 |
A Monthly Zine & Online Community For Emerging Writers Published & Edited By Christina Katz |
Zine Bios Free Articles Archives Classes Resources Guidelines Shop |
Writers On The Rise Inspiration, Insight and Ideas For Emerging Writers
|
Dear Fellow Writers... Mastering The Calendar The calendar has always been a bit of a challenge for me. Maybe I could trace the origins of my distaste for scheduling back to when I was a child and teenager when my parents were so good at schedules and following them that I didn't have to worry about it much. They simply let me know when it was time to do what, when and stayed on me until I followed through. Over the years, I've come to believe that the time-challenged among us are not necessarily lazy or rebellious but simply trying to live in tune with a more cyclical concept of time, which feels out of synch with our linear-minded times, but isn't necessarily. In fact, learning right- and left-brain approaches to time can be helpful for just about anyone. For example, in a recent talk at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, I suggested some right-brain alternatives for time-challenged writers. I happen to know that they work, because I have used them myself over the past several years. While they may not be fast, they are effective in the long run.
And here's the clincher: Neither way, left brain or right, is superior (though the left-brainers are used to being praised and the right-brainers are used to being rebuked). The bottom line is to find the balance between right and left, logical and creative, linear and circular, and make peace with yourself. Everybody has both. Neither is better. By playing around with both sides of the brain, you have a chance to discover your stronger sensibility. Speaking of the right side of the brain, my husband, daughter and I went on a three-week, four-thousand-mile road trip to visit friends and family throughout the southwest United States this summer. After turning in the full draft of Writer Mama on June 19th, it sure felt good to have all that wind blowing through my brain. And the sights were wonderful too. Some of my favorites included mountain passes, coastal drives, redwood forests, high desert mesas, southern California beaches and, my favorite, the Colorado Rocky Mountains, which is where my husband and I met. And now, here I am back in work mode planning (left-brain) for the year ahead. And oh, what a year I have ahead of me! It's so beyond anything I've ever tackled before that I am gently inviting my right brain to follow my left brain's lead (without too much whining). I am experiencing the classic first-time author reality check. Funny how landing a book deal and writing your first book are enormous and exciting challenges in their own right and then there's always the next more enormous and exciting challenge on the list.
Enjoy your last summer hurrah and plan, plan, plan for writing and publishing success throughout the upcoming school year! I hope this issue will make it easier for you. In the writing spirit, Christina Katz Table of Contents: Features: Write Online and Get Noticed by Joanna Nesbit The 'View: One Ballsy Lady, An Interview with Karen Salmansohn
Ask Wendy by Wendy Burt Fit To Write by Kelly James-Enger Turn Your Writing Hobby Into A Writing Career by Gregory Kompes Got Tech? by Sharon Cindrich Making Order by Pamela Kim Conference Confab by Kelly Huffman Good Reads For Writers by Cathy Belben Sustainable Office by Susan C. Clark Polish Your Prose by Elizabeth Short Lively Writing Tip and Exercise by Kristin O'Keeffe Closing Words by Sage Cohen
Upcoming Classes:
Christina Katz Appearances & Events Our columnists live all over the world! Find out what we're up to! Live near Portland, Oregon? Check out the Willamette Writers Conference. Christina Katz will give two presentations that kick off and close the conference in early August. More Info. Christina is offering a new class this fall especially for moms, called "Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff," along with the two classes already scheduled. Based on the enthusiastic response to her presentation at the PNWA Conference in Seattle, she will be offering another class, "Get Known Before the Book Deal" in winter 2007. Check out all of Christina's classes at http://www.writersontherise.com/classes.html. Many have asked, "How did Christina Katz get her Writer Mama book deal?" The answer is posted on the Willamette Writer's website: http://www.willamettewriters.com/wwc06/ss-ck.php. Your Publishing Questions, Answered By Wendy Burt
