Greetings!
Are you in the mood for love?
I can't think of a better way to celebrate
the month of February than exploring the
fastest-growing genre out there--romance.
Sweet, chocolate-covered culinary romance;
sultry, suspenseful romance; hot-blooded,
thrilling romance; otherworldly paranormal
romance--it's all delicious!
This is our third issue dedicated to romance,
and we haven't even begun to scratch the
surface of all the subgenres it has to offer.
That's because it's so flexible and ever
evolving. But at the genre's core is one
thing that holds it together--love--the basis
of any romance novel no matter what subgenre
and most likely, a happy ending.
Who doesn't want a little happiness and
romance in their lives? According to book
sales, it appears that readers do. More than
ever, readers are hungry for romance and
ready to fall in love with the next series
from their favorite authors. So let's dive
into the genre by learning from the experts
in this issue. I bet you'll fall in love with
them like I did!
And in case you missed the first two romance
issues, you can find them here: February '08
Romance
is... and March '09 What's
Romance Got to Do With It? Both are worth
exploring and contain interviews with
bestselling authors, wonderful craft
articles, and markets for the romance writer.
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A big, warm, thank you goes out to our
freelancers & staff:
We welcome back freelancer Sara Hodon
and thank her for her delicious interview
with Shirley Jump, a romance writer who
has successfully blended her three favorite
ingredients--romance, food, and humor--into a
bestselling series. Shirley is a woman after
my own heart. She loves pasta--from
Fettuccini Alfredo to simple mac and cheese.
But her love doesn't stop there. She's
authored over twenty books for Harlequin and
Silhouette, and if that weren't enough, is
branching out into other genres, which
include a young adult thriller she
co-authored with her daughter. She has a real
love for writing and sharing her knowledge
with aspiring authors. You're absolutely
going to fall in love with her--and
laugh!--at the wit and inspiration she brings
to the page.
Ready to walk the hot-blooded tightrope? A
big thank you goes to WOW! columnist
LuAnn Schindler for her interview
with Shannon K. Butcher, an author who
steadies herself on the writing tightrope
somewhere between romance and suspense. In
this interview, Shannon shares her thoughts
about the suspense genre and its elements,
crafting those oh-so-delicate-or-not sex
scenes, and what it's like to be married to
New York Times bestselling sci-fi and fantasy
author Jim Butcher. Can you imagine that?
Discover how these two celebrated authors
work together at home and collaborate as a
creative couple.
Another big thank you goes to WOW!
columnist and contributing editor Margo L.
Dill for her steamy interview
with Louisa Edwards. Louisa combines the
"foodie craze" with the much-loved genre of
romance and serves up a delicious paring of
delectable novels, inspired from her crushes
on various celebrity chefs! In this
interview, Louisa shares her tips on creating
passionate characters, weaving strong
subplots, crafting timely and fresh topics,
and even her thoughts on marketing and her
experience of working for an editor at
Berkley Books. If you love food and romance
equally (and who doesn't?), this interview is
not to miss!
Are you a fan of paranormal romance? If so,
you're in luck! We welcome back freelancer
Annette Fix and thank her for her interview
with NY Times bestselling author Nalini
Singh. Nalini has got to be one of the
most prolific authors out there--eighteen
books in seven years! In this interview,
Nalini shares her thoughts on how to keep
characters fresh in a series and talks about
both of her bestselling series: the
Psy-Changeling series and her newest, the
Guild Hunter series. She also shares a bit
about author promotion and her love of
traveling, which she uses as research for her
books.
And who says teens can't fall in love? I can
certainly remember reading some steamy Judy
Blume books back in my day. But what's the
genre up to now? We welcome back freelancer
Sue Bradford Edwards and thank her for
her interview
with young adult romance author Simone
Elkeles who gives us the skinny on
writing for the teen romance market. In this
interview, Simone talks about the teen voice,
the importance of tough
characters--especially the hero, censorship,
and writing for teen audiences. She also
encourages writers to just write and says, "I
don't think you need a degree in writing to
write." Hear, hear!
