The Writers Network News, September 21, 2007 http://ezezine.com
September 21, 2007
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2007, Bobbie Christmas.
No portion of this newsletter can be used without permission.
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/
Bobbie’s Blog:
http://journals.aol.com/bzebra/BobbieChristmasBlogforWriters/
----------------------------------------------
The Writers Network meets next on Friday, October 5, 2007
No dues; no fees
No rules; just write!
If you happen to be in metro Atlanta on the first Friday of the month,
bring questions and business cards and network with us for an hour or
so, starting at 12:00 noon.
We meet at King Buffet, 11060 Alpharetta Highway, Roswell, GA 30076.
See more detailed information at the end of the e-zine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News.
In This Issue:
One: Kudos to Betty Beamguard, Roy A. Barnes, and Kathryn Bechen
Two: From the editor’s desk–Leap of Faith
Three: Ask the Book Doctor–About Book Contracts and Slipstream
Four: This Month’s Tip from Bobbie Christmas: Redundant Pleonasm
Five: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Six: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents, and Markets
Seven: Writing Assignment–Character Building
Eight: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To view past issues of The Writers Network News, go to:
http://home.ezezine.com/886_2/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writer’s quote of the day:
Saul Bellow said, "There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that
is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good
book."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One: Kudos to Betty Beamguard, Roy A. Barnes, and Kathryn Bechen
Betty Beamguard’s inspirational biography of the Georgia woman who
drives a horse-drawn carriage with her feet, _How Many Angels Does It
Take: The Remarkable Life of Heather Rose Brooks_ is now available. For
information, see www.home.earthlink.net/~bbeamguard.
My short story, "The Legend of 'Cool Hand' Stan,” was published
recently by Literary Liftoff, a Florida USA print publication
(www.scwg.org/magazine.asp). My short story, "The Price" was published
by The Kids' Ark in its recent "Wisdom" issue. This print publication
is a Christian-themed magazine in Texas (www.thekidsark.com). In
addition, my longest-ever poem submitted for publication, called "The
Leaves That Fall," is being published in the summer 2007 issue of
Poesia, an Arkansas print publication (www.indianbaypress.com). --Roy
A. Barnes
My true personal story, “Jesus Held Me in His Arms,” was accepted for
publication by GuidepostsBooks, a leading inspirational publisher for
the Miracles and Mysterious Visitors book series. That particular title
is scheduled to come out in October and can be ordered by calling
Guideposts at 800-431-2344. The books are not available in bookstores,
even though it is a very large publisher. --Kathryn Bechen,
www.KathrynBechenInk.com
Congratulations to these folks. Your successes encourage others, so
please send in your accomplishments for our kudos section.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Two: From the editor’s desk—Leap of Faith
Dear Fellow Writers:
You and I know the abysmal chances we have of selling our writing to a
traditional publisher. I’ve read statistics that say that only one
percent of all books written today will be sold to a publisher, and
most of those books will be nonfiction. We listen to fellow writers
speak of rejection-slip collections and even worse, being scammed by
unscrupulous publishers. We know all that terrible stuff, yet we still
write. Why?
For some of us it is a leap of faith; we write with the belief that
someone will want to read it. Some of us write because we must, even if
no one ever reads our work. Most of us feel a compulsion that we cannot
control, and our faith won’t be dampened by dismal statistics or ruined
by rejection. We simply keep moving forward because we are writers, and
writers write. We don’t write because we hope to get rich, although
many of us wish our writing would make us wealthy. We don’t write
because we need recognition, although most of us would welcome
recognition if it came our way. We don’t write because someone told us
to do it, unless, of course, we’re still in school.
No, something within us makes us lift a pen or sit down at a keyboard.
We are self-starters, and we know our mission. Nothing stops us. Real
writers don’t get “writer’s block,” yet all writers procrastinate at
some time or another.
I started writing a new book a few months ago and have already written
more than 64,000 words in a book that may top out at about 80,000
words. I have two other books partially completed. I’m just as bad as
other writers when it comes to lack of concentration on one project at
a time, but the creative mind works in mysterious ways. Eventually
everything will get done, so I don’t worry about it. I follow my heart,
because that’s what writing is all about, and when one project calls me
more than another, I answer the call, because sooner or later another
project will call, and my energy will change to that other project.
