Writing-World.com: A Website Review

WRITING-WORLD.COM: A WEBSITE REVIEW

When I became familiar with the Internet, one of the first web sites I looked for was none other than Writing-World.com. In between classes in college, I would trek down to the basement of the building that housed the English department and go to the computer lab.

Writing-World.com drew me in and taught me a lot more about writing than I had learned in freshman comp and even in reading Writer’s Digest. It still draws people in.

Benefits of the site include a free monthly newsletter. Articles for the newsletter are written by Moira Allen, who maintains the site, and other freelance writers. As a side note, Writing-World.com is a paying market.

According to the contributor guidelines on the site, there are over 600 articles archived. They are divided by type, date, and level of experience. The articles deal with such topics as the business of freelance writing, screenwriting, and publishing your book, to name a few. Articles discussing fiction are further divided by genre.

If you are a subscriber to the Writing-World.com newsletter and have had a book published, there is a section on the website where your book could be listed. There are instructions on how to contact them to get it listed on the “contact us” page, which opens in a new window, so be certain you either don’t have pop-ups disabled or press the control button on your keyboard while you click the “contact us” link.

The main disadvantage to the site is all of the ads that figuratively jump out at the reader. There are eight ads going down each margin, a medium-sized banner ad at the top of the page, and a very large banner ad at the bottom. Most of the navigation links are under the Writing-World.com banner at the top and are not affected by the ads. However, with the animation and changing colors, they are still distracting.

According to a report from Dead-Links.com, there are over 300 broken links on the site. In taking a closer look at the report, most of the broken links lead to Amazon.com and are likely to books being removed because of Amazon’s POD policy or because they are out of print.

Honestly, ads and broken links aside, I’m glad to have rediscovered this site. I have some reading to catch up on. Be careful when typing the address, though, and include that hyphen. Otherwise, as I discovered, you’ll land at a website advertising writing classes.

Rating: * * * *

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Jen Nipps writes from Ada, Oklahoma. She is a member of the Tulsa NightWriters, McAlester McSherry Writers, and Web Writing Wonders. Her web sites are www.jenifernipps.com and www.theideapocket.com.

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(Previously published in the OWFI Report, March 2009.)

Filed under: revisions , Jen Nipps, jennipps, Oklahoma Writers' Federation, OWFI, reviews, writing, Writing-World.com

The Story Behind Prairie Dog Cowboy

Vivian Gilbert Zabel is the author of Prairie Dog Cowboy, a juvenile historical fiction book that incorporates Oklahoma history into its telling.

Prairie Dog Cowboy
By V. Gilbert Zabel
ISBN: 978-0-9797513-7-0
Publisher: 4RV Publishing
Genre: juvenile/ historical/ fiction

Recently, Vivian answered some questions about the writing of the book and is here today to answer your comments/questions.

Creatif: What inspired you to write Prairie Dog Cowboy?

Vivian Gilbert Zabel: My husband had shared his experiences as a cowboy, farmer, and horse breaker. I always wanted to work some of those into a story or book.

Since I didn’t want the book to be nonfiction, I invented families and characters that would live in the part of the country where Robert was born and lived. Then I set the time of the book  about 45 years before Robert was born.

I did some research to be sure I had the historical facts correct, and used some marvelous research provided by the current family members who own the ranch that is the setting for the Hyman Ranch. I can’t thank Dallas Mayer and the others who gave her information enough.

Creatif: Did the character of Buddy come to you all at once or did he evolve, even for you, as the book progressed?

VGZ: Buddy’s character existed almost complete from the beginning. However, the other characters evolved as the plot did.

Creatif: Other than writing a good story, did you have any other goals for the book while you were writing it?

VGZ: I wanted to provide a taste of frontier life and knowledge that dysfunctional families, as well as loving ones, have always existed. Many times an adult other than a parent or parents can make the difference between a child surviving or being corrupted for life.

Creatif: Once the rough draft is written, what is your process for editing/revising or does it differ depending on the project?

VGZ: I’m one of those writers who edits as she goes. However after the first draft, I do at least four edits and revisions (waiting at least a day or more between each edit) before I allow anyone else read and proof. I have six people who read, proof, and/or edit my manuscript. I revise after each one and then send to the next person.

After those revisions, I let the manuscript season a few days or even weeks. I then do another read through and edit and revision. My six “editors” then have another go at the manuscript. After that go-round and revisions and after I’ve made another edit and revision myself, two editors go through it again.

The editing and revision process takes longer by far than the writing and self-editing does.

Creatif: Is this a stand-alone book or will there be more around some of the same characters/setting?

VGZ: The sequel to Prairie Dog Cowboy, Prairie Winds, has been started.

