GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN...WRITING!

When the weather is warm and the sunshine beckons, the last thing you want to do is be cooped up indoors, hunched over a computer, writing. Yet, for many of us, writing is how we make a living, and taking a sabbatical is not an option. So what’s a writer to do? One solution is to put some fun back into your writing!

This summer, let your muse indulge a little. Treat her to a delicious beach read and a frosty margarita. Rediscover your hometown and craft a travel article about it. Turn your hobby into cash by writing a how-to. Focus on your fiction or brush up on your craft by taking a summer class. Connect with fellow scribes in your area by starting or joining a writers’ group. This issue will help you do all that and more! And if you’re still feeling unmotivated, we have four articles dedicated to helping you write through distractions, summer or otherwise.

Don’t let writing become a chore. Let’s have fun writing!

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

Beach books are my favorite way to escape during the summer—sometimes better than taking a real vacation. (At least with more plot twists!) WOW! editor and columnist Margo L. Dill interviews Elin Hilderbrand who has built a brand around summer beach novels with romance set in Nantucket. But just because she writes beach novels doesn’t mean the topics are airy. Her novels tackle serious subjects, and she shares the inspiration behind her latest novel, Silver Girl. Elin writes a novel every summer and runs eight to ten miles every morning, so she has enormous discipline and can certainly teach us a thing or two about staying on track.

If you can’t take a vacation this summer, why not explore your hometown instead? And write about it! It will give you a great excuse to visit touristy spots and enjoy your city through the eyes of a visitor. We welcome back Kerrie Flanagan and thank her for her article, Write From Your Own Backyard. I love this article. Kerrie shows you how to craft a travel article about your city or state and which organizations to contact to get information. For instance, did you know your local convention and visitors bureau (CVB) is there to work with travel writers and provide information on the destination and photography, even be your guide for the visit? Who knew?! Kerrie also chats with travel magazine editors, including Sunset Magazine travel editor Loren Mooney, AAA Encompass editor Tom Hess, and National Geographic Traveler contributing editor Andrew McCarthy. (Yes, it’s the Andrew McCarthy, the actor. Who knew? Again!) Don’t miss out on reading this one.

Oh man, if you lack motivation or are distracted or have been experiencing any form of writer’s block, this four-article SLAM feature Writing Through Distractions: Mothering, Time, Social Media, Writer's Block will cure whatever problems are keeping you from writing.

If you’re a writer mama and your kids are home from school this summer, or you have toddlers at home, you’re going to want to read Writing Through the Distractions of...Mothering by Chynna Laird. As a mom to four children under eight, two with high special needs, Chynna knows a few tricks that can help you gain the quiet time you need to write.

What if you only have a small window of time to write? This is when you need to be extra organized. We welcome Kathleen M. Basi, another write-at-home mom, to the WOW! family and thank her for her fantastic article, Getting It Done When There's No Time To Do It. Just like her advice, this article is no nonsense. No extra words, just all take away. Kathleen shares some examples, including task lists, and some tips for making the most of your small blocks of time.

And let’s not forget social media—probably the biggest distracter of all! We all know the benefits of social networking, but it’s a double-edged sword. We welcome freelancer Swapna Lovin to the WOW! family and thank her for her article, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr: Writing Through Electronic Distractions. Swapna provides writers with tools, tips, and tweaks that can assist your willpower when it comes to resisting your urge to check your e-mail once more or tweet about what you had for lunch.

What about when you lose that loving feeling to write? Over time, this happens to the best of us. When we start writing for a living and stop writing for pure pleasure, it can be tough to stay creative. Luckily, Suchi Rudra’s article, When Writing Becomes a Drag or How to Procrastinate, provides some unique ideas to help reenergize your muse and put some fun back into your writing.

Speaking of fun, I had a blast creating the header artwork for LuAnn Schindler’s article, Blame It On The Book Cover: The Women's Fiction Vs. Chick Lit Debate. I just had to throw a high heel and a cupcake on the fake chick lit book cover. It still makes me chuckle when I look at it. But this topic is no laughing matter. Authors get heated when it comes to labeling their work, and the idea that a book is either smart or commercial really burns. Some blame it on the dumbed-down book covers, and some say it’s the way society perceives women’s stories. If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between women’s fiction and chick lit, these three authors from varied backgrounds share their views. Thanks goes to LuAnn as well as her guests—Caroline Leavitt, Claire Cook, and Rainbow Rowell—for making this a lively discussion.

If you read or write in the mystery/thriller genre, you will delight in Jodi Webb’s article, Mystery, Mayhem, and Murder. She interviews five female authors to get the inside scoop on the “rules” of mystery writing. Authors Betty Webb, Lisa Jackson, Jassy Mackenzie, Cara Black, and Gayle Trent share their expert advice on everything from crime solvers to criminals, setting to plotting, and everything else in between.

With all this fun-filled advice, we need a fun agent to round out the issue and then ground us again. WOW! columnist Marcia Peterson interviews Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency to find out what she thinks about current trends in the publishing industry, romance genre, and women’s fiction. Elaine also shares what types of manuscripts she’s looking for, what she reads for pleasure, and how she has fun on the job.

Have you ever considered writing about your favorite hobby? Whether you love knitting, scrapbooking, cross-stitch, painting, sewing, jewelry design, or dozens of other crafts, Michelle Mach’s article Get Crafty: 7 Tips for Success in the Craft Market will give you some great pointers for breaking in. She also shares seven paying craft markets to submit your articles to. This is Michelle’s first time freelancing for us, and we welcome her to the WOW! family, and thank her for doing a fantastic job. So, if you find yourself working on a craft project this summer, pay close attention to how you’re doing it, and it may pay off.

One of the best things about being a writer is connecting with like-minded scribes. It helps you come out of writing isolation and gives you the creative boost you crave. But what if you don’t have a local group that meets regularly? We welcome back Sara Hodon and thank her for her article, How to Start a Writers' Group in Your Area. Sara is co-founder of the Black Diamond Writers’ Network, a writers’ group in Northeast Pennsylvania. She shares her advice and chats with other group founders—Kerrie Flanagan (Northern Colorado Writers), Kathy Higgs-Coulthard (Michiana Writers’ Center), and Richelle Putnam (Mississippi Writers Guild)—who provide their best tips on everything from membership to marketing.

And last, but not least, I’d like to thank WOW!’s contributing editor Margo L. Dill for making this issue fun to read!

Announcements

Summer school is in session! Check out all the fun-filled topics in the WOW! Classroom and participate this summer. By the time fall rolls around, you will be ahead of the game!

We just found out WOW! Women On Writing was selected as a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers 2011! This is our fourth year in a row, and we’re thrilled. We’d like to thank all of our readers/writers for supporting us. This is a great honor for all women writers because you make up WOW!

On to the issue… enjoy!