Friday Speak Out!: EMPATHY, THE SECRET TO IT ALL

Friday, September 22, 2023
By Laura Yeager

Why is it that writers think that stories/articles/novels/blog posts/poems/plays must “come out” of one’s psyche chronologically? This is a conceit of mostly beginning writers. From my experience of over 40 years as a writer, this just isn’t the case. You don’t have to sit down and write something from beginning to end.

Recently, I wrote an article for The Writer, but I wrote it in sections that I ultimately “glued” together and formed a piece that made sense but wasn’t conceived chronologically. This piece is one of the best creative works I’ve ever written. I didn’t know where it was going to end up when I was writing it. I certainly didn’t use an outline.

There’s something called a “first line writer.” This is a writer who gets the first line in their head and from there can write the whole piece practically in one sitting. You might be a first line writer.

One method is not necessarily better than the other. Use what works at the time.

I’ve written both ways – used a first line and an outline and gone from beginning right to the end AND written something in units and then figured out how to order them.

One method might be called “mechanical” (something that grows according to rules) and the other, “organic” (something that grows “wild.”)

This discussion falls under the umbrella of a writer’s writing PROCESS. I have a hunch that many writers aren’t keen on revealing their tricks and secrets of how they create. After all, does it really matter what the process is if the product is brilliant?

I teach writing, have for over 35 years, and I have a student who hasn’t said a word in class for a few weeks. He turned in his first paper which was about an Easter egg hunt, and I have to say that it was hysterical. The guy is funny on the page. I can’t teach this. The kid has either got it or doesn’t.

Am I going to ask him how he wrote the piece?

Heck, no.

I had a story published in The Paris Review years ago, decades ago. But the story bears mentioning now because someone asked me “How did you write this?”

My answer wasn’t very enlightening. I told the guy, “It’s completely true,” which it was, lifted from life. In this piece, I didn’t really use any fancy writing technique. I simply recorded verbatim what had happened to me in the span of a few months.

So, you see, there are many ways to write a creative piece.

But what should they all have in common?

Empathy. Putting yourself in another person’s shoes. Even if it’s just your reader’s shoes.

(Why do I feel like the guy in “The Graduate” who tells Dustin Hoffman that the secret to the economy is “plastics?”)

Whatever your writing process – disjointed, chronological, lifted from life, etc. – write with empathy, and you’ll have a chance of going far.

And isn’t that where we all want to go?

* * *

Laura Yeager has been writing fiction and nonfiction for over 40 years. A graduate of The Writers’ Workshop at The University of Iowa, she teaches writing at Gotham Writers and at Kent State University. Laura Yeager’s work at curetoday.com can be found at https://www.curetoday.com/contributors/laura-yeager. 
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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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Strange Magic

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Sometimes, we need a reminder about why we do this writing thing we do.

My daughter, who is a grown woman and working a lovely though demanding job by day, chooses to “follow her bliss” in her hours off. Which just happens to be musical theater. And right now, she’s performing in Xanadu. 

For those of you of a certain age, you’ll remember the 80s and Olivia Newton John and all the music from ELO associated with this movie. You might recall that it tanked at the box office. Even the hugely talented Olivia, following on the heels of success with Grease, could not save this clunker. But the music? The music was BIG. 

Perhaps that explains why, forty years later, Xanadu is still around, showing up on theater stages. Because honestly, it’s ridiculous and goofy and campy and silly. It’s bad puns and roller skating and a mish-mash of a story. But it’s also absolutely riotous fun! In this production, every single member in the cast—and it’s a small cast (the Muses and two humans)—are rocking and rolling and enjoying every minute on the stage. They exude joy and it’s contagious! I wanted to jump up and join them on the stage (and I did actually sing but that’s wholeheartedly approved)! 

I was leaving the theater with a friend, talking about all the fun they were having, all the joy in that experience, when she said, “Just like you, with your book.” 

Oh, what a strange magic! I was having fun, I was experiencing all kinds of joy. But I’d forgotten that little tidbit in the midst of the publishing side of the book. 

Ah, publishing. It’s like the day job, a grind every step of the way, turning me into this evil woman. And weirdly, with this project, I’ve had so many odd obstacles come up on the business end…

 *My business credit card worked one day but not the next. The company insisted the card was fine, please try again. But it still didn’t work. So I waited for them to send a replacement card. They sent two. Different cards. Another snafu to fix.

 **I needed a PDF. And though my Acrobat Reader or whatever does PDF worked fine the week before, it suddenly wouldn’t open. After an entire day trying to fix it (as per the steps one should follow), I finally just uninstalled and reinstalled. I’m still not sure it’s up to par but it is working. Today. 

***My Author proof (because with all the glitches I’ve been having I dared not publish without checking the book first) is NINE DAYS LATE. It literally dropped off the face of the earth. I'm still waiting for it to appear.. 

 And yet, even with one thing after another, my friend’s reminder worked like...well, like Xanadu itself. When I have a brilliant idea about a tagline, that’s a moment of joy! When I figure out what my logo should be about, I’m ecstatic! When I'm creating, I'm rocking and rolling and having so much fun!

Sure, there may be days, weeks, and yes, years, when we wonder why we ever decided to follow our bliss down this particular path. But deep down, we know. 

We write because of the joy it brings us. Strange magic indeed!

~Cathy C. Hall (Psst! Take a sneak peek at the new website here! Fingers crossed, it works.)
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Get Your Book Seen & Sold by Claudine Wolk & Julie Murkette: Blog Tour & Giveaway

Monday, September 18, 2023

 

Get Your Book Seen and Sold by Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette

I'm excited to share the launch of a blog tour with authors, Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette. They share their expertise regarding publishing and marketing your book in Get Your Book Seen and Sold. It's a must-read for writers who have either published a book or hope to one day. It's an informative read wherever you are on your writing journey!

Join us as we celebrate the launch of their book! You'll have a chance to read an interview with the authors, learn more about her book, and win a copy of it for yourself.

