After spending so much time sifting through and then discarding or packing all our belongings during the move, I told the kids we are going to stop buying them so much “stuff.” I’d prefer to spend our money on memories (like day-trips, fishing, snorkeling – that sort of thing) than on material objects they’re just going to throw away in a few months anyway.
So, for Frank’s 19th birthday, I sent him the link to a website showing hundreds of fun things to do in Florida…
Last month, we received a manuscript with a book title that featured odd punctuation and characters in the middle of words in the title. Last week, another author submitted a book with three of the four words in the title purposely misspelled (all the s’s had been changed to z’s).
Some authors think they’re being clever in this regard, or perhaps they think this will make their book title more memorable and that these things will increase sales. However, the opposite usually occurs…
Angela,
I loved your story about how you folks handled Frank and Ali in high school. It reminds me of something I read a while back about research on kids who went to magnet schools for music and how they fared in the real world afterward. There were only two factors deemed to be significant in the difference between those who were successful and those who were less so. Not talent as such, but (a) the involvement of parents in their education and (b) number of hours practiced.
As folks say here in Australia, ‘Good on you’.
— Bob
Advertorials provide information about products or services but are written in the style of an objective magazine or newspaper article. Advertorials provide readers with descriptions of new products and technology, overviews of new developments in a certain industry or assessments of the impact of government programs and new regulations on their business. These can be just as journalistic as any other article…
I’ve just been reading about ezines at WW. I have a website and write a free monthly newsletter where I can promote my writings. It’s like an ezine in that I do offer info and article extracts but I only have 600 subscribers. You make a good point about blogs being different but how do I let people know about my newsletter?
There are two things that have thus far dominated my life. Rock music and writing. I thought long and hard about how to combine my twin obsessions and make them profitable, and the obvious answer was to be a music journalist…
Frank, who turns 19 next week, is enrolled in a Florida college now, and is scheduled to attend his orientation next week. He is very excited and so are we!
The industry is abuzz this week over a class-action lawsuit filed against Apple and six of the big publishing houses alleging ebook price fixing. Amazon is mentioned several times in the press release, which states, “The complaint claims that the five publishing houses forced Amazon to abandon its discount pricing and adhere to a new agency model, in which publishers set prices.” Amazon is not listed as one of the plaintiffs (two ebook buyers are) but it’s difficult to imagine Amazon is not somehow involved because the name Amazon is mentioned eight times in the press release…
Hi Angela,
I hope you’re well. I have been meaning to write for some time to thank you for the wonderful work you’re doing with WritersWeekly. I have been a subscriber since around 2006, when I was really only submitting the odd article here and there. Since then – and largely thanks to WritersWeekly – I have so much paid writing work that it’s sometimes hard to find the time to fit everything in. I am a staff writer on a few publications and regular contributor on others, and I have written for publications and companies all over the world. On top of this, I have written three feature film screenplays over the last couple of years, one of which is currently in pre-production while the others are almost on final draft.
I want to thank you for WritersWeekly because it has helped in so many ways. From highlighting potential clients in your market section to offering expert advice through the articles and forums, I have taken so much from the site and will continue to do so throughout my writing career. Please keep up the great work.
Sending you warmest greetings from Ireland.
John
Like many freelance journalists, I began my working life trapped in an office job I detested. The gray cubicle walls that surrounded me for eight hours a day Monday through Friday were not only claustrophobia-inducing but creativity-squelching.
I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but had no idea where to begin. My cubicle days became numbered when I came across a course in magazine writing offered by George Brown College in Toronto…