Join the Blanket Tour

Robyn and I were having so much fun juggling our traditional WOW Blog Tours that we decided to add something new to the mix. Or maybe we’re just a bit crazy! Anyway the new addition is the WOW Blanket Tour. And we want you! I’ve cleaned out my inbox—an amazing feat I must say. So I’m expecting a ton of emails from everyone telling me they want to be a part of the WOW Blanket Tour next month. Here are the details!

So what's a blanket tour?

A blanket tour is a month long party of mentions about one of our WOW
authors on your blogs. WOW gives you a topic to write a post about and a
short paragraph about our featured author and their book to include at the
end on your post.

Who's the author?

The author is Diana Raab who just released Healing with Words: A Writer's
Cancer Journey. You can learn more about Diana's book at her website
or her Muffin interview.

What's the topic?

Diana is a survivor of two bouts with cancer and, since October is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month, the topic is breast cancer. You can write anything:
a personal story, health tips, your fears, a post about books concerning
breast cancer, foundations that focus on breast cancer, even about how much
you love(or hate) the color pink. Heck, if you just want to write about how
much you love your girls we'd love to read it!

Will there be presents?

Of course! We wouldn't throw a party without presents. When your readers
comment on your blanket tour post they're eligible for a book giveaway. We
also have a book giveaway just for our blanket tour bloggers.

When does it start?

We're kicking it off on the Muffin on October 1 with a post from Diana and a
link to all our participating blogs.

How do I sign up?

Just send me an email to jodi@wow-womenonwriting.com with the subject line
"Blanket Tour/Diana". I need your name, blog address and three dates in
October that work for you. We're going on a first come-first served basis so
if you want a special date sign up ASAP. Then I'll let you know what date
we've scheduled you for and send you some images you can use and the paragraph we
need included either as an introduction or at the close of your post.

Pubmission: Connecting Writers and Publishers With Ease

Today, The Muffin welcomes Wolf Hoelscher, owner of a new company to help writers and editors connect called Pubmission. We interviewed Wolf to find out all the ins and outs of Pubmission--a website designed to make the process of submitting manuscripts easier for both writers and publishers.

WOW: Welcome, Wolf, thanks for taking the time to chat with us today. What is the purpose of Pubmission?

Wolf: The purpose is simply to make the submission process easier for both publishing professionals and writers. Just as Monster.com or CareerBuilder attempts to connect job seekers with employers, Pubmission’s goal is to serve as a central hub for submissions that helps writers and publishers find each other in a simple, less intimidating way. From a writer’s perspective, it takes a long time to hunt through the listing manuals to find the right publisher. On Pubmission, writers can see which subscribing publishers match up with them best. And then they can go ahead and submit to them directly through the site.

There’s been a lot of talk about the death of the slush pile now that e-books and self-publishing are moving to the forefront of the industry. I don’t believe it has to be that way. As a writer myself, I know that it feels like you’re playing the lottery when you submit your work. It’s frustrating and daunting. But traditional publishers and agents still have a lot to offer writers, particularly in terms of editing and marketing. The slush pile isn’t dead; it’s just that the system is cumbersome and time-consuming. Pubmission attempts to rectify that.

WOW: What a great idea--anything to make the process of submitting our work easier is genius! How can writers benefit by using Pubmission?

Wolf: First, let me say that we try to make very clear to writers that Pubmission does not guarantee publication. If your writing isn’t fantastic, polished, and marketable, your chances of finding a publisher are slim. As a writer myself, I know that submitting your work can feel like buying a lottery ticket. But in this Internet age, there are tools out there that can help you prepare and market your submission in ways we never thought possible before. Pubmission is one of those tools.

We try to help writers with their homework. Slush pile editors are often frustrated because many of the writers who submit to them aren’t familiar with their publication and send them inappropriate work. But on Pubmission, not only do we list the guidelines and company info for each publisher, we also show writers which publishers have needs that pair up with the genre and tags associated with each submission.

So as a writer, you can send your submission directly to the publishers you like, and you can submit it to the General Database [on Pubmission], where any subscribing publisher has the ability to search for it.