First, here is more information about the book:

It is easier than ever to publish a book, but many authors find out too late about the actual work—the book marketing—that needs to be done to achieve sizable book sales. Instead of embracing the opportunities to promote their books, authors are intimidated and shut down. Those days are over. This is the book authors MUST HAVE to give their books the best chance to be seen and sold.  

In this essential, easy-to-read, and easy-to-understand guide, the author will work through the graphs, examples, and exercises in the book and learn:

  • The fundamentals of book marketing: Message, Audience, and Hook 
  • How the book marketing fundamentals effortlessly feed into every aspect of book marketing
  • The breadth of book marketing options and how book marketing works, with examples
  • How book distribution IS a crucial part of book marketing 
  • To develop an elevator pitch and a formal pitch to media contacts
  • To develop with a doable book marketing plan
  • To develop media kit items for their book publicity efforts: Press Release, Author Bio, etc.
  • The types of book reviews and how to get them
  • To create a list of media contacts and how to use them
  • To organize their new entrepreneurial business as book marketer/author
  • Ideas to “shake their tree” to develop unique book marketing opportunities 
  • To examine the best social media channels to promote their books
  • Where to put their book promotion dollars
  • Most importantly, authors will learn something priceless...the correct starting point!

Authors, You CAN do right by your book! Go on and reach the book buyers that you had in mind when wrote your treasured manuscript and get your book seen and sold today.

Publisher: Lost Valley Press (September 2023)
ISBN-10: 1935874446
ISBN-13: 978-1935874446
Print length: 122 pages

Purchase your copy on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or Barnes and Noble. Make sure you add it to your GoodReads list too.

About the Authors, Claudine Wolk & Julie Murkette


Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette are experienced in sharing their knowledge of the publishing industry to give books the BEST chance to be sold. Julie is the long-time owner of Satya House Publications, which published and marketed the award-winning I See the Sun series of books, among others. Claudine Wolk is a published author, journalist, podcast host and book marketing consultant. You can find her writing in her weekly newsletter on Substack: Get Your Book Seen and Sold. Her book, It Gets Easier and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers, (Harper Collins) is translated into three languages and was released as an audiobook (Nov. 2022).

Find Claudine online at:


Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: Congratulations on your book! What led you to want to write a book featuring tips for authors on getting their book sold?

Claudine: Thank you, Julie and I are so excited about the book.  The reason we HAD to write this book stemmed from our experience with authors when we were working together as book marketers (and editors). Again and again we would meet authors, many of whose books were already published, looking to promote and market their books. When we asked them about the pre-pub efforts to market their books, we got blank stares. It made us sad and frustrated to know that if these authors had known just a few things about book marketing before their book published—things like pre-pub reviews, setting their book up for pre-sale on several online outlets, catalog placement, notice to libraries, pitching to long and short lead media, to name a few—they would have had so much better luck with their book sales. We decided to remedy that situation with a fun, colorful, easy-to-understand guide for publishing and then for book marketing!

WOW: I think that's amazing you found a way to help authors with such a complicated part of the marketing process, especially when you are doing the marketing on your own as an author. What was the writing process like for you?

Claudine: Get Your Book Seen and Sold ripped right out of us. Once we took the time to decide the best way to organize the book, the writing came easily. In fact at 125 pages, its brevity is its strength. Many authors are scared to get started on book marketing for fear of the unknown. They are intimidated to learn what they think is a whole new language. While there are a few fundamentals to understand about book marketing, much of the most effective book marketing comes from using the same creativity that authors use to write! We simply explain book marketing and how it can work for an author and then provide exercises to get the author moving!

WOW: That is so amazing how it just flowed! Did you run into any challenges co-writing this with another writer?

Claudine: Julie and I have worked so well together on various projects. We co-edited Ruth Yaron's famous book, Super Baby Food, 3rd edition and worked on the accompanying, Super Baby Food Cookbook. We have promoted authors together on the floor of Book Expo America and co-authored countless press releases. For whatever reason, our styles click. Julie has her strengths and I have mine. I think the key to a good writing partnership is to trust where your partner has those strengths and give them freedom to shine in those areas. Julie and I also partner on marketing the book as I bet you could have guessed. That collaboration was easy because we had our own book to guide us!

WOW: What a blessing you found each other! What do you hope people walk away with by reading your book?

Claudine: Our hope that authors have a treasured writing resource on their shelves that they go to again and again to successfully promote their books. The book is our "love letter" to the authors, new or experienced, who are brave enough to get their message out there and reach their intended audiences. We also hope they complete the exercises in the book and keep it as a way to stay on track with their book marketing. The fundamentals of book marketing never change and an author can promote their book long after it is published. 

WOW: What a gift you've given authors! What do you think are the biggest challenges authors run into when marketing their book?

Claudine: First is fear. It is scary to put yourself out there, and when an author thinks of book marketing, they are thinking, Crap, people are actually going to read this! They will read my writing. They will see me.

Second is intimidation. Book marketing a whole new discipline. Most writers think of themselves as creators, not business people.

Third is financial. There are many ways to spend your money on promotion, and many are not reputable or effective.    

WOW: You hit the nail on the head! When is the right time to develop a marketing plan as an author?

Claudine: We believe that authors should start to think about their marketing plan as they write their book. Once the book is written, we suggest giving yourself a full year to create the book itself (editing, interior design, book cover) and to start to unroll your book marketing up until the book launches.

WOW: Lots of planning to anticipate for! What lessons have you learned through your writing journey that you can tell authors?

Claudine: I think the biggest lesson is for writers to trust their gut. It is not easy to put your writing out into the world. Sadly, the critics out there can be brutal, but the number of people that you actually help FAR outweigh the critics. Be brave and know that you are not alone. When you feel alone, google "mean book reviews" and you will know that you are not alone. Never let a few critics of your precious message away from the many who will benefit from your work. 

WOW: Who is this book right for?

Claudine: This book is for any author who wants to write, publish, and market a book and for existing authors who would like a refresher course on the fundamentals of book marketing. Not only is it a guide for an author to make the decision on how to publish, it provides the starting point for any good marketing plan. Once an author understands the publishing process and what is possible with book marketing, they can make good decisions that will help them to get their book seen and sold. 

