Jen's Writing Journey

Looking Forward While Keeping Your Feet in the Present
Actress/director/writer Amber Benson posted a nice piece about staying true to yourself in a field that always wants to change you to fit their mold. Add it to your inspiration file–you never know when you need to read a quick pick-me-up.

Is Immediacy a Good Thing for Writers?
Jennifer Mattern explores the rise in immediate reporting (Twittering an event). Does it mean better coverage or just more? As a serious Twitter addict, I think it can be good in some cases, but also an incredible time-sucker. (Wednesday, I’ll talk a little more about that.)

Reader Expectations
After you get your first book published, your readers will likely approach your subsequent books with certain expectations. This discussion began with a column about sex in books, but the lessons apply to all genres. And this sort of discussion is what led me to question whether I need pseudonyms for my different types of books. The jury is still out on that one–let me know if you have ideas. Rachel Vincent shared her thoughts on her blog.

Writer Mama Success Rhythms: February 2009
A good reminder that you have the ultimate control in whether you are successful or not. Christina Katz never fails in providing good insight into the career of writing.

Magazines See Some Bright Spots for Second Quarter
This is good news for those of us trying to pitch articles to magazines. If ad spending increases, there is more chance that mags will need freelance stories to fill pages.

Confident or Delusional?
I come across agents who have posted their bad queries, and it makes me think that JA Konrath is on the right track here. A lot of writers are a bit delusional.

If You Want Something, Make It Easy for Me to Get It to You
Speaking mainly to publicists, Yen Cheow reminds people to include contact information when they expect a response. This blog is a good resource for publicity ideas that could help you (a) land an agent, (b) land a deal, and (c) sell copies.

Happy writing!

• Good Resources for Writers I'm test-driving a concept for my Thursday posts: a listing of Websites/blog posts that have some useful info for fledgling and fully fledged writers. Let me know what you think in the comments. Also, point out any good sites or blogs I should be visiting to find content.This week, I'm......
• Writing Roundup Ten Characteristics of a Good ClientUse these tips when evaluating whether you will continue to work with your current clients. Also, the comment from Kelly Parkinson has great tips to evaluate a potential client.Proving You're Worth More MoneyIn this post, Heather Boerner helps you negotiate for higher rates from current......
• Book Review: Who Moved My Cheese? What does Who Moved My Cheese have to do with writing? You mean besides the lesson that you can write a book about darn near anything?Seriously, there were two lessons I got from the book that are helping me build my writing business.Don't resist change. Markets change, and if......
• Writing Roundup, July 31 Ah, another month draws to a close. We are nearing the end of a stretch of record warm weather in the Portland area, and the heat really sapped my energy. I did not do as well this month as I had hoped. What keeps you from meeting your goals? I've......
• Writing Roundup, October 9 Here is a handy table of contents that will help you quickly reach the topic of your choice. Let me know if you like it this way. The Business of Writing Craft Fiction Freelancing Platform Special Section: The FTC Rules The Business of Writing Letting the Market Speak The Waxman......

• Romance and Book Links: January 26, 2010 Books in General: Top 10 Tools for Better Reading, Online and Off – Tips include ebooks, print, audio, blog sites, and web reading. 10 Ways...
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• Health Magazines Sorta Suck: Video Blog It's been a while since I posted a video blog. In this weeks version I go over the special "ad reports" that are found within...
• Tips for Writing Your Blog Whether you are blogging for business applications, or for personal growth, the process of writing daily is a rewarding activity in many ways. The individual...
• 10 Cheap Hobbies for Fun and Relaxation. There was a time when my wife and I would go out to the movies every weekend to catch the latest "must see" release from...