WRITING UP A STORM

December 2009
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Welcome!

In case you’re wondering what to get me (or another writer) for
Christmas, this month’s question of the month addresses that issue.
Since there are a lot of cool items I’m sure I’ve overlooked, won’t
you please and add your favorite wishlist items?

Take care & have a wonderful month!

Gayle

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IN THIS ISSUE

QUESTION OF THE MONTH: WHAT CAN I GET MY FAVORITE WRITER FOR
CHRISTMAS?
CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT
LINK OF THE MONTH
MARKET SPOTLIGHT
S H A M E L E S S SELF-PROMOTION

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QUESTION OF THE MONTH: WHAT CAN I GET MY FAVORITE WRITER FOR
CHRISTMAS?

Finding a Gift for the Writer on Your Gift List
 
Have you got a writer on your gift list? If you have (even if that
writer is YOU), and you don’t have a clue as to what gift to buy,
I’m here to help.

Let’s start with the simple things. I love these greeting
cards/bookmarks. They’re great and designed to go with any book,
genre, etc. The cards are $3.95 each and you can buy them from
retailers or from the company’s online store.
(http://www.inmybook.net/inmybook.htm)

Literary Calligraphy: This “All American Note Card Assortment”
blends watercolor images with text from American writers. See these
beautiful note cards at
http://www.literarycalligraphy.com/stationery/allamericards.html.

Women Writers Journal — cloth-covered with lined pages. The
Library of Congress has a women writers tote for $24.00. The women
writers featured are Gertrude Stein, Louisa May Alcott, Elizabeth
Barrett Browning, Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent
Millay, Jane Austen, Phyllis Wheatley, Charlotte Bronte, Mary
Shelley and Sylvia Plath.

Submission Trackers: There are several versions of submission
trackers. Most also offer a free demonstration. I’m sure any of
them would be beneficial. See these to determine which might best
suit your writer’s needs.

1) Power Tracker
(http://www.write-brain.com/power_tracker_main.htm) – Features
include automatic follow-up reminders and searchable notes.

2) Quick Query Tracker
(http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/qqt/) – Includes backup feature
and ability to save favorite market details.

3) Write That Down
(http://www.writerssupercenter.com/writethatdown/) – Features
automatic letter of inquiry generator and resume of published work.
 
4) Luminary Writer’s Database
(http://www.luminarypub.com/services/writersdb/) – This is an
online database and it’s f*ree. The service allows you to keep
track of submissions, acceptances, rejections, amount of money
earned, etc.

5) SwiftTrack for Manuscripts
(http://www.swifttechsoftware.com/tracking.htm) – Features 14
different types of reports.

Writing Books:

1) Writer’s Market 2010 (Writer’s Market) is always a popular
choice. You can now get a deluxe version that includes access to
the Writer’s Market online database. If your writer has a
specialty, you can get Writer’s Market 2010 (Writer’s Market);
Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market 2010 (Novel and Short Story
Writer’s Market); Songwriter’s Market 2010 (Songwriter’s Market);
2010 Photographers Market (Photographer’s Market); Poet’s Market
2010 (Poet’s Market); and 2010 Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s
Market.

2) If the writer you’re buying for is considering self-publishing,
Dan Poynter’s book, Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, 16th
Edition: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (Self
Publishing Manual)will get him/her on the right track.

3) If your favorite writer already has a book in print, consider
John Kremer’s 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, Sixth Edition (1001
Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers). (
http://www.bookmarketing.com) Other good books on the subject
include Publicize Your Book: An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your
Book the Attention It Deserves by Jacqueline Deval; Confessions of
Shameless Self Promoters by Debbie Allen; and Guerrilla Marketing
for Writers : 100 Weapons to Help You Sell Your Work by Jay Conrad
Levinson, Rick Frishman and Michael Lar.

4) A freelance writer? Some good options include The Renegade
Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success
(The Renegade Writer’s Freelance Writing series) by Linda
Formichelli and Diana Burrell; How to Write Irresistible Query
Lettersby Lisa Collier Cool; Feminine Wiles: Creative Techniques
for Writing Women’s Features Stories That Sell by Donna Elizabeth
Boetig; and Facts in a Flash: A Research Guide for Writers by Ellen
Metter.

5) If your favorite writer is a budding Hollywood screen writer,
you might want to get him/her The Complete Book of Scriptwriting by
J. Michael Straczynski; The Screenwriter’s Bible: A Complete Guide
to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script, by David Trottier;
The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters: Insider’s
Secrets from Hollywood’s Top Writers by Karl Iglesias; or Power
Screenwriting: The 12 Stages of Story Development by Michael Chase
Walker.