WOW: That's awesome. For authors nervous about marketing, what advice would you give them?

Claudine: I would say to that author, "You cared so much about the message in your book, the story you want to tell, that you wrote a whole book about it! Your message deserves to be out in the world. Your book deserves the best chance to be seen and sold. Take some time to learn a few book marketing options, apply them faithfully and you will do right by your book!"

WOW: Absolutely! What are you working on next that you can tell us about?

Claudine: Ahhh, right now I am marketing my book by following all the advice in Get Your Book Seen and Sold. My Substack Newsletter / Podcast (claudinewolk.substack.com) is growing and I am so excited to be reaching more authors who want to learn about book marketing from newsletters and podcast episodes with book marketing authors and industry experts. I also consult on book marketing as a coach and have a new online lesson coming out for purchase titled Begin: Write Your Book The Right Way where I partner with Kate Brenton. Kate and I combine "how to write" with "how to market" the book you have been meaning to write! I am practicing what I preach!

WOW: How cool! Best of luck on your journey, and can't wait to see what you come out with next.


Get Your Book Seen and Sold by Claudine Wolk Blog Tour

Blog Tour Calendar

September 18th @ The Muffin
Join us on The Muffin as we celebrate the launch of Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette's book Get Your Book Seen and Sold. You can also enter to win a copy for yourself!

September 19th @ Karen Brown Tyson's blog
Join Karen as she reviews Get Your Book Seen and Sold. You can also win a copy for yourself!

September 20th @ My Beauty, My Books
Join Nikki for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold. 

September 21st @ Knotty Needle
Join Judy for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

September 22nd @ Word Magic
Visit Fiona's blog for a guest post by Claudine about creating a list of media contacts and how to use them.

September 23rd @ Chapter Break
Visit Julie's blog for a guest post by Claudine about how to pick and choose where to focus your book marketing.

September 25th @ My Heart is Booked
Don't miss Danielle's book review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold. You can also win a copy for yourself!

September 28th @ Deborah Zenha-Adams' blog
Deborah shares an excerpt from Get Your Book Seen and Sold. You also have a chance to win a copy of the book, too!

September 29th @ Margay Leah Justice
Join Margay as she reviews Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 1st @ Balance and Joy
Join Sheri for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 4th @ Author Anthony Avina's blog
Join Anthony for a guest post by Claudine about the trick to a great interview.

October 6th @ Carole Writes
Join Carole for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 7th @ A Wonderful World of Books
Visit Joy's blog for a guest post by Claudine Wolk about a popular book marketing roadmap.

October 7th @ Of History and Kings
Join Helen for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 10th @ What is That Book About
Visit Michelle's blog for an excerpt from Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 13th @ CK Sorens
Visit Carrie's page for her insights into Get Your Book Seen and Sold. You can also win a copy for yourself too.

October 15th @ Madeline Sharples' blog
Join Madeline for a guest post by Claudine about how you can't do everything. Don't miss it! 

October 15th @ The Mommies Review
Visit Glenda's blog for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 17th @ One Writer's Journey
Join Sue for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 17th @ Just Katherine
Visit Katherine's blog for a guest post by Claudine Wolk about how writing and book marketing are related.

October 18th @ A Storybook World
Visit Deirdra's blog for a spotlight of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 19th @ Pick a Good Book
Join Debbie for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 19th @ Book Reviews from an Avid Reader
Visit Joan's blog for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 20th @ Beverley A. Baird's Blog
Join Beverley for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold by Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette.

October 21st @ Free to be Me
Join Leslie for her review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 21st @ Editor 911
Visit Margo's blog for a review of Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

October 22nd @ Beverley A. Baird's Blog
Visit Beverley's blog again for a guest post by Claudine Wolk about the top ten insider tips for self-publishing and book promotion.

October 22nd @ Jill Sheets' blog
Visit Jill's blog for her interview with author Claudine Wolk about her book Get Your Book Seen and Sold.

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****

Enter to win a copy of Get Your Book Seen and Sold by Claudine Wolk and Julie Murkette! Fill out the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win. The giveaway ends October 1 at 11:59 pm CT. We will choose a winner randomly the next day and announce them in the Rafflecopter widget. We will also follow up by email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Interview with Julie Lockhart, Runner-Up in the Q3 2023 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest

Sunday, September 17, 2023
Julie Lockhart loves an adventure in wild places. She spent most of her career in academics, where she published in peer-reviewed journals, such as Critical Issues in Environmental Taxation and Advances in Accounting Education. During the last years of her career, she led a grief support nonprofit, where she discovered the beauty and depth of personal stories, writing about her experiences to help grieving people feel less alone. Her essays have appeared in the Ashland Daily Tidings, Minerva Rising, the Journal of Wild Culture, and bioStories. You can read more at: julietales.com. Julie lives in Port Townsend, WA. 

---- Interview by Angela Mackintosh
 
WOW: Congratulations on placing as a runner up in the Q3 2023 Creative Nonfiction Essay Contest! I love the creative form of your essay from the very opening to the last line. What was your inspiration to begin writing "Recipe for Forgiveness"?

Julie: Thank you for your kind words, Angela. I have been fascinated with form/structure in approaching my stories. And I get inspired in the courses I have taken through WOW and other venues. All three of my essays that have made it to the top ten list have come from the challenging and creative assignment options that Chelsey Clammer offers. When I write about my life, I try to focus on how I’ve grown through the difficulties. Stories roll around in my head, and I need an infusion of inspiration to make them feel worth writing about. I search for ways to write where it doesn’t sound like I’m just carping about someone, such as my mother. I’ve worked really hard to move past the wounding from my childhood and early adulthood, and I’d like to inspire others to see that healing is possible. This line, “Keep baking until your thoughts of her become soft and fluffy frosting,” is really a statement that there’s always another level of healing and forgiveness to strive for. And that’s OK!

