New Year Dreams, Guest Post by Rochelle Melander

New Year Dreams by Rochelle Melander "Not easy to find the balance, for if one does not have wild dreams of achievement, there is no spur even to get the dishes washed. One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being." —May Sarton, Journal of a Solitude People who record their dreams and goals are better able to achieve them. They are also happier and healthier. Record your...

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Leave a Comment Friday Speak Out, New Years Resolutions, New Years writing Resolutions, Rochelle Melander

Scratching the Surface in Research and Writing

Research is one of my favorite aspects of writing. But with my wide interests, I often need to curtail my enthusiasm. Even in fiction, research can be required and I'll often spend time researching and then forget about the writing. Sometimes I find myself getting swept away by the books I am reading for background. Just recently I was reading a biography for a nonfiction piece I was assigned. The subject's life (and the writer's skills) overtook me and I found myself wrapped up in the...

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Leave a Comment Elizabeth King Humphrey, fiction, non-fiction, research

Jan Ackerson, Summer 2010 Flash Fiction Contest Runner-Up

Jan’s Bio:Jan Ackerson is a retired high school teacher living with her husband and Sophie, the Demented Cat in rural Michigan. She was first published in 1962, when her poem I Like Deer appeared in her elementary school’s literary anthology. After that, she took a long break from writing, until a family crisis in 2000 drove her to find solace in the scratch of pen on paper.Her short stories and...

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3 comments Contestant interview, Jan Ackerson, Jill Earl, Summer 2010 Flash Fiction Contest

Deadlines Are Meant to be Broken

Do you work better under pressure? Yeah, me too. With the clock ticking, the rush of adrenaline, the total focus on the job leads to my best writing. I blame my work as a newspaper stringer for that attitude. Because, even though that’s what I used to tell myself, the truth is a bit different.1. Deadline writing isn’t the best. Writing, like stew, is always better the second day. When you have...

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1 comment

Search, Select, Shape & Shove Off: Getting Your Conference List Together

As you draw up your writing goals for 2011, think about adding a conference or two. In attending one, you develop or hone your skills, can submit your work to existing markets or discover new ones, and can network with peers and industry pros. Since going to my first one a few years ago, I look forward to each year’s conference season. Below are four steps I’ll use to put my own list together.1)...

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2 comments Jill Earl, tips on choosing writing conferences

Friday Speak Out!: Emotions and Creativity – Are they Interdependent?, Guest Post by Carrie Oakley

Emotions and Creativity – Are they Interdependent? by Carrie Oakley I’ve found that when I write for myself, I cannot separate my emotions from my creativity; the two combine to make my writing, straight from the heart and true to my feelings and personality. I recently wrote a string of short stories, with most of them dealing with love and relationships and injected with a small dose of humor. A very close friend asked me if I had experienced the emotions I had written about; she...

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Leave a Comment Carrie Oakley, Creativity, emotions, Friday Speak Out

Spanning the Globe: Turning Local Ideas Into National and International Stories

As I freelance writer, I devour the newspaper when it lands in my mailbox. Yes, I read the entire newspaper, but I pay special attention to the regional and business sections. Why? Because the local stories sometimes make great articles for national - and even international -publications.What type of story works best? Unfortunately there's not a magic formula. It's a matter of hard work and thinking...

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1 comment generating new ideas, getting ideas, infographics, international sales, local stories, LuAnn Schindler, national sales, need-to-knows, photographs, repurposing ideas, reslanting an article

The Dawning of a New Year: Bring Your Dreams to Light

Today the sun was born anew; at least that is what our ancestors would have thought. After the winter solstice, the longest night, they watched as the sun grew stronger each day. In the past, the winter solstice was a time of great celebration, an invitation and welcoming of abundance—the original New Year.Many years ago I had a small group of friends who were very much into the solstices. For winter’s...

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Leave a Comment Dawning of a New Year: Bring Your Dreams to Light, Inspiration, manifesting, New Years writing Resolutions, Robyn Chausse, setting goals, time management, Winter Solstice

Interview with Susan Stites - 3rd Place Winner of the Summer 2010 Flash Fiction Contest

Susan's Bio: Susan Stites is the owner and sole employee of Management Allegories, a management development and technical writing firm based in Madison, Wisconsin. She has a BA in English from Wichita State University and an MA in Education from Northwestern University. Susan has published numerous books and technical training programs for clients, and is currently working on a collection of stories...

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Leave a Comment Anne Greenawalt, Summer flash fiction 3rd place, Susan Stites

Reorganize, prioritize and trim the schedule

Tis the season to be overworked, overstretched and overstressed. At least I know it is for me. As I write this post I think about how many things I’ve forgotten (or was reminded of) the last few months. Work, family, activities, writing, etc have all been weighing down on me. I’ve decided to make some changes. Maybe you can use these ideas, too. Take a good hard look at the schedule. By sitting down to look at everything you need to do, you can be very honest with yourself about how much...

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5 comments celebrations and holidays, making writing a priority, reorganizing, schedules, set writing goals, writing

All the Treats of the Season

We know the drill. The holidays hit with the end of the year closely following and our pace changes. It's crazed as we bounce from festivity to festivity.But for me, oddly, the end of the year brings more slow-down time than at other times of year. Oddly, the most crazed time of year is also the time when my husband and I can have some DEAR time(Drop-Everything-And-Read). The phrase comes from my daughter's school, but apparently it is a concept that is growing throughout the country.From...

