If you prefer to read this letter in its not - so - glorious full formatted version ( - : copy and paste this URL into your browser:

http://www.AuthorsDen.com/adstorage/1713/SharingwithWriters_Apr_12_2010.pdf

April 12, 2010
Sharing with Writers
A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs! Associated with the multi award - winning series of HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, www.howtodoitfrugally.com


From the Desks of
Carolyn Howard - Johnson
and Sharing with Writers Subscribers

In the spirit of the advice I give in the Frugal Editor - - that is to use an extra pair of eyes whenever possible - - this newsletter is voluntarily copyedited by Mindy Phillips Lawrence ~ mplcreative1@aol.com ~ www.freewebs.com/mplcreative. I also tell writers to be patient with other writers when they make editing boo - boos. We're all human. This letter comes out weekly (except when I'm traveling or on deadline) and it's long!
~ ~ ~:. ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~:. ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~:. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~:. ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~

Contents
Regular Features
~Note from Carolyn
~Letters - to - the - Editor
~Thank Yous (where you also find leads and great resources!)
~Tips and News Galore! (They're scattered, you'll just have to find them!)
~Opportunities
~On Poetry
~Author Successes
~Mindy Lawrence's Itty Bitty Column, “On Being A Frugalismo: Self Promotion I - - Databasing”
~Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching
~Wordstuff ™
~New Series on Clunky Contructions from Patrika Vaughn
This Issue
~Feature: 10 Ways To Keep Dialogue Sharp

Note: You may have better luck with the URLs in this newsletter if you copy and paste. The reason that I leave them long rather than use hyperlinks is because this letter is available in plain text in your e - mail window as well as by .pdf.
~ ~ ~:. ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~:. ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~:. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~:. ~ ~ ~.: ~ ~ ~

Note from Carolyn


Dear Subscribers:

I’m letting a review do the work of my usual editorial in this spot. I am especially proud of it in view of the note from the reviewer I published in this edition in the Letters to the Editor section, so be sure to see both. Here it is:

The [Great Little Last - Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper - Perfect Copy] is only around fifty pages, but filled with an assemblage of word trippers written in a conversational style that will help writers from aspiring to seasoned with their copy.
The best way to appear amateurish as writers is to make simple word usage errors. There are homophone words that writers should know the difference, and which one of them to use in their copy. Some of the most common errors found in editing by author, and editor, Carolyn Howard - Johnson lists in “Great Little Last - Minute Editing Tips for Writers.”

This reviewer found this pamphlet to be inspirational and a brush up for any writer. Any time a writer submits copy not up to professional standards there is a gatekeeper who will bounce it. Reading this pamphlet can save writers the embarrassment of receiving a rejection slip for poor writing.

“Great Little Last - Minute Editing Tips for Writers” is a postscript to Carolyn’s book, “The Frugal Editor.” No writer is a consummate writer in every sentence and word choice. Writers can only strive for perfection, but not be consumed by it.

This reviewer found this small pamphlet chock full of useful information for all writers. “Great Little Last - Minute Editing Tips for Writers” receives a five star rating by this reviewer.

Reviewer’s Endorsement Disclaimer: All reviews written by this reviewer are personal opinions of the book by this reviewer. The reviews are NOT paid endorsements of the book or the author. They are not advertisements. All reviews are honest, forthright and the opinion of this individual reviewer. This reviewer’s opinions are not for sale. (There is however, a small fee for some reviews, and sometimes this reviewer receives complementary copies from the author.) Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255 (http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Note the reviewer’s disclaimer may have been prompted by some new tax regulations for reviewers, but possibly also by one of my mini rants in this newsletter on how problematic paid reviews can be. If you missed it, e - mail me and I’ll send it to you. Also, you may be interested in his response to that opinion published below in the Letters to the Editor section of this newsletter.

Happy Writing, Promoting and Editing
Carolyn Howard - Johnson

PS: Father’s Day is coming. Why not a real poetry chapbook for the about the same price as a greeting card? It is part of Magdalena Ball’s and my Celebration Series, this one for father’s and men. www.budurl.com/Imagining. Thanks to Kristin Johnson and Kim MacMillon, poets both, for their reviews.

PPS: The twice - a - year AllTips edition of Sharing with Writers is coming. Please tell your writing friends about it. Give them a little nudge to subscribe so they get started with a bang. I’ll sign them up. Just have them put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line of an e - mail and send it to me at hojonews @ AOL.com

PPPS: You won’t be hearing from me until May. Yep, travel time!


