So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom?

Our friends at Christian Work at Home Moms are celebrating the release of their latest book, and we'd like to help spread the word. I'm an entrepreneur myself, so I love this wonderful resource!

Home-based businesses are estimated to be a $427 billion-a-year industry. In recent studies it was found that as many as 105 million people in North America alone were working at home. Considering this information, it is obvious that home-based businesses can be successful and authors Jill Hart and Diana Ennen will help you succeed with your own. So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom details all the basics of starting a business in a spiritual, motivational, and comprehensive manner. From deciding what type of business to start to keeping your family and faith first, this helpful tool details every aspect of establishing a business. With proven success tips utilized by the authors and others who own work-at-home businesses, this inspiration approach will provide you with the resources you need to start your own home-based business. So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom includes: * Detailed information on types of businesses to start * Ideas and assistance for setting up, operating, and marketing your business * Definitions and descriptions of work-at-home terminology and processes * Help for developing your Website * Explanations of the business nuts and bolts, including bookkeeping, taxes, and more About the Authors JILL HART is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. Jill is a co-author of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom. Jill has published many articles and is a contributing author in Laundry Tales, The Business Mom Guide Book, I'll Be Home for Christmas, and Faith Deployed. She holds a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies. Learn more about working from home at http://www.cwahm.com/work-at-home/ . DIANA ENNEN has been a leader and mentor in the work-at-home industry since starting her business, Virtual Word Publishing, in 1985. She is the author of many books, including Virtual Assistant the Series; Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and Words from Home: Start, Run, and Profit from a Home-Based Word Processing Business. She resides in Margate, Florida, with her husband and their three children. Below is an interview with the authors of So You Want To Be a Work-at-Home Mom – Jill & Diana. If you have questions they are happy to answer your questions anytime. Leave a comment below or email Jill@cwahm.com or Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com How long have you been working at home? Jill Hart - I've been working at home since 2000. I had to go back to work full-time for a brief period in 2003 when my husband got out of the Air Force. At that point I got even more serious about making my business work and I've been home full-time since then. Diana Ennen – I’ve been working at home since 1985, when my son was born. He’s now graduated college and already working towards his own career. I absolutely love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else. What types of businesses do you operate? Jill Hart – I run Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com, a website full of free resources, job listings and information about home businesses. I also write articles and books (yes, more books to come!) and am a blogger for sites like Time/Warner's Christian Momlogic.com and a member of the Guideposts blogger team. Diana Ennen– I’m the President of Virtual Word Publishing. I’m a virtual assistant and specialize in marketing & publicity. I’ve also written numerous books on how to start a VA business and offer PR and VA Coaching. Tell us about your book? How do you think it can benefit those who want to start a business? Jill Hart - The book has been such a "God thing." He orchestrated the entire sequence of events - from putting Diana and I together as co-authors to bringing us to the right publisher. The book is a hands-on practical guide for anyone who wants to build a business from home. We cover topics ranging from how to select the right type of business for you, to how to get started, to how to market and grow your business. Diana Ennen - I think one of the best features of our book is that it’s not only informative, but motivational as well. You’ll feel like friends are helping you on your journey to success. Also, we discuss numerous types of businesses to start and provide proven methods to achieve success. We also often hear how starting a business can be so overwhelming. That’s why we pay special attention to all the how tos. We feel very confident our book will help, not only those starting a business, but those already in business wanting to expand it. What types of businesses are featured in your book? Jill Hart - We have such a great range of contributors - everything from direct sales companies like Southern Living at Home and Avon to unique product-driven businesses like BSM Media and GrillCharms. These woman are amazing and give readers a great insight into how they've grown their businesses in very different ways. Diana Ennen - We cover everything from direct sales companies to specialized areas such as medical transcription and virtual assisting. Also, Jill shares detailed information on starting a community based membership site. We think you’ll get a lot of helpful tips too from such work-at-home powerhouses as Maria Bailey and Lesley Spencer Pyle. Do you have any tips for success for Christian entrepreneurs that you’d like to share? Jill Hart - I think my favorite tip - shared with me by one of our contributors, Tammy Degenhart, almost ten years ago is that working together benefits everyone. She told me, "Jill, what you give to others God brings back tenfold" and I've seen that hold true time and time again. It may not be in financial gains and it may not look like what we expected but God is so faithful in that when we work together there is no competition - it's a win-win situation. Diana Ennen - Do what you believe in and use your own skills and prior experience to find the business that’s just right for you. Research/Research/Research. The more you research, the better your business. Continue to market and be out there. So many once they find a few clients stop marketing. You need to get out there continually. You then become the go to person when someone needs services or products that you offer. What are some of the challenges that you see with those starting or operating a business? Jill Hart – In my experience, I've talked with many women who get frustrated because success doesn't come easily or quickly. Working from home may sound easy, but in reality it can actually be just as hard as working outside the home. There are many unique challenges, especially when working at home while raising children. If women don't prepare themselves, they can become discouraged and disheartened. Diana Ennen– One of the major challenges I see is losing belief in yourself that you can do it. That’s why I think a faith-based book will be so beneficial. Even when times get tough, you can rely on your faith to forge ahead. With the economy, do you believe it’s still a good time to start a business? Why? Jill Hart – I think it's a better time than ever. The internet is so much more widely used than it was even nine years ago when I began my website. If people do their research and find a company that fits them as well as their budget this can be a great time to break into the work-at-home field. Diana Ennen – Absolutely. In fact, I think there’s never been a better time. You might have to work a little harder, but it absolutely can be done. Plus, there are so many businesses who need us more than ever because of the economy. For example, with virtual assistants because businesses are downsizing they are seeking the help of a VA to help on an as needed basis. Your book is written from a Christian perspective? Tell us a little about that and how you feel that makes it so unique? Jill Hart – My faith is central to who I am and therefore central to my business. I began Christian Work at Home Moms because I wanted women to have a safe place where they could discuss not only business things, but also talk about an area that doesn't get talked about a lot in business circles - how our faith affects our businesses. The book is written in a way that doesn't hit anyone over the head with our faith, but it's true to who we are and talks about things from the vantage point that we see life - through the lens of our faith. Diana Ennen – There are so many books out there today on starting a business. However, few have the Christian mom in mind. We provide a lot of scriptures and examples of how you can use your faith to help you. Our hope is that not only will your business thrive, but it might just give a little boost to your faith as well. Learn more about the book at Beacon Hill Press or SoYouWantToBeAWAHM.com.

Pugs Pointers #7: Less PUGS Errors, More Recommendations

PUGS* Pointers
(*Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling)
by Kathy Ide

In this column, freelance author, editor, and speaker Kathy Ide shares tips on Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling (“PUGS”). She also explains why it’s important for writers to polish their PUGS.

Each article in this column will address one item in each area. For more PUGS Pointers, see Kathy Ide’s Web site: www.KathyIde.com. Or get her book Polishing the PUGS, available at www.kathyide.com/published.php.

PUGS Pointers are based on the current industry-standard references in the United States.

For books:
The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition, © 2003)
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition, © 2003)

For articles:
The Associated Press Stylebook (© 2004)
Webster’s New World College Dictionary (© 2002)

Many publishing houses have their own in-house style guides that may differ in some aspects from the standard references. However, unless you’re writing exclusively for one particular publisher, it’s best to follow the standard references and let the in-house proofreaders adjust to house style.


WHY POLISH YOUR PUGS?

PUGS errors can affect the sales of your book.

Readers who find a lot of mistakes in your book will not be as likely to recommend that book to their friends. And who knows? You may have a high school English teacher reading your book, and she just might recommend it to her students . . . unless there are a lot of PUGS errors in it.


