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ninaamir's Blog
June 9, 2009
- Seven Tips for Getting Past Depression and Discouragement andBack to Joyous and Passionate Writing Today I’m depressed. I’m dejected. I’m discouraged. I’ve had trouble getting the contributions I need for the book I’m compiling and which must be completed in a few weeks. When my new book contract didn’t arrive after three months of waiting, I contacted the publisher. ...
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May 28, 2009
- I tend to be a fairly verbose writer. My husband actually calls me “The Queen of Verbosity.” Yes, I can write a lot in a short amount of time. I admit it.When I’m working on assignment, I often find that I have exceeded my 1, 500-word article requirement, for example, by at least double – if not triple the words. This may happen when I simply have researched so thoroughly that I have too ...
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May 1, 2009
- For a writer, sometimes getting started represents the hardest part of the writing process. Getting that first word or sentence out onto the paper or screen can feel like trying to give birth to a breach baby.For me, it’s the lead to an article or the first paragraph or two of an essay or of a chapter that feels the most difficult. Once I’ve got that part written, the rest of the piece simply ...
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March 31, 2009
- In early March I traveled to Connecticut to do two talks related to two of my book projects. As part of that trip, I managed to land two radio interviews. Although I do a monthly podcast on Conversations with Mrs. Claus, I don't have much experience with radio interviews. Really, I'm a writer more than a speaker, which I think is the case for many authors. So, I got a little ...
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February 24, 2009
- Imagine yourself riding in the elevator at a hotel where you are attending a writer's conference. The door opens and in steps the one agent you really, really think would serve as the perfect literary representative for you and your book. You open your mouth, introduce yourself and begin to speak.What do you say? Do you tell the agent what your book is about in 25 word or less? Do you spit out ...
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January 24, 2009
- Okay, Write Nonfiction in November readers, I'm going to ask you this month to stop working on whatever nonfiction projects you have and make time to do something a bit different. Here's why: If you don't do it now, you're likely not to do it at all. Plus, according to PR expert Annie Jennings, who was my guest blogger twice in November during the challenge, I'd be remiss not to advise you to ...
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December 22, 2008
- When I was in college studying to become a magazine journalist, I was taught to write what I know. No matter whose class I took or the type of class, the professor always told the students the same thing: Write what you know. The caveat to this rule lay in its reverse: If you can't write about what you know, know about what you write. In other words, become the expert on the topic.Over the ...
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November 30, 2008
- As participants' fingers slow to a halt over keyboards and then hit the save and print buttons indicating the completion of their projects, the second year of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge and blog comes to an end. For those not ready to say "I'm done" quite yet, you've got until 11:59 p.m. to actually complete that project you began 30 days ago. At the stroke of ...
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November 29, 2008
- On this, the second to last day of Write Nonfiction in November, I'd like to devote a blog posting to how to build your platform and promote books on the Internet. (Are you about done with your project? You have two days left...)The Internet offers a vast resource of free promotional tools, if we, as writers, only know how to use them - and actually use them.I was speaking with a POD publisher ...
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November 27, 2008
- An earlier posting on the need for writers to have either a website or a blog - or both - generated a bit of debate. Today, I'd like to address the topic of that debate: Is blogging really writing?The debate began when I told a Red Room blog reader who commented on my post about why every writer needs a website or a blog that the time they spent blogging should, indeed, be considered writing. ...
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November 27, 2008
- Thanksgiving Day dinner offers us many food choices, so I figure Write Nonfiction in November should offer a blog about choices - in this case publishing choices - on November 27th as well. As you finish up your Write Nonfiction in November project (just four days until it's over if you're writing on the holiday), you might be mulling over your publishing options. So, today we're going to discuss ...
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November 26, 2008
- "Branding" has become quite a catch word these days. As nonfiction writers, we, too, need to "brand" ourselves and our work. We even need to go so far as to become a "media brand." In the process, however, we can make our writing more marketable to publishers, and, ultimately, to readers.What exactly is a media brand and how do we as writers go about accomplishing ...
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November 25, 2008
- I hadn't been editing books long when I was approached by the husband of one of my good friends, Colin Tipping. He had written a book, called Radical Forgiveness, and was looking for someone to help him edit it and get it ready for self-publishing. Given that I am "spiritually- and metaphysically inclined," and this was a spiritually- and metaphysically-based book, I was thrilled to ...
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November 24, 2008
- Let's say you managed to land that publishing deal, or you've successfully self-published your book. One way or another, to get those copies selling you need to market not only the books but yourself.You can choose for a variety of ways to do this, including hiring someone to help you do the job. You can also do the job yourself - and get it done on a shoestring budget. How do I know this? ...
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November 23, 2008
- In this current economy, many writers may opt out of attending a writers' conference. However, in any economy, a writers' conference represents a treasure trove of information and opportunity for the serious writer wanting to become a published author.I've attended the San Francisco Writers Conference three times in a row and served as a volunteer once, rounding out my attendance to four times. I ...
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