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Writing Sparks Newsletter
February 8, 2008
Greetings |
Greetings to you all. And a big howdy from sunny California. With apologies to the snowbound half of the country, in L.A. we're expecting a day-time high of 86 degrees tomorrow. I know, one person just shouldn't have life this good all the time. The last time I wrote I was headed out to a press trip in beautiful Fiji, one of my most favorite destinations in the world. This trip was actually cut short due to a cyclone named Gene. Phew, was that one intense storm. Although I didn't get to cover quite as much material as I hoped, the trip ended up being extra fabulous because I made two wonderful, new friends during my stay. There's something to be said for hanging out beach side, enjoying good conversation with new friends, while sipping a glass of wine (or Fiji Bitter Beer) and watching the 140 km/hour wind and rain pound the surf. Because the trip was cut short, I'll be going back at a future date, so there really is no down side. While I was in Fiji, my apartment was having its own version of inclement weather, as a pipe burst over my bathroom and totally flooded it out. When I came home from my trip, I found my toilet in the bathtub, which was quite a sight. If I hadn't been so jet lagged, I would have taken a picture. The plus side in all this is that they ripped up 25 year old carpet in the bathroom and replaced it with fancy new tile. The bad news is that since 12 units were affected it is taking a gosh-darn long time to get everything done. I sort of have my bathroom back now, but every thing is a little of kilter here at home. I'm having a hard time getting used to seeing my bathroom furniture in the living room. At any rate, in my last newsletter I also hinted at a new job in my future. Now that I've officially started, I guess its okay for me to brag about it. <g> I've been offered, and accepted, the position of Online Editor at TravelAge West Magazine. This is the publication I've been freelance writing for the past two years. During that time, I've frequently offered my (unsolicited) website advice, and so I guess it is now time to put up or shut up. This will be a contributing (freelance) but regular position, meaning I can work from home while I do it. For obvious reasons I'm delighted to have the opportunity to marry all my favorite things (writing, travel and the internet.) There is a lot of hard work ahead, and I'm not totally sure how everything is going to pan out with respect to my existing clients and projects, but I'm quite excited about the next phase of my life. I know that in this newsletter I'm constantly talking (blathering on, as one critic told me) about chasing your dream, but this assignment is proof that great things are lurking just around the corner. I've had a fabulous two years writing about some tremendous destinations, all because one day I told myself that's what I want to do. Now I am able to extend that experience into a whole new journey. I know that great things are waiting for every one of you. The world is your oyster, as they say. My very to you and happy writing. Monica |
Get Past |
Questions and Quandaries One of my favorite writerly e-newsletters is Writers Digest Weekly Tips and Updates. I like it because it's succinct (I know, my newsletters could take a lesson from that), but mostly I appreciate the light tone accomplished by newsletter editor Brian Klems. I'd been hearing for a while now that Brian also keeps up a Q&A board, called Questions and Quandaries at Writers Digest.com, so I finally took a look. I don't know why I was surprised, but this is some very valuable stuff. Covering a range of topics such as "Will Newspapers Review Self-Published Books" and proper grammar usage, this site is definitely worth checking out. www.writersdigest.com/qq/ |
Writing Sparks |
Creative Writing Prompt #1 First Line -- My grandfather invented spam. Creative Writing Prompt #2 Build Character--Write a scene where a character you're working on must go to confession. Want More Prompts? Monthly Membership Writer's block, be gone! For less than the price of one cup of coffee a month, you can receive daily creative writing prompts designed to get your pencils blazing. www.oncewritten.com/DailyWritingSpark.php. |
Nominate Us |
Please Nominate us as a Writers Digest Top 101 Website Take a second to send an email to writersdig@fwpubs.com and ask them to consider OnceWritten.com as one of their 101 Best Websites for Writers for 2008. Subject: Writers Digest Top 101 Websites for Writers Body Copy: Please consider OnceWritten.com for your top 101 Websites for Writers for 2008. [Feel free to add a personal message if you'd like.] |
Publishing |
Publishing My First Book Traditionally published authors talk with OnceWritten.com about their experiences in getting their first book published. Aimee Liu  My first book deal might be described as
