The Writers Network News, February 20, 2006 http://ezezine.com
February 20, 2006
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Newsletter Sponsor
Zebra Communications: We help you write in style, so you increase your
chances of success. We write, edit, and evaluate fiction and nonfiction
manuscripts, book proposals, query letters, synopses, and articles.
Zebra Communications
230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
----------------------------------------------
LOOK! Next Roswell meeting date: Friday, March 3, 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 for an hour or so. See
directions at the end of the e-zine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News. I hope you love it,
forward it to your friends, and tell them to sign up, too. If you do
not love it, follow the simple instructions at the bottom to remove
your address from the mailing list.
In This Issue:
One: Kudos--Barbara Florio Graham, Walter Lawrence, Peter Gibson,
Madison Adams, James Tesh, and Curt Schaeffer
Two: From the editor’s desk--An Awesome Responsibility
Three: Ask the Book Doctor--more on ISBN numbers, plus past perfect
tense, formatting a manuscript, and powering up your prose
Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Five: Jobs, contests, grants, agents and markets
Six: Writing Assignment: Mind your Manners
Seven: Looking for Critique Circles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New archives address! To view past issues of The Writers Network News,
go to: http://home.ezezine.com/886_2/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writer’s quote of the day:
“Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous
if you earn no money.” --Jules Renard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One: Kudos to Barbara Florio Graham, Walter Lawrence, Peter Gibson,
Jane Tesh, Curt Schaeffer
Barbara Florio Graham has been included in the Famous Canadian Women
Website: www. http://famouscanadianwomen.com/. Bobbi also continues to
add anthologies to her publishing credits. A short piece in "For the
Love of Cats," from Publications International will be number 29. Bobbi
had two contributions in the latest edition of Ottawa GEMS, a
collection of short pieces published by Ottawa Independent Writers.
My friend and Writers Network member Walter Lawrence, already a CPA,
recently reported his good news: "I was graduated from Kennesaw State
University with a Master of Arts in Professional Writing in December
with Presidential Fellowship honors, nominated by the faculty into
Who's Who in American Universities and Colleges, and selected as the
MAPW Graduate Student of the Year for 2006. I was president of the
Graduate Writers Association and the graduate representative to the
student government. Oh, and I learned to write better, too."
Walter, by the way, also sat on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia
Writers Association, was an officer in that organization, and always
seems available for helping others, when asked. As the saying goes, if
you want something done, ask a busy person.
Member Peter Gibson reports on his book: "It's done. Published, and now
people are buying it. _Who Moved My Magnet?_ How you are moved like a
magnet through the medical maze and the amazing history behind the
construction of that maze." In an entertaining way, the book teaches
people how to move their own magnet, stay out of the medical maze, and
view being healthy as fun. See http://www.whomovedmymagnet.com/.
An Alabama member, Madison Adams, writes, "My poem 'All Told' will be
published in this summer's edition of _The Powhatan Review_. I feel
like a daddy again."
Jane Tesh lets us know, "I'm pleased to announce the publication of my
first book, a mystery novel titled _A Case of Imagination._" It's
published by Poisoned Pen Press and is available through the publisher
or online at http://www.janetesh.com/. She adds that many of the things
she learned from my edit of her fantasy novel added to her the success
of her mystery novel. Aw, thank you, Jane, and congratulations.
Curt Schaeffer wrote from Bolivia to tell us his book, _Escape With
One's Life, Learning to Live With Survival_ has been released in
Spanish as _Escape de la Muerte-Relato de un Sobreviviente_. He
reports, "I presented the book in the cities of El Alto and La Paz and
have sold 350 copies to date. The proceeds are going to the burn unit
of a local hospital. I am investigating possibilities for introducing
it to the rapidly growing Spanish book market in the U.S." He sends his
best from the Southern Hemisphere.
Congratulations to these folks. Your successes encourage others, so
please send in your accomplishments for our kudos section.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Two: From the editor’s desk--An Awesome Responsibility
Dear Fellow Writers:
A few minutes ago I went to my e-zine provider's Website and scanned
the long list of subscribers to The Writers Network News. Our readers
span the globe, and I came to a giant realization. Every single one of
you relies on me to relay interesting, useful information. I have to
give birth to something worthy of educating and entertaining writers
every month.
I began this newsletter because I knew, read, and received great
information for writers and wanted to share it. Because of the
newsletter, now I read more and more, to make sure I'm passing along
only the best information. From the comments I get from subscribers,
I'm doing a good job, but until I scrutinized that list a few minutes
ago, the weight of my responsibility had not quite hit me.
