Writer's Resource and Information Blog

An Official Website!

2011-09-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting the WRIB. I've upgraded to an official website, MaloneyWrites.com, and will be gradually transferring content from here to there. I hope you'll take time to check out the new blog and leave a comment or two.

(Want to know something creepy? I haven't posted here since 2010, but I'm *still* logged into Blogger. I didn't even have to enter a password to publish this post!)

The Saga Ends...

2010-01-08T03:31:00.000-08:00

...before it even began. I'm a little disappointed that I don't get to skyrocket to blogging fame by, say, posting detailed accounts of living in Dublin airport for a week.

Who am I kidding? I'm thrilled to be out of there. My 06:45 flight from Dublin to London Stansted took off with only a very minor delay. The passengers burst into spontaneous cheering and applause once we landed. That was the good news. The bad news: The Stansted Express train, my best hope of getting into central London (and then catching the Heathrow Express from there) for my connecting flight, was running only half the trains scheduled. No problem. Train will be here at 8:45. My Heathrow flight's gate closes at 11:00. I can make it, if only just.

Then they canceled the train because of adverse weather--ya think?--but didn't bother to change the "on time" notice posted on all the platform screens. I was one of many hopeful for a little while there, but ended up giving up just in time to catch a coach in to Heathrow.

Thanks to airport employees that took one look at my scheduled departure time and another at their watch before hustling me forward through the queue--plus more than a few sprints through the airport terminal to get me just that bit closer--I did make it on to the airplane before it left. I even got an entire row of three seats to myself.

Now, after some 40-odd hours of travel, I'm back in the States with just a few more flights to get me from Washington, DC to Alaska. Suddenly flying all the way cross country seems like nothing! I guess I'll just have to earn fame another way.

I imagine the saga is still continuing for a lot of folks, though--both in Dublin and moreso in the English airports, train stations, etc. I wonder how they're doing?

Dublin Airport opens free WiFi for stranded travelers

2010-01-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

The officials at Dublin Airport have made their super-fast Eircom WiFi service available to stranded travelers for free. Nice move, guys... this stranded writer appreciates that very much. Now I can pitch articles amidst the babble of I-don't-want-to-know-how-many people conversing, using said babble as background for my favorite playlist.

Oddly enough, if ever I felt truly blessed and fortunate, this would be the time... stranded in an airport but not lacking for food, water or comfort at all. I'd say this is the lap of luxury... wonder how quiet it will get at night?

Mood indicator: 89% and rising. Time to get to work.

The Dublin Saga

2010-01-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'm now a proud resident of Dublin airport. While at first glance this may seem unrelated to writing resources or information, it's going to be a grand test of just how resourceful this traveling writer can be.

Actually, all things considered, I'm in fairly good shape. I have enough money (for now) to keep myself fed, I purchased a souvenir wool blanket so I can stay warm, I've got my travel pillow so I'll be comfy when I sack out on the floor... and I have a fourth(!) chance at getting in to London at 06:45 tomorrow morning so that I can catch my flight from there back to the States at 11:30. Given that I'm booked on RyanAir and they don't fly to Heathrow--where my flight to the States departs from--getting from one airport to another is going to be an adventure in and of itself. For now, I'd settle for getting airborne and then touching down safely again.

I've also learned to keep my mouth shut. Everything looked grand--flights on track in spite of the weather--until I mentioned to a friend who'd called to inquire about the flights: I wouldn't mind getting stuck here for a while. I'd much rather be stuck here than in London.

My wish was granted within less than 30 seconds. Flight canceled. Rebook. Flight canceled. Rebook. Rinse and repeat.

So. People are being mostly decent but the airport is certainly crowded enough and with no city buses running (for the same reason the flights aren't running) nobody is going anywhere any time soon. Even if the buses were running, they wouldn't be moving--traffic throughout the city is at a standstill. With some folks starting to show a little grumpy around the edges (who can blame them) and the third flight having turned out not to be a charm, I figured this is as good a reason to ressurrect this blog as any.

So, let the Dublin saga begin. And since I figure I'd better include something writing related, here's a link to commentary by Dave Barry about writing humor.

Yes, I'm a shareaholic

2009-01-24T01:09:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm splashing around in the shallow end of the "social media" pool, I've discovered that not only does the whole "social marketing" lexicon sound pretty bizarre when taken out of context -- digg, stumble, tweet, etc -- it also takes a lot of time to implement.

