Catching the Editor’s Eye

How to catch an editor’s eye is something writers battle with constantly. The many likes and dislikes that editors reveal in an attempt to lower their slush piles are pounced on by those desperate to get published, and followed to the letter. Things like:

• Watch out for typos and spelling errors;
• Always stick to the submissions guidelines on the publisher’s website;
• Study the publisher’s catalogue before submitting your work to make sure it fits; and
• Polish your work thoroughly before sending it, or suffer the consequences!

On top of all this, writers know how vital it is to have a strong plot, show not tell, use appropriate dialogue, and have believable characters.

This last point - make sure your characters are believable - is something my writing teacher has drummed into me. And I understand why. I don’t like reading a book where the character seems false, or does something unpredictable because it is convenient for the author, not because the character would have done it. So I usually don’t stray far from this critical writing skill.

Except…except when it might mean I sell a story to a magazine.

A while back, I came up with a cheeky idea for a story which involved a ten-year-old kid unwittingly helping a burglar steal items from his home. Once I’d done the draft, I sent it to my writing teacher for feedback. She immediately sent it back with heaps of comments such as, “this would never happen”, and “this isn’t believable” etc. Now I was offended, because I really liked the story and the character I’d created. It was a funny story and I thought it would appeal to kids.

So I followed my gut and continued working on the story. One thing that kept me going was occasional comments I’d come across in writers’ newsletters from authors about the best way to catch an editor’s eye. Suggestions ranged from sending stories that didn’t quite fit their guidelines, but were close enough, to giving them the more quirky stories.

My interest is to write for children, and the school magazines are a great media in which to get work published, yet very difficult to break into when you’re new. I bundled up three of my short stories and sent them off to one of the school mags, just to test the waters. One was a story about bullying, another was a mystery story, and the third was my humourous non-believable story. Lo and behold, last week a letter arrived from the school mag informing me they had accepted my non-believable piece!

So I’ve learned something very important. When trying to break into the market, as well as finding ideas and stories that kids want to read, you need to be inventive, approach an old theme from a different angle. Editors like originality and a fresh voice. Sometimes, being a bit different pays off, as it has for me.

Try it yourself and see if it makes a difference. It can’t hurt.

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