The Writers Network News August 23, 2008 http://ezezine.com
August 23, 2008
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2008, Bobbie Christmas
No portion of this newsletter can be used without permission.
Disclaimer: With the exception of the sponsor, information in this
newsletter is not to be construed as an endorsement. Be sure to
research all information and study every stipulation before you accept
assignments, spend money, or sell your work.
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/
----------------------------------------------
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News
In This Issue
One: Kudos to Natalie Reid and Fran Steward
Two: From the editor’s desk – The Power of a Deadline
Three: Ask the Book Doctor – About Capital Letters, Word Counts and
Song Lyrics
Four: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Don’t Just Sit
There; Do Something
Five: Letters from Members
Six: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Seven: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents, and Markets
Eight: Writing Assignment – What If You Could Have It All?
Nine: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
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To view past issues of The Writers Network News, go to:
http://home.ezezine.com/886_2/
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[Note: Some links may include “tiny url,” because through
www.tinyurl.com, long Web addresses can be converted to short ones.]
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Local Meetings Cease
The Writers Network has stopped having local meetings in metro Atlanta.
The Writers Network is international, with subscribers around the globe
from Australia to the USA and back again. Rather than showing
favoritism to writers in Georgia, The Writers Network serves all
members equally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writer’s quote of the day
“Writing has ... been to me like a bath from which I have risen feeling
cleaner, healthier, and freer.” ¯Henrik Ibsen, whom George Bernard Shaw
and Oscar Wilde called the greatest living playwright in his day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One: Kudos to Natalie Reid and Fran Steward
Natalie Reid announces the publication of "The Spiritual Alchemist:
Working with the Voice of Your Soul" (River Daughter Press). The book
introduces a transformational path that allows us to hear the unique
voice of our soul¯our purest source of wisdom, creativity, and
inspiration. It is based on a workshop Natalie has been giving
nationally for more than years, including for the International Women's
Writing Guild (www.iwwg.org), and contains a CD for guided
visualizations. To learn more about the "The Spiritual Alchemist," go
to www.thespiritualalchemist.com.
“I just accepted an offer from Worldwide Mystery, based in Canada, for
a five-year contract, giving it the right to republish my first mystery
_Orange as Marmalade_ in mass market paperback for its
direct-to-consumer program. The program allows people all over the US
and Canada to buy its featured paperbacks from its Web site. The good
news is that I can continue to sell my trade paperbacks with no
conflict. Worldwide Mystery will publish my book in July 2009.” ¯Fran
Steward, author of The Biscuit McKee Mystery Series
Congratulations!
Your successes encourage others, so please send in your accomplishments
for our kudos section.
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Two: From the editor’s desk — The Power of a Deadline
Dear Fellow Writers:
In my columns and letters and when I speak to conference attendees and
writers groups, I often mention the power of planning and setting
deadlines, yet many people complain. They say they simply cannot plan
or set deadlines. Pooh on that! We have a plan every day we wake up. We
know when we have to go to work, go to school, pick up the children
from daycare, go grocery shopping, attend meetings, return books to the
library, meet with friends, and even eat meals. If those are not plans,
what are they? In essence, too, everything on our to-do list has a
deadline, a time by which it must be done. Knowing we already have
plans with deadlines, what’s so difficult about creating a writing plan
with a deadline by which you wish to finish your essay, short story,
novel, or nonfiction book?
Yes, I tell people how easy it is, yet I’m equally as likely to skip
these steps myself, and when I do, I’m, as they say in the South,
“fixin’ to mess up.” Let me explain.
I have a great client for whom I am ghostwriting a children’s book that
will help market a product he created. I’ve handled projects like this
one quite a few times. The product-related children’s books always look
like they will be fun when I accept the project, but when I face the
actual work, they turn into monsters I resist tackling. I don’t know
why it is; it just is.
My client patiently waited as plan after plan (I hesitated to call them
deadlines) fell by the wayside, while I kept saying I was working on my
creative juices, trying to find the right way to approach the project.