The writing life is creative, whimsical, and even gossamer. Grab what
you can of it while you are able. Enjoy it. Indulge yourself. Leap out
into the abyss with the conviction that you will land safely, that
someone will buy your work, that people will read it, that you will get
the recognition you deserve, or you will help someone with your
information. Know your goal, believe you can reach it, and you will.
It’s only a matter of faith.
Yours in writing,
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
P.S. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. 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 Web site, www.zebraeditor.com, and click on
“Free Newsletter.” I never share your address or send out spam.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Three: Ask the Book Doctor—About Book Contracts and Slipstream
Q: I know there are lots of books on this subject, but I was wondering
if you could streamline it for me. When you are signing a book
contract, especially as a first-time author, what are the germane
things you should be on the lookout for?
A: Your best course is to run the contract by an entertainment
attorney, but if you wish to bypass that step, here is a little
layperson’s guidance. Be careful what rights you are signing over and
at what price. Only you can decide which rights you are willing to sell
and for how much, but be sure not to sign all your rights away without
knowing what you are doing. Some authors may warn you not to allow the
publisher the right of first refusal on your next book or books, but
others will say such a clause means only that the publisher must be
willing to match an offer you may get elsewhere. The decision is
personal.
Also be sure that the contract includes in writing what the publisher
is going to do for you and by what date.
In the end, authors must decide which issues are worth fighting for.
Authors and publishers should agree to a contract that gives the author
some of the things he or she wants and gives the publisher some of the
things it wants, without making anyone a fool or an enemy.
If the contract is with a subsidy or vanity press, the issues will be
different. Be sure you know exactly what you are getting for your money
and by what date the finished product will be produced.
Q: My writers association has a markets section in its newsletter that
listed a market called The Edge that is looking for a type of work
called “slipstream.” I have never heard of this. Do you know what it
is?
A: By golly, I was stymied myself. I looked around on the Web and found
the following information on the Wikipedia site, one of my favorite
resources:
“Slipstream is a term for a style of fiction that pushes conventional
genre boundaries and doesn't sit comfortably within the confines of
either science fiction/fantasy, or mainstream literary fiction.
“The term slipstream in reference to literature was coined by cyberpunk
author Bruce Sterling in an article originally published in _SF Eye
#5_, July 1989. He says in part: ‘This is a kind of writing which
simply makes you feel very strange.’ Slipstream fiction has been
referred to as ‘the fiction of strangeness’ and falls into the gap
between speculative fiction and mainstream fiction.”
Send your questions to Book Doctor Bobbie Christmas for a personal
answer. Contact her at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book
Doctor” questions and answers at www.zebraeditor.com.
New Feature! Would you like to read or save the Ask The Book Doctor
column as a clear PDF file? Now you can! See
http://zebraeditor.com/files/ask_the_book_doctor.pdf. The column will
be available at that address until about the twentieth of each month,
after which it will be replaced with a new one.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Four: This Month’s Tip from Bobbie Christmas: Redundant Pleonasm
Okay, I had fun with the title. Pleonasm refers to the use of
superfluous words, so “Redundant Pleonasm” is a pleonasm. On my way
home from a dog park I saw a computer-generated sign that said “Lost
Puppy.” Someone had handwritten in black block letters under “puppy,”
the word “dog.” I chuckled, never having seen a puppy cat or a puppy
squirrel, I felt certain on first read that I understood the message on
the sign, and the added word was not required.
In the manuscripts I edit, I find that body parts often lead to
redundancies, even in well-written stories. Here are some of the things
I mean:
We have only one jaw, so don’t bother to say “His lower jaw dropped.”
Say “His jaw dropped.”
We generally wave with the thing at the end of our wrist, so don’t say
“She waved her hand.” Say “She waved.”
Don’t say, “He blinked his eyes.” Say “He blinked.”
