December2006newsletter

I love this time of year. Everything feels festive. And when it snows, like it did last night here in the usually temperate Willamette Valley, I experience those old feelings of magic that I felt as a child. My daughter, Samantha, has the same reverence for snow I always had –– and I bet you would too, if you were four years old.

For me, it’s the power of association. Snow means winter. I grew up in New England, where we had four distinct seasons. Winter meant shoveling tons of snow, building snow forts with my older brother, and inevitably, snowball fights. It meant getting bundled up, which I never liked, but sitting in front of a roaring fire drinking hot chocolate afterwards, waiting for my nose to thaw out, which always made up for the inconvenience.

Winter means holiday traditions, my birthday, Christmas cookies, and buying or making presents to give, which is one of my favorite things to do. I love Christmas morning, and thanks to my husband, I get to partake in the wonder of Hanukah, as well. Even turning forty this month can’t dampen my enthusiasm for winter magic. (So, I’m forty. I’m not officially young anymore. Big deal. I’m still me, just slightly middle-aged.)

What I am looking forward to this holiday season is getting past the holiday hustle and bustle and getting to the long winter’s nap part in the latter half of this month. I worked hard this year and I crave rest. I’m proud of my accomplishments. My career feels like it’s spilling over and that’s a good feeling. Winter is a time to go within, to hunker down and hibernate. And oh, how I love doing that!

December is a great month to regroup. To catch up on paperwork. To assess my professional progress last year. To set goals for 2007. And to enjoy the holiday season. I’ve given myself a great gift: the writing career I’ve always wanted. It isn’t perfect, but it has its festive moments.

I hope you’ll let yourself have a festive occasion this month too: at least a small moment of rest, reflection, and recognition for all that you are and all that you’ve done. Loud or quiet, it really doesn’t matter. Nor does it matter if you published one tip or wrote three books. What does matter is that you celebrate yourself. You deserve it.

This month’s issue is loaded with encouragement for all of us to celebrate. Instead of our usual interview, I welcome our fifteen columnists for 2007, some new and some returning, and share the fascinating topics they are going to cover all year long. Instead of our usual Rising Writer Feature, I’ve written a gift for you that I know will be useful in the New Year. It answers the number one question I hear, “How can I find markets for my writing?” Happy holidays!

I was slammed all month and didn’t get my 2007 classes posted by mid-November as I had hoped. Therefore, I've extended the offer to pay 2006 prices on 2007 classes until Friday, December 15, 2006 at midnight. So long as your letters are postmarked by that date or your Paypal payment is dated 12/15, you are golden. This offer applies to Writing & Publishing Nonfiction Features, Pitching Practice: Pitch Six Queries in Six Weeks and Platform Building for Writers 101. However, this offer does not apply to Christina’s class, Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff, which is full price only in 2007. Get the full scoop on upcoming classes at http://www.writersontherise.com/classes.html.

SHARON CINDRICH’S E-parenting, Keeping Up with Your Tech-Savvy Kids, will be published by Random House in June 2007. You may now pre-order this helpful book. We'll be interviewing Sharon about her experience in 2007.

CHRISTINA KATZ’ Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids appeared on the US Amazon, the Canadian Amazon, the UK Amazon, the German Amazon, and the Japanese Amazon. Needless to say, Christina was blown away! And no more rounded cover, BTW. Oh, well. Rounded corners would have been cool, but that's okay.

LORI RUSSELL, a freelance writer in the Dalles, Oregon, and a 2007 WOTR columnist, found a way to resell her words to the publisher for whom she originally wrote them! She writes for a trade magazine that allows companies to purchase a few pages in each issue to target to their readership/customers. The rest of the articles in the magazine or “basic book,” are the same for everyone in the multi-state readership. After selling a story targeted at a specific company’s customers, she can resell that same story to the same magazine to use in the basic book either as a stand-alone article or as an example for a more general article. Hey, maybe the rest of us should think about this strategy!