The months ticked by, and it’s a wonder my client wasn’t ticked off as
well, but he remained kind and supportive, until I beat myself over the
head over the length of time I’d taken to produce the book. In the end
I set a deadline for the project, told him the deadline, and wrote it
down. Did the deadline spur me to jump into the project immediately?
No, it didn’t, but it made me see the date by which the project had to
be completed, and each day that deadline drew closer until I finally
did sit down and write the book I’d been mulling over for months. It’s
lovely, and the client likes it, as well.
Had I not set that absolute drop-dead deadline, though, the project
would still be incomplete, I’m sure.
If you are waiting for inspiration to hit, there’s no better
inspiration than a deadline. Set a date by which you plan to complete
your own project. Write it on your calendar. Post the date by your
computer. Tell your friends your deadline. Chances are you will see
your project completed, and you can celebrate. Deadlines? Maybe we
should call them live-lines.
Yours in writing,
Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com )
Author of triple-award-winning _Write In Style_ (Union Square
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 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 Capital Letters, Word Counts, and
Song Lyrics
Q: My mother wrote her first short story. I’m proud of her for writing,
but I think she doesn’t get her capitals correct, and I don’t want to
discourage her from writing by criticizing her. For my own knowledge,
though, should she capitalize a person’s title or class titles? Here’s
an example: Suzie spoke to the Teacher who taught Math.
A: Congratulations on encouraging your mother to write. When she’s
ready to learn more about revising and editing her work, you can gently
explain that titles are capitalized only if they are precede a name and
are part of the name. It’s correct to write Judge John Smith, but it’s
incorrect to write John Smith, Judge, or John was a Judge. Subjects in
school are not capitalized unless they are a foreign language. For an
example, the following sentence is correct: Suzie spoke to the teacher
who taught both math and French.
Q: I have read through most of your Web site and found Courier
twelve-point type as the font to be used for my book. How about
margins? Is one inch all around standard? If I use one-inch margins,
then the word count per page is around 250. Most of the novels I've
read have closer to 300-325 words a page. When I was using the New
Times Roman font, the word count per page was around 340.
A: Be careful not to confuse a novel (printed book) with a manuscript
(proposed book in manuscript form).
A manuscript is what an author prepares to present to an agent or
publisher. It must follow a standard format (twelve-point Courier type
double-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides, all paragraphs
indented, new chapters beginning a third of the way down a fresh page,
and the whole thing printed on standard letter-size white paper). Yes,
once a manuscript is in standard manuscript format, it averages 250
words a page.
A book, however, is a printed and bound product ready for sale. It can
have any number of words per page, because it can be designed any way a
publisher wants and in any size a printer can handle. It can use
ten-point, twelve-point, or fourteen-point type in Times, Goudy,
Bookman or any other typeface appropriate for the material, and the
type is single-spaced, never double-spaced (in a professionally
produced book). For that reason a printed book usually does have more
words per page than a manuscript has.
Q: Please be so kind as to define the rules and regulations for quoting
song titles and lyrics in published works. I have always assumed that
quotation marks covered the legalities, but I was just informed that if
you quote lyrics in a published work, you need a mechanical license to
do so. Have you encountered this situation before?
A: I haven’t encountered it, but a colleague of mine did, and it turned
into many months of research and waiting for replies. In the end she
was pleased that she has a signed contract with a well-known performer,
but the process took a long time.
Before I explain further, let me clarify the terms. A mechanical
license is necessary if you are publishing a songbook of copyrighted
lyrics or producing a record using copyrighted lyrics. If you are
writing a novel, not a songbook, and want to quote a line or a few
lines of a copyrighted song, you need a print license. To get a print
license, you first have to find out who owns the copyright. You can
search the ASCAP and BMI Web sites to determine the owner of the
lyrics, and then you have to contact the owner to get written
permission to use the lyrics. You may also have to pay a small charge
for each book you plan to print.
Yes, the process not only takes a long time but is also a great deal of
trouble. You can see why I advise writers to avoid using lyrics and
instead simply refer to the title or titles of songs. You don’t have to
get permission to refer to a song title.
