Writer Mama Featured in the Wow-Women On Writing’s Holiday Gift Guide

Editors and readers selected the books to include.

Thanks for choosing Writer Mama!

To download the guide, visit http://wow-womenonwriting.com/.

December Sell-a-bration #2: Leaps and Bounds!

By Julie Steed

As I write this, my computer sits on a card table in the corner of a large closet in my house. Above my table-desk are suitcases, suspended by hooks in the air. My husband’s telescope hovers over the used desk chair I purchased for five dollars. The container that holds my Christmas wrapping paper sits directly behind me with other plastic bins. I fondly refer to this space as my closet-office.

Why am I telling you this? Because three months ago I used my dining table, sofa and bed as workspace. Six months before THAT, I didn’t even need a desk. To say that I have grown by leaps and bounds, both professionally and personally, is an understatement. I started 2008 totally immersed in motherhood and, after 7 years in that role, was growing restless and unhappy. I had lost sight of ME. Searching for something I could do from home, I accidentally discovered the book Writer Mama. That was back in February and I am still going strong, growing as a writer, and enjoying a life that is more balanced.

After reading and rereading Writer Mama, I took a huge step and signed up for an online writing class—with Christina, of course! That was a leaping off point for me, but it was a great decision. In hopes of encouraging other writer mamas to take the same leap, I want to share my accomplishments.

I Persevered: My first article was published in May. I felt instant validation and motivation. Once I saw that byline, I decided that I wanted to have one thing published somewhere every single month. I managed to complete only two articles over the summer, but I offered them to hundreds of regional parenting publications as reprints. I have achieved my goal! My byline has appeared in print somewhere each month since May, though many times it was with the same article being reprinted in a different publication.

I Took Myself and My Writing Seriously: After scrambling for writing time and space during the summer, I was thrilled to establish my office-closet in September. Along with the office space came regular office hours. Only 10 hours a week, that time alone has really helped me focus on the business aspect of writing.

I Hit SEND: With the completion of my third online class this week, I now know that I want to concentrate on writing essays. Which leads to my most exciting accomplishment so far… just yesterday I hit “SEND” and submitted an essay to a national publication! That’s right, I SENT it. And regardless of acceptance or rejection, submitting that essay is a huge achievement.

I don’t know where writing will take me in 2009, but if it is anything like 2008, I look forward to the ride.

Today is Wendy Burt Thomas’ Amazon Spike Day!

Happy Monday, mamas! I’m very pleased to share information about Wendy Burt Thomas’ Amazon Spike Day news with you. If you’ve been reading Writers on the Rise for any length of time, then you are already familiar with the reliable, helpful advice that Wendy Burt Thomas has been sharing over the years as part of her “Ask Wendy” Column.

I hope you will join me in purchasing Wendy’s new book, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters on Monday, December 1st. I’ve already made my purchase and I’m encouraging everyone I know to join me.

I’ve taken the liberty of pasting Wendy’s letter here:

Dear Friends,

Have you ever thought of making money from your writing? Perhaps you’ve got an idea for a novel or nonfiction book. Or maybe you’ve got some magazine articles swirling around in your head. If you (or someone you know) would like to know how to sell your work, I invite you to buy my new book, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters on December 1.

The 30+ samples of good and bad queries walk writers through the “must-have” and “don’t-even-think-about-it” points with a balance of clear instruction, examples and humor. Where similar query books just tell you to write a hook - it gives insight into what makes a good opening paragraph for an article, novel or nonfiction query. There are special considerations for book queries by genre (from Romance and Mystery to Speculative and Thriller - plus everything in between) and the FAQs come straight from the author’s experience as a writer, author, magazine editor and book copyeditor. The “what editors / agents / publishers like” and “what editors / agents / publishers don’t like” are incredible resources, offering a look into water coolers throughout the publishing industry. Plus, it’s funny.

Why December 1? It’s my official “Amazon Spike Day,” where I attempt to bump my book up the rankings. The better my book sells before its December 5 release date, the more often Amazon will recommend it to shoppers and the more likely bookstores will order extra copies.

Here’s a link to check out the book: http://www.GuideToQueryLetters.com

So what’s in it for you (besides knowing you helped an old friend!)? Everyone who orders The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters from Amazon on December 1 receives:

1.  My free e-book, “3 Years of Ask Wendy; Your Freelance Writing Questions Answered” (a $9.95 value!) - featuring Q & As on everything from how to sell greeting card copy and fillers to making money from personal essays and short stories. (This e-book is compiled from my “Ask Wendy” column for Writers On The Rise, one of Writer’s Digest Magazine’s Top 100 Web sites for Writers.)

