Writing World for July

W R I T I N G W O R L D

A World of Writing Information - For Writers Around the World

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Issue 11:13 12,690 subscribers July 7, 2011
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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THE EDITOR'S DESK: Seeing the Light, by Moira Allen
THE INQUIRING WRITER: Technology or Old-Fashioned Ways?
by Dawn Copeman
NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF WRITING
FEATURE: Job Hunting Strategies for the Expat Freelance Writer,
by Suchi Rudra
COLUMN: Free Stuff for Writers: On the Road, by Aline Lechaye
THE WRITE SITES -- Online Resources for Writers
The Author's Bookshelf

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---> http://wwx.Writing.Com/ <--- Become a fan on Facebook: http://facebook.com/WritingCom Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/WritingCom **************************************************************** WRITERSCOLLEGE.COM has 57 online courses. Prices are low. If you can reach our web site, you can take our courses. http://www.WritersCollege.com ***************************************************************** WRITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS. Ever dreamed of being a published author? Writing for children is a great place to start. Learn the techniques from an experienced writer. This unique program has helped 1000's like you become published. Free qualifying test offered http://www.writingforchildren.com/H0480 ***************************************************************** You CAN Make a Great Full-Time Living As a Writer! Once you know the simple secrets of writing for this little-known lucrative market. You can work from home, be in control of your schedule and earn an average of $75-$150 an hour. http://www.thewriterslife.com/a63/full-time-living ***************************************************************** THOUSANDS OF WRITERS USE FANSTORY.COM FOR: * Feedback. Get feedback for every poem and story that you write. * Contests. Over 40 contests are always open and free to enter. * Rankings. Statistics will show you how your writing is doing. http://www.fanstory.com/index1.jsp?at=38 ***************************************************************** FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK ================================================================= Seeing the Light ---------------- I don't often use this space for "advocacy," but this month I'm going to make an exception. This month, I'm going to take a stand for something that is of rather great importance for writers: Light. Many of you are probably aware that a ban on incandescent light bulbs is scheduled to go into effect in the U.S. in January 2012. This ban will make it illegal to sell 100-watt bulbs at that time; the plan is to extend the ban to lower wattages over time. What is offered in place of such bulbs is a choice between halogen and "compact fluorescent" bulbs. What does this have to do with writers? Well, the next time you're hunched over your keyboard, squinting at the screen as you compose your epic novel, story, poem, memoir or whatever, think for a moment... how important is it to you to be able to SEE that screen clearly? Poor lighting is the writer's bane. It contributes to eye strain and headaches -- and to loss of productivity. Poor lighting is also a reader's bane. If we write, chances are, we read -- probably quite a lot. Good lighting makes that possible. It aids in everything a writer does. It aids in studying, in research, in composing our work and in reviewing it. I have yet to hear someone say, "Gosh, I just love the fluorescent lights at the office so much, I sure wish I could have something like that at home!" For many, the "flicker factor" of fluorescents can even be a health problem. I'm all for "going green." I'm also in favor of having choices. Being required by law to spend more money on less effective lighting is not, to my mind, a good choice. There are many other ways to encourage people (like writers) to make wise, "green" decisions. Fortunately, a bill has been introduced to overturn the pending light-bulb ban. If you feel that the lightbulb ban is not in your best interest as a writer (or in the best interest of your family, or of the nation as a whole), you have a chance to let your Senator and/or Congressman know about it. The vote will take place sometime in July - you can find out more, and send an e-mail to your Senator and Congressman directly from this website: http://freedomaction.org/index.php/take-action/?url=http://capwiz.com/freedomaction/issues/alert/?alertid=33961501 After all, shedding light on things is what we writers do, right? -- Moira Allen, Editor ***************************************************************** CHILDREN'S WRITERS' PUBLISHING NEWS Over 1,000 children's editors have it delivered to their desk each month. You can too - and get your first two issues delivered FREE. Maximize your chances to get published. http://www.thechildrenswriter.com/AK049 ***************************************************************** The Inquiring Writer: Technology or Old-Fashioned