What Can YOU Say About Querying?

I left the crazy world recruiting in the financial industry and found myself (after a decade mind you) still scouring resumes, cover letters, and checking references as I was the Director of Operations at a busy call center. With my eyes closed (and probably in my sleep) I can tell you what to do and what not to do when job hunting. Here I am in the writing world (and loving it by the way) and I...

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7 comments author query, basic query ideas, literary query, Query Letter, query suggestions, query tips

That's Really Telling in Disguise

How would you show this? Tell us! :) Something I've been thinking a lot about lately is the old show vs. tell advice that we all hear and give in critique groups and online classes. It is true that showing what a character is feeling or doing is more interesting to read than being told by the author. It's also true that showing usually takes more words and more thought than telling. But one other...

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7 comments fiction writing, Margo L. Dill, show vs tell, writing description, writing prompts

Some Research Recommendations

After writing my book, I moved my notes and printouts into this sturdy file box.Photo Credit | Elizabeth Humphrey In one of my previous WOW! The Muffin posts, Elizabeth McBride asked: "Please talk to us about the research process, when it is necessary to use primary sources, and when one can use secondary (or even more distant) sources. I would love to hear about how you kept yourself organized...

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2 comments Elizabeth King Humphrey, how to research, research, research tools, writing research

Friday Speak Out!: My Baby’s First Outings, Guest Post by Sheila K. Collins

Somehow I got into the habit of referring to my memoir as “my baby.” Last year I even teased my pregnant daughter-in-law that I wanted to have my baby before she had hers because I’d been pregnant longer. She beat me by a whole year. As it turns out, Warrior Mother was released on my granddaughter’s first birthday, August 28, 2013. Now I’m getting to learn what happens for a writer when her...

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7 comments becoming published, Friday Speak Out, memoir, Sheila K. Collins, writer inspiration

Magazine Query Letter Success Story

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5 comments query letters, Renee Roberson, success stories, Writing for magazines, writing for regional publications

Reeling in Readers (Or Is Your Bookmark Working For You?)

I often end up published in anthologies, getting an armload of great books in the bargain. And then I wonder how I can get those books out there to readers. I’ll do a couple giveaways on my blog, promoting the book when it first comes out. And I’ll send a few as gifts, depending on the occasion (Happy Birthday/Father’s Day/Anniversary!) But as for book signings, it’s difficult to talk my way into...

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10 comments blog followers, book-selling, book-signing, bookmarks, business cards, Cathy C. Hall, marketing, postcards, readers

Interview with Deirdre Woytek, Spring 2013 Runner-Up

Deirdre is an attorney whose days are filled with legal writing. Outside of work, she tries her hand at many types of creative writing, and is most fascinated, and challenged, by writing stories that truly seem to come to life off of the page. She feels that her winning entry, Writer's Block, is a good example of that. Deirdre currently spends what free time she can find in a screenwriting course...

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1 comment Deidre Woytek, flash fiction runner up, Robyn Chausse, Spring 2013 Flash Fiction Contest

Authors and Teachers Coming Together

Recently I was helping to organize a family reading festival. Children’s authors who had participated in the past had an unusual (Ithought) comment. Throughout the whole day not one teacher had approached them about a school visit. Many teachers attend the festival, some schools even have their own table with literary-themed activities for students. As many children’s authors will tell you, live...

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5 comments children's authors, publicity, school visits

Writing Science

As a nonfiction writer, I’ve had the opportunity to write about both genetics and geology for young readers.  I’ve written about disease in horses and the biology of sharks.  While I also write history and crafts, science topics are often easier to sell because there is less competition. If you want to write science for young readers, here are five things you need to know: Kid Friendly...

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7 comments children's nonfiction, science, writing nonfiction for kids

Friday Speak Out!: Requested Material, Guest Post by Beth Cato

As I prepared for my first writers' conference back in 2008, I encountered a tip: buy a rubber stamp that says "Requested Material." That way, when you're sending out expected manuscripts and contracts, the agent or editor knows you're not part of the slush. I didn't have a single publication to my name, but my brain swirled with happy dreams. I had a finished novel that I knew--absolutely knew--was...

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9 comments becoming published, Beth Cato, contracts, Friday Speak Out, rejections, success stories

Ten Things I’ve Learned Four Months After Publishing My First Novel

I’ve been publishing short stories since 2007, but this year my debut novel King of the Class was released by a small literary Vancouver publisher (www.nonpublishing.com). I’ve received many questions from debut authors mostly asking "what worked." Here are ten things that worked for me: 1.Target freelancers for reviews. I spent hours emailing publications I felt shared my target audience. Hands-down...

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7 comments becoming published, Gila Green, novel, Tips, WOW online classes

INDIEstructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle, edited by Jessica Bell (Review)

INDIEstructible: Inspiring Stories from the Publishing Jungle is full of essays from authors who have either self-published or signed with a small press. Jessica Bell, whom we've featured here before with her Nutshell series (Show and Tell in a Nutshell, Adverbs and Cliches in a Nutshell) and The Book (a novel), has compiled and edited these wonderfully inspiring pieces, where writers explain why...

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6 comments indie author, Jessica Bell, self-publishing, small press

Interview with Clare Thompson-Ostrander Spring 2013 Flash Fiction Contest Winner

Stop over at the Spring 2013 contest page and read Mercy by Clare Thoompson-Ostrander. Then join us for a closer look at her story and why she decided to take the plunge and enter a writing contest. Despite writing her first story when she was in eighth grade, Clare Thompson-Ostrander never shared her work with others. That soon changed. After taking a writing class right here at WOW!, Clare submitted...

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1 comment Clare Thompson-Ostrander, Contest, flash fiction, Gila Green, LuAnn Schindler, Spring 2013 Flash Fiction Contest, WOW Classes

Cynthia Briggs, author of Pork Chops & Applesauce, launches her blog tour!

& giveaway contest! Pork Chops & Applesauce: A Collection of Recipes and Reflections is about much more than an irresistible recipe for apple dumplings. It also tells the stories that make the recipes special even beyond how they taste…the cake that was made when a son returned from war, the lemonade  that led to a successful lemonade stand, the cookies that were a little boy’s favorite....

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6 comments blog tour, cookbooks, memoir, self-published