Writers Write!

 Issue #13 October 2014

Write First, Edit Second and Submit Third

Sometimes life feels like you’re running on solid ice in front of a high speed steamroller. Your legs are still moving, but your feet keep slipping near the flattening roller. I’ve certainly felt that way this year. I thought I was getting ahead of the steamroller in June when my mother gained momentum on her recuperation from the series of strokes she had in January and March. The strokes in June were a major set-back, not only for Mom, but for my writing and marketing. Zero sales on Amazon didn’t help my attitude. But we all know that family comes even before our writing career. What you may not realize is that having only a small amount of free time, is a lot like living in a small apartment. The smaller it is, the greater the need for organization. So, Debbie and I organized and coordinated our schedules AGAIN in order to work around Mom’s therapy, get her set up with a day program, see to her many needs and still have time for ourselves.

We thought we had a workable schedule so we could accomplish our own goals as well as manage Mom’s health. But Mom wasn’t ready for a day program and fought with us continually, insisting we were trying to “put her away.” Now she’s quit going to the day program for the two days we had scheduled and neither Debbie nor I have the time we need. Even my time at my son’s apartment has been fruitless. I’ve been so exhausted from the stress of Mom’s attitude that I’ve slept instead of writing. I’m trying to get back in the swing of writing and submitting again. Even during all this chaos I did manage to finish the Digital Marketing Lab: Launch Your Ebook in 14 Days, begin editing my first novel so I can do the “redistribution” after I launch the novel and write two new essays which I’ve submitted to two different venues. You see, you can squeeze writing and publishing into a limited number of hours. It just takes hard work and focused effort. Remember that, of those non-family things you might do in your spare time, writing comes first!

A year ago when I was trying to really focus on my goals, I wrote in my journal, “Writers write, writers write, writers write.” It has become my mantra and it helps me focus on those goals. Feel free to use it anytime you feel the steamroller at your heels. It’s amazing how much you can write if you organize your time to squirrel yourself away for a few hours, then focus on one project that your want to get published at a time. Make sure to do that with this quarter’s Writing Challenge below.

The second thing we have to focus on is editing our work. So after you’ve written it, submit it to our private online writers’ group, Contributors’ Corner, so you can get the feedback we all need. And by the way, I’d like to say thank you to Debbie, who gave me excellent suggestions for smoothing the essays I wrote. You know that we often don’t see the gaps in information in our writing because we know what we meant. It takes a fresh eye to point out those places so we can make the ties necessary for flowing essays and riveting stories. I’m fortunate to have a sister and a niece who are writers, too. However, if you don’t have someone close to read your work, you always have us, your cohorts at Contributors’ Corner. For $5 a month your get two ex-teachers and other professionals who read your work and offer you gentle suggestions for improvement. You can join us at the Members Only page on the Skeptical Reader.

Once you’ve written and edited your work, you must submit it somewhere for publication. Remember we are in this business to share our stories. That doesn’t happen if you’re stories are locked away on a flash drive or hidden on your book shelf. Pick one of Writing Challenges with a fee-free contest or a magazine without a reading fee, then take the plunge and submit it for publication. Don’t wait for a response, you’ll just make yourself crazy with expectation when you should be writing. Go back to step one and start again. Remember, writers write!

Marketing Your Writing

Okay, so you’ve written a good book, had fresh eyes help you with the editing and you’ve self-published it on Amazon or Book Baby or one of the other thousands of self-publishing possibilities. Now you have to get the attention of a wide audience via good marketing. However as writers, we struggle with the whole issue of how, where and when to market our work. Personally, I can vouch that the marketing brain cells are dead. I suspect that you feel the same way. And unless you have enough money to hire your own publicist, we have to engage in this activity at some point. Some of us are trying to learn the marketing field ourselves. Lord knows there are plenty of books and forums about marketing, but they don’t always help. In fact, they sometimes make things worse since you can feel like your brain is turning to mush as you struggle with these new concepts.

It’s always been my motto to get information directly from the horse’s mouth. In this case, it’s people who already know marketing and have a proven track record of success. I’ve found such a source in Direct Marketer guru, Ryan Deiss. He has the required success record and he teaches it to other people in person and on his website. We, whose creativity interferes with this specialized skill, need the help of people who already possess the ability to market. Marketing is not only a learned skill, it is creativity in a unique field. Ryan Deiss offers a series of Marketing Labs that can be informative. As I said above, I’ve finished one called Launch Your EBook in 14 Days. It’s going to require research and work, but the outline is there to guide you step-by-step. I’ll let you know how it works once I set up my launch. You let us know about the marketing techniques that work for you.

Building Your Portfolio

Portfolio, portsmolio! What the heck is a writing portfolio? Well, a big part of it is any piece you’ve had published. Published pieces give you credibility and build your audience, so add this information to your website. But what if you haven’t been published yet? What else do need for a writing portfolio?

First of all, you need a website. This is the place where people can see some of your work, including any blogs you’ve written. Remember to connect it to your Facebook and LinkedIn pages to let everyone know when you’ve updated it and when you’ve had something new published. Speaking of which…take the Writing Challenge below, write your story, submit it to Contributors’ Corner for evaluation, edit your piece and then submit it to a contest or magazine for publication. Sound redundant? It is. This is what we do and then we do it again over and over until we get results.

Writing Challenge #13: Write, Edit, Submit!

Select one or both of the publishing possibilities below and write, write, write! We are the place where the rubber meets the road, so use your drive to complete the challenge by the due date. We’ll read it and help you smooth out the wrinkles with our critiques before you submit it to the publisher.

Writing Deadline: October 22, 2014

Piece will be shared in the November Issue of Contributors’ Corner.

Join Contributors’ Corner at: www.skepticalreader.com
Submit Your Work: within the body of your email to
rhodesfitzwilliam@gmail.com

FLASH FICTION ONLINE
www.flashfictiononline.com
Word Count: 500 - 1,000
Payment: $50
Submissions Accepted Regularly
Reports in about two months.

Here’s a marvelous challenge that will keep your writing tight.  Flash Fiction Online wants stories that have “strong, interesting characters, plots and (to some degree at least) settings,” all within the 1,000 word limit. It’s a terrific place to make use of the Plot Chart & Story Notes to stay focused on your story. All you have to do is change the total word count (highlight in yellow) for the story you're writing and all the numbers on both the Plot Chart and the Story Notes will be updated. Then fill in the notes for your story or essay and watch your word count at you type. For those of you interested in writing science fiction and fantasy, it’s also a prequalifying piece for membership in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. If that’s not your genre, don’t be discouraged. They accept other genres as well and they’re interested in holiday and event related stories. Make sure to read their Submission Guidelines page.

DEATH WHERE THE NIGHTS ARE LONG ANTHOLOGY

http://everywherenowpress.com/books/anthologies-about-our-experience-of-death/
Word Count: 2,500 – 5,000
Payment: $250 plus an undetermined “success fee”
Due: November 1, 2014

This is bound to be a fascinating anthology. Obviously the general topic is death, but there are several facets to the subject, including “experiences and images about what lies beyond our last breath.” Again, read the submission guidelines which opens up all kinds of possibilities for essays, memoirs, poetry and creative non-fiction.

Until next quarter, live well, love fully and write with all your heart!