Articles with the contest Tag
Later this month, Sue William Silverman, author of “Fearless Confessions: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir” is visiting Writer’s Round-About as she travels the Web on her August Blog Tour hosted by Wow! Women On Writing. But before she gets here, I need YOUR help!
When Angela and Jodi of Wow! asked if I would take part in Sue’s blog tour this August I knew I wanted to be involved but I wanted to do more than just review “Fearless Confessions”. I wanted to give Sue as much launch as WRA could offer and not just for her book but the whole idea of writing fearlessly! As many regular WRA readers know, I’m a writer frequently plagued by fear and the idea of taking fear out of the writing experience appeals to me. What is the real secret to writing Fearless Confessions and can Sue’s guidance regarding memoir be taken into other writing genres?
Questions! The questions that sprung to mind compelled me to ask Sue to meet with me for an interview. But, to be honest, I’ve not had much experience with interviewing. That is where you come in. Sue is making herself available to our questions, I have a few of my own but would love to include your questions in my interview. What would you like to ask Sue? Do you have any questions about writing with fear?
As if having this opportunity to ask you questions might not be enough I want to give a copy of “Fearless Confessions: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir” to one special WRA Reader. I don’t know how many of your questions we will be able to include in the interview (hopefully Sue will have time to answer any that are not covered when she visits) but one of the questions submitted and selected for the interview will earn a copy of Sue’s book.
It really is that easy. Ask your questions in the comments between now and August 17th and you could win!
Wow, July just flew by didn’t it? I hope you had a fantastic month. I’m excited because, after a couple of lean months, the beginning of August has brought me a few new gigs. Others around me have found business picking up too! Is this a sign that the economy is improving, or that our marketing skills are blossoming? How is business for you?
This month we have some exciting features. The most notable being a fantastic Blog Tour with Sue William Silverman, author of “Fearless Confessions: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir“. I will share my review of her book on the 10th of August but in a few days you will have an opportunity to suggest questions for inclusion in my interview of Sue (tentatively scheduled for the 17th) and enter this months contest for a chance to win a copy of “Fearless Confessions“. Sue joins us again on the 21st with a fantastic post about using Sensory Description.
I have a few other posts lined up from me and I hope some other writer’s will consider adding contributions of their own this month. If you’re not involved in our collaborative blogging project find out how you can become a WRA writer!
With this fantastic line-up be sure to subscribe via RSS so you don’t miss a thing. Is there something you want to read about or a topic of particular interest to you at the moment? Leave your suggestions in the comments or send me an email. What would you like to see on Writer’s Round-About this month?
I really love having an opportunity to share this fantastic interview with Christina Katz. I’ve been a fan of Christina’s for a long time and was fortunate enough to meet her at the Writer’s Digest Writer’s Conference in L.A. last year. She really is as lovely in person as she sounds in her books.
While I was at the conference, I picked up an extra copy of her book, Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids, and I’d love to give it away to a lucky Writer’s Round-About reader!
How do you win? It’s easy, just leave a comment here and you go into the draw. It really is as simple as that. Of course, if you tweet the contest you’ll get a second entry into the draw and if you add a comment to Christina’s interview you’ll earn a third. Entries close May 31st, 2009 so act now!
Do you love to read? Would you like to win new books just for reading and reviewing the books you love? Through the month of April Writer’s Round-About is trialing a new reviewer contest. We reward you for writing about the books you’ve been reading. It’s simple to enter and you can submit as many reviews as you like for more chances to win!
From time to time author’s send me a complimentary copy of their book to review on Writer’s Round-About. One book in my current queue is Michelle Goodman’s latest book, “My So-Called Freelance Life” and you recently saw my review of George Singleton’s “Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds“. I always look forward to reading and reviewing other authors and constantly swell my bookshelves.
It is important to be an honest reviewer. I try to include the bad with the good rather than touting nothing but praise when I review. Even so, reviews are always subjective. The elements I like might be those that irk you and a fantastic segment you’d love to read might have registered as a mere blip in my reader radar.
In the interest of sharing real reviews from a range of reviewers I’ve always invited readers to submit your own reviews as a guest poster on Writer’s Round-About. Now there is even more incentive because I have fantastic books to give away to lucky reviewing readers.
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Earlier this month I promised you all a chance to win a copy of George Singleton’s newest book, Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds. You might have noticed I’ve been missing-in-action for the past couple of weeks. I had a number of posts planned to compliment the book and this contest but have not had the energy or focus to actually write them. Of course, with March nearing her end it is definitely time to get the contest happening so, without further ado, welcome to your chance to win “Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds“!
