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Absolute Write
Newsletter
Not Writing?
January 27, 2008
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In this issue:
·
Michael Harling with the cure for not writing
· Got extra photos laying around from a past
assignment? Make money with them!
· How to handle requests for critiques
... and more. |
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Writing And
Publishing The Short Stuff (Especially For Moms!)
With Christina Katz,
author of Writer Mama
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms!
The focus of Christina Katz's class is on getting you into print sooner, rather than later, and without
pulling all-nighters or paying a fortune in babysitter fees.
Starts February 13!
Click here.
Make Your Website Work
Harder for You!
Laura Wright's
Developing a Web Presence for "Local" Writers and
Optimize Your Web Presence are designed to help you get the most out
of your website and blog! No experience? No problem! Classes start every Monday!
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Poetry for the People
With Sage Cohen
Have you always wanted to write a poem but didn’t know how to begin? Maybe you’re already writing poetry and want to connect with your muse more often, or brush up on your poetic prowess? Sage Cohen's Poetry for the People takes poetry off of its academic pedestal, making it accessible to and enjoyable for everyone.
Starts February 13! Click here.
Want to be on national TV?
Ex-Oprah guest booker
reveals the three big secrets to getting booked as a
guest on top shows. Free telephone seminar
Thursday, January 31st. Go here now to register:
http://www.getmajorpress.com/call959
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Welcome
Absolute Writers!
This is going
to be a short note, this week. This has been one of those weeks when
best-laid plans go completely awry and my already-questionable
powers of concentration leave me completely. Two dead computers,
three rejection letters, a frozen and burst water pipe, and several
hours spent on the telephone on hold for various reasons, and I'm
nearly ready to move to a remote cabin in Alaska and take up
woodworking.
Wait. Alaska
is cold. Do they have cabins in Jamaica?
When life gets
this way, usually I go looking for a good book. Or three. (And laugh
at myself a lot - that helps, too.)
What's hard
for me to do, though, is write. And I have to admit, writing got
stuck far down on my priority list this week. Just sitting down to
write this letter was almost overwhelming. But you know what? Once
I started typing, it got a bit easier. Not, perhaps, an awful LOT
easier . . . but easier, nonetheless.
I hope all of
you are having smoother sailing, but even if you aren't - write
hard. Write true. Write on.
And so shall
I.
Best,
Mac
--
MacAllister Stone
Editor in Chief
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PROMPT OF THE WEEK
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed
a man standing outside my bedroom window. You'd think that would be
a pretty big problem. Actually, the bigger problem with that is the
fact that I live on the fifth floor. |
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READER
REQUESTS
This week, writers want
to know about:
*
Aussies
* Secret
service protection
*
Rural mail delivery
* Leopards
* Stabbing and recovery
* "Older" Denver residents
* Running a farm
* Hairy men
and more.
To answer a question or
ask one of your own, visit:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=66
Never posted at
the forums before? Start here:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34886
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INTERVIEW
Interview with Sage
Cohen
Interview by Amy
Brozio-Andrews
Meet Sage
Cohen-- she'll be teaching one of Absolute Write's newest classes,
Poetry for the People,
beginning February 13. Sage Cohen is an award-winning poet and essayist
whose work appears in more than 30 journals and anthologies including Poetry
Flash, Oregon Literary Review, blueoregon.com and
San Francisco Reader. In 2006, she won first prize in the Ghost Road Press
poetry contest. Sage serves as Managing Editor of-- and a monthly columnist
for-- Writers on the Rise, and writes a monthly personal essay column for Black
Lamb. She holds a MA in creative writing from New York University where she was
awarded a New York Times Foundation fellowship. Sage has taught poetry at
universities, hospitals and writing conferences as well as online. Her poetry
collection, Like the Heart, the World, was published in 2007. Sage is Principal
of Sage Communications, the marketing communications firm she founded more than
a decade ago.
