Thursday, August 25, 2011

Thursday's This & That

The weekend is almost here! Thought I'd conclude the week by sharing a few odds and ends. Hope you find them useful. :) 

Interested in landing an interview with a popular personality? The Renegade Writer shares savvy tips in How to Land Interviews with Hard to Get Sources. Advice like "Play Phone Tag" and "Think Like a PR Person" helps writers score big and stay on top of their game.

Jennifer Brown Banks of Pen and Prosper shares another angle for writers to explore in this post, The Pros and Cons of Ghost Writing for Pay. If you don't mind writing in the shadows, it is a viable alternative to pocket extra cash.

The Coffeehouse for Writers' new session begins Monday, September 5. Whether you are interested in learning more about blogging, writing historical fiction, SEO techniques, creating character, or another facet of writing, the Coffeehouse offers something for everyone.

I am part of the Coffeehouse "Crew", and have the privilege of teaching Basic Boot Camp for Writers. Boot Camp refreshes the basics such as punctuation, contractions, and homophones, plus structural elements, passive versus active writing, and a whole lot more. For more info, click here.

Writer's Digest sponsors a number of contests, with themes that include Short Story, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, and Crime. Click on the highlighted theme text, or visit their site for details. Note - these particular contest deadline dates run September through November 2011.

I have a two part guest post this week at my good friend Carol Alexander's blog. The topic is Homeschool Learning Co-ops. I discuss everything from what they are and how to start one to how to determine if they are right for your family. If this is of interest to you, please feel free to stop by Carol's blog or pass it along to any homeschool families you know. Thanks a bunch!

Run across any helpful gems lately? What are your weekend plans?

Happy writing,
Karen

33 comments :

  1. There are so many opportunitites these days. Thanks for sharing these.

    And . . . college was a long time ago . . . I have forgotten what a homophone is? :-)

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  2. Lots of links!
    Just waiting for the hurricane this weekend.

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  3. Those look like great links! Thank you so much, Karen!

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  4. Love the linkage, amigo. Sorry I haven't been by, but just haven't been up to par. I have missed you. We had a scare with Christopher. God gave us yet another miracle with him. So thankful.

    I'll head over and read your interview. (((hugs)))

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  5. Thanks, Karen, for the links to check out. I'm working on interviews right now.

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  6. Thanks for the links. I was going to enter the Writer's Digest competition, but I didn't want to pay an entry fee.

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  7. Glenda,
    There are so many, aren't there? You are very welcome!

    Alex,
    Are you in the path of Irene? Stay safe, okay?

    Jessica,
    They were helpful to me, so wanted to pass them along. :)

    Robyn,
    Thanks for hopping over to Carol's! Glad Christopher is doing better now. Hugs!

    Carol,
    Thanks again for hosting me! Cheering you on for the interviews! :)

    Theresa,
    You are welcome! Yes, I prefer the ones without entry fees, but then I have heard that the ones with them are better. Who knows, but I wish you the best if you enter!

    Happy weekend,
    Karen

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  8. My plans? Getting ready for the babies to come! That would be nieces and a nephew, two of whom are new and we've not met yet. Excited! My baby brother is the daddy. :)

    I hope, BTW, that you get paid for your expertise. You're so knowledgeable about the craft.

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  9. Thanks for your generous offerings, Karen. You are such a gift to blogland.

    This weekend I'd like to read, but I will probably do yard work. It's been suffering while I took 3 weeks off between drafts to catch up on some reading. It was fun, but the holiday's over. Boo hoo.

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  10. Thanks for sharing these links, Karen!

    One of my favorite links this week was the Michael Hyatt interview with Rachelle Gardner. Great nuggets of info in there!

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  11. Lots of great info here, thanks! :D

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  12. Rhonda,
    Oh babies! What fun! Have a wonderful time with your gang! :)

    Joylene,
    You're making me blush. :) lol So that was a holiday, huh? I would say you were hard at work, just not ourside!

    Sarah,
    I will have to check out that interview. Thanks for the tip!

