|
Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
| << March01, 2006 - Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine -- Issue Nineteen |
June18, 2006 - Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine -- Issue Twenty-One >> |
|
Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine - a FR*E*E monthly ezine for writing parents. ************************************************************** You are receiving this e-zine because you subscribed through e-mail. Unsubscribe information is below. ************************************************************** TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. WELCOME NOTES 2. QUOTES FOR THE MONTH 3. EDITOR'S ARTICLE: REJECTING THE REJECTION BLUES By DAWN COLCLASURE 4. CONTEST CORNER 5. ADVERTISEMENTS 6. GUEST ARTICLE: LET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS SNAG SOME PAYING ASSIGNMENTS! By ROY A. BARNES 7. BOOK EXCERPT: Enrich Your Life by Spending Less! By Shaunna Privratsky 8. BOOK GIVEAWAY 9. WHAT’S UP WITH THE BOOK’S WRITERS 10. BOOK NEWS 11. SITES SITED 12. FREEBIE CORNER 13. WRITING PARENT TIPS FOR APRIL 14. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 15. UNSUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS ************************************************************** WELCOME NOTES Hello, Everyone! Welcome to another issue of the Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine! As always, feel free to send me any email at BurningMidnightOil@myway.com with comments, suggestions or just to plain chat. This month, the topic is rejection. Every writer knows this downside of the writing life. It’s an unfortunate part of a writer’s job, one which will never go away for writers round the world. But as my article “Rejecting the Rejection Blues” will show you, you can conquer that downside and get writing again. You’ll also get to read a great article by Roy A. Barnes, travel writer extraordinaire on his little techie secret on how he gets writing work in his email inbox. I have never heard of a writer using this trick and I enjoyed reading about Roy’s experience in how this helped him get more writing sold. Enjoy this issue! Hugs, Dawn Colclasure Editor and Publisher http://dmcwriter.tripod.com/ ************************************************************** QUOTES FOR THE MONTH "What is the ultimate insult? Getting a paper cut from a rejection letter!"—Amy McQuade "A rejection slip is like a wad of used toilet paper: it really stinks, but it shows you there’s more work to be done."—Lynn T. Fazenbaker "I discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, "To hell with you."—Saul Bellow "You must want to enough. Enough to take all the rejections, enough to pay the price of disappointment and discouragement while you are learning. Like any other artist, you are learning your craft -- then you can add all the genius you like."—Phyllis Whitney "This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don't consider it rejected. Consider that you've addressed it "to the editor who can appreciate my work" and it has simply come back stamped "not at this address." Just keep looking for the right address."—Barbara Kingsolver "At first they'll reject everything, particularly in your case. What you do is keep sending the same poems to the same people--after a decent interval, of course. After about the fourth or fifth time, they will actually have read them, and they will hear a little bell ring that they'll call the shock of recognition, and they'll take one."—Richard Palmer Blackmuir "Take all your rejection letters and mush them up with glue and use them to paper mache yourself a thick hide. You'll need one to survive as a writer."—Mary Connealy "The best reaction to a rejection slip is a sort of wild-eyed madness, an evil grin, and sitting yourself in front of the keyboard muttering 'Okay, you bastards. Try rejecting this!' and then writing something so unbelievably brilliant that all other writers will disembowel themselves with their pens upon reading it, because there's nothing left to write."—Neil Gaiman "Reject rejection."—Art Arthur "No matter how good you are, nobody is going to come knocking at your door. You have to take the risk of rejection, and get that material out there. Assume, as much as possible, that it might get taken, not that it must be. Also, be aware that just because a piece is rejected, it does not necessarily mean that the idea or writing is bad….. Understand, too, that things get rejected for a lot of reasons. Your writing may be wonderful - it may be your timing, your subject, or an editor's quirks that get between you and a sale. Try to find your richest joy and satisfaction in the writing itself. Let the rest be gravy. Good gravy, but gravy.”