The Writer Within

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The November 1st issue of The Writer Within Newsletter
 

THE WRITER WITHIN NEWSLETTER

 

Volume 7, Issue 8 #80                          November 1, 2009

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A FREE newsletter for all writers. 

 

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Index

 

Ø      From Shaunna’s Screen – November comes in with a splash

 

Ø      Timely Tip for Success

 

Ø      Five Things that Can Go Wrong by Patricia Fry

 

Ø      Lucrative Links – Your Ad could be here    

 

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FROM SHAUNNA’S SCREEN

 

Hello again.  Thanks so much for joining us.  If you enjoy The Writer Within Newsletter, please tell your friends to sign up for free.  Thanks.

 

It is raining so much we actually have flash flood warnings, as many across the country are facing as well.  We’ve had some trouble with the sewer drains backing up [twice in two weeks after heavy rainfall] so I bought an extra pump.  As long as we don’t get a major flood or the city main doesn’t back up, we should be okay. 

 

If you are pinching pennies, The Discount Diva ebook series is perfect for you, especially now with the Holidays looming. For huge savings and great prices, please check it out at http://shaunna67.tripod.com/id21.html 

 

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween.  I’ll let you get right to the issue.

 

Stay dry and warm,

 

Shaunna 

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“The Silk Robe” is an excellent gift! This beautiful print booklet comes with an envelope for easy mailing.  Signed copies of the inspirational, true story The Silk Robe are on sale for only $4.99 at The Discount Diva  Show someone special how much you care.  

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Low, low, low, price!

 

“Pump Up Your Prose” is available exclusively as a 161-page e-book for only $9.99 at http://shaunna67.tripod.com   BONUS: a free  e-book “10 Money-saving Secrets for Every Writer.”  Start improving your prose instantly. 

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TIMELY TIP FOR SUCCESS

 

 

         “Great composers do not work because they are inspired; they become inspired because they are working.”

                                                     ~Ernest Newman

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FEATURE

 

Five Things That Can Go Wrong For a Freelance Writer

[And the Remedies]

 

By Patricia L. Fry

 

You’re doing everything right; you’ve studied under the experts, you’ve been reading about writing, you network with the right people and you’ve put time in the trenches. You are a writer. What can possibly go wrong? In a word: plenty.

 

I’ve been writing for publication for over 30 years and have encountered each of the following problems during my career. While some of them are avoidable and some of them can be remedied, others fall under the tough luck category. When you encounter a tough luck occurrence, the best thing to do is to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on. Imagine this:

 

1:  A twenty-year-old magazine that you write for regularly, folds without warning and without having published your latest article. You sent photographs with your article and now you can’t make contact with anyone who knows anything about your submission.

 

In the future, maintain close contact with editors. Don’t allow more than a month to go by without receiving an update on your project. An impromptu phone chat might reveal the information you need in order to protect your interests. I generally don’t send photos until I know that the article has been received and is scheduled for publication. Always send duplicate photos.

 

2:  You spend hours interviewing a fascinating woman tattoo artist. A local magazine issues you a contract and you write the article. But before the magazine gets around to publishing the piece, the woman closes up shop and moves out of the country.

 

What to do? The regional magazine editor will no longer want to run the story, but you might be able to sell it to a national general interest, alternative lifestyles, art or trade magazine.

 

3:  You meet someone with an interesting story. You query an appropriate magazine and are invited to submit an article. You do the interview, write the article and promptly receive a rejection letter. You send the piece to other magazines and get nothing in return. The subject of the story keeps asking you when the piece will be published. You are embarrassed each time you encounter him.

 

Should you vow never to write another profiles piece? You can if you want to. But, for the sake of your career, I suggest that you move on to something that will sell. When you have pockets of time, reexamine the rejected article. Consider tweaking it to fit other magazines.

 

4:  You are hired by a graphic designer to create copy for a company brochure which he is designing for a client. You complete the job, and weeks later, he comes back with a request for some changes. You do the rewrite. The designer is so close to deadline that he hastily makes the changes and sends the project to the printer. After 5,000 copies of the brochure are printed, the client finds several mistakes in the areas where the last minute changes were made. They refuse to pay for the job.  

 

The next time:

  • Insist upon seeing the project each and every time there is a change made to the text.
  • Draw up a simple contract indicating that your payment is not contingent upon the graphic designer getting paid. 

 

5:  You are so excited about having one of your stories published that you sign a contract without paying much attention to it. Later, you decide that you want to include that story in an anthology, but realize that you have signed away all rights.

 

This happens more than you might imagine. Never, NEVER sell all rights to your work. All might not be lost, however. Contact the magazine publisher and ask if they will return the rights to you. Or completely rewrite the story.

 

6:  You learn that a particular magazine has a new editor. You neglect to contact him, however, because the former editor never published any of your work.

 

Always give a new editor a chance because he or she may just adore your style.

 

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AUTHOR BIO:

 

Patricia Fry is a full-time freelance writer. She writes magazine articles and works with clients on a variety of projects. She is also the author of 29 books including, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book,” and “The Author’s Repair Kit.” http://www.matilijapress.com. Visit her informative blog at: http://www.matilijapress.com/publishingblog  

 

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Don’t make embarrassing mistakes!

 

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LUCRATIVE LINKS

 

 

"Pink Poodle Pie (Other Tales of How Women Get Even)" has been released! It should be on Amazon.com, B&N, Books-a-Million, iUniverse.com and other sites today.

Barbara Deming's "The Quilt Maker" and "Growing up Barefoot in the South" can be purchased at Amazon.com. Autographed copy from the author. Check out her blog: http://barbswritetree.blogspot.com  or http://pinkpoodlepie.blogspot.com

 

One of Barb’s poems won third place in a national contest by the San Diego Poetry Society and will be included in the 2009 anthology, due out before Christmas.

 

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Learn 1,000’s of writing tips in Shaunna Privratsky’s book, "Pump Up Your Prose." Now available as an e-book!  She has authored over 400 articles in The Writer, Writer’s Digest Online, Writer’s Weekly, and Absolute Write, among others.  FREE sign up to The Writer Within Newsletter at The Writer Within

 

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Foray into Freelancing has twenty-eight pages full of tips to stimulate your writing and put you on the fast track to freelancing success. Only $4.99 at The Writer Within http://shaunna67.tripod.com

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Copyright 2009

 

All rights are reserved and no portion of this newsletter may be reprinted without permission.  Please ask.

 

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