Usually we reach with our upper appendages rather than lower ones, so
instead of “She reached her arm into the box,” simply say “She reached
into the box.”
We often use parts of our body for specific gestures, so instead of “He
shrugged his shoulders,” simply say, “He shrugged.”
Find opportunities for improvement in your own work by using my
trademarked Find and Refine Method. With your file open on your
computer, pull down Edit, then Find, then type in the word you want to
find, and your computer will stop on each one and allow you to ponder
whether you can improve or delete that usage. For more opportunities
for improvement, read my textbook on creative writing: _Write In Style_
(Union Square Publishing). Buy it in your local bookstore or order it
from Amazon.com by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/2ayh2m.
Find and Refine
Type into the Find function, one at a time: jaw, wave, blink, reach,
shrug. Examine each use of those words to see if you have added any
redundant words you can delete.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Five: Subjects of interest to writers
Member Maria I. Hodges sent the following note to members of the
network: “Take a look at the part-time jobs at Barnes & Noble.
Discounts are offered, plus the all-important health-care benefit.
In-store public relations staff sets up author signings, story time,
and more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_Purge Your Prose of Problems: A Book Doctor’s Desk Reference,_ Fourth
Edition
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: grammar, punctuation, word choices, creative
writing, plot, pace, characterization, dialogue, Chicago Style,
formatting a manuscript, and much more. More than 500 subjects covered.
Printed form lies flat for easy use: $29.95 plus $4.99 shipping at
http://www.zebraeditor.com (click on Tools for Writers and scroll down)
or save almost $5.00 in shipping PLUS get the third edition instantly
as an e-book 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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Letters from Members
Learning that only one per cent of manuscripts in any one year are
published is daunting, but I am determined to enjoy the process of
writing my story of a wolf.
[As for finding an agent,] I have had e-mail correspondence with a
company called Agent Research and Evaluation in Philadelphia. Your
clients and newsletter subscribers would likely be interested in their
contact information that follows.
E-mail: info@agentresearch.com
Phone: 215-563-1867
Web site: www.agentresearch.com
Fax: 215-563-6797
AR & E
425 North 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130 USA
I have purchased a copy of _Write in Style_. The book is a valuable
asset.
Best regards,
William Littlewood
I have just finished reading your book _Write In Style_ and think it's
the best book I've ever read on how to improve my writing! -- Really
learned a lot from it! --Marta Hiatt, author of _Remembrances of Times
Past_
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Georgia Literary Festival planned for this month
The Georgia Literary Festival is a "moveable feast" that celebrates the
rich literary heritage of the state in a location each year. The ninth
annual Georgia Literary Festival will be hosted by the town of Blue
Ridge in Fannin County in the North Georgia mountains. The festival
observance will be Friday September 28 - Sunday September 30. The
honored writer at this year's festival will be the late Appalachian
poet and novelist Byron Herbert Reece, whose ninetieth birthday falls
in the month of the literary festival. For complete information on the
festival see http://www.georgialiteraryfestival.org/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christian Authors Guild holds its annual Catch the Wave Writers
Conference October 13 from 8:30 to 5:00 in Woodstock, Georgia. A $55.00
registration fee includes lunch and beverages. For more information:
404-918-2124 or www.christianauthorsguild.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bobbie Christmas seminars on CD
“Write In Style and You Write to Win”
“Travel Writing for Fun and (a little) Profit”
“Write it and Reap: Make Money Selling Your Expertise”
“An Editor’s 10 Secrets to More Persuasive Writing”
“I’ve Finished My Book; What Should I Do Now?”
Take seminars in the comfort of your own home. Repeat as often as you
want. Invite your friends to join you. To order, go to
http://www.zebraeditor.com/tools.shtml and scroll down to see all the
seminars available on CD.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writer's Digest magazine and Outskirts Press have signed an agreement
extending their publishing partnership. For the fourth year in a row,
Outskirts Press will publish the Writer's Digest Writing Competition
Collection, which is the anthology of winners from Writer’s Digest’s
annual writing competition.