WOW: Oh yes, I simply adore that line! It’s very encouraging to readers, and such an important point you made about working past old wounds. I think innovative forms like yours certainly help that materialize. I also love Chelsey’s workshops! What was the most challenging aspect of writing this essay?

Julie: When I challenge myself to create a unique story structure, I often don’t yet know where the story is going. I find myself churning ideas around in the middle of the night, especially if there’s a deadline for a course or submission date. The challenges in writing “Recipe for Forgiveness” were to figure out how to put it together, what to include and not include, and to get enough sleep!

WOW: Ha! I'm a fan of sleep, but your hard work shows. The recipe at the end blew me away, both for the fantastic tips about baking vegan (flax egg!) and for the way you found compassion for yourself and your mother. Baking vegan is a lot about making little changes and substitutions. I remember making buttermilk by mixing almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl to curdle. It's a smart metaphor for how you were conditioned to do things growing up vs. how you carved your own path. You always use such creative structures that I imagine you have some literary influences. Who are some authors who've inspired your writing?

Julie: Because I spent most of my career in academics (even though my field of accounting might sound boring), I love studying the more “academic” side of creative nonfiction. For example, reading Brenda Miller’s A Braided Heart: Shaping the Lyric Essay gets my creative juices going. I also loved her essay on “How to Meditate.” I’m inspired by “The Pain Scale,” by Eula Biss, partly because I’ve experienced chronic pain, and also the structure really works. And I found that Gary Kadlec’s essay on cancer, “I am Al’s Lymphoma,” got me to see that you can write nonfiction from a different perspective; in this case he has personified the cancer that tells the story.

WOW: We have a similar taste in essayists. I’ve read those essays except for Gary Kadlec’s, and now I will have to check that out. I also love Eula Biss’s essay and one of my favorites from her is “Time and Distance Overcome.”

Switching gears here, I know you are a nature lover, and I saw your website about your favorite hikes! What are some recent adventures, and can you share anything you've learned from them?

Julie: There’s always something to learn from adventures in wild places, whether it’s looking for “signs,” such as seeing an eagle when I need guidance on a personal challenge, or figuring out my limits as I age. Just last week, while hiking a stunning trail to the top of a local mountain, I experienced profound gratitude that I can accomplish such a hike at the age of 65. A good example of my nature writing was recently published. It’s an exciting kayaking adventure with reflections and learnings: https://biostories.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/My-Inside-Passage.pdf

WOW: Oh that’s a beautiful essay, Julie! I love how you explore memory through the vivid backdrop of kayaking. It has wonderful rhythm and pace, and almost mimics the motion of kayaking. Some writers I know listen to music while they write, others light a candle to get in the mood. Do you have any writing rituals that help get you in the zone?

Julie: I have a writing group that for years has met almost every week on Zoom. We do 20-minute hand-written, timed writings, which is how I often start the work on an essay idea. Sometimes if I’m stuck in the middle of a piece, I’ll set a timer and write by hand, because I’ve learned it’s a great way to move the work forward.

WOW: So true! Timers are a great way to break through any block. What are you working on right now? 

Julie: I’ve accumulated a large “pile” of digital rejection letters from submissions. I’m sorting through these essays to see if there’s a different way to write the story. For example, I had written an essay about my ex-husband’s death when our daughter was six. I decided to rewrite it from his perspective, as though he’s hanging around us “on the other side” and watching what’s going on. I may try braiding in parts of the original essay to see how it shapes up. I may also braid in some research about the grief experience. I like the challenge of creating something new from a stale-feeling piece of writing.

Thank you for this opportunity to talk about my writing!

WOW: That's a creative, ambitious project, and I wish you the best of luck with it, Julie! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. I’m a fan of your work and hope to read more of your writing soon.

Find out more about WOW's creative nonfiction and flash fiction contest here: 


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Ask the Book Doctor: Making Money Writing

Saturday, September 16, 2023

By Bobbie Christmas

Q: How do we support ourselves while we’re writing our books?

A: If you’re writing nonfiction, you can write a proposal and several sample chapters instead of the whole book. If the information is current, compelling, and well written, and if the proposal follows the guidelines about how to write a book proposal, you may succeed in selling the book and get an advance against future royalties. Still, the advance may not be enough to live on while you write the full book. My advance from Union Square Publishing for the first edition of Write In Style paid only about a month’s expenses, so I continued to edit books and write articles to maintain my income while I wrote my book in my free time. 

If you write fiction, you can try your hand at freelancing for magazines and websites while you also write your novel.

Writing and selling articles is a great way to make some money while you’re also writing your book, but you need to know how to write an article and how to find work, and writing articles can be a full-time job in itself.

Long ago at a local meeting of The Writers Network I asked attendees how they supported themselves while they wrote their books. The consensus was that most kept their day jobs and wrote their books at night and on weekends.

In reality most of us writers don’t make enough money off our books even after they are published anyway, so we’d better have another solid source of income, no matter what.

Q: Tell me about breaking into magazine writing.

A: Oh dear, entire books have been written on the subject. I can’t possibly give the answer the full attention it deserves. Instead I recommend reading a few books on the subject. Although I haven’t read the book, I looked at a few, and I liked Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Magazine Articles by Sheree Bykofsky best of all, because it covers a great deal of territory, including how to handle your taxes when you get paid. I’m a little prejudiced because Sheree has been a help to me from time to time. She’s a literary agent in New York.

In brief, editors need to see that you can write a good article and are familiar with the jargon and craft of journalism. For example, the lead paragraph of an article can be referred to as a lede or a lead. When editors read your clips (examples of articles you’re written), they want to see you know how to write a strong lede, follow the tenets of creative writing, and use good grammar.

At the time I began freelancing full-time—when dinosaurs roamed the earth—I used the Yellow Pages to find local magazine publishers. I made appointments to show off my portfolio and get to know the editors. In this way I was able to get articles assigned to me regularly. Today you’re not limited to local publications. The internet is filled with information on periodical publishers and how to query them.

Q: How can I go from free to fee writing?

A: Good for you for writing for free! You’re building your portfolio.

