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February 10, 2008
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IN THIS ISSUE…
1. From My Desk to Yours: Writing
from Start to Finish
2. Article: 10 Ways to Get Started Writing Today by Lori Chance
3. From the E-mail Box
4.
Setting Your Sites:
5. Article: Write Through It - Dare Yourself To Finish What You
Start by Lucia Zimmitti
6.
Free Resources for Writers
7. WriteSuccess Stories
8. Calls for Writers
9. E-zine Ad Swaps
---
This issue of WriteSuccess is sponsored by...
TOM HOWARD/JOHN H. REID SHORT STORY CONTEST
Sixteenth year. Fourteen cash prizes totaling $5,250. Top prize
$2,000. Seeks short stories, essays and other works
of prose, up to
5,000 words. Winning entries published online. Both published and
unpublished work accepted. Fee
per entry is $12, payable to Winning
Writers. Postmark deadline: March 31. Judges: J.H. Reid, D.C. Konrad.
Submit
online or mail to Winning Writers, Attn: Tom Howard Short
Story Contest, 351 Pleasant Street, PMB 222, Northampton, MA
01060.
Winning Writers is proud to be one of "101 Best Websites for Writers"
(Writer's Digest, 2005-2007).
More information:
www.winningwriters.com/tomstory
---
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***
WRITESUCCESS QUOTE
"Most people
give up just when they're about to achieve success. They
quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute
of the
game one foot from a winning touchdown." -H. Ross Perot
***
FROM MY DESK TO
YOURS: Writing from Start to Finish
Hello:
Chances are, if you're a struggling or aspiring
writer, you fall into
one of two major categories: either you have writing ideas but you
never seem to get around
putting any of them on paper, or you start a
lot of projects but never seem to get around to finishing them. In
either
case, your ideas aren't resulting in finished products.
For years, I started out in the first category. I made
lists and
lists of things to write about that stayed in list form, never
maturing into a story, article or even
a query. Having busted
through that, I now find that I struggle with the latter. Getting
started on developing an
idea is not a problem, but my PC has several
folders of half-finished projects.
I believe that knowing exactly
how we stand in the way of our own
achievement is half the battle. Once we identify the problem, it's
easier
to search for possible remedies. In this issue, I have
included articles that address both of the above roadblocks to
our
writing careers—not getting started, and not finishing. Whichever
category applies to you—or even
if both strike you as familiar—I hope
these articles provide the boost you need to start working on one of
your
ideas, or bring one of them to completion.
Here's to your writing success.
Mary Anne
P.S.
Do you have feedback regarding this newsletter? Any requests
for topics or resources you'd like me to include? Please
feel fr*ee
to drop me a line (or several!) at MaryAnneHahn1@aol.comP.P.S. Reminder! For a limited time only, WriteSuccess
subscribers
receive $10 off the regular annual subscription price of $60 to the
Resources4Writers membership site.
For less than $4.20 a month (less
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Go to http://tinyurl.com/2c6u69 now, and enter "WriteSuccess" as the
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***
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ARTICLE: 10 Ways to Get Started Writing Today
By Lori Chance
1. Pick a quote that's meaningful to you. Write it at the top of the
page. Below the quote, write why
this quote is meaningful to you and
let yourself wander from there.
2. Write down a question that you have
about yourself, your life,
your business... whatever. Take a moment to read back through it.
Then write down how
you might answer the question if someone else
were asking it. (Tip: writing down the question at night, then
reading
it and writing down an answer in the morning can be
especially insightful.)
3. If you're a professional,
write down the top three to five
questions your clients ask you. Write out the answers to each
question. (Tip: each
question and answer has the potential to be a
publishable article or content for your newsletter, but at this
stage,
just write it out. You can edit and refine it later.)
4. What's your opinion? When you visit a business or
have an
experience with someone that stands out, write it down. Include why
the experience stood out to you and
what you learned from it.
5. What five things are you grateful for today and why? Write them
down.
