The Writer's Perspective by Maria Schneider - blogs and online writing

Thanks and goodbye!

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:24:57 GMT

Hi Writers,
Just wanted to say a final farewell since I'm leaving WD a little earlier than expected. Thank you so much for your comments, your well wishes and good thoughts and especially for reading this blog. I believe they'll be ending future postings to The Writer's Perspective but I'm starting a new blog at editorunleashed.com next week so please stop by and say hi.

I've so enjoyed my time here with you.
Keep Writing,
Maria

5 Nifty Google Writing Tools

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:32:39 GMT

Hi, writers,

Maria is likely sipping exotic neon cocktails and hanging out with top writers as the Maui Writers Conference wraps up in Hawaii, so this week I’m taking over The Writer’s Perspective and the WD fort in Cincinnati, wearing an old lei from a luau-themed office party.

I originally planned to blog about nationwide newspaper cuts (our local Cincinnati Enquirer mentioned today that 15 newsroom staffers have accepted buyouts), but I’m working on some great material for the January/February issue, so let’s go with a less grim topic—let’s go with some of my overly abused Google writing tools.

Here are five free, simple, nifty writing tricks I picked up as a reporter that can be surprisingly handy when editing or writing.

•   Google Phonebook: Looking to hunt down the phone number of that mysterious source before deadline? Go to Google.com and type “phonebook: John Smith Nevada.” Now you have all the John Smiths in Nevada, and you didn’t need to root through any hulking yellow tomes.

•   iGoogle: My over-checked guilty pleasure. At iGoogle.com, you can set up a custom web page, and you can even tailor it to your own writing and reading ends with a database of free widgets. For instance, mine has both of my e-mail addresses plugged into it, seven news feeds, a word of the day, an artist of the day, a dictionary form, a thesaurus form, a daily literary quote and a strange “Writer’s Idea Bank” tool. Overkill? Probably. Perfect for compulsive e-mail-checking writers? Definitely. (Requires free Google account.)

•   Google Docs: This is a relatively new one in my lineup, but one that I’m increasingly using. At docs.google.com you can find the tech behemoth’s free online word processor, which allows you to write, edit, save and even format your material as you would in a normal program. Upside: You can access your writing anywhere without a flash drive. Downside: No internet connection? Ut-oh. (Requires free Google account.)

•   Google Calculator: I didn’t get into writing because I was good at math, so it’s a good thing search engines are. Simply type “456*993” into the browser and you’re a whiz. If you still remember what square roots are, you can do those, too.

•   Define: The crown jewel, crucial for helping your writing (or settling arguments) when you don’t have a dictionary or Internet connection handy. Text message Google with your cell phone (466453) and write “Define: Athabascan.” Soon enough, your mobile phone is telling you all about Alaska and Western Canada. Texting Google also works for movie times, weather and directions.

For more, visit google.com/help/features.html. What are your favorite writing gadgets and widgets?

Read on and write on,

Zac

--

Zachary Petit
WD Managing Editor

3 ACTS OF BAD BLOGGING

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:21:09 GMT

Hi Writers,
I’m a big fan of blogs, after all, haven’t they essentially leveled the playing field for writers? You don’t need money, connections or a publishing contract to have a blog, what's not to love.

But since it is a medium that’s so freely available, many would-be writer/ bloggers make the mistake of thinking they can or should publish their every mundane thought.

True, you can. But it’s a terrible idea to think that you should. A good blog can be gold for a writer, but a bad one can be a concrete block strapped to your leg.

And for whatever reason, a lot of otherwise fine writers have an annoying tendency to start their blogs badly. I see the same 3 mistakes popping up over and over again with blogs, all 3 typically found in the lead. If you don’t have a good lead, forget it, they’re not going to read it and they’re probably not coming back.

3 ACTS OF BAD BLOGGING

• Advance Warning of Boredom
e.g. "This is kind of boring but blah, blah, blah..." (I’m already asleep)

• Making Excuses
e.g. "Well, um, I’m sorry I haven’t written in weeks..." (you lost me at “um”)

• Announcing a B*tch Session
e.g. "You wanna know what really bugs me...? (whine, whine to infinity … I've already clicked outta here)

Please feel free to add to my worst of list, but no naming names please. Full disclosure: I’m sure I’ve committed many acts of bad blogging right here on "The Writer’s Perspective." Hey, like you, I’m always trying to get better. That’s one of the reasons we blog isn't it?

Keep Writing,
Maria

101 BEST WEBSITES FOR WRITERS

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:38:37 GMT

Hi Writers,
I've included a handy link in the left navigation to our 2008 101 Best Websites for Writers.

We've been running this list annually for 10 years now, and we're quite proud to be able to spotlight these great resources. As you can imagine, weeding through the thousands of nominations we receive each year is a difficult, time-consuming process. Our online managing editor, Brian A. Klems took on this monumental task once again this year, and he put together yet another phenomenal list.

Of course, when we publish this list each year, we inevitably get questions about how we choose because it's become quite competitive. So to help out, here are 3 things you should know if you want to get your website in the running for our 2009 list:

1. The website must be nominated (you can nominate your own website or another favorite website by submitting to writersdigest@fwpubs.com.) We collect nominations throughout the year, and publish the list in our June issue (June deadlines hit in early January).

2. Although some of the websites we choose do have paid elements, it's essential that there's a substantial amount of free content of value to writers.

3. We judge our advertisers websites no differently than we would any other nominated website; the criteria are the same.

If you have any questions or comments about our 101 Best Websites for Writers, please post them here. Brian and I will be happy to answer.

Keep Writing,
Maria

The Hazards of Oversharing

Wed, 28 May 2008 13:50:14 GMT

Hi Writers,
I am so very glad that the blogsophere didn't yet exist when I was a teenager/ twentysomething. Reading the New York Times magazine essay about blogger Emily Gould only amplified this feeling. I'm quite sure if I had acceses to a blog when I was 20 all of the stupid details of my youth would be forever digitally chronicled the way Emily's are.

Here's one brief excerpt from her long, long essay Exposed:

One of the strangest and most enthralling aspects of personal blogs is just how intensely personal they can be. I’m talking “specific details about someone’s S.T.D.’s” personal, “my infertility treatments” personal. There are nongynecological overshares, too: “My dog has cancer” overshares, “my abusive relationship” overshares.

It’s easy to draw parallels between what’s going on online and what’s going on in the rest of our media: the death of scripted TV, the endless parade of ordinary, heavily made-up faces that become vaguely familiar to us as they grin through their 15 minutes of reality-show fame. No wonder we’re ready to confess our innermost thoughts to everyone: we’re constantly being shown that the surest route to recognition is via humiliation in front of a panel of judges.

But is that really what’s making people blog? After all, online, you’re not even competing for 10 grand and a Kia. I think most people who maintain blogs are doing it for some of the same reasons I do: they like the idea that there’s a place where a record of their existence is kept — a house with an always-open door where people who are looking for you can check on you, compare notes with you and tell you what they think of you. Sometimes that house is messy, sometimes horrifyingly so. In real life, we wouldn’t invite any passing stranger into these situations, but the remove of the Internet makes it seem O.K.

This essay is a cautionary tale about the dangers of "oversharing" as Emily says. Writers, bloggers—especially you young ones—remember to be cautious when you're writing online about your private life. This isn't the way you want to be famous.

Have you ever over-shared on a blog? Did you regret it?

Keep Writing,
Maria

Send Us To Your Site!

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:54:10 GMT

Hi Writers,
Now is the time to bring your website to the attention of the WD editors. We're taking nominations for the best writer's website to feature in the October issue of Writer's Digest.

Here are the details:
We’re looking for the writer with the best personal website or blog that was created and is maintained without outside help. Sites will be judged on presentation, ease of use and marketing effectiveness. Send your nominations—and don’t be shy; you can nominate your own site—to writersdig@fwpubs.com with “Best Writer’s Site” in the subject line. The deadline is June 10.

Sites will be judged by Writer’s Digest editors. The top 10 sites will be listed in our October issue, in our e-newsletter and on WritersDigest.com. The writer with the best site will receive a one-year subscription to writersmarket.com and a subscription to Writer’s Digest; the nine runners-up will receive one-year subscriptions to Writer’s Digest.

If you post a link to your website in the comments section of this entry, I'll make sure your website ends up in the running. So let's see your sites!

Keep Writing,
Maria

My Archival Wanderings: Stephen King on drinking

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:40:26 GMT

Hi Writers,
You may be wondering how I’ve been choosing these daily excerpts I’ve been posting from the Writer’s Digest archives. Here’s how it happens: Brian (the Brain of Q&Q) spins me around and wherever I’m pointing at the end of my spinning is the year I choose from. It’s kind of like medieval divining or literary spin the bottle. But I digress…

Today’s exhibit: a wonderful, yet somewhat disturbing piece of ephemera circa 1978 (October). This is pulled from a feature called “Booze & the Writer.”

I’m not sure we could get away with doing this today: A questionnaire about the drinking habits of writers was sent out to a wide range of famous authors. Dozens of candid responses were featured in this piece, including responses from Erica Jong, Joyce Carol Oates, Norman Mailer, James A. Michener, Gay Talese and Michael Crichton among others.

This was Stephen King’s response [remember this is 1978]:
Drinking Habits: Somewhere in that great middle ground between medium and heavy. Beer. A lot of beer.

Hangouts: I drink mostly at home. When I’m in Boston, I drink at the Baseball Tavern across from Fenway Park. When I’m in New York, I like to go up to the top of the Beekman Tower. But mostly at home.

Drinking Companions: I like to drink alone. I never get ugly when I drink too much, I never bore myself with a lot of dull conversation, and I have never yet invited myself to step outside. Otherwise, I like to go drinking with my editor, Bill Thompson. He also never gets ugly, never wants to lay on a lot of boring raps, and has never invited me outside. Of course, he spent a lot of time down South and as a result drinks a lot of very strange drinks, but this is acceptable. After all, the Civil War has been over a long time.

