Greetings!
"The creative process is a process of
surrender, not control." ~ Julia
Cameron
"I do not believe in failure. It is not
failure if you enjoyed the process." ~
Oprah Winfrey
No matter what type of writing you do,
there is a process involved. It can be a
step-by-step process of creating
something--from seed to fruition--or it can
be a small, but necessary, part of a bigger
picture--like communicating with an
editor.
For instance, in creating this issue, there
are many processes involved. First, the
editorial board evaluates every query and
submission that pertains to the theme. Then,
we contact each freelancer who we accept and
send them an email requesting the finished
article by a certain date. Upon receipt, we
properly format and send the article to an
editor assigned to it. When we receive the
polished article back, our graphic arts
department begins to create editorial
artwork, headers, and colors to illustrate
the article. From there, our SEO specialist
adds necessary Meta tags, keywords, and
article summary descriptions. Finally, the
completed article is sent to our Webmaster to
format into html and put live on the
website--which brings us to what you see
today. The completed product and a labor of
love passed through many caring hands.
I'm simplifying, of course. What I'm not
telling you about are the many e-mails
exchanged, the discussions about content, the
revisions made, and the fun stuff in between
to lighten the workday--YouTube videos sent,
e-mail jokes, and phone chats--which are all
a part of the process as well.
When we came up with the theme for this
month, many freelancers wrote and asked,
"What does 'The Process' mean?" It's vague
enough to instill that question, and that's
what we were shooting for. We were open to
interpretation and were delighted with the
outcome of ideas!
Ready to find out more about "The Process?"
We have a great issue for you.
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A big, warm, Thank You goes out to our
freelancers & staff:
A big thank you goes to WOW! columnist
Margo L. Dill for her excellent
article, Novel
Writing: Choosing a Method That Works Best
For You. The novel writing process
can be so diverse that for those of us just
starting out, it's hard to decide which
method to go with! Margo provides you with
proven solutions--both for the budding
novelist and the expert.
We welcome back freelancer Sue Bradford
Edwards and thank her for sharing her
personal journey with combating
writer's block. Like many writers, she
never believed in writer's block until she
came down with a bad case of it. In this
article, she shares advice on the subject
from other women writers, whom we'd also like
to thank for their insight. We wish Jane
Yolen, Julia Cameron, Darcy
Pattison, and Kristi Holl a big
thank you as well!
We welcome freelancer Darcy Pattison
to the WOW! family. Darcy's article,
The
Incredible Shrunken Manuscript: How To
Diagnose Your Novel's Strengths and
Weaknesses, is chock-full of
fantastic exercises for those working on
their novels. Her fascinating visual
techniques and step-by-step instructions are
groundbreaking to say the least. Not to
miss!
We also welcome freelancer Lea Schizas
to the WOW! family. Although this is
her first time freelancing for us, Lea was
interviewed by WOW! in Sept. '07 about
The
Muse Online Writer's Conference, which
she co-founded. (If you missed that
interview, be sure to check it out--the con
is a must-do for writers.) In this issue, Lea
discusses an important part of the publishing
process--Author/Editor
Zesty Relationships. She asks six authors
the same question: "How did your manuscript
change from its original state after you
collaborated with your publishing house's
editor?" Thank you to authors L.A.
Banks, Kim Smith, Raven
Starr, Aline de Chevigny, Janis
Susan May, and Linda Mooney for
sharing your personal anecdotes and
experiences.
With summer in full swing, vacations abound!
Many of us write while we're traveling, and
getting paid to do it would be a dream; but
how can we make that happen? WOW!
columnist LuAnn Schindler gives us the
skinny on the process of garnering these
trips in her article, Spanning
the Globe: Attend Press Trips and Increase
Your Portfolio Power, in this month's
Freelancer's Corner. LuAnn has attended
several press trips in the past few years and
shares her personal resources with you.
As writers, research is a necessary process
of our daily routine. Being good at it is
another story. We welcome freelancer Mary
Horner to the WOW! family, and
thank her for her informative article, How
To Research for the Non-Researcher.
