ceremony), Redwood Writers, fellow playwrights, Lynn Scott, Elisa Sasa Southard, my MaMa, and my friends who send me good wishes.

Teresa LeYung-Ryan and Redwood Writers Playwriting Contest Judge & Playwright Natasha Carter Yim. Thank you, Natasha!

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Redwood Writers Playwriting Contest Judge & Festival Director Lennie Dean tells Teresa LeYung-Ryan which symbolism in Teresa's play touched her. Thank you, Lennie!

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Redwood Writers Play Festival Director Lennie Dean with Playwright/Writing Coach/Story Consultant Teresa LeYung-Ryan and Travel Writer/Certified Tour Director Elisa Sasa Southard

Teresa,

Congratulations! Answer Me Now is a beautiful sojourn of the mother/daughter soul affinity. I continually seek to be the best of the best of my mother: your play is a tribute to that ongoing relationship of mind, heart and healing spirit. Thank you.

As Festival Director, I am thrilled at the announcement of the collaboration between Redwood Writers President Linda Loveland Reid  and 6th Street Playhouse – Craig Miller, Artistic and Education Director. This match will bring the best of both worlds to serve in the enrichment of our community. It is sure to be an event of the year!

I will update as the process of the creation of this event unfolds!

Lennie Dean

Thank you so much, Lennie!

Thinking back to that monologue (Othello on judgment day) I had written for that English class. . . I wonder where that paper is.

You can write any genre that hooks you. Just write.

Thank you, Elisa Sasa Southard, for helping me (Teresa LeYung-Ryan) do advance publicity for Redwood Writers Play Festival at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, CA

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan

As editor/story consultant, Teresa LeYung-Ryan identifies themes and universal archetypes for clients. As author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW, she says: “Make your name synonymous with the issues you write about.” Teresa has built her own platform happily; her novel Love Made of Heart is used in college composition classes. She says her novel and her play Answer Me Now carry the theme closest to her heart: mother-daughter relationship.  http://writingcoachteresa.com for Coach Teresa’s Blog and other resources.  “Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.”

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• book title
• number of pages or words
• author’s name
• author’s contact info

Exactly the right words; social networking; taglines; job seekers; grammar; manuscripts; Chinese word for heart

I started a new format for my blog posts on November 16, 2011. Once a month, I will write a post to include 3 sections.

As 22-day Platform-Building Coach– Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days:

Write Your Story Now! PLAYshop with Mary E. Knippel

Are you frustrated trying to find just exactly the right words
- for your blog posts?
-for that end-of-the-year letter to family or customers?
-to update your profile on your website or social media site?

Come and explore how you can overcome your writing challenges and have fun at the same time!

Nov. 19, 2011   9 a.m. -4 p.m. Free Event
$20 holds your seat (refunded at the door)
Workshop in Half Moon Bay, CA

Coach Teresa, What Happened at the Sonoma County Book Festival – Part 1

Kate Farrell, Book Festival Director Melissa Kelley, Teresa LeYung-Ryan and Margie Yee Webb celebrating the literary arts & promoting literacy at the Sonoma County Book Festival 2011

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “I had a delightful day. Fun with booth partners Kate Farrell & Margie Yee Webb; saw colleagues and fans old and new; was able to see Maxine Hong Kingston and her circle of Veterans; met Ron Shaw of National Alliance for Mental Illness NAMI; got to be on stage at Redwood Writers Reading Circle and read opening lines from Love Made of Heart; sold many copies of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days . Thank you, everyone, especially Melissa Kelley and her team, Ana Manwaring for orchestrating the show and David for creating that beautiful stage,  Linda Loveland Reid (president of California Writers Club-Redwood Branch) for all that she does for the community, and Linda C. McCabe for inviting me to be January 2012 speaker at Redwood Writers!”

Teresa LeYung Ryan let Ron Shaw know that NAMI is on her Advocacy for Mental Health page on her website and that she uses Love Made of Heart to inspire other adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families.

