Hi,

"I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date."

Apologies for the lateness of the newsletter this month. I aim to get it out during the first week of the month but this time round it just wasn't possible. It's usually the story of my life. If I'm on time for one thing it's usually at the expense of being late for something else.

Time. It's a slippery commodity. It passes at exactly the same rate for all of us, and it never slows down or speeds up. Or so they tell me. I'm not so sure. I've got a sneaking suspicion that somewhere out there is a little goblin with a big stopwatch. How else can one minute with toothache feel like an hour when one minute eating cream cakes feels like a second?

Flights of fancy aside, it got me thinking about time. And 'one minute' in particular. People who know me know I'm a fan of timed writing exercises. Usually for ten minutes, these timed writing slots focus the mind by creating a mini deadline in the subconcious - you've only got ten minutes and you've got to get it done. Fast and furious, you write as much as possible and let the ideas flood. The ten minutes can fly by. Before you know it the timer's telling you to stop and the ideas are still coming.

Slowing down time can work just as well. Time is a precious gift that we're all given, and it's all the more precious because we don't know exactly how much of it we've got. If all we have is the present moment (the past being gone and the future being an unknown quantity) why not live this present moment to the fullest? How? By slowing time.

Take one minute. One timed minute. During that minute do nothing but sit in silence. Watch, think, observe, reflect, feel. One minute can feel like an eternity when you force yourself to be still for the duration - and you don't need toothache to make it feel so long.

The world clamours. Constantly. Whether it's from work, leisure activity, television, social activity, advertising or even family, there is always so much to do. It might be hard to imagine finding even 7 minutes a week with nothing to do other than sit and reflect, but if you take just one minute everyday, that's what you get.

For writers, the 'one minute' stillness can work as well as the 'ten minute' burst when it comes to writing material. Try it. It can be more of a challenge than you might think. Can you sit still and do nothing for one timed minute?

Until next time, be still, then write out loud :)

Merry Christmas

Deb.

Stop, I want to get off the Merry Go Round

by Cheryl Wright

If you’ve never written for a magazine or newspaper before, getting that big break seems to be an impossible dream. Understanding your targeted publication’s needs will make the journey easier.

Begin by deciding which publication/s interests you; you need to query them with the type of material that fits or suits their current needs, so research is of the utmost importance.

Obtain a copy of the magazine (check with your local library) and their most recent guidelines for freelancers. Wherever possible, request a copy of their editorial calendar – this will give you an idea of the type of material they will be purchasing in the near future.

Also check the list of in-house writers and the columns or departments they handle, which is usually listed within the first few pages of the publication. This information will assist you in determining what you can’t write. The publication will not be interested in purchasing from you, anything that is written in-house by staffers.

Now thoroughly research the magazine. Don’t just read the articles, check the advertisements as well – they will give you a clue as to the target audience, the type of person the magazine is aimed toward. It will also give an indication of their readers’ age group.

For instance, if the magazine is full of advertisements for essential oils and natural therapy products and services, you would be wasting your time and effort querying them for an article about cosmetic surgery or laser eye treatments. On the other hand, an article about natural beauty products would probably be well accepted.

Read the entire article here

Writing Out Loud Updates

I've added a links page which contains some of my personal favourite web links as well as links to friend's web pages. If you have a writing (or otherwise as you'll see) related site you'd like to swap a link to, let me know and I'll add it to the page.

Tired of Earning Peanuts from Your Writing?

If you want to break into non-fiction magazine writing but don't know how, this just-released ebook is for you. You'll learn all the concepts that are essential for all magazine writers.

Whether you are a novice or more experienced writer, Cheryl Wright will teach you how to boost your income writing for magazines.

Find out more...

Get over Blank Screen Syndrome

Break through writer's block and put the fun back into writing. Yes, you really can write whenever you need to or want to!

Consistent, productive freelance writing demands a constant stream of new ideas and new, original writing. Write Out Loud will show you how to tap into your inner creative muse and produce writing that will surprise even you.

Find out more...

Fish Publishing

2009 One-Page Story

Write a story in no more than 300 words for a chance of a 1000 Euro prize and publication in the 2009 Fish Anthology.

Competition opens in January and closes in March 2009

Full details here

Words Magazine

A free to enter competion with a first prize of £100.

Entries must be made online from the linked page below, and the word limit is 3000 per story.

Closing date is 31 December 2008, so you need to get your writing skates on.

Full details here