Greetings!
Every work of fiction starts with
a novel
idea--something so big, so uniquely you,
that you have to put pen to paper, or fingers
to keyboard. Then comes the real work:
crafting characters, plot, subplots,
dialogue, setting, and theme. And let's not
forget marketing and book promotion!
If this all seems daunting, even monumental,
this issue will help you get started and keep
you on track. The experts "between the pages"
provide advice for every stage of the game,
and will even introduce you to new ideas.
It's only natural to fear the process will be
too difficult, but with the right tools at
hand, your fingers will begin to tap
furiously. The first thing you need to
remember is fiction should be fun, a chance
to play and explore a magical world of your
making.
The laundry can wait. The dishes can sit. We
have fiction to write!
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A big, warm, Thank You goes out to our
freelancers & staff:
We welcome new freelancer, Beth
Daniels (aka Beth Henderson), to the
WOW! family. If you are new to novel
writing and don't know where to start, take
Beth Daniel's advice and begin by Preparing
to Tell Lies (Fiction Slam).
Another issue that first-time novelists face
is deciding whether to Outline
Vs. Blank Page. We welcome back
freelancer, Devon Ellington, and
delight as she discusses the pros and cons of
this topic in depth for our Freelancer's
Corner column.
Perhaps you're in the midst of crafting a
novel or short story, and need to brush up on
dialogue. Then Gayle Trent's article,
Tips
for Making Dialogue Stronger (Fiction
Slam) is definitely for you. Gayle is
currently touring
with WOW! for her latest novel,
Murder Takes the Cake, but this is her
first foray into freelancing for us, and
we're proud to have her!
We welcome new freelancer, Suzanne
Pitner, to the WOW! family.
Suzanne helps us get into the groove of
National Novel Writing Month with her
article, NaNoWriMo
Applied. If you're new to NaNo, check out
this article. And if you're NaNoing right
now, be sure to explore the fantastic
resources in the "NaNo Toolbox" sidebar!
We welcome back WOW! Alumni Member,
Allie Boniface! In this issue, Allie
covers a unique topic--IM
Novel Collaboration--in an interview with
sister-author duo, Stella and Audra Price.
Allie's previous articles include Today's
Romance Novel: It's Not Your Mother's Bodice
Ripper Anymore, How
To Play Nice in the Cyber-Sandbox,
and a unique article for fiction writers, Character
Trouble? Try Man's Best Friend. It's
always a pleasure, Allie!
Another starting point in novel writing is
crafting characters, but what should you name
them? New freelancer, Lynda Schab,
tackles that question in depth in this
month's How2 Column: How
To Choose Character Names for Your Novel.
Welcome, Lynda! Your article has definitely
shed a new light on my fictional
characters.
A huge thank you goes out to WOW!
Columnist, Marcia Peterson, for two
fabulous and insightful interviews this
month. If you are seeking writerly
inspiration, prompts, and creative juice, be
sure to check out her interview
with Patti Digh, author of Life is a
Verb, featured in this month's
Inspiration Column. If you need to motivate
your muse, this has got to be one of the most
encouraging interviews I've read in a while.
Be sure to check out the excerpt and try
Patti's focused free-write! Also, be
sure to read the part where Patti first
declares, "I'm a writer." We all can
relate!
Marcia Peterson also interviews
Hollis Gillespie, author of Trailer
Trashed, for our 20 Questions Column.
This interview is not only fun, but
informative! A close sister to fiction
writing, memoir writing proves to be just as
creative and colorful. This interview is not
to be missed!
With all this talk about writing, let's not
forget one of the most important aspects of
authoring--book promotion! We welcome new
freelancer, Rita Milios, to the
WOW! family. Rita shares a unique idea
for promoting your novel, which she explores
in depth in her feature article, How
To Create Quizzes that Sell Your Novel.
Take Rita's quiz and find out where you score
on the book-marketing highway!
We also announce our Summer
2008 Flash Fiction Contest Winners! This
is always a grand occasion, and we are
thrilled with literary agent Elise Capron's
selections. A huge thank you goes out to
Elise, and also to our multitude of guest
judges who carefully scored this season's
entries. Be sure to check out the fabulous
sponsors that rallied to support women
writers. Each one of them, truly
remarkable.
