What's In Store
by Joy Dickinson Tipping

Getting Better All the Time
As freelance writers, it's all too easy to fall into the trap of concentrating on always finding the next job, and the next and the next. Sometimes, however, a dollop of creative inspiration can go a long way toward refueling one's entire approach to the work … and that kind of fired-up renewal, almost inevitably, transforms into not only better, but more, work. So herewith, some terrific sources for your own "creative stimulus package" (with apologies to George W.).

Only as Good as Your Word: Writing Lessons From My Favorite Literary Gurus, by ASJA member Susan Shapiro. Seal Press, 2007. 403 pages. Paperback. $15.95.
A journalist and memoirist, Ms. Shapiro brings a wry voice and generous touch to stories about those who've most affected her literary career. She's also a writing teacher, so she looks at mentoring as both mentor and mentee. Early in the book, she notes that criticism can mean you're doing something right, not wrong.

"I'm only half kidding when I now warn all of my journalism students that the first time they come up with a piece their family hates means they've found their voice."

She also cautions against expecting "mentor" to mean "cheerleader." One of her first mentors, her cousin, the novelist Howard Fast, used to torment her about her output, she says.

"Why are you only writing poems and short essays? Write a whole book already!" he challenged. "Come on, Susie, let's see some more pages. A page a day is a book a year. What are you waiting for?"

From the mentor side, she notes that her own protégées have kept her hip and in-the-loop in ways contemporaries can't, and that she finds their "hopeful, hyper energy" invigorating.

Among other gems: "No never means no," when it comes to rejection. It means rewrite, re-edit, resubmit to a different editor. Also, she says, an excellent way to ingratiate oneself to a mentor is to quote that person's work to him or her. Yes, ego exists, and it's not a sin to capitalize on that.

Read, Aim, Specialize! Create Your Own Writing Specialty and Make More Money!, by ASJA member Kelly James-Enger. Marion Street Press, 2008. 238 pages. Paperback. $16.95.
James-Enger zeroes in on one of the best ways to expand your writing business—by deliberately decreasing your subject matter. She boasts a straightforward, businesslike tone, which, one suspects, is what has made her such a successful freelancer herself (if you doubt it, just pick up a few magazines; you'll see her byline). She gives great advice on targeting one or several specialties, by playing detective with your own history and life experience. You may have specialties you don't even realize you possess. You're an adoptee who's found her birth mother? Voilá—you have an in at parenting and adoption magazines. You worked at Victoria's Secret, Clinique or The Limited as a student? Instant credibility for retail-, fashion- and cosmetics-based pubs.

James-Enger also has great pointers on query letters, including a fabulous dissection of the "I am so great" paragraph that she says usually closes the deal, and talks about today's most in-demand specialties, including health, business/finance and parenting.

Write is a Verb: Sit Down. Start Writing. No Excuses., by Bill O'Hanlon. Writer's Digest Books, 2007. 212 pages. Hardcover. $24.99 (includes DVD).
O'Hanlon's book, at first glance, might seem a tad elementary for ASJA's experienced membership. This is the man, however, who wrote the self-help classic Do One Thing Different, and his advice, though rendered at a simplistic level, is sound and worth re-visiting. He's not one of those annoying preachers of increase your output through sheer self-will! In fact, one of his most endearing statements is his classification of himself as "a bit of a slacker," despite more than 20 books. This book would be a great primer for anyone who, for instance, writes magazine articles but also wants to write book-length nonfiction or fiction. He'll help you find the time and motivation—your motivation, not someone else's—to get it done.

My favorite trick he offers is to "fool yourself with a fake trip or other commitment," since most everyone gets more done in the days leading up to a trip. Or, have your spouse schedule a fake dinner out with friends (he/she knows it's fake, but you don't)—that'll give you three or four hours of unscheduled writing time that you weren't expecting. The book also comes with an extremely helpful DVD, which includes an hour-long workshop and all the worksheets from the book in printable form.

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Joy Dickinson Tipping is the author of Haunted City, a guide to New Orleans for Anne Rice fans, and Scarlett Slept Here: A Book Lover's Guide to the South, as well as hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles on every subject imaginable.