—Elizabeth Berg ************************************************************** EDITOR’S ARTICLE Rejecting the Rejection Blues By: Dawn Colclasure You never see it coming. Every single piece you send out to editors, agents or publishers has the chance of coming back with a “no thanks” scrawled all over it. But you send it out anyway, still hopeful that maybe, just maybe, it’ll get picked up. Maybe you’ll get the assignment. Maybe the client will love what you’ve done. Thoughts like this fill you with anticipation. Oh, boy! You’ll FINALLY have something published in this magazine! You’ll FINALLY get your book published. You’ll FINALLY get paid. Then the bomb drops: You actually end up getting rejected instead. And even though they try to be nice about it (with something along the lines of “this is great stuff BUT....”), you can’t help but feel the painful sting this rejection throws at you. You can’t help but feel like, well, a failure. A writer who just can’t cut it! Don’t despair. It’s okay to feel bad about getting rejected; the secret is, you can’t let it keep you down. Give yourself a little pep talk, drown your sorrows in a pint of ice cream, go shopping with your friends and write a nasty reply to that editor then tear it up. Then, after you do all of that, get back up on that horse and keep trying! Your job as a writer is to write, even if you get rejected, shot down or snubbed. And no matter how hard it is, no matter how long it might take, it’s up to you to reject the rejection blues. Take solace in that at least you tried. You didn’t sit around, twiddling your thumbs wondering if you can get published in a magazine. You actually jumped at that goal to see if you could. You gave it a shot. And even though they didn’t accept your pitches or manuscripts, at least you tried. Go to the competition. There are thousands of other magazines out there, and just as many Web sites, covering that same exact theme. Even if Magazine A didn’t want your story, there’s a pretty good chance Magazine B or Web site A will. Get to work on something else. I received two magazine rejections in one day. It hurt, it really did. But I got all excited about this publishing company’s contest for a big fat book deal and soon forgot about that rejection sting. Yes, it would’ve been nice to get published in those magazines, but that’s not going to happen right now. Maybe later on down the road, but not now. Meanwhile there’s another project at hand to deal with; focus your energies and enthusiasm on that instead. Rejection is an unfortunate fact of the writing life. No matter how many times you get rejected, each and every time still hurts. But the one thing rejection isn’t is a meter for a writer to measure their worth by. One editor’s “no” always gets you closer to another editor’s “yes.” Plus, the best part is that you just might end up selling that previously rejected manuscript for a higher fee later on. Go ahead and mourn being rejected but use the above ideas to help you crawl out from under your shell to get your writing back out there. *** Dawn Colclasure edits and publishes the Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine, which is a product of her book: BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents (Booklocker). She also writes for the newspaper SIGNews and the Web site, The Shadowlands. She’s been published both on and off the Web, in magazines such as Mothering, American Fitness, Home Education Magazine and HOMEspirations, and Web sites such as Absolute Write, Writing Etc. and Writing World. Visit her on the Web at http://dmcwriter.tripod.com/. ************************************************************** CONTEST CORNER 75th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition For 75 years, the Annual Writer’s Digest Competition has rewarded writers just like you for their finest work. And best of all, we’re celebrating our milestone year by giving away more than $30,000 in cash and prizes! Win a trip to New York City! GRAND PRIZE: $3,000 cash and an all-expense paid trip to New York City to meet with editors or agents. Writer's Digest will fly you and a guest to The Big Apple, where you'll spend three days and two nights in the publishing capital of the world. While you're there, a Writer's Digest editor will escort you to meet and share your work with four editors or agents! Plus, you'll receive a free Diamond Publishing Package from Outskirts Press. Entry Deadline: Monday, May 15, 2006. For entrants paying with a credit card, we will accept manuscripts submitted online. Manuscripts in the script categories must be submitted via regular mail. Compete and Win in 10 Categories! Inspirational Writing (Spiritual/Religious) Memoirs/Personal Essay Magazine Feature Article Genre Short Story (Mystery, Romance, etc.) Mainstream/Literary Short Story Rhyming Poetry Non-rhyming Poetry Stage Play (* submission by mail only) Television/Movie Script (* submission by mail only) Children's/Young Adult Fiction Entry Fee: Poems are $10 for the first entry; $5 for each additional poem submitted in the same online session. All other entries are $15 for the first manuscript; $10 for each additional manuscript submitted in the same online session. Add $2 per manuscript to all entries postmarked after Monday, May 15, 2006. Entries postmarked after Thursday, June 01, 2006, will not be accepted. ********************************************* Memoirs, Ink Third Annual Personal Essay Contest Contest Guidelines We are looking for original, well-written personal essays, memoirs, or stories that are based on autobiographical experiences. The narrative must be in first person, other that that, the contest is open to any type, genre or style of story. Entry must be previously unpublished, your own work, etc. Previously published means published anywhere, at any time. Entry fee: $15. (Please make check or money order to Memoirs, Ink.) Also, if you would like to receive a list of winners, please