On the other side of the age spectrum comes a
fairly new and fast-growing market: boomer
lit. A big thank you goes to WOW!
columnist LuAnn Schindler for her fun
and informative article Romancing
the Middle-Aged Reader. Some critics call
the genre chick lit for grandmothers. A few
label it as Sex and the City for the
menopause set. And for others, boomer
literature tells a powerful story about
facing challenges and persevering. Since
boomers purchase one of every seven books
sold, boomer lit is smoking hot...and the
label is a marketing tool worth pursuing.
Find out how you can tap into this market
with advice from authors Debbie
Macomber and Binnie Klein--both
interviewed for this article.
As writers, we all know the importance of
reading in our genre to keep our finger on
the pulse. But how can we read as a writer
and pay close attention to the techniques we
discover on the page? We welcome back
freelancer Beth Daniels and thank her
for her informative article How
to Dissect Romance Novels and Create Rules
for Writing. Beth shows us how to
carefully examine the books we read to create
our own genre-specific "bible," a set of
rules we can use for our own novels. Her list
includes researching professions and income
of main characters, romantic background,
conflict, children and family, danger, scenes
with main characters, "sounding board"
characters, secondary storylines, series and
spin-offs, settings, names, and much more! By
following her outline, you can identify the
necessary bits to create your own set of
rules for writing your romance novel.
And if that weren't enough, we're proud to
announce the Fall
'09 Flash Fiction Contest winners! We'd
like to thank literary agent Noah
Lukeman for judging this season's
contest. Thank you, Noah, for your expedience
and expert attention to detail. And
congratulations goes to all the winners and
to all those that had the courage to enter
the contest as well. You're going to really
enjoy reading this season's stories!
As always, I'd like to thank WOW!'s
contributing editors Margo L. Dill and
Joanne Stacey for making this issue a
delicious read!
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Winter 2010 Flash Fiction Contest
LAST MONTH TO ENTER!
DEADLINE: February 28, 2010 Midnight,
Pacific Time.
GUEST JUDGE: Literary Agent, Elise
Capron
About Elise: Elise Capron is an agent with
the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, an
agency known for establishing and guiding the
careers of critically acclaimed fiction and
nonfiction authors, including Amy Tan,
Lisa
See, Maxine Hong Kingston,
Chitra Divakaruni,
Kate White, Diane Mott
Davidson, Luis Urrea,
Janell Cannon, and many others. The Los
Angeles Times dubbed the Dijkstra Agency "the
most powerful literary agency on the West
Coast" and, in its 25+ years, the agency has
developed a reputation for discovering new
talent and representing quality work with
commercial potential.
Elise has been with the Dijkstra Agency since
2003. In addition to her own agenting, she
assists Sandra Dijkstra and handles first
serial sales. She specializes in debut
fiction, character-driven literary and
offbeat fiction, and short story collections.
She is also interested in selected nonfiction
if it has a literary edge. She hopes to find
fiction with unforgettable writing, terrific
narrative voice/tone, and great characters.
Elise loves novels with an unusual or
eccentric edge, and is drawn to stories she
has never heard before. She hopes to work
with writers who are professional, have a
realistic sense of the market, and who are
getting their work published regularly in
literary magazines.
Some of Elise's recent and
soon-to-be-published books include Jonathon
Keats' The Book of the Unknown: Tales of
the Thirty-Six (Random House), Ali
Liebegott's The IHOP Papers (Carroll &
Graf), Peter Plate's Soon the Rest Will
Fall (Seven Stories Press), and Whitney
Lyles' Party Games (Simon Pulse) and
First Comes Love (Berkley).
Find out more about Elise by reading her
interview on WOW! Women On Writing: 20
Questions Answered By Elise Capron.
Visit The Dijkstra Agency's website: http://www.dijkstraagency.com/
This is Elise's second time judging for
us!
