THE PROCESS

No matter what type of writing you do, there is a process involved. It can be a step-by-step process of creating something—from seed to fruition—or it can be a small, but necessary, part of a bigger picture—like communicating with an editor.

For instance, in creating this issue, there are many processes involved. First, the editorial board evaluates every query and submission that pertains to the theme. Then, we contact each freelancer who we accept and send them an email requesting the finished article by a certain date. Upon receipt, we properly format and send the article to an editor assigned to it. When we receive the polished article back, our graphic arts department begins to create editorial artwork, headers, and colors to illustrate the article. From there, our SEO specialist adds necessary Meta tags, keywords, and article summary descriptions. Finally, the completed article is sent to our Webmaster to format into html and put live on the website—which brings us to what you see today. The completed product and a labor of love passed through many caring hands.

I’m simplifying, of course. What I’m not telling you about are the many e-mails exchanged, the discussions about content, the revisions made, and the fun stuff in between to lighten the workday—YouTube videos sent, e-mail jokes, and phone chats—which are all a part of the process as well.

When we came up with the theme for this month, many freelancers wrote and asked, “What does ‘The Process’ mean?” It’s vague enough to instill that question, and that’s what we were shooting for. We were open to interpretation and were delighted with the outcome of ideas!

Ready to find out more about “The Process?” We have a great issue for you.

A big, warm, thank you goes out to our freelancers and staff members:

A big thank you goes to WOW! columnist Margo L. Dill for her excellent article,Novel Writing: Choosing a Method That Works Best For You. The novel writing process can be so diverse that for those of us just starting out, it’s hard to decide which method to go with! Margo provides you with proven solutions—both for the budding novelist and the expert.   

We welcome back freelancer Sue Bradford Edwards and thank her for sharing her personal journey with combating writer's block. Like many writers, she never believed in writer’s block until she came down with a bad case of it. In this article, she shares advice on the subject from other women writers, whom we’d also like to thank for their insight. We wish Jane Yolen, Julia Cameron, Darcy Pattison, and Kristi Holl a big thank you as well!

We welcome freelancer Darcy Pattison to the WOW! family. Darcy’s article, The Incredible Shrunken Manuscript: How To Diagnose Your Novel's Strengths and Weaknesses, is chock-full of fantastic exercises for those working on their novels. Her fascinating visual techniques and step-by-step instructions are groundbreaking to say the least. Not to miss!

We also welcome freelancer Lea Schizas to the WOW! family. Although this is her first time freelancing for us, Lea was interviewed by WOW! in Sept. ’07 about The Muse Online Writer's Conference, which she co-founded. (If you missed that interview, be sure to check it out—the con is a must-do for writers.) In this issue, Lea discusses an important part of the publishing process— Author/Editor Zesty Relationships. She asks six authors the same question: “How did your manuscript change from its original state after you collaborated with your publishing house’s editor?” Thank you to authors L.A. Banks, Kim Smith, Raven Starr, Aline de Chevigny, Janis Susan May, and Linda Mooney for sharing your personal anecdotes and experiences.

With summer in full swing, vacations abound! Many of us write while we’re traveling, and getting paid to do it would be a dream; but how can we make that happen? WOW! columnist LuAnn Schindler gives us the skinny on the process of garnering these trips in her article, Spanning the Globe: Attend Press Trips and Increase Your Portfolio Power, in this month’s Freelancer’s Corner. LuAnn has attended several press trips in the past few years and shares her personal resources with you. 

As writers, research is a necessary process of our daily routine. Being good at it is another story. We welcome freelancer Mary Horner to the WOW! family, and thank her for her informative article, How To Research for the Non-Researcher. Mary provides much-needed search engine tips and information about library databases that we all could use to help make our research efforts more efficient. I even learned some new tricks! 

Another big thank you goes to WOW! columnist Marcia Peterson for her inspirational interview with author Maria Laurino. Maria discusses Old World family values and New World feminism, as well as memoir writing, writing for The Sopranos, Italian culture, Michelle Obama, and online journalism. Thank you, Marcia, for turning around this interview so quickly—it’s fantastic!

I’d also like to thank staff members Margo L. Dill and Joanne Stacey for editing this month’s issue. Great job, ladies! I couldn’t have done it without you.

Announcement

On another note, with any process comes change. WOW! is saddened to announce that our esteemed senior editor, Annette Fix, will no longer be with our publication (unless we can convince her to accept some freelance work!), as she is pursuing her career as a multi-talented woman with many hats. Annette is busy teaching her workshops, public speaking, and promoting her memoir, which was recently optioned for development as a cable television series. We wish Annette much success in all her endeavors!

To find out more about what Annette is up to, visit her website: www.annettefix.com.

Now, on to the issue...enjoy!