Mary provides much-needed search engine tips
and information about library databases that
we all could use to help make our research
efforts more efficient. I even learned some
new tricks!
Another big thank you goes to WOW!
columnist Marcia Peterson for her
inspirational interview
with author Maria Laurino. Maria
discusses Old World family
values and New World feminism, as well as
memoir writing, writing for The
Sopranos, Italian culture, Michelle
Obama, and online journalism. Thank you,
Marcia, for turning around this interview so
quickly--it's fantastic!
I'd also like to thank staff members Margo
L. Dill and Joanne Stacey for
editing this month's issue. Great job,
ladies! I couldn't have done it without you.
----------------
Announcements:
On another note, with any process comes
change. WOW! is saddened to announce
that our esteemed senior editor, Annette Fix,
will no longer be with our publication
(unless we can convince her to accept some
freelance work!), as she is pursuing her
career as a multi-talented woman with many
hats. Annette is busy teaching her workshops,
public speaking, and promoting her memoir,
which was recently optioned for development
as a cable television series. We wish Annette
much success in all her endeavors!
To
find out more about what Annette is up to,
visit her website.
----------------
Summer 2009 Flash Fiction Contest
DEADLINE: August 31, 2009 Midnight,
Pacific Time.
GUEST JUDGE: Literary Agent, Melissa
Jeglinski
About Melissa: Melissa Jeglinski
joined The Knight Agency in September of 2008
as Associate Agent/Submissions Coordinator. A
graduate of Clarion University of
Pennsylvania, where she majored in English
with a concentration in writing, Melissa
began her career as an editorial assistant at
Harlequin Enterprises.
During her 17-year tenure, she discovered
more than a dozen authors who have become
National bestsellers and ascended to senior
editor of the Silhouette Desire line, one of
the company's most prestigious and successful
series. An undeniable asset to the TKA team,
she utilizes her extensive editorial
experience, combined with distinctive tastes
and a top-notch romantic pedigree, to foster
TKA's client roster to national prominence.
Melissa is a member of RWA and AAR.
Find out more about the Knight Agency by
visiting: http://www.knightagency.net
PROMPT: Open Prompt
WORD COUNT: 750 Max; 250 Min
LIMIT: 300 Entries
Don't wait until the last minute! Enter
Today. Visit our Contest
Page and download our terms &
conditions ebook. Good luck!
----------------
Call for Submissions
WOW! is seeking submissions for their
upcoming themes:
- Successful Women (Sept. '09 issue):
interviews with celebrity authors,
best-selling authors, philanthropists,
editor/publishers, entrepreneurs.
- All Web Writing (Oct '09)
- Literary Agents (Nov '09)
We are also looking for photo essays and
video on a variety of subjects:
workspaces,
tours of author's homes, how-tos, speakers on
craft of writing subjects, author interviews,
event coverage, balancing work/writing with
family, etc. If you have an idea for a photo
essay (300-500 words), or a video, please
query us with examples of photo essays/video
work you've previously completed.
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 20 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!
----------
On to the issue, enjoy!
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How To Combat Writer's Block
By Sue Bradford Edwards
"Until recently, I didn't believe in writer's
block. Some days were more productive than
others, but I didn't have long dry spells.
Fortunately, several generous women writers
shared their cures. To figure out which one
would work, I needed to know why I was
blocked."
In this article, Sue Bradford
Edwards examines the various cases and
situations of writer's block and tackles the
solutions head-on with help from experts.
Uncover writing habits that may be
blocking you, and discover solutions to
combat your writer's block: transitions,
story problems, article organization,
fear-based blocks, and tips for recharging
your literary batteries.
MORE>>
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One Editor's Question; Six Authors' Answers: ZESTY Author/Editor Relationships
By Lea Schizas
Writing is only the beginning. Getting a
contract is the thrill of proclaiming you are
a published writer. Now, the tough part
begins. The task of communicating, listening,
and cooperating with your editor, at times,
falls to the wayside. An author/editor
relationship is vital to the final and
formatted manuscript.