PUNCTUATION TIP:

Quotation Marks with Other Punctuation
1. Closing quotation marks always come after a comma or period.
ACFW held workshops on “Characterization,” “Point of View,” and “Floating Body Parts.”

2. Placement with question marks and exclamation points depends on whether the punctuation is part of the sentence as a whole or part of the quotation in particular. Examples:
Candy asked, “Do you know the way?”
How can we motivate teenagers who continually say, “I don’t care”?
Tiffany shouted, “Fire!”
I can’t believe he said, “Your story is boring”!

(See The Chicago Manual of Style 15th edition, #6.8–6.9 and
The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style 14th edition pp. 344–345)


USAGE TIP:

foreword/forward
foreword (noun) is a page or two of comments at the beginning of a book.

forward (adverb, adjective) means “in front,” “toward the front.”
forward (noun) is a player on a sports team who tries to score points in a game.


GRAMMAR TIP:

couple vs. couple of
Use couple alone when used as a noun.
“Robert and Mary made a cute couple.”

When used as a modifier, you need the of.
It’s never “a couple tomatoes.” Always “a couple of tomatoes.”



SPELLING TIP:

acknowledgment (not acknowledgement)




AUTHOR BIO:

Kathy Ide has been writing for publication since 1988. She has written books, articles, play and movie scripts, short stories, devotionals, and curriculum. She is a full-time freelance editor, offering a full range of editorial services for aspiring writers, established authors, commercial book publishers, subsidy publishers, and magazines. Her services include proofreading, copyediting, substantive/content editing, coauthoring, ghostwriting, and mentoring/coaching. She also speaks at writers conferences across the country. She is the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network and the Christian Editor Network. To find out more, please visit her Web site.

Agents, Editors, Conferences, And MORE!

Back in June, I attended the Southern Christian Writers Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Angela Hunt and Gilbert Morris were keynote speakers, and there were a wide variety of workshops taught for all skill levels. The Sloans are to be commended for their efforts each year.

At the conference, I made new friends - one of them is Roland Mann, who also belongs to ACFW. We're both in the same regional zone for the national group so I asked Roland if he would write up his experiences for us for the Zone newsletter I edit each quarter, but we had to cut his article last time due to space constraints. I twisted his arm, virtually?, and he agree to let me post that article, and some more information, here for all you Pixels. Please help give Roland a BIG welcome to Pix-N-Pens!

I appreciate you, my friend!

One Mann’s day

at the

2008 Southern Christian Writer’s Conference

By Roland Mann

But I really want one! An agent that is.

The only regret I have about the 2008 Southern Christian Writer’s Conference this past June is that I was only able to attend on Saturday. But what a day it was.

My morning kicked off with literary agent Bucky Rosenbaum’s session “Finding and working with an agent.” Rosenbaum’s session was probably the most educational of the day for me. He began by defining the three kinds of agents, noting that the great majority are former editors.

They, then, fall into “The Writing Coach” category. Lawyers fall into “The Negotiator” category, and the final category is “The Business Partner” into which Rosenbaum puts himself.

Rosenbaum then went through a list of about a dozen items, telling the audience exactly what it is an agent does. Agents must know the ins and outs of the industry; they must know who’s been hired where and what changes that means for various publishers. They do this so that writers don’t have to and so we may focus on writing. Agents also help writers with Proposal Development and Selling the Idea to the right publisher. If lucky, the agent will aid the author in comparing the offers from the different publishers wanting the work. Then, when that decision is made, they negotiate the terms. Lastly, Rosenbaum was quick to point out that an agent isn’t just the author’s Advocate and Ambassador, but his friend and collaborator.

Agents are generally paid one of two ways: the traditional way which is a straight 15%. Publishers pay the agent, the agent takes his fee, the agent pays the author. The other way is called “split-at-source.” Rosenbaum explained that the publisher will cut two different checks; one for the author, one for the agent.

He then told members in attendance about some of the common mistakes made by writers. What an interesting list it was! They include unsolicited calls and emails; expecting returned calls on unsolicited phone calls (ie., don’t call the agent to ask if they’ve read your proposal yet); annoying packaging (don’t put confetti with your manuscript); no SASEs; form query letters (at least be professional enough to include the agent’s name on your query); spam (take them off your joke list!); registered or certified mail (don’t make them stand in line at the post office to pick up your package!); overnight mail; and a few other interesting tidbits.

It wouldn’t be a far guess to suppose that most of the writers in the audience desire an agent—this writer included. Rosenbaum’s said writers should ask themselves if they really need an agent. His goal was certainly not to dissuade writers from trying to get agents, rather it was to aid writers in finding the right one and understanding beforehand some of what that agent would be doing…something in which everyone in the room—provided they were paying attention—walked away with a better understanding.

Morris spills secrets to creating fictional characters at the 2008 Southern Christian Writer’s Conference

It’s hard to be “in” the Christian Writing industry for long without running across the name Gilbert Morris. Even for longtime writers new to this industry like me, Morris’s name is one of the first that pops up…and frequently. Morris, however, willing shared some of his secrets to attendees at the 2008 Southern Christian Writer’s Conference in Tuscaloosa in June.
Morris told members he believes creating good characters is key to creating good fiction. He suggests “get the characters right, and readers will forgive all else.” He listed six principles to creating good fictional characters.

The first principle is to take advantage of writing aids, but don’t risk your career on them. Writers often get bogged down with too many how-to books and articles, even writers groups. Writers trapped here spend too much time trying to “figure it all out,” when they should do—as Nike suggests: just do it. One of the things I’ve always like to suggest is that writers write, not writers talk about writing.

Like the first principle, Morris’s second can often bog writers down. There are two pitfalls to research: not enough and too much. Too much, obviously, can have a writer doing research for years and years. Writers should reach a point and stop the research and start writing. On the other hand, writers that do too little research will have that failing reflected in their writing.
The third principle is don’t trust your plot to carry your character. Morris creates all his characters before beginning his novels. He creates their backgrounds, their family and even their physical attributes. A good character can carry a bad story, but a bad character won’t make it in a good story. Morris is pretty adamant about this.

Raise the dead is what Morris gives as the fourth principle. He’s pretty blunt when he says material is either alive…or it’s dead. If it’s dead—raise it!

The fifth principle is to soak up the methods of the masters of characterization. Morris tells us that we love some books because of the characterization. Pick out those books and put those characters under a microscope and study them. Figure out why we love or hate certain characters the way we do. What techniques do the masters use that we could use in our own works. Simply, study the best.

Lastly, Morris tells us to work on the “wounded hero” motif. It’s hard to be interested in perfect characters. Readers like characters with flaws, some obstacle to overcome. A few wounds for writers to consider are: physical wounds, spiritual wounds, emotional wounds and social wounds. Certainly the list isn’t all inclusive, but it’s a start.

I’d be willing to bet that just about every writer in the room that day ran home and created a detailed character the way Morris suggested we do so. When one of the most prolific writers suggests we do something, it’s worth giving it a try.

Writers Retreat to the Barn
By Roland Mann

Piggott, Arkansas, population a couple hundred shy of four-thousand, isn’t the first place you’d think of when thinking of writers or writing retreats. However, this past June, ten writers “retreated” to the Hemingway Pfeiffer Museum and Education Center in the northeast corner of Arkansas for a week of…well, writing.

The museum is the site of Pauline Pfeiffer, the once wife of famous author Ernest Hemingway. Included as part of the museum site is the barn and loft where Hemingway wrote portions of A Farwell To Arms. Writers who attend the retreat are allowed to escape to the barn and write there. I was fortunate enough to serve as one of the mentors/coaches for the group. I viewed it as my job to help those writers make the best of their time there, and to try to help illuminate something about their work they might not have seen before.