There are also things you can do to improve your submission’s visibility. Editor Ratings not only show publishers a star rating based on an editor’s appraisal of its saleability, but each comes with a short critique that can give a writer an unbiased second opinion. We’re also adding a page that will show you how your rating matches up with other submission ratings on the site per genre.

And one of the things that I like, now that I have a few of my own submissions on the site, is that you can see in your dashboard how many times each submission has been viewed by a publisher. That beats sitting around waiting for a letter in the mail and hoping that someone is looking at it, that it’s not collecting dust in the corner or lost in a spam folder.

WOW: All of those tools sound really useful for writers. What types of genres are allowed on Pubmission? Fiction and nonfiction?

Wolf: Everything. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenplays, and plays. Of course, we don’t have publishers signed up in every genre, but that’s our goal. Be sure to check out the list of subscribers on our home page; and if you post a submission, you’ll get e-mail alerts whenever a publisher in your genre arrives.

WOW: How can publishers benefit by using Pubmission?

Wolf: As a former acquisitions editor, I designed the site as something I wish I had been able to use when I was facing that large pile of envelopes. I knew that Pubmission had to save paper as well as the time it takes for opening envelopes, tracking submissions with data entry, and sending rejection letters. Now, with Pubmission, publishers and agents can view their entire slush pile on one sortable table, quickly see which submissions have gotten the best reviews, and sort submissions based on keyword match percentages. They can start or stop submissions at any time. They can also contact the writer directly through the site’s message center and send rejections or personalized notes with a click of a button.

But what I really like about the site is that it changes the submission process from a passive act – sitting around waiting for the right writer to come along – to a more proactive exercise. You can find writers for your readers. Say that there’s demand for a new farm-to-table cookbook. A publisher can just search the database for it without putting a call out for submissions that generates an even larger slush pile.

Also, if a gem has entered the database – perhaps a submission with a 5-star rating – the sorting feature of the publisher’s dashboard allows them to see a quality submission right away rather than six or eight weeks down the road when an editor finally opens the envelope or e-mail.

WOW: It is amazing how the right technological tools can make writing and submitting easier these days. It sounds like Pubmission is one of those tools--for writers and publishers! Who are some of the publishers on Pubmission?

Wolf: Most who have signed up during our initial beta-testing period are smaller independent publishers, companies who are interested in the capability of generating a list that matches their readers’ expectations. Wampum Books is a publisher of Native American literature. Odyssey Books is a new Australian publisher. Brighter Books is a Canadian e-book press and TSTC is looking for academic writers. EPIC and Dragon Moon Press are both outstanding science fiction/fantasy publishers. A link to the full list of publishers and their submission guidelines is always available on the home page.

WOW: These are often the publishers that are overlooked when writers are first sending out their work. So, it's great that Pubmission has teamed up with them. Is there a cost for using your services?

Wolf: For writers, Pubmission operates using credits that you purchase or earn. For now, each credit equals $2 USD. But it’s important to me as a writer that there is some free access to the site. So upon sign up, each writer gets 6 free credits, which will allow her to send work to up to three publishers for free if she chooses. Or she can apply the credits to other features like Editor Ratings (15 credits) or the General Database (8 credits). After sign-up, the writer gets 2 additional credits every six weeks. So if you want to use Pubmission without spending a dime, you can.

WOW: Sounds great! A writer can get her feet wet with the free credits and then move on from there. Plus, writers are saving money on ink, paper, postage, and so on. What's the sign up process like?

Wolf: After you enter your professional information, much as you would in a cover letter, you can add a submission. In addition to things like the work’s title, word count, and genre, you can add tags that better define the work in the database. You also provide a short abstract and a submission sample that’s limited to 20,000 characters – which IS about the length of three chapters of a novel. There’s also an allowance for you to upload three illustrations or photos to supplement the submission. Then you proceed to “Submission Control” where you can send the submission directly to publishers, submit it the General Database, and add Editor Ratings.

WOW: Why did you start Pubmission?