    Laura,
    You are welcome! Hope it is helpful. :)

    Happy weekend,
    Karen

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  13. Thanks, Karen! I appreciate the heads-up on these opportunities. I'm off to explore!

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  14. Thanks for the links! It's a long weekend here, and my husband's birthday is on Sunday, so there'll be lots of family commitments to go to, on top of lots of writing and planning an upcoming blogfest, not to mention querying! Busy busy!

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  15. P.S. Speaking of helpful gems, this may be of interest to some people: 25 Ways to Improve Your Writing in 30 Minutes a Day (Writer's Digest): http://t.co/4d6RePp

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  16. I'm interested in writing for a ghost, how hard could it be just a lot of groaning dialog. :)

    Sorry that just popped in my head. I'm on a de-hoarding mission this weekend. :)
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  17. Susanne,
    You are very welcome! Hope they are helpful! :)

    J.C.,
    It does sound like you are busy, and right on the heels of your honeymoon to boot! :) Congrats! Thanks for the link!

    Jules,
    Well it could be kind of tricky...:) Have fun with your mission!

    Happy weekend,
    Karen

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  18. Ooo, that one on getting interviews is pulling at me. Hopping over there now. Thanks!

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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  19. Ooh, such great resources KAren, thank you so much for collecting them for us! Good luck with your coffeehouse!

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  20. Thanks for the links!

    My weekend will consist of getting ready for school and tackling the beginning of another round of revision for my agent.

    I want to do one thing full of summer fun, though, but I don't know what it is!

    Shelley

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  21. Thanks for the links. Will check out the Coffee House for Writers site.

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  22. Thanks for the helpful list of resources.

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  23. Susan,
    Hope it was helpful! I thought it was good, and we do kinda think alike. :)

    Marja,
    You are so welcome. Thanks, looking forward to a new session.

    Shelley,
    Enjoyed your interview over at Lydia Kang's. Thanks for stopping by!

    Rachna,
    You are welcome! Hope you find something of interest. :)

    Angela,
    You're welcome! Good to see you. :)

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  24. I always know when I'm going to drop in here I need to have pen & paper at the ready! I love all the resources and hope to put every last one of them to good use one day soon - - all except the homeschooling stuff :)

    We finally have summer here in WA State, so for the 2 - 3 weeks it's around all else ceases. We have thrown ourselves into all things outdoors; mostly boating. Lovin' life!

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  25. You've stopped by so you know I've had an exciting Friday and the weekend will be quiet and I ease through my birthday. I'll check out some of this info. Thanks Karen!

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  26. Thanks for the links and helpful infornmation.
    Donna V.

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  27. Thanks for all these great links! This weekend is post-vacation catch up for me. And vacation recovery, if that makes any sense.

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  28. Thanks for the great links, Karen! I'll be sure to check out the coffee house especially. :D

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  29. That coffeeshop looks vaguely familiar, but I'm not sure. I'm going back there to explore a bit more.

    Thanks!

    I just came back from Farmer's Market. Maybe I'll try the garden again next year . . .

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  30. Kathleen,
    Glad you find these things useful! Sounds like you are enjoying the sunshine and summer. Good for you!

    Sally,
    Glad you had a good Friday! Hope the rest of your weekend is nice too. Happy Birthday! :)

    Donna,
    You are most welcome!

    Lydia,
    I know exactly what you mean about post vacation catch up! I call it re-entry, and you almost need a vacation again after it!

    Victoria,
    You're welcome! I think you might like the Coffeehouse offerings. :)

    Sandra,
    Yes gardening, you should try it sometime, you know? lol :)

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  31. Thanks for the links, Karen! It's a long weekend here in the UK which means... well, nothing for me really. More work! :)

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  32. Thanks Karen, for your generosity. And for keeping us in the loop!

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  33. Talli,
    You are welcome. Hope you had a great weekend and didn't work too hard! :)

    Jennifer,
    You are welcome. :) Don't mind sharing all these goodies. They're too good to keep to myself!

    Blessings,
    Karen

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a blessed day!