In this issue:

• Bill Vossler writers shares his list-making tips

• Mary Schirmer's "Film Fuss"

• Robbie Walker Okamoto talks with Suzanne Kamata (author of Losing Kei)

Writing is hard work-- and there are no shortcuts. When it comes right down to the nitty gritty, it's just you and that glowing computer screen. That's when you need to know the basics of writing and finishing your novel. Learn the no-nonsense, no-frills writing that will give you the tools to finish that novel and start submitting to publishers! Now open enrollment-- Click here!

Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps

With Susan Gunelius

NEW! Do you want to transition your writing career to include copywriting in your list of services? This course will teach you the fundamentals of writing compelling marketing and advertising copy that will exceed your clients’ expectations. You'll learn not to be intimidated or overwhelmed by copywriting, but rather to be inspired and confident each time you tackle a new copywriting project. Starts June 1! Click here!

What Do Rich Authors Know That Poor Authors Don't?

Want to make a whole lot more from your non-fiction book -- maybe even enough to go full-time? After working with 9,300+ authors over the last 20 years, I've learned rich authors simply do seven key things
differently than poor authors.

Join me for a free telephone seminar on Thursday April 17th and I'll share those things with you.

To register go here now:
http://www.freeauthortips.com/call087

PROMPT OF THE WEEK

That's the problem with dead people, you know. Sometimes they just don't stay dead.

This week, writers want to know about:

* Marine biology, ecosystems, and invasive species

* From slides to digital

* Music boxes

* Modern gay culture

* Greek translations

* Folks who've had a hard time losing weight

* Farewell parties

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

"Losing Kei: A Powerful Novel of Love and Loss by Suzanne Kamata"
By Robbie Walker Okamoto

Several years ago, Suzanne Kamata read an article in a Tokyo magazine about expatriate parents in Japan losing custody of their children after divorce. The article described one woman divorced from a Japanese man who lost custody of her son because she was a journalist; having a career meant she was "unfit" to be a mother. Although at first permitted to see her son, she found that the child grew increasingly distant, and the woman could see that the boy's father and stepmother were "working on him."

"I found all this very disturbing and provocative. The idea of a mother-- not necessarily a bad mother by Western standards-- who loses access to her child stayed with me, and I found myself wanting to write about it. I originally wrote it as a short story which was published in Wingspan (editor's note: ANA's inflight magazine), but I was interested in turning it into a novel even then. I felt there was quite a bit of backstory that I could explore-- why this woman came to Japan, what happened in her marriage."

Thus was born Losing Kei, a powerful novel of love and loss published in January 2008 by Leapfrog Press.
 

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/losing_kei.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!

"Little List Big in Writer's Life"
By Bill Vossler

Each morning I make myself a little list, using the Bill Walsh Factor. I credit this list with much of my writing success-- 2,700 articles published in 160 different magazines, along with eleven books.

My little list doesn't do my writing, of course; for that I am required to do what every freelance writer must do: apply seat of pants to chair. My little list provides me with a daily guideline of what needs to be done, and as I cross things off, it becomes my own private cheering section.

This all sounds pretty mundane. Don't we all create to do lists? The Bill Walsh Factor makes my list different.
 

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/freelance_writing/little_list.htm

"Paint Me a Heroine"
By Mary Cook

Right, children, take out your crayons. Today I want you to paint me a heroine.

We're going to write a short story in which the main character is female. We'll need to know everything there is to know about her so that we can tell our readers all they want to know. You see, children, your fictional characters must be so real that they have a life of their own. Like you or me, they have likes and dislikes; friends and families. They have homes and jobs or they go to school. They live their lives. Life isn't something that just "happens" to them any more than it does to us. They have hopes, fears and ambitions. So-- first things first-- what's her name?

You want to call her Britney? She must be very young, because that name has only recently come into being. So how old is she? Put it another way: how old do you want her to be? So she's seventeen-and-a half. That sounds about right, class.