Send your questions to the book doctor at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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 newest column
is posted around the first of each month.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Four: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Don’t Just Sit
There; Do Something
Want to write better? Write tighter. Look for words to delete that make
your sentences pithier and sharper. One of the words I recommend
deleting is the adverb “there,” especially when it follows bodily
action, such as “stood there” and “sat there.” Look at these two
sentences:
She sat there and waited.
She sat and waited.
Deleting “there” is a tiny tweak, but it’s a beginning toward tighter
writing.
Want to tighten even more? Watch this sentence grow tighter with each
deletion:
My mouth dropped and I just stood there and stared.
My mouth dropped and I just stood and stared.
My mouth dropped and I stood and stared.
My mouth dropped; I stared.
Mouth dropped, I stared.
Time to Find and Refine
Find this and many other opportunities for improvement in your own work
by using my trademarked Find and Refine Method, the basis for my
textbook on creative writing: _Write In Style_ (Union Square
Publishing). It lists many more ways you can refine your own
manuscripts.
With your file open on your computer, pull down Edit, then Find, then
type in the word or punctuation you want to find, and your computer
will stop on each one and allow you to ponder whether you can change,
correct, improve, or delete that usage. For more opportunities for
improvement, buy _Write In Style_ (Union Square Publishing) in your
local bookstore or order it from Amazon.com by clicking here:
http://tinyurl.com/2ayh2m.
To take advantage of this month’s tip from Bobbie Christmas, type “d
there” or “t there” into the Find function in your word-processing
software. Each time the computer stops on those letters, check to see
if the manuscript uses “stood (or stand) there” or “sit (or sat) there”
and decide whether you can delete “there” to tighten the sentence.
Examine the whole sentence, too, and decide whether you can otherwise
tighten and improve it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Five: Letters from Members
I particularly liked the self-publishing discussion and agree with you.
I personally prefer the ease of self-publishing and the sense that I
can take my books anywhere. On my recent trip to Africa I sold six
books, not a lot, but now they're in Africa! –Philip Levin
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Six: Subjects of interest to writers
Where is Bobbie Christmas speaking next?
Bobbie will be appearing in person at the following events:
September 9, 2008
Carrollton Creative Writers’ Club
Carrollton Community Arts Center
251 Alabama Street
Carrollton, GA 30117
10:00 - 12:00
Carrollton, Georgia
For more information contact Joann at planter630@aol.com
--
September 27, 2008
Catch the Wave Conference
Christian Authors Guild
Woodstock, Georgia
See www.christianauthorsguild.org/10.html.
--
November 14, 15, 16, 2008
Florida Writers Association Annual Conference
See below or www.floridawriters.net for more information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 7th Annual Florida Writers Association Conference
November 14 -16
Join the heart of Florida’s writing community at the Lake Mary Marriott
for the biggest three-day event FWA has ever presented.
Fourteen experienced agents, publishers, and writing mentors will be
coming from all over the country to offer thirty information-packed
sessions over three days in a three-track plan tailored for full-time
pros, serious hobbyists, and determined beginners.
Learn how to improve your writing skills, package your work for
selling, and go on to make the sale.
Make your conference reservation before July 31 and save $50 over the
full registration price of $299. (For hotel reservations, call 1-899
380-7724 and ask for the FWA discount rate. First come, first served.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hurry! Sign to up to take these free telephone seminars.
TELE-CAST: Tricks You Didn’t Know Your Word Processor Could Do
Monday, October 27, 2008 5:00 pm ET - 6:00 pm ET
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/103898764
TELE-CAST: Self-Editing Techniques You Can’t Live Without
Monday, November 17, 2008 5:00 pm ET - 6:00 pm ET
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/103900770
All these tele-classes are given at no charge through AuthorSmart.com.
Sign up for any and all of them today!
Did you miss the tele-cast called “Write In Style and You Write to
Win?” that aired in April? Download it for only $5 and listen all you
want by going to http://stores.authorsmart.com/Detail.bok?no=134.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tom Robbins, author of several novels, including Even Cowgirls Get the
Blues, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, and Villa Incognito, says that when
he starts a book he does not know what the story will be. He does not
outline and he does not revise. He perfects each sentence, sometimes
for more than an hour, and then he moves on to the next one. He says,
"I'm probably more interested in sentences than anything else in life."