I don't remember how I originally found it, but the Shareaholic toolbar has been a great help. It doesn't reduce my browsing space at all; it just puts a little icon near my "home" button. Clicking the icon gets me a petite pulldown menu from which I can zap directly to the social networking/sharing tool of my choice.

Pretty smooth, and definitely useful for any writer trying to consistently promote their work online.

Examiner.com

2009-01-20T15:59:00.001-08:00

I've always been skeptical about revenue sharing publishing deals, yet here I find myself on board with one of them. I'm now officially the Anchorage Outdoor Recreation Examiner with Examiner.com. I'm still not quite sure what I think of the whole idea, and I'm not counting on it ever making me much money, but I like the professionalism they've displayed so far, and so far it's having a very good effect on my motivation to vanquish that most hideous of self-employment beasts: Laziness.

Much like NPR's Terri Gross with Fresh Air, some of the Examiners seem able to make the most mundane of topics interesting. Witness the Tumblemoose in action.

2011 Update: I quickly decided that Examiner was not for me... too much work for far too little pay. Big ups to those of you who find a way to make it worth your while.

Hooray for a President that writes his own speeches!

2009-01-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

I'm shocked that none -- NONE -- of the blogs I read have made any mention of Barack Obama yet. I mean come on, folks, it's been over five hours since he officially took the oath of office. You might think, at first, that his election has nothing to do with writing. But just as Bush before him, then Clinton before him, and so on back into infinity... the person in the big P-Man's chair will have a major effect on everything in this country. Everything. Including us writers.

The #1 reason I am glad that Obama was elected president? He writes his own speeches. I'm sure that he gets some help along the way... but in the end, he writes his own speeches. Think about that. A president that's actually speaking to us in his own words. I never did understand how somebody could call Bush an eloquent speaker when he was using what other people wrote.

If you're looking for transcripts of Barack Obama's speeches, this is a great resource. Historic quotes, anyone?

Oh, and if you still think this post isn't relevant to the world of writing, please note my proper use of the word "effect", as opposed to "affect", above. Really, I'm being a good example!

Learning Through History

2009-01-20T14:19:00.000-08:00

I've never actually written for Learning Through History, but I love that they make it so easy for you to sign up for updated calls for submissions.

It doesn't pay much -- $75 per 1,000 to 1,400 article -- but it does pay. You can find their list of requested topics for upcoming issues here.

Editorial Rates

2009-01-16T00:29:00.000-08:00

I can never find this page when I really want it, so I'm putting it here, right under my nose. At least that way, when I still can't find it, my confusion will be amusing to the rest of the world.

Editorial Freelancers Association: Editorial Rates

An island does not a writer make.. but Meetup.com might

2009-01-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the inspiration just flows -- and other times it gets gunked up in the good ol' series of tubes. I'm not talking about you, Internet; I'm talking about the series of pipes, tubes, and whatever-else-is-in-there that makes up the creative part of my psyche.

And then, after four years of trial and error, I got it. I finally got it! The inspiration flows -- and with it, enjoyable, rewarding work -- when I interact with others. So yes, giving up the day job last year was the final step toward realizing my dream of writing full time. I don't regret that decision for a minute. But it was also the final nail in the full-time work at home coffin. Nowadays, I don't need to leave the house -- ever -- except for the occasional supermarket run for groceries and toilet paper.

Whoa.

So, what's my number one favorite source for inspiration right now? Meetup.com. Just in case you're not familiar with it, it's basically a social networking site where you can connect with and then join -- both virtually and in person -- groups of people with similar interests. Despite the somewhat date-y sounding name there is nothing romantic about the general concept, although there are meetups specifically for singles. No, this is just a great resource for finding a way to get out in good company and also a handy source for locating interview subjects, too.

It's baack... again

2009-01-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

Did you miss me?

While I'm not much for New Years resolutions, I'm making one here. It's time to get this blog rolling again. If I don't get my focus back, you see, I'm going to have to fire myself and turn myself out into the world to get a "real job". This is the first step in rediscovering my focus. Here, focus focus focus... come here, focus... I know you're out there.

