Weekend Writers Cafe - Open Friday to Sunday Every Weekend
Welcome to this weekend’s Writers Cafe. How has your writing week been? Share your marvellous mini milestones or super successes. Any projects you’d like to toss around, questions you have or help you need? Or just kick back and shoot the breeze about anything writing or blogging related.
At last week’s Writers Cafe, there was a wealth of information shared on podcasting in the comments thread. Has anyone been adventurous with podcasting or try anything else new this week? Have you read Amy’s guest post for us about Talking For Free With Skype? This was a direct result of a previous Writers Cafe. Ain’t networking grand?
Invitation To Bring A Link To The Writers Cafe
You are welcome to leave a useful link for writers along with your comment. It can be from your own site or from another one (no afffilate links please). Subscribe to comments, so you can jump back in to the conversation anytime you like over the weekend.
Writers Cafe Menu
We have coffee from 10 countries, fresh fruit juices, English tea, decadent desserts and feather light sponge cakes (including gluten free), with strawberries and cream. A regular Writers Cafe visitor, Princess, from CooknTchrMom, has baked some emapanadas (mini meat pies). Yum! Thanks Princess.
Networking at the Writers Cafe
At last week’s Writers Cafe we shared progress, talked about podcasting, jobs were discussed and offered and interviewees sought. Let’s keep the buzz going!
Let’s network. Let’s help each other. If you have questions about other people’s projects, have joint projects to propose, need writers or bloggers, have group writing projects on the boil, need input for an article, or have things you’d like to know the answers for, I’d love to see the Writers Cafe being used for that sort of thing. Any other suggestions welcome.
Spread the Word About the Weekend Writers Cafe
If you like the idea of the Writers & Bloggers Cafe, you may like to Stumble this post on StumbleUpon or let others know. The more writers here to share ideas, the more we can help each other. A special thanks to Denise, Princess and Lillie who blogged about the Writers Cafe buzz.
Thanks to all who joined in the fun and visited the Writers Cafe last week
Sharon, Joanna, Suzanne, Laura, Lisa, Genesis, Lillie, Birney, Mary Emma, Denise and Princess.
Thanks for this opportunity, Yvonne. I’d like to ask for some feedback.
I got the first draft of the cover for my novel yesterday. The publisher has asked for my input - as you can tell, I’ve got a great publisher! You can see the cover at http://www.lillieammann.com/AMMANN_dream.pdf I have a couple of things I’ve already asked to have changed, but I’d like to get other opinions. So if you have a spare minute and the inclination, please take a look and tell me what you think.
Hey Lillie - Thanks for opening the doors at the Writers Cafe this weekend. You’re bright and early. I hope you gets lots of feedback here about your book cover. How exciting to be this close to publication. I’ll take a closer look at the cover, and be back to comment.
Hi everyone
What’s new this week? Just want to drop a couple of links from this week. One’s a post on freelance writing scams from a blog I discovered last week - http://www.jcme.ca/jcmefreelancewriting/three-scams-freelancers-face-and-how-to-avoid-them - and the other’s one of my own on building buzz for your website or blog - http://getpaidtowriteonline.com/how-to-build-your-own-buzz/. It’s a digest of everything I’ve learned in the last 18 months. I’ll be back ….
Wow, the week went awfully fast, I feel like I was just here yesterday!
Update on the payment for my articles: The company turned out to be a scam or at the very least, a super unreliable company.
No payment. I´m trying to sell the articles elsewhere now.
@Lillie, just took a look at the book cover, how exciting for you! I have to say that I don´t really like the font of the title, but apart from that, it looks pretty good to me. I especially like the spine.
Can’t say I like the title font, either, Lillie, but the rest of it looks good.
@Genesis: how disappointing that it turned out to be a scam. Have you tried checking them out with Whispers and Warnings - I got very good results recovering some money by using that site.
Sharon - Great advice all round. Scams are scary so the more we can spread the word and save someone else the grief, the better. Good job on your “Buzz” roundup.
Did you get any takers for the gigs you wanted writers for which you shared here at last week’s Writers Cafe? I’ll save some cake for you for when you come back.
Genesis - It’s super hard to detect a lot of scams. The link Sharon left about scams is worth reading.