PLUS….
2. A chance to win one of 6 books:
o Get Known Before the Book Deal by Christina Katz (author of Writer Mama and founder of Writers On The Rise, www.getknownbeforethebookdeal.com)
o Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids by Christina Katz (www.thewritermama.com)
o Work It, Girl! 101 Tips for the Hip Working Chick by Wendy Burt and Erin Kindberg (our second book in the Hip Chick series)
o A Christmas Dozen; Christmas Stories to Warm the Heart by Steve Burt  (award-winning writer and author of 12 books)**
o Odd Lot; Stories to Chill the Heart by Steve Burt (winner of the Benjamin Franklin Award; winner of 6 Honorable Mentions for Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror; Honorable Mention Best Horror Book by ForeWord Magazine and Honorable Mention Best Genre Fiction from Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards)**
o Oddest Yet; Even More Stores to Chill the Heart (Bram Stoker Winner!)**
**Steve Burt is not only my dad and mentor, but also an award-winning author. In fact, he won the Bram Stoker Award, the highest honor in horror writing!

PLUS…
3. One winner will receive a free email or phone consultation and editorial feedback on the topic of their choice: writing for magazines, novel queries, greeting cards, nonfiction book proposals, freelancing for a living, etc.

Just order the book from Amazon (there’s a link to Amazon through http://www.GuideToQueryLetters.com) on Monday, December 1 and email me your receipt. I’ll email you the e-book and enter your name in the drawing!

Please don’t feel obligated to buy the book. But if you choose to, let me say “thank you” in advance!

All my best,

Wendy Burt-Thomas

www.GuideToQueryLetters.com

Sell-A-Bration Story, Day One: Start your own Writer Mama blog and stay connected!

By Michelle Blair

After completing Christina’s WPSS class in the spring of 2008, some of the students weren’t quite ready to let go of the camaraderie and momentum we had developed; so, armed with class contact information that Christina provided, we determined to create a virtual community of support.

We experimented with weekly email check-ins, but our already overrun in-boxes became even more unwieldy. Then we tried our hand at creating a private blog, viewable only by members of our class. The process was simple and the rewards have been great. We exchange advice, editing, goals, frustrations and cheerful banter.

Several of our classmates have published in the months following Christina’s class with the encouragement and support of classmates. As the blog administrator, I opted to establish our community on Blogger, a free platform I had used in another writing class. Blogger is just one of many blog hosting websites.

You can create your own online writer’s support group in three easy steps. Start at the Blogger home page: www.blogger.com. Go right to the “Create a blog” button or explore their site by clicking on a topic under “Learn more.”

Step 1: After selecting “Create a blog,” the first step is to open a Google account. If you already have a Google account, click on the link at the top of the page to “sign in first,” otherwise fill in your email address, create a password, type in a display name (this will show up as your “signature” on any posts you add to the blog) and select “continue.”

Step 2: Type in a title for your blog and test URL addresses until Blogger finds one available (think creatively to avoid frustration at this step); select “continue.”

Step 3: Choose one of twelve blog layout templates; if you feel especially tech savvy, you can always customize a template later on.
The blog is ready. Now you can invite participants.

As the administrator, you need to invite authors and establish the blog as private. This allows your writer friends to post freely and know exactly who is reading their rants. Two more steps will finish this process. If you’ve just created the blog, you are in the “customize” mode (if not, look at the top right hand corner of your blog and click on “customize”). You can leave most of the default settings alone, but there are two changes to keep your blog from public eyes.

Step 4: Select the “Settings” tab, then the “Comments” sub-head. Under “Who Can Comment?” select “Registered Users.”

Step 5: Also under the “Settings” tab, choose the “Permissions” sub-head. Click “Invite” blog authors and enter the email addresses of people you’d like to participate in the blog. When someone accepts your invitation, they are automatically categorized as a blog author. Under “Blog Readers,” answer the question “Who can view this blog?” by selecting “Only blog authors.” This ensures only those who sign up can read and post to the blog.

That’s it! Your online writer’s forum is established. Enjoy the support of your fellow writer-moms in this virtual community.

[Note from Christina: This is the first story in our month-long December Sell-a-bration. If you are a former student of mine and you'd like to share a 2008 success story, please e-mail it to "writer mama at earthlink dot net." Michelle was generous enough to share this group process (Thanks, Michelle!). She may still submit her personal 2008 success story, if she likes, to be posted later in the month.]

