The Writers Network News, November 22, 2005 http://ezezine.com
November 22, 2005
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News. I hope you love it
and forward it to all your writing friends, but if you don’t love it,
follow the simple instructions at the bottom to remove your address
from the mailing list.
In This Issue:
One: Kudos: B.G. Lewis, Martha Miller, Barbara "Ginger" Collins, Vicki
Kestranek, Lynn Maria Thompson
Two: From the editor’s desk: An Attitude of Gratitude
Three: Ask the Book Doctor: Point of View, Terms of Endearment, Courier
vs. Times
Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Five: Jobs, contests, grants, agents and markets
Six: Writing Assignment: Create new words
Seven: Looking for Critique Circles
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LOOK! Next Roswell meeting date: Friday, December 2, 2005
12:00 noon at Wok & Chops Chinese Restaurant
If you happen to be in Atlanta on the first Friday of the month, bring
questions and business cards and network with us. See directions at the
end of the e-zine.
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To view past issues of The Writers Network News, go to:
http://home.ezezine.com/886_2/70/
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Writer’s quote of the day:
“Fiction writers tend to be lovely, creative, interesting people who
are fun at parties. But nonfiction writers drive better cars. Work on
your nonfiction first; save the fiction until you can afford it.” —Dan
Poynter, CSP, The Self-Publishing Manual, http://ParaPub.com
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One: Kudos to B.G. Lewis, Martha Miller, Barbara "Ginger" Collins,
Vicki Kestranek
I have gone into six printings by self-promoting my book, _Best Ever
Quotations_ to bookstores in my (Toronto, Canada) area. People have
bought the book and come back to the stores o buy more copies to give
as gifts. I wonder if you could call that a success story. At my age,
91, that's very gratifying. -- B.G. Lewis
If readers want to get an idea of _Best Ever Quotations_, enter the
title or the author's name - B.G.Lewis - in any search engine, and it
will bring up the intro and the first page.
Martha Miller's fourth book, Tales from the Levee, published by
Harrington Park Press, an imprint of Haworth Press, came out late in
October to good reviews. For more about this book or her others, check
out her We site, www.marthamiller.net.
“My two-part story, ‘Landlovers to Liveaboards,’ was picked up by
LivingAboard Magazine. Part one ran in the September/October issue.
Part two will run early in 2006. I sent the story to Living Aboard in
2004. It had published my work before, but this time gave me the ‘not
what we're looking for right now" line. I got a call from LivingAboard
one year later to see if the material was still available. Besides my
thrill of selling the story, the editor has already received two
glowing letters from readers.
“This experience taught me three things: Keep pitching, keep revising,
and keep re-contacting editors.” --Barbara "Ginger" Collins
Vicki Kestranek won second place in the monthly Georgia Writers
Association competition with her short story titled "Out of the Blue.”
“My second ghostwritten book, _Just a Dumb Kid from Nowhere_, is now
available! The book tells the tale of Joe Overby’s childhood in rural
Mississippi during the Great Depression. It is filled with action,
wild adventure and brushes with history. You can order it by going to
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-36802-6.”
--Lynn Maria Thompson. Neptune Beach, Florida
Congratulations to these folks. Please send in your accomplishments for
our kudos section.
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Two: From the editor’s desk: An Attitude of Gratitude
Dear Fellow Writers:
Welcome back to The Writers Network News! We have completed our
migration to a new system that ensures you will not receive any spam
because of signing up for this e-zine. I know you appreciate that your
e-mail address is safe with me.
Now, on to the goodies.
A few years ago, a friend of mine changed his life by changing his way
of thinking. He had never liked to work, but while studying a religious
course, he learned to have “an attitude of gratitude.” When he told me
about it, he glowed.
Whereas he once told his wife he was “off to the salt mines” when he
left for work, he decided to say, “I’m off to the gold mines,” to show
his appreciation for the life-sustaining benefits his salary provided.
He looked for ways to be grateful. Instead of complaining when he
gained weight, he thanked God for the amount of food he had on his
table. When he got stuck in traffic, he thanked the universe for the
mini vacation from driving. He told me at least a dozen ways he shifted
his thinking and became positive and thankful for everyday things.
