Writer to Writer April 2006

Top Sponsor Advertisement:

Boost Your Writing Income with Copywriting!

Quickly become a master web copywriter by discovering
simple techniques for creating profitable copy -
and charge hefty fees for your expertise.

To learn more, click here.

Fact: Most writers earning a six figure income do so with copywriting.

Hi everyone,

I’ve finally got my computer back!

Poor hubby worked so hard to get it up and running – without success - and we now know the ram was the problem. So I’m reunited with old faithful, and hope I won’t have another long separation ever again.

Apart from computer woes, my mother has spent quite a bit of time in hospital, which means I’ve been running back and forth nearly every day. After just eight days home, she landed back in hospital again. Her sodium keeps dropping dangerously low, but unless the doctors find out why, it will keep happening. They’re currently investigating.

All this running around has taken a toll on my health, and I’ve just finished my third course of antibiotics - and started my fourth course. Next week I have my regular transfusion, which can only be a good thing. But if the infection survives the combination of transfusion and antibiotics, my specialist has threatened to start IV antibiotics. So I’m *trying* to rest to give the antibiotics the chance to work. Not as easy as it sounds.

In the midst of all this, I started a course at the local college. Thankfully it was a relatively short course, and was all about Front Page and website creation. The course ended yesterday, and I learned some terrific tips and techniques that I will be able to apply to my websites.

Many of you may not be aware that I have created and maintain at least five websites on a regular basis, so this information will be a definite benefit to my business.

(Now you can see why this issue is late!)

I’ve done some writing this month, but not much. Nothing like I’d planned anyway. In addition to the non-fiction book I’m currently working on, I recently submitted a novella – one that the publisher seems to be excited about, and also entered a short story competition.

On another subject entirely, you may have noticed that I’m now offering a number of writing related products and services. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that many of these are way over the top price wise. My aim is to purchase the rights to many writing-related products that I can then offer to my subscribers at a reasonable price. So instead of paying mega bucks, where legally possible I will offer it at a fraction of what you will find elsewhere. (Some of the licenses allow this, others are very limiting.)

One such product was released just over a week ago, and is called Ghostwriters from the Inside Out. Normally sold for US$40, you’ll pay much, much less as a subscriber to Writer to Writer. In fact, you’ll save more than US$30!

When I purchased Ghostwriters from the Inside Out I was skeptical. I really didn’t think it would be all that good.

I was totally wrong.

This is a book that will greatly assist writers considering ghostwriting as an additional source of income. (I can’t believe how much I learned from the book!)

If you’ve been to the subscriber’s download library recently – and I hope you have because I’ve added more goodies - you would have noticed a new link there. It will take you to a special page with a list of the current books being offered to subscribers at a substantial discount.

These will only be available at the reduced prices for a very short time. They will then go back to their normal price.

I’ve spent literally hundreds of dollars this month on purchasing books etc that will benefit your writing career in some way, so please do take advantage of the massive discounts being offered.

Now to this month’s issue.

Marilyn Henderson has written an article about using writing for therapy, and Beth Morrow has reviewed First Draft in 30 Days: A Novel Writer's System for Building A Complete and Cohesive Manuscript, by Karen Wiesner. This is a book I’ll certainly be looking out for.

Copywriting has been high on my list lately, and many of you have asked for more articles on this subject. With this in mind, I've also included a terrific article by Chris Marlow on how to get clients to pay attention to you, and thereby increase your copywriting revenue.

My aim is to do something similar to this more often. If you have a specific topic you would like covered, do email with the details and I’ll do my best to accommodate.

Okay, enough rambling from me. Grab a cup of your favourite beverage, and relax with this month’s issue.

Til next time…

Cheryl

p.s. Look out for a big announcement in a few days. I can't tell you any more now, but all will be revealed on Tuesday!

Quote of the Month:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence and Determination

Calvin Coolidge

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Purchasing through links and advertisements in this newsletter assist in keeping it fre*e.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please note: Language is set as "English - Australia" - words are not spelled incorrectly. (Not intentionally, anyway!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Note from our Sponsor:

Article Secrets for Writers

Do you know specifically how to use a small fraction of your existing content to create an avalanche of qualified visitors to your website or to purchase your books, audio books, physical or digital information products?

Learn article writing production secrets to painlessly help you squeeze more articles out of your existing content, create new articles that go immediately to work for you and convert your existing and soon-to-be written articles into huge landslides of qualified visitors & traffic back to your website.