Q: How do I know when to submit a seasonal piece to a magazine? Should I submit a Christmas piece two months in advance? A year in advance? A: As a general rule of thumb, the larger the publication, the longer its lead time. A national monthly consumer magazine like Town & Country (which, by the way, pays $2/word!) might need submissions a year in advance. A small regional monthly might only need two months. When in doubt, submit early and then do a follow-up a few months later to ensure that your submission doesn’t get lost in the “Christmas 2007” file at the back of the editor’s cabinet. As for weeklies and dailies, they sometimes need last-minute fillers so don’t be afraid to send something close to their deadline, although earlier is always better. One thing to consider: many publications are inundated with submissions for the big, well-known holidays like Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. Consider submitting something for the less commercialized occasions, like Grandparents Day, Heart Health Month or Child Abuse Prevention Month. * * * Q: What’s the best way to submit clips electronically? There are several ways to do this, it really just depends on what the editor prefers. One way is to send them a link to published articles on the Web. This could be the direct link to your article on the Web site for a magazine, newspaper or ezine, or a direct link to the article on your own Web site. Another option is to scan your document and then email it to an editor as a PDF (or some other format). This works especially well if you’ve got a great tearsheet that showcases a fabulous layout from a magazine. A third option is to attach a Word document of your article and just indicate where and when the piece appeared. And finally, you can copy and paste the bulk of your article right into the email. This is actually becoming more popular as editors are facing the threat of email viruses and are afraid to open attachments from strangers. When in doubt, ask the editor what their preferred method is. Just be sure you have a way to scan the tearsheets to your computer if that’s their first choice.
Wendy Burt is a full-time freelance writer and editor in Colorado Springs, Colo. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Writer, Writer’s Digest, Byline and Family Circle. Autographed copies of her two books, Oh, Solo Mia! The Hip Chick’s Guide to Fun for One (April 2001, McGraw-Hill) and Work It, Girl! 101 Tips for the Hip Working Chick (June 2003, McGraw-Hill) are available through http://BurtCreations.com. Write Online and Get Noticed By Joanna Nesbit
The phone rang while I was proofing a nearly finished article, and I picked up the receiver absent-mindedly. “Hello?”
“Hi. Is this Joanna Nesbit?”
“Yes.” Guarded, a tad irritated. Solicitor? Doctor’s appointment reminder?
“My name is G— and I’m an editor with Wondertime, a new national parenting magazine we’re launching next spring. I was wondering if you’d be interested in writing for us.”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t typically receive these phone calls (okay, never). Trying to sound professional, I said I might be interested (mental jigs around the room) and asked about the magazine, what kinds of articles he was looking for, and, oh, how did he get my phone number, anyway?
He had read a parenting essay of mine online and had Googled my name to find a way to contact me. (He located a phone number listed with a communications group I belong to.) Suddenly, I loved the Internet.
Months earlier, I’d had no interest in publishing online, preferring instead the weight of paper in my hands. I also believed magazines to be superior to websites. The problem? I wasn’t holding much paper with my name on it. When a parenting essay I wrote (the one G— read) proved too controversial for print magazines (it was rejected by four before being accepted online), I turned to the Internet in search of appropriate sites. Why Write Online If you haven’t considered writing for the Internet, maybe it's time to reconsider. The advantages? “Your work lives on in perpetuity,” says Prescott Carlson, editor of http://www.imperfectparent.com. “We have three-year-old essays that receive as many pageviews a day as newer pieces.” In other words, your work doesn’t go into the recycle bin.
Online publishing also gives you greater visibility. Amy Hudock, Editor-in-Chief of http://www.literarymama.com, says, “Online writing offers readers instant access to your clips, your blog, and your website.” Editors, she says, read Literary Mama and other online publications in search of new talent.
Feeling inspired? The following guidelines will help you jumpstart the submission process.
Getting Started The best way to find markets is to subscribe to writer newsletters that list them. C. Hope Clark, author and editor (http://www.fundsforwriters.com), recommends you study the guidelines, understand the format and content the editor needs, and submit.
Hudock also recommends finding sites in your favorite subject area and reading them closely, one of my methods, too. At my favorite parent sites, I comb the bios of similar writers for other possible publishing websites. In turn, those sites offer links to other parenting sites.