And last, but not least, to Annette
Fix and Joanne Stacey for their
wonderful editing skills. The issue couldn't
have happened without your attention to detail!
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FALL 2008 Personal Essay Contest:
Last month to enter!
Deadline: November 30th, Midnight
(Pacific Time)Word Count: 250 - 750
words
PROMPT:
This season's prompt is inspired by Jill
Butler's book, Create
the Space You Deserve: An Artistic Journey to
Expressing Yourself Through Your
Home.
Jill offers a favorite quote from Winston
Churchill: "We create our dwelling and
afterwards our dwellings create us." Jill
believes it runs both ways simultaneously. As
we create ourselves, we create our homes, and
in the creating of our homes we have the
opportunity to recreate ourselves.
In less than 750 words, tell us how
recreating your personal space has changed
your life, or how by making changes in your
life, it has moved you to express yourself
and recreate your home. These can be personal
stories of love, loss, moving to a new area,
or anything that has affected or inspired you
to recreate your life and your home.
Only stories that have the Prompt
incorporated in them will be accepted. You
may do this any creative way you would like,
just make sure anyone would know you wrote
your story specifically for this contest.
To find out more about Jill Butler, please
visit: www.jillbutler.com.
Be sure to stop by Jill's
boutique and explore her fabulous
French-inspired creations! And in case you
missed it, read WOW's
interview with Jill Butler. Her words are
truly inspiring.
Don't wait until the last minute!
Visit our Contest
Page and download the Terms &
Conditions.
Your fabulous guest judge for this season is
Literary Agent Jennifer DeChiara. Get your
work reviewed by a top literary agent! To
find out more about Jennifer DeChiara, please
visit: www.jdlit.com
This is the last month to enter! ENTER
TODAY
Check out our exclusive interview
with Jennifer DeChiara and get some
insider info!
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Announcements
The Muffin Got a Makeover
Finally! It's been over a year since I
discovered the template was broken in
Internet Explorer, and I'd been putting off
delving into the scary world of html, but I
simply couldn't stand it any longer. So, I
finally treated her to a spa day. The Muffin
officially has a new outfit--a gorgeous
three-piece ensemble, otherwise known as a
three-column template. It was not an easy
task! This old girl is still in FTP Blogger
Beta, so I had to create the template from
scratch--no easy push-button publishing here.
It caused me an html headache, but it was
worth it. I'd love to know what you think!
Check out The
Muffin today.
Speaking of The Muffin, a few of our bloggers
have been creating quite a stir over at
Write4Kids.com's new video series for Best
Children's Lit Blog Posts of the Day!
(You'll see them highlighted in our "Website
Find of the Month" featured at the bottom of
the email.) Our first blogger to be mentioned
is Alison Diefenderfer, for her post,
"LinkIn"
to Opportunity. Congrats Alison!
Shortly thereafter, Write4Kids awarded
Margo L. Dill with the Best Children's
Lit Blog Post of the Day for her important and
wonderfully controversial post, When
Writing For Children.... Jon, the editor
at Write4Kids,
originally thought that he wouldn't repeat
the same blog in one week, but he said, "If a
blog is so good that they continually give me
things that I just can't ignore, they deserve
the credit. One such blog is
wow-womenonwriting. They are officially the
first repeat entrance." Wow! Jon, we are
honored.
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WOW! Launches Blog Tours and
Partnership Program
Due to popular demand, WOW! is hosting
select authors for its Blog Tour Program. In
preparation for the launch, we scoured the
web for various blogs that were not only
well-trafficked and well-commented, but truly
unique, to participate in our Partnership
Program. The program has already been
well-received, with numerous requests from
both authors and bloggers.
The first two authors to take center stage
were Gayle Trent, author of Murder
Takes the Cake (Bell Bridge Books,
October 2008), and Linda C.
Wisniewski, author of Off Kilter: A
Woman's Journey to Peace with Scoliosis, Her
Mother, and Her Polish Heritage
(Pearlsong Press, 2008).
Our "test-run" into this new venue has
already taken off like wildfire. So many
wonderful blogs have stepped up to the plate,
and both Gayle and Linda truly outdid
themselves. Believe me, I made them work.