Writer’s Digest magazine sponsors one of the oldest, most prestigious
annual writing competitions in the country. The compilations published
by Outskirts Press showcase competition winners, while the broader
distribution available through Outskirts Press increases visibility of
the Writer’s Digest brand in the publishing community.
In celebration of the agreement, Outskirts Press last week offered
complimentary copies of previous Writer's Digest collections to the
first fifty authors who began their publishing journey with Outskirts
Press.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Politics of Reading
Member Vicki Kestranek sent this information, gleaned from Huffington
Post (AP), written by Alan Fram| (August 21, 2007):
The AP-Ipsos poll found twenty-two percent of liberals and moderates
said they had not read a book within the past year, compared with
thirty-four percent of conservatives. Among those who had read at least
one book, liberals typically read nine books in the year, with half
reading more than that and half less. Conservatives typically read
eight, moderates five.
By slightly wider margins, Democrats tended to read more books than
Republicans and independents. There were no differences by political
party in the percentage of those who said they had not read at least
one book.
The poll involved telephone interviews with 1,003 adults and was
conducted August 6 to 8. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or
minus three percentage points.
Here are a few other points from the same survey:
• One in four Americans read no books last year
• More women are avid readers than men.
• People with college degrees read the most
• People aged fifty and up read more than those who are younger.
• Southerners read more than the rest of country.
• The Bible and religious works were read by two-thirds in the
survey, more than all other categories.
• Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries were all
cited by about half, while one in five read romance novels.
• Every other genre--including politics, poetry, and classical
literature--were named by fewer than five percent of readers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your
Writing_ is a 122-page e-book by Bobbie Christmas 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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A new magazine, Christian Book Reader, offers author profiles and
interviews, publishing trend pieces and previews of major forthcoming
titles. The bi-monthly Strang Communications' publication debuts this
month and distributes 150,000 copies through major bookstores and
public libraries.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Warning: In last month’s newsletter I included information on book
publisher James A. Rock & Company, because it was named as a publisher
that did not require an agent. One of our members contacted me to let
me know that she tried to contact this publisher when a friend appeared
to be involved in a book deal that sounded less than ideal, and the
publisher would not respond to correspondence or phone calls. I sent
the publisher an e-mail and asked if the publisher was a subsidy press
(requires payments from authors) or a traditional press (pays royalties
and never takes money from authors) and received absolutely no
response. If you contact this publisher, proceed with caution.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_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; Simon
and Schuster, distributor. Available in bookstores and Internet
retailers. To order at Amazon.com DISCOUNT prices, see
http://zebraeditor.com/bookstore.shtml.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barbara Florio Graham's popular workshop, Write It! Sell It! Sell It
Again!, is now available in booklet form for $15. This workshop was
presented to the Canadian Authors Association annual conference in
July, and all participants gave it high evaluations. Go to
www.SimonTeakettle.com to read a full description and ordering
information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start Your Own Magazine
Edible, the franchised magazines about local foods, just added Edible
Jersey and soon Edible Green Mountains. If you want to start an Edible
magazine, you’ll need only an initial $30,000 investment. The remaining
$60,000 is financed by franchise owner Edible Communities, to be paid
over five years. For the first four issues the new magazine owner gets
a crash course in layout, photographs, advertising, marketing, and
editorial content. The owner gets access to other editors who share
their expertise, too. The contract requires at least 51% editorial
content, 75% of which must be local. The company offers one national
column, but publishers are not required to use it. After the first year
the parent company takes a 5% royalty of gross advertising revenues.
For more information see
http://www.ediblecommunities.com/portal/start-your-own.htm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Digital Press Opens in Metro Atlanta
I had the most pleasant conversation with Scott Crawford this month. He
is an account executive with Apex Book Manufacturing in Alpharetta,
Georgia. Apex is a custom digital book manufacturer that provides
personalized short-run digital books. Clients are individual authors
and small to midsize publishers who need print runs of 25 books and
more. Unlike other printers, the company gives you one free proof copy
before the book goes to press, a vital service that members of our
network discussed at our last monthly meeting.
