What is verse
critiquing and restoration?
Verse critiquing is a service
provided for anyone who wants to write greeting cards. It also
applies to any product that relies on words—both serious or
humorous—to help sell. These products include Post-ItÔ
Notes, mugs, beverage napkins, bookmarks, plaques, T-shirts and
key rings, to name a few. Critiquing and restoring verses to
their true potential enhances their chance to be sold and printed.
Who conducts this
verse critiquing?
This service is provided by Sandra Miller-Louden, greeting card
writer since 1986. Sandra’s greeting card work won the coveted
Louie Award (the industry’s highest honor) in 1991 and was
nominated again in 1992.
Her work appeared on
Live! With Regis And Kathie Lee;
she has written verses for actress Stefanie Powers and quarterback
Bernie Kosar. Sandra has been interviewed in many places,
including
The National Examiner, Clear
Channel Communication’s Valentine In The Morning Show,
Staples.com, The Christian Science Monitor, International Radio’s
Voice of America, The Washington Post, Glamour, Attaché, (U.S.
Air), Talk Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, KDKA-TV, WTAE-TV,
Post-Gazette, Press, Tribune-Review (Pittsburgh), the BBC and
NBC’s The John Walsh Show.
After developing a successful
greeting card writing course which she taught at her local
Community College, Sandra now also teaches on the Internet
(www.writerscollege.com), is Vice-President and Coordinator
of Bizy’s Online Learning Center through
www.BizyMoms.com,
as well as teaching an in-depth 8 week greeting card course
through
www.absolutewrite.com.
This critiquing service is an integral phase in the development of
all facets of Sandra’s teaching.
What are the
particulars of this service?
Verses should be sent on 3x5” unlined, white index cards,
one idea per card. (Mock-ups and longer prose are critiqued
differently; contact Sandra if you need this specialized
critiquing). In addition to the actual idea, each card should
contain a code number (one of your own making, for ease in
referencing during my critique), what occasion is being written
for and the name/address/phone # of the sender on one side
only. The back of the card should remain blank.
Sandra will critique each verse
based on many factors essential for a sale. These include:
connection of verse to the occasion, salability and physical
factors (including marketability for today’s trends, variety and
popularity of occasions, length, wording, placement, font
readability, etc.) In addition to specific comments for each
verse, the writer will be given comments concerning the general
overview of the work—its strong points, as well as where
improvement could be made.
Please note:
Sandra makes no claim regarding the final outcome of any critiqued
verse. Her advice is based on her 20 years as a successful
verse writer, teacher and
lecturer in the field of greeting card writing.
è The
cost for this service is $2.50 per verse. There is
no
minimum
number of
verses the writer may send at one time; however, the
maximum number of ideas per envelope is 10. Verses over 8
lines are 45 cents a line. Artwork accompanying verses is a
separate fee—please email Sandra for a quote.
“English as a Second Language” verses are also negotiated
separately—again, email Sandra for a quote.
è
A check made payable to: Sandra M. Louden
must be included at the time the verses are sent. Mail to:
Sandra M. Louden, P.O. Box 9701, Pittsburgh, PA 15229-0701.
(International Readers, please contact Sandra via e-mail).
è
Also, a #10 (long, business-size) Self-Addressed,
Stamped Envelope
WITH FOUR FIRST CLASS STAMPS must be included for return of your verses.
Turn-around
time is approximately two weeks.
è Any
specific correspondence regarding this service may be directed to
Sandra at the above post office box. Please remember to include a
self-addressed, stamped envelope.
èEmail:
FelshamLdy@aol.com
or
sandra@greetingcardwriting.com.
(Questions only; I cannot critique online).
¯¯¯Award-Winning Tip¯¯¯
My Louie Award-winning card shows a mom looking in on her two
sleeping children. The verse reads:
“If only I could
think of them as sleeping...
...instead of
recharging!”
My Louie Award-nominated card shows a dad with two children
looking forlornly at the reader.
“There are many
reasons for you to get well soon.
Your family
loves you & needs you.
Your family is
worried about you...
...Your family
is totally unsupervised in the kitchen!
Get Well Soon!”
Freelance card writing does NOT consist of tired poetry or
recycled jokes. It makes a humorous—or poignant—statement about
our lives.
Questions? Write
(include a #10 SASE) or e-mail or visit my website:
www.greetingcardwriting.com
Sandra Miller-Louden¨P.O.
Box 9701¨
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15229-0701
FelshamLdy@aol.com or sandra@greetingcardwriting.com