Q: From the title of your class, Poetry for the People, to
your Poetry Reading Series at your local Barnes & Noble bookstore, it's clear
that you live your art, making poetry a part of your life instead of what many
might think of as a dusty, academic pursuit. What is it about poetry that you
think might cause people to tend to shy away from it?
A: That's a great
question-- one that I've been thinking about quite a bit lately. Yes, I think
poetry can be a very vital force when we embrace it as a way of life. I suspect
that many people who shy away from poetry have not had a proper introduction.
Perhaps they've been instructed to experience poetry in a certain way that is
not in harmony with who they are, or were told that they were wrong at some
tender time in their development. Maybe they haven't been given permission-- or
instruction-- to find their place in poetry, or to find its place in them.
Read more:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/specialty_writing/sage_cohen.htm |
How Tim Made His Book a #1 New York Times Bestseller
Discover strategies the previously unknown author of
"The 4-Hour Week" used to get published, tap the power
of bloggers, sell tons of books and become an overnight hit.
http://www.MillionDollarAuthorClub.com/timaudio/?10962 |
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Visit the
Absolute Write E-Bookstore!
For a complete list of titles,
click
here!
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ARTICLES
"Dealing with the
Newbies: Five Tips for Handling People Who Want You To Critique Their Manuscript (for free, of course)"
By Jonathan Moeller
First, some context.
I am a writer of no significance whatsoever. I wrote one novel, which
disappeared without a trace, and I've written some short stories and nonfiction
articles, but none have ever become well-known. In short, in the official
taxonomy of writers I am Published but Obscure, and you've only heard of me if
I've managed to tick you off to some extent. Or if I owe you money.
Yet people still ask me to critique their manuscripts.
This experience can range from flattering to downright creepy. One of the worst
ones happened a few years ago, shortly after I published my one and only book,
when a co-worker approached me during lunch.
Read more:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/dealing_with_the_newbies.htm
"Extra Photographs, Extra Income"
By Joan Airey
Writers who supply photographs with their
articles can earn extra dollars by submitting some of their photographs to
Internet stock
photography agencies. Payment for a photograph will be fifty cents to
five dollars but each one can be sold numerous times and you can work at it when
time permits. Photographs can be taken in your home, your community or on
vacation.
Read more:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/freelance_writing/extra_photographs.htm
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WRITING NEWS AROUND THE WEB
"Author claims writing can aid in
process of healthy dieting"
Tony Andracki, The Daily Vidette,
January 23, 2008
http://media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news
/2008/01/23/Features/Author.Claims.Writing.Can.Aid.In.Process.Of.Healthy.Dieting-3162288.shtml
"Writers Drop Demand and a Picket
Plan"
By Michael Cieply and Jeff Leeds,
The New York Times, January 23, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/business/media/23strike.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin
"'Freedom Writers' book could cost
Perry Twp. teacher her job"
By Andy Gammill, IndyStar.com,
January 22, 2008
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080122/LOCAL1801/301220003
"Writers call for new copyright bill"
Straight Goods, January 22,
2008
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewMediaFile8.cfm?REF=4
"Writers, Studios Set Informal
Talks"
By Peter Sanders, The Wall Street Journal, January 23, 2008
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120106025532609011.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
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Absolute Markets Premium.
Absolutely Essential.
Magazines,
book publishers, international calls for freelance writers plus exclusive interviews
with editors and publishers you won't find anywhere else all in one newsletter
and delivered to your
inbox every other week.
Subscribe for less than $0.58 per issue!
http://www.absolutemarkets.com
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FIRST PERSON
"You Have My Permission"
By Dave Duggins
You have my permission to be a writer.
Does that sound strange? Maybe it does. If you're one of the lucky few enjoying
the unconditional acceptance and support of every friend, every single member of
your family, every stranger you talk to at a bus stop, feel free to ignore this.