These ladies went out of their way to provide
unique articles for each blog, and no two
blogs were the same. They wrote articles on
the topics of family, cake decorating, health
issues, yoga, inspiration, and of course,
craft of writing articles. They also
conducted interviews, and participated in
book giveaways!
To keep up with our latest blog book tours,
snag our events
calendar!
Would you like to book a blog tour with
WOW!?
Let us help promote you! We provide you with
excellent customer service and out of the box
promotions. Your tour would include:
- 12-15 stops with highly trafficked blogs
(tailored for your book)
- An interview on one of WOW's blogs
- Email blog tour announcement in WOW's
Events Newsletter (20,000 subscribers)
- Written media release sent to editors,
sister sites, and posted on social networks
To find out more about our economically
priced packages, please email Angela & Jodi:
blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com.
We look forward to working with you and
making your promotion a success!
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Holiday Gift Guide Coming to Your Inbox
Next Week!
Want some help with your holiday shopping?
Give the best gift that you can give to a
loved one. Our selection of books will
inspire your friends and family for a long
time. I've always loved turning people on to
wonderful new reads. Some of my favorite
gifts have been books with a personal
inscription from a friend. When I graduated
from high school in '89, my best friend gave
me a book with a long letter written on the
inside cover. It was The
Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. To
this day, that present has been my most
memorable. Books certainly have a way to
inspire and move a person, and our selection
of books will amaze you! There's something
for everyone on your list.
The Holiday Gift Guide is created by our
talented designers specifically for you and
delivered as a F*R*E*E* ebook, which will be
sent to newsletter subscribers and also
available for download on the WOW!
website. We've also received a lot of interest
from reading and writing groups that will be
sharing it with their own subscribers. What a
treat! Stay tuned...the delicious selections
are coming to your inbox next week! If you
have a friend who doesn't know what to buy
for the holidays, be sure to spread the word
about the WOW! Holiday Gift Guide. Enjoy!
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Calls for Submissions
WOW! is seeking writers for their
upcoming themes:
- Children's Writing
- Romance Writing and Genre Writing
- Finances
Please review our submission guidelines on
our Contact
Page (scroll to the bottom) for pay rates
and how to submit. We look forward to hearing
from you!
To find out about first calls from
WOW! please subscribe to our Premium-Green
Writer's Markets. We share detailed
descriptions of specific articles we need
right now. Land one gig and it more than pays
for a year's subscription! We currently have
over 12 issues--ebooks filled with over 100
pages of markets--available for immediate
download with the purchase of your
subscription. Join the community that gives
back! And write-on!
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On to the issue, enjoy!
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Summer 2008 Flash Fiction Winners Announced!
Drum Roll....
Congratulations goes out to everyone who
entered the Summer 2008 Flash Fiction
Contest, sponsored by WOW! and a
multitude of fabulous sponsors. All your
entries were incredible this round, and our
esteemed guest judge, Elise Capron, of the
Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, did not have
an easy job! But with her expertise, she
dutifully picked the winners, and we thank
Elise!
Ladies, and gents, I know you've all
been waiting patiently, so here's the
results!
-- 1st Place Winner: Sarah Mian
-- 2nd Place Winner: Emily Howson
-- 3rd Place Winner: Amy Perry
Runners Up (in no particular
order):
-- Madeline Mora-Summonte
-- James Tipton
-- Emily Rinkema
-- Gayle Carline
-- Beth Cato
-- Amber Frangos
-- Doris E. Wright
Read the Top 10 winner's stories in our contest
feature!
Honorable Mentions (in no particular
order):
-- Johnna Stein
-- Eleanor Austin
-- Brenda Zirkle
-- Diane Hoover
-- Laura Salamy
-- Julie Momyer
-- Debbie Dilton
-- Madeline Mora-Summonte
-- Janice Ryan Hall
-- Carrie Hannah
-- Tammy Lansford Walters
-- August Johnson
-- Julie Momyer
-- Terrie Johnson
-- Richard Gibney
Congrats ladies and gents! And congrats to
everyone who hit the send button--we know
it's not easy, but each season provides a
rebirth of opportunity!
