December 2009 Give Yourself the Gift of Writing Challenge

[Celeste Stewart]

Hello Challengers,
This month's challenge is to give yourself the gift of writing. You know that writing book you've had your eyes on for months but just couldn't bear to part with $40 bucks or so? That's what I'm talking about! Our partners may realize we love writing but somehow are clueless when it comes to buying us gifts over the holidays. After all, buying a dictonary or thesaurus isn't exactly romantic, right? But that's what many of us really want. So, let's not wait for Santa to invest in these tools, let's do it ourselves.

Ideas:
* Writing books like Writer's Market, Strunk & White, Self-Editing, etc...
* Sign up for a writing class or workshop
* Join a writer's association
* A beautiful journal
* A notebook

Also, start thinking about your writing goals for next year because next month we're going to start making those goals come true! Happy holidays to us all!

[HayleyWriter]

Good challenge Celeste. I love the idea of a writing present to myself. Now, I just have to figure out what I want the most. Probably a beautiful journal, although the writing books sound good too. Decisions, decisions! Maybe I can buy more than one - especially since CC is paying so well at the moment. Why not treat myself after all my hard work? YES - I am definitely in for this challenge (and it is a challenge because I so rarely buy anything for myself!). I'll let you know when I fulfill the challenge. It will be interesting to see what everyone gets if others want to share!

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas and take time to remember the greatest Christmas gift of all time!

Hayley

[Celeste Stewart]

I know, decisions, decisions. I'll probably get Writer's Market Deluxe with the online subscription. I got it a few years ago and keep meaning to get the latest edition but then keep putting it off. For example, the 2010 edition came out in August (or so I think) and I'm already thinking it's "too old" and that I should wait until the next edition is released. But, yeah, I think Santa will be delivering that big book to my house this year.

[Debbi]

Celeste,

Do you submit to print publications? Or does WM have online publishers listed now? It's been a few years since I indulged in a copy. Maybe I'll ask for that for Christmas.

[Celeste Stewart]

I rarely submit to print pubs since finding CC and realizing the immediate rewards here. However, I have found a few markets there - one a website that pays over $200 bucks for relatively short articles, a few of which I pulled from CC because they didn't sell here and they fit that site's requirements and a few that I wrote specifically for the site. Mainly, I want Writer's Digest for the fiction part - finding an agent for my YA etc...

[Lazers]

I don't suppose you can tell us about that site you mentioned?

[Celeste Stewart]

It's a regional site focused on fossils, archeaology, etc... Not really a mainstream site so posting its link wouldn't really be helpful unless you have articles for that niche. I wrote about discovering fossilized sea shells in the region. An interesting article but no market for it on CC. That's why the Writer's Market book is so cool, you can find specific markets for your harder-to-place articles.

[Lazers]

Ah, I see. Unfortunately, that niche just isn't my field of expertise.

[Lysis]

So, I keep seeing people suggest WM's as a good investment.

Do they have online publishers there too? I didn't see Celeste answer the question, unless I missed it. There are so many "write for money" sites and offers, but I've seen so many people suggest WM that I'm tempted to hand out the cash.

[Celeste Stewart]

It's mainly for print though many of the trade journals and smaller magazines featured also list their Web sites. I have the 2007 edition and just thumbed through the trade journal section and found several on first glance listing their website and accepting submissions via email. I don't know if the newer edition breaks the markets down further to include online markets but that would be nice .

It's still a pain submitting and waiting. In the case of the Web site that I was talking about, even though the magazine is completely online, I had to send a query (they accepted email queries) and wait for a response. Payment took a while as well. Something like a month after acceptance. I like CC better, but it's still cool to have other avenues, especially when an article needs a different market.

[Lysis]

I know a lot of writers watch Craigslist too. Last time I advertised on Craigslist (for programming services not writing), I received a bunch of offers for revenue share. People were looking for free work in exchange for revenue from sales, but that's not my thing. I imagine writing gets a lot of the same offers.

I hear you about instant returns. Now, if we can just get biweekly payments (hint hint...nudge nudge), I'll be a full-blown CC addict.

[Antonia]

Love this idea although like others I'm not sure what to get. I am about to move out of the country so I've been in de-cluttering mode! Oooh, maybe some moleskine notebooks--I love them but usually hold back because they're so much pricier than a cheap spiralbound.

[Celeste Stewart]

Where on Earth are you headed next, Antonia? What big mountains are you setting out to climb?

[eek]

Great idea, Celeste. I've been wanting to make time for an online creative writing course. I'm planning to try a free one first, so it's not a gift of money so much as time.

Just wanted to remind y'all to frequent yard sales, thrift stores and library book sales for the resources mentioned above. Not the current WM, of course, but it's fairly easy to find Strunk & White, dictionaries (in foreign languages too), thesauruses, etc. I was so excited recently to pick up Agatha Christie's autobiography at a library book sale for a quarter. Your favorite famous author's autobiography is a great source of writing tips.

Antonia, I hope you won't be leaving CC when you head for your new destination. A word from the wise (or, at least, been there) while you downsize: if you hate to get rid of something but feel you have to so you won't have to store it, loan it out to friends/family. I miss my rolltop desk.
Emma

[CRDonovan]

Jeez what I'm really longing for is an Apple. Not the crunchy kind. Got one for my kid for his 15th birthday. Now he's negotiating internet in a Mazerati, I'm on a lame elderly donkey. Takes so long to go site to site I might as well take up knitting. Doesn't help that most of my work is researched based. One can dream...