Writing and Publishing News

I received a newsy email from a writing friend this morning. She told me about some interesting assignments she had lined up and it reminded me of how much fun freelance writing can be.

As most of you know, it has been a little while since I’ve been in the freelance article-writing trenches. And sometimes I really miss the occasional excitement. It seems that I had a lot more to talk about in social settings when I was writing for magazines.

You see, when you do freelance work, it is up to you to come up with the article ideas. Generally, writers will pursue articles on topics of their interest and this can certainly result in some fascinating encounters.

I once photographed two unusual and rare Pallas cats at the Denver Zoo from INSIDE the cage for an article for Cats Magazine. I’ve observed up close and personal how birds of prey are trained. I have interviewed some fairly high profile professionals in a variety of professions over the years—a former Miss America, a couple of world class public speakers, several widely-known artists, some amazing inventors and other interesting people.

Just think about it, as a freelance writer, if you want to try sailing, you can plan an article about the upsurge in sailing locally and, perhaps, get a free sailing lesson as part of your interview. If you love to hike, hook up with an avid hiker on his next trek into a particular wilderness and then write about it. Maybe you have an interest in gourmet cooking. Arrange to sit in on one of her classes and you’ll get material for a story while learning some culinary techniques you can use at home. I once learned how to make a living wreath (planted with live plants) because I was writing about the process for a magazine.

Are you interested in knowing more about dating services? Find a magazine that wants an article on the subject and then see if the directors will let you try the service for free so you can report on it in a more personal way. Suggest a piece on the summer hot air balloon festival in your area to an appropriate magazine and you might get a complimentary ride up, up and away. A local magazine might be interested in an article featuring people who ride the rails (use train travel). This assignment would surely get you a free pass to the next town and back.

Are you getting bored with your mundane writing life? Spice it up by writing about some of the things that excite you and then go in search of the opportunities to experience them. What would create excitement in your life? Scuba diving, watching a famous artist at work, spending the day on a movie set, interviewing a well-known philosopher, doing a few celebrity interviews, going to a dude ranch, taking a ballroom dancing lesson or volunteering at a cat rescue or wild animal rescue facility? Come up with a slant for an article on the subject, present it to an appropriate magazine and maybe you’ll get some opportunities that will spice up your life.

I will be gone most of the next week. I’m not sure how many times I’ll come home to check email or if I’ll have internet access at the beach house where I’ll be vacationing with family. So I may not add to this blog for as long as a week. I hope I am missed.

Lately, I’ve written quite a bit about ideas for writers—how to come up with ideas for your articles, books, speeches and blogs and how to slice, dice and mince those ideas into hundreds of others. I hope that my suggestions have helped in your write-to-publish efforts.

Now let’s talk about fleshing out those ideas and creating interesting, informative and/or entertaining blog posts, articles, speeches and so forth.

I evaluated a book manuscript for a neighbor this week. There was a lot going on with this manuscript, but it lacked focus, a clear purpose and there was no beginning, middle and end. The author was ready to argue with me about this. She said, “Well, it’s a novel. And it is something I want to donate for genealogy research. It is also my life story, you know.”

I said, “I know. It is bits and pieces of your life story with some genealogy stuff thrown in. Sure there are a few parts of it that read like a rough draft of a novel. But it doesn’t, yet, seem to have a purpose and there is no beginning, middle and end.” She kept repeating, “Beginning, middle and end,” as if in contemplation—as if this concept was brand new to her. Hasn’t she ever read a book?

Articles, short stories and blog posts also rely on a beginning, middle and end in order to make them work. Sure, it’s your blog and you can do whatever you want. Isn’t that the real beauty of a blog site? It’s yours! It can reflect you and your thoughts, ideas, dreams, belief system, passions… And many bloggers (including yours truly) tend to ramble sometimes. But, because this blog site focuses on publishing, I always try to make a point related to this topic. I try to tie the ending remarks to the beginning comments or questions. And I often enjoy rambling in between.

Are you landing writing assignments? Are publishers interested in your manuscripts? Do you have followers for your blog? If not, you might examine the content of your stories and articles. Do they have a logical beginning, middle and end or do they read like a lot of blather—like writing with no purpose or direction? Do your pieces make sense and have a point? Or do your readers walk away feeling confused?