Ways? ================================================================= By Dawn Copeman Last month I wanted to know if there are still some writing tasks that you prefer to do the old-fashioned manual, pen-and-paper way, or if you have gone all techno-writer? I wondered if you had tried new technology and reverted back to old ways, or if you had you found a technology that really boosts your creativity and productivity. Only two of those who replied do things entirely using technology. "I do most of my writing on the computer," wrote Vicki Kennedy. "Paper and pen is fine for jotting down notes, but I've found that when it comes time to transfer it to the computer, the story changes so dramatically the pen and paper version was mostly a waste of time. It helps me to see a story in print, rather than scribbled on paper." Jerry Buerge sympathised with me and my shocking discovery that I could no longer read my writing. He wrote: "I'm sure that most of us would have the same experience. Particularly those who, like me, tend to write pidgin shorthand of notes or ideas that I intend to flesh out when the mood drives me to finish something. "However, lately I have been trying something else. I've bought a small voice recorder that I have been using to record notes and complete thoughts, which I then use while sitting at my computer, and there, transpose them into initial material for later editing and polishing. "While I do not claim to be a proficient writer, or even a good one, I do believe this is helping me to improve, as I find that I can generate clearer thoughts when my mind is not distracted with striking the correct keyboard entries, or even the strokes of my pen. "Perhaps this is something you might care to experiment with and see if this is helpful enough to consider suggesting that others might like to try it too." I will definitely give that a go, Jerry. Thank you. Quite a few of you, though, still prefer to do things the old-fashioned way, such as Beth T. Irwin. She wrote: "I am another author who writes entirely by hand, using fountain pen and good paper. I highly recommend Fountain Pen Network - check the Penmanship forum as there are CDs on improving your hand, which will speed and ease your writing as you forget about the tools you are using and concentrate on the flow." Thanks for the tip, Beth, I will be sure to check them out. Bonnie Perfetti also loves "writing the old-fashioned way with pen and paper, probably because that's what I grew up with and the only techy thing I own is a computer and a very basic cell phone. "There's just something about sitting down with a fresh, clean sheet of paper and a pen that writes so smoothly it glides across the paper as your thoughts pour out. Yes, it's easier to 'erase' on a computer, but I even like looking at my first drafts with cross-outs and notes written all over it. Call me old-fashioned - I'm proud of it." Jeannie Peace is another avid fan of pen and paper. She wrote: "Having a husband who is a techno freak, I decided to give it a try. I sat down in front of my computer and literally stared at the empty blank page. Oh no, my mind is a blank, just like the page! I finally had to close my eyes to shut out the glaring white page and just write. It worked. After that eventful moment, I sat in my comfortable chair with my pen and paper in hand and started writing. What a relief!" Some of you like the old-fashioned ways for more practical reasons, like Paige Lohr. She emailed: "I can't type very fast. So when I write, I use pen and paper. My pen goes faster than my typing. I type after a few rewrites and I know how I want the story to go; it still takes me two hours to type four pages!" Most of you, however, prefer to take the best of both options, as Eva Bell does. She wrote: "I am old-fashioned and still use pen and paper to do my writing, until I finish the final draft. Only then do I key it into the computer. This makes me feel more in control of my writing when I reconstruct sentences or substitute words as I write. Besides, it is not so much of a strain on the eyes or the back, as when glued for hours to the computer. And just in case the computer conks out, I still have my hand-written draft for ready reference." In fact, several of you seem to use this system. Sharnise Streaty e-mailed to say how it makes her writing life easier. She said "I've tried to do the whole writing process on computer and I often got stumped along the way. This would often lead to unfinished projects. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I finally figured out what my problem was. For some reason I can't remember, I didn't have access to my computer. I had an idea that I wanted to explore so I did the only thing I could do -- took a trip back to elementary school days and rediscovered notebook paper. My problem had actually been that on the computer when I tried to outline and organize my stories, I ended up going straight into writing it. Then once the story hit an inevitable wall I had nowhere to go. "Now, I outline, organize, and do a treatment in a notebook. I think because writing long-hand is so tedious, it forces me to be brief and to the point. I don't want to write pages of tangents, dialogue, or details that have nothing to do with anything (hand cramps are horrible!) It's straight-forward, task focused, and messy. I love it. "Then when I sit at the computer my brain automatically switches to 'write story' mode. I love having a notebook next to me that I can flip through for reminders and forgotten details. "Not only does it give my eyes a break from the screen, but when I touch the paper, it's like I can feel the story beneath my fingers. Thus, both the old and new ways work best for me overall." Heather Hutcheson also uses both systems for her writing, but for different reasons. She wrote: "Depending upon what I want to write, whether it is to get ideas out on paper, vent my thoughts and feelings, or organize my thinking, I use good old-fashioned pen and paper. "For more formal writing, rough drafts, and getting down business ideas, I use my computer. Both ways work for me. The computer is great for keeping the writing organized, while with pen and paper I can feel what I have to say coming out of my hand." "I write exclusively on my laptop," e-mailed Sandra Relford. "I like the convenience of having the thesaurus/dictionary site open and I find the composition flow is smoother for me." She is not a complete technology fan though. She continues: "I keep pen and paper handy so that as I get ideas, no matter where I am, I can jot them down and then transfer them to my tickler file that I keep at the end of the project that I am working on in my computer." Perle Champion finds that combining the two methods makes for easier editing. She wrote: "You have found out my secret about writing long hand. I love it, much prefer it to typing my thoughts, and it does give you time to think. I've always written first by hand; my favorite spiral pad goes with me everywhere. One of the benefits I find is when I transcribe a piece (I label in the margins: poem, essay, etc. as I write) I edit as I type, so it amounts to a painless 2nd draft. "The pad (spiral pad not Ipad) is so convenient. The requirement for all my purses is that they can comfortably hold my 5x8 pad. I write at coffee shop, at the happy hour bar, at lunch, early morning at a shady table at the pepper place farmers market sipping iced coffee and eavesdropping/people-watching." James E. Porter Sr. has also found a way to make the most of old-fashioned ways and new technology. He wrote: "I cannot, not WILL not, use plotting software. If I want to move the gun further down the river next to the dock, the clickety-click necessary to do this can be taxing. "On a sheet of legal-size, I draw an arrow and say, 'move it here.' I scratch out the gun up-river, and I am done. Similarly, I would rather plot or do my story lines on paper. I used to look for special buys of old dot matrix paper so I could write and tear and move around to my heart's content. However, that paper has disappeared around here. And end-rolls at the local newspaper have become kind of expensive. So now I do all my storytelling on legal size or Big Chief tablets, it is much easier for me. "Then, there is the question of retreating from one level of technology to another level of technology. Whether it is better to lug a laptop around, risking third degree burns on my thighs or scorching the picnic tabletops or starting a fire in coach at 35,000 feet but only risking all of that for only seven or so hours or writing time, or to shift to a Neo (about a third of the price of Mr. Gates' or Mr. Dell's finest) with about 700 hours of writing time on three AA batteries, has become a point of reality check for me. Because the question of whether or not I really want to write, or whether I want to say that I'm going to write, but actually I want to watch DVD's, is the real issue. So, to keep away from the temptation to turn on 'Battle LA', (so I can hone my screenwriting skills, naturally), I carry a Neo. I can use it anywhere. Now, the reality is, I do have to take along the laptop, so I can transfer from the Neo to my Word files on the laptop. But I can keep the laptop in my luggage or at the house or motel." That seems a sensible compromise between the two methods to me. I also wanted to know, however, if any of you had reverted back to old-fashioned ways after trying out technology, and Sue Fagalde Lick has. She wrote: "I have reverted to my old file-card system of keeping track of submissions. I still have a running list in a spreadsheet on the computer so I can get the overall picture, but the real information is in my file boxes. "I use different color cards for articles, essays, fiction, and poetry. Yellow is for markets. I never found a digital tracker that gave me the freedom to write whatever I wanted in the little spaces. I hate having to turn on the computer to find out what happened to a particular piece, and by writing each submission on the market and article/essay/poem cards, I develop a complete list of what has been where. Also, I can pull the cards out to remind me to do something about that particular piece or market they refer to. It's old-fashioned, but it works for me." And speaking of markets, that leads me to this month's question. I have had several e-mails from people wanting to know about content writing. They want to know if it is worth pursuing. Some sites say writers can earn up to $300 a week doing SEO content writing and naturally, many new writers want to know if this is too good to be true. Have you ever written for such SEO content sites? What was your experience? Send me your emails with your replies with the subject line "Inquiring Writer" to editorial@writing-world.com. Until next time, Dawn Copyright 2011 Dawn Copeman **************************************************************** LAST CALL! WIN UP TO $500 WRITING A POEM OR SHORT STORY Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest. Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject and/or write a short story, 5 pages max. on any theme, single or double line spacing, neatly hand printed or typed for a chance to win cash prizes. Postmark deadline: July 31 Visit http://www.dreamquestone.com for details! ***************************************************************** NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF WRITING ================================================================= Exclusive New Club for Writers -------------------------------- This is something you might start to hear more about. The Kindle Millions Club currently has eight members and is therefore very exclusive. To become a member of this club you need to have sold over 1 million Kindle books. For more on this story visit: http://www.publishyourownebooks.com/the-kindle-million-club/ Harry Potter Ebooks to be released by Author -------------------------------------------- When J K Rowling sold the publishing rights to her Hogwarts books she wisely kept hold of the digital rights. She will be releasing all seven Harry Potter books through her own publishing company, Pottermore Publishing, via the new Pottermore site, which goes live on 31 July, Harry Potter's 'birthday'. The site will also feature many of Rowling's notes and back stories for the characters that did not make it into the books. For more on this story visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13889578 Science Fiction Publisher Offers Subscription Option ---------------------------------------------------- And keeping with the theme of ebooks, Angry Robot, the science-fiction digital publisher, has launched a subscription service which will allow its readers a copy of every book published by the company in the year as well as vouchers for money off back-listed titles. For more on this story visit: http://tinyurl.com/5rchcfp ***************************************************************** EVERYHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SETTING FREELANCE FEES! Find out how to negotiate agreements, choose pricing strategies, define tasks, deal with difficult customers, and much more in "What to Charge: Pricing Strategies for Freelancers and Consultants" (2nd Edition) by Laurie Lewis. In print and Kindle from Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/setyourfees *************************************************************** Writing Jobs and Opportunities ================================================================= Writer wanted to write in Bulgaria, Expenses Paid ------------------------------------------------- Explore your creative potential at WriteCamp. Meet fellow writers and enjoy the summer together in Varna and at WriteCamp. Live near the beach this summer in sunny Varna and learn social media, SEO and publishing for the web with on-the-job copy and creative writing projects. We are 1st Online Solutions, a creative digital marketing and web development company and we would like to invite you to join us at WriteCamp! Spend three great months with our team of professional copy writers, web designers and web development specialists. We offer monetary compensation, paid seaside accommodations, and have full and part-time positions available. Pay is scaled according to the quantity of work you are willing and able to take on, and the quality you are able to deliver. Serious, talented, travel-ready applicants with UK/EU passport should check out writecamp.org for more information and apply with CV and cover letter to info@writecamp.org. We'd love to hear from you! More details: http://www.writecamp.org; Andersen Press Open to Submissions ---------------------------------- Andersen Press publishes children's picture books, juvenile fiction and young adult fiction. They do not publish adult fiction, poetry or nonfiction. They are open to submissions. For more details visit: http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/about-us/submitting-a-manuscript Atticus Books Open to Submissions --------------------------------- Atticus Books publishes material that 'falls through the cracks between genres'. They publish books, short stories, literary fiction and creative nonfiction both in print and on their website. For more information visit: http://atticusbooksonline.com/about/ and http://atticusbooksonline.com/about/how-to-publish-with-us/ ***************************************************************** HOW TO WRITE YOUR BEST STORY This inspiring, practical new book will help you write your best story and improve your chances to get published. These are the most