The Writer's Connection, SM
a publication of The Virtual Writing Coach SM


"The Creative Process of Writing is a Liberating and Therapeutic Experience"

www.virtualwritingcoach.com

March, 2010

In This Issue:

1. Preview
2. Publisher's Note
3. You Can Publish Your Blogs
4. Helpful Hints

1. Preview

The Writer's Connection explores the creative process of writing and the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and actions. We are an interactive community of authors and readers who share ideas to enhance our knowledge, skills, and experiences in writing fiction in any genre, but our emphasis remains mystery and suspense thrillers.

Published monthly, the Newsletter offers writing tips for authors, coaching suggestions, editing, and marketing information.

Topics are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and represent only his ideas on producing your first manuscript, and are provided to the general public. Because we are an interactive community of writers, other viewpoints are welcomed and may be printed in future monthly newsletters with permission from Keith Barton.

2. Publisher's Note

March, 2010

Dear Writer's Connection Subscriber,

This month features how to publish your first book if your are a blogger or newletter writer.

3. You Can Publish Your Blogs

I just finished reading a book by Tom Reynolds who is an ambulance driver in London, England, entitled Blood, Sweat, and Another Cup of Tea. The paperback is available on Amazon.com’s Kindle for free. At first glance, one might ask how could a daily journal about such mundane events as picking up drunks and little old ladies and taking them to the hospital be so interesting? That’s what I said, until I started reading.

The author has the uncanny ability to engage the reader in first person so you feel you are riding in the front seat with him. You work 12 - hour shifts from 7 am to 7 pm for $14 an hour in East London with multi - ethnic groups who barely speak English. You might be called to a gang stabbing victim who requires treatment for a puncture wound and could bleed to death in minutes. The next 999 (England’s 911) call might be from a suspicious neighbor who overheard a domestic dispute and the police have been alerted. Each shift averages 10 - 12 calls per shift including the paperwork and cleaning and restocking the ambulance.

The movie Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell was a successful book and movie on the life and recipes of Julia Child. The premise was a daily blogger who vowed to learn one of Julia’s recipes per day for a year to learn how to cook and prepare meals for her husband and friends. Her daily blogs turned into a successful book because the current generation of microwave moms had no idea of how to cook in the French style of cooking because they hadn’t heard of Child’s famous bestseller, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which first appeared in 1966.

With the advent of IPhones, IPods, and texting, anyone can post blogs on the Internet. I have been writing monthly newsletters for five years for executive coaches and writers and collected some of my better pieces for a book last year, Reflections From a Business Coach, which I self - published. It doesn’t take time to write a book if you are blogging daily or writing a thousand words a month.

A few suggestions for would - be authors who find the task of writing their first book a little daunting:

1) try blogging daily about a topic you consider yourself well - informed and might be interesting to others.

2) write a monthly newsletter on a “how to” subject that seems second - nature to you, but for others might be a difficult subject to comprehend.

3) keep a diary of your daily thoughts and experiences for a year and when properly edited, you will have a 300 - page book.

4) write a book review on amazon.com for every book you read and self - publish as an edited book review guide on a single genre.

5) write a “how to” book on a hobby or interest—e.g. flying radio controlled planes, photography, study aids, computer games, exercises for busy mothers, etc.

6) write a book about your ancestors after a genealogical search and hand out your self - published book at your next family reunion.

7) without being presumptuous, write your autobiography at age sixty for your children on what life was like growing up for you, the choices you made, people who influenced your life, and the legacy you want to leave to your grandchildren.

8) if you are passionate about your politics and religion, show how your views influenced your life’s work and the lives you touched.

9) if you are an academic, rewrite your research articles for the lay reader with practical life applications. Thomas Sowell, the Stanford University economist has a number of books in this area.

10) interview a sample of people in your neighborhood, church, work on how their lives were changed by a parent, teacher, mentor, and how they transfer knowledge to the next generation. You of course would have to get permission to publish this material.

Helpful Hints:

1. Use one of the ten ideas above and begin writing today for at least a year. Don’t begin editing until a year has passed and decide if you wish to continue or you have enough for an interesting book.

2. If you’re not now blogging start your own blog on a subject you’re both passionate and knowledgeable.

3. With permission, interview people online with the understanding that the material might be used in a book; if you decide to publish do not use their real names.

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Contact Information

Keith Barton, Ph.D.
Voice: 281 - 583 - 5005
Fax: 281.583 - 5008
Web: http://www.virtualwritingcoach.com
E - Mail: keith@virtualwritingcoach.com
(c) Copyright 2003 A. Keith Barton, Ph.D.
All rights reserved.

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The Writer's Connection SM is copyrighted, but you may retransmit or
distribute it to whomever you wish as long as not a single word is changed, added, or deleted, including the contact information. However, you may not copy it to a web site.

Republication of The Writer's Connection SM in paper media is encouraged and permitted by individuals, organizations and associations, as long as the issue is reprinted in its entirety, without change, and includes the contact information.

With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication also is encouraged under other circumstances. However, the advance permission of A. Keith Barton, Ph.D. must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired.

The Writer's Connection SM Mission:

The Writer's Connection SM is dedicated to helping first - time authors create their first manuscript for publication and to offer an exchange of ideas and opinions from our readers who might be interested in becoming authors.

The Writer's Connection™ is a publication of The Virtual Writing Coach and Keith Barton, Ph.D. and a registered trademark.

We would like The Writer's Connection SM to be as interactive as possible. If you have feedback, comments, topics you would like addressed, or can suggest additional resources to benefit us all, please email us at any time. Send your e - mail to
keith@virtualwritingcoach.com.

Please forward this issue to anyone you think would find The Writer's Connection SM interesting and beneficial. Your recommendation helps us keep growing, and ensures an excellent exchange of information and techniques.

Archives

You can read previous issues of The Writer's Connection SM in our archive section which is located at the top right section of this page.

About Keith Barton, Ph.D.

Dr. Barton received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a practicing therapist for over thirty years. He is currently enrolled in MentorCoach and is accepting new clients. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina, consultant to Fortune 500 companies in executive development, founded and managed Texas Community Living Ventures, Inc., in 1986 for providing group home services to persons with mental retardation, and for the past 13 years founded and runs a clinical practice in Northwest Houston. He writes part - time with the goal of completing one novel a year. His desire to coach others derives from his passionate interest in helping others become attuned to their creative powers of storytelling.

Dr. Barton has training in coaching, cognitive and family therapy and health psychology. He has published articles, made presentations and conducted workshops about:

Anxiety and achievement
Stress management
Self - esteem
Communication skills
Marital/relationship enrichment
Wellness issues
The relationship between psychology and spirituality

Copyright by Virtual Writing Coach (SM) and Keith Barton, 2001 - 2008.