My Journey to Publication - Part 5

When we last left this journey, I had partaken in my first Muse Online Writers Conference and secured a position as a regular contributor for Writer2Writer.

Writer2Writer, an online magazine for professionals and freelancers who want to generate income from their writing, now comes out twice a month; but back then it was a monthly issue. Cheryl Wright is the editor of this magazine. She was also a presenter at the first Muse conference. That's how she heard about me.

Participants of the Muse Online Writers Conference belong to a Yahoo Group, which allows the members to support each other. One discussion that came up at the Group was if writing for free was a good way to get clips. I responded by sharing how I had been writing time management and organization articles geared toward writers for Destiny3Fiction, a free online magazine. I felt the exposure was good, and I had only committed to six free articles, so it wasn't like I was going to work for free forever.

Cheryl Wright seized that opportunity to contact me about the articles for use at Writer2Writer. Destiny3Fiction has just stopped being produced, so there were no rights issues. Most importantly, this would mean--for the first time--I would get paid to write. Very exciting!

We swapped a few emails, she liked the writing samples I sent her, and we agreed I would write a column every other month. My first column appeared in December 2006. I still contribute to this great online magazine. If you're interested in learning how to generate income from your writing, it would be a good place to check out.

I also mentioned in my last installment that I participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for the first time in 2006. That will be the topic of my next story.

Read Part 4 here!

My Journey to Publication - Part 4

Since I credit the Muse Online Writers Conference (MOWC) and the connections I made, and continue to make, there as a big part of why I am looking forward to The Little Shepherd Boy coming out this fall, you would think I would remember how I heard about the darn thing in the first place. But, no. My brain refuses to recall that data.

I believe 2006 was the first year of the MOWC, and it was called the Muse Free Online Writers Conference then. The important words for me at that time were "online" and "free". With two young children and no steady income from my writing, I couldn't afford or even consider traveling to a writer's conference. This was the perfect solution. I didn't need to leave home and I didn't have to spend a dime. Who says miracles don't happen anymore?

Now, I'll be honest, I wasn't sure how much great stuff I could expect from a totally online, totally free writers conference. Not that I had anything to compare it to, but they don't say, "you get what you pay for," for nothing. I was, however, impressed, with the long list of available workshops. I signed up for as many as I thought I could handle and crossed my fingers that nothing in my life would mess up me being able to attend.

Once the conference got going, I realized I had taken too many workshops. Some had assignments or writing exercises, some didn't. The most important thing, however, is that I walked away feeling inspired, I had spent a week practicing my craft, and I had the information in my hands to keep me on the road toward honing my craft. Since the conference was held in October, a couple of weeks before National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) was due to kick off, the inspiration definitely carried over and I would attempt NaNoWriMo for the first time.

Another exciting thing that happened as a result of the 2006 MOWC is my securing a position as a regular contributor to Writer2Writer, an online magazine focused on teaching writers how to generate cash from their writing.

But, that, my friends, is a story for another post.


Read Part 3 here!

Latest Writer2Writer Article

You can find my latest article for Writer2Writer at their Time Management site. "Seasonal Articles: Plan Ahead & Earn Extra Writing Income" made it out to subscribers in the February newsletter.

Check out the article here!

Enjoy the Peace of the Holiday Season: 2009 Virtual Advent Tour

I am so excited to get a chance to participate in the 2009 Virtual Advent Tour. I wasn't quite sure what to write about because I am a huge lover of Christmas and there are so many subjects to discuss; but keeping in mind that this is a blog dedicated to books and writing, I wanted to stay focused on that theme.

In addition to my roles as a virtual book tour coordinator, copy editor, and book reviewer, I also write time management articles for Writer2Writer. These articles are geared toward helping writers increase productivity through time management and organization. While time management and organization is something that has always come easy to me, it isn't easy for everyone; so I enjoy sharing what I have found successful for me as a writer.


