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Writer to Writer - April 2008 Brought to you by www.writer2writer.com
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EDITORIAL:
He was stumped as well. It's not like the keyboard is old; I've only had it two or maybe three years. Yeah, I know, it gets a lot of work. But surely not enough to kill it stone cold dead? The batteries we put in each time were rechargeable, and it got to the stage I decided the batteries must have died. But they weren't that old either. Talk about frustration! Finally hubby took to the keyboard with pliers <<shudder>> and twisted a little spring thingummy this way and that, and it's worked ever since. So now you have an idea of why this newsletter is a few days late! Some of the loops I'm on have been discussing why some writers get published and others don't. I want to give you my thoughts on this, but truly, I don't believe it's a hard question, or a complicated answer. First, you need to study the craft as much as possible. I spent more than three years doing nothing but reading books on writing, going to workshops and conferences, and taking courses. And of course, writing. In other words I studied - and practised - my craft as much as possible. Then, when I believed my writing was at a publishable standard, I began to submit. Often. During this time, I continued to study the craft, but I also joined an excellent (live) writing group, that is fundamentally a critique group. I've been a member of that group for nearly nine years, and doubt I will ever leave. I am now able to give back to the group that guided me toward publication. Okay, I digressed a little. <g> A long the way I learned a couple of tricks that have done as much for me as studying the craft has done. They're called tenacity and perseverance. In other words, never give up. If you truly want to be a writer, you'll keep going. If you don't believe your craft is at a publishable level, keep studying. You'll get there, it will take time, as anything worthwhile does, but it will happen. Now I'd like to talk about something that's a little more personal. I don't talk a lot about my family, but I'd like to tell you about my youngest grandchild. Her name is Tara, and she'll be three in June. Tara has William's Syndrome. William's Syndrome comes with a variety of medical issues, and for Tara, that includes constant seizures. She has 60 to 80 seizures per day, which means she can't be left unsupervised for even a few moments. My daughter Cheri has recently discovered Tara is eligible for a Seizure Alert dog but to get one, Cheri and her husband David must commit to raising $10,000 for the association that will supply the dog. What Cheri discovered is there are many adults in Australia with a Seizure Alert dog, but to date no children have been given one. So, to get the ball rolling, Cheri has set up a blog, and I'd love for you to visit it, and/or send the link to anyone you know who might be interested in reading Tara's story. Here's the link: http://www.jakemysterio.bigblog.com.au You can also read the article that appeared in today's (major) newspaper in my state, The Herald Sun: http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23520101-2862,00.html And for those of you living in Australia, Tara will be appearing on Today Tonight on Channel Seven - tonight (Friday April 11). Tara is a gorgeous little girl, with a beautiful personality. It breaks my heart that she has so many medical problems. (Cheri also has six year old twins, with one of them having high functioning autism, so she really has her hands full.) Last time I wrote, I told you about a survey I'd set up. This survey is to help with the planning of the Writer2Writer site. Your answers will decide the sort of information I need to provide, such as articles, courses, and ebooks (etc) that you need to assist the progression of your writing career. I expect the survey will take less than five minutes to complete, and as an enticement, you’ll find some hand-picked (writing-related) gifts on the thank-you page after the survey is complete. So... please go to http://www.writer2writer.com/poll.htm and let your voice be heard. At this point only 35 people (out of over 4,000) have responded. This is your site, and your input is needed. I would like to close the survey soon, so please do your best to go and complete this short survey. Okay, let’s move onto this issue. Beth Morrow talks about one of my favourite subjects - networking for authors. This has been an important key in my publicity strategies. Make sure you read this article! Judy Bagshaw continues on her venture to help authors with publicity. This month she talks about writing free eserials for your readers. Okay, that's it from me - time to sit back and enjoy this issue. Til next time…
Cheryl You can also read this issue online here: http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_April_2008.htm If you missed the last issue, you'll find it here: http://www.writer2writer.com/Newsletter_2_March_2008.htm
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The Free eSerial: Copyright Judy Bagshaw - All Rights Reserved
Romance writers in general have a dual agenda; primarily they can’t not write. But secondarily, most hope to make some money from their writing. And in order to fulfill this secondary agenda, they must attract readers, and keep attracting them. I have addressed some methods for accomplishing this end in my May ‘07 article, Free and Inexpensive Ways to Market Yourself, and June ‘07, More Free and Inexpensive Ways…, as well as September ‘07’s article, Blurbs, Taglines, Teasers and Ads, and November’s A Press Kit with Clout. Also read Jeremy Hoover’s article, How to Get More Readers For Your Books. Recently, I personally ventured into a new area of endeavor, writing a free eserial for my readers, both as a means to draw new visitors to my site, but also as a gift to my existing readership. A couple of writer friends of mine, Skyla Dawn Cameron (urban fantasy) and Elaine Corvidae (sci-fi and dark fantasy) have provided free stories for their fans for the past few years. I read them, studied them and came to the conclusion that I could do this too. I made a couple of false starts in the beginning as I floundered about trying to find the right story and the right format, and then it hit me. A soap opera! Romance, intrigue, endless plot twists and turns. Desperate Hearts was born. I launched on Valentine’s Day ’08 and am really enjoying the journey.
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