===================================================== Two highly recommended e - books for maximizing your Twitter account from Tony Eldridge are written especially for authors:
Twitter E - Book: http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=150314&AdID=482099
Twitter E - Mail Course: http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=150314&AdID=482103 and an interactive e - book on running a Twitter contest: http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=150314&AdID=482099
=====================================================


Letter to the Editor ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hi Carolyn,

RE: Last issue’s article on reviews

Reviewers need to make money also. The days of paid reviewers in some organization such as newspapers are long gone. It would be nice if this were not so. What about the pressure for reviewers associated with publishing houses? I also perform the duties of an acquisitions editor for a publisher and write reviews as part of a promo package offered by a company as an independent contractor. I am paid more money if I accept the manuscript and write a review of it. I do not just willy - nilly accept any book or manuscript just for the money; there must be something about the book that is worth publishing. I also put my two cents in about needed editing on the acquisitions form from the publisher.

As a reviewer with over 90 reviews, I pride myself on unbiased, honest reviews. It has to be quite a book to get 5 stars in my reviews. Most are 3 or 4 stars. Unfortunately, in today's publishing environment, reviewers are looking to make a small amount of money for their time and effort. Reading and writing a review for authors is a job that not every freelancer is capable of performing. It takes time to become a good reviewer, and reviewers need recompense for their efforts on behalf of the author, at least in some way.

I have requested complimentary copies of books I would like to review, and add to my personal library for only the copy of the book. If an author approaches me with a request for a review, I charge a minimum charge for my time (a good deal less than I should charge), and add the new FTC disclaimer to let the reader of my review know how or if I was compensated in some many for my review.

Most of the books that I review are donated to my local library to save them money, especially since I have relocated to a small town without a large budget to purchase books for the library.

I will step down from my soapbox now.

Robert Medak
Freelance Writer/Editor
http://www.stormywriter.com/

"The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you really want to say."
- Mark Twain's Notebook, 1902 - 1903

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dear Carolyn:

Thanks for the "word - trippers." I love it. I've been keeping a list of those for a long time. It will be nice to have a small booklet that I can slip in my writing folder and carry around. I'll add yours to mine and that should cover most often - used "problem words" (my term for them - - but I like word - trippers much better). Here are some of mine that you didn't include.

A / an
A while / awhile
We both list bi / semi, but I add biennial to the mix
Career / careen
Compliment / complement
Contemptible / contemptuous
Continual / continuous
Discreet / discrete
Ensure / insure
enumerable / innumerable

And many more ... You are welcome to my list if you want it. That's not to criticize your list. You wanted a short, portable pamphlet. That required selection. And it's a good selection that includes many not on my list.

My critique group, Yarnspinners, also keeps a "bad words" list (not too long, but growing. These are words that are used all too often and that aren't useful or necessary most of the time. That's another potential
"promotional" pamphlet for you. We all pledged to do a "find" on each of these words and get rid of most of them. Examples include:

that
very
just
of course
really
suddenly
down (as in "write down")
up (as in "write up")
utilize (as opposed to use)
and many more.

In my critique group, each of us is known for something specific. Sometimes two or three somethings specific. For example, Sally is our "waser." She's
death on poor/unnecessary use of was/were. Carolyn [not the editor of this newsletter] is our "Comma Queen." She unerringly knows where they belong and don't, or are optional. I'm known as "The Fixer" for my ability to fix a bad sentence and come up with exactly what the author wanted to say. I'm also known as "The Opposer" because when someone writes "she wrote down the address," I always say "as opposed to wrote up, or wrote sideways?"

We laugh a lot!

Thanks,
Boyd Sutton, writer, editor and member extraordinaire of Wisconsin Regional Writers Assoc, www.WRWA.net. Boyd Sutton has won numerous prizes for his articles, essays, and short stories. His work has been published in several newspapers including the Capital Times (Madison), the Inter - County Leader, Burnett Sentinal, Hometown Gazzette (Amery), and What's Playing (northwest Wisconsin); and
magazines, such as The Wisconsin Writers' Journal, The Contributor (Florida), Survival Global Politics and Strategy (International Institute for Strategic Studies, London), and Parameters (Army War College). His book reviews have appeared in Midwest Book Review, The Wisconsin Writers' Journal, and on Amazon.com. After nearly 40 years in intelligence work with the U.S. Army and Central Intelligence Agency, Mr. Sutton now enjoys writing in retirement. He is Secretary of the Wisconsin Regional Writers'Association, where he can be reached at sec@wrwa.net.

Note: Some of the trippers Boyd lists are on the list I include in the Appendix of The Frugal Editor (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor). It, by no means, is a complete list of troublesome homonyms and other gremlins. That’s why I wrote Great Little Last - Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper - Perfect Copy, which I hope will be the first in a series of books full of trip - you - up and embarrassment - prone words and phrases.


=====================================================
Needing something more meaningful for the celebrations in your life? Something that stays within your budget? Imagining the Future: Ruminations on Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions for Father’s Day (www.budurl.com/Imagining) ($6.95). Cherished Pulse (www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse) ($6.95) for someone you love. She Wore Emerald Then (www.budurl.com/MotherChapbook) ($12.95), for mothers and other women. It’s the Celebration Series of poetry from Magdalena Ball and me.
=====================================================

Geek Vocabulary: Do you see “SEO” often and only sorta know what it means. It’s initialism (yes, as opposed to an acronym!) for Search Engine Optimization. While we’re at it, don’t you hate the word “optimization.” English already has “optimize” and it could easily have been “Optimizing Search Engines” and felt lest clunky. Or even “Search Engine Improvement.” Maybe you’ve got some better ideas.
Another of my least favorite, “monetize.”