Wolf: As an aspiring novelist, I was frustrated with the submission process, especially since I knew what it looked like from the other side of the slush pile—from the editor’s perspective. On both sides, there’s a lot of waiting around hoping for something to happen, and I thought I could create a tool that helped both sides equally, that gave both more control over the submission process. It also had to be transparent and time-saving. And there’s still an enormous amount of paper that’s being wasted through the slush pile. At the very least, Pubmission is saving some trees.

WOW: Thank you, Wolf, for sharing information about Pubmission with Muffin readers. Keep on saving those trees and helping writers and publishers connect. It sounds like a great service. Muffin readers, if you want to check out all that Pubmission has to offer either as a writer or editor, please go to www.pubmission.com.

interview conducted by Margo L. Dill, http://margodill.com/blog/

Interview with Sarah Warburton, First Place Winner of Spring 2010 Flash Fiction Contest,

Sarah Warburton is a writer, wife, the mother of two, and a knitter (not necessarily in that order) living in Sugar Land, TX. After earning an M.A. in Classics from the University of Georgia and another from Brown University, she spent time working in independent bookstores, reading and writing. She’s studied at the University of New Mexico with Sharon Oard Warner and Julie Shigekuni, at the Taos Writer’s Workshop with Pam Houston, and in Houston with Justin Cronin. Since 2005 she’s been a staff writer for the local monthly magazine, UpClose and member of the weekly critique group, Writers Ink. Her short story, “Margaret’s Magnolia,” appeared in the Southern Arts Journal and she has finished her first mystery novel, The Language of the Dead.

Find out more about Sarah by visiting her website: http://sarahwarburtonwriter.wordpress.com/.

interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on winning first place in our Winter 2010 writing contest! How do you feel?

Sarah: Really honored and thrilled! A few years ago, I had one short story published in the now-defunct Southern Arts Journal, but it wasn’t available in many places. It’s been amazing to have this chance to share my story with so many people…and I really appreciate the opportunity.

WOW: Can you tell us what encouraged the idea behind your story, "Life Script? "

Sarah: I wanted to write a story that covered a large span of time in a short space and I was interested in the divergence between our plans for life and the direction our lives take. I thought about the difference between our vision of the writing life and the many different paths it actually takes. There may also have been echoes of my favorite movie, a sort of “When Harry Missed Sally” feeling.

WOW: Your approach was effective! It was a quietly powerful story. Have you always enjoyed the genre, and how did you learn to write great flash fiction?

Sarah: My short stories tend to be either very long or very short. One of the reasons I love flash fiction are the constraints of the genre. There isn’t any room for prevarication or words that don’t pull their weight. It’s a fantastic genre for those of us with small children, because we have such narrow moments of opportunity in which to work. Since I knew with “Life Script” that I would be moving quickly through time in little blocks of text, I could consider each paragraph in isolation whenever I had a few minutes to myself.

WOW: You've also completed a novel. Can you tell us about that? What did it take to complete that big goal?

Sarah: I think it took the kind of commitment it takes to have children…complete ignorance of the enormity of the task, plenty of support, and a dedication to doing it every day. I started almost ten years ago with eighty pages of non-consecutive scenes and now three cities, numerous writing workshops, and several writing groups later I’m making my final revisions with my agent. Without my writing group, Writers Ink (http://www.concretebride.com/) I don’t know if I would have reached the end. They kept me writing for my goal, inspired me with their own excellent work, and read my novel with critical eyes and encouraging words.

WOW: I love your analogy—ignorance is bliss. Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Sarah! Before you go, do you have any tips for our readers who may be thinking about entering writing contests?

Sarah: Go for it! Especially if you’ve gotten feedback from readers, critique groups, or your workshop and you know the story is your best work. You’ve got nothing to lose by sending your stories out to contests, and the opportunity to share your work is fantastic. Nobody’s going door to door, looking for amazing fiction, so you’ll have to send your work out if you want the opportunity to share it with a wider audience.

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Today is the last day to enter our Summer 2010 Flash Fiction contest!

For more information, visit: http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php.
Good luck!