At first I reeled at the thought. Who am I to presume to help writers
around the globe? Ah, I remembered, I am the book doctor, the editor
who spent a lifetime absorbing information about writing, editing,
submitting manuscripts, and publishing. I am the person who declared
back in the 1960s that I wanted to make a living as a writer. I'm the
person who followed her path and succeeded. Of course I have
information to impart! I have more than a responsibility to writers; I
have an obligation.
Many writers out there have an obligation to pass along information
they have spent a lifetime gathering, as well. Whatever that
information or imagination might be, don't let it die with you. Write
your books! Write your articles! Write your memoirs! Write your
newsletters! Write your columns! Never stop writing, until every last
faculty is taken from you, and even then, perhaps you can dictate your
ideas, stories, and books.
Thank you for subscribing. 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.” As other subscribers will tell you, I never share
your address or send out spam.
--Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com)
Author of triple-award-winning _Write In Style_ (Union Square
Publishing, an imprint of Cardoza Publishing), owner of Zebra
Communications, and director of The Writers Network
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Three: Ask the Book Doctor—more on ISBN numbers, plus past perfect
tense, formatting a manuscript, and powering up your prose
Last month I asked members their opinions about the controversial
suggestion that writers attach ISBN numbers to articles as well as
books, so that even the articles will be listed in Books in Print.
Member Jenny Argante from New Zealand offers her take on the subject:
“There are good reasons to add an ISBN to a book or pamphlet, because
they are automatically listed in publications such as Books in Print,
and therefore picked up by enquirers through subject, title, and
author. Also, if you have copies bought by libraries, the ISBN is used
to make public lending right payments for library borrowing, bringing
you (sometimes only small) additional income. You also are thereby
required to donate a specific number of copies for legal deposit, which
means your book or publication is held 'in perpetuity' for others to
read and study, which is an idea I like.
“I don't think ISBNs should be attached indiscriminately to articles,
etc. As well as the ISBN--the International Standard Book Number--there
is also the ISSN--the International Standard Subject Number, which can
be used for serial publications, or for occasional non-book
publications.
“Both should be used as they are meant to be used, and consistently,
and both are extremely useful for all the reasons cited above.”
Q: I'm on page 104 of your book, _Write In Style,_ and I have
highlighted all the things I am going to find and refine when I get my
book back from the person in my critique group who is reading it.
_Write In Style_ has been almost like a novel. I can't put down. I have
one question so far. The part about using a couple of uses of “had” and
then using past tense verb—does that apply to prologues?
A: It applies to all writing. One or two uses of “had” will set a scene
in past perfect tense, after which you can use past tense from then to
the end of that portion. I'm making this statement without seeing the
actual manuscript in question, but it works in most cases.
Q: My writing organization is preparing an anthology. Would standard
manuscript format apply? We are unsure of individual submission formats
at this point. Please advise.
A: Standard manuscript format applies when submitting a manuscript to
an agent or a publisher. If you are going to self publish the
anthology, you may set the format any way you would like, especially at
the time it is designed for printing. If an editor is going to edit the
submissions before publishing, though, which I strongly advise, you
would do well to have it in standard manuscript format, which is easy
to read and gives an editor room to work.
Q: Approximately how many gerunds and how many adverbs are acceptable
on a page? I won't hold you to the answer; I'd just like an idea.
A: Gerunds (-ing words) and adverbs (-ly words) are not inherently
wrong or right; they simply indicate a missed opportunity to write
stronger and avoid sound repetition. If you delete all of them and
replace them with active verbs that tell, rather than show, consider
yourself a winner. I’ll take a stab at an answer, though, because
you’re right; not all can be deleted so easily (see?). Let’s say to
strive for only ten -ing words and ten adverbs -ly words per
50,000-word manuscript. If you can keep the volume that low, you
positively power up your prose. Whoops, there’s another adverb! If you
cannot reach such an ideal level, one or two –ing words and –ly words
per page would not stand out. Four or more would.
Bonus! Ask the Book Doctor: About Book Doctoring. Go to
http://www.spawn.org/editing/askthebookdoctor12.htm
Do you have a question? Send it today to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Or
Saturday, April 8, 2006
Choose the date that suits you better!
9:30 to 3:30
Write in Style and Snag an Agent!