She first guest judged for our Summer '08 Flash
Fiction Contest and was one of our most
expedient guest judges to date. You can read
the winning stories she selected here.
We're thrilled to have him as our honorable
guest judge this season!
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!
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Call for Submissions
WOW! is seeking submissions for their
upcoming themes:
May '10 Book to Film: (Deadline for
queries/subs: March 15, 2010)
The majority of films are made from books
these days, so using this as a basic premise,
we are dedicating May's issue to all things
related to words and pictures.
Here are some topic ideas for
articles/interviews:
- Interviews with authors of books that were
made into films.
- Interviews with screenwriters who crafted a
screenplay from a book.
- How to write a screenplay--I know, big
topic, but we can start with the basic
structural differences of novel writing vs.
screenwriting and share some tips for
screenwriting.
- Basics of writing a TV pilot.
- How a book gets optioned for a film: how
does it happen, what steps are involved,
including quotes from experts.
- The YouTube phenomena: how to effectively
use YouTube as an author or freelance writer,
how to make money from YouTube, etc.
Fiction Mechanics/Novelist's Tool Kit:
(Deadline for
queries/subs: April 15, 2010)
Last month, when I was putting together the
links at the bottom of Beth Cato's fabulous
article Beginning
After NaNoWriMo, I noticed that we
were short on articles that covered the
mechanics of fiction. I'd love to see
comprehensive articles on all the tools
novelists need to have in their toolbox for
working on their novels. Here are some basic
topics: (Note: this is an all "how to" issue,
no interviews.)
- Plot & Structure
- Scenes
- Description & Setting
- Pacing
- Voice
(Note: we already have articles on: dialogue
tags, self-editing for fiction writers, and
beginnings/middles/ends.)
Submission Guidelines:Also, 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!
Some of the slots have already been filled
above because we announce first calls for
submissions in our Premium-Green Markets
newsletter. 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 27 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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Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest Winners Announced!
Drum roll...
Congratulations goes to everyone who entered
the Fall 2009 Flash Fiction Contest. All of
your entries were incredible this round, and
our esteemed guest judge, literary agent
Noah Lukeman, did not have an easy
job! But with his expertise, he dutifully
picked the winners, and we thank Noah!
All of the stories this season were
phenomenal! It was hard to narrow down the
entries to the Top 25 and then the Top 10.
All the stories were superlative in subject,
content, and style--it really came down to
technical aspects and the guest judge's
personal choice of which ones made it into
the Top 10. Every story is a winner in its
own right and has the potential to win a 1st,
2nd, or 3rd Place. They were that good.
I know you've all been waiting patiently, so
here's the results!
-- 1st Place Winner: Leigha Butler
-- 2nd Place Winner: Arlene L.
Walker
-- 3rd Place Winner: James Tipton
Runners Up (in no particular
order):
-- Georgia Allred
-- Stacy Post
-- Martha Katzeff
-- Lori Strauss
-- Catherine E. Jones
-- Pamela Allison
-- Jacquelyn Malone
Read the Top 10 winners' stories in our contest
feature!
Honorable Mentions (in no particular
order):
-- Patricia Winton
-- Alessia Brio
-- Wayne Scheer
-- Michelle Lemons
-- Cheri Downie
-- Michele Roach
-- Dee Blackwelder Marley
-- Jenn Gibson
-- Tammy Blackwell
-- Sarah Becker
-- Serena Helriot
-- Corinne Mahoney
-- Carolyn Crowell
-- Kathleen M. Redmond
-- Sandra Cook
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!
So, go on already! Read the
entries!
Notes: if you purchased a critique for the
Fall '09 contest, we will be sending
critiques one at a time over the next couple
of weeks. If you haven't received your
critique by the end of February (make sure
you check your bulk mail), please send us an
e-mail and we'll resend. Prizes: all prizes
this season are digital, so we will be
sending gift cards, e-books, and cash prizes
electronically next week. Thank you!