Lea Schizas,
editor-in-chief/submissions editor for Red
Rose Publishing, asks six authors a question:
How did your manuscript change from its
original state after you collaborated with
your publishing house's editor? Romance
authors L.A. Banks, Kim Smith, Raven Starr,
Aline de Chevigny, Janis Susan May, and Linda
Mooney share their insights!
MORE>>
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Old World Daughter, New World Mother: An Interview with Maria Laurino
By Marcia Peterson
It's a dilemma still faced by many women
today: how do we balance our desires for
autonomy and career with those of raising a
family? To add another angle to the
discussion, how do our cultural values
shape our child-rearing choices? Maria
Laurino explores these issues in her memoir,
Old World Daughter, New World Mother: An
Education in Love and Freedom. The book
has been described as a warm, smart, and
witty personal investigation of ethnicity and
womanhood. Join Marcia Peterson as she chats
with Maria about her memoir, her
Italian-American family, writing for The
Sopranos, Michelle Obama, contemporary
feminism and more. Includes a video!
MORE>>
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WOW! Women On Writing Workshops & Classes
invest in yourself, write now
Whether you are looking to boost your income
or work on your craft, we know that education
is an important part of a writer's career.
That's why WOW! handpicks qualified
instructors and targeted classes that women
writers will benefit from. The instructors
are women we've worked with on a professional
level, and these ladies offer high quality
courses on various topics.
How the courses work: All of the
courses operate online--whether through
email, website, chat room, or listserv,
depending on the instructor's
preferences--and are taught one-on-one with
the instructor. The flexibility of the
platform allows students to complete
assignments on their own time and work at
their own pace in the comfort of their own
home. It's a wonderful experience and an
excellent way to further develop your skills,
or to try your hand at something completely new!
Featured e-Courses (By Date):
HOW TO GET THE RIGHT AGENT FOR YOUR
MANUSCRIPT, by Annette Fix
START DATE: July 27,
2009
DURATION: 3 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Are you looking
for the perfect agent to represent your
manuscript but not sure where to start? Have
you sent out queries and received rejection
letters? If you haven't had agents request a
partial or full read of your manuscript, you
need help targeting the right agent and
honing your pitch and query letter.
This class is for writers who want to find an
agent who will fall in love with their
manuscript and be excited to present their
work to major publishers. Querying is not a
numbers game. Mass submissions = mass
rejections. Without the proper approach, your
manuscript will never have the opportunity to
be read by an agent.
By the end of this course, you will know how
to target the right agent for your
material
and leave with a list of agents who are
signing and selling in your genre. You will
develop your "elevator pitch" and learn
valuable in-person pitching techniques. You
will complete the course with a query letter
that showcases your voice and the tone of
your book, and lifts your query out of the
slush pile.
COST: $165, which includes access to a
private Google Group, support and feedback
from your instructor, weekly assignments, a
weekly one-hour chat, and FREE valuable query
samples from agents in the publishing industry.
Limit: 10 students. Early registration
is recommended.
Visit
the Classroom Page for Full Details>>
--------------------
BECOME A FREELANCE
WRITER! YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO FREELANCE
WRITING BASICS, by Nicole LaMarco
START DATE: August 10,
2009
DURATION: 10 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This class is for
beginning freelance writers or for those who
are interested in becoming freelance writers.
It includes all of the basics of freelance
writing: overviews of the different fields in
freelance writing, what is needed to begin,
how to store ideas, where to get ideas, how
much you should make, where to find clients,
and how to get clients.
In this class, I am your writing mentor
through every lesson and every assignment.
Make some extra money with your writing or
create your own full-time freelance career!
Learn from my personal stories, information,
resources, goals, activities, lessons, and
assignments. This class will provide the you
with the structure and guidance you need to
earn money from your writing. A certification
will be
given to those who pass the entire class.
COST: $150, which includes email
support and
feedback from your instructor, weekly
assignments, and a FREE ebook, Paying Markets
for Writers, (valued at $19.95). Paying
Markets for Writers contains direct links to
over 1,000 paying publications online!
Limit: 25 students. Early registration
is recommended.