Sharon - Whispers & Warnings is a wonderful resource - great that you had success there.
I wrote these posts which may be of interest to anyone wanting to avoid writing scams - Writers Scams and Hoaxes and Scammers Get Personal - A New Low: Associated Content Writers Beware.
No takers for the finance writers, Yvonne, though I’ve had a couple of general approaches. I actually split my writing between the US and UK markets; it just so happens that at the moment there’s a lot of demand for UK finance.
Thanks for the links to the scam posts.
I haven´t looked at Whispers and Warnings, but I found out about them on Writer Beware. There was also a comment section on Deborah Ng´s blog. Now, if I had thought to check them out beforehand . . .
Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for the scam posts.
@Sharon, sorry I can´t help you with the finance writing. I just don´t know anything about that area. Good luck though!
Sharon - Sounds like you have a thriving writing business. Great to hear.
Lillie - Visually, I love the spine of your cover and the calligraphy type swirls.
You’ve changed the “Dream or Destiny” font since I first looked at it. As an ex bookseller, I can tell you that the cover and spine font needs to be able to be taken in in a split second, as people just scan the shelves. This font has more depth than the earlier one and is more interesting, but it’s not very easy to read at a glance - maybe if some of the additional detail was removed?
I’m intrigued - Is the girl dreaming, or is she the victim… or is this part of the mystery?
You asked about the picture, but not sure if it is a cultural nuance (I’m in Australia), but I couldn’t quite understand this part of your cover blurb
“… and his gun in the caliber of the murder weapon is missing.”
Hey, off topic question . . . has anyone here hosted a blog contest? How did you go about it? Do you think a contest or a Group Writing Project is better to bring in new readers?
Genesis - Laura from Writing Thoughts - http://www.writingthoughts.com - and I co-hosted The Shared Answers Group Writing Project. We had a prize of a $30 Amazon gift voucher which was definitely a drawcard and created an extra element of fun. We had great entries, but not a huge response, even though many of our regular visitors helped us promote it.
I’d love to hear ideas for getting the word out, and what would entice you to enter a group writing project or blogging contest? Or just share your experience with either running or submitting to group writing projects.
I haven’t hosted a straight blog contest, but there are sites where you can list blog contests, so they are obviously popular. Anyone with experience in this area as a participant or organizer? Any tips?
Genesis - Be sure to let us know here when you decide, as I’m sure we can help you spread the word.
Thanks, Yvonne — make mine a double chocolate gateau.
Has anyone tried Blogrush this week? Has it brought you any traffic? I am getting a trickle, but nothing much yet.
Sharon - One double chocolate gateau coming up…
Laura has tried Blogrush and posted about it - http://www.writingthoughts.com/?p=239. She may pop in later. I haven’t tried it. I’ll be interested to hear how it goes.
I know it’s all about traffic, but I have to say the widget is not very aesthetically pleasing. I guess the idea is it should stand out, but it looks very heavy and clunky to me, compared to the same style of concept from The Good Blogs and others. Still, if it works… Has anyone else tried it or have an opinion on it?
Lillie - I note the font has changed back to the original one. Not sure about the TI being in caps, unless it is linked to the story or means something in itself. This font is a much “cleaner” look, though. What are your own thoughts… or what is the look you are hoping for?
Hi everyone - TGIF again! I have some exciting news! My book, “The Stay-at Home Mom’s Guide to Successful eBay Selling” (AMAZON http://tinyurl.com/3ao579) has led to something great! Today, I am participating in a teleseminar by Home Based Working Moms. They found my book on Amazon and then contacted me to be a part of this seminar. It will broadcast on 3 websites, each has 10,000 visitors a month. WOW! Here is the quick and dirty if you want to join the broadcast by chat - you can text questions into the show.
The 60-Minute MBA” (Moms’ Business Advisor) continues today (Friday) at 1pm (EST) with Suzanne Wells, author of “The Stay-at Home Mom’s Guide to Successful eBay Selling.” If you have ever thought of profiting from the eBay experience, join eBay PowerSeller Suzanne Wells as she shares some of the secrets of her success.