(Excerpted from The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Purge Your Prose of Problems: A Book Doctor’s Desk Reference¯Fourth
Edition
Save thousands of dollars by editing your own book!
This proprietary reference book is not available in stores; only a few
copies are available. The information 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. Spiral binder lies flat for easy use: $29.95 plus
$4.99 s & h at http://www.zebraeditor.com (click on Tools for Writers
and scroll down).
Save almost $5.00 in shipping PLUS instantly get _Purge Your Prose of
Problems_ as an e-book with clickable links and bookmarks that zip you
directly to any subject. Go to
http://www.booklocker.com/books/2225.html.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg, Wordsmith.Org
catachresis
(kat-uh-KREE-sis)
noun: The misuse of words.
Here's a catchall word for all those mixed metaphors, malapropisms, and
Bushisms
USAGE:
"Our neighbors to the north aren't spared the disease of catachresis,
either. A Canadian politician displayed this manifestation of the
illness: 'If this thing starts to snowball, it will catch fire right
across the country.'"
(Jaime O'Neill; A Verbal Ship Lost in a Sea of Words; San Francisco
Chronicle; Sep 25, 2005)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing Reduces Back Pain?
Writers know that journaling is a great way to record thoughts and
actions for potential use in fiction or nonfiction, but Kathleen Adams,
director of the Center for Journal Therapy, says writing in a journal
can also reduce stress and anger and may even relieve back pain. For
more on the Center for Journal Therapy, see www.journaltherapy.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_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 the e-book go to
http://www.booklocker.com/books/1906.html
_Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your
Writing_is now available in print! Order your copy today. Go to
http://tinyurl.com/56l2eu to order.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free Demo of Online Courses
My name is Scott Guy; I'm the executive director of the Academy for New
Musical Theatre in Los Angeles. We develop musicals for producers
across the country. We've developed Internet technology so that from
your hometown you can either develop a musical with us or study the
craft of musical theater with us. We have actors, directors, pianists,
dramaturgs, music directors and rehearsal rooms, all dedicated to
writing new musical theater.
I'd like to invite you to take a free demo of one of our online courses
(on the function of the Chorus in musical theater) at
www.WritingMusicalTheatre.com.
or
learn more about creating a musical with us at www.ANMT.org.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_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 prices, go to
http://tinyurl.com/5yncfw.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upcoming Grant Writing Classes
Want to learn how to write grants? Jack Smith is the one to teach you,
plus he’s a member of The Writers Network. See when he’ll be in your
location next:
August 29 & 30, 2008 - Emory University, Atlanta, GA
"Hands-On Grant Writing Seminar"
September 6 & 7, 2008 - Executive Productions, Oakland, CA
"Grant Writing for Nonprofits"
September 10 & 11, 2008 - Oakland County, Waterford, MI
"Grant Writing for Cities and Counties"
September 15, 2008 - Carl Vinson Institute of Government, UGA
Macon, GA "Grant Writing for Cities and Counties"
September 22 & 23, 2008 - Oakland County, Waterford, MI
"Grant Writing for Cities and Counties"
October 2, 2008 - GA Association of School Psychologists Annual
Conference
Savannah GA "Grant Writing for School Psychologists"
October 7, 2008 - University of Georgia, Athens, GA
"Program Development for Grant Writers" UGA Grant Writing Certificate
Program
www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/ppd/courses/grantwriting
Jack Smith has far too many classes scheduled to list all of them here,
so see his Web site or contact him to learn more about his schedule.
The Smith Group
215 North Avenue, Suite 3308
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-888-9994
jsmithgroup@bellsouth.net
www.jsmithconsult.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 versus. traditional publishing, and much more. Sixteen
reports are available, and the list keeps growing. Go to
http://zebraeditor.com/free_reports.shtml. Newest report: How to choose
the correct editor for your manuscript. Surprise! It may not be me!
