The Fabulist Flash

Issue 110

Hint of Autumn Journal

In This Issue:

1. This Week
2. Disasters as Opportunities
3. Writing Your Article Resource Box
4. Donna Sundblad takes the 18Q
5. About The Fabulist Flash

1. This Week

Our writing careers, like our lives, are a journey. If you share my literature background, you might think of this journey as an Homeric epic. We're faced with challenge, we gain knowledge and experience, we conquer--hopefully triumphantly--and then we tell our story.

As in all great tales of yore, my journey hasn't been solitary. I've faced challenges and gained knowledge with teachers, guides and mentors at my side. Mrs. Epoch taught me to look at life's many angles. Mrs. Knoss hounded subject/verb agreement and punctuation. Mr. Cox gave the experience of joy in accomplishment. Dr. Bevelander explained the strength in discord. Dr. Sachs defined the power of language. Dr. Shaw mentors the possibilities of a writer's life. There are hundreds of others who guided my life through education, knowledge, spirituality, love, challenge and experience. A part of each of them, friend and foe, is with me in all that I do, all that I write.

I hope that my journey continues well into the future. I trust that teachers and mentors will always appear along my way. I believe that I now pass to others what's been given to me. I wish for you that your life is now and will continue to be filled with teachers, guides, and mentors of your own whom not only make you a better writer, but also a better person.

Take a moment today and thank those who have helped you along your writing journey.

Join me at the fifth annual Vegas Valley Book Festival celebrating the written, spoken and illustrated word November 3-4, 2006. Located in the heart of the downtown Las Vegas Arts District, this literary and arts event includes two full days of readings, book discussions, workshops, and spoken word performances. I'm speaking on two panels on Friday, November 3: Self-publishing vs. Traditional Publishing (10:30 AM) and The Importance of Good Editing (11:45 AM). Hope to see you there. (For locations and more information, visit http://www.vegasvalleybookfest.org/)

Until next week,

Gregory
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Gregory A. Kompes (www.kompes.com) is a writer, manuscript consultant and author of the bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, The Endorsement Quest, The Everyday Gay Activist and Your Intensive Care Unit Stay.

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Preview 9 essential books for writers on The Writer's Bookshelf

2. Disasters as Opportunities

How to turn a disaster into an opportunity by Thomas Bosch

Until this Christmas Eve, I thought my writing career was ticking along quite nicely. In between one-off gigs of writing book reviews, ad copy, editing, proofreading and doing press releases, I also had a regular twice-monthly column with a respected industry newsletter. The money wasn't brilliant but I had a great relationship with the editor and it brought me a lot of exposure and therefore a lot of other work. In fact the day before Christmas Eve, I was profiled by the Associated Press in which I plugged the newsletter I wrote for relentlessly. I felt like a celebrity, like I could do no wrong. I was on a high - then on Christmas Eve, just as I was about to go to Christmas dinner, in a move that Charles Dickens' Mr Scrooge would have been proud of, the industry newsletter fired me.

What was my crime? I had accepted a freelance consulting/writing job with a company with links to the industry in which the newsletter covered. I discovered for the first time in the 2 years that I had wrote for them that the newsletter had a strict policy that their writers could not be affiliated with any companies in the industry. They said that having such links violated their "journalistic integrity and independence". I was told bluntly to take my work elsewhere and not come back.

I was crushed. My twice-monthly column was gone, my exposure gone with it. A 2 year relationship which I had laboured to build was shot down in flames, carefully cultivated contacts were suddenly not returning my emails and phone calls. I sat and thought how an agency as prestigious as the Associated Press would never come knocking on my door again. That I had to start again from scratch. Then I realized that, in order to move on, I had to look at the bigger picture and turn the situation into an opportunity. That's when I realized all was not lost and I could salvage something from the mess.

I started with the Associated Press article. That article, within the space of 48 hours, was syndicated by AP. Therefore I found the article and my picture in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (and being in Germany, I have absolutely no idea where Fort Wayne is) and then it popped up in the Press Enterprise (pe.com) with a huge picture of me. The day after that, I got emails from interested potential clients who saw the articles and the journalists was kind enough to pass the emails on. Being a news agency, AP will keep syndicating that article as long as it is newsworthy and so I see it as continual publicity keeping me in the public eye. The article has been out less than a week and already I have new work from it. So I have quickly learned to take whatever publicity you have on hand and use it to get your name and work out there in the public eye. Nothing is better for a writer than media exposure.

Then the company that caused me to get fired in the first place came knocking to offer me a better writing & consultancy job. When they found out I had lost the newsletter gig, they offered to at least match, if not increase the salary I would have got from the newsletter in 2006. Suddenly a short-term assignment had turned into a long-term assignment.