Visit
the Classroom Page for Full Details>>
--------------------
PUBLISH THAT BOOK: HOW TO WRITE A
NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSAL THAT SELLS
by Andrea Campbell
START DATE: September 7, 2009
DURATION: 8 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Let me show you
through my intense, 8-week-long workshop how
to get a nonfiction book proposal ready for
publishers. This is your opportunity to gain
a serious business advantage over other
writers who will try to wing it. And even if
your first book doesn't sell, you will have
the skills and the template to apply to other
ideas and other projects. You may even come
up with more ideas for more books as you work
through this course.
And my workshop is different. I keep the
classes small so you receive a lot of
individual attention; class size is
limited to 10 students. In addition, you
will have e-mail feedback on all assignments.
Another thing I do in my workshops is to have
weekly chat sessions. Yes, every Thursday
night, we will meet online to ask questions,
discuss the lesson plans, and talk about
additional information or details that you
might have missed. Chats are an important
tool for learning (and camaraderie) and why
shouldn't we work together to leverage our
knowledge? And to make it worth your while,
you will also receive additional materials to
help illustrate important points from the
lesson plans or that you can use to aid you
in staying abreast of what is happening in
the publishing industry.
This course is for intermediate level
students. Try to clear your plate of other
things that may distract you and be prepared
to work hard. If you want results, you will
get them but this class involves work and
preparation week after week. In this class,
you can expect to learn:
- If your idea is a good one
- The essential ingredients of a book
proposal
- What the format and overall look of the
actual proposal should be
- How to write your proposal letters and
the best markets for your book
- Why you must exploit your "intellectual
capital"
- The nuts and bolts of the nonfiction book
publishing industry
By the end of class, students will have a
marketable, nonfiction book proposal package
ready to send out to agents, including a
query letter, along with the confidence to
market his/her product.
Note: One of her students recently got a
"very good deal," and, according to
Publisher's Lunch, a $100,000-plus book
contract.
COST: $379, which includes access to a
private Yahoo! Group, a weekly 1 hour chat, a
weekly critique and assessments/corrections
done by the instructor. Limit: 10
students. Early registration is
recommended.
Visit
the Classroom Page for Full Details>>
--------------------
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CRAFT OF
SCREENWRITING
by Christina Hamlett
START DATE: Start now! One-on-One
Instruction.
DURATION: 6 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This 6-week class
provides an overview of the techniques and
formatting requirements to develop an
original screenplay. The lectures and
assignments cover character development,
dialogue, genre, structure, pacing, budget,
and marketability. All materials submitted
are critiqued by a professional screenplay
consultant and learners are free to ask as
many questions as they'd like about how to
turn a story idea into a commercial,
pitch-ready script.
COST: $150, which includes one-on-one
support and critiques through email. With the
exception of two assignments that need to be
sent via U.S. mail, all content and critiques
are exchanged by email.
Visit
the Classroom Page for Full Details>>
--------------------
CREATING A CHARACTER SKETCH
by Janie Sullivan
START DATE: Start now! Upon
registration, log in to the private blog
group and get started on your charted course
of learning.
DURATION: 3 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Developing a
character sketch for each character in the
story is essential to the success of the
story. The writer needs to know who the
characters are, what they are thinking, and
why they do the things they do in order to
make them believable to the reader. This
course will teach writers how to develop
their characters so their readers will
identify with them--whether or not they like
them.
COST: $125, which includes access to a
private blog group, email support and
feedback from your instructor and peers.
Visit
the Classroom Page for Full Details>>
--------------------
I hope you are as excited about our classes
as we are. WOW! Women On Writing
ensures that our instructors will work with
you one-on-one. In most cases you will
receive emailed course materials and
assignments, or for those with groups, you
will be able to download course materials.
Your instructor will give you assignments and
personal feedback, and guide you through a
charted course of learning. Our instructors
are wonderful ladies who go above and beyond
to help you achieve your writing goals.