Top newsletter sites with paying markets to check out: http://www.fundsforwriters.com http://www.freelancewriting.com http://www.powerpenmarketsearch.com
Join a Professional Writer’s Community Joining a group with an online presence allows interaction with other writers. Clark recommends joining a group or listserv within your niche. Check out http://www.mediabistro.com/sharoncindrich, to see how freelancer Sharon Cindrich has made the most of Mediabistro’s forum to showcase her work and created an easy way for editors and other media managers to contact her in a few keystrokes. Say More with Less This is true for all writing, but especially for Internet writing. Reading onscreen goes slower than reading on paper, Carlson says, so writing must be vibrant and concise. Online readers don’t expect to read in depth, so keep them engaged or they’ll get bogged down and click elsewhere. Use shorter phrases and paragraphs to keep the pace moving.
Also, online markets typically want to see the article in full, so plan to submit an article rather than a query unless you already have a relationship with an editor.
Pay – What to Expect Like print opportunities, the pay for online publishing varies wildly, but it tends to be lower than print. Hudock says $50 is good pay for a new writer. But, she says, online publications allow for a bio, which serves as an advertisement for you, with links to your other works, your blog, or your website. Clark reminds us that professional writing is critical for paying markets. She cautions that online writers are competing with an abundance of others because hitting “send” is easy. So persistence is key.
Epilogue I pitched several ideas to G—, one of which was accepted for Wondertime. The work – writing, interviewing, rewriting, wordsmithing – was more rigorous than I’d anticipated, but in May 2006, I got to read the article in a national glossy (and, yes, there is something special about holding paper with your name on it).
These days, I can e-mail G— with an idea for an article without writing a formal query. Thanks to the Internet, I’ve developed an ongoing relationship with an editor. I also continue to find online homes for essays that aren’t quite right for print magazines. Translation? I can write up not-so-mainstream parenting topics, profanity and all, and still publish them. Publishing print articles is important to a writing career, but the Internet can offer opportunities you didn’t know existed.
Joanna Nesbit is a freelance writer based in Bellingham. She writes regularly for Entertainment News Northwest.
WRITING AND PUBLISHING NONFICTION ARTICLES BEGINS SEPTEMBER 6TH — SPACE LIMITED! Want to learn how to write for publications on topics that engage you? In this e-mail course, you will develop confidence by writing and submitting an article at the end of our six weeks together. You can try your pen at the three most marketable types of nonfiction articles – personal essays, how-to articles and interviews – and polish and submit one of your drafts by the end of the class. The class workbook is 60 pages long and includes weekly questionnaires, check-ins, resources, inspiration and assignments to advance your writing career. Two detailed reviews of your draft-in-progress are included at weeks three and six. Visit http://www.writersontherise.com/classes.html for more information. Download a printable class list for Fall 2006.
In April, I traveled to Manhattan for four days for ASJA’s Annual Writer's Conference, editor meetings, and various socializing opportunities, including "Avenue Q," a hilarious musical. I knew I wouldn't get any work done while I was gone (except for meeting with a few editors and agents), but the trip is always worth it. I’ve been freelancing fulltime for nine and a half years, and during that time, a surprising transition has occurred. I’ve grown to like being alone more than I like being with other people. If you’ve met me in person, you’d never dream I’m an introvert at heart. But when I’m out of my office, my goal is to connect and share and laugh and talk and bond with as many people as is reasonably possible — and maybe even get some work out of it as a result. In NYC, I had a chance to reconnect with old friends, and make some new ones as well. When I’m around smart, talented, interesting, funny writers, I realize how much I’ve missed working with other humans all day. I’m like a sponge absorbing all that wonderful—and necessary—contact and connection. Once I’m home, though, it's a relief to be alone again. But I stay in touch with my writer buddies. Having those relationships with other writers—even if it’s only through email and phone contact—makes me feel less isolated, more connected. Even if you toil away in an isolated garret, a few writing buddies will enrich your work—and your life.