Read more:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/freelance_writing/you_have_my_permission.htm |
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WRITING EXERCISES AND PROMPTS
January Flash Fiction Contest
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/announcement.php?f=66&a=89
The Valentine's Day Love Sonnet Contest
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/announcement.php?f=2&a=90
The Great Absolute Write Flash Fiction
Challenge
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&day=2008-1-13&e=324&c=1 |
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JUST FOR FUN
"Not
Writing"
By Michael Harling
It's widely accepted that writing begets
writing, but last week I read the logical
extrapolation of this saying: "Not
writing begets not
writing." To your average person, this is probably
as surprising as ants at a picnic, but it was a genuine revelation to me, akin
to an alcoholic realizing that the way to get sober is to stop drinking.
Read more:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/fun/not_writing.htm |
Shop Amazon, support AW!
Our new
Absolute Write Amazon store
means you can shop Amazon's books, DVDs, electronics, software, toys, and
games with us and then check out through Amazon.com to securely complete
your transaction! Click
here to get started! |
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Invest in Your Writing!!
Absolute
Write has affiliated with the Writers
SuperCentres
of America to create the Absolute Software Store. Please check
us out to find the best prices on any type of writing software.
- Write better stories
- Edit your correspondence, reports, and
manuscripts
- Write a book/article
- Construct storyboards
- Write business plans
- Write a thesis or dissertation
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Write a resume
- Track article submissions
- or do almost any
task associated with writing
Visit the software store.
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WRITERS' GUIDELINES -
updated!
We're always
looking for new interviews, articles, essays, and humor for this
newsletter. We pay $0.02 per published word ($10 minimum) or a
1-year subscription to the Absolute Markets Premium Edition ($15
value, see www.absolutemarkets.com for a free
sample). We're happy to consider reprints, and we ask only for
nonexclusive electronic rights. Got some advice for your fellow
writers? Check out our guidelines here:
Writers' guidelines |
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WATER COOLER
Discussion of the
Week
Set the scene or Jump into the action? by brittanimae
Okay, here's a question for
everyone--feel free to reference your WIP or a favorite book.
We always hear "jump right into the action," right? But take the
most famous opening line of all time (or at least one of them): "It
was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . ." all about
setting the scene, right?
So which is better? Do you lay out your setting as a backdrop for
your action or do you get right in there with dialogue/action and
fill in the setting as you go along?
And yes, this is because I'm trying to figure out the best way to
rewrite the first chapter of my WIP. Looking forward to hearing from
everyone!
Join in this
discussion at:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89934
Join in ALL the discussions at:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/
Never posted
at the forums before? Start here:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34886 |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
The 2008 Devil's Kitchen Reading Awards in Poetry and
Prose
(due February 1, 2008; $15 entry
fee; win $1,000)
http://www.siuc.edu/~grassroots/dkawards.html
3rd
Annual Imagination Theatre Radio Script Competition, 2008
(due
April 30, 2008; $15 entry fee; win $150, production, and prizes)
http://jimfrenchproductions.com/zc137m/
12th
Annual Arizona State University Art Museum
Short Film and Video Festival
(due
February 8, 2008; no entry fee)
http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu/filmfest
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CLASSIFIEDS
Bullyproof Your Child
for Life!
"Ignore the bullies and they'll go away"
just doesn't work. Let Dr. Joel Haber (The Bully Coach) and Absolute
Write's former editor Jenna Glatzer show you what does work. Keep your
kids bully-free for good.
Travel Writers Wanted!
There's great demand for an elite corps of highly skilled,
professional travel writers...a pool of travel writing specialists
that can be relied on to write vivid, lively and interesting
articles.
If you ever dreamed about the romantic life of a
travel writer, here's a very unusual opportunity to actually live
it!
http://www.absolutewrite.com/dt/t/travelawn.php
Inexpensive Exposure for Your Writing
Writers and
Services for Writers: If you have a website, we'll set up your
company or book information in the Absolute Write Writers Directory. The
listing is just $10 and you'll be showcased in the category
of your choice.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/site/writers_directory.htm
E-books For Writers!
Check out the
Absolute Write E-book store at:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/ebookstore/index.htm
All titles are recommended by Absolute Write! |
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Absolute Write Newsletter ©
2008 Absolute Write |
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