So You Think You Can Write?
So You Think You Can Write?
You are an established author and have already published, or you have aspirations to become a writer but you haven’t got a clue how to go about furthering your vocation.
Welcome to ‘Angie’s Diary‘, the magazine that allows you to find out how to write or how to write even better!
We are an established community for writers and editors, connected by a love for the written word.
This article serves to introduce new features and strategies for our online magazine that will benefit its loyal contributors and faithful readers, in ways like never before.
Interaction with fellow authors and editors may very well be the best way to become the writer you set out to be. Sometimes, a small remark or hint from an experienced colleague or editor can broaden your horizon and open up a whole new world of possibilities (or a can of worms – it all depends…).
Many of our subscribers are familiar with the frustration of having a great idea for a story or an essay, but not knowing how to begin or how to conclude in the best possible way (provided they have the staying power to finish, in case of a book). As (potential) authors this applies to all of us, and no one can help us better than fellow writers and editors that have the know-how and experience to give you the many different pointers that can help you to become a better writer.
We were thus motivated to make some important decisions regarding the future of Angie’s Diary.
As we have stated in the past, the FREE Account has no charge and will continue to give authors, especially aspiring ones and/or those without a budget, the opportunity to get professional exposure for their work, the way they have grown accustomed to at Angie’s Diary.
As you have already gathered, we decided to introduce our PREMIUM Account: authors that want to take their work and career to the next level will be allowed unlimited* monthly posts, an extended biography, and no restrictions to feature email addresses, website URLs, social media, et cetera.
PREMIUM Account members will be receiving comments and guidance from their experienced colleagues and editors, (most of whom are PREMIUM members too). For these writers, opportunities to grow as authors abound with these new resources, offered by this online magazine.
~***~
Just for the record, we are NOT about (always be wary of slogans such as):
1. “Get your First Book Published on your 1st attempt with a Leading Publisher or get your money back!”
2. “We can get you a book publishing deal before you’ve even written one!”
3. How To Get Multiple Publishing Offers For Your First Book’ in three easy steps, etc.
(In other words: charging you to get published and implicitly promising you commercial success.)
You’ve probably seen many of these ads while surfing the net, and can you truly say that there is not some part of your brain that, against all logic, hopes for success without the work?
So now the moment has arisen to define your perception of success.
Some will argue that success can be measured only in terms of revenue. But this is the site for those of us who know that while a good book may bring one the revenue most of us can only dream about, the real fulfillment lies in the genuine achievement of having written something of value or the satisfaction of having helped other writers toward that goal. In that instance, you will have become a better writer, as well as a better reader.
So join us in improving the quality of writing, reading, and thinking (first) at Angie’s Diary.
* Only possibly limited by our reviewing capacity
** We retain the right of editing or rejection
This seems to be an remarkable turn the magazine is making. You keep amazing us, Angie. I will most certainly follow up on your suggestion to define MY perception of success and be on the lookout for the promised critiques coming my way!
Hannah
Your magazine has given me the confidence to continue writing and to hone the skills I’ve learned. You do wonderful work to give aspiring writers such an opportunity! Thanks for all you do and we will stayed tuned!
Patty
Very inspiring article my dear friend and mentor. You keep me writing!
This is an excellent proposal excellently written. I particularly like the “we are NOT about” section as that sets Angie’s Diary clearly apart from the pack of predators running around the internet. Of course besides the new possibilities this opens as Angie has stated it may open up a can of worms. However… if the worms are Gummi Worms, that might not be so bad. 🙂
Konrad
Angie you are filled with imagination and creativity – you and your staff are doing a wonderful job. I am pleased you have taken yet another step forward. And, I am pleased to be part of this success by my posts and a VIP status, I am planning. Thanks again Angie, Sincerely Nancy
This is an excellent change. As writers this assist us in stepping up our game.
Thanks dear Angie for this inspiring gesture!
Hope this works for you.
I was expecting your site to become more commercial as it is very difficult to perform all the functions required to make this work for everyone without spending a lot of time and money. The service of this site is exposure. That and a bit of education.
With Borders going down and Barnes and Nobles across the land turning into large gift shops the market availability for books is hurting badly. Amazon doesn’t get it. No browsing there. No stopping by to kill time get a cup of coffee and find an interesting read. Nope. All gone to graveyards every one. Electronic books are similar. How do you find out about them? The good ones? Most reviews are paid for crap today, the same as endorsements by other authors.
The problem we face is lack of exposure. John Travolta gets multi-million dollar advances but can’t write a lick. Same with Palin. And you can keep that string going until you grow weary. What about literature? Where is the meat and how do you find it? The book business has become like the meat content in a Taco Bell taco! Sites like this allow new authors to put some work up where a large number of people will access and evaluate it. In some sense, it is all the new author has left. There is currently no place else to go. So I am a big supporter.