SAGE COHEN's story "Flow" was accepted for publication in the writing anthology A Cup of Comfort For Writers, published by Adams Media. Yahoo!

While most people who occupy a cubicle forty hours a week look forward to escaping each weekend, author JULIE FAST has found cube bliss since signing a lease with Cube Space in Portland, Oregon, last month. She says, “As a writer, I’m constantly trying to find a place to write. I tried my house (way too many distractions), coffee shops (very difficult logistically), and libraries (finding a space and dealing with library hours was difficult). When I walked into Cube Space and saw the rows and rows of cubicles I knew I was in writer heaven. For $250 a month, I choose any cubical I want when I come in. There is a front desk, a break room and the cubicles section is surrounded by meeting rooms. The cost per hour for a cubicle is $10 or you can rent for a day at $40. My $250 allows me unlimited access. My productivity has doubled since I’ve been here. It’s a perfect combination of personal work space and social contact.” Julie is the author of the recently released, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder from Warner Wellness, 2006. Julie is also the author of Loving Someone With Bipolar Disorder.

Looking for a good read over the holiday break? Mineral Spirits, a second novel by author HEATHER SHARFEDDIN, is another contemporary western set against a detailed high-country landscape. A suspenseful tale of love, hope and aloneness vs. loneliness during the holiday season, Sharfeddin delivers another satisfying page-turner.

RAFFLE-O-RAMA! Give books away, give ‘em away, give ‘em away now! That’s what Writers on the Rise is going to do all year long, starting in January 2007! For our first giveaway we’re offering BEV WALTON-PORTER’S sparkling and insightful, Sun Signs for Writers (Writer’s Digest Books, 2006). This copy, signed by the author, can be yours, absolutely free, when you invite three writer friends to subscribe to Writers on the Rise. CC or BCC us a copy of the e-mail you send them at Sagewotr@earthlink.net. And you will earn one chance to win in our end-of-month drawing. Invite three more and win another chance. The more (legitimate writer friends) you share us with, the better your odds of winning.

A: I’ve got a couple of ideas that have proved invaluable over the last few years. First, try a different color folder for every current project. It’s easier to file stuff quickly or find something quickly. Second, post a calendar above your desk and use different color highlighter pens to mark meetings, deadlines, appointments, follow-up calls, etc. Third, go as paperless as possible. I’ve recently started moving toward online bills (with automatic withdrawal), online faxes (check out eFax.com) to reduce my paper, and almost all my queries are done by email. I also stock up on postal supplies (like Priority Mail envelopes and postage) so I don’t have to waste time driving across town. You can even order stamps online now. Perhaps most important: keep great records and receipts for taxes. You’ll be glad you did come tax time!

Q: I have a lot of friends who are writers. What gift ideas can you suggest?

A: I’m all about books, of course. My top three would be the 2007 Writer’s Market, Roget’s Thesaurus of Phrases (great for getting rid of clichés in your work or writing greeting cards), and The War of Art – about the real-life grind behind being a writer. I’d also recommend subscriptions to magazines like The Writer, Writer’s Digest or FreelanceDaily.net’s e-newsletter.

Articles, books, greeting cards, oh my! Wendy Burt is a successful full-time freelance writer and editor who has more than doubled her income since leaving her job as a newspaper editor just three years ago. With two women's humor books for McGraw-Hill and more than 1,000 published pieces, Wendy's typical day might including writing ad copy, greeting cards, health articles, personal profiles or her marketing column for Her Business magazine. Her work has appeared in such varied publications as Family Circle, The Writer, MSNBC.com, NewYorkTimes.com, Home Cooking Magazine and American Fitness. Wendy teaches "Breaking Into Freelance Writing" and still finds ample time to spend with her beautiful baby, Gracie. Visit www.BurtCreations.com to see books by Wendy and her award-winning dad.