Kate Farrell showcased a new anthology she’s edited, Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother. With this anthology Kate conveys the wisdom of our mothers and the meaning daughters bring to this unique and deeply bonded relationship—through memoir. She is very excited that some of the local authors in the anthology read on the Reading Circle stage in the Redwood Village, sponsored by the Redwood Branch of California Writers Club.

Margie Yee Webb is author/photographer of Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings: Insight and Inspiration for a Wonderful Life a gift book for cat lovers and their finicky friends!  “Through my book, I promote pet awareness and encourage people to make a difference in the lives of cats and other companion animals.” says Margie.  She adds, “With the photographs of my cat Mulan complemented with words of wisdom, I bring people joy, smiles, and laughter.”

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President Linda Loveland Reid standing & cheering for Redwood Writers at Sonoma County Book Festival 2011--photo by Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Linda Loveland Reid (author of Touch of Magenta) says: “I was born in Hollywood, which has always been fun to say, and who knows, maybe it has lent its magic to my involvement with Theater. In any case, it has been suggested that there is a bit of the dramatic in my ways. I’ll take that as a compliment… I think.”

Check out Linda’s website to see all that she does for the community.

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Carol Sheldon, Barbara Truax, Teresa LeYung-Ryan, Kate Farrell, Margie Yee Webb having fun at Sonoma County Book Festival 2011

Mother Lode placed in the top 5% of 5000 entries in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards in 2011. It is Carole Sheldon’s first foray into the novel form as a playwright, her sandcastles and lifelines were both chosen for professional productions on the East Coast.

Barbara Truax is a founding member of Marin branch and past president of the state-wide California Writers Club. During her state presidency, the California Writers Club accepted a California Legislative Resolution, declaring the third week of October as California Writers Week.  She has published short stories and articles and after a three-year hiatus, has returned to writing.

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Margie Yee Webb greets new fans at Sonoma County Book Festival--photo by Coach Teresa

Linda Loveland Reid, Kate Farrell, Teresa LeYung-Ryan, Carol Sheldon, Margaret Murray, Margie Yee Webb at Sonoma County Book Festival 2011--representing California Writers Club, Women's National Book Association, and Bay Area Independent Publishers Association

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Coach Teresa (right) recommends Nicole Zimmerman's blog http://paper-pencil-pen.blogspot.com/

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Ana Manwaring orchestrated the Redwood Writers Reading Circle stage (stage built by David) at Sonoma County Book Festival 2011

Ana Manwaring writes, edits, teaches and connects writers with writers in Wine Country, California. She’s branded cattle in Hollister, out-run gun totin’ maniacs on lonely highways, rented casas to Canadians in Cuernavaca, slept in ruins, PEMEX stations and beached sailboats, hitchhiked through-out the West, discovered hot springs in Baja, lived on houseboats, learned Spanish, advocated for immigration reform, consulted brujos, prepared hundreds of tax returns, visited every California mission, worked for a PI, and swum with dolphins.

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Linda C. McCabe & Kate Farrell

Linda C. McCabe Quest of the Warrior Maid brings the legends of Charlemagne to life with a retelling of the classic love story of Bradamante and Ruggiero.  See all the places that Quest of the Warrior Maid is available at!

Kate Farrell Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother–groundbreaking anthology includes 25 true and compelling stories about mother that express the wisdom shared or learned.

Persia Woolley & Leigh Anne Lindsey meeting new fans at Sonoma County Book Festival 2011

Leigh Anne Lindsey says: “SeaStorm Press is an ‘author-centric’ indie epublisher. We publish ebooks, establish and manage social media accounts and create websites and marketing materials. Our first author is Jim T. Lindsey  (Nova Scotia) with his ebook: ‘The Flaw in the Fabric, Book 1 of A Travellers Guide for Lost Souls’ ebook available now for $2.95 @ Smashwords, Kindle, Barnes & Noble, Google  Books and Scribd.”