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Syndication: An Overlooked Option for Writers

By Jill Pertler

Syndication--for many writers, this term signifies a specialized niche for journalists, columnists, and folks named Erma. I'd like to challenge that line of thinking. Self-syndication is a flexible means to sell your work to multiple sources and cash multiple paychecks. If you get creative, there are lots of paths where syndication can take you--without even considering changing your name to Erma.

Let's get to the real question on everyone's mind: How can syndication help you?

The first step is to think about the definition of syndication. Basically, it is printing the same article over and over; syndication is reprints on steroids.

Shhh! Don't tell anyone. In the world of freelancing, reprint is almost a dirty word. No one wants a reprint. They want first rights. With syndication, you get the benefits of reprinting your article, without the negative connotations.

Traditionally, syndication involves a regularly written column. You can certainly explore that avenue. It's how I roll, but your options are only limited by your creativity.

You can syndicate without writing anything above and beyond what you are already doing. As a freelancer, you probably gravitate toward certain topics. Consider grouping already written (and published) articles into a bundle and offering them up for syndication. Sell a package of 12 to newspapers or monthly magazines. Since these articles were published elsewhere, you've already been paid for them. Anything gained from the syndication train is gravy.

Combine ghostwriting and syndication. Identify business owners who would benefit from a monthly newspaper column. Think: veterinarian, MD, financial planner, attorney, etc. Problem is, these folks don't have time to write a column.

On the other side of the fence, your local newspaper is looking for good copy. It's likely your editors prefer locally-written information over the AP feed. Approach the editor offering to write a monthly column for free. Then, approach the business and offer to ghostwrite for a fee. The business benefits from coming across as an expert willing to share knowledge with the community; the column works like an advertisement, without the hypey feel.

Because of its flexibility, syndication is an option all writers should consider. It is an avenue for gaining readership, writing assignments and regular paychecks. For a writer, that's akin to winning the golden trifecta.

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To learn more, check out The Do-It-Yourselfer's Guide to Self-Syndication by Jill Pertler. You'll find secrets, shortcuts, strategies and the psychology of getting your words in print.

You'll also find some surprises. For example: reasons not to blog, what not to post on your website, the pluses and minuses of fans and when it's okay to break the rules of syndication.

The Do-It-Yourselfer's Guide to Self-Syndication, available in paperback and ebook formats, is published and available online through Booklocker, as well as through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Related article: How to Self-Syndicate Your Column, a DIY Guide by Jill Pertler

Help or Hinder--Lots of Description

How much description is too much?

She sat in the big blue chair, twirling her long brown tresses around her right pointer finger, and from her chestnut brown eyes she stared listlessly out the green-curtain clad window. Rewrite this to suit your idea of the perfect amount of description.

The reader needs to know she has a quirk of twirling her hair, the color of her hair doesn't matter, and staring out the window lets a reader know she is deep in thought over something, her eye color isn't relative and neither is the curtains.

A drastic rewrite.

She stared out the window.

What needs to be Conveyed?

Think about what will further the story. What is needed to convey and accurate view of what's happening. The reader needs to know she's listless and what she does to show this.

She twirled her long tresses as she focused on a tiny spot outside the outside the window.

Maybe you can spruce it up. What would you add or take out?

Start with a simple sentence.

Heavy curtains covered the windows and made the room dark.

Add to it.

Suzie bumped the coffee table as she fumbled through the darkness inching closer to the sliver of light that came through the heavily clad window. "Ouch!" She massaged her leg. "That'll leave a mark."

Writing Exercises Strengthen Creativity

I often feel too busy to do writing exercises. If I have a few spare minutes I want to just jump right into my current work in progress, but I find if I take the time to do a few exercises every month, I'm greatly rewarded.

Meredith Sue Willis has a nice exercise where she has gleaned a section from Chapter 54 of George Eliot's Daniel Deronda. She suggests rewriting the scene using modern characters. Try it and post your exercise in the comments.

Storytelling involves more than lining up the action pieces, arranging them in a logical order and then drawing conclusions. Dramatic action, conflict, tension, suspense and curiosity hook readers, but they still long to know about the character's emotional reactions and emotional development provide. It's the human element that keeps the pages turning.

