5 Tips for Creating a Salable Essay
This is a guest post from Amy Paturel, who teaches our 6-week e-course Essay Writing: How to Find the Story in You — and Sell It, which starts on August 31. Amy has published essays in major women’s magazines, regional newspapers, niche publications, and general interest magazines. She has been featured twice in Newsweek’s “My Turn” column and has contributed essays to Health, Women’s Health, Body+Soul, Healing Lifestyles & Spas, The Los Angeles Times and more.
5 Tips for Creating a Salable Essay
I haven’t been writing essays for long – my first essay was published in August 2005. But I’ve had a striking success rate when it comes to sales. How did I get so lucky straight out of the gate? All of my essays contain certain critical elements. And I never give up on my pursuit of a sale. Here are the key questions you need to ask yourself to determine if you have the makings of a salable piece:
1. Do I have a great story?
How do you find a great story? Usually it’s something that happened to you; or something you saw. The experience doesn’t have to be life changing, but it does have to involve some sort of personal transformation. Maybe you felt your baby moving inside of you for the first time; or you received flowers from a stranger; or you met someone extraordinary. No matter what the event or experience, it should result in you seeing the world a little bit differently than you did before. If your story is something your reader may have experienced (like feeling your baby kick for the first time), you have the extra burden of saying something profound, funny, or otherwise important, so you’re not revisiting old territory (in your readers’ eyes).
2. Is this the right time to tell my story?
Timing is everything. Sure it’s a cliché, but most clichés are true! If you have an essay that’s relevant to current events – or even an upcoming holiday – you have a better chance of making a sale. Due to publication lag time, if you’re going to claim something is newsworthy, it should have happened in the past few weeks. The good news: unless you’re dealing with a newspaper, local magazine or weekly news magazine, timing may not be critical. If you’re looking for a sale though, it doesn’t hurt to send your essay about your relationship with your mother four to six weeks before Mother’s Day. Make that about 6 months before Mother’s Day if you’re targeting a national newsstand magazine.
3. Does my story have a universal theme?
A salable essay serves a greater good – it isn’t just about you! Yes, it may start with your experience, your journal entry and eventually the lesson you learned, but the essay is a way of connecting your unique perspective on something universal that your reader understands from their own experiences. Bottom line: People don’t want to read about your uterus – or your favorite little black dress – unless it means something to them! Ask yourself whether your story can make your reader feel something, too. Will it touch them or make them think about an issue differently? Will it motivate them to act (by calling their mom, for example), or change in some way? Good essays aren’t just about the first time you fell in love, but they’re about the first time I fell in love, too. If you can make your readers recall an event or life experience of their own, then you’re on your way to a great essay.
4. Does my story have great characters?
The best essays have identifiable characters. Readers can visualize them, hear them and feel them. They might even recognize the character as someone in their own lives. Whether you’re painting a picture of your best friend, a lover or a giant stuffed Elmo, your essay should be full of character. And don’t forget that you are a character, too, so give the reader a picture of yourself.
Good characters create conflict – either within themselves or with those around them. In screenwriting, each scene requires a series of actions or events that causes a character to transform or change. It could be a physical, emotional or spiritual change. But at the end of the scene, the character is different from the way he/she was at the start of the scene. In essay, often times the character who changes is you! Usually, such changes occur through conflict. So in your essays, strive for conflict.
5. Does my story have a clear take home message?
Write one sentence describing your take home message. If you find that difficult, you might need to re-work your piece. Once you know what the “take home message” is, re-read every paragraph in your essay and ask yourself if it supports your point. It’s tempting to throw in funny anecdotes that are related to your story but don’t apply to the bigger message or theme. Avoid the temptation. After reading your story, your audience should be able to clearly state what it’s about. If not, chances are you don’t have a salable piece.
Even if your story has all of these components, you might not make a sale. But writing essays isn’t just about making a sale. The practice is also a journey in self-discovery. It allows you to experience your life events twice – once in reality and the second time on the page. Think of essay of a cathartic exploration of yourself. They’re a form of therapy; a method for discovering your own truth; a way to find your true story — and those are the sweetest rewards of essay.
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Aug 13, 2009 Writing
Nice reminders!
Thanks Diana~
Good post! The last point, especially, is something we need to remind ourselves for all our writing.
I never thought of essays needing conflict! Interesting!
Great post! Thanks for reminding us about timing too!!
Would love to read a few of your essays!