Writers Unbound

Heard there is a new book about Edgar Allan Poe on the radio. So here’s a rembrance of one of America’s best.

From long ago, voices bring back the magic and depth of verse. Curiously, hearing voice adds a dimension and interpetation that I never paid much attention to, as in fact it also was long ago that I read these poems.

As my mother and I talked this evening, we talked of the passing of her friends and neighbors. It brought home that one can leave unexpectedly, a mother dies, and her daughter who cared for her song gone a month later. A man I once called uncle, died two days after my mother last called for his wife who had just had a stroke. Threads shattered in the whispers of passing. People whom I hadn’t seen for years leaving earth now: few remain. She talks of young children who come to visit her, and she’s softer than before, able to enjoy each one. The snow falls heavily upon her house, in winter’s storm she wishes the mustangs down the road had adequate shelter. What are the unspoken words of grief that another close firend passed 2 weeks ago? She who carries on greatma for so many.

These are the meanderings of early morn cloaked in night vapors. The conversations unsaid, the memories passing, the days long before that seemed like forever. In the hours when most dream and rest, I walk beside my mother, and wonder what she had really wanted to say. Death is sudden. It tears a bit of me apart. My pain continues, and yet at thanksgiving I chose to eat only 5 pieces of pie. I wanted some of each one. She tells the tale of food, the world is less conflicted there.

Below is the link to a pre-recorded “Conversation with Editors” Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Yvonne Perry, which covers some of the common mistakes writers make and how to correct them. We have also provided helpful tips for impressing a publisher with your query letter.

Here is the link to the recording:
go to the blog.

Carolyn is an editor and author of The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward To Avoid Humiliation And Ensure Success (How to Do It Frugally). Yvonne is a full-time freelance ghostwriter and editor, and the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services.

Here are some of the things we have addressed in the podcast:

Writing title and header case
Is a book titled or entitled?
When to use all caps

How many spaces between sentences?
Serial Commas
Writing for Decades
Hyphenating
Internet and Web site
Using Em and En Dashes
Overuse of That
Writing Dialog
Writing Numbers

Here are some of the questions we have received from our readers. We have answered these during our recorded conversation:

MOLLI NICKELL: I’d be interested in opinions on how and when “traditional” publishers will be including digital publishing in their plans, and, how will they promote this low-cost method of making books available in the electronic format.

Also (and yes, this is a second question), I feel writers will want to know more about how traditional publishing houses are opening their own self-publishing divisions, utilizing their editors and designers, but bringing the author aboard to share in some of the pre-publication work?
~~~~~~~
Heather Summerhayes Cariou Author of Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister’s Memoir says, “I went over my manuscript with a fine tooth comb, then had an English teacher friend check it for grammar, punctuation and typos, then my agent and publisher/Editor went through it, then my copy editor, then I did one more sweep and there were STILL a handful of errors that one reviewer found it necessary to point out. What can be done to avoid this with my next book?”
~~~~~~~
An anonymous guest on Carolyn’s blog wanted to know if we will touch on securing an agent. Yes, we did talk about this!
~~~~~~~
Barbara Techel, Author of Frankie, the Walk ‘N Roll Dog, www.joyfulpaws.com is in the process of writing her second children’s book. Her first children’s book had a critique group helping with the editing until Barbara felt her manuscript was “good enough” to give to an editor. She no longer has a critique group to run her manuscript by. The book is about half complete now.

Barbara’s question: Is there a good point to bring on an editor? Should I bring one on now for advice or wait till I have the manuscript completed? Or, should I work with an editor during the entire process?

~~~~~~~~
Here is a list of resources Carolyn and I mentioned during our conversation.

Chicago Manual of Style The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers 15th Edition. ISBN 0226104036.

Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips™ for Better Writing. Mignon Fogarty. ISBN 978-0-8050-8831-1.

Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies A Guide to Language for Fun & Spite by June Casagrande. ISBN: 1582975612.

Mortal Syntax 101 Language Choices That Will Get You Clobbered by the Grammar Snobs–Even If You’re Right by June Casagrande ISBN: 0143113321.

The Frugal Editor Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success by Carolyn Howard-Johnson ISBN 978-0-9785158-7-4

Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s newsletter for writers.

The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier, How to Solve the Mystery of Weak Writing by Bonnie Trenga ISBN: 1582975612.
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Posted by Yvonne Perry(Who am I?) at 8:29 PM 3 comments

Labels: Carolyn Howard-Johnson, copy editor, editing, editor

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Monday, January 12, 2009
Planning to Start Your Freelance Writing Business

Starting a freelance writing business can be scary, especially if you don’t know what you are doing. Over the next six weeks in my freelance writing mentoring program, we will learn step-by-step how to begin and then manage a freelance writing business. We will also learn different types of writing and how to generate leads for income.