This contest is simple. Share a pep talk, warning, or screed of your own on your website or blog for a chance to win. Don’t forget to link to this contest in your post and leave a comment here with a link to your entry.
Enter between now and March 30th. I’ll announce a winner on the 31st of March.
This month, we have the wonderful pleasure of hosting talented author, George Singleton. George’s latest book, “Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds“, is now available and to celebrate its successful launch WOW! Women On Writing has organized a grand blog tour.
On Tuesday, March 3rd, George will share a captivating guest post. You have the opportunity to greet George and ask any questions you may have for him during his visit. I will share my review of “Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds” and discuss some of the topics highlighted in George’s book.
March is also the perfect month to stay tuned because later this month I will be giving away a copy of George’s book, “Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds“, to one lucky winner. Subscribe today so you won’t miss out on the contest details.
Please, join me in welcoming George Singleton! I hope you’ll enjoy your visit, George, and congratulations on your continued success.
Arr, me hearties! Send up the mainsail and draw in the anchor. All good Capt’ns, ship dogs, and wenches be casting off their harbor shackles for that thar high seas. Ahoy, matey!
Last Friday, September 19th, was International Talk Like A Pirate Day! This unique event created an opportunity for many people around the globe. For one day, differences were cast aside and a child-like freedom and joy-filled silliness reigned supreme across the world.
Did you take advantage of this jolly event to do something special?
I sure did! – Perth Pirates of PTUB
Thanks to the wonders of Plurk and Twitter, a group of Perthites got together at Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle, Western Australia. We weren’t just the average Perthite computer geek however, we were PIRATE geeks.
From frocks to eye patches, tattoos to frills, and bandanas to booze, up to twenty men and women between twenty and forty years of age dressed for the high seas. This was one gathering more than merry enough to shiver me timbers. Thankfully, we didn’t raise too many eyebrows as even the staff had joined the fun of Talk Like A Pirate Day.
But what does a fun night out on the town really mean to freelancers?
Events, like Talk Like A Pirate Day, or upcoming Halloween, are opportunities to celebrate a social connection. For freelancers it is a fabulous excuse to connect in a diverse range of personal and professional capacities.
Pillage The Pirate Plunder
How can we get the most out of social celebrations?
- Send greeting cards or gifts.
- Remember:
- Keep your greetings short and simple.
- Personalize when possible.
- Acknowledge any greetings you receive.
- Organize or attend parties
- Remember:
- Get invitations out early.
- Respond to invitations swiftly.
- Plan in advance to increase likelihood of attendance.
- Send out an event reminder as it approaches.
- Add events to your schedule.
- Schedule a product launch
- Remember:
- Write High Seas Fiction or Maretine Non-Fiction? International Talk Like A Pirate Day might be your ideal launch date.
- Horror or Supernatural? Try Halloween
- Family and Children’s Books are great around Christmas
- Self-Help, Finance or Health at New Year’s
- Romance Novels for Valentine’s
- Books with religious foundations suit Easter.
- Write event specific content
- Remember:
- Publisher’s create their lists well in advance.
- Pitch or Query your time sensitive content early.
- Consider requesting a publication calendar.
- Theme your site, blog, office, etc.
- Remember:
- Keep any changes low key rather than dramatic.
- Follow standard Web Tips regarding font sizes, accessability, and color standards.
- Back up your original so you can switch back simply after the event.
- Sticky tape and paint are not friends.
- Host a themed contest
- Remember:
- Themed contests deserve themed prizes
- Carefully plan your deadlines
- Keep things simple.
- Consider, then share, the lesson
- Remember:
- Every experience offers an opportunity to learn.
- Not everyone learns the same lesson.
- It’s important to have fun regardless of the lesson.
Share The Rum With The Crew
There are a number of reasons these actions can reap rewards but the number one is that you’re getting your name, your brand, out there. Every time you put your name in front of a friend, client, editor, etc. you’re reminding them who you are and what you can do for them.
Often, freelancers spend extraordinary quantities of time in physical seclusion. Human’s flourish in social proximity. Being able to see, smell, touch, (and taste?), other people enhances the depth of relationships. Physical contact strengthens emotional bonds. These bonds lead to personal, and career, opportunities for the future.
Also, putting an image to a word is one of the most powerful memory tools available. A face to a name makes you more memorable. Your imprint on their mind means they are more likely to think of you for future business.
Finally, lets admit it, being social makes you more human. There are some ways you don’t want to be remembered; dancing on the table, or upchucking all over the shared nachos for example, but by letting your hair down you create a depth to the persona you’ve developed in your work environment online and off. You become human, and humans always appreciate knowing they aren’t the only imperfect being. Humans are more likely to hire or recommend other humans.
