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Writer to Writer - April 2007 Brought to you by www.writer2writer.com
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EDITORIAL:
I’ve been busily submitting to various magazines around the world, with several bites. I’ll have to wait and see if they pan out or not. This is the downside to magazine writing. Submitting, waiting, submitting, waiting. The upside is the constant variety, and the new knowledge you accumulate along the way. In addition to submitting, I’ve been working hard on Resources4Writers.com – my new membership site. For the past week I’ve worked almost constantly, trying to tie up loose ends, and get the site up and running. There were several times when I was ready to throw in the towel. I had no idea getting to this stage would be such an issue. The part that really had me stumped was the sign-up area, the place where you make your username and password. I felt I was going around in circles, and was just about ready to throw my computer out the window when I suddenly had an ‘aha!’ moment. After that everything simply fell into place. The upshot of all this is the site is now operational, and several beta testers have already subscribed. If you are interested in becoming a beta tester – which means your price will be locked at US$30 per year for as long as you remain a member – then go here to check out the page: http://www.resources4writers.com/beta.htm I will leave the link up until April 30th. After that no more beta testers will be accepted. There is well in excess of US$200 worth of product already at the site, and new products will be added monthly. Be assured you will receive way more than the cost of membership in product. Even if you were to pay the full price of US$60 per year, you would be getting excellent value for money. As you may be aware, in addition to my, fiction and non-fiction writing, and freelance editing, I do quite a bit of copywriting. I decided some time ago that I wanted to boost that area of my writing business. To that end, I joined a group that concentrates on marketing and networking for small businesses. MCEI has only been running in Australia for about a year, but I’ve known the president (Barbara) for about four years. I’d been to a couple of their bi-monthly meetings early last year, and thoroughly enjoyed them. The members are all owners of small to medium businesses, and all lovely people. Barbara had previously tried to convince me that joining MCEI would be a huge move in the right direction for the copywriting side of my business. The yearly membership fee was the only thing that put me off. I finally bit the bullet a little over a week ago and joined. My first meeting as a member was last Tuesday; as it turned out, I’m the only writer in the group. At the end of the meeting, several people spoke to me about my services. One business owner asked for a quote for specific services she required. After assessing exactly what was required, I sent a quote to her Thursday. She’s since been in touch, and it looks like that work will go ahead. (Fingers crossed!) The fee from this one client more than covers the membership fee – way more. I’ve always been a strong believer that you have to spend money to make money, and this has gone a long way to prove it. My only regret is I didn’t do it soon. MCEI organise guest speakers for each meeting. This month’s speaker was Kimina Lyall, who was a foreign journalist for The Australian newspaper - and living in Thailand - when the Tsunami hit on Boxing Day 2004. She was promoting her book Out of the Blue - Facing the Tsunami. It was an extremely interesting talk, and the audience were all sorry when it had to end. Kimina had copies to sell after the meeting, and I was lucky enough to be the one person to win a copy; autographed of course! On a totally different subject, I’ve experienced a LOT of email issues lately, and as a result, many emails have not been received. How do I know this? Mainly because I’ve expected several that didn’t arrive, and on checking, found out they’d been sent already. The other indicator was my s*pam went from over 1,000 per day (yes really!) to less than 40. That was the biggest clue that all was not well. Sad yes, but very true. Lol So… if you’ve sent email to me and not had a response, please resend. Moving on to this month’s issue, Beth Morrow has reviewed The Writer's Partner: 1001 Breakthrough Ideas to Stimulate Your Imagination written by Martin Roth, Jodi Webb brings more wonderful markets, and Judy Bagshaw has written an article called E-Publishing: Welcoming with Open Arms, which gives us a bird's eye view into epublishing. Our semi-regular columnist, Cheryl Malandrinos has written an article I'm sure we can all relate to. Procrastination: Kill it Now! will be very helpful to those of us who grapple with this common issue. Once again I haven’t had time to write an article. I will do my best to again pen regular articles, but this is always dependant on my deadlines. okay, time to sit back, relax with your favourite beverage, and enjoy this issue! Til next time…
Cheryl p.s. This newsletter can also be read online by going to: http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_April2007.htm
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To avoid non-delivery of your newsletter, please whitelist cheryl@writer2writer.com - otherwise your spa^m filters may reject any correspondence sent. |
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Quote of the Month:
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Teacher, bookkeeper, waitress, nanny, saleswoman…these are just a few of the jobs I had on the way to becoming a writer. Instead of lines on my resume I’d rather forget, they’ve become experience that I’ve turned into assignments working for trade magazines. At first glance, trade magazines look like a market for highly technical articles written by industry experts. That’s true, but there are other ways to get into the less competitive (but still paying) trade market. First, profile articles. You need access to an industry insider and a basic understanding of the business to determine what questions to ask but basically an interview is an interview. I interviewed the president of an international model train company after a visit to their website and a quick cram session with my train fanatic neighbor. Second, be in a profession universal to every business. All business owners needs to know how to retain (or fire) employees, spend their advertising budget effectively, or build a website. Third, can your hobby or profession lead to assignments in related fields? Experience as a teacher led me to articles for a toy industry journal. Your love of yoga could land you an article on yoga adapted for sitting positions in an office manager magazine.
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Writer2Writer University:
Enrol in an exciting course that will help achieve your writing goals for 2007.
New classes recently added! Fully qualified instructors, course prices
reasonable. |
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This month's writing prompt: I just couldn't block it out - my head felt like it was about to explode...
