Valentine winner and a sneak peek...

Thanks to everyone who entered my Valentine's Day giveaway. I used an electronic random name selector today.

And the winner is...

VONNIE!

(who also happens to be my mom! First time her name's been selected in one of my giveaways, so I'm thrilled for her!)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

P.S...

 Exciting news! Remember the romance contest by Write Integrity Press that I posted about a while back? Well, I learned this week that my entry, Blind Date, was chosen to be included in the Heart Bouquets anthology! Watch for a post on the 13th with a link to the book. It will be offered FREE for the first 3 days, so you'll want to snatch it up quickly! But even if you miss the freebie, it will be parked at .99 cents after that. But hey...free is FREE, right? Here's a sneak peek at the cover
(just looking at it makes me smile). 

Magazine Writing 101

As promised, this week you get a break from me, as I am getting some rest and relaxation at a cottage by the lake. (Although, how much peace and quiet can you really get while vacationing with 40 relatives?) So this week, you'll be treated to three guest bloggers, who also happen to be good friends of mine.

Today, Tracy Ruckman shares her insight into writing for magazines. If you've always wanted to see your byline in a magazine, either printed or online, you'll want to soak up the information in this article. Thanks to Tracy for sharing her expertise. Enjoy!

Magazine Writing 101

By Tracy Ruckman© 2008

Trying to decide what to write about for our first piece on writing for magazines kept me up late into the night. Finally, I decided the best thing I could provide for you would be resources. So here’s a list to get you started, divided into the appropriate categories. Feel free to add to my lists in the comments below. We’ll eventually tackle various subjects brought up by these lists, too, so if you have questions leave them in the comments, and we’ll address them at the appropriate time.

Query Letters

The dreaded query letter is a necessary evil. But once you get the idea of them, it’s easy to recreate for each article. If you find a particular query letter style is not selling, rewrite it a bit until you get some bites.The best book on the subject is How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool, but there are dozens of other books devoted to this subject as well. You may want to spend some time at your local bookstore looking through a few to see which one fits your needs best.There are also plenty of online guides available as well:

How to Write A Query Letter
Writing Query Letters
How To Write A Query Letter (#2)

Ideas

Where do you get ideas? We’ve all heard that question a time or two? I write travel and food articles regularly – these are two things that interest me most. Look at your passions, hobbies, routines, lifestyle – what’s unique about them? Think of several slants you could take on one particular item, then work up a query letter for them.Newspapers, local events, even a simple conversation with your neighbor, or a walk through your neighborhood could produce scads of ideas for you to write about for months.Writing prompts can also give you ideas. Some of the best places to get prompts regularly are:

Writer's Digest Writing Prompts
Writing Fix Daily Generator
Creative Writing Prompts

Markets

This is a biggie – almost as much as the query letter. Everyone wants to know where to sell articles.

The internet makes this so much easier than in the past. Nowadays, you can find several magazines at your grocery store, or local bookstore, then look them up online. The main Web sites may not have writer’s guidelines listed, but check the site map (the link for it is usually at the very bottom of the page in tiny print) and it may point you in the right direction. Look for “Writer’s Guidelines” or “Submissions” or “Write for Us.” Sometimes instructions will be left on the “Contact Us” page, so check that first.

Writer’s Digest provides two ways to access one great resource. Their Writer’s Market Guide is published each year in hard copy, and also maintained online. With the online version, you can search out markets, create folders for your favorite markets, and usually get the most updated information – or at least a date of when it was last updated. Even using the online market guide, though, you’ll still want to check the masthead page of the current issue of any magazine you wish to submit to – publishing is a rotating market and editors change positions frequently.

Sally Stuart publishes The Christian Writer’s Market Guide with approximately 700 magazine publishers listed in it each year. When you purchase the book, you’ll also receive a CD that you can download to your computer, to make searching for markets easy.

Besides these two main sources, you’ll find many online databases to peruse – just don’t get so addicted to searching out markets that you give up writing time! Some of the lists I’m providing below are free sites – or parts of their lists are free – and others are paying. I’m providing some of both routes, because you may find that one or two of them work well for you.