Granted, there've been some extenuating circumstances. Aside from the usual holiday hustle and bustle, I had a heckuva car wreck on Christmas day and was incredibly fortunate to walk away in one piece. Talk about a Christmas gift... and I'm not being facetious. Being able to get out of the car by myself and doing a visual inventory of limbs and extremities -- all there. Merry Christmas! Checking for signs that I'd hit my head: Nope. Merry Christmas! Total strangers (Thank you, Heidi and Eric!) stopping to make sure I was okay, directing traffic and taking care of me until the police came... Merry Christmas! Side air bag deploying in spite of the safety recall I received a couple of days after the accident, stating that it might not: Merry Christmas. And the list goes on.

So in spite of the sometimes excruciating neck pain I'm going through as I get treated for whiplash, in spite of being so behind on e-mails and correspondence that it feels like I'm perched on a shaky kitchen stool, beating them off as they swarm around my ankles, I'm so very happy and thankful to be alive and in one piece. I should be able to take this gratitude and turn it into something fabulous, right? Right?

Stay tuned... I'm about to find out. Starting with this blog.

Market: Weavings, a Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life

2008-11-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

I was going to write a Thanksgiving blog post, right up there with the thousands of others detailing what they're thankful for. That's not meant to be snide; I was right there, ready to write about how thankful I am to be a full-time writer now -- what a shock it still is when I realize this IS my day job -- when I got distracted by a hot glue gun.

Yeah, that's right... a hot glue gun edged out gratitude as the topic of this post... just by a hair. But I'm not sure there's much of a difference. That glue gun, you see, having been dug out of the cupboard in which it usually resides, unmolested for weeks or months at a time, is going to finally get my project board off the floor and onto the wall of my home office. I'm hoping that if I can hang it at eye and writing level, as opposed to having to squat down on the floor to read it, I'll make better use of it and my own potential, turning the huge spreadsheet of brilliant ideas I've had -- and neglected to act upon -- into another batch of published clips.

So I am very thankful you are here to help me on my way, hot glue gun. But before I finish that project, I have to start another; it's tradition. So as I wait for the glue gun to heat up (I'm hot-gluing a a hanger to the back of the project board, NOT the board to the wall... put down that telephone!) I'm sorting through old market listings and throwing out the ones that I'm never in a million years going to sub to.

What's that you say? Throwing out perfectly good market listings? Don't I have any idea how wasteful that is... can't I at least recycle?

Why yes, as a matter of fact, I can. So here's the submissions page for Weavings, "A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life." Pretty self-explanatory.

Look for more markets coming up over the holiday weekend.

P.S. I really am thankful to be writing, and this is a big part of why.

FanStory.com, and why we need weekends.

2008-11-24T00:08:00.000-08:00

Up until now I haven't bothered to join writer's websites that charge a premium. After all, I've been so busy chasing down leads and pitching queries to markets gleaned from free newsletters and websites that I don't have time to mess around with pay sites as well.

Then I discovered the incredible charge of motivation I can get from being in the same room with other writers... more on that later. If attending one meeting of the local writer's guild was such a charge, could I duplicate the experience -- or at least find a pale shadow of it -- online?

Enter FanStory. It was an unlikely target at first; after all, I'd long considered "social writing sites" to be a waste of my time. Must... pitch... to... paying... markets! But once I reasoned the $6.95/month membership away as an entry fee to the numerous paying contests FanStory features, once I decided that inspiration and having a chance to play with writing again instead of just working at it -- as I've done every single stinkin' day since I quit my day job back in June -- were well worth the cost, I took my first step into a brave new world.

Yes, that's right. Not only did I start playing with my writing, entering contests in subjects and forms that I normally wouldn't have bothered with, I also started reading other peoples' writing and reviewing it. And you know what? It's fun.

Contaminated by this "fun bug", I then did something unthinkable. I took a day off. I purposefully neglected e-mails and edits that were awaiting my response. I put every single client on hold for 24 hours. I curled up in the rocker and watched one DVD after another. I completed craft projects I'd been hoping to give as Christmas gifts.

That day was yesterday. Truth be told I was a little bit worried that, when exposed to the concept of leisure, my discipline would crumble and I'd never work another hour ago. Welcome to the self-employed poorhouse, lady. But today I had to hold myself back from entering the home office. "No, not yet!" I told myself. "Take another day off!"

I lost the battle an hour ago and have been frenziedly pecking at the keyboard ever since. So this is what inspiration feels like! This is why I wanted so badly, for so very long, to be a writer! I had honestly forgotten. But now I remember...

