ASK THE GURU
This is a free service for writers provided by the Writer's Guru. Whether
you are looking for a collaborator, editor, or ghost writer; or if you
have a question about language, grammar, or punctuation; if you are doing
research and need information or direction, -- whatever your need, you
have simply to e-mail your question to cywrite@hotmail.com.
The Writer's Guru.
In the more than the dozen years that I have been a literary agent, consultant and
teacher, I have been asked many questions by my students and clients. If
it is a question about getting published, you can bet, the answers are
in the book, Do
The Write Thing: Making The Transition To Professional
If you have a question that you think we
can answer or if it is one that you think should most certainly be in a
book about getting published, send it along. We'll answer it for you, chapter
and verse, or we will do our best to find an answer for you.
You might have many questions. In which case I refer you to my book which has all the answers you will ever need and some you haven't thought of yet.
(Of course, some questions can only be answered by those having shared
a personal experience.) That's where you can help. Send your response to
us and we will forward it to the person who has posed the question.
If we are unable to answer your question, your ad will remain until
you have a suitable response. New ads will be posted regularly.
The questions and answers cover a vast range of topics. We have compiled some of the best into a newsletter (It's free!). If you would like a subscription, just send an e-mail to: cywrite@hotmail.com and put "letter" in the body and we will send it to you.
If you would like a copy of "The Ten Most Common Submission Mistakes" (It's Free, too!) simply add "list" to the body of the message. We will send it to you.
Questions for The Writer's Guru:
#510 I would like to know the work habits of Peter Matthieson, one of the most successful and most prolific writers working today. Can you help?
#335 When is the next online class going to be given?
#324 - "Blue moon" refers to the second full moon in the month, but what does the "blue" mean and where did it originate?
#298 - I read in your newsletter that the stories for films - three to one - were taken from another medium, mostly novels. Has anyone had success with this idea - presenting a story suitable for film in the form of a novel?
#286 - Can I save money on taxes if I incorporate?
<#168 - Has any father given up a good job and stayed home to take care of a new baby? How did it go?
#214 - Is there a statute of limitations on reporting a court case?
#172 - A famous story taken from the headlines a few years ago ended with the accused being set free. I want to write the story showing the man who was blamed as the killer. Will I need his permission?
#173 - I need to know if there is a poison that is life threatening but you can totally recover from it in a week or two.
#174 - When you use a pronoun, like 'my mother said,'... do you capitalize "mother"?
#175 - My agent has asked me for "first refusal". What is
that and should I agree to it?"
To place a question, mail it to the guru. To answer an ad, place the
word "answer" along with the number of the ad at the head of
your message and e-mail it to cywrite@hotmail.com and, whenever possible, the person who placed the ad will be notified
and a match will be made.