Okay I have had enough time to moan and groan and just complain in general. Yeah my article for CC was not taken ..this time and for good reason! I don’t know how to write! I didn’t say I couldn’t write. I write things that make my friends and family say “you really ought to be a writer” all the time. No, when I say I don’t know “how” to write I mean I have either forgotten or never known the rules governing sentence structure. So after having had one article accepted by CC after having it rejected and resubmitting it and the other article rejected now twice….well that just tells me I need to do three things. Number 1. I need to sign up for Haleys’ course, #2. I need to keep working on that darn article until it does get accepted and #3. I just need to keep learning and writing and eventually, maybe, I will be old hat at CC one day. I think it’s all just a part of that old thing called “paying your dues”. All In the course of being a Newbie writer.

I woke up this morning and the first thing I saw was CC had accepted an article on the public request topic I had chosen to write for. I was so disappointed! I worked so hard on that darn article. Not only did I write it once but I also wrote it a second time after the article was “rejected”.

I don’t know what else to call it but rejection, yes it is a learning opportunity but right now as I look at the other writers article it doesn’t feel like an opportunity for anything. I am sitting here stinging. I did not realize that the word count and title are only suggestive and I took them literally. So I wrote 1,450 words on a subject that I know pretty well but even so 1,450 words about anything can be hard to write. The article that was accepted was about 900 or so words and the title was not the title the customer had suggested. I learned from this experience but I am not sure that I want to keep on trying to write for CC.

Which brings me to the reason I wrote this blog to begin with. I like to write and my friends have enjoyed my little “notes” on face book, where I just comment on the human condition and sometimes share short stories. I do not write articles as a rule and now I am wondering just why I ever thought I could do it in the first place.

I am very discouraged this morning and maybe I expect too much too soon. If this blog is a bummer, I am sorry. I just thought sharing the good and the bad about what I learn along the way is a true reflection of the life and times of a Newbie Writer.

One of the most important lessons I have learned as a writer is that I always have room for improvement. I’ve actually been writing for many years now, but I still find I learn great lessons every day when I write. That’s why I love Newbie Writer’s Forum – I can get help and constructive criticism from other writers here.

Previously, we had a blog post about dealing with rejections and that is something that does happen to every professional (and not quite so professional) writer. Instead of calling it a rejection, which has negative connotations, call it a lesson you can learn. This has hope for the future.

When I first graduated with a degree in Communications (print journalism), I thought I knew everything there was to know about writing. How wrong I was! I have continuously been working on honing and polishing my writing skills ever since. I have learned more about writing in the past 18 months than I did in my three years at university.

I’m beginning to realize that when we stop learning, we stop writing. Whatever format you like to write, there is always some way you can improve your writing. You can experiment with new structures and formats, you can learn grammar rules, and you can learn how to bring your characters to life. You can learn to re-structure your writing so that it speaks to a specific audience, you can learn new words and increase your vocabulary, and you can learn the skills of description.

I have a challenge for each of you. We’ve been challenged to write at least 100 words a day, and that’s a good challenge. If 100 words is too little, challenge yourself to write more, but give yourself a reasonable goal that suits your time commitments. My challenge to newbie writers is to find something to learn every month. You may spend a while reviewing a particular grammar rule, such as where to use commas, or you may want to try writing in a new style. You may like to try an online writing course where you receive feedback on your writing.

Whatever method you choose to learn about the craft and skill of writing, you will find that your writing continuously improves over time. I hope I never stop learning!

HayleyWriter

My website www.expandingcreations.com offers online training courses and resources for freelance writers.

Call for Submissions
———————
We are looking for writers to share their marketing tips, spotlight on successful small business owners and the ups and downs of starting a business. We are launching a new website for start up businesses in March. Unsolicited submissions are welcome. Contact Cecilia Wheeler at ceciliaw@wheelerdm.com for specific writer’s guidelines before submitting. This is not paid; however, we offer a byline and short bio of writer or their business following the article.