I like to think in terms of gratitude, too, and in America,
Thanksgiving gives us a traditional time to reflect on our blessings. I
thank heavens for the muse and for the ability to learn, grow, and
improve my writing every day. I thank my subscribers for signing up for
this newsletter and for sending me their questions and successes so I
can share them with all members, to educate and encourage them. I thank
my parents, although now gone, for their encouragement when I was
young, so I could make a living with words, the things I love the most.
I am thankful for the Internet, which allows me to reach writers around
the globe and give them a helping hand.
Yes, our newsletter reaches readers in many countries with a wide
variety of beliefs. No matter where you are or what you believe, are
you living a thankful life? Take a moment to think about it. You may
even find an inspirational essay in your heart, something you can write
and sell or share with friends.
Enjoy this newsletter, and let me hear from you when you have
questions, kudos, markets or any other information to share with your
writers network. If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, please
sign up to get your own copy. Simply go to my Website,
www.zebraeditor.com, and click on “Free Newsletter.”
--Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com)
Author of triple-award-winning “Write In Style” (Union Square
Publishing, an imprint of Cardoza Publishing) and director of The
Writers Network
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Three: Ask the Book Doctor:
Q: I don’t understand the issue with POV shifts. I see them, but I do
not know how to fix them. How do you write dialogue and commentary for
different characters in the same chapter?
A: My Purge Your Prose of Problems desk reference book explains point
of view in detail, and some complete books have been written on point
of view. I’ll abbreviate the information here.
You can use dialogue for any character any time, but internal thoughts
of that character or uses of phases like “he noticed,” “she saw,” or
“he wondered” mean that we are seeing the scene through that
character’s eyes. You can have more than one point of view in a
chapter, but publishers today prefer only one point of view per scene.
A chapter can have many scenes.
Yes, I’ve seen exceptions to this guideline in many popular books. John
Grisham writes from various points of views in a single scene, at
times, but until you have John Grisham’s success behind you, you would
do well to follow contemporary guidelines.
The rule of thumb is that when a new scene starts, the first person
mentioned in the scene is the point-of-view character. From that first
sentence until the last in that scene, no other point of view should
intervene. To start a new point of view, start a new scene and make the
new POV character the first person mentioned in the new scene.
If an author does not understand scenes and how to start a scene and
end one, that’s another matter and requires even more explanation. A
quick explanation of how to start a new scene, though, is that if only
a short time has passed, you can simply add an extra space before
starting the new scene. If a long time has passed, you can add three
centered asterisks (* * *) between the old scene and the new one. The
added-space issue is another reason not to add extra space between
every paragraph, which some writers do when they do not follow standard
manuscript format.
Q: I'm confused. Under your influence, I am now changing names of
endearment in my novel to be spelled with a capital letter: Sweetheart,
etc., but some do not look right. "Don't worry about me, Debbie
Darling." "Excuse me, Debbie Dearest."
Is this correct?
A: A term of endearment is capitalized only when it replaces the name.
When it accompanies the name, as in the examples above, it is not
capitalized. "Don't worry about me, Darling," is the same as "Don't
worry about me, Debbie," so “Darling” is capitalized. When almost any
modifier precedes it, such as "your," "my," "the," "a," or the person's
name, as in the cases in your examples, it is not capitalized.
Q: I'm going to change my manuscript to Courier from Times New Roman,
which I prefer, unless you say it's really not necessary.
A: Courier is preferred by most agents and publishers, so I encourage
everyone to use it in their manuscripts. I require my clients to send
their manuscripts in standard manuscript format, because I base my
prices on it. I can see much more when the manuscript is in correct
format, so my clients get a better editing job from me. If you plan to
submit your manuscript to an agent or publisher, you may as well get in
the habit of using standard manuscript format. For examples of standard
manuscript format, e-mail me and ask for report #104, Standard
Manuscript Format. Twelve-point Courier is the font and size required
for standard manuscript format.