Coach Teresa here . . . This is Part 1 of a series of photo-posts.  What a magical day we experienced at the Sonoma County Book Festival!

YOUTUBE Video — Day after the event — back at the site of the book festival.

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa

Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “Reach out, not stress out, when pursuing your dreams!”

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

$9.81 for ebook; $22 for print edition

Love Made of Heart inspiring adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families.

As a manuscript consultant, Teresa LeYung-Ryan loves helping writers identify their themes and archetypes.

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

Teresa on facebook!  She’s also involved in Women’s National Book Association and California Writers Club

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September 24, 2011  10:00am – 4:00pm

The Sonoma County Book Festival

Celebrating the Literary Arts & Promoting Literacy

Old Courthouse Square, Fourth Street and Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA

Please look for Women’s National Book Association and California Writers Club colleagues Teresa LeYung-Ryan, Margie Yee Webb, Kate Farrell at their booth #34 (on 4th Street near Mary’s Pizza Shack) and on the Redwood Reading Circle Stage orchestrated by Ana Manwaring.

Other WNBA/CWC members at the book festival: Leigh Anne Lindsey & Persia Wooley at Booth 54, Linda Joy Myers, Zoe FitzGerald Carter, Laurel Anne Hill at Booth 31, Lynn Goodwin & Marcia Canton at Booth 59, Linda Loveland Reid & Redwood Writers at Booths 79 & 80 Who else?

Also visit the Redwood Writers / Redwood Reading Circle Stage to look for Ana (orchestrating this stage), Laurel Anne, Kate, Margie, and me Teresa. We  are excited to be with luminaries including Belva Davis and Maxine Hong Kingston.

Amanda McTigue will be at Booth #20

Kay Mehl Miller, Ph.D. (author of Living with the Stranger in Me: An Exploration of Aging)  at  Bay Area Publishers Association booth

Who Will be on the Redwood Reading Circle Stage at Sonoma County Book Festival?

Kate Farrell on Redwood Reading Circle stage at Sonoma County Book Festival 2 years ago

Teresa LeYung-Ryan on Redwood Reading Circle stage at Sonoma County Book Festival 2 years ago

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Melissa Kelley, Director of Sonoma County Book Festival

Ana Manwaring orchestrates Redwood Reading Circle Stage!

10:00-10:45 am        The Sitting Room – MC Clarise Stasz

10:45-11:00 am    Redwood Writers New books out: Linda McCabe & Robbi Sommers Bryant

11:00-11:30am    Broad Universe: Rapid Fire Readings –   MC  Ann Wilkes

1.                   Ann Wilkes

2.                   Emerian Rich

3.                   Laurel Anne Hill

4.                   Valerie Frankel

5.                   Camille Picott

11:30-12:00   Not Just the Facts: Journalism Today –  MC Robert Digitale

“Come hear journalists, the people who track down great stories.”

1.            Robert Digitale, blogger/journalist

2.            Carylon Alexander, editor, Travel Host Magazine

3.            Jane S. MacLean, journalism

4.            Arlene Miller, blogger/newsletters/educational writing

5.            Kay Mehl Miller, a journalist looks at aging

12:00-12:30pm Redwood Writers Memoir Contest Winners — MC Patsy Taylor

1^st Pat Tyler-Momma at the Swimming Hole

2nd        Jasmine Belenger-Looking for Jeasus

3^rd Jean Wong-Saving Catfish

12:30-1:00pm      Sisters in Crime MC  Malena Eljumaily

1.                   Clair M. Johnson

2.                   Darrell James

3.                   Patricia Morin

1:00-1:45 pm    California Writers Club–Vintage Voices Anthology    MC  Jeanne Miller