Here’s a list of lists to get you started:

http://www.writersmarket.com/

http://www.stuartmarkets.com/

http://www.woodenhorsepublishing.com/

http://www.travelwriters.com/

http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/ (provides a short market list each Monday, and a list of freelance writing jobs every weekday.)

www.worldwidefreelance.com/?hop=kingschild

www.absolutewrite.com/forums (this extensive forum is a great place for many reasons. But you’ll also find listings for magazines.)

obsessedwritersgroup-subscribe@yahoogroups.com – the owner sends out a newsletter twice a month with a list of paying markets, and a great calendar to remind you of upcoming events to write about regularly. Not much traffic on this list, so it won’t flood your inbox, but it’s an invaluable resource.

http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ – C. Hope Clark is a writer’s best friend. She fights for wages, and promotes those publications who pay. She has several different e-newsletters, some free, and some ridiculously inexpensive, and she offers a blog, too. The newsletters provide market listings, contests, grants, and jobs. I subscribe to all of them.

After you’ve scoped out some magazines you’d like to write for, STUDY those magazines. Don’t just flip through it – study it from cover to cover. First, look at the target market. Would a teen girl buy this magazine, or a 40-year-old bachelor? Would a 30-year old homemaker read these types articles, or would a 20-something career girl? A college graduate or someone in retirement? If you can’t tell by the articles, check the advertisements and ask the same questions.

After the markets, study the content. Do the articles appear to be written by staffers or freelancers? Or a good mixture of both? If both, are the freelancers scattered throughout the magazine, or mostly in the front or back sections? You’ll want to target your article to the area where the freelancers are located.

I grew up reading one particular magazine – it is my DREAM to be published in that magazine. But the ONLY place they accept articles from freelancers is their last page, inside the cover. Because there’s only one spot, this magazine is extremely hard to break into, but I haven’t given up yet.

After you determine the freelance status of the periodical, study the individual articles. How long are they? What is the style of writing? Is the article broken up into sections with headers? Is it written in 1st person or 3rd?

Many magazines provide theme lists or editorial calendars for the upcoming year, to let writers know how to plan articles to pitch. As you research the various magazines, inquire about a theme list to make the most use of your time.

Studying the magazines, usually 2-3 or even 6 months of previous issues, will give you a feel for the overall voice of the publication, so that when you compose your query letter, and then eventually your article, your writing will reflect that voice and cause the editor to take notice.

So, let’s get started. Study, query, study, query. And be sure to send me stories of your success – I’ll post them here on the blog and we’ll all celebrate your publication with you!




Tracy Ruckman is a freelance editor and writer, specializing in the Christian market. She owns Write Integrity Editorial Services, and the Pix-N-Pens blog featuring Christian books and authors.

Win an Amazon Gift Card for Yourself and Your Blog Reader!

So I have to tell you about this great contest being offered over at Pix-n-Pens. Tracy Ruckman has a special guest author, Terri Kraus, who is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and an autographed copy of her book, The Renewal. This is the second book in Terri's Restoration series.

But that's not ALL!

If YOU win, she'll also give away ANOTHER $25 Amazon gift card and autographed copy of her book to one of your blog readers! All you need to do to be entered is post about the contest on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, or wherever you can get people talking about this series. Then leave a link to your post on the Pix-N-Pens blog. It's as simple as that!

And if that's not enough of an opportunity to win something, you can also win an autographed copy of Terri's book, The Renewal, by writing a paragraph on either "Renovate", "Restore", or "Renew" and how that word pertains to your Christian walk. Post your answer on the Pix-n-Pens blog to be entered.

Tracy has posted Kay Shostak's interview with Terri Kraus on her blog this week. Be sure to read it to learn more about Terri and her Restoration series.

So, what are you waiting for? Get over to Pix-N-Pens and enter today! And leave a comment on THIS post in case I WIN the Amazon gift card and autographed copy. Because if I win, you could win, too!

Good luck and happy entering!

The Examiner.com

Some pretty exciting news...

Tracy Ruckman, a writer and editor who also happens to be my online friend, was recently named as Christian Writing Examiner for Examiner.com. Tracy gets her very own Examiner Page, where she can post to her heart's content on all things related to Christian writing. As she is beginning to add material to her page,Tracy asked me to write an article for her about FaithWriters.

She didn't have to ask me twice! I was on it.