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3 comments books, Elizabeth King Humphrey

Friday Speak Out!: Keeping the Holiday Spirit from Crushing Your Writing, Guest Post by Joy Paley

Keeping the Holiday Spirit from Crushing Your Writing by Joy Paley We’re coming up fast into the thick of the holiday season. After Thanksgiving hits, I sometimes feel that I’m constantly surrounded by family and friends non-stop until the new year. Some parts of this are great, like feeling inspired by old friends I haven’t seen in a long time and getting a dose of my mom’s words of wisdom. Other...

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Leave a Comment Friday Speak Out, holiday writing, Joy Paley, writing time, writing tips

Who Has a Secret?

Have you been keeping secrets? I have! No, my being a writer isn’t a secret. If asked what I do for a living, my family and friends would probably shrug their shoulders and say, “She writes magazine articles and stuff.” It’s true. I do write a lot of “stuff”. Those hung up on labels might call it copywriting: marketing materials, advertorials, blogs for nonprofits, annual reports, book reviews. I...

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4 comments non-fiction book proposals, WIP, writing goals

The Process of Creating Writing Goals

In only a couple of weeks, we’ll say bonjour to 2011. Seemed like yesterday I had my list of writing goals in hand, ready to face this year’s opportunities. As I finish up holiday preparations, I’ll take some time to do a final review on the outcome of 2010’s writing goals, and begin to draw up next year’s.Before I start, I'll turn to a resource I downloaded for free from 48 Days.com, a site created...

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Leave a Comment Jill Earl, writing, writing goals, writing life

Introducing Elizabeth Demers - 2nd place winner in the 2010 Summer Flash Fiction Contest

Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Elizabeth Demers started writing when she was a tween, around the age of 11. Elizabeth swears that many of her early pieces, and even some recent writings, resemble short poems and unfinished sketches. Writing and books have always been important to Elizabeth, who comes from a family of bibliophiles, she did not originally set out to be a writer.Elizabeth graduated...

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Leave a Comment Charon's Lament, Elizabeth Demers, LuAnn Schindler, Summer 2010 Flash Fiction Contest

Holiday Giveaway: $55 Gift Certificate to CSN Stores

Enter to win a $55 Gift Certificate for any product from the million products available from CSN Stores. Readers, you're in for a treat! We have a fantastic giveaway contest for the holiday season. CSN Stores is giving away a $55 Gift Certificate Code to one lucky WOW reader! If you aren't familiar with CSN, they are comprised of over 200+ online stores, where you can find everything from Delsey...

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159 comments CSN Stores giveaway, Facebook contest, gift certificate code, giveaway contest, the muffin, twitter contest, women on writing contest, WOW giveaway

Social Media for Authors: An Interview with Leili McKinley

Are you an author who wants to build your online following? Or perhaps you're still working on your book and want to build a platform to attract an agent or publisher?If so, you're in luck! We invited social media expert Leili McKinley to answer a few questions about social media marketing for authors. She also shares a special deal with WOW readers at the end of this interview that you'll want to...

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3 comments author platform, book marketing, ecourse, Leili McKinley, Social Media for Authors, social networking for authors and writers, video training

Stop Making Excuses!

I'm a "brewer." Once I get an idea in mind for an article or story, I like to let it simmer, let it steep and build until I have the perfect blend, like a delicious cup of tea.Honestly, it's procrastination at its best - or worst - depending on how you look at it. Once I get the initial sentence down on paper, I have no problem letting the words spill onto the page. (Smartphone just dinged. Gotta...

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3 comments finding time to write, LuAnn Schindler, time, time management, writing time

Mood Altering and Mood Setting Drinks

Eyes open-coffee in hand. This is the way many people start their day. Some prefer tea or cola, but most crave some kind of heart pumping caffeine. The chill of fall hits the air; hot chocolate comes to mind or perhaps hot apple cider. Christmas conjures up visions of eggnog or hot tea and Champaign rings in the New Year. Some people are teetotalers and others are milk chuggers, and some are...

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3 comments Cherley Grogg, Christmas drinks, coffee, cold weather writing, Drinking and Writing, drinks, emotional hot buttons, mood, moods, New Year's drinks antagonists, protagonist, Tea, whiskey

Friday Speak Out!: Wrapping Up Writing, Guest Post by Deborah Shouse

Wrapping Up Writing by Deborah Shouse The chipmunk who rules the exterior of my house, prancing over porch and flower beds, inspires me. The moment I step outside, he disappears into a hidden crevice, a crack, or hole. He has a map of secret places ready for instant refuge. I think of that chipmunk as I gaze at the calendar, looking for time to write. As the holidays approach, life hums with extra...

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1 comment Deborah Shouse, Friday Speak Out, holiday writing, writing time

From Crash To Recovery In Forty-Five Minutes: My Acronis Back-Up Saved The Day!

My computer system has three firewalls and four spyware programs, so I was surprised when it started having glitches. The trouble began with an update from one of the spyware programs; apparently my XP wasn’t digesting the codes written for Windows. While trying to patch up the paths, my hard drive died. Usually this would be a sad tale—the repair expenses, the down time, all the lost data. Not this...

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3 comments Acronis True Image, computer back-ups, Computer Tips, Data Back-Ups, From Crash To Recovery In Forty-Five Minutes My Acronis Back-Up Saved The Day, Robyn Chausse, software review