Angie, You can do no wrong. You’re Awesome, So is your magazine. Thank you for your contribution to us all. I support any & all changes you make. Lisa
I love your creative vision. I love the idea of gathering more feedback from peers. My definition of success has not been stuck on monetary gain. It is more about receiving concrete feedback and ideas and being able to clearly express from start to finish a vision or idea. I enjoy reading the contributions found here. It’s a wonderful community! Thank you Angie for providing such a wonderful community of like minded people.
Nice description of the changes taking place.
The section at the end about what Angie’s Diary is “NOT” doesn’t seem necessary and is a little bit out of context.
Disagree somewhat with your conclusion that “real fulfillment lays in the genuine achievement of having written something of value or the satisfaction of having helped other writers toward that goal”. Writers that write for a living want to be paid for their work. Payment is just as important as writing something of value and having exposure (as James states so well). It is not any more or less significant than the creative process or work of art.
I shall aim to become a VIP ~ I have been honored to be part of your writing ‘team’ and your readership. Articles on here range from amusing to informative. I try to check in everyday to find my old favorites and the new who usually join the ranks of the author to check out….thanks for your hard work and for your eye in picking the perfect picture to accompany each article – a skill to be sought….just thank you for being here.
All absolutely true. Angie’s site is one of rare opportunity for many.
Go Angie go… 🙂
All excellent ideas, Love. As we started from the beginning, it is exciting to see this grow to fruition! Best of luck! I’m looking forward to this!
I cannot say enough for this lady and what she has done to enhance the careers of so many writers. She is a great coach who is always rooting for you.
If you have no direction, she is the person that could help. Especially, with her new Vip package. I highly recommend it for everyone who is trying to get some exposure. But you have to be patient and work hard and she will go beyond the call of duty to assist your needs.
My dear friends,
Your kind words are immensely uplifting!
I’m honoured to have you in my world.
From the bottom of my heart: Thank You!
Angie
THANKS Angie, I had no idea I would be given this honor, I want to thank you and those who took time to read what I had written. I am thrilled to be the first of this new VIP event, promoting each other, and posting too. Well, I have posted, and posted so I will be reading and commenting more often.
Have a wonderful day, and I will be having fun here for a year, because of you, the readers and those who judged this first VIP – Author of the Month.
Sincerely, Nancy
I’m seeing in-depth comments made by your elite members. That’s exactly what you promised. Now why did I even doubt that for a second? Your VIP thing really seems to take off!
Chapeau, my sweet friend!
Angie puts in plain words and states the facts…..exactly what we all want AND need to know. Angie’s Diary can be summed up in one word….AWESOME!
I don’t consider myself a writer but I am photographer and author. But through your magazine there is the opportunity to progress by reading the positive, gain insight and vision.
Angie, what a great idea, and what a great service, particularly for emerging authors like me. Thank you for reaching out to us and continuing to bring us together.
Definitely honored to become one of your VIP authors and will try my best to help guide writers . Fran
Ah, putting ideas into words that make readers smile, laugh and shed a tear or two just to entertain for a while is such an enjoyable pastime but, is it a real occupation?
I don’t really know the true numbers, but it appears that 10 million stories will be written and, of those, 1 million will be very well written but then comes the business of writing… “Promotion” and “Advertising”. From the 1 million well written stories, only (perhaps) 1 thousand will be published. The “success” rate…? Maybe about 100. The “Best Seller Rate”, maybe 10 and, there might even be one that makes it to “Blockbuster” status.
Discouraging…? Wait a minute…! There are many, many books generating some income for writers of all genres even if they aren’t in the “Harry Potter” class. Did you know her first manuscript was rejected a dozen times? EBook publishing has also changed the landscape and “self-publishing” is no longer looked down upon because, for some, it works.
So, what does all this mean? If you enjoy writing, study the craft of writing… and write! If you want to be paid for your work, study the BUSINESS of writing-publishing-promotion-advertising-networking-imagebuilding and work the system and your fan base. It’s up to you.
AND – whether the opinion I’ve just expressed above is good or bad advice is also up to you.
Wishing you all the best.
R. H. Politz
Angie,
I like this mission statement. It’s veracious yet affable.
Several Bullet Points:
1-The juxtaposition of your concrete/quantifiable goals to the abstract/vague plattitudes paraded by scammers etc exasperates the authenticity of Angie’s Diary and it’s unwavering intergrity.
2-Your word choice is clear, concise, and epigrammatic (something I have copious consternation doing).
3-I would like contribute to this magazine any where there is room for me.
Happy V-Day <3
vr,
Brandon
Tremendous issues here. I’m very happy to peer your post. Thank you a lot and I’m taking a look ahead to contact you. Will you kindly drop me a mail?
So grateful to be able to post articles and poetry, and advertise my two books. What a blessing it is to share my writing with other writers. Thanks to all especially Angie.
Thank you, dear Joyce, for your uplifting words.