Many accomplished writers began by writing free articles. Some do it to get experience and build a portfolio. Others began writing as volunteers for nonprofit organizations. I began by writing and editing for my school newspapers and then for charitable and educational organizations. After I gathered enough bylined articles to build a solid portfolio, I used it to land a full-time job as a reporter and editor with a newspaper. Over the years as my skills and portfolio grew stronger, I moved into corporate communications, without ever revealing that my original portfolio had all been written for free.

I’ve progressed into editing books and magazines, so I no longer seek freelance writing assignments. When I did, though, I had much more success when I met with publishers, showed them my copious and varied portfolio, and asked for assignments. Nowadays I recommend that freelancers have a website that displays some of their published articles. Websites have become essential for anyone in business, and trust me, freelance writing is a business.

As a business owner you must constantly market yourself. No client lasts forever. Editors change, companies fold, work dries up, and if you aren’t always looking for more and new clients, you will find yourself out of work.

Even though printed periodicals have slowly dwindled, other opportunities have arisen. Companies need copy for their websites. Businesses and organizations need newsletters and blog entries. Query all the websites, periodicals, and other paying markets that appeal to you. Never stop looking. If you hone your writing skills and approach publishers in a professional manner, you will soon go from free to fee.

Never make the mistake of undercharging, though. Rather than settle for low rates, you may need to use a few negotiating skills. Going from free to fee is one thing, but getting paid a fee that’s worthy of your time is more important than merely getting paid.

Even when you are accustomed to getting paid for your work, you may find times when you want to charge less or nothing, such as when writing for a nonprofit that speaks to your heart. Don’t hesitate to follow your passion and use your skills to help people and organizations that make the world a better place.

***

Send your questions to Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications. Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or BZebra@aol.com. Read Bobbie’s Zebra Communications blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/blog/.
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The Bigger the Stakes, The Bigger the Fall

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

I was catching up on my blog reading the other day when I read an insightful post by Nathan Bransford on story stakes – The More the Character Puts in a Bucket, the More There Is to Spill. Admittedly, my first thought when I read the title was “no kidding.” But I’m accustomed to finding treasures among Bransford’s posts so I read on. 

And, yes, I discovered another insight. Too often, our characters are skipping along, having an amazing day when disaster strikes. We expect readers to empathize with our characters because disaster is bad. But if we want to keep our readers engaged, we need to do better. There’s no taking the easy way. 

Bransford’s point was that if your character has already put a ton of effort into something, and then it goes wrong? That’s huge. We’ve all been there and so have our readers. 

Let’s say, for the sake of an example, that your character is a seamstress who has been making a princess-worthy wedding dress for her daughter. Her fingers hurt. She has eye strain. And she’s short on sleep, but three days before the wedding she is ready for the final fitting. That’s when her daughter tells her that she’s calling off the wedding. 

It sounds like the set up for a Gen X rom com, doesn’t it? Mom has serious investment in this dress which has one big day to shine. Now her efforts may never been seen. That’s going to create a lot more tension than if the character was having a lovely cuppa in her garden when she got a phone call that the wedding was off. 

What if your story was a mystery? Your character is a freelancer (how ever did I think of that?) and also a dog walker because she has bills to pay. Recently someone started a dog walking club. Get out and get fit and have fun with your pooch! This is really eating into your character’s ability to keep the lights on. She’s trying to figure out how to get her customers back when she finds the woman who organized the dog walking club dead in the park where everyone, including her and her few remaining dogs, walks. In addition to the trauma of finding the body, now she must find the killer to prove that she didn’t do it. 
 
Tipping over the character’s plans is a great way to create a disaster that is a natural fit for your story. If you can do that, it won’t feel contrived and it will give your character a lot to lose if things don’t get straightened out. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to make some changes to my WIP. 

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of 40 books for young readers.  
  • To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.  
  • Click here to find her newsletter.
She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin again on September 4, 2023.  She teaches:
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Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell: Blog Tour & Giveaway

Monday, September 11, 2023

 


Just in time for the holiday season, author Raven Howell joins us again for another fun blog tour. Her book Santa's Slip Up is perfect for a young reader interested in a bit of spookiness, mystery, and humor. Continue reading to find out more about the author and her book. Plus, you'll have a chance to win a copy for yourself.

First, here's a bit more about the book:

It’s the night of Halloween. Spooks, spiders, and skeletons abound, the full moon glows – so who is cheering, “Ho, ho, ho!”? Apparently, Santa Claus has come to town, though it’s the wrong time of year! But what could be a bad situation, is wittingly handled with humor, and there’s a new winner at this year’s Halloween parade.

For fans of Room on the Broom and The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.

Publisher: Pen It Publishing
ISBN-10: 1639844635
ISBN-12: 978-1639844630
Print Length: 38 pages

Purchase your copy of Santa's Slip Up on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or Barnes and Noble. You can also add it to your GoodReads reading list.

About the Author, Raven Howell

Raven Howell writes stories and poetry for children. Having published several award-winning picture books, she enjoys sharing her love of literature by visiting classrooms and libraries. Raven is Creative & Publishing Advisor for Red Clover Reader, Poetry Director for Monster Magnificent, and writes The Book Bug column for Story Monsters Ink magazine. Her poems are found in children’s magazines such as Ladybug, Spider, Highlights for Children, Humpty Dumpty, and Hello Magazine. She’s a Collaborating Author for Reading is Fundamental SoCal and writes storybooks for Reading Gate.

You can find her online at:

https://www.ravenhowell.com
https://twitter.com/atpearthkeeper
https://www.instagram.com/atpearthkeeper/
https://www.facebook.com/raven.howell.75/
https://www.facebook.com/RavenHowellAuthorandPoetPage/
https://www.pinterest.com/pickward/_saved/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/raven-howell-5a813015b/
https://www.tiktok.com/@ravenhowell22

--- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: Thank you for joining us again for another blog tour! Congratulations on your book, Santa's Slip Up. What inspired you to write it?