The most-often asked question any writing instructor is sure to hear is “How can I sell more of my writing?” It’s a good question and one that deserves it’s own list. So forget about whether you're on Santa's naughty or nice list, I’ve compiled some suggestions to help you get published repeatedly next year, along with several resources you’ll want to keep handy for an even more prosperous 2007. Put them on your wish list, let folks know about your wish list and see what happens...

Best kept secret for writers who want to break into the nationals. Don’t balk at the price because you can always make short visits (I suggest you start quarterly, until you can justify paying more). Besides, they post guideline info and editorial guidelines, when available, saving you valuable searching and waiting time.

The freelancer’s bible. You gotta have it in book form, online or both. This is updated continually online, but the book is always nice to have for the articles, advice and extra resources.

3. A Subscription to Two or Three Magazines you wish to become familiar with, so you can realistically break into them before the year is out. Read issues regularly to start understanding magazines like a freelancer, as opposed to merely a reader. To save a few bucks, clean out your library’s used magazine bin on a regular basis.

Every profession has trade journals, and choosing one to read is a great way to stay current on trends and industry-related news. Here are three good ones to choose from:

As Kelly James-Enger said in her column, whenever you buy resources for your career, you can write them off against your writing profits during the same year. Of course, you’ll want to keep careful track of your income and expenses all year long. If you haven’t done this yet, plan on it for 2007. Here’s one extremely helpful booklet (available in softcover or online) that will help you do your own tax prep. Cost for online version: $10.00

Be sure to get the May 2004 edition from Writer’s Digest Books, not the earlier version. Though here’s something you won’t find in there—how to send submissions with a cover letter (which I teach in my class Writing and Publishing Nonfiction Features). Cost: $14.19 and worth its weight in formatting-at-a-glance gold!

7. A Writing Association Membership. We’ll be posting a list of writing associations from around the U.S. and abroad on Writers on the Rise before the year’s end. Find the one closest to you and join in the New Year. Your career will thank you! Approximate cost: $35.00/year.

TOTAL COST for suggested essentials: About $150.00 dollars and worth ten times the amount! Invest in your writing career today! You are worth it. Your career is worth it. You deserve to have everything you need right at your fingertips, so you will be ready to focus on the steps toward success, rather than being distracted by the resources you don’t have.

Why not add a few more to your holiday gift list? Go ahead, the elves won't mind!

What would it be like to have an expert editor and writer sitting at your elbow answering your most puzzling writing questions as they come up? Find out when you purchase the updated Beginning Writer’s Answer Book. Writer Digest’s Editorial Director, Jane Friedman, responds to the most common questions of beginning writers in an encouraging, inviting tone that will convince even the most tentative that writing success is possible. Cost: $10.87

Kelly James-Enger’s Ready, Aim, Specialize book (or CD)

This is probably the book I’ve recommended most over the past years. And good news! It’s to be republished by Marion Street Press in 2007. Yes! I’m going to put this in no uncertain terms: If you want to make more money in 2007, SPECIALIZE! Limited copies available while supplies last. Cost: 14.95

The Renegade Writer Books: The Renegade Writer & Query Letters that Rock

It’s no secret that I’m a Renegade Writer fan. And why shouldn’t I be? Past issues of this newsletter have featured interviews with the informative and entertaining duo authors, Linda Formichelli and Diana Burrell. WOTR covered the release and re-re-release of The Renegade Writer and we’ll be speaking to the renegades again in January, 2007 about Query Letters That Rock! Stay tuned.

From now through December 25, 2006 get all Hope’s e-books, a paperback copy of The Shy Writer, a subscription to TOTAL FundsforWriters and a “Hope” rock...for a price you won't believe. Cost: $69.00

With the holidays fast approaching, I'd like to suggest that you treat yourself to a gift (or more than one!) this year. Best of all, if you treat your writing as a business and file a schedule C, you can take the cost of your presents as a tax deduction!