durable, successful, and time-tested tips, techniques and examples of best practices used by great writers. http://www.crickhollowbooks.com/write_your_best_story.html *************************************************************** FEATURE: Job Hunting Strategies for the Expat Freelance Writer ================================================================= by Suchi Rudra So you've made the move abroad, you're still writing for some clients back home, but you'd also like to dig into the local and regional markets? Even if the local language remains a mystery to you, there are still plenty of ways to earn a decent income from local and regional freelance writing work in English. Having lived and worked abroad in India, Czech Republic, Ukraine and Russia, I've found that no matter where I set up camp, there are certain strategies that I can follow to enhance my success in writing for local and regional markets. And the best part about these strategies? They can still apply even if you're not an expat! 1) Always keep an eye out for local English-language magazines, newspapers and publishing houses. Anytime you are out and about, pick up all the free brochures, flyers and complementary magazines you can handle. Often, these are aimed toward tourists and study-abroad students, so you will find more of these English language publications to snatch up in the more happening and touristy spots. However, some publications, like trade journals, might only be found in banks, real estate agencies, travel agencies and other similar institutions. And don't forget about airport magazines and publications for expat organizations! I queried a popular website for expats in Prague with some story ideas and am now a frequent contributor. 2) Collect business cards. Anytime you find yourself at a cafe, restaurant, bar or boutique that appeals to you, ask for their business card. Look around to see if you can contribute your language skills to their advertising. If you're a stickler for grammar, you'll probably notice that many places serving food often need help with either proofreading or translation of their menu, advertisements or website. Offer your assistance for a small fee or for free as a trial period, and the manager will probably come running back to you for more help if you do a good job. Some places might even have a newsletter you can sign up for, so check to see if it needs some English help. Don't forget to scope out their website as well. 3) Inflight magazines are a huge, well-paying market that is constantly expanding with the growth of low-cost airlines. Each time you fly, use your flight time to carefully read through the magazine and get a good idea of the writing style and range of topics. Look up their website and contact info, and send them a query. 4) Contact local NGOs and nonprofits and find out if they might want some help with their communications department. These organizations are constantly looking for solid sponsors and need to send out professional emails and informational packets in English. You won't make a ton of money by working for a nonprofit, but you will be contributing to a good cause, and may eventually land yourself a staff position, if that's what you are looking for. In Bombay, I was given a small but sufficient stipend to help a local NGO in corresponding with their corporate sponsor relations via e-mail and also to write up a few surveys that they were conducting. 5) Check out local university bulletin boards (put on a backpack and you can slip right into any academic building with the students). Some students will put up notices asking for help in editing or proofreading their English language essays or research papers. Conversely, you can post a notice with your number or e-mail advertising your editing/proofreading/research guidance abilities in English. I once responded to a bulletin board flier from a Czech PhD student (at a university in Prague) who needed help in editing and preparing the English translation of his doctoral thesis - it turned to be a nice, long project, since the thesis was rather complicated, and I ended up learning a good amount of Czech too! 6) NETWORK! There's never an end to networking, but this can help you especially when you are abroad and outside of familiar territory. Keep an eye out for local writer's groups. Usually these will be expat groups, but some of these expats may have been expats for years and can teach you a thing or two about the town you now call home. If you are a part of Rotary or Toastmasters or Kiwanis or any such international organization, join the local chapter right away! If you aren't already on it, join Facebook, LinkedIn and even Twitter, and hook up with everyone you start to meet in your new city. Also, keep your LinkedIn page up to date on your whereabouts, and you might just hear from an editor searching for the inside scoop on your city. You can also meet a plethora of new and fascinating people from an infinity of backgrounds if you join http://www.CouchSurfing.org or http://www.InterNations.org. And do not forget your alma mater -- check out the alumni database online to see if anyone from your university currently lives in or near your new