I’VE WRITTEN A STORY, NOW WHAT?

Ten steps to getting your manuscript ready for publication

By Therese Stenzel

1. If it hasn't been critiqued, think about joining a critique group through ACFW. (American Christian Fiction Writers) If not a member—join!

2. Ask friends that like to read, if they'd be willing to read it and make comments.

3. Consider paying to have the first three chapters professionally critted--a lot of pubbed authors do this. I can recommend Camy Tang—expensive, but you will learn a lot. Or spitnpolishediting.com much cheaper, but this lady is an editor for Barbour not a writer.

4. Have all or some of it read back to you at naturalreader.com (a free download) I catch a million mistakes this way.

5. Read the book, The First Five Pages and make sure you first pages really sizzle.

6. Rework your hook--does it grab you by the throat? :) It should be cute, clever, mysterious, puzzling, dangerous, curious or ominous.

7. Research publishing houses to make sure your manuscript will be a good fit--one way to do this is find ACFW authors that write for that house and e-mail them questions, most ACFW authors will bend over backwards to help.

8. Print it off like a book. Do select all, change it to horizontal (as opposed to vertical) single space, two columns and it will print out like a book and read it with a red pen, once you've made all the edits do it again. Multi-pubbed author Susan May Warren does this five times!

9. Do a search for phrases like, She knew, she realizes, she wondered, she could hear, could sense could see. (See my website www.theresestenzel.com under For Writers for the Deeper POV for the full list of phrases) remove all these phrases that separates your reader from the story.

10. Remember that "power and promotion come from the Lord." Even if you've written a block-buster, you'll get pubbed when He is ready. Once you've done everything you can, pray over it and put the whole thing in His hands.

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