...this is what weekends are for!

Learning Through History

2008-11-19T13:29:00.000-08:00

If you're one of those folks who's not doomed to repeat history, maybe you'd like to make a little money by writing about it.

Learning Through History Magazine is looking for submissions on the Austrian Empire. Click the link for more details. You can also sign up for their guidelines update, published every two months, so that you'll be notified about every new call for submissions.

Peter Shankman's HARO

2008-11-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Nabbed this one from a LinkedIn writing group. What the heck as a "HARO", you ask? HARO stands for "Help a Report Out" and is a networking site to help journalists find sources on a wide variety of topics. If you're an expert source you can also sign up to receive queries from journalists about your area of expertise.

First off: What a splendid idea!

Second, while I like the idea of using this to find expert sources for articles, the little relays in my brain -- always struggling to learn more about the power of marketing -- are going off, telling me that there may be some advantages to being on the other side of the coin, too. Not necessarily for me, but for my clients. I'm going to refer one of my clients to this group as a source and see if he likes the potential for extra exposure.

It's baaaaack!

2008-11-19T11:25:00.000-08:00

WRIB is back after a long hiatus. Thank you for your patience!

I Love to Write... Day!

2008-08-21T14:19:00.001-07:00

Did you know that I Love to Write Day is November 15th? Spread the word!

Science Fiction Poetry Association Contest

2008-08-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

I find myself paying a lot of attention to contests lately, so I thought I'd start listing them here. These aren't necessarily the biggest or the richest but the ones that catch my eye. Snagged this one from Duotrope.

Science Fiction Poetry Association's 2008 Poetry Contest

Entry Fee: No
Online Entry: Yes
Top Prize: $100, publication, membership, other goods
Open dates: August 1 - August 31, 2008

Good luck!

Children's Writing Update

2008-08-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

At first I felt skeptical about the Children's Writing Update. After all, it's got some ads. Okay, it's got a lot of ads. But they're all for writing related products and, if you're a children's writer (or want to be) the products might be right up your alley. It also has some useful tidbits about book clubs (can you say "Oprah"?) and conferences for children's writers.

That's all very nice and worth a scan-through if you're really into children's writing, but what really got my attention was this update issue's feature article. As an aspiring children's writer I read it attentively, and will be visiting future issues of the Children's Writing Update to make sure I don't miss their next feature article.

UPDATE: Thanks to Jon Bard of Children's Book Insider / Write4Kids.com, here's a link to the back issues of Children's Writing Update. Each one features an article from Laura Backes. She also wrote the current issue's article, "Have You Lost the Plot?" that caught (and held) my eye.

SpecFicMe

2008-08-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

Are you a SpecFic writer? Defining this genre can be a real struggle, but finding markets is not thanks to the SpecFicMe market database and monthly newsletter.

I don't typically post resources that cost, but this one offers a 30-day free trial and promises that you can cancel and pay nothing. So if this is your genre, check SpecFicMe out for free -- you might decide it's worth paying for!

Read magazines for free

2008-07-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Mygazines lets you read magazines for free online, including back issues. So far I've seen Discover, National Geo. for Kids, Prevention, Allure, Four Wheel and Off Road, Oprah, PC Gamer, Popular Photography and lots more scroll across my screen. Pretty neat!

Nabbed this from the PayingWriterJobs Yahoo! group... hands down the most useful Yahoo! group I've joined.

WritersWeekly Paying Market Guidelines page

2008-07-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

I enjoy every issue of WritersWeekly, not the least because they only publish listings for markets that pay.

Lo and behold! They also have a long list of paying markets collected in one place for easy reference: Paying Market Guidelines

Freelance Writing Jobs... the blog

2008-07-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

All things freelance, helpful to both beginners and the experienced:

The Freelance Writing Jobs blog

Wordtracker

2008-07-02T12:05:00.001-07:00

If you do SEO (Search Engine Optimization) writing or if you just want to know which words will get you that much closer to the top of the search pages... try Wordtracker. It's fast, free, and you don't have to download or install anything, although you can purchase a premium version which I believe requires a download.

Just type the subject(s) you're working on into their search bar and click "Hit Me".

News! News! News!

2008-07-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

I've made a few changes to the look here... more to come. What do you think?