Then I started to think how else I could fix this situation. I started to call all my contacts & other clients and let them know I was still in the game. I was careful not to badmouth the editor that let me go but I made it clear that she and I had professional differences and that we agreed to part company. I was calm and professional about it and I think that helped re-assure a lot of clients who were starting to hear some negative things about me on the freelance writing grapevine. I had to move fast to counter what people were hearing. I am a firm believer in the phrase "mud sticks" and I was determined not to let this mud anywhere near me.

So within a few days, my situation had completely turned around. One moment I could see disaster looming on the horizon, the next I had more work than I knew how to handle. I marveled at how life can change very quickly sometimes without you even having to do anything. How victory can be snatched from the jaws of defeat while you're having your coffee break. So next time you lose an assignment, don't panic and check your bank balance right away. Take a deep breath, make a coffee, perhaps go for a walk. When you get back, you might find your situation has completely changed again for the better. Circumstances can change in a heartbeat.

About the Author
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Thomas Bosch is originally from Scotland and now lives in Germany. A published writer for 16 years, Thomas also reads volumes voraciously, loves to discover and use new words, and keeps his hand in writing by penning two boundless bulky blogs, a monolithic mountain of correspondence and writing lofty largish letters to the editors of multitudes of magazines. A Sherlock Holmes fan, Thomas can be emailed at signofthefour@gmail.com. Thomas Bosch is a pseudonym.

3. Writing Your Article Resource Box

How to Create a Compelling Articles Resource Box by Biana Babinsky

You just finished writing a new article that your target customers will love. Your introduction is strong, and keeps the readers wanting to read more, you provide a lot of useful tips in the article, and you end with an encouragement for the readers to use your tips in their life or business. All in all, a great article.

Is your work done? Not at all. You still haven't written a very important part for your article - the resource box. A resource box is what comes right after the article, the 2-4 sentences that include your bio and a link back to your business web site.

The article's resource box is your only chance to convert the article reader into a lead for your business. This is why it is extremely important to make your resource box as effective as possible. Here is what you should include in your resource box:

Information about you, the author. The first sentence in your resource box should introduce you to the reader. After all, your readers can't do business with someone they don't know. You don't need to share your whole biography, but sharing a few tidbits about what you do will help your article readers get to know you just a bit better.

A free resource that the reader can subscribe for or request from you. Your article resource box is a great place to offer your readers a free e-course, newsletter or special report, to get them further exposed to your expertise. You want to be able to keep in touch with your article readers long after they have read your article. Make sure you make them a great offer in order to be able to keep in touch.

Call to action. Tell your reader how to get your free resource, bonus or free gift. Use phrases such as subscribe to the newsletter, register for e-course, get a free gift, to get the readers to look at more of your resources.

Over to you - let's take action! Take a look at your own article resource box, and see how you can make it more appealing to your article readers. Remember, the more compelling the resource box is, the more leads you will gain for your business.

About the Author
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Listen to Biana Babinsky, the online business expert, consultant and author, as she discusses how to turn your knowledge into articles and your articles into profits. Writing articles has helped her become known online, get more newsletter subscribers and sell more products online. She is sharing all the secrets she has discovered in her Article Marketing Audio Guide available at http://www.marketingsalad.com/article_marketing.html

4. Donna Sundblad takes the 18Q

Donna Sundblad

Biography
Author of Pumping Your Muse and the fantasy novel Windwalker, Donna Sundblad is a tranplanted midwesterner now living in rural NW Georgia where she enjoys life with her husband and flock of pets.

Website:
www.theinkslinger.net

Bibliography:
Windwalker
Pumping Your Muse
Who Died In Here
Classic Christmas

1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you?
Good question. It chose me. That's not something most people can understand. Writing is work, but I love it even when it doesn't let me sleep.

2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.)
I'm the oldest of seven siblings. Growing up in the 50's I entertained the younger kids regularly with homespun stories. In fact some characters such as "moondog" live on today in my grandchildren. I wonder how that could have happened. Other than homemaker, my background is administrative and real estate.

3. When did you 'know' you were a writer?
My first published work came about in the 8th grade when I wrote poetry for our Year Book. Adult life, motherhood and working crowded my creativity but I still wrote off and on. In fact, in the 90's I wrote my first novel over a five-year period. For my fiftieth birthday I signed up for online writing classes and decided to make regular time for writing. I had short writers' tips published regularly in a newsletter for writers and it thrilled me. At this time I was working on a new novel, and at the same time various short stories and articles. I wanted to be a writer. Then one day it dawned on me. I remember the moment with clarity.