You don’t have to live in Georgia to take advantage of what the company
has to offer, because you can send files electronically. If you’re
thinking of self publishing, add Apex to your list of companies to
consider. I found Scott to be a pleasant, helpful fellow. If you use
his service, be sure to let me know what you think of him, his company,
and his pricing, because that information could help another writer.
This information is neither an ad nor an endorsement, just information
for those who plan to self publish.
Apex Book Manufacturing
1252 Old Alpharetta Road
Alpharetta, Georgia 30005
Office:770-346-9979 ext. 105
Mobile:770-309-4011
Toll Free: 888-TEL APEX
Fax: 770-346-9929
scott@apexbm.com
www.apexbm.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
http://zebraeditor.com and click on “Tools for Writers.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Children’s Author's Bootcamp
Children’s s Author's Bootcamp is coming to Madison, Wisconsin, October
13-14 at the Courtyard by Marriott Madison West and at the Holiday Inn,
Gaithersburg, Maryland, (just outside of D.C.) October 27-28.
Join Laura Backes, publisher of Children's Book Insider, and Linda
Arms White, Christopher Award-winning author of _I Could Do That!, _Too
Many Pumpkins_, _Comes a Wind_ and many other children's books.
CAB features two days of world-class instruction and exercises on
writing fiction for children of all ages, with emphasis on character
and plot development, dialogue, descriptive writing, point of view,
writing strong beginnings, editing your own work, and submitting
manuscripts to publishers. No previous experience is needed.
For a complete class outline and registration information (including
information on booking hotel rooms), see WeMakeWriters.com or contact
Linda White at (303) 747-1014, or CABootcamp@msn.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rejection Doesn’t Always Mean No (never give up!)
More than 120 publishers rejected _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance_ by Robert M. Pirsig before Harper finally bought it. It
became the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970s and sold more than
four million copies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amazon.com Claims Self-publishing Just Got Even Easier
CreateSpace, part of the Amazon.com group of companies has launched an
online Books on Demand service. The company no longer charges setup
fees for books, audio CDs, and DVDs. Authors can offer their works to
customers on Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com, and through their own free
customizable eStore without any inventory, setup fees, or minimum
orders. You will be required to purchase and approve a proof copy of
your book, CD, and/or DVD before titles can be produced on demand.
"The new CreateSpace Books on Demand service removes substantial
economic barriers and makes it really easy for authors who want to
self-publish their books and distribute them on Amazon.com," said Jeff
Wilke, senior vice president, North American Retail, Amazon.com. Books
on Demand works the same way as CreateSpace's DVD and CD on Demand
offerings. CreateSpace books sold on Amazon.com are printed on demand,
display "in stock" availability on Amazon.com, and can be shipped
within twenty-four hours. See
http://www.createspace.com/Special/AboutUs/PR/20070808_Books.jsp for
more information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More Resources for Writers and Self publishers
Robin Surface and I had a cheerful and educational conversation this
week discussing all the services her company provides. Robin is the
vice president of Fideli Publishing, and her company has a complete
network to help writers like us.
Fideli Publishing offers editing, book formatting, covers, book
marketing.
Axess Printing offers high quality digital printing as well as offset
printing.
API, the newest addition, offers book services through Fideli; printing
through Axess; and Web site construction, order fulfillment, and
alternate distribution for independent authors and publishers.
See www.fidelipublishing.com.
888-FIDELI-2 (888-343-3542)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Six: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
London Book Festival Calls for Entries
The 2007 London Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its
annual program celebrating books that deserve greater recognition from
the international publishing community. Before entering read all
details, requirements, and guidelines at http://londonbookfestival.com.
The 2007 London Book Festival will consider published, self-published
and independent publisher nonfiction, fiction, children's books,
teenage, how-to, audio/spoken word, comics/graphic novels, e-books,
wild card (anything goes!), science fiction, romance, and
biography/autobiographical works. A panel of judges will determine the
winners based on the following criteria:
1) The story-telling ability of the author;
2) The potential of the work to win wider recognition from the
international publishing community.
Entries can be in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Italian.
Grand prize for the 2007 London Book Festival Author of the Year is
$1,500 and a flight to London OR a flight to Los Angeles - your choice.