Do you have a question? Send it today to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Four: Subjects of interest to writers
“Peace Mom” turns publicity into book deal
"Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan, mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who has
drawn attention for her campaign against the war, has written a book
being issued by Hawaii's Koa Books. It is the first book from the
press, which has printed 20,000 copies to start. Founder Arnie Kotler
(also the founding director of Parallax Press) intends to focus on
books "on personal transformation, progressive politics, and native
cultures." The AP reports, "Sheehan, who met Kotler through a mutual
friend, said she accepted Kotler's offer rather than work with a large
publisher because she didn't care about the money and wanted the book
printed quickly."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Courier or Times Roman?
Member Ellis Vidler, herself a book editor and author of two published
mystery novels, sent the following information: “I met with BookEnds
agent Jacky Sach today and asked her about the font and format
[preferred for manuscripts today]. She said use Times Roman or Times
New Roman, 12 point, double spaced, and to use the dash and italics.
She said contests seem to specify Courier, underline, and two hyphens,
but she never sends out manuscripts that way, that all the big houses
she sends to prefer Times Roman or Times New Roman and italics because
they’re easier to read and don’t take so many pages.”
My response: The controversy may continue, as many people point to
standard manuscript format as requiring Courier 12 point type, rather
than Times Roman or Times New Roman. I prefer Courier for manuscripts I
edit because I find the larger type much easier to read, so I do a
better job for my clients.
While some publishers turn down manuscripts that are not formatted
correctly, none will reject a manuscript on the basis of format alone,
if the format is Courier 12 point double-spaced type unless the company
guidelines specifically state otherwise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thinking of self publishing? Although it has been profitable for some,
be cautious. Read the dark side of self publishing in a recent issue of
Southern Review of Books: http://www.anvilpub.com/Southern_Review.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who gets the big bucks for being a so-called writer? Eric Clapton
signed a deal from somewhere between four and six million dollars to
tell his rock and roll story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
allonym (AL-uh-nim) noun
The name of a person, usually historical, taken by an author as a pen
name (as opposed to using a fictional pseudonym).
When a person borrows the content of another's book, it's called
plagiarism. but when an author's name is lifted, the term is allonym.
When the author is hired by someone to do so, it is known as
ghostwriting.
An example of a work written under an allonym is The Federalist, also
known as Federalist Papers. This collection of 85 essays about the US
Constitution was written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James
Madison during 1787-1788. They chose to write under the name Publius in
honor of the Roman official who set up the Roman Republic.
Choosing what to call your pseudonym is not easy. You could call it
your pen name or byname, nom de plume or nom de guerre. If you reversed
your own name to coin a nickname, it would be an ananym, but why not
take a walk in the library, browse the spines, and select an allonym?
-Anu Garg garg@Twordsmith.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Global sales of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books have surpassed 300
million copies, her agent said on Oct. 4. Christopher Little said the
series reached the milestone following the publication of Harry Potter
and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth volume in the series. According to
publisher Scholastic, as of September, Half-Blood Prince, released in
July, had sold 11 million copies in the United States
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Continuing last month’s theme of writing without one letter, Jane
Brown, who says she needs e’s, sent the following information: All 43
chapters of Wright's e-less novel, _Gadsby_, can be found at
http://www.spinelessbooks.com/gadsby/01.html.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your Writing
e-book answers hundreds of writers’ questions
“Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your
Writing” is a 122-page e-book that answers all the questions you wish
you could ask a writing and editing expert. It has electronic bookmarks
that allow you to go directly to your preferred subject and features
clickable links that take you to Internet resources for additional
information. Learn more on how to write, edit, and sell your work,
whether you write books, short stories, articles, reports, or anything
else. To order go to http://www.booklocker.com/books/1906.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who belongs to The Writers Network? People who write, people who are
learning to write, and people who never stop learning. Here’s a note
from a new member in New Zealand:
By way of introduction I have written three books:
Shift Your But (self-published)
Finding the Square Root of a Banana (self-published)
Did I Really Employ You? (published by Reeds NZ Ltd.)
