Nature Writing – A Call From Home By Jena Ball

Nature Writing – A Call From Home By Jena Ball

Nature has been calling to writers for centuries, first as a compelling mystery with spiritual overtones, and later as the subject of scientific investigation and study. But nature writing as we know it today – that is a body of literature that incorporates both factual data and an author’s personal responses to and reflections on the natural world – is a relatively recent phenomenon. The reason is simple. Until human beings made the conscious choice to set themselves apart, to create whole communities in which they sought to control everything about their environment, from the kinds and numbers of plants and animals to the temperature of the air, there was no sense of separation; no need to be reminded that we are not masters of our world, but just one of the many interconnected and interdependent filaments in an immensely complex web of life.

Literary Journals – Non-Paying Markets?

What’s your take on the literary journal market? In my research, most legitimate literary magazines and journals — may of them nationally and internationally acclaimed — are strapped for cash. Many of them only pay in contributor copies. But a lot of fiction writers — even novelists who have managed to get published with a traditional publisher — have contributed to them as a way to get their fiction out and to build a writing resume. When you say that editors should always pay, do you consider free contributor copies to be payment?

A Break Can Revitalize Your Writing Career By Beth B. Hering

I have heard the advice time and time again that a successful writer must work on her craft each day. With the hope that I might be able to eek out a bit of a living in this profession, I dutifully followed this mantra when I began my freelancing career. At first, it was easy. I had years’ worth of story ideas floating in my head and was eager to finally get them onto paper. A few early acceptances added fuel to my fire, and I couldn’t wait to face the computer screen each morning.

Whispers and Warnings For September 22nd

This Week:

Whooping Cough on the Rise

In case you haven’t heard, Pertussis (Whooping Cough) is making a comeback. The vaccine does not protect children forever and apparently there’s no booster shot for adults. We first heard about the increase in cases when we were traveling through Illinois this summer. Last week, a friend of mine in Batavia, Ohio found out her daughter has it. And, this weekend, we learned that all our children may have been exposed to it last weekend at Max’s birthday party. We’ll find out in a couple of days and will then know what to do.
I wasn’t too concerned about Max because his shots are relatively new and he’s probably more resistant to it than the rest of us. But, four hours after we received the phone call about the possible exposure, Max came down with a 101 temperature. I was pretty nervous, until I remembered that his friend, Sammy, had a cold last week when he’d spent a lot of time with Max. Max got very cranky and said, “I need some wuv.” He fell asleep in my arms and took a long nap, sleeping right through dinner. When he got up, he smiled, grabbed his trains, and took off for his bedroom. He’s cured!!! Those short-lived fevers in babies are always a mystery to me.
We’re keeping a tight rein on the kids until we know for sure if they’ve been exposed. If you haven’t heard about the outbreak, you might want to click below. Whooping cough it torture for children and adults and can be fatal in infants.
For the latest news on current outbreaks, search for “whooping cough” here: https://news.google.com/
Hugs to all!
Angela

When Writers are Jerks

When Writers are Jerks

I was pretty disturbed to receive the following email last week…

How to Successfully Query Your Sitcom Spec Scripts Over the Phone By Brad Manzo

How to Successfully Query Your Sitcom Spec Scripts Over the Phone By Brad Manzo

Breaking into sitcom writing is a daunting task. As Mort Scharfman, the Director of Development at Epigram Studios and former staff writer for shows such as All in the Family and Too Close for Comfort put it, “The only key to the Hollywood door is three things: submit, submit, submit.” However, submitting isn’t as easy as it sounds. Before you can submit a spec script to an agent, you must get permission from the agency. Agents almost never read unsolicited submissions.

When Writers Get Hate Mail

How do you develop the thick skin? I recently wrote an article for my site, it was actually for the chit chat or ramblings part where I change the content every week.
At any rate, I wrote about my experience at a restaurant. Today, I received such a pretty harsh lashing from a reader.