Author, speaker and consultant Kelly James-Enger is a certified personal trainer and the author of books including Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life (with Ellie Krieger, R.D.) and Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money. Visit http://www.becomebodywise.com for free articles about freelancing and more information about her. An Interview with Karen Salmansohn By Christina Katz
Q: Karen, I love the message in your book that folks can enjoy a career that's about love and money. But I'm not sure most people will believe you. How do you know that to be true? I call it my "Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Theory On Productivity." It's like this: If I gave you a pint of Haagen-Dazs and a spoon and said: “Okay, Christina, I want this entire pint finished in twenty minutes. I'll be back then!” And then when I returned, you’d accomplished this goal, would it be due to hard work and discipline? No. It would be due to passion. Because you loved spooning up that ice cream, you kept on spooning it up. Well, ditto goes for spooning up your work. The more you love what you’re doing – the more you keep doing it – and then the more moola you make.
Q: I could not help but feel, as I read Ballsy, (I just like saying the title!) that this book is so key for writers. Why do you think that is? Actually, I wrote this book to be helpful to people in all careers. I believe that talent is only about 3% of the success pie. The other 97% is about how well you wield your 3% talent. Ballsy is written from my own fall down-on-my-knees-dust-myself-off writer's experience, so everything in it will 100% relate to writers. As a writer, I’ve sold 29 books due to these Ballsy techniques – 25 books in the last 6-7 years. So I’ve personally test-driven these Ballsy principles on the writer career track, and they definitely speed you forward.
Q: I'm very interested in writers' processes and I couldn't help but wonder as I read Ballsy (got it in again): How did she write this? Care to share? In other words, which came first, the pictures or the words? The title came about because I’d scribed a best-selling business book for women called How To Succeed In Business Without A Penis, in which I said, “A woman doesn’t need a penis to succeed. Just balls.” And I’ve always believed balls were the #1 talent-wielding skill. (Well, balls are #1 and #2 :-)) Basically, you must make sure you get your fabulous talent adorably into people’s faces. As for the graphic look of Ballsy … I am both a writer and a designer, so I always write with visuals in mind from the get-go. I’m always purposefully peppering the text with highly visual metaphors and visual-inspiring language, so creating spreads will be easy for all involved.
Q: Okay, you have written a bunch of books at this point. When it comes to choosing a great topic, which do you think was your best idea and what's your advice for first-time authors who are thinking about which of their big ideas to pitch? I think one of my favorite books I wrote was a best seller called How To Be Happy, Dammit. The idea for it came to me as a happy accident. I’d developed a personal interest in Buddhism, psychology, happiness, and Because I was an author already, I decided to create a new breed of self-help books -- for people who would never be caught dead reading self-help books. Self-help books for lazy/busy people. Self-help books you could give to a friend in need as a gift – and not have them slap you.
Q: If I had a really big soapbox and invited you up on it and handed you a giant megaphone, what would you say to shake all of us nonfiction writers out of our summer idylls and get us back to working more Ballsy? One of my big messages in Ballsy is to focus on the fun, not the fear. The more fun you’re having, the less you focus on fear and challenges. To re-ignite that feeling of fun adventure, remind yourself why you’re excited about people reading your book. Maybe you want to shake people up to think in new ways. Maybe you want to share helpful information that will help people live better lives. Maybe you want to touch people’s hearts. In my case, with Ballsy, I wanted to do all three – and that's what kept me writing and writing. If you would like to purchase Ballsy, please click on the cover photo, above. CREATED ESPECIALLY FOR BUSY MOMS – NEW CLASS STARTING THIS FALL! WRITING AND PUBLISHING THE SHORT STUFF – BEGINS SEPTEMBER 6TH — SPACE LIMITED! Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! The focus is on getting you into print sooner, rather than later, and without pulling all-nighters or paying a fortune in babysitter fees. You will learn how to write and publish short, easy-to-write articles before you work your way up to longer, more time-consuming articles (like features and profiles). Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays. Have fun in the little time you have to write and submit what you complete for publication. The best way to prove you can make money writing is to start doing it! Two detailed reviews of your drafts-in-progress are included at weeks three and six (you choose one piece each time). Busy dads and non-parents are also welcome. Class worksheets are brief and get right to the point, while providing plenty of encouragement and examples from moms who have been where you are. Two detailed reviews of your draft-in-progress are included at weeks three and six. Visit http://www.writersontherise.com/classes.html for more information. Download a printable class list for Fall 2006.