I am also a chapter contributor to a book titled You Don't Make a Big
Leap Without A Gulp, by Nigel Becksford and Michael Fitzsimons
I am currently working on two e-books: My Dear Franchisee and I Know I
am Here to do Something Awesome, If I Could Only Work Out What It Is.
Regards - Ann Andrews CSP
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free Tools for Writers from Bobbie Christmas and Zebra Communications
Order e-mailed reports on correct manuscript format, how to form and
run a critique circle, how to identify weak writing and repair it,
self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, and much more. Fifteen
reports are available, and the list keeps growing. Go to
www.zebraeditor.com and click on “Tools for Writers.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POD nightmare
One member of The Writers Network relates his disappointing experience
with Print-on-Demand. Not everyone has had as much difficulty or
expense, but it shows why writers must study all options before
deciding to self publish:
“I spent close to $20,000 on my first book--$4,000 on publishing and
$16,000 on a publicist campaign. For the first month's campaign, Ingram
had the wrong ISBN number assigned to the book and no order was filled;
ergo, the most important month was a total waste. The book was printed
by Lightning Press, which is POD and requires two weeks to print an
ordered book. They refused to keep any books in stock, even if I paid
for them in advance. I (matched the national average for self-published
books and) sold only around a hundred books.
When I talk of returning to POD for future publication, it will be only
as a last result, and then only to have a hundred books printed for
family and friends. I would have no intention of ever again attempting
to promote a POD book --Mike Wright, author of Godless Medicine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Planning to negotiate your own deal with a publisher? Watch for these
upcoming books
Ed Brodow's NEGOTIATION BOOT CAMP: Dealmaking Skills for the 21st
Century, is based on his Negotiation Boot Camp seminars. It covers the
art of negotiation from A to Z. His agent, Ellen Levine at Trident
Media Group (NA), recently sold the book to Doubleday.
Agent Faye Bender sold another book of interest to writers: HOW TO
BECOME A FAMOUS WRITER BEFORE YOU'RE DEAD, an irreverent guide for
aspiring writers to self-promotion and becoming buzzworthy, detailing
the ways authors go from obscurity to literary success. Ariel Gore, the
creator of the Hip Mama series book wrote it, and his agent sold it to
Katie McHugh at Three Rivers Press.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Purge Your Prose of Problems: A Book Doctor’s Desk Reference is finally
also available as an e-book! Save thousands of dollars by editing your
own book. This one reference book covers all you need to know to plow
through the maze of the editing phase. Find information on grammar,
punctuation, word choices, creative writing, plot, pace,
characterization, dialogue, Chicago Style, formatting a manuscript, and
much more. Available in printed form for $29.95 plus $4.99 shipping at
www.zebraeditor.com (click on Tools for Writers and scroll down) or
save almost $5.00 in shipping PLUS get the book instantly as an
e-book—a downloadable PDF File with bookmarks that zip you directly to
any subject you choose. To order the e-book, go to
http://www.booklocker.com/books/2225.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Award-winning novelist and biographer Shelia P. Moses will speak to The
Atlanta Writers Club and hold a book signing on Saturday, December 17,
at 1 p.m. in the Sandy Springs Library Meeting Room. Go to
www.atlantawritersclub.org for directions and details about club
activities.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOW TO BE PUBLISHED WORKSHOPS
12/2/05 - 12/4/05
Pendleton, South Carolina
Fiction, Horror, Marketing, Mystery, Publishing, Romance, Science
fiction/fantasy, and Screenwriting
Sponsored by How to Be Published Workshops
http://www.writing2sell.com/workshop.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You’ve heard it on National Public Radio, and now you can get “The
Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor” delivered to your computer
daily. To subscribe, go to
http://mail.publicradio.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reg_welcome and
follow the prompts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Write In Style: Using Your Word Processor and Other Techniques to
Improve Your Writing” teaches the Find and Refine Method ™ to locate
words and phrases you can delete, upgrade or rewrite to power up your
prose. Bobbie Christmas reveals secrets only a book doctor could know.
