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 Thursday, April 30, 2009
Warning: You Don't Want to Miss the Best Content of the Year
Posted by Jane
 This week marks the 1-year anniversary of this blog, There Are No Rules. I am still finding the right combination of content and perspective that will help you, so on this anniversary, I offer this invitation: - What questions, topics, and subjects do you want me to cover in the year ahead?
- What do you need the most help with?
- What has been most helpful to you in the past year, to help you advance your writing career (from anywhere!)?
- What would you like more of?
- What could you do without?
- What information do you usually remember most from this blog? Why do you read it?
Everyone who comments on this post (and includes their e-mail address), will receive, in PDF form, my presentations and handouts from my talks on how to succeed as a writer in a transformational time in publishing.
The best commenter (as judged by me!) will have a choice of a 15-minute phone consultation, a query letter critique, or a first-page critique.Now, to celebrate my best content from the past year, in case you missed it! 2 Most Popular Posts of All Time8 Articles/Posts All Writers Should Have Read in 2008
FYI, if you're a blogger, you should know by now that list posts almost always perform better than all others.
On Being One of 100,000+ People Stranded in Thailand
Of course a tale of my misadventure would do well! As the Brazen Careerist has said, it's the personal element that often brings your readers back for more. (True?)
Series PostsSave Time Tips (using Google tools and other tech solutions). After the first tip that's linked here, look for two more tips immediately after.
How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Writing Career (1-7)
Here's #7, with a link to the others at the bottom of the post.
10 Years in Publishing: What I've Learned (1-5)
Here's #5. Click on nearest preceding days for 1-4.
Biggest Traffic Generator in One DayMy Big Rant on Self-Publishing
Best Practical Answers/Solutions for Writers5 Questions to Ask Yourself After Hearing: We Can't Sell Enough to Justify Publishing It
Useful Google Tools You've Never Heard Of
The Essential Components of an (Unpublished) Author's Website
Best Big-Picture Views for WritersDo Writers' Futures Lie in Indie E-Publishing Platforms?
How Writers Can Start Blogging in a Meaningful Way
Fiction Writers Need Platforms, Too
The 3 Types of Writer—Which Are You?
Posts With Hidden Content You Might've MissedWD Editors' Intensive Cheat Sheet (great links to how-to-get-published, plus how to get connected)
Recap: Harriette Austin Writers Conference (red flags in first 15 pages, PDF download of my workshop on honing a great nonfiction book concept)
Get a List of All the Sites I Follow
Best FunHow Many Editors to Screw in a Lightbulb?
Time to Get a Tattoo?
Want to guest blog here? I'd like to extend an invitation to writers (whether you blog or not): If you have tips, advice, success stories, or not-so-successful stories to share, let me know privately via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter. ( You can also reach me through this portal.) I'm starting a guest series on Fridays and would love to feature all kinds of perspectives. Photo credit: Sandra
F+W Life | General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends
Thursday, April 30, 2009 4:20:20 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  Trackback
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Friday, April 24, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (4/24/09)
Posted by Jane
 I
watch
Twitter, so you don't have to. If I missed a great Tweet, leave
it in the Comments. From now on, I will run this feature on Fridays only.
Best of Twitter
Friday, April 24, 2009 5:04:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Monthly News from Glimmer Train
Posted by Jane
 Glimmer Train has just chosen the winning stories for their February Very Short Fiction Award. This twice yearly competition is open to all writers for stories on any theme, with a word count range of 500-3,000. Monthly submission calendar may be viewed here. First placeRolaine Hochstein of New York, NY, wins $1200 for “Virtuous Woman”. Her story will be published in the Summer 2010 issue of Glimmer Train Stories, out in May 2010. Second placeAnne de Marcken of Olympia, WA, wins $500 for “Best Western”. Her story will also be published in an upcoming issue of Glimmer Train Stories, increasing her prize to $700. Third placeEvan Christopher Burton of New York, NY, wins $300 for “Levitation”. A PDF of the Top 25 winners can be found here. Also: Family Matters competition (deadline soon approaching! April 30). Glimmer Train hosts this competition quarterly, and first place is $1,200 and publication in the journal. It’s open to all writers for stories about family. Word count range 500-12,000. Click here for complete guidelines.