I love to give assignments. This week, I’d like you to take a look at some of your best writing. Check it over for that meaningful beginning (which might introduce your subject or set the mood for your story), a middle (that explains the subject in various ways or tells the story) and the end (which might bring the theme full circle or your story to a reasonable conclusion).

If you have questions, contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com

Can you use this phrase, yet? When someone asks what you do, can you respond by saying, “I’m a writer,” or do the words stick in your throat?

Maybe you aren’t writing full-time, so it doesn’t seem right to claim writing as your profession.
So, at what point will you be able to accept the label, “writer?”

For me, it was after I sold my first few articles and a publisher accepted my first book. However, I know people who introduce themselves as authors as soon as they decide to write a book.

Twice, recently, someone asked me what I do. While I’ve been earning my living through writing-related endeavors for decades, I must say that I felt a need to explain myself when I responded, “I’m a writer.”

Think about it; I remember when I didn’t know another serious, career writer. Today, everyone is writing a book. Throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, you weren’t taken seriously as a writer because no one, except the big name authors, were considered legitimate. Today, you aren’t taken seriously as a writer because everyone is writing something.

When I responded recently by saying “I’m a writer,” I felt compelled to add, “I actually have carved out a 35-year career for myself in the writing field.”

I needed to justify my claim to show that I am a writer in every sense of the word and I’m not just another person who has suddenly decided to write his memoirs. I needed this person to know that I am the real deal—whatever that is.

But then, this has been career-long issue—trying to get others to understand that I don’t just sit down and write when the mood strikes, I write for a living. And, “No,” my name might not be familiar to you—you’ve probably never read anything I have written.

And now my career isn’t only about writing. It has evolved into a publishing company that’s responsible for producing over a dozen books. It is a virtual bookstore that sells books on a variety of topics. It is a consulting firm where writers and authors can come for assistance and guidance. It is an editorial service as well as a virtual classroom and a source of presentations for freelance writers and authors. On top of this, I have offered my services as a working officer in SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) for the past 13 years. But who, other than someone who desires my services cares about all this?

How do you view yourself within the world of creativity? Are you a serious writer/author? Do you consider yourself a professional in this field? Maybe you are just starting out, but you aspire to establish a writing career. Or maybe you are writing your first book—a memoir, a novel or a business book designed to promote your work, for example. Will you pursue this project as a professional or do you still view writing as a frivolous activity?

It has been my observation over the years that those who take the necessary steps toward publishing success (whether as an author or freelance writer), have a much greater success rate. And more of these folks can justifiably wear the title, writer or author.

For help in establishing your business model and achieving your publishing dreams, study some of my books. The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book or A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles, are two great choices. Check them out at:
http://www.matilijapress.com

Be sure to stop by and see the new SPAWN site. Sign up for the FREE SPAWN monthly newsletter and receive a FREE copy of our new ebooklet, Promote Yourself, 25 Ways to Promote Your Work Whether You’re an Author, Artist or Small Publisher.
http://www.spawn.org

Do you ever wonder how someone can come up with enough ideas to keep a blog going day after day after day? Could you think of something fresh to write about every morning of the week/month/year? If you have a blog, how do you come up with ideas? Here’s how I do it.

First, I’m rather predisposed to ideas. I spent many years writing articles for magazines and this means always being on the lookout for and open to ideas and slants. So I use some of the skills and techniques I applied in that career to prepare my blog post each day—well, most days. I realize I’ve missed a few days during the SPAWN transition. It has been mighty busy in the Matilija Press offices and the SPAWN headquarters lately. (SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network)
http://www.spawn.org

Okay, so we’re talking about ideas for a daily (or even weekly blog). Here’s how I come up with them. I write about things that I have:

• Observed
• Read
• Watched
• Overheard
• Learned
• Thought about
• Experienced
• Worried about

I write about things that I:

• Care about
• Enjoy
• Get a kick out of
• Am concerned about
• Believe in
• Want to warn you about
• Dislike
• Recommend

This morning, when I looked at the blank computer screen, the first thought that came to mind was, “What should I write about today?” That’s when I started thinking about blog ideas and how we come up with them. So that became today’s topic.