include a SASE. First Prize: $1000. Second Prize: $500. Third Prize: $250. Please limit entries to less than 3000 words. Contest Deadline: August 1, 2006 (postmark). Late Deadline: August 15, 2006 (Requires additional $5 entry fee) Winners will be announced September 30, 2006. Winners will be published at www.memoirsink.com. Send entries to: Memoirs Ink Writing Contest 468 N. Camden Ave., Suite 211, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Please submit entries as follows: Typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font. Your name should appear only on the cover page, where you should also include your address, phone number, email address, and the title of your story. Begin your story on the next page. The title of the manuscript should appear in the top half of the first page. The pages should be numbered, with the title of the story appearing somewhere in the header or footer of each subsequent page. We used to prefer paperclips, but are now partial to staples. Multiple submissions are accepted, however, an additional $10 entry fee is required for each additional story. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, however, if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere, you need to let us know immediately that you are withdrawing your submission. E-mail questions to Jill at Memoirs_ink@yahoo.com Other Info Manuscripts will not be returned. Memoirs, Ink., is not responsible for manuscripts lost in the mail, etc. Memoirs, Ink cannot confirm receipt of your entry unless you provide a self-addressed stamped postcard. Winners must sign a contest winner agreement form that certifies your writing is original and assigns temporary electronic rights and electronic archiving rights to us. If you win, we will publish your story. If you do not want your story published (for personal reasons, etc), please do not submit it. We reserve the right to mention or not mention anyone honorably. Winners will be contacted between September 1st and 15th, 2005. Please include detailed contact info (day, evening, emails, pagers, everything) so that we can contact you if you win. Also, if you decide to leave town at the beginning of September, please check in with your messages and email, because if we don’t hear from you in time, we may have to give your winning spot to someone else. The judge for this years contest will be announced on or before May 30, 2006. ************************************************************** ADVERTISEMENTS New Message Board for Writers, Writing Parents and Booklovers!!! The Write Stuff is a new message board created by Dawn Colclasure, a disabled writing parent who loves books! The board offers anyone of similar situations a chance to discuss being a disabled writer, a writing parent or a booklover! The write Stuff offers registered members a chance to swap books, talk shop or discuss Dawn’s books, as well! All writers and booklovers of any age or stage are welcome to participate! Check the new board out here: http://p105.ezboard.com/bthewritestuff66370 *** For Immediate Release Mindy Lawrence, Publicist Red Engine Press 614 Wal Mart Drive #114 Farmington, MO 63640 573-330-4015 mplawrence@redenginepress.com Pittsburgh Author Joyce Faulkner Receives Notable in Writer’s Notes Book Awards Farmington, MO: March 31, 2006 Joyce Faulkner’s collection of dark fiction, Losing Patience, drew a “Notable” in the 2006 Writer’s Notes Book Awards in the “General Fiction” category of Writers Notes Magazine (http://hopepubs.home.comcast.net/writers.html). Losing Patience was the first book published by Red Engine Press. Writers Notes Magazine recognizes work from small and mini presses and independent publishers. In this, her first collection of short stories, Faulkner ponders the natural and supernatural aspects of mortality. The stories appear to be simple ghost tales, quirky mysteries and sagas with bittersweet beginnings and endings. Then the reader comes back into the labyrinth to discover deeper underlying meanings. The stories focus on ethical conundrums such as guilt, forgiveness, fidelity and retribution. Her characters face complex choices about whether to hang on or to let go. Their struggles are both bizarre and familiar, life as we know it turned upside down. Faulkner’s most recent book is a novel called In the Shadow of Suribachi. It tells the story of seven young men who join the Marines for different reasons and meet at the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Hugh Rosen, author of Silent Battlefields, says, “The realism portrayed of the men in combat makes it hard to believe that Joyce Faulkner was not present amongst them. Yet, of course, she was not; a testimony to the brilliance of the author's writing skills and capacity for superlative sensory depiction on many levels.” She is also co-author of a well-received book for writers called The Complete Writer, also from Red Engine Press. Faulkner is also working with Double Dragon Publishing where she is one of the presenters of a thirty-episode radio-style course called “Audio Classes for Writers.” The classes are available for purchase as either podcasts or CDs at: http://tinyurl.com/hbos4 To book a special engagement with Ms. Faulkner, contact her at JoyceFaulkner@redenginepress.com. More information on Faulkner and her work is available at http://www.JoyceFaulkner.com