1.       Juanita J. Martin

2.       Jeanne Jusaitus

3.       Cindy Pavlinac

4.       Barbara Teboni

5.       Carol Collier

6.       Arlene Miller

7.       Mark Pavlichek

8.       Patsy Taylor

9.       Zara Rabb

10.   Susanna Solomon    Broccoli Dance

1:45-2:00 pm  WNBA (Women’s National Book Association) MC  Ana Manwaring

1.                    Margie  Yee Webb

2.                  Teresa LeYung-Ryan

2:00-2:45 pm        Wisdom has a Voice Anthology– MC   Susan Bono

1.       Kate Farrell

2.       Ana Manwaring- Not My Mother’s Child

3.       Jeanne Jusaitus- Liebestraum: A Daughter’s Reflection

4.       Clarice Stasz- Edgewood

5.       Barbara Teboni- A Moon Song

6.       Laura McHale Holland- Little Traveler

3:00-3:30 pm         BAIPA (Bay Area Independent Publishers Assn.) MC  Sandy Baker

1.  Sandy Baker

2.  Gary Turchin

3.  Carolyn C.J. Jones

4.  Carol Sheldon

5.  Eugene Miller

6.  Susan Pace-Koch

7.  Shelley Buck

8.  Margaret Murray

3:30-3:40pm Redwood Writers Short Story Contest Winners — MC   Elspeth Benton

1.  Jan Edwards

2.  Laura McHale Holland

3:40-4:00pm           Redwood Writers Raffle Winners MC   Linda Reid

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La Rosa Restaurant Tequileria & Grille, 500 Fourth Street
2:30 Maxine Hong Kingston with the Veterans Writing Group

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa

Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “I am so looking forward to this event! See you there !”

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

$9.81 for ebook; $22 for print edition

Love Made of Heart inspiring adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families.

As a manuscript consultant, Teresa LeYung-Ryan loves helping writers identify their themes and archetypes.

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

Teresa on facebook!  She’s also involved in Women’s National Book Association and California Writers Club.

Coach Teresa here.  I was looking for dates in September on the Chase Calendar of Events (because I have several friends who were born in September) when I found this:   National Suicide Prevention Week begins (Sept 4-10, 2011). 37th annual. See www.suicidology.org for history, factsheets and media kits. The goal of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is to understand and prevent suicide.

Chase Calendar for September 4 says:  Happy Birthday! Mitzi Gaynor, Judith Ivey, Beyoncé Knowles, Mike Piazza, Ione Skye, Tom Watson, Damon Wayans

Coach Teresa is adding “Happy Birthmonth! to Jonathan, Lakshmi Kerner, Marie Elena Gaspari and all friend & colleagues born in September!”

On Saturday September 24, 2011 please stop by and say hello if you are in or near Santa Rosa, CA.

The Sonoma County Book Festival,  Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, CA

Please visit us at our booth

Also,  come by the Redwood Village Stage at the festival:

1:00pm Redwood Writers Vintage Voices

1:45-2:00pm Margie Yee Webb & Teresa LeYung-Ryan

2:00-2:45pm Kate Farrell

Maxine Hong Kingston will be on the main stage sometime between 2:30-4:00pm.

Teresa LeYung-Ryan uses Love Made of Heart to inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families. She uses her workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW to help writers of all genres gain a competitive edge before and after publication.

Margie Yee Webb is author/photographer of Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings: Insight and Inspiration for a Wonderful Life, a gift book for cat lovers and their finicky friends!

Kate Farrell is editor of Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother, an anthology that conveys the wisdom and meaning of the deeply bonded relationship.

Coach Teresa here also celebrates September as:

Animal Remembrance Month, World

Be Kind To Editors and Writers Month

Happy Cat Month

Library Card Sign-Up Month

Self-Awareness Month, Intl

September Is Healthy Aging Month

Women’s Friendship Month

Hispanic Heritage Month, Natl (Sept 15-Oct 15)

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan, writing career coach, manuscript consultant, and

author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (customers of the workbook are saying that it’s useful for anyone who has anything to promote)

author of  Love Made of Heart (to inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families)

Coach Teresa’s YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

Look for Teresa on facebook!