First Place winner of the Royal Palm Award for education. Union Square
Publishing, publisher; Simon and Schuster, distributor. Available in
bookstores and Internet retailers. To order at Amazon.com DISCOUNT
prices, go to http://zebraeditor.com/bookstore.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Denver agent urges authors to take a month writing query letter
(from Southern Review of Books, an online newsletter for publishers,
authors and booksellers at http://www.anvilpub.com/Southern_Review.htm)
Denver-based literary agent Kristin Nelson runs a two-person shop,
Nelson Literary Agency, but she still gets 500 proposals a week from
would-be authors.
Speaking at the Black Canyon Writers Conference hosted by the Montrose
Western Slope Authors Guild, Nelson explained that, while odds are
stacked against unknown writers breaking into print, there are ways an
author can increase his or her chances. One way, she said, is to
understand the importance of a well-crafted query letter - the pitch
used to convince an agent or editor to read a manuscript.
”I get 500 queries a week," she said. ”How many lines do you think you
have to get my interest?"
A straight-up, professional style works best, she says. And, authors
should skip the gimmicks - the "fun" fonts, colorful backgrounds and
clever opening sentences. Nelson says what she wants for openers is a
concise, one- to two-sentence description of a work's primary conflict.
The query letter should contain a one-paragraph blurb that tells her
what the book is (title and genre) and why she's the right person to
represent it.
”Your pitch is the most difficult thing you'll write,“ Nelson said,
recommending authors spend at least a month creating it, revising it,
and then have disinterested third parties read it through.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards, worth $10,000 each and honoring books
by writers of African descent, went to:
Maryse Conde, Who Slashed Celanire's Throat (Fiction)
Alexis De Veaux, Warrior Poet (Nonfiction)
Chris Abani, Graceland (Debut fiction)
Tracy Price-Thompson, A Woman's Worth (Contemporary fiction)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB is reopening. Oprah will expand her highly
influential television book club to include the works of contemporary
authors, reversing a policy of choosing only classic novels and once
again offering authors and their publishers the hope of huge sales
resulting from her picks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Show, rather than tell: New Report Available!
Statistics show that authors who SHOW outsell authors who TELL by more
than 100 to one. Yes, narrated books sell, but books filled with action
and dialogue (or in the case of nonfiction, books filled with anecdotes
and examples) sell best of all. Want to know how to tell when you’re
telling? E-mail me (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com) and order my new report
#115: Show, rather than Tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WRITE SIDE OUT announces the winners in its first "Editors Are Evil"
Writing Contest. You’ll enjoy these entries, but keep in mind they
refer to acquisitions editors, not manuscript editors like me! See
http://www.writesideout.com/contestWinners.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Travolution: travel magazine launches: Reed Business Information has
launched a monthly magazine, website and digital edition to focus on
the travel industry. Martin Lane is editor. See
http://travolution.blogspot.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Member’s novel raises questions about song lyrics
Brian Joseph’s recently published novel, _The Gift of Gabe_, has
readers wondering about the meaning of many well-known song lyrics. The
novel is the story of a meeting with an eccentric man who claims that
people who have had similar experiences can communicate these
experiences to each other in ways not readily understandable to most
people and that during certain creative states some people can channel
the Universal Mind and often be unaware that they have done so. The
novel gives examples of familiar songs and interprets them in new ways.
To see more, go to http://www.giftofgabe.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fairchild Publications launched Cookie November 15--a parenting
magazine with an emphasis on mothers.
Patricia Fry has just produced her 24th book--her 8th
writing/publishing-related book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book_ available at
discount
Authorship is a business, and a book is a product. This 328-page book
walks hopeful authors through the process of writing from concept to
promotion and everything in between.
Author Patricia Fry is offering a prepublication discount to those who
order the book before December 31, 2005. Details at
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html.