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A HUGE thank you goes out to all of our
sponsors this season. Please check out the
ENORMOUS sponsor list to see what prizes you'll
be receiving. And remember, when you receive
your prize-packs, be sure to send the
sponsors a personal thank you, or review
their books/products on Amazon to show your
appreciation. All of the sponsors are proud
promoters of literacy and writers and
encourage you to keep on striving for the
best. Be sure to keep them in mind this
holiday season.
An additional note:
This is the first season where we've had two
men place in the contest! Even with blind
judging, their stories resonated with our
female judges. They were that good! It's a
first in WOW! history.
So, go on already! Read the entries!
READ THE WINNING FICTION ENTRIES >>
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Give Yourself the Ultimate Gift that Gives Back
ALL YEAR ROUND!
Are you tired of markets newsletters
that simply
"list" a bunch of markets without any personal
guidance?
Get the Guide That Helps You Grow Your
Freelance Writing Career!
PREMIUM GREEN MARKETS
The Ultimate Guide for Freelance Women Writers
Will Show You the GREEN!
Premium-Green isn't just market listings,
it's a guide with community benefits. For
only $4 a month, you get a 100+ Page Ebook
delivered to your inbox every month, and
you'll have access to a private community of
women writers just like you!
We know that becoming a freelance writer
takes more than just market listings. You'll
need the opportunity to network with your
peers and have a support system to help you reach
your goals. And that's exactly what your
Premium-Green Markets Subscription will do.
Here's what you get when you subscribe to
PREMIUM GREEN:
- Monthly 100+ page ebook in friendly
PDF format: Easy to print, easy to save.
No need for storing emails to find links and
articles you missed!
- Articles to grow your Freelance
Career: These are articles not found
anywhere else: More than Your Magic 8-Ball,
I.T.T. In the Trenches, Tips & Tricks, Meet
Your Mentor, Get Writing Mamas!, Project
Workbook, and more...
- Access to the PG Subscribers
Group: Network with your peers through
the Google list-serve, post
discussions, ask questions, and receive
insider tips.
- Documents for PG Subscribers:
Upload, download, and share content with
the group. We put up f*r*e*e* articles,
contracts, and ebooks for the group each
month, so take advantage!
- First Calls from WOW!: We
give you
immediate calls for what we need on the spot
(or when we're in a crunch) to fill each
issue. Get on the ground level and write for
us!
- Pink & Green: Find women's markets
only, and get insight from the editors and
what their needs are right now.
- Markets, markets, and more
markets. We provide markets for all
aspects of freelancing. One example is,
"Niche Quiche," which includes greeting card
markets, slogans, and anything you can write
in a few words and get paid! Check
out our markets
page for more details.
Earn the money you deserve, and get a real
support team
who will help you grow your freelance career.
Join Now and Download all 12 Premium-Green
ebooks Instantly!
The subscription price is $48 a
year, which is $4 per month. We want to
support
you!
Let's make this a
banner year for all women writers. We can
only do it by helping each other and creating
a strong network and community for ourselves.
Together, we can do it!
VISIT OUR MARKETS PAGE >>
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Articles Page: Moira Allen
10 New Articles!
Moira Allen, editor of Writing-World.com,
has published more than 350 articles and
columns and seven books, including How to
Write for Magazines, Starting Your
Career as a Freelance Writer, The
Writer's Guide to Queries, Pitches and
Proposals, and Writing.com: Creative
Internet Strategies to Advance Your Writing
Career. You can find Moira's books
available for purchase HERE.
Allen has served as columnist and
contributing editor for The Writer and has
written for Writer's Digest,
Byline, and
various other writing publications. In
addition to Writing-World.com, Allen hosts
the travel website TimeTravel-Britain.com,
The Pet Loss Support Page, and the
photography website AllenImages.net. She can
be contacted at
editors@writing-world.com.
Moira Allen was also interviewed by WOW!
Women On Writing in our April Issue's 20
Questions column.
Moira Allen's articles:
To
Plunge or Not to Plunge? Becoming a Fulltime
Freelancer
How
To Create a Writer's Resume
How
Much Should a Freelancer Charge?
