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“Never Give Up” — or How One Writer Got Published in Poetry Magazine After 12 Rejections

by Chris Robley on May 22, 2013 in Writing Tips

Why persistence can pay off in the publishing world

I like Todd Boss‘ writing. He’s a little like Kay Ryan, only male and midwestern. His poems, like Ryan’s, are compact, playful, filled with internal music, and demand as much of themselves as they do of the reader — which I guess is my way of saying they strike me as the best sort of “accessible” poems.

On top of enjoying his poetry, I was also happy to discover that he seems like a nice guy. I met him briefly last year at the Printer’s Row LitFest in Chicago just before he gave a reading — and he even took a request. Anyway, I digress…

Dealing with rejection as a writer

A few months later, Todd posted this photograph on his Facebook profile of twelve rejection letters he’d received from Poetry Magazine over the years:

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6 Essential Tips For Your Own Stay-at-Home Writing Retreat

by BookBaby on May 21, 2013 in Writing Tips

[This post was written by guest contributor Beth Barany, author The Writer's Adventure Guide: 12 Stages to Writing Your Book.]

We all want to get our writing done. A writer writes, after all. But what to do when you have a busy life, a full-time job, family, and necessary obligations like health, and oh, sleep? One way to handle getting your writing done is to set up your very own Stay-at-Home Writing Retreat. In fact, because I’m publishing my second novel soon, I go on a writing retreat just about every Friday and Saturday. You can do something similar.

Create your own stay-at-home writing retreat.

What: Typically, writing retreats involve going away, far from everyday obligations, and focusing solely on your writing. Retreats can vary in length, anything from a few days to a few months…

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Funding for Writers: How to Get a Grant

by BookBaby on May 14, 2013 in Self Publishing, Writing Tips

A writer’s guide to getting grants

[This article was written by guest contributor C. Hope Clark, editor of FundsforWriters.com.]

Grants exist for many writing opportunities, and authors dream of that magic money to jumpstart their careers and support them as they embark in their profession. These are funds that do not have to be repaid and are to aid you in your writing efforts. However, grants are tools, not a mainstay, and as long as we see them as an occasional resource like winning a contest or landing a gig in a magazine, we can utilize them in furthering our profession.

But no two grants are alike. Let’s look at the types of grants out there and see which might be opportunity for your efforts to become a full-time writer.

State Arts Commissions

Each state in the US has one, and each state has different programs.

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Last Lines of Great Books: SPOILER ALERT!

by Chris Robley on May 13, 2013 in Writing Tips

Y’all had a lot to say about some of the opening lines featured in last month’s blog post “First Sentences of Great Books.” Did the energy that made those books famous seem present from the get-go? Few of you seemed to agree. The spice of life!

So I thought it’d be fun to see how some great books are brought to a close. With a bang, whimper, whisper? Do the last lines wrap these book up neatly, or do they leave you with a sense of unease and continuation?

You be the judge, and let me know what you think in the comments section below. [But don't be mad at me if it spoils the ending for you!].

Also, “great” is defined by me for the purposes of this article as the bunch of books that were within easy reach on my closest bookshelf.

She watched the dark highway and entertained me with her vegetable-soup song, except that now there were people mixed in with the beans and potatoes: Dwayne Ray, Mattie, Esperanza, Lou Ann and all the rest.

And me. I was the main ingredient.

- from The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver

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Writers, Forget About Your Weaknesses!

by Chris Robley on May 9, 2013 in Writing Tips

How to Improve as a Writer David Biespiel of Portland’s own Attic Institute is a frequent contributor to The Rumpus’ Poetry Wire.

Yesterday they published one of his articles called “FOLLOW YOUR STRENGTHS, MANAGE YOUR WEAKNESSES, AND DON’T LET YOUR BABIES GROW UP TO BE COWBOYS.“

For a “blog post,” it’s a very long read — but well worth your time, especially if you’re prone to harsh self-critcism.

If I can try to summarize his argument, it goes something like this…

1) Every writer has strengths and weakness (image, plot, dialog, phrasing, lush description, etc.).

2) You can’t improve upon your weaknesses all that much, but you can greatly enhance your strengths.

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5 Ways To Stay Motivated in Your Writing Career

by Molly King on May 6, 2013 in Writing Tips

5 Ways to Stay Motivated as a Writer As humans, we all struggle at times to stay excited about certain tasks at hand. We get bored; we get frustrated; we get distracted (ooh, cat gifs!) and our art suffers for it — we stop writing our novel, we stop writing our next song.

Sometimes you just have to stop and remember why you are doing it in the first place.

But seriously… we recently dug up an old article on Lifehack that reminded us of some simple ways to stay motivated. The article is mostly focused on general life motivation, but it can easily be applied to your creative career as well.

You can read the article in its’ entirety here, or check out our summary below.

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The Top 3 Myths About Writing Contests

by BookBaby on April 29, 2013 in Writing Tips

[This article was written by guest contributor C. Hope Clark, editor of FundsforWriters.com.]

Whenever I’m speaking at a conference and I mention writing contests, I can see the room divide. Half remain open minded. The other half instantly thinks scam!, or waste of time. In one fell swoop, loaded with facts and motivation, I make it my goal to win the room over, bringing everyone to the same sheet of music: Contests are a Great Tool to boost your writing career.

Contests aren’t sweepstakes; they are challenges. They judge writing quality and reward those with talent. What’s wrong with that? Let’s dispel the myths of writing contests and see if I can bring you around.

Writing Contest Myth #1: contests are scams.

The overwhelming majority of contests are legitimate events. If you aren’t certain about the validity of a contest, do the following:

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Using Beats to Bring Your Dialogue to Life: Turn the Beat Around

by BookBaby on April 22, 2013 in Writing Tips

I’ve talked about using dialogue to bring characters to life. Today I’d like to discuss the importance of using beats.

A “beat” is a description of the physical action a character makes while speaking, and good beats can bring your characters to life and make your dialogue pop right off the page.

Beats can also help you show your readers instead of telling them. (Misuse of show, not tell is a common mistake many first-time authors make. Remember that readers don’t like to be told what to think!)

Here are three examples of the power of a good beat.

Which of the following sentences make you feel more connected to what is happening?

EXAMPLE #1:

A) “I told you, I’m not going!” John shouted, furious.

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How Online Writing Workshops Can Skyrocket Your Creativity

by BookBaby on April 16, 2013 in Writing Tips

4 ways to improve your writing through an online writing workshop

Writing is by nature a solitary profession. Whether you’re just starting to explore your love of words or are wrapping up a novel, you can benefit from online writing workshops. They offer numerous benefits to writers at all levels and can give your creativity a boost. Consider these ways you will be able to harness your creative writing powers by participating in one right now.

1. You have a set schedule for writing

Writing is like a muscle. If you don’t exercise regularly, you get flabby. At the beginning of a new workout schedule, most people are very enthusiastic. They tend to lose interest within the first month or so when distractions get in the way or their muscles start to protest. Joining a fitness class or playing a team sport is one way to stay on track. You have other people to keep you accountable.

You need to learn to exercise your writing muscle on a regular schedule. Signing up for an online writer’s workshop means you will be working at your craft even on days when the words don’t come easily, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can gain the skills necessary to work through times when you struggle to find the right way to express yourself or you just get something down, knowing that you can come back to it later when your creativity well is a bit higher.

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“Never Give Up” — or How One Writer Got Published in Poetry Magazine After 12 Rejections