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At the end of the tour, a drawing will be held for four canvas bags from 4RV Publishing. Each person who comments on a blog in the tour will be entered in the drawing (one entry per person per blog stop).

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Links:

Prairie Dog Cowboy web site
4RV Publishing
Vivian’s blog

The book can be purchased through any book store, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble. com, and through the 4RV bookstore.

Prairie Dog Cowboy cover art

Filed under: editing, revisions, writing , Prairie Dog, Prairie Dog Cowboy, virtual book tour, Vivian Zabel, write, writer, writing

Looking Back at 2008

I started looking through the archives for my list of writing goals for 2008. Apparently, I didn’t post them on the blog. Bad Jen.

This year had a lot of successes for me, writing-wise. I have:

• 4 website reviews published in the OWFI Report.
• 3 articles published with WritingforDollars.
• 1 request for a full manuscript from an agent.
• 2 requests for partial manuscripts from publishers.
• won 1st place at the OWFI conference for a technical/how-to article.
• won 3rd place at the OCWI conference for a novel.
• judged the nonfiction article category for a contest.
• successfully completed 1 fixed-rate job with oDesk.
• successfully completed 1 hourly-rate job with oDesk.
• had a poem, “Gestation,” published in the November/December issue of Writers’ Journal.

I also

• completed the rough draft of DEVON’S WISH, the second book in the Maguire Men series set in medieval Ireland.
• re-edited KIERNAN’S CURSE (the first of the Maguire Men).
• started BENEN’S BURDEN (the third of the Maguire Men).
• started and finished NAVAJO ROSE (will soon be re-editing that.)
• spent two weeks at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
• submitted queries/synopses to 3 agents and at least 10 publishers on various manuscripts (mainly KIERNAN’S CURSE, NAVAJO ROSE, and CONFESSIONS OF A FAT CHICK.
• bought the domains for www.confessionsofafatchick.com and www.theideapocket.com.
• achieved PRO status with RWA.
• joined OK-RWA, the Oklahoma City chapter of RWA.
• led a “buzz session,” an informal workshop, on blogging at the OWFI conference in May.

This has been a very busy writing year. It’s not possible to list all the queries for articles I’ve sent, essays and short stories written, and so on.

Perhaps with continuing all this and more, I’ll have an even better year in 2009. (A 2009 goal entry will be coming soon.)

Filed under: editing, revisions, writing , 2008, agents, articles, Benen's Burden, Confessios of a Fat Chick, Devon's Wish, goals, Jen Nipps, jennipps, Kiernan's Curse, Navajo Rose, OCWI, OK-RWA, OWFI, poems, poetry, publishers, queries, RWA, Writers Journal, writing

Reprioritizing

I knew when I came here that I was bringing too many projects to work on. I brought it all, though, “just in case.”

Well…

I’m not going to work on “Confessions of a Fat Chick” any. (However, I realize I forgot to post links to my Hubs on those. Yes, I’m on Hub Pages. There’s “What’s Your FCA?” and “You’re Wearing What?” Don’t forget about the CFC blog, too.)

I’m also not going to worry too much about editing “Kiernan’s Curse.” Yes, I want to get it done. Yes, it will be done. Just not this week, more than likely.

What will get done?

The rough draft of “Navajo Rose.” I think I’m within five chapters of finishing it. They’ve returned the bowl, but are there troubles over and do they stay together? *s* I’m not telling.

After the rough draft is finished, I want to re-polish the first three chapters, revise the synopsis, and polish the query letter so it will be in pitchable shape (or close to it) since I might have an appointment with an agent or editor at the Ozark Creative Writers conference next week.

I know I don’t update often enough here, so to find out what’s going on on a more frequent basis (daily at least), check me out on Twitter. (Creative Tips/The Idea Pocket is there as well.)

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(Reminder: Links in posts will open in a new window, so be sure your pop-up blocker will allow them.)

Filed under: revisions, writing , Confessions of a Fat Chick, editing, Hub Pages, Jen Nipps, jennipps, Kiernan's Curse, Navajo Rose, Ozark Creative Writers, priorities, query, synopsis, Twitter, WCDH residency, Writers Colony, Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow, writers conference, writing

Back in Eureka Again

(Sing the above to the tune of “Back in the Saddle Again”)

I arrived in Eureka Springs, at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, Sunday afternoon. Every time I come to this town, it’s like my heart says “I’m home.” But that’s neither here nor there at the moment.

My project list I want to work on is long:

• Finish the rough draft of “Navajo Rose.”
• Edit “Kiernan’s Curse” per the editor’s recommendations. (Possibly resubmit to them? I don’t know on that one.)
• Write at least 3 chapters on “Confessions of a Fat Chick.”
• Work on some article queries to keep up my $80/day goal.