=====================================================
There is a page of contests on the Resource for Writers page on my Web site: http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/contests.htm Follow the links on that page to other valuable lists on my site, too. =====================================================


Tip: Do you have a sitemap on your Web site? I don’t. The spiders that decide the exposure you’ll get on search engines love them. If you have more than a handful of pages on your site, get busy! And nudge me to do it, too!


=====================================================
Please paste this little blurb - - perhaps with a little endorsement - - in your newsletter or Web site: To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e - mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews@aol.com or go to www.howtodoitfrugally.com for an auto subscribe box. Let me know you did it. I will be able to do something similar for you on my Resources for Readers page at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.
=====================================================


New Series

Patrika Vaughn Contributes Ideas for Cleaner Copy ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Patrika Vaughn will submit short entries for the benefit of her fellow Sharing with Writers subscribers until she runs out of stodgy, wordy or otherwise unattractive constructions.

By eliminating stodgy phrases from your letters, e - mails, and even fiction writing, you can make everything you write significantly better.

1. "Yours very truly" (also "Sincerely yours" and "Very truly yours") ~ You are not theirs. These closings are antiquated. I find myself using "Sincerely" almost all the time.

2. "Respectfully" - This closing has a solemn, almost hat - in - hand aspect to it that I dislike. I see it used in denial letters all the time. Perhaps what the writer is thinking is "If I use ‘Respectfully’ it will soften the blow." But, of course, it doesn’t. It just adds a somber tone and won’t make the reader any happier about having his or her claim denied.

3. "Please be advised ..." - A lawyer - like phrase that is almost always unnecessary. Usually you are not so much giving "advice" as you are "telling’ or "informing." Save this phrase for the act of giving of advice. But no need to write: "Please be advised that the check is overdue." Simply write: "The check is overdue." Instead of "I advised him to call me tomorrow," just write "I told [or asked] him to call me tomorrow."

Maybe "told” has a bit too harsh a tone for some, in which case feel free to use this "advice" as needed. But "advise" or "be advised" is almost always overkill.
- - - - -
Patrika Vaughn, your Author's Advocate, helps new voices achieve publication. She will work with you from the time you say, "I've got a great idea for a book!" through successful publication and marketing. Whether you are a professional building authority for your practice, a fiction or non - fiction writer, she can help... .even ghostwrite it for you! www.acapela.com


=====================================================
My blog, War, Peace, Tolerance and Our Soldiers is where I get to nag and rag and try to make things better for our troops and maybe for the world. It includes a segment of frugal ways to help our troops and veterans. I'd love to have you leave a comment. www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com
=====================================================


Author Successes

(The author successes segment is here to praise, laud, and encourage but the success of one author may give you a resource for another. So, applaud, certainly. But also learn.)

Alanna Parke Kavale Publishes Widowhood ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
New subscriber Alanna Parke Kavale’s book Widowhood Is Not Funny! is now available for at Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/content/e - book/widowhood - is - not - funny/8505174. The author says, “Widowhood comes suddenly and painfully into a woman’s life. One minute you’re married, and in a single heartbeat, you find yourself alone and lonely. Despite the pain and anguish, you must realize you’re not through with life on this planet. It’s time to finish the race, to pick up where your husband left off. This is a guidebook to help you navigate that minefield and make it through to the other side. When it comes to grief - - It takes as long as it takes!” She blogs at http://www.widowhoodisnotfunny.blogspot.com

Longtime Subscriber Walter Brasch Wins . . . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . three awards for his biweekly column, Wanderings, which is distributed to 21 newspapers and several dozen online newspaper sites. Brasch’s latest books are Sinking the Ship of State: The Presidency of George W. Bush; and Sex and the Single Beer Can: Probing the Media and American Culture. The awards are:

~Society of Professional Journalists (Spotlight Awards): 1st place, Commentary.
~Pennsylvania Women's Press Association: 2nd place, Sports; 3rd place, Editorial Commentary.
~Pennsylvania Press Club: 1st place, specialized column (government/politics); 1st place, commentary written for the web; 1st place, continuing radio commentary.
In addition, in public relations competition he won 1st place for developing a full media kit and a 2nd place for general news release (both for the Northeast Pennsylvania Homeless Alliance).

=================================================== Book Proposal Help: "The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less" for 49 cents at http://budurl.com/bookproposalreport =====================================================

Opportunities

Writer Advice Offers Battery of Opps. . . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This is the spring to open yourself to new possibilities.