Resources:

Meredith Sue Willis *"description" (accessed August 27, 2010)

Photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Edmund_Blair_Leighton_-_On_the_Threshold.jpg

From History Teacher to History Writer - An Interview with Judith Redline Coopey

Pennsylvania native, Judith Redline Coopey, made the switch in from history teacher to full-time historical fiction writer in 2004 and published her first book, Redfield Farm: A Novel of the Underground Railroad in August 2010.


“I think characters are vitally important to one’s work,” Coopey says via e-mail. “Ann Redfield, the heroine of Redfield Farm is someone I’d like to know. She’s strong, dependable, vulnerable and human. Like the rest of us. I hope I can create more characters like Ann and set them in Pennsylvania, because that is where my heart lives.”

Although Redfield Farm is Coopey’s first novel, she is no native to the publishing world. She co-authored The World of Owen Gromme, published by Stanton and Lee of Madison, WI, and had articles published in Scholastic Newstime, Wisconsin Trails and Midwest Art Magazine. One of her articles was included in A Wisconsin Sampler, an anthology of Wisconsin Writing.

I had the opportunity to chat with the author via e-mail about her writing, her book and the engaging history of Pennsylvania.

How did you develop the idea for Redfield farm?
I’m a genealogist, and back in the 1970s I was trying to find my connection to the Blackburn family of Bedford County. I had some names and dates, but no one to connect them with. I finally made a breakthrough by locating a distant cousin who had the family Bible, and from them I found out where the homestead was. I contacted the owner, and he met me at the house, which was no longer lived in, and he told me that it was rumored to have been a station on the Underground Railroad. That kind of claim is almost impossible to substantiate, but the thought stuck in my mind. When I decided to write a book, I knew it had to be about the Underground Railroad.

Could you share a little about your writing and research process as you created this novel?
I did extensive research on the Underground Railroad, not just in Pennsylvania, but all over the states where it was active. I also did extensive research on Quakers, because my protagonist, Ann Redfield was a birthright Quaker. I didn’t know until I found my connection in the 70s that I was descended from Quakers. I learned a lot from my research, and I learned that writing happens inside your head, even when you’re not sitting at the keyboard. I thought about my characters and setting and things I expected to happen to them. Then in November 2004 I tried the NaNoWriMo ( National Novel Writing Month) – writing a chapter a day for 30 days – no looking back. Just full speed ahead. I did it on my own, not formally affiliated with NaNoWriMo, but I kept to the guidelines and by the end of November I had a first draft. First drafts are fun to do because they offer a no holds barred opportunity at creativity. But a first draft is really rough, so it took a lot more time – sending it off to my trusted readers, reading it to my writers’ group, letting it stew in a desk drawer and revising, revising, revising.
Who are your favorite writers and how has their writing influenced your own?
I have a long list of favorite writers, but the standouts are John Steinbeck, Willa Cather, Wallace Stegner. Contemporary favorites are Lee Smith, who writes about southern Appalachia, Faith Sullivan, who writes about Minnesota, Molly Gloss, who writes about Washington State, and Nancy Turner, who writes about Arizona. They’re all women who write about strong women – no fantasy, gratuitous sex or violence – just a good story well told. I like that.
What was the most difficult part of transitioning from a teaching career to a writing career?
It wasn’t difficult at all. I’ve wanted to write all my life, and I have, but not seriously. I’m single minded when it comes to a task, so when I was a teacher, that took up all of my energy. Now that I have the luxury to be able to write, I focus on that to the exclusion of many other distractions. Not my family, though. They still come first. The only thing I miss about teaching is the kids. My high school freshmen kept me young and in touch. It was a joy to introduce them to the wider world.

What was the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
I’m still learning and getting writing advice from a variety of sources – writers’ conferences, agents, editors, books on writing, my writers’ group. I can’t single out any one piece of advice, but I try to take it all to heart and sift it through my own experience.