What have I done so far?

• Finished 2 chapters on NR (10 & 11).
• No editing on KC.
• One paragraph on CFC.
• Set up a page to apply for a paid blogging gig (The Beaded Jen Tribune).
• Applied for a non-writing job here in Eureka Springs.
• Sent some applications to writing jobs on Craigslist (courtesy of Freelance Writing Jobs).
• Sent two queries to magazines.

It’s actually more than I originally thought, but I’m still not happy with the progress. I’m my own worst critic, you know.

But that’s where I am at the moment.

Filed under: editing, revisions, writing , Dairy Hollow, editing, Eureka Springs, Jen Nipps, jennipps, Kiernan's Curse, Navajo Rose, write, Writers Colony, Writers Colony at Dairy Hollow, writing

It’s Done

A week ago, I think I mentioned that I had received an on spec assignment due around Labor Day.

If not, well…I did. 

For various reasons, I’ve had a difficult time getting started on it. It’s a short-ish article, so I didn’t think it would take long to do once I got it started.

I was right.

I started it yesterday afternoon. I finished it tonight. I’m not saying it’s completely finished. I’m saying the bones are down and now I need to let it rest overnight before I look at it again.

I’ve also asked someone else to look at it. Between the two of us, I’m sure I can get it into submittable shape by tomorrow evening. Hopefully I’ll get it submitted tomorrow and they’ll accept it.

Hey, I can dream/hope, right?

Right!

Filed under: editing, revisions, writing , article, Jen Nipps, jennipps, on spec, write, writer, writing

De Ja Vu

One of my goals for this month is to edit Devon’s Wish, which I’ve been working on.  But, for some reason, I also decided to pull Kiernan’s Curse out and dust it off again.

(Actually, I have a good reason for that, but I’ll tell you about it when the reason actually comes about and gets done.)

In chapters 1-3 of Kiernan’s Curse edits, though, I kept feeling like I’d been over it before, doing what I was doing then.  It wasn’t on my computer or my flash drive, though.

Last night, I started chapter 4.  On one section in particular, I thought, “I know I’ve already done this!”

I went and turned the laptop on.  (When I first moved here, before I got my desktop computer, I used the laptop for a while.)  I found the file and….

I WAS RIGHT!!!

So I’ve worked on re-doing edits for the past few days that I had already done.  If I’d followed the de ja vu feeling the first time and investigated all possiblities, it would’ve saved some time.

That’s OK, though.  It means I was on the right track with those edits the first time around because I was doing the exact same thing this time.

Filed under: editing, revisions, writing , de ja vu, Devon's Wish, editing, goals, Jen Nipps, jennipps, Kiernan's Curse, writing

Sunday Status Report

Ah, the first status report for June.  Here we go, right into it:

The Absolute Write Water Cooler Freelance board has monthly Just Hit Send challenges. Instead of leaving my information just over there, I thought I’d bring it here as well. Previous months can be seen under the Just Hit Send heading on the right.

June 2008

-Get back on blog schedules.

6/1: “Sunday Status Report” on Creatif.
6/2: “Poetically Speaking” and “A Change In the Blog” on Creatif, “Makeup Minute: PRE-Makeup” on Confessions of a Fat Chick,” and “Exercise: Stand on Your Head” on The Idea Pocket
6/3: “Some News” on Creatif and “Tip: Do Something Different” on The Idea Pocket.
6/4: “Weight a Minute: It’s Decided” on Confessions of a Fat Chic
6/5: “Some News” on Creatif
6/6: “Quotable Friday: Solution” on The Idea Pocket and “Fashionable Friday: Seams” on Confessions of a Fat Chick.
6/8: “Sunday Status Report” on Creatif.

-One query a day from online job boards.

6/3: Three queries to Craigslist ads, one application to eHow.com courtesy of ProBlogger.
6/5: Application for writer/researcher with Humane Society courtesy of PayingWriterMarkets Yahoo group.

-Minimum two magazine submissions a week.

6/7: Application to About.com Guide for Journalism and submitted an article to Writers’ Journal.

-Send nonfiction proposals out to two agents.

-Send fiction queries out to two agents.

-Edit Devon’s Wish.

-Finish first draft of Navajo Rose.

6/1: Currently on chapter 4.
6/5: On chapter 5

Filed under: editing, revisions, writing , agent, chapter, draft, fiction, Jen Nipps, jennipps, Navajo, nonfiction, wish, write

Sunday Status Report

Go to, enjoy, and network at the conference (starting Thursday evening through Saturday night).