an intentional accident.The year was 1977. All of 24, I was working as a flight attendant and aspiring writer without much writing to show for the aspiration. One day between flights I picked up a Vogue magazine and read a column about a little-known condition called anorexia nervosa. This was the first time I’d heard that phrase, but the list of symptoms told me that I’d suffered from this disease for seven years. Though I was now recovered, I had no idea how I’d developed the illness or how I’d gotten better. More Aimee Liu Visit www.oncewritten.com/PublishingMyFirstBook.php now for more stories. |
Meet |
Meet the Author Take a second to meet our OnceWritten.com authors, and read about their experiences on the road to publication. John Anderson: Doomed for Life  I always wanted to be Indiana Jones when I grew up. After all, he was suave,
good-looking, roguish, athletic, and invincible—all the things I was not. That he was also a figment of someone’s imagination
didn’t really bother me until I hit the 8th Grade. More specifically, the 8th Grade fiction-writing unit. Meet John Anderson now Visit www.oncewritten.com/MeetTheAuthor.php now for more stories. |
What's New in |
The Demon Inside: The Zone War, Book 1, Terry Cloutier Everyone needs an escape from reality occasionally, but for Edward Fox, the fantasy world he created as a child just might end up destroying him as an adult.Read an excerpt from The Demon Inside: The Zone War, Book 1 now. Spirit Box, Michael Mordenga  No one can breathe on the icy planet of Taros-Avros, but that didn’t stop colonization. The solution: make spider children companions that assist with breathing. It was a genius idea and it made survival on the planet essential and profitable. The only problem was that it had a serious flaw. All the spirit boxes in the spider children were dyingRead an excerpt from Spirit Box now. Too Much, Linda Taylor West  Luke likes food a little too much. He wants to eat everything. When will he stop? Join Luke on this rhyming adventure as he learns the importance of good food andRead an excerpt from Too Much now. Mysterious Secret (After Death), Sabije Dervishi Veseli  MYSTERIOUS SECRET is about a young girls soul that carrying a mysterious secret. This tragic story occurs via a diary , where everything that this person has come to pass in life is written .This diary portrays that life after death is a reality and a person’s reawakened soul is aware of what the future will bring... Read an excerpt from Mysterious Secret (After Death) now. Riding a Stallion: Igniting the Fire, Robert P. Theiss  In his first book, Robert Theiss openly shares his spiritual journey which led him to develop a conscious relationship with the Family of Archangel Michael. RIDING A STALLION explores the power of joy, the value of being in receivership and a new love for self that reunites our soul with all ofRead an excerpt from Riding a Stallion: Igniting the Fire now. Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy, Bettye Johnson  A spellbinding tale of intrigue, historical information about Mary Magdalene. Suspense, intrigue, magic and mysticism at its best with unexpected plot twists, the two couples that translated unknown scrolls in Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, are now shocked out of complacency when Ellen has a surprising encounter with a mysterious old-world typeRead an excerpt from Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy now. Under the Liberty Oak, Paige Mercer Cummings  A taut fast-paced mystery which adroitly shifts between the tumultuous events of the summer of 1964 and the present life of concert pianist Brittan Lee Hayworth as new discoveries unleash old and painful memories. Returning to Liberty, Georgia to confront old demons, Brittan Lee is thrust into the center of an FBI investigation and the realizationRead an excerpt from Under the Liberty Oak now. Why Did You Fall in Love With Me?, Sabije Dervishi Veseli  WHY DID YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH ME? is a unique love story, about a spiritual path one can take that will help them find happiness, written with an original blend of gothic romance, horror, fantasy and spiritualRead an excerpt from Why Did You Fall in Love With Me? now. Paraworld Zero, Matthew Peterson  Twelve-year-old earthling, Simon Kent, stumbles upon a secret that thrusts him into a bizarre adventure filled with magic, technology and deadly out-of-this-world creatures. He discovers a true friend, confronts his inner demons and becomes the savior to a peculiar race of people, when all he truly wants is to find his way back home. Read an excerpt from Paraworld Zero now. Midori By Moonlight, Wendy Nelson Tokunaga  Fresh-from-Japan Midori Saito gets lost in translation in San Francisco as she searches for her American dream and the perfectRead an excerpt from Midori By Moonlight now. No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You, Louise Lewis  The author narrates the true story of her four-year journey of following messages received from Spirit... messages that led her to a new life of meaning. Her story weaves through a vast collection of spontaneous 'meaning of life' answers and inspirational stories from everydayRead an excerpt from No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You now. |