New US Magazine Seeks Writers
——————————-
New North-American lifestyle publication is looking for writers. Illustrious Magazine, a gentleman’s guide to the finer things in life, is seeking people who have experience in writing articles, and editorials. Chosen candidates would be selected for fashion, business, technology, and entertainment categories.
Please submit resume, examples of your work, along with your area of expertise to: nbryan@illustriousmagazine.com

Nonfiction and Fiction Required
—————————————-
Dragondreamz Publications is currently looking for fiction and non-fiction for inclusion in their first periodical, Full Armor Magazine, which is set to debut in June 2010. It will be published quarterly and includes fantasy, slipstream, and mystery stories with a strong Christian-Judean message; or Christian-Judean symbolism at the core of the story. Think in terms of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Oscar Wilde…etc. They are also considering: Spiritual Poetry (any style; up to 20 lines) and Non-fiction pieces (testimonials, book/film/music reviews and short essays). A token payment is offered: $0.01 per word for stories up to 3,000 words for both fiction and non-fiction. $1.00 per line for poetry. View website for details.

http://www.dragondreamzpublications.info/submissions.html

Restaurant Reviewers Wanted in the UK
————————————–
Itchy is working with the malaysiakitchen.co.uk to promote Malaysian food throughout the UK. They are looking for talented journalists who would be interested in taking part in some restaurant reviews. They are currently looking for writers from the following cities: Surrey / Birmingham / Manchester / Chester / Brighton / Nottingham / Canterbury / Coventry / Norwich / Edinburgh / Glasgow / Stratford Upon Avon / Warwick / Milton Keynes / Peterborough. Please email your interest and CV, stating which city you are based in, to Emma Salt, Editor at: editor@itchyonline.com

New Magazine Seeks Fiction and Nonfiction
——————————————-
Dragondreamz Publications is currently looking for fiction and non-fiction for inclusion in their first periodical, Full Armor Magazine, which is set to debut in June 2010. It will be published quarterly and includes fantasy, slipstream, and mystery stories with a strong Christian-Judean message; or Christian-Judean symbolism at the core of the story. Think in terms of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Oscar Wilde…etc. They are also considering: Spiritual Poetry (any style; up to 20 lines) and Non-fiction pieces (testimonials, book/film/music reviews and short essays). A token payment is offered: $0.01 per word for stories up to 3,000 words for both fiction and non-fiction. $1.00 per line for poetry. View website for details.

http://www.dragondreamzpublications.info/submissions.html

Writers Wanted to Write Tutorials
———————————
Tuts+ welcomes written tutorials on a range of creative niches including Photoshop and Graphics, Vectors and Illustration, Web Development and Design, Motion Graphics, Flash and ActionScript, Computer Graphics, Photography and Audio Production. If you have the skill to write an excellent tutorial for one Tuts+ then they’d like to hear from you. They pay $150 for each tutorial that is accepted, and you’ll have the honor of being published on the best tutorial blog network around! View website: http://tutsplus.com/about/write-a-tutorial/

The Oldie Seeks Submissions
——————————
UK based The Oldie is an antidote to youth culture but, more importantly, a magazine with emphasis on good writing, humour and quality illustration. Well-written articles on any subject are always welcome at The Oldie and they are particularly interested in pieces for our ‘I Once Met’, and ‘rant’ slots. View website for details.

http://www.theoldie.co.uk/detail.php?item_id=162&page_id=30

Personal Experience Essays Wanted
———————————–
Underwired publishes personal essays (800-1200 words) every month and is always looking for new contributors. Essays should somehow relate to the chosen theme for the month and be on topics of interest to women. Underwired buys one-time rights, and payment is $100. http://www.underwiredmagazine.com/submission-guidelines-mainmenu-39.html

Call for Short Stories and Poems – Australian Authors Only
———————————————————
We are a media agency and have just launched our new project “The Story Bag”.

“The Story Bag” will create a new and innovative channel for authors in Australia to reach the public. We produce different kinds of bags and cups that have a piece of literature – a short story, a poem or a short saying – on one side of the bag and a content rich, engaging advertisement on the other.

The bags are distributed by cafés, wine stores and retail outlets.

All published work of authors will be paid.

http://www.storybag.com.au

I am busy! I currently have a full time job, a part-time job (my passion of writing), and am setting up a business to allow me to write and train others in writing full time (when I leave my job at the end of the month). Meanwhile, I am desperately trying to find time to write for my current customers who will be the mainstay of my business when I go full-time as a freelancer in March. I am also trying to spend some time with my husband who is usually going to bed alone, muttering “I’m a computer widow”, while I continue to tap away on the keyboard.