The article has been posted and I'd love for you to check it out. It gives a bit of information about how FaithWriters got started and some of the benefits of becoming a member.Here's the link: A Home for the Christian Writer

While you're there, be sure to take in all of the great content provided so far. New material, which will help you in writing both fiction and non-fiction, will be continually added so check back frequently and bookmark TRACY'S CHRISTIAN WRITING EXAMINER PAGE for quick access.

Tracy Ruckmkan is also the owner of Write Integrity Editorial Services and Pix-n-Pens. She knows her stuff and you'll be blessed by her services.

Some Cool News!

A couple weeks ago, I blogged about the launch of Tracy Ruckman's new business, Write Integrity Editorial Services. She was holding a great contest to kick things off and I just found out a couple days ago that I am a winner!

Woot!

I won prize package #4, a blog tour coordination. This is such a cool prize for an author who has a new book coming out. Unfortunately, I'm not quite there yet. So, Tracy has graciously allowed me to choose another service of equivalent value. And I've already taken her up on it! (No sense in waiting!)

Thanks to Tracy for hosting this wonderful contest and for providing this excellent service.

If you are a writer, I highly encourage you to check out everything Tracy has to offer. Services include editing, web services, web design, and marketing and promotion.

Oh...And be sure to check out her other site, Pix-n-Pens, for fabulous book reviews, interviews, and contests!

Announcing...Write Integrity Editorial Services

I am excited, thrilled, escastic, pleased, overjoyed, and honored to make this announcement. My great friend and fellow writer, Tracy Ruckman, has just launched a new business, Write Integrity Editorial Services!

I say it's about time. The woman is Talented (note the capital T!). Not only is she an exceptional photographer and writer, her editorial skills are top-notch. Tracy has done editing for multi-published authors such as Virginia Smith and Rose McCauley. Her eye for detail and understanding of the market make her the perfect choice for your editorial needs.

Besides editing, some of the services she offers are web design, logos, business cards, one-sheets, blog tours, and many others.

And now for the BEST PART...

To kick off her new business, Tracy is holding a CONTEST where she is giving away SEVEN AWESOME PRIZES, including FREE editing, design, and other services totalling over $3,000!

For details on how to enter, as well as a complete list of prizes, visit http://www.writeintegrity.com/. Winners will be chosen at random on March 7th.


Oh...and while you're browsing, take a moment to check out Pix-n-Pens, where Tracy has other wonderful information and regular weekly contests.

Good Luck!

And CONGRATULATIONS TRACY on your business! Prayers for success in this exciting new venture!

Contest Corner - Pix-n-Pens

Well, for my second official Contest Corner post, I'd like to point you in the direction of Pix-n-Pens.com. Pix-n-Pens was created by my friend and fellow ACFW member, Tracy Ruckman. Tracy has a love for writing and photography, which she combines on her site.

One of the unique features of Pix-n-Pens is regular contests - as in, weekly. Sometimes, contests revolve around photography, but the majority of time, they involve writing. And sometimes we're treated to a combination contest that involves both photography AND writing! Contests are often judged by published authors and prizes usually involve books but sometimes include other things as well. (For instance, an Amazon.com gift card was recently awarded).

I have personally entered several of Tracy's contests and have won a couple of great Christian fiction books so far. If you love to read, write, or take pictures, I highly encourage you to check out Pix-n-Pens. You'll love everything it has to offer!

Good luck!


P.S. If you're a writer, be sure to check out the FREELANCE WRITING section for great articles written by another friend and experienced writer, Debbie Roome, that will help you in your freelancing career.

WOO-HOO! I'm a Great Hooker!

Okay, so the subject of this blog is a little misleading. I'm not really a hooker. I'm not even posting about hookers. At least, not the kind YOU'RE thinking of. I AM, however, posting about HOOKS, as in, opening hooks of novels and short stories.

Last week, Tracy Ruckman ran another contest on her Pix-N-Pens website (Tracy is the contest queen!). This time, we had to enter our opening hook - the first paragraph or two we've written for a story or novel. I entered two and I found out this morning that one of my entries tied for first place!

THAT'S what I mean by a great hooker (see? there is more than one definition).

The contest judge was author, Janice Thompson. I won a copy of her latest novel, "The Wedding Caper." I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Aren't contests fun? At least, when you win, anyway.

Oh...and congrats to my fellow FaithWriter friend, Debbie Roome, who tied for best hooker. :-)

Check out our winning entries by visiting Pix-N-Pens.