How
To Break Into Corporate Editing
Writing
Corporate Newsletters
How
To Write for Pet Magazines
Figuring
Freelance Taxes: Handling a Windfall
Profit
Someone
Stole My Article! What To Do When it Happens
To You
Avoiding
Comma Confusion
Writing
a Family History
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Are you an author who would like to submit
to our Articles Page?
If you are an author who has five or more
promotional articles on the craft of writing
and would like to be included on this page,
please email editors@wow-womenonwriting.com
with "Articles Page Submission" in your
subject line. Please note: we do not pay for
these submissions. This is for promotional
purposes only. All of the articles on this
page are reprints.
If you are a
freelancer who would like to submit an
original article for paid publication in our
ezine,
please visit our Contact
Page and scroll down to the "Submissions"
subheading for writer's guidelines. Please
note: we do NOT publish reprints in the
WOW! ezine issues, only on the
Articles Page.
VISIT THE UPDATED ARTICLES PAGE>>
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WOW! BLOG: THE MUFFIN
Find out the latest from the Bakers of WOW!
Have you checked out what we've been baking
for you on the daily Muffin? We've stirred
together some traditional ingredients with
new ones to deliver more interviews,
enlightenment, thought provoking ideas, and
inspirational messages to help you through
those gray writing days.
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Never Stale! Here's the Latest:
Tuesdays are contest interview
days!
If you are interested in
writing for our contests, check out the
interviews with previous Top 10 winners to
find out how they crafted their stories.
Spring
'08 Flash Fiction Runner-Up: Shannon
Caster
Interview by Jill Earl
Spring
'08 Flash Fiction Runner-Up: Caryl Cain
Brown
Interview by Anne Greenawalt
Spring
'08 Flash Fiction Runner-Up: Grace Marcus
Interview by Margo L. Dill
Spring
'08 Flash Fiction Third Place Winner: Rachel
McClain
Interview by LuAnn Schindler
Spring
'08 Flash Fiction Second Place Winner: Gerry
Cofield
Interview by Marcia Peterson
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Blog Posts of Interest:
Get
a Real Job? I HAVE a Real Job!
By LuAnn Schindler
Has anyone ever said to you, "How's that
little writing thing you've been doing?" Or,
"I wish I had a writing job like you have.
Then I could work when I want to." Excuse
me? Writing IS a real job, ask any freelance
writer who has to hit deadlines and work
their butt off for a buck! This is a great
post and I urge you all to check it out.
LuAnn includes an inspirational poem that I
know you'll all enjoy.
Getting
in Touch With the Current YA
By Margo L. Dill
Margo experiences some controversy at her
local critique group about a 'racy' scene in
her YA novel. This prompted a discussion on
how to reach your teen audience. Margo says,
"Don't write for the teen you wish or
think you were, or you wish
your children were. Write for the teen
you were!"
Exposing
the Layers of the Season
By Alison Diefenderfer
This is a beautiful post and a fun writing
exercise. Alison writes, "The idea of exposing
the layers comes from an anthropological
theory on "thick description," that in order
to fully start to comprehend and appreciate
something, you have to peel back the layers
one by one like that of an onion." Explore
your senses and get writing!
Collection
Tips
By LuAnn Schindler
A freelance writer assumes multiple roles,
and among those roles is the job of
collection agent. Oy! If the thought gives
you a headache, follow LuAnn's tips to make
sure you get paid on time.
Celebrate
Rockville's Favorite Son at The F. Scott
Fitzgerald Literary Conference
By Jill Earl
I love Jill's recaps of writers' conferences.
She always makes me feel like I just attended
with her! And this post is no different. Jill
recaps her day and shares some inspiring
quotes from professionals.
Ten
Tips for Choosing a Good Domain Name
By Marcia Peterson
If you are thinking about a domain name for
your blog or website, Marcia shares some of
Tim North's tips on what to look for. Good
info here!
Gayle
Trent, author of Murder Takes the Cake,
Launches her Blog Tour!
By Angela Mackintosh
Gayle kicks off her tour on The Muffin and
shares writing advice on everything under the
sun--voice recognition software, cozy
mysteries, her publishing company, crafting
believable characters, and much more. It's
not to miss!
Agent's
Advice Mended
By Margo L. Dill
Should you give up on your manuscript after
six editors rejected it? Literary agent
Krista Goering says you should, but Margo
disagrees and gives you some darn good
examples why not, as well as a suggestion:
maybe you should REVISE it a bit.
