Writer to Writer - August 2008 - Issue One

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You Can Create Wonderful Characters, Build Great Worlds, And Plot Like A Fiend, BUT...

If You Can't Write Page-Turning Scenes, You Don't Have A Book.

Click here to learn more!

EDITORIAL:

One week from today I'll be in New Zealand. I can't believe how quickly it's come around.

I'm in the midst of preparing my talk, and deciding which clothes to take with me. I hate living out of a suitcase, so this is probably the scariest part!

Next issue I'll give you a brief run-down on the conference.

I'm not going to go into too much detail here, but I've had a few emails lately that have been quite malicious. They've been from people I know at some level, (via this newsletter, cyber acquaintances etc) and to be honest, I've been really shocked at what I've received. In light of that, I thought it was probably appropriate to touch on this subject. What I want to say is simple: don't send nasty emails to anyone. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything. You never know when someone you've abused this way is going to turn up at a publishing house or similar, and is going to remember your negative correspondence.

I'm sure the majority of people on this list wouldn't undertake this practice, but keep it in mind the next time someone does or says something you don't agree with. It's really quick and easy to send a malicious email, but once it's sent, it can never be taken back.

Okay, rant over, let's change the subject. I've been doing quite a bit of web design lately - both my own, and for clients - and my to-do list has had changes to Writer2Writer listed for quite a while. One thing I've really wanted to do for quite a while now, but didn't have the time, was re-organise the site to make it easier to navigate. Part of that would involve creating sub-sites where you would be able to find articles and resources for whatever area of writing you were involved in.

With that in mind, I have started this process. At this point, I've created two sub-sites - http://romance.writer2writer.com and http://copy.writer2writer.com

Each of these is specific to romance and copywriting respectively. My intention is to continue with these, creating sub-sites for the various areas such as children's writing, freelance writing, fiction writing, and non-fiction book writing. Each sub-site will have its own theme and look, but will be distinctively part of Writer2Writer.

As you can probably imagine, this is quite a time-consuming process, but I do believe the end result will be worth the effort.

When visiting the articles page on Writer2Writer, you'll find articles that were previously listed for the above sites (already completed), have been moved. Links have been provided, as I certainly don't expect you to remember where to find them.

Eventually, when the project is completed, it will be so much easier to navigate the Writer2Writer 'network'.

A few days ago a friend of mine, Steven Schneiderman, contacted me about a website he owns, and has done for a very long time. If you're interested self-publishing, this will be of particular interest to you. I won't give you much in the way of details, because it's all explained at the site, but I will tell you Steven is offering Writer2Writer subscribers a very substantial discount on his services. (This discount is only available to you as a valued subscriber - it's not being offered to others.)

To check it out, go here: http://www.getpublishedinstantly.com/ww/ - I don't know how long Steven is keeping this offer open.

Moving on, there are two articles in this issue. Many of you have told me you want to break into writing for the web, and Beth Morrow's article will help understand this specialised area better. Cheryl Malandrinos discusses to-do lists and how to get the best out of them.

Okay, that's it from me - time to sit back and enjoy this issue.

Til next time…

Cheryl

p.s. As you know, I love to give you gifts. Today I have an ebook from Holly Lisle that is an introduction to her Create A Plot Clinic. It's 51 pages long, and contains a ton of information. Grab your totally *free* copy here.

You can also read this issue online here:

http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_August_2008.htm

If you missed the last issue, you'll find it here:

http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_2_July_2008.htm

Tired of Earning Peanuts from Your Writing?

If you want to break into non-fiction magazine writing but don't know how, this ebook is for you. You'll learn all the concepts that are essential for all magazine writers.

Whether you are a novice or experienced writer, Cheryl Wright will teach you how to boost your income writing for magazines.

Click here now to learn more!

To avoid non-delivery of your newsletter, please whitelist write_cheryl@optusnet.com.au - otherwise your spa^m filters may reject any correspondence sent.

Motivational Quote:

There is no perfect time to write. There's only now.

-- Barbara Kingsolver

There's a difference between "Into every life some rain must fall," and "I must be standing underneath freakin' Niagara Falls"—and having been there, all I can say is, you know the difference when it's falling on your head.

The trauma that slams your writing to a standstill can be anything: an assault, an auto accident, birth, a child molester, death, divorce, earthquakes, fights, floods, fractures, guerillas, heart attacks, hurricanes... all the way down to living in a war zone or being run over by stampeding zebras.
Life ain't gentle.

It can kick the wind out of you, drain your creativity dry, leave you rolled up in a ball under the table sucking your thumb. And sometimes it comes at you so hard and so fast that all you can do is grit your teeth and let it, and pray for better days.