MORE>>
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Article: Turn Summertime Fun Into Profits
By Christina Katz
From WOW's Articles
Page:
Well, it's summertime and the writing
is...maybe not as easy as it was on those gray
days during the winter when there wasn't so
much sun-shiny competition for your
attention. So if you want to get out and play
this summer, but you just can't ignore the
bottom line, there's only one thing to do:
Make your summertime fun pay. Here are six
ways to turn your summer fun into writing
profits:
Think photo feature
Going on a home tour that features historic
or best-decorated houses in your area? Ask
the homeowner if you can shoot scouting
photos as you go. Best bets are homes owned
and designed by local architects, designers
and retail shop owners. Then match home style
and decor to publications and pitch away. A
home decorated in country style might appeal
to Country Sampler or Country
Living. A bungalow might fit in
American Bungalow, a teeny-weeny
cottage in The Cottage Life, a condo
on the shore for Coastal Living. Visit
your local newsstand or search a magazine
database like www.magazines.com to find the
most likely match.
Turn summer reading into reviews or
interviews
Looking forward to catching up on that
growing stack of books next to your bed? If
the publication date is still current, pitch
reviews to appropriate publications, then
grab your pencil and sticky notes and dive
in. If you're a really big fan--especially if
you've already read an author's previous
books--pitch an interview or profile with the
author as well (but check with the publisher
to make sure the author isn't on summer
vacation first).
Channel your happy thoughts
Chances are good you will have an increase in
warm and fuzzy thoughts after you relax a bit
this summer. So after a float in the pool or
an afternoon siesta, keep a notebook handy to
capture those fleeting butterflies of
inspiration. Then send them to Woman's
World.
Turn travel setbacks into a how-to
article
Okay, so maybe you weren't prepared to break
down with a flat tire in the middle of the
dessert when it's 110 degrees and you have no
water. But after you survive the experience,
you will surely have lots of ideas on how to
be prepared next time. Jot a list now while
the memories are fresh. Then query for
possible publication next summer.
Be event-oriented
The key to selling travel pieces is tying it
all together for editors. We all love New
Orleans at Mardi Gras time, but do we really
want to go there in August? Probably not. If
you have to go somewhere ghastly hot, visit
the chamber of commerce while you're there
and pick up the event schedule for the whole
year. It will be easier to convince your
paper's travel section editor to run your
piece, if it ties into a newsworthy event
when the weather there is more desirable.
Milk your hobby
Are you a gardener? A bird-watcher? Do you
love to go to farmer's markets, flea markets
or antique hunting? What you already love is
prime material for an article, a series of
articles or even a column. It's also a great
way to expand what you love into your
workweek. An article I wrote about making
time for myself, one of my favorite pastimes
and one I never get enough of, got my
daughter and myself two tickets to N.Y.C. to
appear on Good Morning America. Now
that's fun.
The great outdoors
Health, exercise and recreation stories are
in-demand, which means you can make yourself
invaluable to an editor who needs pieces just
like yours. Whether you climb Everest or
simply stroll the local shores, editors love
writers who are familiar with the outdoors
and will gladly pay you for your ideas and
familiarity. Label a blank folder
"recreation" and fill it with possibilities.
Think not just summer, but also autumn,
winter and spring and then pitch your local
newspaper or magazines.
Write-offs, sweet write-offs
Thinking about tax write-offs while you're
wandering the streets of that quaint out-of
the way town where you stopped for lunch
won't happen spontaneously. That's why you
need to plan for it. So make stopping at the
local library, chamber of commerce, and
visitor's center a habit, and grab armloads
of regional publications to offer your
reprints to when you get home. After you make
a sale, you might be able to write off your
expenses. So keep a mileage log and all of
your receipts and consult your accountant
when you get home.
Happy summer fun, everyone!
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Christina Katz is the author of Writer
Mama, How To Raise a Writing Career Alongside
Your Kids, and Get
Known Before The Book Deal: Use Your Personal
Strengths To Grow An Author Platform
(both: Writer's Digest Books).
Visit the Articles Page>>
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Give Yourself the Ultimate Gift that Gives Back
Jump Start Your Freelance Career
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 20 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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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.