Raven: Thank you! Originally, one of my publishers was requesting I write a Christmas-oriented story. I started considering not only Christmas, but other holidays. One morning, on an early dawn mountain hike, I thought, what if one symbolic figure from a holiday got mixed up in another holiday?! That kind of story could be really fun to write and read! 

WOW: It's such a brilliant idea! Why do you think children will enjoy this book?

Raven: Growing up, and still to this day, I find there’s something about mystery and spookiness that’s enticing! There’s an adrenaline rush—getting creeped out, but not too much. Ultimately, kids love to be scared!

In Santa’s Slip Up, children can navigate the Halloween plot using their problem-solving capabilities. The reader meets bump in the night creatures and knows something is not right. As Halloween creepies are encountered, it appears they can be eliminated as the cause of some yet unknown mischief...but can we be sure? 

When the reader learns that anyone can make a mistake—and that it’s perfectly fine to do so—it’s great for a child to discover that seeming desperate situations can almost always be turned around with humor and light-heartedness. 

WOW: I love the combination of play with an important lesson. You have such a way of choosing words that capture the sight and sound of the pictures. Can you share insights in your writing process to achieve such beautiful imagery in your words?

Raven: I’m glad that the words in the story are captured in the pictures—that’s a credit to Savannah Horton, the book’s illustrator. She had the text I wrote to create from. 

In the book, there are many Halloween characters the reader encounters. I wanted to explore as many curious ones I could come up with, and kept jotting them down in my notepad as they popped into my imagination. 

First, you have to include the black cat, right? It’s such a wonderful Halloween icon, like a witch. I added ghosts, and ghouls, and I know it freaks some people out, but the scary clown just had to make it into the storyline. Ha! 

As the narrative grew, my goal was to also capture that time of year where the leaves are brown and crunchy and tumbling about in a cool breeze. The moon shines brighter among bare treetops and you start hearing strange autumn sounds in the evenings. Skeletons are creaky, their bones clanking. Owls have that haunting hoot they echo, and let’s face it—zombies “ramble and twitch.” That helped determine the imagery.

WOW: I love the insights into your process. You are an incredibly prolific children's author. For those who desire to write picture books but don't know where to begin, what advice do you have?

Raven: Make sure when ideas come to you, write them down immediately. That’s so important to do as a starting point. Are you riding the subway and suddenly think of a great story about a child moving to the big city? Maybe you’re relaxing at the beach on vacation, and you’re inspired by the seagulls, and come up with a funny plot about two gulls fighting over a sandwich. Then write it down somewhere, somehow, even if that’s on your phone’s Note app (what I do a lot!) or with a pen on the back of a napkin you have in your handbag.

When you’ve written down your idea, start flushing it out. You need an exciting or enticing intro, characters need development, environment needs explaining and if it’s non-fiction, get your facts straight and do lots of research. Figure out your angle. Is it going somewhere? If the writing of it becomes too tedious, put it aside and try working on it later, or choose another idea.

As you’re moving forward, figuring things out, don’t hesitate to ask others lots of questions—from librarians to other published authors. And keep writing, even if it’s irrelevant to your picture book. Just writing, in and of itself, instigates more writing and is helpful in so many ways you may not be aware of.

WOW: Excellent tips! How do you know when you've written a picture book that will resonate with children?

Raven: As an author, it’s impossible to predict how your book will be perceived and resonate with readers ahead of its release to the public. I’ve been writing full time as a children’s author in various formats for three decades now. The children I wrote for in 1999 are not the children, the generation of children, I write for today. The world moves forward in social, economic, environmental, technological—in all—ways. It’s a matter of adjusting to what’s relevant today. I think THAT’S what I find resonates with children. For instance, STEM activities associated with stories and books are popular now. That wasn’t a prominent aspect back in the 90s. 

I have two older books that were out of print, and in the past couple of years I updated them—both the text and illustrations, to be befitting to today’s elementary classrooms and to what’s popular in libraries. And it worked! Both books were picked up for publication, published, and are a popular request in my story times now (the books are Spin a Circle and Seasons).

WOW: That's amazing how you learned how to update your books with the times! What are you working on next that you can tell us about?

Raven: I’ll be busy in children’s fairs, schools, and libraries, reading and sharing my books and activities with students this fall and winter. I have several new upcoming releases: Pinkies Up, The Charms of U.S. Farms, and Loved. They are all very different. One is about a whimsical tea party gone wild, another is about a class trip to local farms and the interesting things the students experience and find out about, and Loved shares the unconditional love between parent and child in prose. 

The best part of being a children’s author for me is truly connecting with the children themselves. And giving a reader a smile.

WOW: You always do, too! Thank you for joining us again! I hope you enjoy the tour.

Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell Blog Tour

--- Blog Tour Calendar

September 11th @ The Muffin
Join us at WOW as we celebrate the launch of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. Get to know more about the author in our interview with her and enter for a chance to win a copy of the book.

September 11th @ Word Magic
Visit Fiona's blog for a guest post by Raven Howell about black cats. Are they really evil or is it all a myth? Find out! (Fun fact: the author owns one!)

September 12th @ One Writer's Journey
Sue shares a guest post by Raven Howell about the story behind the song "Monster Mash" being too morbid for the radio at first. Don't miss this fascinating post!

September 13th @ Barbara Barth's Art & Words
Join Barbara for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. This is a fun children's book you don't want to miss!

September 15th @ One Writer's Journey
Join Sue again for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. You'll love hearing about this charming children's book!

September 17th @ A Wonderful World of Books
Visit Joy's blog for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. You can also enter to win a copy of the book too.

September 18th @ Rockin' Book Reviews
Join Lu Ann for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. You can also win a copy of the book.

September 20th @ AJ Kormon's blog
Visit AJ Kormon's blog for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. You'll want to add this book to your reading list.

September 20th @ Choices
Visit Madeline's blog for a guest post by Raven Howell about the tricks of the trade writing rhyme.

September 22nd @ Chapter Break
Come by Julie's blog for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. You'll also have a chance to win a copy for yourself.

September 24th @ Seaside Book Reviews
Don't miss Jilleen's book review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell.