On Writing and Drinking: Yes, there’s an affinity between drinking and writing. You can see the connection in the lives of Hemingway, Dylan Thomas, and William (“Don’t ask me what that sentence means, I wrote it when I was drunk”) Faulkner. I like to write when I’m drunk. I’ve never had any particular problem writing that way, although I never wrote anything that was worth a dime while under the influence of pot or any of the hallucinogenics. I think that alcohol is an extremely benign poison. I wrote one novel, The Shining, that was more or less about the terrors of living with the destructive drunk —and I have known one of two in my lifetime—but I have never been particularly destructive while under the influence myself. Writers who drink constantly do not last long, but a writer who drinks carefully is probably a better writer. It may be that the main effect of the grain or the grape on the creative personality is that necessary sense of newness and freshness, that feeling that the world of sense and feeling can be grasped. Those are feelings we tend to lose as we grow older. I know that as well as anyone, I think, because I’m only 30—and you tend to start losing that crazy and wonderful sense of cocksureness sometime around 25 … at about the same time that you discover that sex may not be the only possible definition of living. Viewed in that way, drinking is a crutch. But nobody gets through life without a crutch or two. And basically, writers are no different from anyone else. If I were a plumber, my drinking habits would probably be the same.

Fascinating. What do you think about the stereotype of the drinking writer?

Join me next Monday for my latest spin through the archives.

Keep Writing,
Maria

Still linear in a networked world

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 19:34:50 GMT

Hi Writers,
Prodigious print buyers are winning by a landslide in my poll below “Do you buy less print (magazines, newspapers and books) than you did five years ago?"

To continue along that same vein of thought, I read an intriguing article this week on the Publishing 2.0 blog: The Evolution From Linear Thought To Networked Thought by Scott Karp.

Karp says that although he reads prolifically, he rarely reads "books" any more (as in print books). He posits in this article that perhaps the way we read is inherently changing from “linear” (as you do with a book) to “networked” (as you do with a blog).

Here’s an excerpt, but please network and read the whole piece. (Then network back here, of course):
So do I do all my reading online because it’s more convenient? Well, it is, but it’s not as if I don’t have opportunities to read books. (And I do read a lot of Disney Princess books to my daughter.)

But the convenience argument seems to float on the surface of a deeper issue — there’s something about the print vs. online dialectic that always seemed superficial to me. Books, newspapers, and other print media are carefully laid out. Online content like blogs are shoot from the hip. Books are linear and foster concentration and focus, while the web, with all its hyperlinks, is kinetic, scattered, all over the place.

Fascinating stuff. I guess I’m old school because I still like to read books. But I like to read blogs, too, so what can I say...

I’m a prolific reader of both linear and networked writing. I'm networked all day, but at home, I still want to cozy up with a good old-fashioned linear book. Judging from the results of my poll, you all aren’t quite willing to give up linear thought, either.

Basically though, if I had to choose, I'd have to say I'm still linear in a networked world.

How about you?

Keep Writing,
Maria

Does Generosity Pay Off?

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:02:49 GMT

Hi Writers,

To follow up on my previous post on changing reading habits, the poll right now:
Do you buy less print (books, magazines, newspapers) than five years ago?
37 people so far have voted “yes” (they are buying less) vs. 51 people who voted “no.” I'm keeping the poll open so scroll down and cast your vote.

Reassuring numbers for writers, although the fact that writers are the primary readers of this blog skews those numbers. Interesting to note comments here and on the forum, many mentioned that while they do buy fewer newspapers, they buy just as many if not more magazines and books than they did five years ago. So that’s encouraging.

On that note, HarperCollins is rolling the dice with a new program that will offer the full contents of many of their books online free of charge.

HarperCollins Will Post Free Books on the Web

Here’s an excerpt from The New York Times article:

In an attempt to increase book sales, HarperCollins Publishers will begin offering free electronic editions of some of its books on its Web site, including a novel by Paulo Coelho and a cookbook by the Food Network star Robert Irvine.

The idea is to give readers the opportunity to sample the books online in the same way that prospective buyers can flip through books in a bookstore.

“It’s like taking the shrink wrap off a book,” said Jane Friedman, chief executive of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide. “The best way to sell books is to have the consumer be able to read some of that content.”

A gamble to be sure, one the whole publishing industry will no doubt be watching closely. Hopefully what Paulo Coelho had to say is true: “I believe that generosity pays off.”

I love that. And I hope he’s right.
What’s your take?

Keep Writing,
Maria

Have your reading habits changed?

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:00:16 GMT

Hi Writers,
Thanks to everyone who chimed in on my previous post about the gray areas of publishing your creative writing online.

One thing that seems to come up over and over again is this:
Will people pay for print versions of what they can get online for free?
I think this is a really important topic for writers to think about, since the whole world seems to be going online.

I can tell you that corporate types are encouraging editor types to get as much "content" (I hate that word) as possible online. The current thinking: putting content online is like free advertising and people will pay for print versions of what they're able to get for free online.

I don't necessarily believe this and was wondering about other writers' opinions on this important topic. I've seen how quickly and dramatically my own reading habits have changed over the past five years. I was previously a daily subscriber to my city newspaper, now I bypass the city paper entirely and read the The New York Times online daily. I've failed to renew many magazine subscriptions when I know I can read the full contents online for free. So I have my doubts about this theory, but maybe I'm wrong.

What about you? Do you buy less print (magazines, newspapers, books) than you did five years ago? Here's a yes or no poll, so cast your vote and don't forget to drop a comment. I'll follow up with the results next Tuesday.

Keep Writing,
Maria

Publishing Fiction on a Blog

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:55:00 GMT

Hi Writers,
One of the questions that came up when I originally posted my 20 tips for good blogging was the issue of whether or not it makes sense to post your fiction online.

And the answer is, well, it depends. It's important to think hard about what your writing and publishing goals are before you decide to post your original fiction online.

A few points worth considering:
• Are you hoping to get your piece published elsewhere? If so, it’s wise to reconsider posting a full story on your blog, since many editors will consider this previously published content, and therefore won’t accept it for publication. Put yourself in an editor’s shoes: if a story is available in full online already, what’s the point of including it in a book or literary journal (online or print).

• Yes, a blog can help you develop a readership, or perhaps even snag the attention of an editor or agent. But again, consider the consequences of publishing full stories or novel chapters online. A better tactic might be to publish excerpts to give readers a taste of your work.

• If you’re posting your work online as a means of creative expression or simply to get feedback, sure, go ahead and post your fiction on your blog—just know that you might be giving up the chance to get it traditionally published later.

For a thorough read on the topic of what’s considered published and what isn’t, go to
Shades of Gray by Jordan E. Rosenfeld

Here's a brief excerpt:
Perhaps the grayest area of all is the blog. In the beginning, bloggers were seen as little more than confessional diarists posting their ramblings on the Internet for anyone to stumble across. Because numerous bloggers are prolific and even respected now, however, the issue of blog publishing leaves a lot of editors uneasy. Most agree that content that appeared on a personal blog doesn't count as being published—as it hasn't gone through a committee process—but some still prefer not to publish it. If you aspire to publish in a particular journal, you're better off keeping prospective pieces off the blogosphere altogether.

Do you publish your original fiction on your blog? If so, how’s that working out?

Keep Writing,
Maria

Blogs: Handling sensitive subjects

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 19:41:18 GMT

Hi Writers,
Anyone who blogs and is interested in learning how to write about a very serious topic should check out Patry Francis' blog Simply Wait.

I wrote about Patry in my previous post. She's an author who's battling cancer. She's been chronicling that battle on her blog recently.

Here's a brief excerpt from a recent post, but please go to her blog and read it in full. It's a lovely piece of writing:

I promise to stop writing about "my trip to the hospital" soon. Very soon! But apparently, I'm a classic case of a writer who doesn't get out much. It's not that I don't see lots of people every day. Family, friends, and friends of the kids flow in and out in a wonderful stream. They bless my life--all of them--even when I bellow, (most often internally) "Hey, I'm trying to get some work done here!"

But what I've missed from my waitressing days, and what the hospital provided was interaction with the wider world. People I didn't know. Stories I hadn't heard. Catalysts to insights and thoughts that stretched far beyond myself and my beloved few. The stream that becomes a vast, transformative river. In the hospital, I walked into that river again.

For my second surgery, I only had one request: I wanted to go back to the same floor, White 7, where I already knew the nurses and the aides, the dietary and housekeeping staff. I loved them all. But it was probably the intimacy of sharing a room with various strangers, all enduring their own crises, that affected me most.

It's challenging, but it is possible to handle serious topics in a delicate, even uplifting way. I'd like to assemble a list of blogs that are covering sensitive topics well, as Patry's does. Please leave your recommendations in the comments section.

Keep Writing,
Maria

Blogs: Cutting words in your posts Part 3

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:03:08 GMT

Hi Writers,
Since there seems to be a great deal of angst surrounding my advice to try to keep your blog posts short, I'm going to do one final post on the subject and then move on to more creative, less-irritating topics.

My advice to try and keep the majority of your blog posts down to 300 words or fewer was only meant to be a general guideline—not an arbitrary rule—for day-to-day blogging. As I wrote in my original post "20 Tips for Good Blogging" if you've got good stuff—go long. But let it be a conscious decision.

If you're a blogger who's writing long posts on a regular basis and getting the readership and feedback you want, of course you should keep it up. Then get on here and tell us all how you're doing it, because we all want to know!

The fact is, if you're accustomed to writing for magazines or books, blogging is an entirely different form of writing.

Here are a few facts about writing for the web, provided by the good folks in my IT department:
• Most visitors do not scroll to see what's beyond the fold; if they do it will not be beyond 2 1/2 screens.
• People read 25% slower from screens than paper.
• Resolution of a computer screen is 30X lower than resolution of a printed page.

Just something for you to think about. Of course, if you're blogging purely as a means of self-expression and don't care about developing a big readership, don't worry about any of this.

I welcome your comments, both positive and not-so positive.

Keep Writing,
Maria

Cutting words in your posts: Part 2

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 19:11:58 GMT

Hi Writers,
I've noticed, in my web wanderings, wordiness is a rampant problem in the blogosphere. So to continue the theme of my previous post on cutting down wordiness, I've taken a recent post by one of my favorite writers, fellow WD blogger Kevin Alexander (with his permission), and cut out the excessive adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and redundancies to get the word count down. It's the kind of editing you can do if you want to make your writing cleaner and tighter. And it only takes an extra couple of minutes.

Here's Kevin's post:
I hope you--like me-- found time over the holiday to reflect on the year that was and consume ~~nearly~~ twice your daily recommended calories~~c intake~~ in Lindt chocolate truffles and ~~kind-of-gross, kind-of-really-good alcoholic~~ Egg Nog. But now that I've New Years Resolutioned Up and thrown away anything ~~and everything even vaguely~~ brown in my apartment in favor of leafy greens and Guava Goddess Kombucha tea, and I'm ~~finally~~ ready to be back in my ~~normal~~ writing routine, I realized ~~something:~~ I'm ~~kind of~~ rusty.