"LinkIn"
To Opportunity!
By Alison Diefenderfer
Are you on the social network LinkedIn? If
not, read Alison's award-winning post to find
out more about it. And if you are, like me,
read it to find out more what you can do with
it. For instance, I didn't know they now have
Amazon.com type features where you can
mention all the books you are reading. How
cool is that?
Persona
That Pops
By Jill Earl
Not sure if your voice is the right one for
that piece you're pulling together? Try
swapping your persona with one different from
your own to add some interest in your
writing. Jill shares a really interesting
exercise and a funny story to go with it.
Linda
Wisniewski Launches Her Blog Tour for Off
Kilter!
By Angela Mackintosh
Linda kicks off her exciting blog tour by
chatting with WOW! about her memoir,
Off
Kilter, and many other topics: scoliosis,
her publisher, writing routines, and
inspiration.
When
Writing For Children...
By Margo L. Dill
Margo's award-winning post sure kicked up
some dust with writers! Margo says, "When
people are discussing whether or not a book
is 'appropriate' to be on the shelf, I feel
that this is another form of book-banning.
Like movies and TV shows, this decision needs
to be up to the individual parents and
teachers, whether or not their children or
their class are ready for a book." Great
comments here!
Want to get blog posts via email?
Subscribe
to The Muffin with Feedburner and get the
latest delivered straight to your inbox.
Visit The Muffin >>
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Do You Need an Editor?
Typos. Faulty grammar. Improper punctuation.
Nothing sinks your credibility faster than
embarrassing errors. Fortunately, it doesn't
have to happen to you. Canyouproofthis.com
catches the things your spellchecker misses,
and if you desire, we'll polish and improve
your writing style along the way, so that
nothing distracts from your message. And
unlike other online editing services, we
really do make it easy!
Fair rates and firm quotes
With our instant Rate
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better, our quotes are guaranteed, so the
price you're quoted is the price you'll pay.
Check out our competitive
rates and "above
and beyond" philosophy today!
Get a F*R*E*E* Quote Today>>
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WOW! Workshop: Learning to Write Great YA and Middle Grade Stories (Jan 4, 2009: 10 Weeks)
WOW! Women On Writing is proud to
offer you a workshop from talented writer and
instructor, Ann Gonzalez!
Ann Gonzalez holds an MFA from the Whidbey
Writers Workshop. She wrote her debut novel,
Running for My Life, in 30 days during
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Ann
is a member of the Society of Children's Book
Writers and Illustrators, Pacific Northwest
Writers Association, and the Whidbey Island
Writers Association. In addition, she has
published works of fiction, non-fiction, and
poetry in VerbSap, In The Family,
Aikido Today, Her Circle Ezine,
Women Writers, and Lunch Hour
Stories. The bravery and strength of
teenagers inspires and motivates Ann to
write.
Learning to Write Great YA and Middle Grade
Stories
Starts: January 4, 2009
Runs: 10 Weeks
Course Description:
The middle-grade and y*o*u*n*g adult reader is
the most passionate, demanding, hungry and,
arguably, important reader alive. Write a
novel or story that speaks to the heart of a
y*o*u*n*g reader and you'll create a faithful
reader, for life. And, after all, we are
nothing, as writers, without readers.
The Trials and Triumphs of Teens will cover
the basic rules of writing for children and
YA, and of crafting great stories
that will connect with the reader. The
fundamentals of story structure: openings,
setting, character, shape, imagery and
dialogue will be covered. Also there will be
discussion of the publishing process, agents,
editors, handling rejection and a chat
session with a published author. There will
be voluntary short writing prompts and each
participant will have the opportunity to
workshop at least 3 stories over the 10 week
course.
Course Requirements:
Each week, for 10 weeks, a different topic
will be presented to help participants tell
more powerful and tension filled stories.
Each week there will be short writing prompts
to support the material being studied.
Depending on class size students may submit 3
or more stories or chapters for group and
instructor critique (Each submission 20 pages
or less.)