MORE >>
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Walking the Hot-Blooded Tightrope with Shannon K. Butcher
By LuAnn Schindler
Somewhere between flirtation and romance,
between lust and love, Shannon K. Butcher
steadies herself on a writing tightrope,
creating page-turning romantic suspense
novels featuring handsome hunks and heroine
hotties. For Butcher, the line between
romance and suspense forms a fine thread of
space loaded with sinister killers, twisted
plot details, and believable romantic
tension.
In this interview conducted
by LuAnn
Schindler, Shannon shares her thoughts about
the suspense genre and its elements, romantic
encounters on the page, and what it's like to
collaborate with her husband Jim Butcher, a
New York Times bestselling sci-fi and
fantasy author!
MORE>>
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On the Steamy Side with Louisa Edwards, the Queen of Culinary Romance
By Margo L. Dill
Louisa Edwards always had an interest in food
and romance novels, but never thought of
paring the two until after she took a
part-time job at the Culinary Vegetable
Institute. Personal interaction with chefs,
plus the limited repertoire of local
restaurants stoked Louisa's interest in food.
She began critiquing restaurants for the
local newspaper, got sucked into Gordon
Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, trailed a
chef friend at his restaurant in Raleigh,
North Carolina, started cooking her way
through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of
French Cooking, and decided to bring it
all together by writing Can't Stand the
Heat. Now, she's getting ready for the
release of her second foodie-inspired romance
On the Steamy Side.
In this
interview,
conducted by Margo L. Dill, Louisa shares her
tips on creating passionate characters,
weaving strong subplots, crafting fresh
topics, and even her thoughts on marketing
and her experience of working as an assistant
editor at Berkley Books.
MORE>>
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The Paranormally Perfect Romance Series of Nalini Singh
By Annette Fix
With multiple books that have graced the
New York Times Bestseller List, it's
obvious that author Nalini Singh knows how to
create great romantic tales of paranormal
proportions. Nalini began writing paranormal
romance in 2006 with her Psy-Changeling
series: Slave to Sensation, Visions
of Heat, Caressed by Ice, Mine
to Possess, Hostage to Pleasure,
Branded by Fire, and Blaze of
Memory. In 2009, she launched into
another series with Angels' Blood, and
the newest release, Archangel's Kiss,
the second book in her Guild Hunter
series.
Annette Fix caught up with Nalini for a brief
interview, right before the launch of her
newest title. Find out what it takes to churn
out a romance series that has readers
clamoring for the next book!
MORE>>
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20 Questions: Answered by Simone Elkeles, Teen Romance Author
By Sue Bradford Edwards
With five young adult books out and a list of
awards to her credit, you might think Simone
Elkeles was one of those book-crazy kids who
always longed to write. But it isn't the
story you're going to hear from Simone.
Unlike many writers, Simone didn't study
literature or journalism in college. She
focused on psychology, graduating in 1992
from the University of Illinois in
Champaign-Urbana before completing her
master's of science degree in industrial
relations at Loyola University-Chicago.
Following college, she went to work at her
father's manufacturing company, S-T
Imagining, Inc. When he died, she became the
company president and CEO at the age of
twenty-four. Her writing career began in 2000
when she sold the company to be a
stay-at-home mom. Reading to her daughter,
Simone discovered the joy of sharing a book
with a child. Soon, she was writing at night
when her daughter was in bed. And the rest,
as they say, is history.
In this
interview,
conducted by Sue Bradford Edwards, Simone
talks about the teen voice, the importance of
tough characters, censorship, and writing for
teen audiences.
MORE>>
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How to Dissect Romance Novels & Create Rules for Writing
By Beth Daniels, a.k.a. Beth Henderson, J.B. Dane
As writers, we all know the importance of
reading in our genre to keep our finger on
the pulse. But how can we read as a writer
and pay close attention to the techniques we
discover on the page?