--
If
you didn't know, Writer's Digest partnered with Glimmer Train to
publish two compilation volumes of the best stuff from their Writers Ask newsletter. Be sure to check them out.  
General | Getting Published
Friday, April 24, 2009 10:17:37 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Avoiding Red-Flag Mistakes on Your First Page
Posted by Jane
 Yesterday, I presented a webinar on how you can critically review your manuscript (particularly the
first pages) for red flags that lead to a rejection from an editor or
agent. My thanks to the 25 participants who were courageous
enough to allow us to critique their first pages. For my blog readers, here are the common problems that we identified during the webinar: - Flashback on first page
- Too much backstory or explanation, slowing story down
- Waiting for the protagonist to appear (or unclear protagonist)
- Starting with an alarm clock or ringing phone
- Lots of characters introduced on first page
- Ordinary day stuff (getting out of bed, walking to kitchen, etc)
- Ordinary crisis moment without distinct voice or twist
- Too much telling about the story, not enough showing
- Nothing happens -- no action or problem
- Interior monologue: in character's head, just lots of thinking, no acting or interaction with anyone else
- Predictable story start or story line without a unique take
- More of a journal entry (stream of consciousness), and not a story
- Wrong starting point; not starting at a point of change
- Too confusing, not enough reason or motivation to figure out what's happening
Here are other excellent resources: Agent/Query ResearchAgentQuery.com
QueryShark
If
you attended the webinar, I hope
you found the information you were looking for. Don't forget to network
with me on Facebook, Twitter (@JaneFriedman), and LinkedIn; I regularly
post and share information of interest to writers seeking publication. Check out next online event! How to Land a Literary AgentFuture webinars also include: - The Dreaded Synopsis
- How to Get Your Poetry Published
Click here to view details on all upcoming online events.
Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published
Friday, April 24, 2009 9:47:33 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (4/23/09)
Posted by Jane
Best of Twitter
Thursday, April 23, 2009 11:07:40 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (4/22/09)
Posted by Jane
Best of Twitter
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 8:16:48 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (4/21/09)
Posted by Jane
Best of Twitter
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 8:08:48 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Monday, April 20, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (4/20/09)
Posted by Jane
Note on Twitter tools: See this great analysis of Tweetdeck vs. Seesmic. I
watch Twitter, so you don't have to. If I missed a great Tweet today, leave it in the Comments. Today's post includes items from the weekend. Most valuable Tweet of the day:I can honestly say it was something Writer's Digest noticed (but this isn't from our site): Inside look at a NYT bestselling author's royalty statement: (if you're writing for $$, you'll be disappointed) @WritersDigest
The rest:
Looking for more social networking and updates from Writer's Digest?
Best of Twitter
Monday, April 20, 2009 5:24:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Writers and the Recession: How Can You Succeed?
Posted by Jane
 I was interviewed by Tad Richards of the New York Careers Examiner. We discuss writing, publishing, recession, and how everything is changing ... and how writers need to shift strategy to succeed. A snippet: TR: With print periodicals in danger of becoming dinosaurs, what's the future there for writers?
JF: Where is journalism headed or what will happen? I have no idea.
We're in the middle of a huge transformation in the culture, and it's
nearly impossible to say how it will shake out. Clay Shirky wrote a fabulous essay on this
that I highly recommend to every writer. I do think the culture is
headed into a media environment that does not value advertising, but
has a lot of respect for content. Writers who can build a trust factor
and also specialize in reaching a particular audience should find
plenty of opportunities no matter what happens. Being online and being
engaged (the social media thing) will be essential. Everything will be
more community-driven ... but how all of this will be monetized and
provide writers/journalists with a living ... We'll see!
Click here for the full interview.
Digitization & New Technology | General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion
Monday, April 20, 2009 4:39:03 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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Friday, April 17, 2009
Best Tweets for Writers (4/17/09)
Posted by Jane
Best of Twitter
Friday, April 17, 2009 4:28:41 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
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