CLICK BELOW (or cut and paste into your browser) and BOOKMARK the page. Then return there a little before 1 pm (EASTERN TIME) for phone instructions or to access the broadcast FREE online.
http://www.audio-image-makers.com/mba2.html
I wrote this book almost 2 years ago and proactive marketing and networking is finally kicking in. Patience is the key. The show will be archived to listen to later if you can’t make it live. Hope you will join us!
Suzanne
Suzanne - Woo hoo! Congratulations. Great to hear it will be archived. I’ll be sure to drop by and listen. Thanks for letting us know.
@Yvonne - You gals will be the first ones to know once I have figured out what I´m doing.
I think I will probably do a straight up blog contest at the moment, because there are so many blog contest blogs. 
It is probably easier to do. I have yet to see a blog on Group Writing Projects . . . perhaps there´s a niche there for someone? I actually followed your project, but never entered.
My biggest problem for prizes is that I live in Guatemala, so shipping is a pain from here and I don´t have a credit card, so it has to be something I can buy with PayPal. Still looking . . . maybe a book from Barnes and Noble?
@Sharon - I have BlogRush on my main blog. Not sure what my stats are, since their stat page is down, but last time I looked, I had about 1,500 impressions and according to my blog stats (AW) I have had three clickthroughs from them. A lot of people are saying that you need to have a great, short titles for your posts to grab people´s attention. Problogger had a post on how to improve your clickthroughs with BlogRush here: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/09/17/tips-for-using-blogrush-to-generate-traffic-for-your-blog/
Caroline Middlebrook also has some tips (scroll down): http://www.caroline-middlebrook.com/blog/why-john-chow-will-be-on-every-internet-marketing-blog-on-the-planet-within-a-week
@ Lillie - I´m wondering if you might be interested in doing an interview on my blog to help promote your book once it´s out. What do you think?
Thanks, Genesis. I think it’s a good tip, although sometimes you need more than a couple of words to let people know what’s in the post. I hadn’t seen the Caroline Middlebrook post, so I’ll check it out.
Hi everyone,
Just popping in. Congrats to Lillie and Suzanne - both projects sound exciting!
I had a low-energy week and am feeling guilty for not accomplishing more. But, a blog post is taking shape in my mind now, so I’ll go write that. I’ll be back; please save my seat.
Hi everybody!
I’m late to the party today.
Genesis, I posted two different posts on BlogRush on WritingThoughts. At first I was skeptical because the click-throughs are so low. However, I’m noticing that some of the BlogRush readers are becoming community members. I’m going to give it a little longer.
For giving things away, Amazon is great. I think they do require a credit card, but maybe they will take PayPal. What I like is that they take care of shipping.
I’ll be making an announcement late next week about a contest for a giveaway (for U.S. residents) on OpinionMom. Stay tuned!
@Laura - That´s great that the BlogRushers are sticking around!
As for Amazon, they don´t take PayPal. Too bad, because it is the perfect prize, really.
Ok, I´m heading to bed soon. I´ve been up since 3 am . . . but I thought I´d stop by here for some strawberries and cream first.
Whew, that feels better writing a blog post - http://www.doitmyselfblog.com/2007/accessible-transportation-needs-to-include-personal-mobility/. Does anyone else feel a sense of release once have written something?
This discussion on BlogRush is interesting. I have head about it and wondered if it would work on my blog, but haven’t had time to explore it yet.
Genesis - If you become an Affiliate with Amazon, you can request payment as a gift voucher and that can be sent anywhere by email. This may be one way around it. A lot of people also like to win iTunes gift vouchers. Another option is to see if you can get a company that fits in with your blog topic, in return for an ad on your site for a given length of time and/or publicity.
All these options allow for anyone in the world to enter.
Laura - Good luck with your Blog Contest.
Glenda - If you have an idea that’s percolating and it all comes together, it’s great to get it written. That also applies to the posts that are sometimes a bit harder to write.
Hi everyone! I found this humble little joint at the end of last weekend, so this weekend I hope to hang out a little more. I offer my congrats on all the excitement everyone is creating. How cool! I am just barely beginning my own freelance writing business- only days old and it is actually still my kitchen, but you gotta start somewhere sometime, right? I have starated a little blog, but don’t have much focus yet. Have to get that decision made. I had my first actual work related phone call today in response to an email I sent out on an ad for a content wrtier. Shook me up so much I probably sounded like a complete idiot! Oh well, practice, practice, practice! I am looking forward to the idea of some networking here and just making some connections in a place where I can say “yeah, I’m a writer!” without anyone looking at me funny!
