Writing for the Season Makes It Even Merrier

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Later this month, my interview with Sarah Elaine Hawkinson of Sasee magazine will appear in the always erudite and inspirational Women on Writing monthly newsletter. (And if you’re not already subscribing, I hope you’ll consider signing up today!) Among other subjects, we’ll discuss how Sasee publishes writing based on a particular theme, such as October’s “Renew & Revamp,” which I covered in my essay “A New Shade of Me.”

Seeking to build your own writing portfolio? If so, consider writing for the season. Whether it’s Christmas, Valentine’s Day or Memorial Day, for example, the holiday provides that instant timely hook editors just love. This year, I wrote several pieces specifically geared to the season. “Modern Conveniences” (Pinestraw, December 2022) was a humorous piece based on a Thanksgiving dinner saved by the voice of my Grandma Wilma and “How to Host a Holiday Party with Style While Living with M.S.” (Healthline, November 28) was written specifically for Christmas.

I don’t always get something written in time, but because the days seem to pass by so quickly, I don’t sweat a passed deadline. In fact, now I try to plan ahead. For example, I’ve already thought of new ideas for Christmas of 2023, based on events of this year. A piece I pitched to an editor for Valentine’s Day didn’t quite make the cut, but she was kind enough to help me figure out a way to make it work for March. So never give up on those “evergreen” ideas, either.  

As I learned in classes taught by best-selling author Susan Shapiro, just keep writing. An editor who Zoomed into one meeting advised us to be prepared by keeping a treasure chest of pieces based on our own areas of expertise. Just wait, she said, your time will come. A special event, such as a new study or a new book, may very well spur the need for your work. In the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to set a Google Alert for words based on your favorite subjects.

Thinking ahead to the New Year, I hope these tips help you meet your writing goals for 2023. In the meantime, please have a Merry Christmas, try to stay warm, and enjoy the rest of the season.

Share Your Writing with the World!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

cup-3488805_1280Submission is an exciting step in a writer’s life, and for some of us, it can be daunting. But it doesn’t have to be! If one of your writing resolutions for 2020 is to delve into the exciting waters of submission, why not get an early start? Join us on Saturday, January 4, 2020 from 9:30 – Noon at the Charlotte Center for Literary Arts, Inc., 1817 Central Avenue, #302, in Charlotte to learn how simple (and fun) writing for publication can be!

Bring a polished piece of original work (poetry, short fiction, or nonfiction) and leave with all the tools you need to submit your writing and become a published author. You may even win a prize along the way. We’ll tackle market research for journals, newspapers, magazines and contests, submission systems, cover letters and short biographies.

Register here: https://www.charlottelit.org/event/submissions-and-contests/

I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year! I look forward to seeing you soon.

 

A New Year’s Resolution: 5 Easy Steps for a Pain-Free Year of Blogging

Posted on by Ashley Harris

IMG_3254I’ve decided to use the down time before the New Year to do something I’ve never done before: write a strategic plan for my blog. Allow me to confess. Other than scheduling some book reviews in advance last summer, I’ve just relied upon serendipity for my blog. While I’ll always leave room for sudden inspiration, I’m planning for a more meaningful (and painfree!) experience for 2013. Here’s 5 steps that might help you.

Step 1: What are your writing goals for 2013? Before you address your plans for your blog, ask yourself: what are my writing goals? For maximum benefit, the two ought to be aligned. Do you want to find a publisher for a completed novel? Do you want to create a following for your writing interests in the hopes of bringing people together? Or, do you want to explore a new topic in the interests of learning something? My overall mission (as a writer) is fairly simple and it’s in the tagline of my blog: Exploring the joys of fiction writing and learning from the very best.  With this in mind, my goal for 2013 will simply be to improve my writing. I’ll then create a blogging plan that supports this goal.

Step 2: Take advantage of holidays, birthdays, and other milestones. It’s common sense to celebrate your own writing milestones and traditional holidays such as Valentine’s Day. But one of my favorite things to do is to take advantage of the abundance of wacky holidays. This worked well for me last year, as I was heavily promoting Naked and Hungry. In honor of one of my main characters, a cantankerous canine, I blogged about National Mutts Day. Which bizarre holidays (tied to your own writing goals) can you commemorate? Check out the list for 2013. And a year’s worth of blog entries means that somebody’s going to have a birthday. Will I have a blog entry for Flannery O’Connor or Anton Chekhov, two of my writing idols? You betcha! On this subject, why not celebrate a victory or milestone earned by a writer friend? I promise that this will be time well spent.

Step 3: Link to other blogs or websites. Have you been interviewed on a blog or garnered a new review? Did you read an online article that you applied to your own life? These can be the simplest of blog entries. You need only write a paragraph from your perspective and link back to the article or interview itself. This can be made easier by subscribing to other blogs or newsfeeds as a way to get ideas. I recently read a great article that could easily inspire multiple blog entries of my own. Conversely, did an article or opinion rub you the wrong way? Don’t be afraid to write about a controversial topic. Hemingway made a living doing just that. Can you imagine the following he would have generated if he had had a blog?

Step 4: Interview another writer. Whether you’re a writer, chef, or gardener, you’re bound to know others with similar interests. Let their wisdom be a part of your blogosphere. I need to get better at this. It can be as simple as emailing other writers questions ahead of time and asking for a picture. Easy-breezy. They do the writing and you do the posting!

Step 5: Give yourself a vacation by writing in advance. Take advantage of technology and schedule content ahead of time. You can create a “mini-series”, such as I did this summer with book reviews, parts 1 and 2. I scheduled them in sequence, which meant that I could take a vacation with impunity. Whew! My writing friend, Rick Bylina, is a natural at planning; in fact, he posts a book review at least once per week.

There are some technical things I should mention here, too, such as linking your blog to your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts but I’m going to assume you have that figured out. As for me, I now have a smorgasbord of exciting blog entries planned for the new year. For your inspiration, I’ll jot down my own outline for January. It really can be this simple!

  • January 7 – Celebrate the patent of a primitive typewriter in 1829
  • January 8  – Ashley pens guest blog on Dames of Dialogue Blog
  • January 15 – Review of Write Like the Masters by William Cane
  • January 19 – The master of suspense: Edgar Allen Poe’s Birthday
  • January 29 – A storyteller for all time: Anton Chekhov’s Birthday

So now I’ll tackle February, March, April and so forth. With the time saved, who knows? Maybe, just maybe, 2013 will find me floating in a Bahamian bay reading a book!

Here’s to a great year ahead. Whatever your plans, may 2013 bring you bountiful rewards, enduring fellowship and joy!

Ashley

Mopping My Way into 2012

Posted on by Ashley Harris


I may be the only person who celebrated New Year’s Eve by mopping her kitchen floor but boy, was it cathartic! You see, after one and a half years, Born Again, Dead Again is finally finished. Of course, much proofreading lies ahead but I’ve done the hardest part, tying up the loose ends and resolving the plot to my satisfaction.

And after several days spent curled up with my laptop, it felt great to stretch my legs again. That made me look around the house and see all the work that I’ve neglected for the past few days…but first I think I’ll treat myself to a coconut martini, a bowl of popcorn and a re-run or two of Strangers with Candy (my guilty pleasure).

I suppose I should set new resolutions for 2012, but having finished this book (a 2011 resolution by the way), I’m okay playing it by ear for a change.

We do have a number of events ahead next year for Naked and Hungry, so I hope to see you in 2012. For now, here’s wishing you a productive year and a few quiet moments to celebrate the accomplishments of 2011.