Writing Suggestions

Presentations on Ways to Get Published

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My objective in keeping this blogsite is to help writers in the Ft. Myers, Florida, area. In this endeavor, I list a few rules on writing that may help in putting together intelligible sentences and pharases. Writers who want to succeed must also pay attention to correct spelling, proper punctuation, assembling good paragraphs and sentences and consistency in their writing. Without a good, clean manuscript to send to a publisher, even the best of stories may end up in the trash can.

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Assuming the manuscript is clean and error-free, writers must follow instructions provided by publishers and editors. If they instruct to send the manuscript by email, do not send it as a paper copy. If they instruct to send a few chapters, do not send the entire manuscript. If they instruct to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for their response, do not leave it out of the package you send them. If you want the copy back, you must include an envelope and stamps for the return of your material. If they say that they accept manuscripts from agents only, don't waste your time and money sending your manuscript anyway, assuming they will recognize the brilliance of your novel and disregard what they said to do. Follow instructions explicitly.

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Here are some rules for proper writing:

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Paragraphs -

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Sentences -

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Scientific Papers - The following has been written for students who want to construct a scientific paper:

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A good practice for writing for a particular journal is to get a copy of that journal and set your paper up precisely as others have done for that journal. If you do otherwise, the journal will most likely reject your paper. The following method of putting a paper together for a classroom project is used only as a generalized method:

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Your typed paper should be arranged as follows. You will notice that the title, author and abstract are centered, while the other categories are written on the left.

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Title of Paper

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Your Name

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Abstract

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Introduction:

This may include a brief statement about what pH is and why you are doing a study. In your comments, you may want to include topics like why a study of pH is important, what acid conditions are doing to our world, what acid rain is, etc. Terminate the introduction with an explanation of why you did the study.

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Materials and Methods:

This should say something about what pH paper you used, how you went about carrying out the experiment and doing the readings, when the experiment was run (time of year) and where it was run (LaBelle, Florida, for instance).

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Results and Discussion:

This should point out the results you got and any discussion you want to have about your results. If you do not have comments to make about your results, change the title above from Results and Discussion to Results. However, discussion is good. Maybe you can look up the pH of different liquids like these on the internet and include some comments from them in your discussion. While you may use any source for this paper, e.g., Wikipedia, you would want to go to a more reliable source for a genuine scientific paper, e.g., google scholar, books or scientific papers.

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Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism is the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own. You may change the words of a source to avoid plagarism, but you should also give the source credit for what you take from them by citing them in the references. If you quote them verbatim, you should put the passages in quotes and cite them as well, stating something like: J, Forsting stated that “…”.

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When you write your results, segment your writing into paragraphs. Don’t have one paragraph that continues from the beginning to the end of this section. Also, spell correctly (use the spell-check if necessary), write well-composed sentences, do not have run-on sentences or incomplete sentences. Start each sentence with a capital letter. Don’t write as though you were texting. Don’t just write the material and hand it in without thinking of these things. Go over it and pretend it is being submitted to a journal for publication.

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References:

This should include any references you used to write the paper, such as those used in the introduction and discussion. List them Alphabetically and in the following manner:

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Barnes, J. E. 2011. Studies of pH in the Southeastern United States During 2011. Mariote Books, New York.

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Barnes, J. E. 2011. Studies of pH in the Southeastern United States During 2011. Jour. Environmental Education, 12: 245-300.

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Abstract: The order of writing is this: Once you have your data, make your bar graph and write the paper, leaving the abstract until last. Once the paper is written, construct the abstract with only a very short explanation of what the paper has revealed, e.g.:

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Abstract

A study of pH readings in the LaBelle, Florida, area during September, 2011, revealed that many of the liquids we associate ourselves with in every-day life are of an acidic nature, ranging from a pH of ??? for ???? to ??? for ???.

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Some Additional Points for Writing

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Note: This section is devoted to the main topic. Use 12 pt Times New Roman type. Single space. Do not write continuously without separate paragraphs. If paragraphs are not indented, separate them with a space. Paragraphs should be one or more sentences that pertain to a certain thought.
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Note: You may use photographs or drawings in the paper to emphasize certain points in the text. If you do, write a caption for the pictures so that the reader knows what the picture is about or refer to the picture in the text.
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Note: Cover the topic in an authoritative manner, eliminating the letter "I" wherever possible. Write about the subject, not what you think about it. If you have personal comments, put them in a conclusion at the end of the paper, just before the references.
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Note: Scientific names should be italicized (e.g., Homo), with the generic name of an organism having the first letter capitalized. The second part of the scientific name (e.g., Homo sapiens), the species name (e.g., sapiens), is never capitalized. If you include a subspecies name (e.g., Homo sapiens sapiens), it also should be lower case and italicized.