So what exactly is this retreat? It is just that, a retreat. It is not a workshop. This particular retreat lasted Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Lunch was provided by the Museum staff, who catered to every need of the writers. Yes, the writers were pampered, but it was so they could focus on writing and not where they would eat lunch!

Each morning began with a writing prompt, something to get the writing muscles moving. Then, depending on the activity, after thirty minutes to an hour, the writers broke off to do whatever it is they wanted to do—assumedly, write. The mentors were there for one-on-one meetings with the writers, but only if it was something they wanted. As it happens, I spent one-on-one time with about three of the writers for at least an hour; about thirty minutes with three others.
What sorts of things did I do? I talked about description and dialogue; I talked about characterization and story flow. I became a critiquer for them, helping them to see things they may have missed. As writers, we get so intimate with what we’ve written that we often miss things or just know something is there because we’ve thought it in our heads…yet we’ve forgotten to put it on paper.

After a short lunch on the grounds, writers continued to write until around 2 p.m. when the group met for a time of sharing. Each writer took a turn and read something they’d written that day while the others offered up comments and suggestions immediately following. The creative energy in that room likely could have powered the entire town for a while. It was very inspiring.
While not my first time in a teaching capacity, it was the first time I’d been a mentor at a “retreat.” The experience was incredibly creative and motivating. Each writer fed off the creative energy of the other, causing all to take their work up a notch—not in a competitive way, but in an inspirational way. Not only was it exciting for me as the mentor, but the writer in me was incredibly inspired to write!

So, you guessed what’s coming next. Yes, I heartily recommend writers who can, find a writer’s retreat and attend it. Again, I’m not talking about a workshop, but a real retreat that lets you get away worry-free for a while and concentrate on writing. Those interested in the Hemingway retreat can take a peek here or email Deanna Dismukes. Tell her Roland sent ya!

Roland Mann is a former writer and editor of comic books, having written almost 100 comics and edited three times that many. He holds a BS in Creative Writing and a MA in English and has taught English at the college level. Recently saved, Roland is working on novel #3 and trying to sell #’s 1 and 2. He lives with his family in Oxford, Mississippi, and invites you to come visit him on his blog, where he posts regularly.

Surprising Lessons About Freelancing

If You Want Four-Part Harmony You Have to Go Where They’re Singing
(and other surprising lessons about freelance writing)

By Glenn A. Hascall

We each have personally held assumptions about everything – even things we know very little about. That could be books, movies, politics or parenting. Let me just say that assumptions always tend to end badly – or at the very least encourage us to move forward after the humiliation brought on by wrong assumptions. Thus it has ever been so.

When I first started writing I had absolutely no clue that I could be paid for what I did. I gave away my writing for four years without receiving anything other than a byline. My assumption was that if my work was good enough someone was going to call me and sing my praises in four-part harmony possibly accompanied by a kazoo. In that fairytale phone call I would be told my work had value and that I should expect a life changing check by Friday.

I never verbalized it that way, but I absolutely assumed that one-day someone would notice my work and that would be the turning point in my writing career. My wife apparently was not as convinced.

Indeed, the phone never rang and I was never ‘discovered’ the way I thought I would. No four-part harmony, no kazoo, just the regular requests for free writing.

My own personal tipping point came when my wife looked at me and gently said, “Are you always going to write for free? Do you think anyone outside this area would even think about buying your work?”

She had seen me stay up late at night writing and sending articles to people who were very happy to receive content, but had either no ability or intention of paying for it. My wife’s not a writer, but she saw that exercise as a bit insane.

In that moment I wasn’t angry. I was however startled to find myself considering whether I truly felt my work had worth. I took my wife’s questions as the encouragement I needed and began to actively look for paying work. I tried some freelance websites and came away with slave wages. I wrote a story about a cooking disaster in my home and sent it to a recipe website and they actually paid me $40. I became a member of a content delivery team and made enough money to pay for Christmas one year. I sent manuscripts to a few publishers and came away with three book deals. The successes continued and the learning curve straightened out.

In some ways I don’t regret writing for free for so long. I’ve been told a writer needs to pen at least a million words before they write something really good. Maybe that time was the proverbial paying of dues for me.

If you assume freelance writing is easy – you’re wrong.

If you assume someone will discover you – they probably won’t.

If you think a publisher will love your work – you might be right, but don’t hope for too much.

If you think that you can quit your day job – don’t expect that day to come soon.

If you think that you know everything there is to know – you don’t.

I’ll be honest. I don’t know everything there is to know, but I get emails almost daily from other writers looking for direction on how and where to take that next step. I have made it my goal to learn something new everyday and I’ve taken lots of steps. I have learned it is not in my best interest to assume I know how everything will work. Writing is a trip up a mountain with lots of divergent trails. Stop treating freelancing writing like it’s a recipe. There’s no pinch of this and dash of that to make the process successful. It’s as individualized as DNA.

Think of it a bit like parenting. Your children are born completely unique. They will not act the same as other children. They will not like the same food other children like and they think that bodily noises are a form of high comedy. Read all the parenting books you want, but I bet they won’t be able to perfectly describe your child.

This is the best picture I can create when it comes to freelance writing. It is a unique experience for every writer and no one arrives at a point of success in the exact same way.

I have found a few ways to take some of the overall guesswork out of the process and that has been something I try to share with others along the way.

Here are just a few takeaway points…

1. Research is your friend. Don’t always think you need a website with all the answers. Travel down publishing trails that interest you. It’s possible you will find a gem.

2. Sometimes you are your own worst enemy. We often look for stumbling blocks that others place in the way of our success. Sometimes we put those barriers up ourselves.

3. Freelancing is never easy. No matter how gifted you are as a writer there will always be a client who is never satisfied or there will be times when it takes you much longer to complete a project than you anticipated.

Last, but not least let me say that the only person that really has the power to say you can’t do this thing called freelance is you. So, what is your answer?


Glenn Hascall has been a professional writer since 1995 and has been published every month for the past 13 years. He is a former mayor and the writer of more than 300 stage presentations. He has participated in the writing of more than 50 books and is the author of a new ebook entitled The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Freelance Writing Career. In fact this article was adapted from this new resource. He publishes a weekly advice column for writers and has produced his own clean comedy CD.

Hascall is also a veteran broadcaster who recently gained top honors as his state’s Personality of the Year. He has won numerous other prestigious awards for his voice work and can be heard on television and radio stations around the globe. He is the father of two and the husband of one and as it turns out these are his most cherished achievements.

You can order The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Freelance Writing Career here.

Networking is Key

The Importance of Networking



In January 2006, I left South Africa and moved to New Zealand along with my husband and five children. We only knew three people in our new country and they were more acquaintances than friends. We had to start from scratch and build a new network of friends and support systems. We had to find a new doctor, dentist, hairdresser and bank. We had to learn where to shop and the children had to start at new schools and universities. We had to prove ourselves and build a reputation amongst the people we were mixing with.

Within a few months we had achieved all of the above and the locals were amazed at how quickly we had established ourselves. I put our success down to two things:

· Perseverance, hard work and a positive attitude
· Being part of the church – a group of people who shared our values and beliefs

You may be wondering what this has to do with a writing column.

Freelance writers tend to become isolated as they work alone, often from home. I have found it essential to surround myself with people who share my passion for writing and are just a phone call or email away. It may be for companionship or I may need some advice or want to bounce an idea off them. Whatever the reason, my support system is very important to me.

Building a Network
I have a network of writing contacts that spreads across New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England and the USA. Included are publishers, published authors, editors, journalists and raw beginners. I made contact with these people through a variety of means:
· Emailing an author because I enjoyed her book
· Entering competitions and staying in touch with the judges/organizers
· Joining message boards and forums where writers gather
· Attending writer’s conferences and workshops
· Joining local writing groups

Relationship First
It’s important to regard each contact as a friend first. Drop them an occasional email asking them how they are doing. Find out when their birthday is and send them a card. Give them a call when you know they’ve been struggling and are feeling a bit down.

