Writers Conference Jitters

Take a deep breath, say a prayer, and enjoy the experience.

Next week at the writers conference, I’ll encounter a lot of people facing multiple appointments and intensive classes. Many will be fearful, anxious, overwhelmed, and defensive. And those are just the agents and editors.

Many conferees may feel the same.

Conferences take us from our comfort zones. Writing and editing happen alone at … Continue reading

Big Picture Writers

Are the photos you submit large enough to print?

I planned to give the article feature treatment. Then I looked at the photos the author sent.

Forget any thoughts about giving a photo half-page treatment — or even three inches by five. With the low-resolution images I received, I couldn’t print them much larger than a postage stamp.

Had the magazine been online-only, I … Continue reading

Discarded Plans

Will you settle for something better?

I was really proud of the plan I’d created for the next issue of the magazine. Just a few days after sending May/June to the printer, I’d decided on good mix of articles for July/August.

Then an amazing article—a must-run item—crossed my desk. No problem; I’d swap it for my plan’s lead article and leave everything else … Continue reading