Remember, the supplies you use to run your office are tax-deductible, so stock up on printer cartridges, paper, and stamps during December. Why not treat yourself to a variety of gel pens, cool sticky notes, and fun notebooks to record your great ideas?

Invest in a digital recorder, and you'll always have a way to record interviews or make quick audio notes to yourself. They range in price, but you can get one at a store like Best Buy for less than $50.

I couldn't live without my headset, which leave my hands free to transcribe notes; believe me, once you use one, you’ll never go back to the crook-of-the-neck method again. www.hellodirect.com has a variety of styles starting at $159.

I also have an AlphaSmart, a portable word processor that holds about 100 pages’ worth of writing, runs on three AA batteries, and weighs less than 2 pounds. You can get one for $199 at www.alphasmart.com.

Do your writing self a favor and invest in something that will make her or him happy. It's worth the expense!

It’s time to unveil our 2007 columnists. They have already given much thought and consideration to the topics and content they will offer you next year that will truly benefit your writing career. I’m already touched by their thoughtfulness and generosity—and we haven’t even published the first issue yet! Without further ado, here they are.

Hobby Writer or Career Writer...One Year Later

Back at the beginning of the year, Hobby Writer set some goals. Hobby Writer (HW) got several byline credits in online Zines and a few small checks for some other writing jobs. Yet, HW curses the World Wide Circulation editors for their rejections. HW huffs and puffs thinking about the Big Bad Agent for rejecting the only-once-submitted potentially million-dollar book proposal. HW looks back on the year and regrets that there wasn't a book contract. HW is uncertain about writing as a career.

On the other side of the Internet, Career Writer (CW) is drinking a toast of Diet Coke while preparing a $25 bank deposit for yet another paid article. On the way to the boring technical writing day job, CW will stop at the bank and then drop the tenth book proposal agent query in the mailbox. CW looks back on the year with pride, at dozens of new bylines, contemplates new article ideas outside the usual niche, and plans to realize the dream of finding a Fairy Godmother Agent to help with the next goal: selling another targeted book idea.

As you build your writing career, try different goals and figure out what works best for you. Keep in mind during these trials that there are no mistakes. Even when you discover something isn't quite right, learn from it. This helps you plan better goals next time around. To turn your writing hobbies into a writing career be tenacious, think of new ideas, keep submitting to increase your byline credits, and celebrate your accomplishments. By accomplishing enough of the right goals, you will grow closer to achieving the bigger ones.

Are you going to be more like the Hobby Writer or the Career Writer in 2007? Either way, celebrate your accomplishments from 2006 and work with tenacity towards every single goal next year.

Gregory A. Kompes (www.Kompes.com) is a writer and manuscript consultant. He is the author of the #1 Bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, The Endorsement Quest and The Everyday Gay Activist. Gregory is the editor of The Fabulist Flash, an informative newsletter for writers, founder of LAMOO Books and Coordinator of the Las Vegas Writer's Conference. The author holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University, NY, and is currently a Master of Science in Education candidate at California State University, East Bay.

Got Tech?

Deck the Halls with Tech Support

By Sharon Miller Cindrich

Get help this holiday from tech experts to make the most of new tech gifts and improve your writing productivity.

Major manufacturers.

Did you get a new laptop? A slick cell phone? Unwrapping the package is easy, but installing, personalizing, setting up and using the stuff is often a bit trickier. Most tech companies offer excellent support for their tech items, and can address specific glitches and bugs better than your neighborhood techie. Before you throw the package away, make sure to shuffle through the fine print for the manufacturer’s website or toll free number and have it at the ready.

Local tech support.

Like a good auto mechanic, it’s important to have a relationship with a local tech guru – one who can get to know your computer system and your tech goals, whom you can trust when you need a tune up or a new program. Small computer shops are popping up in neighborhoods across the country; if you don’t have one on your block, check out your nearest Best Buy. Their Geek Squad offers a large variety of services, as well as training and house calls. Check them out at www.geeksquad.com. Apple users will love the complimentary support offered by Apple through the telephone, chat or online at www.apple.com, along with the Genius Bar expert help in the Apple Retail Stores.