6. What are you reading? Write about what you're reading as well as
your opinion of it. What are you learning?
What do you agree or
disagree with? What would you add, if you could? (Tip: this is great
content for newsletters
as well if the topic is related to your
profession.)
7. What do you really really, really want? Act as if
you're a kid
again and allow yourself to write down anything and everything that
comes to mind - no matter what
it might be.
8. What are the top 100 things you want to be, do or have before you
die? Write these down. (Tip:
doing ten to 15 at a time makes this
easier, but the objective isn't necessarily to find the easiest
answers.
Pushing yourself a little is a good thing. The further down
the list you get, the more the answers may surprise you.)
9. Write about your day. What happened? What did you learn? What do
you wish were different and how? What are
you looking forward to
tomorrow?
10. If you had a message to share with the world, what might it be?
And
why might it be important to share?
The goal here is just to get started writing. It doesn't matter if
you
have a specific project you have to complete or if you're just
looking to start journaling. The purpose is to simply
start. It's
like a car. If it's sitting still you can't get where you want to go.
If you get it in motion,
you can begin to steer it. But it has to be
in motion first.
So pick one of these ten, or something that sparks
your interest and
get started. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.
---
Lori
Chance is a writing coach who uses her experience as a life
coach, mother, woman and entrepreneur to enhance the lives
of herself
and others. Feel free to learn more about Lori online at
http://www.destinationwords.com . You may also enjoy reading one of
her blogs at http://insightsinleadership.blogspot.com .
***
FROM THE EMAIL BOX
Hi, this
is Michael, we have corresponded before, but just letting you
know that you have a first class e-zine!
I often
read different news letters and see peoples comments and sort
of wonder if maybe the writer of the e-zine is just making
it up. But
I want to tell you that your newsletter has, once again, given me
that little extra push to make it happen
this year. In fact I set my
top three goals for 2008 into existence and each of them were
inspired by your e-zine.
So keep up the good work.
And when I get my story, my novel and some of my fillers published,
this year, I
will let you know!
Thank You! I will put your address into my next send out, on my own
e-zine.
Michael
Thanks You...
TickTalk Publishing Invites You...
And www.ticktalk.net Welcomes You...
Read Our Stories And
Have A Better Life!
***
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SETTING YOUR SITES: Useful Sites for Writers
Mag
Portal
http://www.magportal.com/A search took for magazine articles on topics ranging from business
and finance to politics and sports.
---
Digital Books
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/A listing of over 30,000 fr.ee books on the Web, compiled by the
University
of Pennsylvania. Updated regularly.
---
AnyWho
http://www.anywho.com/AT&T's amazing online listing of over 90 million people and
businesses.
---
Hypergrammar
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/A comprehensive one-stop shop for structure, spelling, and
punctuation,
provided by the University of Ottawa.
***
Freelance Home Writers is a membership site that lines writers
up
with customers who need anything and everything from short articles
for Web sites to blog entries. If you're
a versatile writer who
could use $12 to $50 or more any hour, this site might be just what
you're looking for.
Total 100 percent money back guarantee if you're
not satisfied. Check it out:
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Article: Write Through It - Dare Yourself To Finish What You
Start
By Lucia Zimmitti
Let's face it -- ideas are everywhere. Most writers don't have much
trouble
finding ideas (a.k.a. the blissful first stage of the work,
when all is hope and potential). Even when you think you
have no clue
what to write about, you take the dog for a walk and see your
neighbor doing the most absurd thing,
or you hear the evening news
and hear an even more absurd thing, or -- more gratifying yet --
you're in the
shower or stuck in traffic or slicing carrots and
you're bowled over by the all-time greatest idea ever, one that
had
to be dropped down from the heavens just for you.
And in the beginning, you adore the idea. Infatuated,
you ignore all
its faults while you fall deeply in love with its promise. The idea
can do no wrong.
