Writing and Publishing News from

I’ve discovered over the years that writing is more than just a hobby or a craft. In fact, it has become my mode of earning a living, my passion, a way to gain credibility in my field and my favorite promotional outlet. But it is so much more. Writing has brought me some fabulous opportunities.

I’ve discovered that unusual, and often marvelous, things happen when I put myself out there through my writing.

1: I meet interesting people. Both in person and over the Internet, I’ve met many high profile movers and shakers in the world of independent publishing as well as some extremely talented and successful authors. One can never have too many friends and business associates. Personal and professional connections are vital to establishing a successful writing/publishing career.

2: I get some lucrative writing assignments. After writing articles for The Toastmaster Magazine for about six or seven years, they rewarded my loyalty and reliability with a new job offer. For a tidy sum, I rewrote several of their member manuals.

We complain when we find our articles or stories posted on the Internet. But wait, sometimes this can be a good thing. A member of a school district in Arkansas saw my article, “The Rewards of Exercise” on the Internet and contacted me for permission to make 1,000 copies to distribute at an upcoming event. Next, he wanted to know how much I would charge him to do this. I suggested $1,000. He agreed, without hesitation.

Here’s a bit of that article’s history: I had already sold first rights for $300. Later, another organization came along and purchased reprint rights for $350. When I wrote that article, I knew it was a good one, so I am pleased that it has earned $1,650 so far.
See this article posted at my website: http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/rewardsofexercise.htm

3: I receive interesting invitations. Because I was a regular contributor for The Toastmaster Magazine, I’ve been invited to many Toastmasters events as a speaker or a workshop leader. Toastmasters is an international organization. And it was because of my writing history with this magazine that I traveled, all expenses paid, to Dubai—yes, in the Middle East—where I was the first woman ever to present a keynote speech at their annual Toastmasters convention.

4: I attract some fascinating clients. A few years ago, I conducted a publishing workshop for a group of home-schooled students as a SPAWN project. (That’s Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org We actually produced a perfect-bound book of the students’ work—a book that they also designed. The local publicity for this volunteer project landed me two wonderful new clients.

A search for people to interview for an article on learning public speaking when English is your second language, resulted in my meeting a lovely woman living in Florida. She just happened to be finishing up a book and needed some help. She hired me to edit her book.

Writing is not just about writing what you wish at a particular moment in time. It’s not only about developing characters and writing clear instructions. If you aspire to earn a living as a freelance writer or succeed as a published author, keep putting yourself out there in a positive, professional way. Become active in your field or genre. Seek constant exposure in the ways I’ve mentioned above. And you, too, will experience greater success and some marvelous opportunities.

It looks as though my publisher has accepted my most recent book for publication. This is Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More. Watch for my progress reports with this book.

Another note: Some of my friends and colleagues received advertisements from Amazon for my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author. I suppose the publisher paid for this. Have any of you had experience with your books being featured by Amazon.com in an email ad? Did you receive the ad for my book?

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

I discovered something odd about myself—the writer—last week. Don’t laugh. I realized that I need inspiration in order to vacuum or deep clean a bathroom or the kitchen, for example. But I can write just about anytime under any circumstances.

I need a housecleaning muse. I suffer, sometimes, from domestic chore block. And procrastinate? Oh my. Here are some of the excuses I use when I don’t feel like cleaning:

• The cats are asleep and I don’t want to disturb them.
• I only have a window of twenty minutes—not enough time to dust and vacuum, so I’ll do neither.
• I’ll clean the house when I don’t feel like writing. (Yeah right! That never happens.)
• No one is going to stop by, anyway—who will notice if I let it go one more day?
• I’ll do it tomorrow—I’ll probably feel like doing it then.
• It’s not really that dirty.

I remember when I started this writing career many years ago, that some days I would clean instead of write. If I was stumped as to what to write that day, the floors would get washed. If I suffered from a severe case of writers’ block, I’d make new curtains and hang wallpaper, as a way to work through it. I still take a walk to clear the clutter from my mind when I’m working through a writing-related situation. But I wait for inspiration to clear the clutter from this house.

So is there anyone else out there who can relate? Have you turned from super housekeeper to obsessed writer? Do you need a domestic task muse? What is your motivation or inspiration to clean the house or take care of other chores that require leaving your writing room?