Dear Fellow Writers,
I have decided this month to lead you through your career. You need creativity to jump start yourself into writing. Why not step in a CreativityPortal. They focus on the concept of creativity itself, which leads in sections on arts & crafts and writing, as well providing coaching in creativity. The site is very attractive and well maintained. Still need a kick in the starter button? TryEasy Street Prompts. Where they get those crazy, weird and beautiful photo prompts is beyond me but they are really fun to look at!
So we got it written. So now let’s get it sold. First stop –agentquery.com. They list an amazing array of agents for every possible genre and tell you who is looking for newcomers and who isn’t. But if you just want to test your premise, send it off to queryshark.blogspot.com. Well known literary agent Janet Reid gives brutally honest advise on your agent pitch. But this not for the faint of heart as Janet is not warm and fuzzy in her comments! I attended one of her live seminars and felt I should crawl out of the room but there was a crowd ahead of me on the floor trying to escape unnoticed.
What a relief to get past the agents! Now that we are published we may want to check intoeditorandpublisher.com to see what’s going on in the market. A very up to date site, with even a classified section for editing and publishing job opportunities. Or jump over to marketlist.com for a complete review of market lists by genre.
If you are looking to become part of the writing community, try the following: writerscafe.org orwriterschatroom.com. Both have great forums and live chatrooms. And finally, just for fun, visit bookmooch.comwhere you can swap and trade books for free. A good way to clean your shelves of your old books for others that you haven’t read.
Note: All of these sites are perennial members of Writer Digest Magazine’s “101 Best Websites for Writers” which appears annually in their Writer’s yearbook.
Thanks for stopping by. Happy writing.
Betty Wryte-Goode
Betty Wryte-Goode is a writer, mother, and wife who lives in the Lehigh Valley. Her passions include writing, reading, shopping, gardening, and exploring the internet. Betty is always looking for writing tips, so if you have any you would like to share, please send them to her through our Submissions/Contacts page.
Mixed Up Words of the Month . . .
Nauseous vs. Nauseated
Nauseous – Meaning sickening to contemplate, disgusting or loathsome, as in “His book and opinions are nauseous!”
Nauseated – Meaning sick to the stomach, to be affected with nausea, “I am nauseated by his cooking.”
The classic warning is not to say “I am nauseous” unless you are sure you are making everyone around you sick to their stomachs. The trick here is to know which side of the sickening effect you’re on, i.e., you are either sick or making someone else sick.