hometown. And, don't cringe, but you may as well browse through your local Craigslist. You never know... 7) Take a walk. Stroll around your town like a detective and peer into office buildings, write down business names and addresses, take pictures of the signs. See if any of these places look like they could use your native English skills in one way or another. Likely candidates include translation agencies, marketing and PR firms, advertising agencies, bookstores, tour guide companies, hotels, or even an embassy or cultural center (better chance if you know their language!). Basically, think about companies that need to reach an English-speaking audience. Find their contact info and send them a nice email with your CV. 8) Join a co-working group or space. Here you are bound to meet other freelancers (writers and otherwise) who can give you the lowdown on your town, who might have some leads for you, or even have some work to load off on you. 9) Look up any local publishing houses, like an independent small press or an academic press. Contact the editors there to see if they need any English language proofreading, editing, research or other help. 10) Always have your camera with you. Try to invest in a good one that will produce high-res pictures. Take pictures often when you are out and about, not just when the mood strikes you or when you want to send mom a picture of the lasagna you made from her recipe. Travel articles especially require engaging and high-res photos as an accompaniment. The more photos you have to choose from, the better your chance at getting the article accepted. There are even publications that accept photo essays in addition to articles, or you might even look into selling your photos at photography stock websites, like http://www.shutterstock.com or http://www.istockphoto.com. 11) Make sure your resume is up to date and up to standard of the country you are living in. Most places outside the US will call your resume a CV; some require your head shot to go along with it. Have one of your new friends go over your CV with you and make any necessary changes. 12) Advertise your freelance English language services all over town: post flyers on those university bulletin boards, in bookstores, at student cafes, at language centers, place ads in the classified section of the local English language newspaper and/or magazine and of course on any local expat community portals or websites. See if you can get one of your new friends to translate your ad into the local language and place it in local language publications - some of your best clients might come from this effort. 13) Print up business cards, both in English and the local language. Or, have one side of the card in English and one side in the local language. Make sure you take a big handful with you when you head out to network, or just always carry them on you (just like your camera!) because you never know when an opportunity might present itself. 14) Try to contact local artists and musicians to see if they need any help with bios, posters, flyers, CD booklets. In Prague, I met musicians who were not native English speakers, but wanted their music to enter into the English market. So they needed help proofreading, editing and even writing their English lyrics. 15) Persist! The longer you are living in your new city, the more time you have to get acquainted with how things work. You will meet all sorts of people who can lead you to other people and job connections. If you can't get at least one local gig within the first month or two, you aren't trying hard enough! >>--------------------------------------------------<< Suchi Rudra is a full time expat and freelance writer who has lived here and there but prefers there. When not scribbling on Post-it notes, she likes hanging out at airports, singing in smoky cafes and learning languages through osmosis. Her writing can be found at Transitions Abroad, EuropeUpClose.com, India Currents, The Writer, Expats.cz, and other publications. Her first book, Kitaab, written after a year-long stay in Bombay, was published last summer. She is currently putting together her next book, a short story collection. Contact her at suchiprague AT gmail DOT com. Copyright 2011 Suchi Rudra For more information on writing abroad visit: http://www.writing-world.com/international/index.shtml **************************************************************** EBOOK SELF-PUBLISHING EXPLAINED An epublishing revolution is sweeping the industry. We explain what is happening and show you how to self-publish your own ebooks. http://www.PublishYourOwnEbooks.com ***************************************************************** Free Stuff for Writers: On the Road ================================================================= By Aline Lechaye Summer is the perfect time for that road trip you've been planning to take with your friends... or driving to that family get-together you've been finding excuses to avoid all year. Either way, we're sure you'll pick up writing inspirations along the way. With that in mind, this month our freebies are all tools to help you while on-the-go, whether you're writing, photographing, or songwriting. Taking a road trip or a