Due to the holiday and some ~~unforeseen~~ family stuff, I didn't ~~get a chance to~~ write for two weeks. And so today, when I sat ~~back~~ down in the familiar confines of Espresso Royale, after attempting to nod ~~tentatively~~ at the regulars (~~you know:~~ the hippies, the college age dude in a bowler cap who is always reading ~~one of~~ the free alternative weeklies and tracing something on a pad, and the loud, ~~unpredictable~~ counter-culture girl with multiple piercings, a~~n eerily~~ normal looking boyfriend, and either a drug problem or an unusually small bladder), I tried to pick up where I left off on my novel re-writes and discovered~~, to my horror,~~ that I couldn't~~, well,~~ do anything. Ideas were vague, plot connections muddled. I couldn't remember the name of one of my central characters. I spent ~~a terrifyingly long~~ 45 minutes re-reading ~~back~~ chapters ~~just~~ to get a sense of what I was writing about only to find that when I finally remembered, I didn't have anything creative in the tank. So I went and ordered a Turkey Avocado Club ~~on a sesame bagel~~.

And while I was sitting down to slay said lunch treat ~~(I know, I know, bagels are terribly caloric)~~, I started to think about why I was rusty. Unlike writer's block, (which~~-- I should point out--~~ is usually just my excuse to watch "The View"), it wasn't that I couldn't get anything on the page, it was ~~morejust~~ like speaking a language. If you stop working, you lose your fluency, your momentum, and your ability to remember the names of secondary characters that play vital roles ~~nearly all the wayOf course,~~ sometimes breaks are good, and necessary even, to clear your head or give a draft ~~another look with~~ a fresh set of eyes. But not while you're in the thick of things, and not when you have to turn in a certain draft ~~of said piece of work~~ to a certain thesis adviser in a certain amount of days, and you only have ~~another~~ 44 minutes of battery on your laptop, and the hippies are hogging the tables by the power outlet.

So, ~~in conclusion,~~ my break, while important were I to ~~ever~~ need ~~this~~ excess weight during hibernation, was not what experts might call "smart" or ~~even~~ "logical under the circumstances". Let me know if you suffered the same fate of holiday-induced indolence or feel free to heap on the guilt by telling me about the thousands ~~and thousands~~ of words you produced while your relatives were talking. Either way, drop it in the comments.

See how easy it is to cut out excess without losing voice or meaning in a piece of writing?
Thanks to Kevin for giving me permission to publicly edit his post. (BTW isn't he funny?)

I hope this helps, if not by all means ignore my advice. It's just advice, after all. Do what works for you.

Keep Writing,
Maria

Blogs: How to Keep your Word Count Down

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 17:11:14 GMT

Hi Writers,
Several people commented specifically on tip #10: Keep it Short from my "20 Tips for Good Blogging" article. They remarked that it's difficult to keep posts to 300 words, and that word limit is perhaps too strict.

But I stick with my original advice to keep it short. Most successful blogs stick to a tight word count.
It may seem a difficult target, at first. But as most good editors and journalists know, you have to train yourself to be economical with your word choices.

I'm a fan of The Elements of Style by Strunk & White and I recommend this classic language and style guide to anyone who wants to be a better blogger, because it really gets to the core of how to write tight. Every time I'm tempted to insert an adverb or adjective in my own writing, I look down at my Strunk & White tattoo and reconsider.

Here's an excerpt from The Elements of Style (4th edition) by Strunk & White:

Do not overwrite

Rich, ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating. If the sickly-sweet word, the overblown phrase are your natural form of expression, as is sometimes the case, you will have to compensate for it by a show of vigor, and by writing something as meritorious as the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.

When writing with a computer, you must guard against wordiness. The click and flow of a word processor can be seductive, and you may find yourself adding a few unnecessary words or even a whole passage just to experience the pleasure of running your fingers over the keyboard and watching your words appear on the screen. It is always a good idea to reread your writing later and ruthlessly delete the excess.

Don't you love it when language style gurus get all smart-alecky? But this passage makes the point well.

Take a hard look at your last post and examine it for wordiness:
• Are there unnecessary adjectives and adverbs?
• Are there redundancies?
• Are there words that you wouldn't naturally use in conversation?

Be ruthless. Cut down your wordiness. It will make your post more concise and readable and that's essential to good blogging. Good writing = Good blogging.

Today's question: Are you a wordy blogger? Please share here. It's good to share.

And join me tomorrow when I attempt to edit a wordy post from a fellow WD blogger (guess who) down to 300 words.

Keep Writing,
Maria
P.S. Wordpress and Blogger are running a tight race in the Best Blog Software for Writers Poll (below). I'm going to leave the poll open and I hope to announce a winner soon.

Best Blog Software for Writers

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:42:23 GMT

Hi Writers,
I want to thank everyone who stopped by and left a comment on my 20 Tips for Good Blogging post. I've learned so much from your comments and I'm going to address many of the intriguing questions and comments you've contributed. A few of the things I'm going to explore on the blogfront over the next few weeks:

• How do you keep your word count down to 300 words a post?
• How do you keep your blog positive when you're writing about a serious topic?
• Does it make sense for fiction writers to post full stories on their blogs?

To continue this great dialogue, today I'd like to ask you all to contribute your thoughts and opinions about the best blogging software for writers (we're talking serious diy here).

I've been fortunate in my blogging career to have a tech crew setting things up and addressing issues for me. But I'm venturing out to start a blog of my own for freelancing, and have been researching my many options. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I don't need a full-fledged website—I can do most of what I want to do with a blog.

Some of my requirements:
• A nice, clean design
• User-friendly for a non-techie
• My own URL

So I want to hear from all of you who have started blogs. What's the best blog software option out there? Please vote in the poll here, and of course, please leave your comments on the subject.

Let the polls begin!

Keep Writing,
Maria

20 Tips for Good Blogging

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:55:45 GMT

Hi Writers,

If you’ve been a regular reader here, you know that I spent much of 2007 perusing writer’s blogs for my Project 20/20: Build my Blogroll Project. I spotlighted 20 writer’s blogs (one a week for 20 weeks) and added them to my Blogroll, where you can still find the links.

Even though I didn’t start blogging officially until April 2007 with this, “The Writer’s Perspective,” I’ve been following the blog world for years. In 2001, I wrote, I believe, one of the earliest articles about blogging for Personal Journaling, The Art of the Blog. It was difficult back then to even find people who could speak knowledgeably on the subject. It’s amazing how blogging has changed in seven years. Now many professional writers, journalists, industry leaders and politicians have gotten into blogging. And the reason is obvious: Blogging is one of the quickest, most effective, and certainly least-expensive ways to get a message across. (For more, check out Brian A. Klems' "What is a Blog?")

But it’s not easy—at least it’s not easy to do well. I’ve decided to download the full contents of my brain where blogging is concerned, into this online-exclusive article. And because I’m the editor of Writer’s Digest, writers were first in my mind when composing this article. But I think there’s beneficial information here for anyone who wants to start blogging or improve their blogging expertise.

20 Tips for Good Blogging

1. Starting a blog is easy. There are many free blog services. Blogger.com is very user-friendly and will lead you through a pain-free set-up process. If you want to keep a specific domain (without “blogger” in the URL), you’ll need to set up your own domain and import it into another blog service, such as wordpress.com.

2. Decide what you want your blog to be. Who are your target readers? It’s important to decide from the beginning whether you’re blogging for professional or personal reasons. If you want to blog strictly as a diary or a way to get the creative juices flowing, password protect it. Think hard about who your potential readers are and what sort of image you want to portray. Announce your full vision for your blog in your first post.

3. Post one time a week at the absolute minimum. This is important, because once you develop a regular readership, you don’t want to lose it. Every day is ideal, although there’s a high burnout rate for bloggers who post this frequently. Aiming for three to five posts per week is a good goal.

4. If you write on your blog that you’re going to do something—do it. A lot of this has to do with building a solid level of trust with your readers. If you write that you’re going to post every day, or that you’re going to post something specific, be sure you can and will deliver.

5. You don’t have to be perfect, but still try. Yes, grammar and spelling expectations are somewhat more relaxed with a blog, but don’t get lazy with your posts. Respect your reader: at least run a quick grammar/spelling check before your post.

6. Remember that blogs are forever. I also like to call this tip “friends don’t let friends post drunk.” Like a tattoo, a piercing, or those expensive shoes you bought that kill your feet, a blog post may be around for a long, long time, so use due consideration before posting something inflammatory, overly critical or anything that could get you fired/expelled/sued/grounded.

7. If you know you’re the sort of person who will ignore tip #6, make sure your blog is password-protected, so only your friends will know you posted drunk.

8. Be a good neighbor. One of the very best ways to establish a readership is to reach out to other bloggers, by visiting their blogs and leaving comments. Link to specific posts you find on their blogs and comment in a positive way. Also include blogs you like and recommend on your blogroll.

9. Try to be positive. Don’t use your blog to lash out at your boss/spouse/probation officer/the world in general. You probably won’t develop much of a readership that way as it gets tiresome very quickly, not to mention, it could land you in trouble (see tip #6). There’s a kind of karma to blogging. If what you’re putting out is negative, what you get back is negative.

10. Keep your posts short. No one wants to read a Master’s thesis on your blog. Keep your posts concise. 300 words a post is a good target. You can occasionally go longer if you’ve got really good stuff—run it by an honest friend first to find out if it really is good stuff. The art of blogging is more about clarity and brevity. Note: Yes, I violated my 300- words tip with this very post. My managing editors, Brian and Kara told me it was good stuff.

11. Realize that blogging is an endurance sport. Anyone can start a blog, but very few people can keep a good blog up, week after week, month after month, year after year. Yes, it gets exhausting, but like training for a marathon, it can also be exhilarating. If you know you’re more a sprinter than a marathoner, maybe a blog isn’t the right format for you.

12. Can you land a book deal with your blog? Maybe. It happens, but don’t let that be your primary motivation, because it’s unlikely. You might think of blogging as a sort-of farm league for publishing. But it’s all about establishing a readership. If you have a devoted audience base, you can bet it won’t be difficult to score a publisher.

13. Encourage your readers to comment. Create clear, well thought out opinion pieces. Don’t be afraid to pose provocative questions to capture your reader’s attention. Get them emotionally/mentally involved in your blog. If you want to develop a rapport with your readers (if you don’t, then you shouldn’t be blogging), encourage their comments, and don’t deride them when their point of view is different from yours.

14. Remember that readers want information. It’s certainly not difficult to find information on the Web. But it is difficult to find it from a trusted, reliable source. Try to provide them with information they want, whether it’s from your own work, or linking to the work of others.