Read more:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/paint_me_a_heroine.htm

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

"A Tale of Rejection: Lurking in the Shadows of Amazon"
By Samantha Clements

Rejection hurts. It might become familiar, wheedling its way into your life so that it becomes routine, yet every time a story comes back with that familiar and generic note, "We're sorry but this isn't right for us. Good luck," it feels like another tiny piece of your heart is being ripped out.

Sometimes it hurts more than others. I was fortunate enough to get an entry into the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest during their submission process in November. Because I have the fortune (or misfortune) of being one of those writers who hides behind her writing and tends to start a new novel or story instead of actually continually pursuing an agent or publisher, I had several manuscripts that I could have entered in the contest. I selected the one that I thought was the most advanced, that represented my writing and storytelling efforts to the best of my ability. Once I had registered, I had a week to submit my final manuscript.

Read more:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/freelance_writing/tale_of_rejection.htm

COLUMN

Plot Holes and Coincidences, "Film Fuss"
By Mary J. Schirmer
 
It's hard to argue with financial success, and in the case of writer/actor/producer/director Tyler Perry, you're talking millions of dollars.  So I suppose one could forgive him a few screenwriting lapses.
 
However if I'd submitted a screenplay like MEET THE BROWNS to an established production company, I can't help but wonder what the creative development assistant (translation: unpaid intern) would make of it.
 
Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/screenwriting/schirmer/plot_holes.htm

Visit the Absolute Write E-Bookstore!

• Sell The Fun Stuff: Writers' And Artists' Market Guidelines For Greeting Cards, Posters... by Jenna Glatzer

• The Instruction Writer's Guide by Marilyn Haight

• The Complete Guide to Writing & Selling Magazine Articles by Peggy Fielding and Dan Case

For a complete list of titles, click here!

JUST FOR FUN

"Of Kith and Kin"
By Gargi Mehra

Here's the scene at my residence after I've just announced the publication of my first article in a leading Indian women's magazine:

Me (waving my contributor's copy): "Hey, everyone! My article has just been published!"

Father (in flat voice): "Ok, good."

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/fun/of_kith_and_kin.htm

BOOK REVIEW

Working for the Man: Inspiring and Subversive Projects for Residents of Cubicle Land By Jeffrey Yamaguchi

Reviewed by Amy Brozio-Andrews

If spending forty hours each week locked in "Cubicle Land" isn't your idea of a good time, Jeffrey Yamaguchi can help you with that. His new book, Working for the Man, is full of crafty and clever activities that are sure to help you pass the time (and er, to be truthful, maybe get you fired). 

Read more:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/working_for_the_man.htm

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, books or articles
- Construct storyboards
- Write business plans
- Write a resume
- Track article submissions
- and more!
Visit the software store.

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!

Click here for details and registration:

Developing a Web Presence for "Local" Writers

Optimize Your Web Presence

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

WATER COOLER

ANNOUNCEMENTS

2008 BookExpo America/Writer's Digest Books Writers Conference

(May 28, 2008; Los Angeles, CA)

http://www.writersdigest.com/bea

2008 Annual Write Brothers/Atwater Playhouse Playwriting Festival

(due May 30, 2008; $30 entry fee; win prizes and six-week run of play)

http://www.atwaterplayhouse.com/fly.aspx?layout=playwritefestival

Evolve Beyond Violence Nonfiction Essay Award

(due September 1, 2008; $15 entry fee; win $1,000 and publication)

http://www.ravingdove.org/award

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!

Please pass this newsletter along to all of your writing pals!

** To Unsubscribe:

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please click the link at the end of this newsletter.  This will automatically remove you from the list.

** To change your subscription

You can go to http://subs.zinester.com/ to manage your account. Sign-in and make the appropriate changes.  If you have forgotten your password, one will be sent to your subscribed address by clicking here:  http://www.zinester.com/sendpswd.html


Note: replying to this newsletter will not immediately remove you from the list. In order to be removed promptly, please follow the above instructions.

Absolute Write Newsletter © 2008 Absolute Write