September 25th @ What is That Book About
Visit Michelle's blog to read an excerpt from Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell.

September 26th @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra for her spotlight of Santa's Slip Up. Don't miss this charming book!

September 28th @ Knotty Needle
Don't miss Judy's review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. You'll love this charming children's book!

October 1st @ Chatty Patty's Place
Join Patty for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. You'll also have the chance to win a copy for yourself, too.

October 3rd @ Writer Advice
Visit Lynn's site for a guest post by Raven Howell about the one thing romance, crime, and religion all have in common (hint: they are the most popular book genre!).

October 5th @ Pick a Good Book
Join Debbie for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. A must-read book for the spooky season!

October 8th @ Jill Sheets' blog
Visit Jill's blog for her interview with author Raven Howell, author of Santa's Slip Up.

October 10th @ Pages and Paws
Visit Kristine's blog for a yummy guest post by Raven Howell that features delicious monster cookies. They are a must-have for the upcoming spooky season!

October 12th @ World of My Imagination
Join Nicole for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell. You can also win a copy of the book!

October 15th @ Jill Sheet's blog
Visit Jill's blog for her review of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell.

***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****

Enter to win a copy of Santa's Slip Up by Raven Howell! Fill out the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win. The giveaway ends September 25th at 11:59 PM CT. We will randomly choose a winner the next day and announce in the Rafflecopter form and follow up via email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Interview with Charity Tahmaseb: Q3 2023 Creative Nonfiction Contest Runner Up

Sunday, September 10, 2023
Charity Tahmaseb has slung corn on the cob for Green Giant and jumped out of airplanes (but not at the same time). She’s worn both Girl Scout and Army green. These days, she writes stories, both short and long, and works as a technical writer for a software company. She has a fondness for coffee, ghosts, and things fantastical. She blogs occasionally at writingwrongs.blog. 

interview by Marcia Peterson

WOW: Congratulations on your top ten win in our Q3 2023 Creative Nonfiction essay competition! What prompted you to enter the contest?

Charity: Thank you! I love the WOW contests, both flash fiction and creative nonfiction ones. They’re easy and fun to enter. Perhaps best of all is being able to submit previously published pieces. Those markets are rare, and I really appreciate that WOW allows that.

I’ve primarily written fiction, but I’m starting to explore creative nonfiction and memoir. Being able to enter the WOW essay contest helps me gauge whether these experiences of mine resonate with a larger audience. Flash—whether fiction or nonfiction—is a great way to test the waters, not only to see if a piece lands but how I feel about it landing.

WOW: I loved your entry, “Field Manual for Waiting” and felt like I was there with you in both situations. What inspired you to write this piece?

Charity: I’m not sure I can articulate why I wrote this particular piece, which might be why I needed to write it in the first place.

Something about these two events, which took place more than thirty years apart, became linked in my mind, and I’m hoping to explore this connection in longer works. I might even tackle a memoir, although this idea scares me a little—or, honestly, a lot.

WOW: Are you working on any writing projects right now? What’s next for you?

Charity: Well, there is that possible memoir. I’m still pondering that since what works in a short piece like “Field Manual for Waiting” might get tedious in a longer format. But this is definitely one of those slow projects that simmers on the back burner while I’m busy doing other things. It will let me know when it wants to be written.

The other project I’m working on is a supernatural suspense series about a small group of people protecting the world from a supernatural force that only they can perceive. It’s also about:

A woman with nothing to hide—except the truth—meets a man with nothing to lose—except his heart. And he’s just arrived in town to fire her.

So, yes, it might have a slow-burn romance as well. It’s one of those stories that’s also been simmering in my mind for a while.

WOW:  Sounds like a fun premise! Switching gears, you mention a fondness for ghosts and things fantastical. Can you tell us about that?

Charity: I do have a fondness for ghosts, and I think it’s linked to my fondness for history. (Because don’t all ghosts have a history?) I don’t watch much television, but I am guilty of binge-watching the UK version of Ghosts. I haven’t entirely warmed up to the US version, but I love the UK one. It’s silly, irreverent, and then, when you least expect it, surprisingly poignant.

One thing I like about fantasy and paranormal is it’s a way of grappling with issues—large and small, moral and ethical—in an engaging format. Come for the exciting story; stay for the thoughtful subtext.

WOW: Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Charity. Before you go, can you share a favorite writing tip or piece of advice?

Charity: One thing I do when I get stuck is to write about writing. Honestly, I often resist this particular exercise, thinking I don’t really need to do it. I’m always wrong, by the way. Longhand works well for me, but I don’t think it’s necessary. And, sometimes, I switch to my laptop because the dam opens, and suddenly, I have all the words.

I think this could also work for writers who dictate their stories—they could talk about writing into a recording device or with a friend. Acknowledging that there’s a barrier is one of the best ways of dismantling it.

***
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Launching into Freelance Editing: Tips for Choosing Your Genre Specialties

Friday, September 08, 2023
Freelance Editing

By Melanie Faith
 
There’s never been a better time to break into freelance editing. With the rise of e-books and digital publishing, many small-press publishers and individual authors who self-publish actively seek the assistance of editors who are enthusiastic about their craft.
 
When you think about beginning as a freelance editor, in addition to creating a website and posting your editorial availability on your social media, another step to explore is to decide what genre or genres you’d most like to edit.
 
Many editors specialize in a few areas of editorial work. While at first glance just mentioning that you are open to editing seems like enough, in actuality you are helping both yourself and your future clients by listing a few of your favorite genres that you have a passion for reading and editing as examples. These might also be genres you write as well.
 
Think of it: fiction alone has countless exciting subgenres, from mysteries, middle grade, thrillers/suspense, horror, new adult fiction, and graphic novels, to literary fiction, sweet romance, sensual romance, science fiction and fantasy, westerns, comedic/humorous fiction, historical fiction, and many more.
 
Similarly, nonfiction manuscripts include a diverse array of subgenres, from memoir to biography, journalism, and true crime, to flash nonfiction collections, autofiction collections, thematic anthologies, and flash memoir manuscripts, just to name a few.
 
