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Using Your Feminine Wiles to Break into Print

© Roxianne Moore

Once in a while, a book comes along that sets on its ear my whole notion of the symbiotic relationship between writers and the publishing industry. One of those was The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogel, which I reviewed last year. After reading that book, I could never see fiction or screen writing in quite the same light. Vogel broke down classic plots in terms of heroic myth, and showed how little our stories have changed over the past several centuries.

Feminine Wiles by Donna Elizabeth Beotig is another such book. In my opinion, Beotig does for nonfiction - particularly women's nonfiction - what Vogel did for fiction. She emphasizes creative writing techniques, and creative marketing.

As an experienced freelance writer, I have learned to look at book on writing with the eyes of a beginner. Most of the books I've found, after all, are directed at the aspirting writer. For myself, I feel lucky if I find one great tip or idea in an entire book, something I haven't run across anywhere else. Well, Feminine Wiles is one exception. I learned more from this one book than I have in all the other nonfiction-writing books I've reviewed for Suite 101.

First of all, what Boetig has to say about the all-important Query Letter flies in the face of everything touted by more traditional authors. Rather than a dry business letter or a small slice of your proposed story, Boetig proposes writing "love letters." These letters are designed to show off your writing talents, make the editor's job easier, and present your topic in the best possible light. What it all comes down to, she says, is enthusiasm. For the beginner, that's great news because you probably have more enthusiasm than experience. For the more advanced writer, it means rethinking everything you've ever learned about query letters.

Personally, I dislike the tradtitional query letter. Always have. And I usually don't use them. Before reading this book, I don't think I'd have considered Boetig's particular formula, but I've tried many techniques to make my queries stand out. I wanted, more than anything else, to convey my expertise and excitement about a topic. My enthusiasm.

Boetig also gets into the nuts and bolts of writing and researching several popular article formats for women's magazines. Her own specialty seems to the the "Drama in Real Life" stories, but she's also done a number of excellent profiles. This part of the book bears her own