Coach Teresa, when and where is the Sonoma County Book Festival 2011?

September 24, 2011  10:00am – 4:00pm

The Sonoma County Book Festival

Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa, CA

Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “Special thanks to Kate Farrell, Ana Manwaring, Linda Loveland Reid and everyone at Redwood Writers! I’m so happy to return to the Sonoma County Book Festival this year, sharing a booth with Kate Farrell & Margie Yee Webb (two of my favorite colleagues from Women’s National Book Association and California Writers Club) and showcasing my new workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days. Maxine Hong Kingston, the author who had inspired me to write my novel, will be there too! I use my novel Love Made of Heart to inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families. Maxine plays a huge role in my workbook as well. Can’t wait to see her and be with all fellow literacy advocates. I love helping fiction & nonfiction authors attract agents, acquisition editors, publishers, readers, and media attention before and after publication. Please visit my blog http://writingcoachteresa.com for more resources. My motto: Reach out, not stress out, when pursuing your dreams.”

Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan (who helps writers build their platforms and fanbases) celebrates literacy -- photo by MKWL

“Coach Teresa, what should I do before hiring an editor?”

Look at Your Manuscript with an Editor’s Lens

By Teresa LeYung Ryan

Writing Career Coach; Manuscript Consultant; Author

Since writing a story with the intent to engage the reader is so much like meeting a stranger and wanting him/her to be interested in you, you’d want to hook the reader’s attention in the first quarter of your story (starting with the first page, oftentimes with the first line).

I love working with diligent writers who want to transform their manuscripts into page-turners. However, there are things you can do before you give your work to an editor. Let me show you how you can help yourself.

The big four elements to look for in your manuscript:

• Planting hook(s) or story-question(s);
• Grounding the reader with the three Ws (Who? When? Where?);
• Showing (not telling) what the protagonist wants;
• Paying attention to language and rules

Let’s learn from the pros.

Planting Hook or Story-Question:

In The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, Maxine Hong Kingston hooks us with the first line: “You must not tell anyone,” my mother said, “what I am about to tell you…” Then, Ms. Kingston transitions into her story with: “Whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one . . .”

Grounding the Reader with the Three Ws:

In Woven of Water, while the story timeline spans from 1957 to 2005, Californian author Luisa Adams brilliantly shows us who she was as a girl (not with a year-by-year narrative, but with a single exquisite chapter). Because she grounded us with “who, when, where,” we eagerly follow as she (the middle-aged woman) takes us into her enchanted world of a “cottage in the forest.”

Showing What the Protagonist Wants:

In The Other Mother, young Carol Schaefer wants to ask questions: “Was there any way to keep my baby? Was there anyone who would help me find a way to do that?”

Elizabeth Gilbert hooks us with “I wish Giovanni would kiss me…” in her memoir Eat, Pray, Love. Simple as that.  She’ll have other desires as her story moves forward, but, right there on page 1, she’s clear about what she wants.

In Love Made of Heart, protagonist Ruby Lin is thinking: What have I done?  I watch the uniformed police officers escort my mother from my apartment.

Paying Attention to Language and Rules:

Read the first five pages of Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt and you will see how this wordsmith plays with language and rules. (You can “bend” the rules to create flow, but you must not ignore the rules.)

Are you saying: “Coach Teresa, that’s my style–I don’t like to use commas all that much. You might see typos but that’s your job right to correct them? I write like I talk. Okay.”

I say: “Read your manuscript out loud.  Do you really talk like that?  If you hear yourself pausing in a sentence, that’s probably where you’d put a comma. You are a writer; use correct spelling.  Do use vernacular that is indicative of your story-world; however, will your reader hear the differences in speech patterns in your characters OR will they hear just one voice in all the characters?”

Sentences Deserve Your Attention:

Remember Groucho Marx’s line “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas…”? That sentence got a lot of laughs. But, what if you didn’t want to be funny (ambiguous in this case)? Watch out for those misplaced modifiers.