The Knowledge Shop
Marietta, GA
$149 plus $6 registration fee
Call 678-766-6666 for more information and to register
Benefit from a one-two punch! A literary agent tells you the secrets of
how to get published, and an independent editor shows you how to add
power to your prose.
Working together in a new and unique way, Susan Graham, literary agent,
and Bobbie Christmas, independent editor, reveal the inside secrets you
need to know to get your book published. You will get a two-hour
seminar with Q & A, one hour of casual conversation at lunch, and two
hours to workshop your completed manuscript with the help of the
dynamic duo of a literary agent and an editor.
Bring your completed fiction manuscript and a full synopsis that
includes the ending or bring your book proposal for nonfiction.
Register early to ensure your seat! Class size is limited, so you will
get personal attention.
For more details see http://writers.aboutwords.org/ and
http://www.zebraeditor.com/.
To download the entire catalog to see what other seminars The Knowledge
Shop has to offer, go to
http://knowledgeshopatlanta.com/images/Jan06_Catalog.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be in Michael Moore's next movie with your medical horror story
Michael Moore is at it again, this time putting together a movie of the
horrible things that happen to people who try to find their ways
through the medical maze. If you have a true medical horror story and
want to share it, see http://www.michaelmoore.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kennesaw State University offers Free Writers Conference
Kennesaw, Georgia (Metro Atlanta)
Andrew Plattner: Monday, March 27 at 8 P.M. in the Leadership Room.
Andrew Plattner is a writer of short stories that have been published
in numerous journals and his book, _Winter Money_, won the Flannery
O'Connor Award for Fiction.
Wyn Cooper: Wednesday, March 29 at 12:30 P.M. in the Leadership Room
to talk about writing poems versus song lyrics with some insight into
the music and songwriting business.
Wyn Cooper: Wednesday, March 29 at 8 P.M. in the University Rooms CDE,
a poetry Reading with Wyn Cooper, the author of three books of poetry,
as well as a lyricist and performer. His poem "Fun" became the lyrics
for the song "All I want to Do," which won a Grammy Award.
Scott Cairns: Thursday, March 30 at 8 P.M. in the Leadership Room.
Scott Cairns is the author of the memoir _Slow Pilgrim_ as well as five
collections of poetry.
All events are held in the Carmichael Student Center (shown as #5 on
campus maps). For directions/maps to events go to
http://www.kennesaw.edu/about/maps.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Know your market! Who buys books?
Barnes and Noble CFO Joseph Lombardi says that people 45 and older make
approximately 60 percent of book purchases.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Registration Open for Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference
Registration is open for the 2006 Blue Ridge Writers’ Conference to be
held March 17 and 18 in Blue Ridge and Blairsville, Georgia. Keynote
speaker is Georgia mystery author Patricia Sprinkle. Classes will be
held Saturday, March 18, at North Georgia Technical College in
Blairsville.
The cost of the conference is $60 per person for those who register
before March 6 and includes a light lunch. For information or to
register, call the Arts Association at 706-632-2144 or visit
www.brmaa.net.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The GET IT WRITE Author's Circle
A nine-week class you can take from the comfort of your home, anywhere
in the USA
Nine Weeks, Nine Toll-Free Calls, Nine Guest Speakers - One way to
become a published author
Starts March 2, 2006
Join The Author's Circle from any phone and talk to publishers,
editors, publicists, agents and published authors, including The Book
Doctor, Bobbie Christmas. Make invaluable contacts. Expand your
resource library with weekly reports, contact lists, book lists, how-to
guides and much more. The Author's Circle begins March 2, 2006. Enter
the GET IT WRITE Author's Circle by calling 404.441.0883 or visit
http://www.coytcommunications.com/.
http://www.takeateleclass.com/taracoyt/TC01201T.asp for a free sneak
preview)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frey makes money, loses face and loses agent
James Frey, the author of the controversial _A Million Little Pieces_,
an alleged memoir that now appears to have been embellished to the
point of lies, still stands to make about $3 million, according to
PublishersLunch
(http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/lunch/subscribe.html). PL states
that Brillstein-Grey agent Kassie Evashevski now says the book was
never submitted as a novel and that she no longer represents Frey: "It
became impossible for me to maintain a relationship once the trust had
been broken.