Click here for more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First Draft in 30 Days: A Novel Writer's System for Building A Complete and Cohesive Manuscript

Karen Wiesner

Writer's Digest Books

2005, 216 pgs.

As a perpetual dieter and unorganized fiction writer, there are two things of which I am most skeptical: quick weight-loss schemes and programs that claim to help scattered writing souls like myself compose fiction from an outline. While I still haven't found anything to help my waistline more than following the good, old-fashioned adage of eat-less-exercise-more, I dare say Karen Wiesner's First Draft in 30 Days has me reconsidering--and almost excited about--the value of outlining prior to writing.

Like diet programs, I've tried every plotting/structure/organizing plan for writers known to mankind. From books to index cards to computer programs and everything in between, I accepted long ago that I'm a pantser (as opposed to the neat and orderly plotter) and that to try and organize my fiction writing process was an exercise in futility. While I write from outline in my nonfiction pieces, the impulsive, dynamic nature of fiction made me believe it almost impossible to reign in on the direction of my stories in advance.

Until Wiesner's book.

Read the full article here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Subscriber News:

Ilona Hegedus has had a poem published in Greek magazine Universe Pathways. She also had a poem published in Samsdot Publishing's Bondage anthology and another one in Night To Dawn vampire magazine's Spring issue. She also did a website revamp. URL: http://ilonahegedus.topcities.com

* * * * * * *

Hi Cheryl,

The warnings to authors were all correct: writing a good book is the easy part, making it known is much harder.

Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today's Epidemic Social Problems is gaining ground with the media now as well as with individuals around the world.

There is reason to hope for a better world, if we know how to find the solutions.

Bill Allin

'Turning It Around: Causes and Cures for Today's Epidemic Social Problems,'

real and inexpensive solutions to community problems most people think are inevitable evils of modern society. They aren't. We just have to look in the right place.

Learn more at http://billallin.com/cgi/index.pl

**If you have any news, please send it along. (Don’t be shy – we won’t bite!)

mailto:write_chery@optusnet.com.au?subject=Subscriber News (Writer to Writer)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside the Square Fiction Workshop

Get published QUICKER than you ever thought possible! This book will teach you the essential ingredients
needed to write not good, but outstanding fiction.

Click here NOW to kick-start your WRITING CAREER!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Writing Is Good Therapy

The doctor is in. Please be seated—at your computer!

I recently attended a meeting of a group designed to encourage people who were dealing with vision loss to tell their stories. They were basically non-writers, and their stories would eventually become part of a book to help those losing vision realize the obstacles of blindness can be overcome.

The group members were encouraged to write or tape the assignments the coordinator of the group gave each month.

Also as part of each session, the leader read an article or passage from a book to inspire them or at least help allay their fears about writing. That day, she read an article she had found on the Internet about how to write a memoir.

Fascinated, I listened to the author of the article recommend exactly the same things I had written in a critique of a novel the day before, advice I have given writers ever since I began teaching. Show, don't tell, weave in descriptions of people and places, write in the active voice, create emotions in the reader.

Read the full article here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Write Great Short Fiction - and Then Sell it for Cash!

Order your downloadable copy of "How to Write Short Fiction That Sells" now and receive a free bonus
copy of the ebook "2006 Short Fiction Market Guide", containing 105 listings for publications all wanting
more short stories from all over the world! All of the markets listed will happily pay you for your short stories
- anywhere from $5 to $5,000. Just for a simple short story!

Don't miss out - grab your FRE*E bonus now!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Make a Potential Client Pay Attention to You

Things are rapidly changing in the world of freelance copywriting...and probably graphic design too.

Like a cat that smells a rat, I've been on alert for signs of increased competition in the marketplace.

And while little things have been filtering in, not looking terribly significant by themselves, when I add them up with feedback from my subscribers, coaching clients, and colleagues, the picture becomes clear:

>Competition in the freelance copywriter marketplace is definitely on the rise!

The day I knew for sure was the day Sebastian, one of my past coaching students, emailed me with a hot prospect. The potential client said he had "several copywriters" he was looking at but he was especially interested in Sebastian because Sebastian specialized in his (very narrow) niche.

So what's so unusual about a marketer looking at several copywriters?

Well, one of the things I have my coaching students do is cherry-pick potential clients based on certain qualifications. That, combined with "fine tuned" niching, often sets the writer up with a nice, private mailing list of prospects who aren't the "usual suspects."