1) Have you sent your entry to Writer Advice's Fifth Annual Flash Prose Contest? The deadline is April 15 and the details, prizes, and mailing address are at www.writeradvice.com.

2) While you're there, check out their new spring issue. They have an interview with Hope Edelman, author of The Possibility of Everything as well as new reviews, markets, writing advice, and pieces on Flash.

3) Try a writing workshop.
The first started April 6. It is called “Journaling: Gateway to Self Discovery.”
The other, starts April 13. It is called “Writing to Heal.” You can learn more about it and sign up at http://www.storycircleonlineclasses.org/classes/goodwin.spring2010.php . Visit http://www.writeradvice.com/workshops.html for additional workshop information.


==================================================== Social networking is one of the best ways to make valuable contact and build a list of readers. The most supportive and interactive one I know with an associated site for displaying fiction to the movie industry is iFOFO. Subscribe at http://www.ifogo.com/buy/order_chj.html
=====================================================


Tip: Fiction writers among you will want to revisit my article on blogging for fiction writers at master marketer Dana Lynn Smith’s blog: http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/book_marketing_maven/2010/04/what - do - you - talk - about - on - your - blog - if - you - write - fiction.html


=====================================================
Podcasts are a great way to learn (and be refreshed) on everything from craft to poetry to promotion. Find many f r ^ ^ ones on the sites of those who support writers. You'll find a list of my most recent ones at: www.budurl.com/WritersResources You'll need to scroll down, down, down. That's OK. You may scroll through other resources you need, so read as you go.
=====================================================


Tip: This is sort of a fan club a la Facebook but for active Twitter users. It’s been around awhile, but I’d sort of forgotten about it until someone became my fan. What fun it is! Become my fan (though you know I’m not crazy about the word “fan” - - we’re all equals here!). Use it yourself to grow your audience! http://mrtweet.com/beta/show/writing/FrugalBookPromo?src=fandm


=====================================================
No part of this newsletter is paid advertising. If you would like to advertise to subscribers, display ads are available at http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/advertising.htm at less per year than most sites charge for a single month. Find classified there, too.
=====================================================


Did You Know: That Facebook has begun “monetizing” (don’t you just hate that word) their Web site by selling gifts like real flowers and hams. They’ll also have to get your friends’ and relatives’ addresses to send those gifts. I’ve no problem with that, but if you are avidly private, you might.


=====================================================
Subscribers who have websites or newsletters of their own may be interested
in the F r ^^ Articles 4 Readers and Writers on my site, www.budurl.com/FreeContent . I try to add new articles to it frequently. If you don't see what you need for your blog or newsletter, just ask. HoJoNews@aol.com.
=====================================================


In the News and Opinion: LA Times reports that PEN/Faulkner award - winner John Edgar Wideman has chose to self publish his new book of very short stories with Lulu. He’s after control of his work and speed of publishing (he’s in his 60s). Trouble is, he also says he “won’t become a huckster.” From that I assume he still has the outdated idea that marketing one’s own work is something beneath artists. With that attitude, he’s sure to be disappointed in the results. Of course, he did get that publicity (front page of the B section) so I guess he’ll stoop far enough to accept what publicity comes his way, though one has to assume he might have had something to do with getting it for himself.



=====================================================
Fun and F r ~ ~: If you purchased the Frugal Book Promoter or the Frugal Editor, I'd love you to review it on Amazon or BN.com. Make it simple; just tell what part of it you found most valuable. If you do, send me the review link (URL) and I will send you a handout from one of my UCLA classes. As a thank you, of course. HoJoNews@aol.com
=====================================================


On Poetry
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


This is a running feature for the poets among us and those who would like to try writing poetry but feel, well, inadequate about the writing or the promotion. Please send in your poetry tips and resources for this section.

Listen to Kim McMillon’s Writers’ Sanctuary on Blog Talk Radio: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/onword. Talk to her about a feature spot, too. Her Facebook page spotlights her featured authors and she sends out event invitations - - a nice job overall! See one here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=116539038360007&ref=ts
A nicer woman you’ll never meet, nor a more avid supporter of poets. Learn more about Kim at http://kimmcmillon.wordpress.com/.




=====================================================
Endorsement: I wanted to tell you how your workshops, reading your newsletter, and just chatting with you has been a great help to me. I have a background in marketing from the fashion world and even though it has helped me get my foot in the door, I honestly have to say that after getting to know you, reading your books, and everything else I just said has truly helped me put Stories for Children Magazine on the map. ~ VS Grenier, Founder and Editor - in - Chief Stories for Children Magazine. http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org.
=====================================================


Tip: You can now add your location to your Tweets: http://twitter.com/settings/account?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=2010ed2


=====================================================
A general marketing rule is that a product must be seen seven times before it is purchased. That is just as true for books (because they are products, like it or not!). Let people see that book cover image! To do that, you are invited to advertise as a site sponsor at www.howtodoitfrugally.com for only $25 to $35 a year. Yep, the frugal way! Click on the Advertising tab at the top of the page or contact me personally at hojonews@aol.com.
=====================================================


Tip: An easy and appreciated thank you for favors from the press is a gift certificate from online bookstores. It’s the gift that keeps giving back to authors and the industry that supports them.


