January Classes Make Great Holiday Gifts

Writing and Publishing The Short Stuff
Especially For Moms (But Not Only for Moms)!
Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: None
Finally, a writing workshop that fits into the busy lives of moms! You will learn how to create short, easy-to-write articles-a skill that will make it easier to move up to longer, more time-consuming articles when you’re ready. Try your pen at tips, fillers, short interviews, list articles, how-tos, and short personal essays-all within six weeks. Now includes markets!
Cost: $199.00.
Register at Christinakatz.com

Personal Essays that Get Published with Abigail Green
Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: None
The popularity of reality shows, blogs, and tell-all books proves that it pays to get personal these days. Whether you want to write introspective essays, short humor pieces, or first-person reported stories, your life is a goldmine of rich material that all kinds of publications are pining for. Personal Essays that Get Published will teach you how to get your personal experiences down on the page and get them published. Students will learn how to find ideas, hone their voice, craft solid leads and endings, reslant their work for different markets, and submit their essays for publication.
Cost: $199.00
Register at Christinakatz.com


Platform Building 101: Discover your Specialty
(Formerly “Targeting Your Best Writing Markets”)
Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: None
Identifying your writing specialty is one of the trickiest and most necessary steps in launching a writing career today. This class will help you find your best audiences, cultivate your expertise, manage your ideas, develop marketing skills, claim your path, serve editors and become portfolio-minded. You’ll learn how to become the professional you’ve always wanted to be and, most importantly, how to take your writing career more seriously.
Cost: $199.00.
Register at Christinakatz.com

Craft A Saleable Nonfiction Book Proposal
Winter Class Begins on January 14th
Prerequisites: Former student or Permission from Instructor
Most writers underestimate the comprehensiveness needed in a book proposal that will garner the interest of agents and editors. They also mistake the definition of platform and importance of alining their proposal to a solid track record. A two-time author, Christina has helped hundreds of nonfiction writers succeed over the past seven years. Now she’s making her proposal-writing advice available in a six-week e-mail course to aspiring authors who want to nail the proposal the first time around. The best way to have a short, tight proposal that will impress agents and editors is to start now!
Cost: $299.00 [Priority to former students]
Register at Christinakatz.com

Write Like A Pro: Refining Your Professional Stance

By Mary Andonian

This has been a busy year for you and your writing. So make time this holiday season to evaluate and refine your habits in order to make 2009 even more fruitful.

Clips: Do you have any? A clip is a copy of your published writing. It serves as a reference to your good work. You include clips (or offer to send them) in your proposal package. This is a prime opportunity to categorize your clips in a way that makes them readily accessible for future needs.

Online articles: Did you complete a year’s worth? Now is the time to create links to all of your past articles and list them on one handy page at your website. This creates a holistic picture of your written topic and makes for meaty content. It also serves as an easy way for a potential editor to view your clips.

Supplies: Take an inventory of your work space. Are you low on business cards? Need a new printer? Toner? Make sure to purchase these before the end of the year so you can write them off on your 2009 taxes.

Taxes: Are your records organized? Even if you didn’t make a cent this year, you can still take write-offs if you can prove you have been soliciting income from writing in 2008. Check with your tax advisor for details. Itemize your receipts and bank statements so you’ll be prepared at tax time next year. You’ll thank yourself come April.

Tax related: Do you have a business checking account? If not, consider opening a separate account just for your writing business. As you become more and more successful you’ll want to keep clean and detailed records of your transactions. Doing this today ensures a happy moment in April 2010.

Platform Building: What have you done this year to build your platform? Have you created a specific reading audience via website, blog, or newsletter? Taught a class at the local library? Volunteered for your writing association? Take stock in everything you did this year that lent credibility to you, the writer. Make a goal to add two or three things to the list in 2009. Attach rewards to each item you accomplish next year. (I’m thinking spa treatments.)

Finally, ask the tough question: Is this what I want to continue doing in 2009? Only you can determine that. It’s okay if you decide that writing isn’t for you. What’s important is that you do make a choice and stick to whatever path it is you choose. If that course is writing, then continue to take action steps that bring you closer to your goals. And by all means, proceed in peace.

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Mary Andonian is the agents and edtiors coordinator for the Willamette Writers Conference, one of the largest writers’ conferences in the United States. In past years, she was Co-chair and Program Coordinator. She just completed her second book, Bitsy’s Labyrinth. Contact Mary at maryandonianwwconference AT yahoo.com.