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While papers submitted for class projects will not be published, many writers that wish to publish seek information about how to write and how to get published. For this reason, I have Power Point presentations that I use at local libraries and book groups on the business of writing and publishing. If you are a person who wants to write and get published, this is a seminar that will provide a means to do just that. If you wish to have such a seminar presented to your group, please contact me at:

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hrhermann@edison.edu.

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My recent book, So You Want to Write and Publish a Book, Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Publishing and Realizing Your Dream, has been helping writers understand the publishing industry and has given them some direction on how to go about finding their path to publishing.

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As stated on the back cover: With revolutionary changes taking place in the publishing industry, doors are opening for many authors who have had difficulty getting published through traditional channels. So You Want to Write and Publish a Book not only presents the various paths available to authors, it explains them in sufficient detail, along with their benefits and detriments, to allow authors to choose the path that suits them best. It subsequently explains, in a step-by-step process, precisely how to go about accomplishing this task.

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Comment from the Publisher

In publishing So You Want to Write and Publish a Book, Henry Hermann has put together an excellent book which provides directions that can change the publishing potential of many authors who have experienced the negative side of dealing with traditional publishers and editors. By following his directions, authors will realize that they, too, can have their publishing dreams come true.

Jules Monahan

Masterwork Books

You will find this book and other books by this author at:

www.masterworkbooks.com

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Statement from Author/Publisher Henry R. Hermann

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I am a successful author, editor and publisher of 17 books, including both fiction and non-fiction and a member of the Florida Writers Association, SW Florida Writers Association, Gulf Coast Writers Association and former section leader for the Florida Writers Association in SW Florida. I have published my books by every possible method and am familiar with the ins and outs of dealing with printers, subsidy, POD and traditional publishers. To schedule a presentation for your library, book club, reading or writing group, please write to Henry Hermann at:

hrhermann@edison.edu

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My science fiction novel, Beginnings, has received rave reviews prior to and during the period after its publication. Check out its synopsis at
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http://henryhermannnovelist.blogspot.com/.

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Important Writing Workshop

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(It may help you get published)

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I can thank many people for getting me to this point, but I must admit that the best decision I have made to get me where I am is attending the Novelist Workshop presented by Bob Gelinas at Archebooks Publishers (www.archebooks.com/). It was there that I got details on writing, publishing, and marketing that I've never found anywhere else. He now has published a CD that covers the same subjects with the same details.
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Log onto the Archebooks website, and at the top of the screen, hit the box called "Specials." In the drop-down screen, hit "Novelist Workshop," and browse through the topics outline, comments by Mr. Gelinas, and comments by people who have attended it in the past. In my honest and most sincere opinion, I received much more information there than I got by going to numerous writing seminars and conferences. His superior methods of presenting information that are absolutely necessary in getting published is found nowhere else in the publishing industry. For me, attending the workshop was worth its weight in gold.
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See listing of Beginnings and other exciting novels at the Archebooks Publishers website listed above.
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My most recent non-fiction book, Enjoying the Native American-Style Flute, published by Naturegraph Publishers (http://www.naturegraph.com/.), is featured at:

http://henryhermannnonfiction.blogspot.com/.

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My list of publications may be found at:

http://henryhermannpublications.blogspot.com/.
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Suggestions for Students

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Writing Scientific Reports

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Use the following pattern in setting up your report:
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Title of the Paper

Author's (Your) Name

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Abstract (see below)

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References (use the following style)

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Example:

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Ito, E. A. 2007. The biology of the tsutsugamushi mite. Jour. Arachnology. 4:253-54.
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Note: If references are books, the title should be in caps, and the publisher and the publisher's location should be listed, as follows:
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Example:
Jones, J. R. 2007. The Tsutsugamushi Mite. Academic Press, New York.
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Note: If references are from the web, give whatever information is available.
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Example:
Hurcules, A. R. 2007. Tsutsugamushi Mite. http://henryhermannpublications.blogspot.com/.
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Note: The entire paper should be continuous from title and author through references. Do not have page breaks so that sections like the abstract and references are isolated from the rest of the paper.
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About the Abstract

It is important to understand what the abstract is. It is precisely what it means, a brief description of what's in the main part of the paper. It should be short, possibly a few sentences that highlight the main points in the paper.
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About Grammar and Spelling

In preparing a paper for publication, the writer must proofread it repeatedly to be sure grammar and spelling are correct. Treat this paper as though it was being presented for publication. Put some time into getting this paper right. Make sure it is written so that thoughts flow from one sentence to the next.