=====================================================
Audio divas bring you audios on many aspects of building a writing career:
www.tri - studio.com/writers.html. Titles include:
~Contest Facts: How to Add “Award - winning” to Your Name;
~Do It Yourself Indexing: The Way to Sell Your Book to Libraries, Schools and Anyone Else That Buys Nonfiction;
~Fury and Destruction: How to Use Violence Effectively in Your Writing
~And more.
=====================================================


Writers Retreat: Our Roman Retreat is filling. The inexpensive room on the lower level is taken, but the fees are still very reasonable for Rome. We’re just sharing costs. Please, if you’ve been considering it, look again on my blog at http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/2010/02/roman - retreat - e - books - and - yes - promotion.html or just go directly to www.budurl.com/RomanRetreat and think harder!


=====================================================
I highly recommend Jozette Aaron's f r ^ ^ DeSilva's News for writers: http://jozette.webs.com/ not just because I write a column for her. =====================================================


An Itty - Bitty Column on Writing

“ON BEING A FRUGALISMO: Self Promotion I - - DATABASING”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ By Mindy Phillips Lawrence


Cheap is a word with bad connotations. I’d say “frugalista” except I hear the word is now trademarked and I don’t want the legal system sending me cease - and - desist letters, so I will use the term “FRUGALISMO” to define doing things effectively but with as few monetary resources as possible.

Recently, I received an e - mail wanting to know if I was the publicist for Norris Church Mailer. I have no idea why anyone thought this but it made me drool to think that she has a new book out, a memoir called A Ticket to the Circus, and that anyone thought I had anything to do with it. Our only connection is that we are both from Arkansas. But it made me think. I began to wonder, if I WERE her publicist, how I would promote her work, a hypothetical dream job. From there I thought of how writers without Mailer’s resources could promote their creative work and still get the job done.

So, in the same vein of our fearless leader, Carolyn Howard - Johnson, here are some “frugalismo” ways to promote your work.

[If you have ideas, PLEASE forward them to me and I will post them in the Itty Bitty with your name and the title of your work (or work in progress).]

• BUILD YOUR OWN DATABASE: Draw a radius around where you live. Stick a compass in your hometown and decide how far you are willing to travel to promote your book or other creative work. When you’ve done this, use the Internet to list every single media outlet within that radius. Build a database either in MS Excel or another database system such as ACT 2000 or FileMaker Pro. Include in this database Internet Web sites and phone numbers and e - mail addresses for local radio and television stations, newspapers, and magazines that might help get the word out on your work. You can branch out as your promotional plan begins to work, allowing you to travel farther ‘cause you are selling your work.

• USE A GOOD RESOURCE such as The Frugal Book Promoter, an Internet search, or both, to learn how to write an exceptional press release and query letter. You’ll have to do this in an incredibly professional way so go to school on professional releases you find from other writers and publicists. Go to publicists’ Web sites and see how they do what they do. LEARN!

• KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU DO and when you do it. Make certain to update your contacts every six months. People move around in publishing and media often. Just call and ask if the person you have as your contact is still there and, if not, who has that position now. You’ll need to send a new letter to a new person to introduce yourself. This can be an e - letter or one by the good old US Mail, according to what the publisher wants.

• IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE PROMOTING YOURSELF, as some do, think of yourself as a hypothetical big - name writer and promote that person. Of course, this person is actually YOU. You are worth promoting. Your work is worth promoting.

Writers like to write. Often, they don’t enjoy promoting their own work but it’s necessary. Unless you can afford to pay a publicist $1000 a month, it behooves you to learn to do this. And you want to be successful, don’t you? Of COURSE you do!

This is post number one in a series on self - promotion. In the next issue, I’ll have other ideas and, hopefully, some that others have sent me to put here. It’s spring. Let’s bloom!

Mindy
“Into Words ~ Into Print ~ Into Minds”


Link - A - Dinka - Dos

The Frugal Book Promoter
(if you don’t have this book, what are you doing without it?)
http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo

Be Your Own Publicist
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1563/is_n12_v8/ai_9685405/

How to Be Your Own Publicist
http://books.google.com/books?id=Lvnjil15qWYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=how+to+be+your+own+publicist&source=bl&ots=L3qEMHnn - E&sig=BN_8OFWaCc64iF_36 - m5T9gz3x8&hl=en&ei=b67AS6CMH8eInQeds6WOCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBUQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Publicity Hound: Free Publicity
http://www.publicityhound.com/free_publicity/Articles/top_10_tips_publicity.html


How to Write a Press Release
http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp

Press Release Writing
http://www.press - release - writing.com/10 - essential - tips - for - writing - press - releases/

Building Blocks to a Powerful Press Release
http://advertising.about.com/od/pressreleases/ss/prlayout.htm

How to Write a Successful Query Letter
http://www.writing - world.com/basics/query.shtml

Sample Query Letter: Charlotte Dillon
http://www.charlottedillon.com/query.html

Self - Promotion Guide: The Promotional Jigsaw
http://www.artquest.org.uk/building - a - career/self - promotion - guide/the - promotional - jigsaw.htm


~ Mindy Phillips Lawrence, www.freewebs.com/mplcreative, is the author of the poetry collections One Blue Star and Above and Below. She is co - author of The Complete Writer and a publicist and literary agent. She is in the process of researching a novel titled Alone is Where We Begin. Blogging at: http://mplcreative.blogspot.com/.
Her specialty is helping writers with their media releases. Reach her at mplcreative1@aol.com.


=====================================================
Yes, I do consult. I tailor my fees to your needs - - everything from coaching to full edits (sorry no partial edits) to hour consultations to help you with your marketing campaign or your path to publishing. http://budurl.com/carolynsconsulting
=====================================================


Feature

Ten Ways To Keep Dialogue Sharp

A writer’s dialogue is often an editor’s first indication that a submission is written by someone without training in the craft of writing.

1. Keep it simple. "He said" and "She said" will usually do. Your reader is trained to accept this repetition.

2. Forget you ever heard of strong verbs. Skip the "He yelped" and the "She sighed." They slow your dialogue down. If you feel need them, look at the words—the actual dialogue— your character used when he was yelping. Maybe it doesn't reflect the way someone would sound if he yelped. Maybe if you strengthen the dialogue, you can ditch the overblown tag.

3. When you can, reveal who is saying something by the voice or tone of the dialogue. That way you may be able to skip tags occasionally, especially when you have only two people speaking to one another. Your dialogue will ring truer, too.

4. Avoid having characters use other characters' names. In real life, we don't use people's names in our speech much. We tend to reserve using names for when we're angry or disapproving or we just met in a room full of people and we're practicing out social skills. Having a character direct her speech to one character or another by using her name is a lazy writer's way of directing dialogue and it will annoy the reader. When a reader is annoyed, she will not be immersed in the story you are trying to tell.

5. Avoid putting internal dialogue in italics. Trust your reader and your own ability to write in a character's point of view. She will know who is thinking the words from the point of view of the narrative.

6. Be cautious about using dialogue to tell something that should be shown. It doesn't help much to transfer telling from the narrator to the dialogue. It just makes the character who is speaking sound long winded. Putting quotation marks around exposition won't draw the reader into the scene or involve him more than if you'd left it part of the narrative.

7. And magic number seven is, don't break up dialogue sequences with long or overly frequent blocks of narrative. One of dialogue's greatest advantages is that it moves a story along. If a writer inserts too much stage direction, it will lose the forward motion and any tension it is building.

8. Avoid having every character answer a question directly. Some people do that (say a sensitive young girl who has been reared to obey her elders) but many don't. Some veer off with an answer that doesn't follow from the question asked. Some are silent. Some characters do any one of these things as a matter of course. Some do them purposefully, say to avoid fibbing or to change the subject or because they are passive aggressive.

9. Avoid dull dialogue that doesn't help draw better characters or move the action forward. Forcing a reader to hear people introduce themselves to one another without a very good reason to do so is cruel and unusual punishment.

10. Use dialogue to unobtrusive plant a seed of intrigue. If a character brings up a concern that isn't solved immediately, you can heighten the page - turning effect.

For more on writing dialogue check out Tom Chiarella's Writing Dialogue (Writers' Digest) and for more on editing in general—from editing query letters to turning unattractive adverbs into metaphoric gold—find The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (Red Engine Press) on Amazon (www.budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor). A famous book that touches on dialogue issues is Stephen King’s On Writing.
- - - -
This article and others by Carolyn Howard - Johnson are available for use on your blog, your Web site, and in your newsletter. They are f r ^ ^ for the taking at www.budurl.com/FreeArticlesReviews or with a request by e - mail: hojonews@aol.com.


=====================================================
Visit one of my blogs. Experiment a bit with the little green Tweetmeme logo if you haven't used one before. And, please let me know if mine is working for you. I think the one at www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com is working. I used the second offering down on the tweetmeme site and replaced the suggested code with the address of my blog. =====================================================


Thank Yous

Thanks to Freyda at Bookbuzzr . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
. . . for adding Great First Impression Book Proposal to her Bookbuzzr where you can sample parts of it. http://www.freado.com/book/6607/The - Great - First - Impression - Book - Proposal: - Everything - You - Need - to - Know - About - Selling - Your - Book - in - Twenty - Minutes - or - Less. I’m slowly building what they call a fREADO page there: http://www.freado.com/users/2959/Carolyn - Howard - Johnson


Thanks to MaAnna Stephenson . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
. . . .for her blurb for my soon - to - be released book Your Blog, Your Business: A Retailer’s Frugal Guide to Getting Customer Loyalty and Sales—Both In - Store and Online. Learn about her books on blogging at www.justthefaqs.com.