Beth Daniels admits
that she'd never read a contemporary romance
until an agent convinced her to write a
proposal for one. After toting a pile of
books home in her genre, she realized she
needed to dissect them and create her own set
of rules for novel writing. This was all
about identifying the sort of things that had
to appear in a book. Her list includes
researching professions and income of main
characters, romantic background, conflict,
children and family, danger, scenes with main
characters, "sounding board" characters,
secondary storylines, series and spin-offs,
settings, names, and much more! By following
her outline, you can identify the necessary
bits to create your own set of rules for
writing your romance novel.
MORE>>
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Delicious Book of the Month!
The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins
Lucy Lang isn't looking for fireworks...
She's looking for a nice, decent man. Someone
who'll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the
barbeque, teach their future children to play
soccer. But most important... someone who
won't inspire the slightest stirring in her
heart...or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy
can't risk that kind of loss again. But
sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey
and the Black Widows at the family bakery
isn't enough either. So it's goodbye to
Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate
"friend with privileges" and hello to a man
she can marry.
Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn't going anywhere.
As far as he's concerned, what she needs
might be right under her nose. But can he
convince her that the next best thing can
really be forever?
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: HQN Books (February 2010)
ISBN: 0373774389
The Next Best Thing is
available for purchase through Amazon.com,
Barnes & Noble, and in chain and independent
bookstores nation wide.
About the author: Kristan Higgins is
the RITA
award-winning author of Catch of the
Day and three other romantic comedies.
Previously a copywriter, Kristan began
writing fiction when her children graced her
life with simultaneous naps...so much more
satisfying than folding laundry. She holds a
BA in English from the College of the Holy
Cross, which enables her to identify dangling
participles and quote many great novels.
Kristan lives with her family in Connecticut.
Find out more about author Kristan Higgins by
visiting her website: www.KristanHiggins.com.
Read an Excerpt
Watch the Book
Trailer
VISIT KRISTANHIGGINS.COM>>
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Premium-Green Writers' Markets: Give Yourself the Ultimate Gift that Gives Back
Jump Start Your Freelance Career this New Year!
Are you tired of markets newsletters
that simply
"list" a bunch of markets without any personal
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you'll have access to a private community of
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We know that becoming a freelance writer
takes more than just market listings. You'll
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- Monthly 100+ page ebook in friendly
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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
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- First Calls from WOW!: We
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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
that will help you grow your freelance
career.
Join Now and Download all 27 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 THE MARKETS PAGE >>
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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):
SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR AUTHORS: Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn, and more! by
Margo L. Dill
START DATE: February 22, 2010
DURATION: 4 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This class will
teach writers how to use Twitter, Facebook,
LinkedIn, and other social networking sites
such as Shelfari or JacketFlap (students'
choice) to network; to build a loyal
following of fans; to start working on a
brand/image; and to promote books, articles,
magazines, and blogs. Instead of using
Facebook and Twitter to write about your
fabulous dinner or disastrous day at the
grocery store, you will learn to sell
yourslef and your writing!
Limit: 20 students
VISIT
THE CLASSROOM PAGE FOR DETAILS>>
--------------------
SEE YOU AT THE MOVIES: AN INTRODUCTION TO
THE CRAFT OF SCREENWRITING by
Christina Hamlett
START DATE: February 22, 2010
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.
Limit: 10 students
VISIT
THE CLASSROOM PAGE FOR DETAILS>>
--------------------
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE: AN INTRODUCTION
TO PLAYWRITING by
Christina Hamlett
START DATE: February 22, 2010
DURATION: 6 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Since the time of
the Ancient Greeks, the live theater
experience has satisfied an audience's need
for entertainment that is immediate, intimate
and accessible to all ages and levels of
society. Whether performed in an outdoor
courtyard, on a vintage stage, in a school
auditorium, or above the din of an urban
coffeehouse, a play is an ever-evolving and
timeless art form that derives its energy
from both sides of the footlights. Unlike a
novel or a film which is financed and
produced only once, a theater script
undergoes a new transformation with each
change of cast and each change of venue. Even
the passage of time itself impacts how a
theatrical story will resonate with
successive generations, giving new definition
and perspective to old ideas or providing a
yardstick of how far we've come from social
mores that were once held as truth.
