This month’s expert advice from tutor Lesley Cryer covers the all important concept of Show Don’t Tell, Ten Top Tips shows you how to quadruple your chances of being published and double your fees, plus there’s the usual mix of student successes, useful websites and inspiration.

• Editor's News
• Successes
• Expert Advice
• Top Tips
• Useful Sites
• Inspiration

USEFUL SITES FOR WRITERS

http://www.CompletelyNovel.com
Another recommended website for your perusal. This is an “online community which links writers and their books to a network of readers, print-on-demand printers and publishers... all for free! Writers can use the publishing and promotional tools on CompletelyNovel.com to get feedback, reviews and sales of their books.” Once you have some feedback on your work the idea is that you use this to convince publishers or agents that your writing has a ready-made market just waiting for it to be published – could work! I have also been given the following code 'CN_WRITERS_01' which allows you to access free expert assistance with manuscript conversion when you sign up.

http://www.dailycognition.com/index.php/2007/04/12/15-strangest-coincidences-in-world-history.html

http://www.listverse.com/2007/11/12/top-15-amazing-coincidences/
If you are like me, you’re going to enjoy these websites – they are fun, full of interesting stories, including the aforementioned co-incidences, and bizarre facts from all over the world. You’ll have to decide which you think are true and which are pure fiction, like the story of the Russian Sleep Experiments (a horrendous incident if true) or the article detailing the 12 most ridiculous lawsuits. But, it’s an amusing source of inspiration. Some made me laugh out loud and others had me gasping in disbelief. However, be warned, if you are easily offended by bad language these sites may not be for you.

http://www.freeimages.co.uk/
This is a free stock photo site. You are only required to register and acknowledge them if you use any of their images. There’s a tutorial to help you get the best out of the site, plus design tips and you can also give back to the site by uploading your own photos. This is just one example of a website like this, but searching with the term ‘free stock photos’ in Google brought up hundreds of others you could explore.

Remember, if you run a website that you think may be of use to our readers, let me know. If I like it, I’ll publish a link to it giving you a free plug. What could be better than that?