Thanks to Chaz DeSimone
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
. . . .for the more than fantastic cover he did for Your Blog, Your Business: A Retailer’s Frugal Guide to Getting Customer Loyalty and Sales, Both In - Store and Online. Wait until you see it! See his other covers at www.chazdesimone.com.


===================================================== If you're starting your own blog or want to market the one you have or focus it better here’s a f r ^^ chapter from Phyllis Zimbler Miller’s and my coming book. Download it now at http://budurl.com/bloggingchapter. =====================================================


Tip: Subscriber and author Virgil Jose sends this link for a fantastic article on words. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/4/8/855122/ - If - Words - Were - Grains - of - Sand. I know you are busy, but don’t miss this one.


=====================================================
Unsolicited endorsement from a reader: I read The Frugal Book Promoter early last year and became an instant fan. Your common sense, easily accessible and easily implemented tips were a godsend as I entered the promotion for my second novel. You have so much knowledge to share! I wonder if you would be interested in an interview on the blog AuthorCulture, for which I write? ~Katie Weiland, Author of Behold the Dawn and A Man Called Outlaw, http://authorculture.blogspot.com/ =====================================================


In the News National Geographic reports that new study helps us predict which words in our language and 86 related Indo - European languages will change and how fast. Generally, the ones we use the most like “I”, “two,” and “who” are least likely to change. Verbs and adjectives change faster than nouns, numbers and pronouns. They ask “Will local lingo be homogenized in this age of global media?” And answer, “Not necessarily . . . [think of] the stiff British resistance to “couch” for “sofa.” There was no mention of why the Brits call a run in a stocking a “ladder.” And THAT’s always been my question!


=====================================================
This is an example of one of my Twitters: "FrugalBookPromo New trend? Borders will buy nonreturnable books from HarperStudio in return for a deeper discount." My tweets cover everything from news to more tips and resources, all in 140 characters or less. If you don’t want to tweet, at least follow me. Make a profile page and invite me at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo. =====================================================


Vocabulary: In the world of computers and font design, “hinting” isn’t what you think it is. So why do you care? Because you are a writer and what you think and say appears in print and a font of one kind of another is required for that visual presentation. The more you know about fonts, the better to judge integral parts of any format where your writing appears including book covers, the appearance of your blog and Web site, etc. Here’s the link to learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Font_hinting


=====================================================
The New Book Review is a f r ^ ^ service of this newsletter. It allows authors to get more exposure from their favorite review and reviewers a chance to have more readers see their reviews - - with links, of course. Please check the guidelines on the blog site at www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com.
=====================================================


Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Author, editor and writing coach Bev Walton ~Porter hosts Elemental Musings, a podcast specifically for writers, readers and creatives. Join her on Friday, May 14th, at 6 PM Pacific Time as she welcomes award - winning author of the HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers, Carolyn Howard - Johnson. Guests may post questions in the chat room or call in on the guest line at (646) 595 - 4704 and listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/elementalmusings.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Carolyn Howard - Johnson and fellow UCLA Writers' Program Instructor, Eve LaSalle Caram (a UCLA Award - Winning Instructor at that - - yes note the caps!) are planning an amazing intimate conference in Rome for October, 2010. Find details at www.budurl.com/RomanRetreat. Jo Linsdell, a writer living in Rome and founder of the online conference PROMO Day, will also be offering a seminar. Accommodations are extremely limited.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Update! & Carolyn Howard - Johnson will be interviewed by The Compulsive Reader's online radio program hosted by Magdalena Ball at 4:30pm (Pacific Time) May 9. The program features author interviews, book chats, literary discussions, readings and more. It's an audio haven for book lovers! The show with Carolyn will be an open discussion (with an interesting twist about a new approach to popularizing poetry). It’s about poetry, poetics, and the art of the chapbook. Listeners will be invited to call and share their perspectives or ask their questions. Poetry will be read, discussed, and pondered, and we'll be previewing our up and coming chapbook for the masculine apparitions in our lives. Poets are asked to call in with a few memorable lines from their own poetry about holidays. To set a reminder for the show or to listen in, visit: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/compulsivereader/2010/04/11/poetry - chatter - with - carolyn - howard - johnson To call in on the day, just visit the site and click on the "click to call" buttons (no charge as it uses voice over internet protocol technology - - that means it uses your PC for the voice communication), or you can dial in without a computer on: (646) 716 - 7734. Don't miss it!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 The Muse Online Writers Conference cosponsored by Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard - Johnson is now taking reservations for the f r ^ ^ event beginning October 11 of 2010. http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/ To avoid a small late registration fee, please register before Aug. 15.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

