Next Monday, I’ll share with you a fantastic interview with Cindy where she shares her ideas for including family in our reading and writing passion. Meanwhile, read the competition rules below and get your entries in now!

Book by Book Contest

To enter the contest you must answer the following question in the comments below:
“How do you, or could you, share a love of language with your children?”

Rules for eligibility:
1. You must answer the question in the comments below.
2. Your answer counts as your first entry.
3. You must leave a comment to notify me of any additional entries.
4. Additional entries are only counted if you already answered the question.
5. You must be 13 years of age or older.
6. Entries close 8am Monday, 17th of May.

49 additional chances to win

1. Share this contest on Twitter (earns 1 additional entry up to once per day)
2. Share this contest on Plurk (earns 1 additional entry up to once per day)
3. Share this contest on Facebook (earns 1 additional entry up to once per day)
4. Stumble this post (earns 2 additional entries)
5. Share this competition in a post on your own blog (earns 2 additional entries)
6. Follow @laffarsmith on Twitter (earns 1 additional entry)
7. Follow @momdtrbookclub on Twitter and tweet (earns 2 additional entries) the following:
   • “I’m following @momdtrbookclub because of her blog tour (and contest) at @laffarsmith’s awesome Writer’s Round-About!“

Double Check Those Rules

Double check those rules and take advantage the 49 additional entries to increase your odds of being our lucky winner and don’t forget you’ve only got until
8am EST Monday May 17th to enter.
Good luck!

Get started by answering the question now!
“How do you, or could you, share a love of language with your children?”

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Did you know that April is National Poetry Month. Of course, I’m very displeased about it. So, I’ve decided that I’m going to declare it ‘Inter‘National Poetry Month. Because there are those of us not based in the United States that love poetry too. (We can celebrate again in October when Great Britain has their National Poetry Month.)

This month we’re going to be sharing some poetry related content on Writer’s Round-About. Have you ever considered how your writing is influenced by poetry? There are tools and techniques when writing poetry that are useful additions to any writer’s toolbox.

Writers, as lovers of language, usually develop a passion for poetry if given an opportunity to experience it. Poetry is the most condensed form of language craft and it is in poetry that one can see true mastery of writing craft as an art-form. We can write an exceptionally crafted article, it is art, but it wears a white-collar and looks like an office building. Poetry is splashed in rainbows, it glows with the radiance of creativity and inspires us to beauty and awe.

We’ll learn more about this during the coming weeks. Subscribe today so you don’t miss out.

Speaking of missing out, I got word of a Secret Stationary Sale! If you’re anything like me you LOVE Stationary so I thought I’d whisper this secret to you. For the 24 hours of April 1st you can save 45% across the entire Expressionery site*. Click here and use the promotional code, “FBFOOL” to save. Now, I got wind of this sale before today, so it’s not an April Fools joke either.

Speaking of surprises, I’ve got one that I’m working hard to have ready before the end of April. It’s a lot more work than I’d originally thought it would be but I’m cautiously optimistic that I’ll be able to share it with you some time in the next few weeks.

Don’t forget to grab your 45% savings on address labels, book plates, bookmarks, calendars, cards, invitations, labels, notepads, and more. This could be just the opportunity to create brand-able stationary to promote your fiction or freelance writing business.

*excluding Susan G. Komen Stamp & Gift Pack

Photo Credit: 01-27-09 © Lisa Thornberg

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In November 2009, Web Betty gave Writer’s Round-About an excellent technical review. She corroborated some ideas I had for changes I wanted to make to the blog theme. Today, I launch WRA’s tweaked theme, version 2.0, and I’d love to know what you think about the changes. What do you like? What do you hate? Do you have suggestions for things you’d like to see done differently?

Launching a new version of the WRA Theme is just one of the “beginnings” we’ll see on Writer’s Round-About this month. Later in the month we’ll share posts that relate to how beginnings affect us as writers, from how to find those first words that begin a new story or article, to how our beginnings, our headlines, our hooks, our opening paragraphs, impact the way readers interact with our content.

What comes to mind when you think of beginnings as a writer? Write about it and then consider beginning 2010 as a WRA contributor where you can share your writing with other freelancers from beginning to end?

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Have you wondered about writing a guest post for Writer’s Round-About? Have you been thinking about joining the collaborative blogging project but just don’t know if it’s right for you? Do you want to know some of the benefits of writing for Writer’s Round-About?

Everyone, from those just beginning to inspect their writing bug to the experienced explorers of the writing world, are invited to take part in our collaborative blogging project but read on now to find out 7 reasons why you might like to join us.