5/4: Got home around noon today.  I made some wonderful contacts, received invitations to send two queries to agents in addition to the two awards.  (3rd HM for Poetry Rhymed Long, “Paris, April 1998″ and the 1st is for How-to/Technical Article, “10 Tips for Getting Organized.”)  

-Get back on blog schedules.

5/4: “Sunday Status Report” on Creatif
5/5: “Response to Judge’s Comments” on Creatif, “To MakeUp or Not to MakeUp” on Confessions of a Fat Chick, “Exercise: Cliches” on The Idea Pocket.
5/6: “Tip: Trust Yourself” on The Idea Pocket.
5/7: “I’ve Been Tagged” on Creatif, “Weight a Minute: I’ve Got to Do Something” on Confessions of a Fat Chick, and “Associated Sites” and “My Thoughts: Life in General” on The Idea Pocket.
5/9: “Been Working” on Creatif, “Camouflage” on Confessions of a Fat Chick, and “Quotable Friday” on The Idea Pocket.
5/10: “Source: Music” on The Idea Pocket

-After the conference, do one query a day. (I’m pretty dang close to that now as it is, so we’ll see how it goes.)

5/4: Thursday morning, I got one query in to an ad on Craigslist.  I think it had to do with resumes, but I’d have to look at my “sent” file on Outlook Express to be sure.
5/6: Sent two queries, one to a magazine and the other to a business newsletter
5/7: Sent two queries, one in reply to an ad on Craigslist, one as a reply to an ad by Publishers Weekly on MediaBistro.
5/9: SUbmitted queries to write online for EthnicDenim.com and Sheckys.com.
5/10: Sent ground mail submission of a fantasy short story to Realms of Fantasy.

-Send nonfiction proposals out to two agents.

5/4: One query will be going out tomorrow, as requested by an agent.
5/6: Due to delays in not being home, the query went out to the agent yesterday.

-Send fiction queries out to two agents.

5/4: One query will be going out tomorrow, as requested by an agent.
5/10: Sent query & synopsis to Sourcebooks Casablanca imprint

-Edit Devon’s Wish (still haven’t started that).

Filed under: editing, revisions, writing , Casablanca, fiction, Jen Nipps, jennipps, nonfiction, queries, Realms of Fantasy, romance, short story, Sourcebooks, write, writing

The Residency Experience

Up until this point, my writing life can be summed up in six letters:  BES (Before Eureka Springs) and AES (After Eureka Springs).

From September 18 until October 11, 2007, I lived at the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, as a writer-in-residence.  In the beginning, I looked forward to a change of pace and a break from the daily deadlines of my day job.  I especially anticipated the freedom to work on two large projects I had mostly neglected.

For the month, writing became my job.  I pushed myself to do as much as I could.  I had two goals: to edit “Kiernan’s Curse” (a historical romance set in Ireland at the beginning of the Middle Ages) and to complete the first draft of “Devon’s Wish” (another historical romance 100 years after the first, following the same family).

I thought I had set my goals too high.  True, I had a month.  At the outset, that seemed like a long time but when broken down into daily and weekly tasks, it didn’t look like much time at all.  Was it enough time to finish two large, barely begun projects?  I doubted it.

As the days passed, I averaged a chapter a day on the new draft and anywhere from half a chapter to a chapter and a half on the edits.  In the middle of the residence, I took a day off to do a community outreach program at a senior citizen center.  (I presented the Idea Pocket, a concept I developed to encourage the development of creative thinking skills). 

Without the stress and pressure of the day job, my productivity soared.  (As a side note, so did my marketing and submissions.)  A week before I was due to leave WCDH, I wrote the last scene on the new draft.  Three days before I was to leave, I completed the edits.  Then I made a mistake that took me closer to pure panic than I have ever been.

I deleted all of my edits!

I had one saving grace: I printed everything as I went.  In my last days there, I re-entered the edits for the first three chapters.  I had an appointment with a literary agent at an upcoming conference and wanted them ready on the off-chance she requested the pages.  (She did, but requested I send them via e-mail.)  I re-entered the remaining chapters after I returned home.

My time at the colony taught me some key things.  

• I can do a large amount of work in a relatively short period of time. 
• I need to be able to get out to reconnect with nature in order to feel whole and creative. 
• I need contact with people for the same reason. 
• Most importantly, I need to be around my family in order to feel whole and creative.

To answer any questions of if I would do it again, I plan to be there in October 2008.  I chronicled a lot of my residency, including an interruption by a squirrel, on my blog. 

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Originally published in the OWFI Report, December 2007

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To view previous entries about the residency, click on the “WCDH residency” tag in the right-hand column.

Filed under: revisions, writing , Jen Nipps, jennipps, WCDH residency