and http://www.RedEnginePress.com. ************************************************************** GUEST ARTICLE Let Your Email Address Snag Some Paying Assignments! By Roy A. Barnes Marketing ourselves as writers can be a very daunting and time-consuming task. Think of the books, articles, and seminars which are in existence today that cater to just the marketing and promotion of books and for getting started in the field of promotional writing. For writers who have yet to aspire to the creating of a full-length book manuscript or to writing advertisement copy for small businesses and corporations, the concept of marketing oneself may seem a moot issue. This way of thinking can be very costly; that is, a number of potential published clips and subsequent visits to the pay windows of editors may not come to pass. One of the best decisions I ever made concerning my fledgling writing career occurred in late 2004. I made the decision to create a new email address from which I would submit the brunt of my queries and finished works to editors from, wherever online queries and submissions were allowed. When I began getting more serious about my freelance writing during the summer of 2004, I submitted and queried from an email address that could be best described as cute, and not really business-like. I realized that I needed to create an email address which would reflect what I was striving to do in my career. So I picked "travelwriteroy", because it alluded to the primary activities I was now engaging in to help pay the rent, utilities, and food bills; that is, traveling, and then writing about those travels when I wasn’t crafting poetry, personal experience essays, or articles on a variety of other subjects. In December 2004, I submitted an article on constructive ways for writers to deal with rejection by editors to an online writing publication called The Fabulist Flash (http://www.fabulistflash.com). Gregory Kompes, the editor, didn’t wish to use my article in the near future, but he noticed my "travelwriteroy" email address. He wanted to know if I was a travel writer, as he needed some articles on getting started in travel writing. Well, I had just received my first pay check ever as a freelancer for a travel article by Transitions Abroad (http://www.transitionsabroad.com) on a piece I did about a unique volunteer holiday in Spain, which appeared in their March/April 2005 print edition, as well as online. In addition, I had previous work experience in the travel agent and airline industries, which afforded me further opportunities to be able to travel on four continents in my lifetime. I let Gregory know about my credentials. He emailed me back asking me to send him an article. It was accepted and published in the March 24, 2005 online issue of The Fabulist Flash. Had it not been for my new email address, I strongly suspect that Mr. Kompes wouldn’t have even brought up the subject about travel writing when he passed on using my article about dealing with rejection. My email address lets editors know that travel is a part of my writing forte, even if I am submitting a query or work that isn’t travel-related. In addition to having a business-like email to submit queries and finished works from, listing some of our publication credits in different categories other than the category we are submitting to or querying about may lead to some unexpected surprises. It’s because an editor is going to know more about the scope of the work we do as writers. Email addresses and published clips can provide some free, indirect advertising which showcases a writer’s abilities to craft articles about a variety of subjects. Don’t forgo those opportunities to, as my father used to say, "brag about yourself". If you have truly done something, it isn’t boasting! BIOGRAPHY: Roy A. Barnes is lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His travel-themed works have been featured in such publications as Transitions Abroad, GoNOMAD.com, Live Life Travel, and The Valley Advocate. His articles on writing issues and literary themes have appeared in such online publications as The Busy Freelancer, The Inkspotter News, WritingforDOLLARS.com, Breath & Shadow, and The First Line. ************************************************************** BOOK EXCERPT Enrich Your Life by Spending Less! By: Shaunna Privratsky Ebook Fast Breakfast Ideas You only have five minutes to get your kids to eat...no, wait! That was five minutes ago! What’s a harried parent to do? You grab a few crumbling Pop Tarts and bundle your children off to school. Here are several ideas to help make the start of your day as stress-free as morning sunshine. Make-ahead meals are a Mom or Dad’s lifesaver. On the weekends when I have a bit more time, I make a whole box of pancake mix into pancakes or waffles. I freeze the cooled cakes and waffles for about two weeks worth of quick, tasty breakfasts. You can sneak in bits of fruit or nuts for even more nutrition and to vary the taste. French toast is another treat at our house. I make a whole loaf for about $2, a huge saving over the expensive, store bought brands. My kids think homemade is much tastier, too. Another fast meal is eggs and toast. One or two eggs a week are a good source of protein and you can prepare them in a variety of ways to keep it interesting. Muffins are as easy as 