15. Develop your own style. What keeps readers coming back is you—your voice, your style, your point of view and your clear, polished writing. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through.

16. Have occasional guests. Yes, if you develop a readership, you’re the primary draw back to your blog. But it’s good and healthy to mix it up every now and then with fresh perspectives from trusted guest bloggers. In fact, it may give you a much-needed mental break away from the relentless demands of keeping up a good blog.

17. Visual aids can be good. But don’t overdo it. Blogging is primarily a written medium. If you’re a writer and trying to develop an audience for your writing, then write. Don’t over-rely on cheesy photos and other digital eye candy.

18. Let your blog evolve. A blog is a lot like a magazine, in that it’s a constant evolution. Be generous and flexible about letting your blog develop over time, as you do.

19. Don’t be overly promotional. Yes, a blog can be a good promotional tool, but if you’re only trying to sell something, it becomes obvious very quickly. If you’re promoting something, be a soft sell. And only do it occasionally, as it will turn readers away.

20. Keep it fun. Don’t take it too seriously. If you’re having a good time with your blog—and if you’re not then ask yourself why you’re doing it—people are going to have fun reading it and will keep coming back for more.

Feel free to comment: add to, agree or disagree with anything I wrote here. It is a blog after all, comments are always welcome. That’s part of the fun.

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK 20 ADD!

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 02:46:44 GMT

Hi Writers,
I'm back, shamelessly two-days late for this, the wrap-up of my Project 20/20: Build my Blogroll Project. I apologize to anyone who worried I'd given it all up to join a roving mime troupe. I've been on holiday, celebrating with family and doing good deeds involving small children and their pets.

But in being late, I did violate one of my own best blog practices: if you say you're going to do something, do it. For that I apologize.

As many of you who've been following this project know, I've been diving in the deep seas of the web for 20 weeks now in search of the best writer's blogs to add to my roster.

Thanks to all who have followed my blogroll project, who have nominated a blog or complimented other writer's blogs. It's been an amazingly educational journey for me and I hope you've found something useful along the way, as well.

For my 20th blogroll add, I wanted to spotlight one of the hardest working, most talented and most deserving writers I know. If you're a Writer's Digest reader, you're surely familiar with the copious work of this writer. I think you'll find this blog a darn good read.

Jordan's Muse
by Jordan E. Rosenfeld

Jordan recently released her book Make a Scene and she's been posting on her book and blog tour. Jordan's blog covers a lot of different subjects--she uses it as a journal of sorts. It's an excellent entree into the everyday life of a working writer. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.

And although this is the 20th and final blog I'm adding for my Project 20/20, I'm going to continue to hunt for the best writer's blogs on the web and spotlight them from time to time, so don't be shy about leaving me a comment with a link to your blog or recommending another writer's blog.

I'm off to Florida for a 7-day vacation with my family. My fearless editing team: online managing editor Brian A. Klems and managing editor Kara Gebhart Uhl, will be posting here on The Writer's Perspective next week, so stay tuned for some new voices, insights and opinions on the writing world.

In two weeks, I'll be sharing 20 tips every blogger should know, much of which is what I've learned from all of you during my Project 20/20.

I sincerely appreciate your readership. I wish you all peace, happiness and publication in 2008.

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK 19 ADD!

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:19:10 GMT

Hi Writers,
Well, you didn’t think I’d forget about my Project 20/20: Build My Blogroll, just because it’s the holidays, did you?

This is the 19th Friday in as many weeks in my project to add 20 writer’s blogs to my blogroll and now we’re counting down to the home stretch. I started a two-week vacation today, and I’m taking a bit of break from the blog next week. But no worries, I’ll definitely be back to post my final blogroll add.

I’m glad to see there’s still blogs getting added to the nominations (see many of the nominations in the Project 20/20 thread in the left nav). All told, I’ve received about 100 nominations and have thoroughly enjoyed exploring all of the great writer’s blogs.

But alas, I have to chose just one a week. Anyway, as I’ve stated numerous times, I want to have a well-rounded blogroll. I want my writer’s blogroll to be the definitive writer’s blogroll. I decided it was high time to add a good go-to blog for the times when we’re not really in the mood to write; when we just want to explore the work of other writers. With that I’d like to announce my week 19 add:

Bluestalking Reader: Weblog of Lisa Guidarini - Book Critic, Library Grad Student, Avid Photographer and Editor-at-Large of her own life.

Here’s a post Lisa did on a recent blogument she found herself in.

Shazam!

It's been one of those weeks. Early in the week I engaged in a fairly public argument over on the NBCC blog with a disgruntled self-published writer with some very strong opinions on the subjects of publishing and bookselling. After a couple rounds I realized if you put that episode in perspective it's truly the proverbial tempest in a teapot. Like there aren't a few hundred thousand disgruntled writers out there looking for a scapegoat. Phooey.

Hardly worth the time and aggravation, though the opinions expressed are definitely ones held near and dear to me. I guess I should really thank the woman for helping me sort those out. It was some very cheap therapy. Considering the fact I saw how it impacted her, I think I also got off fairly easily. One more example of me blowing off steam and coming out of it okay.

Phew.

You're a sassy one Lisa! Not to mention witty, charming, and skilled in serving up good topical information for writers—what more could you ask for in a blogger. (That was a rhetorical statement—don’t try to engage me in a blogument.)

Lisa, I appoint you the official book critic of my blogroll. Every good blogroll needs a resident critic.

Have a great holiday everyone!

Keep Writing,
Maria
P.S. check out my cute staff, below. : )

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK 18 ADD!

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:59:43 GMT

Hi Writers,
It's been energizing reading all of your writing goals for 2008 as they're rolling in. Keep them coming, I'm going to announce the 10 winners and post their goals here next Tuesday.

In the meantime, it's Friday, and that means it's again time to add another writer's blog to my blogroll. I'm up to 18 now—only 2 more weeks, 2 more blogs to go! You can find all the details and blogs nominated on the Project 20/20 thread in the left navigation here.

And with that, I'd like to announce my week 18 blogroll add:

Release Your Writing
by Helen Gallagher

On "Release Your Writing" (which is also the title of her book; smart move), Helen offers lots of great newsy items as well as practical advice for the working writer, including some really solid information for writers who are interested in self-publishing.

I adore the title of this recent post she did: "Pajama Marketing" and not just because I wish I were in my PJs right now.

Did you know you can buy a mailing list of U.S. independent book stores from a reliable source (NewPages.com). The cost for over 1,400 book store names and addresses is $75, but they also list the addresses on their site, where you can snag them for free. You could copy and paste the addresses for the shops in your area into a word processing document, do a mail-merge to print labels or letters, and let your work fly! New Pages also has lists of public and academic libraries at the above link.

What would you send to stores? That's up to you: The book synopsis, colorful postcard, media sheet, telling them how to order from your publisher, and stating the handsome 35 or 40 percent discount you'll offer. Include customer comments from your Amazon page and other testimonials from readers. No need to include sales figures - they have easy access to that information.

Welcome Helen. Stop by often and you're welcome to visit in your pajamas. Gotta love the Internet!

Keep Writing,
Maria

Win a Writer's Digest subscription!

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:40:39 GMT

Hi Writers,
I know it's a crazy time of year, and you probably have your writing career set in neutral at the moment, but it's time to put the credit card away for a few minutes and start thinking about what your goals are for 2008 (just 20 days away—eek!).

To get the creative wheels turning forward, I want to make you an offer you simply cannot refuse.
I have 10 Writer's Digest magazine subscriptions to give away over the next two weeks, and here's what I decided to do to motivate you.

Post your 2008 writing goals here in my comments section. I'm going to choose my favorite 10 and post them here on "The Writer's Perspective." So not only do you have a good chance of winning a one-year subscription to Writer's Digest, you get me, the Writer's Digest editor, digitally nudging (okay, bugging) you to make sure you're accountable to your own writing goals next year.

So writers—let the goals begin!

Keep Writing,
Maria
"The world is always ready to receive talent with open arms."
-my favorite quote from a fortune cookie

Writer's Digest on Facebook

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:23:46 GMT

Hi Writers,
I'm on Facebook now, and so is our beloved Writer's Digest, so stop by and say hi if you're a Facebooker!
Maria Schneider on Facebook
Writer's Digest on Facebook

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK 17 ADD!

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:20:38 GMT

Hi Writers,
It’s Friday and that means it's time to announce my 17th add in my Project 20/20: Build My Blogroll contest (you can find details and many of the nominated writing blogs on the left navigation).

This week’s add is an ambitious young blogger/writer, who focuses on the teen writing scene at:
Innovative Teen: a word for the wri-teen
by Gabrielle Linnell

Gabrielle posts weekly magazine-style features including interviews with Teen writers—she’s scored some impressive interviews. And she also posts on craft and inspiration for Teen Writers.

Here’s a post Gabrielle did recently on facing burnout:
Burnout is different from inspiration-loss. Look, if you wait to write until you're inspired, you'll be waiting a long time. You won't write, actually. The discipline of writing is writing anyway, always, whenever, however. Burnout is when you are really empty, not just tired. But fear not! Burnout is neither forever, nor untreatable. The best cures, I've found, are below.
-Take a short break
-Throw yourself into your book or short-term project.
-Listen to lots of music.
-Take long nature walks.
-Read an article you really disagree with
-Eat really good food.
-Watch a lot of cheesy, feel-good movies
-Or watch one gripping drama
And the best way:
Read a really, really, really badly written book.

Gabrielle, I use that last one—reading a really, really really badly written book works wonders for me for some reason (although I will not divulge those books). I think this is counter-intuitive yet practical advice for writers you have here.

Here’s a big Writer’s Perspective welcome to my favorite new up-and-coming blogger and writer—Gabrielle Linnell.

Only 3 more weeks/ 3 more blogs to go so keep the nominations coming!

Keep Writing,
Maria

Is Copyright Now Necessary?

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:05:49 GMT

Hi Writers,
Wow, I hate to be a buzz-kill over the holidays, but I read an alarming report in Publishers Weekly and thought it was important to share with you: Court Voids Settlement in Tasini v New York Times

Here's an excerpt:
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has thown out a settlement between freelance writers and publishers reached after a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that publishers had violated the copyright of freelance writers by using their works in electronic databases without their permission. The 2001 Supreme Court decision was reached in Tasini v. The New York Times, a case involving Jonathan Tasini, then president of the National Writers Union, and five other plaintiffs. The appellate court ruling voids a settlement that created a pool of $18 million that was to be paid out to freelance writers in an associated class-action suit.