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Read More Books View a complete list of all our first chapter excerpts at: www.oncewritten.com/First-Chapter-Excerpts.php now. |
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Want to See Your Book Listed Here? Promote your book to nearly 10,000 avid book lovers around the world. Listings start at just $25 for a lifetime spot at OnceWritten.com. www.oncewritten.com/About/Advertise-Your-Book.php |
OnceWritten.com Writing Contest Deadlines |
OnceWritten.com Poetry Contest Prize: $500 Fee: $15 Deadline: March 31, 2008 For complete information, visit the OnceWritten.com Annual Poetry Contest page now. To view last year's Poetry Contest winner, visit our Literary Lounge now. |
More |
February 15, 2008 Memoir's, Ink Half-Yearly Personal Essay Contest Snowbound Series Chapbook Award Spout Press Fiction Story of the Year The Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry The Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction February 20, 2008 Story Mash Contest February 28, 2008 People’s College Short Story Competition Writecorner Press Annual Poetry Award February 29, 2008 The Ledge Magazine 2008 Fiction Awards March 15, 2008 2008 Wabash Prize for Fiction 49th Parallel Award for Poetry So To Speak Annual Fiction Contest Annie Dillard Award for Creative NonFiction Nelligan Prize for Short Fiction River City Writing Award in Fiction River City Writing Award in Poetry Steal from the Best Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction OnceWritten.com keeps a comprehensive list of contests that pay a grand prize of $500 or more. See an updated list of all contests at www.oncewritten.com/WritingContests.php. |
Join the Forum. . . |
This Week We're Talking About. . . Forum members promote their books for free. . . www.oncewritten.com/Community/viewforum.php?f=22 |
We're Looking For Travel Writers |
Tell Us Your Travel Story OnceWritten.com is introducing its sister site, Travel Glitter, and is seeking writers for the site. We pay $10 for a 300-word article. To learn more about the new site, visit www.travelglitter.com/Submission-Guidelines.php |
Free Content |
OnceWritten.com offers two different types of programs that webmasters
or bloggers can use on their website completely free of charge. Instant Writing Prompt Generator To give your users cool writing prompts, visit our Instant Writing Prompt Generator at www.oncewritten.com/FreeWebsiteContent.php Writing Contest Graph To keep a regularly updated list of upcoming contest deadlines on your website, visit our Writing Contest Graph page at www.oncewritten.com/FreeWebsiteContent.php |
Resources for Writers |
Learn at home, on your schedule, with Absolute Classes Novel writing. Book proposals. Screenplays. Poetry. Freelance writing. Our instructors work with you one-on-one, online, giving you assignments and personal feedback, and guiding you through a charted course of learning designed to help you reach your writing goals. Visit www.absoluteclasses.com. FUNDSFORWRITERS The grant source for serious writers. C. Hope Clark knows her stuff. Voted 101 Best Web Sites for Writers - 2001 through 2007. Four newsletters to choose from. A site to behold. www.fundsforwriters.com |
Promote |
Learn From the Experts As clichés go, one of my favorites has always been “why reinvent the wheel?” Why, indeed? If you want to excel at a subject, say book marketing for example, doesn’t it make sense to learn from experts? A whole lot of synergy can be created by working with someone who has already walked in your future shoes. Learn from the Experts Want more book promotion ideas? Visit our Promote Your Book page now. |
Enter to Win Free Books |
Enter to Win Free Books We have some great books for this month's giveaway contest. To enter to win a copy of any or all of these books, visit www.oncewritten.com/Win-Free-Books.php now. You may enter as many giveaway contests as you like, but in order to win, you must enter each contest separately.
Want to See Your Book Listed Here? OnceWritten.com Featured Author package includes a listing in our book giveaway contests, which generates more than 1,000 page views per month. Learn how to Advertise your Book at OnceWritten.com. |
Email Options |
Forward This Email If you enjoy reading the weekly Writing Sparks newsletter, please consider spreading the word and forward it to a friend now. To forward the email, click the link at the bottom of this email. Sign Up Now If you've just received this email from someone you know, and you'd like to receive it regularly, take a second now to join our mailing list. Update Your Account If you're changing your email, or you'd like to make sure you are receiving the correct emails from OnceWritten.com, please take a second to update your subscriber options. |
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