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WOW! Women On Writing
Classes & Workshops
Spotlight Newsletter: Writing Non-Fiction Articles
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Greetings!
We hope you are having a fantastic summer! Hopefully, you're getting a lot of writing done. If you're not, you might try taking a class to motivate you. That's right. Summer school is in session! We have some terrific classes and instructors to help you reach your writing goals. When I first started out writing, I only wanted to write fiction--particularly, short stories. I quickly realized that fiction was a slow process (writing, rewriting, polishing, and submitting) with a limited number of markets for my particular genre (oh the rejections...). So, I started writing non-fiction as a way to supplement my income and was pleasantly surprised by how rewarding it could be! Don't get me wrong, I still love fiction and write fiction every chance I get, and I still keep submitting. But I now have a new paintbrush and an exciting new palette to create with. If you're a fiction writer and haven't tried your hand at the magazine/e-zine market yet, Margo Dill's article below will give you three reasons why you should. She's teaching two classes on non-fiction writing this summer: Writing for Children: Everything You Need to Know About Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers starts Wednesday, July 27th, and her brand new class Freelance Writing: Querying and Writing Non-Fiction Articles starts August 19th. We've also added some new classes to the curriculum, including a new fiction writing workshop by Gila Green, so be sure to check out the Upcoming Courses section below. Happy writing! Angela & Marcia  Angela & Marcia Classroom Managers WOW! Classes & Workshops
classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com
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Three Reasons Fiction Writers Should Write Non-Fiction Articles
By Margo L. Dill
If you're like me or thousands of other writers, we dream of our fiction on bookstore shelves or in famous literary magazines. When I started writing, I wasn't going to write anything but fiction, and everybody was going to buy it. But soon I realized what many experienced writers were already telling me--non-fiction sells better. And you know what? It's just as fun and challenging to write. Here are three reasons why you should consider writing non-fiction articles. This doesn't mean you should give up on your fiction dreams. Just make room for both. You'll become a better writer for it.
Query First, Write Second How many of us have crafted a short story for our favorite children's magazine or a prestigious college journal, only to have it rejected? It took hours and hours and hours to perfect, and now we can't find a home for it. That's one advantage of non-fiction articles. Most publications want you to query first BEFORE you write an entire article. Editors want to read what you are planning, the angle you are taking, and how you will research before they decide to buy it.
So, learning to write a good query letter is important, as well as knowing what samples to send in with your letter. Yes, you may have to do some research or contact an expert or two before you write the query letter, but this is not nearly as time consuming as writing an entire article. You will not write the article until an editor shows interest in buying it. Think of all the hours you can save AND how much more enthusiastic you will be if you know the editor is going to publish your work before you send it in.
Editors Buy More of It Think about women's magazines. In magazines geared toward females, I would say 75 to 80 percent of the content is non-fiction (maybe even more!). There are usually one or two stories in the magazine, and often these are by famous novelists. So, your chances of breaking in with fiction writing are much smaller than with non-fiction. Usually, magazines have two or three sections that editors suggest starting with if you are new to the magazine. So, query ideas for those non-fiction sections, and see your name in print. This is true for both adult and children's writers!
One Idea, Many Sales, Less Work I don't want to sound lazy, but let's face it. We're all busy. So, if you have one idea that you can turn into many sales without a lot of extra work, won't you do it? Let's say you're a gardening expert, and you want to write an article for a gardening magazine about creating a night or shadow garden. Then for a family magazine, you repurpose the article and write about starting a shadow garden with your child. The articles will be similar, but different enough that you can sell first rights without doing a lot more research.
---------- If you are interested in learning more tips for writing non-fiction articles, constructing great query letters, and repurposing articles, then consider signing up for one of Margo's two online classes this summer. She is teaching one for children's writers, beginning Wednesday, July 27: Writing for Children: Everything You Need to Know About Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers. For any writer, she is teaching, Freelance Writing: Querying and Writing Non-Fiction Articles, which starts August 19.
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Freelance Writing: Querying  and Writing Non-Fiction Articles New!
Workshop Length: 5 Weeks
Price: $125
Start Date: August 19, 2011
Limit 20 Students
Course Description: Students will learn how to query editors with article ideas and follow through to create the article for any publication. Many topics will be discussed, including tracking queries and submissions, repurposing articles, writing strong query letters and article hooks, interviewing experts, and finding publishable topics. The instructor will also provide a professional critique of one query letter and one article.
Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing and what you'll be learning week by week.  About the instructor: Margo L. Dill is a contributing editor for WOW! Women On Writing and has guest edited several issues, answering query letters and working with writers to perfect their articles. She has had her own articles in publications such as Missouri Life, Grit, Fun for Kidz, Listen!, True Love, The News-Gazette, Chicago Tribune, AOL City's Best, and Teachers of Vision. She has a historical middle-grade novel, Finding My Place, under contract with White Mane Kids due out in 2012.
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Upcoming Classes & Workshops
All the classes operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or group listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--so you do not need to be present at any particular time (unless a phone chat is scheduled and arranged with your instructor). You can work at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or email us at: classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com Enjoy!
July 25 Starts Next Monday! Writing a Middle-Grade Novel | 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 20 Students
July 27 Starts Next Wednesday! Writing for Children: Everything You Need to Know About Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers | 7 Weeks | $200 | Limit: 15 Students
August 1
See You at the Movies: Intro to Screenwriting | 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students
All the World's a Stage: Intro to Playwriting | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students
August 5
World Into Word: The Art of Editing Poetry New! | 5 Weeks | $165 | Limit: 8-10 Students
August 8
Empower Your Muse, Empower Your Writing Self | 4 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 25 Students
August 10
Bring Out the Story-Teller in You | 6 Weeks | $140 | Limit: 10 Students
August 19
Freelance Writing: Querying and Writing Non-Fiction Articles New! | 5 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 20 Students
August 20
Get Paid to Write: Become a Freelance Writer | 8 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 15 Students
August 22
How to Get the RIGHT Agent for Your Manuscript | 4 Weeks | $299 | Limit: 10 Students
August 24
The Unwilling Grammarian | 4 Weeks | $140 | Limit: 10 Students
August 29
Write From Your Soul: Memoir Workshop | 6 Weeks | $249 | Limit: 10 Students
August 30
Blogging 101 | 5 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 20 Students
August 31
Independent Publishing: The Definitive Course On Achieving Self-Publishing Excellence and Profitability New! | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students
September 3
How to Write a Craft Book New! | 5 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 15 Students
September 5
Literary Devices: Fiction Writing Workshop New! | 8 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 8-10 Students
September 6
Mastering Point of View (POV) | 8 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 15 Students
September 12
Creating an Effective Book Business Plan | 4 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 15 Students
September 14
Social Networking for Writers: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and More! | 4 Weeks | $100 | Limit: 20 Students
October 28
Intro to Book Reviewing | 4 Weeks | $100 | Limit: 16 Students
Click here to see all of our upcoming workshops |
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