In the 2 to 1 decision, the appellate court ruled that only writers who had registered their works with the copyright office were eligible to file claims for damage. Since the overwhelming majority of freelance writers did not register their works, the appellate court reasoned that the courts did not have jurisdiction over the dispute and were wrong to approve the class action suit as well as the subsequent settlement. However, in a dissenting opinion, Chief Judge John M. Walker, argued that registering for a copyright was more of a “claim-processing rule,” rather than a “jurisdictional prerequisite.”

If so inclined, you can read background on the case here: Tasini vs. New York Times.

Also, it currently costs $45 (ouch!) to copyright a manuscript. To learn more about copyright, here’s the U.S. Copyright Office website

Until now, Writer's Digest hasn’t recommended writers getting their own copyright, since it was deemed both costly and unnecessary. Unfortunately, we may soon have to change that stance.

Here’s my question for you: In light of this new threat to writers' rights, is it now necessary for writers to get each and every manuscript copyrighted?

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK 16 ADD!

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:35:15 GMT

Hi Writers,
Here it's week 16 in my Project 20/20 Build my Blogroll contest and the nominations for writers' blogs keep rolling in. If you've been following along, you know I've chosen a very wide ranging collection of writer's blogs for writers of all stripes—from the purely whimsical to the downright practical.

This week's add, I must say, is a quite sensible selection. It's the little black dress of my blogroll. It's a blog dedicated to educating and communicating with freelance writers.

I'd like to announce my week 16 add:
Words on the Page: Advice and Ramblings on the Writing Life
by Lori Widmer (who's a frequent visitor and commentor on this blog)

Lori's been freelancing for 15 years and she's witnessed first-hand the changes unfolding in the industry. Here's an excerpt from a very recent post:

The Changing Face of Freelancing
Time for some frank talk - we've been in this business long enough to see the trends unfolding before our eyes, right? Even if you've been in freelancing a year, you've seen it. You may not recognize it yet, but you're definitely experiencing it.

It's the way we find our projects. For a few years now, I've lamented, cajoled, moaned and shouted about how project employers are requiring more of us and paying us a damn sight less than in previous years. Numerous reasons exist - and I'm not going into them here. I've fussed about them endlessly in previous posts. Just read backwards, please.

It used to be we could log on to Craig's List or About Freelance Writing and find tons of work that paid decently (and Anne Wayman does an excellent job of searching for job listings for us, so kudos to her). Even the paid job sites used to do good by us. But the evolution taking place online right now is depressing, maddening, sickening and not doing anyone any good. The jobs that are there pay squat. If we secured 20 gigs a month, the pay still wouldn't add up to enough to bring home KFC for dinner (or tofu kabobs for us vegetarians).

Lori's encouraging other freelancers not to take this lying down though, she's taking a proactive approach, which I really admire. Beginning next Monday, she's leading a charge to learn or re-learn the age-old art of the cold call—something freelancers seem to now bypass. Go visit Lori's blog next week and learn how to do some hands-on marketing for the good of your writing career.

So Lori, good luck with your project and thanks for using your time and experience to help out your fellow writers. It's my honor to welcome you to my fabulous blogroll.

Keep Writing,
Maria

Pay me for my content?!!!

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:43:14 GMT

Hi Writers,
If you're trying to write for a living, I don't need to tell you what a volatile industry writers are facing right now, with the Internet rising quickly as the dominant media force.

I'll leave it up to Chad Gervich to fill you in on the nitty-gritty of the screenwriter's strike—which has vast implications for all writers' rights—on his Script Notes blog.

But on a separate but related note concerning writers' rights, please read this Op-Ed from The New York Times Pay Me for My Content, by Jaron Lanier.

Lanier, one of the early Silicon Valley Internet pioneers, wrote the following:

Like so many in Silicon Valley in the 1990s, I thought the Web would increase business opportunities for writers and artists. Instead they have decreased. Most of the big names in the industry — Google, Facebook, MySpace and increasingly even Apple and Microsoft — are now in the business of assembling content from unpaid Internet users to sell advertising to other Internet users.

This is a brief, but really provocative (and potentially depressing) essay. Read it in full if you have the chance. The gist of the piece is that writers and artists really get (pardon the expression) screwed (he says it more politely than that) with the current model of the Web 2.0, because people now have the expectation that content (read: your writing) should be free.

Free content is a lovely ideal, as Lanier asserts, but who's then paying writers for their work? Is it too late to re-make the system and ask people to charge for what they're now, in many cases, getting for free?

Please leave your thoughts, concerns and crazy visionary ideas here.

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK #15 ADD!

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 22:40:57 GMT

Hi Writers,
This is week 15 in my Project 20/20 Build My Blogroll project
Please follow the link for details about the project where you'll find many of the writer's blogs nominated in the comments section of that original post.

There's still no shortage of great writer's blogs to add to my blogroll, as you'll see with this week's add: Kelly Spitzer

There's a lot to admire about Kelly's blog, including helpful book reviews and journal recommendations. But one of my favorite features is her Writer Profile Project in which Kelly profiles writers and also editors of small literary magazines and journals.

I love literary journals, but admittedly have a difficult time keeping up with them all. Kelly's blog is going to be my new go-to source for information on what's new and happening on the journal front.

Kelly's also an editor herself. She's the submissions editor of Smokelong Quarterly an online journal featuring flash fiction “about a smoke long.” I'm embarrassed to admit I hadn't heard of Smokelong, but I'm definitely going to become a regular peruser there. The art is striking and they're publishing some recognizable names, including our new fiction columnist himself, Mr. Steve Almond.

So Kelly, welcome to my blogroll, and thanks for doing such great work on behalf of the indie press.

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK 14 ADD!

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:12:06 GMT

Hi Writers,
Well, it's week 14 in my undeniably ambitious, slightly insane quest to add one writer's blog to my blogroll each Friday for 20 weeks. A time consuming project, yes, but definitely worth it.

I've been regularly perusing many of the blogs nominated for my blogroll. As I've mentioned before, it's been quite inspiring to watch new-ish blogs grow and develop over a period of time. You can find the majority of nominations by following the link in the left navigation here (Project 20/20 Build my blogroll link). And feel free to keep nominating blogs.

My week 14 add is another blog that I've been watching for awhile now, I do like to see that they're being consistent over a period of time, which as any blogger will tell you, is challenging.

Becoming a Writer Seriously: Tools and Trade Secrets for Aspiring Writers
By Tom Colvin

Tom is seriously doing a fabulous job of being both an aggregator of news and resources for writers, as well as writing his own reviews of tools of the trade.

Here's one helpful post: A comprehensive review of word processors. Tom has done lots of good posts on marketing and self-publishing. One other thing I find particularly interesting, in Tom's bio he mentions that he plans on turning his blog posts into a book. I'm curious to hear more about, so Tom please get on here and explain more about this project of yours—I think it's something a lot of writer/bloggers consider.

Congratulations Tom, my newest add. A warm welcome to my online stomping grounds.

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK #13 ADD!

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 19:44:09 GMT

Hi Writers,

It's oh-so-lucky week #13 in my unstoppable quest to add one writer's blog to my blogroll each week for 20 weeks.

And without further adieu, I'd like to announce this week's add:

The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Succes
by Linda Formichelli

If you're trying to break into freelancing, make this blog your go-to source for advice, resources, and just plain chutzpah that's necessary to establish a freelance writing career. I'd pay attention to anything Linda had to say—she's a real pro.

Check out the Renegade Writer’s FAQ advice archives, for lots of sassy, saucy advice for the working writer.

Here's one post I found especially useful in that renegade writer way:

The sneaky way to e-mail a magazine editor:
If you want to e-mail an editor, but don’t have her address, don’t fret — I’ve compiled the e-mail formats of some of the bigger publishing companies. Of course, there are always variations, such as when an editor has a hyphenated last name…but this list will still help in many cases.

The Renegade Writer’s blog even shares some real query letters that won assignments here. I think this is quite useful to help illustrate what editors are really looking for in a query.

Congratulations Linda, you renegade you. My blogroll is charmed by your rebel spirit.

I'm still taking nominations—7 spots to fill!

Keep Writing,
Maria
P.S. A correction: All apologies for neglecting to mention Diana Burrell in my original post. Diana and Linda co-blog on the Renegade Writer site.

OFF THE PAGE: Laurell K. Hamilton

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:53:09 GMT

Hi Writers,
I adore having this blog. For one thing it gives me infinite space for all of the things I'd like to fit in the magazine. But of course, there are space constraints we magazine editors are up against.

With that I'd like to bring you an outtake of an interview I conducted with horror/fantasy writer Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake vampire series and the Merry Gentry fantasy series. Our WD Interviews often involve 2 or more hour long phone conversations. When transcribed this translates into more than 10,000 words and a 6-page feature typically clocks in at about 3,000.

So here's what won't make it into print. For the complete interview with Laurell K. Hamilton, you can pick up our April 2008 Genre Fiction issue, available on newsstands next February (I know, it's crazy how far ahead we magazine folk work).

Here's what Laurell K. Hamilton has to say about blogging:

You have a great blog. Why do you blog, and how do you fit it into your routine?
The blog is something I do first thing in the morning before I’ve done any writing, or last thing at the end of the day after I’ve done my writing. If I make a commitment to do something I try to do it well. I can’t just say well, there’s not time for writing today, the blog included. But I was a little confused about the blog when it first started. It feels private like a diary. It’s a very interesting form of writing. I went back to read essay writers. E.B. White is one of my favorite writers, he was an early influence on me. He’d done a series of essays for The New Yorker, I got that collection. I look at the blog as a collection of essays.

So you hadn’t done any essay writing previously?
Oh, I hate writing essays! They’re one of the hardest things for me to write because I have trouble writing short. Writers usually have one kind or another that they’re good at. Some people are absolutely amazing essay writers and a short piece is where they shine. Other people are good at short stories and novels. Novels are where I’m comfortable; I like huge works. So the blog was very difficult at first. But I’ve gotten better at it and more comfortable with it. I think having to do the blog on a regular basis, has helped me have more economy with language, which I think is always a good lesson for a writer to re-learn—especially a writer who has been successful, because they don’t edit you as you become successful. So it’s up to the writer to re-learn that economy of form.

What was the purpose of starting your blog: To keep in touch with your fans? Or was it more of a personal thing for you?
The helping the writing was an unexpected side-effect. It truthfully helped with writing the comic version of Guilty Pleasures and my husband Jonathan and I had a comic script. That actually helped me with the economy of language because you only have so many pages, but it was additionally to give something to the fans. Something that they could look at in between books. And also it was to help promote and keep the name out there. I cannot put a book out a month. So the blog is a way to let people know what I’m doing, to keep interest up, and also to give them something in between book releases so they can get a glimpse into it. Some fans said I write more detail about how I write the books than other people do.