Help Each Other
It’s always good to let another set of eyes check your work. We can get so close to it that we miss the simplest errors. I wrote a short story about eight years ago that placed first in a fiction contest. The judge attached a critique and told me that although she loved the story, I needed to check my work more carefully in the future. My mistake was simple; a fence in the beginning of the story had morphed into a wall by the end!

Influence
Never underestimate the influence that you have over other people. The simplest things you do can affect others. I often write for our local newspaper – on random subjects such as Zimbabwe, the facilities in our city, my dog, living with a foreign accent etc. None of it is Christian and I used to wonder if I was wasting my time. Wouldn’t God prefer me to concentrate on Christian writing? Then I got an invitation to speak at a club for retired women. The president had seen my work in the paper and thought I would make an interesting speaker. I started by thanking her for the invitation and said she had taken a chance as I was just a name in the paper. I then shared snippets of my life story including my faith in God and how He had been with me as I lived through the bush war in Rhodesia and the violence in South Africa.

She came to me afterwards and told me she hadn’t taken a chance on me. That she had discerned my character through the way I wrote. That speaking engagement led on to others where I could share my testimony and I have never forgotten what she said. God can use our words in more ways than we give Him credit for.

Make it your mission this week to drop a line to your friends in the writing world. Tell them you appreciate them and that you’re there for them if they ever need advice or an extra set of eyes. Then take some of the words that God has given you and send them out to bear some fruit. (And let us know if you have a testimony you’d like to share about networking with other writers.)



Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Current projects include a contract for writing devotionals, contributions to the local paper, editing and production of a community newsletter and compilation of her church’s year book. Read some of her work at Suite 101 and Faithwriters.

You Can Beat Writer's Block

Overcoming Writer's Block

By Debbie Roome

Writer’s Block is a condition that every writer experiences from time to time. Its symptoms are a blank mind, a blank page, and if there are deadlines looming, a look of great distress. It literally feels like a dam wall has been erected that prevents the words from flowing. It affects fiction writers, copy writers, journalists, novelists; in fact, anyone who writes. Fortunately, there are various exercises which can boost creativity and release the blockage.

Brainstorming
Take a blank sheet of paper and write the topic in hand in the middle of the page. If you don’t have a topic, then choose a word with lots of possibilities such as juicy, bubbling or bridge. Then write down every word association that comes to mind. Use squiggles and boxes and group similar ideas with connecting lines or thought bubbles. This approach often triggers fresh inspiration.

Create a Story
Choose three unrelated words or get someone to do this for you. Examples could be fire, cheese and paint, or jug, palm tree and train. Then set a timer for five minutes and write a paragraph incorporating all three words. Don’t think; just write whatever comes to mind. This is often enough to release the bottleneck of words and you may be amazed at what comes out.

Start in the Middle
The introduction and conclusion are often the most difficult parts of any story. Don’t feel compelled to start at the beginning. Write the body of the article or story and then go back to the beginning and end. They will often just fall into place.

Read some Fiction
After extended periods of writing, it can be helpful to draw some inspiration by reading something pleasurable. Choose a new book or an old favourite and read a couple of chapters just for enjoyment. The process of reading often triggers new ideas and fresh thoughts.

People Watching
People-watching can be a great source of inspiration. Try sitting in a mall or train station and observe the people that walk past. If someone catches your eye, analyze why. Was it the way he walked or something about the stoop of an old woman’s shoulders? Maybe it was an unusual hairstyle or a garish outfit from the 60s. Back home, write down some thoughts about this character. Where would they live, what could their career be, are they married and if so, to whom? This may lead to further ideas and character development and those people may eventually appear in a novel or other work of fiction.

The worst way to approach writer’s block is by staring at a blank page for hours. If all else fails, it may be best to accept that today is not a good writing day and spend it doing something else. If that is not an option, try the above exercises and hopefully the words will soon be flowing again.


Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Current projects include a contract for writing devotionals, contributions to the local paper, editing and production of a community newsletter and compilation of her church’s year book. Read some of her work at Suite 101 and Faithwriters.

The Art of Interviewing

The Art of Interviewing

By Debbie Roome

Freelance writers will almost certainly have to interview people at some stage of their career. An interview is basically a face to face, or over the phone, question and answer time. It may be needed to provide information for an article, background for a novel or technical input for a manual.

Preparation
Many people find interviewing a stranger a daunting prospect, but if properly prepared, it is not difficult to do. It helps to remember that most people are excited about being interviewed and talking about their areas of expertise. By following the simple steps below, you can prepare for an interview and approach it with confidence.

Setting up the Interview
This can be done by phone, letter, fax or email depending on the person to be interviewed and the reason. If you are writing a piece on spec, it is best to be upfront about this. The request can be put very simply. “Good morning Mr Jackson. My name is Debbie Roome and I’m putting together an article on possum control for one of our community papers. I’d like to interview you about your experiences as a possum trapper...”

Research the Topic
If you are interviewing a nuclear physicist, make sure you have invested time in understanding the concepts of what is involved in his career. You must have a basic grasp of the subject you will be discussing. This applies to any situation.

Where to Interview
It is best to give the person a couple of options. The most common would be his home, his office or a neutral venue such as a coffee shop. Make sure you arrive a couple of minutes early.

What to Wear
Dress in keeping with the person being interviewed and the location. A tailored suit will not work on a sports field and a T-shirt won’t cut it in the office of a high-powered businessman.

Start with Small Talk
Depending on the situation, a couple of minutes of chat about the weather or surroundings can relax both parties.

Make a List of Questions
Prepare a list of about ten questions. Make sure they prompt a full reply, not just a yes or no answer. You should find that these lead into other areas of discussion.

To Tape or not to Tape
Always ask before taping an interview. A tape is an excellent back up when details are missed or a lot of information is shared.

You are in Charge
Remember that you will be leading the conversation by asking questions and steering the interviewee in the right direction. Be prepared to redirect talk that is going off at a tangent.

End the Interview
When you have enough information, signal the end of the interview by shutting off the tape recorder and thanking them for their time and the interesting interview.

Photographs
If needed, it is best to take photographs at the end of the interview. The interviewee should be more relaxed at this time and this will show in the pictures. Try to avoid bland head and shoulder shots but look for action snaps – throwing a football or working at a desk for example. Take several shots to ensure a good, clear one.

Books have been written about the art of interviewing but by following the above rules, even a beginner can conduct a successful interview. Interviews can be very rewarding and are definitely the most social part of a writer’s life. Go out and have fun.



Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Current projects include a contract for writing devotionals, contributions to the local paper, editing and production of a community newsletter and compilation of her church’s year book. Read some of her work at Suite 101 and Faithwriters.

The Four W’s of Writing

The Four W's of Writing

by Debbie Roome

If you examine any story in a newspaper, you will notice it is constructed around the four W’s of journalism:

· Who
· What
· Where
· When


In some cases, a how and why may be added for more depth. Depending on the type of publication, the four W’s may be condensed into one line or expanded over the first paragraph. Newspapers normally go for one-liners as shown in this example:

Police sources revealed today that a notorious drug dealer escaped from a high security prison over the weekend.

A gossip magazine may add in details to capture the reader’s interest:

A statement this morning from an unidentified leak in police force has confirmed bad news for the citizens of Christchurch. A notorious drug dealer has escaped his prison cell and is back on the streets of our city. The bust took place over the weekend and has left officials at the high security prison, shame-faced.