How would you rewrite these poorly constructed sentences?

• He likes to fish near the Farallon Islands and they jump when they’re hungry at dawn or dusk.
• She insists on knowing when I come home and leave, not to be nosy, but for safety reasons.
• Being cautious as not to step on the dog’s tail, the children tip-toed away from him while sleeping.
• My husband still in bed snoring, I have always enjoyed rising before dawn and I eat my toast and drink my green tea on the terrace.

To improve your sentence structuring and other skills, I recommend these books:

• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
• Woe is I: Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner

More Advice:

• In all the stories referenced above, the authors present memorable experiences by employing authentic details, unusual story-worlds, and poetic language. You want to do the same for your story.
• Also, the stories have another vital component–all the plotlines have what Martha Alderson, author of Blockbuster Plots, Pure and Simple, calls “Cause and Effect” linked scenes. Another must-read blog: Plot Whisperer
• When you’re writing non-fiction and do not have the luxury of rearranging the sequence of events to create a page-turning plotline, you can engage the reader by using concise expositions to leap over blocks of time in order to focus on the core themes and fast-forward the story. A helpful website: Linda Joy Myer’s http://www.memoriesandmemoirs.com
• You the author must show the reader what the protagonist wants, even if the protagonist doesn’t know at first.
• We don’t have to “like” a protagonist, but, we do need to connect with him/her on an emotional level.
• Read my colleague Vicki Weiland’s “Vicki’s Four Questions” © on her blog: http://vickiweiland.wordpress.com/vickis-four-questions-%C2%A9/

In the fiercely competitive arena of the publishing world, how does one stand out in a crowd? Building relationships is one key to success in this business. Another key is to know how to translate the themes from your life to your writing and articulate those themes as community concerns. I want to see all hardworking writers realize their dreams.

My best wishes to you!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

Coach Teresa edits manuscripts for authors who want to attract agents  & publishers  OR  want to be their own publishers. She specializes in contemporary novels, thrillers, children’s & YA novels, memoirs, short stories, and anthologies.

22-Day Platform-Building Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan helps authors identify their themes to hook agents' and publishers' attention.

author of Love Made of  Heart

author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days

To comment on any of my columns (blog posts) or to contact me, just click on the blue title bar of the post, fill in the boxes and press “submit.”

What to do before hiring an editor for your manuscript?

My advice for narrative non-fiction writers is the same for fiction writers.

“Look at Your Manuscript with an Editor’s Lens”

by Teresa LeYung Ryan–Developmental Editor/Manuscript Consultant/Writing Career Coach

Since writing a story with the intent to engage the reader is so much like meeting a stranger and wanting him/her to be interested in us, I will focus on “how to make the first quarter of your story a compelling read.”

I love working with diligent writers who want to transform their manuscripts into page-turners. However, there are things you can do before you give your work to an editor. Let me show you how you can help yourself.

Does your manuscript pass these tests?

• Planting hook(s) or story-question(s);
• Grounding the reader with the three Ws and the big C (Who?  When?  Where? Circumstances);
• Showing (not telling) what the protagonist wants;
• Paying attention to language and rules

Let’s learn from the pros.

Planting Hook or Story-Question:

In The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, Maxine Hong Kingston hooks us with the first line: “You must not tell anyone,” my mother said, “what I am about to tell you…”   Then, Ms. Kingston transitions into her story with:  “Whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one . . .”

Grounding the Reader with the Three Ws and the big C:

In Woven of Water, while the story timeline spans from 1957 to 2005, Californian author Luisa Adams brilliantly shows us who she was as a girl (not with a year-by-year narrative, but with a single exquisite chapter).  Because she grounded us with “who, when, where” and the “circumstances” as to why she had left her love affair with water, we eagerly follow as she takes us into her enchanted world of a “cottage in the forest.”  Another device to ground the reader is the employment of sensory details (not long descriptions).  Sensory details put the reader in the scene/story world.  Re-read one of your favorite author’s books. Study from the masters.