My blog on August 18… (Has it really been that long since I’ve posted a blog? Shame, shame on me!) Well, that blog was about competition and the topic came to me as I watched a flock of hummingbirds vying for sweet nectar and two of my cats competing for my attention. Obviously, we face competition in the world of publishing, as well.

There is no shortage of ideas or ways of presenting them. So the last thing that a new blogger or article-writer needs to worry about is the availability of ideas. What they do need to work on is developing a habit of recognizing them and tweaking them so that they make a useful point.

If you need help with this concept, sign up today for my on-demand, online article-writing course:
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm

Contact me here: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

And while you’re surfing around on the Internet today, be sure to stop by the NEW SPAWN site: http://www.spawn.org Let us know how you like it.
Patricia@spawn.org or Susan@spawn.org.

Every creature seems to be in competition—even the hummingbirds in my yard.

Truly, I’ve never seen such a phenomenon. Usually, we have a few hummingbirds around the feeder outside my office window. There’s Bully Bird and a couple of other hummers who spend every waking hour trying to outsmart the bully. In all of the dozen or so years that I’ve had hummingbird feeders, I’ve rarely seen two birds sit on it at once. If a second bird comes near when Bully is eating, he chases the intruder off.

This year is different. We have an infestation of hummingbirds—and I mean this in the most positive way. Our feeder has maybe a 15-bird capacity, if they were all to sit shoulder to shoulder. Instead of feeding holes, our feeder has a trough. And, during the last several weeks, we have seen as many as 9 hummers sitting and eating calmly at one time. I’m filling the four-cup feeder every three—sometimes, two days. Bully Bird is still around, but he is not effective when the masses arrive and he is learning to relax, share and get what he can out of the situation.

My cats are in competition. Eleven-year-old Max enjoys curling up in my lap each morning for fifteen or twenty minutes. Lily, 4 ½ months old, is the new kid on the block and she loves a spot on my lap after breakfast, too. So each morning the two of them use all sorts of cunning maneuvers to get their special time in my lap.

There’s a lot of competing going on in the job market—with more and more people being laid off.

And the competition for writers and authors is greater now than ever before. There are more healthy retirees writing the books of their lifelong dreams. There are more businessmen and women writing calling card books. And there are more unemployed folks trying to earn some extra cash writing for magazines, corporations, etc. So what does this mean for you?

If you are an author pitching a book to publishers or considering self-publishing, it means taking extra responsibility to create the best product that you can. It means making sure that you have a book that is well-written and needed—a viable product.

If you are an author who is promoting a book, you will need to be more proactive and creative than ever before. Do more of what you’ve been doing if it’s working. Try some new promotional tactics. Expand your horizons by participating in a webinar or teleseminar on book promotion, for example. Study good books on the topic. Sign up for my Book Promotion Workshop. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm

If you are a freelance magazine article writer, continue submitting your work to familiar publications, but also reach out to new paying magazines, newsletters and websites. Revisit those publications that rejected you in the past. Some of them may have new editors who will love your style.

If you work for corporations, organizations and agencies, approach them with new ideas for promo material, brochures, etc. Ask your contacts to recommend you to other companies. Spend time researching other businesses that might need the services of a freelance writer.

Join SPAWN and meet authors who need help with their manuscripts or promotional brochures for their books.

Speaking of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), our new website is up. You’ve gotta check it out. Let me know what you think: Patricia@spawn.org.
http://www.spawn.org.

We’re still working on it, so let us know if you see something out of line so we can fix it.

For the rest of this week, I want you to think about the competition you face in your writing work. How have you overcome some of the obstacles? What are you doing differently in order to make your writing pay? Leave a comment here. We’d like to know.

For me, in between all of the work involved with the SPAWN transition, I am just doing more of what I do—submitting articles (to promote my books and my editorial/consulting services). When things settle down here at SPAWN, and I know that all of our members are happy, I will be contacting clients and customers to see if they need any help. I’ll be setting up speaking engagements at various writers/publishing conferences throughout the U.S., to name a few.