Now, where’s that coffee and there must be something chocolate!!
Hi, everyone - I’m back. Can I get something chocolately with whipped cream on top? Glenda, yes - I feel a sense of release after I write. Some call it a brain dump. I get all these ideas circulating in my head, as if I need to explain something to someone, and once I write it I feel so much lighter and I can think again!
Regarding blogrush - I signed up last week and acutally wrote about it on one of my blogs:
http://twomomsinablog.com/momsinbusiness/?p=76
There are a few glitches right now but I am hanging in there to see what happens!
Laura, remind us of your contest! I love to particpate in contests and carnivals.
Oh, the lovely waitress has just brought my latte with extra whipped cream and a delicious white chocolate Macadamia nut cookie - come join me at my table! (I always loved pretend tea parties!)
Blessings - Suzanne
Keltrehai - I’m pleased you came back to join in the fun this weekend. You’d be surprised how many professional freelance writers work from their kitchen table, or a little corner somewhere, so you’re in good company. One of the biggest steps to being a writer if to think of yourself as a professional writer.
You sound like you’re doing all the right things. I’m sure things will get moving for you. Don’t hesitate to ask here if you have any questions? What sort of writing do you want to do? Be sure to keep us posted on progress.
Food wise - There’s always something chocolate at the Weekend Writers Cafe - guaranteed. Here, try these Belgian Chocolates and there’s some chocolate cake over there too.
Suzanne - That latte looks good… think I’ll join you and you can tell me more of your Ebay secrets. I haven’t used Ebaby but I’m fascinated and impressed by what you have achieved. You’re an inspiration.
Brain dump is a term I use too… sums it up beautifully! I just read your article. Are all those “sister blogs” yours? Where do you find the time to write them all?
Laura - Are you going to give us just the teeniest tiniest hint about your blog contest? We can’t wait until next week. Does anyone else have tips or experiences about blog contests?
Yvonne, thanks for the encouraging words. I was telling the woman who has been offering me some direction (and some work!) that I feel kind of like the Velveteen Rabbit from the children’s story!
I am writing some web content, working on SEO articles and investigating copywriting. I have a real heart for some women’s advocacy issues, but haven’t quite figured out how to earn a living with that issue. As I mentioned, the blog needs some direction and I am thinking of going somewhere with women’s issues of recovery, abuse, etc there, but I just don’t know if a blog is the place to try to make an impact in such a serious subject matter.
So, I am new, new, new and will still be discovering what it is I want to be when I grow up! (Oh,yeah, a writer, of course!)
You’ll have to excuse me now, because I found the chocolate!
Keltrehai - I think you can experiment on your blog, and take it in a slightly different direction later, when you see what you want to write about and what resonates with readers. You can even start a whole new blog if one topic takes over. Blogs can definitely cover serious issues. What you are looking for is your niche. That can take some time. The good news is that there’s no rush.
Others at the Writers Cafe may also have some thoughts on this.
He.. he… enjoy the chocolate…
Hey, Yvonne. Your question about “Are all those “sister blogs” yours? Where do you find the time to write them all?”
No, I am a compensated writer on that site. There are many other writers besides me! I promote my “business” ideas there.
keltrehai - were are you promoting your blog?
Hi Suzanne, nice to meet you. How’s that latte? My blog is on Google Blogger (http://teresa-writeabouteverything.blogspot.com/) and I haven’t done much of anything yet in the way of promotion. First, not really sure how/where to go about that and second, I don’t know if I should throw myself out there until I have some solid idea of what I am doing yet. That’s where all of you come in so perfectly– I can learn from you!!!! Yipee!
There’s sure a lot of networking going on here! I’ll try catch up with several threads here and will make a separate comment regarding the feedback on my cover.
Sharon, thanks for the links. Of course, I had read yours as I subscribe to your blog, but the other was new to me.
Genesis, sorry you got scammed. Some scams are easy to identify, but some jobs that seem legitimate turn out bad.
Suzanne, congratulations on the teleseminar. This is an example of persistence being the key to success.