Practice

To be successful in the journalistic world, it is essential to master the skill of capturing the four W’s in one well constructed sentence. A good way to practice is to take four un-associated words and write them into one line. Here are some ideas to get you going - experiment with different combinations and see what you come up with.

Who: Dancer, school teacher, parrot, pharmaceutical company, family dog.
What: Broke a leg, collapsed, set a new record, was arrested, designed a chair.
Where: At the theatre, in a river, in mid-air, crossing the bridge, underneath her car.
When: This morning, last summer, overnight, on Tuesday, a week ago.

Pyramid

A well written story is constructed in the shape of a pyramid. The introduction or first line is the top and most important part. It captures the reader’s interest and leads them into the body of the article. The middle of the story is an expansion on the first line with the details revealed in an approximate order of importance. The ending contains information that is not vital to the story. If an editor shortens an article, it is normally the last few lines that get chopped.

Here is an example of how the above story may have continued.

Police sources revealed today that a notorious drug dealer escaped from a high security prison over the weekend. The name of the man is not known, but officials at Highgate Prison have confirmed he was serving a ten year sentence for manufacturing and dealing in drugs. The break out took place in the early hours of Sunday morning but no details are available as yet. It is suspected that he is still within the greater Christchurch area and is described as a Caucasian of medium build with a shaved head and a distinctive dolphin tattoo on his neck. Police have warned that he is dangerous and not to be approached under any circumstances. If sighted, please call the emergency line on 111. This is the second break out the prison has experienced this year with the first one taking place a scant three weeks ago. Prison officials have declined to comment on internal security measures.

If necessary, the last two lines could be removed without affecting the story in any way.

Using this formula makes it easier to write factual reports suitable for newspapers and magazines. Try examining articles that you see in the paper this week and see how closely they follow the rules. Cut off the content of the last few lines and see if the story still makes sense. Then sit down and write an article of your own.

Assignment for this week


Write a one line introduction to an interesting piece of news and submit it to us. All submissions will receive feedback.








Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Current projects include a contract for writing devotionals, contributions to the local paper, editing and production of a community newsletter and compilation of her church’s year book. Read some of her work at Suite 101 and Faithwriters.

Equipping Freelance Writers

Equipping Freelance Writers

by Debbie Roome

Apart from the obvious pen and paper, there are basic items and equipment that can make the life of a freelance writer (FLW) much easier. Some of these are indispensable while others are nice-to-have extras. Start off with the essentials and add to your collection as you progress.

Office Space
In general, FLW work from home. It is important to have an official office area where you can work in peace and your papers won’t be moved around and interfered with. The ideal situation is a spare room or study with a desk, shelves and filing cabinet but many writers make do with a desk in the corner of a bedroom or a table in the kitchen.

Stationery
Make sure you have all the basic requirements for an office. Include things such as a stapler, punch, scissors, pens, pencils, glue, sticky tape, erasers and of course, paper. Keep these in a cupboard or easily accessible place.

Communication
A FLW needs to be in touch with the world and this connection is often through the telephone. Look for features that will work with the type of writing you do. If you conduct interviews over the phone, a speakerphone will make life much easier. If you do a lot of faxing, buy a fax-phone combo. If you move around the house while talking, invest in a cordless phone. One with a built-in answering system is vital if you receive a lot of incoming calls. When out and about, make sure your mobile phone is always switched on and charged up.

Recorders
These are very useful if you do a lot of interviewing. You can buy the handheld ones quite cheaply – either digital or with a small cassette tape inside. Make sure you ask permission to use them as not everyone likes being taped.

Computer
These days, a computer is probably the most essential tool that a writer has access to. The ideal situation is to have a desk top and a lap top and keep all information backed up on both machines. Make sure you keep your documents in logical, easy to find folders.

Internet Connection
A FLW can’t go wrong with a fast broadband connection. A huge amount of work is sourced and conducted over the internet and slow speeds can become a real hindrance. Look for a connection that gives a good speed as well as offering a reasonable cap.

Printers
Work processed on your computer may eventually need to be printed. With a small home office, a good idea is to invest in a printer/scanner/copier combo. This saves space and money and all the features come in very handy.

Camera
Photography and writing often end up as partners. A good quality photo can add the final touches to a well written article or story and will add to its value. A digital camera with at least 3.2 megapixels and an optical zoom will suffice for basic journalistic and internet work.

Prospective writers often have a lot of this equipment at home and it’s just a case of getting organized and setting it up into a home office. It really does make a difference to have a dedicated work space so make it your goal this week to arrange your space or if you have one already, improve it.

Next week, we’ll look at the 4 W’s of writing.

Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Current projects include a contract for writing devotionals, contributions to the local paper, editing and production of a community newsletter and compilation of her church’s year book. Read some of her work at Suite 101 and Faithwriters.

Defining Freelance Writing

This week, we wish to introduce a new regular columnist at Pix-N-Pens. Our regular Pixels will recognize the name because Debbie Roome has been a regular here at PnP since its debut.

Each Wednesday, Debbie will post a column about freelance writing - touching on topics for all skill levels - from beginner to professional. Please give Debbie a warm welcome with her first weekly column. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and one of us will provide an answer for you.

Defining Freelance Writing

by Debbie Roome

I began writing at the age of six. At seven I wrote my first “novel” - a fairy story in a spiral-bound note book. At eight I landed my first paying assignment - The Star newspaper in Johannesburg paid me $10 for a story they printed on their children’s page. From those early beginnings, I have diversified into many areas of freelance writing and find it a very fulfilling way to make a living.

What Does a Freelance Writer Do
There are many areas in which a freelance writer (FLW) can find work. Many of these are not immediately obvious, but can be quite lucrative. Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

· News reporting for publications/radio or television
· General feature writing
· Specialized writing in specific areas of expertise
· Column writing
· Reviews
· Sports writing
· Compilation of manuals
· Ghost writing
· Newsletters for clubs/churches etc
· Advertising copy/brochures/fliers
· Speech writing
· Short stories for magazines
· Editing and proof reading
· Web site content
· Annual reports

Can I Become a FLW
Writers often have a natural aptitude for language, spelling, punctuation and grammar. English may have been their strongest subject at school and they love to write. This love is evident in the way they live. Do you keep a journal, write stories for your children or enjoy writing letters to friends? If so, you probably have the potential to become a FLW.

Do I Need Training to Become a FLW
Yes and no. There are many gifted writers who have no formal training in their art. They have built their careers from the bottom and have acquired the necessary skills on the way up. Having said that, training is available in myriad forms. If you have the chance or means to get some instruction, grab it with both hands. Look for opportunities such as these:

· One day writing seminars
· Local writing groups
· Correspondence courses
· Night school
· Degrees in communication and media studies
· Journalism courses
· Books about writing
· Competitions that offer critiques

What Characteristics Do I Need to Succeed as a FLW
There are several qualities that mark a successful FLW. First of all, you will need patience and perseverance. It takes time and effort to build up to a place where your writing can support you. You will also need a thick skin. Actually, a very thick skin. Even the best writers get dozens of rejections and you have to learn not to take them personally. If the editor rejecting your work gives you a reason, learn from it. It may be that your grammar was weak or it could be that the publication printed a similar piece of work quite recently. A successful FLW also has an enquiring mind and looks for opportunities. These can be as simple as writing a letter to a newspaper or approaching a club to see if they need someone to compile their monthly newsletters.

Writers have the potential to reach millions through their words. Words can shape lives, change thought patterns and bring healing. It is a great privilege to write and although there are days when the words just won’t come, I know that it’s only temporary. I have also learnt that God can take secular writing and open amazing opportunities for ministry...more about that in weeks to come.

Please leave a comment if you have any questions or if anything really struck a chord. I’d love to hear from you.