When Oprah Winfrey asked Frey, "Do you think you lied or do you think
you made a mistake?" he answered, "I think probably both."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What James Frey has done to other writers the world over
As the controversy over _A Million Little Pieces_ continues, writers
suffer, according to a member in Switzerland, who writes, "The most
troubling thing about the controversy over _A Million Little Pieces_ is
the damage he has done to writers of nonfiction in particular, writers
of biographical, true short stories. Because of his mis-portrayal, I am
sure my book of sixteen short stories describing ten action-packed,
dangerous, and intrigue-laced years as a consultant in the Middle East,
will get less consideration from gun-shy agents and publishers.
Reaching the point of publication is hard enough without guys like
Frey." --Lou Bump (writing as Lou Paris)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 an editing expert. Electronic bookmarks allow you to go
directly to your preferred subject, and clickable links take you to
Internet resources for additional information. Whether you write books,
short stories, articles, reports, or anything else, learn more about
how to write, edit, and sell your work, To order go to
http://www.booklocker.com/books/1906.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Southeast Booksellers Association (SEBA), effective Jan. 1, has
officially changed its name to the Southern Independent Booksellers
Alliance (SIBA). SIBA Executive Director Wanda Jewell said the change
"reflects an increased commitment toward activism and advocacy for the
independent bookstores in the South."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Write in Style and Snag an Agent
Saturday, April 22, 2006,
Expanded Version! More Personal Attention! 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $199
Extremely limited seating—must register in advance—no walk-ins
Checks or credit cards accepted
Held in the home office of Bobbie Christmas in Woodstock, GA
(Directions sent when you register)
Reasonably priced hotels available nearby
Call 770-924-0528 for information or to use a credit card
Benefit from a one-two punch. A literary agent tells you how to please
an agent and how much money you can expect to get for your book, and an
independent editor shows you how to add power to your prose so you can
get the agent or publisher you want.
Participants of our first seminars said they wanted more time working
on their manuscripts, so for this special, private session, we have
extended the hours, to your benefit.
Working together in a unique way, Susan Graham, literary agent, and
Bobbie Christmas, independent editor, reveal the inside secrets you
need to know to get your book published. You get a seminar from each
with Q & A, one hour of casual conversation at a bring-a-bag lunch, and
several hours of workshopping your proposal or synopsis as well as the
first all-so-important pages of your manuscript with help from the
dynamic duo of a literary agent and an editor.
Bring the first ten pages of Chapter One and, if fiction, bring a full
synopsis that includes the ending. If nonfiction, bring your book
proposal.
Register early to ensure your seat! Class size is limited, so you will
get personal attention.
For more details see http://writers.aboutwords.org/ and
http://www.zebraeditor.com/.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
According to a “CBS Sunday Morning” show taped at the annual meeting of
the Romance Writers of America last summer in Reno, Nevada, and aired
near Valentine's Day, James Patterson is a member of Romance Writers of
America. According to Tara Taylor Quinn, president of RWA and a romance
writer herself, the organization has grown from 63 members 25 years ago
to 9,546 today.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPIRITED WOMAN CIRCLE (March 7 - October 10, 10 am PST)
New monthly phone conversations with bestselling authors.
On March 7, first guest, author Janet Fitch of _White Oleander_ fame,
an Oprah's Book Club pick in her first teleseminar ever. A rare chance
to chat with Fitch about her life pre-fame, and her new book, _Paint It
Black._ To sign-up:
http://www.TheSpiritedWoman.com/spirited_woman_circle/nancymills@thespiritedwoman.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_Purge Your Prose of Problems: A Book Doctor’s Desk Reference_ Third
Edition is 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 clickable links and bookmarks that
zip you directly to any subject you choose. To order the e-book, go to
http://www.booklocker.com/books/2225.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Several readers responded to my lament that my e-zine provider strips
out some of the punctuation and adds gibberish. Thank you all for your
suggestions. I've taken this advice and hope I've resolved the issues.
The best ones follow along the lines of what member Bill Kopp of North
Carolina sent. By the way, he is also my Webmaster and does a great job
(free plug, Bill!) He says:
"The problem you describe rears its ugly head in Web design, too. I'd
like to suggest an idea that would either (a) work well or (b) clearly
identify the offending characters, allowing you to fix easily.
Open the original Word document, select all the relevant text, copy
(Ctrl+C). Then open notepad (standard on all Windows systems; if you
can't find it on your PC, click START -> RUN... and then type
notepad.exe in the box)
Paste (Ctrl+V) the text into notepad. This has the effect of stripping
most or all of the quirky characters out. If not, you can fix them
without much trouble.
