Writing-World | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Oh, I know your type, writer. You’re a real whiz with grammar, know all the punctuation rules, you even know a couple of those cool proofreader marks. You’ve often said to yourself (particularly after being raked over the editing coals), Pooh! I could do that.

And I know this, writer, because I am that writer.

But after spending about 20 minutes taking the Society for Editors and Proofreaders Self Test, I threw in the red pen. Not so much because I didn’t know what was what, proofreading-wise (though I’m not ruling out that possibilty). It was more of an eyes-glazing-over and not knowing what was what until my head slammed into the laptop and woke me up.

For crying out loud, how many times was I going to have to correct the same &*^% page?

Turns out, proofreading and editing require a ton of patience, an attention to detail, and the singular ability to find every stinking thing wrong on the page. Who knew?

Anyway, I think I’ll just stick to being a writer. But you all go right ahead and give it a go.

(P.S. I think I found this link on my Writing World newsletter–you should give this site a go the next time you’re looking for writing info. And to all those hard-working editors/proofreaders, I’m very, very sorry. I take all those Poohs! back.)

Do you ever wonder how something like The Beverly Hilbillies became such a hit? I mean, besides the fact that the show had one of the all-time greatest theme songs? It was a simple premise: the old fish-out-of-water story. Plus, the show had colorful characters. Which just goes to show that’s it all about finding the gold.

So, here’s a few newsletters where you can find writing gold. All for free!

1. Writing-world: Moira Allen’s terrific site is jam-packed with tons of resources, and she always throws in a few submission opportunities, as well as a great how-to article.

2. Funds for Writers: C. Hope Clark’s free newsletter says it all in the name: she’s giving you ways to make your own gold! Plus, Hope always throws in grant opportunities. She also has a paid newsletter, which if you’re savvy, you can get at a bargain price when she runs specials. (Hint: Now would be a good time to check it out here. And get a free Tweetbook, too!)

3. Children’s Writer E-News: If you write for children, or want to write for children, get this nifty newsletter. See where writers are getting published. Pick up great tips, and find out about contests. You never know who you might read there. (Okay, you do know. I was going for coy.)

The best thing about these newsletters is that someone else is doing the investigating work for you and delivering it to your Inbox, twice a month. All you have to do is the writing work. Assuming you want to make gold.

(So they loaded up their truck and they moved to Beverly. Hills, that is. Swimming pools, movie stars. Cue the banjos. And if you have a favorite free newsletter, why not share the wealth?)