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Seven: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Counting Blessings, Facing Challenges:
Share Your Story about Parenting a Child with Special Needs
The popular Cup of Comfort book series seeks uplifting true stories
about the ins and outs, ups and downs, and blessings and challenges of
parenting children with special needs. The stories cover children of
all ages (birth to adult) and a wide range of developmental, physical,
and mental challenges. No matter how difficult the experiences/emotions
conveyed in a story might be, the story MUST reveal a positive aspect,
resolution, or outcome and must be of comfort to parents of children
with special needs. Stories may be serious, humorous, insightful,
heartwarming, and/or inspiring. The majority of the stories will be
written by parents of children with special needs; we will also
consider stories written by adult children with special needs and by
close family members.
Submission deadline: September 30, 2008
Stories must be true, original, uplifting, and 1,000-2,000 words.
Writers’ guidelines: http://www.cupofcomfort.com/share.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Were You a Part of the Summer of Love?
Desperately Seeking Woodstock Stories!
The Literary Cottage is desperately seeking fifty true stories written
by people who attended the 1969 Woodstock Festival. If you have such a
story, contact Susan at Literary Cottage immediately, so she won’t feel
so desperate.
If you have a Woodstock-related story to tell, your chances of getting
into this anthology look high.
The anthology will document the event itself but will also provide a
portrait of America as that tumultuous decade came to a close. Stories
should be historical within the context of 1969 and yet unique to your
experience. Stories must be TRUE, 850-1,100 words, vivid, and
substantive. Adams Media pays $100 and one copy of the book. Literary
Cottage offers prizes of $100, $75, and $50 to top three stories
respectively. Carefully review the guidelines and sample story provided
on the "Woodstock '69 Guidelines" page on www.literarycottage.com.
Hurry! Deadline: September 7, 2008.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mak Rektor Wants Horror, Thriller or Gothic Short Stories
• Submit as many stories as you wish
• Entry Fee of $5.95 USD for each story
• Original, previously unpublished
• 2,000 – 4,000 words maximum
• Short Stories must be horror, thriller or gothic
• Stories should be submitted using Contest Entry Form
• Winners will be announced on Web site on October 31, 2008
• Entries must be received by September 30, 2008
For details and entry form, see
https://www.rektorsrevenge.com/writingcontest.aspx.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fifth Annual Beullah Rose Poetry Prize
Smartish Pace
Beullah Rose Poetry Prize
P.O. Box 22161
Baltimore, MD 21203
Inquiries: cbanks@smartishpace.com
Deadline: November 1, 2008
Enter the 5th Annual Beullah Rose Poetry Prize from Smartish Pace, a
prize for exceptional poetry by women.
1st Prize
The 1st Prizewinner receives $200 and publication of the winning poem
in Issue 16 of Smartish Pace. The poem and poet will be mentioned for
one year in a number of advertisements, both in print and on the
Internet, as being the winner of the Beullah Rose Poetry Prize.
2nd & 3rd Prize
2nd & 3rd Prizewinners receive publication of their poems in Issue 16.
All Winners
Each winner will have the opportunity to have their poem appear in a
special Smartish Pace Beullah Rose Poetry Anthology that will include
winners of the Beullah Rose Poetry Prize. This book is scheduled to
appear after the 10th anniversary of the Beullah Rose Poetry Prize.
Winners will also have the opportunity of appearing in other
anthologies published by Smartish Pace.
All Submissions
All poems submitted for the prize will be considered for publication in
Smartish Pace. It is possible to have your poem selected for an issue
of Smartish Pace even if it does not win the Beulah Rose Poetry Prize.
Requirements and payment link ($5 for three poems) at
http://www.smartishpace.com/home/beullah/contest.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The J.M. Kaplan Fund - Furthermore Grants for Nonfiction Publishing
CLOSING DATE:
September 15, 2008
AMOUNT:
$500 to $15,000 each
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS:
Organizations with 501(c)(3) status
AGENCY/DEPARTMENT:
The J.M. Kaplan Fund
P.O. Box 667
Hudson, NY 12534
(518) 828-8900
Fax: (518) 828-8901
info@furthermore.org
SUMMARY:
Grants support the publishing of nonfiction books about the city;
natural and historic resources; art, architecture and design;
cultural history; civil liberties; and other public issues of the
day. Funding may be used to cover expenses related to writing,
research, editing, design, indexing, photography, illustration,
printing and binding.