Now, select all the text in notepad (Ctrl+A) and then copy it again
(Ctrl+C), and then paste (CTrl+V) into the destination software. Most
or all of the gobbledygook should be eradicated. The whole process
should take only a few minutes. Time well spent. –Bill Kopp,
bill@billkopp.com
Here's what member Lonnie West says:
Make sure you have saved your final changes, and do the following with
the document still open in Word:
Select File->Save As from the top menu.
In the “Save As Type” dropdown list at the bottom, select Plain Text
(*.txt).
Click Save.
You will be presented with a file conversion dialog box. Set the
following options:
Select MS-DOS as the text encoding.
Put a checkmark next to the Allow character substitution option.
Click OK.
Close the document.
You now have a clean ASCII text file. Just open it up in Word, or any
other text editing program, and you can cut and paste at will, and
everything will transfer correctly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_Write In Style: Using Your Word Processor and Other Techniques to
Improve Your Writing_ by Bobbie Christmas 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, Best in Division (Georgia Author of the Year Awards), and
Finalist in USABookNews Best Books 2005. Union Square Publishing,
publisher; Simon and Schuster, distributor. Available in bookstores and
Internet retailers. To order at Amazon.com DISCOUNT prices, see
http://zebraeditor.com/bookstore.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patrick O'Keeffe's _The Hill Road_ won the Story Prize, which honors an
outstanding collection of short fiction with a $20,000 award.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Money in Romance
A trade association says Romance Novels generated $1.2 billion in sales
in 2004, more than half the total revenue from all fiction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Class-action suit against largest publisher of children's books
(from Southern Review of Books, an online newsletter for publishers,
authors, book lovers and booksellers)
Consumers filed a proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit in late
January against Scholastic, claiming the country's largest publisher of
children's books dupes unsuspecting consumers into purchasing
unsolicited books and educational items.
According to the complaint, Scholastic uses its marketing presence
within elementary schools to persuade parents to purchase educational
products and then bombards parents with unsolicited goods, demanding
payment. Scholastic settled a charge brought by the FTC for similar
actions in 2005.
For more, see: http://www.anvilpub.com/Southern_Review.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Five: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Clubhouse Magazine update
Our last issue listed a call for entries from Clubhouse Magazine and
Clubhouse Junior. One of our readers wrote back, “You might want to
point out that they don't accept simultaneous submissions. I just had a
story sent back unread because of that, but it isn't mentioned on the
Website or in the _Children's Writers and Illustrator's Market_.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
$200 for your funny story
The Website www.splitmyside.com is collecting funny stories about
people's most embarrassing moments. You can submit stories for review.
If accepted for publication, you get $200.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Call for entries to The AWP competition 2006
Caution: Before entering, read and follow all guidelines at
http://www.awpwriter.org/contests/series.htm
The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) is a
non-profit organization of writers, teachers, colleges, and
universities. AWP sponsors an annual competition for the publication of
excellent new book-length works—the AWP Award Series. The competition
is open to all authors writing in English regardless of nationality or
residence. The Donald Hall Prize for Poetry is an award of $4,000 and
publication for the best book-length manuscript of poetry. This
competition is open to published and unpublished poets alike. This
year, we introduce the Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction, which awards
the winner $4,000 and publication. This prize replaces AWP’s previous
award for short fiction. Winners in the novel and creative
nonfiction receive a $2,000 cash honorarium from AWP and
publication by a participating press. The Award Series conducts an
evaluation process of writers, for writers, by writers. AWP hires a
staff of “screeners” who are themselves writers; the screeners review
manuscripts for the judges. Typically, the screeners will select ten
manuscripts in each genre for each judge’s final evaluations.
Manuscripts must be postmarked between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, 2006.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Milkweed Editions
1011 Washington Avenue South
Open Book, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55415
http://www.milkweed.org/2_1_1.html
Milkweed Editions publishes literary fiction, nonfiction about the
natural world, poetry, and novels for young readers.
1. Works of fiction (novels, novellas, and short story collections)
between 150 and 400 pages. We do not publish genre fiction, by which
we mean we are not interested in romance, science fiction, mystery,
crime, or westerns.
2. Works of literary nonfiction that focus on the relationships between
human and natural communities. We are not interested in manuscripts
written for an academic or scientific audience.
3. Collections of poetry (single-author collections only, please) that
are at least 60 pages long. Please review our previous poetry titles to
get a sense for what we’re looking for in a poetry collection.