Glenda, I enjoyed your post on personal mobility. It brought back a lot of memories. I recently wrote a post about my first vacation in a wheelchair: http://lillieammann.com/blog/2007/08/09/what-i-learned-from-my-first-vacation-in-a-wheelchair/
keltrehai, Good luck in your new freelance writing venture. You’re in the right place to learn from some of the greatest mentors in the business - some of the best writers and some of the nicest, most helpful people are gathered right here. There are quite a few personal development blogs that deal with issues of recovery - you might check the list of personal development blogs that’s circulating the blogosphere (it’s on my blog if you haven’t seen it elsewhere) to look for some on this topic. I wrote a post about abuse for Bloggers Against Abuse earlier this week and got several comments in response. One writer who has been the victim of domestic violence is considering starting a blog about it. You might be interested in her comment on my post: http://lillieammann.com/blog/2007/09/27/blogging-for-a-great-cause-bloggers-against-abuse/
Thanks to everyone for the helpful information on BlogRush and blog contests/group writing projects.
Suzanne - Great that you have another outlet to promote your business ideas and be paid as well. Now that’s savvy marketing.
Keltrehai - If you find the Writers Cafe useful, feel free to spread the word and blog about it at your site.. the more of us here the merrier
Lillie - I think it’s so exciting that you have some say in the book cover as many writers don’t. It’s a privilege that you’ve asked us for feedback.
I´m back for a minute (I´ll grab one of those Belgium chocolates!) since the baby is awake. Yawn. This place is really hopping, Yvonne! I bet in a few more weeks, with all of us talking you up, you won´t be able to keep up with the comments!
@Keltrehai - Welcome to the writing business. The joy of freelancing online is that you can work out of your kitchen, your bed, the local park, a rooftop in Guam . . . and no one cares!
I personally have my office in a corner of my bedroom and that works just fine. Where does everyone else work? Do you have a proper office or just a little space you´ve cleared somewhere?
Contest update - I actually am an Amazon affiliate, but have never sold a single thing, so giving a gift certificate might be tough. I like the iTunes voucher idea, that´s a good one. Also, I was just contacted by what appears to be a new website somewhat like CafePress called Bravisa. I´m going to check them out and I was thinking of perhaps designing something specifically for my contest . . . we´ll see how that goes. Gotta get my artistic side going for that.
I’m back to talk about my book cover … and I feel like I’m in the twilight zone.
Yvonne said I’d changed the font on the cover since I first uploaded it, but I haven’t changed anything. At first, I thought Yvonne had been sipping something stronger than latte :-), but then I went and looked at the cover. The font I saw on the PDF file online is NOT the font on the original file. The only thing I can figure is that it’s such a weird font browsers aren’t reading it consistently. So to Yvonne it looked it had been changed to something different, then changed back to the original when apparently it was just a difference in how her browser rendered the font.
So I converted the PDF file to a jpg image. The quality isn’t as good, but you should be able to see the right font. If you’d like to take another look, I’ve uploaded it to http://www.lillieammann.com/AMMANN_dream.jpg
Genesis, thanks for your comment. I don’t like the font either (the original or the “changed” one). That’s one of the things I’ve already told the publisher I’d like changed. I like the spine, also, although there’s nothing specific in the book about blood on a door. But there was a lot of blood, and the killer came in and left through the door, so it’s reasonable.
Sharon, I don’t know if you saw the original font or the changed one, but I don’t like either of them.
Yvonne, it sounds like you saw the original font the second time you looked. I describe the original as messy. It’s definitely hard to read.
The girl is the murder victim. The publisher and I had originally wanted the girl dreaming, since the dreamer is the heroine of the story. However, the cover designer is using stock art as the publisher doesn’t want the expense or time of original artwork, and the designer couldn’t come up with a dreaming girl.
Re: “…and his gun in the caliber of the murder weapon is missing.” I don’t know if the sentence is unclear or if the terminology for guns is different in Australia. The victim was killed with a 38 caliber revolver; David’s 38-caliber revolver was missing.
Would this be clearer: “…and his gun in the same caliber as the murder weapon is missing.”? Or do you have another suggestion?