FOR DETAILED INFORMATION GO TO:
http://www.furthermore.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COBBLESTONE is interested in articles of historical accuracy and
lively, original approaches to the subject at hand. Our magazine is
aimed at youths from ages 8 to 14. Writers are encouraged to study
recent back issues for content and style. To be considered, all
material must relate to the theme of a specific upcoming issue. See
http://www.cobblestonepub.com/guides_COB.html for full guidelines and
payment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speculative Fiction Wanted
At Electric Spec, we encourage authors to do their market research
before submitting work . Lots of great magazines are out there, but
there are also lots of, well, not so great magazines. Electric Spec
stands out from other markets because:
We pay for stories and artwork
We don't have slush readers. At least one of our editors looks at every
story that comes in
We've been around for over three years--and we've never missed an
issue, deadline, or author payment
We actually edit the stories we publish. Our experienced editors work
with authors to make their stories the best they can possibly be. Many
magazines out there don't do that--and it shows
We have a quick turnaround time. We turn send out rejections in 30-40
days. Acceptances take longer, but we will let you know if your story
is in the running (i.e. held for voting) in that same 30-40 day time
frame.
We love authors because we're authors, too. All of the editors are
published speculative fiction authors.
We may edit the story for length or readability; however, we always
remain true to the spirit of the story.
We are accepting submissions for consideration for our October 31, 2008
issue through midnight MDT September 15, 2008. Send us some horror and
macabre! Beginning September 16, 2008 we will be accepting submissions
for our first 2009 issue (probably February 28, 2009).
Please do not submit the same story more than once.
We will consider any story between 250 and 7,000 words with a
speculative fiction element to it. We prefer science fiction, fantasy,
and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional
forms of these genres. We will not accept more than one story by the
same author at a time. We accept simultaneous submissions so long as
you let us know up front and tell us as soon as it's accepted
elsewhere. We do not publish reprints, including anything that has
appeared on a Web site.
For full guidelines see http://www.electricspec.com/Submissions.html.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skirt! Wants Essays!
Skirt! Magazine
7 Radcliffe Street, Suite 302
Charleston, SC 29403
843-958-0027
Fax: 843-958-0029
submissions@skirt.com
We want every issue of Skirt! to reflect the variety and diversity of
women's lives and interests. Surprise, entertain and charm us! Skirt!
publishes eight to 14 personal essays every month on topics relating to
women and women's interests. A personal essay is a narrative that
emphasizes a personal, subjective view.
All essays for consideration should be submitted in their entirety and
be between 800 and 1,200 words. Submissions over 1,200 words will not
be considered. Payment for articles and other submissions varies.
Skirt! buys one-time rights. We reserve the right to edit articles for
length and content. See http://www.skirt.com/contributor_guidelines for
full guidelines and payment.
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Eight: Writing Assignment – What If You Could Have It All?
Most of us have dreamed of winning the lottery, inheriting a huge sum
of money, or otherwise amassing a large fortune. If you’re normal, you
have imagined how you would spend that money or how having the money
might change your life.
For this exercise create a character who, in one way or another, hits
it rich suddenly. Show how it plays out in the character’s life,
lifestyle, and relationships. Show how an abundance of money changes
the character’s plans, and how it changes him or her personally. You
decide whether the story has a happy, sad, or unexpected ending.
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Nine: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
If you love fonts and love humor, you’ll get a kick out of the Font
Conference at http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1823766/.
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“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo." As
written the sentence is an acceptable, grammatical sentence used as an
example of how homonyms and homophones can be used to create
complicated constructs. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo
for all the details. It amazed even me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In for another laugh? See The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks,
a site that has been misinterpreting bad punctuation since 2005.
http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/
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