Turn Your Writing Hobby into a Writing Career Sure You Can See The FutureBy Gregory A. Kompes Today is never today in the publishing world. You need to see into the future. If turning your writing hobby into a career involves getting published in magazines, you need to flip your internal calendar. It's important to understand the magazine publishing process. Let's work backward. The monthly magazine you're reading today was at the printer several weeks ago. To get to the printer on time, the layout and design began many weeks before that. For layout and design to be completed, the content first had to be selected, edited, and formatted weeks or even months earlier. The editor was working on the magazine you're holding today at least 3 to 6 months ahead of the publication date. You need to query end-of-year winter ideas during the spring and summer ideas in the winter. Yet, timing isn't the only factor to getting your queries accepted. You also need to know what the editors are planning for their issue so you can tie your idea into their plans. What, you're not a mind reader? Here's the trick to help you gaze into the editor's crystal ball. Editors plan their editorial calendars well in advance, sometimes two or more years in advance. An editorial calendar is a simple outline of what topics and ideas each issue will cover. With the calendar in place, the editor begins filling each issue with staff writing assignments and assigning articles from the hundreds of freelance queries they've received and found interesting. Having a publication's editorial calendar is like reading an editor's mind. You can send article ideas that are perfect for that upcoming issue and have them there early enough to be considered. Once you know what an editor has planned, sending the perfect query to arrive on the editor's desk six months ahead of the issue date is easy. So, how do you get those all important editorial calendars? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Search the publication's Web site for "submission guidelines." Often, the editorial calendar or a link to it will be listed. 2. Email or Snail Mail the publication and request their editorial calendar. 3. Subscribe to a paid service that provides updated information. I highly recommend Wooden Horse Publishing's service (www.woodenhorsepub.com). If you hope to see your New Year's Resolution article in your favorite publication, it's too late for this year. You'll need to send that query letter in the spring. As for today, get those Valentine's Day queries in the mail.
Gregory A. Kompes (Kompes.com) is a writer, photographer, and professional speaker. He is the author of the bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live (fabcities.com) and The Endorsement Quest (endorsementquest.com), founder of The GLBT Authors' Project (glbtauthors.com) and Fabulist Flash Publishing (FabulistFlashPublishing.com), editor of The Fabulist Flash (FabulistFlash.com), an informative newsletter for writers, and produces a line of art cards and gifts. Gregory is a graduate of Columbia University, NY. PITCHING PRACTICE STARTS OCT 25TH: REGISTER TO WRITE SIX QUERIES IN SIX WEEKS SIGN UP EARLY AND SAVE: $10 Off when you register for Pitching Practice by August 31st
The "Write" Way To Use A Cell Phone By Sharon Miller Cindrich
Sure, you can make a call from your mobile phone. But your cell phone can also help preserve sudden inspiration, save time and keep your assignments organized. See how your cell phone can support your writing efforts by rediscovering these handy features. Use the calendar
Sharon Miller Cindrich is a freelance writer whose work has been published nationally in magazines and newspapers around the country including The Chicago Tribune, Parents Magazine, and The Writer. She is a Contributing Editor at FamilyFun Magazine and writes a bimonthly humor column for West Suburban Living Magazine in the Chicago Suburbs. She is a regular contributor to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Lifestyle section and Metroparent Magazine. Her book E-Parenting: Get Plugged In to Raise Safe, Smart Kids is due out from Random House at the end of the year. Read more about Sharon at http://www.mediabistro.com/sharoncindrich.