Read the full article here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Recommended Writing Courses:

Earn $125/hour (or more!) Writing for Websites

Quickly become a master web copywriter by discovering simple techniques for creating profitable copy - and charge hefty fees for your expertise.

To learn more, click here.

Easy Way to Write Romance

Romance outsells all other fiction by a factor of 5 to I, but it's also one of the most difficult genres to break into. Why? Because the competition is enormous. The good news for you and me is that 90% of all romance manuscripts are reportedly terrible. This is because most new romance writers just don't understand the needs of publishers (magazine and book), agents and indeed, the reading public. This course takes a refreshing new look into the genre.

Go to http://www.writer2writer.com/ewtwromance.htm to begin your career as a romance writer!

Now also available as an ebook! http://www.writer2writer.com/ewtwromancebook.htm

Easy Way to Write the Mystery Novel

Mystery is constantly growing in popularity, but many writers simply don't understand the genre. As a result, they can't get their books published. This course will give you total understanding of the genre, and prepare you for your journey as a published mystery writer. Visit http://www.writer2writer.com/ewtwmystery.htm to kick-start your career as a mystery writer!

Show, Don't Tell Mastercourse

Discover the tricks and techniques that all the best writers use. In this course, you will get one-on-one tutoring and feedback. You will learn what constitutes a professionally crafted manuscript, what makes editors contract stories, and how to follow suit. In this Master Class from Robyn Opie, author of over 64 published books, you will learn the secrets you need to become a published author. If you are already published, the techniques and concepts taught will reinforce and enhance your knowledge. Full details http://www.writer2writer.com/showtell.htm

Learn to Write Thrillers

Thrillers are in hot demand for translation, serial and resell rights. Authoring a series of thrillers can literally catapult your career and your earning potential to the stars! Not only do thrillers make authors and their publishers very rich, they also make the most money in terms of film and TV rights, generating vast revenues worldwide. To join this valuable workshop, http://www.writer2writer.com/ewtwthriller.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

$5 Special - Your Reward...

As a reward for reading this far, here's a special offer just for you. Go here to check out this one-off $5 special. This page will only be available for a few days, then it's gone forever!

Normally sold for US$30, you will save $25!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ad Swaps:

Professional and fledgling writers alike will gain dynamic insights into the art and craft of writing from The Muse On Writing. Written by writers for writers of all genres and at every stage in their career, The Muse on Writing from Double Dragon Publishing will inspire, motivate, amuse and inform you. Available as an eBook or a printed book from Double Dragon Publishing Inc

To Order - Double Dragon Publishing http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.asp?ISBN=1-55404-317-4

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's e-zine "Sharing with Writers" includes promotion and writing tips and lots of opportunities for subscribers to promote their own writing-related news. Sign by sending an e-mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to mailto:HoJoNews@aol.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Funds for Writers - the grant specialist for writers.

Four amazing newsletters for writers with all sorts of income potential. http://www.fundsforwriters.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FEEDBACK:

If you have any feedback about this newsletter; comments, criticisms, (praise!) sections you'd like to see added, email me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Submissions:

We are a paying market. Full guidelines are available here, along with current needs.

Disclaimer:

Inclusion of a market, contest, anthology or similar is not necessarily an endorsement. It is strongly suggested that you do your own legwork in checking out any markets etc you decide to approach. If you feel wary or uncomfortable, there's probably a reason!

Advertising:

Guidelines for advertising, and ad rates can be found here

Legal stuff:

This ezine is commercial in nature, and by subscribing you consent to receiving the advertisements contained herein, and any additional 'solo' advertisements that may be forwarded to you.

You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed - it is never sent unsolicited.

My privacy statement:

I will never, ever, (even under torture, threat of eating seafood or having my chocolate supply revoked) give-away, sell or divulge your details.

All portions of this newsletter are copyrighted, but should you wish to reproduce any article/s, please contact the appropriate author/s for details.

Subscribe & Unsubscribe:

Please feel free to forward "Writer to Writer" to your friends, associates, even enemies, provided it is forwarded intact. If you have received this email because someone has forwarded it to you, and you would like to receive your own copy each month, go to http://www.writer2writer.com to painlessly subscribe. (And grab your free gifts!)

To change your email address, you will need to unsubscribe, then re-subscribe with the correct details.