Monica Valentinelli's Blog: booksofm.com, page 122

How To Make The Perfect Pitch (Without Striking Out): VIDEO

Came across this as I was reading through my news this morning; thought you might get a kick out of this video. Something to think about if you're pitching to an agent!

Be sure to visit Christie and Faye online through www.WriteWithUs.net.

Tips on How to Be a Professional | Part One of Three

Did you know that your chances of getting published increase the more professional you act? In this series of posts, I'd like to share with you some tips from other professionals working as freelancers, writers, publishers and editors. I'd also like to cover some tips that you might find interesting to think about as you navigate along your own path.

To start, I'd like to share with you an editor's perspective. Besides her many other talents, Jennifer Brozek is an editor for Apex Book...

Creating an Offline Writer's Group is Harder than it Looks

As many of you know, supporting my fellow writers and editors is very important to me provided my schedule allows for it. Whether someone is new to the craft or not, I can relate to the challenges of networking. When I started forming a writer's group a few months ago, I really had no idea what to expect. I wasn't sure if there would be a large interest or a small one, or if we'd have a more professional take on it rather than something casual.

What I've learned is that forming an offline...

Planners and Routines

Do you write more in the fall and winter than in the warmer months? I certainly do, which is part of the reason why this is such an important time for me. Self-discipline is definitely a requirement if you're a writer, and that can be hard to manage. During the summer, we're exceptionally busy with conventions and social events, and I find that it takes me about a week to get back into a routine if my schedule is disrupted because I've been going for a few days.

These next few months are pretty i

Bridging the Online to Offline Connection

Twitter. Facebook. LiveJournal. FriendFeed. Chat rooms and forums. The list of places where you can go to interact with someone online goes on and on and on. Eventually, you get to know personalities on these different platforms and (in some cases) can meet up with people offline. The experience of meeting someone offline can be either daunting or disappointing, but almost always it is "different" than interacting with someone online.

When you're chatting with someone online, you are "just" rely

Do You Need Your Own Website? Read My New SFWA Article

If you're an author or a professional freelancer who is weighing the pros and cons of having your own web presence, you might be interested in reading my new article over at the website of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Here's a brief excerpt of the article:

The Pros and Cons of Having Your Own Website

Whenever I'm at a convention, one of the more common questions I am asked is: "Do I need to have my own website?" I always counter with, "Well, what do you want to use the website

Writing Reviews Can Help You, Too!

Writing a review of someone else's work is probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to learn how to do. Teleporting out of my creative mindset to critique a book or a movie was pretty challenging, because it forced me to deconstruct how someone else put together a particular body of work. So instead of creating something from scratch, I needed to get down to the bare bones of books, comics, and movies to look at their structure and target market. As a result, I've found my own writing ha

GenCon 2009 and the Writer's Symposium Wrap-Up

[image error]GenCon this year was a world of difference from last year, partially because instead of running a booth I was on several panels at the Writer's Symposium. This selection of panels, organized by Jean Rabe was structured so that budding writers and game designers could get the help that they needed on a variety of topics ranging from world-building to their careers. In my opinion, even with my late evenings, I thought that the panels went really well because they were focused and pragmatic. Some o

AP's New Pay-Per-Quote and the Power of Asking "Permission"

If you work in the business world, you might have heard the phrase: "Ask forgiveness, don't ask permission." This phrase is supposed to reflect how you, as an employee, might take calculated risks in your day job to "get ahead" in your career.

As a writer, the reverse is often true, especially if you're writing for the internet.

The Associated Press released a press release late last week dubbed, "Associated Press to build news registry to protect content." Additionally, they're also charging a

My GenCon 2009 Writer's Symposium Schedule

Folks, things have been a bit crazy on my planet as I get ready for GenCon: Indy. This will be my first year I'll be speaking on panels through the Writer's Symposium, even though this is definitely not my first speaking engagement. I'll be bringing along some mini-flyers for those of you that are interested in picking up the games or some of the fiction I've written for, with info where they'll be at the con. I've received word that my latest contribution in Family Games: 100 won't be available