In this class, you'll be learning what makes
a play successful...and how to write one
yourself! Each module consists of a lecture
and writing assignment, as well as
interviews, websites and anecdotes. Ideally,
it should only take one week to complete each
exercise. The final assignment will be the
writing and submission of an original
15-minute one-act play, which will be
professionally critiqued for its adherence to
all of the principles addressed in class.
Limit: 10 students
VISIT
THE CLASSROOM PAGE FOR DETAILS>>
--------------------
SPRING FORWARD! POETIC LINE, BREATH, &
VISION by
Melanie Faith
START DATE: March 5, 2010
DURATION: 5 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Spring is
near-at-hand! What better way to celebrate
this impending renewal than by picking up a
pen and creating new works of your own? An
Irish proverb offers, "The most beautiful
music of all is the music of what happens."
Through readings of our text, Ordinary
Genius, along with weekly poetry handouts
from the instructor, we will examine how
poets turn everyday moments into
extraordinary verse. Students will write and
submit one poem per week, based on writing
prompts from the text or a topic of the
author's own choosing, for constructive yet
encouraging feedback from the instructor.
There will also be a private class group
(through Google Groups or Wetpaint) where
students may interact as a community of
poets--discussing the week's readings and the
progress of their writing or asking questions
of the instructor. This class is meant to
kick-start your own reawakened Muse--from
strengthening your knowledge of literary
techniques to providing a bridge for sparking
your own life-breathing, imaginative poems
from pen to printed page.
Limit: 8-10 students
VISIT
THE CLASSROOM PAGE FOR DETAILS>>
--------------------
GET PAID TO WRITE: BECOME A FREELANCE
WRITER! by
Nicole LaMarco
START DATE: March 9, 2010
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
Get Paid to Write. A certification will be
given to those who pass the entire class.
Limit: 25 students
VISIT
THE CLASSROOM PAGE FOR DETAILS>>
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FOOD WRITING: THE BASICS by
Mary MacRae Warren
START DATE: March 22, 2010
DURATION: 6 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Through lectures,
writing exercises, and instructor feedback we
will cover the basics of food writing (in
print and online formats). Students should
complete the class with at least one work
suitable for publication. We will explore
food writing essentials including: food
reporting and research, techniques for
developing sources in the food world,
resources for covering food news, and
conventional forms of food writing.
Course objectives:
1. To complete at least one work that is
publishable.
2. To encourage you to read published food
writing to better understand the genre.
3. To increase your confidence and skills as
a writer.
4. To develop a foundation for the skills of
crafting, editing, and revising.
Limit: 25 students
VISIT
THE CLASSROOM PAGE FOR DETAILS>>
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PUBLISH THAT BOOK: HOW TO WRITE A
NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSAL THAT SELLS by
Andrea Campbell
START DATE: April 5, 2010
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.
Limit: 10 students
VISIT
THE CLASSROOM PAGE FOR DETAILS>>
--------------------
SHORT FICTION WRITING by
Gila Green
START DATE: April 6, 2010
DURATION: 8 weeks
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Through writing
exercises and classmate and instructor
feedback we will delve into the fundamentals
of short fiction with a view to publishable
work. We will explore a variety of craft
elements including: character, plot, point of
view, description, dialogue, setting, pacing,
voice and theme.
Course objectives:
1. To complete at least one work that is
publishable.
2. To encourage you to read published short
fiction including, short stories, personal
essays and flash fiction (Fiction under 800
words).
3. To increase your confidence and skills as
a writer.
4. To develop a foundation for the skills of
crafting, editing, and revising.
Limit: 8-10 students
VISIT
THE CLASSROOM PAGE FOR 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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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.
