Five Nonfiction Tests

Help your writing earn a passing grade.

by Andy Scheer

Would you like to write an award-winning article — or a chapter fit for an award-winning book? Here are the criteria for a national contest I’m judging.

1) Idea (timeliness, appeal)
Will readers skimming the publication stop and take a look? Does it promise to … Continue reading

Plan to Attend

A writers conference can give you a boost.

by Andy Scheer

When I edited a national magazine, I especially looked forward to the year’s first writers conference. It wasn’t just the lure of traveling to Florida from snowbound Chicago. I could not only acquire serious writers, but also to coach them in their … Continue reading

Why Write for Periodicals

They’re too good an opportunity to overlook.

by Andy Scheer

Writing for magazines, newspapers, and websites won’t make you rich, famous, or the target of autograph-seekers. But neither will you need to write a detailed proposal, wait months for a response, then wait another year for publication. And the opportunities are almost limitless.

Even … Continue reading