What other writing projects do you have in the works?
The Johnstown Flood book, the quest book about traveling America’s Rivers, a book my dad wrote about his experiences in World War I that I’d like to edit and expand, maybe a story based on the life of one of my great-grandmothers, a woman for whom men were a great disappointment. The list could go on for some time. This is just a few.

For more information on Judith Redline Coopey and her writing, check out her Web site.
 
Interviewed by: Anne Greenawalt (http://www.annegreenawalt.com/)

Friday Speak Out!: The Naysayers, Guest Post by Holli Moncrieff

The Naysayers

by Holli Moncrieff

Dear readers,

What's your reaction to the word "can't"? If someone tells you that you can't do something, do you believe him? Or does a stubborn streak kick in from out of nowhere, making you more determined than ever to prove that person wrong?

One sad fact of life is that there will always be naysayers in the world. When everyone else is encouraging you to dream big, the naysayer will point out all the reasons that your goals are impossible. And sadly, we usually remember the naysayer's words much longer than we will recall any positive feedback or encouragement. It's human nature.

But what if we can use the naysayers in our lives to motivate us? To give us that extra push to achieve exactly what they said we couldn't do? Wouldn't that be the best possible scenario?

Trouble is, sometimes plain old negativity is painted as helpful advice. When we're nervous or lack experience, it's natural to listen to The Voice of Wisdom. Here's a rule of thumb I've learned: if that wise sage is telling you why it's unrealistic/not in your best interest/too difficult/challenging/expensive/unnecessary to do something you really want to do, he's a naysayer. Even if it seems like he really knows what he's talking about.

I wish I'd known this when I listened to my high school English teacher, who told me I couldn't possibly be a psychologist, steering me towards journalism. Making writing my day job has been a move I've regretted ever since, but I was young and naive, so I thought my teacher knew better. Knew my own capabilities better than I did! I wouldn't make that same mistake today.

When I first started Making the Cut, I was excited. I shared the news with a fitness-minded co-worker, who promptly replied that it is very difficult for women to develop defined arms. This is something I've never had a problem with, so I was thinking that I could safely file that remark in the "Nothing to Do With Me" file, when my co-worker went on to comment, "look at you, for instance. Your arms aren't defined."

Ouch. Well, they certainly used to be. And they will be again! Rather than deflating me, her words inspired me. After most of Jillian's exercises, I've done extra work on my arms to prove my co-worker wrong. Is it silly to change one's behavior on the strength of an off-hand comment? Maybe, but I say there's nothing wrong with that if it inspires you to be better.

I was told by many a well-meaning local writer that I'd never get a New York agent. Well, I did. Yes, I had to terminate her services, but that doesn't mean I won't get another one when and if I need her/him. I've been told it would be easier to give up on my dream of being a full-time author. "Why don't you just publish your book with (insert name of small local non-profit publisher here)? After all, your first novel is not going to be a bestseller."

Oh really? Good thing Andrew Davidson never paid heed to that kind of crap, or he'd be collecting royalty checks for twenty bucks instead of signing million dollar deals. I'm not Davidson, but I don't intend to listen to it, either.

Let's face it: the most powerful, consistent naysayer of all is in our own heads. It's the nagging voice that tells us we're doomed to fail. Even the most confident among us struggle with self-doubt now and then...they just don't give into it.

The most obvious solution to the problem with naysayers is to surround ourselves with positive people, and distance ourselves from anyone who isn't. But that isn't always realistic. And sometimes, like in the case of my co-worker, an otherwise good friend can slip up and say something unintentionally hurtful. Instead, let's use the naysayers' words against them: as motivation to push us even closer toward our dreams! You know what they say: living well is the best revenge. And I for one intend to live extremely well. I hope that you do, too.

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An award-winning writer, Holli Moncrieff has over twelve years of journalism experience. She has published hundreds of articles in national newspapers and magazines, including the Globe and Mail, Flare, and Chatelaine. Her blog, A Life Less Ordinary (http://www.thekickboxingwriter.blogspot.com/), is about her journey to publish a novel and compete in her first muay thai kickboxing fight.

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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

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