If you write for a living, though, or want to, you need to know how to get out from under the table as fast as possible, to kick-start your creativity, and to turn whatever it was that just ran over you to your advantage.

Please support Writer2Writer.com and the Writer to Writer newsletter by purchasing through the affiliate and advertising links in this newsletter. This keeps the newsletter and other information (such as fr*ee courses) at no charge to subscribers. Some similar publications are now charging a yearly fee - I'm constantly fighting against that trend.

Getting It Done: Setting Priorities

It’s that time of year again. The girls are getting ready to head back to school and I eagerly anticipate dedicating more time to my writing. I could easily become overwhelmed with all I want to do. But I won’t.

Why? Because I’m going to set my priorities.

How do you set priorities? Where do you get started? And how will setting priorities make you more productive? Let’s find out.

The To-do List

It all starts here. You can’t possibly set priorities without knowing what you have on your plate. Now is the perfect time to update your to-do list or to start one.

Write down everything you have to accomplish this week, no matter how small.

Sorting through the Mess

Once you have your list written out, you need to consider how to rearrange it so that you can meet your deadlines and goals.

An easy way to set priorities is from the deadlines provided by your clients. Projects with the closest due date are a top priority versus projects that are weeks out.

Keep in mind, however, that existing clients may take precedence over new clients.

Why? A repeat client is valuable and you should do your best to meet his requirements. On the flip side, when you’re dealing with a new client you’ll risk losing future business if you don’t complete the work on time. Also, is everything on your list a paying project or are any of them pro-bono? I haven’t met many writers who don’t provide a free article or two for a worthy cause, but your paying clients come first or you won’t be seeing repeat business. Be mindful of everything you have to do and don’t over commit.

Read the entire article here

55% of ALL Fiction Sold World-Wide is Romance - Why not CA$H IN on that Market?
	Lynette's Rees e-book Crafting the Romance Story is an interactive workbook for aspiring romance writers, as well as containing useful
information and links, it also contains character and plot worksheets. Check it out here

How To Find Your Writing Discipline

A Three-Day Plus 20 Minute Do-It-Yourself Writing Bootcamp

You want to write.
You've always wanted to write.

But you:

Can't find the time

Can't find the initiative

Can't find the discipline

... to sit down and create the stories and characters and worlds that you know are inside you.

Subscriber News:

Hi Cheryl,

Just a piece of news concerning two of my books with Swimming Kangaroo Books.

Both are now up on their website and will soon be on Amazon. They come in both e-books and printed version. I’ve ordered thirty of each which will be on sale here in Shepparton the moment I receive them. Two of the book sellers here said they will take them. One is titled The Pursuit of Mary McBride, a colonial Australian story of a female ex convict who is in pursuit of her daughter sold to a passing settler in marriage by her cruel husband. It’s a rollicking tale of Australia in the 1850’s.

The other is titled The Irish Retribution. It’s the story of two Australian foreign correspondents, a father and daughter who are estranged. The daughter discovers her father killed her mother in a conflict with the IRA. She’s hell bent on revenge but the story takes us through Ireland, Vietnam and Bosnia before the father’s secrets are revealed.

I should have them within a week.

Regards,

Bruce Cooke

**Congratulations Bruce!

**If you have any news, please send it along.

Click here to email Cheryl

Writing Tips for the Webmaster

With more and more real-life businesses venturing online to establish an internet presence, it makes sense for the traditional working writer to know the basics of writing for the web.

Though writing for the web may incur a few new learning curves, the actual word crafting that goes into each assignment should not. Grammar, punctuation, correct spelling, accurate research and credible sources are musts—possibly even more so—because you may not only be the content writer but the editor as well. With the fast-paced nature of the web, a few thousand people may view your article from the moment you post it to the time you can get back to correct it. Do the hard work upfront to maintain your professional edge and image at all times.

With that said, here are a few additional elements to keep in mind as you undertake writing for the web.

Brevity

Web surfers are not nearly as patient as hard copy readers (though they may certainly read in both formats) when it comes to getting to the good stuff. Tight, crisp editing and important elements at the beginning of a piece show a respect for the reader’s time. Sure, someone will spend five solid minutes reading an editorial from the New York Times or a how-to article for something they need to fix soon, but those readers go online searching specific content. If you’re not yet established and don’t yet have a following, shorter posts on multiple topics (or sub-topics within a main topic) will not only build your readership by keeping readers engaged, they’ll be more likely to invite those readers to return.

Read the entire article here

Contests:

No new listings this month.

Outside the Square Fiction Workshop

This best-selling ebook consists of 17 chapters that will allow you to "trick" your brain into allowing your pen to become the creative-writing juggernaut it was meant to be!