Entry forms are available online at http://londonbookfestival.com or
may be faxed/e-mailed to you by calling 323-665-8080. Each submission
must be accompanied by a nonrefundable entry fee by check, money order,
credit card payment or PayPal online payment of $50 in U.S. dollars.
Entry fee checks should be made payable to JM Northern Media LLC.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Dollar Stretcher
The Dollar Stretcher is a group of publications dedicated to "Living
Better...for Less." The goal is to provide readers with ways to help
them save time and money. Occasionally we will also include material on
ways to make money at home. Payment is only for the monthly print
version and is at the rate of $0.10 per published word. We are
interested in articles up to 800 words in length. The majority of
articles that will be used will be in the 500 to 700-word range. We use
how-to articles based on personal or professional experience; time- and
space-saving techniques; creative ways to save on food, housing, auto,
and clothing; stage-of-life material for babies, children, teens,
college students, singles, couples, the divorced, single parents, empty
nesters, and retirees; material targeting different levels of
experience with frugal living; material on dealing with non-frugal
partner, children, or significant others. We are also interested in
interviews with people who have successfully found new and creative
ways to accomplish the frugal lifestyle and who can share ideas that
can be imitated by our readers. To submit articles, follow all the
guidelines listed on Web site at
http://www.stretcher.com/menu/writers.cfm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Romance Writers Wanted
Sourcebooks is looking for 90-120,000 words (actual digital),
single-title or single-title series only *we consider all subgenres *we
prefer e-mail submissions in Word *always include a synopsis (including
the ending) *e-mail submissions will be confirmed received within 21
days--NO FOLLOW UP, please (except agents) *allow 8-12 weeks for
response. For detailed guidelines see
http://www.sourcebooks.com/content/authors_romance_submission_guidelines.asp
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arthur Magazine Restarts
Arthur Editorial Offices
3408 Appleton St.
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Editorial: Jay Babcock
Email: editor@arthurmag.com
The transgenerational counterculture magazine ceased publication in
2006, but it’s back. “A review of life, arts and thought," the
publication offers independent view about politics, alternative
lifestyles, music, and artistic endeavors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Goody Two Shoes of 2007 - Inspirational Good Deeds Contest
Point of Life Inc.
P.O. Box 7
3032 East Commercial Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308
mikmikl@aol.com
http://www.pointoflife.com/
Are you a kindhearted person who does good deeds for other people
without any need for them to thank you? Do you know of anybody who does
compassionate acts of kindness for others?
We are looking for the most superb Goody Two Shoe story of 2007. Tells
us an inspirational story about your good deeds or those of others, and
you can win a prize of $500.00. The winning story and three runners up
will be published in - The Point of Life Global Newsletter and on -
Point of Life Web site for one year.
No purchase is necessary. The contest ends December 31, 2007
Email entries with name, address and phone number.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join member Kathryn Bechen in selling your true miracle stories. She
sent the following information to share: “Thought your readers might
like to submit their own miracles stories, as GuidepostsBooks are
publishing a whole line of miracles books and calling for stories. To
get writing guidelines, contact Rhonda Hogan at rhogan@iglide.net. The
publisher pays for the stories.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Light Sword is a full-service, time-honored, conventional publishing
company dedicated to providing readers with fiction and nonfiction
books from established authors as well as talented newcomers. The range
of genres include, but are not limited to, Suspense, Romance, Fantasy,
Self-Help, Paranormal, Historical, Romance, Mystery, Sci-Fi, and
Thrillers. For detailed submission guidelines see
http://www.lightswordpublishing.com/submission.html.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
River Flowing Publishing
PO BOX 66032
Mobile, Al 36660
Attention: Submissions
River Flowing Publishing is now accepting new writers. Send a query
letter and four chapters, SASE, and a cover sheet with your name,
address, contact number, e-mail address. and title of submission. We
are looking for fiction in any genre in 40,000 words or more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rise Magazine launches Girls Magazine
Rob Bodenburg, editorial
617-779-9000 ext. 128
rbodenburg@risemag.com
Rise Magazine, a sports and active lifestyle magazine for teens, is
launching Girls magazine, which will cater to the three million girls
who are student athletes in the United States." The main focus is
sports coverage but a "lifestyle aspect will also be included." The
debut issue came out this month.