But
after the initial giddiness wears off, and when you realize
you're stuck with the same idea day in and day out, you
see it in a
new, dulled light. It starts to look shabby and ordinary. When you're
struggling to shape it into
something that -- on the page --
accurately reflects that sparkling epiphany you had while washing
your hair, you
might even begin to hate the idea. And that's when you
cast your net wide for new, shinier, more capable inspirations.
I beg you to break that cycle!
I implore you to choose at least a few of the best ideas to move
forward
with. I plead with you to write through those understandable
urges to quit and instead finish what you so happily began.
Look, it's no surprise to anyone who's ever written anything that
writing is hard work. If you care about
your subject, if you want to
communicate with people in a clear and effective manner, if you want
to touch or move
your readers, writing is a difficult task. But it's
important to your future as a writer to see at least some of
your
ideas through to completion, even if the end product isn't what you
hoped it would be. (And, unless you've
got a teacher impatiently
awaiting the work or you're a freelancer who's sold the piece before
it's
written, this might take some discipline and loads of intrinsic
motivation.)
Why is it important to finish
what you start (at least once in a
while)?
You will prove something to yourself.
Since you're most likely your toughest critic, you're the one you
need to prove something to. Many writers
abandon projects mid-way
because the sub-conscious fears that their work isn't good enough or
that they're
not capable of finishing overwhelms and immobilizes
them. When you see the idea through to a completed piece of writing,
you tip the scales in your favor and start to silence those nagging
self-doubts.
You will flex your
discipline muscle.
The writing life requires regular doses of discipline and
persistence, especially
on those days when it feels like no one
really cares whether you finish something or not. Making a habit of
finalizing
projects strengthens your ability for self-discipline and
will help you be more productive overall. And accomplishment
can be
addictive. So if you experience the gratification of fulfilling your
intention and realizing your idea once,
you're more likely to work
hard to experience it again.
You can revise a draft. You can't
revise nothing.
We've heard it from sages like Ernest Hemingway and Anne Lamott: if
you expect
too much (anything, really) from your first drafts, you're
setting yourself up for big trouble. If you're a perfectionist
and
you're not finishing pieces because they all feel so yuk mid-way
through, remember that first drafts are
supposed to be yuk and that
you'll have plenty of time to reshape them the next time around.
You
will reveal new and unexpected things about your idea.
Flannery O'Connor said, "I write to discover
what I know." How will
you ever really know where that first shimmering (initially
shimmering, anyway) idea
would have taken you if you don't write
through all the confusion and discomfort? You can mull something over
for days and never be as fruitful as when you mull over the same
issue via the written word. That's the truth.
If you've got hundreds of ideas piled up but very few finished pieces
of writing, start small. Turn your
hand to shorter tasks -- poems,
short stories, essays, or articles. Whether you send them anywhere is
irrelevant.
Write them for you first. When you get in the habit of
experiencing the whole arc of productivity -- idea conception
to
writing through to the end -- graduate to longer works. And allow
yourself to feel disillusioned when the initial
euphoria wears off.
But write through that disappointment, since you'll grow as a writer
when you do.
---
Lucia Zimmitti is a writing coach and independent editor who
publishes "Write Through It,"
a free e-newsletter that offers tips on
writing more clearly and effectively as well as ways to manage the
inevitable
frustrations that go along with getting your ideas on
paper. To sign up for this free, monthly newsletter, visit
http://ManuscriptRx.com .
Lucia is a member of the Society of Children's Writers and
Illustrators
and the Editorial Freelancers Association. Her fiction
and poetry have been published in various national literary journals,
and she has taught writing at the high school and college levels.
***
ARE YOUR
DOUBTS GETTING IN THE WAY OF YOUR WRITING SUCCESS?
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FR.EE RESOURCES FOR WRITERS
RWC
List
RWC is a friendly, helpful group for romance writers at any point in
their careers; from those
who are just starting out, to those who
have sold manuscripts. This list offers them a great chance to stay
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questions, and much more.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RWClist/---
Songwriter Cafe @ Yahoo
A place
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***
WRITESUCCESS STORIES
Have
you won a writing contest? Sold a story, article or essay?