Continued from Write Online and Get Noticed By Joanna Nesbit
Here are links to three of Joanna Nesbit's personal essays online: The God Question http://www.literarymama.com/creativenonfiction/archives/000637.html Language Acquisition http://www.imperfectparent.com/parenting/articles160_1.php Dreading Water (published in print and online) http://wondertime.go.com/life-at-home/article/dreading-water/index.html Writing and Publishing Success Stories LAUREN FRITZEN published "The 45th Annual Anacortes Arts Festival: Art for Everyone" in the July issue of Entertainment News Northwest magazine. JOANNA NESBIT published “The Neighborhood Playhouse Offers Drama for Kids” in the June issue of Entertainment News Northwest and “Downtown Sounds – Music in the Alley” in the July issue. SUSAN CLARK published "Marking Every Beast: The Trouble with NAIS" in the July/Aug 2006 issue of In Good Tilth; "Food Security Starts with Protecting Land" in the July/Aug 2006 Touch The Soil. She also submitted a profile on a Portland business to the University of Virginia's graduate school of business for an upcoming text on sustainability. SAGE COHEN published six poems in the Oregon Literary Review: http://www.oregonlitrev.org/v1n2/OLR-cohan.htm. CATHY BELBEN'S article, "CSLibrary: Creating a True Crime Collection" will appear in the September issue of Knowledge Quest. Success happens in clusters, writers! Keep the announcements coming and keep inspiring us!
Master Your Calendar By Pamela Kim Ah, the dog days of summer are here. While you’re dreaming of barbeques, poolside parties and long naps in the hammock, might I suggest you add time management to your list of fun things to do? In three easy steps, you can have a system that sets you up for success! Step 1: Choose Your ToolsDay planners. Palm pilots. Wall calendars. Notes scribbled on bits of paper. There are just about as many ways to manage time as Heinz has pickles. The best tools are the ones that fit the way you work and live. I’ve pretty much tried them all to varying degrees of success. Today, I use a combination:
Step 2: Break It DownHere’s the tip that gets you from A to Z with as few surprises as possible; make a master schedule and break it down. Take a magazine article, for example, and list all the tasks – research, schedule interviews, write first draft, etc. – and then figure out how much time each will likely take, then set dates. Each day’s work goes on your daily list (or in your Palm Pilot or other tool of choice). Breaking a project into smaller tasks, each with its own due date, makes the work approachable and more likely to get done by deadline.
Step 3: Plan For The UnexpectedEven with expert planning, life inevitably interferes. The kids get sick. The dog jumps the fence. You can’t write a coherent sentence to save your life. Plan for the unexpected by padding your master schedule a bit. And reassess your day-to-day tasks daily.
Reassessing is one of the best ways to become a master planner. You plan your work, then work your plan. You can adjust along the way to accommodate any curveballs. And when you’re overwhelmed and overloaded? Just focus on the three or four most important tasks, and schedule everything else farther out.
Ready to give it a try? Whether you’re fine-tuning the system you have or starting fresh, there are oodles of companies just dying to help you. Online, I like:
The Pottery Barn (and PB Teen) catalogs have cool-looking and functional calendar systems. Plus this time of year, your local Staples, Office Depot and Target are filled to overflowing with ways to help you manage time.
So do a little planning. And a little shopping. Then enjoy being the master of your calendar!
An office supply junkie obsessed with managing stuff, Pamela Kim is a freelance marketing consultant who arranges words on paper so companies can communicate more effectively with their customers and each other. Her writing has appeared in Nephrology News & Issues, Strategic HealthCare Marketing, Bay Area Girls Center, and a collection of corporate publications. She lives in bucolic Northern California with her 5-year-old daughter. Three Places To Meet and Greet Industry InsidersBy Kelly HuffmanEast of Eden Writers Conference September 8-10 Situated firmly in the heart of Steinbeck country in Salinas, California, this conference boasts two keynote speakers worth the registration fee alone: Dorothy Allison (Bastard Out of Carolina) and Jean M. Auel (Clan of the Cave Bear). Find further inspiration in workshops focusing on fiction techniques, memoir, and crime writing. A generous helping of practical business advice rounds out the mix. After the workshops, you can join fellow writers on a pilgrimage to Steinbeck’s boyhood home. http://www.southbaywriters.com/conference2006/index.html Colorado Gold Writers Conference September 8-10 Real-life sheriffs and EMTs rub shoulders with mystery and crime writers at this Denver gathering of fiction writers. Colorado Gold takes a hands-on approach to writing: you can learn to build your own website in one session, or proceed down the hall to discover the nuances that separate psychopaths from sociopaths in another. Don’t miss the chance to perform do-it-yourself liposuction on your overweight manuscript. Agents and editors will be on hand to offer feedback and advice. http://www.rmfw.org/rmfw_conference.htm
Surrey International Writers Conference October 20-22 Originally inspired by the Pacific Northwest Writers Association conference a couple hundred miles to the south, this annual gathering has blossomed into an important event in its own right. A comprehensive slate of workshop offerings, plus a book fair and the Blue Pencil Café (where writers meet with editors and agents) attract participants from as far away as South America and Japan. Whatever your genre, you can kick start your writing career in Surrey. Workshops run the gamut from magazine writing to ghostwriting. The business end of the publishing industry gets its due with expert advice on marketing, querying, and befriending agents. http://siwc.ca/
Kelly Huffman is a freelance writer based in Seattle. She contributes reviews and arts news to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the website Theatermania.com, and writes for the local lifestyle publication Destination Issaquah.