Class Schedule
Week One - Openings (Jan 4 - Jan
10)
Week Two - Setting (Jan 11 - Jan
17)
Week Three - Character (Jan 18 - Jan
24)
Week Four -- Structure (Jan 25 - Jan
31)
Week Five - Point of View (Feb 1 - Feb 7)
Week Six -- Dialogue (Feb 8 - Feb
14)
Week Seven - Sensory Detail and
imagery (Feb
15 - Feb 21)
Week Eight - Don't Be an Overprotective
Writer (Feb 22 - Feb 28)
Week Nine - Writing Markets for YA
and Children Readers (Mar 1 - Mar 7)
Week Ten - Care and Feeding of the Writer or
How to Handle Rejection (Mar 8 - Mar
14)
How You Can Get Started
The next session of for Learning to Write
Great YA and Middle Grade Stories starts the
week of January 4, 2009. The premium course
fee is just $120 for ten weeks of
lessons and group participation. (Cheap!)
After you complete payment, you will be
invited to a Private
Google Groups Website,
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We hope you join us by
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ANNOUNCEMENTS: From WOW! Alumni Members
Let's kick off the
news:
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Brenda Hill:
WOW! Alumni Member, Brenda
Hill, has some very exciting news! She
recently received word that her
mainstream/women's fiction novel, Beyond
the Quiet, will be released this
spring!
Brenda wrote: When I lost my husband to
divorce after nearly thirty years of
marriage, I read everything I could,
desperate to learn how other women coped and
what they did to rebuild their lives.
Beyond the Quiet, my new novel
scheduled for release in spring, 2009, is my
version of how one woman struggles though
bitterness, loss, and betrayal, learning to
cherish each moment and follow her
long-buried dreams. It's the story of how a
quiet, passionless widow becomes spirited
enough to climb onto her lover's shoulders
for a piggyback ride in the nude.
"To all of our years together," Lisa
Montgomery's husband said one evening,
raising his glass in a toast, "some of them
good." They laughed and clicked wine glasses.
But after his death, Lisa discovers he hadn't
been teasing. When the contents of a secret
post office box reveals his illicit affair,
she struggles to come to terms with his
betrayal. Forced to examine her life as a
wife, mother, and as a woman, she realizes
her troubled childhood didn't allow her to be
anything but composed and quiet. She'd never
learned to show love.
A chance meeting with a retired fire chief
leads to changes she'd never imagined, and
she falls in love for the first time. She
learns to open her heart, to let go of the
sterile woman she'd become and passionately
embrace the woman she wishes to be. Only her
relationship with her estranged daughter
dulls her new happiness, so Lisa prepares to
make one more effort to talk to her, to offer
the love she'd always felt but never knew how
to express. But a jealous coworker watches,
wanting to destroy what he can't have.
Find out more about Brenda by visiting her
website: www.brendahill.com.
Congratulations, Brenda! We're looking
forward to reading your book!
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson:
Author to Advise Boomers Seeking New
Careers
Author advocate Carolyn Howard-Johnson will
appear with Paul Bruno on his Career Czar
talk radio program on January 30, 2009. This
unique Internet talk radio program focuses
on all aspects of the world of careers.
The two will chat about something dear to the
hearts of baby-boomers--reinventing yourself
at retirement. Howard-Johnson was selected
because her writing career spans everything
from journalism to poetry and writing movie
reviews to writing novels. The first segment
of Paul's hour-long show will be about
careers in freelance and journalism. The
second segment will be about forging a career
in fiction (novels and short stories). The
third segment will cover the joys of poetry.
And the fourth segment will be about
nonfiction. It will include how
Howard-Johnson's nonfiction books for writers
have helped her career and those of others
and how some similar how to books or books of
inspiration can work for yours.
Bruno has had guests like " Rudy Ruettiger
(www.rudyinternational.com), whose dream to
go to Notre Dame and play football for the
Fighting Irish was chronicled in the 1993
movie Rudy, and Brian Kurth
(www.vocationvacations.com), President of
Vocation Vacations and author of Test-Drive
Your Dream Job.
After the broadcast, the show will be
available to those thinking about a career
change or enhancement at www.alltalkradio.net/careerczar.
Download the show dated 01-30-09 or cut and
paste www.alltalkradio.net/careerczar/career013009.mp3
into a web browser.