Summer
'09 Flash Fiction Runner Up: Evelyn Addison
Ray
Interview by Jill Earl
Summer
'09 Flash Fiction Runner Up: Tricia
Bowering
Interview by Margo L. Dill
Summer
'09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up:
Elizabeth Barton
Interview by Anne Greenawalt
Summer
'09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up: Norma
Bishop
Interview by LuAnn Schindler
Summer
'09 Flash Fiction Contest Runner Up: James
Tipton
Interview by Jill Earl
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Blog Posts of Interest:
Elisa
Lorello, Author of Ordinary World,
Launches Her Blog Tour!
Interview by Jodi Webb
Join us for Elisa Lorello's first blog tour
stop for Ordinary World, the sequel to
the bestseller, Faking It. Learn more
about book genres and how the categories are
perceived differently by critics and readers.
Find out how she'd classify her novel--though
Barnes and Noble doesnt have a section for
it in their stores. There are more stops
to go on this tour, check it out! Check
the dates and join in.
Laura
Cross, Author of The Complete Guide to
Hiring a Literary Agent, Launches her
Blog Tour!
Interview by Jodi Webb
Join us for the launch of Laura Cross's blog
tour for her terrific resource, The
Complete Guide to Hiring a Literary
Agent. Her first stop is an informative
and interesting chat that participants are
loving so far. Laura even includes a link for
you to download a free sample chapter of her
book! 28 comments! There are more stops
to go on this tour, check it out! Check
the dates and join in.
Does
Reading Have a Place in Your Writing
Goals?
By Jill Earl
Previously, Jill hadn't thought about how
reading intentionally could help in making
one a better writer. Intrigued by the notion,
she set about creating my own plan. Find out
about her 2010 reading plans and share
yours!
Author/Writer/Blogger/SUPERMAMA
Rebecca Eckler
By Chynna Laird
A fun and insightful interview with
Canadian-based author, journalist and
freelance writer, Rebecca Eckler. Find out
why she thinks writing is a good career for
single mothers, what she always tells people
who want to write, and why Chynna calls her
the ultimate "Writer Mama."
What
Does Your Business Card Say About You?
By LuAnn Schindler
A business card is one of the quickest
introductions a writer can make. It's also
one of the least expensive forms of
self-promotion. Learn more about one of the
most basic marketing tools available in this
helpful post.
Why
a Blogging Conference?
By Elizabeth Humphrey
Last year, when she started a blog for
herself and was hired to blog for someone
else, Elizabeth decided to go to a blogging
conference. Find out why she's heading back
this year!
Got
Scene Problems? We've Got Quick
Solutions!
By Angela Mackintosh
If you're in the process of editing your NaNo
manuscript, novel, or short story and find
that a scene isn't working, it may have one
of the problems listed in this helpful post.
See if you can pinpoint the problem and apply
the quick-fix solution!
Talk
to Your Readers
By Carrie Hulce
Say no to boring, dry writing and have a
"conversation" with your readers. Carrie
shares a powerful tool that she's putting
into practice!
The
E-Book Revolution: Publishing Wars, Kindle,
and Readers
By Angela Mackintosh
It started with Amazon's kindle e-book
reader--a product that did for e-books what
iPod did for music. And last Christmas,
e-book sales outnumbered print sales for the
first time in history! Find out the skinny on
who's actually using them, what users think
of kindle, what publishers think of the
e-book revolution, and share your
thoughts!
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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: marcia@wow-womenonwriting.com.
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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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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In Closing:
We hope this issue will inspire you to fall
in love with your writing--no matter what
genre! The authors in this issue generously
share their advice with you in hopes that it
will encourage you to write what you love.
And if you do happen to be a romance writer,
now is the time to celebrate! You're a part
of one of the fastest growing and most
lucrative genres out there.
I hope
you enjoy this issue as much as I did putting
it together. I think I consumed more
chocolate this issue than ever! And remember
Sunday is Valentine's Day, so indulge in
something special and share the love. After
all, love is truly the thing that makes life
worth living.
With love and chocolate,
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