1. The biggest draw card is freedom. Unlike Demand Studios you aren’t given a title for which you have to research or scrimp for words. You have the freedom to follow what captures your interest, fires your passions, or intrigues your inspiration. As long as you can tie your topic to freelance or fiction writing you have free reign to explore anything that interests you. You’re also free to decide when you write and how often you contribute. You are not tied to any specific posting schedule and can contribute several posts when you’re visited by your muse or one or two as inspiration strikes. Even if you post sporadically your readership will continue to grow because Writer’s Round-About has a growing base of contributors allowing us to publish fresh content regularly.
2. Qualified contributors are given the opportunity to subscribe to the WRA-Writer’s Mailing List. This is a huge plus because around once a month I send out a short newsletter packed with ideas, keywords, sometimes a theme, and some gossip about what our readers have been wanting to read and what we’d love you to write about. You don’t have to write about those topics if you’re fired up about something else but if you’re ever feeling short on ideas you have a well of inspiration in these newsletters. And I’ve got thousands and thousands more where they came from so if you want even more all it takes is a quick email and I’ll brainstorm with you to come up with some great content.
3. WRA has a flexible word count. 400-800 words (longer if prior arranged) is the bottom line. This is because this is the ideal length for blog format and it’s what I know my readers prefer. Most of them are busy writers, like us. They need inspiration and education; they aren’t looking for an epic adventure. But they’re also readers in the true sense of the word. If a topic interests them they’ll read several posts as it goes into more detail so series work well.
4. WRA also has an awesome, professional, human editor who likes to pretty up posts, is happy to make edits if needed or requested, manages the posting schedule for you so you can write your posts whenever you want to rather than keeping to a strict schedule, is easy going, and is a firm believer in only doing it because you love it. She’s not pushy, she’s not about to demand several rewrites or delete your content without giving advance warning. Um… Ok, enough tooting my own horn.
5. WRA is growing in popularity and developing it’s brand as a writer resource and community. There are plans in the works for expanding the reach of the site and the services it offers. There is an opportunity to get involved in the creation of electronic products exclusive to WRA and your ideas regarding the site will always be heard and considered carefully. It also has a standing history having lasted the test of time for blogging. It’s not a fly by night and it’s not about to disappear off the web never to be heard or updated again. Writer’s Round-About is also 100% financed and maintained by my freelance business so I’ll never ask contributors to assist with costs associated with running the site such as hosting and domain name fees.
6. You maintain rights to your posts. While I do ask for first time electronic rights you can republish your posts after they’ve launched on WRA. That means the post you wrote for us could go on to make money when you pitch it as a reprint to other publications or post it as a guest post on other blogs. We’d love you to give WRA a nod as original publication but we don’t require that because what you write will always belong to you.
7. Finally, clips, experience, and full credits, are pretty strong draws in and of their own. Some of WRA’s writers write for that alone. And the knowledge that they’ve got a ready-made audience. Writing for WRA is more effective than writing a blog of your own because there is a team of people working to promote each post and an established readership already coming to look. You don’t have to do all the legwork to find readers. It is also a great way to practice writing online content and if you want any feedback or advice regarding your writing I’m happy to critique or copy-edit your posts. And, your byline, bio, photograph, and up to three external links go right there on the page with every single one of your posts.

Are you excited? Do these fantastic benefits sound enticing? Do you have any questions?

WRA’s step-by-step getting started guide.

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On behalf of all the writers at Writer’s Round-About, and especially from me, I wish you a very special holiday.

Merry Christmas!

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*starts singing* “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” I love December and the holiday season. I’m wrapped in the excitement and community spirit of Christmas. Despite the queues at the store, the impatient bustle of traffic, and a sudden dip in my bank account balance, there is something magical about December.

Did you know, however, that almost all of the fresh, new content that fills the world this month was written months ago? The advert for those holiday sales, the gift catalogs of your favorite stores, and the press releases announcing this party and that holiday event were put together at least several weeks past, usually around August/September.

Guess what that means for seasonal writers? You should be working on content for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s, and even Easter. The only people who get to write about December in December are bloggers (ok, I guess the “breaking news” journalists do too, sometimes). Which is another awesome reason to blog don’t you think? We can write about the holidays when we’re fired with the passion and excitement of the moment. Or, if you’re fired in the moment, consider writing in advance of next year’s holiday season.

What are you writing about this December? And how do you prepare in advance for seasonal writing?

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With just a few weeks of school before the holiday season is truly upon us I look around myself today and appreciate the true wonders and joy in my life. From the smiling faces of my children and the tight knit of my loving family to the simpler things like food on our table and a roof over our heads. There are so many things to be grateful for in each and every day.

As writers, we are gifted with expressive voice. Every word we place on the page has meaning and purpose, each sentence expresses an idea. Every story we tell, be it fiction or non-fiction, has a message, something rich and meaningful that our readers take with them when the story is read. Consider, as the holidays approach, including the message of gratitude in your writing.

How can we express gratitude in every moment? Begin, by being truly thankful for the opportunity to be who you are, a writer. Your gift is unique and precious. I give thanks that we might share our gifts with each other.

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November is a crazy month for many writers, especially those who are taking on the NaNoWriMo challenge. Even those of us who aren’t beginning a new book, are working steadily through gigs for our clients, submitting articles, or completing existing projects. We are working harder than ever toward year’s end.

What do you do differently in November? Have you looked at the goals you set earlier this year and evaluated where you stand today? Now is the perfect time to look at what you need to do to make remarkable accomplishments for 2009.

With just 69 days until 2010, what goals are you committed to completing before the new year?

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Thank You for your part in this site’s growing success!

Did you miss out on Mysti’s 5-Part Series? Find it here: F-O-C-U-S on Writing (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5)
And don’t miss my 3-part interview with powerhouse writer, Michele Tune – Social Networking Success, The Business of Blogging, Habits & Courage.

Please share your favorite posts with your friends. You can post links to Twitter, Plurk, Digg, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Delicious, and anywhere you love to hang out or find the greatest content. Let’s break the 104 record!

Stay tuned for more great posts by our talented contributors and don’t forget, if you have something to share you might consider becoming a WRA writer.

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Each Month, WRA hosts a new author as they showcase their latest success and share insight into writing and the writer’s life. Want an honest, thoughtful review? Willing to participate in an interview or Q and A session? Want to offer your own post or article? Should we run a contest together? Writer’s Round-About offers many choices for promoting authors.

I would love to be able to share more from blog touring authors and we have a few empty places in our schedule. If you have a blog tour planned for the coming months, drop me an email, it might be just the thing WRA would love to help you with!

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