Hello Again...and the Writing Season

I have failed to be very faithful with my writing blog, but as my "writing season" kicks in for me I'm going to try and be better about posting.

I've got several things going on related to my writing...

* I'm helping teach a class at the University of Alabama, and I am getting such a kick out of it. It's a senior and graduate level class on magazine writing, so I get to share some of my expertise in the area with young people who are very energetic about the topic. (A cool added bonus is that I get to use my own book for the textbook. Very cool!)

* I'm trying to get a book manuscript finished within the next month or so. This is going to be a hands-on, concise guide to getting published in magazines. It is the first in a series of books called "The Concise Writers Guide" from Breeze Hill Books (an imprint of Vision Press) and is tentatively called "How to Sell Every Article You Write." I'm working hard to get it done and then will start doing marketing work for it.

* I'm beginning to think of opportunities at writers conferences this Spring and Summer. I spoke at three conferences last year and had the BEST time. It's around this time that conferences begin contacting speakers, so I'm going to see about getting to speak and teach at some this year as well. (If you are involved with a writers group or writing conference, I'd love to talk to you about my speaking to your organization. You can email me at cherylwrit@aol.com).

I hope you all are getting a lot of writing done!

Alabama Media Professionals...
Breaking into National Markets

I had a wonderful experience yesterday with the Alabama Media Professionals organization. Aside from seeing some "old" friends who I hadn't seen in a while, I also enjoyed networking with other writers and learning some new tricks and tips to this whole writing and marketing endeavor.

But, I was primarily there to serve as one of the speakers for their Spring Workshop. It turned out well, and I hope that I provided all of the attendees with some useful information.

My speech was on "Breaking into National Markets" and I provided

Seven Tips for Breaking In...

1. Find your areas of interest and expertise

2. Develop marketable ideas.

3. Learn to locate markets.

4. Market yourself to editors.

5. Write a good query letter.

6. Learn "secrets" of submission.

A few of these "secrets" that I talked about included: meeting editors at writing conferences, coming up with ideas that fit into special theme issues, coming up with a "timely" topic, coming up with a unique slant on an idea that is done over-and-over, reslanting the same idea more than once, and submitting more ideas after an initial success.

7. Just keep at it.

I'd love to talk with you more about any of these topics. Feel free to email me!

And also...
check out the Alabama Media Professionals. If you live in Alabama, it would be worthwhile to join. And if you live elsewhere, try and find a group that you can get involved with; it's always great to have other writers around you.

Back home from the Alabama Writers Conclave...

I just returned from a delightful weekend at the Alabama Writers Conclave. My brain still hurts a little bit (from all the mental work involved with the weekend, but also because it was the first time in forever that I'd spent the night in a hotel by myself and it took me a while to get to sleep each night!), but I wanted to get online and post a few pictures before I shut down for the evening.

I was a faculty member at the conference, where I presented three sessions ("Magazine Writing 101"; "From Lead to Conclusion"; and "Getting Creative with Nonfiction"). I am always reminded how much I love to teach workshops, meet other writers, and (most of all!) encourage writers with my own knowledge. It was so rewarding to meet many aspiring and successful writers, and give them a little "push" in the right direction.

I'm very thankful to Irene, who asked me to serve on the faculty for this year's conference, and I'm already looking forward to the next conference I'll be speaking at (the Mississippi Writers Guild in Vicksburg, Mississippi, on August 15-16).

Here are some pictures of a few of the other faculty members leading their workshops . . . R.A. Nelson, a novelist from Madison, Alabama, who served as the weekend's "writer in residence"; Sue Walker, the poet laureate from Alabama, who was just a joy to get to know; and Bonnie Roberts, a delightful poet who inspired me as I sat in on her workshop. (I am a fledgling poet, you know!)



Here are some pictures of some of the sweet participants and organizers that I had the pleasure of meeting during the weekend.







If you are either a published author or an aspiring writer, I would encourage you to attend a writers conference in your area. You can find them all over the country, and they are invaluable in providing you with practical advice and much-needed inspiration!

(As an extra bonus, I got to engage in a couple of other activities over the weekend that made me quite happy. I enjoyed these really big, fluffy, cushy pillows...on the king-sized bed I had all to myself . . .

And then I got to drive around my favorite campus on the planet. I popped by Bryant-Denny Stadium, home of my beloved Crimson Tide; and got out and walked around The Gorgas House, a beautiful antebellum home that just happens to be where Gary and I got married (the photo below is from inside the porch area of the home, which is just a beautifully-designed building)...



There should be some more updates on the AWC's website soon, so be sure and check it out. You might want to consider coming to the conference next year!

And be sure to pop in here every once in awhile. I have always been very diligent with my personal blog (which you can read HERE), but I want to begin posting more on this writing blog.

When I return from my trip to Maryland, I plan on making weekly posts and providing my readers with some writing challenges.

Until then....I'd like to leave you with one of the many encouraging quotes I heard while at the conference. One of the speakers read these words from Goethe, and it really spoke to me:

"Whatever you do, or dream, begin it now. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. "

Always Writing

(This is excerpted from my booklet, Day by Day: 30 Devotions for the Christian Writer.)

I love this quote; “If I fall asleep with a pen in my hand, don’t remove it. I might be writing.” (Danzae Pace)

Writers are always writing. They are writing when they are asleep; they are writing when they are in the pick-up line after school; they are writing when they are on vacation; they are writing when they are on their lunch break; they are writing when they are in a church service; they are writing when they are talking to friends; they are writing when they are taking a shower.

I don’t mean that you, as a writer, are always literally writing with a pen in your hand or a computer next to you. But I do mean that you are always in a state of writing. You are always open to whatever is happening around you, and how that might evolve into words on a page.

I will make a confession here and say that some of my best writing has been done in the bathtub! I am a big fan of long, hot, bubble baths and I have completed articles in my head while lying in that tub.

I have also come up with some of my best ideas ever while I’ve been driving down the interstate. Thank goodness I had a notebook in my car so that I could write them down (as soon as I stopped driving!).

If you are a writer, you want to always be aware of things around you. Notice what other people are saying, notice what that billboard says, and notice the feelings you have as you experience events and moments. I truly believe that writers (and other artists, as well) are much more aware of their surroundings than “normal” people.

And then, be sure and chronicle those things that become meaningful to you. Don’t expect the words to only come while you’re at the computer; be open to them at any time. And if you come up with an idea in your sleep, write it down as soon as you wake up.

To think and write about:

*Buy a notebook that you can keep in your purse, your car, by your bedside, anywhere that inspiration might strike you.

*When have you been inspired in the past week? Write a few paragraphs describing how and what inspired you.

The 2008 SCWC

I will be speaking and working this weekend at the Southern Christian Writers Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My parents founded this conference eighteen years ago and it's hard to believe it's been so long and it's still going so strong! The conference is really a family affair with both my brother, Christopher, and I both speaking at the conference and helping our parents any way we can.

The conference is always so rewarding. I always meet so many great writers and aspiring writers, and I am always humbled by their responses to my workshops and talks. I always return from the conference all pumped up and ready to get writing again!

This year, I will be presenting two sessions on the basics of writing for magazines. I will discuss such topics as coming up with ideas, writing query letters, marketing your work, writing your article, working with editors, and other issues that are important in doing freelance work for magazines. I will also do my best to encourage and motivate the aspiring writers who come to my sessions.

I plan on popping back in here with some instruction and inspiration from the conference.

Welcome to my writing life..

I have written for my personal blog, Life with Cheryl Wray, for several years now and finally decided to use the blog world to promote my writing and to encourage other aspiring writers.

This blog...Writing with Cheryl Wray... will provide you with information about my writing activities (articles I publish, writing conferences I will speak at, writing services I can provide, etc.); will let you know about upcoming releases; and will provide you with encouraging words and motivation in regards to your own writing aspirations. I also plan on providing some writing challenges along the way. Just check in often to see what's going on in my writing life!

My Writing Resume

I have had more than 1000 articles published in a variety of magazines and newspapers, and am the author of four books. I also speak often at writers conferences.

My articles have appeared in such publications as:

Home Life
American Profile
The Birmingham News
ePregnancy
Living with Teenagers
FamilyFun.com
The Alabama Baptist
The Upper Room
Leaders for Today
ParentLife
Atlanta Parent
Birmingham Business Journal
Live
and many more!

Click on these links to see some of my articles that have also appeared online...

"Where Miracles Happen"
"Knowing Your Heart"
"Teaching Your Child to be Thankful"
"Project Reaches out to Soldiers"

My books include:

Writing for Magazines, published by McGraw-Hill (This book is in its second edition. It was a selection of the Writer's Digest Book Club, and is today used at colleges across the country.) Go HERE to see it on Amazon.com

A Life that Matters, published by New Hope Publishers

Faith Stories, published by Woman's Missionary Union

Masterpieces of Reporting, published by Vision Press

I am currently working on a series of writing books to be published by Breeze Hill Books. The first book, tentatively titled Marketing & Selling Your Articles, is slated for publication in June, 2009.

My writing conference appearances:
(click on each link for more information about my talks)

Alabama Writers Conclave

Mississippi Writers Guild

Alabama Media Professionals

My blog:

Life with Cheryl (As a way to hone my writing on an everyday basis, I write about my life on this personal blog. I have a loyal following and hundreds of hits a week.)

Contact Me:

Thank you for looking at my resume. If you should need more information, please contact me by email at: cherylwrit@aol.com