New!  I am working with Freya at BookBuzzr as a regular blogger for their blog on marketing. The first, “Ten Marketing Excuses That Can Kill Your Book and Career,” will be posted on May 5th at http://www.bookbuzzr.com/blog/book - marketing/10 - marketing - excuses - that - can - kill - your - book - and - career/. The thing is, there is so much to benefit authors at Bookbuzzr.com including their fantastic page - turning widgets for your book (all f r ^ ^!) that you’ll want to use this occasion to zip on over and explore.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Carolyn Howard - Johnson will co - present with Patricia Norins, publisher of Gift Shop magazine, two 1 1/2 hour seminars during the National Stationery Show (www.nationalstationeryshow.com) at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. The show runs from May 16 - May 19. Times and dates of the presentations will be announced. They are: Tweaking your Tweets and Other social Media Tips and Creating Your Social Media Campaign: Networking Your Newsletter, Building Your Blogs. She’ll sign her retail books at 2 pm Sunday, May 16.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Carolyn Howard - Johnson will teach a one - day seminar in book promotion including a planning a thrifty online campaign. The place? UCLA Extension's Writers' Program on campus, of course. Mark August 7, 2010, on your calendar. Sign up online at www.uclaextension.edu

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Carolyn Howard Johnson, author of A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns w th Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques, will make a guest appearance on Paul Bruno's Career Czar® radio program. At 10:00 am Pacific at www.alltalkradio.net/careerczar, we'll talk about making retailing work in a down economy and how authors can make their case to retailers to let them boost profits with a book signing on December 17, 2010. You can also listen at www.alltalkradio./careerczar/career121710.mp3 In the meantime, listen to his other shows at www.alltalkradio.net/careerczar or at the show's blog at www.careerczar.wordpress.com. Ask to be on Paul's notification list for free podcasts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 Carolyn Howard - Johnson will be a featured speaker at the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, with “How To Do It Frugally: Free Exposure for Your Book and Your Bod.” A breakout session will be “"Become Your Own PR Person, Frugally: How to Write a Killer Media Release and Produce a Great Media Kit." The dates are September 25 - 26, 2010. Find information on that at www.wrwa.net. This active group invites writers from everywhere to join. Find their blog at wrwaonline.blogspot.com.


=====================================================
Sign up to receive a copy of my Sharing with Writers blog in your e - mail box. It is a focused blog on all things related to writing and publishing. Go to www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. Sign up in the left hand column. Find related resources by scrolling to the bottom of the blog.
=====================================================


Wordstuff ™

Something to Make Writers Smile
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(The Washington Post's Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. You might have some favorite neologisms, metaphors or similes that make you smile. If so, please contribute to this newsletter.)


1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.



~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~
=================================================
~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~
=================================================

Essential Book and Record Keeping:

This is a place to share with others and learn from others.

Although I do attempt to verify information used within this newsletter's pages, Sharing with Writers does not guarantee entities or information. Subscribers should research resources.

To submit information articles, tips or other information, e - mail Carolyn at HoJoNews@aol.com. Please put "Submission: Sharing with Writers" in the subject line.

If you do not care to receive this newsletter, send an e - mail to HoJoNews@aol.com with "Unsubscribe” in the subject line, but please, please don't tell me you've given up writing or promoting!

To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e - mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to:: HoJoNews@aol.com.

Please pass this newsletter to friends or e - groups. It needn't be pasted in its complete form, but please credit this newsletter, and the individual contributors with anything you snip and paste.

Ordering Information:
Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo
The e - book at http://starpublishllc.com/id43.html

The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success
http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor

The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know About Selling Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less, http://www.amazon.com/Great - First - Impression - Book - Proposal/dp/B000YG6O5U/

A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques http://budurl.com/RetailersGuide

To learn more about This Is the Place,
Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, Tracings, and She Wore Emerald Then: www.carolynhoward - johnson.com.

She Wore Emerald Then: Reflections on Motherhood, a chapbook of poetry coauthored with Magdalena Ball. http://budurl.com/MotherChapbook

Tracings, a chapbook of poetry (Finishing Line Press)
www.budurl.com/CarolynsTracings

Contact Information
Websites:
http://carolynhoward - Johnson.com (literary)
http://HowToDoItFrugally.com (all things about writing)


Blogs:

http://www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com, a blog on all things publishing
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, all things grammatical and ungrammatical
http://www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog focused on YOUR reviews
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, a blog focused on editing, formatting and craft
http://www.WarPeaceTolerance.blogspot.com War. Peace. Tolerance. And Our Soldiers.
http://www.sizzlingbookfairbooths.blogspot.com, a blog where you can learn to get some mojo behind your own booth by learning from the successes and mistakes of others.

Tweeting at:
www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo
www.twitter.com/frugalretailing