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… 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 Sarah Lapolla of the Curtis Brown agency, has made her final decisions. Read the winning stories of the 750 words or less open prompt Spring ‘11 Flash Fiction Contest… MORE >>

Elin Hilderbrand writes novels that we like to read while we’re having summer fun—laying by the pool, picnicking at the beach, or swinging on the front porch with an ice cold glass of lemonade. She sets all her novels in Nantucket, a charming and unique island thirty miles south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and they all take place during the summer. If you love this idea and want to find out more or you’ve already read her novels and are a fan, you’re in for a treat. Join Margo Dill as she chats with Elin about Nantucket, summer writing, and her latest novel, Silver Girl… MORE >>

You don’t have to hop on a plane and travel halfway around the world in order to find a good idea for a travel article. This summer, grab your notebook, camera, day pack, and maybe even your best friend and hop into your car for an adventure in your very own town, city, or state. It is packed with hidden gems you probably didn’t even know existed. By keeping your eyes open and enlisting the support from your local organizations, you will uncover a treasure chest full of article ideas right from your own “backyard.” Kerrie Flanagan interviews travel magazine editors, including Sunset Magazine travel editor Loren Mooney, AAA Encompass editor Tom Hess, and National Geographic Traveler contributing editor Andrew McCarthy… MORE >>

As a writer you’re bound to have distractions that keep you from writing, but if you’re not careful, they can keep you from accomplishing anything at all. These four articles provide effective solutions for eliminating distractions. In Writing Through the Distractions of...Mothering, Chynna Laird shares some fantastic parenting tips for keeping your kids entertained so you can focus on writing. Getting It Done When There’s No Time To Do It, by Kathleen M. Basi, provides time management tips and strategies to help writers make good use of their time. Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr: Writing Through Electronic Distractions, by Swapna Lovin, provides writers with websites and applications to limit social media distractions. When Writing Becomes a Drag or How to Procrastinate, by Suchi Rudra, helps writers overcome blocks that keep them from writing and provides creative solutions to inspire your muse… MORE >>

Walk into a bookstore and you’re inundated with an explosion of colors and graphics that capture your attention. Do you select the book with the muted tones and a gold-embossed title? Or do you gravitate toward the pastel-colored cover with a cute shoe/handbag/cartoon-caricature? As women's appetites for the written word continue to grow and the divide between literary fiction and chick lit continues to be debated, one thing is clear to readers of the female persuasion: strong stories sell. Three solid writers with varied backgrounds share their thoughts about genre labels and the elements that attract readers. LuAnn Schindler chats with Claire Cook, author of Must Love Dogs, Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You, and Rainbow Rowell, author of Attachments… MORE >>

You can combine mystery, mayhem, and murder to create a literary roller coaster ride. The mystery genre contains specific characteristics that every reader expects, and every author should include...or should they? Five female authors in that wide-reaching genre that includes everything from cozies to capers, police procedurals to psychological thrillers offer to tell us all they know about mystery writing. Jodi Webb interviews Betty Webb, Lisa Jackson, Jassy Mackenzie, Cara Black, and Gayle Trent… MORE >>

Is there a primary reason why readers love the romance genre? What are the current trends in women’s fiction? How does a literary agent have a good time on the job anyway? Learn all this and more as Marcia Peterson chats with Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency—a woman who knows about reading, writing, and fun… MORE >>

Michelle Mach loved making jewelry, but quickly found out it could be an expensive hobby. Several years ago, she realized that she needed to figure out a way to make money from her hobby or scale back. A quick trip to the local bookstore with rows of craft magazines made her realize that she could sell a handmade necklace for $30—or sell the how-to instructions to a magazine for two to five times that amount and still sell the necklace after publication. Whether you love knitting, scrapbooking, cross-stitch, painting, sewing, card making, jewelry design, or dozens of other crafts, Michelle shares seven tips to help you succeed, as well as seven writer’s markets to try… MORE >>

Any writer who has been working at the craft for longer than an hour knows what an isolating profession it can be. It’s often difficult to emerge from your imaginary world of delightful characters or pull yourself away from some particularly gripping article you are researching; but, sadly, real life stops for no one—not even writers. It’s important to continue to hone your craft and network with fellow scribes, but classes and conferences, though helpful, are often expensive. This is where a writers’ group comes in handy. So, why not start your own? Sara Hodon, co-founder of the Black Diamond Writers' Network, walks you through the process of starting, building, and maintaining a thriving writers’ group. She also chats with Kerrie Flanagan, founder of Northern Colorado Writers, Kathy Higgs-Coulthard, founder of the Michiana Writers’ Center, and Richelle Putnam, founder of the Mississippi Writers Guild… MORE >>