The holiday season is wonderful, but it can also be very stressful. With shopping, sending out cards, decorating, working, running the kids around to various activities, and unexpected things cropping up from time to time, it's easy to lose that sense of peace that is meant to fill this time of year.

Here are a few ways that can help you keep this holiday season stress-free and more enjoyable.

Set Realistic Expectations

The Currier and Ives version of the perfect Christmas only happens in pictures. Allowing yourself to be pulled in too many directions will lead to stress and jeopardize your chances of enjoying the holidays.

Write out a to-do list of what must be done. When you write out that list, give great consideration to what "must" means.

Does must mean...

* you need to include a personal note with each card
* you need to volunteer for every event that someones asks you to help with
* you have to clean your house from top to bottom
* your decorations have to be up by a certain date

While all these things are nice in theory, they can add to the craziness that often surrounds the season. Maybe an annual letter will work instead of a personal note to everyone on your list. Selecting one or two events to volunteer for each year will allow you to contribute to worthwhile causes without leaving you tired and overwhelmed. There's nothing wrong with saying "no" or "maybe next time".

I've always been one to stress over how the house looks. I used to insist that all my decorations be up by Thanksgiving weekend and that the entire house be cleaned before company arrives on Christmas Eve or Day. People come to see you and your family, not your house. Do what you can to make it special, but don't worry if the house isn't picture perfect. It's probably going to get messed up with company coming anyway.



Don't Be Afraid to Delegate

For those items that make the "must be done" list, see which ones can be delegated. I know, it sometimes feels like it's just easier to do it yourself, but when you're running from place to place and that blood pressure is rising, it's time to say, however it gets done doesn't matter as long as I don't have to do it.

Your family will be happy to help if it means spending more time with you.


Get the Sleep You Need

If I am guilty of anything, it is staying up too late to finish one last thing. Unfortunately, that makes me irritable and impatient the next day. Just ask my family!

Get the correct amount of sleep you need each night. Not only will your family thank you for it, you'll be much more productive the next day.

By setting realistic expectations, delegating some tasks, and getting the sleep you need, you and you family will be able to experience a less stressful and more meaningful holiday season!

Will You NaNoWriMo?

So, how many of you are going to tackle National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year? I had several reservations, as I am busier than I have ever been, but I decided I wanted to paticipate too much to ignore the desire and knew I had to go for it.

For those like me who are considering adding a sizeable project into an already jam-packed schedule, my latest Writer2Writer article might give you a hand. "Tackling the Big Gorilla - How to Add a Large Project to Your Schedule and Still Be Stress-free around the Holidays".

For help preparing for NaNoWriMo, including many links and resources, visit the Let's Write a Novel Together blog.

Good luck to everyone who will be participating in NaNoWriMo 2009!

Giving Up--Cheryl Malandrinos Style

In case you're wondering what happened to this month's National Blog Posting Month--life happened. I am in the midst of revising my first children's picture book manuscript that is under consideration; I am writing the Vacation Bible School program for church; an article is due to my editor at Writer2Writer next week, and I am working on three books with my daughter's preschool for their upcoming art show on April 9th. Oh, did I mention that I have five virtual book tours that start on April 1st?

All my blogs have suffered this last week. I apologize if you wandered out here and didn't find a daily post; but April is coming soon and hopefully after the first week of the month I'll be able to get back into the swing of things.

Speaking of the first week of April, we have great stuff planned. T.E. Scott, author of The Losing Game: Why You Can't Beat Wall Street is our guest blogger on April 1st, followed by our participation in the Dan Fogelberg Retrospective CD virtual tour on April 2nd.

If you haven't checked out my review of Finding Faith in a Skeptical World by Chet Galaska, you'll find it here. Chet and many other authors will be touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotion in April to discuss their books. Check out http://www.virtualbooktoursforauthors.blogspot.com/ to see the entire list of April Authors on Tour.

Thanks for stopping by. I won't be posting over the weekend, so see you Monday!