Landed a freelance writing gig? Published a book? Whatever
the
success, drop me a line at MaryAnneHahn1@aol.com and tell us about
it!
Hi Mary Anne,
I enjoy your
newsletter and thanks for sending it out. I was hoping
you could include the link for the place to buy my books in your
newsletter. If you could do this - that would be great. It is:
http://stores.lulu.com/kakonged. I would greatly appreciate you
including this in your next newsletter.
All the best,
Donna Kakonge, BJ, MA, DA
Freelance Communication
Phone: (416) 530-9792
http://stores.lulu.com/kakongedhttp://kakonged.wordpress.comwww.hipcast.com
http://www.kasamba.com/donnakakonge---
Hello Mary Anne,
After years of writing with
no end-goal in mind, I have published my
first book "It's Full of Stars" It has been published by
NeuroBookHouse,
which offers a unique way for anyone to get published,
their web site is: http://neurobookhouse.googlepages.com/home. Anyone
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Regards,
William Duncan
---
My unpublished manuscript, "Substitute Wives," is one of the 20% that
made the semifinals
in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001200CFK .
WARNING: some people say it's explicit. My mother in law is no longer
talking to me.... :-)
Yvonne Eve Walus
yve@xtra.co.nzhttp://yewalus.kiwiwebhost.net.nz/index.htmlAuthor of "Small Price to Pay" -now on Fictionwise.com
***
CALLS FOR WRITERS
In this section, you'll normally find announcements I receive for
contests, anthology submissions, sites looking for content writers,
information on writers' conferences, etc.
Also, if you are looking to interview or work with certain types of
writers, you can post your request here by
emailing me at
MaryAnneHahn1@aol.com .
---
A Cup of Comfort is a bestselling anthology (book) series
featuring
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We are now seeking submissions for the following volumes:
A Cup of Comfort
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Our goal is to compile a collection of inspiring or uplifting stories
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The primary purpose of this book is to celebrate adoptive families
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Submission Deadline: 6/15/2008
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---
A Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors
Enter to win a Grand Prize of $5,000.00, plus a $5,000.00 matching
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To enter, write a 1,000-
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cancer. Possible
story themes include but are not limited to:
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lifestyle
practices, emotional healing, coping mechanisms, impact on
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romance/intimacy, life lessons learned, personal transformation,
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All themes and writing styles considered, as long as the story is
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For complete guidelines, go to http://www.cupofcomfort.com/rules.html---
Women On Writing Flash Fiction Contest
http://wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php$5 ENTRY FEE
WOW! hosts a (quarterly) writing contest every three
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Maximum: 500 words. Minimum: 250 words. The title is not to
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get creative, and most of all, have
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FIRST PLACE: $200 cash prize
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Entry published on WOW! Women On Writing
$50 Gift Certificate to the WOW! Boutique
Interview on the WOW! Women On Writing Blog
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***
LOOKING FOR FREELANCE OR PERMANENT WRITING
JOBS?
Check out the links to writing job sites and listings at
http://www.writesuccess.com/id25.html***
E-ZINE AD SWAPS
National
Association of Women Writers
Founded in 2001, the NAWW has over 3000 members worldwide. Its
mission
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---
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---
If you're
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I urge
every writer to make a special trip here—it takes seconds to support
such a worthy cause. Visit http://theliteracysite.com .
***
WANTED: ALL WRITERS WHO WANT *SUCCESSFUL*
WRITING CAREERS
Do you enjoy WriteSuccess and find it useful? Then I hope you will
feel free to forward
this issue to your writing friends and/or online
discussion groups. "WriteSuccess" for everyone!
If
this issue was forwarded to you and you would like to subscribe,
mailto:writesuccess_ezine-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .
ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION
Mary Anne Hahn
http://writesuccess.comMaryAnneHahn1@aol.com'Til next issue-write *every possible moment*...
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