Support services online.

Remote computer help online is becoming very popular. My personal favorite is PlumChoice, a PC support company that will take over your computer remotely and diagnose the problem within a few minutes almost 90% of the time. You can talk to them on the phone as they work and while they control your mouse, you have both hands free to take notes: www.plumchoice.com.

Sharon Miller Cindrich is a freelance writer whose work has been published nationally in magazines and newspapers around the country including The Chicago Tribune, Parents Magazine, and The Writer. She is a Contributing Editor at FamilyFun Magazine and writes a bimonthly humor column for West Suburban Living Magazine in the Chicago Suburbs. She is a regular contributor to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Lifestyle section and Metroparent Magazine. Her book E-Parenting: Get Plugged In to Raise Safe, Smart Kids is due out from Random House at the end of the year. Read more about Sharon at http://www.mediabistro.com/sharoncindrich.

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SHARON DZILVELIS published "Tree Trimmings", a tip, in the December 2006 issue of Family Circle.

JOANNA NESBIT published “Hesselgrave International Offers Fun and Unique Motorcoach Tours” in the December issue of Entertainment News Northwest.

LAURAL RINGLER's thoughts on planning family travel were published as "Kayaking? Backpacking? Bicycle Touring? An Active Family Thinks Ahead to Summer" in the Winter issue of Adventures NW Magazine.

SUSAN W. CLARK turned her interviews with Portland Community Gardens staff into "Children Gardening" for the December Touch the Soil, and "How Do Gardeners Grow?" for In Good Tilth's December issue.

LORI RUSSELL’S feature story, “Bicycle Santa,” about an octogenarian who has refurbished more than 500 bikes for needy children, will appear in the December issue of Ruralite magazine.

Places To Meet and Greet Industry Insiders

By Kelly Huffman

The setting is the tranquil seaside campus of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, where accomplished authors like Dennis Lehane (author of Mystic River) gather with professors, poets and even an HBO writer for eight days of workshops, readings and the occasional cocktail party. The roster of presenters includes NEA and Guggenheim recipients, along with rising young literary stars. There’s enough talent here to help propel your writing to the stratosphere—provided you’re accepted to the program.

Spend eight delicious days writing and practicing yoga in the Sumaya Retreat Center in the Santa Cruz Pueblo on the shores of Lake Aitlan in Guatemala. Writers and yoga practitioners of all ability levels are welcome at this supportive retreat, where handmade chairs and hammocks set the pace for the world-weary writer.

Kelly Huffman is a freelance writer based in Seattle. She contributes reviews and arts news to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the website Theatermania.com, and writes for the local lifestyle publication Destination Issaquah.

Did you know that most of Writers On The Rise columnists are speakers on a variety of topics?

Take a peek at their outstanding Bios. I think you will agree that Writers On The Rise has a pretty darn impressive line-up of contributing writers. Feel free to contact any of our columnists via their personal Web sites.

Christina also hopes to meet you in-person at a 2007 writers conference! If you would like her to propose a topic for your event, visit www.christinakatz.com.

True Notebooks, By Mark Salzman

Reviewed By Cathy Belben

“Man, some of the stuff I wrote, if you read it, you’d think I was some kind of ax murderer,” Carlos says.

“You are a murderer,” his classmate says.

“Not an ax murderer,” Carlos retorts.

In True Notebooks, Mark Salzman chronicles his first year teaching a writing class at a prison for L.A.’s most violent young offenders. Despite their backgrounds—most are incarcerated for murder—we rarely see their criminal sides. Instead, we get to know them as writers through their stories about their families, loneliness, fears, and hopes.