Yep, life is extremely busy for me at the moment and that got me thinking about how I manage my time as a freelancer. I can’t just assume all the work is just going to happen (no, I don’t own a magic wand that I can wave and just have the work done in an instant, nor does my godmother have fairy powers, and no matter how often I rub that lamp, no genie has yet appeared), so I have to figure out ways to manage my time and make time for the important things.

I’ve figured out a few tricks that might help you if you have time management issues too.

Make and keep a list of your current tasks. Prioritise each task according to its importance. How you figure out what is important is whole other blog, but it’s up to you. Figure out your priorities. Include things on the list like spending time with the important people in your life (socialising activities), time out for yourself (and exercise), and the work and other (housecleaning) tasks you have to do on a regular basis. Then prioritise your list – for me, housecleaning ALWAYS comes last!

 Don’t plan every minute of the day, but allocate tasks to each day in a kind of daily to do list. Don’t think you can work every single minute – it just won’t happen, so allocate a reasonable amount of work you can achieve in the time you have available that day. If you know you are going out for a lunch (that will take up most of the afternoon as you chat), don’t plan 10 hours of writing on that day. You may find it helpful to allocate tasks at the start of the week for the whole week and then update daily.

Figure out your own body clock and when you are most productive. Plan to get most of your work done at those times. Plan tasks that are less important or less urgent in the times you are less active. For me, I work best in the afternoons (or at least after 10am when my brain has really had time to wake up), so I try to write then. That’s when my creative juices are really flowing. I usually check my emails early in the morning and plan my day, so I can get my brain thinking about the writing I have to do, as a running commentary in the back of my head, while I do the more mundane tasks of administration. Then I work actively from 10am until about 10pm* with a few breaks for lunch, dinner and relaxation. (*at the moment, but hopefully it will be more like 7pm in the near future).

Working when my brain is most active means that I can achieve a lot more writing in the time. When I try to write when I am too tired, I find the words don’t make much sense and I can spend an hour trying to find the right phrase for a sentence. When I am full of energy, the words just flow from my brain to my fingers and onto the page. And yes, I wrote this blog after 10am!

Hope this helps you find time to enter submissions for all those lovely jobs Dawn keeps posting!

 Hayley

http://www.expandingcreations.com

Seeking Fantasy Authors
———————–
JoRi Publications is a new traditional publishing house. Our first publication will be an anthology of fifteen to seventeen short stories in the Fantasy genre. If you would like your Fantasy tale considered for our new publication, read the following guidelines and submit your entry to us by March 1st 2010.

All submissions must be in the Fantasy genre
Stories must not have been previously published
Your story must be 5000 words or less in length
Stories cannot contain erotic content or hard core profanity
All work must be edited prior to submission.
Electronic submissions should be made in *.doc,*.wpd or *.txt format
Hard copy submissions must be typed and double spaced with 1″ margins
Each submission must have a cover page with the title of the story, the author’s name and contact information.
Subsequent pages should only have the page number and title of the story in the header
Stories that fail to meet the above criteria will not be considered for publication.

Mail Submissions to:
JoRi Publications
850 S. Boulder Hwy., Suite 436
Henderson, NV 89015-7564

or submit electronically to: JoRi@joripublications.com

JoRi Publications will pay $25.00 USD for each short story (1 story per author) selected for publication in the anthology.
Authors selected for this collection will have the opportunity to purchase the collection at $10.00* per copy prior to printing and $12.00* after printing. The retail price will range from $17.95 to $19.95 depending on the size of the book. Authors may sell pre-purchased copies at the retail price for additional compensation.
JoRi Publications will place the collection online to generate book sales. A short author-supplied bio will be requested upon acceptance for publication in order to recognize their contribution to the project. JoRi Publications will also handle coordinating distribution to other outlets. accepted

*Plus shipping and handling costs which will vary based on the number of books ordered and destination.

Content Writers Wanted for AOL Seed
————————————
I can’t get much information on how much you’ll get paid, (they’re only hiring US writers so I don’t get to know,) but AOL are setting up their own content site and need writers to provide content for 80+ AOL channels. If you are interested in this type of writing work, and many do find it a useful sideline, then visit: http://www.seed.com/writers/