Portland, OR Friday, August 4 at 8:30 a.m.: "Build Expertise and Experience Writing for Newspapers, Magazines and Online" Sunday, August 6 at 3:00 p.m: "CHUTES AND LADDERS of a Writer’s Career" Christina looks forward to meeting conference attendees in person this summer! The Party, After You LeftReviewed By Cathy Belben“Please excuse my daughter from working on her novel today. She doesn’t feel well,” reads one of the “Adult Absence Notes” in a cartoon by longtime New Yorker contributor Roz Chast. In her most recent collection, The Party, After You Left, Chast’s quirky humor offers readers everything from “Recipes for Comfort Drinks” to “New Year’s Resolutions in the Animal Kingdom.” Her droll perspective on the banal and the bizarre is an exhibition of how words and pictures can be employed in an enormous variety of ways — the perfect inspiration for writers stuck in a rut or seeking new strategies. Despite her distinctive style, Chast doesn’t rely on one schtick — her observations take numerous forms, including charts, stories, and parodies. She finds humor in work, family, fads, relationships, and just about everything else. This diversity of subject matter, humor, and format is the perfect recipe for writing inspiration. Enjoy!
Cathy Belben lives in Bellingham, Washington, where she earned early fame for her award-winning fourth grade essay, “What the flag means to me” and later wrote bad rhyming poetry for the Whatcom Middle School Warrior Express. She recently survived a year in Hollywood writing for the show Veronica Mars. She’s returned to her normal life as a high school teacher and librarian, a triathlete, a weightlifter, a yogi, a dog’s mom, a cat’s slave, an artist, a napper, a nanny and an auntie. She’s thankful every day for everything. Get Greener At The Cleaners By Susan W. Clark Is your dry cleaner green? Just ask the folks who do your dry cleaning about green dry cleaning. Asking about the new, safer cleaning methods will help encourage small businesses to make the costly transition to a safer process. A More Up-to-date Choice Of Cleaners You not only need to read the big print of a "green" cleaner, but you'll need to know the latest options in cleaning methods. Currently four different substances might be used by your neighborhood cleaner:
"Perc" (short for perchloroethylene) is a toxic chemical used by most dry cleaners; it creates a toxic work environment and goes home with each batch of cleaning. Great to know that there are new processes coming that are much less destructive to people and the environment. The three new types of dry cleaning are silicon, water-based, and CO2. Comparison testing has shown they are not equally satisfactory. Silicon and water-based both roughed up delicate clothing and have some questionable effects on the environment. The CO2 method not only gave the best results on the clothing but also has no known polluting effects. This method is very new and being implemented slowly, since most dry cleaners are small businesses for whom the investment in new equipment is costly. In the meantime, if you can't find a CO2 cleaner, be sure to take off the plastic and hang your garments (outdoors if possible) before putting away your "perc" cleaned clothing. This helps dissipate the harmful residue from the cleaning agent. Lucky you, if your search locates an updated cleaner. If not, be vocal, using your influence as a customer to encourage getting greener at the cleaner!
Susan W. Clark is a freelance writer and photographer. Her work regularly appears in publications such as Capital Press, In Good Tilth, Permaculture Activist, the Canby Herald, and Small Farmer’s Journal. She was recently recognized as Author of the Year by the editor of In Good Tilth. She co-founded Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust (OSALT) and is editor of the quarterly journal SALT of the Earth. She lives with her husband near Canby, Oregon.
|
|