Salzman had originally volunteered to teach the class to get ideas for a character in a novel he was writing, but he became attached to them and the idea that through writing, they could find a voice and gain the strength and self-confidence that gang life and violence never offered. He coaches them and supports them as they learn to use words to gain the power and self-confidence they’d once sought on the streets.

Readers will get an intimate look at Salzman’s efforts, as well as the inmates’ struggles to deal with their pasts, their incarceration, and the likelihood that most will spend decades behind bars. And while we know that they are violent and we see them behave like “clowns” (Salzman’s word) at times, they are also likeable and funny, and humanized through Salzman’s storytelling.

True Notebooks will move you and affirm your belief in writing and its power as you watch Mark Salzman nudge this group of young men away from the ugliness of criminal life and into the joy and affirmation that writing can provide.

Cathy Belben lives in Bellingham, Washington, where she earned early fame for her award-winning fourth grade essay, “What the flag means to me” and later wrote bad rhyming poetry for the Whatcom Middle School Warrior Express. She recently survived a year in Hollywood writing for the show Veronica Mars. She’s returned to her normal life as a high school teacher and librarian, a triathlete, a weightlifter, a yogi, a dog’s mom, a cat’s slave, an artist, a napper, a nanny and an auntie. She’s thankful every day for everything.

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Sustainable Office

Green Business Gifting

By Susan W. Clark

As the year ends many of us think of gifts, and what would be better than just the right gift to your favorite editors, agent, or support staff? Here are two ways to express your commitment to earth-friendly values and have your gift-giving money do double duty.

1. Give the gift of life

Imagine helping a hungry family by giving a cow or a milk goat. As an alternative to giving calendars and pen sets, Heifer International (HI) has been helping people give truly meaningful gifts to those struggling to survive.

Through HI you can buy an animal or a share of one. See their catalog (www.heifer.org) for milk and fiber animal options. A needy person or family receives the animal, and you send that special editor or writer a card, indicating what animal was sent where and by whom. This is win-win-win. You’re truly helping to sustain lives, showing your concern for others, and giving your business contact a chance to participate in the good feelings.

2. Support local commerce

Another option is to buy local and/or hand made gifts which helps keep your money active in your community. For every $100 spent in local businesses, $45 stays in your community while less than $15 does so if you buy from a chain store or out-of-state owned business. Outdoor craft markets, small shops, and holiday bazaars are places to start; once your antennae are active, you’ll find lots more.

These gifts will be unusual, perhaps expressing the flavor of your state or region. If you give a consumable – like maple syrup if you are lucky enough to live near its source – is a special treat and doesn’t add to the clutter of someone’s life. Keep in mind that a sustainable business supports living well without over-consuming.

Green Stars for Your Accomplishments

Give yourself at least a mental pat on the back for all the steps you’ve taken toward working more sustainably this year. Maybe a gold star or two. To make it even easier to make more progress, create a list for yourself of what you might do next year, so green actions become easier and more convenient.

If you’re a paper person, create a list of places you need to call or go to for recycling paper and old equipment, buying recycled products, calculating carbon credits, or buying shade grown organic coffee. The list might include a first Saturday of the month clearing your office of accumulated recyclables. You could add a goal for 2007 like having a day a week designated “no car day.”

If you prefer the computer, create an electronic folder with the same information, plus websites you use to locate printer and copier cartridge refill services, or to find locally owned businesses rather than chain stores for your business buying.

As you become more skilled at operating a sustainable office, watch for ways to write about it. To help you blend sustainability and your writing career, watch for a new 2007 column featuring “green” publications you can write for in the 2007 issues of Writers on the Rise.

Susan W. Clark is a freelance writer and photographer. Her work regularly appears in publications such as Capital Press, In Good Tilth, Permaculture Activist, the Canby Herald, and Small Farmer’s Journal. She was recently recognized as Author of the Year by the editor of In Good Tilth. She co-founded Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust (OSALT) and is editor of the quarterly journal SALT of the Earth. She lives with her husband near Canby, Oregon.