4. Books for young readers (readers between the ages of 8 and 13) that
are full-length novels between 90 and 200 pages. We do not consider
picture books or poetry collections for young readers.
Manuscripts are read bi-annually, in the months of January and June;
manuscripts received outside of those months will be held for the next
reading period.
We do our best to respond to submissions within six months of receipt.
Due to our staff size and the steady flow of manuscript submissions,
our review time may take a little longer. Please be patient while we
give your manuscript our full consideration. We cannot respond to
letters, phone calls, or emails requesting manuscript status. If you'd
like to verify manuscript receipt, please include a stamped postcard or
purchase delivery confirmation from the post office.
Milkweed Editions is happy to accept unsolicited manuscripts from
authors of all backgrounds (previously published or not). In return, we
ask that you take the time to familiarize yourself with our list to
determine whether Milkweed Editions is a good fit for your manuscript.
Many of the unsolicited manuscripts we receive are inappropriate for
our press.
Address your submission to Fiction Reader (or Nonfiction, Poetry,
Children's, as appropriate). Milkweed does not accept submissions on
disc or via email.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Healing Project wants your stories
We are seeking writers who have had personal experience with lung
cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, or alcoholism, or who have had experience
with a relative, friend or patient who has. We are looking for
first-person, down-to-earth stories with specificity and insight. Our
goal is to educate, inspire, and bring hope to our readers through a
realistic portrayal of actual experience and events. We want to
encourage through honest sharing, and move with poignancy, not
sentimentality. The key is takeaway value for the reader. Your story
should be —educational, inspirational, and emotional. We are open to
ideas. We welcome stories ranging from 500 to 3000 words.
A story that chronicles your father’s lung cancer, for example, is not
enough; however, a well-crafted story that develops a theme around how
you reconciled a longstanding estrangement from your father, using
detailed, specific anecdotes would give the reader an experience to
learn from, relate to, and be moved by.
The Healing Project is a philanthropic organization converting to a
501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Payment for a story will be
approximately $200, depending on length and other factors. Contributors
will also receive three copies of the anthology in which their work
appears and will be expected to participate in campaigns to promote and
publicize the books.
Before submitting, read the guidelines at
http://www.thehealingproject.org/writers.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Natural Home and Garden
http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/
Pays $.33 to $.50 per word for articles on publication.
"Natural Home & Garden is a bimonthly magazine devoted to
health-conscious, earth-conscious readers who are concerned with the
quality of their personal environment."
See the complete guidelines here:
http://www.naturalhomemagazine.com/contactus/editorial.asp
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards
We're accepting entries for the "Writer's Digest's" 14th Annual
International Self-published Book Awards. The deadline for contest
entries is May 1. More than $15,000 will be awarded in prizes,
including the following:
One grand-prize winner will be awarded $3,000 cash and promotion in
"Writer's Digest" and "Publishers Weekly." Plus, the editors of
"Writer's Digest" will endorse and submit 10 copies of the
grand-prize-winning book to major review houses such as "The New York
Times" and "The Washington Post."
Nine first-place winners will receive $1,000 cash and promotion in
"Writer's Digest." In addition, Book Marketing Works will provide a
guaranteed review in "Midwest Book Review" and a copy of Fern Reiss's
book _The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days._
For guidelines, rules and an entry form visit the contest Web site:
http://www.writersdigest.com/contests/self_published.asp
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seeking reflections from Vietnam combat veterans regarding how you
found meaning in spite of inescapable suffering endured in Southeast
Asia. The suffering may have come in any form: physical, psychological,
and or emotional. This project is designed to present the resilient
spirit of the Vietnam veteran and to offer new hope for veterans
returning from the war in Iraq and elsewhere. Please reply to Dr. Trace
Pirtle using e-mail address drtracepirtle@yahoo.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sarasota Fiction Writers Short Story Contest
$300.00 Prize. Deadline: June 1, 2006. Rules: 2,000 words or less,
Typed, Double spaced. Cover Page: Title, Author, Address, Email or
Phone Number. Each page numbered, with the title but not author's name.