Next week, I’ll be looking at how to set up a home office and the basic equipment needed to work as a FLW.

Debbie Roome works as a freelance writer from her home in New Zealand. Current projects include a contract for writing devotionals, contributions to the local paper, editing and production of a community newsletter and compilation of her church’s year book. Read some of her work at Suite 101 and Faithwriters.

First Impressions

First Impressions

© 2008 by Virginia Smith

Last year I critiqued a novel for someone I’d never worked with before. When he sent me his manuscript, he warned me in the cover letter, “It starts out a little slow, but the story really gets going in chapter 5.” I told him, “Throw away the first four chapters. Your story begins with chapter 5.”

As writers, we have only a few seconds to grab a reader’s attention and pull them into our stories. In his book, The Art of Fiction, John Gardner says of readers:

We read five words on the first page of a really good novel and we begin to forget that we are reading printed words on a page; we begin to see images…

Five words! That’s how quickly our readers begin forming impressions of our stories. Our job as fiction writers is to make the first words of our novel the best we can write. Some authors go so far as to say the first line of a book should be the best in the entire book, and they spend hours crafting the perfect opening.

You’ve probably heard the ‘bookstore shopper’ talk. Put yourself in the shoes of a reader. (And if you’re a writer, I certainly hope you’re an avid reader, too!) You go into the bookstore, scan the shelf, and pick up a book that catches your eye for one reason or another. You read the back cover to see if the story sounds interesting, and then you open it up to the first page.

Your impression of the story begins with the first sentence. If the story grabs you immediately, there’s a good possibility you’re going to buy the book. If it’s a little slow starting, you might read a paragraph or two before you make your decision. You do not, however, read half the book to see where the story really gets going. If it doesn’t engage your interest right away, you’re going to put the book back on the shelf and pick up another one.

How does a writer make a good first impression? First, let’s talk about what not to do:

Don’t start with backstory.

A common mistake of beginning writers is spending the first few pages, or even chapters, trying to give all the background. They indulge in an information dump to describe how the main character got to the point where the story starts. This doesn’t create a good first impression. Consider a story that begins with an airplane trip. Do you really want to read about the plane being fueled, the passengers filing on to find their seats, the flight attendant giving the ‘how to fasten your seatbelt’ talk, the plane rolling down the runway, gaining speed, lifting off, and finally, soaring into the clouds? Of course not. Skip the boring details! Instead, begin with the plane at 32000 feet when the main character glances out the window and notices flames shooting out of the right engine, the oxygen masks drop from above, and the lady in row three screams, “We’re all going to die!”

Don’t start with a biography.

The reader does not need to know everything about your character’s past right up front. Nor do they need a physical description immediately. Instead, consider starting with a statement that relays the character’s personality or current intriguing situation. Then you can relay those other details naturally, a few at a time, as the story unfolds.

Don’t start with a weather report.

Do you remember when Snoopy sat down at his typewriter to write the great American novel? How did he begin? It was a dark and stormy night… Starting with the weather has been done over and over, until it’s now considered cliché, and boring. Above all, you want to avoid boring your reader.

So, now that you know what not to do, how should you start your story? From our airplane illustration, we’ve seen how effective plunging the reader immediately into the story’s action can be. But what about that critical first sentence?

Introduce the character’s personality.

You don’t want to slow the story down with dull biographical details, but you may want your reader to feel drawn to your main character right up front. Angela Hunt’s Christy nominated novel, Doesn’t She Look Natural, begins with this sentence:

A grieving woman, I’ve decided, is like a crème brulee: she begins in a liquid state, endures a period of searing heat, and eventually develops a scablike crust.

That opening line grabs our interest. It makes us curious about the kind of woman who would make a statement like that. We wonder what loss she is grieving, and what the period of searing heat was for her. And it also gives us an idea of this character’s tongue-in-cheek humor, which establishes the tone of the book. A good beginning!

Set the tone.

In Crimson Eve, Brandilyn Collins starts with this piece of dialogue:

“Really, is a heinous murder any reason to devalue such a glorious piece of real estate?”

This is a totally different feeling than Hunt’s book – we immediately know we’re in for a different type of story with this one. The phrase heinous murder tells us that. We’re curious to know about the piece of real estate that was the setting of such a gruesome crime. We want to know more about the character who made this chilling statement – who could dismiss this crime so casually? It’s a good beginning!

Pique the reader’s curiosity.

One of my all-time favorite beginnings comes from C.S. Lewis’s Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

There was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.

In that opening we’re introduced to one of the main characters, and we see right up front that we’re not going like him very much. There’s a touch of dry humor apparent in the statement that I find appealing. I’m eager to meet this boy, to find out what he could possibly have done to deserve such a horrible name. Another good beginning!

If I pick up any of those books in a bookstore, I’m hooked. I might buy the book based on that first sentence alone. If not, I’m at least going to keep reading to see if the rest of the writing appeals to me. But that first sentence has served its purpose – it has snagged my interest.

Spend some time on your opening. Consider the tone, the character, the feeling you want to relay to your reader right off the bat. First impressions do count!

Virginia Smith left her twenty-year career as a corporate director to become a full time writer and speaker with the release of her first novel Just As I Am. Earlier this year she was honored to be named Writer of the Year at Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference. She writes mystery/suspense novels, such as her upcoming A Taste of Murder, as well as humorous heart-touching stories like Stuck in the Middle and Sincerely, Mayla. Visit her website at www.VirginiaSmith.org.

Freelance Writing: Measuring Up

Measuring Up

By Amy Brozio-Andrews

I loved participating in summer enrichment programs when I was a kid. Whenever possible, I’d always want to sign up for the writing classes; anything from journalism to screenwriting to creative writing – that’s where I wanted to be. Most of these programs offered open enrollment town-wide, and included kids from about a dozen different school districts (I grew up on Long Island, where the townships are pretty big). Most years, I enjoyed the six weeks I spent learning and writing with new friends, and once the class was over, promises to write and call (way before email) usually fell by the wayside as early as Columbus Day, as we all got wrapped up in our school-year activities and 'regular' friends. Summer classes and summer friends weren’t usually thought of again, until the next June, and by then, new classes and friends quickly replaced old ones. Except for one class…

I was about fourteen when I signed up for a creative writing class. There were about twelve of us in the class, and we were a pretty tight group. We all lived relatively close, and were able to hang out socially a couple of times; it must have been a really quiet summer, or we were really annoying teenagers to be able to get our parents to drive us places… I’m still not sure which it was.

We did daily writing exercises in class, went on field trips, and put together one issue of a literary magazine (hey, it was only six weeks!). Our final project was to write a short story on anything we wanted. These were read and critiqued by the whole class, and printed in our magazine. I don’t even remember what I wrote about, although I must have a copy of it in a box somewhere, but I vividly remember the story written by one of my classmates whom I’ll call Joe.

Joe wrote the kind of story I’d only dreamed about. It had suspense, a dramatic narrative, great descriptive language, and a completely surprising conclusion. After reading it, I believed that Joe was a great writer, and that of all of us in that class, I was sure he would go places. Joe’s was the story of a young man who was thrilled to finally get to sit and eat holiday dinner with the grownups, instead of being sent to play with the younger children outside. At the end of the meal, he picked up the playing card next to his plate along with the others, and found himself in trapped in a macabre family tradition. The family member who was randomly dealt a specified playing card at each annual family dinner was sacrificed on a large old stone with deep grooves on it in the backyard.