If all else fails, pens, pretty stationery and/or gift certificates
to booksellers, office supply stores and computer stores are always
welcome!

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CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT

Murder, Mayhem & $25 Amazon Gift Card from Gayle Trent!
Check it out at FreshFiction:
http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=2182

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LINK OF THE MONTH: WOW! Women on Writing
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/

I know this isn’t the first time I’ve spotlighted WOW! Women on
Writing, but the December issue of the ezine is all about literary
agents; and I know that subject is of interest to many of you. Be
sure to check out my 20-Question Interview with Kim Lionetti of
BookEnds, LLC. She has a lot of wonderful advice and information to
share.

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MARKET SPOTLIGHT: WOW! Women on Writing Freelance Job Board
http://jobs.wow-womenonwriting.com/a/jbb/find-jobs

Terrific resources for finding freelance writing gigs!

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S H A M E L E S S SELF-PROMOTION

Gayle Trent – Look for my latest article, an interview with
literary agent Kim Lionetti in the December issue of WOW! WOMEN ON
WRITING. Also, the reviews for DEAD PAN are starting to filter in,
and so far, they’re all great!

Don’t forget to send in your own success stories!

Today I’m participating in a mass blogging! WOW! Women On Writing has gathered a group of blogging buddies to write about family relationships. Why family relationships? We’re celebrating the release of Therese Walsh’s debut novel today. The Last Will of Moira Leahy, (Random House, October 13, 2009) is about a mysterious journey that helps a woman learn more about herself and her twin, whom she lost when they were teenagers. Visit The Muffin (http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/blog.html) to read what Therese has to say about family relationships and view the list of all my blogging buddies. And make sure you visit Therese’s website (http://www.theresewalsh.com) to find out more about the author.

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Marilyn Hicks - "Grandmother"

The Grandparent Connection

After having children of my own and seeing my parents with my children, I’m inclined to agree with Bill Cosby who said, “These are not the people I grew up with! These are old people who are trying to get into Heaven!” But does the “grandparent connection,” i.e., the love, the spoiling, the attitudes, work the other way as well? Would a child treat a grandparent differently than he/she would treat a parent?

I asked myself this question as I was giving my eighty-six-year-old grandmother a makeover. Yes, a makeover. If you knew my grandmother, you’d understand. You see, Grandmother has not had a pie life. In fact, she’s had more than her fair share of rough spots. Yet, through it all, she held her head up proudly knowing, as she’d so often been told, that she was one of the prettiest women in town.

“I used to be….” Most often a sentence that begins with those four words is tinged with sadness…a sense of something once treasured and now forever lost. “I used to be one heck of a ballplayer when I was in school,” says the man in a wheelchair. “I used to be a seamstress and sew all my own clothes,” says the woman whose hands are so arthritic she can barely move them. “I used to be the prettiest woman in Saltville,” says my Grandmother.

She doesn’t go many places anymore; but when she does, she wants to look nice. A couple of weeks ago, she was going to a church function so she put on some makeup. According to my mother, Grandmother’s cheeks looked like they were flaming. At my mother’s appalled expression, Grandmother asked, “I have on too much rouge, don’t I?” She then went and washed her face.

I share my grandmother’s pride in appearance, so I empathized with her. I knew she wanted to look as good as she could. I also knew she’d forgotten everything she’d ever known about makeup. So I went out and got all the little goodies women love to play with-from moisturizer to lipstick-and I called and asked Grandmother if she’d like a makeover. Sounding as excited as a child on her birthday, she said she’d love it.

My mother was having a party on Saturday, so I went up an hour early to help Grandmother get fixed up. Again, I was struck by her childlike behavior-wide-eyed, obedient, trusting-as I treated her to a makeover. When I finished, she asked for a mirror. “This is not me,” she said, at first glance. I thought she was disappointed until she elaborated. “I look beautiful.” And she did.

The entire incident made me wonder: Grandparents will go above and beyond for their grandchildren, but will the grandchildren return the favor when they’re grown? It has long been established that as we and our parents age, our roles reverse. What of the roles of grandparents and grandchildren? Do the grandchildren go back and coddle their grandparents, or do they leave them by the wayside?

If, like me, you were given loads of love, called “angel” and taught the value of a Peppermint Pattie®, you should repay that love with love. If you were driven around on country roads in a Dodge Swinger® with the windows down while singing Broadway show tunes at the top of your lungs, you can at least brighten a day or two with a phone call or a card. And what harm would it do you to bring a smile to the face of someone who searched far and wide for the riding toy you rode the wheels off of?

If you only take, soon there will be nothing to be taken. But if you give, there will always be something coming back to you.