Tina Haapala, Excuse Editor

Writers and entrepreneurs have a lot in common. If you are a writer who plans to achieve any kind of financial success from your talent, you have to play the business game. If you are an entrepreneur who wants to get people excited about your product or service, you have to play the sales game. If you are like a huge majority of people, this may make you cringe. Watch a few minutes of “ Shark Tank ” on TV and you will see true rejection in action. Inventors, business owners and dreamers have put their sweat, tears, and often a whole lot of money into an idea they believe will both change the world and make them rich. Usually, someone tells them how wrong they are. It doesn't help that one of the guys is sarcastically called “Mr. Wonderful.” As a writer, you are standing in front of that panel of critics every time you submit new work for consideration. No matter how great your product is, it is not for everyone. You could have the most amazing slant on zombie-aliens from Krypt...

  You often hear that writers need to develop a tough skin in order to deal with the looming rejection and criticism of the writing life. This is true, but even before you learn to cope with the reaction to your writing, you have to be brave enough to write, and then have the courage to share your writing. In this installment of writing lessons culled from “The Help”, I discuss a crucial element to the writer’s state of mind as she decides to share her heart and soul through her writing. No matter where it comes from, whether it is perfect or not, it sets you up to take the necessary risks. Lesson Two: Confidence Skeeter's attempt to secure an editor's position at a big-time New York publishing house without prior experience, clips, or understanding of the traditional career path may have been misguided, but it still got her foot in the door. She was young, and a hard worker in school. To her, it only made sense to apply to just one job, her dream job in New York City, a...

More than likely, you've been there, pounding the pavement for a job, or, hoping to retain the one you have. You'll come across plenty of tips for job security; even what to wear. The common mantra is: Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Dressing for Success is supposed to reflect your professionalism to the outside world, while making you feel confident enough to continue moving forward. As a writer, you don't often get the chance to influence editors or publishers or even readers in this way. The threads that adorn you are woven with your words on the page or on the screen. Make them count... Write for the Market you Want ...not (only) for the one you have Appropriate Attire... Make sure your work is a good "fit" and doesn't clash. Your sci-fi story is out of place in the personal essay market. Choose your Accessories wisely... Make sure your bright and shiny metaphors reflect your work-- everything should be held together in a fitting ...

OK. You've finally gotten over the fear of labeling yourself as a writer. The next time the opportunity arises, you will take a deep breath and say, "Yes, I write!" You may want to immediately take it back when people start giving you unsolicited writing advice. Today's Problem: Everybody seems to know how to make it in the writing world, except me! Everybody? Well, almost: Today, let's focus on the Avid Readers-- Maybe it's a fellow bookstore browser. Maybe it's your good friend. If an Avid Reader discovers there's a Writer in their midst, she'll usually have a few tips for you-- whether you like it or not-- especially if you don't have a book on the bestseller list, or a byline in a national magazine. "You should write one of those vampire books, they are so hot right now." "Why don't you just finish your novel and get it published?" "You like music; why don't you write something for Rolling S...