The most common reasons people decide to start a business is because they want to:

Be self sufficient;
Be wealthy;
Change their lifestyle.
In our mentoring classes starting this week, I will discuss with my students:

the planning aspect of starting a business
personal assessment of your ability to operate a business
creating a business plan
the equipment needed to set up your office.
Being your own boss is wonderfully exciting, but running a business isn’t for everyone. Starting a business comes with certain challenges. It takes strong commitment, desire, and most of all, the willingness to work hard and make sacrifices. You may go from working 40 hours a week to what seems like 24 hours a day! It takes confidence, time, effort, and discipline to run a successful business.

See if our mentoring program is right for you. But, hurry! The classes start tomorrow!

For an in-depth analysis of your readiness for starting a business, see http://www.sba.gov/newcourseprimer/index.html. Their self-paced, online tutorial can be completed in about 30 minutes. It will:

Provide an overview of key business principals, such as getting started, business planning, legal aspects, finance and marketing; and,
Introduce and link you to important small business resources, such as SBA district offices, Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, Women’s Business enters, NAWBO, and lenders.
If you have a solid plan and you have what it takes, running your own writing business can be a most rewarding experience.

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Posted by Yvonne Perry(Who am I?) at 11:59 AM 0 comments

Labels: business, freelance writing

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Accepting Submissions for WITS February Newsletter 2009

It’s time to submit your book reviews, articles, poems, and announcements about anything related to writing, editing, publishing, and book promotion.

If you wish to contribute anything to Writers in the Sky Newsletter for February 2009, please review the guidelines on our Web site: http://writersinthesky.com/writing-newsletter.html.

Hurry, the deadline is January 24, 2008.

To help us improve our newsletter, please select your favorite WITS feature at http://www.socialtoo.com/survey/view/620

I also want to let you know that my new eBook Book Marketing in the Digital Age Online Promotion Made Easy is available at http://app.expressemailmarketing.com/get.link?linkid=1028702&subscriberid=24007944&campaignid=294815&linkurl=http://www.onlinepromotionmadeeasy.com/. You will find many free tips for book marketing on the site as well.

Yvonne Perry
Owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services

Friday, January 09, 2009
Upload Your Book Video to Your Book Tube

As an author published through Nightengale Press, I have been permitted to offer the folks in my network a chance to upload their book trailers to YourBookTube at no cost.

All authors who have book videos are welcome to post their videos on YourBookTube. Be sure to include the book’s title, ISBN, a short description (25-50 words) and a link where you want viewers to buy your book.

Just go to http://www.yourbooktube.com and create your free user account. Then, send the title of your book and the category of your video to publisher@nightengalepress.com to REGISTER and join today!

If you don’t have a book video, ask Taryn Simpson to make one for you.

I thank Yvonne Perry and Writer’s in the Sky for allowing me to copy these posts from the writersinthesky blog. Please visit the blog as their are tons of resources and services provided there. Here’s a great way to educate yourself, consider you business planning, and have support to propel your writing adventure forward. If you Twitter you can follow WritersintheSky and present your questions. I personally am enjoying receiving the newsletter in my email box. Keps me thinking about taking my writing to the next level. Network well and expand your prosperity.

After the picture, a relative intro, sometimes effective, more often not, but a warm-up. Perhaps more relevant content, and then 3rd a you-tube video if I can find one. A signature at end. Presto. Decent blog.

This blog will grandly improve as I have writing content to include and commentary from others. Of course too, as I create better time management skills, I may do blogs in advance, instead of just before I have to something else!
Some places to write and immediately publish yourself:
www.blogger.com

www.wordpress.com

www.squidoo.com

Right now I am on a static landline, and discovered my speaker doesn’t work. I am going to listen to Shawn Casey and Tellman on list building!

I am a proud blogger. This is the fastest way I know to expand my skills, to share thoughts, to create excitement about topics, and to meet my self imposed deadlines. Join in the fun. Please comment.

You will retain your copywrites. So tweet me on www.twitter.com I am Makkinart there. Articles should be for general audiences, no adult material, and under 2500 words. Short poems are welcomed too.

Let me introduce myself. I am Mary MacIntyre and live in the southwest,USA. I began writing when I was in second grade, age 7. My teacher did a lesson on poetry and had us write a poem. It was like suddenly listening to a classical orchrestra, which even in that small rural town in N.H. I had heard (my mother loved classical music, as did I). However now my music created new rhythms with words. Later that day she had to tell me to go back to writing “normal”.

I have done a lot and a little since then with my writing. Short story: not published a lot or consistantly. Now I write everyday in several different formats.