Story must be set in or relate to Florida. Prize awarded: November
2006. Entry Fee: $10.00, checks payable to: Sarasota Fiction Writers.
Mail to: FL Short Story Contest, 8009 Stillwaters Landing Drive,
Riverview, Florida 33569. No e-mail submissions. For further
information or questions contact: Sarasotafiction@hotmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seniors Over 55
While on a date, have you had any humorous, bizarre, even horrible
experiences or embarrassing moments? Has a date led to a successful,
happy relationship? Would you like to share laughs and participate in a
study of GoldenAgers' Dating stories being conducted by Sheila Gruner,
MA, PhD candidate, which will culminate in a book? We would love to
hear your tales. Please contact Sheila at: +1-561-282-8939 or
casasheila@peoplepc.com Your name will be kept confidential. A
fictitious name will be used for you in the book unless you have given
express permission to have your real name be used.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking for original True Hero Stories of people you know who have
displayed heroic acts of kindness, courage, and compassion to post on
my http://www.sharifkhan.blogspot.com blog and http://www.herosoul.com
newsletter. Sharif Khan is a freelance writer, inspirational speaker,
and author of the highly acclaimed book, Psychology of the Hero Soul:
Promoting Heroes in the Workplace and Everyday Life. --Sharif Khan,
Author, The Hero Soul, www.herosoul.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THREE MEMOIR BOOK PUBLISHERS
WritersMarket.com lists more than 100 memoir book publishers. Here are
three recently updated listings:
Da Capo Press publishes 115 titles per year. Established in 1975, this
press pays a 7-15% royalty and offers a $1,000- 225,000 advance. Query
with a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE). Previously published
memoirs include The Turkish Lover, by Esmeralda Santiago, and Papa
Hemingway, by A.E. Hotchner. www.dacapopress.com
Minnesota Historical Society Press publishes 25 titles per year.
Established in 1849, this press negotiates royalties and any advance
with the author. Query with SASE. Previously published memoirs include
Baghdad Express, by Joel Turnipseed, and Packinghouse Daughter, by
Cheri Register. www.mnhs.org/mhspress
Seal Press publishes 30 titles per year. Established in 1976, this
press pays a 7-10% royalty on retail price and offers a $3,000-10,000
advance. Query with SASE. Previously published memoirs include
Confessions of a Naughty Mommy, by Heidi Raykeil, and Inconsolable, by
Marrit Ingman. www.sealpress.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GSU Review Fiction and Poetry Contest
GSU Review, Writing Contest
Campus Box 1894
Georgia State University
MSC 8R0322 Unit 8
Atlanta, GA 30303-3083.
http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwrev
$1,000 to winners in each category. Second place winners receive $250.
Winners and all finalists will be published in the GSU Review, the
biannual literary journal of Georgia State University. All entries are
considered for publication. Previously unpublished work only. Submit up
to three poems of no more than two pages each or a story of no more
than 7,500 words. Include SASE. $15 entry fee includes a copy of the
prize issue. Deadline: March 4. U.S. residents only. Not open to GSU
students, faculty or staff. Visit the web site for complete guidelines.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Six: Writing Assignment: Mind Your Manners
Body language often speaks louder than dialogue. This point is
especially valid in real life, so make it valid in your articles and
stories, as well. For this assignment pick two characters (real life or
imaginary) and put them in a setting wherein they have a lunch meeting
to discuss tactics for handling some situation, be it work-related,
personal, medical, or whatever you want. Without resorting to telling
their thoughts, show their feelings through their body language,
mannerisms, and movements. Show them shrugging, tapping their fingers,
rubbing their chins, looking up to think, shifting in their seats,
turning away for a moment, blinking, swallowing hard, and so forth.
Watch how body language makes a scene more visual and gives it more
impact.
You may find that to fulfill this assignment you overused body language
in the scene. If so, rewrite and take out the less important, less
revealing movements to give the scene a good balance between dialogue
and body language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Seven: Looking for Critique Circles
I published fiction a few years ago and have written magazine and
newspaper articles. I'm interested in forming an "editorial" nonfiction
club or poetry club.
Maria I. Hodges
2847 Saddletop Way
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
home 770-921-0257
cell 404-610-8496
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 will list your information here, to help you
find or form a group that allows you to get feedback.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember to ask me for Report #101 on forming and maintaining a
successful critique circle. Send your request to me at
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Do YOU have news for The Writers Network News? Please send it in the
body copy, not an attachment, to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Deadline: The
15th of each month.
…………………………………………………………………………….
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.”
…………………………………………………………………………….
The Writers Network News--a newsletter for writers everywhere.
"No Rules; Just Write!"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 will
see the restaurant in the hollow on the right. Restaurant phone:
770-552-8981.
…………………………………………………………………………….