Self-Care for Mom Writers: Nov/Dec are for Seeking Support

By Amy Mercer

Writing this column over the past year has taught me to think about how taking care of myself improves my writing. Over the past year, I’ve suggested hibernation, writing love letters, getting outside, reading poetry, taking a cooking class, learning how to surf and introducing yourself as a writer in an effort to take better care of ourselves as mom writers.

I struggle to stay motivated every day, especially now, as we head into the holiday season with the country in such a bleak financial situation, it’s hard to keep sitting down at the computer day after day feeling confident about calling myself a mom writer. But that’s why we’re here, to support each other, to boost each other when we are feeling down. So in my final column of the year, I want to thank everyone for reading, and offer my final bits of advice about taking care of ourselves by seeking support.

Tips:

• Don’t beat yourself up over rejections, they happen to all of us, all of the time. Focus your attention on the magazines and journals that say yes or even the ones that say no thank you but good idea. And when the rejections come, because they will, don’t keep it to yourself. Tell a non-writing friend, go online and blog about it, get it out any way you can and then you’ll be able to move on to the next project.

• Read or re-read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and other inspirational books about the writing life. Anne uses humor to inspire and encourage the writer in all of us.

• Take a local writing class or sign up to teach one. I am almost at the end of teaching my first creative writing class and it has done wonders for my confidence. I love talking about what I’ve learned over the last six years with people who share the same passion. Sign up for a writing seminar or go to a reading. I recently went to a workshop presented by southern author, Josephine Humphries. I have heard her speak about writing several times before, and every time, I learn something new, every time I step away from my own life and listen, I am renewed.

• Continue to read e-zines such as this one, stay connected to the virtual world of mom writers who will remind you that you are not alone.

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Amy S. Mercer is a freelance writer living in Charleston, SC with her husband and two sons. Her writing has been published in skirt! Magazine, Literary Mama, Diabetes Forecast and A Cup of Comfort for Writers. Amy is Blog Editor for Literary Mama and Associate editor for The Writer Mama Zine. More at Dreaming About Water.

January Classes Make Great Holiday Gifts

Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)!
Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you’re ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $199.00.
Register at Christinakatz.com

Personal Essays that Get Published with Abigail Green
Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: None
The popularity of reality shows, blogs, and tell-all books proves that it pays to get personal these days. Whether you want to write introspective essays, short humor pieces, or first-person reported stories, your life is a goldmine of rich material that all kinds of publications are pining for. Personal Essays that Get Published will teach you how to get your personal experiences down on the page and get them published. Students will learn how to find ideas, hone their voice, craft solid leads and endings, reslant their work for different markets, and submit their essays for publication.
Cost: $199.00
Register at Christinakatz.com


Platform Building 101: Discover your Specialty
(Formerly “Targeting Your Best Writing Markets”)
Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: None
Identifying your writing specialty is one of the trickiest and most necessary steps in launching a writing career today. This class will help you find your best audiences, cultivate your expertise, manage your ideas, develop marketing skills, claim your path, serve editors and become portfolio-minded. You’ll learn how to become the professional you’ve always wanted to be and, most importantly, how to take your writing career more seriously.
Cost: $199.00.
Register at Christinakatz.com

Craft A Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal
Winter Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: Former student or Permission from Instructor
Most writers underestimate the comprehensiveness needed in a book proposal that will garner the interest of agents and editors. They also mistake the definition of platform and importance of alining their proposal to a solid track record. A two-time author, Christina has helped hundreds of nonfiction writers succeed over the past seven years. Now she’s making her proposal-writing advice available in a six-week e-mail course to aspiring authors who want to nail the proposal the first time around. The best way to have a short, tight proposal that will impress agents and editors is to start now!
Cost: $299.00 [Priority to former students]
Register at Christinakatz.com

Write Like A Pro: Refining Your Professional Stance

By Mary Andonian

This has been a busy year for you and your writing. So make time this holiday season to evaluate and refine your habits in order to make 2009 even more fruitful.

Clips: Do you have any? A clip is a copy of your published writing. It serves as a reference to your good work. You include clips (or offer to send them) in your proposal package. This is a prime opportunity to categorize your clips in a way that makes them readily accessible for future needs.

Online articles: Did you complete a year’s worth? Now is the time to create links to all of your past articles and list them on one handy page at your website. This creates a holistic picture of your written topic and makes for meaty content. It also serves as an easy way for a potential editor to view your clips.

Supplies: Take an inventory of your work space. Are you low on business cards? Need a new printer? Toner? Make sure to purchase these before the end of the year so you can write them off on your 2009 taxes.