Polish Your Prose: When All Else Fails: Delete!

As writers, we fall recklessly in love with our words—even if our latest pet is long-winded, mixes metaphors, or wanders off topic. But here’s where the love affair goes bad: when we turn a blind eye, justify, lie, until finally forced to admit something is just not working.

Sometimes the best antidote to a stubborn passage, no matter how beloved, is deletion. If you can shorten a sentence or paragraph without sacrificing clarity, you've made the right choice. And who knows, maybe it’s just bad timing. Save those much-adored words and perhaps, a few years down the road, in some other article or essay, the two of you could have a real future.

Example: My Aunt Olga’s stewpot was a master of disguises, containing one day a mouth-puckering beet and sorrel borscht—shockingly fuchsia and bobbing suggestively with a chorus line of buxom hard-boiled eggs in that land of proper white curtains and stern black stockings—and the next day a chewy, thin-brothed barley krupnik decorated modestly with carrot.

Revision: My Aunt Olga’s stewpot was a master of disguises, containing one day a mouth-puckering beet and sorrel borscht—shockingly fuchsia in that land of proper white curtains and stern black stockings—and the next day a chewy, thin-brothed barley krupnik decorated modestly with carrot.

Elizabeth Short is a freelance writer, editor, and graphic designer with a passion for helping small businesses clarify and broadcast unique marketing messages (www.write-design.biz). Her freelance articles have appeared in numerous publications including Family Business, Pacific Yachting and The Bellingham Weekly. Elizabeth divides her time between Bellingham, Washington and southeast Alaska where she and her husband commercial fish on their salmon troller, Bertha R.

Pick a word. That’s right, any word. Blue. Buffalo. Bungle. (No, it doesn’t have to start with b.)

Let a whole bunch of words float through your brain. Don’t grab the first one you hear. Try a few out. Take them for a test run. Remember, this isn’t an exam. There isn’t a RIGHT word waiting for you to come along and scoop it up. There’s just a really lively word for you in this particular moment.

Now that you’ve chosen your word, play with it. Say it out loud. Say it with gusto. Whisper it to your cat. Sing it in a contralto voice. Play the drums on your desk and chant your word. Say your word backwards.

Now play with all the possible ways you could use this word in a piece of writing. In my case: People bellow. Animals bellow. Bellow rhymes with yellow and fellow. Bellow makes me think about fathers and sons, and for some reason, the color orange. It also reminds me of the time I saw a cow with its head stuck in a barbed wire fence. I could hear the poor cow bellowing nearly a mile away. Bellow also makes me think about an article I’ve been meaning to pitch: when teachers bellow at students in a classroom and the effects this has on learning. This thought leads me back to 7th grade math class when Mr. S used to do a heck of a lot of bellowing at Bill Z. and John W., two hardheaded football players in our class.

So you see? Your word will lead you to all kinds of interesting places. And once that word is thrashing around in your brain, telling you a story, pick up your pen and start writing. Don’t stop for at least fifteen minutes. Once you’re done, read back what you wrote. Chances are there’s a nugget of story you can quickly develop into a an article, a personal essay, a poem, or hey, maybe even a novel.

Kristin O’Keeffe (formerly Kristin Bair) is a writer living in Shanghai, China. Her work has appeared in The Gettysburg Review, The Larcom Review, Permafrost, Hair Trigger, The ELL Outlook and PortFolio magazine. In recent years, she has taught at Columbia College Chicago, Boston College, University of New Hampshire, Endicott College, and Montserrat College of Art. Recently, she launched a new website and blog to chronicle her experiences in Shanghai. Visit http://web.mac.com/kristinokeeffe.