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Crafting the Romance Story by Lynette Rees is an interactive workbook for aspiring romance writers. As well as containing useful information and links it also contains character and plot worksheets. To read an excerpt of this terrific book, go here. |
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You've taken the courses, honed your craft, joined a writer's group or two, found a critique partner, bought and read a raft of books on writing romance, written some work you're really proud of, and now you're ready to take that next step. But for many, that step of sending something out to a publisher is often fraught with disappointment. For new romance writers, the electronic publishing industry might offer them a chance to be published that traditional "brick and mortar" publishers, like Harlequin, don't. And for already published established writers, who might be jaded by their publishing experience with traditional publishing, or seeking a fresh, more global, audience for their work, e-publishing could be the answer. In the last ten years or so we've seen the emergence and tremendous growth of electronic or online publishing. There now exists a huge number of thriving small press companies with more appearing every day. These are royalty paying houses seeking work from both established and emerging writers. As the EPIC (Electronic Publishing Internet Connection) website states, "Even though E-Publishing is a relatively new venue, there are many readers, writers, and traditionally published authors who believe this is one of the major marketplaces of the future."
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The Writer's
Partner: Written by Martin Roth 2001 Michael Wiese Productions 350 Pages Reviewed by Beth Morrow ©2007– All rights reserved
Sure, the subtitle of The Writer’s Partner by Martin Roth boasts "1001 Breakthrough Ideas to Stimulate Your Imagination", but does it deliver? Depends on what you’re looking for. Looking for exercises for setting goals? Sorry, not here. Want suggestions for making your synopsis sparkle? Try again. How about plotting diagrams, editing insight or query letter advice? No, no and…no. But if you’re looking for a fascinating read full of insight you never imagined and information to spark ideas from now until 2025, The Writer’s Partner is your book. In an introductory section entitled "Putting Your Writer’s Partner to Work for You", it is advised that the book not be read in sequential order but instead read as best determined by the writer. With 25 sections including information on such topics as Briticisms, female names in five languages, comedic problems of the elderly, methods of murder and sea vehicles, that’s good advice to consider. |
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Free Download: Take the Bull by the Horns and Confront the Dreaded Clichés: Seventeen page report on clichés - what they are, how using them makes your writing weak etc - and how to avoid using them in your writing. |
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If they gave awards for procrastination, I certainly would have a mantle full of trophies. The largest challenge I have had to overcome since becoming a full-time writer is focusing my energies on accomplishing my writing goals. It’s just too easy to waste time when I don’t have a deadline staring me in the face—and sometimes even when I do. Procrastination stunts your growth as a writer, and kills your creativity. Let’s look at some of the reasons why writers procrastinate and how you can defeat it and be more productive: Feeling Overwhelmed If you’re anything like me, you’re juggling multiple writing projects at the same time, trying to prioritize what to work on first, and still have time to catch up on industry news. I’m overwhelmed just thinking about it. |
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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
* A complete list of recommended courses can be viewed here: http://www.writer2writer.com/workshops.htm
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Subscriber News:
Dear Cheryl: I would like to submit some subscriber news to you: Two of my short stories have been recently published. "The Paperboy" was published in the February 2007 issue of Swimming Kangaroo at this PDF link: http://www.swimmingkangaroo.com/newsletters/feb07.pdf And Goblin Reader published my fiction piece "Once Upon A Time in Casper, Wyoming..." at this link, for their February 2007 issue: http://www.goblinreader.com/Roy%20A%20Barnes.html Thanks,
Roy A. Barnes ******************** I've just found out that a short story of
mine, "The Old Man's Flies", has Writerly regards,
Juleigh Howard-Hobson Writer2writer contributor and subscriber Congratulations Roy and Juleigh! **If you have any news, please send it along. (Don’t be shy – we won’t bite!)
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Contests:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John Kenneth Galbraith Deadline for submissions: August 1, 2007
For all details, list of prizes, entry fees etc., go to: *Please note: open only to Canadian writers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONTEST NEWS:
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to everyone whether experienced or not. This competition welcomes anyone who loves to arrange words into beautiful art or to write a short story that is worth telling. And to all who have the ability to dream. Write your best short story or poem for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. (http://www.dreamquestone.com) Guidelines:
Dream Quest One Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for further details, to print out an entry form or to enter online. No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.
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Call for Inspiring True Stories Colleen Sell, editor for Cup of Comfort anthologies, has notified of her current and upcoming needs. This is a paying market:
The
bestselling Cup of Comfort book series is actively seeking uplifting
true stories for five new volumes. Stories must be uplifting,
original, and 1000-2000 words. Preference given to narrative
nonfiction stories that read like fiction. $500 grand prize; $100
ea. all other stories published, plus copy of book. No entry fee.
Email submissions to
wordsinger@aol.com; no attachments; 1 story per email; include
your name and mailing address. Writer’s guidelines:
www.cupofcomfort.com (click on Share Your Story).
A Cup of
Comfort for Horse Lovers
A Cup of
Comfort for Cat Lovers
A Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer
Survivors
A Cup of Comfort for Spouses & Children
of People with Alzheimer’s
A Cup of Comfort for Divorced Women
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How Do I? No questions this month. If you have a writing-related question,
send it here. |
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Writer2Writer – Amazon Bookstore: |
Ready to take on the writing world? Learn how to hone your craft, and in turn, how to win contests!
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FEEDBACK: If you have any feedback about this newsletter; comments, criticisms, (praise!) sections you'd like to see added, tell me Submissions: We are a paying market. Full guidelines are available here, along with current needs. *Note: We are currently closed for submissions. Keep checking for when that changes. 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. |
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