Don’t forget that there are also exciting opportunities for editorial work in offering feedback to poets (from individual poems to batches of 3-5 poems to poetry chapbook collections and full-length manuscripts) and in offering personalized feedback on authors’ query letters, book proposals, grant proposals, contest entries, project descriptions, back-cover copy/descriptions, website copy, artist’s statements and author biographies for cover letters and/or website use, writing samples, and synopsis drafts.
 
Also, there are many authors specifically seeking feedback on shorter manuscripts, such as novellas and novelettes in countless fiction genres.
 
Remember that you can always begin with two or three types of editing and expand your range as opportunities come your way after your first few editing jobs.
 
Try this exercise:

I often recommend to my writing students who are interested in getting started as editors that they make a list of four or five of the favorite genres they like to read and/or to write. Get some paper, and list away!
 
Then, jot a few lines about what you love most about these genres; such an explication can be very clarifying.
 
After you’ve made your quick list (do this off of the top of your head and without pausing—first-thought, best-thought style), pick two or three of the genres on your list as your initial editorial specialties.
 
From reading and/or writing often within a genre, you already know a lot about pacing, characterization, dialogue, tropes within the genres, and so much more. You also have a natural passion for these genres which will make offering feedback to talented authors an especially fun and meaningful experience.
 
The sky’s the limit, and happy editing! 
 
***
 
Melanie Faith

Melanie Faith likes to wear many hats, including as a poet, photographer, prose writer, professor, editor, and tutor. She teaches workshops for WOW! Women on Writing. Her new webinar, An Insider’s Look at Launching as a Freelance Editor, is on Friday, September 15th. She’ll also teach a four-week Food Writing class, starting October 6th. Find out more about Melanie by visiting her website.
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Curate, Then Create

Thursday, September 07, 2023



Sometimes I get impatient and don’t let things marinate properly before diving in. Case in point. I wanted to enter a short play in a local play festival for Halloween. I didn’t have a 10-minute-play written, but had a short story I thought might work. I reformatted the short story, inserted simple stage instructions and setting, and read it aloud a few times. Then I went and read the submission requirements for the contest. (Yes, I should have done that first.) The theatre company only wanted five characters max. I had double that. I tweaked the play once more, condensing characters and turning a scene between two people at the end into one character talking into a cell phone. Then I dashed off the play via e-mail, one day before the deadline. Not surprisingly, my play wasn’t selected. I probably should have spent more time reading the submission guidelines and going over the play carefully before submitting. 

I also had to take a step back a few weeks ago when doing planning for my podcast. After taking a hiatus over the summer, I came up with the ambitious idea of batching two months’ worth of podcast episodes in the month of August, so I could begin running them in September. That planning came to a screeching halt. First, I needed to come up with ideas. Pulling from the skills I used to utilize as a magazine assignment editor, I opened my notebook where I keep all true crime notes. I sent out e-mails to prospective interview subjects. I scheduled an interview with one of my favorite local true crime authors. I consulted the calendar of national holidays to see where I could align episodes. I noticed National Cyber Security Awareness Month is in October and felt cyber crimes could tie into a podcast about missing people. I put a call out for experts and lined up calls (the site Qwoted was a huge help here). I looked at notes I’ve jotted down over the past few years and fiddled around with themes (such as “Missing South Carolina Kids from the 1980s"). At the same time, a friend of a friend asked if I would be willing to let a high school senior intern with me so she could get experience for her college applications. I outsourced another podcast episode to a freelance writer. See how much work it took just to plan a batch of scripts? It’s a lot. 

During the few weeks I was working on the planning, my head was spinning and I tried not to get discouraged. But I also felt the thrill of things coming together. It gave me a hope that someday I’ll be able to have a small team execute ideas and take some of the pressure of me. But I’ve also told myself it takes time to do things well, so curating before creating is necessary, no matter how excited we are to start writing.

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and creator of the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.
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Turns Out, Maybe Not Writing Was A Smart Decision This Year

Tuesday, September 05, 2023

Earlier this year I came across someone's blog, who said their writing motivation was switched off like a light switch after going through some really tough times. They said instead of fighting it and struggling to be creative, they just went with it. 

At the time, it really resonated with me. I was (and still am) going through really stressful times myself. Creative writing seemed distant and hard and not where I was at. All the advice stored in my mind encouraged me to maintain the habit. Keep up with it. Fight against the temptation to not write.

And yet, I couldn't do it. 

Still can't, really. 

My desire to pursue creative writing, like theirs, was turned off like a light switch. Truthfully speaking, it's not like I haven't worked on stories at all this year. But it's more like a piddling around. Like working on a car in a garage that you never really expect to run. I've submitted without much effort or worry about a rejection. 

And you know what? It was the smartest decision I could have made.

Weirdly enough, my freelance writing self (that what-feels-non-creative, but rather business-y side of me) has grown. I landed quite a few opportunities. While I haven't mastered the art of cold pitching an idea, I have figured out a way to get into editor's inboxes without feeling like I'm bugging them. 

I'm not writing off the whole year for my creative stuff. In fact, two of my short stories are being published at the end of this year. Things can turn around and suddenly I can have a burst of creative energy waiting for me.

Writing has ebbs and flows. For me, this year, creative writing ebbed. Freelance writing flowed. Sometimes it's been the opposite. Sometimes it's been both or neither.

As writers, we go through fluctuations in our successes, failures, and motivations. If this year, you've felt bad you haven't written, don't. Sometimes we need to go with where we are at, even if the advice tells us otherwise.

Nicole Pyles is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Her writing has appeared in Sky Island Journal, Arlington Literary Journal, The Voices Project, and eventually, The Ocotillo Review and The Gold Man Review. A poem of hers was also featured in the anthology DEAR LEADERS TALES. You can read her other writing on Mental Floss, eventually Better Homes and Gardens, and in a rare issue or two of Woman's World. Say hi to her on Twitter or Threads under @BeingTheWriter.
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