Winter
'09 Flash Fiction Contest 1st Place Winner:
Gay Degani
Interview by Marcia Peterson
Winter
'09 Flash Fiction Contest 2nd Place Winner:
Theresa Mae Leitch
Interview by Margo L. Dill
Winter
'09 Flash Fiction Contest 3rd Place Winner:
Kimberly Zook
Interview by LuAnn Schindler
Winter
'09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up: Julie
Eger
Interview by Jill Earl
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Blog Posts of Interest:
Elizabeth
Kirschner, Author of My Life as a
Doll, Launches Her Blog Tour!
Interview by LuAnn Schindler
Elisabeth Kirschner begins her blog tour for
her memoir, My Life as a Doll. A
survivor's tale about abuse, madness and
recovery, this is Elisabeth's fourth book of
poetry. In a powerful interview, she talks
about her work, her words, and the power of
creative expression.
Ann
Whitford Paul, author of Writing Picture
Books, Launches her Blog Tour!
Interview by Jodi Webb
Have you ever thought you'd like to write a
picture book, but don't know where to begin?
Check out Ann Whitford Paul's new book,
Writing Picture Books. Ann is an award
winning author of 17 children's books, and
we've got a terrific interview with her. She
talks about the changes in children's book
publishing, how to get a children's
manuscript accepted by a publisher, and
offers some great public speaking tips. Note:
This blog tour is still going! Check
the dates and join in.
Exploring
and Finding What You Like In The Process
By Alison Diefenderfer
Alison stumbled into writing, more or less,
to keep her mind agile and to provide
something to do in between job applications
and job searches. Now, it opens a lot of
little doors for her and gives her room to
try different things.
Author
Vs. Writer - What's Your Title?
By LuAnn Schindler
Is there a taxonomy to writer's titles? Is
one better than the other? Chime in with your
thoughts.
Finding
a New Groove
By Carrie Hulce
When big life changes take you away from
writing, how do you get your groove back?
Carrie explores a new direction, and attempts
to find her way back to the writing
world.
Social
Networking and E-mail: Friend or Foe?
By Margo L. Dill
Watch out for social media and e-mail
mistakes. Remember, you are a writer, who is
trying to build a platform for your work. You
don't want to be in the middle of a
controversy and ruin your career!
Writing:
Pursue it 110 Percent
By Jill Earl
Do you live and breathe writing? Are you
excited when you pick up a pen or turn on the
computer, because you're about to do your
favorite thing? Jill reminds us that you
can't be lukewarm in this business and
succeed!
How
Americans Talk
By Marcia Peterson
Depending on where you live, you might call
your submarine sandwich a "hero" (New York
City area), a "hoagie" (New Jersey and
Pennsylvania), a "grinder" (New England), or
a "Cuban sandwich" (Florida). This kind of
information--the words and phrases used in
distinct regions of the country--will be
included in a new edition of The
Dictionary of American Regional English
next year.
Now,
what was it that I was typing?
By Elizabeth King Humphrey
Elizabeth finds herself chained to her desk,
trying to fit in her freelance writing
business in the midst of her own kids camp,
complete with 8-, 5- and 2-year old children
running circles around her. It's a constant
battle to find the elusive, amoeba-like
balance.
Belief
In Yourself: A Valuable Writing Tool
By Chynna Laird
Belief in yourself and what you do is a major
component to success. This post has some
great suggestions to help you keep up your
positive energy!
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Want to contribute to The Muffin?
Friday's are "Speak Out!" days. We allow
posts from contributors for promotion. If
you'd like to submit a post, please make sure
that it's about women and writing.
Your post
can be about: writing inspiration, balancing
family life/parenting with writing, craft of
writing fiction/nonfiction, how-tos, tips for
author promotion/marketing/social media, book
reviews, writing prompts, special
opportunities (paying markets for writers),
publishing industry news/gossip, and anything
you think our readers will love.
Please make
sure that there is take-away value to our
readers. No press releases please. We're more
interested in hearing from our core
audience--personal essays and humorous
anecdotes are encouraged as well, as long as
they provide
something useful to our audience--including a
good laugh! ;)
How To Submit: Submit your 250 - 500
word post in the
body of your email to
our blog editor Marcia Peterson: [email protected].