Taxes: Are your records organized? Even if you didn’t make a cent this year, you can still take write-offs if you can prove you have been soliciting income from writing in 2008. Check with your tax advisor for details. Itemize your receipts and bank statements so you’ll be prepared at tax time next year. You’ll thank yourself come April.

Tax related: Do you have a business checking account? If not, consider opening a separate account just for your writing business. As you become more and more successful you’ll want to keep clean and detailed records of your transactions. Doing this today ensures a happy moment in April 2010.

Platform Building: What have you done this year to build your platform? Have you created a specific reading audience via website, blog, or newsletter? Taught a class at the local library? Volunteered for your writing association? Take stock in everything you did this year that lent credibility to you, the writer. Make a goal to add two or three things to the list in 2009. Attach rewards to each item you accomplish next year. (I’m thinking spa treatments.)

Finally, ask the tough question: Is this what I want to continue doing in 2009? Only you can determine that. It’s okay if you decide that writing isn’t for you. What’s important is that you do make a choice and stick to whatever path it is you choose. If that course is writing, then continue to take action steps that bring you closer to your goals. And by all means, proceed in peace.

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Mary Andonian is the agents and edtiors coordinator for the Willamette Writers Conference, one of the largest writers’ conferences in the United States. In past years, she was Co-chair and Program Coordinator. She just completed her second book, Bitsy’s Labyrinth. Contact Mary at maryandonianwwconference AT yahoo.com.

Happy Thanksgiving & Get Ready for our December Sell-a-bration!

My former students’ success stories are rolling in! Stay tuned every day in December, when we’ll be Sell-A-Brating all of our success from 2008.

To kick things off, here’s an essay by Laura Bridgewater that she recorded for KUNC radio!

Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving, mamas!

Dear Friends From Far Away,

My first radio commentary will air at 6:35am and 8:35am on 91.5 FM on Monday morning. While you can’t listen to it in your car, you can listen to it or read it on KUNC’s website on Monday. Go to www.kunc.org and click on the regional link on the right hand side about half-way down the page. I’ll be listening on Monday with a pillow over my head–but hopefully I won’t be driving at the same time!

Excellent Review of Get Known

It’s always a pleasant surprise to wake up and find a thoughtful, positive, well-written book review of one of your books after you’ve put so much thought and effort into it. So I was thrilled this morning to find this review of Get Known by Thursday Bram in her blog Thursdaybram.com.

Recently in his blog, The Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, Joe Konrath wrote about how easy it is to criticize a book and how everyone seems to have jumped on the bandwagon without bringing a respectful or professional take to the effort.

I’ve been pretty lucky when it comes to scathing critiques of my writing by critics (you have to actually get reviewed to get scathing critiques and writing instruction books don’t tend to garner the interest of paid book reviewers), however, I have been personally attacked (I was told to get a plant instead of a child when WM came out) and recently I was received a dubious review of one of my workshops, which I won’t dignify with a link, because apparently the reviewer (a self-described “lothario”) missed the entire point and was only interested in cutting it and me down.

Suffice it to say, when I read a review of one of my books by a complete stranger, and they seem to be posting the review not because they are getting paid but to share information, and it’s a rave review, I feel pretty darn good.

Because the fact of the matter is: I don’t write my books to please critics. I write them to help writers.

So, thanks Thursday Bram. For restoring my faith in reviewers. I may never get that coveted New York Times review (or even The Oregonian for that matter) but on mornings like this, I feel like all of my hard work has been acknowledged and appreciated…and I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Invest & Prosper: #10 Stock Your Reference Shelf

By Christina Katz

When you ante in as a professional writer, you are expected to have basic knowledge of writing for publication. It’s never your editor’s job to educate you as to what information you should have at your disposal. You are just expected to know it!

This means a familiarity with contemporary writing conventions, impeccable-as-you-can-get-it grammar, appropriate style, basic formatting, writer’s guidelines, editorial calendars, professional etiquette, healthy expectations, and business-like follow-through. In the beginning, adopting so many professional habits at once can be overwhelming. No wonder I’ve broken the process down into six classes that help writers turn professional skills into habits.

When you are new to writing as a profession, it can feel like everyone else is in the know, and you are the only one in the dark. Worse, it can feel like others are purposely keeping you in the dark! Well, not anymore. I have built a career out of helping writers adopt healthy and productive professional writing habits.

But say you can’t take my classes or anyone else’s for whatever reason. For about sixty bucks you can be as informed as the next writer. And all these suggestions make great holiday gifts!