Sound familiar? Like Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery? I hadn’t read that story, and I don’t know if anyone else in the class had either. If anyone knew that Joe’s story was liberally borrowed from The Lottery, they weren’t telling. It was several years later that I did finally pick up a book of short stories by Shirley Jackson, and after reading The Lottery, I almost dropped the book. I felt like I’d been had. While we hadn’t kept in touch, I’d always thought of Joe as a remarkable writer. I’d dreamed of writing a story like that. I had pages of stories, poetry, notes, and character sketches written and stuck in notebooks and desk drawers over the years. Joe's work had stuck with me through all that time, like some kind of standard I'd held myself up to, and now I felt like he really hadn’t written it at all. He may not have plagiarized her work word for word, but I felt like hers was such a unique plot, that his kind of rewriting was still so much like the original that it should have come with a disclaimer – ‘based on the short story by Shirley Jackson’ – or something to indicate what a strong influence she had on his work.

I haven’t seen nor spoken to Joe since that summer we were in class together, over ten years ago. I don’t know what I would have said, if anything, if I had seen him since I read The Lottery. I don’t feel shocked about his story anymore. I do feel a little disappointed, though. But not so much in Joe; I’m disappointed in myself. Why was I so quick to believe that he was a better writer than I was? Perhaps he was, but why did my thinking he was a good writer mean I couldn’t be one too?

I sometimes wonder what ever became of Joe. I wonder if he still writes. I try hard now not to compare myself with other writers. It's an effort to keep the comparisons limited to the craft and technique of writing, and not wonder whether I'm a better or worse writer than someone else. While my writing may be judged, compared, liked, disliked, built up or torn down, I have finally matured enough to be confident in the fact that I am simply a writer, and that is enough.

Amy Brozio-Andrews is a freelance writer and book reviewer. She brings more than five years' experience as a readers' advisory librarian to her work, which is regularly published by Library Journal, The Imperfect Parent, and Absolute Write. Her reviews have also been published by The Absinthe Literary Review, ForeWord Magazine, January Magazine, and Melt Magazine. Amy is also the managing editor and an international markets columnist for Absolute Write. Visit her online at http://www.amyba.com.

Why Write Non-Fiction?

I struggled with the topic for today, since I mostly write book-length fiction, and magazine-length non-fiction. I visited Web sites of writer friends trying to get an idea of something to cover, and one of them had the perfect article already written - I'm pasting it below with permission.

If you are considering a career writing non-fiction, you'll want to explore all the resources author Terry Whalin provides on his blog and his Web site. Please feel free to leave comments or questions below.

Why Write Nonfiction Instead of Fiction?

by W. Terry Whalin

Question:

Everyone says it is easier for an unpublished writer to break in with nonfiction vs. fiction? Is it only easier to break in with nonfiction if you have speaking engagements that will result in sales? I've always thought, "Who would buy my nonfiction? I'm a nobody without a degree, without a famous husband or friends and without an enthralling life." But everyone says it's easier to break in with nonfiction so I thought they meant that even if I'm a nobody, if I can speak to a "felt need" I can sell books.

Answer:

Here's the story about nonfiction--you don't have to have a degree or anything to write nonfiction--you do have to be able to write. And with a nonfiction book proposal--shaped in the expected format with the expected elements (something I'm teaching two extensive workshops on this year--in Florida and North Carolina), then you can break into the traditional book market--with the right idea.

With fiction, you need to be great (many aren't--just look at all the stuff in my office I need to reject this coming week if you want a visual), and it has to be a complete manuscript (so I know that you know how to end it--unless you have published a number of fiction novels). I've been writing an ebook that I plan to launch soon which will have the inside scoop about nonfiction book proposals. I've about got the cover designed and everything in place--called: Book Proposals That Sell--21 Secrets To Speed Your Success.

If you want to read a fascinating writing book, get a copy of (excuse the title--it's the real title:) Damn! Why didn't I write that? subtitled: How ordinary people are raking in $100,000.00 ...or more Writing Nonfiction Books & How You can Too! by Marc McCutcheon (Quill Driver Books) 2001.

I didn't get the zeros wrong on the subtitle--it's 100K (a hundred thousand). The book is simple reading and fascinating. Maybe it will be a huge boost to your confidence level.

Look at devotional books--nonfiction--and no degree or experience necessary other than a heart after God--and I wrote two of them which sold over 60,000 copies EACH. I wrote these books as a work made for hire--but I think I made $5,000 on each book and wrote each manuscript in a two-week period. That's $10,000 in one month that I made on those projects which is plenty from my vantage point. They are beautiful devotional books--no longer in print--Lighthouse Psalms and Love Psalms. It's not rocket science and you could do it too.

Another area to consider as a writer is collaborative nonfiction. It's where you are the writer (credentialed or not--if you can write is all that matters) and you hook up with a personality or expert to sell the book. Your co-author does all of the book promotion and has the story content for the book. You do the writing, get paid and go on to the next book. A number of writers make a substantial living every year from writing these types of books. It isn't required that they have a degree or a particular background--just the proof that you can write in a particular situation. It's all that is going to count for the publisher.

I encourage every writer who wants to have a book published to learn how to write a nonfiction book proposal then begin marketing that proposal to publishers or agents and get a nonfiction book contract. Then write the book.
__________________________________________________

W. Terry Whalin understands both sides of the editorial desk--as an editor and a writer. He worked as an editor for Decision and In Other Words. His magazine articles have appeared in more than 50 publications including Writer's Digest and Christianity Today. Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books and one of his latest is Book Proposals That Sell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success (Write Now Publications). See more about Terry at:www.right-writing.com/whalin.html. For more than 12 years Terry has been an ECPA Gold Medallion judge in the fiction category. He has written extensively about Christian fiction and reviewed numerous fiction books in publications such as CBA Marketplace and BookPage. He is the former Fiction Acquisitions Editor for Howard Books and creator of http://www.right-writing.com/. Sign up for Terry's free newsletter, Right Writing News.

© 2008 W. Terry Whalin

Magazine Writing 101

This week starts a new series here on Pix-N-Pens, with lots of how-to and inspirational articles for writers and photographers alike. We’ll continue offering book reviews, author interviews, and contests – the articles will be in addition to everything else we’ve been doing, and we’ll have a schedule so you’ll know what to expect when.

Mondays: Magazines
Tuesdays: Non-Fiction
Wednesdays: Freelancing & Marketing
Thursdays: Photography
Friday: Fiction
Saturday: Food Day, Travel, Tech, Whatever Day!

I am open for submissions, so check the other post for submission guidelines if you are interested in writing for Pix-N-Pens.

Magazine Writing 101
By Tracy Ruckman
© 2008

Trying to decide what to write about for our first piece on writing for magazines kept me up late into the night. Finally, I decided the best thing I could provide for you would be resources. So here’s a list to get you started, divided into the appropriate categories. Feel free to add to my lists in the comments below. We’ll eventually tackle various subjects brought up by these lists, too, so if you have questions leave them in the comments, and we’ll address them at the appropriate time.

Query Letters

The dreaded query letter is a necessary evil. But once you get the idea of them, it’s easy to recreate for each article. If you find a particular query letter style is not selling, rewrite it a bit until you get some bites.

The best book on the subject is How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool, but there are dozens of other books devoted to this subject as well. You may want to spend some time at your local bookstore looking through a few to see which one fits your needs best.

There are also plenty of online guides available as well:

How to Write A Query Letter

Writing Query Letters

How To Write A Query Letter (#2)


Ideas

Where do you get ideas? We’ve all heard that question a time or two? I write travel and food articles regularly – these are two things that interest me most. Look at your passions, hobbies, routines, lifestyle – what’s unique about them? Think of several slants you could take on one particular item, then work up a query letter for them.

Newspapers, local events, even a simple conversation with your neighbor, or a walk through your neighborhood could produce scads of ideas for you to write about for months.