vacation can be great fun, but you never know when your laptop might fail on you. Back up your writing projects and diaries using Dropbox (http://www.dropbox.com/), which allows for up to 2GBs of free storage and automatically syncs all your devices (computers and mobiles) so that you won't have to worry about leaving your carefully typed schedule on the desktop of your home computer. Alternatively, email yourself any writing after each day's work, or upload them to your Google docs account (http://docs.google.com). If you're looking for some great classic stories to keep your passengers entertained on those long summer trips, remember that Project Gutenberg has a gigantic collection of works by Dickens, Hardy, the Bronte sisters, and so on. Volunteers work with LibraVox to provide high quality audio versions of the books, which you can download in various formats completely free of charge. Head over to http://librivox.org/ or http://www.gutenberg.org/ for free audio books and ebooks (Kindle versions available!). Don't want to carry your laptop around but still need some of the documents on it? Install 'Documents To Go' on your phone, Palm Pilot, or iPad. The free version allows you to view Word and Excel documents (edit functions only come with the paid version, unfortunately!) on your phone. Android, Symbian, Palm OS, Apple, and Blackberry devices supported. Go to http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/index.html for more details and to download. Edit your photos at Picnik (http://www.picnik.com) before sending them to your friends and family. At Picnik, you can crop images, change color tones, sharpen focus, and even click auto-edit to let the program do all your work for you! Picnik is a web-based application, so there's no need to install additional software. By the way, you can Picnik to directly upload your finished photos to Facebook and Flickr. If you find that traveling brings out the songwriter in you, you'll find Go Chord (http://www.gochords.com) invaluable. This web-based songwriting software has 1100 chords for you to choose from, and a custom chord builder for nontraditional chords. There are currently three instruments you can "play", and after you're done editing your masterpiece, you can download a printer-friendly version of it to share with your band members or friends. Sign up is free, and you access your account through the free mobile app, which is available for Android and Apple phones. Multiple writers traveling together? Use Writeboard ( http://writeboard.com/) to collaborate vacation plans and/or writing ideas. Create a virtual whiteboard at the site and add as many collaborators as needed. The Writeboard will automatically update when new notes are added, and you can export all the content into an .html or .txt file. Also, the site requires that you set a password for your Writeboard, so you don't have to worry that your top secret info will be compromised! >>--------------------------------------------------<< Aline Lechaye is a translator, writer, and writing tutor who resides in Asia. She can be reached at alinelechaye@gmail.com. Copyright 2011 Aline Lechaye ***************************************************************** THE WRITE SITES ================================================================= New Book Journal ---------------- Authors and publishers can submit press releases about new books, awards, events, etc. free to this site. Click on the "Contact Me" button to upload information. The site can also embed trailers and cover art, plus links to Amazon. http://NewBookJournal.com Opportunities for Artists ------------------------- Marcia Wall provides a list of contests, grants and other opportunities for writers of all types. Most opportunities are based in Louisiana, but many are open to all writers. http://www.411nola.com/contests/opportunities-for-writers/ How to Write Great Blog Content ------------------------------- With more and more jobs for bloggers being advertised and the growth of the blog set to continue, this site will help you to find ways to create blog content. http://www.problogger.net/how-to-write-great-blog-content/ **************************************************************** WIN PRIZES AND GET PUBLISHED! Find out how to submit your stories, poetry, articles and books to hundreds of writing contests in the US and internationally. Newly updated for 2010, WRITING TO WIN by Moira Allen is the one-stop resource you need for contests and contest tips. Visit Writing-World.com's bookstore for details: http://www.writing-world.com/bookstore/index.shtml ***************************************************************** AUTHOR'S BOOKSHELF: Books by Our Readers ================================================================= Lady Father, by Susan Bowman Find these and more great books at http://www.writing-world.com/books/index.shtml Have you just had a book published? If so, let our readers know: just click on the link below to list your book. http://www.writing-world.com/books/listyours.shtml ***************************************************************** ADVERTISE in WRITING WORLD or on WRITING-WORLD.COM! 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