After December 31, 2005, the book will sell for $19.95. Until then, you
can order copies at the prepublication discount of $15.96 at the Web
site or send a check for $15.96 plus shipping and tax (CA residents
only) to:
Matilija Press
PMB 123
323 E. Matilija St., Ste. 110
Ojai, CA 93023
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Five: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Writers Wanted
Member Leah Perry, Atlanta, sends the following request for writers: “I
am working with a publisher who needs some fresh blood. We're looking
for writers for regular monthly articles covering the real estate
industry. Standard pieces include personality profiles, company
profiles and industry trends. Please send resumes to:
editor@remagazine.com.” The Website is www.remagazines.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine seeks editorial assistant
Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
475 Park Avenue South, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10016
fax: 212-686-7414
alfredhitchcock@dellmagazines.com
Detail-oriented editorial assistant for monthly fiction magazine.
Responsibilities include clerical support for off-site editor-in-chief,
trafficking manuscripts, and proofreading. Requirements include college
degree, excellent grasp of grammar and spelling, ability to work
independently and juggle multiple demands in a deadline-oriented
environment, and strong organization and communications skills.
Experience with Macintosh computers and QuarkXpress and knowledge of
mystery genre preferred.
No phone calls please. Post, fax, or email (as attachment) your cover
letter and resume.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Children's Playmate
http://www.childrensplaymatemag.org
Pays $.17 a word on publication for fiction and non-fiction.
Published by Children's Better Health Institute, which also
publishes, Turtle, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Child Life,
Children's Digest and U.S. Kids.
"Children's Playmate (published bi-monthly) features creative
stories, poems, rebuses, recipes, activities, crafts, science
experiments, and health articles for children ages 6 to 8."
See the complete guidelines here:
http://www.cbhi.org/cbhi/writersguidelines.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Acquisitions Editor Wanted
Jossey-Bass
989 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Attention: HR - Editor
415-433-0499
sfjobs@wiley.com
Jossey-Bass, a San Francisco-based imprint of John Wiley & Sons, is
looking for an editor. The editor is responsible for acquiring and
developing books and other publications in our Education (K-12) product
line, with a focus on the teacher/classroom-oriented practitioner
market.
The ideal candidate will have experience in publishing and a deep
interest in creating publications that serve the education market. The
position requires a minimum of 4 years publishing experience in
editorial and/or marketing, with basic knowledge of publishing systems,
cycles and activities. To apply for this position send a cover letter
with salary requirements and resume to sfjobs@wiley.com. Applications
without a cover letter and salary requirements will not be considered.
Please include the job title in the subject line. No phone calls,
please.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Writer's Digest Poetry Awards
Regardless of style--rhyming, free verse, haiku and more--if your poems
are 32 lines or fewer, submit your entries by the December 20, 2005,
deadline.
First Place: $500
Second Place: $250
Third Place: $100
Fourth Through Tenth Place: $25
Eleventh Through Twenty-Fifth Place: $50 gift certificate to Writer's
Digest Books
Plus, the names and poem titles of all First- through Tenth-Place
winners will be printed in an upcoming issue of Writer's Digest, and
all winners will receive a copy of the 2006 Poet's Market.
For guidelines and to enter online visit
http://www.writersdigest.com/specialoffers.asp?DMpoetry110305
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senior Entrepreneurial Stories Wanted
I am putting a book together about senior citizens who have launched
new careers or stated successful businesses. I welcome stories about
AARP-eligible people who have stepped out on their own. Of particular
interest: their reasons for the start-up; how they endured the usual
tribulations of a start-up and why they chose the type of business they
pursued. In appreciation to those responding, I will acknowledge your
help in the book, and each person mentioned, will receive a signed copy
of the book. --Don Bracken at brackendj@aol.com, History Publishing
Company
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date from Heaven or Date from Hell?
I'm looking for funny and/or crazy dating experiences. All stories must
be previously unpublished, original, and not violate any copyrights. No
CAPS and no attachments please. Please send your stories to
yourstory@romanceunlimited.com.