I’d agree with that. There’s a lot about your process in your blog.
That’s how I learned, by reading other writers talk about how they write. It’s not a competition. There’s never enough good books out there. So if it can help people learn how to do it then great. But the writing process is individual. The fans seem very interested, though, even if they don’t want to write. They’re interested in how people write—it just fascinates people. To me it’s my job. But because I understand that since that’s the question I get asked most, I try to put in the blog what I’m writing, my schedule, etc. and I also try to explain how I come up with unique ideas. And that is the hardest thing actually: uniqueness. There are two things I don’t think can be taught, and those are the things you need most if you’re going to have a career. You need to find your unique voice and you need a unique vision.

Keep Writing,
Maria

feelin' blue in a red state...

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:52:25 GMT

...or seeing red in a blue state

Hi Writers,
On this election day, it seemed appropriate timing to make a statement about the so-called political leanings of Writer's Digest. Well, I hereby declare Writer's Digest independent and neutral territory—the Switzerland of the publishing world, if you will.

We've been getting a lot of flack recently about our "On the Edge" column, in particular, and I wanted to clarify a few things.

In the December issue we featured Alternative Fare, an article on Gay and Lesbian writing markets. We're doing, I think, a great job of providing analytical reports on publishing niche markets. In the past year we've covered markets for street lit, erotica and spiritual writing among others. These are potentially heated topics and—depending on what the topic is—we get called right wing wackos, left wing hippies, crazy liberal freaks and on, and on.

These are writing markets, pure and simple. We're not endorsing any lifestyle or religion or political party. We're not taking a stand on any particular issue. There are certainly plenty of places on the Web and on the newsstand to find political commentary. But there aren't many sources for fair, objective reporting on writing markets, and that's what we strive to bring you.

We're reporting on industry trends—sometimes these trends fall within the realm of heated political topics. You have my word that we're going out of our way to maintain fair, unbiased reporting.

If you think we cross the line into the realm of political commentary, I'd like to hear it, please leave a comment here.

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20 BUILD MY BLOGROLL: WEEK 12 ADD!

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:32:22 GMT

Hi Writers,
It's Week #12 in my Project 20/20 Build my Blogroll contest (see left for more details). If you haven't been following along, I'm spotlighting one writer's blog and adding it to my blogroll each week for 20 weeks.

One of the most amazing things about this project is due to the long scope of it, I've been able to watch many of the nominated blogs blossom. Many were relatively new-ish when this all started 12 weeks ago. And if there's one thing good blogging requires, it's continuity—you have to continually feed the blog monster, so to speak, if you want to keep a lively site that people will actually visit.

With that I'd like to announce my Week #12 add:
LEFT BRAIN WRITE: Musings on Writing and the Mind...
authored by one of my favorite WD forumistas Dr. Linda Simoni-Wastila

Linda is a psychology professor by day, writer by night. And she brings both of her passions together in this blog. Who better to help us figure out the connection between our crazy writer brains and creativity?

Here's an excerpt from Linda's most recent post "Creativity, it's all in your head."

Editing and revising sometimes feel like glorified secretarial work: typo annihilation, grammar correction, formatting perfection. It’s easy to let the mechanics of writing override the rest of the process, to get so stuck on the getting the words exactly right that you miss the message. At least, this is the way I feel of late, revising Brighter Than Bright for the 8th time (yes, the 8th full revision; my friend Jimmy’s discovered enough ‘ouches’ to cause anemia). Editing gets old. Real quick.

I missed writing new stuff. Waking in the morning, cup o’joe steaming by my side, the full moon blaring through the window, the rest of the world asleep, greeted only by a fresh white piece of paper daring me to write… anything my mind desired. It gives me shivers just thinking about it…brrrrrr… The revision process removes me from my characters and their sticky, complicated, crazy lives. It has to, because this stage requires the entrance of distanced critic, not the emotional writer. In other words, the polishing stage requires the left hemisphere of the brain, the home of language and linear thinking and logic and laterality, to assert control of the creative process.

Left-brain thinking, though necessary, is not sufficient. My right brain, where images and patterns and spatial relations reside, is where the ideas flow from, where the brilliant bon mots and the realization that your protag sports a ying-yang tattoo under the right shoulder blade originate. It’s the imagistic, intuitive, FUN side of creativity.

As I mentioned in the intro, Linda's site was one of the blogs that was really brand new when I kicked of Project 20/20 12-weeks ago. I didn't feel that I could recommend such a new blog then, because, as I said, consistency is such an important trait in a blogger. Well, Linda's shown her stuff.

Congratulations Linda, on being the latest addition to my blogroll. And I promise I won't even ask you for discounted psychiatric services.

Keep your nominations coming. There are still 8 spots left!

Keep Writing,
Maria

Welcome Screenwriters!

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:03:37 GMT

Hi Writers,
WD is going Hollywood. That's right, today we're kicking off a fabulous new blog Script Notes to keep you in the know about writing for the stage and screen.

Please welcome writer Chad Gervich. Chad is a television producer, published author, and award-winning playwright who spent five years as a development executive and producer with the Littlefield Company, former NBC president Warren Littlefield's production company with Paramount Television (now with ABC).

Chad created and produced the Style network’s hit comedy/reality series, Foody Call, and recently executive produced Celebrity Drive-By, a talk show pilot for E! Entertainment. Last fall, Chad developed Dirty Laundry, an internet soap for FOX TV Studios, and wrote and produced on Wig Out, an online sitcom for Warner Brothers.

Most recently, Chad’s book Television: A-Z was sold to Random House/Crown for an August, 2008 release.

Chad has also worked in development at NBC Studios, Sony Pictures, CBS Production, and Twentieth Century Fox. He’s been worked on countless series and pilots, including "Malcolm in the Middle" (FOX), "Love, Inc." (UPN), "Keen Eddie" (FOX/Bravo), "Do Over" (WB), "Time Tunnel" (FOX), and "Star Search" (CBS).

And, yes, this is an especially timely topic, in a rather ironic way, since there's a looming screenwriters strike. Here's an article from today's Los Angeles Times for the latest on the seemingly inevitable strike: Studios, writers quit talks at deadline; strike looms.

I can't wait to see what Chad has to tell us about the strike, and all other script-related news and views.

Welcome Chad, we're so glad you're here!

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK 11 ADD!

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:21:15 GMT

Hi Writers,
Wow, we're on week 11 of my Project 20/20 Build my Blogroll Project (see all the details in the left navigation). I've been adding a writer's blog to my blogroll every Friday for 11 weeks now. More than 75 writer's blogs have been nominated so far. I encourage you to check them out in the comments section of the Project 20/20 link.

This week's add is all about the subject writer's hate talking about but really need to know.
And that subject is—you guessed it—MONEY!

I've been acquainted with this writer for a while now. She provides such a valuable service to writers by tracking down grants and making the listings readily available.

Please check out this great resource/ blog by C. Hope Clark:
Funds For Writers

This blog will give you a great boost toward getting funds to enable you to write.

Thanks for all you do on behalf of writers, Hope.

Keep the nominations coming, there are still 9 spots to fill!

Keep Writing,
Maria

Dzanc Books Rocks!

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 15:17:01 GMT

Hi Writers,
Two posts in one day—I know I spoil you—but you're worth it. Also we're between deadlines for the print magazine and I get bored easily.

I like to pass along good publishing news whenever I run across it. Please read this wonderful article from Wired on a small, renegade publishing house that's moving and shaking things up on its own terms:

From Old to New Media: Blog Begets Publishing House

A small press, growing? How could it be?
    Against market trends, Dzanc Books is a small publisher poised to succeed, hiring staff and expanding quickly. And that may be because it sprouted from a blog rather than a traditional printing press, and it is certainly web-savvy.
    Since its launch in 2006, Dzanc Books has acquired other presses, signed numerous authors, launched an education program and started an award -- the Dzanc Prize -- to encourage writers to undertake community literacy projects.
    Dzanc is growing at a time when there are few independent publishers left, and the remaining ones were hit hard by the recent bankruptcy of Advanced Marketing Services, a major distributor.
"We do not intend to fall into the potholes that sent the hubcaps of our predecessors flying," says co-founder Steve Gillis. "We are not caught in the old template of how publishing has been done."

Dzanc Books ~ I salute you!

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20 BUILD MY BLOGROLL: WEEK 10 ADD!

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 19:58:53 GMT

Hi Writers,
It's the 10th week in My Project 20/20 Build my Blogroll Project. You can read all about the project and nominate a writing blog in "Project 20/20" in the left navigation.

This week's add is all about the power of friends.

I've been noticing a trend lately, in the form of multiple writers gathering together to form a blog collective. This makes a lot of sense when you realize the time and commitment it takes to put out a quality blog on a continuous and relenteless basis. And when you consider the exponentially increased audience a group of writers can reach, well, a group blog really starts to make a lot of sense.

One of the first writing collective blogs I came across is this fine blog that was nominated at the beginning of my project. Congrats to our friendly writing neighbors to the north:
The Canadian Writers' Collective
hosted by the following writers:

Melissa Bell
Anne Chudobiak
Tricia Dower
Steven Gajadhar
Tamara J. Lee
Antonios Maltezos
Andrew Tibbetts

I'm guessing with 7 regular writers and specical guests, it's easy to keep the blog fires burning. Not to mention the fun factor of blogging as a group experience.

This blog is a bit of everything you'd want in a writing blog, really. Yesterday they posted a Halloween Haiku contest. There are posts from one writer's "Journal of a Wannabe Novelist" to advice on which writing books to invest in.

I'd love for any or all of the members of the Canadian Writers' Collective to stop in and tell us what it's like to be part of a group blog. I'd like to get into one of those myself!

Keep Writing,
Maria

The 15th Annual WD Self-Published Book Awards Winner

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:01:39 GMT

Hi Writers,
A big congratulations to Norma Lehmeier Hartie, winner of our 15th annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards. She took home the prize (including $3,000 in cash) for her book Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet, which was entered in the Inspirational category.

You can read an interview with Hartie on the Ecolibris blog, where she discusses the process of self-publishing her book, and how to be a "green" author. A fascinating read.