I’m so grateful that there are so many books that can help anyone who wants to put their best words forward:

• The Beginning Writer’s Answer Book edited by Jane Friedman

• Strunk & White, The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White (latest edition)

• Ready, Aim, Specialize by Kelly James Enger

• Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids by Christina Katz

• The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters by Wendy Burt Thomas

So what are you waiting for? Invest in (or request as gifts) the key books that will provide all the information you need to have at your fingertips to be competitive in these ever-changing times.

And this is the last of our columns for 2008. So please, repeat after me:

I am 100% responsible for the success of my writing career, and I will act accordingly to the best of my ability.

Happy holidays! Here’s to your writing success!
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Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths to Build an Author Platform and Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (both for Writer’s Digest Books). She started her platform “for fun” seven years ago and ended up on Good Morning America. She teaches writing career development, hosts the Northwest Author Series, and is the publisher of several e-zines including Writers on the Rise. Christina blogs at The Writer Mama Riffs and Get Known Before the Book Deal, and speaks at MFA programs, literary events, and conferences around the country.

Get Known Featured in NYT Bestselling Author’s Blog Today!

Allison Winn-Scotch has been kind enough to feature me in an interview about getting known in her blog today!

She’s got a great blog that demystifies the publishing industry. If you don’t see your favorite topic in the most current posts, check the archives. She’s covered tons of ground over the past couple of years.

You may also want to add her new NYT Bestselling book to your holiday shopping list. Check it out! Allison’s next book was just announced in Publisher’s Lunch as a “Significant Deal.”

Clearly Allison Winn-Scotch is a writer mama we can all learn from.

December is Sell-a-bration Month

As usual, the publication success stories from former students have been pouring in. I can barely keep up, but then again, I can barely keep up with everything at the moment. So I have an idea. Why don’t we declare December Sell-a-bration Month?

I will request detailed success stories from my former students of their proudest publication moments in 2008 and post them here in this blog.

I think we’ll all be incredibly inspired. And it seems like best way to combat some of the draggy, dreary news coming from the media and celebrate the holiday season.

Who knows what 2009 will hold. I know that 2008 was a good year for many writers.

Let’s band together and celebrate!

Topics to think about when looking ahead…

Soon-to-be first lady, Michelle Obama plans to prioritize the topics of military families and work-family balance. Are these your topics, mamas? If so, you might want to gear up for 2009 by taking my writing-for-publication classes that begin on January 14th:

• Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
  Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)

• Platform Building 101: Discover your Specialty

• Craft A Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal

Learn more at www.christinakatz.com.

The Write Attitude: Have Fun!

By Jennifer Applin

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Be careful what you wish for.” After months or even years of dreaming about a writing career you may start to feel that the “dream” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. The reality is that a successful writing career takes a lot of hard work and it’s not always fun. There is little glamour, and a lot of late nights. If you find yourself dreading sitting down to the computer, don’t despair and start searching the help wanted ads. Here are a few suggestions for making writing fun again:

• Mix things up a bit. Make sure your writing to-do list includes enjoyable tasks in addition to those involving deadlines. Set aside a little time every day to write for pleasure. Perhaps this is a personal blog or a few pages in the novel you hope to publish some day. Writing to meet deadlines is important, but enjoying your work is too. Make sure your to-do list involves both.

• Target new publications. You’ve worked hard to secure those steady accounts that pay the bills, but you don’t have to stop there. As your interests and hobbies change, so can the publications your write for. This is a very fluid industry with new publications starting all of the time. Keep an eye out for those that spark your interest and then have at it.

• Remember why you wanted to do this. One of the best things about a freelance writing is the variety it offers. With virtually endless topics to write about you don’t have to settle for a boring career. Although there may be times you aren’t enjoying your work, this doesn’t have to become the norm. Get creative with your to-do list and keep things fresh. Most importantly, remember why you set out on this journey in the first place and you can keep living the dream.

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Jennifer Applin is a freelance writer living in Ohio with her husband and four young children. Aside from writing for many regional publications, she is regular contributor to eLearners.com and Projectworkingmom.com. She spends her days cooking, cleaning and caring for little ones, and her nights writing about pregnancy, parenting, and the quest for peace (as in peace and quiet). You can also find her at Managing the MotherLoad.

THE WRITER MAMA QUARTERLY SCHOLARSHIP…is coming!

VALUE: $199.00

Next Available Scholarship for the January 14th Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff Class.

The next round of scholarship applications will be accepted from Saturday, December 6th - Sunday, December 14th, 2009 For the January 14th Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff Class.

One full scholarship will be granted each quarter.The application for the scholarship will be posted, here, on Friday, December 5th.