Read more here!

The Writer's Answer Book will save you from making many of the common mistakes that writers make, letting you jumpstart your career. It will also answer both questions you have, and questions you should have but may not know to ask.

Click here to learn more

Anthology Calls for Submissions:

This is a paying market:

The bestselling A Cup of Comfort book series is now seeking submissions for new anthologies. Stories must be true, original, positive, narrative essays (creative nonfiction), and 1,000-2,000 words. Entrants pay no fees.

Full guidelines, terms, and conditions can be found here:

http://www.cupofcomfort.com/share.htm

SHARE SOME COMFORT

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR FATHERS

The connection between father and child can be as deep as the ocean, as strong as a mountain, and as uplifting as fresh air. For all its rewards, though, fatherhood is not without its challenges. And for all the gifts dads bring to their kids' lives, dads sometimes falter and fumble. Yet, the father-child bond forms, holds, and grows. A Cup of Comfort for Fathers will feature inspiring and insight true stories about the life-defining and life-enriching relationships and experiences shared by fathers and their children. These personal essays will be of varying topics and tones (heartwarming, humorous, poignant, provocative, etc.); about fathers and children of all ages and varying circumstances; and written by fathers, daughters, and sons.

Submission deadline: August 31, 2008 *Note updated deadline

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

For this very special collection, we seek uplifting true stories about the ins and outs, ups and downs, blessing and challenges of parenting children with special needs. The stories will cover children of all ages (birth to adult) and a wide range of developmental, physical, and mental delays/disabilities. No matter how difficult the experiences/emotions conveyed in a story might be (we want them to be authentic, after all), the story must reveal a positive aspect, resolution, or outcome and must be of comfort to parents of children with special needs. Stories may be serious, humorous, insightful, heartwarming, or inspiring. The majority of the stories will be written by parents of children with special needs; we will also consider stories written by adult children with special needs. (No articles or commentaries by clinicians, please.)

Submission deadline: September 15, 2008

A SECOND CUP OF COMFORT FOR DOG LOVERS

Oh, how we humans love our canine companions -- for so many reasons and in so many ways that one Cup of Comfort collection of uplifting dog stories just wasn’t enough. So we’re giving all you dog-loving writers another opportunity to share your personal stories of canine comfort with a growing legion of dog-loving readers. This volume will feature both serious and humorous anecdotal stories covering a wide range of topics and perspectives and varying breeds of dogs. We do NOT want sad stories about a dog’s illness, injury, or death, though we will consider stories that weave a beloved pet’s illness or death into an otherwise positive story. The story should focus on the dog’s remarkable attributes and/or actions as well as on the special relationship between the dog and his/her human(s).

Submission deadline: December 15, 2008

A CUP OF COMFORT FOR THE GRIEVING HEART

When a loved one passes away, comfort is often fleeting and hard to come by. Yet, even a small comfort, like a personal story of how someone has faced a similar loss, does help to ease the sorrow. This volume will feature uplifting personal stories that reveal the special relationships and extraordinary experiences shared by the deceased and his/her loved one(s) immediately before, during, and after the loved one’s passing; it will also includes stories about the internal and external processes by which one deals with and heals from the loss of a loved one. The stories will vary with regard to subject matter, circumstances of death, and the relationship of the author to the individual who has passed away. The book will not include eulogies, profiles/memoirs of people who have passed away, or clinical depictions of death and dying.

Submission deadline: February 1, 2009

Please note that deadlines are sometimes extended by one to four weeks.

BASIC GUIDELINES

All Cup of Comfort stories must be original; true; appropriate for mainstream Americans (adult, primarily women); inspiring, comforting, and/or uplifting; and 1,000 to 2,000 words.

Creative nonfiction and narrative essays preferred (that is, incorporating such fictive elements as scene, dialogue, character/plot development, imagery, and literary word usage). Whether serious or humorous, the story should be authentic and engaging.

Electronic submissions preferred. One submission per email. Copy and paste (or type) into body of email. No formatting (no indents, centering, doublespace, bold, underline, etc.). To: wordsinger@aol.com.

Mailed submissions are acceptable. Standard typed manuscript (double-spaced, indents). Send as many submissions per envelope as you’d like, but include one SASE per submission. To: Colleen Sell, 71563 London Rd., Cottage Grove, Oregon, 97424, USA.

Each submission must include: author’s full name, mailing address, email address, phone number, story title, story wordcount, and theme of volume for which it is being submitted (i.e., Grieving Hearts).

For more detailed writers guidelines: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/share.htm

How Do I?

No questions this month.

If you have a writing-related question, send it here.

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 again open for submissions, but waaaay behind in responding. (So what's new? <g>)

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.

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

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