What I like best about the New Year is that it inspires a time for reflecting on the past year and setting intentions for the next. This holiday season, I am developing a new ritual specifically for my writing career. It looks like this:

Write a list of all of my writing and publishing accomplishments in 2006 – every single thing I can think of. Even something as small as “made a list of publications to research,” or “reorganized my office so it’s easy to find and file my queries.” We all know that without taking those first little steps toward our goals, the big leaps could never happen. So why not give ourselves credit for ‘em?

For each accomplishment, list the people who helped me get there. Pam made it possible for me to take a month-long writing retreat without missing a beat with my clients. Terry invited me to become a monthly columnist for his magazine. Christina insisted that I pitch my book at the writing conference, which got me in the door with my favorite publisher. These amazing people have all helped me take my writing and my self-confidence to the next level! Who has helped you?

Express my gratitude. It takes a village to raise a writing career! I intend to tell everyone who has inspired, assisted, taught and published me this year exactly what I appreciate about them, and how fortunate I feel to have them in my life.

Write myself a thank you note. It’s always so much easier to appreciate the people around us than to appreciate ourselves, isn’t it? This is why I’m going to make a point to sit down and officially commemorate ––– so I don’t risk forgetting –– everything I did right this year. Oh heck, I’ll even appreciate the things I did terribly this year; then keep on doing ‘em until I get it right!

Celebrate. By doing something special—maybe a massage at a spa––to celebrate my successes in 2006, I’m likely to stay motivated to sustain my momentum in 2007. Please consider this your official invitation to do whatever pleases you most to commemorate all that you worked so hard for this year.

Write a list of writing and publication goals for 2007. With so much appreciation and celebrating under my belt, I know I’ll be all fired up to greet the New Year with gusto. I’m going to dream big, set some goals that seem realistic, and others that seem wildly improbable. I will write it all down, post it on my bulletin board above my desk, and then share my aspirations with someone who will hold me accountable to them! What will you do to keep yourself on track in 2007?

My hope for you, dear reader, is that you take some time to appreciate your hard work in 2006 and find creative ways inspire yourself to new heights in 2007. Let’s make this a year to remember!

Sage Cohen is assistant editor of Writers on the Rise. As founder of Sage Communications (www.sagecohen.com), she has been writing and editing corporate marketing communications for a decade. Sage also serves as editor of T Ching (www.tching.com), the premiere online tea community, and writes a monthly column for Black Lamb. Her poetry, essays and fiction have been published in journals including Poetry Flash, Oregon Literary Review, www.blueoregon.com and San Francisco Reader. Sage recently won first prize in the Ghost Road poetry contest. Visit her online at: www.sagesaidso.com.

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Inspiration, Insight and Ideas For Emerging Writers
Volume Three, Issue Eleven -- December 2006 (View Columnist Bios)
Subscribe/Unsubscribe and Donation Instructions at bottom of page

Kelly James-Enger’s Ready, Aim, Specialize book (or CD)

The Renegade Writer Books: The Renegade Writer & Query Letters that Rock

Hobby Writer or Career Writer...One Year Later

Places To Meet and Greet Industry Insiders

By Kelly Huffman

True Notebooks, By Mark Salzman

Reviewed By Cathy Belben

Polish Your Prose: When All Else Fails: Delete!

Inspiration, Insight and Ideas For Emerging Writers Volume Three, Issue Eleven -- December 2006 (View Columnist Bios) Subscribe/Unsubscribe and Donation Instructions at bottom of page

Kelly James-Enger’s Ready, Aim, Specialize book (or CD)

The Renegade Writer Books: The Renegade Writer & Query Letters that Rock

Hobby Writer or Career Writer...One Year Later

Places To Meet and Greet Industry Insiders

By Kelly Huffman

True Notebooks, By Mark Salzman

Reviewed By Cathy Belben

Polish Your Prose: When All Else Fails: Delete!

Inspiration, Insight and Ideas For Emerging Writers
Volume Three, Issue Eleven -- December 2006 (View Columnist Bios)
Subscribe/Unsubscribe and Donation Instructions at bottom of page