Upon acceptance, we will ask for your bio,
links, bio photo, and any other pics to
illustrate the article. We look forward to
hearing from you!
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Mailbox: Letters to the Editors
We answer ALL your questions!
Questions about: PG, Blog
Tour Promotion, and Writing for
eHow...
From: Debra G.
Email:
Hello WOW!
Ladies,
Quick question: I know you sometimes have
combined e-zine issues, and I'm interested in
joining the Premium-Green, but I'm wondering
if those issues are combined as well? Or do
you still put out monthly markets
newsletter?
Thanks,
Debra
From WOW: Thank you, Debra, for
writing in! To answer your question: the Premium-Green
Markets newsletter comes out monthly--no
matter if the WOW! e-zine has a
combined issue or not. It's its own separate
deal.
When you subscribe, you'll be
able to download all the past issues (there's
20 now), as well as receive a year's worth of
issues from when you start.
Thanks so much for the great question! We
hope to see you in the group. :)
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From: Sarah
Email:
Dear Angela & Jodi,
I saw the blog post about your book tours on
the book
cover coaching blog and I'm wondering
what else you do for the blog tour (besides
managing it) for promotion? I have a memoir
coming out
in September and am interested in booking a
blog tour with WOW & I want to tell my
publisher some of the details.
Best,
Sarah
From Angela: Thank you so much, Sarah,
for your email. I'm glad you asked! For
specific questions, please tell your
publicist to email Angela & Jodi at: [email protected].
We would love to chat with her/him.
To answer your question, in general: A
benefit of touring with WOW! Women On
Writing is reaching our audience of 20,000 +
email subscribers. When an author's blog tour
launches, we create a dedicated email
campaign newsletter announcing her tour, her
book information, bio, website, and the blogs
she will be visiting.
Many of our subscribers follow along for the
whole tour to visit the various participating
blogs and to find out more about a particular
topic that the author will be discussing that
day (which we announce in our e-mail
newsletter and on our public Google
calendar). It's like following a band on
tour, or an author on a book signing tour,
but instead of every venue being similar,
they all offer something different. The
relationship is a mutual benefit to the
author and the bloggers alike.
Apart from our direct audience of
subscribers, we write a media release with
the author's book info, tour dates, and
stops, and post it on social network sites
(MySpace, Gather, JacketFlap, etc.) to
publicize the tour to the general public and
reading groups. I've found Gather to be a
great place to announce book giveaways--it
draws a lot of traffic to the first day of
the author's launch.
And occasionally, if the author's book is so
new that it doesn't have any book reviews
yet, we contract one of WOW's staff writers
to read the book and write a tailored book
review that is friendly to women readers.
-----------
From: Elizabeth K.
Email:
Hi!
Thanks for your email about eHow! I signed up
and started writing! I loved the quote from
Maria. Do you have any more tips about
writing for them?
Thanks!
Liz (Elizabeth K.)
From WOW: Hi Liz, thanks for writing
in! We'll be posting more tips on The
Muffin soon about how to write
for eHow. In the meantime, here's another
tip from Maria O'Brien, expert eHow
writer:
"Current eHow articles can increase their
article audiences by making each one search
engine friendly through keyword
research. (Find out what phrases people
are Googling and use those in your article.)
Another very important tip is to search eHow
before writing an article and make sure your
title is unique. It makes a big difference.
Yes, knowledge of basic search engine
optimization (SEO) techniques is important
for eHow success." ~ Maria O'Brien (a.k.a.
WriterGig)
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Would you like to send a letter to the WOW
Editors? We will answer your questions,
post your kudos, comments, suggestions, or
anything else you have on your mind. Email us
at: [email protected].
We look forward to hearing from you!
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In Closing:
We hope that this issue inspires you to enjoy
the creative process! No matter what type of
writing you are pursuing, take comfort in
knowing that you are not alone. We are all on
a similar journey at this point and time of
our lives. Let's continue to make an effort
by sharing our experiences and lending a hand
to those just beginning the writing process.
Make this month count! And as always, write
on!
Warmest,
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