Genesis, I’m planning to do a virtual book tour when the book is out, and I’d love for your blog to be my first stop. Thanks for asking – I’d be delighted to be interviewed on your blog.
In addition to the title font, I don’t like the orange background on the back cover. It makes it too hard for me to read. I realize my eyesight is poor, and not everyone will find it as hard to read, but I always think dark font on light backgrounds is better. I’ve suggested a light yellow background with black text (orange or gold for some words if the designer says it’s better not to have all black). What do you think?
I was just moderating comments and discovered I’d passed a milestone we talked about last week.
“Akismet has caught 25,027 spam for you since you first installed it.”
How can I have 25 THOUSAND spam comments when I have only 15 HUNDRED real comments? And I started my blog on 6-11-06 and didn’t install Akismet until 1-11-07.
Hello everyone
There are so many conversations running here already I don’t think I’ll be able to pick them all up - sorry! But I hope you’re enjoying the tea and cake. (Coming from the UK it’s got to be tea for me)
I’ve had quite a low energy week too so am going to try and do some catching up at the weekend. Did manage to do my second podcast, with many thanks to everyone who gave me encouragement and tips last week
On the writing front I made some progress with the publisher of my only published book - it’s a collection of short walks on the isle of Skye. Came out last year about May time, and was out of print by this February and has been so till now, so we’ve missed the whole walking/visitor/tourist season. The publishers are not good at keeping me in touch with what’s happening or giving me any info or feedback at all and I upped the ante this week asking what the options were for me taking my rights back so I could self-publish instead. Got a very quick response to say the book should be out in a few weeks, all their fault, very sorry, and they also finally sent me a breakdown of sales for the first season - 396 copies sold, which I’m quite proud of. Oh and my first ever cheque for book royalties - it’s not much, but it sure did make me feel good to receive it.
Anyway, I think that’s my main writing news. Here in Edinburgh the weather has turned seriously autumnal. Some lovely cool, bright crisp days, perfect for watching the trees start to change, but other days (like today) where it’s dark, cold and damp… a reminder of the long winter ahead.
I’m off for some comfort-eating cake!
Joanna
@ Lillie - I would have to agree on the dark text on light background thing. It is far easier to read. I think that would be a good change to make to the book cover. Also, the change you suggested to the line on the back of the book seems like it would be easier to understand. IMHO, if there appears to be an error or an awkward sentence on the back of the book, people are less likely to read it. As for the dead vs. dreaming girl, it looks fine with a dead one! Lol
@ Joanna - congrats on selling nearly 400 books!
Good luck on the new edition.
I´m so impressed that there are all these authors here! Writing books is something I´ve always wanted to do, but never actually did, since article writing was more of a sure thing. Well, I did actually write a book, years ago, but it was young adult fiction and although it was finished and edited, I never did anything with it.
Lillie - Re - “…and his gun in the caliber of the murder weapon is missing.” I think it’s the “caliber” that’s throwing me. Could it say something more general like “model” e.g. “…and his gun, the same model as the murder weapon, is missing…” ? We do use “caliber” here, but as it’s a more specific term, I didn’t interpret it the way you explained. Maybe that’s just me.
Joanna - We certainly have a lot of authors on board today - Congratulations on your book sales and second podcast.
Genesis - Hope this weekend’s Writers Cafe has inspired you to dust off that YA manuscript and get it out there.
Yvonne, Yes, I’m very lucky to have a great publisher. I’ve heard so many horror stories of authors who don’t see the cover until the book is ready for publication – and the cover doesn’t match the story. I’m glad I can have some input, and I appreciate all the feedback.
Joanna, Congratulations on your first royalty check and the sale of 400 books!
Genesis, Thanks for the additional feedback on the cover. If you have a completed YA novel, you should submit it and see what happens. The worst that can happen is you get rejected – and all writers get some rejections. If it doesn’t sell, you’re in the same place as you are now. But what if it does sell?
Yvonne,
You and I seem to be commenting at the same time. By the time my response to your comment is up, you’ve posted something else.
If the sentence confuses you, it will probably confuse others. Genesis apparently found it confusing as well.
Actually, the blurb was a note I wrote for the publisher to give to the cover designer - I thought he was just going to use it to create the cover. I didn’t write it as the back cover blurb! The publisher would like to use a quote on the back cover, so the whole blurb may be shortened to make room for the quote. I hope I can get feedback here on the revised back cover blurb, but I’m not sure how the timing will work with the next cafe.