Find reasons to get out there and celebrate. Give of your time freely to social situations where you can have fun and be around people with whom you enjoy spending time. Share your contact details and make yourself available to these people. Be where people can know you. Be a friend!
Ultimately, getting into the social scene is great for your own sense of self, but it’s also fantastic for your business. Do you have other tips or ideas about ramping up your social networks to enhance your business prospects? Did you have a fun night out you want to share? Please, feel free to have your say in the comments! I’d love to hear from you!
I really enjoy the network of writers and bloggers I’ve discovered thanks to this wonderful little gadget, EntreCard. For the past few months I’ve dropped and returned drops regularly, especially to my favorite blogs, and have built up a little nest egg of credits. I’d love to share these excess EntreCredits with the EntreCard readers here at Writer’s Round-About.
Do you use EntreCard? Would you like some free credits?
I’m giving away 100 credits to each of the next ten people to leave a recommendation for Writer’s Round-About on EntreCard. It’s easy to do. Simply click on the E in the EntreCard box to the right and click -> Write a recommendation for this site. What do you love about Writer’s Round-About? What brings you back, time and again? Write a review of at least 100 characters and if you’re amongst the next ten to do so then you’ll be awarded 100 credits.
I feel a bit silly, bribing users for recommendations. 
What I’m really after is a good way to free up credits. I could spend it advertising my blog on other EntreCard sites but where is the fun in that? I’ll have to think up some new and creative contests to clear out my credit bank regularly so if you have any ideas, let me know.
Meanwhile, happy dropping everyone. I hope you all find other fantastic sites out there, offering a wealth of information and a friendly atmosphere.
I know you like to win prizes and today we’re talking Amazon Bucks! Lots of them!
To celebrate the launch of our new design I thought it would be fun to also launch our very first contest. Last week, I asked you what you want from a contest, what prizes you’d love and how you wanted to be involved. The response was wonderful and it seems like you hold a heavy preference for Amazon Gift Cards.
So, enough introductions, it’s time for details:
The Prizes!
The Challenge!
It’s not just a free-for-all, after all. This contest is perhaps trickier than some to win. Rather than just leaving a comment to say you’ve been here or picking a random lottery number to be drawn I wanted to get you involved. So, for your chance to win you must write a post on your own blog.
Not just any post however, your post needs to do two things, promote the contest to your readers and review The Writer’s Round-About and its new design. Your blog is unique so of course you will want to approach this task in your own way. Don’t be afraid to offer critique rather than simple praise. Invoke feedback from your readers and spread the wave of this contest so that as many bloggers as possible have an opportunity to win.
The Deadline!
The Rules!
- Every entry:
- Must write a post on their blog that introduces the contest.
- Must invite others to participate in the contest.
- Must mention the contest prizes, rules, and deadline.
- Must include a short review of The Writer’s Round-About.
- Must be a separate and distinct post (not plugged at the end of a regular post).
- Must be unique, original, and at least 200 words long.
- Must include a link to the contest with the contest title.
- Must include a link to The Writer’s Round-About home page.
- Must include a link to rebeccalaffarsmith.com with my name, Rebecca Laffar-Smith.
- Must include link to The Writer’s Round-About RSS feed.
- Must leave a comment on the original contest post sharing a link to your post.
Get Writing!
I know it may sound challenging but that is a part of what makes this so fun. Enjoy the challenge and have some fun with your entry. Your fellow entrants and readers are the ones who will have the chance to judge your entry. Make it entertaining and enlightening for your readers and you may even find some of them become regulars at your own blog. That’s a reward of its own, even if you don’t win the Amazon cash you could win some valuable new members for your blogging community.
I hope you all enjoy this contest. I’m looking forward to the results and will remind myself to StumbleUpon the entries as I check them out. You’ve got just over two weeks to enter and gather support for your entry. Get Writing!
Note: Time Zone Added – Thanks for the nitpick, Laurie!
Wow! Time has flown so fast. I had meant to introduce you all to the 2008 Weblog Awards earlier but it’s already the 10th of January so time is running out to get in your nominations. Do you know some fantastic blogs that deserve recognition and possible reward?Since 2001, The Weblog Awards have been acknowledging the best blogs from around the world and from a multitude of topics. Readers are invited to nominate their favourite blogs by category and take action to bring the best and brightest to the surface. Winners are announced at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas, USA. They are then posted on 2008.bloggies.com between March 9th and 11th.
This contest is organized by a motivated and energetic team. They’ve designed the page so that anyone can nominate their favourite weblogs up until 10PM EST on Friday, January 11th, 2008. I’m sorry for the late notice but if you get your nominations in today you’ll be just in time.
