by Paul Lines

Created on: October 08, 2007

Why are the rejections piling up? You may consider yourself to be capable of good writing and this opinion may also be shared by others, but it is getting you nowhere. So what is killing your prized manuscript, your dream child?

There may be a number of perfectly valid reasons for your writing not receiving the recognition that you think it deserves, and almost all of them will fall somewhere within the following five categories, irrespective of whether the work is fiction or non-fiction.

1. Introduction

The introduction is perhaps the most significant part of your writing work, be that a short story, article, fiction or non-fiction book. It is the opening that should contain the tag, the hook that catches the reader's attention and interest. If you do not have an introduction to your work that achieves this objective then, to a certain extent, the body and conclusion of the book become almost irrelevant. Yes, there are some who will continue to read, but this will be greatly reduced in number as the boredom threshold of most readers is quite low and, if they are not interested early in the work, these readers will move on to something more interesting.

Further evidence of this approach to reading can be found with publishers. When submitting a manuscript most publishers and editors will ask for a synopsis and the first three chapters of your book, which of course includes the introduction. If this sample does not catch their eye, then the rejection stamp rears its ugly head.

An unimpressive introduction to your manuscript can therefore be seen as one of the easiest ways to kill your good writing.

2. Plot

Has you book lost the plot? Here I am not talking figuratively. Even the best of writers occasionally come up with a manuscript where the plot becomes almost incomprehensible, if it exists at all. In this situation at best, the work will go no further than the desk of their publisher. At worst it will be published and carried simply because of their reputation. For you, as a budding writer, there is no reputation to help you through. A bad or non-existent plot, including one that is disjointed and does not flow properly, will kill the best of writing efforts.

3. Quality

Lack of quality is another killer of good writing. The lack could occur in a number of areas within your manuscript, which might include presentation, spelling and grammar. If you want someone to acknowledge that your writing is good, then you need to present a polished and almost print ready copy for

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