Writing prompts can also give you ideas. Some of the best places to get prompts regularly are:

Writer's Digest Writing Prompts

Writing Fix Daily Generator

Creative Writing Prompts

Markets

This is a biggie – almost as much as the query letter. Everyone wants to know where to sell articles.

The internet makes this so much easier than in the past. Nowadays, you can find several magazines at your grocery store, or local bookstore, then look them up online. The main Web sites may not have writer’s guidelines listed, but check the site map (the link for it is usually at the very bottom of the page in tiny print) and it may point you in the right direction. Look for “Writer’s Guidelines” or “Submissions” or “Write for Us.” Sometimes instructions will be left on the “Contact Us” page, so check that first.

Writer’s Digest provides two ways to access one great resource. Their Writer’s Market Guide is published each year in hard copy, and also maintained online. With the online version, you can search out markets, create folders for your favorite markets, and usually get the most updated information – or at least a date of when it was last updated. Even using the online market guide, though, you’ll still want to check the masthead page of the current issue of any magazine you wish to submit to – publishing is a rotating market and editors change positions frequently.

Sally Stuart publishes The Christian Writer’s Market Guide with approximately 700 magazine publishers listed in it each year. When you purchase the book, you’ll also receive a CD that you can download to your computer, to make searching for markets easy.

Besides these two main sources, you’ll find many online databases to peruse – just don’t get so addicted to searching out markets that you give up writing time! Some of the lists I’m providing below are free sites – or parts of their lists are free – and others are paying. I’m providing some of both routes, because you may find that one or two of them work well for you.

Here’s a list of lists to get you started:

www.writersmarket.com

www.stuartmarkets.com

www.woodenhorsepublishing.com

www.travelwriters.com

www.freelancewritinggigs.com (provides a short market list each Monday, and a list of freelance writing jobs every weekday.)

www.worldwidefreelance.com/?hop=kingschild

www.absolutewrite.com/forums (this extensive forum is a great place for many reasons. But you’ll also find listings for magazines.)

obsessedwritersgroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com – the owner sends out a newsletter twice a month with a list of paying markets, and a great calendar to remind you of upcoming events to write about regularly. Not much traffic on this list, so it won’t flood your inbox, but it’s an invaluable resource.

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ – C. Hope Clark is a writer’s best friend. She fights for wages, and promotes those publications who pay. She has several different e-newsletters, some free, and some ridiculously inexpensive, and she offers a blog, too. The newsletters provide market listings, contests, grants, and jobs. I subscribe to all of them.

After you’ve scoped out some magazines you’d like to write for, STUDY those magazines. Don’t just flip through it – study it from cover to cover. First, look at the target market. Would a teen girl buy this magazine, or a 40-year-old bachelor? Would a 30-year old homemaker read these types articles, or would a 20-something career girl? A college graduate or someone in retirement? If you can’t tell by the articles, check the advertisements and ask the same questions.

After the markets, study the content. Do the articles appear to be written by staffers or freelancers? Or a good mixture of both? If both, are the freelancers scattered throughout the magazine, or mostly in the front or back sections? You’ll want to target your article to the area where the freelancers are located.

I grew up reading one particular magazine – it is my DREAM to be published in that magazine. But the ONLY place they accept articles from freelancers is their last page, inside the cover. Because there’s only one spot, this magazine is extremely hard to break into, but I haven’t given up yet.

After you determine the freelance status of the periodical, study the individual articles. How long are they? What is the style of writing? Is the article broken up into sections with headers? Is it written in 1st person or 3rd?

Many magazines provide theme lists or editorial calendars for the upcoming year, to let writers know how to plan articles to pitch. As you research the various magazines, inquire about a theme list to make the most use of your time.

Studying the magazines, usually 2-3 or even 6 months of previous issues, will give you a feel for the overall voice of the publication, so that when you compose your query letter, and then eventually your article, your writing will reflect that voice and cause the editor to take notice.

So, let’s get started. Study, query, study, query. And be sure to send me stories of your success – I’ll post them here on the blog and we’ll all celebrate your publication with you!

Writers Wanted

Birthdays tend to stir me into action, and this year is no different. Almost every birthday, you will find me creating something new and different somewhere in my life, or traveling somewhere I’ve never ventured before. Since August is my birthday month, and there are currently no travel plans, so we’re going to be making some changes here at Pix-N-Pens.

First off, all scheduled special guests are still on the schedule, and I’m still adding more guests as books are released. (We’ve got some really special ones coming up, starting as early as next week!)

In the coming months, Pix-N-Pens will offer more content, more helps, hints, tips, and more guest bloggers than ever before.

Beginning Monday, August 4th, we’ll be covering specific topics each day, geared towards writers, photographers, and even foodies, travelers, and techies!

Here’s the schedule:

Mondays: Writing for Magazines
Tuesdays: Writing Non-Fiction Books
Wednesdays: Freelancing & Marketing
Thursdays: Photography
Friday: Fiction
Saturday: Variety

I’m looking for writers willing to share their expertise in the above topics – for all skill levels, from beginner to professional. The more specific the article, the better.

Right now, the Photography expert is already on board – readers of my newsletter may recognize Suzanne Williams’ name. She’ll be sharing photography tips with us each Thursday, beginning August 7th.

Saturdays will be fun days, filled with all sorts of different things from food to travel to technology to faith, to whatever strikes my fancy any given week. I’ll do some of the writing and I’ll invite guests for other weeks. I’m open for suggestions, so if you’d like to see us cover a particular subject, just pop me an e-mail.

Most of all, I want Pix-N-Pens to be a place where readers come to learn, fellowship, grow, encourage, laugh, play, and pray together in community. And yes, we’ll still have the occasional contest and giveaways! I hope you’ll come join us.

Submission guidelines:

* All entries must be submitted to tracyruckman[at]gmail[dot]com as an attachment, Word document file, and must be accompanied by a cover letter stating a brief description about your article. Please put “PNP Article Submission” in the SUBJECT LINE.

* Single space sentences within paragraphs, double spaces between (in the style of this article.)
Times New Roman, 12 pt. font.

* Contact info (name, state, and e-mail address(es) in upper left corner, word count and article category (below) in the upper right, then skip a couple of spaces and center the title and byline.

* Please include a 50-100 word bio at the end of each article submission, and you may also include a photo if you wish. In your bio, feel free to include your Web or blog address, and the title of your current release if you have one.

* You must own the copyright to the piece you submit. If the piece is a reprint, you must state so when you submit the article.

* Articles should be 300-1200 words.

* No payment at the present time, but your participation could turn into a weekly column at a future date.

* You will receive a reply within 2 weeks.

Articles must fit one of the following categories, but the subject matter may vary within that category:

* Writing for Magazines – how-topics for query letters, ideas, formatting, breaking into the bigger markets, online markets, market leads, building a clip file, conferences, etc.

* Writing Non-Fiction Books – how to topics for queries, proposals, synopses, ideas, publishing leads, conferences, platform building, and more.

* Freelancing & Marketing – this category is wide open and I’ll consider a wide variety of articles here. How-to’s on building a freelance business, how to find customers, how to develop a niche, how to market your business or your book, marketing yourself as a novelist, or a non-fiction author, or speaker, or photographer – like I said, it’s open.

* Fiction – this category will be a how-to for writing fiction. We’ll cover all different genres – mystery, suspense, romance, general fiction, science fiction/fantasy, women’s, lits, etc.; different lengths – novels, short stories, flash fiction; different markets – CBA and ABA. Also open for conference lists and market leads, contests, and more.


Your participation in this new change is encouraged – let us know if you like something by leaving a comment for the author; if you don’t like it, send me a private e-mail. If you have questions about something in an article, feel free to post it in the comments, or if you have questions about this new format, drop me a line.

I’m excited about the changes, and hope you are, too. Help spread the word!