@Yvonne - I actually don´t have my manuscript anymore, I wrote it when I was 17. It was on a diskette (that´s how old it was!) and my laptop back home in Canada. I have no idea what happened to the diskette and my little sister had the laptop, but I have no contact with her, I doubt she is still using it. There were print copies, but again, with my family if they still exist. However, I am definitely inspired to start working on one or two of the book ideas I have going in my head!
@Lillie - A quote would be perfect for the back of the book. That would really round things out. I´m so excited for you!
The tiny hint about my contest — I’ll be giving away two samples of a product that I’ll be reviewing on OpinionMom (sadly, U.S. residents only, due to shipping costs).
Hi, anyone back in the kitchen there? I just thought I’d stop in for a minute and talk— hello?
Well, if anybody stops for a coffee, just let them know that I just landed my third gig since Friday. I feel so lucky! I found a writer who is part mentor/part client/ part employer and things are looking up. She is teaching me some SEO tricks and some copywriting, so I am feeling a little giddy.
OK then. . . . . . I should go. . . . . . . .
Just call me the Velveteen Rabbit, cuz
BABY, I AM REAL!!!
Lillie - I think a short blurb and a quote is good as it’s a good snapshot of what the book is about.
Laura - Shame I can’t enter. Good luck with it.
Keltrehai - Wow! That is great news.. sounds perfect. Congrats. Visiting the Writers Cafe is bringing you good luck
Be sure to share your tips and tricks with us. Are you answering online job ads or how are you finding your gigs?
keltrehai,
Congratulations! You’re on a roll - keep it up.
Just stopped by with a quick “Hi”to everyone at the Cafe. This is becoming a very popular place to hang out, Yvonne. What a great idea. I’m traveling with my husband this weekend on a business trip. We live in NH (USA) and are now in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Autumn is arriving here with the leaves becoming very colorful, as they are back home.
Have fun, everyone.
Mary Emma - I love the fall foliage in the States. Thanks for taking the time to drop into the Writers Cafe even while you’re away on a business trip. Isn’t the internet wonderful?
Hey, all. Thought I´d stop in and see what´s going on. Congrats to keltrehai for finding such a great mentor!
I got a small article assignment yesterday and am doing that today. I also planned on writing the posts for the next week on my blog, but to tell you the truth, I´m feeling kinda lazy today.
Might be a good day to get some laundry done, rewatch some Supernatural dvds and go into town for some shopping . . . so I might not be back here till tonight.
By the way, Yvonne, interesting how this place is so much more active on Friday . . . that´s usually the day I have the least blog readers. Great idea to bring more traffic in.
Genesis - Interesting observation about the most active day. Maybe people are ready to wind down at the end of the week. I’ve kept the Writers Cafe open all weekend, to give people a chance to call in when it suits them. Congrats on the assignment. Also, it’s nice to have a lazy day sometimes to relax, catch up and enjoy.
Hi everyone,
What a crazy day. I have been wanting to get back here all day and thank everyone for the good wishes. I would love to share my secrets, I am just not sure I have any! I think I got really really lucky! Now, I just need to prove that it was well placed! Anyway, I really must go and I hate too… I would love to stay and have one more cup of something wonderful, but I won’t be able to keep getting the gigs I want if I don’t get them finished.
I work full time outside my writing business, so while I get things up and going, there’s a ton of hours to put in. My finances insist that I generate the new income before I back off hours on my outside of the house job.
Can I offer I huge thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome and just plain being wonderful? In fact, what the heck, everyone have a latte and something yummy on me!!!
I’ll be back next weekend, ready to see what everyone has been up to. Have a wonderful week!
Have a great week, everyone. I’ve really enjoyed reading the comments. I think this is going to be a regular weekend stop for me.
Keltrehai - You’re very welcome. As Lillie said, we have a fantastic bunch of writers here. Look forward to seeing you here next wekeend… spread the word.
Sharon - Great to have you as part of our Weekend Writers Cafe and thrilled to hear you’ll be a regular visitor.
Sep 28th, 2007 at 2:23 am
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