Showing What the Protagonist Wants:

In The Other Mother, young Carol Schaefer wants to ask questions:  “Was there any way to keep my baby?  Was there anyone who would help me find a way to do that?”

In Eat, Pray, Love, Elisabeth Gilbert says: I wish Giovanni would kiss me.

In Love Made of Heart, my protagonist Ruby Lin prays: Please don’t end up like Grandmother (while witnessing police officers escorting her own mother out of her apartment).

Paying Attention to Language and Rules:

Read the first five pages of Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt and you will see how this wordsmith plays with language and rules. (You can “bend” the rules to create flow, but you must not ignore them.)

In Bastard Out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison’s protagonist Bone is a girl.  Bone’s voice is convincing in dialogue and in internal monologue. Brilliant use of dialect.

Sentences Deserve Your Attention:

Remember Groucho Marx’s line “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas…”? That sentence got a lot of laughs.  But, what if you didn’t want to be funny (ambiguous in this case)?

How would you rewrite these sentences?  See the misplaced modifiers?

• He likes to fish near the Farallon Islands, they jump when they’re hungry at dawn or dusk. (the islands jump?)
• She insists on knowing when I come home and leave, not to be nosy, but for safety reasons. (who is not nosy?)
• Being cautious as not to step on the dog’s tail, the children tip-toed away from him while sleeping. (who’s sleeping?)

To improve your sentence structure and other skills, I recommend these books:

• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
• Woe is I: Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner

More Advice:

• In all the stories I referenced above, the authors present memorable experiences by employing authentic details, unusual story-worlds though real, and poetic language. You want to do the same for your story.
• Also, these stories have another vital component–all the plotlines have what Martha Alderson, author of Blockbuster Plots Pure and Simple, calls “Cause and Effect” linked scenes.  Another must-read blog:  http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/search?q=first+quarter
• When you’re writing non-fiction and you do not have the luxury of rearranging the sequence of events to create a page-turning plotline, you can engage the reader by using concise expositions to leap over blocks of time in order to focus on the core themes and fast-forward to the next scene.  A helpful website for memoir writers: http://www.memoriesandmemoirs.com
• You the author must show the reader what the protagonist wants, even if the protagonist doesn’t know at first.
• We don’t have to “like” a protagonist, but, we do need to connect with him/her on an emotional level. Perhaps what he/she wants is also what we want.
• Story-telling is a skill learned, practiced, and mastered. May you practice with joy.

In the fiercely competitive arena of the publishing world, how does one stand out in a crowd?  Building relationships is one key to success in this business. Another key is to know how to translate the themes from your life to your writing and articulate those themes as community concerns.  I want to see all hardworking writers realize their dreams. My best wishes to you!

To read other posts in my blog (about writing contests, publishing opportunities, more tips on platform-building), click on [ Home ] and scroll down  OR key in words in the search box to find specific posts. Example: if you key in the words: poetry anthology 2011 into my blog’s search box and click [search], you will see my post containing info about the  Las Positas College Anthology and other contests for other genres (Thank you, Poet Laureate Deborah Grossman!) To read the entire version of a post, click on the title bar of that post.

To see my website for all my books, go to:  http://writingcoachteresa.com

Reach out, not stress out!

Sincerely,

Build-Your-Writer’s-Platform Coach Teresa

Teresa LeYung Ryan–Developmental Editor/Manuscript Consultant, Writing Career Coach, Author, Publisher

Teresa specializes in editing fiction and narrative non-fiction with themes on the human condition.

She likes spunky protagonists in thrillers, women’s novels, memoirs, and children’s literature.

Love Made of Heart is:
• recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association

• read by students at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, CCSF, and many other colleges and high schools.

• used in Advanced Composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes
• archived at the San Francisco History Center

Teresa says: “The more you read, the more your own writing will flow.”  
Please click here for my blog’s home page  http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

My fun workbook is now available through Amazon!

BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

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