May 2009

Shout Out!Good blog post titles should be designed to pique the reader's interest, and this article titled Writing Tips from The Greats of Baseball certainly did that for me.  The article uses quotes from famous baseball players as jumping off points for important lessons for writers such as making sure you take your time to get your work right, and keeping your foc

Read more >

Would this view inspire you?Trying to do too much is a sure path to burnout.  But in this fast paced world,  it can be easy to succumb to the pressures of working non stop, at top speed, trying to anticipate new trends and meet deadlines.  Sometimes, we need a break.  Time to step away from our normal routine and the daily demands that vie for our attention.  Writers retreats offer writers the best of both worlds, creating a stimulating and relaxing place to let our creative juices flow while allowing us some space and peace in which to work.

If your inbox is overflowing with subscriptions, your answering machines is blinking angrily at you to notify you of new messages, your Google Reader stacked with new posts, and your Twitter feed is glutted then perhaps a writer's retreat is just what the doctor ordered.

Read more >

English translation of a Japanese HaikuWith poetry becoming slightly more trendy (long may it continue),  I have been reconnecting with what was once a real love of mine.  I have always had deep connection to poetry,  on a level no different from reading a great novel or watching a well written play or movie.  I lapped up Christina Rossetti and Tennyson and bought tomes of anthologies to discover a wide range of poets.  Siegfried Sassoon made me cry, and Pam Ayers made me laugh.  I could practically feel the dirt on my hands when I got lost in Seamus Heaney.

Perhaps most telling is the fact that for my 18th birthday I received several copies of The Nation's Favourite Poems from friends and family.  I still have the duplicate copies, as I couldn't bear the thought of exchanging a gift that was so thoughtful, and so right.

Read more >

Write Around the Globe - Part 2So you have found a market that you want to write for.  The money seems good,  your idea is a perfect fit, and you are ready to pitch.  Hold on a second and take the time to check over some of these tips to make sure you have everything ready that you will need to succeed.

Part Two - Keys to Success
Before you pitch a foreign market, there are a few things that you will need to have prepared in order for any working arrangement to run smoothly. 

Read more >

Write Around the GlobeIf you are a freelance writer looking for more places to be published,  then try venturing beyond your borders.  Many US based writers never consider writing for any publications outside of America, yet they are missing thousands of potential markets in countries where English is the first language, as well as many countries where it is widely used by the media because a substantial percent of the population speak it as a second language. 

With the current exchange rate, writing for a foreign market may even prove to be more lucrative than writing for a US audience! 

In this two-part post I'll be giving you some pointers on finding, pitching and writing for markets abroad.

Part One - Markets and Where to Find Them

Read more >

Shout Out!Here are a few writer sites that offered up some notable content items this week:

Renegade Writer ,  Linda Formichelli opened a new site that focuses on her Break into Magazine Writing course.   I've found a lot of great information and tips on Renegade Writer, such as productivity hacks , which are a must for any freelancer.  The markets database is also a useful resource if you write for magazines, as it is uniquely formatted as a Wiki, letting writers add and amend the details to keep them both up to date and diverse.

Read more >

It has been a busy week for poetry in the news, and it is nice to see a little-appreciated art form getting some publicity.

There was an inspiring articles in the News Tribune about the poetry community in Tacoma , Washington.  Writers from the area have been busy publishing books and organizing events, and the town even has it's own Poet Laureateposition , now in it's second year.  It's an inspiring article that sets a great example for what communities of writers can achieve in their own town however large or small.

Read more >

Waterproof KeyboardI've mentioned before that I travel a lot, but that rarely stops me from writing.  I do however often find myself muttering that wistful phrase "If only..."  Normally followed by some wish that could never come to pass such as "If only batteries lasted forever,"  or "If only I could use my laptop outside in the sunshine."

While the latter problem has still not be resolved (surely some genius somewhere is working on this?) the former, along with many of my other niggles and complaints can be nicely remedied by the ever growing list of cool gadgets available for both travellers and writers.

Here are some of my favorite travel gadgets for writers:

Read more >