Dancing Word Writing Workshop

with Julie Dearyan

January 17, 2008

 

 

 

Hosted by Robert and Noelle Peterson

Dancing Word Correspondents

 

*This chat has been edited for clarity

Robert Peterson: So I will open in prayer if you are ready Julie 

Julie Dearyan:  Sounds great. 

Robert Peterson: Dear Lord, we want to lift up this chat to you. We want to lift up Annie's family Lord and ask for your protection for them and the situation they are facing. Encourage them as they feel the stress of feeling unsafe and as prisoners in their own home.  

Lord, please be with each of the participants this evening. Help this chat to be an encouragement and a tool that will help each be a better writer. Lord we ask that you be with Julie and help her to communicate the workshop so that it glorifies you and the talent you have given her. 

Lord,  we thank you for the opportunity we have to be storytellers and help our stories share your love and your sacrifice for each of us. Amen 

Noelle: Welcome to Dancing Word. During chats please use protocol. Type ? for questions, ! for comments and ga when you are through. Please wait to be called on in turn.   

Robert Peterson: Noelle will be controlling the queue (line) please wait for Noelle to call your name and remember GA (go ahead) when you are finished. We are pleased to have Julie here to share this workshop, Julie would you mind introducing yourself? 

Julie Dearyan: Hi everyone. It's wonderful to be with you tonight. I'm Julie Scudder Dearyan and I'm a magazine editor for Victory In Grace, an inspirational magazine for a tv and radio ministry. I've edited the magazine for 12 years now. 

Tonight we are going to look at Julie's Almost Famous Article/Devo Map and look at how to target articles so they get published. I was an editor for quite a while but when I started sending out articles to magazines, I got tons of rejections. That is kind of embarrassing. But one of the reasons was I just didn't understand how to target my articles so they would get published. I had good content. I just didn't always understand how to package it.  So to go through the map. The first thing you start with is the illustration. 

The illustration needs to be relevant and interesting and it would depend on the magazine your writing for in how you would present this illustration. So if I was writing the map for you, I would draw a box and in it write "illustration,"  then you need a sentence transitioning to the truth you are trying to portray. Sometimes people don't transition well and the article feels choppy. 

Now draw a box and put "Broaden audience" this means that you need to make sure that for instance if your article is written to Moms, that you include some illustrations about Moms in different types of circumstances,  i.e. moms that adopt, older moms, etc.   

Then you need to draw another box. In that box write "bring in to reader."  This is so important and sometimes editors call this the "take away." Make sure you ask the reader to ponder what you've written. Ask them to make some sort of decision about it. You aren't asking them to come forward and commit their lives to full time missionary service. You are inviting them, the key word is invite here, to make some sort of decision about what you've written. Suggestions for this. "Take five minutes and consider how worry has consumed your life and what you are going to do to change this habit." Okay that was lame. :) sorry,  but you know what I mean. 

Then draw a final box. In that box write "tie into illustration." This is where you put in a sentence or so that ties into your illustration.  If your illustration was about gardening, then you would have a sentence linking to that. "Consider God's garden of grace today." Not so creative tonight, sorry.  

This is what I do when I write a devotional. It sounds so simple but from the submissions I get for VIG, not many people do this;  they tend to write stuff that's too narrow for my audience or they haven't thought of the bigger universal need. The real key is targeting the magazine and targeting the audience. though as an editor I didn't understand this. 

So many times the magazine is really about the editor. You'd think I of all people would have understood this.  When I write an article, I just use the map I shared with you about three times, preferably tying all three illustrations together somehow .This way the article has natural subpoints that make it really easy for the mag editor. 

When I do a chapter in a book I just do this about six times. It sounds so simple but it totally works. Another thing I do is brainstorming to get article ideas. Of course all of you do this to write but it is good to do this specifically for the magazine your targeting. Just the other day, I sent out 15 queries. And I was able to come up with 15 different potentially saleable ideas in one morning by brainstorming. What I did was write "thanksgiving" in the middle of the paper.

This is because I was targeting pretty big mags and they are usually about a year ahead in seasonal material.  

We at VIG are always 6 months ahead in planning and 3 mo ahead in production. Last week I finished March. Easter, yikes! Not ready for Easter but it hopefully will be better weather than in Chicago. After writing Thanksgiving, I put lines out from that word where I list the target audience of the magazine like "Mothers of 0-3 mo olds" "Mothers of 6-9 mo. olds" etc,  then I put another line by that and put something that concerns Mothers of 0-3 months old at Thanksgiving.. 

Just brainstorming here. What is something that would affect a mother of a 0-3 month old at Thanksgiving? Anyone have something? 

Pam Meyers: Juggling baby's feeding time with the meal 

Julie Dearyan: oooh! I'm loving that! 

Kaylea: Juggling the holiday b/w grandparents as new parents;   

Julie Dearyan: I love that. And see how this article is so specific and targeted that it really makes it a better potential sale 

Laura: Keeping baby calm with so much excitement around (ie: visiting relatives, later nights, busy stressed moms, etc) 

Julie Dearyan: that's great, Laura. keeping baby calm is a big one. Esp one so little 

Kaylea: Beginning to establish traditions with a new family'; laying the foundation to help your child learn about being thankful; 

Julie Dearyan: that's great Kaylea!  Some ideas I queried. Taking baby out for the day. What to pack? Tastes of the season for baby—make your own pumpkin and squash baby food..Okay the last one was funny but it probably will sell because its different and mags are always looking for seasonal material. But it can't be just an article about Thanksgiving, or about Moms; it's got to be specific but universal.  

