How New Authors Can Keep Their Manuscripts Coherent

In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors, never make it past the "first reader" who for all practical purposes is a gatekeeper of sorts. This person's job is to weed out manuscripts that do not fit certain established submission criteria. However, many never make it to the editor's desk, simply because they are badly disorganized and downright incoherent.

But even if you are self-publishing, you owe it to yourself as well as your readers to develop a theme. Not only will a theme tell what your book is about, it also serves to hold your book together. Every other element - your chapters, for example - should support your theme. It is what keeps you from rambling all over the place, and if you should stray, it is what can bring you back - if you keep it in front of you.

That's literally, as well as figuratively. I wouldn't begin to write or give a talk without having a developed theme. Have you ever been to a banquet or meeting where the speaker went on and on with a speech that was all over the place, talking about everything under the sun, except the topic the audience was waiting to hear about? Most likely it wasn't because the speaker didn't have a topic, but rather it was because the speaker didn't have or didn't take the time to develop a theme. If you want your story to be just as disjointed -then don't develop a theme for it.

Unlike a working title that may change to something else entirely different or even several times before a manuscript is finished, a theme shouldn't change during the course of your writing. It may become more obvious during the writing process, but I advise writers to spend serious time developing their theme so that they are clear about the message they are trying to convey. If it is not clear to you, how can you write it in such a way that it is clear to your readers?

Unfortunately, you cannot find the answer to why you are writing your story in this article, or in any book for that matter. You cannot even find it in a classroom setting. Books and classes can only serve to help you bring the reason(s) to the surface, but the answer must come from you. How then, do you determine your book's purpose? How can you be certain that it is more than a good story? Your book's purpose is, to a great degree, intertwined with your purpose.

Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the Chicken Soup series suggests meditation, or deep, controlled, concentrated thought. He says, "Relax and tap into your mind, way back there in the deepest,secret compartment of your mind, by asking yourself this question: 'If I knew my life purpose, what would it be?' Don't just ask it once. Keep asking this question until you get the answer. It may not come the first day, or even the first week. But it's there, and it will show its face if you earnestly ask."

Hansen states that this should be repeated every morning and every night for 15 minutes until the answer comes to you, and then write it down. He continues, "Be open to the answer, no matter when it comes to you. Remember, it wants you just as much as you want it."

A good theme does three things: 1) it describes the story or book; 2) it captures the uniqueness of the story or book; 3) it motivates the author. If it accomplishes these three things, it will also make your outline easier to create. In business-speak, an "elevator speech" is a brief description about your company that you should be able to give to someone in the time it would take to ride up an elevator. I hold that everyone writing a book needs an elevator speech, or theme, for it.

Marvin D. Cloud is founder of http://mybestseller.com and author of "Get Off The Pot: How to Stop Procrastinating and Write Your Personal Bestseller in 90 Days."

---

Making Freelance Writing Niche Types Fit: A Few Niche Types by Definition and Description

Our Freelance Writing Needs DefinedWe must make freelance niche types... Read More

Mama Dont Allow No Fighting in Your Writing

When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More

Editing

EditingExpect, allow, and accept that every first draft will represent... Read More

Suspense Novels Need Fast Starts

Suspense novels, unlike any other genre, need fast starts. Fans... Read More

A Mode of Transportation

Great writing transports one vicariously to realms that the reader... Read More

Making Money from Freelance Writing

Making Money from Freelance WritingIt's the question that every aspiring... Read More

Writing the PDA Way

When we think of writing it triggers many thoughts and... Read More

Bird by Bird

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by marketing. First, there's so... Read More

Does Your Fight Scene Pack a Punch?

Long ago, movie directors mastered the technique of creating a... Read More

Top Ten Writing Mistakes Made By New Childrens Writers

Okay. So I'm not David Letterman. But I doubt if... Read More

Top 10 Common English Goofs by Web Authors

In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I... Read More

Written Communications ? 6 Tips on Language & Tone

In most aspects of business, we will be expected to... Read More

Idea-Mining for Writers, 102

As many authors are fond of stating, "Ideas are all... Read More

8 Ways to Improve Your Writing Immediately

Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer,... Read More

How to Write Headlines for How-to Articles

Want to write a how-to article but can't come up... Read More

Are Writing Exercises Effective?

It was reported that the great American author Sinclair Lewis... Read More

How Are You Plotting?

Creative Writing Tips ?Writing is a creative process and how... Read More

Five EASY Ways to Improve Your Business Writing

Have you ever wondered why some people can make millions... Read More

Starting a Local Writers Group

My husband is no poet, so when I offer my... Read More

How New Authors Can Keep Their Manuscripts Coherent

In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors,... Read More

If You Want to Succeed As a Writer, Dont Just Think It, Do It

It never ceases to amaze me when a prospective writer... Read More

Money Trails for Writers

I'm willing to bet that quite a number of you... Read More

Creating a Writing Space

It's important to have a space set aside in your... Read More

Have You Plotted Your Story Before Writing It?

Creative Writing Tips ?The writer, who doesn't have the time... Read More

Celebrating Writing and Life

Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a... Read More

Comma Usage Made Simple

Don't they drive you nuts?You can visit all the rules... Read More

Creative Writing Tips - Have You Established Your Main Character At The Start?

In the beginning of your story you have to grab... Read More

Sell More Books With a Powerful Back Cover

Did you know that your back cover information is, after... Read More

5 Effective Web Writing Tips

Writing for the web is very different from writing for... Read More

Learning to Question Your Elephant Child: Who, What, Where, When and Why

Having problems writing? I don't know why. San Francisco Chronicle... Read More

Could Your Book Idea Be the Next Best Seller?

Everyone has a unique story to tell. From explaining business... Read More

How To Be A Published (Non-Fiction) Author

1. Turning your idea into a bookWith non-fiction books the... Read More

Interviewing an Author: Dont Be Left Speechless

Joyce Carol Oates. Langston Hughes. Anne Sexton. F. Scott Fitzgerald.... Read More