Writing is something that takes skills that are learned at a young age. Some of these skills are obvious, like reading.  If you can’t read, you can’t write, and don’t develop a feel for how words are put together in a way that captivates the reader…that may sound like a “no-brainer”, but there are many students who don’t see the value in reading.

Writing also requires inspiration and creativity, it is an art, and learning good writing skills can be fun!

I was introduced to Brightstorm, a site that offers what I would call tutoring courses that are fun on a wide variety of subjects that you are taking in high school…including writing, the course most intriguing to aspiring writers and authors that may be visiting this blog.

There are even courses to prepare high school students for SAT’s. That doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? Well Brightstorm makes it their business to make their courses fun, and interesting. Sign up for a free brightstorm account, and you can view the first episode of each video course for free to get an idea of whether it is suited to your needs or not.

I signed up to try the “Decadent Devices in Rich Writing” course by Jennifer Stickland, she introduces the course saying writing is a lot like cooking, and using the theme of cooking throughout the course, she opens your senses to the writing experience…I was sold when she said the “decadent” food she loved was chocolate You’ll have to stop by and see what “sells” you on a course. The teachers are professional, and effective in their approach to education.

And remember, the courses are a great value, and you can get a taste for them before you register for the whole course.

If you’re a parent reading this, take a look yourself; high school students, what are you waiting for, head on over to Brightstorm and sign up for your free account.

Here’s another great resource for writers, and for those who love to read to gather and share their favorite titles. I receive no compensation to promote this, as a reader, and wanna-be writer, I enjoyed the site and plan to join.

You can get book recommendations from those that share your interests, and if you are an author, you may want to join to share the books you like to read as well as your own titles.

Stop by and visit http://www.goodreads.com, happy reading, writing and networking!

I have a number of friends and acquaintances through online networking who are authors who send books or scripts for me to review. I also have several who are interested in knowing how to publish a book. If you among those who are looking for assistance in the process, I found a site that may help. 48HourBooks.com claims that in some circumstances they can have your book done in 2 days, but if you visit the site, you will see that they offer a lot of assistance. I appreciated the fact that they openly show the price of each service, to me it is frustrating to go through a website that doesn’t tell you up front how much something will cost, I don’t have the patience to dig to find it and move on.

Among the services that they offer are:

• Self-publishing services…if you’re confident in your book and have had it reviewed and edited, don’t risk being rejected by publishers, upload your book to the site and have it published.  This allows you more freedom in expressing your creative self!
• Case or Spiral Binding
• Cover Design if you don’t have one already.
• Printed Proofs
• ISBN U Barcode (YOU will be publisher)
• AND A LOT MORE!

So if you’re considering Book Publishers, and are looking for a process that is easy to understand, stop by a visit 48HoursBooks.com, and let me know what you think with a comment.

Here is something that will help those of you who are authors, writers, and more! I do not have a direct link in the following information that was passed along by email, but you should be able to search for the online magazine:

EKG Online Literary Magazine is a free online magazine published for the purpose of entertaining and enlightening all members of the literary community including, but not limited to, readers, writers, aspiring and established authors, reviewers, agents and publishers.

Our premiere issue will will be online July 1st, will feature JD Mason on the cover. We have confirmed for future issues Virginia Deberry & Donna Grant, Travis Hunter, Kendra Norman-Bellamy and William Frederick Cooper. We plan to feature a variety of authors from different genres. Because of the varied audience that we will cater to, we feel this would be a wonderful opportunity for YOU to reach a large segment of the book buying population.

For a limited time EKG Literary magazine is offering FREE ads. That’s right FREE 1/3 page ads. All you have to do is send your ad to ads@ekgliterarymag. com by close of business June 29.

There is no obligation to buy future advertisements, although we think you will want to. This is your opportunity to see what our magazine can do your, at no charge.

Hurry space is limited and is going fast.

To place your ad, or if you have any questions, you may write us at ads@ekgliterarymag. com.

If you need a larger ad, here are our prices. EKG is committed to making advertising affordable for the literary community.

1/3 page FREE (July only)
Half Page $50/month
Full Page $100/month
Full Page (3 Months) $250

*$5 more to have the ad linked to your website/MySpace

Just imagine reaching an audience of hundreds of avid readers.

Contact us now at ads@ekgliterarymag. com.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REPOST

I am one of the staff writers/founders of EKG literary magazine. All Urban Christian author’s who chose to advertise will receive a 10%discount off of ad prices. When you submit your ad be sure to mention that you are with UC.

Be Blessed

Zaria

First Lady Laura Bush and her daughter, Jenna were on “Fox and Friends” this morning promoting reading, something Laura Bush and her daughter are passionate about. Laura was a school librarian and a teacher.

Laura and Jenna have written a book together, “Read All About It” available both in Spanishand English. The story is based on experiences Jenna and the the First Lady had while teaching.

The main character in the book is Tyrone, who thinks books are boring, and then realizes that they are not after all. Books play on the natural imagination of children…and adults alike. I was even more of a reader than I am now, I think some of my reading time has been replaced by writing, blogging and surfing. When I do read a book, I never want it to end. Books have to capture me from the start, and keep me interested right through to the end, and I make a point of looking for books that have as many pages as possible.

Jenna has taught overseas in Latin America, and looks forward to teaching again sometime soon. She has another book coming out shortly, and will be getting married in May. Her desire is to have a relatively simple wedding at her parent’s ranch.

Wishing Jenna and her Mom, Laura, a wonderful time together on their book tour and sharing the wonderful experience of planning a wedding. As Laura shared on the show, the years go very quickly with our children. I know that to be true myself with two grown children of my own, so enjoy them, read to them, and put aside that computer for a bit and do some reading yourself.

January is National Braille Literacy Month. Authors and writers, you have Louis Braille to thank for this wonderful system of reading with fingertips that he designed. He was born on the 4th of January in 1809, so this month is set aside to honor his achievement.

He sustained an eye injury that left him blind, which lead to his desire to discover a method of reading for the blind. You will find more information about this great man, and other things related to Braille at the Louis Braille School site.