Kaylea: you could also interview "tried and true" parents to see what made the day special for them...special rather than stressful...hey, all of my friends are into making their own food right now.. cheaper than buying it. 

Julie Dearyan: like that with interviewing parents too. You can get great ideas that way. So when I work with ideas, I try to make them as specific as possible while still filling a need that we all can relate to,  even if we aren't Moms, we've been around kids and know what it is like.  Also, one of the really big keys is think about what you are already interested in. You are probably already an expert in something and could sell articles about that topic but you just might not realize it. I call this my "treasure in the backyard principle" you don't even know you have a treasure there until you dig a bit  

momplaysbass: like marriage... 

Julie Dearyan: Yes, like marriage. but too many people try to write something on marriage and won't sell. So that's why you need to be specific. Marriage Partnership just published something of mine about staying connected during the holidays_see the brainstorming I did there? 

Kaylea: what resource do you use, to find your potential markets?  

Julie Dearyan: I like to use the web. One of my little tricks is to type in "writer's guidelines" in the search box of the website.  I also use Sally S's guide and Writer's Market. Writer's conferences are really good too because you can actually pitch your ideas in person. Always think about what types of magazines do you like to read. If you don't have a lot of credentials yet, target similar but smaller markets. Let's think about my Treasure in the Backyard principle. Give me some of your interests everyone. 

Laura: homeschooling, raising a wide range of children (five from 17 down to 2)  

Julie Dearyan: That's a great market but has to be approached carefully because homeschooling mags don't always pay a lot. Laura, Focus on Your Child is a great market for you.

Christian Home and School. Two just off the top of my head 

Kaylea: children's ministry; youth ministry; devo type 

Julie Dearyan: children's ministry has some potential markets, devos

are a great way to get published. 

Noelle: All I've been reading lately has to do with education 

Julie Dearyan: Noelle, education is a great niche 

Barbara:  I'm interested in devotions. Is there a good market for

those? 

Julie Dearyan: Yes. The problem is that they are not the greatest paying market. Secret Place is good. Quiet Places for You--a website. The key with devotions, Barbara, is writing something

specific. Make sure you are writing for the target market. And write something different than on faith, grace, etc. 

Pam Meyers: I think there are so many every day things in your life

that you don't realize. For me  writing LOL, cats, singleness, getting older,

family history, I am just throwing out ideas. 

Julie Dearyan: That's great. Now take those ideas, Pam, and tie them

to something. Tie them to an event coming up on the calendar. And then narrow it even further by writing specifically for a certain demographic 

Pam Meyers:  I did that with an article about an experience I had while researching my family history. I stumbled across a feature in Ancestry magazine and remembered something I experienced while searching for info on an ancestor. I wrote the article and two years later they called wanting to buy it. So don't give up! LOL. For singles I could do one on how a single faces family holidays. 

Julie Dearyan: Editors are notoriously behind. LOL Yes, singles facing holidays but be even more specific. what age of single? etc 

kaylea: That made me think of an idea being tossed around today at the church...recording how couples met, fell in love. We're going to do a "Harry Met Sally" type of video to show on a Wednesday night near Valentine's Day. That could be an interesting take on that holiday.

especially the couple who met at a funeral.  

Julie Dearyan: that's great! And most mags targeted to a particular target like marriage have some kind of couple profile section. I know Marriage Partnership has a newly married

profile section and you could do an "as told to" article 

Pam Meyers: Compilation books are also a great place to submit to. Cup of Comfort books are always looking for submissions and their books are devos, longer stories

like a Chicken Soup kind of deal, stuff like that. 

Julie Dearyan: I haven't tried for compilations but I do know that's a good market. Also writing for the web though I'm still working on developing in that area. Did I answer everyone's questions okay? 

Noelle: Julie do you have any more for us? or does anyone have any more questions before we do the drawing? 

kaylea: what's the key to getting an editor to notice you? I have newspaper experience, and freelance now that I've returned to ministry full-time; but the Christian market's a different animal. 

Julie Dearyan: with your experience, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. but the key would be remembering that they are still looking for really different articles that stand out, that meet a need, that reach their demographic, and are interesting. It's not like you can just send in an article on "spirituality" and hope it gets published. And the seasonal tip is a really good one. In 12 years of doing VIG, I've had 12 Christmas issues and 12 Easter issues. That's a lot of different takes on the same season. Other holidays work too. Just make sure you are far enough out. 

Barbara: you're answering mine. I'm taking notes. Lots of really good information, thanks, Julie. 

Julie Dearyan: You're welcome! I love writing for magazines and I love it that I understand both sides of this—the writers and the editors. But the key is really starting to understand what an

editor wants--what they are looking for. 

Noelle: Ok it is time for the drawing 

Julie Dearyan: Yea!!! 

* Noelle drums a drumroll 

Noelle: And the winner of a copy of Sally Stuart's Guide to Getting Published is....Barbara!!!!! 

Julie Dearyan: YES!!! 

kaylea: yea 

Barbara: Wow! I didn't expect that. Wonderful.  

Pam Meyers: Woo hoo!! I have my copy right here and it's great! 

Barbara: Thanks so much 

Noelle: I'll let Annie know and she'll take care of getting you the book :) 

Barbara: Thanks Noelle. And Julie, I have really enjoyed this You did a great job 

Noelle: Thank you Julie for being here this evening 

Julie Dearyan:  It's been great being with all of you. Please email me with any other questions you have 

robert: Thank you so much Julie, it was very interesting and very informative 

kaylea: Thank you Julie. 

Laura:   Thanks Julie 

Pam Meyers: Thanks Julie, I jotted down stuff I'd forgotten :-) 

Julie Dearyan: Great. It is in an ongoing process as you know. 

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