-- Leona Hamel, Romance Agent, Author, Speaker, and Coach
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RENAISSANCE MAGAZINE
Kim Guarnaccia, Editor
One Controls Drive, Shelton, CT 06484
editor@renaissancemagazine.com
http://www.renaissancemagazine.com
Guidelines: http://www.renaissancemagazine.com/subguide.html
Renaissance Magazine accepts unsolicited manuscripts 3,000 words or
less related to the Renaissance and Middle Ages, including but not
limited to: historical articles, martial arts, travel, interviews with
artisans, articles on the SCA and related re-enactment groups, dragons,
etc. Before pursuing any article listed, please query first, to make
sure that your topic of choice has not already been reserved for
another writer. Pays eight cents/word. May submit by mail or email in
body of message.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Humor in the Classroom or in the Workplace
Best-selling author (The Healing Power of Humor) is contracted to write
two more books to be published next year by Gramercy Books, a division
of Random House. For the first book, he is seeking short, funny
anecdotes related to students and/or teachers. For the second book, he
is seeking funny incidents that relate to being on the job. The
anecdotes must be short (about 150 words) and laugh producing. They can
be original or from previously printed sources. Send them to:
humor@allenklein.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
True, Compelling Stories Wanted for Inspirational Anthology
For a new edition of the inspirational anthology, The Simple Touch of
Fate, tell us how being at the right place at the right time or not
being at the wrong place at the wrong time affected your life or the
life of someone you know in a profound way. Send for guidelines by
contacting editors through the Website: www.thefatesite.com,
-Arlene Uslander
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The PEN American Center has announced its guidelines and competitions
for quite a few awards. To check them out, go to
http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/968
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sixth Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition is
accepting entries
We're looking for fiction that's bold, brilliant... but brief. Send
your best in 1,500 words or less. But don't be too long about it--the
deadline is December 1, 2005.
For guidelines, prizes and an entry form visit
http://www.writersdigest.com/specialoffers.asp?DMshort111705
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Six: Writing Assignment: Inspired by the New York Times: Create new
words
The Washington Post has a feature called Style Invitational, which
challenges readers weekly. In one column it asked readers to take any
word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing
one letter, and supply a new definition.
Here are some of the winners:
Intaxication:
Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was
your money to start with.
Reintarnation:
Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
Cashtration
(n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially
impotent for an indefinite period.
Giraffiti:
Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.
Osteopornosis:
A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)
Beelzebug
(n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at
three in the morning and cannot be cast out.
Your challenge is to come up with your own new words and define them,
following the instructions above. If you think you have a good one,
send it to me. It might appear in a future newsletter.
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Seven: Looking for Critique Circles
Do you want to join or form a critique circle in your area or online?
In the body of an e-mail send me your name, general location, contact
information, and your preferences (fiction, nonfiction, short stories,
books, poetry, etc.). I’ll list your information here, to help you find
or form a group that allows you to get feedback.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'd appreciate finding someone in Minnesota willing to critique my
novel. I'd be glad to assist that person however I can, with my limited
experience. patlugo@frontiernet.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember to ask me for Report #101 on forming and maintaining a
successful critique circle. Send your request to me at
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Do YOU have news for The Writers Network News? Please send it in the
body copy, not an attachment, to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Send a copy of this F-R-E-E newsletter to all your writing friends.
Tell them to join The Writers Network F-R-E-E by visiting
www.zebraeditor.com and clicking on “Newsletter.”
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The Writers Network News--a newsletter for writers everywhere.
"No Rules; Just Write!"
Newsletter Sponsor:
Zebra Communications: We help you write in style, so you write to win.
We write, edit, and evaluate manuscripts, book proposals, query
letters, synopses, and articles. Call to ask about our services or
visit www.zebraeditor.com.
Zebra Communications
230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
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The Writers Network – No fees. No officers. “No Rules; Just Write!"
Directions to meetings:
Directions to monthly meetings held the first Friday of each month at
Wok & Chops Chinese Restaurant, Roswell, Georgia.
The restaurant is in King’s Market on Holcomb Bridge, Roswell, Georgia,
one block from Hwy. 400. If on 400, take Exit 7 toward Norcross (7A if
going north, exit 7 and turn left, if going south). If on Holcomb
Bridge already, turn into King’s Market by turning onto Market
Boulevard beside Wachovia Bank, turn left behind the bank, and you’ll
see the restaurant in the hollow on the right. Restaurant phone:
770-552-8981.
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