1,2,3 and a great grab and go breakfast. Add a juice box or a travel cup of milk and you’re all set with time to spare. Cold cereal is a staple, but “kids cereals” can get expensive, not to mention all the extra sugar loaded into each bowl. Look for store brands and cereals on the top and bottom shelves for the best prices. My kids can’t tell a taste difference. Sales and coupons go a long way. If possible, shop without your kids so you don’t get talked into buying high priced, sugar-loaded fluff. Nothing fills tummies better than oatmeal or other hot cereals on a cold winter‘s day. There are a ton of new flavors on the market, even chocolate and s’mores. I use one or two packets of instant flavored oatmeal and add regular oatmeal for a terrific meal. My kids like the fruit flavored kinds the best, or I add diced fruit like canned peaches or pears. Cereal bars work in a pinch, but some of the brands are so packed with sugar and fat that they’re more like a candy bar. I choose ones with a granola base and maybe chocolate chips or nuts added. Sunbelt puts out lots of choices for everyone’s taste and is easy on the budget as well - at least half price of the national brands. Fruit fits the bill, whether it’s a banana in your cereal, a bowl of melon balls and toast or a glass of OJ. Grapes are the ultimate fruit on the go. Kids generally love apples and peanut butter. Orange sections make great finger food. Letting them choose will make getting five or more servings a day a breeze. Another timesaving strategy is setting your alarm fifteen minutes earlier than the kid’s wake-up time. It gives you a chance to face the day, with or without a bracing cup of coffee. You’ll feel better about fixing a nutritious breakfast on the run. After all, breakfast has been scientifically proven to be the most important meal of the day. Now you and your kids can face the day with a smile instead of a race out the door with tummies growling. With one less thing to worry about your day will get off to a great start. ************************************ Are you ready to change your life? "Enrich Your Life by Spending Less!" is 156 pages packed with timeless advice and the newest tricks, tips and secrets to save money. Download it now at http://shaunna67.tripod.com/id21.html Also, sign up for the FREE monthly newsletter, The Discount Diva presents. EXCERPT COPYRIGHT 2006 BY SHAUNNA PRIVRATSKY REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION NO PART MAY BE USED, EXPRESSED OR REPRINTED WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S PERMISSION. ************************************************************** BOOK GIVEAWAY Wanna score a FREE BOOK?? Get a free hardcover copy of THE DOGS OF BABEL by Carolyn Parkhurst. Read all about this book here: http://tinyurl.com/n7yun How to win? Simple! The first reader to E-mail me with any quote from this E-zine will win! It’s THAT simple! E-mail me at: BurningMidnightOil@myway.com Good luck! ************************************************************** WHAT'S UP WITH THE BOOK'S WRITERS? The following is news of writers you can read interviews with in Volume One of the MIDNIGHT OIL book. No news this month. ************************************************************** BOOK NEWS What's the latest with the first volume of BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents? No book news this month. ************************************************************** FREEBIE CORNER Get a free Web site counter http://www.webstats4u.com/ Free text translator http://www.freetranslation.com/free/ Get a free 14-day trial of realPlayer: http://www.real.com/player ************************************************************** SITES SITED The following are interesting, helpful sites that I’d like to pass on. A Woman's Write: http://www.awomanswrite.com/ Rejection Collection: http://www.rejectioncollection.com/ Self-Publishing Hall of Fame: http://www.bookmarket.com/selfpublish.html Critter Writers’ Workshop: http://www.critters.org/ ************************************************************** WRITING PARENT TIPS FOR APRIL: No tips this month. ************************************************************** WANNA SUBMIT TO THIS E-ZINE?? I am always open to submissions for the E-zine!! Feel free to submit any of the following: 1. An article. Any style and length. Articles must relate to writing, being a writing parent or successful business/marketing ideas. If the article is a reprint, you must own the reprint rights. 2. Tips for writing parents. 3. Advertising info, a freebie link, fan mail or, if you are included in the book, news and updates on what’s going on in your writing life! PLEASE NOTE: Payment for submissions has been restored to $5 per article, payable on publication. ************************************************************** You are subscribed to this E-zine because you requested a subscription or signed yourself up on your own. To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to: 59308-unsubscribe@zinester.com |
|
| << March01, 2006 - Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine -- Issue Nineteen |
June18, 2006 - Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine -- Issue Twenty-One >> |
|
Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine Archives Index
|
Subscribe
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |