Last month we asked you to hook us with the first three lines of your original, unpublished novel. Denise V. Jones hooked us with her multicultural fiction novel, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing."

Krista Maxwell’s memorial service was a media circus, an endless caravan of the heavy hitters of Hollywood, the kings and queens of haute couture, her waif-like runway peers and even the nobility of the hip-hop music industry arriving for the ceremony on the beach behind her luxurious Montauk mansion. The reality was that a good percentage of those present despised the dearly departed – those who competed with her for cover shots and endorsements, those who endured her fits of rage delaying their multimillion-dollar fashion shows, and those whose husbands she had seduced into her bed. That was why Michael chose to stay at home.

Denise Jones hails from metro Atlanta, Georgia where she leads the Camp Creek Writer’s Fellowship. She was the winner of the Black Expressions 2004 Fiction Contest.

Imagine a day like this. You forgot to set your alarm clock. So, you over sleep the next morning. When you finally roll out of bed, you realize what you want to wear is still in the washing machine. As if that's not enough, your car doesn't start, and you just remember you have an important interview in 10 minutes. Finally, out of breath and hoping you don't look as stressed as you feel, you arrive for the interview. Alas, only then do you realize, terrified, that you left your portfolio on the kitchen table.

Is this the right mindset for an important interview? Of course not! So, what makes you think you can possibly write in this state? The truth is, just as you must prepare for an interview, you must prepare yourself to write. But how? Well, here are some helpful hints to get you in the WRITE frame of mind.

1. Make notes. Jot down notes about interesting people, conversations, sights, places, and events during the day. They'll later give you ideas to write about, in case you have trouble.

2. Take a break. Go for a walk. Linger over a cup of coffee. Take a warm bath. Do something to relax your mind and body... Ah, how wonderful! But what does this have to do with writing, you ask? A lot, actually. If you're tense or you have a lot on your mind, you'll never be able to concentrate on your work, much less enjoy it. Writing should never be a chore; it should be something you love to do. Releasing tension makes this possible.

3. Relax and tell yourself you will start and finish what you're about to write. This may sound strange, but it is necessary. You need to firmly believe you can not only start, but also complete your work. Unfortunately, many writers write well when they are inspired, but this is often short-lived. So, before you start writing, decide to finish the piece. Say to yourself, "I am a great writer." "I finish what I start." Feel free to add your own positive affirmations, and repeat them often. Your subconscious mind will believe them, and you will indeed start to see more finished products.

4. Set aside a specific time for writing. At the same time every day, you must sit down and write. Don't worry, though. It doesn't have to be a long time. Try starting with just ten minutes, and then work up to more. Consistency is the key, because once again, your subconscious will get used to this routine and begin to tell you daily, "Hey! It's writing time!" Suddenly, glancing up at the clock, you'll realize the little voice is right.

5. Write something, anything! If you can't think of something to write during the allotted time, just free write. That is, write whatever comes to mind. Don't trouble yourself about what that may be. The writing is the important thing here. Let your mind wander and write for you.

6. Set goals. Begin to set writing goals for yourself. For example, "I will write at least one short story a month," or "For the next two weeks, I will work on story plots." Setting goals is the first step to achieving anything. After you've accomplished them, set new ones, and you will not only notice improvement in your writing, but also that it gets easier the more you do it.

7. Forget about inspiration. That's right. Don't wait for inspiration. There's no telling how long you'll have to wait. So, as has been said before, just write. You have to. The urge to write doesn't matter. Write, no matter how you feel. Although it feels great to be "charged," inspiration is extremely elusive. Not everything you're assigned or able to be paid to write will inspire you. That may be sad, but it's true. Therefore, you need to overcome that, decide to write, find a comfortable place, and get going!

Just as you can't go to an interview unprepared, you can't write in the wrong mindset. Apply these tips so you can write what you want, what you must, and what sells.

C. L. Kennedy is an internationally published poet and received the January 2005 You've Been Spotted! Award from Shadow Poetry. She has written two poetry collections, co-authored a third, and edits the free Poets' Paradise e-zine. Visit her website at http://www.lulu.com/KennedyPoems and subscribe to the e-zine by e-mailing cluannhowe@excite.com

Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new area? You can't go past writing fillers. Fillers are one of the most overlooked opportunities in the freelance writing world and offer one of the best opportunities for new writers.

Fillers Are In Demand

I've spoken to hundreds of editors and been told over and over again that fillers are the one thing they never get enough of. Most publications tend to publish more freelance fillers than they do freelance articles. Yet, they often receive 100 times more articles than fillers. This is a gap in the freelance market that you can take advantage of.

Fillers are a Great Place to Get Started

Many publications are careful about publishing feature articles from writers they don't know. Even if your article is good, an editor might decide not to publish you because they don't know you as a writer. This is especially true if you don't have a lot of experience or any clips. But even without experience or clips, most editors will consider a filler. In fact, many editors treat writing fillers as the testing ground to see if a writer can be relied on to write feature articles.

Here's what one editor had to say about fillers:

"One of the best ways to break in is to write fillers. It gives me a chance to start to build a relationship with a writer and see that I can trust them. Of all the freelancers I work with, over half started out writing fillers." - Margaret, Magazine Editor

So not only can writing fillers get you some clips, it also has the potential to turn into a long-term writing opportunity. Consider fillers a stepping stone to much bigger things.

The Smart Way to Write on Spec

Fillers are almost always submitted on spec. This means that you avoid the problem of having to query the publication and sell yourself as a writer, because your filler is doing the work for you and showing the editor your writing skill.

The big argument against writing on spec is that you spend your time writing pieces that might never sell. Fillers reduce this problem because they are short and take less time to write. So even if your filler doesn't sell, you haven't wasted as much time as you would have on a longer feature article. Fillers are also more flexible, with few publications having set guidelines for fillers. This means that a filler will often be suitable for more than market. So if it gets rejected once, it's not a waste of time. You can just send it to a new market, often without having to make any changes.

Fillers Rely on Information, Not Writer Qualifications

Fillers usually rely on information, not on the writer's qualifications. This means that you don't have to sell yourself when you submit fillers. Instead, the information you put in the filler sells it for you. This makes fillers a perfect option for writers lacking the experience or clips to sell themselves to an editor.

You Can Write a Lot of Them

Since fillers are short, you can write a lot of them and submit a lot of them. You could literally have hundreds of pieces out in the market for consideration in a short time. And if you write them well, you could have a lot of them published in a very short time. That means you can build a list of clips fast.

And one other benefit is that magazines don't have as limited a space for fillers as they do for feature articles. So if your filler gets accepted, it's likely to get published fast. The same isn't true for feature articles, where an accepted article will often be scheduled for an issue a year or two away. That's one more good reason why fillers are a great way to build clips fast.

Once you've got the clips, then you have a few more options. Until then, fillers are a great place to start.

And one final tip. Once you have the clips and start moving into feature articles, don't forget about fillers. As you're researching a feature, take note of interesting facts, trivia, or anecdotes you come across. These can make fillers and be an added bonus, bringing in some extra cash and some extra clips.

About the Author Shelley Wake is the author of "Getting Published Without Clips." This practical no-nonsense guide shows writers exactly where to go and what to do to break into freelance writing. Packed with inside information, proven methods, hidden markets, and more, it's successfully launched hundreds of freelance careers in record time. http://www.writingstuff.com/fr02m.html

I belong to a writers’ group that holds monthly meetings. Last month I attended the meeting and purchased a couple of used books. These books are donated by members and the money from this “used book sale” goes to a charity fund.

I came across a book written by a very dear friend of mine. I purchased it and noticed it had been signed by my friend to the person who had originally bought the book and who later donated it. My friend and I had a laugh when I asked her to “resign” it for me.

Later that night I was skimming through the book when I noticed some of the pages were marked by blue pen. Words were crossed out and replaced. Sentences had lines through them. There were also a few notations along the sides of complete paragraphs.

My first reaction was shock. The author of this book is multi-published and just signed a very lucrative contract. I called her and told her what I had found. We were both confused as to why this person would “re-edit” a published book that was signed and then donate it. After we discussed it, we realized it may have been done for a critique or some type of discussion group.

Whatever the reasoning, the book should not have been donated to our chapter when it had been personally signed and scribbled in. It isn’t fair to the members of the group who purchase these books, and it certainly wasn’t fair to the author who is a member of this same group.

The point of this story, and the lesson we can learn from it, is you should be careful what you write because you never know whose hands it will end up in. The chances may be slim, but it just so happened in this case that the book ended up in the hands of the author’s good friend.

I’m hoping it wasn’t done with bad intent, but most of the members know each other and I felt both upset and embarrassed for the woman who donated the book. Of course, I felt worse for my friend who had to see her hard work put out for public consumption after being defaced. It was hurtful to this author whether or not it had been done in a positive or negative way.

This cautionary tale is to remind people to be careful and considerate, and to think of how you would feel if this had happened to you.

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