Editorial
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Atlanta Ambition
D & D Publishing
georgiaddpublish@aol.com
Writers wanted for new women’s lifestyle magazine. We cover editorials
and topics based on business, women owners, health, fitness, beauty,
single topics, marriage, divorce, legal topics, and advice columns,
just to name a few. Must have at least three years of experience
writing articles, short stories, and poetry. E-mail at least two sample
writings to be considered. Will work from home, but may sometimes have
to attend events or travel within city to cover stories or interviews.
You can visit our Web site at www.danddpublishing.com. Please send
resume and writing samples to georgiaddpublish@aol.com. Compensation:
$15 per approved article. If event has to be covered, pay is more. As a
startup publication that is all we can offer, but as traffic increases
so will pay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kiki Magazine for Young Girls Debuts; Wants Writers
Manuscript Submission Editor
Kiki Magazine
214 E. 8th Street
5th Floor
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Kiki Magazine takes the college fashion design curriculum and tailors
it to a reader nine to fourteen years old. Through the lens of fashion,
Kiki encourages girls to explore other disciplines (business,
geography, fine art, craft, history, world culture, even math) and
shows them that having fun with style and artistry is completely
compatible with intelligence and creativity. The new magazine is
looking for great writing on interesting topics readers will enjoy. If
you have an idea for an article, keep reading! Kiki accepts unsolicited
manuscripts on a speculative basis only. First send an e-mail or letter
query with detailed story idea(s). No telephone solicitations, please.
You’ll have a better chance of having an article accepted if you
familiarize yourself with the voice and content of Kiki before
submitting. See http://www.kikimag.com/professionalwriter.html for
detailed guidelines.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ms. Guided wants Essays, Articles, and Stories
Ms. Guided is now working on her second zine! Once again we’ll be
accepting any and every form of creative or non-creative expression. Be
it your essay on the sex industry in Mexico, your poem about hostels in
Italy, your story about sleeping by the side of the Trans-Canada, your
article about mining companies in Guatemala, your road-kill photos, or
your drawings of fruit vendors in Ireland, we’re interested.
As a general rule, we don’t accept anything over 2000 words. If you’re
sending photos or illustrations for consideration, do send them at 72
dpi, or higher. Please send all written submissions as attachments.
Ms. Guided is an experiential publication for the traveling woman. We
do accept submissions from men, but they must be relevant to the
overall theme of “women on the move.”
Our theme this time around is, loosely, motion-sickness. Interpret as
you will; that’s what we want you to do. If you’re aching to send
something altogether different, send it anyway. We here at Ms. Guided
are not sticklers for limitation.
For all those wishing to get their paws on our first issue, there are
still plenty available. A list of our locations can be found by going
to our Web site: www.msguided.org.
Any questions, comments, suggestions or submissions should be sent to
ms.guided.zine@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is October 1.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Atlanta-based Entertainment Magazine seeks Freelancers
Apparently this venue does not pay contributors, but you do get a
byline and contact information, plus you own the copyright to the
material. RawImage is an upscale Atlanta-based fashion, lifestyle, and
entertainment magazine that “brings a new level of entertainment with a
phenomenal twist to the mainstream reader by chronicling rising stars,
celebrating legends, and profiling the most influential players and
style makers of today. With progressive and thought-provoking
editorials, RawImage will unwrap the best in the worlds of arts,
entertainment, music, dining, technology, culture, nightlife, travel,
fashion, sports, health, fitness, food, wine, interior designs, and
much more.”
It also writes book reviews but charges a fee for the service.
For complete guidelines, send an e-mail request to:
write4raw@comcast.net.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards Program features Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler as judge
Featuring the largest cash prizes in the history of our program, the
winner and two runners-up will receive
1st prize: $2,500
2nd prize: $1,500
3rd prize: $1,000
All award winners and runners-up will be considered for publication
with the SFWP publishing house. Winners will also be featured on our
online literary journal.