A plot problem preoccupied my mind on my way to work. My car crawled over a small bridge onto a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. The beauty of nature pulled me back to reality. My heart wasn't into going to work; I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be home working on my manuscript. A new thought hit on me. I don't want to be a writer. I am a writer. I never looked back. I finally took the big step in June of 2006 and walked away from my day job to write full time.

4. How would you describe your style of writing?
Clear and straight forward.

5. What is your writing process?
Most of the time I start off with an idea that works like a prompt. Instead of a formal outline, at first I collect snippets. These consist of short scenes, single sentences or even the definition of a word but they are theme related. In fact this process brought about my creative writing book Pumping Your Muse. It not so much a method but a creative journey.

6. What was your path to publication?
I belonged to an online writing school called The Writer's Village University. They have an online ezine for writers called T-zero Expandizine. First I had writer's tips published, then a few articles and it gave me enough clips that when I submitted to an anthology called "Who Died In Here?" my story was accepted. In 2004 I joined T-zero's fiction editing team, and for the last couple of years I've written a monthly column for the ezine. It's a good publication that has a heart to help writer's learn the craft.

Through those relationships I came in contact with an up and coming press that planned to publish in print and electronically. I submitted a proposal for my writing book and they asked to see more. Pumping Your Muse came out in June of 2005 and they just released my first fantasy novel Windwalker in September of 2006.

7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea?
Actually, I like networking with other writers. We all understand the need, and the I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine works. I include interviews of authors on my webpage to help them promote their books. Many times that leads to reciprocal links.

8. What are the biggest surprises you've encountered as a writer?
Living the life of a writer is filled with wonder. When Pumping Your Muse made it to the number 1 spot on Fictionwise's non-fiction general interest list, I couldn't believe it. When its cover won Cover of the Month, that was spectacular. Seeing reader ratings form my books is a thrill. People I don't know rating the books excellent. It's too hard to pick one thing.

9. How do you inspire yourself?
One favorite way is to go for a walk and allow my thoughts to trip down the paths of what ifs with my current fictional project in mind. It gives me time to know my character better, develop a plot or recognize an inconsistency that needs to be fixed. I've also been known to go out shopping at junk stores, resale shops and thrift stores for ideas. One little trinket can lead to unknown worlds. What are your sources of creativity? I read, listen to music and spend time with family and friends. I love talking with children about what if....

10. What is your proudest writer moment?
That's hard to say. So much of the writing process takes hard work. Things like knowing I have fans, or that people seek my counsel astound me. Proudest moments come and go. I think the most recent was when Pumping Your Muse climbed to number 1 on the Fictionwise site in the general non-fiction category. Now I take a peek each Monday and check on Windwalker and Pumping Your Muse.

11. What's the best advice you were given about writing?
The willingness of other writer's to share what they've learned along the way has been a great asset. I guess if I had to pick one thing it would be to "show not tell." The trick is learning what that really means.

12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment?
I'd done my research. I had to choose a gun for a short story. I even talked to an ex-cop to see if the gun should bang or pop. Two years after the story was published, a reported interviewing me mentioned that he had read the story and that the gun would not have ejected shells (which were part of the evidence used to catch the criminal). I couldn't believe it.

13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer?
I love the creative process. I've even grown to enjoy the editing process because I know my work will be the better for it. However, promotion is the biggest challenge.

14. What is your writer life philosophy?
Set goals and write consistently. I set yearly goals, from those I set monthly goals and from those my weekly goals. One of my first goals was to write 20 minutes a day four days a week. That hooked me. By the time I left my day job, I was putting in about 30 hours a week to writing.

15. When you're not writing what do you do for fun?
Walks, reading, time with family, enjoy my pet birds. I have a blue front Amazon and five cockatiels.

16. Who do you like to read?
Because of the amount of editing I do, I've learned to enjoy trying new authors. One of my favorite newbies is Jo Hall author of Hierath, the first in a trilogy. Another is Teel James Glenn author of Tales of a Warrior Priest. I like fantasy, but I enjoy just about any genre if it is well-written.

17. What’s your advice for new writers?
Set goals and make a plan to write.

18. What are you currently working on?
I'm just about finished with a budgeting book titled Change From the Heart~Lifestyle Budgeting (to be published by Dabblingmum as an ebook). This is a new venture for me as I co-author with my husband Rick. I'm also in the process of rewrites and edits on my next fantasy novel Beyond the Seventh Gate. Other than that, I have the first two scenes written for the novel after that. It doesn't even have a title yet. I'm also writing articles on fantasy and creative writing for Inspired Author and developing and teaching on-line classes for writers at Writer's Online Courses.

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Are you a published writer? Take the 18Q today!

To read all the 18Q responses or take the 18Q visit EighteenQuestions.com

5. About The Fabulist Flash

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