This issue, we provide you with ideas, inspiration, and actionable steps for taking control of your writing career and steering it in the right direction. Whether it’s organizing your home office so you can have peace of mind or figuring out where to spend your hard-earned dollars, the experts in this issue will help you develop the fundamentals you need to ensure long-term success. Those fundamentals include developing daily writing habits, learning how to start a writing business, and getting the most out of LinkedIn. We also chat with authors who share their best tips on how to promote your book and help you figure out how to start revising that 50,000 word mess—er, NaNoWriMo manuscript… MORE >>

Whether you are looking to boost your income or work on your craft, we know that education is an important part of a writer’s career. That’s why WOW! handpicks qualified instructors and targeted classes that women writers will benefit from. All of the courses operate online and are taught one-on-one with the instructor. The flexibility of the platform allows students to complete assignments on their own time and work at their own pace in the comfort of their own home. Visit the classroom page and check out our current line up of workshops: fiction writing, writing for children, screenwriting, creativity, memoir, personal essay, grammar, food writing, freelance writing, novel writing, finding a literary agent, blogging, social networking for authors… MORE >>

The results are in! After careful deliberation our honorable guest judge, literary agent Andrea Hurst, president of Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management, has made her final decisions. Read the winning stories of the 750 words or less open prompt Fall ’11 Flash Fiction Contest… MORE >>

Quick! Where is that receipt for the conference you just attended? And how about the interview that you finished last week for an article you need to write today? Writers can easily find themselves lost in a sea of papers or searching through electronic folders if they’ve let their office and organizing system slip into despair. If you have a severe case of “clutter” or a minor “messy” situation, today is the day you can start to tackle those untidy areas of your writing life and put yourself on the path to a neater and more organized you. With the help of Diane Albright, a nationally recognized expert in the field of organization and productivity, Janine Boldrin shows you how to plan your approach, tackle the mess, get organized, and keep going. She also chats with Sage Cohen, author of The Productive Writer, and Justine Ickes, writer and instructional designer, who share their best tips for cleaning career clutter—like goal creep and time wasters… MORE >>

Navigating the road to publication for a new writer can be daunting and even expensive. Between writers’ conferences, classes, resources, retreats, online services, and professional organizations, it can be difficult to figure out how and where to spend your hard-earned dollars. Writers should constantly be thinking about how these investments will help them propel their writing careers. But for those new in the field, this can be overwhelming. By asking the right questions and knowing what to look for, writers will be better equipped to make good decisions with their money and in turn, find greater success in writing… MORE >>

You try to write. Really, you do. But something always gets in your way, whether it’s your family schedule, a plumbing emergency, or just the busy-ness of errands and phone calls. When you finally do manage to fall into your desk chair, the words simply refuse to flow. You stare at the blank screen. You check your Facebook account. You build fancy what-nots out of paperclips. What you don’t do is write... Whether your goal is to write a novel or draft an article, writing doesn’t just happen. It’s like exercise that way. A personal trainer can help you meet your workout goals. Fortunately, you have WOW! Women on Writing and the Writer’s Fitness Plan to help you get into topnotch writing shape. Adopt each of these writing habits, one at a time, and find yourself laying words on the page like never before… MORE >>

Social media, it seems, is here to stay. Writers should excel at social media—after all, we have the gift of words; but this is often not the case. There are inevitably questions about which platform to use, how to gain a following, and what to say to your audience—once you have one. Even the early adopters, those writers who bravely climbed aboard the social media train first, can still be caught wondering if social networking even provides anything more than a welcome respite from the blank page. Of the variety of social platforms available, the one most ensconced in mystery—not only for writers but for the public in general—seems to be LinkedIn. For copywriter, turned social media guru Victoria Ipri, LinkedIn is not only her greatest marketing platform, but also one she’s most passionate about helping others get a handle on. Find out how to get started on LinkedIn, optimize your profile, connect with others, and get the most out of groups… MORE >>

Starting a business centered on your talent for writing has similarities and differences to opening any type of business. As you embark on a new year, now might be the right time to finally start the business you’ve been dreaming of or to re-evaluate your writing business to ensure that you’re doing it the right way. From the type of business entity to establish, setting up your office, and writing a business plan to marketing, working with clients, and establishing repeat business, you can learn the tips, tricks, and advice that work for those writers who have paved the path of success before you… 
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As an author, writing your book and getting it published are just the beginning of the process. You also need to get your book into the hands of as many readers as possible. So, what things should you be doing to promote your work and sell as many book copies as possible? Luckily, writers are a generous bunch, and many were willing to share their secrets, author-to-author. We chose the most useful, innovative, and doable marketing ideas that they revealed to us and we offer them below for your benefit. From press releases and podcast interviews to a few interesting ways of using Facebook and other online tools (plus so much more!), these authors tell you how to make your book known… MORE >>

Non-writer friends might have thought your sanity was in question when you told them you were writing an entire novel in one month—especially the month that holds Thanksgiving and the biggest shopping day of the year. But you knew what you were doing all along. You were letting go of all the structure and technique that gives writers anxiety and just writing—freely and quickly and getting a first draft down on paper. Now, it’s there, and you’re wondering, what do I do next? How do I possibly turn this freeing, supportive, and positive experience of NaNoWriMo into a publishable document without going insane? Never fear—you don’t have to go crazy during the revision process. Just follow along as we take your 50,000 plus words to a whole new level… MORE >>