See http://www.sfwpawards.com/ for all information.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Seven: Writing Assignment: Character Building
In our previous lesson we used people in a line at a checkout counter,
and I haven’t stopped noticing people in lines. Today as I waited in
line, I watched the people in line ahead of me.
Three slender girls hung near their tall, svelte mother; I could tell
from the shape of their frames that none of those four females would
ever be overweight; it simply wasn’t in their genes. The mother wore
shorts and high-heeled sandals. The daughters dressed more
conservatively, although at least one was well into her teens.
A man two people ahead of me had a deep tan and gray hair that puffed
out on either side of his head, but the top of his head not only was
bald, it was also shiny and equally tanned as the rest of him. He
looked past retirement age, so I wondered what activities kept him
outside and tanned. He did not look like a golfer to me, so I imagined
him weeding his garden, staking up tomato plants, and mulching green
beans. I decided his neighbors loved him, because he shared his fresh
collards, corn, tomatoes, and squash when he had more than he could
use.
Behind me a sour-faced female, her face leathered and drawn, pursed her
lips again and again. I sensed her mind used every curse word in her
vocabulary to describe the slow-moving line ahead of her.
A short, cheerful clerk greeted me when I reached the counter. Her
delightful attitude and bright smile warmed me from top to bottom, and
she impressed me with the positive way she faced the glowering,
disgruntled crowd.
Each of those people had a story, and all of them would react
differently to any given circumstance. The cheerful clerk might see a
thunderstorm as a blessed relief from the drought, but the leathered
old biddy would probably curse the rain for inconveniencing her.
Make a point to go out into a crowd or wait in a line, and take notes
about the people—the characters—you see around you. Write down not only
how they look but how they hold themselves, how they react to others,
how they dress, and how they act. Do they talk to strangers or turn
inward and hide inside themselves?
For this exercise, pick two or more people and put them in a testy
situation of your design, such as stuck on a subway car when the train
breaks down or stuck in an elevator during a blackout. What if their
cars collided on the street, or their children got into a fight at
school? Write a fiction scene showing the actions and dialogue of these
characters you created from real life.
Characters abound all around you. Use them, put them together, and
imagine, “What if,” and you will never run out of stories.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Eight: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
[Note: Some of the links listed in this section may have the words
“tiny url” in them. The reason is simple. Some Web addresses are more
than 150 characters long, and to simplify them, I use a Web site called
www.tinyurl.com. It takes long addresses and converts them to short
ones for convenience, and the short addresses work equally as well as
the long ones.]
Www.GoogleEarth.com offers software that allows you to see city and
street settings you need to create or view. You can visit your
neighborhood, almost any city in the world, or even DisneyWorld and
view it from above as well as from angles. “Google Earth isn't just
mapping software; it's a powerful tool for viewing, creating and
sharing interactive and highly visual location-specific information.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s another digital press outfit that e-mailed me information
recently: http://www.fidlardoubleday.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. Deadline: The
15th of each month.
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Information about the meetings:
Because it's a buffet, come into the meeting room, set down whatever
you brought, and go get food, if you plan to eat. You are under no
obligation to eat if you attend the meeting, but if you do eat, you may
pay and tip as you leave.
While we eat, we have introductions. After the introductions are over,
we discuss questions and answers. After the introductions are completed
and at any time until we leave, you are welcome to get more food or
leave when you need to do so.
Directions to meetings:
Our monthly meetings are held at noon on the first Friday of each month
at King Buffet, 11060 Alpharetta Highway, Roswell, Georgia. 30076. The
restaurant not only gives us a private meeting room, but it also offers
a buffet with a variety of food, primarily Asian.
The restaurant is on the left after you enter the Roswell Shopping
Center, on the same side of the strip mall as Patterson Furniture and
High Point Furniture. Roswell Shopping Center is on the left if going
north toward Alpharetta, a few blocks past the Mansell Road
intersection and across the street from Mattress King, a little way
past Andretti's. Once you are inside King Buffet, the meeting room is
through an archway on the left past the cashier.
Restaurant phone: 678-352-1606.
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