Learn more about Howard-Johnson at www.howtodoitfrugally.com
or where she blogs at www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com.
Thanks for the info, Carolyn! We'll be
looking forward to your broadcast!
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Sandi Ault:
Sandi Ault's WILD INFERNO on PW Best Books
of the Year List
On November 3, 2008 Publishers Weekly named
Sandi Ault's WILD
INFERNO one of its Best Books of the
Year. WILD INFERNO was one of only nine
mystery novels that made the prestigious
list. PW is "The International News Magazine
of Book Publishing and Bookselling," and
first published in 1872. Known for its
no-nonsense appraisals of published books, it
targets publishers, librarians, booksellers,
and literary agents as its primary audience.
The Best Books of the Year list is a tribute
to excellence in the books listed in each
category. PW said of WILD INFERNO: "Ault
smoothly blends a murder mystery plot with
Native American lore in this impressive
sequel to her debut, WILD INDIGO." PW,
together with the other major insider
publication, Library Journal, gave WILD
INFERNO a pair of starred reviews.
WILD INFERNO is Ms. Ault's second addition to
the WILD mystery series, which again features
rough and ready Bureau of Land Management
agent Jamaica Wild and her memorable pet
wolf, Mountain. The setting of this second
book is in the midst of a blazing wildfire
while Native Americans are performing sacred
ceremony at Chimney Rock. Jamaica's task is
to keep them safe while her life is
threatened both by man and fire. Now listed
as one of the Best Books of the Year for 2008
by Publishers Weekly, it is a must read.
Both books are published by Berkley Prime
Crime/Penguin USA and are available at
booksellers everywhere.
Sandi Ault writes, researches, and explores
the Southwest; teaches WILD Writing
Workshops; and is a Type 2 Fire Information
Officer responding locally and nationally to
wildfires. In her preparations for the WILD
books, Sandi spent years studying Pueblo
Indian customs, rituals, and ceremonies, and
sharing life with a Pueblo family. Sandi and
her husband live in the Rocky Mountains of
Colorado with their wolf Tiwa and their cat
Buckskin. Visit her on the web at www.sandiault.com
Congratulations, Sandi! That's quite an
achievement!
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Are you an WOW! Alumni Member who'd like
to be in our announcements section?
We'd love to hear what you've been up to!
Drop us a note: buzz@wow-womenonwriting.com
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WOW!'s Website Find of the Month
Want to know what the best children's lit
blog posts are? Now, you can easily find them
with Write4Kids.com's
blog!
Jon Bard's video series of "Top
Children's Lit Blog Posts of the Day" is an
invaluable resource for anyone seeking
current information on the industry. Whether
you are a children's book writer or a
reporter looking for the latest scoop on
KidLit, these videos are true gems!
In Jon's
very first video post (Nov 10th), he writes
about his mission:
"The children's literature blog world (for
kidlitosphere, as it's come to be known) is
filled with smart, clever and insightful
folks. So many, in fact, that it can be a bit
overwhelming to keep up with all the genius
being tossed around out there. So, we're
doing our part, by highlighting the absolute
best postings, from the kidlitosphere in this
daily video series."
Let me say, they're doing more than 'their
part'--the videos are top-notch and include
screen captures from blogs. You watch as Jon
actively scrolls through the blog and
comments on what he likes best about the
posts. The topics are wide ranging--from
author promotion to controversial
topics--artwork, great books, publishing news and
contests!
Practically anything you can think of devoted
to children's literature. I could gush some
more, but you should just go on and check it
out for yourself!
VISIT THE WRITE4KIDS BLOG TODAY>>
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In Closing:
What a jam-packed issue, huh? We hope this
issue will provide you with all the tools you
need to get those fingers tapping! Take time
to explore all the expert advice and savor
the various flavors of writing. This is the
time to get involved in the writing
community. The weather is perfect for staying
indoors, and the holidays are brimming with
material for your works-in-progress. Take
advantage of this time and treat yourself to
good reads and good writes. And remember, we
love hearing from you, so if you want to hit
reply and ask a question, send us a message,
or just chat about writing, we're here for
you. We're proud to be a part of such a
thriving community of women writers.
Write-on!
Warmest,
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