Here's what one of our judges wrote about the book:

"This is a beautiful looking, very well organized and thoughtfully written book. The author obviously has thoroughly done the necessary study/homework as she writes with an authentic voice, one of experience. The cover is especially lovely, evenly designed and inviting to the potential reader to open the book and go further. In reading we can only be inspired to beautify our lives, make the necessary changes that would make us happier, healthier, more at peace—on a personal, group, community or global level. I found myself drawn in to clean out my cluttered basement and give things away, as well as to get out my pendulum again for special use, and to be more conscientious about my cleaning products or home purchases. The benefits for clearing out, cleaning, and adjusting energy are explained succinctly and reasonably, and these tips are therefore encouraging and convincing. A lovely book to keep and refer to often. So many answers therein – if lots of people would accept this wonderful holistic approach."

Our interview with Hartie, along with the list of top winners in each category, will run in the April 2008 issue of Writer's Digest.

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20 BUILD MY BLOGROLL: WEEK 9 ADD!

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:15:47 GMT

Hi Writers,
You may or may not know, I've spent the past nine weeks lurking around the blogosphere perusing writers' blogs, for my Project 20/20, in which I'm spotlighting a writer's blog each week for 20 weeks.

Now, at week #9 I'm almost at the halfway mark and still getting lots of great nominations for my burgeoning blogroll. You can check out many of the nominations—and nominate a blog—on the Project 20/20 Build My Blogroll link on the left navigation.

As I've mentioned several times here on The Writer's Perspective I have eclectic tastes, I read widely and try to not pigeonhole myself into a genre. And I'm really proud of the diverse range of writers assembled so far on my blogroll. So I was looking over the blogroll today and realized, wow, I don't have a poet yet.

Of course, every good blogroll needs its own Poet Laureate. With that, here's my Week #9 add, who I hereby decree the official Poet Laureate of The Writer's Perspective blogroll:

Sage Said So by Sage Cohen

I was charmed by the asthetics of Sage's blog and website, which I think makes such a positive statement about her and her work. It's clean, elegant and makes good use of white space. The simple line drawings add personality and match the graphics on her new book of poetry, Like the Heart, the World. Sage just started her book tour and shares the experience on her blog, which is a wonderful way for writers to promote their work without seeming overly self-promotional.

I loved this recent post: "From Stopper to Striker" in which Sage compares the evolution of her writing career to lessons learned on the soccer field.

Sage, congratulations on being my newest blogroll add, and on your new role as the official Poet Laureate of The Writer's Perspective blogroll.

Have a lovely weekend. And, of course...
Keep Writing,
Maria

Can you make money with a blog?

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:40:40 GMT

Hi Writers,
I've been saying for a while now that there will soon be a time when many writers will be writing blogs as a full-time job. Since I've encountered a lot of skepticism about this, every time I find an article in the mainstream media to support this viewpoint, I'm going to post it here.

This is from the Los Angeles Times "Newspapers, Bloggers, Now on the Same Page."

This year, the Washington Post added a sponsored blog roll to its website, a directory of links to blogs that specialize in travel, technology, health and more. If the Post sells an ad on the blog roll's main page, the bloggers split the money with the newspaper. So far, about 100 bloggers have signed up.

To Caroline Little, the chief executive of Washingtonpost Newsweek Interactive, the ad network is good business. Most ad buyers don't want to take the time to buy space on dozens of different blogs, she said, and the staff-driven side of the website often doesn't have enough stories about technology, business or health for advertisers looking to place ads near that content. With the blog roll, the Post can grab ad revenue that might have gone elsewhere.

Have you found a creative way to make money blogging? If so, please share here with your fellow writers.

Keep Writing,
Maria

a caveat

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:59:32 GMT

Hi Writers,
Since I've gotten some negative feedback on this week's blogroll add (below), I'd like to point out that there is some risque subject matter in the blog spotlighted this week. I didn't find it any more offensive than your typical PG-13 rated movie, honestly, but if you're easily offended, it's probably best not to go there.

The blog is definitely not politically-correct, but I personally found it clever and entertaining. Off-color humor or not, it made me laugh. I think it's interesting that the blog cites and catalogs the silly, strange new words discovered on the world wide web. At any rate, it's definitely not for everyone, and I apologize to any who were offended by my recommendation.

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20 BUILD MY BLOGROLL: WEEK 8 ADD!

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 17:26:50 GMT

Hi Writers,
It’s week 8 in my Project 20/20 Build my Blogroll contest and yes, it's still hard for me to choose from all the great writing blogs out there.

I came across this week’s pick a couple of weeks ago when I was editing a feature this writer wrote for us on how online dating is similar to editor/ writer relationships (to come in our February 08 issue).

As I mentioned before, I like to get an idea about the freelancers who contribute to us. That’s when I found this charming fellow's blog, my week 8 add:

Wordlustitude by Mark Peters.

I don’t really even know what to call what Mark does on his blog, which takes a screwball look at modern English usage. I suppose you could say he's building a sort-of dictionary for fringe elements (note: I include myself as a fringe element).

Maybe you could call Mark a loopy linguist? A loony lexicologist? At any rate, check it out, he’s hilarious (note to the sensitive among us: I wouldn't exactly call this a G-rated site).

Here’s one recent post:

megastitious

noun. This describes you if black cats and other evil portents give you the heebie-jeebies, the creeps, an ulcer, and the wiggins. Boooooooo!

Related term: stitious.

Real citation: “My mom's not just superstitious, she's megastitious. She's emailed my sister and I this chain mail today. My sister has multiple email accounts so mom emails it to her many mnay times...so she gets enough people in so she doesn't end up having bad luck forever, or whatever. Anyway, I thought this one was very funny and had to share.”
(Sept. 3, 2007, Post Punk Kitchen, http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=682545)

Made-up citation: "Despite my atheistic ways, I can be megastitious. If you gave me thirteen cupcakes made of gold and rainbows, I think I'd run the other way."

Mark, I welcome you to my vicious (blog) circle.

Check out wordlustitude, a daily laugh for word nerds everywhere. And I'd like to encourage you all to leave your made-up words here in my comments—I have a feeling that will get Mark’s attention.

Keep Writing,
Maria
P.S. There is some risque subject matter in this blog, so please be advised!

PROJECT 20/20 BUILD MY BLOGROLL: WEEK 7 ADD!

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 18:10:55 GMT

Hi Writers,
Another Friday, another opportunity to add yet another writer's blog in my project to spotlight and add one to my blogroll each week for 20 weeks. So many great blogs, so little time...

This week, I'm adding lucky #7 to my circle of blog buddies. And without further adieu, it is:

Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids
by Christina Katz

You've probably heard publishing types using the eponymous and somewhat terrifying word "platform." As in, "We're looking for writers with an established platform..."

Well, Christina could write a book on that. She's been brilliant at establishing a grass-roots community for parent/writers through her blog. And great blogs sometimes lead to great books. Christina's book Writer Mama came out this year.

To promote her book via her blog, she's been hosting a Back-to-School book giveaway—a book a day for 31 days. There are still 3 more days left if you'd like to enter.

Also check out Christina's "Creative Manifesto," which I love, and not just because I love to use the word "manifesto" whenever possible (but it's true, I do.).

Here's #4 of the "Creative Manifesto":
"When good things happen, slow down and savor the moment. It takes effort to make good things happen, so you must have earned it!"

Ah, so true. Christina please get on here and tell us a little more about how you've use your blog to build your platform and get a book deal.

Finally, I have a writer mama confession to make. Once, when I was attempting to conduct a phone interview at home, I locked myself in the car with my cellphone to escape my three fighting children.

Oh, the guilt! Nice to know there are other struggling writer/parents out there. Keep up the good work Christina!

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20: BUILD MY BLOGROLL WEEK 6 ADD!

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:37:49 GMT

Hi Writers,
It's FRIDAY! the most exciting day of the week in writing blogdom. It's the day of the week I add another writer's blog to my ever-expanding blogroll in my Project 20/20: Build my Blogroll contest. I'm adding one blog a week, each Friday, for 20 weeks.

And today I'm announcing sweet number six, which belongs to a writer who is also a Writer's Digest frequent forumista. In fact, we've been having the most interesting conversation about writing blogs on the forum. Another frequent forumista, Ultimate Cheapskate, seems to think that writing a blog, a.k.a. giving away your work, is pointless. We had a really fascinating, slightly controversial subject about it, of course we had to point out to Cheapskate the error of his ways. Please check it out and add to the discussion you writer/bloggers.

With that I'd like to introduce my next blogroll add: A Writer's Edge
by Georganna Hancock.

Georganna has been blogging since 2004. Three years seems like an eternity in blogdom, doesn't it?

I liken blog years to dog years: 1 year blogging = 7 regular years.
21 years blogging! Amazing!

Georganna is perhaps even more obsessive/compulsive than I am in keeping up on publishing industry trends and news, and she shares freely, along with her own writing tips for success.

Please join me in welcoming Georganna to my lovely blog circledom.

Please note: I've added my original post about Project 20/20, which includes many of the blogs that have been nominated (in the comments section), in the left navigation here.

Keep nominating your favorite writing blogs--there are still 14 weeks to go!

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20 BUILD MY BLOGROLL: WEEK 5 ADD!

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:42:17 GMT

Hi Writers,

It's week 5 in my ambitious Project 20/20. My goal is to spotlight one writer's blog each Friday for 20 weeks and add it to my ever-growing roster of online writing buddies.

It's always a pleasure to find out one of our freelancer writers for Writer's Digest keeps a blog. In case you're wondering whether or not editors actually read that stuff, I admit, yes I do check in on blogs when we're looking at giving an assignment to a writer who's new to us.

One of my favorite new freelancers to work with is Jenny Rough, and she writes the blog I'm adding to my blogroll this week: Roughly Speaking

If you're a Writer's Digest reader, you may recognize Jenny as the author of one of our October cover features entitled Off the Dole: How to stop depending on other's to support your freelance writing career.

Jenny has a great voice and writes in a down-to-earth style about the nitty gritty of establishing a freelance writing career. Here's a recent blog post she titled "Weekend."

Full time freelance writing often means that one day runs into another into another into another. Instead of “work days” and “weekends” I simply have days. At least, that’s my approach. I realize some writers compartmentalize (on x days I must write x many pages in x many hours), but I tend to go with the flow (well, to the extent that I can while working within the bounds of my assignment deadlines). This often means I might be grocery shopping on Monday morning, but then working late Friday night (or Saturday or Sunday).

As a former freelancer myself, Jenny, I can relate—there is no such thing as "weekend" to the freelancer.

Another thing that really impresses me about Jenny is the consistency of her blogging. Jenny, please tell us how do you keep up the pace? Do you ever get blog burnout? And do you have a yoga move for that?

Roughly Speaking will now, forever and ever, be enshrined on my blogroll hall of fame.

Keep Writing,
Maria

My Manifesto

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:08:53 GMT

Hi Writers,
A writer friend of mine pointed out a particularly harsh remark about Writer's Digest on Scott Oden's blog that I'd like to respond to here.

Here's a passage from his post:
I started writing and submitting in 1984. Back then, you had to do some serious legwork to discover not only where to send stories, but what editors were on the lookout for. There was no Internet, at least, not for mass public consumption, so market research involved hoofing it to the library—which had an impressive array of periodicals—and jotting down info from the masthead, or browsing their old and battered copy of Writer’s Market. This was back when Writer’s Digest was actually a useful resource and not a mouthpiece for the vanity press industry, as it is today.

Since these remarks show little knowledge of Writer's Digest or the magazine industry, I'd like to point out a few relevant facts and let you judge for yourself.

• Writer's Digest magazine has been in existence since 1920, and "vanity press" advertising has been included since its inception.
• All of the writing magazines (our competitors) also include "vanity press" advertising.
• A typical magazine has an editorial/advertising ratio of 60/40.
• The editorial/advertising ratio of Writer's Digest is 80/20. (80% editorial content/20% ads).
• All magazines rely on advertising to help cover the enormous costs of production and shipping.
• Without advertising revenue, subscription and newsstand prices would be prohibitively expensive for readers. The price would have to double (at least) in order for the magazine to continue to exist.
• Without advertising, it would be impossible to continue providing such a wealth of free online content.

Finally, as the editor of Writer's Digest, it's difficult for me not to take Oden's remark personally because it calls into question the integrity of our editorial staff, as journalists and editors. I can speak for my entire staff when I say that we are no one's mouthpiece. Everything in the 80% of the magazine that's editorial content is chosen by our editorial staff. And we do not do advertorials.

Nobody tells me what to say, what to think, what to write or what to include in Writer's Digest—not our publisher, not our advertising rep and certainly not our advertisers. The only people I listen to when it comes to our editorial content are my editors and our readers.

I've read just about every piece of Reader Mail that's come to Writer's Digest in the four years I've been on the masthead and I communicate with our readers on a daily basis, on our forum and through this blog.

I spend most of my time thinking about the magazine—how to continually make it better and how to serve our readers better. I would confidently and proudly put Writer's Digest today up against the Writer's Digest of any era, even the one Scott Oden waxes poetic about. I think it's a disservice to other writers that Oden disclaims the very resource that he admits helped bring his success in the first place.

If you have any questions or concerns about any of this, please don't hesitate to leave a comment here, or you can find me on our forum in the WD Editors section.

Keep Writing,
Maria Schneider
Editor
Writer's Digest

PROJECT 20/20 BUILD MY BLOGROLL: WEEK 4 ADD!

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:08:28 GMT

Hi Writers,
It's the fourth week in my ongoing quest to add one writer's blog to my blogroll each week for 20 weeks.

If you've been following my Project 20/20, one thing you've probably noticed is that I have eclectic tastes. After last week's choice of J.A. Konrath's blog A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, there was some discussion on our forum about whether a writer's blog should offer entry into their personal/writing life.

I think there is a place for it. If you're able to craft scenes from your life into writing for your blog that's relevant to others, I say go for it.

The number one problem I see though, is that many writers, when writing for their blog, seem to forget the number one prerogative for all writers: respect your reader.

They're including lots of mundane, undigested, stream-of-conscious type stuff that doesn't make a lot of sense or have relevance to anyone outside of their circle of acquaintances. I'd strongly recommend that if you're keeping a blog as a highly personal journal or diary—keep a password on it so it's out of the public domain. You don't want to offer the world a poor reflection of your writing.

There are some writers, however, who are doing a spectacular job of incorporating their personal/writing life into their blogs.

Here's a good example of a writer who's doing it well. The Week 4 add to my blogroll:
Shanghai Adventures of a Trailing Spouse by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe

This link takes you to the home page of Kristin's website, which is stunning. This is one great looking website/blog. But lest you writers think I'm choosing style over substance, check out her blog. Her posts are well-crafted and offer great insight into her adventurous writing life as she writes her first novel.

There's much here to offer inspiration to other writers. I especially love this post she did recently, Writing: On Process. The Novel as Pie Crust.

Kristin, please tell us: Did you design this site on your own? Do you take these beautiful photographs? And has keeping the blog helped motivate you to keep pushing forward on your novel?

Shanghai Adventures of a Trailing Spouse is now, forever and always, emblazoned on my blogroll hall of fame.

There's still 16 weeks/16 blogs to go, so keep the nominations coming!

Keep Writing,
Maria

AN ARSONIST'S GUIDE + VISUAL AIDS!

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:12:41 GMT

Hi Writers,
As I wrote a few posts ago (see "the memoirizer" post below), I just had the opportunity to interview writer and fellow Cincinnatian Brock Clarke about his new novel An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England.

This novel is such a delightful skewering of the literary world, I think it's a book you writers would enjoy and quite possibly relate to.

Here's one of my favorite excerpts from An Arsonist's Guide:

I took my leave of the women (mostly) and the cafe and began wandering through the bookstore proper, making my way to the memoir section. I didn't take too long. The memoir section, it turned out, was the biggest section by far in the whole bookstore and was, in its own way, like the Soviet Union of literature, having mostly gobbled up the smaller, obsolete states of fiction and poetry. On the way there, I passed through the fiction section. I felt sorry for it immediately: it was so small, so neglected and poorly shelved, and I nearly bought a novel out of pity, but the only thing that caught my eye was something titled The Ordinary White Boy. I plucked it off the shelf. After all, I'd been an ordinary white boy once, before the killing and burning, and maybe I could be one again someday, and maybe this book could help me do it, even if it was a novel and not useful, generically speaking. On the back it said that the author was a newspaper reporter from upstate New York. I opened the novel, which began, "I was working as a newspaper reporter in upstate New York," and then I closed the book and put it back on the fiction shelf, which maybe wasn't all that different from the memoir shelf after all, and I decided never again to feel sorry for the fiction section, the way you stopped feeling sorry for Lithuania once it rolled over so easily and started speaking Russian so soon after being annexed.

Interesting meta-fiction aside: The Ordinary White Boy is Brock's first novel. You have to respect a writer who makes fun of his first novel in his second novel.

Anyway, in the spirit of being a good bloggess, I'm attempting to bring you more relevant visual aids, which are not easy to come by when you're writing about writers, let me tell you.

Brock did a photo shoot for us yesterday and here's a picture of Brock and me, taken right after I talked him into my convoluted scheme of shooting him on the front porch of a fenced in burned-out-shell of a house with a "No Trespassing" sign prominently displayed.

Just for your own safety, you might want to make a mental note of this in case I ever interview you. Thanks for being such a good sport Brock (and thanks to Lisa Wurster for the lovely photos).

Keep Writing,
Maria

Announcing a new series: OFF THE PAGE

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:37:44 GMT

Hi Writers,
Anyone who still doubts the rising significance of blogs—especially in the publishing world—needs to check out this article from the Sunday New York Times.

The Author Will Take Q.s Now

It's a lowdown on the new age of book tours via blogdom. Here's an excerpt:

Bloggers have written about books since, well, the beginning of blogging. But a blog book tour usually requires an author or publicist to take the initiative, reaching out to bloggers as if they were booksellers and asking them to be the host for a writer’s online visit. Sometimes bloggers invite authors on their own. In an age of budget-conscious publishers and readers who are as likely to discover books from a Google search as from browsing at a bookstore, the blog book tour makes sense.

Anyway, this article got me thinking that I'd really enjoy opening this blog up to author interviews, and I think you writers would enjoy that, too.

There's never quite enough space in the print version of Writer's Digest to include all of the interviews I'd like to include. So I'm starting a new series here on The Writer's Perspective:

Off The Page: The unbound WD Interview

I'll be kicking this series off next week, so stay tuned. Authors, publicists, agents, if you'd like to pitch me an interview, please send press releases to writersdigest@fwpubs.com with "Off the Page" in the subject line.

And writers, please drop me a comment and let me know who you'd like to see on "Off the Page."

Keep Writing,
Maria

PROJECT 20/20 BUILD MY BLOGROLL: WEEK 3 ADD!

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 19:14:24 GMT

Hi Writers,
It's the third week in my Project 20/20. My goal: to add one writer's blog to my blogroll each Friday for 20 weeks.

I have a personal favorite to add to the blogroll this week, because it's a blog I really think you will all enjoy and take something away from:
A Newbie's Guide to Publishing by J.A. Konrath, author of the Lt. Jack Daniels thriller series.

I find a lot of what's on Joe's blog helpful to writers, especially in terms of learning how to market your work. Joe's written several great marketing articles for Writer's Digest and it's really been my pleasure to work with him for the past few years. He's so gracious in terms of sharing what he's learned about the publishing world with other writers, and he does so in a way that's always refreshing, down-to-earth and positive.

Of course, he's figured this whole blogging thing out, too. Joe really knows how to cut to the chase and give you something meaningful to think about at the same time. Here's an especially pertinent post:

Blogging is not temporary

Blogging, like newspaper and radio, is often mistaken for a disposable form of information. Yet I get lots of hits from Google on old blog posts, and many of them continue to accrue comments.

Pay attention to what you're posting today, you bloggers of blogland. Because it will still be around tomorrow. If your posts are without purpose, you're not doing yourself a service.

Let me repeat that: Blogging Isn't Temporary. What you do now may one day be surfed by someone who isn't even born yet, and that path will lead back to you. Do you want that path to result in interest or apathy?

Think about why you blog, and what purpose it's serving. Look at your last fifty entries. Will they be of any interest to someone in 2017? If not, why do you think they are of any interest to anyone now?

That's why I don't do memes. That's why I don't blog about personal stuff. That's why I don't push my own books constantly—no one ever seeks out ads. And that's why, except on rare occassions, I don't blog about events, peers, friends, family, or what I watched on TV last night.

Your blog is a tool. But too many people are using hammers to scratch their asses rather than drive nails. If you blog as a form of entertainment, that's no problem—have fun. If you blog to increase your name recognition, you may be doing more harm than good.

A Newbies Guide to Publishing is the 3rd writer's blog to be forever carved into the trunk of my blog tree. I raise a shot of Jack to you, Joe Konrath, on behalf of writers everywhere!

Keep the nominations coming. There are still 17 blogs to add!

Keep Writing,
Maria